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⇒ N/S Corner Store
11:00pm

Yawning tiredly before closing his laptop, Felix stretched his arms over the counter, groaning as his body vibrated from the sensation that pleaded for a goodnight's sleep. He ran a hand over his face before packing up his things and collecting the keys to the shop from the drawer, then throwing the backpack over his shoulder.

"These late shifts are killing me," he groaned as he groggily made his way around the counter, smacking his tongue in annoyance when the keys fell from their lazy hold in his hand.

"Of fucking course," Felix complained again, reluctantly fixing his posture and rolling his eyes when a supposedly uncommon, hooded customer could be seen nearing the entrance of the shop.

"Good night-"

"I'm sorry but we're closed," the employee faked a smile, a glare carrying the narrowness of his gaze, competing with the stranger's more subtle stare. "Feel free to return in the morning. Have a good night," he motioned his arm towards the door for the seemingly stubborn customer to exit, face-palming when the taller only scoffed at his instruction. "Sir, I said we're closed."

"And I just want a bag of chips," the familiar voice sounded loudly yet kindly, folding his arms fatuously against his chest. "Besides, I wanted to see you..."

"See me?" Felix tilted his head, eyes going wide at the recognition of the same male that he had seen roughly two weeks back. "Why would you come to see me, sir?"

Pulling the hood down from his head with a slight flinch, the male squinted and waited a few seconds before speaking to ensure that there really was no familiarity spotted by the shorter in his features. "Because," he sighed, idly fiddling with the paws of his sweater. "Look, I know I'm a stranger and all, and I know it's weird, being out this late so randomly. But I couldn't stop thinking about you..."

Coughing to distract himself from the slight flatter felt in his chest, Felix narrowed his eyes, lifting a hand to stroke his chin in thought. "Me? What's so special about me? You're... weird." He squinted even more as he observed the taller's appearance, biting harshly on the inside of his cheek to hide the slight, flustered smile as his eyes pondered on those beautifully visible dimples. He had to admit, that customer did look familiar, but with so much schoolwork and fatigue overcrowding his mind, he just could not seem to put a finger on it.

"You're so hardworking, you know?" The older smiled softly, looking down and sighing before meeting the other's gaze once again. "It's not every day that you find a young person out this late working and studying. It's impressive..."

"Thank... you?"

"Yeah and uhm..." the male cleared his throat quietly again, scratching the back of his neck and internally praying that the coming statement would in no way discomfort the freckled cashier. "What you told me? About your loan and stuff? It just kinda made me think, I guess?"

Scoffing and chuckling with the utmost level of sarcasm, Felix poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, looking down and shaking his head while inertly kicking on air with his instep. "Sir, as I said before, we're closed. So I kindly advise that you step out-"

"No-no I didn't mean it in any wrong way. I'm just trying to compliment your ambition," the older curved his plump lips into a pout, hesitantly stretching an arm out to further imply his apology. "I know you'd probably have a different approach if I came by earlier, but I have a tight schedule. I'm not trying to kidnap you or harm you, or anything like that."

Felix cocked his head to the side again, a clearly skeptical yet polite look plastered on his freckled face. "What's your name?" He blurted, mind coming to the reasonable conclusion that no conversation should continue until proper identification. "And age? Occupation, if you may?"

Nipping at his lower lip, the customer looked to the side, a slight headache forming to the back of his head as he fought with the decision of revealing his identity- or which name he should use, rather. "C-Chan," he spoke lowly, the realization that the majority of his fans knew him as "Chris" or his stage name somewhat settling his anxiety. "I'm twenty-three... and uhm... part-time producer?" He tilted his head, stroking his chin in thought to figure out a way to polish the lie of his occupation into a much shinier and believable frame. "Like on my own... I do my own thing, in my studio. Uhm... what about you? That's if you're comfortable sharing..."

Thinking thrice, Felix sighed before speaking up, ruffling the messy blonde strands on his head to distract the slight bit of nervousness that tried tickling the ordering of his words. "Well, Chan, I'm Felix. I'm twenty years old... university student, and I work here, if that wasn't obvious," he tried to joke, the subtle red tint plastering along his cheeks only known to the taller in front. He felt peace, kind of, when he looked into the older's eyes again, and that was his mind's only logical explanation for revealing all of that information in such little time of becoming acquainted with the latter.

"Nice name," Chan spread a side smile, bouncing on his heels when a few seconds of awkward silence surfaced between them. "So... wanna hang out sometime?" He bit down on his teeth anxiously, stopping his childish movements when Felix visibly patted his temple in thought. "I mean as friends. You seem like a cool person, so that's why I asked."

"Well," Felix started, a disapproving, forced smile stretching his cheeks. "I have a really busy schedule because of school even though it's online," he shrugged in thought again, nodding and chuckling at the way the older's eyes glistened at his new approving gesture. "But, I guess I could squeeze in a spot? Where and when exactly?"

Looking away, Chan bit on the inside of his cheek, swearing mentally and running a hand over his face. "I can't be seen with guys so casually like this," he whispered too low for the younger to decipher, the inaudible movements of his lips breeding inquiries of his sanity in the latter's mind. Nodding in affirmation with the reasonable conclusion decided among his questionable, silent speeches, Chan finally spoke up, "I was thinking right here? I don't really like going out in public places, so I don't mind spending some time here, keeping you company, you know? And then we could get to know each other slowly but surely?"

Felix only hummed and scrunched his face at the suggestion, shaking his head with the expression. "I'd rather not," he thinned his lips sarcastically, tapping his foot against the stained tiles. "I'm not comfortable with that. I just hope that you understand."

"No- of course, I do," Chan cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his ear. "Well, hopefully, my visits here will be enough to let us become friends sometime in the future?"

"Mhm," Felix looked down, sighing before waddling slowly to the exit, but stopping when a firm yet hesitant grip met his shoulder. "What the fuck?"

Chuckling at the younger's reaction, Chan quickly pulled his hand away, swiftly turning on his heels to head for the snack aisle. "I was serious about wanting a pack of chips..."

-

⇒ JYP Building- 3racha Studio
12:05am

"What are you so focused on?" Jisung inched closer to his leader's back, quickly retreating when the older harshly flipped a piece of paper upside down and shot a threatening glare over his shoulder. "Chris? You good?"

"I'm fine, Jisung," Chan lied before motioning his arm to the door, nodding with his gesture when the younger got the hint to leave him alone in the studio. "I just have some things to catch up on, but I'll head home soon. You guys don't have to wait for me."

"Alright then," the shorter raised his eyebrows with a fake, thin smile before closing the door behind him, Chan sighing out of relief when desired silence resurfaced with loneliness in that room. "Where was I..." he hummed, flipping the page over and sighing at the pathetic list scribbled along the lines.

"Introduction... understanding... trust... well honesty obviously... openness... acceptance," he traced a finger over the ink with his mumbles, groaning at the strengthening ache in his forehead as he thought so hard to come up with additional requirements for that experiment to "double-check" his sexuality.

"Love... I guess, if everything happens to go well," he shrugged upon scribbling that final word on an empty line, but a mischievous, troubling smirk made its way to his face when one dangerous yet overpowering necessity fleeted into his jumbled thoughts. "Sex..." he muttered, crossing out what he had thought to be the final word to add in that specific, selfish one that'd fulfill all of the desires that he had trouble satisfying with the demands of his career. "Protected, of course... if he's a hermaphrodite. And then... then there may be room for love?"

-

⇒ Levanter Apartments
12:30am

Slipping his small frame underneath the bedsheets, Felix slapped a hand over his cheeks in an attempt to ease their immovable smile that was honestly becoming uncomfortable. "Felix, pull yourself together," he muffled into the pillow, childishly thrashing his fists against the mattress. "I may be even told him too much... but he's so cute... and he wants to be my friend... fuck!"

Slamming a pillow over his face, the boy inhaled deeply, almost stifling when the income of oxygen was delayed due to the layers of material barricading his nostrils. "Felix for all you know he could be a psychopath or a serial killer!" Not thinking twice, he threw a pillow off of the bed, watching and scoffing when it landed at the other end of the room. "Felix get a hold of yourself!"

Taking in another deep breath, the blonde made his way off of the bed and into the bathroom, not sparing the toothpaste-stained mirror a glance as he leaned down to gulp some water from the sink before sprinkling some over his face. "Stop falling so easily, Felix. Just because he's the first guy to look at you does not mean that he is gay!"

But the repetitive verbal warnings and speeches could not divert the boy's defiant heart from its already paved path forward- a path of openness, understanding, trust, acceptance, and love. Simply put, that inexperienced heart trotted a new path leading to anything related to a commitment with someone for the first time.

And it was stupid, yes. He knew that it was stupid, thinking so much about some random, handsome guy that had offered to be his friend and 11pm on a Wednesday night when he still had topics to brush up on before his finals. He knew that it was a foolish decision to halt those recurring, verbal, deterrent speeches and leave his poor heart alone to walk down that road with so much naive confidence. But he couldn't help it, because it was practically too late, honestly.

With a mind that had already willingly made itself vulnerable to the first sweet word or compliment from anyone of interest, and a heart that was so prepped and excited at the start line, just waiting for the lowest mimicry of a whistle to be blown, Felix just couldn't help it. "I can only hope for the best," he mumbled against the covers as he made his way back into bed with a sigh, fluttering his eyes closed and gulping thickly. "I can't ask anyone for advice, but I'm sure it'll be okay..."

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| Kim Seungmin | 20 years old |
❝I- I swear... it's just a cold... and my underwear is just really, really tight.❞