The elevator doors were about to close when a mysterious arm stuck in between them.

"Wait!! Don't go yet!!"

Kyuhyun quickly pressed the open button before he got to witness a scene straight out of a bloody horror movie. A deep red-haired (red?) young man forced himself into the elevator and beamed at him.

"Thank you! I really hate to wait for another three minutes just to get home! You know, this is what I don't like about a freaking tall building, it takes forever for elevators to come and go, and for some reason, our apartment only has two elevators but fifteen floors? That super doesn't make sense! Oh, we're living on the same floor! Hello mister neighbor! I'm Kim Jongwoon, a cute freshman studying at Seoul College, Faculty of Film and Photography! Taking a photo is my passion and I'm really good at it! I just moved into this apartment two days ago so please take care of me! To tell you the truth, I've been dreaming of living in a luxurious apartment like this so I worked hard saving up money during junior high and high school and I was finally able to buy out this apartment!!! It would be glad if I can find a job in the city after I graduate cuz, you know, it'd be a shame to leave this awesome apartment, not to say that it's a huge waste of money too! You agree with me, right? Right!"

Kyuhyun immediately regretted letting this man into the elevator.

He sighed loudly but the young man didn't seem to realize his annoyance. If anything, the young man kept talking lively about literally everything from the weather to the apartment owner's cute chihuahua (wait, the owner had a pet?). He had never realized that the ride to the thirteenth floor was this long before!

"Mister, Mister?"

"What now?"

"You're a chef, right?"

"How did you know?"

He once again regretted his action. As soon as the question slipped out of his lips, the red-haired young man grinned widely. The shorter man then invaded his personal space and leaned in so close that he could count all rich eyelashes (wait, why did he even focus on that in the first place?) before taking a sniff.

"You smell like spices! It's good. I like it!"

The weird guy beamed at him and Kyuhyun frowned when his heart unreasonably skipped a beat at their closeness. He frowned deeper when his gaze betrayed him and strayed to that luscious rosy lips. So, not only this guy dyed his hair red, but he also wore lip gloss? He hated to admit it but the red color really suited this guy (wait, why did he even care about that?). The weird guy took a step back and he wondered why he suddenly felt disappointed.

"So, chef hyung, what is your name, and how old are you?"

"Why would I tell you? We're just strangers."

"Actually, we're neighbors so nothing's wrong with wanting to get to know each other, right?"

"When did I say that I want to know you? Or that I want you to know me?"

"Fineeeeee," the young man pouted at him, "if you don't tell me your name then I'll just call you ajusshi—"

"I'm Cho Kyuhyun. I only turn twenty-eight this year so don't you dare calling me that."

"Alrighty! Cho hyung-nim, nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Ding!

The elevator finally stopped on the thirteenth floor. Kyuhyun couldn't wait to quickly get away from this weird kid that messed with his head and his heart. He almost broke out into a run, just almost, he wanted to keep his cool in front of the younger man. So, he just walked really fast to his room but that guy followed behind not far from him. He frowned but didn't say anything. Maybe their rooms were in the same direction. However, his frown soon rose up to his hairline when the red-haired young man came to stop in front of a room beside his. The shorter man also noticed it and turned to beam brightly at him.

"Oh, so we're literally neighbors!"

"Yes, just my luck."

"Absolutely! Hyung-nim, you're really lucky to have this charming me as your neighbor!"

Unlocking the door, the weird young man winked and blew a kiss at him.

"See you soon, Cho hyung-nim!"

"Wait, see you soon? What do you—"

The red-haired guy didn't even stay to listen to him and just got into his room. Kyuhyun stood there dumbfounded for a second then sighed. What a weird day. Hopefully, he wouldn't see that guy again anytime soon. He was already tired from his long shift, he didn't think he could handle a hyper and talkative guy now...

************************************************

The doorbell rang when Kyuhyun was making dinner. He opened the door without checking the intercom and immediately regretted it.

"Evening! Cho hyung-nim!"

"You again? And what's it with that rice cooker?"

The weird guy was the one behind the door. The shorter man who was hugging a (somewhat old) rice cooker grinned at him.

"Hyung-nim, mind if I and Mister Rico join your dinner?"

"What?"

"Thank you! Excuse me~"

While Kyuhyun was standing dumbfounded, the red-haired man took a side step and happily walked past him into his room. After regaining his senses, he closed the door and followed after the uninvited guest into the kitchen. The kid was already sitting at the dining table as if he owned the place while patting his rice cooker. He moved to stand beside the kid and glared at him.

"You! Who allows you to come in and do as you please!!? Why are you even here and what is it with that rice cooker!!?"

"This is Mister Rico!" The younger man beamed, "we're going to have dinner with you, obviously! We didn't come free hand but we have a gift too! Go ahead, Mister Rico, show hyung-nim what you have!"

The younger man opened the rice cooker's lid revealing a tasty-looking cooked rice. Although Kyuhyun admitted that the rice looked great, he still didn't understand why this weird kid invited himself into his room.

"See! It turns out great! Mister Rico did his best, right, right!!?"

"Could you please explain it in a language that I can understand?"

"Mister Rico and I—"

"Get out of my room."

"... Can you give me something to eat? I have nothing but cooked rice and I don't have money..."

The red-haired man pouted and gave him sad puppy eyes. The younger man even went as far as gingerly tugging the hem of his shirt with cute small hands (wait, cute?). Kyuhyun's heart flipped weirdly in his chest but he chose to ignore it.

"How is that any of my business?"

"It's not... but..."

The younger man bit his bottom lip and looked down dejectedly (and Kyuhyun hated how his eyes kept following that rosy lips).

"Fine... I know I'm in the wrong here... Then, we won't bother you anymore. Let's go back to our room, Mister Rico."

"...Wait, didn't you say that you don't have money? Then, what will you eat? Don't tell me that you'll only eat plain cooked rice?"

"No, I think I still have some salt left so I'll be fine. Bye, hyung—"

"Sigh! Fine, fine! Set the teble and rice! I'll cook one more dish since it's two people now!"

"Hyung-nim...! You're my hero! Super duper thanks!!!"

The red-haired man shouted excitedly and suddenly hugged his waist. He also rubbed his chubby cheek on him and Kyuhyun refused to admit that he found the kid to be really adorable. He mercilessly pushed the younger man away and went back to the kitchen to make one more dish, albeit grumpily. While he was checking his fridge for ingredients, the red-haired man was talking with his rice cooker while scooping the cooked rice on a plate.

"Mister Rico! It's your time to shine! Let's show Cho hyung-nim who is the best right cooker in the world!"

What a weird kid.

Kyuhyun quickly punched himself in his head after realizing that he just smiled looking at the shorter man. No, he didn't just think that Jongwoon was cute. Absolutely not!

.

.

.

"Thanks for the meal, hyung-nim! It was the best meal I've ever had in my nineteen years life!!"

"Yeah, yeah, just do the dishes. I cooked for you so you didn't expect me to clean up too, right?"

"Of course not! Cho hyung-nim, I'll definitely scrub your dishes sparkling clean!! Please look after Mister Rico for me in the meantime!"

With that said, Jongwoon eagerly cleaned up the table and brought the dishes to a sink. The kid started to hum some pop song while washing the dishes, and Kyuhyun begrudgingly admitted that he had a great voice. Not wanting to admit his (obvious) attraction to the younger man, he decided to let his mind wander to something else that wasn't Jongwoon's slim figure.

"I get where the name Rico comes from but why? Why would you name a rice cooker?"

"Because Mister Rico is the only thing I've left after everything else got burn down in the fire along with my parents and my house."

Kyuhyun didn't expect the atmosphere to suddenly turn grim and he didn't know what to say. However, Jongwoon actually glanced over his shoulder and smiled at him in joy, no trace of sadness in his beautiful black eyes.

"Hyung-nim! Don't be sad! It happened really long time ago. I was even too young to remember the details!"

Turning back to the sink, Jongwoon continued his story.

"Apparently, someone forgot to turn off a stove so the fire started. It spread to my house and appa grabbed me and Mister Rico and got out in the street. Then, he went back to save eomma but the house collapsed. That's it. I was only one or two then. I just found out what happened not long after I got out of the orphanage after high school!"

"I'm sorry... Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Yep, it's growing up without parents, but, dead people can't be resurrected so the living person gotta moving on, right?"

For the first time in that night, Kyuhyun actually looked at Jongwoon in respect. Despite going through such a harsh life, Jongwoon kept his chin up and his smile wide while living happily. Now, he actually felt bad for giving the kid cold shoulders before. Even though Jongwoon just wanted to be friendly with him...

"...buy out this apartment." "I don't have money..."

"There! All done! Cho hyung-nim, thanks again for treating me dinner! We'll be going back n—"

"Let me see your room."

Jongwoon who was drying his hands after finishing dishes stared at the older man unexpectedly.

"What? Why did hyung-nim wanna see my room? I mean, there is nothing much to see..."

.

.

.

Instead of "nothing much to see", saying "there's nothing at all" would better describe the younger man's room. There literally was nothing but white walls in Jongwoon's room, not even a single furniture (excluding the rice cooker and one lonely expensive-looking camera).

"...I told you, hyung-nim, nothing much to see..."

"Nothing much!!? There isn't anything at all!! You don't even have a bed or futon! How the heck did you sleep at night!!?"

"I actually have a bed! See!"

Carefully placing down Mister Rico, Jongwoon pulled out a deep-blue padded jacket from his large backpack and spread it on the floor. Then, he lied down using the backpack as a pillow and threw a sheepish grin at him.

"See! My bed!!"

"You..."

Kyuhyun groaned into his palm.

"Why did you insist on buying out the place when you can't even afford to buy your dinner!!?"

"I just want to have a place I can call my home..."

Jongwoon's heartbroken look utterly crushed Kyuhyun's conscience. Sighing loudly, he told the unbelievable kid to wait for him and went back to his room. He then came back with a thick futon, pillow, and blanket, and dropped them on Jongwoon who gasped dramatically.

"Take it. I won't be using the guest room anyway."

"No! Hyung-nim! This is too much! I know you're probably pitying me now but—"

"You misunderstood me. I gave you out of respect, not pity."

"Hyung-nim..."

After hesitating for a while, Jongwoon finally accepted his gifts. The red-haired man smiled brightly while hugging the pillow and said thank you to him non-stop.

And Kyuhyun hated himself for being unable to stop thinking that Jongwoon looked really cute smiling and happy.

*******************************************

Two weeks later...

Kyuhyun had (unfortunately) got used to having an annoyingly chatty (but cute) young man having dinner with him. Every day at exactly seven, Jongwoon and his rice cooker "Mister Rico" came ringing the doorbell and beamed at him after he invited the kid in. Then, he shared his homemade dishes while the younger man shared the cooked rice (mine is homemade too! —Jongwoon). After that, he watched Jongwoon cleaning the table and washing dishes while half-heartedly listening to whatever the kid rambling on. Then, Jongwoon and Mister Rico would bid him farewell and goodnight before going back to his room. Kyuhyun hated to admit it but... this sort of felt nice... He never thought that having dinner with someone could make the meal tastier but here he was, checking the clock every minute and frowning when he saw that it wasn't seven yet...

.

.

.

.

Today, too, Kyuhyun kept checking the clock every minute and frowned after seeing that it was nine now. Yes, it was nine in the evening now but he was still at the restaurant, covering for his friend whose son suddenly fell ill and couldn't come to work. Normally, he never minded doing overtime because he didn't need to hurry home. Now, however, he had a certain red-haired kid waiting for him at home and he kept Jongwoon waiting for two hours already...

"Ryeowook, when will Jungsu hyung come and take over my shift? I want to go home."

Ryeowook, his best friend and the second chef, looked at him with his mouth wide open.

"Did my ears trick me or did you just say that you wanna go home? You? Really? Oh! Could it be that you're hiding a cute gal at home? My, my!"

Gal? Kyuhyun snorted. Jongwoon definitely wasn't a gal, though he couldn't deny the cute part...

"Stop running your imagination wild. I just have a stray puppy waiting for me, that's all."

"Puppy? But I thought your place doesn't allow pets?"

"I didn't own him. He just comes to me for dinner."

"What!!? You'd have told me sooner! Go home! Now! I can cover you until Teuk hyung comes!!"

Ryeowook literally yanked his apron and hat off and pushed him out of the work station.

"It's a crime to leave puppies unattended! Go!"

Obviously, Jongwoon wasn't a puppy but his friend didn't need to know that. Moreover, albeit begrudgingly, he did admit that leaving Jongwoon unattended did sound like a grave crime...

***************************************

As soon as the elevator stopped at his floor, he ran to his room. What waiting for him in front of the door made his heart melt— Jongwoon was sitting while hugging his rice cooker on his lap. His red head kept nodding as he dozed off peacefully. Kneeling down, he gently shook the younger man awake. Rich eyelashes fluttered slowly and lifted up, revealing a pair of beautiful dark orbs that looked at him drowsily.

"Cho hyung-nim...?"

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. Let's go."

"Hn.. alright..."

Yawning quietly, Jongwoon tried to push himself up but his body didn't even budge. The red-haired man frowned and tried again, but nothing happened. The younger man smiled sheepishly and extended his arms out towards him.

"Hyung-nim... I can't feel my legs... Can you carry me?"

Kyuhyun sighed but obediently carried the smaller man up in his arms. At first, he planned to complain about the younger man's heavy weight but frowned after finding out that it was the opposite. Jongwoon was so light and thin that, even after adding the rice cooker, he still felt like he didn't carry anything!

"Jongwoon, you're really underweight. Have you eaten properly?"

Instead of answering him, Jongwoon intentionally avoided his eyes and whistled innocently.

"Kim Jongwoon..."

"Y-Yes!! I eat and sleep properly like a good boy!!!"

"I know you eat dinner with me but what about breakfast and lunch?"

"...It depends on the day. If I have classes on that day, my friends or kind-hearted aunties at the cafeteria often treat me something but..."

"But?"

"If I don't have classes..." the younger man chewed his bottom lip anxiously, "well, it's either water and salt, or cooked rice and salt..."

Gently letting the red-haired man on a chair, Kyuhyun knew that he shouldn't be surprised anymore but Jongwoon still managed to surprise him. He should have known it. This kid didn't have money for dinner so, obviously, he couldn't afford other meals too. Really, Jongwoon was the most broke college student he had ever met!

"That's it. From now on, I'll make breakfast and lunch for you."

"What? No, hyung-nim doesn't have to do that! I mean, I already feel bad enough bothering you every dinner..."

"Just shut up and eat properly!"

Jongwoon immediately covered his mouth. Kyuhyun sighed and took the rice cooker from the younger man's lap. After that, he went to the living room for a second and came back. He threw the object in his palm to the red-haired man and burst out laughing when Jongwoon failed to catch it. The thing hit the younger man's forehead and fell on his lap. Jongwoon whined while rubbing his forehead in tears before looking down at the item.

"A key?"

"Yes, my room's spare key. I'll make breakfast and lunch box for you and leave them in the fridge. Feel free to come and get them."

"Cho hyung-nim! You shouldn't give something this important to a stranger!!"

"Didn't you say that we're neighbors?"

Kyuhyun snorted while ruffling the kid's flaming red hair (and inwardly marveled at how soft it was).

"Besides, the worst you could you do to my room is raiding my fridge."

"You know me too well, hyung-nim..."

Jongwoon laughed sheepishly. Then, the younger man looked at the key that he carefully held in his palms as if it was the most precious jewel in the world and smiled genuinely.

And Kyuhyun suddenly felt like he wanted to give the whole world to Jongwoon.

*****************************************

It had been three months now ever since Kyuhyun gave the spare key to the weirdly cute kid. At first, Jongwoon used it timidly and only came to his room to fetch his meals. After one month, however, the younger man started to act like his room was a second home. Jongwoon always came to his room whenever he was bored and didn't have classes, watching tv or playing PS4 (in another save file, of course). However, Jongwoon didn't enjoy those for free and actually took care of the house chores for him. Nowadays, Kyuhyun always came home to see his place swept and mopped, his clothes washed and neatly ironed, his bed made, his shelves free of dust, even his pot plants at the balcony were watered! He was glad that he didn't make the wrong decision, taking care of Jongwoon. The kid might be weird and (too) talkative, but he was definitely a good kid at heart.

Though that raised another problem for him...

.

.

.

.

"......"

"ZZZzzzzzz"

In one evening, Kyuhyun came back to see Jongwoon sleeping peacefully on his bed. If it was himself from three months ago, he would have kicked the kid out without a second thought. Now, however, he found his hand instinctively pulled the blanket up to properly cover the younger man. He also smiled automatically when Jongwoon pouted in his sleep. Reaching his hand out, he gently ruffled the younger man's head but immediately frowned after that. Jongwoon's forehead was burning. Now that he took a better look, the younger man's face was flushing red almost rival his hair color.

"Jongwoon, can you hear me?"

"Hnn... hyung-nim...?"

"Yes, it's me. Did you catch a cold?"

"Probably... Yesterday, I played football with my friends even though it was raining..."

Kyuhyun pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

"What are you? A kid? You'd have known better than that!"

"Sorry..."

Jongwoon mumbled weakly without even opening his eyes. So, Kyuhyun knew that the fever must be really bad. He decided to complain later and treated the patient first. He made a simple congee and brought it to the sick man. The younger man whined that he wasn't hungry so Kyuhyun forcefully (but gently) peeled him off the bed. Then, he patiently fed the congee to the whiny kid a spoon by a spoon until it was half eaten. After that, he helped Jongwoon take a pill and laid him down on the bed again. Gathering the leftover congee and the water glass, he stood up to take these to the kitchen but a small hand reached out and stopped him.

"Cho hyung-nim..." Jongwoon whispered while tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Don't leave me..."

Ba-dump

"I'll just put these away and get a towel. I won't leave you alone, Jongwoon."

"Really...?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Hnn..."

Hesitantly, Jongwoon slowly let go of his hand. The red-haired man had the saddest expression on his tired face and it made his heart twist in pain. So, Kyuhyun quickly went along with his task and quickly came back to the bedroom. However, Jongwoon had already fallen asleep by the time he came back with a towel and a water basin. Placing the items on the bedside table, he just stood there staring at the sleeping beauty, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

"Jongwoon, I love you."

Obviously, his confession reached no ears but his own. Sighing at his own stupidity, Kyuhyun sat down and started to take care of the kid who had somehow stolen his heart by simply being his weird yet adorable self.

***********************************************

Four days later...

"Ryeowook, remember that stray puppy of mine that I told you about?"

"Yep. Why? Did something happen to him?"

"What would you think if I told you that I'm thinking of adopting him for good?"

"Obviously, that's a good thing! Why did you have to ask me something so simple?"

"Well... I'm not sure if he wanted to be adopted or not... What if he preferred staying stray?"

"Hmm... then, take me to your place and let me see your puppy."

Kyuhyun almost dropped a pan on his feet.

"What? Why?"

"I'm a dog whisperer! I can tell how dogs feel just by looking at them! I can help you determine whether he wanted to be adopted or not!"

"But..."

In the end, Kyuhyun couldn't come up with any excuse to keep his best friend from dropping by at his place.

Everything will be fine. Jongwoon has an evening class today so he won't be home. I can just tell Ryeowook that the puppy didn't show up today!

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.

.

Unfortunately, God didn't take pity on him.

"Cho hyung-nim! Welcome back!"

As soon as he unlocked the door and opened it, something red and adorable immediately tackled him into a tight hug. Kyuhyun instinctively hugged the younger man back with a small smile, completely forgetting about the third party presented at the scene.

"Ahem..."

Finally realizing that his friend was here too, Kyuhyun tried to push Jongwoon away but the younger man refused to cooperate. If anything, the red-haired man actually hugged him tighter. Still holding on to him like a baby koala, Jongwoon smiled at his friend and greeted him.

"Hello! You must be hyung-nim's friend, right?"

Ryeowook blinked confusedly, then, snorted and nodded.

"Yep, I'm his best friend! Nice to meet you, kid."

His friend then turned to smirk at him.

"Kyuhyun, you have nothing to worry about. It's as clear as day that your puppy badly wants to be adopted! Also, I'll be taking my leave since it's obvious that I don't need to be here. Good luck, Kyuhyun, the cute little puppy is all yours!"

With that said, Ryeowook really left them with a wave over his shoulder. Still hugging him, Jongwoon looked up at him and tiled his head cutely (and his heart immediately skipped a beat).

"Hyung-nim? What puppy did your friend talk about? You have a puppy? Since when? Where? Why haven't I seen them before? Can I meet them? Pet them? Squish their paws and rub their belly? Scratch their ears? Can I—"

"Jongwoon, how about we have dinner first?"

Nodding happily, the red-haired man let him go and ran into the kitchen to prepare for dinner. At the same time, Kyuhyun had to stopped and took a deep breath to calm down his erratic heartbeat, his friend's words still playing in his head. So, he came to a decision.

I'll confess to Jongwoon after dinner.

**********************************************

"Thanks for dinner! It's as tasty as ever, hyung-nim!"

Jongwoon who just finished washing dishes picked up his rice cooker and smiled at him.

"Then, we'll be going now! Good night, Cho hyung-nim! See you tomorrow!! Mister Rico, you say good night to hyung-nim too—"

"Wait, Jongwoon, there is something I want to tell you."

"Yes?"

Bracing himself for the unknown outcome, Kyuhyun decided to just be honest and straightforward. He grabbed Jongwoon's arms and looked into those mesmerizing eyes before confessing.

"I love you, Jongwoon. Will you consider moving here and live with me permanently? You can help pay the bills and do house chores if it bothers you, but, let me take care of you. I love your smile and I want you to be happy, so..."

He had said all that he wanted to say. So, he only had to wait for Jongwoon's answer. He stared anxiously at the red-haired man who didn't say anything, just blinking and gasping.

"Jongwoon...?"

"Hyung-nim, please let me go."

His heart fell into the abyss.

"Why...? I thought you're happy with me? So... why don't you want to live with me? Did I do something wrong—"

"Cho hyung-nim," Jongwoon giggled with shining eyes, "I'm carrying Mister Rico now and, as much as I love him, he's kinda heavy so I wanna put him down before replying!!"

After a stupid "oh" and blinking, Kyuhyun took the rice cooker from the younger man and placed it on the nearby counter.

"Alright, Mister Rico is out of our ways now so—"

"Of course I'd love to!! Hyung-nim, I love you too! Always have been and forever will!!!"

Jongwoon literally jumped at him and hugged the life out of him. Luckily, Kyuhyun caught the younger man in time so they didn't fall down to the floor. He smiled in genuine happiness as he hugged his, yes, his Jongwoon, back.

"Need my help with you moving into our house?"

"Hyung-nim! You said that as if I have many things in my room!! Ahhh, I'm so happy!! Mister Rico won't be lonely anymore with many friends here!!"

"Not just Mister Rico,"

"Huh?"

"I won't be lonely anymore, too, because I have you."

Seizing the chance that Jongwoon was blushing madly, Kyuhyun closed the gap between their faces and kissed his adorable boyfriend.

********************************************

Many weeks later...

"My shift is already end so I'll be going now. See you tomorrow!"

"Going home early again? Kyuhyun, I've been thinking of asking you for many times already, but, why did you go home early every day as of lately?"

Kyuhyun grinned at his hyung, "my wife and Mister Rico are waiting for me at home."

"What!!?" Jungsu couldn't believe what he just heard, "since when did you get married and who is Mister Rico!!?"

Kyuhyun was already gone by the time the older man finished his question.

.

.

.

Walking into the kitchen, Kyuhyun smiled at Jongwoon who was preparing Mister Rico for cooking rice for their dinner.

"I'm home, baby "

The red-haired man looked up and beamed at him.

"Welcome back, hubby-nim!!"