Chapter Text
The drive to Seoul is pretty quiet. The radio crackles, a comforting noise that accompanies the whistling sound of the wind through the open windows. There are only two seats in Bang Chan’s pickup truck, so Kyungmin sits on Wooyoung’s lap in the passenger’s seat, nestled closely to his chest. Wooyoung keeps his arms banded around his sleeping brother’s waist as he snores against his shoulder. The back of the pickup has been carefully packed with all of the brothers’ remaining and meager possessions that they hadn’t sold or given away, ready to be unpacked into their new one bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city.
He knows that the apartment comes mostly furnished – a small kitchen table, some chairs and stools, a coffee table and a couch that Wooyoung’s not certain if he should trust. There is a low lying futon frame that the owners had left and one of the only big things that Wooyoung had kept was the mattress he and Kyungmin slept on together. He also knows that he would need to go out to an IKEA or something later to pick up the rest of the materials that they need.
Wooyoung’s eyes flick up to look outside at the blurring landscape of Korea as the truck barrels down the highway. Watching the landscape pass by like this was always unique and a new experience each time – traveling on the passenger side on the highway or by train felt like a warp, projecting through space and time.
The panoramic view and visuals often warped people’s understanding and perception of geographical space and landscapes, and that was something that Wooyoung was interested in trying to portray through his art. He could never focus on one thing when the vehicle he was in was moving this fast, and the foreground would disappear and all he could see was the slowly moving mountains in the background. The skies are clear too, without a hint of clouds or rain like the weather forecast had suggested, a promising outlook to starting their new life in Seoul.
“Are you certain about this, Wooyoung?” Chan finally speaks up for the first time since they got into the truck three hours ago. Wooyoung glances up to see that the older man is gripping the steering wheel tight enough that his knuckles have turned white. “You’re more than welcome to stay and live with the twins and I. You’re family to us.”
Wooyoung shifts uneasily in his seat, stiff shoulders relaxing as he sinks back into the passenger’s seat. Kyungmin shifts on his lap, letting out a soft whine of protest as he’s jostled, and Wooyoung hushes him quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.
“What’s done is done.” Wooyoung replies quietly. “I’ve already been accepted into KQ University, and my credits have been transferred. It’s cheaper than back home, and they offered me scholarships. I don’t want to have to depend on others to help us survive.” He can hear Chan’s unspoken protest.
You’re not depending on us, Wooyoung.
“Alright…” Chan sighs, his fingers flexing against the wheel. He looks like he wants to argue, but he’s one of the ones who know that once Wooyoung’s mind’s made up, there’s no way he can change it.
“You’ve already done so much for us. You helped us to get the house and excess furniture sold, and you’re helping us move everything.” Wooyoung gestures to the back of the truck with his head.
“You’ll at least stay in contact with the twins, right?” Chan asks, turning the wheel gently to take an exit off the highway.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to wash over a decade of memories down the drain.” Wooyoung glances down at his phone, smiling slightly when he sees his lock screen.
It’s a slightly blurry selfie that Yeji took one night several years ago when Wooyoung and Kyungmin were staying overnight due to a power outage and a storm that left Hongjoong stranded in the city and Wooyoung and his younger brother at home alone. Yeji is grinning in the foreground as she wrangles Changbin into the frame. Wooyoung’s right next to the pair, glancing at the camera with a bewildered expression on his face. Kyungmin waves from where he’s curled up against his older brother’s chest.
“I’m going to need to get a new phone, though. I’ve had this one for years, and it’s slowing down. I have enough saved up to afford a new one along with the first down payment.” Wooyoung tilts his head to glance out the window. He briefly thinks of Seonghwa, Hongjoong’s good childhood friend, who had offered him and Kyungmin a room to stay with him, at least until they were back on their feet – an offer that he had politely declined.
“Have you got a plan for it?” Chan asks.
“Of course.” He flicks through his memories until he remembers his to-do list that he wrote throughout the week before they left Busan.
Unpack enough in their apartment to feel comfortable for at least a couple of nights.
Help Kyungmin get settled in.
Go into the city on Monday to confirm the job at Aurora Cafe and then look for a phone store.
Go grocery shopping on the way home and try to find a store that isn’t insanely expensive.
He’s jolted out of his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone in his hand, glancing down to see that he’s received a message from Changbin, asking if he’s arrived in Seoul safely and to see how his dad’s doing with all of the driving. Wooyoung had offered to drive part of the way. Chan had denied. Another message comes through soon after, asking for some pictures.
Wooyoung feels a smile tugging at his lips and snaps a few photos out the truck’s window to send back, promising to take better ones later. Changbin replies with a thumbs up and Wooyoung huffs out an amused breath, setting his phone down into the cupholder.
The city of Seoul is visible just over the horizon.
“Remember, Kyungmin. Look both ways before you cross a street, don’t give your teachers a hard time, and don’t start a fire in the apartment. I know you’re responsible, but please be careful if you ever want to use the stove or oven.” Wooyoung says as he finishes fixing the multiple woven bracelets around both of his wrists, gifts and trinkets that the twins had given Wooyoung and Kyungmin throughout the years. Kyungmin is wearing his favorite bracelets, too. Wooyoung dusts off his dark jeans, throws a hoodie on over his head and glances in the tiny bathroom mirror to carefully tuck away some loose hairs that have escaped from his ponytail.
“I know, hyung!” Kyungmin huffs from where he’s sitting on the floor of the hallway, shoving his feet into a pair of red Velcro shoes just as Wooyoung emerges from the bathroom. Wooyoung kneels down to press a kiss to Kyungmin's cheek. “I’ll be safe. You too, Wooyoungie.”
“I’ll be safe too,” Wooyoung checks that the laces of his own sneakers are done, then straightens to grab his bag from the kitchen counter. “I’ll see you here tonight. Is there anything you want in particular for dinner? I’m going to run by a store on my way back.”
Kyungmin tilts his head, tapping his chin with his pointer finger, humming in contemplation. He scratches his head. “Nope!” Kyungmin jumps to his feet a moment later, his thumbs looping beneath the straps of his backpack.
“Alright. Do you have everything?” Wooyoung asks and Kyungmin nods excitedly.
“I have my keys!” He grins proudly, jumping around to show off his backpack to Wooyoung. There’s a multitude of keychains, but Wooyoung can easily spot his signature fluffy hedgehog keychain with the house keys attached to them.
“Don’t lose them.” Wooyoung smiles, reaching down to ruffle his younger brother’s hair.
“I won’t!” Kyungmin pouts. Wooyoung rolls his eyes fondly and holds the door open for the younger boy, locking the door behind them as they walk down the open air corridor to the stairs. Glancing over the waist-high cement wall, Wooyoung can catch a glimpse of the city, sparkling in the distance. He lets out a soft sigh.
This is their new life now.
Kyungmin's half skipping and half leaping down the stairs at an alarming pace and Wooyoung’s just about to call out for him to stop and slow it down when he leaps down the last half of the final staircase, using the momentum of his landing to take off running with a cheery yell. Wooyoung exhales slowly, willing his stress away.
He leans against the wall, watching his younger brother go down to the elementary school just two blocks away from the apartment as a fond smile tugs at his lips. He only starts his way down the staircase when his phone alarm goes off, telling him to get a move on with his day.
The neighborhood that they chose to live in is rather run down and old. Although it’s a lower class neighborhood, the people have been nothing but friendly and kind, and they reassure him that the crime rates are practically non-existent. Everyone looks out for each other, which brings Wooyoung some comfort.
Wooyoung encounters a handful of people on his walk to the station, all of whom wave a polite hand in greeting as he passes. The walk to the station is peaceful and he only has to wait a few moments at his platform before the train comes whooshing into view, and he slips into the car to find a more secluded corner to sit down in.
The car he’s in does fill up with other people, some that Wooyoung guesses are students based on their physical age and the heavy looking bookbags they heave onto the seat next to them before dragging them into their laps. The commute to the city is pleasantly quiet, as it usually is in Korea despite the rush hour, but Wooyoung feels antsy about it, so he lets his head rest against the window, shutting his eyes briefly to try to recalibrate himself to be ready for the rest of the day..
His only pair of wired headphones broke recently, and he can no longer fiddle with the cord, twisting it around his fingers until the sound comes through. They’re completely kaputt. He backed up his phone to his shitty laptop last night, because he’s pretty sure that he’s just going to get rid of his phone when he goes to buy one later in the day, but he’s going to need it for navigational purposes today to find the place he’s supposed to work at, the phone store and to navigate campus.
It was definitely a great idea to back up his phone the night before, because quite literally fifteen seconds after his first class of the day, he’s walking down the hall, admittedly not watching where he’s going because he’s staring at the map of the university on his phone, someone else rounds the corner at a rapid pace and slams into him. Wooyoung gets knocked over, phone clattering to the ground with a not great sound, and dazed, he lets the stranger quickly pull him back up to his feet.
“I’m so sorry,” the stranger says in a rush, before he’s running down the hall that Wooyoung had just come from, leaving him with the soft fragrance of cardamom and spice.
What the fuck.
The young man blinks, still trying to comprehend what the hell just happened as he dusts his palms off on his pants.
“Here.” Wooyoung startles as a woman’s face comes into his line of vision. She sort of reminds Wooyoung of Yeji. She’s holding Wooyoung’s phone in her hands with a sad half grimace. “It’s… unless the screen looked like this before, I’m not sure it’s going to work very well.”
Wooyoung lets out a soft sigh when he sees the numerous cracks on his phone screen. Great. “It’s okay.” Wooyoung shakes his head, taking his phone from her gratefully. “Thank you for picking it up for me.”
“It’s not a problem.” She smiles at him, bowing to him briefly before she continues on her way down the hall from the direction the whirlwind of a young man had come from. Wooyoung wishes that he’d at least caught a glimpse of who knocked him over now. He’s irritated, but the more time he spends being annoyed at this happening, the more he tires himself out.
At the very least, he sort of knows where he’s supposed to go for his next class and that it’s close to the campus gardens and the library. Maybe he should’ve asked that girl where he was supposed to go. Wooyoung tucks his phone back into his pocket followed by his hands, and makes his way down the hallway.
Thankfully, his phone still works. It’s practically impossible to see what’s on the screen – the most he can make out is the time – but Wooyoung’s at least able to accept a call as he finishes his last class of the day.
“Wooyoung!” Changbin’s voice comes through surprisingly clear.
“Hi, Binnie.” Wooyoung replies, shifting his backpack over his shoulder as he walks towards the main campus gate to get the train into the city. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah! Why are you asking?”
“Someone ran into me earlier today, and my phone screen pretty much just shattered when it hit the ground.” Wooyoung answers, skirting around a group of several students, animatedly talking and laughing loudly. He offers an awkward smile – it’s probably more of a grimace, honestly – when one of the students happens to spot him and waves.
Outside of Changbin and Yeji, Wooyoung admittedly doesn’t have many friends. He doesn’t really like forming friendships or relationships with others because of the trouble that he has to go through to maintain them. He’s a recluse. He likes staying at home or holing himself up in cafes or libraries to do work or art.
“Yikes.” Changbin inhales sharply. Wooyoung hums in response. “Are you getting a new one? I know you talked about it.”
“Yeah.” Wooyoung replies. “I’m heading out into the city now to look for a phone store. I vaguely know the route, but…” He sighs.
“If you can’t really see the screen, then it’s sort of pointless.” Changbin agrees. “Well, I was gonna call to check in and see how you and Kyungmin are doing, but I’m guessing you’re not going back home until later?”
“Not for another handful of hours.” Wooyoung shakes his head. “I can call you back from my new phone. Kyungmin will be happy to talk with you and Yeji.”
“Sounds good.” He can hear the smile in Changbin’s voice. “I’ll chat with you guys later, then.”
The walk to the subway is pretty short, but when Wooyoung soon finds himself standing in the middle of the main city station in Seoul, surrounded by a sea of people, he feels his pulse kick up a couple of notches. It’s alarmingly busy for three forty-seven in the afternoon. Or maybe it’s just because Wooyoung’s not used to living in a city the size of Seoul.
Glancing down at his phone as he checks the barely legible time again, Wooyoung does his best to maneuver through the crowd. He doesn’t want to shove his way through, and he thanks his smaller stature that allows him to slip through the crowd without much injury or getting shoved around. He knows that the address he’s looking for is about a fifteen minute walk from the station but it just so happened to be one of those rare occasions where he’d forgotten to think ahead. He should’ve screenshotted the directions he’d pulled up back on campus, he thinks to himself. Maybe he could see if there was free Internet somewhere close by.
Then he remembers the status of his poor phone’s screen.
Wooyoung could just try to find his way to the cafe himself. There was also the option of asking other people if they knew the way, but that would require taking effort and actually speaking to people and holding a conversation. He really should have printed out the directions when he was still back on campus. Unlike the massive twenty-thousand plus student campus that was easy to find and found road signs for, looking for two small shops was going to be significantly harder.
“Uh, pardon me, but you look a little lost.” Wooyoung’s brought out of his calculations when a voice rises above the clamor, soft but close enough to reach his ears.
Wooyoung blinks, glancing around him before his eyes find a young man approaching him from a few paces away, the stranger lifting a hand in greeting as their eyes meet – or at least Wooyoung thinks they do. He looks around him and at the others milling about to see if there’s someone else who looks as lost as Wooyoung feels. But the stranger is certainly heading towards Wooyoung.
Huh. Maybe he does look a bit lost.
The stranger is quite handsome, attracting several pairs of curious eyes as he makes his way towards Wooyoung. He’s wearing a pair of baggy cargo pants with a black and gold-detailed sash tied around his waist. He wears a white shirt beneath a black jacket that looks like it’s made out of the same material of his pants, half buttoned from the bottom half down. There’s a thin black choker around his neck and a silver necklace, his look topped off with a bucket hat that conceals most of his facial features.
From what Wooyoung can see, the young man has broad shoulders, a trim waist and legs that seem to go on endlessly. Wooyoung can tell, even from this short distance, that this young man is tall, and that only becomes more obvious the closer he gets. Wooyoung figures that this stranger is a couple years older than himself, but there’s still an almost childish (dare Wooyoung say puppy-like) aura to him.
“A little bit.” Wooyoung admits as the man finally comes to a halt before him. He’s not just tall, he’s fucking massive. Wooyoung blinks, taking note as he has to crane his neck to look up. And he’s really handsome. He has light honey skin that seems to glow in the sunlight that filters through the station’s glass roof. He’s beautiful, really. “I’m new to Seoul.”
“Then I welcome you to this humble city,” the man makes a gesture with his arm, taking his hands out of his pockets and revealing fingerless gloves. “Can I help you get anywhere?”
Wooyoung hesitates briefly. He doesn’t want to have a stranger go out of their way to bus him around the city, even if they did offer. After waging a silent battle in his head and weighing the pros and cons, Wooyoung lets out a soft sigh, tucking his phone back into his pocket, finally releasing it from his unnecessarily tight grip.
“I’m trying to find the Aurora Cafe and then the nearest phone store afterwards.” Wooyoung relents, still reluctant to accept this man’s help.
“I can help you with both.” The stranger says, before he holds out a hand in greeting. “I’m Yunho.”
The name sounds oddly familiar.
“Wooyoung,” he provides, taking the other man’s hand to shake. Even through the fingerless gloves, Yunho’s palm is warm. His hands completely dwarf Wooyoung’s, too. Yunho shifts, briefly taking off the bucket hat as he runs a hand through his hair once they step back from each other, and Wooyoung’s surprised to see that Yunho has an eyepatch covering his left eye.
What’s intriguing, though, is that it’s nothing like the eyepatches he’s seen people wear to cover up a stye. It’s obviously well-worn, made of soft-looking material that rests comfortably over the other man’s face. The man’s visible eye is a soft brown, now half hidden behind a swoop of dark hair as Yunho drops his hand. He hadn’t noticed when Yunho had the bucket hat on. Wooyoung blinks, tilts his head for a moment before averts his eyes politely, but he still sees Yunho’s lips quirk up into an amused smile in his peripheral vision.
“I know the way, so follow me.” Yunho gestures with his head towards the exit sign, and easily weaves his way through the crowd of people. Wooyoung hurries to follow.
Yunho takes a right when they exit the main station, slowing down a few steps until Wooyoung’s walking next to him. The streets are surprisingly empty in contrast to the busy station. Wooyoung finds himself staring up at the buildings in awe; it’s a gorgeous city. His fingers itch for his sketchbook. Sure, Busan was great too, but he lived further away on the outskirts of the city with Hongjoong before the accident.
Kyungmin would love it here.
“When did you get here to Seoul?” Yunho asks.
“Last weekend.” Wooyoung replies, readjusting his bag over his shoulder.
“Last weekend as in two days ago?” Yunho arches a brow, and Wooyoung nods, hands fidgeting with the multitude of the bracelets around his wrists. It’s a habit he picked up several years ago, but he hasn’t done it in a few months. The twins tell him that it’s a social anxiety impulse.
“Yes,” Wooyoung does his best not to sound short or curt; but he really has little to no experience in talking with strangers. Yunho has offered to help him, and the least Wooyoung can do is to indulge the taller man by answering his questions. “I transferred to KQ, so I’ll be finishing up my sophomore year here.”
“Oh, I’m a junior, so maybe I’ll see you around, then.” Yunho hums, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his pants.
“You look to be a bit older than your average junior,” Wooyoung finds himself saying. He halts, somewhat mortified that he hadn’t been able to hold his tongue like he usually does. Yunho, much to Wooyoung’s relief, doesn’t seem offended. Instead, he throws his head back with a laugh. It’s a pretty sound.
“Indeed,” Yunho agrees easily. “I would technically be out of university by now, but my parents started me in kindergarten a year later and I took a gap year.” Yunho rubs the back of his neck, knuckles brushing against his cheek. “Ah… and I took half a semester off for personal reasons.”
“Fair enough,” Wooyoung nods, following Yunho as they turn a corner. “What do you study?”
“I’m majoring in criminal justice and law,” Yunho runs one hand through his hair, the bucket hat still tucked beneath his arm. Wooyoung wonders why Yunho took it off. Then he belatedly realizes how intensive Yunho’s academics must be. “What about you?”
“I major in chemistry and art with a minor in plant botany.” Wooyoung responds. He’s already bracing himself for a judgemental response; most of the people who’ve asked what Wooyoung is studying have given him snide remarks about how art and chemistry aren’t meant to go together.
“That’s a neat combination of majors,” Yunho comments, “they’re both on different ends of the spectrum, but I think they can probably complement each other well. Which one do you like better?” When Wooyoung blinks at him, bewildered, Yunho gives him a wry smile. “I know what you’re thinking. Why haven’t I asked why you chose those specific two? I’m not going to say that you’re an idiot for choosing two subjects that are considered polar opposites. To each their own, I suppose.” Yunho muses.
“How…” Wooyoung furrows his brow.
“I’ve heard the same thing many times before,” Yunho says simply. Wooyoung doesn’t press. “So? Which one do you like better?”
“Oh.” Wooyoung tilts his head to the side. “I can’t pick, sorry. I like the challenges that chemistry brings. Learning new things and being able to lead my own lab experiments is quite enlightening. However, I do like being able to bring my own visions to life on paper or canvas. It’s therapeutic, and I often get urges to sketch things that I think are pretty. It’s unfortunate that I have a bad habit of losing motivation quickly.” Wooyoung shrugs.
“You’re quite intelligent,” Yunho comments, and when Wooyoung shoots him a questioning look, he elaborates. He doesn’t do it quickly like some people do, once they’re afraid that they’ve offended someone. He looks a bit pensive, as if trying to make sure that his words come across properly. “It’s just in the way that you speak and hold yourself. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just an observation.” Wooyoung, not quite sure how to respond, hooks a finger through the rope bracelets on his wrists and tugs. “Any extracurriculars?” Yunho changes the topic, and Wooyoung isn’t sure whether to feel relieved that the partial compliment dilemma has been diverted, or exasperated that Yunho has so many questions to ask.
“No, but I’ll probably look into them when I start my courses.” Wooyoung’s not certain if he actually will; he’s much too nervous to leave Kyungmin alone in the apartment for too long, even if his younger brother is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. “You?”
“I’m on the debate team,” Yunho replies as he takes another turn down a street. Ah . It clicks.
“Jeong Yunho?” Wooyoung asks, and Yunho nearly trips over his own feet.
“Eh?” Yunho catches himself on a nearby wall and turns to stare at Wooyoung with one wide eye, expression startled. It’s sort of cute.
“You’re quite well known, especially among collegiate debate teams. Even before, you were known to be a rather formidable opponent.” Wooyoung explains. “A good friend of mine joined the debate team back home the year after you graduated and told me stories she heard about a graduated high school student from Seoul who was practically invincible on stage.” Yunho chuckles at that, lifting one large hand to cover the half of his face that Wooyoung can see, and the shorter man is pretty sure there’s a slight flush on the other’s cheeks.
“I wouldn’t say invincible,” Yunho shrugs, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips as his hand slides to cup the back of his neck. “But I’d like to think that I was pretty good.”
“You’re likely still ‘pretty good’ if collegiate level debate teams were fighting for you when you were still in high school,” Wooyoung points out.
“You’ve got a point,” Yunho sighs, hand dropping to his side. “Is your friend still on the debate team?”
“No, she ended up dropping it.” Wooyoung still remembers the day that Yeji had found him in his usual corner of the library, tears in her eyes and her worried twin right behind. It took a long time to help Yeji calm down; a can of hot tea Changbin scrambled to go purchase from the vending machines and plenty of backrubs from Wooyoung as Changbin hugged Yeji in what could only be considered a near choke hold.
Yeji, although intelligent and quick-witted, had a bit of a temper that was a tad bit too short, which had resulted in their loss in the national championships – the closest their district had been ever since Jeong Yunho’s legendary debut on the stage. Their school’s team had not been happy. Yeji had explained how the team confronted her the next day, and overwhelmed with their hostile approach, slammed her hands down on the table she was sitting at and yelled that she was quitting the team.
You should be glad you didn’t make it onto the team, Yeji had said, and though she had stopped crying, her voice was still shaky. Changbin had only shifted awkwardly in response, patting his sister on the head. He’d also tried out for the debate team with Yeji, no doubt roped in by her, but he was much too impulsive to be able to firmly stand his ground on the stage without accidentally doubling back on his words. And a week later, when their high school lost in the first round in the next championship, Yeji had laughed when the team begged her to come back.
“It’s unfortunate, she was quite good.” Wooyoung says instead, untangling his fingers from his bracelets.
Up ahead, Wooyoung can see a green sign with white and yellow detailing a few buildings ahead, with Aurora Cafe written in pretty pastel green cursive.
“That’s a shame,” Yunho muses. “Well, if you and I ever become good friends, let me know if she ever wants to have a friendly debate.”
Wooyoung blinks.
Although Yunho talks a lot and asks many questions, he’s easy enough to have a conversation with. Wooyoung isn’t quite certain how to react or respond, so he settles with a simple okay in response. As they come to a halt before the cafe, Yunho reaches out to open the door, finally untucking his bucket from beneath his arm to place it back on his head.
“Thanks for your help, Yunho.” Wooyoung steps inside of the cafe, shifting his bag around to unzip it and dig around for the carefully folded papers. “I don’t think I would’ve found this place without your help.”
“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could be of service,” Yunho smiles, waving at the young woman behind the counter.
“Good morning, Yunho! You’re here much earlier than usual.” The young woman bows at them politely in greeting. “Welcome to the Aurora Cafe.” She pauses, peering at Wooyoung curiously. “Are you Jung Wooyoung, by chance?”
Wooyoung almost startles, momentarily forgetting that he had to send a photo along with his resume. “Yes, that would be me.” Wooyoung walks the short distance from the door to the counter, setting the signed papers down. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Ryujin, the owner of this place.” Ryujin smiles before she skims over the signed papers. “Thanks for finishing these. I’ll get in contact with you so we can make up your schedule.”
“Thank you,” Wooyoung bows briefly in thanks and Ryujin looks absolutely endeared. “Ah, I should mention that I’m going to have a new number soon, so email might be best, if that’s okay.” Ryujin nods.
“That’s just fine.” Ryujin replies. “Would either of you like a drink?” Ryujin gestures to the menu behind her. “We also have a fresh assortment of pastries you can pick from.”
“I’d love an iced caramel macchiato,” Yunho says, his hip propped against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. “I’d also like one of those blueberry muffins, please.” Ryujin nods, and taps the order into the screen before she looks over at Wooyoung.
“What about you?”
“Oh… just an iced green tea, please.” Wooyoung pauses, glancing up at the array of pastries. “Actually, uh, how long do the pastries keep?”
“They keep for the day,” Ryujin calls as she ducks away to slip on a glove to grab a muffin from the display, slipping it into a paper bag. Wooyoung peers at the display, trying to think about what his younger brother might like.
“I’ll take one of the chocolate chip muffins.” Wooyoung shifts his weight, hooking his thumbs into the straps of his backpack.
“Warmed?” Ryujin asks, as she hands Yunho his muffin.
“No thanks,” Wooyoung shakes his head. “It’s for my little brother at home, and I still have errands to run.”
“That’s sweet of you.” Ryujin’s eyes crinkle. “How old is he?”
“Uh, he’s six.” Wooyoung shifts, digging through his pockets for his wallet, but Ryujin waves him off as she slides their muffins over the counter and their drinks.
“On the house.” Ryujin smiles. She nods over at Yunho. “He spends most of his free time here, anyways. We do business.” She winks, and Yunho’s lips quirk up into a small smile.
“My brother does business with her.” Yunho clarifies, shaking his head with a huff.
“Oh.” Wooyoung hesitates, carefully sliding the muffin into his bag and taking the cold cup into his hands. “Thank you.”
“Would you like me to bring you to the phone store?” Yunho asks. “My apartment is in the direction of the store I’m thinking of anyways.” Wooyoung blinks.
“If you’re sure.” He says, haltingly. He doesn’t want to be a bother. Yunho gives him a reassuring smile.
“I am. Let’s get going.” Yunho pushes off from the counter, and waves at Ryujin in farewell.
“It was nice seeing you, Wooyoung!” Ryujin calls. Wooyoung startles a bit at the attention and gives her an awkward bow in return, prompting a smile to bloom on the woman’s face before he and Yunho leave the building.
“What’re you looking for at the phone store?” Yunho asks him curiously.
“Oh. My phone broke.” Wooyoung blinks up at Yunho, before he reverts his attention back to the sidewalk. “Someone ran into me earlier at school, ended up knocking me over and my phone broke when it hit the ground.”
He hears Yunho make a contemplative sound, and then he suddenly halts in his tracks. Confused, Wooyoung turns to look over his shoulder, even more confused to see that Yunho’s eye is wide with horror.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” Wooyoung blinks as Yunho claps his hands together before him, head bowed. To say that Wooyoung’s confused is an understatement. “That was me,” Yunho admits. “The one who knocked you over. I’m so sorry for running into you and then running off afterwards, but I was super late to meet with a client. I should’ve checked to make sure you were alright, but I was sort of panicking about losing a potential shareholder of my brother’s company and the fact that I had accidentally just knocked over one of, if not the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen in my life and ran off like a coward because I don't know how to function around pretty people–” Yunho cuts himself off with a large inhale, cheeks tinting pink. “I’m sorry. Is there some way that I can make it up to you somehow?”
Wooyoung is still struggling to process the words client, shareholder and brother’s company before he gets hit with the whiplash of the straightforward compliment when Yunho’s turning that big, puppy dog gaze on him, and he thinks his mind goes blank.
“No,” Wooyoung shakes his head. Yunho tilts his head, confused, brow furrowing. “You don’t have to make it up to me.” Wooyoung clarifies. “Consider this as your repayment.” Yunho doesn’t look satisfied with that answer. “I don’t want people to feel indebted to me over an accident. I was planning on buying a new phone anyways.” Yunho still doesn’t look convinced, shoulders slumping a little bit.
“If you’re sure,” Yunho says weakly.
“I am.” Wooyoung nods his head in affirmation.
Yunho’s lips thin, but he doesn’t say anything else as he continues to lead the way to the phone store, and Wooyoung briefly wonders if he’s said something wrong. But Yunho offers Wooyoung a soft smile, and the younger man feels the tension seeping out of his body.
A few minutes after they arrive at the phone store and Wooyoung’s talking to one of the sales associates, Yunho’s phone rings. He shoots an apologetic look at Wooyoung before he has to slip outside to take the call. Wooyoung shrugs – it’s not any of his business – and turns his attention back to the young woman.
Eventually, he decides on the version of iPhone that came out after his broken one – still a couple years old, because he doesn’t want to spend an obscene amount of money on a phone whose version’s update is essentially just a better camera. He can retrieve all of his data back at his apartment later that night from his laptop and put it into the new phone, text the six or so contacts that he has in his phone on his new SIM card.
As he’s setting up the new phone with the basic information, he eyes the series of simple flip phones on the wall, wondering whether it’s worth it to buy one for Kyungmin. He rarely uses his phone for things outside of calls, texts and navigation but it’s convenient when he has to look things up. He’s definitely farther away from Kyungmin than he’s comfortable with now and knowing how chaotic his brother can be, getting an indestructible Nokia phone sounds like the safest option.
Yunho’s still on the phone, looking frustrated as Wooyoung comes out of the store. Yunho glances up, and he offers a tired and soft half smile. Wooyoung tilts his head, offering a thumbs up and a thumbs down and Yunho only shrugs helplessly. Wooyoung can just barely hear the voice on the other end, and they don’t really sound happy. Yunho looks increasingly irritated and it surprises Wooyoung then, when Yunho cuts the other person off.
“Look, I understand that you’re frustrated things aren’t moving at the pace you want them to. However, if you have a problem with that, my brother is the person you should be calling, not me. I’ll let him know that you had concerns. Have a good day.” Yunho hangs up, and his phone almost immediately starts to ring again. Yunho huffs, shutting off his ringer and slips his phone into his pocket.
“Is everything okay?” Wooyoung asks, startling himself.
“I guess,” Yunho shrugs, tugging at his bangs in frustration. “It’s fine, though.” He shrugs, and Wooyoung feels his brow furrow. Is it really, though? Yunho was clearly upset about something, but Wooyoung didn't push. “Did you get what you needed?”
“I did.” Wooyoung confirms. “Thank you for all of your help today. You really didn’t have to chauffeur me around.”
“I wanted to.” Yunho says simply. Wooyoung tilts his head at him. “Was there anything else you needed to do?”
“No,” Wooyoung shakes his head. “I should be getting back home to my younger brother.”
“How old is he?” Yunho asks.
“Six.” Wooyoung glances up at him, hands tucked into his pockets, shifting on his feet. Yunho’s lips twitch up into a small smile.
“A cute age.” Yunho hums, shifting to push off the wall as Wooyoung starts to head back to the train station. Wooyoung tilts his head, looking at Yunho curiously. Yunho peers back at him. “What?”
“Didn’t you say you lived in that direction?” Wooyoung asks, gesturing over his shoulder. “I can find my way back to the station. There are plenty of signs.” Wooyoung points to a couple of said signs. “I don’t want you to have to go back and forth without needing to.”
“Ah.” Yunho’s cheeks color just a little bit. “I- yeah, I do live in this direction.” Wooyoung’s not certain why Yunho suddenly seems so nervous. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”
“I’m certain.” Wooyoung nods. “Thank you so much for your help today, really.” Yunho clasps the back of his neck.
“It’s not a problem.” Yunho murmurs. “I’m still really sorry for just slamming into you earlier.” Wooyoung waves him off.
“It’s fine. Neither of us were hurt.” Wooyoung shifts his backpack on his shoulders, checking the time on his new phone. Almost two hours have passed. Kyungmin’s definitely home by now. “I should get going.”
“Oh, okay.” Yunho sounds almost disappointed, but when Wooyoung glances up at him, Yunho’s just watching him with a carefully neutral expression. “I’ll see you around on campus, then?”
“Sure,” Wooyoung agrees.
It’s a little awkward as they part ways, and Wooyoung can still feel Yunho’s eyes on him as he makes his way down the street, only feeling it fade when he turns a corner. The trip home feels long, and Wooyoung’s not certain why the only thing he can think of is Yunho’s soft smile.
When he opens the door to his apartment, he’s welcomed by the smell of curry and rice, Kyungmin standing carefully on a stepstool before the stove with his apron wrapped around his waist.
“Hyung!” Kyungmin beams at him, carefully turning down the heat before he climbs off the stool and runs over to hug Wooyoung around the waist. Wooyoung grins, shifting to crouch down and hug him back, nuzzling their cheeks together. “I made dinner!”
“I can see that.” Wooyoung hums, kissing his brother on the forehead. “Thank you, Kyungmin. I have a little treat for you, too.” Kyungmin’s eyes light up, and a delighted gasp leaves his lips when Wooyoung hands him the pastry bag, peering inside.
“This looks so tasty! Where did you get it?”
“The place I’m going to work at.” Wooyoung replies, bumping Kyungmin lightly with his hip. He drops his backpack off on the couch, watching as his younger brother places the pastry onto their tiny dining room table and scurries back into the kitchen to check on the curry. “Do you want any help, Kyungmin?”
“Nope!” His younger brother chirps. “Everything is almost done. Do you want to go take a shower?” Kyungmin peers at Wooyoung from over his shoulder.
“I can wait.” Wooyoung shakes his head, coming up behind the young boy to check on his progress. Kyungmin offers Wooyoung a bite and he takes it, humming contemplatively beneath his breath. “It’s delicious.” He ruffles Kyungmin’s hair, and his brother beams a toothy smile at him. Wooyoung still helps out by getting bowls, chopsticks and silverware out and pours them both some glasses of sparkling peach juice while Kyungmin dishes out their portions.
The two of them eat in silence for a little bit, before Wooyoung prompts Kyungmin to tell him about his day. In years prior, Kyungmin used to chatter on and on as soon as they sat down until their food got cold so Wooyoung had suggested that they try to eat at least half of their meal before chatting so they could enjoy it while freshly made.
Kyungmin immediately launches into a story about how he thinks he’s now best friends with another young boy, having found him sitting alone beneath a tree during lunch with a triangle kimbap and banana milk. Wooyoung listens attentively, a smile tugging at his lips the entire time.
“He invited me to come over this weekend! Is that okay, hyung?” Kyungmin blinks up at him owlishly.
“Sure,” Wooyoung nods. Then he remembers, “oh, Kyungie. I have another gift for you.” They’re done with their meals anyways, and Kyungmin’s been munching on the muffin, so Wooyoung goes to grab his backpack and digs out the Nokia box. “This is for you.” He says, sliding the device across the table. Kyungmin’s eyes go wide.
“What if I break it?” He asks, and Wooyoung bites back a laugh. Of course Kyungmin would be worried about breaking a phone before getting excited about having said phone.
“There are pretty indestructible.” Wooyoung says, rapping his knuckles against the box. “That being said, don’t throw it around or anything. But I figured that since we’re much further away from each other, and it’s just the two of us, it’s a good idea for the both of us to have phones.”
“That makes sense.” Kyungmin nods. “Did you get your new phone, hyung?”
“I did,” Wooyoung confirms.
“What happened to your old one?” Kyungmin tilts his head. “Wouldn’t it have been less expensive for me to have the old phone?”
“It… broke.” Wooyoung says. Kyungmin blinks at him. “I got bumped over and my phone was knocked out of my hands and broke. It was convenient that I was going to buy a new one, but…” The weight of the new phone in his pocket reminds him how much he also spent to buy a pretty indestructible case – at least that’s what the sales associate had said.
“Maybe hyung’s the one who should have this one,” Kyungmin giggles, before he reaches out to pull the box closer. “Does this mean I can talk with hyung and noona?” He peers up at Wooyoung with wide, excited eyes.
“Yep,” Wooyoung nods. “I can help you set it all up after I clean up from dinner. Changbin already wants to call later tonight, so you can tell him your number then, okay?”
“Okay!” Kyungmin wiggles in his seat excitedly, stuffing the rest of the muffin in his mouth before he hops off of his seat to bring his dishes to the sink.
As expected, the call is loud and chaotic and Wooyoung lets Kyungmin do all of the talking until he starts nodding off, and Changbin is also worn out. Their conversation then with Yeji chipping in is much more muted and calm – more Wooyoung’s speed – and they catch up with each other until Changbin starts dozing off and Yeji’s the one who snatches the phone from her brother’s hands before he can pass out.
“We’ll chat later, Wooyoung! Good luck at KQ, we’re cheering you on.” Yeji chirps, easily wrangling her brother out of the way as Changbin tries to fight to get his phone back.
“Thanks, Yeji. I wish you guys all of the best, too.” Wooyoung says softly, a small smile on his face. “I’ll call you again soon.”
“G’night,” Kyungmin yawns sleepily from where he’s curled up against Wooyoung’s chest. Yeji bids them goodnight, and the call ends.
Wooyoung helps Kyungmin get ready for sleep and as his younger brother pads into their bedroom, he takes a quick shower, brushes his teeth and dresses before he slips into the dark bedroom to curl up on the mattress and draw the blankets up. Immediately, Kyungmin is snuggling up to him, and Wooyoung presses a kiss to the top of his brother’s head.
It’s not so bad, Wooyoung thinks. At least for now.
Wooyoung’s starting to get used to the flow of KQ. It’s always a frantic rush to get to the next class, with only ten minutes between periods and a massive campus to get across. Wooyoung almost gets run over by a skateboarder a couple of times, jumping back as they yell at him for getting in the way of the crowded sidewalk. He gets a couple texts a day from Kyungmin, usually telling him about lunch or playtime, when he’s heading home and when he gets home.
His seatmate for his chemistry lab is Kang Yeosang, and the two of them get along relatively well. They’re both quiet and mind their own business, only nudging the other when they need help with something, which isn’t very often. Their work style meshes well in the first couple labs they do, and they’re usually the first ones done and leave early while their other classmates look on with jealousy.
He’s not awfully surprised that he hasn’t seen Yunho again – the two of them have differing majors in buildings on the opposite sides of campus – but he can’t help but to feel vaguely disappointed, even if he’s uncertain where that feeling comes from. Wooyoung wonders if there’s some sort of higher power up there that’s listening to him, because on Friday, the day that Kyungmin is staying over at his new friend’s house, Wooyoung runs into Yunho at the library.
Wooyoung isn’t there to study, really. He wants to find a small and quiet corner for a change of pace and to take a break from his work to read and sketch idly. It’s raining outside and he doesn’t feel like going back home, and the past few times he’d been in the library, it had a homey feel to it. He’s pretty sure Yunho doesn’t notice him, tucked away at his own table and typing away at his laptop, a pair of thin wire frame glasses sitting on his nose.
They look nice on him.
Wooyoung slips a little deeper into the library and actually finds a bunch of bean bags that he drops his backpack next to and folds himself into. He pops in his AirPods and scrolls to his playlist before hitting play, digging his sketchbook out of his backpack.
It’s a beat-up thing. He’s had it for about a year now, countless more filled up sketchbooks on his desk and on his bookshelves back at the apartment. He flips to a relatively empty page and pulls out one of the HB pencils he always has in the pockets of his flannel, setting the tip to the page. He sketches idle shapes to start, not certain what he wants to draw.
He ends up zoning out for a little bit and when he comes back to himself, he realizes that he’s already sketched the briefest outline of Yunho, sitting at the desk with his face half hidden behind his laptop, brow furrowed slightly in concentration. Wooyoung pauses. It’s not a bad sketch. But it is a little embarrassing.
The features aren’t really that defined, so at a quick glance, it wouldn’t look like anyone in particular. But Wooyoung knows who it’s supposed to be, and that’s enough for him. He lets out a soft sigh and instead moves to another small area of the sketchbook, this time focusing on sketching out a perspective map of the library.
It’s quiet, with only the occasional sound of chairs moving around, the faint tapping of keyboards and the shuffling as people take and return books to the shelves. Wooyoung flips to another page of his sketchbook. His phone buzzes with a text, and Wooyoung switches the pencil from his right to his left as he goes to check, sketching idly, a small smile tugging at his lips when he sees the responding text from Kyungmin, asking him if he’s been having fun and behaving.
kyungmin:
YES!
YES TIMES TWO!
wooyoung:
That’s good to hear, Kyungmin!
Don’t give the hosts too much trouble when it’s time to go to sleep.
kyungmin:
I won’t!
Hyung, can I call you before I go to bed? So I don’t miss you as much?
wooyoung:
You can call me whenever you want, Kyungie :)
kyungmin:
OKAY!! I have to go back and play now, I’ll see you tomorrow, hyung!
OH and talk to you later!!!
wooyoung:
Talk to you later ♥️
Wooyoung tucks his phone back into his pocket and lets out an exasperated sigh when he glances back down at his sketchbook. This one is much clearer with more defining features, and Wooyoung shuts his sketchbook with a huff of annoyance. He’s well aware that Yunho is handsome. But they’ve literally only spoken once before, so why is this happening? Wooyoung tucks his sketchbook back into his backpack, putting his pencil back into his pockets and stands up, grimacing as his back pops.
Yeosang had suggested a book about ancient alchemy methods to him earlier in class, so Wooyoung decides that he’ll go searching for it. A quick look in the library’s online database gives him an idea of where to find it, so he makes his way through the shelves to find the historical science section. He runs his fingers over the spines of the books as he goes, enjoying the secluded quietness of a rarely visited area of the library.
Maybe he should come back here more often with his sketchbook or laptop and find a spot to curl up on the ground.
Eventually, Wooyoung finds the right shelf, but of course, the book is on the top shelf, and Wooyoung might be a bit taller than the average height, but he’s still short. He looks around for a chair or anything, but sees nothing. Wooyoung reaches up onto his tiptoes to see if he can at least reach the spine of the book with his wingspan and fingers. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a fruitless endeavor and Wooyoung lets out a soft sigh of annoyance, ready to turn away to go find a chair when he senses a presence and suddenly there’s a gentle touch on his shoulder.
Startled, Wooyoung jerks and whirls around, knocking into the shelf and a soft yelp of alarm escapes his throat. A strong arm quickly winds itself around Wooyoung’s waist and rights him and Wooyoung finds himself staring up at Yunho’s concerned expression. He feels like his breath has been knocked out of his chest at the wide eyes behind the pretty golden frames the older man wears.
“You scared me.” Wooyoung says, reaching up to take out his AirPods, previously hidden by his hair and hood.
“Wooyoung?” Is what Yunho says instead, sounding almost awed. Wooyoung tilts his head at him. Has Yunho forgotten who he was?
“Yes?” Wooyoung asks, pressing his hand against his chest to try to calm his hammering heartbeat.
“Oh. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Yunho looks guilty. “I also didn’t realize it was you. I just saw someone struggling to reach something and thought I could offer to try.”
Wooyoung eyes him warily and steps out of Yunho’s half embrace, the older man’s arm falling to his side. Yunho almost immediately reaches up to tug at his earlobe, looking a bit nervous. Yunho’s wearing some sort of designer shirt tucked into another pair of cargo pants with a cropped and short sleeve tracksuit jacket over it. Wooyoung feels a little childish in comparison, wearing baggy jeans and an oversized shirt and a flannel jacket that’s clearly way too big for him.
“You might be able to reach it,” Wooyoung nods, eyes flicking up to the top shelf as he distracts himself from Yunho’s appearance.
“Which one is it?” Yunho asks, tilting his head up to look.
“Red book, between the brown leatherbound cover with faded gold lettering and the black book with…” Wooyoung tilts his head too, “poorly chosen dark blue text.” He finishes. Yunho glances over at him, some sort of emotion flitting through his eyes that Wooyoung can’t catch.
“I can try,” Yunho nods.
He hands Wooyoung a book that he was holding and shifts to move up closer to the bookshelf, lifting up onto his toes, one hand braced against the edge of the shelf as the other tries to snag at the book’s spine.
The shirt that he’s wearing rucks up slightly from where it’s tucked into his pants and Wooyoung blinks in surprise as he catches sight of some sort of other fabric beneath Yunho’s shirt, this one looking like there’s laces to the body of it, and Wooyoung realizes that it’s a corset or a binder of sorts. Yunho lets out a little triumphant sound and Wooyoung glances away just as Yunho proudly presents the book to him.
“Thank you.” Wooyoung takes it from him carefully, returning the book that he was holding. “Can I ask what you were doing in the historical science section?”
“The social science section is right next door.” Yunho explains, trailing after Wooyoung as the younger man starts to make his way back to the main section of the library. “I was on my way back when I saw you.” He peers at the cover curiously. “History of alchemy?”
“Yeah.” Wooyoung nods, tucking it beneath his arm. “A classmate of mine recommended it to me.” He glances over at the book in Yunho’s hand. “You?”
“Oh. It’s for an essay I’m writing.” Yunho says, tucking his free hand into his pocket. “Nothing too exciting, really.” Yunho admits.
“When’s it due?” Wooyoung can’t help but to ask. Yunho glances at his watch.
“In about two and a half hours.” Yunho’s eyes flick back over to Wooyoung. “I should be able to finish it.” He says and Wooyoung resists the urge to sigh.
“Go work on it.” Wooyoung says, shaking his head. “Your grades are important.” Yunho looks like he wants to protest, but Wooyoung plants a firm hand to the older man’s firm back and pushes him in the direction of the table, steering him away from the receptionist’s desk.
“How do you know where I’m sitting? Maybe I’m somewhere else.” Yunho protests.
“I saw you when I walked in.” Wooyoung says simply, and Yunho falls quiet after that.
Wooyoung does feel the material of something tougher beneath Yunho’s shirt and jacket as they come to a halt before Yunho’s things all sprawled out on the desk. Wooyoung doesn’t know what to say or do now, so he just offers Yunho a small and tentative smile.
“Good luck on your essay.” He tells him. “Thanks again for helping me to get this book. I appreciate it.”
“Oh. Thank you. And um, not a problem.” Yunho shuffles on his feet, looking like he wants to say something. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, chewing on his lower lip. “Will I see you around?”
“Maybe.” Wooyoung shrugs. Yunho shifts again. “Get working.” Wooyoung chastises, flicking Yunho lightly on the shoulder. “I need to head home.”
“Safe travels,” Yunho tells him, tripping over his words as Wooyoung turns to head back to his little nook to gather his things. Wooyoung’s glad that his hood is still pulled up to hide his red ears.
And later that night, with only a couple of things on his mind, including a devastatingly attractive and tall young man, he wonders if he should be ashamed at how many sketches of Yunho his sketchbook now holds.