"Good morning, Wayworth citizens!" The radio blares through the 2004 Sony digital radio, the DJ's voice loud and way too chirpy. "It’s a cloudy but warm Monday, traffic along the highway is congested at a high as is usual at 8AM, and you can blame your fellow caffeine-deprived peers as they stock up on habitual Starbucks and clog up the roads. Thankfully, my assistant wakes up at 4 just so my coffee's on time. Thank yooooooouuuuu, Sohu! Now, before we take you through the day's highlights, first is the weather with your favorite -"

"Joonmyun, please put that guy off - it’s too early to be that happy." Sehun whines as he rolls over in his red sheets, milky-white torso apparent from the waste up. When his request isn't met, he reaches out blindly for a pillow to drown out the noise. "Joonmyuuuuuuuuuuun!"

"Get. Up." Comes an uptight response.

"Why?" Sehun hollers back. Clearly, he's not a morning person - the fact that his head is pounding as if a small minion were clanking around in it doesn't help either.

"I knew it." Joonmyun seethes, and footsteps echo closer on hardwood floors until a man of middle height comes into view at the doorway of the hungover man's room. His usually elegant pale features are set in a scowl as he glowers at Sehun's depreciated form. "I knew you'd forget."

"Forget what? How uptight you are?"

"No! That you have a meeting with your book promoters in 15 minutes!" Joonmyun screeches, dark locks flopping up uncharismatically. "This is the fourth meeting I’ve set up that you’re missing! After all I've done for you these past six years, all you do in return is be tardy and focused on nothing else but drinking and picking up girls at - ah! Sehun, there's someone in your bed!"

"Seriously Joonmyun," Sehun drawls cheekily. He finally sits up and pulls the red covers off of himself and the bed, revealing not only his ness, but that of the two brunettes lying at the edge of the bed. "when are you going to go through puberty? I can totally hook you up, you know? Here; take your pick - this is Mimi and that's..."

"Actually, I'm Mimi," the woman responds as she stretches in her wake.

"And I'm Lulu." The other follows distractedly as she begins to search the floor, probably looking for her clothes.

No one seems to care for the tomato-colored shade that's covered Joonmyun's face and neck. He fixes his shocked gaze on the nearest piece of furniture that doesn’t have an article of clothing hanging from it before speaking in a low tone.

"I'm giving you ten minutes to meet me outside, or else." With that, he leaves the room as fast as a pregnant woman with a pee.

"Or else what?" Sehun hollers back. There really isn't much leverage Joonmyun has over him-

"Or else, I call Yifan in!"

Well...

"." He groans as he eventually starts to get up.

---

"Its 9:15."

Joonmyun stands to the side, arms crossed and poorly hiding a satisfied smile. The tall sandy-haired man passing Sehun an expectant look sits like the editor in chief of Cadenza Publishers that he so obviously is. A pair of Harry Potter styled glasses sits oh-so-hipsterly on the rim of his nose, but it doesn't do much to decrease his good looks. Not much could.

Sehun's dark hues flits over to Joonmyun in a second of annoyance before he roves a hand through his 1 minute styled hair. "Yeah, I'm sorry about the book promotion meeting thing. But you should really blame Joonmyun."

The accused blanches. "What?"

"Well, yeah - we all know I'm a vampire and I wake up at 2 in the afternoon. Joonmyun ignored this piece of info and on top of that, he finalized this meeting with me at night." He pauses for his words to sink in. Neither man seems to understand, so with a sigh, he elaborates. "I'm usually drunk at night."

"I don't find your apology satisfactory," Yifan murmurs as he turns his head to the slimline PC sitting to his right, distractedly shifting through some files on his desktop, "but he's kinda right, Joonmyun."

"You can't be s- Are you seriously taking his s- You're blaming me for his horrible work eth-" Joonmyun stutters through his sentences, his voice increasing in pitch. "How about you let your writers take responsibility for their own misbehaviors?"

"Good point," Yifan taps his fingers Joonmyun's way, "but he's not my writer, is he? You brought him in six years ago, and you vouched to take care of him fully. You even wrote it out on paper, being the meticulous weirdo that you are."

Joonmyun stands utterly flabbergasted. Sehun breaks into a loud guffaw.

"Well, snap!"

"That being said," Yifans turns his steady gaze back to Sehun, and the writer halts in his merriment immediately, "you're two months late on submitting any updates on either of your books. I'm more interested in your romances since your Nam O.S fan base speaks for itself, but either will do."

With the spotlight now back on Sehun, Joonmyun's calmed down and skewering a scorned gaze back at the other. Sehun doesn't seem phased.

"Checked your email?"

"No," Yifan answers promptly, "what will I find if I do?"

"You'll find Velvet Sky and Crow updated," he pauses for dramatic effect, "to completion."

Yifan blinks for two seconds, and then he turns back to his PC. "That'll do."

"So I can go?"

"Yeah."

"Wait!" Joonmyun yells as Sehun starts to exit the spacious office. "That'll do?"

Yifan spares Joonmyun a mere glance before returning to the screen. "Yeah?" When Joonmyun looks ready to explode, Yifan sighs as he removes his glasses and begins to polish them. "Look - what do you want me to do? Fire him? I do that, you lose most of your pay cheque. And weren't you saving up for the 2013 Aston Martin Vantage?"

Well...

"."

---

"Oh, come on Joonmyun," Sehun laughingly falls in step with the agent/sub-editor as the male walks through the sliding doors of Cadenza Publishers and out into the jostling main street, "you really shouldn't get worked up so quickly."

"I shouldn't get worked up so quickly?" Joonmyun repeats in bewilderment. "And I suppose I should be like you and just live and not take responsibility for anything!"

"Hey - I took responsibility." Sehun argues as he stops alongside the other at a hotdog stand. "I finished my books. Both of them! In fact, your welcome."

Joonmyun aims daggers at Sehun, but he doesn't respond, instead continuing his order. Oh, this is going to ruin his diet.

"You're not really going to eat that, are you?" Sehun murmurs when Joonmyun exchanges a few notes for the sloppy-looking roll.

"Yes." Comes the hissed reply.

"Seriously, you're that angry?" When Joonmyun ignores him and begins to undo the wrapping, Sehun finally gives a sigh of defeat." "OK, OK.. I'm sorry."

Joonmyun pauses, the hotdog centimeters from his pouting lips. "For?"

"For?" Sehun repeats, but he quickly answers when his agent returns his focus on his hotdog. "For- for being tardy and making you look bad, and causing you to pick up my slack all the damn time. Especially when it was you who helped me out of that darn hole of a hometown I'd been living in where my genius would have gone to waste."

Maybe it’s his apology that actually got quite meaningful towards the end, or the puppy dog eyes aegyo he'd popped out through the whole thing, but Joonmyun let's go of his fat binge and drops the hotdog in the hands of the first beggar he meets.

"Great - now that you're done with your -fit, I can finally ask you for a lift tonight." Sehun grins boyishly.

"Don't push it." Joonmyun growls. "Besides, don't you get tired of all that?"

"Of beautiful girls and great tasting wine and flattery and fame?"

"Whatever." Joonmyun rolls his eyes. "I mean, it’s not living, Sehun. Don't you wanna settle down -move out of your flat and make a life with someone to share it all with?"

Sehun remains quiet for a while as they walk along the sidewalk. He'd usually laugh and joke about if asked so serious a question. But Joonmyun knows him. Not the author, or the idiot playboy. Just the broke kid from a broken town with hopeless hopes and dreamless dreams.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I keep writing about those kind of happily ever afters, don't I?" Sehun reasons offhandedly. "But real life is a bit more complicated than a book written by one individual, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"In books, you wait for that perfect moment. In real life, you gotta make 'em happen. And it's not gonna happen if I clog myself up in my room all night long and be sober, is it?"

"So you prefer meeting girls in bars?"

"Well, I think I can have some fun while I ‘wait’ too."

Joonmyun shakes his head in defeat. There's no point in arguing with a writer.

"So do I have to beg again to get a lift tonight? It’s not like your good looks are gonna last forever, grandpa." Sehun teases.

Joonmyun rolls his eyes. "Ah, what the hell. I'm getting a big bonus when your books get published, so might as well."

"That's the spirit! We can all celebrate."

"What, really? You've never celebrated any of your books before."

"I'm still not."

"Then what are we still celebrating?"

"Today, I am finally moved in." The author announces triumphantly.

"Uh, and the last 4 years don't count because..?"

"Because I finally unpacked the last box!"

---

"So Jongdae, how's that music album working out for you?"

The male in question aims a deathly glare Sehun's way before returning to making sure his glasses shine perfectly.

"I'm telling ya, Yifan," Joonmyun takes a pause to burp, "guys like Sehun are the reason guys like us don't get dates."

Yifan retracts back in his bar seat, his face contorting in distaste. "Firstly, we don't belong to the same group of guys. Secondly, Sehun has nothing to do with your inability to date."

"What- what's that supposed to mean?" Joonmyun hiccups, his usually pale face now red with anger and another ingredient running down his throat.

"Look at you." Yifan waves a hand in his direction. "You're a mess and you've only had two beers."

"Yifan's right." Sehun pitches in while signaling Jongdae to send a drink to a certain lady's table. "Stop hiding behind that stupid excuse of 'guys like us'. If you really like a girl, you'll find the confidence to go up to her and make a move. Hmmm... Make the move. Could be my next book title."

"I concur." Yifan murmurs between sips of his beer.

"You're both horrible." Joonmyun scowls at both of them in turn.

"Really, though - I'm telling you the truth." Sehun turns himself around till his body is facing outwards from the bar, his dark eyes grazing the women who've resorted themselves to a night of drink and idle flirting. "C'mon, just look around the room, and see if there's anyone you'd maybe like to speak to."

"No!" Joonmyun immediately rejects the idea. "The moment I find someone I like, you take her from me using some dumb excuse why I shouldn't date her!"

"I do not!" Sehun returns in equal pitch.

"Yes, you do. You've done it like six times already."

"Try me! Whoever you pick, I'll make sure you hit it off with her."

"Fine, then." Joonmyun sets his bottle down and takes a serious look through the crowds lingering in the bar. It takes about three minutes for his gaze to finally settle on someone. "How about her?"

Sehun takes one short look before grabbing his chin and turning Joomyun's head the other way. "Try again."

"Hey, you just said whoever I pick is fine."

Sehun sighs. "Let me explain to you something, Joonmyun. You're a true romantic."

"So?"

"When you approach someone, you act according to some relationship manual; the first date kiss, roses after you first sleep together, monthaversiries, gifts just because, etc."

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Joonmyun pouts for being so easily read.

"There's nothing wrong with that, trust me." Sehun grins, and then he points in the direction of the woman, who's standing with three girlfriends. "But look closely at this girl. She's not here for a relationship."

"She's not?" Joonmyun, Yifan and even Jongdae ask simultaneously.

"No." Sehun replies smartly, not at all affected by their collective interest. Studying people and their paradigms are his bread and butter. "See how she repeatedly pulls down her skirt like it’s uncomfortably short? That's because she hasn't worn anything like that in a while. Or how she gets lost in her friends' conversations and stares off? It’s because she hasn't been with them in a while. Why? My friends, she just got out of a long-term relationship. Tonight, she doesn't want to jump back into one. No, she just wants to jump into some stranger's bed for a night and not have to look back. For revenge, personal reassurance that she's still in the game, you take your pick."

He turns back to grin triumphantly at Joonmyun and the others. Yifan shrugs and returns to his beer, and Jongdae to his polishing.

"I could be that stranger." Joonmyun mumbles hopefully.

"No, you can't." Sehun lets out a humorous short puff of laughter. "You couldn't buy a beer and leave the bar till you're sure you gave that bottle its fair share of love. You're not selfish."

Then he stands up and straightens his shirt collar, opening up the top two buttons as he gets ready to walk over. "But I am."

At first, Joonmyun watches stupidly as the blonde walks away before he realizes what just happened and shouts in a high pitch. "Hey! You're doing it again!"

She doesn't notice him until he slides his forearm along the polished wood of the stand before her, and her friends' conversation goes silent. He doesn't really acknowledge them, his eyes intent on the brunette before him. She gives him an incredulous stare before rolling her eyes and focusing on her drink.

"Hey." He eventually murmurs.

"Uh huh." She replies non-committedly, eyes colliding with her friends'.

"So are you gonna buy me a drink?" He asks.

She gives a forced cough, finally looking up at him. "Why would I buy you a drink?"

"Well, it’s the least you could do since I'm offering to listen."

She blinks in confusion. "Listen?"

"About him." He shrugs.

And there it is. All the hurt of the long-term investment of her heart reflects in her eyes. She looks back at her friends; this time he does too to see that they're all intent on finding out what her move will be. So she swallows the last of her Lemon Drop Martini and looks him dead in the eye.

"How about we skip the drinks?"

"That works too." He whispers into her ear before offering his jacket to prop over her bare shoulders.

It takes a moment, Sehun believes, for a connection to occur. He knows this from books and encounters and experiences galore. But nothing beats feeling it in actuality. And it happens right then, as he leads her out the door, and his dark eyes connect with a woman entering the bar right then.

It’s short. It’s so short, but it lasts forever as her face burns to his memory, and Sehun feels like he has to rip his head from his shoulder to look away. The last thing he sees is her knowing smile.

He wonders as he seats the woman he just picked up into the passenger seat of Joonmyun's car (he'll eventually forgive him) if he should turn around and go back, even if it’s just for a name. In a book, the protagonist would do just that.

Unfortunately, Sehun is an author.

And that is exactly why he doesn't.

A/N: I am a horrible writer. It took this long to get a first chapter up. But first chapters are like first impressions; they have to be great, so I took my time. I think the rest will flow ^^ By the way, this was a SehunxOC story, but I got infected with all the Serene buzz and now its a Serene story lol! sorry not sorry OTL

Thanks for reading~