He was left in stitches, crippled and wounded by a love made of pure fiction. Each turn of the page scripted a day lost and another infliction gained. The pain. The anguish. The heartache. The despair. Youngjae could actually count the instances when sadness loomed and darkness shrouded overhead by a cloud burdened with gloom. In truth, happiness was a rare occurrence with Himchan, but when it did come about, he cherished that heart of gold his boyfriend harbored when he kissed him and showed those affectionate ‘I love yous’ in the form of gifts that seem to emulate the feelings they apparently shared.

However, as time was spent trying to sleep his day away, the evil fiends that made up the darker side of him insisted that the phone charms he received, the stuffed koala that sat on his bed, and the various reference books that were given were nothing more but compensatory items that apologized for the days he was never with him when he needed him the most.

Thinking about it hazed the inner-workings of a mind that wasn’t able to function correctly. Youngjae registered words spoken to him much more slowly than usual, his ability to care for the things that were going on around him but a nuisance he had long since ignored. He didn’t pay attention to the blond who had left or the brunette who took his place. Where Luhan had gone off to? Why the newcomer watched over him? Where he was? Those questions were better left unanswered; for the energy it took to process the world around him had gone far off the beaten path of disquietude the second he left Seoul.

He was tired and hungry; he felt empty and hallow to the point where he fell into a dreamless sleep only to wake up to a smile he wasn't ready to face just yet.

"You need anything?" The brunette asked with an energy that quickly pulled him out of his seat and near his bedside within seconds.

Youngjae slowly sat up and shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I know. I must look like an ogre."

The male laughed. "I never meant it like that. You actually look good for a guy who almost slept all day."

"Um, thank you, I guess?" Was the comment something to thank him for? He seemed nice enough and Youngjae hadn't successfully recover the neurons necessary to reassess his words, so he figured he might as well take the complements while they lasted. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh," The male perked up ten times over and sat himself on the edge of Youngjae’s bed, his smile almost as bright as the setting sun. "Jung Jinyoung, Daehyun's cousin."

"His cousin?"

A small frown formed when the tune of apprehension hit his ears. "He doesn't talk about me?"

Unfortunately, Youngjae shook his head. " I'm sorry, I never heard a thing about you."

"Really? How could he! I'm like his favoritest cousin ever. I don't understand why he doesn’t shout my name out to the world." Jinyoung sighed with his peachy grin still intact. "Don't you worry. He'll talk about me eventually. After all, we did everything together as kids. I was his hero back then. I mean, I was the one who taught him how to use the potty for crying out loud. You should've seen how nervous he was. He called the potty a monster for almost a year."

“ A year?” Imagining a baby-face Jung Daehyun staring at the toilet as if it was the spawn of the devil seemed so unlikely, and yet with how little he knew of Daehyun's past, the thought of him throwing a tantrum every time he had to use the bathroom was enough to crack a smile on his face.

"Yeah. A whole year. He didn't even want to use it 'cus he thought he was feeding the monster every time he pooped. He made this big fuss about wearing a diaper forever."

How he could laugh in his state of mind was a miracle, considering he was just seconds away from tearing his hair at the scalp. There was something about Jinyoung that seem to light up the room. His humorous disposition and the way his lips seem to solidify into a smile whenever Youngjae looked at him had to have been the remedy he was waiting for. 

"Thank you."

And it seemed there was no need to explain the sudden words of appreciation as Jinyoung returned the gesture with a casual, "You are very welcome." The overtly energetic  brunette got up from the bed and flung the curtains open to reveal the beautiful city of Busan, the second largest metropolis with a view to die for. "Lulu totally went all out for you and got you this room with a view. It was super nice of him to do this, but super strange that he'd spend so much dough since he's so 'chinese' with his money." Jinyoung laughed at his own little pun that tilted Youngjae’s head in question.

"Chinese?"

"Yeah, he's super stingy when it comes to spending money. There was one time I needed to borrow some cash to buy water on a very scorching hot day, and instead of giving me a won, he kindly offered to throw me in Nakdong River to quench my thirst." And since Luhan was known for abiding by the offer or threats that were said, no one doubted he'd follow through with what would’ve put a wicked smile on his face. "He didn't want to spend a single dime on me, that cheapskate."

"What the hell you called me, you little ?"

Jinyong jumped a mile high when the blond came walking into their conversation with a face contorted into a flawless image of rage and fury. Luhan took him roughly by the arm and forced him to look upon a gaze that was as frightening as the burning tombs of the underworld. "What did you say about me?"

"I just told him the truth."

The brunette winced at the fierce pull of his arm. "What truth?"

"Just that you were Chinese, that's all."

"No I'm Chinese. So what, you decided to grow a pair and insult my nationality behind my back, you damn parasite?"

"What?! How am I a parasite?" He drawled out a whine as he twisted and turned in Luhan's grasp.

"Telling him I didn't want to give you money when all you ever do is make bull excuses so people pay for the useless you buy."

Jinyoung's shoulders drooped in despair. "Look at Luhan, Youngjae. He's lying."

"Lying, my !" As if persecuting 'Busan's most wanted,' he turned the guilty party toward the man who watched the entire feud unfold from the comforts of his bed. An accusatory forefinger pointed at the brunette, Luhan’s nostril's flaring and his face slightly flushed with the recognizable hue of ferocity that seem to come second nature to him. "Weeks ago, this damn charity case invited all of us to the most expensive restaurant here, and when it came time to pay for our meal, he brought out a library card - a mother ing library card!"

"I got my cards mixed up and left my credit card at home! It was an honest mistake."

“An honest mistake is me shoving my foot up your and throwing you off of the balcony. That’s an honest mistake!”

It was wrong of him to sit there without any intention of breaking up the argument that escalated, only to slowly draw to a close. But Youngjae couldn't help himself to the little banter that served as the right kind of distraction he needed to forget what brought him to Busan in the first place. Sure, he didn't spare a smile, but he did make an effort to get out of bed when he pulled the blanket off to the side and hung his legs before setting his feet flat on the floor.

"Here." A stack of paper was thrown on his lap once the blond approached him, English, science and arithmetic problems a few of the topics that had his name written all over it.

"It's my homework..."

Luhan rolled his eyes. "No it's your homework. You think I'm nerd enough to do all this crap?"

"You drove all the way to Seoul to get this?"

Another theatrical roll of his eyes disparaged the surprised tone of disbelief Luhan always encountered whenever unexplainable acts of kindness came once in a blue moon. "No," He answered gruffly. "I took a scout transport there and that robotic piece of walked its metal to Seoul." And here Youngjae thought Luhan didn't have a humorous bone in his body. "Of course I drove there. Who else do you know in Busan who would take a ten hour drive for the hell of it?"

"No one." And that was the point. Youngjae was taken aback by not the mode of transportation in which it took to get his homework, but the reasoning behind why someone as uptight as Luhan would go through the trouble of driving to Seoul and back.

“Before you get all emotional and , you should know I took that long drive just so I could get ten hours away from your suicidal . It wasn’t because I was trying to be nice.” He laid marked emphasis on that fact and Youngjae could only give him a silent nod at what had to be a lie. 

“Jinyoung,” Ears perked up at the crude calling of his name. “Get out of the room.”

“What? Why?”

 “Because I said so. No one likes you. So get the out.” Dragging the flailing brunette by the arm, he threw the door open with the same force and voracity it took to toss Jinyoung out into the hall.

 “You didn’t need to throw him out like that.” Youngjae shook his head.

“He was being annoying, and I needed to talk to you anyways.”

“I appreciate you getting my homework and all, but I don’t feel like talking.” What he felt most at one with was the feeling of hopelessness. It may have sounded pathetic, and he probably was as pitiful as he appeared, but having to go through the motion of every single emotion that ran through his body was the process of which sadness was known to take. “Where’s Daehyun?”

“In Seoul.”

“I meant my cat. Where’s Daehyun?”

Upon hearing her name, little Daehyun came trotting out of the bathroom with its adorable furry head held high with an added skip to her step. She stood on her hind legs and clawed its paws on the sheets, mewing that familiar cry for attention.

Luhan picked her up in his arms and sat himself on the bed. “We’re talking.”

“No, we’re not.”

“I’m not giving you your cat if you don’t stop being a stubborn .”

Youngjae forced himself to look out the window in hopes the setting sun would keep his own growing bout of irritation in check. “If it’s about Himchan –”

“As if I want to talk about that ,” Please. He had better things to discuss than go on about a lying, manipulative, cheating douchebag who was never going to realize what a good thing he’s got until it’s gone. “I want to talk about you.”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t get why we’re here. I don’t want to be here. I don’t see the sense of –”

“Will you shut your trap!”

Youngjae hated submitting to the obscenity that always spilled out of Luhan’s mouth. Like a snake equipped with the poisons that could kill a man with a single bite, the blonde slayed any chance of getting the answers Youngjae desperately asked for. 

“Here, hold this.”

Youngjae reluctantly took Luhan’s wallet as the blond continued to search his pockets for a black strip of cloth he soon draped over his shoulder. They didn’t stay idle for very long, considering Luhan apparently had somewhere to be, he pushed through a sea of bodies and escaped into the busy streets of Busan with Youngjae following close behind.

Participating in a twenty minute trek to an unknown destination had never been on Youngjae’s itinerary of things to do. He ditched school, ignored Daehyun’s calls and text messages, and gave his father the cold shoulder in the process. Shutting out the world, there was no point in descending a flight of stairs only to narrowly make a subway ride  when all he wanted to do was sleep. Youngjae clung onto one of the poles in the train and leaned his head upon the cool metal in exasperation. 

He sighed. “Are we going back to the hotel?”

“No.” If the location to their next destination wasn’t confusing enough, Luhan made the situation into an unsolvable puzzle when he began to blindfold himself with the strip of cloth that took away his sense of sight.

“What are you doing?”

“Pick a place.” He brusquely replied, the ambiguity of his words pulling Youngjae’s head away from the pole in pique curiosity. “This train is going to make 6 stops so pick a place and lead the way without screwing me over. You understand that, or are you too stupid to follow directions?” As if condemning him to a day in hell, Luhan grabbed at the younger’s forearm and locked his grip in place.

“What am I supposed to do? Lead the blind?”

“Exactly.”

If this was some sort of life lesson being forced on him then it had to have come with the most bizarre message Youngjae had yet to figure out. What was he supposed to get out of lugging around a very incompetent, uncoordinated and infuriated blond anyway?   

Next stop: Dongnae.

Doors slid open and a decision was expected to be made. Was he going to step out now? Or wait in hopes the next stop or the stop after that would hold a tone of familiarity? The train started moving before he had the chance to make his decision. He was panicking for some unknown reason and the ability to think straight had left his heart pounding and his head throbbing in anxiety.

Oddly, Luhan stood quietly at his side with his hand still secured around Youngjae’s arm.

“I don’t know where I’m going.” He finally muttered under his breath when another stop came and went.

“It doesn’t matter.” Luhan’s imperturbable demeanor remained unchanged. “Do you think I give a where we end up? Just get off the ing metro before I lose my .”

Youngjae breathed a heavy sigh. A part of him wished Daehyun had taken Luhan’s place despite how angry he felt by the very thought of his name. He hadn’t seen him or talked to him since the night Daehyun refused his help and practically watched as Luhan knocked him out cold. They were supposed to be there for each other. Their friendship was built off of unspoken rules, unwritten promises and undocumented expectations they both tried their damn hardest to uphold. But ever since Yongguk came into the picture and their stupid objective threw them into one unforeseen event after the next, everything started to go haywire. Nothing made sense anymore and he wasn’t sure why they changed how they went about uncovering secrets when there was hardly any difficulty with how they did things in the past.

Why fix what wasn’t broken?

“This is the last stop? I am not standing here and going in a loop again, so step off now or I’ll cause a scene that's so ed up, it'll end up on Youtube”

With not much of a choice on the matter, Youngjae embodied the spirit of a ‘seeing eye’ dog and helped Luhan off the train. The transfer didn’t go smoothly as Youngjae prayed it would. Curses flew with the hand that strangled the fabric at Youngjae’s chest, the small drop between the train and the platform nearly causing the blond to fall. The shot of adrenaline he felt when Youngjae quickly caught Luhan with arms wrung tightly around him was the equivalent of saving a baby from sudden death.  

He didn’t want him to get hurt no matter how much of an he was.

“I swear to the devil himself, if you make me face plant the floor I’m going to make you wish you wasn’t born, you hear me?!”

“If you just take off that stupid blindfold then maybe the chances of you face planting won’t exist.” With one arm around Luhan’s waist and a hand pushing him to an upright position, Youngjae successfully placed him back on his feet and resumed his role as his guide dog.

“Will you please stop walking ahead of me?” Didn’t Luhan understand the concept of being under his wing? Was it so hard to follow his lead for once?

“You walk too damn slow.”

“I walk like a normal human being.”

“You walk like you belong in a mothering adult daycare center. I bet an old person is walking right pass us.”

“You’re so annoying.” As if that wasn't anything new.

“You’re so suicidal.” Luhan snickered. “Beat that.”

What was his problem anyways? His actions suggest a somewhat peculiar desire to help him, and yet every single insult that came out of his mouth revealed that of the opposite. If he had any self-respect left in him, Youngjae would’ve left him on the platform and, if murderous intentions arose, he’d probably push him in front of an incoming train. Oh what an end that would be.

‘He’s a good person. He may be an but he’s a good person.’ Youngjae inwardly argued with himself as he slowly made his way to the staircase that led to the streets above. ‘His small, black little heart will double in size and clear up eventually. I just have to be patient.’  

“Give me your hand.”

Luhan aggressively shunned the proffered hand that brushed against his fingers. “Do I look like a to you?”

“Do you want to get your face caved in by the stairs? Give me your friken hand.”

“If you’re going to curse, you should do it right. It’s ‘ing.’ Only faggots say ‘friken.’”

Now he was correcting his obscene grammar? What was Luhan on? Crack? “Can you give me your ing hand already!?” One couldn’t simply be a pacifist around someone as condescending, berating and antagonistic as Luhan. His anger was a contagion that spread and infected anyone within a two mile radius of his presence, the very essence of his pessimistic soul seeming to contaminate the purity that was Youngjae’s will to withstand even the most corrupted human beings.

If Luhan hadn’t shut his mouth and placed his hand into Youngjae's own (quite sassily mind you), he would’ve lost all will to endure the man who was acting like a bratty boy than anything else. “Okay, shuffle a bit near the stair and lift your right foot first.” Luhan did as he was told but had hesitated to climb up a single step when an arm was felt snaking around his waist.

“I will castrate you.” He said in a tenor so vile and low, Youngjae could’ve sworn Lucifer himself possessed his heir to the underworld.

“Why must you act like a child?”

Luhan growled. “Why must you touch me like you want to me?”

“Please,” he sneered. “I have standards you clearly don’t live up to. So don’t flatter yourself.”

Was it the pinch of attitude he received responsible for the lack of a response? Or was it merely the rarity of an honest reply that subjected Luhan to silence? One would never know but, at the very least, the comment made it easier to lug Luhan’s stubborn half-way up the staircase.

“I feel unbalanced.” A hint of worry smeared his confident demeanor as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Youngjae’s hand.

“You should take off that blindfold. There’s no logic in any of this anyways.”

Luhan clicked his tongue in refusal. “Are you calling me stupid?”

“I’m not calling you anything. I’m just saying I don’t see the point in this.” It took them six minutes to walk a distance that would usually take a functioning human being no more than a minute to cover. Luhan was frustrated, Youngjae was beyond upset, and both of their patience was wearing thin. If there was actually a lesson to be learned, Youngjae couldn’t figure it out.

“Just continue. I’m hungry as so let’s get something to eat. Lunch is on me.” Nice to know he wasn’t going to be a total and make him pay for their food. If that wasn’t enough of a sign Luhan was growing a heart, then he didn’t know what was.

With a lot of clinging and the sweat signifying the struggle they had gone through to make it up a ‘Rocky balboa worthy’ staircase, Youngjae took a minute to scan the area they were in.

“Where should we go to eat?”

Luhan shrugged. “The hell should I know. Don’t you see the ing blindfold over my eyes? I can’t see.”

“Can’t you cheat and look around?”

“No. Stop being a and take charge. Use your survival instincts. Would you stand around if a zombie apocalypse broke out?” He paused, waiting for a reply that didn’t come. “No, of course you wouldn’t…that is unless you were retarded enough to get your bitten and infected.”

If only Luhan had taken off the strip of cloth over his eyes, then he would’ve witness the baleful glare dipping brows that would’ve made him proud to be the cause of. Youngjae sighed yet another dreadful sigh and walked to the nearest shop that would provide the sustenance needed to get this day done and over with.

“Where are we?” The blond asked upon hearing the bell ring as Youngjae opened the door for him.

“A café.”

Upon entering the quaint little shop, a dog came bounding toward them. “Why are we in a i – Ahhh!" And out of nowhere, Luhan screamed by the harmless touch of its fur. "What the !" Mr. Badass himself wailed a manly cry of pure terror Youngjae would never thought he was capable of. He turned, he pivoted, he started juking from side-to-side and, Without taking into account he was as blind as a bat, Luhan jumped back and nearly shoved Youngjae to the ground by the power of his scream. “The ! The ! Oh my s! What the was that?! What the hell just touched me?!” He would’ve ran face first into the glass door they entered from if Youngjae hadn’t grabbed at the blond whose energy sored way over that of a ten-year-old girl fleeing from a roach. His hands scrambled all over Youngjae’s body, those vicious claws of his retracting to get a good hold of the man he eventually used as a weapon the second he pushed Youngjae toward the clicking of paws that tapped upon the wooden floor.

“Can you relax?! It’s just a dog. We’re in a pet café so puppies, cats and dogs are in here.” A visible tremor shot through Luhan’s body when he felt another furry tail brush against his hand. 

“I-Is this the only place nearby with food?”

Youngjae nodded, almost forgetting he couldn’t see him. “Yes, so can you quit causing a scene and sit down?” Taking Luhan by the stiff bent of his arm, Youngjae guided him to a table that was as far away from the puppies that caused quite the commotion. “Everyone’s staring at you.”

“Does it look like I give a damn?” 

“You actually look scared from where I'm sitting.”

“Shut up.”

Luhan pouted his lips in disdain, and all Youngjae could do in response was prevent the chuckle from escaping upturned lips. “Don't worry, I'll make sure the dogs don't come near you.”

“I hear the ing amusement in your voice. Can you shut up and get me something to eat. I’m hungry.”

Youngjae crossed his arms over his chest. “Not until you add a ‘please’ to that demand.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Does it sound like I’m kidding?”

To expect Luhan to succumb to such childish antics was like waiting for hell to freeze over; it wasn’t going to happen. The prideful blond had gripped at the backrest of his chair and used the table to push himself on his feet. He was slowly shuffling his way across the room, his remaining senses unfortunately leading him to a friendly golden retriever who wagged his tail at the approaching figure.

“You should stop.” Youngjae advised.

“ you.”

“If you don’t stop the dog’s going to expect you to pet him again. It’ll probably your hand.”

At the warning of the impending danger before him, Luhan froze in place and quickly reversed his steps in such a reckless manner that made Youngjae swiftly stand up from his chair. “Luhan stop, you’re going to –”

Glass shattered, a porcelain doll cracked into pieces, and Luhan was stepping over shards sharp enough to puncture through his cheaply made sneakers he wore. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Youngjae apologized for the older man who didn’t have the decency in him to take responsibility for the mess he made. The women who came to the blonde’s aid simply smiled and carefully passed the blind fool in Youngjae’s care. “You’re unbelievable, you know that.” He practically threw Luhan back on his chair and, not wanting to cause yet another scene, he swallowed his pride and brought it upon himself to wait in line to order some food.

“Your friend there is quite the character.”

Youngjae turned toward the man who was kind enough to provide him with the little distraction he needed to escape his worst nightmare. “He’s…” How should he even begin to explain Luhan in one word? “He’s misunderstood.”

“I admire the patience you have with him. It so happened I was in the same train you two took and, I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but I have to say he’s really quite the handful.”

Burning with the shame a mother word have felt toward her misbehaved child, Youngjae scratched the back of his head with a little stutter unintentionally falling from his lips. “Y-Yeah, well…he’s just someone you have to get used to in order to see the qualities that make him a bearable person you can’t help but to appreciate.”

“You’re very kind.”

Youngjae returned the handsome smile the male had effortlessly given him with eyes baring a dazzling gleam of genuine kindness. Baring an advantage in stature by a mere inch compared to Youngjae’s 5'10", and a suave sense of style made evident by the white fitting dress-shirt, black Rolex and dark slacks he donned, it was easy to say he was quite the character himself. He appeared confident, very charming, and if it wasn’t obvious enough by his beatific grin that had the power to relieve the tension Luhan’s crazy antics created, the man seemed perfect, especially when a little girl came jovially running into his arms.

“Oppa, the dogs are so big and pretty. I want one. I want a puppy. Can I have one, pretty please!” The girl’s excitement was momentarily put on hold when he followed her oppa’s gaze. “Hi.” She shyly greeted, snuggling up to the man who chuckled at her sudden shift in mood.

“Hi there, my name is Youngjae. What’s yours?”

The girl smiled. “I’m Yuri. Are you my oppa’s special friend?”

“S-Special friend?” That term had only one meaning behind it, right? “N-No.” Youngjae sputtered. “I’m not his special friend.”

“Don’t go hurting the poor girl’s feelings, Youngjae. You almost sounded like you didn't want to be my special friend.” The man teased in a manner that would’ve made anyone mistake their first encounter as a meeting between old friends.

“I’m sorry, I never meant it like –”

“No, it’s fine. I was poking some fun at you that's all.” He set Yuri back on her feet and affectionately smoothed out her hair. If he wasn’t perfect then he had to be the living embodiment of a type of impeccability that measured up to the gods themselves. Youngjae had a weakness for kids, and to see a really good-looking guy care for a child as if she was his own had to be one of the biggest turn-ons he never dared to speak out loud. “What are you getting?”

Youngjae had to forcefully shake himself from the spell the other's smile casted on him. “G-Getting?”

He softly laughed behind a closed fist. Youngjae wasn’t usually fixed on looks but that smile of his was just to die for. “What are you going to get?” he said with a point of the cashier who was now ready to take his order.

“Oh, I'll get a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches and a pot of tea.” Before Youngjae had the chance to take his place in front of the counter to pay for his meal, the man took it upon himself to purchase what should’ve been credited on Luhan’s tab.

“Paying you back for the comment Yuri made earlier.”

But a little mistake of identity wasn’t worth two sandwiches and a pot of tea. “N-No I can’t let you –” 

“It’s fine. I figured you need to be spoiled a bit anyways, considering what you’ve gone through.” He gave a quick glance in Luhan’s direction before settling the warmth of a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gingerly, he patted his arm and quite debonairly, the man displayed a very toothy grin.

Youngjae really considered slapping himself for even thinking a real gentleman was under the same roof as him. The entire week had been such a let-down lately that it was so hard to believe a dose of normalcy or, more appropriately, good-fortune, was wiggling its way back into his life. Not that he considered really good-looking guys taking the initiative to start a conversation with him something to be called ‘normal,’ it was just a nice change for once.

With his order in hand and a take-out bag prepared for Mr. debonair, the man said a cordial good-bye and was prepared to leave with Yuri totting alongside him. Youngjae should’ve watched him leave right out the door and considered the encounter as nothing more than an average everyday occurrence. However, when that same heart-stopping grin flashed over the man’s shoulder as he looked back at him, impulsivity stopped the man before he had the chance to disappear. 

“Wait.” Youngjae grabbed his arm, but realizing how invasive such an uncharacteristic feat was, he brought his hand back to his side. “I’m sorry, but do you live here?”

“No, I’m just here on sale relative business.”

And here he was hoping he was a teen, much like himself, ‘enjoying’ the thrill of ditching school. “Oh, um, I never knew you were that old.” Was it too late for him to smack himself upside the head. ‘Oh my god, that came out so wrong.’ Youngjae waved a hand. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. I just meant that you looked really young to own your own business.”

He smiled. “Oh, no offense taken. I don’t own the business myself but I am a part of it. Revenue is made and a considerable percentage is given to me. I have to admit though; for a seventeen-year-old, you’d expect me to swag it up a bit, right?”

“Swag it up?” Youngjae chuckled at the odd phrase.

“It’s a less depressing way of saying, ‘I feel really old in these clothes and I need some swank wardrobe.’”  So he wasn’t all brains and beauty after all. This guy actually had a personality and a considerately kind bone in his body to boot, which, Youngjae had to admit, was kind of rare in this day and age. “Anyways, was there a reason you wanted to know if I lived here?”

Youngjae hurried to find the right words to say. “Well, I wanted to thank you is all. I was thinking Luhan and I could treat you and Yuri to dinner for being so nice.”

“I don’t think sandwiches and tea is equivalent to a full course meal. After the dinner’s over I’d only be inclined to find the most expensive café for desert to compensate.” At that rate, they’d be caught up in a circle where dates had to be set and a number of meals shared just to break even. “Unfortunately though, as much as I’d like to take you up on that offer, we’re leaving tonight.  

“Do you two live overseas?”

The young man shook his head. “No, we live in Seoul.”

And as if the gods were blessing him with a little thing called fate, Youngjae brightened at the news. “We live in Seoul too.”

“We should set a date then.” Retrieving a pen and a piece of note paper from his pants pocket, he wrote down his contact info and handed it over to him, but not without a business card to go along with it. “That piece of paper,” He referred to the stub he had conveniently ripped from his notebook, “is for when you need to contact me to confirm a date. And that there,” Youngjae redirected his attention to his business card. “That is for when you need to see me for whatever reason it may be.”

It was odd how one interaction possessed a world of possibilities and felt as if it could change the course of time. It wasn’t drastic. A simple smile and another goodbye shared as they left the café wasn’t going to simulate a page taken out of a fairytale ending. It was dinner for four and that was it. The most he could hope to get out of a dreary situation was a friend.

“Youngjae!” Just when he thought he could lose himself in his own bubble of peace and tranquility, Luhan started yelling across the room. “Did you leave or are you just taking your sweet time?!”

Luckily for him, the little kindness he received was enough to rejuvenate the resilience needed to put up with Luhan’s attitude. The curmudgeon didn't say anything when Youngjae returned to his seat, and perhaps the somewhat obedient silence that followed helped with maintaining his role of catering to the disability Luhan placed upon himself.

“Are you really going to stay like that? Are you really leaving that blindfold on?”

Luhan didn’t answer him. The boy was too busy groping at the table in search for the glass cup that was set in front of him. The significance of this little exercise had still remained a mystery. Youngjae was smart. He could solve puzzles and interpret the abstractness of human nature and the odd riddles that came with them within minutes. However, the whole ‘leading the blind’ act was on a level of difficulty Youngjae hadn’t had the chance to master.

Just as he explained to the man who paid for their meal, Luhan was complicated.

He threw tantrums, caused one hissy-fit after the next and didn’t give a damn what kind of negative response his vulgarities attracted. It was something to be looked down upon but, at the same time, it was a trait of confidence Youngjae had always envied in both the man who sat in front of him, and the irresponsible male he called his best friend.

“Stop.” He reached out from across the table and, despite the reprecussions set before him, he took him by teh hand. “Let me help you before you break something again.” Unlike the resistance he encountered back at the subway, hands that would've stiffened by the mere physical contact from another man had slackened in acceptance of a touch Luhan had labeled as an act of ‘faggotry’ he wouldn't take part of. It was strange. Holding him and having fingers caress the ethereal white of Luhan skin felt like a crime punishable by death. Luhan made it so hard for people to get close to him that when Youngjae finally had the opportunity to catch him in a very calm state of mind, he was quick to dismiss it and conform the palms of Luhan’s hands to the sleek curve of the cup provided for him.

They sat there without so much as a word said, the stillness of it all eventually causing Youngjae to reflect on the events that had unfolded thus far. His thoughts started with Himchan, crossed over to Luhan until it finally ended with the man who was solely identified based on his smile alone; Which reminded him, ‘I didn’t ask him his name.’

Youngjae fished out the business card from his pocket and smiled down at the rather feminine, yet elegant choice in design that represented the man whose name he wouldn’t soon forget: 

A/N: This is a very Youngjae centric chapter lol  So, anyone can guess what the whole 'blindfold exercise' is for? What it may represent or symbolize? And no, it's not a trust exercise lol We're talking about Luhan here lol....

Show of hands, who's disappointed with Yongguk's decision to deny the internship? Who's in a state of, "Oh my god, this was gukkies chance to get some daehyun lovin and he ruined it?" lol Yeah, I'm totally making it so difficult for bangdae to actually happen and I'm sorry for that so I'm just here to remind y'all who might be getting frustrated that it'll happen. lol It will...I swear to the matoki gods it will happen eventually xD /sobs/

Anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR THE 100+ UPVOTES! When I saw that I nearly broke out in sobs of happiness so thank you syasdfghjkl, darkblood, WahaHaha, tachibana, pupeez4eva, ChaerinOh, BAPisPerfect, lmtomato, Vitokki, Strawberry1299, lalalananalalala and all those who have stuck it out with me <3 I don't know how to show my appreciation. I want to give you all something but I just don't know what it should be TAT 

Also, I know I said this before but I swear I'll shorten my chapters (and my long arse a/n) so you aren't waiting weeks for an update (school is being such a >B[ ) And I'll be replying to y'allz lovely, oh-my-god-I-want-to-pounce-all-your-faces-cus-you-are-all-too-precious-for-words comments when I wake up. I had meant to do it last week but finals were a killer ;n;