나 다시 또 한참을 달렸네 
 Yeah i’ll be ridin and i’ll be dyin’ In ma city 

Min Yoongi wakes up in the morning to a gloomy morning just like any young New Yorker trying to catch a break in their busy life these days.  Staring out the window scross his room that casts the early morning light in a dark blue, he groans and turns off the blaring alarm on his phone for the 4^th time this morning as usual. He could have gotten up 20 minutes ago and would have made it to work actually on time today, but like every other morning, he didn’t feel like it. Feet on the cold floorboards of his lonesome giant one-person apartment, he pads his way to the bathroom and flips on the light switch and stares into his full reflection. His pale skin looks dead, especially with the worn out grey sweats his mom always nagged him to throw out that he never felt like parting with. With a flick of his hand, a pair of thick-rimmed square glasses from the rack are on his face, and he’s now putting a small strip of mint paste the obnoxious color of his hair on the worn bristles of a toothbrush. It’s only the size of a dime like the recommended instructions, because he has to save money where he can after all (sarcasm).

Most would think that graduating after college and getting a job would be an event worth celebrating. Especially when you live in New York. Some couple weeks ago before his graduating class had departed their separate ways, Hoseok was boasting about the graduation after party he was going to sneak into that Yoongi had opted to stay out of for reasons that were along the lines of social phobia and perpetual exhaustion.

Senior year of college was a hole, as legends had always foretold. Instead of going to a normal school like his parents had nearly begged on their hands and knees to do, Yoongi in his prime had taken a bold move to hurl his optimistic, wide-eyed high school self into a torturous four years. Oh, how wrong he had ever been to make that decision.

Like any high schooler who spent their lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere and stuck in a hole of introversion, Yoongi has friends that were a small few. They played ball in the court some nights after school before the accident, and after that his shoulder was out of commission until further notice. He’d have to resolve to studying and his passion at that point.

Later on, he often spent afternoons helping at his parents’ restaurant as a well-known waiter who knew all the motions and tricks – smile and bow when you have to, say hello and thank you at the door. Closing shifts became easier than falling asleep at one point. Yoongi and sleep were only friends by association after all. But he was happy, happy with his parents in their small little town in the middle of nowhere and happy with Eris, his constantly smiling and optimistic little sister.

Fast forward four years, and Eris was getting married to Jungkook. Yoongi had always wondered what his reason in life was if he was this miserable all the time. Feeling like he never amounted to nothing, despite receiving much praise from his parents and professors, and having accomplishments that were noteworthy for someone of his age, Min Yoongi had a penchant to becoming anti-social. Sometimes he simply wanted to die. Not in the dramatic, outlandish way where people often cried out for someone to help them, but more as an act of boredom. He was bored with life, and all of it. More than once, he thought that perhaps ending it all, would not affect anyone. Not anyone, except Eris.

Yoongi couldn’t remember the exact time he had introduced Eris to Jungkook, but those two probably could tell you. Jeon Jungkook was an even shyer friend who Yoongi had noticed in music club that excelled in many talents. He was exceptionally courteous and passionate. Jungkook would have to be the best choice for Eris, and Yoongi couldn’t say anything when they told him that they were getting married by the time Yoongi had graduated with his Bachelors in Graphic Design.

Well, it wasn’t exactly that surprising. Yoongi was bold as well when he had decided to chase his one passion – it was all he had at that time, to be quite honest. Because of the accident, Yoongi could no longer pursue sports for a long while. Because of his lack of care for meaningless subjects that he knew wouldn’t help him in the future, Yoongi zoned out during his Science classes and still managed to get A’s out of avoiding his parents’ nagging.

With a sigh, and after having tossed through different shades of black, Yoongi eventually settled with an outfit that’s appropriate enough for work and appropriate enough for him as well. A knit sweater over dark wash jeans (with holes in the knees to quietly rebel the system), some black rubber boots, his glasses and a frown on his face. Typical Min Yoongi.

Slinging his matching (also black) backpack over his shoulder, Yoongi says a silent goodbye to his apartment in the dark as the door groans to a close behind him.

Adjusting his glasses out of habit at the corner with the pinch of his index finger and thumb, Yoongi fumbles for his keys, a habit he knows he should have down by now, but apparently his mind can’t register the difference between his Kumamon keychain given to him by Eris Christmas 2013 from his apartment key this early in the morning.

Now stumbling down the stairs and out the door, Yoongi is met with the lovely odor of piss and in the AM. Obviously, the neighborhood homeless man has made his rounds early in the morning. Friends from home had always asked Yoongi if he was afraid of getting mugged living along in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan everyday, but he always replied that he was slightly more terrified of missing the morning A train after 8:30.

Still, Yoongi can’t help but grab his morning coffee despite the time. In high school, Yoongi had promised to not take up any ‘bad’ habits in his adult life. But here he was now, having two piercings on either ear, forgetting meals and only living off a coffee at day.

‘You know what they say,’ Yoongi would tell Namjoon, ‘a coffee a day…keeps the days away.”

Namjoon, someone who Yoongi often looked up to as the better optimistic of the pair, couldn’t help but agree. In college, Namjoon was Yoongi’s roommate for the majority of their last semesters together.  Namjoon loved beanies, worn jeans and Immanuel Kant. When Yoongi came back from class, he’d always find Namjoon skipping his class to venture to a public speaking event instead and shrugging off responsibility proudly.

Namjoon also had a it a bit rough at home, there were things he couldn’t talk about in the open and resorted to goofing around instead. Though he’d never admit it, Yoongi admired Namjoon’s open personality. They had very similar backgrounds, were slight nerds, a similar dark sense of humor, younger siblings to worry about, a need to break free from the mold, and a whole lot of dysfunctional parenting that the internet could easily distract from. Sometimes thinking about home wasn’t the healthiest thing, and sometimes being away from home wasn’t any better.

When Yoongi had first moved in with Namjoon by random fate, Yoongi had ultimately decided to not open up to his new college roommate. For the past months, Yoongi had nearly thrown himself out of the dorms with his experiences with ty roommates. He never wanted change, but perhaps throwing himself randomly into a new situation one more time would be beneficial to him – or maybe being reclusive was the better alterative to look at things.

But Namjoon wasn’t having it. Days passed, and Yoongi had forgotten when they had exactly become so close, but they were nearly inseparable. They shared everything and kept in contact constantly after college and some could say they were nearly soulmates because they understood each other very well. It wasn’t often that Yoongi found someone like Namjoon so he was thankful when his friend to lend an ear to him when he needed it most.

But Namjoon’s wasn’t exactly helping himself after graduation, in Yoongi’s perspective. Post College he was working at a gas station, filling up gas tanks and getting shorted out of the last few dollars on a daily basis. Having hated the taste of gas station coffee, Namjoon eventually opted for lollipops, soda and cigarettes – but he always did mention when he did grab a genuine cup of joe from somewhere quaint on his time off, and began to reminisce about the ‘good ole times’ when they’d say ‘ it’ to Yoongi’s painting class to chill out at the local café by the school. Yoongi wondered how Namjoon could live like that (especially with student loans these days) but Namjoon always replied that his self-worth was never determined by a paycheck or where he found himself, as long as he could keep his stomach full and pursue his reading, that was enough.

And so, Yoongi envies Namjoons, his free will and open mind. Yoongi had always found himself to be a bit conservative in thought, that if things seemed too tiring or the outcome didn’t appear to benefit him much then it wasn’t worth pursuing or worth his time. Long story short, Yoongi had an awful habit of quickly dismissing people in general. Min Yoongi hated people. He didn’t quite know where the revelation came to him, perhaps it was during a run to the supermarket one day just to aimlessly walk the cold isles, or on the way to another lonely dinner to himself that he had decided that he was just done with everyone’s . No one was going to help him, not with a past of bullying since he was young. Ever since then, Yoongi never thought to reciprocate kindness, because he was aware of human selfishness very early on. He in turn, began to foster his own selfishness, because wasn’t that what people did?

Min Yoongi was self-centered. Drowning in himself, that’s all Yoongi ever did. In his own silence, even around the people he found the courage to care about, he took both hands and pushed himself further down in the pool of selfishness that evolved into an uncontrollably tidal wave of self-loathing. Who would be able to save him at this point? Not Namjoon. Despite his helpful words of advice, and having Yoongi always opened up to him, a drowning man simply couldn’t help another drowning man. Yoongi could see it in Namjoon’s eyes and his own in the morning, staring into that pitiful reflection – to swim to shore was easy, but to save yourself was a personal choice.

Or at least that’s all that Jin ever said. Jin never understood. Jin was one of those accounting majors that actually led to security in the future from the moment you stepped into college. He was a childhood friend of Yoongi’s who always butted heads with him because they were from different sides of the world. While Yoongi chased a dream, Jin chased a future. During the holidays they would meet up in that small little town called home again and Jin with a frown on his face would wonder how Yoongi could look worse while looking better at the same time. The one thing Jin could understand is that clothes can cover up a lot of . Jin knew luxury well and he was always off on vacation, about to get married as well or something like that. ‘Life doesn’t have to be this hard.’ Jin says every time. And yet, Yoongi can’t help but pull his attention back to the steam of his coffee cup in the diner in the small little town in the middle of nowhere he called home.

Yoongi brings the cup of coffee up to his lips, and it’s the last sip before the train’s automated voice signals through his headphones that he’s arrived to the stop just outside of his office. Pushing is weight off the other side of the metro, Yoongi heads out and doesn’t spare a glance to a single person on the way out of the train station. Everyone is too busy trying to stay awake or trying to find themselves, so no one has time to associate with day to day conversation. People were right, New York really is a ty place for ty people. Min Yoongi belongs here.

The green haired boy walks from the 14^th street station, a couple blocks from Union Square where everyone likes to be. No one pays attention to him despite his style choices, there were so many folks expressing their individuality these days that he looked normal in retrospect. Yoongi hates heavily congested places, so going to places to Union or Times Square seems like a Hell Hole when high school friends come to visit and want him to ‘show them a good time’. Yoongi’s definition of a good time is getting enough sleep after a long week at the office, a good book, and maybe some take out that will last him the weekend.

Work is nice, his co-workers are significantly older than him because of the from working right after graduation. Yoongi had hoped that he would’ve made more friends with people his age so he’s actually a little lonelier than he’d allow you to think he was. Still, he gets his work done, throws a joke here and there with his co-workers about his goblin hair color and clocks out for the day. No one really seems to notice or care in the end, either because he’s still new or they don’t know how to approach him quite yet. He heads out without a sound, maybe whispering a goodbye the only Ahjusshi who works the printer who somewhat appreciates Yoongi’s added diversity in the office.

The sky is still dark, the color of bruises because of the constant fall rain that casts a depressing overlay across this city full of bustling people. Yoongi knows all about overlays, and the photoshop vocabulary somehow seems to travel into his everyday conversation at times when it’s not necessary. Work was his life afterall, it was all he had. He scarfs down a bagel on the way home to defeat the day.

New York isn’t a nice place, anyone who lived in the city could tell you that. They deal with the piss on the streets and overflowing trashcans like a ty family that can’t go a day without arguing, so maybe that’s why Yoongi finds himself at home here. He tolerates it. New York is not the city that never sleeps, but it’s a city for people who need sleep but don’t necessarily find it priority. When you want to find a good time, there’s always a bar waiting for conversation or a used bookstore with very strange and interesting finds everywhere. Yoongi has seen it all before, and he hates drinking because the burning feeling of alcohol feels reminds him of adulthood pushing itself down his throat everyday with an even worse aftertaste.

Taehyung often has get-togethers with all their college friends and such on the weekends. His friend is popular as he is handsome but Yoongi always bails because he prefers to rot in his apartment in front of his laptop. Taehyung knows it, so he has personal one-on-one days for Yoongi to explore the lower side of Brooklyn’s vintage shops together, watch alternative movies out playing that no one knows about and talk about work, something they have in common at least through school.

Taehyung doesn’t say anything about Yoongi’s life, only jokes around and offers up his experiences. In his day job, Taehyung works in film and is doing well producing his next Indie Horror Comedy about pizza turning into cats. “It’s gonna be great!” Taehyung convinces his friend with his hands in the air and a confident grin on his face and Yoongi, although skeptical, believes in Tae. His friend during school had always excelled in his strange ideas and received praised from his professors. On the side, Taehyung had a Youtube alias simply called ‘V’ that blew up so quick eventually school got the way of his career. Taehyung was successful, and Yoongi shook off any comments from the latter saying that he was successful as well with a dry wave of the hand.

They don’t see each other often so their talks last for hours over several cups of coffees in little diners than remind Yoongi of home. Taehyung is the opposite of Jin, but reminds Yoongi of him all the same. He quietly envies them as well. They’re open and not selective with whom they spend time with.

Eventually Taehyung mentions that he is getting married soon and Yoongi can’t help but shift uncomfortablly in his seat. Taehyung, seeing his friend’s reaction in his seat, understands and doesn’t prod any further. He knows Yoongi is surprisingly sensitive about those kinds of things and merely slides an invitation across the table before leaving with a ‘let’s hang out again soon.’

Left at the diner table by himself, Yoongi’s smile fades as he watches Taehyung hail a cab from down the street with a single wave of the hand before climbing in. His hand is already on his phone that is lighting up and the smile on his face shows all of who is calling.

‘Cabs are expensive, take the train .’ Yoongi grumbles before picking up the check he fought his friend over paying before he left. He’s well aware how much money Taehyung has, and since he’s an only child, his parents spend anything to support him obviously. But Yoongi can’t help himself to courtesy. It’s a simple exchange for conversation that he can muster. Opening the book, the green haired boy is aware that it’s only a few dollars that he can pull from his pocket anyways, and he finds bickering over checks to be a tiring issue. The prices in little diners are always convenient; you can always order enough for a family and end up paying for a single person’s meal in the city. They’re not the greatest place for a date or something like that, but it’s a good place for those who are a bit stuck in one place and a little out of place as well, just like little diners in the middle of New York City.

When you leave the city, you realize that you don’t have to necessarily live here. The opportunity is great, but at what cost. Eris worries about her brother, texts him asking how he’s doing and he can only ask about her life instead. Yoongi doesn’t know what to say. His days have melded into a constant tunnel of work and sleep that never seems to end. At one point, Eris finally tells Yoongi that she and Jungkook worry about him, and ask if they can life together to improve his outlook on life. Eris always wanted to come to the city anyways, her doctorate degree never defeated her passion of pursuing fashion, and Jungkook was ready to follow her anywhere like an aimless puppy. Eris was very lucky. Yoongi was not. He refused her offer. Eris told him to think about it and the phone call ends there.

A long time ago, there was a girl, Anna, whom Yoongi loved with his whole heart. But at one point, life got in the way as it always did. They always said ‘don’t fall in love young because the years will tear you apart.’ Despite the odds, Yoongi had promised never to leave her. But as times got harder, and suddenly, he couldn’t have her take care of him anymore, it became harder to love and Yoongi left one day without a word. Anna fought with her heart to keep him, take him back, ‘don’t leave to a city that will only make you unhappier’.

But the truth was, he didn’t know what made him happy. Looking at her, wondering why he had run away, he understood now. Anna didn’t make him happy either. She had the mind like Namjoon who looked to the sky but couldn’t make rent at times and was too stubborn to say anything when it was too obvious. Like Jin, Anna didn’t agree with following the unclear path that passion led, and she remained in the same place. They were the exact opposite – too incompatible despite trying so desperately for it to work. At one point, it wasn’t Yoongi who needed to be pulled around but it was Anna. And when Yoongi found her years later, still in the same place he had left her after finally letting go. Anna let herself die as well, realizing how hard it was to pull the burden of a person who didn’t want to grow or move, especially when that person was yourself.

But what was it to grow? Like a sponge, as Yoongi had gone through school and intensive training, the light in his eyes began to die slowly every day in that mirror in the morning. Opening up his heart to Anna was one thing, but opening his soul to the world was another. Suddenly the days became darker, and realizing the life of an artist was not one he shouldn’t wished so easily.

Yoongi had always somewhat believe in a higher being above, some old guy with a massive beard that looked over them for some reason. When he was younger, Yoongi, out of spite for his parents, screamed at the sky and said that he hated God. Ever since that day in his early years, Yoongi couldn’t help but feel as though God had forsaken him. You wanted to be an artist? God asked. Fine, then suffer for it. You will know passion, but you know pain as well. Live, breath and burn with it.

And that’s why Yoongi never goes to church anymore.

It’s not like Yoongi isn’t aware of his decisions.  Happiness and misery somehow became one and the same. Hoseok somehow always finds the spare key under Yoongi’s carpet and comes in of his own volition and makes a disapproving face when he catches Yoongi sleeping in for the umpteenth time, or just simply staring at the ceiling in silence.

“Don’t you think you should get out more?” Hoseok suggests with a hint of a smile on his face, leaning against Yoongi’s bedroom doorframe. The place is spotless, Yoongi cleans on weekends but it’s usually a mess somehow throughout the week. The blanket is thrown across his body haphazardly as Yoongi closes his eyes, breathing a sigh through his nose.

“There’s a party tonight in Soho. I know a girl and she totally digs the moody type.” He wiggles his eyebrows. Yoongi turns and gives the most unamused look of the century in which Hoseok holds up his hands and backs up. “Okay, okay. Jesus.” His friend comments before turning out to leave. “You should get a dog or something. So you don’t die here alone.” He grumbles under his breath. Yoongi knows Hoseok means well when he says it, and that Yoongi doesn’t make the situation any better by acting this way.

Yoongi is still dead flat on his bed when he hears the door close at the end of the hall behind Hoseok. Yoongi waits, but nothing else follows. With an irritated groan, Yoongi reaches for his phone behind his pillow and texts while clenching his teeth: You forgot to lock the ing door.

A few seconds later ‘Hoe Hoe Hope’ replies back: I threw the key under the mat so a , Min.

Every other day, Hoseok attempts to hook Yoongi up with the supposed ‘love of his life’. And every time it fails, Hoseok promises that ‘this time, she’s the one!’ Yoongi eventually grew tired of it all, and ironically, gave up on hope. Hoseok was one of the first people Yoongi had ever opened up about his failed love life, after finding him drunk at the doorstep of his own apartment and eventually helping him inside, motioning to the spare key under his ugly brown doormat left by the last occupant. Ever since that drunken night, Hoseok has made it his life goal to make Yoongi happy, because after that night, Hoseok never saw the sensitive side of Min Yoongi ever again. The Yoongi that cried for the girl that used to be Anna that he couldn’t love anymore, for the girl who he tried to replace with Anna years later who broke his heart after a year he thought he could finally come to an amends, she had finally said ‘I just want to be friends.’ It was also hard as to forget the second girl because he fell for someone who accidentally had the same name as his sister. Awkward. That’s why he asks for names on first dates now.

Love was dead. Love wasn’t real. He hated to say it, but his self-confidence plummeted after that. Yoongi wore more black and threw out all the color clothes in his closet that symbolized his self-worth and individuality. He saved those kinds of things for his work, and he realized now why everyone in New York wore black. It was to mourn themselves as well as sacrifice for what they loved to do. He was a walking dead corpse but chic at least. But who could love a rotting soul?

Yoongi could have easily taken the key out from under the mat, he was always good about keeping his key on him after all. Yoongi could have told Hoseok to off the first time, but instead spends a couple days every night just seeing what Hoseok’s night life is like until Yoongi feels tired just being around him with all the people Hoseok attracts with that lively personality of his.

But Yoongi decided that keeping optimism around him was the only thing that kept him living lately. Because it wasn’t Hoseok who visited him the most every day, but a man in a dark clock who resembled himself standing at the edge of his bed, asking Yoongi if it was his time yet to leave. There were pills behind the mirror, water was easy to drown in and Yoongi know how to drown very well – the options were endless.

And everyday, Yoongi would say now.

‘Eris would be unhappy. I have to see her married. She wants me to babysit her kids. Mom and Pops would be happy too if I came home more often.”

“Jungkook too. I have to make sure he makes her happy. He still makes bad decisions, like pursuing computer science when he’s obviously bad at math.’

‘Namjoon needs someone to talk do when he’s down after work. Or someone to go to poetry night with him when he visits Brooklyn again. $3 Happy Hour is one of our greatest pastimes, I can’t have that replace me anytime soon.’

‘Who will support Taehyung’s ridiculous goals at this rate? He has that wedding and there was a ticket to his next opening night in January.’

‘Hoseok doesn’t have anything else better to do than bother me. He won’t say anything but, he gets his heart broken too and someone has to pick up the pieces.”

‘I hate Jin but I have no one to hate if he’s not around. He’s my childhood best friend and and we have a Mario Kart round to settle.’

Yoongi thinks of all these things before dragging himself out of bed and walking past the dark figure and to his desk, turning on the light and opening his laptop.

‘Design Assistant needed’ Yoongi’s fingers began to type the top of the screen. What? You think Yoongi is a procrastinator? Not in the least. He might as well be the productive kind of depressive that distracts himself from his crippling woes with freelance work and what not in his spare time. But lately, judging by the stack of books and the emails blowing up from an impatient client, the workload outside of his office job along with side work was becoming a bit too much to handle. He would need help. And so, Yoongi reluctantly posted the job listing on a site that Taehyung had let him know about and that was that.

Nearly a year had passed, Yoongi survived another harsh summer climate change (thank the lord for air conditioning) and got even paler from staying inside as per usual year. The good news was that Namjoon finally got his together and was finally working in the city with Taehyung, whom Yoongi introduced Namjoon’s immensely absurd ideas that meshed together well with Taehyung’s immensely absurd resources (mostly his parent’s money, who are we kidding?). Namjoon moved Yoongi out of his dreaded one-person apartment and into a bigger space with better, less depressing lighting as well.

Hoseok moved in eventually, in the beginning it was because of his usual habit that Namjoon did not approve of and simply called ‘breaking and entering’, so Hoseok one day showed up with all his things in the living room just so Namjoon would stop nagging him. And when Namjoon and Hoseok broke out into a yelling fight and eventually asked Yoongi what his opinion was, the latter simply chuckled in amusement and commented that he’d order pizza as a housewarming gift. Turns out, Hoseok’s current roommates coincidentally didn’t appreciate his party nightlife and as long as he paid the Internet bill, Yoongi was fine with him staying. Once in a while though, Yoongi and Namjoon wished Hoseok would buy toilet paper when it was his turn.

Yoongi’s apartment suddenly felt lively again, especially when Taehyung ( a single father now unfortunately because he was always married to his work in the end but he keeps his chin high) brought his baby daughter over for Christmas, while Eris and Jungkook brought Yoongi’s baby nephew as well.

New Year’s Eve came, and they all went out to watch the Ball Drop and Yoongi absolutely hated it. Eris loved it along with his nephew and Taehyung’s daughter who called him Uncle Yoongi often enough to make him smile a bit. Namjoon and Taehyung were too drunk to care and Hoseok was nowhere to be found so Yoongi was lucky he write ‘If found please return to...” in sharpie with a drawn on Hoseok’s forearm just in case. Friendship at its finest.

The feeling of being in the heart of the city suddenly struck Yoongi hard. He felt claustrophobic and small while anxiety peeked at him from the crowds. In such a big city, how it was so easy to feel this alone?

“Why don’t you take a break?” Jungkook said, taking his son who was asleep in Yoongi’s arms into his. In that moment, Yoongi remembered exactly why he wanted Eris to be with Jungkook. He thanked Jungkook and waved to his worried little sister and pointed to his phone to signal that he’d be available if they needed him.

“He needs some air.” Jungkook told her, rubbing the back of their sleeping boy in his arms.

“I know,” Eris sighed, tucking the scarf around their baby higher, “He’s always like that.”

There were no diners nearby Times Square that gave him such a quaint antique feeling as the one near Williamsburg right outside the train station. Instead, Yoongi decided to call Hoseok, which failed miserably because of the static and blaring music that was so loud that Yoongi had to hold the phone faarrrrrr away from his ear to hear Hoseok just barely.

And the address lead him to a place not too far from the busy streets, everywhere was extra packed because of the event and Yoongi wanted to die any minute now.

“Silver Lies.” Yoongi murmured, walking in as the bouncer opened the door for him. “Looks like the kind of appropriate place.”

Upon walking in, Yoongi recognized the booming music and the waves of colored fumes in the air. It wasn’t as crowded as he thought, most of the attention drew to the half-dressed dancers on the tables. Yoongi never thought he’d say this, but a Gentlemen’s Club was more peaceful than the outside world right now.

Yoongi sighed, rolling his eyes as he finally found his friend in the most compromising situation of the New Year. “You really live up to your name in my phone, you know that?”

Hoseok wasn’t even a stripper and yet he already had dollar bills shapelessly tucked in every part of his clothes from Yoongi’s vantage point. He was having a party and well, might as well let him have his fun. Yoongi couldn’t help but let out an astonished laugh. He wasn’t even surprised.

“Is that how he pays for the Internet?” Yoongi mumbled with heavy sarcasm, seating himself at the surprisingly empty bar area despite the packed club.

“Watcha feelin’ tonigh cutie? Mojito to match the hair?” A heavily tattooed and busty redhead of a barista winked at Yoongi just as he settled down and placed his phone on the table, sending a quick text to Jungkook saying how he had ‘found Hoseok kind of’ with Jungkook replying with a bunch of ‘???’.

“Just a coke on ice.” Yoongi muttered, rubbing his forehead.

“Ah, one a’ those nights. I unda’stand.” The barista cooed, fixing up a quite glass of ice and sending a red cola his way. ‘Not one of the tourists, are ya? Relatives drag ya out into the wild?”

“You know it.” Yoongi sighed tiredly as he opened his coke with a hiss of the can, “I love my sister but you know how it is.”

“Don’t have to say anything Sweetheart, I already know.” The woman said with a sigh and a wave of the hand before she gave him a wink. Not the kind of wink meant for flirting, but more of what seemed like a habit she was known for in these parts. “That one’s on the house.”

Yoongi raised his cup to her with a half-smile of thanks before she went on her way to the next customer down the row.

“Come here often?” A voice said jokingly beside Yoongi just barely above the blaring music and the questionable sounds Hoseok was screaming in the background.

Yoongi raised an eyebrow at the person sitting adjacent to him at the very edge of the bar, both elbows propped up on the tabletop and hands looped together with ringed fingers and glow-in-the-dark jelly bracelets of several colors that Yoongi saw people handing out for free outside. This lad seemed to have collected all of them in the whole Time Square. His fingers had many silver rings that matched the color of his hair that was combed over handsomely revealing his face with ear piercings to match in the shape of crosses. He had a bright orange scarf on and a black and white pinstripe blazer over a white tee. But because of the mischievous smile he was wearing, Yoongi couldn’t help but think this was just another kid who was trying to act all grown up.

“Fake ID?” Yoongi asked in amusement.

“You know it.”

“Tsk, I knew you were too young to be here.”

“Oh, come on. I'm totally an adult.” He waved down the barista, “Hey, can I get what he’s having?” The silver haired Romeo pointed to Yoongi.

“You mean a coke, kiddo?” The barista raised an eyebrow at him with the same snickering smile that Yoongi had on his face. If it weren’t for the bright colored lights that kept changing every couple seconds, Yoongi imagined that the kid’s face had lit up several shades of red out of embarrassment.

“What’s a kid like you doing in a place like this?”

“I’m an aspiring actor. Just trying to make connections.” The silver haired boy shrugged with a wide grin and a hand out, “Park Jimin.”

Well, Yoongi thought while staring at Jimin’s outstretched hand, the boy definitely had the confidence for the industry.

With not nearly as much enthusiasm as Jimin, Yoongi shook hands before taking his drink again, pointing with the same hand, “NYU? Tisch?”

“Something like that.” Jimin said, focused more on the barista who gave him his coke with ice at that moment. “What about you?” He asked, turning to Yoongi.

Yoongi shrugged. “Nothing important.”

“I beg to differ.”

“And why’s that?”

Jimin shrugged with an exaggerated pout. “I dunno. I came over here to talk to you because you looked interesting enough.” He popped open the can before leaning back with a wide grin, “I like your hair.”

“Thanks.” Yoongi mumbled, still on the fence about this kid before he finally sighed, “I’m a designer.”

“Oh! My sister’s a designer!” Jimin suddenly blurted out and that perked Yoongi’s attention. Until Jimin fell back into himself, sipping straight out of the can and completely disregarding his cup of ice, “I mean….kinda.”

“What do you mean ‘kinda’?” Yoongi asked. This kid was seriously really a strange one.

“Well…she hasn’t exactly found a job yet.” Jimin admitted, avoiding Yoongi’s attention as he spoke and fumbling with his smartphone. “She just graduated like last fall, but Mom and Dad have been riding on her to get a job. You know how it is. Anyways, that’s why we came to the city.”

“To avoid your parents?” Yoongi raised an eyebrow and lifted his head for another drink.

“Something like that,” Jimin mumbled, thinking now, “Maybe like half a reason why.”

Yoongi stifled a chuckle. This kid was too much.

“Here!” Jimin suddenly stuck his phone screen in the air and in Yoongi’s face.  He put down his drink and took Jimin’s phone away. “She really hates it when I parade around her work like that, but she doesn’t do anything to really help herself with self-promo. I really think she’s talented but I don’t really understand anything about serifs or pantones or whatever like she does. Anything looks nice to me honestly.”

“Which means your biased as well because she’s your sister.” Yoongi was meanwhile very focused in lazily swiping through the website on Jimin’s phone. It made Jimin extremely nervous how casually Yoongi was taking it. Maybe this was a mistake after all. Maybe this guy was a super head honcho of a huge design corporation that his sister idolized and he just ruined her chances of getting into the industry.

Much to Jimin’s expectations, Yoongi turned off Jimin’s phone and slid it back to him. Disheartened a bit, the pretty boy tucked his phone back into his pocket and waited patiently. “So…?”

“Why are you really here in the first place?” Yoongi asked him all of a sudden, “Kid like you? In a Gentlemen’s Club.”

“Ah…” Jimin was at a loss for words, eyes wandering and resolve falling by the second, “I have friends…” He admitted in a shy voice.

“Where are they then?” Yoongi half-smirked, “Lost their way?”

“Ah…something like that.” Jimin said, running a nervous hand through his hair with a smile on his face. At least he was taking it well.

“You have ty friends.” Yoongi said, garbling ice from his cup and breaking the cubes with his teeth now.

“I know.” Jimin said with a sigh, ducking his head down in defeat and that undying smile.

“Welcome to New York, Jimin.” Yoongi chuckled, raising the cup to his lips again and findint it empty, “My friend dragged me here too. I have a lot of ty friends. One reads philosophy instead of picking up the phone, one of them is single dad who loves his work more than people, another doesn’t know me at all. But you live with it.” He paused for a second. “How would you like to have another ty friend?”

Jimin blinked at him, “R-Really?”

“Just promise that you won’t illegally come into these kinds of places again.” Yoongi frowned with a grave voice, “You do your sister a disservice, especially when she has an interview with me in the next week.”

Jimin stuttered in surprise, eyes wide and clutching the back of his chair, “You mean it?! No way!”

Yoongi nodded and paid the tab for the both of them when the barista came by and whispered for her to keep the change before turning to Jimin. “And if your sister is good, I might have a friend who might know someone who might be producing that pizza cat indie movie coming out soon.” Yoongi mentioned.

“Oh my god! PIZZA CATPOCALY-“

“Stop. No. Don’t say it.” Yoongi said as he stuck up a finger to stop him. “Please. I’ve heard enough about that movie. Now help me get my friend from here.”

“Wait,” Jimin said hopping to his feet, “Who’s your friend?”

“That one.” Yoongi pointed up high in a flat voice while shrugging his black peacoat on.

Jimin blinked, now staring at a wild Hoseok on the tabletops, and hoping to God that giant bulge in his pants was just another wad of cash.

Park Seolhee was the younger and shorter sister of Jimin, albeit a little less open to talk to strangers as he was and hesitant to meet a supposed designer her brother met during New Year’s at a Gentlemen’s Club.

But, after Jimin practically locked Seolhee out of their apartment with her portfolio, she finally submitted. Well, after she had Jimin look up the man’s portfolio and contact information so that he wasn’t some sort of murderer-kidnapper.

The address the vague man named Min Yoongi texted her for the interview was at an older diner right off the train in the heart of Brooklyn just off Soho. She had had her round of interview experiences before so this was no surprise it was outside of the workplace. Walking in with her doc martens, ripped jeans (to rebel against the system), plaid shirtdress and bleached white hair, Seolhee’s eyes wavered around the near empty place and almost was ready to assume she was in the wrong place before a voice called out to her.

“Yo!”

Her eyes found a head of mint green hair sitting in the far back warning a black sweater and thick-rimmed glasses. And seeing him for some reason, made her feel at ease. She walked to Min Yoongi, set down her Nikon that was hanging around her neck before shaking his hand.

They talked for a bit, exchanged information, past experiences that were all too similar. Seolhee was a lot like Jimin at first glance, once she opened up after all. Yoongi assumed that Jimin was the more talkative of the two, but it was alright, Yoongi wasn’t asking for someone to conversation but for someone to do the work. But eventually work stuff passed on, the two ordered breakfast for lunch and picked at casual conversation instead.

“…Do you have a dog?” Yoongi suddenly asked after a while of staring out the window and scratching his chin.

Seolhee blinked and shifted awkwardly in her seat, a smile forming on her lips as she said the name,  “Holly…”

“Holly?” Yoongi said in amusement, fingers fiddling with his pen for no real reason, “Holly and Seolhee? How…festive.” He flashed a smile with all his gums.

Seolhee laughed, eyes crinkling into crescent moons like Jimin’s, “My brother thought of it. Would you like to meet Holly?”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Yoongi said simply as he stared out the window again and realized something just then. He woke up this morning, right on time before the alarm went off. The sky was clear and for once today, he opted out for English breakfast tea instead this morning. Eris and Jungkook moved closer to upstate New York, near Albany because Jungkook enjoys the early snow and the couple visits often with Yoongi’s parents. Jin was flying in to visit with his kids some time soon while Namjoon and Hoseok were finally getting along as well. Yoongi’s phone was going off all morning with a group chat about a get-together party tonight at his place, one of which Yoongi asked later if Seolhee and Jimin wouldn’t mind dropping by with Holly later on. Taehyung was premiering is film later today and said the more the merrier. Plus Yoongi had a feeling Jimin would like to meet Taehyung. It made sense because Yoongi’s next big project was creating promotion for Taehyung’s new studio as the new art director. Seolhee accepted immediately without hesitation, the same way she did when Yoongi asked her to marry him several years later.

And for once, New York wasn’t so miserable, and Min Yoongi didn’t feel so out of place like a little diner in the middle of New York. He was happy. At long last, he was content.

Thank you for reading!

With love,

Exo-Dreamer.