❈

Jeonghan leaned back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. In front of him, a worn out typewriter and large stacks of papers cluttered around it. Looks like I’ll be staying here overtime. Jeonghan leaned forward and began to madly pound on the individual keys. Time became uncountable.

It had only been a few days since the start of his new job at the newspaper office. Being the greenie, his boss and his other colleagues took the chance to lessen their loads onto him. This resulted in Jeonghan having to stay late into the night although his shift actually ended at seven o’clock. He couldn’t complain though - working helped him forget that his life was utterly mundane.

Jeonghan glanced at his watch. Eleven. Looking up now, Jeonghan realised that the office was completely empty and everyone had left for home. Even the long summer days could not keep up with him thus the moon was high in the night sky. There’s still more to do. Despite working endlessly, the piles of paper around him had only decreased slightly. Although the thought of working through the night seemed tempting, Jeonghan decided to head home.

Nights in the town were equally as lively than the mornings depending on where you went. The town Jeonghan lived in was notorious for its red light district - nights were loud, and the roads were always filled with hungover men in the morning.

Dressed lightly with his manila trench coat, Jeonghan maneuvered through the busy streets. He had become accustomed to the stench of alcohol and the busy streets since young; moving through the crowds was an easy thing to do.

“Sir, would you like to come into our brothel, we’ll treat you extra nicely.” A girl dressed in excessively revealing clothes called out to him from the entrance of one of the shops.

Jeonghan looked at the girl, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I do not like to engage in these activities.” He nodded his head and continued down his path. It was the same thing he told every e that approached him - even though it was a lie. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to engage in , it was that he never fancied ladies to begin with.

It was almost as if Jeonghan had known since the moment he was born. When his parents were still alive and he had been attending academics, the girls in his class never interested him. It wasn’t that he disliked them, it was more like he had just always found the boys more attractive. He never told anyone though, not even his parents; they passed without ever knowing his secret.

“Sir, we can give you a discount since this is your first time,” A more forceful girl latched onto Jeonghan’s arm, leaning her chest onto him. “How about it?” She smiled with her makeup adorned face.

Jeonghan looked at the girl and was about to say the exact line again when a flash of white caught his eye. In the neon lights of red light district, white almost never showed up. Standing in the doorway of one of the brothels, was a white-haired boy in a white kimono. Looking closely, all the people in that brothel were also wearing kimono.

What is a man doing in a brothel? Jeonghan pulled his arm free of the girl and begin to maneuver his way to the brothel. The boy was slender, a white fan in his left hand blocking his face. But Jeonghan only needed to see his eyes. His beautiful eyes.

As Jeonghan made his way over to the brothel, he watched the figure turn to make his way back into the brothel. Wait.

“Sir, are you looking to head into our brothel?” A lady in kimono blocked him.

“Ah…” Jeonghan looked beyond her and noticed the boy had disappeared. “Y-yes.”

The lady smiled, “So, what kind of service are you looking for?” She asked as she wrapped her arm around his and walked him into the brothel. “Are you planning to stay the night? Any preferences?”

“U-um… the boy in the white kimono, can I see him?” Jeonghan felt his face flush.

“Mm, you mean Joshua? Even though he’s a guy he still gets quite a few customers because of his looks,” The lady brought him down a corridor and led him into an empty room. The room was illuminated by a dim red lamp with a single bed with translucent curtains around it. “Please wait here while I call him over.”

Crap… Jeonghan didn’t know what to do with himself now that he was alone. His decision to approach the brothel had all been in the spur of the moment - he hadn’t exactly thought any of this through. Maybe I should leave… Jeonghan glanced to the door, contemplating, then it was too late.

The door slid open to reveal the same boy in the shocking white kimono, this time though, Jeonghan could see his whole face. His lips were thin, stained with a soft shade of pink.

“Good evening, Sir,” The boy bowed to Jeonghan and shut the door behind him. “You asked for me?”

Even in the darkness, Joshua was stunning. His white hair perfectly framed his face, and the chrysanthemum clip in his hair glistened gently. Dark hazel eyes stared into Jeonghan’s and he felt like he could not escape.

“I-I did…” Jeonghan could not look away but felt his cheeks grow ever so hot as Joshua approached him. “My name is Jeonghan.”

“Joshua,” He answered. “This is your first time meeting me, and it also seems like it’s first time in a brothel altogether. Tell me why you asked for me.” Joshua’s voice was soft yet firm and he stopped inches from Jeonghan’s face.

Jeonghan gulped, “It is my first time meeting you, but how would you know if this is my first time in a brothel?” He said.

“You’re nervous and your face is flushed, yet you are not drunk. Your heart is pounding wildly, tell me why.”

All of a sudden, Jeonghan became conscious of his own heartbeat; Joshua was right, it was beating out of control. “Wouldn’t anyone be nervous the first time at a brothel?”

Joshua blinked, “Is that so? My clients have never been like you. They are either so drunk they don’t even care that I am male, or they’re so bored that they’re trying out something new. You are neither of those.”

“You’ve never had a client that really just liked men?” Jeonghan asked.

“If they did, they never admitted to it,” Joshua answered, “even in this district, gay men should be wary. Officers often come through on patrol here. The world is never kind, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan raised his hand and brushed the white hairs out of Joshua’s eye, “The world may not be kind, but I am.”

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A/N: Dang it's been a while since I've written/uploaded on here T T Sorry y'all, I told you all I was planning a new fic after I finished Devil's Retribution, but life got messy and I had to stop writing. This short ws just to help get me in the swing of things again, I'll probably upload some oneshots here and there whenever I'm free. This short was quite fun to write and maybe I'll write a sequel if you guys liked it? Let me know ^^ (comments are always fun to read) Hope you enjoy~