'Dude what were you thinking?!'

'I swear I only laid my head for a split second there; I just wanted to take a reboot real quick-'

Seokjin looked cross. 'There was almost a test, you know? There and then at that moment, Taehyung worried about you, you know?'

Taehyung shot Seokjin shards of ice through his eyes.

Seokjin coughed.

'Well, I was worried', he said, looking away from Taehyung's angry face. 'If you had missed the test, you wouldn't be able to do a make up one. You know what our professor is like'.

Namjoon rubbed his eyes. He bounced on the balls of his feet. 'I'm glad there was no test. I would have cried'.

'Lucky you', scoffed Taehyung. He put his hands into the right pocket of his coat and drew out one of Seokjin's sweets. He shoved it at Namjoon.

'Here. Eat this. Your punishment'.

Joon groaned.

Seokjin smiled. The corners of his mouth were starting to hurt.

--

By the time Seokjin was done with his last class for the day, it was 7:05pm.

He couldn't help but have some regret-that if he'd taken his guitar earlier that morning as he left the apartment, he would have gotten it fixed by lunch. But now he had to go meet the repairers at the time when he could have been going back home to rest. He wondered if they were still open.

Namjoon was springing out of the hall, eager to arrive at his club meeting before it began at half past seven.

Taehyung stared at Seokjin's long face. He pat his shoulder comfortingly.

'Hey. Don't think about your mistake. What's done is done'. He gave him a slight push towards the exit of the hall. 'Come on now, we don't know when they close'.

Seokjin willed his body to Taehyung's palms, and he let him pull him out the lecture room, and then out of the university building. They turned right once they got out and began legging the distance. Seokjin put his hands in his pockets and sighed. His breath made a cloud once it hit the air.

'It's getting even colder', he said, taking his hands out. He cupped them around his mouth and blew. They didn't feel any warmer, so he put them back in the pockets of his coat.

Taehyung put his hands in his pockets and brought out another bonbon.

'We're nearing the end of October. It's expected. We'll start looking like caterpillars again soon, in those long paddings'. He popped the sweet into his mouth.

Seokjin laughed at that. Then he suddenly stopped.

'How many of those things did you take? Its like you've been bringing one out your pocket every five minutes'.

Tae jiggled his pockets. 'Twenty. I took twenty of them, and I've been taking a new one out of my pocket every twenty five minutes, plus-minus. I'm trying my best so I don't run out quick'.

'I thought I made you drop five?'

'Ah, well. I took five more.'

Seokjin's eyes widened by a whole centimetre.

'When did you?'

'When you weren't looking'.

'When was that?'

'Oh look. Store'.

They were indeed in front of the repairs shop.

Taehyung gave the establishment a once over. It was the ground floor of a fairly large building, the walls in a light beige colour. The signpost said Instrument Repair, and it flickered whenever a car passed by.

'Well, here we are.'

Over the glass doors hung a We're open sign.

'They aren't closed yet'. The fact made Seokjin sigh in relief.

'Maybe they lock up soon? We don't want them telling us we can't be attended to because its almost closing time'.

Seokjin's face gave a preview of what it would look like if it were in pain. 'I would lose my mind if they said that.'

'Same. Lets not waste anymore time.'

The door did not make a ringing sound as they walked in. The shop smelt of lubricating oil and a tinge of raspberry-it tickled Taehyung's nose. Two bulbs six feet apart lit up the room from the ceiling. There were a bunch of instruments loitering around; big ones and middle sized ones and small ones-and a lot of disengaged instrument parts. It was messy, yet organised-quite. Seokjin understood it, but felt he wouldn't really know how to explain it to someone else.

There was a man sat in a corner, working hard on the tuning pegs of a violin.

He looked so focused, the boys were sure he hadn't noticed them yet.

Seokjin cleared his throat. 'Sir-'

'I know you're there', said the repair man, pulling gently at a peg. He hadn't looked up at them yet.

Taehyung and Seokjin gave each other a quick look. The man paused with the violin and looked up to face them. He let out a smile.

'Hello, and welcome. What instrument are you here to fix?'

Seokjin pulled the strap of his guitar case off his left shoulder. He unzipped it and brought it out. 'A guitar', he said, and waved it from his distance.

'Let me see'. Mr. Violin gestured for Seokjin to give him the guitar. The twenty-one year old swiftly did so.

Mr. Violin began his analysis. Seokjin tried to make small talk.

'Nice smell', he began, wringing his nose.

The man's befuddled face met his.

'Of the shop, haha', Seokjin saved. He suddenly felt stupid.

Taehyung guffawed. Mr. Guitar chuckled.

'You like the smell of lubricating oil'?

Seokjin let his lips press together and stretch into a curve. 'No, not really. I meant the raspberry air freshener'.

'Ah that's just me, I like sweets'. He opened his mouth as though he were at the dentist. 'Every day the shop smells a new flavour. Tomorrow could be pineapple'. He grinned.

'Oh'.

Taehyung wondered if the man could hear diabetes knocking at the door. A thought about having too many bonbons slid into his mind. He kicked it out.

The room grew in silence. Then-

'Its a pity this can't be fixed. It's just too damaged in certain important parts.'

Seokjin felt his heart drop. 'What do you mean it can't be fixed?'

Mr. Guitar turned to face his customer. 'You see here, here and here?' He pointed to show the boys, 'they're pretty important for the guitar's proper functioning. And by the looks of it, they're beat pretty bad. You'd have to replace the parts completely, and that would cost an amount so unnecessary, it would be preferable to get a new one'.

Taehyung found his friend's face contorting into the look of pain he made outside when he had thought of the prospect of the shop closing. He pat his back gently.

'But... I haven't got enough money for a new one'.

The man sighed. 'I promise you. If you haven't got money for a new one, then you can't afford to fix this.'

Seokjin had never looked more crestfallen.

Taehyung spoke. 'Hoseok could-'

His friend flared ice in his direction.

Taehyung's suggestion vanished like it had never surfaced. He turned to the man.

'Have you any other options?'

'Well... there are tons of sites online that sell literally anything. I'm almost sure you'd find tons of fairly used guitars for sale. And some could be cheaper than you'd usually expect'.

Seokjin's face lit up. 'You mean I could get a fairly used one at a really cheap price?'

Mr. Guitar shrugged. 'Depends on how well you search. Here.' He returned the broken instrument.

Seokjin's face didn't look so sad anymore. 'Thank you. That was a lot of help'.

Taehyung thought he heard a little sarcasm. He thought wrong.

'We'll be going now.'

Mr. Guitar had become Mr. Violin again. He was back to working on the tuning pegs.

'I hope you find a good one'.

They were already at the door. Seokjin let himself smile.

'I hope so too'.

Once they had left the shop and turned the corner back, Seokjin gave the biggest sigh of the day. He found a stray rock on his path and kicked it really hard.

'I hate cockroaches'.

They walked on, not saying anything afterwards. Taehyung could bear the silence, but he didn't want to right then-not when it was a beautiful evening, and the atmosphere felt gentle. He put his arm around his friend's shoulder.

'Wanna grab dinner?'

'You don't have to'.

'Yeah, but I'm hungry'.

Seokjin's stomach rumbled a reply.
Taehyung coughed a laugh.

'Bro I swear, we're in sync'.

They led themselves to one of the places where people fuelled their guts. They chose a booth.

'What would you like?'

Seokjin was looking out the window and surveying the vehicle plied, night lamp lit streets. He turned to his friend.

'Lets just grill some meat'.

'Ditto'.

Minutes passed and meat kept disappearing. The boys leaned back in the plush seats and relaxed, voices tinkering in unified chatter.

Seokjin couldn't appreciate Taehyung's optimism enough. The twenty-two year old's persona was a reserved one; only except when he was sweating it out in the ice hockey ring or rambling it off with Namjoon.

He wasn't too far on the outgoing spectrum; keeping put most of the time to watch and learn and observe; but he was fun with his friends-much more than he could put up front to anyone else, and he simply let himself thrive in the here and now with those he considered dear.

And so Seokjin's spirits rose from the dust and pretty much danced to Taehyung's comments that evening-it was as though there was no problem in the first place.

Until he spoke about it.

'Check the online sale now?'

Seokjin swallowed his chewed on piece of meat. 'Do lets'.

Taehyung stood up from the opposite seat and slid into the same one his friend was sat on. Then they began to swipe through eons of items.

They went through a bunch of guitars-each one either being too expensive for what they worth, too old, not in their city, or with descriptions too suspicious to be genuine. Taehyung had also begun to remember things he thought he needed. Or rather, would like to have.

'Oh wow that washing machine looks like it could combat grime for years'.

'Oh my goodness that pressing iron. Joon's flannels could use that'.

'Hey Seokjin, don't you think I could save tons of change if I rode that bicycle instead of taking the bus? My thighs would thank me too.'

'Rice cooker'!

He gave a gigantic gasp.

'Is that a pack of bonbons?!'

Seokjin sent his friend the dirtiest look he could spare.

Taehyung gave his friend the softest pout he could wear.

'Come on! If you get them, I won't have to steal any of yours anymore!'

Seokjin didn't know his dirty look could grow in intensity.

And Taehyung didn't know his pout could hold so much tenacity.

'Of course, I promise to pay you back'. His eyes raked through the phone screen again. 'And they're so cheap too!'

Seokjin chuckled. 'Tae. Why would anyone sell bonbons on a site like this? Doesn't it feel somewhat strange?

Taehyung let his pout wear off.
'I guess'.

He suddenly thought of Namjoon.

'You know, I wouldn't put it past Joon to sell a pack of bonbons and use the money to buy a pickled burger or something'. He made a disgusted face at the word "pickle".

'I still don't get why he doesn't like chocolate'.

'I'm not entirely surprised.'

Seokjin swiped on his phone again. His face got bright, and it wasn't just from the light his device emitted.

'Hey Tae, look at this one. Doesn't it seem like a good match?'