Yes, I did change the title, but not the Banner yet. I'll do it during my free time. Or you could make one for me :D

Chapter 3 - Work

“I wonder for how much longer they will be able to afford it if you keep raising the price like that”, Jooheon muttered, one leg over the chair's armrest as he let his head hang over the other one.

“Who cares as long as they pay”, Wonho retorted before stuffing a lollipop into his mouth though that didn't keep him from talking. “I mean, you started at a thousand and six hundred. Two five after one year is good.”

Changkyun snorted, mumbling something like “look, the banker is talking”, causing the older to raise his hands in defense.

“Just saying.”

I sighed, plopping down next to Wonho and resting my head on his lap. “I don't know if I should actually feel good about that.” I didn't even have to look to know that Jooheon rolled with his eyes. “I know, it was their choice and it's a bit too late to be thinking it over, but I can't help it, okay?”

Wonho shifted a bit to bring my head into a more comfortable position before absentmindedly rearranging the strands of my fringe while twisting the candy with his other hand. “Just because they are all younger doesn't mean they can't take responsibility. Look at Changkyun.” I glanced over at our youngest who was about to trip over one of the deck boards, almost going flying and I raised an eyebrow at my hyung. “Okay, bad example, I take it back.”

Jooheon tilted his head a bit to have a better look at me. “But they have those girls from Sistar looking out for them, don't they?”

“Bora is just as bad as Wonho, Seungcheol is doing most of the stuff”, I replied languidly, but Wonho couldn't help but smile at what was meant as an insult.

“Ah, Bora. That was a great week. Have you ever-”

“Not in front of the kids.”

Changkyun's ranting about how he was an adult too could be heard from what we called our kitchen, but nobody cared to give him a reply. “However, when Bora and I-”

“I don't want to know what you have done together either, so off”, I snapped and silenced him with my hand when he was about to start again, almost choking him with his own lollipop.

“You should give up. You know how much Minhyuk hates it when you talk about, you know, that”, Jooheon advised the older one and I underlined his statement with a snort of mine.

“I could make him love it and he knows it.” Again I could only snort. “Back when I was with that heiress, what was her name? Mina? Well, that girl loved it when-urgh.” How much candy would I have to shove down his throat until that smug grin vanished from his face?

Wonho coughed with wide eyes, but I didn't budge, thinking back to the scene from an hour ago. That new guy had been weird, but not in a bad way. Weird in the sense of different from the others. He still had his own opinions and views on things. He was a bit wary and didn't spill his heart's content whenever he had a chance to. He still had hope. But if he had hope, why was he with the gangs who didn't? “Chae Hyungwon.” If there was something that had happened to him, something that had caused him to lose ground, he would start with the Delphinium too. I could just hope that he wouldn't, I enjoyed talking to him too much to have him drown in drugs.

“What did you say?”, Jooheon asked with a frown. “Wonho was busy muting your talking by choking.”

“Well excuse me”, said guy retorted in pretended anger, throwing one of his shoes at the laughing young man on the armchair, but I shook my head.

“Nothing important. I was just spacing out.”

________________

“And you think you can do that?”, the old man asked me and I was quick to nod in reply.

“Of course, I won't disappoint you, sir.”

The man examined me for a while longer before nodding and patting me on the shoulder. “I'll be at the back in case you need help, okay?” Again I assured him that I'd be fine and he finally left me alone in the building. You're probably wondering what I was doing here and where that 'here' even is.

“Hyungwon?” I raised my head to find Namjoon looking at me and raised an eyebrow.

The morning after I had met Minhyuk for the first time – the morning after the drug party – was confusing. The members of BTS had returned to their normal selves, that is the ones I got to know first, and it was as if nothing had ever happened. I didn't know how to cope with the situation, but later figured that as long as I didn't ask about it, nobody would bring it up. “Did you ever work before you got here?”

I sighed, scratching the back of my head. “Well, I did work at a kiosk a few months ago, but other than that, what can you do without having finished school?”

Namjoon shrugged. “It's not like many Koreans our age stayed in school, they were mostly sent to work on the plantations or serve for the army anyway. Our two students are rare cases.”

A short silence spread, but before I could bring myself to reply, Namjoon spoke up again. “I just remembered that there was someone looking for help at his convenience store, Jimin told me the other day. You should go and grab that job as long as the guys from Seventeen don't know about it.”

“Oh, o-okay”, I replied with a few blinks. Right, I can't keep sitting around here all day, doing nothing. It was logical.

“Where is that store?”

So, two days later, I was standing in said convenience store, just about to start my first day of work. Namjoon was right, the owner didn't give a damn about my education, he was just glad I didn't need much and the soldiers hadn't taken a young person like me already. It took me less than twenty minutes to get why there had been a job offer for this: It was boring as and my employer was desperate for someone doing that for him. Pardon my language, I'm just trying to fit in.

I walked through the shop, taking in the names of all the foods, some of which I had only heard about until then, and even started memorizing their prices. The days would be long from now on, but at least I would be able to make some money. My gaze fell on a bunch of newspapers that were presented in a small stack at the counter and took one out to have a look at the headlines.

Xiú Yan-lin to get MARRIED in just a few weeks!

Weekly Hànzi: Talking about your workplace

My eyes were moving lazily until they reached the very bottom of the front page, where they got stuck on a topic that was so small I'd have missed it if I wasn't so bored.

Seoul riot resolved

“They tried to start a rebellion again? Isn't it better to let possible allies know beforehand?”, I muttered under my breath, reading the few lines they had written about it.

On the 27th of October, the riot that emerged a week ago was put to an end by the Chinese military. The movement's leader, Kwangsu, met up with Feng Liú-huá, minister for internal military affairs. In an interview, Feng said that Kwangsu had realized his mistakes and is willing to accept whatever punishment awaits him to-

“Bull”, growled I, smashing the gray paper on the counter. There was no picture of him, but I bet the Kwangsu they were referring to was the former Seoul police chef, Lee Kwangsu, who was known for his strong sense of justice and the rebellion he had started when the Chinese army marched through the gates of the main city. Had it already been