ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ

Song Mino was known to be an obnoxious, loud, carefree, and all-around overly confident guy. But, most importantly, he's pretty much at being alone.

So, here he is, standing in front of a cake shop with clothes he had worn to sleep hidden under a puffer jacket. The whole look is finished with an equally outstanding choice of footwear to commemorate Christmas Eve, a slipper.

Commemorate, my .

He probably looks like a hooligan at best. The fact that he's peering inside the shop through the big glass window also doesn't help. It only proves that he barely has the luxury to spend on it.

Taking a step back, he notices some people are giving him a look, which he paid no attention to. He fished out his wallet from the pocket to check what he got left. The missing 30$ only reminded him that Sehun–his annoying roommate–did steal and left him miserable with hardly enough cash.

Cigarettes pinched between his lips, he glanced back and forth between his wallet and the cake shop anxiously.

He knows he shouldn't be giving in to the temptation of the pure luxury of a cake for comfort. But at the same time, he feels like he needed it so that he won't feel odd about being alone during one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea. Like, it would make him have something to celebrate at least.

Mino cursed inwardly for the current situation at hand and blamed Sehun, who had deliberately promised for a night out two days ago.

They were hanging out at Jihoon's apartment to play games as usual when the topic of Christmas came up. Jihoon is an only child, so he's always expected to spend the holiday with his family. Out of all the ten years of being friends, Mino never witnessed him breaking the tradition, and he's not about to. Mino had come to the occasion more than once and understood the joy of spending it with the Pyo's.

"You should come if you don't have anything to do." Jihoon said, always making sure to invite his best friend because he knows how much Mino can grumble about feeling left out.

Mino shook his head and pouted because as much as he wanted to, he can't. "I got a deadline right after Christmas, and I hardly start."

He thinks it was ridiculous that he chooses work over a warm dinner with Jihoon's family, who was all nothing but welcoming. Unlike his own family, who was already high-tailing to Jeju for a Christmas holiday, leaving him behind due to his uncooperative schedule. Like he ask for it. 

Then, Sehun paused his game, joining in. "We could go out for a drink."

Upon hearing it, Mino's eyes widen in anticipation. "You free for Christmas Eve?" He thought that about Sehun being good looking and all must've meant that he's booked for the whole day.

He brushed off Mino's excitement by standing up and make his way to the refrigerator. "My manager won't let me take a day off, said I attract a lot of customers. In exchange, he promised I can get off early, so yeah, sure we could go out for a drink."

Sehun, who's scouted by a modeling agency, had been working part-time at a friend's coffee shop in Hongdae. Ever since he works there, the sales profit increase more than 80%. He's also famous on social media; teenagers love taking videos and pictures of him without approval to post it online. Some of them are seriously putting the camera right up in his face without any shame. Nevertheless, Sehun never shows any remorse towards it. In fact, he needed it to boost his career, and if Mino wasn't so stubborn about being a freelance artist, he might as well try to be a model.

Mino can't help but feel bitter about himself on why he couldn't have loved accounting, or law, or politics, or something sensible like that? Something that ensured his fridge was stocked with more than an old Tupperware of leek kimchi his mother love to send. At least, Sehun's choice of career had come with a decent pay, and Mino loves him for covering his share of the rent when he's short on money.

However, this morning all the affection Mino had for Sehun has been thrown outside the window. Sehun had woken Mino up when it's barely seven to borrow money. Naturally, Mino asked where he was going, only to hear that Sehun got to visit his parents and not to wait up on him. By 7:15, Sehun had left the room. Mino, with his brain not fully operating, could only think about the fact that the little runt didn't even utter a sorry.

Checking his phone contact list for emergency friends also didn't help. Seunghoon had asked him to go for a 2 days 1 night trip to Gyeongju. The trip had tempted him, and maybe he can get some inspirations to get off of his creativity block if he does some sightseeing. Even so, Seunghoon is known for his ridiculous tiring itinerary, which mean he won't have the time to do his work. 

Mino rubbed his eye in distressed and came across 'Seungyoon', who probably made plans with his own circle of friends already. It would only make him look pitiful to crash his party, so he shoved down the urge to call him. His thumb starts scrolling up until it stopped at 'Seulgi'. His mind reeled back to the moment he had gone out of his apartment this morning and hear her voice from upstairs.

Maybe she's available?

Seulgi had moved right above his room two years ago because Sehun, who went to the same college as her, recommended the place for its cheap deposit. Other than the usual friendly greetings, they belong in the same group of friends. So it's not going to be outright weird for him to come crashing her apartment, right?

Had no energy left to stand outside in slippers when it feels like minus 3, Mino pushes the door to the cake shop.

When Mino reached his floor with cheesecake at hand, he continues one story up and make a stop at the unit numbered 330. Without further mental debate, he knocked on the door and took notice of the food delivery sticker plastered on it. She orders from the same restaurant as he does so Mino was positive that they share the same taste in food. At least that could be a conversation starter. 

Rumbling noises were heard from the inside before the door is finally open, revealing Seulgi in her hoodie with its string tied together in the middle. "Yes?"

Seulgi was … well, to say surprised was making light of the situation, at a loss for words is more like it.

She remembered it was Sunday when she first met him, not only she had disturbed the whole building while unpacking, she had to curse and make comments not so discreetly at Mino when he got his card rejected.

And don't start with the second meeting. Xiumin is having a birthday dinner, which includes a lot of drinking. Seulgi enjoyed the night and got no recollection whatsoever about it until Wendy told her that she elbowed Mino in the nose. Yep. He was having a nosebleed for the rest of the night. 

She always knows that she can be clumsy at times, but it hardly at someone else's expense. Making an apology the next morning also makes it seem weirder since they rarely exchange words with each other.

However, thanks to a night out that happened a year ago, she managed to strike a conversation with Mino under the safety blanket of two glasses of beers. She had to make sure that there weren't any hard feelings between them in the most natural way possible she could think of, but that was it. No further exchange of words happened other than the ones that come out of politeness, which means they're not in a-friend-that-visit-unannounced basis.

Mino was about to ask if she had anything planned for the rest of the day when he caught the smell of cooked rice, and it reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since he woke up. "Are you about to eat?"

Mino was always known to be untactful when it comes to the opposite . He didn't have any elaborate, complicated schemes, no playbook whatsoever, he was, simply put, just a man who talks big about his almost non-existent talent most of the time.

Seulgi realized it was her turn to answer. "Yeah," she looked to where Mino was looking at, which is some part of her kitchen that could be seen from the door gap. When she turned to face Mino again, she almost blurts out an invitation, almost, she knew better to stop making an embarrassment out of herself.

"Can I join you?" He asked, almost as if he's reading her mind. Before Seulgi could respond, Mino quickly held his freshly bought cake a little bit higher, "I brought cheesecake," he offered.

Seulgi, who had drowned herself in mountains of work for the last two days, look pretty excited at the promise of a cake so she thinks that there's no harm in letting him in, besides they belonged to the same group so it shouldn't be too weird for them to hang out. Right?

"Come in then," she opened the door wider for him to come through.

He muttered a small thank you and then put his slippers on the entryway before entering her apartment.

Seulgi closed the door and walk to her kitchen area to check her rice, "I only got spam and eggs, though," it was because she thought she's going to have the late breakfast by herself and wasn't expecting a company, nevertheless, him.

Mino settled down at one of the cushions around the rattan low table Seulgi had bought for its discounted price. "Oh, spam would be perfect," he found himself actually smiling at the thought of eating it, wondering when was the last time he had someone to cook for him.

On his best day, Sehun just poured boiling water to his cup of ramen because he was a year younger than him, but other than that? He hardly came across the occasion. 

"Should I put it here?" Mino motioned at the cake he had stored safely on the table.

"Yeah sure," she said absentmindedly without actually paying any attention.

Got nothing left to say, Mino start to take notice of the room. Other than the fact that it was almost identical to his unit, she decorated much better than him and Sehun combined. His eyes travel to the cluttered table in front of him, where documents and paper piled on top of each other. Her laptop fan is making quite a ruckus he wonders how long it's been on. The glass right next to it was filled with a couple of matching pens instead of water.

In a desperate attempt to ease the awkward silence, he asks, "were you working on something?" If memory serves him right, Seulgi supposed to work as a photojournalist for a newspaper company.

The girl being questioned turns around, "Yeah, trying to pitch in some article."

Mino hummed in response and helped himself to pick up one of the documents and opened it without permission. Seulgi, who had peeked behind her because of the silence, surprisingly pay no mind about him looking into her papers.

"Who is she?" Mino asked, a little louder over the sound of sizzling spam.

"Oh, that," Seulgi sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She's been having a runny nose ever since she starts working on the girl Mino currently pointing at. "The daughter of the Minister of Justice, you didn't know about her?" The question incite a raise of Mino's eyebrow.

Guess he didn't keep up with the current issue. 

Funny how she always tries to write an opinionated article for the young generation of South Korea, but the intention hardly ever reaches them.

"She's a child born with privilege, and she was credited for a research paper back in high school that supposedly help her with the admission to SNU. Then, the rumors starts circulating that she didn't contribute anything. Shocker." She said the last part mockingly.

Mino sneered at the photo of the said girl who was fed with the golden spoon. "And you think she got help from her dad? Who's the Minister of Justice?"

Seulgi had to stop cooking for a second and put her hands on her hip, "Isn't she? She failed two tests for medical school, and yet she got accepted with a full scholarship program? When her family is that wealthy?" She shook her head for emphasis before returning to her already golden brown spam. This is the closest thing she gets to anything golden.

She had to laugh at herself.

Mino put down the photo back to where it belongs, "You sure it's okay to write a piece on her?"

He must admit that he wasn't known for his political literacy but trying to expose the daughter of the Minister of Justice? Wow. That's some nerve Seulgi got, and he can't help but feel proud of her. Somewhat.

The looming question of whether its right or not, is precisely what's been clouding Seulgi's mind too, but she's two months deep in the investigation, and her ambition had won over the job consequences it will definitely follow. She knew she could get fired, remembering she works for a national newspaper. Still, at the same time, she needs to expose it so that most people of her age will not suffer in silence, and last time she checked, the political freedom is there for people to criticize the system.

"There are thousands of people struggling to get into top universities for cushy jobs," which she knew best it didn't always happen. After graduating from college, she stuck as a junior writer, and instead of a published article, she gets to work on weekends and overtime shifts. Yay. "I'm just helping them since the government looks very much uninterested in what we have to say," she finished.

Suddenly a plate appears in front of Mino, catching him off guard. Mino was flustered for having his plate prepared by someone else, someone who he had barged in unannounced.

Seulgi brushes his worries off and continues plating the food at the table with Mino helping as much as she let him. At the smell of food, two cats spawned from her bedroom area and started snuggling at her lap. Mino quickly shoved down the urge to cuddle them because the cat hadn't been giving him exactly kind looks.

"Um…" She was about to tell Mino to eat well, but with the age differences, Seulgi was trying to find the right way to call him. She realized that from all the past conversations, she hardly address him by his name, just a formal 'you' here and there. They indeed haven't got to the stage where they established what to call each other.

Staring into Seulgi rigid movement, Mino seems to take notice of her dilemma and solve it by saying, "You can drop the honorifics, and thank you for the food." He found himself smiling at the two plates of spam and eggs in front of him. Free home-cooked meals always do that to him. 

"It's weird seeing you alone," Seulgi starts as an ice breaker as she takes her own bowl of rice and starts to dig in.

Believe me; I feel weird being alone on Christmas Eve too.

Mino, who was already eaten half of it, mumble with food still on his mouth, "Sehun ditched me last minute."

She shrugged. "Guess we're in the same boat. I thought I could enjoy a nice dinner with Irene before she bailed," for a moment, they both continue on eating, nodding in mutual understanding when Mino suddenly looks up, startling Seulgi mid-chew.

"What?" Seulgi prompted.

"They're together."

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