The retail worker looked out-of-the-world bored at Junmyeon.

 “Sir, do you need any help with that?” The unamused employee pointed at a giant shopping cart, packed to the top with candles, which Junmyeon was pathetically pushing down a narrow aisle stocked with bath products.

 “No, I’m good,” came the grunted reply. The glass jars in the cart clinked together, clattering as the landlord guided his items towards the checkout.

 “SIR. Are you sure you don’t need help with that?” The frowning cashier, a grumpy student who went by the name of Kyungsoo, folded his arms and glared strongly into the distance.

 “Okay!” Junmyeon huffed as his cart was plucked away form his reach, and guided expertly to the next waiting cashier, a girl that looked much less angry, albeit annoyed.

 “How many candles are you even buying?” Victoria asked, swiping the 4th jar of yellow wax across the scanner.

 “It’s my fall cleaning time.” That’s right. He was a real adult now.

 Wasn’t there this one time that Joy had believed in spirit animals? Seulgi’s was a bear. Minseok’s was a cat. Wendy’s was a squirrel. Junmyeon’s was a postmenopausal woman. You know, the kind that bakes cookies, crochets, and dabbles in interior design.

 Victoria handed him a receipt, snapping him out of a trance.

 “That’ll be $234.98.”

 There were at least two of the store’s biggest plastic bags, stretched thin with the amount of artisan candle jars thrown carelessly in. He handed in his debit card on instinct, and immediately wondered how light his wallet would be if it was cash.

 “Come again,” Kyungsoo said half-heartedly, once Junmyeon had a foot out the door.

 Clearly, he did not want him to come again.

 🕯🕯🕯

 Junmyeon was already running behind schedule. His office was supposed to be open at least ten minutes ago, for the weekly open office session he always hosted on Sundays. Not to mention his hands were killing him from all the lugging. Maybe that was partially his fault, he thought, since he would rather break his arms than make two trips.

 The office door wasn’t big, but it was difficult to miss, especially since it was a bright yellow, and slightly crooked too. Inside, there was a wooden desk, shoved into the corner behind a curtain of golden beads. A fabric sofa sat in the corner, adorned by a single pillow in the shape of a smiling sun.

 Smiling, he kicked open the door and threw the bags onto the floor, not caring where they landed. Moving swiftly, he lit a candle to overpower the musty fumes of wet paperwork, and slapped it on the windowsill.

 Great.

 Junmyeon stood back, hands on hips, and admired himself in the reflective glare of the window. His brown hair, which had been unfortunately fried, was swept back with a red and black headband. Nobody could deny that he looked handsome today.

 Sundays were always his favourite. He really did enjoy doing his job, even if it meant he had to take his Paramedicine university courses at night, since he was too busy in the day. This year was his junior year, and he was itching to call himself paramedic to everyone he knew, instead of boring man who leases sub-par homes in the okay part of the city.

 For the second time that day, his thinking was interrupted by the door creaking open.

 “Smells good in here.” Luna trailed in, a pitcher of blue liquid hugged tightly to her chest as she sniffed and stepped inside without invitation.

 “It’s my new candle. Hello Beaches.”

 “Nice. Where’d you get it?” The drink that looked suspiciously like tide pod water sloshed against the container.

 “Forever 2NE1.”

 Luna pulled a saucer and cup out of seemingly thin air, setting it down on a pile of tax returns. “I stayed up all night to make this drink. It’s my new recipe. Tell me how it tastes.” She shoved the teacup into Junmeyon’s hands, and he tentatively took it.

 “What is this?” He peered suspiciously at the steaming neon blue water, stirring it gently with a metal teaspoon.

 “My new recipe. Amber suggested KoKoBop as a name. KoKo for coconut water, lemonade, and blue-raspberry Kool-aid.”

 “Boiled together?” Junmyeon took a whiff, that smelled oddly like the fruit candies of his childhood. He slowly brought the spoon towards his mouth, barely wetting his lips with the sip.

 “You promise it’s not poison?”

 “Shut up and tell me how it tastes.”

 Junmyeon swished the drink around his mouth, looking thoughtful as he swallowed.

 “I think I like it.”

 🍵🍵🍵

 The second person who dropped by was Seulgi, resident artist and badass of Golden Groves.

 “I can’t sleep, Suho.” she groaned, shutting the door lazily behind her. Seulgi had always preferred nicknames, but Junmyeon had a sneaking suspicion that she was just bad with pronunciations.

 “Okay….? Well, when I can’t sleep, I usually have a big glass of warm milk before I go to bed. Before that, I eat a light dinner and use lavender essential oils-”

 “No. Seriously.”

 “Well,” Junmyeon tapped his chin with a pen thoughtfully, “you could always head down to the pharmacy-”

 “That wrinkly- woman with the hair rollers that be looking like ham rolls bought a dog and it’s been barking all night.” Seulgi’s voice was dripping in sass.

 “But there’s a no pet policy!” Junmyeon said, naively.

 “There's also a no smoking indoors policy. But does she follow that?” Seulgi pointed out.

 “Want a crumpet?”

 Junmyeon slid a little pancake on a paper towel towards Seulgi, who stuffed the whole thing into and swallowed in one bite.

 Yes, true adults also had teatime. Teatime was for everyone, not just little girls in princess dresses.

 “You should evict her.” she suggested. “I can’t do that! She’s been living here forever, since my father was the landlord! I can’t throw old women out onto the street like that! She pays her rent on time and basically leaves us alone.”

 “You said it yourself. She’s a demon.” Seulgi ate another crumpet.

 “They’re better with tea,” Junmyeon muttered.

 “Evict her,” the girl repeated, this time in a stronger voice.

 “No.”

 “Evict her. There’s no reason that you shouldn’t. She’s broken all the tenant rules, she’s rude as hell and a total pain in the , she goes around complaining about nothing….” Seulgi rattled off a dozen examples from the top of her head.

 “I can’t sleep because of that disgusting dog.”

 Junmyeon shook his head, and Seulgi rolled her eyes.

 “No. Now, can I help you with anything else?”

 “Please give me this recipe.” She had started eating her 5th crumpet and thought she might throw up.

 “Water, milk, butter, flour, sugar.”

 “Delish.” She was definitely going to vomit, so she slapped a hand over and tried not to gag.

 “ECCHHH ACHHH…..”

 “Oh, eew!”

🥞🥞🥞

  After all the chunks had been vacuumed out of the carpet, Junmyeon was finally free to sit down. He still had the paperwork to fill out, since Baekhyun was going to break his lease, and move in with Chanyeol.

 He almost wanted to sigh at the sappiness, but he knew better than to be jealous. They were his closest friends, but it stung how they would have each other, but he wouldn’t.

 Junmyeon couldn’t remember the last time he had gone on a date, or hooked up, or done literally anything frisky with anyone.

 Old man Suho needs to get out more. But the work won’t do itself.

 The swivel chair creaked as he leaned back into it, stretching his limbs and yawning. The candle had burnt out by now, into a soft puddle of wax that matched the yellow color of the rest of the room.

 The second candle he pulled out of the bag was a sweet-smelling brown jar that was “BonBon Chocolat” scented. According to the label, it was supposed to glow forever. An “Everglow” candle.

 It would have to do.

 🌰🌰🌰

 “Baekhyun, you were wrong! This isn’t easy at all!”

 “Sure it is!” Baekhyun his lips. “Search up roommate for rent or something like that.”

 “That’s…..not how it works!” Jongdae groaned loudly, smacking his head into the table.

 “ to be you, man.”

 “You’re such a .”

 “Which is why it .”

 Jongdae rolled his eyes in perfect Irene, and stuck out his tongue. “I’m tired of this. Look at this listing.”

 He scrolled down the page. “Not moving in with a fifty year old man. Not moving in with a cat lady. Not moving in with a fifteen year old, either.”

 Baekhyun dug a spoon into a tub of ice cream. “I’m going to be drop off my keys. You better get used to me not being around, and some other loser who’s not as good as me.” He stabbed a finger, sticky with chocolate in his chest and smiled dumbly.

 “Go to hell.” “I’m just telling the truth.” Jongdae slumped down. “I didn’t get any sleep last night either! The dog was barking like crazy…”

 “I don’t really care, so I’m going to go get the mail.” Baekhyun interjected before Jongdae could protest any further. He hurried downstairs, still in his pajamas; a pair of ugly flannel pants and a Girl’s Generation concert t-shirt.

 There was some shouting as he rounded the corner, but he was Baekhyun, who didn't think much of anything.

 There seemed to be two voices; one was the unmistakable cheese-grater nasal rasp, and the other was Seulgi, who was getting louder each second.

 “You better be told your place, young lady!”

 “Is there a goddamn off button on this dog?”

 “ OFF!” The old woman snarled.

 Seulgi stepped forward again in defiance, and Baekhyun stared on from the corner, eyes barely peeking out.

 “What’s going on?”

 Somebody stepped up behind him. It was Joy, clutching a stack of envelopes.

 “Some sort of confrontation.” He bit his lower lip and headed upstairs, too lazy to watch anyways.

 ✉✉✉

 “Why are there two keys in my dropbox?” Junmyeon clutched the metal in his fist, pushing them around in the palm of his hand.

 “The old hag left.” Seulgi replied.

 “SHE DID?” His eyes bulged. “HOW?”

 “It was easy. I called Irene….and she handled things.”

 “Oh.”