------------------------------ A pretty little thing I picked up from the rooftop.
Donghyun as a passer-by
Minwoo as a suicidal person
Universe 8
warning(s): attempted suicide.

The setting sun casted its orange glow on the city, one of its rays reflected onto a young man’s face. His face was glistening with tears, but he was just another face in the crowd.

The bustling city was busier at its peak hour, so no one was able to see him.

He would jump down from the 20-storeys apartment building if he would like to cause some trauma to the many office workers heading home after a long day at work, but he didn’t. He bit his lower lip with a bitter smile, then roughly wiping away the tears that had fallen. Maybe later, when there wasn’t anyone to see his ugly corpse.

“Want to talk?” A voice he hadn’t expected broke the silence he was used to up so high. He turned sharply to the source, watching the man carefully approach him.

“No.” He shook his head, but slid himself down the ledge he was sitting on, back into safety. He had already decided on later.

“I’m Donghyun.” The man offered, pausing a safe distance away. Personal space, maybe. “Want me to pick you up?”

“You can’t.” He managed a small smile, wondering what was with this stranger. He was definitely giving negative signals, and yet this Donghyun man wasn’t backing off yet.

“That’s rude. I definitely can.”

He was all the way down under the slumps. Life had given up on him. He had, on so many occasions, told himself never to consider suicide only to end up on the ledge. Now, he has given up on life. There was no way a stranger like him could pick him up-

With wide open eyes, he reached for the stranger’s shoulders to balance himself as the man did exactly what he said – pick him up, literally. He almost laughed at how ridiculous the man was for such a weird idea, but felt his body being adjusted for the man to carry him properly.

“You’re way too skinny.” A comment he received way too much to find it surprising, but coming from a stranger who was carrying him, it did seem pretty new. “You have anywhere in mind?”

“Put me down.”

“But you don’t have anywhere in mind, do you?”

“No.”

“Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to follow my lead.”

So he just let himself be carried away like some princess, watching the many stairs pass him by till they reached the 15^th floor.

“How did you find me there?”

“I just go up to the rooftop a lot.” Donghyun shrugged, opening his unlocked door and then closing it behind him. He oddly never let the petite man in his arms down, continuing to walk towards the small sofa in his humble apartment. “I wanted to stare at the sunset but I found something else glowing.”

The man finally got back onto his feet, blinking at his surroundings. It was a small, cosy place like his own on the 10^th floor, but maybe a bit more organised.

“Something else?” The man managed, taking a seat as the host gestured.

“Want something to drink?” Donghyun offered, shrugging when the man shook his head. “You.”

“Is that a very bad pick-up line or am I mistaken…?”

“Well, you were there at sunset so it’s hard not to glow with you wearing white and all.” Donghyun said, offering a smile. “What’s your name, stranger?”

The man hesitated, wondering if he should be leaving pieces of himself on Earth when he was going to head to hell. “My name wouldn’t be relevant five hours later.”

“Is that when you intend to jump?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I change your mind?”

The man thought for a while in silence. He hadn’t asked himself that before. All he thought of when he was up the ledge looking at the dizzy view below him was that he was forced up to that point and there was no turning back. He told himself that he had done all that he could to prevent it, and this was the conclusion he reached.

“If you have to think for so long, I think I can.” Donghyun spoke up, and the man realised he was being stared at for the whole time he was thinking.

“Why would you do this for me?”

“I’d say I’m some angel in disguise, sent from heaven as your guardian angel, but you wouldn’t believe it.” Donghyun laughed at his own joke, watching the other man smile softly.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Because you’re cute.”

“…that’s so straightforward it’s oddly refreshing.” The man chuckled prettily, the smile so much better on his face than his previous serious expression. “I’m Minwoo.”

“Well then, Minwoo-ssi. Would you join me for dinner?” Donghyun offered, head tilted to the side as if to coax out an affirmative reply. Minwoo smiled softly, shrugging. There wasn’t much else he could do either. “Great, let me get the ingredients ready.”

“You cook?” Minwoo asked, realising the other was meaning to cook up a meal instead of going out for dinner. He followed after Donghyun, shaking his head when the host said it was okay for him to stay seated. “Let me help.”

“All right.” Donghyun nodded, then leading the other into his small kitchen. He gave Minwoo a look, then opening the door of his refrigerator with a sigh. “Man, I should have gone grocery shopping this morning. Now I look like some hobo.”

Minwoo stifled his laugh, peeking at the contents’ of the refrigerator and seeing simple side-dishes, vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

“Something was nagging at me when I finished that packet of meat yesterday.” Donghyun grumbled, taking out a few side-dishes his mom sent, leftover cabbage and two eggs. “Uh…ramen?”

“Ramen.” Minwoo grinned in reply, because all single men hold ramen in high regards. He tried not to think of the days he’d eat one packet to survive for two days, watching Donghyun manoeuvre around his kitchen for the pot and the pair of chopsticks he needed.

Realising the chopping board and knife was in plain sight, Minwoo then reached for them both and helped chop the vegetables up. Donghyun started bringing the instant soup to boil, placing two packets worth of instant noodle into the pot.

“Do you like your egg yolk intact?” Donghyun asked, holding both eggs up before Minwoo as the other cut out enough side-dish for them both, returning the rest to the refrigerator.

“I actually prefer runny yolk.”

“Me too.”  Donghyun grinned, then cracking the eggs and breaking the egg yolks. “A lot of people don’t like it though. But I think that it brings extra flavour to the soup.”

Minwoo smiled wordlessly, then washing the chopping board and knife. Whether it was because he stopped washing his dishes too long to remember to be careful or that he was still distracted by negative thoughts, Minwoo was jerked back into reality when Donghyun fussed over the blood-stained water gathering at the sink.

Donghyun assessed the cut across Minwoo’s palm, wincing when it was longer than expected. He hesitated for a moment, then running the wound under cold water and gently squeezing as much blood as he could out. Minwoo bit his lip to bite back the pain, smiling softly at Donghyun’s continuous apologies. When the blood flow became lesser, Donghyun then hurriedly search for a clean towel to cover the wound with, applying pressure.

When the bleeding stopped, Donghyun then cleaned the wound and dressed it with a large bandage.

He never stopped apologising.

“Why…” Minwoo stopped himself, smiling when he decided he need not know the answer. “The ramen is overcooked.”

“Oh right!” Donghyun snapped his fingers, hurriedly stopping the fire and looking at the noodles. “So sorry about this. Usually, my ramen tastes good.”

Minwoo chuckled softly, knowing he had once have that sort of pride over ramen. Honestly, everyone’s ramen would taste the same, but there will always be people comparing and getting all defensive over their ramen. “It’s okay.”

Donghyun then took the pot out to where there was a table. The table seemed more like it was for his work, seeing how he hurriedly took some scrap paper from the table to act as a base for the pot. He then did some house-keeping, clearing out a chair for Minwoo to seat on.

“Do you need me to feed you?” Donghyun joked, knowing Minwoo hurt his non-dominant hand.

Minwoo smiled softly, shaking his head. He didn’t let his mind linger on why he wouldn’t explicitly say no.

So they picked up their chopsticks and ate from the same pot. He didn’t question why someone who was so apparently properly brought up knew how to refuse a guest’s help and do emergency first-aid, but not take out two bowls for them to eat separately. Instead, he observed the man as he stood up to clear the seat next to him this time, then settling himself nicely while they ate side by side.

“I’m glad it’s not as overcooked as I thought.” Donghyun said as he slurped up the noodles. “Is it okay?”

“Can’t be picky.” Minwoo shrugged with a light chuckle. He laughed even harder when Donghyun gave him this incredulous look as if insulted that he gave such a dismissive comment. “It’s good.”

“Well then, you’ll have to do the dishes to thank me for the meal.” Donghyun gave a satisfied smile, lightly blowing on the piping hot noodles before leading them into his mouth. “Mm.”

“I guess I do.” Minwoo smiled softly, himself doing the same.

“How old are you?”

Minwoo paused in his chewing, looking at Donghyun who nonchalantly tried scooping up some more noodles. “Does it matter?”

“You look ten.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Donghyun shrugged, not pursuing the question.

They then ate in silence, or at least as silent as Donghyun’s slurping would allow, before the host let out a satisfied burp after his meal. Minwoo chuckled a bit at the careless behaviour, then standing up after asking for Donghyun’s permission to clear the table.

Minwoo did the dishes as he promised to, hissing slightly when a sharp jolt of pain reminded him that he had a fresh cut on his palm. He smiled at the nicely bandaged hand and continued washing the big pot anyway, hearing the sound of television from the living room give life to the small house.

Those voices…they sound so happy.

“Are you done?” Donghyun asked as he poked his head in, seeing Minwoo hanging the large pot to dry. “Looks like it.”

“Yep.” Minwoo nodded simply, then washing his hands once more before drying them off on the kitchen towel.

Donghyun narrowed his eyes on Minwoo’s hand, eyes then widened in realisation. “God, I forgot you hurt your hand.”

“It’s fine.” Minwoo waved the concern away, but Donghyun hurried caught his hand and gently took off the bandage. The wrinkled skin around the fresh cut indicated that he had recently came in contact with water, and Donghyun winced when he remembered he was the one who made Minwoo do this. “It’s really fine.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you to do that, I was just-” Donghyun stopped himself short, busying himself with finding a new bandage instead. “Let me redress your wound, and um, I think the living room is cosier.”

Minwoo was then led to the living room and made to sit comfortably on the sofa. While only his hand had a cut, Donghyun seemed adamant about treating him like a handicap, even raising both Minwoo’s feet to rest comfortably on the sofa. While he dabbed the wound dry and blew on it, Donghyun applied ointment once more before wrapping the bandage around Minwoo’s hand again.

Minwoo watch the other man stare at his wound in concentration, every move gentle. It was obvious Donghyun was trying to talk to him, trying to get him to open up, and at the same time fill his mind with routine things. He would assume a person filled with suicidal thoughts wouldn’t be able to calmly wash the dishes and hence made Minwoo do so.

The man he was looking at was a man in his twenties, possibly late twenties. He had a pretty young-looking face though, and a clean-shaven look that would possibly be popular with the ladies. He was not entirely neat, but fairly organised a person. He probably had a stable job, lives alone, came from the countryside…?

“Are you from the city?” Minwoo found himself asking, those focused eyes tentatively leaving his wound to meet him.

“No, you can tell?” Donghyun gave a soft chuckle. “What gave me away?”

“I just thought if you were from the city, you would be living with your parents.” Minwoo shrugged a bit. “Housing costs in the city is expensive, and most people would not move out from comfort.”

“True.” Donghyun smiled, packing up as he finished up his work on Minwoo’s hand. “Very sharp of you.”

The host cleared up the area and left Minwoo on the sofa to stare at the television. It was obvious what Donghyun was trying to do, but he wasn’t being pushy about it. He was trying to stop him, but not actively either. Minwoo thought back to what Donghyun told him.

“Because you’re cute.”

Suddenly, their laughter didn’t sound so piercing to his ears anymore.

Minwoo smiled softly, watching Donghyun return with two glasses of water.

Maybe.

Maybe not tonight.

-

Donghyun doesn’t slurp on noodles. Minwoo found that out while interacting with the older man for two months. He remembered how Donghyun’s slurping filled up the silence that time he brought himself to the rooftop and was literally picked up by him, realising the other man was trying to subtly introduce other thoughts into Minwoo’s head. Like how annoying the slurping sound was, or whatever, really.

Maybe all he needed all this time was someone to talk to. To put into perspectives all these mental sufferings he was going through.

Still, Donghyun was admirable for knowing exactly how to talk him out of suicide without outwardly expressing so. The one day he knocked on Donghyun’s door in pyjamas as he arrived from 5 floors below, he decided to ask the older man about it.

“Been there.” Donghyun smiled, passing a cup of water to Minwoo. “Been suicidal too, but then I decided it was not worth it.”

“How?” Minwoo blinked with mouth slightly agape. That must have taken a lot of resolve, though. To be on the verge of falling down into an abyss but telling yourself to hold on to the last thread of hope and believe in it.

“I’m not too sure either. By writing, a lot, maybe.” Donghyun smiled.

Donghyun had revealed that he was an author of a rather popular book and was living off the royalties currently until he can come up with another good book. He didn’t really talk about what the book is nor his pen name though, leaving Minwoo to make empty guesses.

“…now that you’re more stable, I guess I could tell you. The book that people liked contained my suicidal thoughts. Writing them out somehow sorted out the mess in my brain, and I didn’t find it worth it anymore.” Donghyun shrugged, while Minwoo nodded thoughtfully. “I guess in a stressful environment like Seoul, it strikes a chord with the mass and managed to sell well enough. I hope the sequel tops it, though.”

“Sequel?” Minwoo blinked, wondering if that meant the sequel was out already or in the making.

“In the making now.” Donghyun chuckled, eyes lingering on Minwoo’s face. “I like its title pretty much.”

“What is it?”

“A pretty little thing I picked up from the rooftop.”

-

So long since I updated this, oops.
I wanted to make the ending nicer but it didn't turn out the way I liked it :/
Just know that the entire part before the segment near the end could be read by itself aha.
It might give it a nicer atmosphere before I switched it

Love to the 28 subscribers and 4 commenters!
Thank you so much for the love~
(No one requested this, just wanted to deal with something like that because I read a fic back then when it was YoungWoo aha)