---

The next day, Jongdae slinks into work with a tired disposition sans Minseok. Yesterday, work was busy as hell with tons of couples and single people buying flowers for that special person or for ironic reasons. And somehow just a few people that came in managed to drain the ever-living heck outta him.

Right about this time Minseok's probably getting ready to head towards his plane and Jongdae kinda wishes that he could see him off at least. But, duty calls. And he predicts a ton of customers will try to come in today to either return whatever flowers they bought yesterday or buy more for whatever reason.

After he clocks in, he greets his co-workers (and awkwardly smiles at this one woman that always tries to ask him out for drinks) before heading towards the register to start his shift. If it was any other day, he'd probably stand there with a smile ever-ready on his face, preparing to deal with potential customers. But instead, he slumps forward a bit, head on his palm as he scans his surroundings.

The closer that it gets to Seollal, the more childhood memories pop up into his dreams at night. Dreams/memories of him, his bro, and their parents.

He lets out a sigh.

Time passes by like it usually does and at some point after he comes back from his break with a bit more pep to his step, he spots the elderly Chinese man that always visits once a month talking with a co-worker of his at the register. (He had already visited during the beginning of this month, so seeing him here is kinda a big surprise.)

"Zhong Da!" the man greets with a big grin.

Jongdae greets him right back with a wide smile on his face just as the co-worker leaves, his stomach getting a sense of elation and nostalgia in a way. The man, as old as he is, always reminds him of his dad somehow (and he almost called him dad one time only to correct himself and call him Grandpa.)

Grandpa notices the tiredness screaming from his very being despite the smile though, and while frowning, asks if it's been busy today to which Jongdae lets out a Yeah.

The elder purses his lips a bit. "And yesterday?"

Jongdae just shrugs in response, because really, how the heck could he tell the elder that he actually contemplated packing his bags and traveling to climb Mt. Everest just so that he could scream at the top of his lungs in peace after the amount of people that pissed him and his co-workers off.

The man gives a sympathetic smile at his expression and Jongdae feels that pang of nostalgia build up in his throat a little bit again.

They chat for a little bit more, Jongdae's eyebrows raising when he finds out that the elder's getting some flowers to take with him on his journey to the cemetery. Usually the man comes in at April or so to get these kinds of flowers to visit his wife's grave, but Jongdae figures that maybe that's just what the holidays do.

Reminds people of things too much.

He listens as Grandpa talks a bit about what his wife might've been doing if she was alive still, and , he'd be lying if he said that tears aren't b in his eyes in sympathy and empathy. All too soon, the man bids a goodbye with a wave and a Take Care.

"You too!" he calls out right before the elder exits, and gives a wobbly smile at the eye-crinkling grin he receives.

-------

Kyungsoo didn't think he'd tell Jongin about how he apparently lives near him the way that he does. He'd wanted to ask Jongin on a date somewhere near where they live and then just kinda tell him like that, but the next time that they see each other is coincidentally at that Korean food store.

Jongin has on a bundle of clothes with a scarf raised up to cover his nose and thin circle glasses perched on top--making him look unfairly ten times cuter to Kyungsoo as he spots the latter in the store. After both sporting bright grins and buying what they need at the check-out registers, they walk out of the store together with no set direction in mind. Kyungsoo tries not to stare too much at Jongin's side-profile as they walk, and in his lips to them.

"So, um--I know this is kinda random, but, do you live around here?" Jongin asks, turning his head to look down at him. "I mean, since it's the second time, ya know? And you said you saw me on the bus that one time?"

Kyungsoo flusters at the sudden eye-contact, his heart almost jumping to his throat. "Y-yeah...I do."

Jongin raises a hand to cover his scarf-covered mouth at that and Kyungsoo blinks in surprise at the excited sparkle in his eyes. "Really?"

Kyungsoo nods again and positively melts as he sees Jongin's eyes crinkle with delight. Leave it to his boyfriend to make a Monday afternoon better.

---

Some minutes later, the two of them are sitting on a park bench, both leaning a bit towards one another with their purchased items beside them as they chat about this and that.

"...You know one of the questions I hate getting the most?" Jongin asks him at one point while pouting. His scarf's pulled down to his chin as he talks.

"What?" Kyungsoo asks back, his breath coming out as a white puff.

Jongin's lips turn into a thin line. "Where I come from."

"Really? Why?"

Jongin had told him where he's from during that first week of them talking to each other and that he's Korean-American too. Only difference is, Jongin moved here when he was still just a toddler while Kyungsoo was born and raised here his whole life.

"'Cause...whenever somebody asks me that one question, they end up asking like a million more." Jongin then gestures with his hands more as he assumes different voices. "Which part? Oh, me too! Can you speak it?" His voice then returns to normal. "And I could, but I just sound weird. Like, it's just obvious that I'm American, ya know?"

The corner of Kyungsoo's lips lift up a bit and he nods slightly to get him to continue.

"And then I feel bad 'cause some people think that oh, if you can't speak a language, you can't say you're a part of that culture. And it's like what? I didn't know knowing a language only involved verbal speaking."

Kyungsoo lets out a snort and a True and feels his ears heat up a bit when Jongin's shoe gently brushes against his ankle.

"Like, if someone can read a language, write a freakin' language, and understand when spoken to then--?" He then gestures a hand out dramatically in a way that gets Kyungsoo full-out laughing at his done expression.

He also kinda wants to ask what brought this on, but the more that he gets to know Jongin, the more that he realizes that Jongin definitely wears his heart on his sleeve. And if he has something to say, he's dang well gonna blast it to the world if he can.

Kyungsoo smiles to himself as he nods and listens to Jongin continue his rant some more. And that stupid feeling of guilt he felt about not telling Jongin that they live nearby each other quickly fades away with the chill of the air and the charming twinkle in Jongin's eyes.

-------

A few hours later, Luhan's clocking out from work when he hears a vaguely familiar voice up front at the registers.

"Yeah, can I get a large cheese pizza with some garlic sauce at the side?"

Luhan's eyes immediately widen when he peeks past the wall and spots that guy that made Sehun go all weird and quiet a few weeks back. He doesn't know the dude's name, but the way Sehun that looked like he was about to both cry and jump on the guy makes him very memorable to him.

Before the guy can notice him looking, Luhan puts on his snap-back, coat, and face-mask before he heads out towards the main door. Fortunately, the guy doesn't seem to recognize him as he casually walks around the counter and Luhan inwardly cheers as he exits the place.

While walking to the nearest bus-stop, he thinks about texting Sehun before deciding to forgo doing that and instead sends a few texts to Minseok and Yixing. Minseok's plane touched down in Seoul early in the morning and by now it's most likely early morning the next day for him and Yixing. But, Minseok's always been kind of an early-riser so it doesn't really surprise him to get a text back some minutes later when he's finally on the bus.

But what does surprise him is the subsequent call that comes before he can even reply back. While huddling a bit to the side, he answers the call--unable to leave the surprise out of his voice as he unplugs his earphones.

"Yo, baby," he practically whispers, voice sounding gentler. "How's it over there?"

"Cold," Minseok deadpans and Luhan lets out a laugh. "L