A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer…

Jaebum was ready to toss his computer out the window. 

He had an essay due the next day and his computer had suddenly crashed right as he was about to start the conclusion.  He didn’t remember saving at any point so all he could hope for was that the document managed to auto save or else he would be in deep trouble.

Of course, he couldn’t even check that, since his computer refused to turn on.  The same blue screen greeting him every time he forcefully held down the power button to turn the computer on and off again.

He grabbed at his monitor with both hands.  “Why won’t you work?!”  He could’ve probably crushed it to bits if he really wanted to. 

After repeating the same trick five times, scanning the entire disk for an hour only to turn up that there were ‘no errors found’, and screaming at the wall for seven minutes straight, he had finally given up.   It was now almost two in the morning and there was no way he was going to get something put together for his class in just six hours at this rate.

In his time of need, he noticed a sticker stuck to the back of his computer.

’24-Hour Tech Support – Just Call This Number!’

Well, they did say 24-hour.  It was worth a shot.  Anything was worth a shot at this point.  I need a shot.

He dialed the number and he connected immediately.  Good to know I’m the only person having tech issues at two in the morning.

“Hello!  Welcome to the tech support line!  I’m—“

“My computer isn’t working.  I need it fixed immediately.”  The person on the line was entirely too happy for this hour of the night. 

“Of course!  Can you explain in detail what your problem is?”  Jaebum could almost feel him smiling through the phone.

“Can’t turn computer on, blue screen appears, says a problem has been detected…”

“Oh, the good old blue screen of death!  Have you installed any new applications to your computer recently?” 

“No.  Same old computer.” He immediately regretted how arrogant he sounded.  It wasn’t the person’s fault he was in a bad mood.  In fact, the operator didn’t seem to be getting tired of him at all.

“Oh, have you tried running a disk check?” 

“Yes, I’ve tried that.”

“Did you run diagnostics?”

“Yes, no issues.”

“Is your computer hot?  Maybe it’s overheating.”

“No, it’s almost cool to the touch.”

“…have you tried turning it on and off again?”

Jaebum put a hand on his forehead and groaned into the receiver. “Listen, I’ve done everything I can.  I think I’m going to need a professional to look at it.”

“Oh, okay!  That’s no problem!  Are you free tomorrow?  I can send someone in the morning to take a closer look!”

“No, you don’t understand.  I need someone to look at it now.”

“I’m really sorry.  Our on-site agents only work from eight to six.  The only thing that works 24 hours is this support line!  I’m truly sorry…”

Jaebum was still deciding whether he wanted to scream or cry.  “Please… I have a paper due in the morning.  It’s worth 30% of my mark, I really just need to finish it and that’s not going to happen unless I’m able to retrieve it from my computer.  Isn’t there anyone you can send now?  It’s an emergency.”  He was practically begging at this point.

He sprang up to answer it and was met by the brightest smile he’d ever seen in his life.

Jaebum recognized his voice the moment he spoke.  “Hi, I’m Youngjae!  I’m here to fix your computer!”  The boy exclaimed as if he was overjoyed to be here at almost three in the morning to fix the computer of someone who practically yelled at him over the phone for ten minutes.

“You’re… the same person I talked to?  Right?”  Jaebum let him into his house and walked him over to his computer.

“Oh yeah, that was me.  There were really no field agents but you sounded super desperate.  I’m not exactly qualified for this kind of thing… yet.”  He realized he probably shouldn’t have said that last bit and laughed awkwardly trying to cover it up. “Don’t worry though!  I’m still good at this kind of stuff, I’m sure I’ll be able to help you!”

Jaebum instantly felt bad about the situation.  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to inconvenience you.  I also apologize for being so mean over the phone…”

“Relax! “  The boy looked up at him again with that bright smile that turned his eyes into adorable crescents and Jaebum could’ve sworn he felt his heart skip a beat.  “I always work the night shift and it’s pretty boring, this is actually an exciting change of pace!” 

Jaebum watched him as he rummaged through his bag for a screwdriver and started to remove the casing from his computer.  He was a little distracted because in the back of his mind he tried to ignore the constant mantra of cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, he’s so cute.

“Also, I’ve dealt with much meaner people than you on the tech support line, trust me!  You were a fresh spring breeze compared to the guy I talked to earlier today!”

Cute, cute, cute, cute, argh!! Focus Jaebum! “Yeah, well it means a lot to me, really.  Thank you so much for coming.”

“A term paper is definitely a worthy emergency!”  He looked up at him with determination in his eyes before raising his fist in the air.  “Don’t worry; I’ll retrieve that term paper, even if it costs me my life.”  He then burst into giggles at his own over-dramatic statement.

I’m so ed.

Few people knew this about Jaebum, but he always had a weakness for cute things.  In fact, a lot of people made their own judgements based on his rough exterior.  A lot of them were right, such as him having a relatively short temper or his constantly coming off as cold when he met new people, but there were so many facets of his personality that even surprised himself sometimes.

The way his heart was racing as he watched this boy examine inside of his computer was definitely one of them.

It probably had something to do with the way he wasn’t intimidated by him.  No matter how he talked to him he just seemed so happy, and if there was one thing Jaebum had been lacking in his life recently, it was happiness.

“Um, excuse me, sir?”  Youngjae waves his hand in front of Jaebum’s face.  “Sir?”

Jaebum suddenly realized he had been staring as he was lost in thought and immediately flinched.  “Ah, sorry.  My name is Jaebum.”

“Al right then…”  Youngjae looked him up and down.  “How old are you?”

“I’m 23.”

“Oh!  Alright then, Jaebum hyung!  I’m 21.”  Jaebum had to admit he was relieved he wasn’t much younger than he had guessed.

“I have found the problem!  One of your wires was loose, so I just stuck it right back down!  Hopefully, your computer should be working now,” He slipped the case on top and started to screw it back in place.

When everything was intact Jaebum held his breath as he hit the power button—his computer booted up normally.  “Thank god, you’re a life saver.” 

“Hey!  What did I say; I told you I’m good at these types of things!”  He threw him a peace sign and a cheesy grin and Jaebum finally cracked a smile back at him.

Jaebum pulled up his essay and sighed in relief as he was able to retrieve the auto saved document.  “Great, it’s still there.  Now I just need to finish this conclusion and maybe I can even take an hour nap before class if I’m lucky.”

“I’m rooting for you, Jaebum hyung!”  Youngjae started fist pumping and Jaebum could feel his mind wandering again.  “I’ll leave you to that paper then.  My shift is just about over anyway, home sweet home here I come!”  He started walking to the door and Jaebum rushed up behind him.

“Wait!  Ah, Youngjae… thanks again.”  He opened his door to let him out.  “I really owe you something… I can’t let you go empty handed.”

He browsed the web aimlessly in the middle of the night when he caught himself staring at the sticker on the side of his computer again.

Before his actions even registered in his mind, he found himself dialing the tech support number again and anxiously awaiting an answer.

“Hello, and welcome to the tech support line! My name is Kunpimook Bhuwakul but you can call me Bam-“

He hit the end call button and redialed.

“Helloooooo!  Welcome to the 24-hour tech support line!  Jackson Wang, at your service!  How may I help—“

He hit the end call button and redialed.

“Hi.”

“Um, hello? Is this the tech support line?”

“Yes.”

Jaebum heard a small yelp from the person on the other side.

“Mark!  You have to actually greet the person when you answer the call!  How many times have I told you this today?”  The voice came from the background but it was still loud enough for Jaebum to hear.

“Jinyoungie… I told you I’m not cut out for this job.” 

“Don’t talk to me!  You’re still in a call!”

Jaebum was starting to regret his decision.  It was silly really, what were the chances he was even working today…

“Sorry, did you need something?”  The man finally replied after a bit more muffled bickering between him and his co-worker.

“Actually, I was just wondering, is Youngjae there right now?”  Straight to the point seemed like it was going to be the most successful route tonight.

He could’ve sworn he heard a giggle in the background before he got an answer.  “Wait, are you Jaebum hyung?”

“How did you know my name?”

“No reason!  I’ll connect you to Youngjae now, please hold.”

After about one second of hold music, he was connected.

“Hello!  Welcome to the tech support line!  I’m Youngjae!  How may I help you?”

“Youngjae, ah… It’s me.  Jaebum.”

“Oh!  Hello again Jaebum hyung!  Did you need something?  Is your computer not working again?”

Admittedly, Jaebum hadn’t thought this far ahead when he executed this plan.  “No, my computer is fine.  It’s just that…  I wanted to thank you again for last week.  I really feel like I owe you somehow?”

“Jaebum hyung!  You know you don’t owe me… but I mean it couldn’t hurt to know what you’re offering.”  Youngjae tried to muffle giggles again but soon burst out into the full blown laugh that made Jaebum want to start laughing as well.  “Just kidding!  Seriously, I’m fine.”

Jaebum had a hard time being anything other than completely straightforward, so he followed his heart and got to the point. “Go out with me.”

There was a painfully long pause before he got an answer. “Huh, what was that?  Are you asking me out on a date?”  Youngjae sounded mildly concerned this time compared to his usual cheery tone. 

“I didn’t say that exactly… I mean I just wanted to go out and hang out… you know… unless you want it to be a date then it can totally be a date.”  Jaebum slapped a hand against his forehead at how pathetic he sounded.   “Forget I said anything.  Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Wait!  Don’t hang up!”  Youngjae was practically yelling into the receiver at this point.  “Yes!  I’ll go out with you!”  Jaebum could hear a few cheers from the background followed by Youngjae whining for them to stop.

He heard the chanting start up again in his mind.  Cute, cute, cute, cute, “You’re so cute.” 

“W-what was that?” He could hear how embarrassed he was through the phone.  The image of him sitting there blushing over him almost made him cringe, it was just too adorable.  He wanted nothing more than to witness this scene in real life.

 “It was nothing.”  Jaebum hoped he wouldn’t stop smiling like this for a long time.