Kyungsoo wakes up to the aroma of fresh steamed rice. Surprised, he tentatively opens his bedroom door and peeks outside.

Mom and Dad are sitting amicably at the rickety old dining table. The old man is laughing heartily at something Mom just said, and Kyungsoo almost succumbs to the illusion that maybe his dad’s all right when he catches sight of the way the old man’s hands shake as he brings a cup of tea to his lips. He wonders if his mom sees the hot liquid sloshing from the rim of the cup, or whether she notices Dad’s bloodshot eyes. 

Probably not. She looks happy.

His dad sees him just before he shuts the door again and calls him over. Resigned, Kyungsoo plods softly across the dusty floor and stands silently before his parents.

“Your mom tells me you’ve got a nice new job. Well paying, huh?” 

Kyungsoo doesn’t return his dad’s cheeky smile, nor does he accept his mom’s look of vague apology.

Dad clears his throat: “So, how about you lend the old man a couple bucks, huh, and—”

“I’m saving up for college,” Kyungsoo interrupts. He’s had this conversation before and he doesn’t relish repeating it. 

“—What?”

Kyungsoo tries not to show it, but he can’t quite hide his wince when he sees his dad’s emaciated face redden with rage. 

“What did you just say? Now, you listen here you little brat, I raised you, okay? I paid for you to grow up! Who the do you think you are?" his dad roars. And with a scoff, he adds, "And college? You think you can go to college? What kind of ty college do you think is gonna take a repeat kid like you? Don’t bull me. Just hand over the—hey, where do you think you’re going? Where the  do you think you’re—”

Kyungsoo winces again when he hears his dad's tea cup shatter against the wall. Another cup gone, though at least this time, there isn’t any collateral damage to his face. He only regrets that he’s probably ruined his mom’s day…but, well…

The morning got off to a rough start, but in fact, Saturdays mornings are special to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo doesn’t have work, so he takes the bus to a coffee shop near school and parks himself in an obscure corner with his homework. It’s a bit indulgent, he knows. The coffee’s vastly overpriced and he hardly fits in. But he tells himself it’s a nice space to work and he’s getting things done. He doesn’t admit that he likes the place because it makes him forget, at least for a moment, just how alone he is. Surrounded by nonchalant, cheery teens, he realizes that he too can play the part, so long as he tries.

Kyungsoo arrives on the early side today. The Saturday crowd hasn’t quite all gathered, so he claims his corner without trouble. He takes out his English book, but doesn’t open it. Instead, he closes his eyes, leans back in the wooden chair, and allows himself to bask in the sun that filters in through the window. The aroma of coffee and the white noise of relaxed chatter slowly infiltrate his body and squeeze out the relentless anxiety that’s been building up throughout the week. He breathes steadily—in and out, in and out. 

Focus, Kyungsoo. You can do this. 

When he opens his eyes again, he takes a final deep breath and plunges into his work. 

He doesn’t notice the pair of eyes watching him from across the shop.

Kim Jongin doesn’t come to this coffee shop often. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t like coffee shops in general. There’s something empty about them, an air of depression and loneliness hidden beneath a veneer of pretentious frivolity. Besides, the noise grates at his nerves. 

But, since Taemin began dating Naeun, Jongin finds himself dragged to coffee shops more and more often. Today’s one of those occasions. He sits across from the two love birds as they titter away. HIs body slides back in his seat just a fraction of an inch, as if trying to escape in the most inconspicuous way possible. 

“Jongin?” 

At Taemin’s questioning stare, Jongin realizes that his mind has long since wandered off. He returns his friend’s stare blankly.

“You okay there?” 

Naeun looks vaguely uncomfortable, and Jongin feels a pang of apology. It’s not her fault, after all. And Taemin’s just being nice. It’s times like these that Jongin wishes he had more friends. 

“Yeah. Sorry, just spaced out for a second,” he says. Taemin nods and tentatively resumes his conversation with Naeun. Jongin tries his hardest to focus, but soon enough, he tunes out again and his eyes wander the shop. 

They land on a familiar target. With some surprise, he zooms in on the boy sitting in the corner. He observes as the boy scribbles furiously in—their English textbook? Every so often, the boy looks up to stare out the window. Once in awhile, the boy would turn his attention to the rest of the shop and look around with his large, owlish eyes. Jongin wonders what he sees; the boy’s face is curiously blank. 

Jongin thinks that Kyungsoo looks oddly out of place in this coffee shop…much like himself. Kyungsoo’s quiet presence somehow differentiates him from the usual crowd of young people. Is that what catches Jongin’s attention? Or is it the melancholic air of loneliness that shines in Kyungsoo’s eyes when he stares around the room? Unwittingly, Jongin studies the boy’s profile for a beat longer than he had intended. 

“Jongin?”

Jongin snaps out of his reverie at Taemin’s call and begins to feel bad again. No doubt Taemin feels bad too, because he asks if Jongin wants to go check out the arcade. The arcade used to be their favorite joint, but it wasn’t really Naeun’s thing so they haven’t gone much. Truthfully, Jongin misses his adventures with Taemin but he shakes his head. 

“No, I actually just saw a friend. I’m going to go over to say hi. I’ll be right back, ok?”

He doesn’t wait for a response before he gets out of his seat and begins to walk. The sense of relief he feels with each step forward confirms that he’s made the right decision, though he couldn’t have been more spontaneous. 

Behind him, Naeun says to Taemin curiously, “I’ve never seen him hang with other people.”

“No, me neither,” Taemin muses. “Jongin doesn’t really like to get too close to others. And is that Do Kyungsoo? There’s no way they’re friends.”

Kyungsoo starts when the chair across from him slides out and Kim Jongin slides in. 

“Hi,” says the other boy. His half-lidded eyes look as sleepy as ever and nothing about the greeting hints at any underlying enthusiasm. 

Kyungsoo studies him warily for a moment and doesn’t respond. Jongin seems just fine with that and the two lapse into a strange silence. While Kyungsoo remains on edge, Jongin takes out his phone and begins to tap away at a game. He looks up only after enduring several minutes of Kyungsoo’s relentless stares. 

“Can I sit with you?” 

At Kyungsoo’s look of suspicion, Jongin adds, “I won’t bother you.”

Kyungsoo opens his mouth and a half formed no almost tumbles out before he pauses. He suddenly realizes that, for the first time ever, he’s not sitting alone at this table. His large eyes grow impossibly larger as he considers this for a moment. His surprised expression seems to amuse Jongin, who dons a rare half smile. The smile unnerves Kyungsoo just a bit, but there’s something about the situation, something about sitting with another person for the very first time, that gives Kyungsoo pause, so that despite it being Kim Jongin—despite all his discomfort with this strange classmate of his—Kyungsoo can’t quite bring himself to finish that no. 

Jongin must have taken his silence for acquiescence, because he turns back to his game without another word. By then it’s too late to reject him anyway, so Kyungsoo tries not to be fazed by Jongin’s quiet presence and ducks his head to focus again on his half finished work. He doesn’t quite succeed; his heart pounds in his chest as he remains in fight or flight mode. But it’s good enough for Jongin, and the two occupy the table in near silence, sharing a small space, a table for their coffee, but little more. 

“Where are you going?” 

Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat at Jongin’s sudden question. Three quarters of an hour had passed since Jongin sat down with him and he’d just started gathering up his stuff. He hadn’t expected another word from the boy.  Unprepared, he blurts out the truth: “Work. I have a shift at the convenience store nearby ”

“Oh…” Jongin darts a glance at Taemin’s table. When he sees Taemin and Naeun both looking his way with identical expressions of curiosity, he quickly gets up too. “Can I come with you?”

“What?”

“Where do you work?”

“Er…T street and F street—”

“I’ll drive you.”

“—No, that’s not necessa—”

“Come on, it’ll be quicker.” 

Before Kyungsoo could get out another word of protest, Jongin’s already grabbed him by the arm. His hold is surprisingly light but strong, and he tugs Kyungsoo insistently toward the doorway. 

As they pass by Taemin’s table, Jongin bids the surprised couple a hurried goodbye—have to help Kyungsoo get to work, he’s almost late—and they’re out. 

By the time Kyungsoo finds himself stuffed into the passenger seat of Jongin’s car, his head is spinning with confusion. He stares at Jongin with wide eyes as the other boy smoothly backs out of the parking lot. 

It’s only after they stop at the first stop light that Jongin nonchalantly explains: “Sorry, I was trying to find a way to get out of there.”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t want to—I wanted to let Taemin and Naeun have their space, without offending them, you know?”

After a half a beat, Kyungsoo nods. Though if he were completely honest, he’d admit that he didn’t know—he didn’t know who Taemin and Naeun were, he didn’t know what it was like to give friends their space, he didn’t know what it was like to have friends, period. 

“Anyway, thanks,” says Jongin.

“Oh…no problem.”

Kyungsoo wonders if he’s saying the right things. He isn’t sure, but hopes he isn’t too far off when Jongin doesn’t respond. A dulled anxiousness keeps him uncomfortably alert as the car zips towards their destination.

Kyungsoo breathes an internal sigh of relief when the gaggle of girls finally leave. They must’ve spotted Jongin sitting at the counter from outside the window. Jongin ignored them when they waltzed in and continued ignoring them as they pointed and giggled from a distance. Thankfully, the store was almost empty, leaving only Kyungsoo to watch the scene unfold.

Kyungsoo marvels at Jongin’s calm. The other boy’s sat at the counter for near two hours now, fiddling with his phone. True to his word, he didn’t bother Kyungsoo at all—hasn’t so much as glanced at him. It's all very bizarre, but at some point during the two hours, Kyungsoo began to relax. Maybe he isn’t here for any ulterior purposes, Kyungsoo thinks, though he can’t figure out what purpose Jongin is here for. The image of Jongin towering over him that first day of school doesn’t quite dissipate, but it begins to recede to the back of Kyungsoo’s mind, replaced by this other Jongin, who is somehow less imposing if no less mysterious. 

As Kyungsoo mops the floor near the counter, he’s surprised to hear a rumble emit from Jongin’ stomach. When he looks up, he inadvertently meets Jongin’s eyes and sees that the other boy’s tanned face looks just a tad darker than usual. 

Ah, embarrassment. 

The faint blush on Jongin’s cheeks puts Kyungsoo more at ease--he looks more his age when colored by embarrassment. A few minutes later, after he’s put away the mop, Kyungsoo gives Jongin another glance. He’s still sitting quietly, but his unnatural hunched position gives away his hunger. Biting his lower lip, Kyungsoo makes up his mind and grabs a bowl of instant ramen off the shelves.

The spicy aroma of Shin must have caught Jongin’s attention, because he looks up from his phone just before Kyungsoo sets styrofoam bowl before him.

“You…you looked hungry—not in a bad way—you’ve been sitting here for a long—er. It’s free,” Kyungsoo stutters at Jongin’s questioning glance. “I mean, you don’t have to eat it if—“

“—Thanks.”

“…You’re welcome…”

At Jongin’s unreserved slurping of the noodles, Kyungsoo feels a little better. Maybe he’s doing the right things after all. 

Kyungsoo walks home by himself late in the evening after his shift ends. Jongin had departed for dance practice after his bowl of ramen. Though he hadn’t said much, he had offered a small smile and thanks in parting. Kyungsoo is still puzzling over the strange turn of events when he spots a familiar car at the entrance of his alleyway.

Squinting in the dark, Kyungsoo only manages to make out the silhouette of Luhan leaning against the front door of his car. Smoke wafts from the cigarette that he dangles on his long fingers and the man looks ethereal under the dim moonlight. 

“Lu…han?” Kyungsoo asks quietly when he walks near.

Luhan turns sharply at Kyungsoo’s voice and looks palpably relieved to see the younger boy. He flashes a tired if happy smile at Kyungsoo. 

“Hey there. You’re back.”

“I was at work,” Kyungsoo explains shortly, though he’s mired in confusion.

“Yes, I—well, I was looking for you but when I called your house”—your father sounded furious and I was worried—“you weren’t there.”

“Oh.”

“So I’ve been waiting for you.”

Kyungsoo’s heart quickens its pace at Luhan’s statement. This man has been standing in this dimly lit, rundown alleyway…waiting for him?

***TBC***

Cliffhanger...dun dun dun. Anyway, done with my test so hopefully more updates, although I'll be traveling soon (to Europe!) and then moving (to NYC!) so may be slowed down by that. In any case, will continue writing and hope you enjoy! Love all your comments <3 <3