(Daehyun's Perspective)

Daehyun sent the January payment to his parents a little over a week ago now. It was a bit less than he'd originally planned since he dipped into that for crocheting materials and Youngjae's birthday present, but he prioritized those things over his parents. As soon as February began, he settled into what he planned to be his new routine. Up with the sun, a small breakfast, crochet practice, text Youngjae while he was on his work break. Whether it was a weekday or the weekend would determine the rest of the day.

Mondays to Thursdays meant he went off to work. After work, he either hung out in Youngjae's apartment with some tea and pleasant chatter with piano time, or he went up to Zelo and Jongup's apartment for a dinner his best friend insisted he eat while they gossiped about their days.

Fridays to Sundays had him continuing his crochet practice until Zelo got out of classes or until Youngjae got off work. If his best friend wanted to hang out for a bit, then he'd do that before work. If Youngjae invited him down for some tea and tunes, he'd do that instead.

He was thankful for the routine! It felt like the strewn about puzzle pieces of his life, edges frayed and bent from forced attempts to piece them together the wrong way, were finally being clicked back together properly. Now that he was able to occupy his thoughts ninety-five percent of his day, Daehyun's heart and soul sagged a whole lot less!

Bedtime was the five percent of his day where he couldn't shove his thoughts away with distractions. Work usually exhausted him enough to where he could get to sleep somewhat quickly, but that didn't stop the nightmares on the nights where he wasn't tired enough to fall asleep immediately.

At least those would be fewer now! That last stretch of January was a struggle of restless nights, but he only had four scheduled days off for February. It would probably be the same for the upcoming months unless something happened. Something like Hyosung needing to work Daehyun's hours around when his coworkers had appointments or emergencies.

Crocheting had been going decently enough. It took him a bit to figure out what the most comfortable way to hold the hook was, and even longer to figure out the yarn. He'd unraveled the skein he'd picked up like tips online recommended, which took him an hour to do. Then it took another two hours to wrap the yarn into a ball.

At least it kept him preoccupied?

He was really slow with the actual act of crocheting, but the more he did it, the more comfortable he'd feel with the motions. It was a simple joy to finally have something to occupy both his hands and his brain, but a joy nonetheless!

At current, he was in the morning section of his weekday routine. Seated at his counter with his laptop was opened to a tutorial video that he was attempting to follow along, hook in one hand and his yarn in the other. But his response time to following along was lagging, and it was while he was in the process of scrolling back a bit that his phone went off.

One look at the caller ID, and Daehyun's heart plummeted. His shoulders tensed, and he reluctantly set down his project by the computer. With a heave off the stool and a sigh to steady himself, Daehyun began to pace as he answered the phone.Already hunched shoulders tensed more, and I reluctantly set my project down by my computer. “Good morning, Umma.”

With no formalities exchanged, she cut right to the chase. “The money you sent came in today.” Disappointment was heavily laced in her words, and it crept through his ears and into his brain. 'Of course she's disappointed, when isn't she? If it has to do with me, this is her default...'

He shook his head in an attempt to get the tone out, not wanting to let it control him. 'She should be grateful I even sent anything in the first place!' Not too sure what to respond, he settled for, “I'm... relieved it didn't get lost in the mail?”

“It may as well have with this lousy amount you sent. You call this a payment?” Stabbing words, and it was easy for him to picture the squint and scowl that was surely gracing her face at this very moment. She could pick out the negatives in everything, but Daehyun was doing his best to see things more positively...

With that thought in mind, he offered with a bit of hesitance, “...At least you got something?”

“Are you catching an attitude with me, Jung Daehyun?”

“No, Umma...” Daehyun rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly. “I-I'm just saying that I uh, could've sent you nothing? Um, something is b-better than nothing... right?”

The tiny hope he had that she'd see things his way were crushed with her next words. “That sounds like an attitude to me. Do I need to get your appa on the phone?”

Daehyun's stomach churned at the thought. While his umma's tactic of talking to him when he was being what she called delinquent was harsh tones interlaced with her usual manner of speaking, his appa's was an exaggerated increase in volume that made Daehyun feel so very tiny. He was going to avoid that by any means necessary. “No, Umma...”

“That's what I thought. Now, please enlighten me on why you sent so little. When we agreed to your suggestion of a payment plan, we expected larger payments than this. Explain yourself, Daehyun.” Her demand was curt, spoken in just the right way to make his skin crawl.

Retaining his sanity and being a good boyfriend were higher on Daehyun's priority list than placating his parents that he wanted nothing to do with, but that response would only infuriate her more. Especially since his parents have made it clear that they one, don't care about their son's wellbeing, and two, would heavily disapprove of him having a boyfriend.

'What they don't know won't hurt them, right?'

“I-I wasn't scheduled t-to work as many hours for January,” he started shakily. “I uh, I also had bills? So I-I sent what I could spare...” The silence on the other end of the line urged him to continue, and these were probably the words she was waiting to hear. “Now that I um... have more hours, f-future payments will be higher.”

“They better be. You need to learn your lesson, and subpar monetary payments won't drill the consequences of your disobedience into your thick skull.”

If there's any lesson he was learning, it's that he would have been better off taking up Zelo's offer to live with him and Umma Choi after graduation rather than going along with his parents' wishes and finding himself in the mess he was in now. “Um... Is there uh, a-anything else, Umma? I-I need to start getting ready for work.”

In truth, Daehyun had been ready for a few hours now and was just waiting for it to be an appropriate time to head out. Lying didn't suit him well, but hadn't he been doing that to himself for years? That if he just listened to what his parents told him to do that they'd one day stop being so disappointed with his existence? That Sunhwa actually loved him and cared for him in her own special way?

“That will be all.” Without so much as a farewell, his umma ended the call, and he slunk back over to the stool to get back to what he'd been doing. The sooner he did, the easier he could brush off the unpleasant feeling that always arose after speaking with his parents. Hook and yarn in hand, he rewound the video and began the process over again.

Honestly, the only parts of this that was a mess was the situation with his parents and the constant reminder that he was living in the old apartment of the man Sunhwa had cheated on him with for four years.

Just about everything else was an upward swing! There was constant reassurance from his best friend being around and looking after his wellbeing, the slow process of being more social and making friends, reacquainting himself with the concept of a relationship... It was still very foreign to him, but he wasn't being rushed into anything, and Daehyun appreciated that more than Youngjae was probably aware.

Right as he was getting back into the swing of it, his phone began to go off again. He glanced over at it, first thinking to ignore the call, but decided against it when he saw it was Hyosung. A call from my boss- Boss friend? Friend boss? Weeks later and Daehyun still wasn't sure what he should classify her as... But a call from her probably meant she needed to reschedule him somehow, so he can't exactly ignore that.

So Daehyun once more stopped what he was doing to pace around and answer the phone. This time, without the added feeling of dread that accompanied phone calls with his umma. “Good morning, noona.”

“Hey, good morning, buddy! How're you doing?” That usual chipper voice of hers held bits of something slightly negative amongst it. 'Worry, perhaps?' Whatever it was, she was desperately trying to hide it in a decent rendition of her usual tone.

“I'm... doing alright,” he responded slowly. “Is something wrong?”

“Cutting right to the chase, huh?” she chuckled, but it came out rather strained. “Well, I've got a bit of a... predicament that I'm hoping you can help with. Would you be willing to do a full shift today? First shift is already stretched thin, or else I'd just ask you to take the second today instead...”

While he'd much rather not take on a full shift because that would cut into his personal social time, he couldn't deny that more cash would be beneficial. Higher paycheck meant more to set aside for his parents, which meant less chance for them to complain about being sent too little. With that thought in mind, he answered, “I mean, if you need me to, I will?”

“Thank goodness! You're a lifesaver, Daehyun!” All hints of negativity from her voice dissipated and was replaced with something more positive. “I'll make this up to you somehow, I swear it on my honour!”

“You don't- That's not necessary? I just- I'm always willing to help out where I can,” he assured her. 'So long as this doesn't become a habit, at least...'

“Likewise, buddy! So if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know. See you at work in a little bit, okay?”

“See you then.” Once the call was clicked to end, he once again took his place back at the counter. The amount of time he had left before work was dwindling, and he wanted to get a better grasp of this before it was time to go...

Unfortunately, this didn't seem like it was going to happen, because almost as if on queue, a rhythmic knock sounded on the door right as Daehyun was getting back into it.

Once the initial startle of someone actually being at his door wore off, he got up to answer the door. Just a crack, enough for him to peer out but for no one to see in because the last thing he wanted was for somebody to pester him about having no furniture.

Being met with Jongup's face wasn't what he expected. With a cheery smile and wave, Jongup greeted, “Good morning, Daehyun!”

“Good... morning, Jongup,” he responded, but the confusion from being visited at his apartment made his response sound more like a question. “What brings you down here at this hour?”

“Well, I'm going out to dinner for my birthday today with some friends, and I wanted to invite you along! Would you like to come with?”

For a moment, Daehyun blinked at him blankly while his brain processed the information and the implications. Jongup was going out to dinner for his birthday accompanied by friends. By that logic, being invited along meant Jongup considered Daehyun his friend. 'What have I done to earn that kind of label from him?'

If he'd come down ten minutes sooner, then Daehyun would've been able to accept his invitation.

“Um, while I'd like to, I uh- I'm working full shift today and can't,” he rejected, showing Jongup what he hoped came across as an apologetic smile. “But happy birthday regardless?”

“Thank you!” Grin not faltering in the slightest, he shrugged. “And it's okay, Shortstub's is the birthday place, so we'll probably see you there!”

Honestly, whether or not they saw each other depended entirely on which section he was given and what section Jongup and his friends were seated in. “I... Maybe so? Um... have a good time?”

“Of course! Have a good day, too, Daehyun!” With a thumbs up and a wave goodbye, Jongup left his field of vision, and Daehyun stretched while he walked back over to the counter.

Right as he was checking his phone for the time, Youngjae's 'on break' message came through. Daehyun used this as an indication that it was time to pack things up and start the trek to work. 'Looks like I'm not going to get a better grasp on this until tomorrow...' he mused as he put his things away.

Relaying to Youngjae the news that he was working full shift and had to refuse Jongup's invitation led to the gained knowledge that Youngjae had been invited along as well and was waiting to be given the details. Not surprising because from what Daehyun could pick up, Youngjae and Jongup were friends. He also sent along the request to not work too hard, to which Daehyun assured him that he'd do his best, but he couldn't make any guarantees.

--

For the most part, the day was going by without complications, despite being understaffed. When he'd arrived, he learned that three people called in. Hyesoo was coming down with something and had needed to schedule a doctor's appointment, Jaehan had familial issues, and Minjae was in the hospital for a broken arm.

First shift drifted into second shift, and the dinner crowd replaced the afternoon crowd. After a round of cleaning tables, taking orders, and making sure the seated tables in his care weren't in need of anything, Daehyun took a quick breather to get his bearings before getting back into it. Mondays weren't horribly busy, and he was inwardly thankful that the call for him to do a full shift didn't come on one of Shortstub's busier days...

When he went back onto the floor to take care of the table that had just been seated in his section, Daehyun was met with the fact that it was Zelo and Youngjae. His best friend was clearly fuming from his spot, fingers tangled in his dark hair. Youngjae didn't equal the levels of frustration that Zelo radiated, but the way he frowned and sighed indicated he was bothered, too.

'This doesn't make sense... Youngjae told me he'd been invited to Jongup's dinner, and there was no way Jongup didn't invite Zelo! So what are they doing here without him? Did something happen? I guess I'll find out...'

“Welcome to Shortstub's, I'm Daehyun, and I'll be your server today,” he greeted, noting how they both perked up once he appeared. Daehyun technically didn't have to introduce himself to them considering who they were to him, but it was second nature as a waiter. “What can I get you to drink?”

Youngjae didn't miss a beat, and his response was exactly as expected. “Tea, please.”

“A coke, I guess,” Zelo grumbled with a hand gesture that was a mix between dismissive and beckoning.

Once Daehyun jotted those down, he guessed now was as good a time as any to figure out what was going on. “Did something happen? I was under the impression you two would be with Jongup today.”

“I'll give you two words here, hyung. Chicken. ,” Zelo seethed through clenched teeth, eyes practically on fire in rage while he pinched his index finger and thumb together like he was trying to squish something between them.

'Ah, Sunhwa. That explains Zelo's countenance, but how did she have anything to do with why Youngjae's upset?' He knew nothing about her, and Daehyun wasn't in a place where he felt comfortable talking about it. He'd omitted nearly everything when he reconnected with Zelo, and unless given permission, he wouldn't talk about his hatred for her with anybody...

While that mostly cleared things up for Daehyun, Youngjae stared at Zelo with confusion etched into his features. “What?” When Zelo merely shrugged at him, he turned his focus to Daehyun. Through a saddened smile, he explained, “Well, due to some... complications, Zelo and I won't be celebrating Jongup's birthday with him until later.”

Question answered, albeit vaguely. Now, Daehyun had to get back to work, despite the urge to stay and maybe get some clarification on what 'complications' meant. But if Youngjae didn't want to talk about it, Daehyun wouldn't push him. “I see. I'll be back momentarily with your drinks.” He checked in on a few tables before he returned, drinks and complimentary bread in hand. “Are you two ready to order, or should I give you a few more minutes?”

“I knew what I wanted the minute I stepped through the door,” Youngjae declared, handing his menu over. “Steak, as raw as it can legally be served.”

“Make that two,” Zelo announced as he also gave Daehyun his menu. “Jae hyung put up a good argument for it.”

With the menus tucked under his arm, Daehyun jotted down their orders. “Two steaks, both rare. Is there anything else I can get for you?” After they both made either a verbal or physical indication that they were all set, he said, “Will do, I'll go put in your order now. If you need anything, let me know.”

Once he did that, Daehyun set to do another round of checking and clearing. Making sure customers were satisfied, and cleaning off the tables in a timely manner so they could quickly be filled...

It was then that he caught sight of her. From the corner of his eye, being led into one of the freshly cleared tables in his section, was Han Sunhwa, alongside an unfamiliar man and Jongup.

Panic hit Daehyun hard, and for a moment, he froze in spot before recalling his surroundings. There was no way he was about to serve Sunhwa here, and he frantically began to search around for Hyosung's familiar figure. As quick as he could, because his lungs were currently constricting his ability to breathe properly and everything was starting to blend together-

He finally tracked her down between her office and the floor, on her way back out to the tables. Daehyun's presence caught her off guard, but the panic that had overtaken him had Daehyun rambling before she even had the chance to get a sound out. “N-Noona, I-I need y-you to- Will you d-do me a favour?”

“What's up buddy?” she questioned, and if he'd been in more of a right mind, he would've noticed just how much concern and worry radiated off of her.

“A group just came in- the table's in my section, but I can't- I mean, will you please take the table?” Daehyun begged, voice muted with shaky breathing.

For a brief respite, his lungs remembered that oxygen is actually important, and he gasped in air like he'd held his breath underwater for too long. His hearing couldn't focus in on what Hyosung said in response, and instead, the sound of restaurant chatter mixed together with a new, persistent and muffled ringing that was starting to drown everything else out.

It was only when she grabbed Daehyun by the arm and started dragging him off that he realized she was telling him to meet her in her office.

She pulled him in and closed the door behind her, and without the buzz of restaurant ambience, Daehyun's head was able to clear enough for him to hear her, even with the low ringing. “Daehyun, are you okay?” Hyosung inquired, placing her hand on his forehead briefly before shaking her head and retreating. “You're trembling, and with the way you're breathing, I'm worried you're going to pass out, buddy! What's wrong?”

“It's- I'm fine, just... please, noona? I'll take all the tables in your section on top of mine if I have to, I just-” The alternations between not being able to breathe and then taking in too much caught up with him, and the entire office began to spin. His vision blurred around the edges, splotching in static, and he barely registered Hyosung gently sitting him down in her office chair. Absentmindedly, Daehyun began to fan himself with his hand, fingers tingly and numb.

“I'm not so sure you can handle your own tables right now,” Hyosung said. “You look like you're about to throw up.”

Just hearing the words made his stomach lurch, and before he knew it, a trash can had been placed in his lap. Vision staticky and splotchy, fingertips numb and tingly as they gripped the trash can like it was the only real thing here, he was able to get in a deep breath before his stomach took over.

Just barely, Daehyun registered the hand rubbing his back soothingly as nothing came up. Everything felt hot and cold at the same time, sweating yet also freezing. Once the wave of dry heaving ceased, there were two gentle pats to his shoulder. “I'll do the rounds, then come back and check in on you, buddy.”

Daehyun didn't know how long he was left alone. He couldn't register time as he was back and forth from sweltering to shivering as his stomach failed to empty anything. After an unknown amount of time, he was able to get his breathing back to some semblance of normal. It was still shuddery, but at least it wasn't the choppy mix of hyperventilating and not breathing. The static in his vision ceased, leaving only the edges blurred.

Just as he was starting to regain the feeling in his cheeks and fingers, Hyosung slipped back in, and this time, Daehyun could tell just how worried she was. “How are you feeling, buddy?” she wondered quietly.

Slowly, he set the trash can down on the floor and made the move to stand up. As soon as he got myself up onto shaky legs, the ringing in his ears morphed into the more physical feeling of like cotton balls had been shoved into them. “I'm-” He cleared his throat of the raspiness. “It's- I'll be f-fine, I just-” 'At least my voice isn't failing me anymore?'

“I think you need to go home, Daehyun.”

“No! I'm okay, I just need to c-calm down, then I can-” Daehyun planted a hand on her desk to brace himself as the office surged around him.

A cup of water he hadn't noticed was maneuvered into his free hand, and Hyosung firmly ordered, “Drink.” That was not a tone Daehyun's anxiety ridden mind wanted to deny, so he sipped at the water, taking it in both hands and electing to lean his weight against Hyosung's desk to keep him upright. “If you're sick, then you need to go home and get some rest, Daehyun,” she said softly.

“I'm not sick. I'm fine,” I sighed shakily. “Just need to... get my bearings...”

“This has to do with Jonguppie's table, doesn't it?” Hyosung phrased it as a question, but the way she said it was more akin to a declaration. She wasn't wrong, and at the reminder of Sunhwa being here, his stomach lurched again. He gripped the glass of water tighter but offered no verbal response. The way he tensed when she asked was clearly enough of an answer. “So what's the deal, buddy? What's going on that's got you so riled up?”

“I-I I can't- Don't want to-” A deep exhale passed through his lips, one that he did to hopefully calm his nerves. 'It's pathetic that my body has such a strong reaction at just seeing her. She holds no control over me anymore... She's not deserving of such a drastic response...' But his body and certain parts of his mind thought otherwise.

“I'm going to do another round of the house and check in on your tables,” Hyosung informed. “Please have an explanation for me by the time I get back.”

When Hyosung left again, he at least had a better grasp of his surroundings. His panic twisted from seeing Sunhwa to an anxiety about telling Hyosung that he'd lied to her. What felt like so long ago, when she'd asked how he and his girlfriend were doing, Daehyun had told her they'd called things off peacefully.

It was anything but peaceful, and he didn't want to think about how Sunhwa was still at that point trying to get him to just give up, get over it, and come to bed already. Still trying to convince him that what he'd heard wasn't what he thought it was, but what else could it be?

Talk of dates and spending a passionate night together, declarations of love... 'How else was I supposed to take that? What else could that be? All the evidence pointed to the same conclusion, but I'm the fool for thinking it?' The more he thought about it, the faster he sipped at his water, so by the time Hyosung returned, it was all gone.

She offered no words but she brimmed with concern and looked at Daehyun expectantly.

The words spilled from his lips before he had the chance to mull them over better. “M-my ex is at that table a-and I- I panicked? I c-can't- It's just-” That breathless feeling started to gnaw at him again, and Daehyun tried to focus on his breathing and calm down so he wouldn't end up breathing how he had been earlier.

“I thought you two had an amicable split. Isn't that what you told me, buddy?” She crossed her arms under her chest, but made no indication that she was upset. Either that, or he wasn't picking up on it due to his mind being so muddled...

“I lied.” His voice came out as barely a whisper as he stared intently into the empty cup in his hands rather than looking at his boss-friend. “Things were- It was... unpleasant.”

“Obviously, or else you wouldn't have such an extreme reaction to seeing her again,” Hyosung commented. “You sure you're okay to work still? I don't want you to pass out on me out there, so let me know now if you need to leave.”

Leaving because he couldn't handle seeing his ex again seemed a very extreme reaction, so Daehyun nodded and clarified, “Just- I... I need a few more minutes to uh, calm down my nerves. Then I can- You, um... need me here, so I'll get back to work once I've calmed down.”

With a noise of affirmation, she rummaged through her desk drawers and pulled out a pack of gum, extending a piece to Daehyun. “Here. Chew this to freshen your breath. Be sure to spit it out before you return to the floor. Don't just immediately head out once I leave, got it?”

He slowly nodded his understanding as he fiddled with the gum wrapper. “Got it...” Daehyun slipped the piece into his mouth, immediately being overtaken by the strong, minty flavour. It would probably end up hurting his mouth later, but for now, this was a necessity.

“I'll take Jonguppie's table as mine, and the few tables around them so you won't be near that section at all. In exchange, will you please take my few tables over by the bar?” Hyosung bargained, hand resting on his shoulder.

“I can do that,” he responded quietly, but his nerves were too shot to properly smile in gratitude. “Thank you, noona.”

With two reassuring pats to his shoulder and a grin, she flashed a thumbs up. “You're welcome, buddy!”

--

A/N:

Happy Sunday, everybody! Or, well, happy whatever day it is y'all are reading this. ^^;