"Are you sure you don't want anymore?" Jongin asked Gaeun eagerly, staring at her with innocent doe-eyes.

She shook her head, snuggling a little underneath her jacket, "No I'm fine, thank you."

The cafe was much more crowded today, with dozens of people chatting and laughing in small cozy groups. The walls were a warm brown color that seemed to sooth the customers and give them an earthly feel as more and more people continued to huddle through the small doors. The poor old man who worked serving the people had a discontent expression on his face and every now and then he would wipe his brow as the people swore and cracked intimate jokes around him.

Gaeun and Jongin had found a satisfying table in the back close to a foggy window that was cracked open just a smidge. Every so often small flakes of snow would swoop in and stick to a few strands of hair but she managed to brush them away. It was in these slow afternoon hours that they realized they both had intriguing stories from their past and indulging personalities. Still, it seemed as though they had spoke forever and now words seemed to be losing their way.

"Coffee and steamed milk with extra foam for the beautiful lady," The old man stirred, placing down her drink a little too fast and splashing a mere drop on the table.

"Oh," Jongin whispered, quickly reaching over for the napkin stand.

The old man flushed, bowing furiously at Gaeun, " Forgive me!"

"Ahjussi, it's fine." She chuckled, placing a comforting hand on his forearm and shooing him away.

The man hesitated before giving Jongin a look. He only shrugged, tilting his head to the left to let him know he had permission to leave. With an uncertain sigh, he turned his back and waved to a few new individuals who had just walked in greeting them with a genuine 'Hello' as if nothing had happened moments before.

"Thanks again for the drink Jongin," Gaeun shot him a tender smile.

"Gaeun it-" He began, looking away from her.

She noticed he blushed easily, almost like he wasn't used to giving special treatment to any female species.

"Seriously, I like this whole calm atmosphere," She sniffed, looking around at the old posters and soothing hum of music from the speakers above.

"I'm not a fan of fancy gestures," He shrugged, stirring his mocha with a thin plastic spoon.

He chewed on his bottom lip for a second before looking back up at Gaeun, "Besides, I might as well get to know everyone in this place. I haven't really gone out much."

Jongin hadn't gone out much at all. It was as if after he moved, he stayed inside and hibernated throughout half of the winter. Gaeun had barely seen him around and sometimes she would stop by his house to greet Mr. Kim and she would almost always catch a glimpse of him sitting on the couch, shirt off and a book in his hands. It was a mere coincidence that he had even known her name seeing they had never talked much. But today, today seemed to be different.

"Have you met Mr. Jung?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink. Burning her tongue, she flinched on reflex and let out a small wince.

Jongin let out a hearty, legitimate laugh. One that was so true and came from the depths of his stomach and made its way out of his system as if he had just enjoyed watching a comedy.

"Slow down, I'm not going anywhere," He spoke and Gaeun caught the split second smirk on his lips.

"I'm in no rush," She replied awkwardly, blowing on the cup in front of her.

"And yes, I met him a while ago. Probably last week, I wouldn't remember," He shivered for a moment.

Yes Jongin was someone who had forgotten things easily, maybe he was under some sort of condition. It was like you had to snap in front of him or wave your arm in front of his face to remind him that you were still there. Gaeun had noticed this a few times, like when she knocked on their door and no one would answer for minutes. And just as she was about to leave, he would throw the door open, hair messy and breathing hard. With a sheepish smile he would apologize and explain that he was going to answer the door but it had slipped his mind. Gaeun noticed all of this, but she had just never expected him to admit it himself. She had expected him to forget he was forgetful.

"Stop thinking about it so much," Jongin kicked her slightly under the table, turning his face so she couldn't see his cheeks turn light pink again.

"I'm not, I swear!" She laughed, leaning down to rub her shin.

Jongin gave her a small frown,

"It's not anything severe. Just sometimes things fall out of my hands so quickly I don't even notice it."

He seemed stern now, his lips falling into a tight line, the veins on his hands becoming more and more visible.

"What do you mean?"

He was intriguing. Interesting. Everything he did seemed to wake her up and keep her focused. Sometimes it was like the words he said came straight out of a movie. Those movies where the main lead would say something so deep and meaningful, everyone remembered why he was the main lead in the first place.

"I don't know," He bit his lip, his tone softening.

"Jongin, we can change the topic if-"

"I lose everything, I've lost everything I've ever had." He breathed, looking at her straight in the eyes.

His eyes were glassy, watery almost but there weren't tears in his eyes. It was more of memories and thoughts flooding into his veins and flowing through his blood. Gaeun decided to keep quiet for a moment, not wanting to interrupt him.

"I guess it's like I'm so used to letting things go that now my thoughts are one of them," He furrowed his brow, teeth nipping helplessly against his bottom lip.

He looked confused, like he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. Like his thoughts were now slipping out of his mind and if he didn't get to the point now he would forget.

"Jongin," Gaeun wanted to hold back her laugh. Even though he seemed so upset in this moment, she couldn't help but feel like he was overreacting.

"Jongin listen to me," She placed a hand on his wrist. It was extremely cold and somehow she could feel his pulse beating against her fingers. He needed to calm down.

"It's not a big deal, okay?" She soothed, petting his arm slowly.

He looked up at her, a small smile forming, "I know, I just ramble sometimes."

Gaeun laughed, "You're not forgetful you know, you're just different."

"Shut up, you know I'm absent-minded. Everyone does, I don't need pity," He said, his words were meant to come out harsh but with Jongin, they were cool and collected.

"I'm not going to pity you. I barely know you. I just think you're smart," Gaeun motioned for the waiter at the table nearby.

Seeing that she was ready to leave, Jongin pulled a face.

"What do you mean?" He asked quickly, zipping up his fitting black jacket.

Gaeun buttoned up the small hem of her coat too until she reached the top, making sure to take her time just to .

"Gaeun-sshi!" He moaned, getting up and pulling his chair back under the table.

They were greeted by a waiter who happily collected their money. With a small smile, the woman gave them a proper bow and turned back to serve the waiting customers behind her.

"Are you walking me home?" Gaeun smiled, stepping out onto the sidewalk and breathing in the fresh, cool air and busy streets.

She turned to Jongin who was already pouting miserably behind her. His dark hat was placed neatly above his head, allowing some of his soft brown curly strands of hair to become visible. The tip of his nose was red and he looked adorably fed-up in her shadow.

"Fine then don't tell me," He whined, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets and strolling ahead of her.

Her steps quickened behind him and she let out a huff when she realized his long legs were no match for her even if she was sprinting behind him.

"Jongin!" She called, her ears were practically freezing to death. She needed earmuffs, anything or her hearing would expire in an instant, "Jongin, alright!" she called again.

She was never athletic. And so that was how she ended up practically a thousand miles behind him with Jongin nowhere in sight. She was sure he was ahead of her by almost twenty minutes and by now he was probably at home.

"Alright then, leave me all alone. I just won't tell you how smart you seem," She shrugged, tipping into her jacket so she wasn't as cold. But she continued to muffle her words in her jacket, pedestrians picking up parts of her speech as she walked by.

"And I won't tell you how much of a dreamer you are. Or how I think the only reason you're so forgetful is because your brain probably works more than the average. Or that the only reason you think you're absent-minded is because you've been through so much, and that you're just tired and helpless right now and the last thing you want to do is remember useless thoughts that have no benefit to you."

The more she talked, the more she began to realize he was just like her. And that in every way possible, he was almost her. In the things he experienced and the hardships he had to endure to get where he was today, she found some sort of linkage between their stories. And that although she barely knew him, she knew him.

"Or the fact that you're so strong to have gone through what you did," She continued, turning the corner and walking down a small boulevard, her shadow on the wall seemed larger than her actual figure but she kept on walking.

"Or maybe I would have even told you that we're so much alike in ways that are so indifferent. And that you may seem like a dummy to others but I can see that you're smarter than them, so much smarter that they don't even notice. That doesn't make sense at all but I would have told you it anyways," She laughed.

Her hands cupped both of her ears so tightly, they were sure to turn blue. She was cold.

She stopped at the light at the street and waited, humming a delicate tune before continuing to cross. On the other side, she laughed at her own thoughts as she began to recite where she had left off.

"I would have told you how adorable it was when you were nervous. Or how cute you looked when you bit your lip, lost in thought."

"But you just did," Someone called from behind her.

And before she could turn around, a hat was placed over her head, her ears finding instant warmth under the fabric.

With a full spin, she managed to catch a glimpse of Jongin who had most likely been walking behind her the whole time.

Gaeun flushed red immediately, wondering how much he heard before she caught the small grin play on his face.

"Keep the hat, I'll see you later!" He chuckled, jogging a few metres in front of her before turning into a small alleyway and disappearing out of sight.

 

---------------

 

Chanyeol stepped back, dodging a lunge from Baekhyun. He grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him down, stopping him from fighting back anymore.

It was already lunch hour and they had a few minutes left before they were scheduled for shift. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had gotten close as they were one of the younger employees who fell around the same age group. Still, they weren't considered friends, or strangers. They lay somewhere in between, a worker-worker relationship.

"I told you I can't help you," Chanyeol grumbled, pushing the shorter young man back so his balance was lost.

Baekhyun shot him a glare, fists clenching at the thought of him leaving without what he wanted.

"I'm sorry, but Ms. YeeJin clearly said since I'm the new employee, you have to do whatever I want!" He shot, eyes narrowing at Chanyeol.

"This is against the rules Baek, you know I can't show you anything that you're not supposed to see. It's regulation number one," Chanyeol held up a finger and beamed happily at the latter.  He had memorized the member of staff hand book front and backwards.

Baekhyun groaned, sliding a hand through his hair. A habit of his when he was under pressure or frustrated.

"Please man, you know it's not a big favor." He decided going for a more rational approach would probably get him father than a violent one.

Chanyeol stiffened, his thick rimmed specks falling slightly against the bridge of his nose. He disliked the fact that he was so sympathetic. That one small sad story could be enough for him to cry a river. His heart was weak and he hated that people could take advantage of him because of it.

"I want to help you, I really do. Do you think that if this was my decision I would have said no?" Chanyeol mumbled, busying himself with the paperwork on his desk.

He stacked a few papers neatly and moved a stapler out of sight and into a small drawer. This conversation was probably going nowhere. He knew that in the end, Baekhyun would end up getting what he wanted. Everyone always did.

He sighed, tucking a lock behind his ear. Maybe if he hadn't talked to Baekhyun when he first came along he wouldn't have been in this situation. Maybe if he hadn't offered to drive him home or show him around the office he wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe if he wasn't Park-Chanyeol-The-Wimp he wouldn't have been in this situation.

"You know you would have done it if I were someone you actually liked, I'm leaving." Baekhyun suddenly shot.

He his heal, adjusting his dress shirt in the full-length mirror. He smiled smugly, turning an inch so he could see his lengthy torso. With one more glance, he walked towards the door, turning the knob without a second thought.

Chanyeol could have let him walk away. In fact, this was the moment he was praying for. For Baekhyun to finally give up and storm away. This was even playing out much better than he had imagined. And he wasn't going to call him back and give in. He wasn't going to play wimp anymore and beg on his knees for Baekhyun to stay. He learned a lot over time and one of which was that he had his limits. He knew when he would have to stop and the first step was acknowledging his weak point. He wasn't going to call Baekhyun back.

"Baek wait," Chanyeol mumbled, mentally cursing himself with every foul word in the dictionary.

Baekhyun let out a small 'Hm' before turning back, raising an eyebrow at the boy sitting at the desk, hands folded over his eyes in defeat.

"You do know that this is not only putting my job on the line but yours as well," Chanyeol grumbled, looking up to stare Baekhyun down.

"Obviously-"

"And you do know you just got this job and if you get fired you'll be humiliated for the rest of your life," He continued.

"If I didn't give a damn do you think I would be here?" Baekhyun countered, returning the glare.

Chanyeol let out a breath, "I swear if I lose my job because of you..."

"So don't do it," Baekhyun scoffed, "I don't know why I asked you anyways."

"Don't think you can use reverse psychology on me, two minutes and that's all." Chanyeol stood up, walking over to the endless files of reports and paper stacked in alphabetical order along the wall.

Files and files and files that seemed to go on ceaselessly. Chanyeol tucked up his glasses, leaning over so he could read the names written in fine print.

Baekhyun tried his best to keep his raging scream in his throat and his eyes from bulging out of their sockets. He craned his neck, eyes on Chanyeol ever so intensely. His fingers twitched and he stuffed them in the pockets of his dress pants to keep them steady.

"What was the name again?" Chanyeol asked, back still towards him.

Baekhyun inhaled, his tongue felt dry and heavy in his mouth. Words wouldn't form, he couldn't think. Say the name his mind screamed but he fiddled with the thin fabric of the insides of his pockets. He didn't want to be here. Instantly he regretted it. But he had to, something about that day had triggered him so effectively he nearly felt faint.

"Jeong...Gaeun," His heart beat was loud, clear and strong. So strong he was sure Chanyeol could hear it from all the way across the room.

Chanyeol moved down the row, fingers scanning the documents one by one. Baekhyun twitched when he finally let out an "aha!"

"I got it!" He smiled pulling out the small, thin folder.

Never had a moment like this made Baekhyun feel so helpless in his life.

"O-Open it," His voice was harsh and strained. Chanyeol noticed this and gave him a look before tossing him the folder.

"Now it's one minute," Chanyeol tightened his lips, glancing at the clock.

It felt cold and bare against his fingers. He wanted to hold it like that forever and never have to open it for as long as he lived. But he knew he was running out of time, every lost second was like years of his life thrown away. Eventually, he managed to pull together and slip open the paper.

He ran a hand through his hair for the thousandth time that afternoon, eyes scanning the pages quickly. He flipped through four, five, six pages marked BACKGROUND INFORMATION, FINANCIAL STATUS, APPLICATION and other useless subheadings. He let out a grunt of frustration as he continued to fiddle with the papers until his pupils dilated and his jaw felt numb.

A large, highly detailed photo of the woman. Her dark, long hair falling down her shoulders, her radiating toothy smile that showcased her friendliness, her eyes wide and gleaming with happiness. She looked happy. Baekhyun breathed in, wanting to reach over and press his lips against the paper. He tensed, running a hand over her nose and down to her lips. He stayed like that for a moment, his finger over her peach pink rim. This is what he had come for. He wanted to see her so badly, to touch her and see her smile again. He knew it wasn't going to be real, but after he had a chance to see her in front of him and he threw it away, he knew he would rarely see her again.

This was his reality. This was as close as he would get to being near her and he was willing to take whatever chance he could get. With his heart clenching, he closed his eyes and for a moment everything was still. That was until he felt the folder close against his hand and he snapped his eyes open.

"Times up," Chanyeol said slowly, tugging the document from his hands and walking back to the shelf.

Carefully, he dragged a hand over the names until finally finding the JEONG section and slipping it in.

Baekhyun sighed, looking down at his feet before glancing back up at Chanyeol, "Thanks, I owe you one."

Chanyeol shrugged, "Just make sure no one finds out about this Baek."

He nodded, not paying much attention to his words. He walked to the door, unaware of whether Chanyeol was still talking or not. He felt calm for some reason, like his head was hazy but clear all at the same time. But he knew no matter how long he expected to live in this 'reality', he would wake up eventually.

Times up.