Index:

(YJ) - Young Jae speaking
(DH) - Daehyun speaking
(BY) - Yongguk speaking
(JU) - Jongup speaking
(JI) - Jin speaking

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Normally, when two people whom supposedly really like each other are left alone, they were supposed to practically jump at each other like beasts in heat! It was supposed to be the perfect moment when two people that were practically meant for each other to just go at it and establish a strong connection between one another. It should have been the perfect plan, the plan that wouldn’t require any other plans. However, was it going to end up that way?

Apparently not.

With these two, it seemed like they weren’t going to go anywhere! It was driving Jin insane with how long they had to wait for something interesting to happen! Couldn’t they do anything BESIDES just sitting there awkwardly?! He was fairly certain that there had to be SOMETHING for them to do or talk about! They could be talking about how fluffy the clouds were for all he cared! At least then, they were progressing in some sort of way, but were they doing that? Of course not! They were just being awkward pansies just trying to blend in with a background that didn’t require pansies! In fact, with their looks, they both stood out like a pair of tomatoes that had been placed in a box of onions! Why he chose that analogy, he didn’t know, but that didn’t matter! It’s not like picking a different analogy would have made things progress faster!

Letting out an irritated sigh, Jin practically let his head fall onto the table as a loud thump signaled his landing. Yongguk had made certain that neither Daehyun nor Young Jae had noticed Jin’s actions before looking back at Jin. It didn’t make any sense to him as to why Jin was acting like this, but at least they hadn’t been found out. Well.. he would have assumed that Jin didn’t want to be found out. With the way that the these two had snuck off and made it seem like they had left the restaurant clearly meant that they were spying on the two. Sadly, the reason behind it seemed to escape his grasp. Looking back over at Jongup, Yongguk cleared his throat a bit to gain his attention. “Why is he acting like this?” (BY)

“Uh..” (JU) Jongup took a moment to look at Daehyun and Young Jae, whom were still sitting while avoiding eye contact with one another. Taking a moment to think, Jongup looked back at Yongguk before pointing at the far away duo. “I think he’s frustrated because of them. We’re trying to get them together, but they’re not doing much..” (JU)

“Ah.. So that’s what it is..” (BY) A smirk played across his face as he glanced over at the duo. Was that really their intention from the beginning? It was a rather nice gesture, but Yongguk wasn’t necessarily certain if that was the best idea. Well, for now, he would just merely observe just as these two were. Best to see where these events would soon lead to as opposed to trying to pave it the way Jin and Jongup wanted.

Just as he came to that decision, his phone quickly vibrated in an attempt to get Yongguk’s attention. Leaning back a bit, Yongguk dug around in his pocket before pulling out his phone. Opening up the text message, Yongguk briefly skimmed the panicked text before he began typing up his reply. Well, it seemed like there was no way out of this now. Now... what would be the best thing to reply with? If his aide was requested, he obviously had to come up with the best possible reply that he could think of.

Over back where the duo were sitting, Young Jae’s foot was constantly shaking as his nervousness kicked in. Why wasn’t Yongguk replying faster?! Young Jae wanted to break the awkward silence between them and it was necessary that he received his answer as quickly as possible! Biting his bottom lip, Young Jae had just started tapping his fingers onto the table when suddenly, a vibration on the table caused him to jump. The whole table shook from Young Jae’s actions, causing Daehyun to jump a bit as well before staring up at Young Jae with wide eyes. The two stared at one another before Young Jae quickly swiped his phone off of the table and turned away in an attempt to hide himself from embarrassment. Opening up the text message, Young Jae quickly read it as fast as he could before turning to look at Daehyun. “H-Hey..! Um.. Uh.. What are your hobbies?” (YJ)

“Hobbies?” (DH) Hobbies were probably something that escaped him. He didn’t really do anything like singing, drawing, sports, etc. In fact, the majority of his time had been spent either working or just doing simple things that practically everyone does. Could he help it? He hasn’t really much thought on everything else, though.. maybe it was time to change that. “I guess as a hobby, there's watching tv, cooking, and studying. I’m not really sure if cooking counts though since Jongup doesn’t want to cook and I’m just kind of forced into it.” (DH)

“Really? But your cooking is pretty good! Why don’t you become a chef?” (YJ) A chef? The thought never really crossed his mind, but then again, he would have to quit one or both of his jobs to become a chef. He knew that anything related to the restaurant business was usually stressful and fast pace, so he wasn’t necessarily certain if he’d be able to handle it. Then again, he wanted to become a doctor, right? Although it wasn’t necessarily the same, both jobs were still fairly stress filled and fast. The only difference was that one was trying to save lives while the other was keeping lives nourished.

“It seems nice, but.. I don’t really know how much it pays. I can’t really afford to switch jobs only to find out that it pays less than the two I have now.” (DH) Young Jae slowly nodded as he tried to think of anything else to say. What else could they talk about? Maybe he could try expanding on the hobbies and maybe see if Daehyun would possibly mention anything else that he could be interested in.

“So.. um... is there any other hobbies that you like to do?” (YJ) Daehyun would have immediately answered, but he assumed that Young Jae was probably trying to keep the conversation going. He took a moment to think, but try as he might, he just couldn’t come up with anything to respond with.

“Sorry.. that’s about it. What about you? What kind of hobbies do you do?” (DH) Unlike Daehyun, Young Jae has had plenty of time to gain a variety of skills that he could then consider as hobbies. Then again, he hasn’t had to actually take on a job as opposed to Daehyun, so he couldn’t exactly boast about his free time. Of course, he also hasn’t really had a need to take on a job. His allowance every month was rather.. well, large as opposed to most people’s allowance.

“Hm.. Well.. I guess there’s video games, martial arts, reading, uh... I’ve gone horseback riding also. Maybe a bit of fencing as well, but.. I think my main hobby would be art.” (YJ) Daehyun couldn’t help but stare in awe at Young Jae. There were so many things that Young Jae has had the chance to do and accomplish. In a way, Daehyun was rather.. jealous of Young Jae’s life, but he was also glad that Young Jae also managed to be able to live comfortably. With a grin, Daehyun sat up a bit as he leaned his arms against the edge of the table.

“Wow.. You’ve done so much! Though.. I’m curious. What kind of art do you do?” (DH) Bringing up the topic of art seemed to instantly excite Young Jae as a large smile graced his face. It was quite remarkable to see just how happy Young Jae got in just a matter of seconds, but then again, humans as a whole were always full of surprises.

“I can do all sorts of art. I personally like painting with acrylic paint, but there are other types of paint too like oils and water color. Those are pretty good. Oh! I do like sculpting too. I have a few statues that I made myself, buuut.. I’m not really that good at it yet. I’m still learning.. but I’m more of a paper or canvas type of person anyway. There’s also charcoal. I really like using charcoal only because it’s easy to fix a mistake, but it does get pretty messy too. I guess it just depends on the project being done. Do you want to learn? I can teach you! It’s very fun and I think you’d like it.” (YJ) In all honesty, it sounded more confusing than anything. However, Daehyun couldn’t help but smile while Young Jae spoke. There was just so much life and excitement in Young Jae’s voice, which in itself was quite a reward. He did want to at least give it a try, but he didn’t really have the time to do so, unless..

“I could try.. How about Sunday? It’s the only day that I don’t have to work.” (DH) Young Jae took a moment, but he already knew the answer. He usually didn’t do anything on Sunday’s, so it would work out perfectly! Though... he wasn’t entirely certain if it would be alright for him to do this now that he thought about it. His father was completely against him pursuing art as a career, but it should technically be alright if he was just teaching someone the basics. Still, he gave a small smile as he nodded to Daehyun.

“Yeah.. It’s alright. I’ll even bring over some supplies you can use whenever I teach you.” (YJ) Young Jae took a sip of his water as he adjusted his position a bit. Although he was a bit sad once he had thought about his dad, he was still happy that he could at least do something productive with his art abilities.

The second he felt something take hold of his hands, Young Jae jumped a bit as he looked up at Daehyun. He stared briefly for a moment before looking down at their hands. It took a moment, but once Young Jae realized what was going on, his face reddened as he looked up at Daehyun with his mouth slightly agape. Daehyun only smiled though as he gave Young Jae’s hands a light squeeze. “Don’t worry. I don’t know what’s wrong, but.. everything will be alright.” (DH)

How did he know that something was wrong? Had he been showing what he had been feeling? Still... it was both comforting and embarrassing for Daehyun to be showing his concern. It was nice, but.. Young Jae was feeling something he was certain that he shouldn’t be feeling. None of his other male friends had this sort of effect on him, of course.. none of his male friends held his hands like this in the first place. Well.. maybe he could let it go for now. He slowly smiled a bit and was about to thank Daehyun about it, but Daehyun had pulled his hands away as the waitress arrived with both their drinks and their food. As the waitress set it down, Daehyun stared at everything in pure awe as his stomach suddenly betrayed his attempt to hide his hunger. Sure, he’s technically seen food similar to this, but he couldn’t exactly recognize some of the ingredients. Plus, the drinks were rather interesting looking as well. “Here is your meal! Please enjoy.”

Both males smiled and bowed their heads before the waitress walked off with her tray and tray stand. Daehyun bit his bottom lip in an attempt to hide his smile as he slowly reached for his spoon. As his fingers trailed along the edges of the shiny metal surface, Daehyun’s gaze trailed upwards as he made eye contact with Young Jae, whom seems to be waiting for him to eat. Just as he picked up his spoon, he paused for a moment as a thought crossed his mind. “How much is all of this? I wanna pay you back later when I get the chance.” (DH)

“H-Huh?” (YJ) Young Jae had been too focused on Daehyun’s reaction to have anticipated Daehyun’s question. He really had hoped that Daehyun would have just started eating, but it seems like Daehyun’s a bit stubborn. Clearing his throat and straightening out his shirt, Young Jae picked up his spoon as he nervously smiled. “Just eat, alright? I want to see if what you have is good and anyway, I said that this was my treat! So don’t worry about paying me back.” (YJ)

This was still something that he was uncomfortable with, but since Young Jae seemed to continue to persist not to let him pay any of it, he might as well just accept it as a trade for now. Sooner or later, Daehyun could find a way to pay him back. Though... thinking about it now, he did wonder something. Since Young Jae didn’t exactly have a job, then why was he so confident about paying for everything? “So... How are you able to afford all of this?” (DH)

“Afford..? Oh.. I get allowance.” (YJ) Allowance? Well, most likely, the most this meal should cost is around fifty, maybe even sixty if Young Jae had ordered the more expensive items on the menu, but otherwise, it was still expensive. Was Young Jae usually loose with his money or did he just get a lot with his allowance? Daehyun was rather curious about it, but it was probably best not to pry about it. It wasn’t exactly his business, so he would just drop it for the time being.

“Okay.. well.. let’s eat well then.” (DH) Once Young Jae nodded, they once again turned their gazes back toward their own meals. Of course, Young Jae couldn’t help but steal glances from Daehyun as he tried to see how he would react to the food. He probably would have continued this until it happened, but Daehyun had once again decided to ask a question as he picked over the food with his spoon. “What is this? I wanna say shrimp, but... it doesn’t look like shrimp.” (DH)

“What? Oh, it’s just lobster. Tell me if it’s good, okay?” (YJ)

“Lobster?! Just having lobster in the dish makes it at least twenty dollars alone! Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for at least some of it? I mean.. it has to be expensive, right?” (DH) He has seen lobster on various menu’s and each and every time, it was usually the most expensive dish in that category. Why did Young Jae order something like that for him? If he had wanted to know how it tasted, then it would have been better for Young Jae to order it for himself to try it.

“It’s alright! I can cover it. Go ahead and eat it.” (YJ) Daehyun let out a small sigh as he looked back down at his food. Picking up his spoon full of food, Daehyun took in a deep breath before putting it into his mouth. Once the spoon had left his mouth, Daehyun began to chew as he took the time to actually see just how good this lobster fried rice is. After he finished chewing and had swallowed up the chewed up food, Daehyun grinned as he looked back up at Young Jae.

“It’s pretty good! You wanna try?” (DH) Young Jae nodded with excitement as he moved a bit more towards the edge of his seat. He hadn’t even started on his own food yet, but that may have been because he was paying a little too much attention to Daehyun. Young Jae watched as Daehyun scooped up another spoonful of his food before holding it out towards him. Daehyun held that grin of his as he held a hand underneath the spoon to ensure that none of the food ended up being wasted. “Here.” (DH)

Leaning forward, Young Jae smiled a bit as he opened his mouth wide, taking in the spoonful of food that Daehyun was offering to him. Making certain that none of the food had been left behind, Young Jae pulled away as he happily chewed his food. The rice was pretty good, as Daehyun said, so at least he knew that the dish was at least worth the money. With a smile, Young Jae gave Daehyun a thumbs up, whom merely grinned as he went back to eating.

As they ate, Young Jae couldn’t help but continually glance up at Daehyun every now and then. He just seemed to have this satisfied look on his face, whether he was eating his food or drinking his strawberry smoothie, Daehyun just seemed to be enjoying himself. Then again, Young Jae already knew that Daehyun was quite the food lover, so that may have had some sort of effect on Daehyun’s mood at the moment. He probably would have continued what he was doing, but the second Daehyun looked up at him and gave that bright smile of his, Young Jae couldn’t help but look away as he felt his face redden a bit.

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Stepping out of the restaurant, Daehyun let out a satisfied sigh as he rubbed his belly. Sure, he wasn’t necessarily full, but the food was just enough to get him through until lunch. Plus, it was nice having Young Jae as company. He probably would have gotten some dessert, but he wasn’t usually the type to have dessert right after breakfast. Okay, so it was mostly just because he didn’t want Young Jae paying for that too. Could he help it?

Walking down the sidewalk, Daehyun put his thumbs into his pockets, letting the rest of his hands hang off the side. While he was busy quietly humming to himself, Young Jae was trying to figure out what to do next. Sure, they could have gone their separate ways right after eating, but it would have felt rude to just meet up and then go without spending just a bit more time together. After all, they haven’t really had the chance to properly hang out yet, so might as well take advantage of it as much as possible. However, despite coming to this conclusion, Young Jae just couldn’t come up with anything to do. They could talk, sure, but would they just be walking and talking? They wouldn’t be doing anything else? It was rather... boring. Plus, they normally spend the majority of their lives walking, talking, and sitting, so they might as well throw some sort of excitement into the mix!

The second Young Jae was certain that Daehyun was preoccupied with something else, Young Jae quickly pulled out his phone and turned slightly to the side a bit as he attempted to secretly text Yongguk. He needed to know what to do and Yongguk seemed to be good with coming up with ideas. After all, he suggested the hobbies topic and they were able to talk about a variety of things! So, maybe Yongguk would be able to figure out what they were supposed to do next. He typed up the message as fast as he could, ignoring the various typos that had been included, before sending the message and putting his phone away as quickly as possible. Glancing over at Daehyun, Young Jae’s face reddened a bit as he saw Daehyun just barely turn his head away. Had Daehyun been looking his way the entire time?! Did he read the text that he had typed up? Before he could continue to ponder the possibility, Young Jae’s pocket vibrated, causing him to jump a bit before quickly fishing his phone out of his pocket. Why was he acting like this?! No. That question can wait. Opening up the text message, Young Jae turned to look at Daehyun as he quickly tugged on Daehyun’s sleeve. “H-Hey! Do you wanna go shopping?” (YJ)

“Shopping?” (DH) If he had known that he was going to end up going shopping, then he probably would have brought more money with him. Okay, so he has a card that he could use, but he would prefer to save whatever money he has in the bank as much as possible. Rubbing the back of his head, he was about to deny Young Jae’s suggestion, but Young Jae wasn’t going to hear it.

“Come on! Let’s go shopping.” (YJ)

“W-” (DH) Before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, Daehyun felt his arm roughly tugged, forcing him to stumble forward before attempting to regain his footing. Daehyun looked at Young Jae as he was about to say something, but the second he saw Young Jae turn his head and give him a small smile, he couldn’t help but give an embarrassed smile as he decided against bringing it up. If Young Jae wanted to go shopping, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go. He just wouldn’t buy anything. Browsing through the racks was a valid option and it was an option that he was going to utilize.

As they made their way to the closest clothing store that Daehyun knew about, Young Jae made certain to make note of the stores in this general area. Young Jae normally went to brand name stores or to rather fancy restaurants that required a coat and tie. So, it was rather nice from time to time to be able to wear comfortable clothing as opposed to having to be dressed in casually formal attire. Was that what it was even called? Well, that’s what he was going to call it now. “How about this store?” (DH)

“I think it’s suitable. Let’s go in.” (YJ) As Young Jae pulled Daehyun up to the building, he finally looked through the glass. The clothes inside seemed good enough, plus, it would be nice to get Daehyun a new wardrobe. Sure, he didn’t know what clothes that Daehyun owned, but having a nice set of clothes is always nice.

Stepping into the building, Young Jae finally released his hold on Daehyun as he took the time to figure out where to start first. Walking up to the first clothing rack that caught his attention, Young Jae began to look through it to see which of these clothes would suit Daehyun the best. While he did that, Daehyun stood behind Young Jae, his thumbs in his pockets as he merely looked around the store with slight interest. Once Young Jae pulled one of the shirts from the rack, he turned to Daehyun before holding it out for him to see. “What do you think of this one? Does it look alright?” (YJ)

Daehyun examined the shirt, a slight hum escaping his lips as he tried to judge it to the best of his ability. Since he didn’t know Young Jae’s style, he couldn’t necessarily say if the shirt would go with the rest of Young Jae’s wardrobe, but that probably didn’t really matter. With a small nod, Daehyun gave a thumbs up as he smiled a bit. “I think it would look great on you.” (DH)

“Me? No. It’s for you!” (YJ) As much as he wanted to be polite and just go along with Young Jae’s sudden need to buy him clothes, he also couldn’t just suddenly accept it without even being asked whether he wanted these things or not. Daehyun wasn’t exactly used to being given whatever he wanted so suddenly after all. He simply smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Ah, really? It’s alright. You don’t have to buy me anything. I’ll just help you pick out something instead.” (DH) Young Jae lowered the shirt a bit as he stared at Daehyun. He knew that it would be pushing it if he tried to get Daehyun to buy anything and it already seemed like Daehyun was uncomfortable with all of this, so it was probably best not to force it on him. With a small sigh, Young Jae hung the shirt back on the rack before turning back to face Daehyun.

“Okay.. Um.. so then.. What do you want to do?” (YJ) Young Jae didn’t really know why he hadn’t even thought about asking what Daehyun wanted to do. For some reason, he felt like he needed to try and come up with everything, but.. it was quite important to get the opinion of the other person. After all, it’s not like they both liked the exact same things nor were they on a date of any kind.

Taking this moment to think, Daehyun used his left hand to hold his right elbow as he used his right hand to hold his chin a bit. What exactly could they do that was currently in the immediate area and entertaining enough to make things less awkward? Well, there was one such place, but Daehyun wasn’t necessarily certain if Young Jae was interested in doing it. After all, it could either be fun or it could be boring and it would be rather difficult to keep things entertaining with just the two of them. Still, it was better than nothing. “How about we go bowling?” (DH)

“Bowling..?” (YJ) Young Jae wasn’t necessarily certain if they really should end up going, but anything was better than just standing around, doing nothing. In fact, it could probably make things less awkward too if they went, so maybe it wasn’t that bad of an idea after all. “Okay, sure! Let’s go! Lead the way.” (YJ)

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Bowling alleys were either filled with life or devoid of it. Regardless of the amount of players, there was always that usual loud crash whenever a bowling ball came into contact with one of the bowling pins. It was a game that wasn’t necessarily for everyone, but at least it could help pass the time. Sadly, there was also a matter about something else that was very important to acknowledge. This something was normally overlooked by most everyday people whom came to bowl at these places.

Standing in line, Young Jae took the time to look around. There were only about two couples in front of them and then there was about two others groups already bowling here, so that meant that they possibly were going to end up being judged by other bowlers, not that he was worried about being judged or anything! It was just important to have fun was all. As long as they maintained that, then it should be completely fine... right?

“Hey. What’s your shoe size?” (DH) Shoe size? Young Jae looked forward only to realize that they were now up front, by the counter. Looking at the pair of shoes on the counter that was meant for Daehyun, Young Jae couldn’t help but stare in disgust at the pair of shoes. They had been worn by MANY people multiple times and that just wasn’t something that Young Jae was exactly okay with. So what if they tried to make it seem like they cleaned the shoes with some sort of spray? It still wasn’t sanitary! They could end up getting some sort of foot fungus or something from wearing these shoes! Still, he needed to just get it over with as he looked down, seeing that Daehyun was currently missing a single shoe. Letting out a small sigh, Young Jae raised his foot as he took his shoe off before placing it on the counter.

“Eight..” (YJ)

“We’re almost the same shoe size.” (DH) The second the employee turned to get the shoes for him, Young Jae looked to see Daehyun grinning. Why was Daehyun so happy about that? If it was meant to be cute, then it probably would have.. if it wasn’t for the fact that they were about to were germ infested shoes. As the employee set the shoes down onto the table, Young Jae instantly shivered as he stared at the shoes. Taking in a deep breath, Young Jae braced himself for a brief moment before taking hold of the shoes. His whole body shivered yet again as he soon followed Daehyun towards the lane that they were supposed to occupy.

As Daehyun sat down and began to put on the bowling shoes, Young Jae set the shoes down as quickly as possible as he took the seat next to Daehyun. He probably would have wiped his hands on his pants, but just the idea of having those germs on him constantly until his clothes were washed did not seem like the greatest idea in the world. Nope. He most definitely did not want to do such a thing, so unless he planned to go to the bathroom any time soon, then he didn’t see any other choice. Of course, there was no way that he could do something like that every time he touched something, so.. he was stuck having dirty hands until they finally decided to eat something. “Is something wrong?” (DH)

“What?” (YJ) Young Jae looked at Daehyun, whom seemed to be done with changing his shoes. He looked back down at the pair of shoes in front of him, the disgusted facial expression never leaving as he set his hand down onto the seat. “The idea of wearing rental shoes don’t really.. interest me all that much.” (YJ)

Did the idea really bother Young Jae that much? If that was the case, then he should have said something earlier. Daehyun didn’t exactly want to force Young Jae into wearing something that he didn’t want to wear. There were still a number of things that they could do, so they could just get up and leave if he wanted to. “We can do something else if you want.” (DH)

“No! We.. uh.. we have to do this. I.. I want to try bowling.” (YJ) He really did want to try out bowling. There had been quite a number of things that he had yet to try and bowling just so happened to be one of them. Sure, he didn’t exactly agree with some of the things that one was practically forced into when bowling, but that couldn’t be helped. After, practically everything had some sort of requirements, so might as well comply.

“Are you su-” (DH)

“Yes, I’m sure! Just, uh.. give me a moment. You set up everything and I’ll change my shoes.” (YJ) Daehyun nodded, but he couldn’t help but worry just a bit. When they had been kids, Young Jae would clearly state whenever he didn’t want to do something. Okay, so he would hesitate and stutter when doing so, but his opinion was still obvious regardless of how he said it. Now, though, Daehyun couldn’t tell if he really did want to bowl or if he was forcing himself to do it. Still, he wouldn’t question it. If the idea of wearing shoes grossed him out but he was willing to go through it to play the game, then it shouldn’t be bad. Though.. did that mean that Young Jae hadn’t played before? Getting up from his seat, Daehyun made his way over to the panel, stealing glances at Young Jae every now and then as he registered their names.

Taking in a deep breath, Young Jae tried his best to mentally prepare himself. This was definitely not the worst thing that he’s had to go through. Being taken hostage by little kids, beaten up by his birth mother and again by those same group of kids, then having to deal with a crap brother, this was practically nothing compared to those! So, this should be a cinch. Nothing can get in the way of him making it through this game. He just needed to thoroughly clean himself and his clothes once he was done with all of this.

Once he took off his remaining shoe, Young Jae took in another deep breath and held it, before he quickly forced himself to put one of the shoes on. The second his foot was completely inside of the shoe, all sorts of bad shivers and chills ran down his spine as he could practically feel the germs crawling all around the place, seeping into his sock as they began to make a place on his foot. He wanted to pull the shoe off, spray as much disinfectant on his sock and foot as possible before he took a very long bath. Sadly, if he wanted to spend more time with Daehyun, there was no way that he was going to be able to do that and unless he wanted Daehyun joining him in the bath, which would be a very gay thing to do, then there was nothing else he could do.

The second he had calmed down in even the slightest, Young Jae quickly tied the shoe laces to the best of his abilities before looking down at the other shoe. Now that he has one of the shoes on, that left just one more. It wasn’t that hard, or at least, it shouldn’t be this hard. All he was doing was putting on a pair of bowling shoes and then playing a nice game of bowling with Daehyun. In fact, Daehyun could even teach him how to play! It was a nice trade, right? Since Young Jae was teaching Daehyun the way of the art, then it only made sense to learn how to bowl from Daehyun. Sure, Young Jae didn’t see himself using any sort of bowling ability to help advance his career, but then again, it was a nice hobby.. assuming that he could at least find joy in the sport.

Making certain that he had taken yet another few breaths, Young Jae grit his teeth as he forced the other shoe onto his foot. Yet more chills traveled down his spine as he shivered, a quiet gasp escaping his lips as he tried desperately not to overreact to the situation. They were just a pair of shoes and nothing more. It’s not like he could gain any sort of disease or fungus or anything else from just putting on a pair of shoes that more than a dozen people have worn, right? He just.. needed to trust that the employees had thoroughly cleaned each and every one of these shoes, specifically the pair that he was wearing at this very moment. Letting out as quiet of a whine as humanly possible, Young Jae finally began tying this shoe as well. One way or another, he was going to make it through this.

While that was occurring, only about six to seven lanes away, Yongguk, Jongup, and Jin were currently tying up their shoes as well. Yongguk couldn’t help but grin with amusement as he saw the distorted faces that Young Jae had been making for the past five to ten minutes. Yongguk knew how Young Jae was, but he hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. It was quite amusing and if it hadn’t been for Daehyun, then he wouldn’t have been able to see that kind of reaction from Young Jae. “Who goes first?” (JU)

Both Yongguk and Jin looked up at Jongup, whom clearly was more interested in bowling than paying attention to the duo. Jin let out a slightly irritated sigh as he got to his feet and walked up to Jongup. With a smile, he patted Jongup’s shoulders a few times before leaving them there for a moment. “You can go first, buddy! I’ll go last, so you register us, alright?” (JI)

“Okay!” (JU) Once Jin removed his hands from Jongup’s shoulders, Jongup eagerly sat down at the console as he began typing up the names for the scoreboard. With Jongup distracted, Jin sat down next to Yongguk and looked his way before nudging him with his elbow. Yongguk looked his way for a brief moment before leaning back in his seat, his eyes focusing back on Daehyun and Young Jae.

“Hey. What’s your name, anyway?” (JI) Yongguk smirked, a bit amused by Jin’s actions. By now, Jin should have known what his name was, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Either way, at least Jin had decided to finally try and figure out what his name was, though he also couldn’t necessarily recall if they had exchanged names back at the restaurant. If they hadn’t, then he was rather amused that Jin hadn’t been paying any attention while him and Jongup had been talking. Jongup has said his name quite a number of times, so it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore.

“It’s common courtesy to give your name first before asking for someone else’s.” (BY) Jin furrowed his eyebrows as he folded his arms, debating whether to give him a hard time or to just go along with what he was asking. As tempting as it was to just try and get his name out of him without giving his own, it seemed to be much faster to just give it and get these things over with already so that he could focus back on the other two.

“Jin. Now, what’s yours?” (JI)

“Don’t feel like giving it to you.” (BY) Jin couldn’t help but stare at this man in disbelief. Why wouldn’t he tell him his name?! Jin already gave his, so it was only both fair and polite to do the same! Ruffling his hair out of pure frustration, Jin sat at the edge of his seat as he looked at Yongguk.

“Hey, you punk! I gave you my name, so give me yours already!” (JI) Yongguk merely smirked as he looked up at the scoreboard. He could see that their names had been set up already, though it seemed like Jin wasn’t exactly sharp enough to just look at the scoreboard. Looking back at Jin, Yongguk merely shrugged as he turned his attention back towards Daehyun and Young Jae. It would be interesting to see how long it would take Jin to finally notice that his name was up there.

“Hm.. Nah. Don’t feel like giving it to you. You’ll have to figure it out yourself.” (BY) Jin let out another groan before sitting back in his seat. Folding his arms, Jin looked around for a brief moment before his eyes landed on Jongup, whom had just gotten up to go bowl first. Clearing his throat as loudly as possible, Jongup turned around to stare at him for a moment.

“Jongup! You know his name, right? What’s his name?” (JI) The second Jin pointed his thumb towards Yongguk, Jongup looked at Yongguk, whom shook his head a bit. Jongup thought on it for a moment before shrugging, quickly making his way over towards the bowling balls before Jin could continue questioning him. Letting out yet another groan, Jin looked over at Yongguk as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Did you shake your head towards him?” (JI)

“I assure you.. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” (BY) Turning away from Yongguk, Jin closed his eyes as he tried his best not to let himself fall into Yongguk’s trap. After all, it seemed like this is what Yongguk wanted, so it was best not to actually go through with it. Sadly, it just seemed like this was going to be quite a long process.

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[[ My Own Thoughts:

Sorry for taking so long to update >.<..
I’ve been having writer’s block >.<..
So I hope that the chapter was alright. @_@
I’ll try better to come up with chapters faster, especially since I have up to chapter 25 planned out already.
Sooo.. Again, sorry for the long wait ._.

Comments are loved. x3
I love to see what everyone thinks of the fanfic so far >3<..
Plus, it’s just nice to talk to everyone. x3 ]]