Just like any other spring night, the lively city of Sydney was covered in flashing, colorful lights and chattering people walking down the busy streets. The restaurants were packed, the queues for street-food stands seemed to never end, and there were plenty of performers to entertain the people enjoying that lovely evening.

Meanwhile, somewhere in a tall office building towering over the streets, Felix was looking out the window, trying to spot an arguing couple, or a group of friends heading for a night of karaoke, anything that could give him even the slightest bit of inspiration, but to no avail. He sat back on his chair, picking up his pencil and tapping one end against the wooden surface of his desk. His eyes trailed across the words and ideas he had been scribbling for the past few hours, but none of them seemed worthy enough for him to develop.

Ever since his best friend Chris had gone to Seoul to pursue his music career he had been feeling gloomy. There was no one left to take him out during these lonely evenings, no one willing to spend hours trying to come up with ideas, only to have him reject every single one of them, no one left to bring him doughnuts when he was staying up late at work… He had been alone for months, spending his mornings laying on his couch like a potato while watching TV and stuffing his face with fast-food. He would wait until 5 PM when he knew Chris would get of work and call him. He would stare intensely at his phone, waiting to slide his finger across the screen and chat with his friend, listening to him blabber about how long his day was without even attempting to interrupt. He hoped that Chris would have something interesting to say, something that would inspire Felix just enough to come up with a few lyrics, but it was always the same: his really demanding boss, the cute guy from Strabucks, his annoying coworkers… Same old stories he had heard thousands of times before… But for some reason, he still listened to them over and over again, ignoring the fact that he had already heard them at least a hundred times before because he was afraid; afraid of ending that call only to be alone in his crappy apartment again…

Chris’s calls followed a patter so far: he would call at 6 PM, they would talk until about 8, then they would text each other back and forth for the rest of the evening, but for the past few weeks their conversations have been getting more and more inconsistent: a five minute call, a few texts that went unanswered and an even gloomier Felix.

The thing that bothered Felix most that evening was the fact that Chris hadn’t called that day at all. Maybe he was sick, or he was so tired that he forgot… That’s what Felix kept telling himself, trying to push back the obvious truth in the back of his mind. He was always concerned that Chan would make new friends in Korea and he would just be forgotten and replaced over time, but he refused to believe that Chris had forgotten their decade long friendship in a couple of months.

Felix checked his phone again, probably for the 50^th time that day. He sighed and placed his head on his desk. His eyes were sore and the silence and soft music engulfing the room made him sleepy. It was already 10 PM. Maybe he should go home; it’s not like he had bills to pay or kids to feed. His parents were really supportive of his career as a song writer, so they were willing to pay for his rent and living expenses while he tried to make a name for himself in the music industry. He wasn’t the most successful lyricist, but he had worked with some pretty famous artists before. He had made enough money to afford a small studio for all of his equipment. His career was really starting to take off before Chris left, leaving Felix totally drained out of inspiration. Everyone was telling him that he’s still young and that he has all of the time in the world to become famous, but at this rate, it didn’t seem like his career would skyrocket any time soon.

Felix finally sat up again, packing his things before closing the light and leaving the room. He took the elevator to the ground floor where he greeted the receptionist.

“Ay, Felix! What’s with the long face?” the cheeky chestnut haired girl asked from behind the desk.

“Don’t worry about it Rose, it’s not important…” Felix answered, faking a smile.

“What are you doing tonight?” she tried sparking a conversation.

“Nothing much…I’m just having one for the road and calling it a day!” the blond laughed at his own misery.

“Oh, come on! Have you always been this boring?” Rose giggled. “Look, I’m about to finish my shift. I’m just gonna scrub out and go meet some friends for a party. Wanna join us?” she offered him, smiling brightly.

Felix his lips while he thought about the offer. It would be a good opportunity to meet people and maybe get some inspiration, but what if Chris called and he wouldn’t hear his phone?

“Sure! Let’s go!” he exclaimed quickly, before he could change his mind.

Rose squealed and rushed out into the staff changing room to switch her outfit while Felix waited for her outside of the office building. He took out his phone, checking it one last time for that day: not even a single notification from anyone… He let his phone slide back into his pocket and ruffled his messy hair, hoping to make it look at least half-decent.

A few minutes later Rose popped up next to Felix wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie. Unlike other girls, she was pretty quick to change. The pair walked down the street, stopping by a few shops and restaurants to collect certain individuals while Rose introduced them to Felix one by one. Felix couldn’t say that he felt awkward or uncomfortable around these people. He just didn’t think that they were interesting enough for him to write a song about. They just seemed like regular people; the types of people that live according to social standards and who never break stereotypes, so he was starting to regret his decision

As they were heading towards a remote area of the city, Felix quickly realized what their destination was: Club 77, one of the most famous clubs in the area; armed with live music, jazz performances and pool: every 40 year old's dream!

”Um, Rose…” Felix mumbled, tapping her shoulder, receiving a hum in return.

“Are we going to 77?” he asked with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?” Rose smiled mischievously.

“Well, isn’t it for old people?...”

“Not their underground parties, that’s for sure!” she chuckled, wrapping her arm around Felix’s shoulders. “You don’t go out much, do you?”

Felix felt the heat rise up to his cheeks, so he attempted to hide his face behind his bangs.

They entered the bar soon after, seeing a few people quietly chatting at the tables. Rose went up to the bartender and whispered something to him, earning a smile from him. He then pointed to a door somewhere in the back of the room. Rose turned around and signaled her friends to follow her, leaving Felix slightly confused.

The blond was certainly shocked by the sight unraveling before him as he walked through that door: bright, colorful lights, loud music and the sound of people laughing and singing. He made his way through the crowd, trying to keep up with Rose and her friends, but eventually he lost them. He decided to sit at a table hidden somewhere in a dark corner and wait until he spotted them again. It would also be a great opportunity to observe the various people surrounding him, to try and figure out their life stories. Felix had always been good at observing people and analyzing them in a very psychological manner. He was great at figuring out if they were hiding something.

As he was looking around, he noticed a large crowd gathered around what looked like a small booth. He sat up and made his way towards the crowd, paying attention to the people around him so that he wouldn’t bump into anyone. He excused himself as he tried pushing his way to the front to see what was going on. He was pretty short, but people always assured him that he had plenty of time to grow, and that boys only stopped growing at around 20, but he knew none of that was real.

After a short struggle and lots of apologies, he managed to see what the crowd was so interested in: there was a guy, probably in his early 20s giving a girl a cute rose tattoo on her arm. He had dark black hair, styled in an undercut, stretched ears and a lip-ring, which gave him a cool, bad- sort of vibe. His gaze was empty as he was concentrating on his work and he seemed slightly tired as he was finishing up the girl’s tattoo. He was wearing a black sweater that looked a tad too large for him and a pair of ripped jeans, only adding to his bad boy persona. Felix knew it was a persona. He had noticed his Ryan phone case as soon as arrived.

“Okay everyone,” he announced it a very obviously Asian English accent. “this is the last one for today…” he added, wiping up the blood on the girl’s arm before wrapping up her tattoo.

The crowed sighed in disappointment and started to spread out, leaving Felix all alone in front of the booth. The man noticed Felix’s presence but decided to ignore it. Felix was also a bit nervous to speak, so he just stood there, looking like a total fool.

“What do you want kid? I’m done for today.” The man spoke in an annoyed voice.

“Um… I really liked your work!” Felix suddenly exclaimed in Korean.

The man was visibly taken aback by Felix’s remark, but he smiled afterwards.

“I never thought I’d meet a Korean here…” he affirmed, closing his bag after he packed all of his things.

“Yeah… Me neither… How long have you been living here?” Felix asked, hoping to start a conversation.

“Maybe a week or so; I’m here on a short…” he paused, trying to come up with the right term to use. “…vacation I guess… I’m going back in a couple of days.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice. I’ve never been to Korea before… I grew up here.” Felix affirmed, watching as the man put on his coat, getting ready to live. “I’m Felix by the way!”

“Changbin.” the brunette said, extending his hand.

Felix hesitantly grabbed it and shook it lightly, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going.

“Where are you staying? I could drive you back home!” Felix offered him, hoping to get his address at least. He didn’t have a car of course, nor did he have a driver’s license, but he could have at least gotten a cab for him.

“I don’t have a place to stay.” Changbin bluntly admitted, taking Felix by surprise.

Felix felt the tension build up between them. He wasn’t going to let a stranger into his house, especially one that looked like Changbin did. He just didn’t feel safe with the idea…

“Well then, can I at least have your number? Maybe we could grab some coffee one day!”

“Sure.” Changbin answered in a monotone voice, giving Felix a small piece of paper: his business card.

After getting his number, Felix followed him to the door, making small talk along the way.

“It was nice meeting you.” Changbin finally spoke.

“Yeah, you too! See you soon, I guess?” Felix smiled.

“You bet!” the brunette smiled, giving Felix a small wave.

After watching Changbin disappear into the distance, Felix took out his phone again, ready to save Changbin’s number, only to noticed his screen: 12 missed calls from Chris, 23 unread messages from Chris and a Candy Crush invitation.

He cursed under his breath and called Chris again. They both had a lot of explaining to do.