"Daehyun!" Yongguk shouts from the bathroom and Daehyun's immediately up and running out of reflex.

"Yes?"

"Get my clothes."

"Okay-- WAIT!" 

Daehyun stops himself at the bathroom door, raising a hand up to Yongguk's face.

"I'm sorry ahjussi, I'm no longer your servant. Get it yourself."

Yongguk narrows his eyes as Daehyun holds his stand firmly. 

"Yah, aren't I paying you for the two weeks already?"

"Nope, that's for kidnapping me."

"Yah..."

"Are you done? I need to pee."

 Daehyun pushes pass Yongguk who gives him a disgusted look. 

When he comes out of the bathroom, Yongguk's lying on the bed looking desolate and extremely bored. Daehyun watches as Yongguk lies there doing nothing and shakes his head disapprovingly.

"Yah, Yongguk!"

The man raises his head up to stare at Daehyun. "I'm older than you, you brat!"

"Yah, Bang Yongguk." Daehyun sits down at the edge of the bed and Yongguk turns away from the younger boy, preparing to ignore him. "Are you going to lie down here for the whole day? Let's go do something! Don't waste your money here!"

"I'll be wasting my money if I go out with you."

"Come on, don't lie here and wallow in sadness, let's go do something! What are you supposed to be doing today? Huh?"

Yongguk finally gives in to the appalling ruckus Daehyun's making and makes his way out of the hotel, looking grumpy as Daehyun drags him to the subway. 

"Let's go see everything today! Don't look so glum, Yonggukkie!" Daehyun chuckles when Yongguk glares at him.

"Who are you calling by name? You little..."

"Let's go before we miss the train!" Daehyun grabs Yongguk by the arm and ensures the both of them made it into the pack train before the door closes.

It's packed sardines in the subway but Daehyun only seems interested in the complex map than anything else. Yongguk on the other hand, is feeling very cramped and uncomfortable. He wouldn't be feeling this way if he's actually here with J--

"Yah Bang Yongguk, let's go to that place."

"Mwo?" Yongguk adjusts his cap and squints at the tiny words on the map. 

Daehyun taunts him, "Do you need glasses? Old man?"

"Yah, don't let me hit you in a train."

"Are we going?"

"Whatever." Yongguk answers, looking uninterested but is rather intrigued by the way Daehyun's face brightens up. This kid...

The train remains packed and crammed on the way and it never feels nice to have strangers up against you with all the strange perfumes and habits they wear... Yongguk's distracted from his internal grumbling when Daehyun suddenly turns quiet. His brows crease unconsciously when he catches the blank look on Daehyun's face, the usual glee and jubilance gone. Daehyun looks almost afraid to him.

Yongguk would've asked him what's wrong but the train's too crowded and the railtracks too noisy. He nudges the boy but Daehyun remains frozen on the ground, face pale.

"Yah, what's with you?" Yongguk realises something's really amiss when Daehyun wouldn't reply him and he knows it's not because Daehyun can't hear him over the tracks. He observes the boy and finds Daehyun's fists clenched and expression abnormally spaced out. His eyes examine the boy and finds a stranger pressed up against him unusually closer than the other commuters. It looks way too suspicious and almost repulsive. 

The train halts to a stop at another station and Yongguk grabs Daehyun into the space he finds as the other commuters alight. He shoves him to the shut train doors on the opposite of the platform and arranges himself parallel to the boy before another crowd fills the carriage once again.Yongguk catches the small sign of relief on Daehyun's face as he keeps an arm up against the train door, his body shielding Daehyun from the other passengers. He turns and stares at the strange man who shuffles away in the crowd. Yongguk would've singled him out and disgraced him but Daehyun's state doesn't look too well to handle public scutiny.

"Yah, pabo-yah? Don't you know how to speak?" Yongguk chides Daehyun quietly, the screeching tracks and noisy carriage almost drowning out his words from Daehyun's ears. But Daehyun hears it clearly and has nothing to say. 

Daehyun lowers his head and Yongguk sighs. "Why didn't you yell at him? You yell at me just fine."

Yongguk immediately regrets it when Daehyun lets out a sign to cry, his teeth worrying bottom lip and a trembling chin. He exhales tiredly, raising his head to stare at the map above him but is a little relieved when Daehyun headbutts him on the shoulder but keeps it there. Yongguk lets him do it and keeps Daehyun shielded from the rest of the carriage.

When they are on their way out of the subway station, Yongguk keeps an eye on Daehyun walking with his eyes on the ground, completely uneased by the abnormally silent Daehyun.

"Gwenchanayo..." Yongguk shoves at Daehyun's shoulder and the boy just shakes his head, a signal for Yongguk to back off.

"Hey man... You're scaring me."

"It's okay. I'm used to it." Daehyun mumbles as they reach the busy city street.

Yongguk however, dissatisfied, challenges, "Used to it? How are you used to it? You look like you fell off the train!"

"Yah, just leave me alone!" Daehyun suddenly fires up his temper and quickens his step, marching off into the crowd, abandoning a worried Yongguk who weaves through the crowd trying to catch up with his nimble feet.

"Oi..." Yongguk grabs him by the arm and Daehyun shakes it off, the previous disconcertedness replaced with anger.

"What's wrong with you, Jung Daehyun."

"I don't want to talk about it, so stop talking about it ahjussi."

"Yah, you're scaring me. You are totally not feeling well!"

Daehyun groans frustratedly and spins around to face Yongguk. "I'm fine okay! I'm just... a little disturbed. But... I'm used to it... It happened quite a few times..."

"What?!" Yongguk exclaims in disbelief. "A few times?! Did you do anything about it then?"

Daehyun's head lowers as he gives a sheepish shake of his head that makes Yongguk's blood boil. He grabs his hair in frustration.

"Yah, you're supposed to tell them to stop! Just shout out! These people are cowards, they wouldn't dare to do anything to you if you say it out loud!"

Yongguk tells Daehyun off agitatedly and Daehyun listens with an urge to cry again. He rubs at his eyes and says, "I'm scared... You're not helping me here..."

At the sight of tears, Yongguk just sighs exasperatedly. "God, you're a hard nut to crack. Fine, fine, let's not think about it. Let's go see the bloody street you want to see."

Yongguk puts his arm around Daehyun's shoulder and starts their feet working on the busy city street. Daehyun glances up at Yongguk when he feels a little better and a small smile creeps on the corners of his lips even if Yongguk's face looks like the last thing he wants to do is be here.

Gomawo... Daehyun thinks secretly as Yongguk swerves him down the busy street.

Walking amongst the crowd with Yongguk's arm around him, Daehyun suddenly feels the kind of security he's never had before. It feels too good and he's just afraid that he'll get too attached and too greedy... What should he do when Yongguk's being too nice to him?

"That way!" Daehyun grabs Yongguk by the hand when he spots a crowd around a few performing street artists. He's immediately distracted by the performance and both of them are too occupied to realise how they've been holding hands for so long. When Daehyun turns back with a grin at an equally amused Yongguk, their entangled hands are finally discovered. The both of them let go quickly and Yongguk clears his throat, straining his neck to revert his attention back to the street artists and Daehyun follows suit. His thoughts are however, dwelling on how Yongguk let go first.

"I'm hungry." Daehyun says when at the umpteenth traffic light and Yongguk rolls his eyes. 

"What a surprise."

"Let's go eat, ahjussi."

Yongguk's silence means compliance, and Daehyun drags the older man to a streetside cart selling hotdogs instead of an expensive restaurant. Yongguk smiles down at the bread in his hand and comments casually, "Why not a restaurant again so you can bleed me dry?"

Daehyun, mouth already stuffed with food, makes a face at Yongguk. "Ahjussi, you look like somebody who only eats at expensive places. You need to learn the real joy of street food!"

"Stupid kid..." Yongguk grumbles. He didn't come from a rich family either. What prejudice. "And stop calling me ahjussi. I'm not that old."

"How old are you?" Daehyun asks, smudging mustard over his right cheek when he bites a greedy mouthful of the hotdog.

"I'm only thirty, you rascal. And get that off your face." Yongguk grumbles impatiently and wipes Daehyun's napkin callously over the boy's face.

Daehyun stumbles backwards from Yongguk's roughness but feels a silent blush seeping into his cheeks from Yongguk's action. Daehyun wouldn't want to be delusional but, he do hope it's Yongguk's subtle way of expressing concern. He locks up this little moment into himself and carries on as usual.

"I'm only nineteen, ahjussi. You're an ahjussi."

"Bloody nineteen. You're still a kid!"

"Youth is money!"

"Then pay me back my 780 bucks!"

"How do I pay you back with my youth? Yah!" Daehyun suddenly raises both hands to either side of his chest, feigning trepidation as he says, "I'm not going to pay you with my body!"

Yongguk chokes at the offending joke as Daehyun cackles in laughter at the sight.

"You little brat... I wouldn't want you anyway! Ugly duckling!"

"YAH! AHJUSSI!"

Daehyun yells at Yongguk who cringes at the sheer loudness of his voice. 

"Yah, you little punk. Stop embarrassing yourself!"

"You can't take jokes very well, ahjussi."

"I can't take it when you say I want your body." Yongguk finishes off the sentence with furrowed brows because that didn't sound very pleasant to his ears.

Daehyun on the other hand is rather amused. "Yah, and you're bad at talking too, ahjussi." He chuckles and carries on their journey, Yongguk following him with a frown.