"Nothing beats cosy, cosy home! Right, ahjussi?" 

Daehyun welcomes Yongguk into his apartment with as much enthusiasm as he possibly could muster after sensing the aura of gloom emanating from the older man. Yongguk is silently grateful for the positivity. Daehyun's probably like a positivity diffuser. And Yongguk the negative tunnel probably needs that kind of healing badly. 

They settle down at the small table in Daehyun's living room. Yongguk surveys the surroundings. It's not that he's a stuck up, but Daehyun's house does seem very small compared to his. Yongguk hasn't experienced this kind of living for very long.

"Ahjussi, do you want to drink something? Or do you want to sleep already?" Daehyun asks when Yongguk seems a little spaced out.

"Oh," Yongguk turns his attention back to Daehyun. "Anything. Whatever."

"I'm asking you a question here," Daehyun frowns a little. "Never mind. You just do whatever you want. Just don't go into that room. That's another guy's bedroom."

"So this is rented?"

Daehyun pauses a second before saying, "Yea, but only the room. The living room is shared property." 

Yongguk just rolls his eyes at the redundant explanation but enjoys his time staring at the clutter of things in the living room as well as the worn out calendar against the wall. Looks like the calendar's shared as well, Yongguk walks up to the yellowish dates as the sound of running water comes out from the bathroom. This house is so bloody small, everything can be heard clearly, thinks Yongguk as he scrutinises the circled dates on the calendar, flipping through the pages to look.

Different pen inks and handwritings are found and Yongguk barely recognises the scribbles from Daehyun's penmanship. They are all random things that are work related or occasional stuff like birthdays or special dates. But Yongguk notices something even more special... Daehyun actually writes down his feelings when he feels like it... And most of them are pretty much related to Yongguk.

Evidently. From 'Yongguk monster'.

The Yongguk monster himself gives a small laugh at it before drifting off to the next attraction, the television. He switches it on, that old piece of appliance, still that kind of fat tv with push buttons on it. Yongguk finds it more interesting than the flatscreen he has at home. He's fixated on a football game when Daehyun gives him a jump at the couch. The boy stares at him amused, after appearing stealthily from the bathroom without a sound.

"Yah, you're giving me too many heart attacks recently."

"You're getting old, ahjussi."

Yongguk doesn't seem interested in answering to the word 'ahjussi' and carries on watching the game. Daehyun seems engaged as well and grabs packet of dried fish sticks, chewing on them noisily until Yongguk's had enough and grabs a few as well.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Huh?" Yongguk answers, mind on the tv.

"Didn't you come to my house to sleep?"

"Yea... Whatever."

"You need to stop using 'whatever', ahjussi. It's pretty annoying."

"Then I should stop using you as well-- Oh right, didn't you quit?"

Yongguk turns to Daehyun and the both of them suddenly realises that something's wrong here. They stare at one another with agape mouths and Daehyun tosses Yongguk a dirty look.

"Well, didn't you fire me? I thought you didn't want to see me at all. Why am I still your assistant, huh?"

"I thought you quitted first, kiddo. Why are you still running errands for me?"

Both of them come to a standstill and Daehyun argues petulantly, "So I should tell you to get out of my house now, right?"

Yongguk seems to have taken damage from the attack. "Yah..."

Daehyun catches the subtle hint of reluctance in Yongguk's face and quickly switches the mood. "Just kidding! I'm not that coldhearted like you! And besides, this is just to thank you for that half a million~ I saw it in my bank account today! Gomawo, ahjussi~"

Yongguk just glares at Daehyun's greasy words and turns back to the game. He's however, rather glad that he isn't chased out. He wouldn't know how to deal with the silence at home.

Bedtime's a thin futon and a pillow. Daehyun drags out the extra set from the musky closet and lays them out for Yongguk who stands beside him staring because this has been an ancient act to him.

"Why are you still standing there? Sleep, ahjussi."

"It's probably been thirteen years since I last slept on these." Yongguk states as he lays down on the mattress, able to feel the solid floor through it but is satisfied with the new sensation it's giving to his back. Soft beds probably do his spine no good.

"No need to brag about how rich you are when you were my age. Well, goodnight." Daehyun never leaves out a chance to taunt Yongguk and he switches off the lights, settling down into his spot beside Yongguk, laying in his own futon.

"Yah, don't you think it's funny?" He says, grinning in the dark.

"What? Your face?"

"Aish... The two of us! We've gotten so much closer, haven't we ahjussi? We used to be just boss and employee and now we're friends having a sleepover... right?" 

Daehyun is a little unsure about the part about 'friends' and turns to Yongguk for an answer but the older man doesn't answer, only because the dark can hide how much he's pondering. 

"Don't cross the limits, punk."

"Tch. I've helped you so much and yet you're being like this to me. You're a snob, ahjussi."

"Whatever. I'm filthy rich."

The night settles down eventually and Daehyun can't fall asleep because Yongguk's lying beside him. In the dark, he has his eyes trained on Yongguk's black silhouette, learning the slow heaving of his chest and listening carefully for his faint breathing. Daehyun only realises his eyes are staring so blatantly wide when Yongguk unlocks his phone, the bright lights shunning him into retreat underneath his blanket to watch the other man. Yongguk plugs in earpieces and Daehyun's curious about the song that's playing on Yongguk's phone. 

Everything's a dead still in the silent room until Yongguk turns off the music and turns over. Daehyun slowly pulls down his blanket and quietly, unlocks Yongguk's phone when he ensures that the other man is asleep. He plugs in one side of the earpiece and plays the song on Yongguk's phone. It's a plain song without the usual electronics in Yongguk's composition. It's the calm melody of a guitar and the words murmurred by a familiar voice. Daehyun. entranced by the song, silently watches the other man's back thoughtfully. The lyrics are so sad and forlorn. It's clear that Yongguk's still missing Jieun badly. This entire song is about her and the things between the two of them.

Daehyun doesn't even know when he started feeling sad, the b tears are a burden. For once Yongguk's written something meaningful enough that Daehyun bears to listen. But it doesn't help that Yongguk's written something so different from the usual pop songs. It just tells Daehyun how sad Yongguk is. Daehyun doesn't really know why but he thinks... Yongguk is a pitiful man. He never felt that a life busy with schedules and production would be meaningful. Yongguk's life just seems... colourless.

Daehyun really doesn't want to think so much about Yongguk. He really doesn't know why.

And on the other side, Yongguk's still wide awake, unable to sleep as the thoughts of somebody haunts him.