Unbelievably it was October already and all the leaves were a deep shade of red. The sun was setting sooner and the nights were growing darker and colder. The rain was constant and everything was wet.

It was very late in the evening and Sunggyu was definitely somewhere he shouldn’t be but did he care? No. He came to a complete stop cutting the engine of his motorcycle. He kicked out the stand and climbed off the hot metal. The rain was coming down in a light mist, and nothing could remain dry for more than an hour, it would not let up.

As he walked over to the barrel of fire under the bridge he parked next to, he took notice of the unfamiliar faces. All he saw were eyes, narrow and antagonizing. All clad in black and leather from head to toe, concealing their identities with masks. He was similarly clothed. It was important to try and remain anonymous in places like these.

He was at a meeting point for underground racing. The stakes were high and the bets were even higher. They were in the warehouse district near the port. It was usually guarded by some overweight rent-a-cop, so it wasn’t that bad. The track itself was nonexistent though. It was merely a blip on the radar. The first person to the finish line won, how you got there was up to you, no holds barred.

The gravel under his feet crunched as he headed towards the group, fire light flickering in their eyes. He could hear the sound of a fog horn in the background from passing ships. As he reached the fire the air was getting warmer but he could still see small puffs of his own breath. He shoved his hands in his pockets to avoid the cold dampness.

The person closest to his right was the first to move signifying that he must be the leader. Sunggyu pulled a roll of bills from his pocket bound by a single rubber band. They made eye contact and both nodded. The man spoke.

“It’s a thousand dollar buy in, you got the cash?” The masked man eyed the wad in Sunggyu’s hand.

“Right here, crisp green.” He handed the stack over and the guy weighed it in his hand. Sunggyu saw the glint in his eyes.

“The race starts in twenty minutes at the end of the dock. We’ll text you the location.” The guy tossed him a crappy prepaid cell phone, used just for instances like these. They were easy to ditch and untraceable.

Sunggyu wanted to scope out the area so he decided to head to the dock first. It seemed his competition wasn’t too concerned as they remained standing around the trash fueled fire. He slicked back his damp hair and put his helmet on starting up his bike again. It was usually off putting to see a vintage bike in races like these but what could he say he had a certain standard for quality.

When he reached the end of dock he looked out over the water taking off his mask and helmet lighting a cigarette. It was a nice backdrop for a night like this, almost something out of a movie. He leaned against his bike and took in the sights. There were lights and the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean and view of the horizon. The moon was full and bright, haloed by silver clouds.

The scene was interrupted by the sounds of roaring engines. He tossed his cigarette crushing the glowing embers under the heel of his boot. He hid his face once again as he straddled his bike pulling down the shield of his helmet just as headlights to the dock pointing in his direction. He balanced the vibrating engine between his strong thighs and waited for the signal as the others started to line up.

Holding the cell phone in his hand he waited and as it chimed in time with all of the others they took off into the dead of night. He didn’t even bother to check the destination he would get his chance, he just needed to avoid any contact for the moment. Sabotage was part of the game and it could be deadly.

Once he was out of sigh he quickly pulled off to the side and entered the location into the GPS. It was thirty minutes away if he were to stick to actual city streets but with back roads and alleys it was more like ten. He knew his way around, this was his city and he wasn’t new to these games.

He sped off breaking speeds of one hundred and twenty on the straightaways. He darted through empty buildings and zigzagged around abandoned machinery. The air whipped around him and only the sounds of an automated voice played in his ear asking him to redirect every five seconds and as it pinged faster the knew he was getting closer to where he needed to be, but something was off. Where was everyone else? There were only a few of them but at this point he was closing in on his destination and the others should be right behind him, well if he was in the lead.

Had they all beat him? Or was he that far ahead? Either way he didn’t want to take chances so he sped up, only five minutes to the finish line. Suddenly there were headlights flashing in his side mirrors, all of them came into view at once, he was in the lead. Letting it get to his head for a moment he was distracted when a thick metal chain was thrown across the path in front of him. He hit it at breakneck speeds and went flying.

Sunggyu skid across the pavement hard enough to rip though his leather jacket and jeans. He was going to be sore in the morning. The first thought to cross his mind as he was shot into the air was that he would kill any person who ed up his bike then kill everyone else in the vicinity because there were now holes in his favorite jacket. He landed with a bone breaking thud but immediately sat up tossing his helmet so he could breathe. He took a few deep breaths to calm the pounding in his chest.

He checked his limbs and nothing seemed to be broken just cut and bruised. He could move his legs and he wasn’t that far from his bike. As he looked around he saw three other people went down and they weren’t as lucky. There were pieces of wreckage scattered everywhere he looked.

The other four that he counted were circling them taunting, as if to say you were so close. He pushed his hair back out of his face and tossed his gloves because there was gravel ground into his hands anyway and it was just uncomfortable.

He eyed the people still on their rides and picked his motorcycle up inspecting it for damage. Only a few scrapes, they both got lucky tonight. So did everyone else, it seemed no one had to die but he would win this race. He had to.

Woohyun was in his usual spot at the local pub, the one he always went to. There was something different about it though. Something was missing. It was the same as it always had been the dim lights, the people even down to the drink he ordered. It tasted the same, but something inside of him wanted more.

If he had some good company maybe the lights would look better and the drink would be stronger and the feelings flowing from the waves of words would hit him harder. He knew what he wanted and whose company he was craving.

When he was with Sunggyu it was like someone lit a flame and it made everything clear and visible. Things he would have overlooked would always come into view. All the small things, stuff that never used to matter. Sunggyu seemed to give it all meaning.

They didn’t even really know each other. It was just how he felt, and it scared him.

He remained silent in his seat pondering what it all meant, scribbling nothings in his notebook.

Minutes turned into hours and he was bored, not something that usually happened. It was way past his bed time although he didn’t really have one but he didn’t want to go home just yet. The sun would be coming up in only a few hours but he knew where he could find something else that would brighten his day. He packed up his belongings and ventured out into the cold.

The walk wasn’t too far but the pale neon lights in the distance were like a sign from god, calling his name and pulling him in, away from the darkness. Woohyun came closer to the building peeking inside the large panes of glass. He didn’t see who he was looking for. Maybe he wouldn’t go in; he didn’t want to look stupid. But hell, he can do whatever he wants and so what if this place was more comfortable? That is exactly what he would say if anyone had the urge to be nosey and ask him stupid questions.

He rubbed his hands together before bringing them up to his mouth blowing hot air trying to disperse the cold and calm his nerves. He stepped inside the twenty four hour diner and was greeted by a short woman.

He didn’t want to be too obvious because he could already hear that red headed idiot say something like ‘I knew you missed me.’ Woohyun laughed to himself and got an odd look from the waitress. Blushing he looked away thinking of something to say in order to bring up Sunggyu before she came back to the table with his coffee. He didn’t have to.

“You’re very handsome.” The waitress smiled. She was older but not much, probably married if the ring on her finger meant anything.

“Thank you.” Woohyun smiled back taking a sip of his coffee. Being called handsome didn’t really faze him. Most people would be embarrassed or try to deny it. Why question the majority of the population? “Um, are you working alone?”

“Well just the cook and I. It’s not too bad you are the only person that has come in since my shift started, dead tonight.” She smiled again and shoved her hands into the front pockets of her frilly pastel apron.

If she had on some roller skates and carried around a tray of milkshakes the whole theme would be perfect. Speaking of Woohyun had never really liked milk shakes but suddenly strawberry sounded nice. So, the waitress was alone and there was no sign of the sun, or Sunggyu. He called her back over to the table and ordered a fry and a strawberry milk shake with extra whipped cream.

 Sunggyu was already up and back on his bike flying around giant shipping crates and through an abandoned warehouse. It was hard to see with all the wind whipping him in the face. His side mirrors were cracked but he could still see the four other riders on his tail. He needed to lose them. There was a large semi-truck that was backing up into the loading dock no more than fifty meters ahead, If he timed it just right he could slip between the truck and the building hopefully taking out a few of the guys behind him in the process.

He twisted the handle forward laying into the throttle. At speeds like this everything was dangerous. He prayed to god as he got closer, suddenly becoming religious and vowing to never smoke again if he managed to survive this. He had to admit though the adrenaline rush and the thrill of the race made him feel like he was on fire. It was addicting.

The sound of the truck backing up and the roar of the engines closing in on him propelled him forward and for a split second he closed his eyes, his life flashing before him. Nam Woohyun was a memory that would not be forgotten. How could someone like that pop up at a time like this? He pushed the thought away as he felt the air around him disappear. He was mere inches from being crushed and the idiots behind him didn’t think to go around the truck. He was finally clear, split seconds felt like hours. He looked back to see two bikes spun out under the trailer and the other two swerving in opposite directions.

He managed to lose them, for now at least. He just had to keep going towards his destination. There was no way he was going to let these s get away with trying to kill him. The path ahead was bare and lead him down a gravel trail that followed along the side of the newly built highway. Not one person was in sight. Coming up over a hill he could see the amber glow of another fire in the distance.

He didn’t even bother to slow down as he skidded to a stop blasting dirt in the direction of the only body around. He spun out his back tire for good measure and jumped off his bike lunging at the masked man.

“Are you ing insane?!” Sunggyu was yelling. He had the man by the front of his jacket, their faces almost touching. “Where the is my money?!”

He was spitting as he spoke but the bastard deserved it after what he had been through. What he wasn’t expecting was the right hook that sent him flying backwards into the dirt. Great more rocks in his already destroyed hand.

“You won. Good job.” The voice was patronizing.

The figure hovered over him, and Sunggyu tried to make out his face but the shadows from the flickering flames didn’t help. The man threw an envelope at him, heavy enough to make a thud when it hit him in the chest. “Here’s your cash.”

Sunggyu opened the envelope. There was about five times the amount he originally put down. Damn finder’s fees. Five thousand dollars was a waste of his time. He looked up just as the man was about to leave but before he did he pulled off his mask and gave Sunggyu a very discerning look.

“Don’t come back here. You will die.”

Sunggyu couldn’t help but remain defiant flipping the guy off, to which he got no reaction. He was thankful though he really did not want to start a fight right now because all the pain was catching up with him.

He folded up the envelope tucking it safely inside his jacket and he stood up very slowly limping over to his bike. He was definitely going to have a story to tell. He didn’t even want to know what his face looked like. He rode home taking his time watching as the sun started to come up over the horizon. Tomorrow was another day and he wanted to do something with all this cash, well, after he slept of course.

Monday came again and after class Woohyun hopped on the metro into the city. He stopped at a small café for a chocolate croissant and his favorite coffee, with a double shot of espresso. After he had his fill he walked over to his real job, the radio show didn’t really count since he wasn’t being paid.

He worked at a record shop. It was a good size. The place was a staple and one of the only places left that traded music. Yes, you could actually trade good condition items for anything of equal value. He really liked it here. It was another chance for him to learn.

He spent most of his time sorting through the thousands of titles they had finding vintage albums to listen to. Nothing was ever outdated. The owner said something like music is history, which Woohyun sort of agreed with. Music was his second love, after words.

Today he decided to pick through the jazz section. There were the typical artists but he wanted the unknown and the weird. He tended to lean towards things that were more upbeat like bebop. And no one could say he wasn’t working. This was part of his job, to be educated in the vast knowledge of all things music. He laughed to himself. Genius.

As Woohyun was off in his own little world customers came and went some people had questions others just needed to be cashed out, to which he was happy to oblige. The owner of the shop rarely showed his face always sitting in the back alley with his ‘buds’ having a smoke. Woohyun was thankful for his time here because it brought him some sort of peace. Everything was very laid back.

After finding what he was looking for, or so he thought, he sat himself behind the counter. There was a record player next to the register for anyone to test out their item before they purchased it. At the moment there were only a few people in the store so Woohyun figured he would take the time out to listen to what he found.

He set the record onto the player and moved the arm into position. He plugged in the oversized archaic headphones placing them snuggly over his ears and pressed play. The song started with a loud blast of trumpets and drums, rolling into some heavy bass. The percussion just kept adding up at an increasing speed only interrupted by a deep voice counting down from three. Woohyun couldn’t help but tap in time to the tune. It was good.

With his eyes closed for a moment he failed to hear the bells on the door jingle as a new customer entered the shop. He was in his own little world bobbing his head to the beat of the music coming through the headphones. That was until everything abruptly went silent. He frowned. The machine must have finally taken a turn for the worst, it was old.

But when he opened his eyes to see what the problem was he noticed that the cord was simply unplugged and the music was now blasting out through the stores sound system. He quickly removed the headphones and tried to stop the music, the volume was unbearable, but he couldn’t find the switch. Just then a hand reached over and pulled the record from the player.

“Thank you.” He looked up cheerfully at the helpful customer. His mouth fell open when he saw who it was.

“No problem.” The man beamed back, wincing slightly.

It was none other then Kim Sunggyu. He looked good, and bad. His eyes were bright, of what Woohyun could see anyway, but he looked rugged and ruffed up. He had definitely been in some sort of fight or something. Just looking at him even Woohyun was in pain. Did he dare ask what happened? Before he spoke he reached out a hand only to stop himself recalling the fact that only a week ago was the first time they had spoken to each other like real people and haven’t spoken since.

“Sunggyu, what – what are you doing here?” Curiosity almost got the best of him. He wanted to ask but he would tell him if he wanted to right? His eyes shifted over Sunggyu’s face. He was cut and bruised. From his jaw to his hairline, he had a very large scrape; it looked raw and so painful.

“Hey don’t look at me like that. I’m okay.” Sunggyu tried to smile again, but it was only a half a smirk because it hurt way too much. “Well I’m looking to add to my collection and everyone says this place is the best. So…” He could see the concern in Woohyun’s eyes. It was nice to see someone cared. Too bad it had to be like this. Or maybe he just looked really gross.

Woohyun got excited and stood up from his stool walking around the counter to meet Sunggyu. Did he actually remember that he worked here? He didn’t think that this guy gave two s about anyone but himself. Sunggyu probably only came because someone recommended the place. Everyone within a five hundred mile radius shopped here for specialty items. Trying to not be so obvious he smoothed out his shirt and ran a hand through his messy hair, he needed it cut desperately.

Sunggyu thought he looked good like that, messy. He was used to seeing the bookworm version of Nam Woohyun, but he liked this less serious version better. He was like two different people. If only he could get the guy to loosen up a bit, they still weren’t exactly friends but they should be.

“Let me show you the good stuff.” Woohyun bounced over to the back corner with Sunggyu tagging behind, far behind.

When Woohyun looked back to glance over his shoulder he noticed Sunggyu wasn’t really keeping up with him. Sunggyu had one hand on his chest and the other grasping at his leg. It was barely noticeable but he was limping slightly. Why the hell would he come out if he was hurting so bad?

Sunggyu caught Woohyun staring at him with a concerned look on his face. He straightened out to mask the excruciating pain that was radiating along his whole left side. When he was thrown from his bike that was the side he had landed on and boy was he feeling it now. There was currently a bruise from his hip to his knee running down his thigh, literally black and blue.

“Hurry up! Show me the good stuff.” Sunggyu made quotations in the air mocking the way Woohyun had said it earlier. He caught up with him trying to play it cool.

Woohyun just looked at him shaking his head. He wasn’t dumb, but if the red head wanted to hide whatever it was then he decided to let it be. However he did notice something now that he was looking at him from the back. His hair was a different color… or just a different shade. It was much brighter.

“Okay so here are the vintage records that no one can afford. Want to touch them?” Woohyun showed them off with some hand gestures like Vanna White, while giggling like a little kid.

Sunggyu laughed, but when he did he was cringing again gripping his side. . He must have cracked a rib. Going to the doctors was pointless anyways because they can’t really fix a bone and he didn’t have insurance. He cursed himself mentally. Maybe he really should quit smoking. He felt the intense urge to cough.

“Christ man, are you okay?” Woohyun had to ask because now this was just ridiculous. He grabbed onto Sunggyu’s shoulder helping him upright. He was having a coughing fit.

“Yeah,” He coughed again. “I said I was fine.” He put an arm around Woohyun’s shoulders feigning a smile. “So about these records-“

Woohyun went stiff. Sunggyu was touching him again and without permission. His first instinct was to run. His stomach was turning over on itself and his insides were screaming. But he fought his initial feelings and thought for a moment. This is just a person, a person who you can think of as a friend. Right? Okay. This person is in pain right now and he just needs to rest. This is okay. After a few deep breaths he was calm enough to speak.

“Right so anything you want to look at?” Even though he was talking his mind was freaking out. There is an arm on me. There is an arm on me. But then the sensation was gone.

Sunggyu was too busy gaping at the records on the wall.

“Holy . Is that a first press edition Beatles Please Please Me? I need it.” He turned to look at Woohyun, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. “How much?”

“It’s not for sale.” Woohyun stared back leaning slightly away from Sunggyu who seemed to have momentarily lost his mind. He was scared of the response.

“Are you kidding?! What? Why?” The red head started to pout crossing his arms over his chest. “That is so not fair.” His lips were in the cutest pink pout and his eyebrows were furrowed giving Woohyun puppy dog eyes.

“Are you kidding? What’s with the face?” Woohyun laughed out loud. It was deep and low and real making Sunggyu smile again.

Sunggyu never smiled this much and he wanted to kill Nam Woohyun because right now everything hurt. He looked at the kid who was cracking up at his expense. His hair was all bouncy and falling in his face. His eyes were in the shape of crescents and Sunggyu thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Sunggyu just watched a serene expression on his face.

Woohyun took notice and composed himself biting his bottom lip. Their eyes met and he felt as if he had been shot directly in the heart. Those sharp eyes always managed to go straight to his soul.

“We can listen to it. Well, if you want.” Woohyun looked away playing with his fingers.

“Hell yes. Any chance to listen to vintage vinyl, I’m down.”

“Do you think you can make it back to the counter or do you need someone to carry you?” Woohyun was smirking. “I think we have a dolly in the back. I could wheel you over.” He was trying so hard not to laugh and Sunggyu’s face was priceless.

“Come here.” Sunggyu eyeballed him. He wanted to hit him and he would have if he had full use of his arm. Woohyun was lucky. “Let me hit you!”

Woohyun speed walked over to the counter taunting Sunggyu on his way, but then felt bad turning around to offer help to which Sunggyu stubbornly denied. They both settled behind the counter and Woohyun set the red head up with some headphones. He put his own on and started the turntable. He noticed Sunggyu having an issue reaching up to adjust his head set. Idiot must be really hurting. So he reached over turning Sunggyu to face him as he set them perfectly over his ears. He kept him there for a moment looking directly into his eyes waiting for a nod which came slowly.

Sunggyu looked at him and pressed his lips together nodding and giving a thumbs up. They listened to the track without an interruption and when the song ended Woohyun helped him with the headphones again but this time Sunggyu caught his arm.

Woohyun froze; this was becoming a habit now. Sunggyu could feel it so he let go.

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I – Damn it why do I feel like I’m in kindergarten?” He shook his head mostly concerned with the beating in his chest. It should not be this hard to ask someone to hang out. “Anyway,” He looked at Woohyun who was puzzled by the last word he said. “What time does your shift end?”

“Two hours.” Woohyun’s mouth was dry. Is he going to ask me to hang out with him? Oh god. He was not good with people. Especially these kinds of people with red hair and piercings and who always felt it was necessary to wear leather. Wasn’t there some sort of animal rights movement happening? Did they just so happen to skip over this rocker bad boy wannabe? His mind was racing.

“Good. Let’s go get something to eat when you’re done.” Sunggyu stood up and saluted Woohyun as he walked out the door. Only the sound of bells chiming left for the kid paralyzed behind the counter.

Lunch. They were going to have lunch.

____________________________________________________________________

an: Hey guys its been a while!! Here is another lovely chapter for you and I promise we are going to be getting to the good stuff, soon. And so the plot thickens DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN.  Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading, subscribing and upvoting? maybe lol. Comments are very nice. You are the reason I am writing this so keep in touch! Oh and there is a playlist in chapter one that has been edited to sort of fit the whole story.... go ch ch ch checccckkk it outttt!!