(So I had to re-write this because no one could see the first chapter for some reason...not even me. But here we go again!)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"...and everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon."

As the song came to an end, Jeongin sat up on the couch with a sigh.

He ruffled his hair, looking over to the the 5:15pm time on the clock. It was nearly time for his walk to work.

Night shifts were common for him, and the best he could to to spend as much time as possible with Jiah.

Jiah, his 12-year-old brother, makes living life the way he does worth it.

"Jeongin hyung, can I have crackers?"

Jeongin turned to Jiah.

"Of course. Also, Chris is almost here. He'll be watching you again tonight."

"Really! Chris hyung is so fun! We play video games together."

"He's not as good as me is he?"

"Nope."

The brothers laugh.

Jiah runs to the kitchen to get his crackers.

The doorbell rings and Jeongin gets up to go open it.

Jiah peeks around the corner with his boc of Cheez-Its.

Jeongin opens the door to reveal Chris.

"Hyung! Thanks for coming."

"Of course! I gotta help my boys."

The two hugged.

Jiah ran over to Chris and hugged him too.

"Aww, my favorite people! Thanks for the hugs."

"Well, I have to go. See you in about eight hours?"

"See ya. I'll make sure Jiah gets to bed on time tonight."

"Good."

Jeongin waved goodbye to them and grabbed his bag from the table by the door before leaving the apartment.

----------------------------------------------------------

There was a nice cold wind outside this night.

It was January, and Jeongin had to walk in the cold every night to the convenience store.

They didn't have money for a car, or even extra for a scooter. Jeongin's bike got stolen so he didn't even have that anymore.

"I could be rich. But no, she just has to want my money. Stupid..."

He grumbled to himself, thinking about his least favorite people.

His parents.

They lived in a nice home in a nice neighborhood across town.

Jeongin and Jiah however, had to live in a dingy apartment complex where you need industrial locks to keep your bikes safe.

Life could be so much better for them if their parents were better people.

His phone buzzed, breaking him from his thoughts.

When he checked it, he almost dropped his phone in shock.

"What the hell mom?! I can't do that?!"

Yet again, his mom came with a request for money.

Every month, Jeongin had to give them money.

"Because we took care of you." She would say.

"Because you're supposed to care for your parents." His dad would say.

But they never cared for him.

They never cared for Jiah.

Jeongin gained custody of his brother a few years back after an incident with their parents.

If Jeongin wasn't able to give them money, they hit him, and it would always escalate quickly.

This time, he felt like it would happen again.

Why you ask? Well, she was asking for quite a bit of money.

"How am I supposed to get that much...3.4 million won? I get paid half the minimum wage, illegally, and she expects this much?"

It is said that the average Korean makes 2.9 million won a month (info courtesy of Google) but Jeongin was not the average person.

And his parents knew that.

Soon he arrived at the convenience store, a scowl on his face. It was even cold inside, which didn't alter his mood one bit.

His boss greeted him.

"Ah, Yang. Come here, we need to talk."

Jeongin follows him to his office. He noticed the store was empty.

"Yes sir?"

"Yang, we have an issue."

Boss sits down.

"What issue sir?"

"The store. We're in a bad neighborhood and people don't want to come here. I'm afraid...we have to close down."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry...I just can't keep the business afloat when we're barely breaking even every single month."

"Sir...please...I need this job. My mom...she wants a lot of money. If I can't give that to her..."

Jeongin clasps his hands together, trying not to begin to panic.

"I wish I could help. But we have no budget to pay staff. No budget to restock. No budget to even buy some damn cleaning supplies."

Jeongin pleads with him.

"Please. Isn't there something we can do?"

"I've tried. Trust me kid."

"So what do I do? It's a week into the month..."

"I don't know. But you can do it. I believe in you."

Jeongin sighs.

"At least someone does..."

----------------------------------------------------------

Minho is a bartender who sometimes likes to listen to people's worries who come in.

It's no shock that he has had many a conversation with Jeongin.

"So they're closing shop?", Minho asked.

"Yep...and I have no job...again.", Jeongin replied, sipping his drink.

"Well...I can lend you some money."

"I already owe my mom money, I can't owe anyone else."

"She's asking for a lot again isn't she?"

"3.4million won."

"What the hell?", Minho said, a bit of anger in his voice.

"Yeah. It's like she's looking for an excuse to be able to beat the crap out of me again. She knows how hard it is to keep a job in this neighborhood."

Minho took a deep breath.

"What are you going to do? I mean...that's a lot. It's above the average pay even."

"Exactly. I might just jump off of a bridge and do us all a favor."

"Hey hey, don't talk like that. Remember what you're here for."

Jeongin sits up.

"Jiah. I'm here for Jiah."

"Right. Even if you don't want to continue for you...continue for the little boy who would be forced to fo back to that shithole of a home without you."

Jeongin nodded.

Behind them, a man was listening to the conversation, and walked over to them.

"Hey there, I heard you need money?"

Jeongin turned to him.

"I'm not going to sell narcotics for you, sir."

The man laughs.

"You're funny. I'm Changbin. Seo Changbin. Owner of a club downtown."

He hands Jeongin a card.

"We need people like you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I came here looking for a new liquor vendor, but Minho doesn't like me."

Minho rolled his eyes and turned away.

"I ended up finding something better."

"What's the job?"

"If you come by this Friday, I'll explain it to you. Just know...that 3.4 million you're looking for...you could have it in a week."

"A week?!"

Changbin smirked.

"That's right. A week. Come to the club and I'll tell you how."

He eyes Jeongin with an unreadable face.

"I know you'll be perfect for it."

Jeongin smiled.

"Thank you sir. I'll be there."

"Great."

Changbin slides two bills to Minho.

"Get the boy another drink, on me."

He taps Jeongin on the shoulder and walks out of the door.

Minho watches him leave, then turns to Jeongin.

"You gonna go?", he asks.

"Yep. You heard him...I could have my mom's money in a week. If it's true...I may be making enough money to get a different place for me and Jiah. This could be life changing!"

"Don't get too excited. That man is sketchy."

"Oh don't worry Minho hyung. I'll be careful. I have rent to pay, parents who don't work, and a brother who likes Cheez-Its. I need this job."

Minho laughs.

"If you say so."

He slides Jeongin the bills Changbin gave him.

"What's this for?", Jeongin asked.

"So you don't have to walk home. Unless you actually want the other drink."

"No, I'm good. I'll call a taxi now."

Jeongin takes the bills.

Minho looks around his bar, then back at Jeongin.

Something unsettled him about Changbin.

But, he wasn't going to ruin Jeongin's potential job.

He just hoped that his friend would be careful, and cautious of his surroundings.

But then again, this is Yang Jeongin he's thinking about. When has he ever been careful?