Making friends, it’s something infinitely easier said than done, especially when you’re only awake during hours that ghosts haunt. Woohyun surveyed the store in front of him, completely empty with only the products to keep him company. His eyes flittered over towards the clock. He had only just started his shift, but after the conversation that he just had with his new friend, loneliness set in his heart earlier than usual. And he was actually looking forward to the creepy ahjussi who only bought ramyun and a beer every night without a word.

“He’s late,” Woohyun mumbled as he rapped his fingers against the check-out counter. Maybe every night was going to turn into, every other night, and then seldomly, then never. “I’m going to miss creepy ahjussi.” He never thought he would say those words, but they had slipped out regardless.

Woohyun sighed and adjusted the mask on his face as he coughed. His odd hours and cold apartment (Woohyun had barely the heat to save money) finally took a toll on his body. His immune system was weak, and now he caught a cold. The mask was only adding to the overall stuffiness that he felt. So with the loneliness and the cold, this shift seemed like it would be a long one.

Then the bell rang throughout the store, ushering in a customer. Woohyun automatically stood up straight and then bow stiffly. "Welcome," he called out in a cheerful voice. He pulled himself up straight and saw who it was. "Oh! Ahjussi it's you! I was starting to think that you wouldn't come in tonight!"

The older man just looked at Woohyun, slightly bewildered and bowed back. A small but bright smile formed on the old man's face, making him appear younger and warmer. Even the clothes that he was wearing made him seemed more approachable, a golden hoodie which was a stark contrast from his dark uniform of black or grey sweaters with jeans. Maybe, just maybe creepy ahjussi is just a shy ahjussi, Woohyun thought as he watched the man shuffle to the back of the shop were the beers were. Shyness would surely account for the lack of eye contact and words shared. Woohyun nodded to himself. There would be perks to becoming friends with someone like the old man. Woohyun saw him everyday anyway, and it looked like the man had money. Maybe he could buy me things. Woohyun chuckled to himself, imagining Woohyun coercing the man with cunning and aegyo to buy him food, clothes, toys…then the chuckle turned into a raspy cough. He closed his eyes tightly as the cough racked through his body. He braced his hand on the counter as he wheezed. Maybe the first thing I should have him buy me is cold medicine.

In the midst of his fit, he felt something brush against his hand on the counter. The ahjussi had pushed his ramyun against Woohyun's hand to get his attention. Woohyun opened his eyes and looked at the man across from him. "Sorry," he apologized. "I caught a cold." Woohyun then began to ring up the items as the ahjussi dug through his pockets for the appropriate change. "Wah! Ramyun and beer again?" Woohyun teased the other. "Don't you ever think about getting something else? Oh! I guess you changed your outfit. I like the hoodie. It looks good on you. You look younger," Woohyun attempted to make idle conversation with the other, but as he looked up at the other, he saw the ahjussi with his eyes glued on the mask. The old man was growing visibly flustered as spots of red covered his cheeks.

Then the man just gathered his items and walked out of the store after shortly bowing goodbye to Woohyun. Never saying a single word in response. When he was out of sight, Woohyun slackened and frowned underneath the mask.He had just scared off the creepy ahjussi with his forwardness. But apparently the ahjussi wanted to maintain their strictly professional and wordless relationship. Woohyun was rejected.

He shook his head. He was trying to make friends in the wrong place, he supposed. No one would want to be friends with their cashier. Maybe to them he was nothing more than just a machine (and fantasy to those high school girls that still plague his shop). To them he wasn't a real person.

nwh91: Why do people ignore me?

answerking12: I don't.

In fact, there were several people who didn't ignore Woohyun, once he stepped outside the shop. His landlady still insisted that she should eat dinner with her and and her family. 

The meals with her family were starting to become less and less awkward. The landlady and her husband had developed a rapport with Woohyun. First always asking how his shift went, secondly his health, and thirdly he’d talk with the husband about soccer. The younger brother would regularly chime into the conversation. There was an admiring twinkle in his eye as he talked with Woohyun. He’d always ask what it was like to live alone, to not have to go to school anymore. It had been years since someone younger than him would look at him like that. In his final years at the orphanage, he became more and more detached from the children there, opting to spend more time with his friends than them. And now looking at Sungmin, Woohyun was beginning to regret not doing so. He had forgotten how good it felt to be looked up to. And as the dinner progressed, Woohyun found himself wondering if this was what it felt like to be a part of a family.

Perhaps not, because not everyone at the table was so welcoming. The icy glare from Sungjong hadn’t thawed yet. If it was possible, as Woohyun became closer with his parents, Sungjong’s gaze grew even more chilling. This evening, Sungjong excused himself earlier than usual, leaving behind a half-eaten bowl of rice. His mother sighed as she gathered up the dishes.

“I don’t know what has gotten into him lately,” she admitted. “It’s not because of you, Woohyun-goon. I think there’s something going on at school. Can you talk to him? He might tell you because you just went through it all. Please?”

Woohyun nervously glanced down the hallway where Sungjong had just left. “I don’t think so,” he responded. “I don’t think he even likes me.”

“Don’t be silly! He’s always liked you!” the landlady fought back. She then put up a finger, begging, “Just this once, please? For me?”

Woohyun groaned. This ahjumma really did know how to pull at his heartstrings. And the look on her face reminded him so much of Jungyeop at that moment. I at least owe them this. “Okay,” he yielded and got up from the table. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you! Oh and bring him this,” she a vitamin packet into his hand. “He’s really not eating much lately. I’m worried. Make sure he eats this too.”

Woohyun nodded, staring at the packet in his hand. The task now seemed insurmountable. He doubted that he’d get Sungjong to open up the door for him, and now he had to force feed the teenager bitter vitamins. Woohyun groaned again when he reached the door. He could at least slip the packet underneath the door. He knelt down, about to do so, but then the door swung wide open causing Woohyun to fall down onto his behind.

“What are you doing here?” Sungjong asked, glaring down at him. “Move. I need to use the bathroom.”

The teenager tried to brush past Woohyun, but before he was out of reach, Woohyun managed to grab one of Sungjong’s ankles, causing him to topple onto the floor next to him. Sungjong looked back at the other, mouth open and ready to deliver a barrage of slurs, but Woohyun beat him to it. “Is this how you treat your elders? Tsk tsk,” Woohyun chided in mocking tone. “I’m your hyung! I deserve a bit more respect.”

“You’re not my hyung. You already gave up that right,” Sungjong spoke to the other informally to prove his point. He wrested his foot from Woohyun’s tight grip and got up.

“What? When?” Woohyun argued, also standing up.

Sungjong scoffed. “You really don’t remember me?” he asked. “Hul!” he exclaimed at Woohyun’s confused expression. “And to think that my parents almost adopted you.” Sungjong then left Woohyun alone in the hallway as he escaped into the bathroom.

“W-what?” Woohyun mumbled under his breath. “What adoption?”  Woohyun stood there racking through his brain.He’s always liked you! …You don’t remember me? Woohyun lifted his gaze up from the floor, and he gasped. He had never been in this part of the house. How could’ve he seen it before? But right in front of him was a picture of himself, little 8 year-old Woohyun with his arms around a brightly smiling boy, who looked awfully a lot like…”Sungjong?” Woohyun walked up closer to get a better look at the photograph. He touched the glass as he inspected it. In the background, Jungyeop was standing, looking fondly at the two boys with his sister standing right next to him.

“It’s not going to well, is it?” the sudden voice, no matter how calm it was, made Woohyun jump out of his skin. He placed his hand over his heart as his landlady approached. She sighed and joined Woohyun. “You two used to be so close. We used to come up every summer to visit, and you two used to play together from sun-up to sun-down. And when we were considering having a second child, I don’t know if you remember this, but we had considered adopting you.” Woohyun whipped his head around to look at her, dumbfounded. She smiled and parted the long hair from his eyes. “I know it sounds silly. Normally you’d adopt a younger sibling for your child instead of an older, but you two used to be inseparable. But…”

“Then I became a jerk,” Woohyun winced, remembering his rebellious years. He had terrorized the place, stealing and breaking toys, hurting the other children, becoming a loner. Sungjong, he probably was one of his many victims. And Woohyun had pushed him away…he had pushed his potential family away.

“Oppa thought it would be better for you to stay there with him,” the woman said with a resigned voice. “He was the only one that you would listen to. He really cares for you, you know.” Woohyun nodded. He was becoming increasingly aware of the old man’s affection. “And we still do too. I would like you to think of us as some sort of extended family.”

“Family?” Woohyun perked up his head.

The landlady took Woohyun’s shock to be hesitation. “You don’t have to,” she insisted, waving her hands. “I was just offering…” she mumbled.

“No, I want to,” Woohyun responded with a wide smile. “I’d really like that.” Then he heard the toilet flush from within the bathroom. He frantically waved to the lady to leave. He was filled with a new resolve to break Sungjong down. “He’s going to come out. Go. Go! I think I can get him to talk to me.”

The woman, his aunt now he guessed, gave Woohyun a thumbs up before departing down the hallway. “Good luck!” she whispered as she scurried away.

Right as his mother was out of sight, Sungjong swung the bathroom door opened and grimaced at the sight of Woohyun waiting for him. “You haven’t left yet?” he said as he walked past the elder, heading for his bedroom.

“No, you can’t get rid of me that easily,” Woohyun teased. Sungjong groaned in response and tried to shut the door on the other, but somehow Woohyun had managed to squeeze into the bedroom. “Wah!” he exclaimed as he looked around. “You’re really neat.” The room looked more like an adult’s room than a teenager’s. There were no posters in sight and save for a small ratty teddy bear on his bed, there were no toys either. Only books and movies could be seen. “Ah! You like horror movies?” Woohyun asked as he went through the other’s shelves. “I can’t watch them. Too scary.”

“Don’t touch my stuff,” Sungjong reprimanded, taking a movie back from Woohyun’s grasp and placing it back on his shelf. “What makes you think you can act so familiar with me?”

"Your mother just welcomed me into the family,” Woohyun remarked with a smile. “So I guess, that makes us brothers. Now come on. Call me hyung.”

Sungjong shoot a inquisitive glare at the other. “No offense. But I don’t see you as a hyung, hyung,” he spoke the last word with contempt.

Woohyun didn’t notice or care. He just flopped onto the other’s bed. “You called me hyung!” he teased. And Sungjong rolled his eyes. But before the younger could reprimand him for messing up the bed, Woohyun sat up. “I know in the past that I wasn’t nice to you.”

“You see Paddington?” Sungjong asked, nodding towards the bear at the head of his bed. “He’s missing an ear because you bit it off.”

“Did I?” Woohyun asked with an embarrassed chuckle, patting the bear’s head, which Sungjong immediately took from the other. His eyes were wide with fearing, wondering what the other would do to it now. Woohyun chuckle stopped in his throat. He must have left a bad impression on the other. He chewed on his lower lip before speaking. “I know….I was a jerk,” he confessed while rubbing the back of his neck. “And I wasn’t a good hyung to you back then, but how about I start being a good hyung to you now.”

“Now?” Sungjong repeated, patting the top of his bear’s head and then tucking it under his chin. All of the sudden, Sungjong looked younger than his years. He was still very much a child. But then a sly crooked smile appeared on his face. “Well, you couldn’t be any worse.”

Woohyun chuckled as the other sat down next to him. “Right!” he agreed, ruffling the younger’s hair, which lead to a couple of slaps and shoves from Sungjong.

But the wide smile on Woohyun’s face remained. He still hadn’t made any friends, but that day, he gained a family.

Work that night was much noisier than usual. First of all, Sungjong walked with him to the store to pick-up a study snack. Then he made Woohyun pay for it since he was now his “hyung.” And even though Woohyun felt slightly played by the younger, he could see Sungjong slowly warming up to him again. So it was a small price to pay in the long run.

Then it was flooded by several other students also getting late night snacks. Exams were coming up, and they were stressing out and needed a break. Which was good for business and good for Woohyun too. The loneliness in his heart was fading away with each face that came through the door…one in particular.

It wasn’t a kind face, necessarily. His thick eyebrows furrowed as he squinted, examining the shop. His teeth gritted in a grimace. “Aish! I need to wear my glasses,” he swore to himself. “I’m getting old.” And if Woohyun had to guess, the man was getting old. The squinting deepened the crows feet around his eyes and the lines on his forehead, aging him even more. It wasn’t a young, fresh face. It looked like a face that would snap at you if you did something wrong, but…it was a face that made another’s change.

“Hyung,” the man called out gesturing oddly behind him. “Where is the beer?”

Woohyun couldn’t see who the man had been calling because he had been busy sweeping around the entrance, but all of the sudden he saw shoes next to his broom, he looked up to see legs, a torso, and then a smiling face, looking as young as ever. “Creepy ahjussi has friends?” Woohyun immediately covered his mouth, not meaning to say those words out loud. But the ‘creepy’ ahjussi didn’t seem to notice. He kept smiling at his friend and pointed to the back of the store.

“Oh in the back?” his friend asked. Woohyun watched the two disappear behind the shelves. He was curious. He had the old man pegged as a loner, an incredibly shy and socially awkward man who had nothing better to do than the buy ramyun and beer every night, like it was the only time that he ever crawled out of his hovel (Woohyun had a vivid imagination, and often created backstories for his regulars). But it seemed like quite the opposite. The creepy ahjussi was busy chatting with his friend. Or Woohyun supposed so. He could only really hear his friend’s booming voice.

“What kind of beer? …Ah no, not that one. That makes me sick. Remember, hyung? …Yes, that was the night with Sujeongie…No, I’m pretty sure that they’re still together…Bwahaha! I know, right? I would have never guessed in a million years…No, but he does look about a million years old. I wonder what she sees in that guy…I know she likes doenjang, but I don’t think she is one…What? A dog?...Oh, I didn’t see that correctly…I know. I know. I need my glasses. I’m an old man. I better get a walker too while I’m at it.”

Woohyun’s eyes were fixed on the corner of the two were the two men were standing. He had supposed that his creepy ahjussi just had a small voice, which fell in line with the shy image that Woohyun had built up for him. But as the pair turned around, Woohyun’s jaw fell and it all became more clear. Ahjussi is…

“Yah! You’re older than me, hyung. Soon I’ll be pushing you around in a wheelchair,” the friend signed to the other as he spoke. “You already lost your hearing. Your legs will give out next.”

Well, the next sign that the creepy ahjussi gave to his friend, Woohyun was familiar with. But he was still in shock when the duo reached the check-out counter. Creepy ahjussi is…deaf? So the whole time…No wonder why he doesn’t talk. He can’t! And all those times when he couldn’t look me in the eye…he was reading my lips. Woohyun’s fingers pressed against his lips. He winced. The ahjussi wasn’t creepy; he was disabled. And Woohyun had been too caught up in his own problems to notice the problems of others. I guess he’s just ahjussi now.

“Um,” the ahjussi’s friend cleared his throat. “I’m buying because this dummy forgot his wallet, intentionally I’m sure.” The ahjussi hit the other in the shoulder and moved his hands quickly in the air. The other looked away after awhile and nodded reluctantly. “Yes, I know. You bought me all of those things, but that’s what you get for being older.”

“I’ve never seen ahjussi so excited before,” Woohyun blurted out as he rang up and bagged the items. The ahjussi stared at him curiously, but the friend chuckled.

“Really? Hyung, did you miss me?” the man joked turning towards his friend. “I know America is far away, but you could have called me whenever.” The ahjussi signed something in response, and judging by the look on his friend’s face, it wasn’t anything pleasant. Then man put his hand to his chest. “Hyung!” he lamented. He then turned towards Woohyun. “You know sign language?”

“No sir,” Woohyun responded sadly.

“Good, so hyung’s not corrupting the minds of the youth. Ow!” the man yelped. The ahjussi hit him again. The ahjussi then turned towards Woohyun and began waving his hands in the air, his eyes wide in panic. He began wagging a finger at his friend. “Fine, I was just messing with you” his friend admitted. “I know that you didn’t say anything bad.” He then gathered up the bags filled with snacks and beer. “Well, we better be going. Thank you.”

“Thank you for visiting. Have a nice evening,” Woohyun said mechanically, still in a daze. He wasn’t used to seeing the ahjussi smile so much, joke around, or even friendly waving him goodbye like he is now.

 I guess...people aren’t always what they seem. Some deserve a second look.

After such an exciting and busy shift, Woohyun came home from work, raiding the communal fridge for the meals that his new aunt had made for him. He was still in his uniform, and couldn’t care less. All he wanted to do was fill his stomach before passing out onto his futon. He pulled out one of the tupperwares and saw that someone had eaten out of it. Woohyun wrinkled his nose as he peeled the lid off. Someone had eaten a lot of it.

“Ah, that was good. You should definitely try some of that.” Woohyun turned towards the source of the sound and saw the young, lanky coffee drinker, the only other person usually up as early as this. Woohyun and him became like two ships passing in the night (or scarily early in the morning in this case). Occasionally they would grunt out greetings to each other, but nothing more.

“You’ve been eating my food?” Woohyun asked, squaring up to the other.

“Ah,” the coffee drinker fumbled with his mug (thankfully empty). “You mean it’s not for everyone?” he asked, wide-eyed, more awake than Woohyun had ever seen him. Woohyun shook his head. “But I saw the landlady put it in there! I thought she made it for all of us!” he defended himself, and a bit too loudly for so early in the morning.

“No, it’s for me. She’s…she’s my aunt,” he called her that for the first time aloud. It felt strange on his tongue, but he also felt like he could get used to it.

“Oh! So that’s why you always go to her place at night! I was starting to think that you two were having an affair,” the man admitted while shaking his head.

“An affair? What? No!” Woohyun denied. “Is that really what you thought? Is that really what people think?”

The coffee drinker shrugged as he fiddled with the coffee machine. “Probably not. They probably didn’t even notice, but I have a sharp eye,” he said as he narrowed his eyes on Woohyun to emphasize his point. Then he turned his attention back towards his coffee. “I want to be a detective, but I’m stuck being a rookie cop, dealing with drunkards and hooligan teens. But it must be the same for you, working the graveyard shift at a convenience store.” He nodded towards Woohyun’s vest and nametag.

“Pretty much,” Woohyun agreed. “Although the teenage girls I can deal with. They call me the Flowerboy of the convenience store.”

“Ah!” the other lamented leaning against the counter with a full mug of coffee in his hands. “I’m jealous. All I get to see is teens fighting and harassing people for cigarettes.”

“Not all of us can have a job as glorious as mine,” Woohyun joked.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Woohyun couldn’t tell if the other was joking or being serious. “Well, Nam Woohyun,” he said, reading off the name tag. “I’m Lee Sungyeol. It’s nice to finally talk to you…actually it’s just nice to talk to anyone this early in the morning.”

“Yea, it really is,” Woohyun admitted. Because even though he was tired and exhausted and Sungyeol had eaten a good portion of his food (accidentally), there was nothing like the promise of a new friendship to end (or start) your day.

 Woohyun woke up the next evening to soft pattering against his window. He got up from his futon and pulled back his curtains. It was raining. Woohyun rested his chin against the windowsill and sighed. The gloom from outside was overwhelming, leaving Woohyun with an ominous feeling. A feeling that only grew more dark and dreary when he was at the dinner table. There was an empty chair.

"Sungjong said that he was studying tonight with some friends," his uncle explained after Woohyun asked about the other's whereabouts. "I didn't think he'd be out this late though."

"He'll be back soon," his aunt chimed in. "Watch, he'll be back before the end of dinner."

But he didn't. The chair remained empty, and there was a premonition creeping from the bottom of Woohyun's stomach. Something wasn't right. Maybe he was already missing his dongsaeng's presence, or he felt responsible for Sungjong skipping dinner because he acted too friendly the previous day. Either way, Woohyun didn't like it, and he couldn't shake it off. It was just growing stronger like the pounding rain outside.

nwh91: Why do I get sad when it rains?

Woohyun typed in the chatroom window. He hoped that his 'friend' was still there, even though he didn't go to the internet cafe the day before. He really didn't need his mood to worsen.

answerking12: Because you're a dramatic teenage girl.

Well, his 'friend' was there, but Woohyun's mood didn't get any better.

nwh91: I'm not a girl! I'm a 20 year-old man.

Woohyun typed angrily in response with a frown etched on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest after he sent the message.

answerking12: Being 20 doesn't make you a man.

His 'friend' was mocking him now, or at least it felt that way. "Exactly how old are you?" he asked under his breath. He quickly adapted the image of his 'friend' to a elderly sage man, behind the computer with a beard so long that it hit the floor. Woohyun chuckled to himself and shook his head. No, he wouldn't call his friend particularly wise, just no-nonsense. The image then morphed to a slightly overweight fifty year-old man, who laughed heartily at his own jokes: a stereotypical dad. Yes, that seemed more correct.

But instead of asking about the other's age to see if his guess was correct, Woohyun had another question for him:

nwh91: What does?

answerking12: Hardship.

The answer came a little too quickly for Woohyun's liking, as if he had anticipated it. Woohyun scrunched his nose as he wrote a reply.

nwh91: I've had plenty of those.

In his mind, no one had suffered hardships as consistently as he did. Somedays he felt as if the world kept pushing him down, down with his cheek pressing into the earth, unable to stand back up no matter how hard he tried. The gravity, the burden was too heavy for him. In his mind, there was never a hand offering him help at those times.

answerking12: How you deal with hardship. Don't complain. Accept it. Overcome it.

Yep, his 'friend' was a dad. 100%.

Woohyun didn't finish his shift that evening. He had all intention of doing so, but almost an hour into his shift, the store's phone rang. "You want to be my hyung? Fine," Sungjong's voice crackled on the other end. "You can start right now." And Woohyun snapped right into action, calling for an emergency replacement to cover his shift. And within a half an hour, he was sitting in the police station right next to Sungjong, beaten and battered and not meeting Woohyun's eyes. Two other boys, clutching their ribs were sitting closer to the police officer who was shuffling through the paperwork bitterly, Lee Sungyeol.

"Assault with a weapon," Sungyeol clicked his tongue. He was about to write something down on the paper, but he lifted his gaze and looked at Sungjong. "An unconventional one. I have to give you credit for that. This is the first time I've booked someone for assault with an umbrella." He then shifted his eyes over to Woohyun, whose throat suddenly felt dry. He wagered that the other's opinion of him was quickly falling. "Cousin, right? You said that the landlady was your aunt."

"Yes, officer," Woohyun replied, wiping his sweaty palms against his knees. His eyes glanced quickly over at Sungjong, seeing the bruises deepening in color, his eyes swollen from the blows…or tears. "But there has to be something more to it. Sungjongie would never…"

"But he did," Sungyeol curtly cut him off. "I've got two kids with bruised ribs and an eye-witness that says your little cousin hit them." He never lifted his eyes from the paperwork.

Woohyun sighed and dared to look at Sungjong for longer. And that's when he noticed it. Sungjong shifting awkwardly in his seat, favoring one side of his body, the sharp inhale. Woohyun quickly reached over and lifted up the younger's shirt. And disregarding Sungjong's protests, Woohyun pointed to the purple blotches decorating Sungjong's sides. "And do you suppose that he did this to himself, officer?" Woohyun asked defiantly to Sungyeol.

Sungyeol lifted his head slowly and finally put down his pen. "Yah," he began. "Anyone can see that these two clearly started the fight," he remarked pointing to the boys beside him. "And that your cousin got the worst of it. I also bet that those two are faking their injuries." He craned his neck, now facing the two boys whose expressions now were painted with guilt. "Yah! Lift up your shirts!" The two boys glanced at each other before slowly lifting up their shirts to reveal their sides, which looked unharmed. Sungyeol clicked his tongue again. "Just like I thought. I should really charge you two for false testimony." Then the officer looked back at Sungjong. "And you still did hit them with an umbrella, but because I am a generous soul," he spoke, putting a hand over his chest. "I'm letting you all go. I don't have time to deal with this . Don't let me catch you here again, okay? I won't be so lenient next time." Sungyeol warned, narrowing his eyes on all parties.

"Yes, officer!" the two boys said in unison and scurried out of the station.

"Thank you, Officer Lee, for your kindness," Woohyun said as he got up and helped Sungjong from his seat.

"Eh, you can just call me Sungyeol. We're friends, right?" Sungyeol said with a smile. But then he glared at Sungjong. "But you can't." He then turned his attention back to Woohyun. "What did I tell you? Nothing but drunks and hooligans," he lamented as he gathered his papers. Curious, Woohyun looked down at the report that Sungyeol had been writing earlier. He chuckled. It wasn't a police report at all, just a drawing of large dinosaur biting the heads off of two students. "Yah, let's change jobs just for one night. I'd much rather be worshipped by teenage girls than this crap."

Woohyun laughed. "Not a chance," he retorted. "But after your shift ends, let's eat together."

"The landlady's food?" Woohyun nodded. "Call," Sungyeol agreed excitedly. But then there was a call coming in from his walkie talkie. "Damn it," he cursed. "Not another one. I got to go, but I'll see you later, Woohyun. And you," he fixed his eyes on Sungyeol, but his glare softened and he ruffled the teenager's hair. "Next time, try something heavier than an umbrella. Maybe a bat." 

As Sungjong and Woohyun left the station, Sungjong spoke to Woohyun, "You won't tell Mom about this, will you?"

"I won't, but it'll be hard to hide these," Woohyun retorted, brushing his knuckle against the bruised cheek. Sungjong inhaled sharply in pain. Woohyun then carefully placed an arm around Sungjong's shoulders. "Come on, let's get you fixed up."

And that's how they ended up back at the convenience store. Woohyun was inside, buying medicine and snacks to lift up Sungjong's spirits. And Sungjong was outside, sitting on the plastic furniture and looking up at the night sky. Sungjong whipped his head around when he heard the doorbells ring, and he saw Woohyun walk outside with his arms laden with bags. Woohyun dumped the goods onto the table and sat in the chair next to Sungjong. "Now we have two options," he announced to the teen. "You can put the medicine on yourself, or we could be like a cheesy drama and I can do it for you." He pulled out a cream and wiggled his eyebrows.

Sungjong quickly mumbled, "Thanks," and took the medicine from Woohyun's hands.

Woohyun smiled at the other and then dug something else from the bag. He took the can and popped the tab. "Yosh!" he said as the beverage began to foam from the opening. He placed it next to Sungjong on the table. "Drink this two."

Sungjong stopped applying the cream on his bruises and looked at the beer can and back to Woohyun with wide-eyes. "But, hyung, I'm underage!" he argued.

"I just picked you up from jail," Woohyun said with a chuckle. "How about we do one more illegal thing tonight?" Truth be told, he really needed to take the edge off, and he hated drinking alone. He didn't want to be a bad influence on the other, but Sungjong looked like he needed to relax too. Sungjong smiled to himself and picked up the can. "Don't tell your mom." 

"I won't," Sungjong quickly replied and took a great swig from the can, which he almost immediately spat back out. He began choking and wiping his mouth. Woohyun chuckled at the scene and patted the other on the back.

"Is this your first?" he asked. Sungjong nodded, putting the can back onto the table with a frown. "You," Woohyun began and patted the younger's back more softly. "You're a really good kid. How did a good kid like you get caught up in a fight?"

"I'm really not," Sungjong muttered under his breath. He then groaned and looked down at his feet. "I can't control my temper. I can't control my mouth." He kicked at a pebble at his foot. "I heard them talk about my friend. They were talking about her as if she was a piece of meat, hyung. I couldn't…I couldn't let them get away and I should have. She told me to ignore them, but I didn't. I snapped. I swore. And then they…And I…They just wouldn't shut up. I just wanted them to stop talking," Sungjong closed his eyes and shook his head. He buried his face into his coat. "Now...I don't think she'll be my friend anymore."

Woohyun stared at the other, soaking it all in. A grin cracked along his face and he then ruffled the kid's hair. "You're a really really good kid, Sungjong-ah," he praised. Sungjong slapped the hand away from his head and fixed his eyes on the other. But it wasn't the pointed glare that Woohyun was accustomed to receiving from the other. The teen looked worried. Tears were gathering in the corners. "Look," Woohyun tried to comfort the other. "You were trying to defend her. If she stops being your friend, then she doesn't know what she's missing out on. She doesn't appreciate your loyalty."

"Loyalty," Sungjong said with a slight laugh. "Hyung, this isn't the military. It's high school." He kept laughing, and the tears finally fell, streaming down his cheeks. He wiped them as he calmed back down. "Hyung," he asked. Woohyun perked up. "Can you get me some milk?"

Woohyun chuckled and couldn't resist ruffling the hair of the cute teen. "You're a really really really good kid," he praised.

"Stop saying that!"

nwh91: What should I eat?

Woohyun had been searching for new jobs once again, but as usual, the search was fruitless. He didn't mind much though. He was scanning through the classifieds half-heartedly, so if any job did actually suit him, he might have missed it. After a while, he gave up and searched for sign language tutorials. Maybe he could start communicating more with his regular ahjussi customer. The old man seemed friendly once you got him to talk, and Woohyun was curious about him. Besides, learning sign language would add a skill to his resume, maybe giving him an edge (or so Woohyun thought). But Woohyun underestimated how difficult the new language was, and was disappointed when he realized that maybe he couldn't learn it within an hour, not when he kept forgetting what letter was what. So he exited the tutorial only after learning a few phrases and how to sign his name.

Then at a loss as for what to do next, he opened up the chatroom window out of habit, only to realize that he really had nothing to say. Life, it was actually going pretty well for once, and the only thing he really had to complain about was the slight emptiness in his stomach (the perpetual symptom of being a boy that was still growing). And so he asked the lamest and only question to come to mind.

answerking12: Food.

answerking12: Seriously, you're asking me these questions now.

Woohyun couldn't fault him. He felt silly after sending the question in. He was about to ask another question to distract the other, but the man kept sending messages in rapid-fire succession.

answerking12: Don't you have anyone else to talk to?

answerking12: Didn't I tell you to make friends?

Woohyun pouted. Of course he had. He wasn't a loner or a recluse without any social finesse. The image that the other had of him must have been pitiful. He thought I was a girl, Woohyun reminded himself. Well, it was time to remedy the man's poor opinion.

nwh91: I did. Sungjong and Sungyeol.

nwh91: But they're studying and working right now.

nwh91: And I work the graveyard shift.

There, Woohyun thought pulling away from the keyboard. He not only gave the names of his friends, but he also offered a reason for why he’s always (theoretically) alone. But…maybe he was a bit too defensive. He looked at the names that he had just entered. They both shared a character. It could’ve just made them up. Crap! It looks like he made them up. Woohyun quickly returned his fingers to the keyboard and turned the question back on the other.

nwh91: Why do you always answer my questions anyway?

answerking12: Why do you always ask questions during my shift?

Right, it was his job. This wasn’t a regular chatroom. It was one for people who needed help. Woohyun ran his fingers through his hair, wondering how pathetic this was.

answerking12: You wouldn't want anyone else to answer them anyway.

answerking12: I'm the best.

Woohyun chuckled, and the doubts in his mind began to flutter away. The bravado  of the other was impressive, but it also showed that maybe the other didn’t think of Woohyun as a loser, but someone who just wanted to talk to someone, anyone…him in particular. But Woohyun wouldn’t ever let the other know that.

nwh91: You're not bad.

answerking12: Obviously you don't think so because you keep asking me questions every night.

answerking12: No comeback?

answerking12: See. I'm right.

Well, turns out that the other knew about it anyway. But was that really a bad thing? No, especially if they were friends. We are, aren’t we?

nwh91: You told me to make friends but...

nwh91: aren't we friends?

Woohyun chewed on his thumb as he waited for a reply. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long.

answerking12: I think we are.

Woohyun couldn’t help but to smile at that. He had an inkling they were, based on the banter that they had recently developed. However, it was always good to have those suspicions confirmed.

Then a nagging feeling entered the back of his mind as he reviewed their previous conversations.

nwh91: Do you really think that?

nwh91: Or are you just worried that I'll do something 'rash' if you say no?

Woohyun glared at the screen, gnawing on his thumb again. He didn’t need the other’s pity. Friendship that comes from pity doesn’t last long. Eventually the pity runs out, and the friendship dies away. Real, genuine friendship is built on something stronger than that. Woohyun didn’t know for sure what it was, but he surely knew it wasn’t pity.

answerking12: We're friends.

answerking12: I don't chat with anyone else like this.

nwh91: Really?????

answerking12: What did I tell you about acting like a teenage girl?

nwh91: Don't remember. =_=

answerking12: Stop it.

answerking12: My shift is about to end. I'm going to bed.

nwh91: Good night, friend.

answerking12: Night, my friend.

That was the perfect way to end the conversation and his time at the internet café. He went to work with a smile on his face that he couldn’t erase, and he didn’t want to either. This feeling, he wanted to hold onto it for as long as he could.

Even when his ahjussi entered into the shop to buy his usual ramyun and beer without even sparing a glance at Woohyun, that didn’t even dampen his spirits. Not even a bit. In fact, Woohyun was even more determined to test out his newly acquired sign language on the other. The ahjussi came to the check out counter, putting his goods down and pulling out his phone from his pocket also placing it on the counter so that he could gather the change from deep within his pockets.

“Hi! My name is Woohyun,” Woohyun signed and spoke loudly to the other (as if he was hard of hearing instead of deaf). He took the change from the man, who was staring at Woohyun curiously. “How are you?”

A smile spread across the elder’s face. “Okay,” he signed. Then he made a couple of other gestures with his hands that Woohyun didn’t know. The younger tilted his head as he tried to grasp the meaning of whatever the man was trying to say. The ahjussi seemed to realize the other’s confusion and pointed at the nametag pinned to Woohyun’s chest.

Woohyun laughed nervously and rubbed the tag on his chest. “Oh, right. You already knew my name,” he said. He looked up and noticed the other reading his lips. He nodded. Woohyun sighed and put the change into the register. When he handed over the items to the other, the man left them on the counter.

“My name is S-U-N-G-G-Y-U,” he signed and mouthed to Woohyun.

“Sunggyu-ssi?” Woohyun pronounced carefully. Sunggyu nodded. Woohyun smiled and signed back, “Nice to meet you.”

Sunggyu gathered his bags and began to walk out of the store. “You too. Good night,” he signed and waved to the other.

“Good night!” Woohyun called out to the other’s back. He was slightly disappointed that the other didn’t wait for him to say it back, but they did talk, sort of, for the first time. Woohyun didn’t expect them to be friends. Just friendly acquaintances. They see each other practically everyday anyway. They might as well make the most of it. Woohyun tapped his fingers on the counter. He felt them brush against something hard. “Oh…OH!” He grabbed the phone from off of the counter and tried to chase after the other. “Sunggyu-ssi! Your phone! You forgot your phone!” Woohyun called fruitlessly out into the night. The man was nowhere in sight, and Woohyun couldn’t leave the store unattended. He bounced aggravatedly on the balls of his feet. “Damn it,” he cursed as he finally gave up and walked back inside.

He placed the phone on the counter. Maybe the other will notice that he left it. It shouldn’t take too long. Woohyun didn’t have a phone himself, but he knew how easily phones became like extensions of a person, a person’s life and blood. Sunggyu would be back within the hour.

Or not. Two hours later, the phone was still on the counter, tempting Woohyun, taunting him with its secrets. It didn’t help that it was a slow night. Sungjong came in for a bit and they talked. But the teenager had to return to his studies. And Woohyun returned to his ghost town of a store.

“Maybe there’s someone that I could contact,” he muttered to himself as he spun the phone with his finger. “That’s a responsible thing to do.” He plucked the phone off from the counter and pressed a button. The lock screen came on, begging for a code. After swiping his fingers across the screen a few times in random patterns, thephone unlocked and revealed the last page that Sunggyu had visited. “No…way.”

Woohyun looked up, searching for the man he knew that wasn’t there. But he had been. He was there everyday. He was there whenever Woohyun needed him. He was right in front of Woohyun, but he couldn’t recognize him. But how could he? He was always nothing more than a screenname.

Woohyun put the phone back down onto the counter almost reverently, and watched the screen go back to black, hiding the messages the two of them shared:

nwh91: Good night, friend.

answerking12: Night, my friend.

“He’s…” Woohyun began but couldn’t find the words to complete it. He slapped himself on the cheek, making sure that he was still with it, in reality. He was. “Paper. I need paper!” He looked around the counter frantically. After finding a scrap of paper and a pen, Woohyun began to write a short note. The man might not come in until the morning, after Woohyun’s shift ended. But Woohyun wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away. He was going to leave a note with the phone. Proof that they met. Proof that they knew each other. Sunggyu had to know.

Right as he finished the note, the bell rang. Woohyun lifted his head. It was Sunggyu. His eyes were puffy, and his hair was tousled as if he just woke up from sleeping (which he did). Panic was etched over his face as he gestured to Woohyun, mimicking a phone. Woohyun nodded slowly. His chest and throat tightened. He slid the phone and the note to the man.

The man took both without hesitating. Woohyun watched the other’s lips move as he read the message, “Answerking12? It’s me nwh91. Your friend.” Sunggyu looked up the other, eyes wide in shock. Woohyun swallowed dryly and nodded. Sunggyu grabbed at the air, asking for a pen. Woohyun gave it to him and watched closely as the other wrote a message in return. After a few seconds, Sunggyu smiled to himself, capped the pen, and slid the scrap of paper back across the counter towards Woohyun.

So you really aren’t a teenage girl.