As expected, the host was too weak to fight Tao out. Actually, his force had been so strong that the boy had clutched his stomach, as if he had never been so full in all of his life. 

Thunder had been in the process of boarding the seven line train to Chungmuro. Tao's presence had surprised him, causing him to hesitate before stepping into the car. 

He had about 30,000 won shoved into his left pocket and a card to Oh!Bubble that was two stamps short of being redeemable for a free tea in his right. The contents of his shoulder bag, which still smelled like new leather, included a sweater, a notebook for work and some files he brought home the night before, a cell phone with at least two missed calls from his parents, the keys to his apartment uptown, and a wallet carrying a loaded credit card and a gift voucher to an expensive French store that Thunder couldn't pronounce the name of. 

Not bad. At least I'm not homeless, or starving in a third world country, or a girl.  

Tao shuddered at the memory. He tried to reach for a handle to steady himself as the train lurched forward, but found that his jacket was caught in between the automatic doors. He had to lead back on them instead, with his feet spread apart to keep from falling. 

I've been gone a long time. 

Even though everything occurred to him instinctively, he easily became a victim of overthinking. Everyone in the car was on their phones and seemed generally unhappy. Thunder wouldn't have noticed, but Tao couldn't help but feel sorry. 
I wonder why. How could you not be melancholy when you're packed in here like sardines and can't even give the person next to you the time of say. 
He had to fight off Thunder's impulse to reach into his own back and take out his phone. 
No, you can't experience anything with your face buried in a screen. 
Tao was aware that he was thirty to forty five minutes away from his destination and that he wished he had brought a snack from the apartment that morning. The thought came to him that he might be late for work and it made his skin feel hot. 

Is this really what Thunder is like? 

He closed his eyes and began to sift through the entirety of Thunder's past. It wasn't too much to absorb; he had grown up rich, and was rich now too, after getting a job as the manager of the flavoring department at Oh!Bubble. College had been a breeze, boring even, since he mostly kept to himself and lived on his own off campus. He had spent his entire life alone, since his parents were successful doctors and were away on mission trips in Africa ten months out of twelve, and it didn't bother him. He had no intentions on changing either. The situation couldn't have been more ideal for Tao-who found his sole purpose was to stay invisible. It was his specialty. He even smiled to himself. 
When he teacher more recent memories though, he did begin to feel the presence of a nagging emptiness. Thunder was scared of any sort of danger, or anything that he thought could put him in danger-spiders, heights, enclosed spaces, ghosts, large knives-and as he continued on in solitude, the list only grew longer. He had taken up a self defense class, which he was currently failing. He never went out, unless it was for a meeting-he preferred to work from home. His emotions were always diluted somehow. And the only thing that satisfied him was periodically blowing money on clothes that he never had the chance to wear. 

An internal alarm went of in Thunder's head, awakening Tao, as the doors opened. Tao toppled clumsily backwards, things spilling out of his back and his pockets. No one offered to help him up, but didn't hesitate to scoff and trample his belongings, including his tea card which was now nothing more than a soggy wad of card stick a couple feet away. 

Bastards. 

He took a moment to gather himself, biting back his own fighting spirit and Thunder's worry of being late that so often consumed him. 
The city only inspired a dull curiosity within Thunder. He was more afraid of it than anything. 
How could you not want to explore? There isn't one building or person here that's the same as the next. Even the food is exciting. 
Tao suppressed his interests to protect Thunder's image, walking with his head down and shoulders forward, just like everyone else. When he found an Oh!Bubble, he stopped there to get a new card and something to drink. 

"Oh, Thunder, good to see you," said an employee, though he did not look happy to see him. "The usual?"
Tao knew the usual meant a medium taro slush with bubbles but he was in the mood for change. Thunder won't remember this. I can indulge if I want right?
"Uh, no, I'll have a large mango tea, and uh, no bubble."

Each word Tao said caused the employee's eyes to widen. His voice sounded foreign and dry, like soda gone flat after being left out too long, but the words tasted new and sweet. 

It feels good to talk again, even if I sound miserable. 

"Oh, and can I have a new card too? I lost mine this morning on the train."

"Of course," he said mechanically, staring at Tao like he were an alien and handing him his purchase. 

"Thanks," Tao said, realizing that even after going to the same cafe for so many years, he had yet to learn the boy's name. He had to squint at his nametag. "Jongdae."

The feeling of Jongdae watching him in bewilderment through the window only subsided when he rounded the corner. There he was confronted by a sophisticated, glass faced building that brought him some deep internal comfort that Tao knew did not belong to him. He checked his watch. 11:45. The meeting had started at 11:30. Apparently, they would be discussing chemical formulas for new Oh!Lite flavors for at least four hours, followed by a fifteen minute break-just enough time for Thunder to drink a meal substitute smoothie-and then return to the formulas. Tao trusted that the information would come out naturally, but the thought of being stuck in an office for ten hours pained him. 

Young, rich, smart, and he lives like this? Is bubble tea really that interesting? 

Tao sighed, made his expression as monotone as possible, and entered the building. 

He was immediately hit with sterile, doctor's office sort of cold, and was glad Thunder had thought to bring the extra sweater. He hurried to the metting room on the 42nd floor, trying not to get excited about the elevator and the computers and the nametags that could unlock doors with a single swipe. It was unlike Tao to give himself such freedom of thought; he usually assimilated to the host's personality and acted without the influence of his own impulse. But there was so much to try and who knew how long he'd be staying for. 

As long as I keep to myself, right? Thunder won't ever have to know. 

He felt like a child again, young and inexperienced, forgetting about his own history which had begun centuries earlier. He had finally been given the gift of spontaniety which so few people had the ability to indulge in. The idea of meeting no longer daunted him, and he swiped his card again before entering the room, just to hear the click of the lock. 

"Hey, Thunder," said Baekhyun, who was the closest thing to a friend that Thunder had, mostly because he was the only one who paid Thunder any attention, though it was usually negative. "Didn't you get the memo?"

In fact, he had not gotten the memo, since he had neglected checking his phone the whole morning. Tao shook his head. 

"Boss man died a few hours ago. Heart attack." 

"Oh."

Tao saw that his collegues were putting their papers back into their bags and were taking turns erasing the white board. 

"So no meeting?"

Baekhyun stared at him. "No. We got cut."

"Cut?"

"Laid off. Chopped. Fired. Whatever you want to call it. We're ing unemployed." 

Baekhyun tsked in frustration and Tao wanted to cheer because this meant he would have all day to do what he pleased. No obligations, no worries. Thunder could worry about getting a job later, he was qualified for anything and everything. He told his co-worker something that was supposed to be comforting but that only pissed him off more. Tao was growing to understand why Thunder might have not minded being alone. 

"Who even laid us off? Aren't we kind of, important?" Tao wanted to know so he could thank them later. 

"His brat son, Sehun. He inherited the whole franchise. If I met that little prick in an alleyway or something, I'd really hurt him." 

Tao looked at Baekhyun's small stature and doubted his capability. He admired his fire though. 

"Is he still here? Maybe we can jump him in the parking lot," Tao joked, holding up his fists and punching the air in an attempt to blow off his giddiness.

"You're acting weird. Get away from me." 

Baekhyun scurried into his office to put his belongings in a box, occasionally casting odd glances at Tao over his shoulder. Thunder didn't keep his stuff at the building though, so he was free to walk out and never look back. Which is exactly what he intended to do. 

He hardly made it out of the elevator on the first floor before slamming into someone, who furrowed his brows like he was in some way more significant than Tao. 

"Sorry," Tao muttered, frowning at the mango drink which had spilled a little on his shirt. 

"Do you work here?" the boy asked, flattening out his shirt which had no wrinkles that Tao could see. 

"No," Tao answered, anxious to get back outside. There was a ttoekbokki vendor he had passed on his way that he wanted to try. 

"Well you do now," he said. He swayed impatiently waiting for Tao to answer, sipping his chocolate bubble tea. 

"No I don't," Tao said. 

"You're saying no? To me?"

"Yeah, it looks that way, doesn't it." 

Tao realized that there was nothing stopping him from leaving right then and he readjusted his bag, heading for the revolving door. 

"I'm Oh Sehun!" the boy called after him. Thunder hadn't met him before and Tao hoped he would never have to in the future. 

"Sorry about your dad," Tao muttered as he exited.

Maybe he would call Baekhyun later. 

//

I revised the story again and decided it was too heavy. So I changed it to this and I hope you like it more. Please feel free to leave comments (i love comments really) and vote and stuff. Thanks for reading!