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Jongin sighs, falling back into his chair. He leans in to check the time.

12:17 AM

He should be sleeping right now. But having finished the last chapter of this story, his sense of accomplishment overcomes the sleepiness. 

Closing his laptop, Jongin dives into the bedsheets. Small tears pool in his eyes as he yawns. 

He has work tomorrow. If he asks for a day off again, that'll be the third time. Surely he'll get fired. Not that he's worried about it. He can make a living off of, like...Youtube, right?

Jongin yawns again. His eyelids pull themselves closed. 

For the first time in a while, falling asleep doesn’t need effort. Slumber‘s forgiving claws close in on Jongin as he wonders what type of face he makes when he sleeps. 

The story is about a grumpy young man who lived alone in the woods. He hunted deer and played with the smaller mammals. 

One day, his city was attacked by knights from another land. He was forced to migrate from the rural area that he was used to. In the big city, he met the prince that ruled his country. In exchange for money, he agreed to work for the prince. 

He was given a room and plenty of food. The prince chatted with him every day. He could not be more grateful towards the prince. 

One day, the prince seemed to be troubled. He refused to eat or drink, and never left his room. 

The young man grew worried. “What trouble stretches your days, your highness?” he asked. 

The prince took his hands, and cried, “What a dreadful day this is! One of my dear brothers has gone missing!”

Wanting to thank the prince for everything he did, the young man vowed to find his brother. 

The next day, the two say their goodbyes, and the young man sets out in search for the missing prince. 

Brrring!

Jongin jerks out of slumber when the sound of his alarm rips through his ears. His hands fly to turn it off. 

The sound stops. Jongin squints at his phone screen to see the time.

6:47? Right, I have work.

Jongin forces himself up to grab his uniform from his closet. When he sees himself in the mirror, he hides his face in his hands. "I can do this, I can do this...I just need some coffee, that's all."

Grabbing his keys, Jongin leaves the apartment.

A drop of water hits his head. He looks up. "You wanna be a today as well, don't you?"

On Jongin's way to work, the rain starts to pour. When he meets his third red light he falls back into his seat, wondering whether or not he should've slept in today too. 

His phone vibrates. He only glances once to see that it's a text.

...Wait.

He snatches his phone from the cupholder. 

From: The Devil

No work today. Snow is going to be harsher than usual. Be safe!

"What the-" Jongin grabs his hair. I put so much effort into leaving the house!

He looks around, exasperated

Right, but I did forget my earbuds at work last week. I should go get them.

The light turns green.

Jongin's heart skips as he steps on the pedal so quick he almost bumps into the car in front of him. He rushes to the workplace, almost exceeding the speed limit. 

When he arrives, he sees none other than Kyungsoo's car parked outside the milk tea shop. 

When Jongin enters, Kyungsoo isn't at the counter, but rather sitting in the customers' area. One hand around a tall cup of tea, the other holding down a rather thick book. 

Their polar gazes meet as Jongin approaches where Kyungsoo is sitting. Jongin smiles at him while Kyungsoo gives him a look of, 'why are you here?'

"Hey," Jongin greets awkwardly.

“Today’s off,” Kyungsoo says. Evidently, he expected to be alone. The sign at the door is flipped to, ‘CLOSED’ and the only source of light is coming from outside. 

“I know, just forgot something,” Jongin replies. He takes downs a chair from another table and sits on it backward across from Kyungsoo. “So...is reading in the dark your aesthetic?”

“The lights were going to attract attention,” Kyungsoo says, sounding offended. “...And yes, if you need to know”

Jongin hides a smile behind his arm. Kyungsoo refuses to look at him, eyes glued onto his book. 

Jongin looks around to scan the restaurant. Empty and dark. “Did anyone else come?” 

“No, and I don’t want them to," Kyungsoo looks up at him. “That includes you.”

Jongin