Daehyun checked the time again on his mobile phone. It was almost 2 pm already and he was dying of starvation. His eating and sleeping habits were really messed up. He sighed and started to walk to find a place to eat. Now he was feeling better. It was pretty strange that Himchan and Youngjae actually cheered him up unconsciously since they weren’t even friends. But soon the memories of his boss and the sudden realization that he had to face her that day tormented him. He didn’t want to eat alone.

He took off his mobile phone again and went over the contact list not really sure who he was looking for. Probably everyone was busy and they would have had lunch already, but he decided to give a try. His eyes fixed on a number. ‘Jongup.’

Jongup was probably his closest friend in Seoul despite of their age difference. The younger boy was still studying at university, and they couldn’t hang out that much, but they had a good relationship anyway. They could be without seeing each other for months and still be good friends. Daehyun really treasured him because he made him feel like he was back in Busan, with his childhood friends.

The brunet pressed the calling button and chewed his lower lip waiting for a response. Jongup was also a mess, so maybe he wouldn’t had lunch yet. Soon the younger answered the phone.

“Hello?”

Daehyun unconsciously grinned when he heard his friend’s voice. “Hey, Jongup, I’m Daehyun.” He heard the other giggling.

“I know. It’s good to hear your voice, you’ve been disappeared for a while” he scolded although he didn’t sound like he was angry.

The older scratched his head. “I know, and I’m sorry, but I’ve been very busy lately.”

Jongup chuckled softly. “You don’t have to apologize, I’m not your girlfriend.”

Daehyun faked a laugh to show he wasn’t amused, but he was smiling. “You are so funny” he made a pause. “Hey, wanna hang out for a little?”

He heard the younger hesitate and he started to chew his lip again feeling nervous. “You mean right now?” asked Jongup.

“Yeah, I’ve just had a meeting and now I’m looking for a place to have lunch.”

There was a pause. “Mmm ok, it’s fine, I want to go out for a bit.” Daehyun smiled happily. “But I’ve already had lunch.”

“Oh” answered the older.

Jongup chuckled again. “Don’t worry, it’s funny to watch you eat, you look like your life depends on your food.”

The brunet frowned. “Shut up, you rascal” he said trying to sound angry.

The younger laughed soundly. “Ok, I’m sorry.”

“Sure… Hey, I’ll be waiting for you in the Chinese restaurant next to the train station” said Daehyun.

Jongup hummed. “The one that is close to your work place.”

“Exactly. I’m sorry you have to come here, but I have to go back to work soon” apologized the older.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

***

It didn’t take long to Daehyun to arrive at the restaurant since it was pretty close. He really liked that place, the food was delicious and the prices weren’t too expensive considering it was in the centre of Seoul. The restaurant was little and comfy and it was owned by a friendly Chinese family. 

The brunet was lucky and took the last free table. The place was always full of people, mostly workers who were on their breaks or had just finished their work day. It was the only place in that area of the city that offered nice food without being luxurious so anyone could afford having lunch there once in a while, it was indeed a good business. Not to mention the warm and kind service.

The young man sat on his chair and waited patiently for his friend. A cute girl handed him a menu smiling shyly. She was the daughter of the owner and her Korean wasn’t very good, so she always communicated with smiles, nods and shaking her head. Daehyun always thought she was adorable.

He ran his eyes over the menu not paying attention since he already knew what he was going to order. Each time he went to that restaurant he ate sweet and sour pork, wonton soup and dumplings. It was almost like a tradition.

He was idly glancing at the photos of the food on the menu when he felt someone patting his head. He raised his gaze and smiled at the sight of his friend. His hair was messy and under his coat he was wearing the clothes he usually wore to dance. “Hey” he said to Jongup.

“Hey” the younger answered back smiling and sat on the seat in front of his friend’s.

Daehyun called the waiter and the girl came quickly with her notebook prepared. He pointed at the food he wanted on the menu and she nodded and looked at Jongup. The younger shook his head. “I don’t want anything, thank you.” She nodded shyly and left rapidly taking the menu with her.

Jongup shifted in his seat. “You don’t look very well, man” he said smiling.

The brunet snorted and rested his head on his right arm. “I’m tired as ” he answered apathetically. His friend laughed and patted his head again to comfort him. “Just work, or did something happen?”

Daehyun raised his head and sighed. “Both.”

“Wanna talk?” asked his friend with concern.

Daehyun his thick lips looking at the ground. He could trust Jongup, in fact, he was the only one who knew about his secret relationship with his boss. But in spite of that it wasn’t easy to say out loud what he’d done. “Well, you know…” he made a pause.

The younger pursed his lips. “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it.”

The brunet raised his gaze and looked at his friend. “No, no, I want to, otherwise my head will explode.” He coughed awkwardly. “You know about my relationship with my boss…” he paused again and looked around to check if someone from his agency was over there. It was a safe place, but anyway he lowered his voice. “We… made out…” He his lips nervously. His friend was looking at him with expectant eyes. “We had at the office” he finally said almost whispering.

Jongup’s eyes widened and his lips made a big “O.” Daehyun hit his shoulder angrily. “C’mon, don’t look at me like I was a sick ert.”

The younger coughed and scratched his head. He opened his mouth as to say something, but he quickly shut it again. The brunet shifted nervously and groaned. “Why did I do that?” he cried.

“I don’t know, Dae, but you should end this as soon as possible.” His friend finally spoke. The brunet let out a little cry and buried his face on his hands. “I know, I know, but it’s not that easy” he said dejectedly.

Jongup leaned back and sighed. “This has gone a way too far…”

Daehyun raised his head and fixed his eyes on his friend. “I haven’t faced her yet and I’m ting myself.”

Then the girl arrived with the food. She carefully displayed the three dishes on the table and she was about to leave when Jongup interrupted her. “Can you bring me a glass of water?” She nodded. “Me too, please” added the older. Then the waiter smiled warmly and left again.

“They were fast with the food” muttered Daehyun.

Just when the girl came back with their drinks they resumed their talk. Jongup gulped the whole glass in less than three seconds and breathed like he was born again. “I was thirsty” he said.

“You just came from your dance practice, don’t you?” asked the older with a grin on his face.

“Yup.”

“That’s why you look so bad.”

Jongup frowned and leaned onwards. “Look who’s talking!” They laughed out loud and the brunet started to eat. He was so hungry he didn’t realize he was practically swallowing the food before chewing it. He was eating so fast that his friend held his hand to stop him. “Slow down, no one is gonna steal your food” he said chuckling.

Daehyun groaned with his mouth full of food and loosened his hand from his friend’s giving a funny image. There was silence for minutes until the younger finally decided to speak. “So, you haven’t talked about this with her yet?” The brunet just hummed and continued eating. “Then it’s a good chance to end this finally.”

The older stopped eating and gulped the food that was left in his mouth. He made a pause to think, looking at the ground. “I guess…” he answered.

Jongup pursed his lips making a thin line. “Daehyun, this is serious, you need to stop this madness before you two end up fired” he sighed. “Also, this relationship his hurting the both of you, it’s driving you nuts!” he unconsciously raised his voice a little.

The brunet looked around again and shushed his friend. “Like I told you, it’s not that easy.”

The younger rolled his eyes. “I know is not easy, you both have strong feelings” he breathed. “But you aren’t even trying.”

Daehyun opened his mouth to complain, but he knew his friend was right so he shut it again. The latter frowned, looking directly to his eyes, until the brunet couldn’t stand it anymore and focused again on his food. He continued eating, but this time he was lost in his thoughts. Jongup was right, now it was his opportunity to definitely break up with his boss. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was now or never.

He stopped eating. “I’ll end this today, I promise.” His friend nodded smiling.

***

The snow had stopped and the streets were covered by a thin white layer which could have been beautiful if it wasn’t full of steps and dirty. It was a little difficult to walk and Daehyun almost slipped a few times on his way back to the office. There weren’t many people on the streets since the weather was pretty much horrible and it was kind of gross to walk on dirty semi-melted snow. The brunet passed by the coffee shop and glanced at its French windows. Youngjae was still in there, making some coffee and chatting with a girl who wasn’t Jieun, and the place seemed full. The brunet smiled slightly and averted his gaze resuming his way.

When he arrived at his work place his boss wasn’t there yet, so he decided to actually do something productive. He switched on his laptop and sent the project to Himchan with a few notes to help him with the presentation, and then he started his paperwork. After an hour he checked his mobile phone and saw a message from Jongup which said “Fighting!” He was so thankful to his friend, he had encouraged him so much. Daehyun sighed and smiled writing his response. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”

The brunet started to get really nervous. Minutes passed like hours and he was constantly looking at his surroundings to check if his boss was over there. He took a deep breath and looked at the time. It was almost 6 pm and his shift ended at 7. He leaned on the back of his armchair and took out his mobile phone. He was going to read a new message from Jongup when a hand covered the screen of his device and a dorky chuckle was heard. Daehyun raised his head to see his colleague laughing softly.

“Stop losing time, you lazy .” He took off his hand and continued his way to the elevator.

“Screw you, Yongguk” answered the brunet whit amusement.

But the grin on Daehyun’s face suddenly disappeared when he saw a woman exiting the elevator. His boss was wearing a fashionable huge sunglasses and she was chatting with one of her superiors. It seemed like a serious talk because her face was dull and they were holding some papers. Finally she noticed him and her body tensed for a few seconds until she continued walking along her supervisor. They entered her study and closed the door behind them. Just then the brunet realized his breath was heavy and his teeth were clenched hard.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water until he felt more relaxed. Images from the past Friday kept playing on his head. He tried to bury those memories and try to concentrate on thinking gentle ways to end a relationship. ‘We aren’t even in a relationship’ he said to himself feeling really disappointed. He always hated those kinds of people who couldn’t keep it in their pants, and now he was one of them.

He sighed and checked his reflection for the last time before leaving the restroom, inspecting his dark circles and brushing them with his digits. Just when a group of his co-workers entered the bathroom he left.

He sat again on his chair and leaned back looking at the ceiling. A knot of nerves had built on his stomach and he couldn’t stop shifting on his seat. He was so tired he just wanted to put an end to the issue as soon as possible in order to go home and have a good sleep.

When he heard a door opening next to him he jolted surprised and sat properly pretending to be doing his paperwork. He discreetly raised his gaze and saw his boss and her superior still talking, heading to the elevators again. The office was busy since lots of his mates were preparing to leave and another group of them were taking a break on the coffee machine, so he couldn’t hear the conversation.

For a moment he feared his boss was telling his supervisor everything, but he knew she wasn’t that kind of person. After a few seconds the elevator arrived and the man went inside making a movement with his head as to say goodbye. Daehyun’s boss made a gesture and kept a forced smile until the doors of the elevator closed.

The brunet quickly redirected his eyes to his paperwork and waited anxious for his boss to approach him. He realized his hand was shaking slightly, so he put his pen on the table and extended his fingers trying to control himself.

He didn’t dare to raise his gaze, but in a few seconds his boss was right next to his desk with her arms crossed in front of her chest and her red lips pursed. She coughed awkwardly before starting to speak. “Daehyun, I need to talk with you.” She waited for the younger to look at her and then she continued talking. “Could you please come with me?”

The brunet gulped, feeling his throat completely dry. The fact that she was being so formal with him was alarming. “Sure.”

She started to walk towards her study, motioning Daehyun to follow her. She closed the door behind them and sat on her arm chair and offered the younger the seat just in front the desk, which was facing hers. The brunet sat down and shifted nervously.

She took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the younger’s ones. “Daehyun…” she made a pause “this needs to stop.” The brunet sighed and lowered his head. With her statement she just made everything easier because Daehyun also wanted to end their romance, but hearing those words somehow hurt. He scratched his head trying to build a response, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

She rubbed her temples and breathed heavily. “This… this is so difficult.” She looked like she was having a really hard time.

 The brunet then decided to speak. “Actually… I also wanted to put an end to our… whatever it is” he spoke hesitating, avoiding his boss’ gaze. He mentally slapped himself for choosing such insensitive words.

His boss kept her gaze locked on her hands for a few moments, like she was trying to hold back her tears. “It’s better that way” she chewed the inner walls of making another pause. “I’m glad you also understand this is madness.”

Daehyun nodded taking a deep breath and running his right hand through his hair. “This went too far…Last Friday… I feel so bad about it” he nibbled his lower lip. “I’m sorry about it.”

She finally looked at him. “It was also my fault” she said. “We couldn’t control ourselves” she asserted. “That’s precisely why we need to stop right now.”

The brunet hummed playing nervously with his thumbs. His boss took a shaky breath and pressed her eyes with her digits to contain the tears. “Look, Daehyun, I’m almost 30 years old and I want a stable relationship.”

The brunet stared her, listening carefully to her words. “And I can’t possibly have that kind of relationship with you” she stated.

The younger already knew all those things, but hearing them out loud was hurting him. He clenched his teeth and frowned. At this rate he was going to cry too. “I know and I won’t ask you to stay with me” he mumbled trying to fight the sorrow inside him.

His boss nodded and a tear ran over her cheek. “But despite everything-“

The woman started to talk but she was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The both of them jumped surprised and quickly dried their tears, trying to change their expressions. “Come in!” said the woman. His supervisor entered the room, the same who she was talking with before. She tidied up her clothes and coughed to regain her voice. “Mr. Choi, it’s something wrong?”

The old man gazed at Daehyun with superiority all over his face. “We need to talk” he said solemnly. His voice was deep in spite of his short height. Daehyun understood immediately he was out of place and stood up rapidly. “I’ll take my leave” he said. His boss nodded in response, but before he left she called him.

“Daehyun!” The younger looked back at her. “This conversation is over, as well as the ‘issue,’ understood?” her voice cracked a little. Daehyun nodded and hummed. He totally understood. “You can go home” she dismissed him and the brunet exited the room closing the door behind him.

He went to his desk and took everything he needed to go home. He checked he had with him his mobile phone and his wallet and headed to the elevators. Finally everything was over. His bizarre relationship was put to an end and he could feel how his chest was lighter, but he also felt very sad. He buttoned his coat and got off the elevator trying to take his mind off his feelings towards his boss. He just wanted to stop thinking, take a bath and sleep for more than eight hours.

The wind was freezing and it was snowing again, so he rushed to the bus stop to protect himself from the cold snowflakes. When he approached the bus stop, he saw the transport was about to leave, so he shouted to catch the driver’s attention. Luckily he heard him and waited for him.

Daehyun got into the vehicle and tried to find a comfortable spot to spend the 30 minutes trip to his house. The bus was full of people, mostly workers who had finished their shifts, so he gripped the bus bar holding and took out his backpack to place it between his legs.

He unconsciously started to think again about his boss. The thought of not being able to kiss her or hold her anymore hurt. But it was for the best. He had to forget about her. ‘I didn’t know I liked her this much’ he thought to himself hugging tighter to the bar.

Suddenly a baby started to cry loudly behind him. He snorted and muttered angrily, turning his head around to see a father shushing his child. And next to the pram a familiar person was standing looking directly to his eyes. It was the barista, wearing a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater under his jacket.

“Daehyun?” he asked narrowing his eyes.

The brunet just nodded and waved with his hand, trying to put a smile. He didn’t feel like talking to anybody, he had no energy left in his body. But the latter started to walk towards him, difficultly making his way between the people and muttering apologies all the time. Finally he placed himself next to Daehyun.

“Ugh, for a moment I thought I was going to lose my hearing sense. You saved me” he said half chuckling.

Daehyun shifted to accommodate next to the latter. Their shoulders were pressed one against the other and the brunet could feel the younger’s breathing rhythm. He coughed awkwardly, not sure what to say since he didn’t want to initiate a conversation but neither stay in that uncomfortable silence. ‘Why did he have to approach me, damn’ he thought to himself.

“I didn’t know you took this bus” Youngjae said, obviously to break the silence.

‘Of course you didn’t know, we aren’t even friends.’

The elder glanced at him and hummed. “Yeah, it’s the best way to go to my house from the centre” he simply replied.

He barista nodded. ”Just like me.”

Then there was silence again. For ten minutes they just stood on their places, waiting patiently to arrive to their respective stops, but once again the silence in the bus was replaced by the baby’s crying. Daehyun groaned, trying to control his anger and Youngjae snorted. “I think I hate children” he muttered.

The brunet grinned in agreement and leaned on the bar holding tiredly.

“Look, that seat is empty” said the barista pointing to a free seat. “You look tired, you should sit.”

Normally, Daehyun would reject the offer to let elder people sit, but he was too exhausted to care. He mumbled a “thanks” and sat down sighing relieved. The swinging of the vehicle was lulling him and soon he started to doze off. The latter realized and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, you are falling asleep” he said with a worried face. “Tell me, what is your stop?” he asked pursing his lips.

The older blinked to keep his eyes open. “The second stop of Seorim Dong*” he answered.

Youngjae grinned. “Ok, don’t worry, I’ll wake you up.” Daehyun looked at him with confusion. “My stop is after yours, so don’t worry” he explained. The brunet nodded and accommodated himself to take a nap. He didn’t fall completely asleep, but he could rest for a bit.

After a few minutes he felt a hand shaking his shoulder gently. It was Youngjae’s hand. It was slender, not very big and warm, really warm. “Daehyun, you have to get off on the next stop” announced the latter leaning a little so he could hear him. The brunet opened his eyes slowly and stretched his limbs. Then he stood up and smiled at the younger.

“Thanks a bunch, really.”

“No problem” Youngjae smiled back.

The bus stopped and its doors opened. “See you on Wednesday” said Daehyun waving goodbye.

The younger waved back. “See you.”

The brunet exited the vehicle and headed to his house, looking back one last time to wave again at the barista.

*Seorim Dong is an area in southern Seoul.

Here's the update! I hope you liked it, I think is better than the previous ones because it's longer and Daehyun and Youngjae somehow progressed on their relationship ??? I don't really know teheehehe ( ´ v` ) Also, Daehyun is starting to obsess with Youngjae's hands, and I think it's kind of cute idk, I'm sorry (/.\) And and and, I'm starting to introduce new characters (aka the remaining dorks of B.A.P), I think it'll make the story funnier and more adorable <3

But I'm afraid I have bad news. The last month of class started and I'm having exams every week and I might die, help me ; _ ; I'll try to update weekly anyway, but I can't assure I'll make it on time, I'm sorry _:(´□`」 ∠):_  

And thank you again for subscribing, commenting and upvoting, you can't even imagine how happy you make me, you are the cutets human beings ever (´ヮ`) 

I love you so so much *throw kisses* have a nice week!