Do Kyungsoo had just turned 24, fresh out of community college, and gotten a job at a printing company in Seoul. He had moved into a new apartment and was ready to continue his new life. It was going to be a turning point in his life where he would be able to put his past behind him forever and move on. But there are always reminders in life that dredge up the past.

He had always been a shy person, following orders with a silent nod of his head. No one knew why he was so obedient except for his late parents. Kyungsoo doesn't want to think of them though because they are a part of his past. He has made it his goal to forget the past, live in the present, and look forward to the future.

At his new job, Kyungsoo was shocked to find out that he was going to be a manager, granted it was only for a rookie author. Since he had been a child, he had always wanted to work in an industry with books. As a child they were a way for him to escape his own torture.

Part of his job consisted of meeting with the author he was in charge of on a weekly basis in order to make sure deadlines were being met. Kyungsoo panicked at the thought of meeting a new person and having to share personal information about himself. He had never opened up to anyone else besides his older brother. All of his other interactions with people required little to no background information, but that was because he only spent small amount of time with them.

Kyungsoo was given a folder by his boss and told to look over it. He walked back to his dull cubicle that was filled with gray, gray, and gray. He sat down in his back stiffening chair and proceeded to look through the folder. He flipped the cover open to see a picture of a young, handsome man. The more he dug into the profile of Kim Jongin, the more intrigued he became. At the ripe age of twenty he received his masters degree in Business Management. He interned at one of Korea's most successful companies and was in line to become the next CEO, but at the age of twenty-two he dropped out of the business industry and decided to dip his toes into the smooth waters of writing. Kyungsoo was curious as to why anyone would quit business to become a writer, especially when he already had such a high position within his grasp. Towards the back of the folder he had unspecified records of a divorce and criminal activities. Just who was this, Kim Jongin? Kyungsoo wondered.

The last piece of paper was a schedule with times and dates on it. At the bottom was also a phone number and email. The dates and times were all of the days the he was supposed to check in with Jongin. His first meeting was scheduled for the next day at ten o'clock a.m. He decided that it would be a good idea to forewarn Jongin that he was coming over the next day. He popped his email up and sent an email to Jongin, telling him a little about himself and that he was looking forward to meeting him.

That night, Kyungsoo went to bed pondering how the next day would go. He was typically nervous when meeting new people, but just a simple thought of the man shrouded in mystery made the new manager excited.

His alarm went off at precisely at 6 a.m. Rolling over, he smacked the alarm with a small amount of force in order to shut it up. Kyungsoo sat up and put his feet on the floor. He shivered as his warm toes touched the ice cold wood. Sighing, he got up to make his morning pot of coffee. While waiting for it to brew he stalked to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. The water was cold at first, but slowly began to heat up.  Washing all the soap off of his body, he stepped out and inhaled the strong scent of coffee.

After getting dressed, Kyungsoo filled up his two oversized coffee mugs and headed out for the day. He arrived at work and was greeted kindly by his fellow co workers. The early morning hours flew by fast and before he knew it, he was off to see Jongin.

He arrived at a lavish apartment complex. He had never seen such intricate designs on the outside of a building. The colors were all gray toned with a splash of color here and there. It felt old, yet modern at the same time.

When he found the correct door, he knocked softly at first. When no one answered, he knocked harder. Still, no one came. Damn it! I even gave him a heads up. Kyungsoo thought. He didn't like his last option, but he did it anyway. Three times, he kicked the door with enough force to make his toe hurt. The only response he got was from the lady next door screaming at him that if he didn't stop, she would call the police on him.

He apologized quickly and looked at his feet in embarrassment. Just as he was about to walk away, the apartment door swung open to reveal none other than Kim Jongin, grinning from ear to ear.

"Now you choose to open the damn door!" Kyungsoo said frustratedly.

"You're cute when you're mad." was all the other had to say.

The new manager blushed deeply and frowned at the owner of the apartment. He pushed his way through into the apartment, not bothering to ask for permission. Kyungsoo sat down on the couch and grabbed all of his materials out. Jongin sat down opposite of him and lit a cigarette. The shorter frowned at the sight of the cancer stick.

"What?" the author asked.

"That will kill you." Kyungsoo said, gesturing to the item between Jongin's fingers.

"I know."

"Then why do you do it?"

"It makes me feel alive." the younger replied.

"You won't feel alive in a couple of years when you're buried six feet under ground." Kyungsoo muttered. Jongin was taken aback with his managers blunt comment.

"Anyways," Kyungsoo said, interrupting Jongin's train of thought, " Since I am going to be working with you for a while I Want to ask you a few questions."

"Fire away." Jongin said.

"So I was looking at the profile given to me and I Noticed that you had a criminal record. I would like to know what that was for because for all I know you could be a murderer and you could shoot me right now."

Jongin chuckled and said, "That was when I was eighteen. I got pulled over for going five miles above the speed limit. I didn't like the tone in his voice when he talked to me so I called him an ''. He told me to get out of the car and I did. Then he told me that I Should watch my mouth. Then I thought to myself, 'actions speak louder than words' and I wanted to show him how mad I was so I punched him in the face. So it's not a big deal. Don't worry, I won't punch you in the face as long as you stay on my good side."

Kyungsoo gave him an incredulous look, but continued onto the the next question.

"Why did you get a divorce?"

"The marriage was solely for business purposes. In the end we fought too much and she gave up on me."

Kyungsoo could never understand how parents could do that to their children. Snapping out of his trance he asked the next question.

"Why did you quit the business industry when you had so much going for you?"

"I've got five letters for you. B-O-R-I-N-G!"

"Jongin, that's six letters." Kyungsoo said with a disappointed look on his face. How can this idiot be an author? he wondered.

"No it's n-.....nevermind."

Kyungsoo sighed, "Next question. Why did you become a writer?"

"To express myself."

Typical Kyungsoo thought. He left the apartment an hour and a half later, only somewhat satisfied with the answers he got from the younger male. The thing that bothered him the most was Jongin's smoking habit. Kyungsoo just couldn't comprehend the answer he got because who would die to be alive.

That night Kim Jongin became a nightmare for Kyungsoo, a beacon of his past.

Dreaming......

The smell of smoke and body odor filled his nostrils as he panicked, looking for a way out. There was no way out though. The door was blocked by his wicked mother and all other routes were blocked off as his father closed in on him. He closed his eyes as he felt the strike of a hand against his cheek. There was a jab to his ribs and a punch on his arm. He was curled on the floor in a ball, the only defense mechanism he had. As the tears poured down his face, all he could hear was the evil cackling of the women standing in the room.

The scene switched to outside on cement steps. Kyungsoo was sitting next to his older brother. They were celebrating their shared birthday. HIs brother was 20 and Kyungsoo was 12. HIs older brother had already started his third pack of cigarettes for the day as they sat talking to one another.

"Hyung, why do you smoke?"

"It's makes me feel alive."

The scene jumps again to a graveyard. Kyungsoo told his brother to stop smoking, but he didn't listen and ended up dying at the age of 21 from lung cancer. It was a pain that Kyungsoo will never forgive or forget.

Kyungsoo woke up with tears in his eyes. He never would have thought that one person alone could rip open the door to is past.

--------------------

Kyungsoo  met with Jongin once or twice a week for the next three months. Jongin was the first person for Kyungsoo to talk to on a daily basis and he was staring to grow fond of the author. Although, he would still scowl every time Jongin lit a cigarette.

"You should stop smoking."

"Why?"

"What if you fall in love one day and you only have seconds left to spend with that person because of the chemicals you are putting in your body?"

"I don't have to worry about that because no one will ever love me back. Who would waste their time for someone with a dying smile?"

"I would."

Jongin was shocked by the answer he got and couldn't respond.

"You're dying, but you're not dead yet. There is still time for me to save you from yourself."

Jongin couldn't stop the tears from pouring out. He had finally found someone who actually cared for him. Kyungsoo pulled the younger into an embrace and whispered, "Don't worry. We will get through this together. I just want you to smile again."

This was the beginning to the happy ending that Jongin never thought he would get.

XOXOXOXO

Thank you for reading ! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think of this.

I was inspired by the story Anterograde Tomorrow and smoking quotes off of the Internet to write this.