Myungsoo sits on his bed, eyes glassy but refusing to let the tears fall.

The sound of fireworks surrounds him, a constant reminder of the many happy families and groups of friends who are curretly ringing in the new year.

Myungsoo isn't sure why he chose today to become the impulsive teenager he never had been when he was actually a teenー he's 20, almost 21 now and he just snapped, going off on his brother Moonsoo with an intensity he's never displayed before.

Myungsoo still has the mark, the glowing bright red mark on his arm where his father had hit him, screaming something about respecting his brother and respecting this house, and Myungsoo can feel it throbbing.

He's still a college student, still relying on his parents for support, but he's graduating an entire year early, taking 26 credits this semester and torturing himself with work at the same time just to get away from them.

Today was supposed to be a happy occasion, dedicated to ringing in the new year, but all Myungsoo can think about is how stupid he's been, how stupid he still is for even staying in this house for another day, much less another six months until he graduates.

This house and the people in it (his parents with their marriage that has never been anything but failing, his brother whose terrible behavior has only been rewarded with coddling and attention) are sickening reminders of the unhappiness that has plagued every year of his past.

Myungsoo doesn't know what he wants for his future, but he knows what he doesn't wantー  and he doesn't want this.

Not now. Not ever.

Myungsoo quietly slides open the doors to the balcony, feeling the cool breeze of the night air against his skin and hearing the sound of fireworks multiply in its intensity.

He decides to continue on in this theme of doing things he's never done before (things that admittedly would have been more appropriate for a teenaged version of himself) and quietly creeps down the fire escape extending down the side of his apartment building.

He hears the rusty old ladder creak with every step he takes, hears his labored breathing escalate in volume as he nears the ground. But he feels oddly calm as he starts walking away from the building, finding a strange sort of peace in the anonymity of blending in among the many pedestrians walking along the streets of Seoul.

***

Myungsoo finds himself at an old park bordering the Han River.

It's really more a large expanse of green space than a typical park, and Myungsoo doesn't know how he got there.

But it's got a gorgeous view of the water and plenty of space for him to walk around, and Myungsoo feels less lonely, less dejected amid the groups of people who are sitting along the river's banks as they ring in the new year.

The sky is lit up with fireworks, the water reflecting their vibrant colors, and if Myungsoo weren't having one of the most stressful days of his life, he could almost think of it as pleasant, as beautiful.

Even though Myungsoo has retained his odd calm from earlier, he knows that he will be miserable when he finally drags himself back to the apartment, back to the people he is so desperately trying not to be like, so desperately working to escape.

He walks for some time along the perimeter where the grass meets the sand, then along the shore. He feels the cold winter waters lapping at his tennis shoes, seeping through his socks, icy and uncomfortable along his bare skin.

He is just about to turn around and go back the way he came when he hears a voice behind him.

"Excuse me. Do you know how I can get to Itaewon from here?"

Myungsoo turns around and is met with a man, a man who is slightly taller than Myungsoo. The man's features are being obscured by his face mask, but his eyes are beautifully alive with the light of the fireworks.

"I was just getting back from celebrating with my friends at the bar across the street, but I'm not from the Seoul area and I... " the man pauses, suddenly becoming silent as he notices Myungsoo's tense posture.

"...I seem like a stalker, don't I?" the man continues, voice cautious and halting. "Or some sort of ert creeping on the one lone guy in the park. Iー I'm sorry, I didn't realize how this would come off."

Even though Myungsoo is mostly tense from the stress of events at home, he's also definitely a little wary of this guy showing up out of nowhere and talking to him with a mask over this face.

(Granted, the mask does have a cute teddy bear design, but if anything that could be a sign that this guy is unhinged.)

The man seems to realize that Myungsoo is staring at his mask, and he pulls it down to reveal a handsome face that Myungsoo hadn't anticipated at all.

"I'm Sungyeol, " the man says, smiling brightly and extending his hand.

Myungsoo takes his hand, shaking it firmly.

He can't help but notice that Sungyeol's smile is pretty nice as well.

***

Myungsoo ends up agreeing to walk with Sungyeol all the way back to Sungyeol's apartment in Itaewon.

Sungyeol had explained that his phone had died, rendering any apps he could use for directions useless, and Myungsoo had decided that helping out a handsome stranger is exactly what he needs to distract himself from what is surely awaiting him at home.

So Myungsoo and Sungyeol talk as they make their way to Itaewon, hands casually touching at the two are pushed closer and closer together by the bustling crowds of the Seoul streets.

Myungsoo feels at ease as he navigates the winding streets of the city with Sungyeol, and he barely registers the stress and uneasiness that have plagued him since his altercation with his family earlier today (well, technically yesterday since it's after midnight). 

Sungyeol speaks qui