Tokyo mornings are bizarre.

They truly are.

Sometimes, they are sunny, other times drizzly as it is common for the climatic change in a city, but they make you feel lonely. Lonely as against the hollowness of the animated city.

There will be hundreds and thousands of people in your vicinity, yet you will feel the estrangement, and most withdrawn from the destitute of sentiment.

I sipped on my flavourless black tea, admiring the architecture of the neighbourhood as I glided to my workplace - the antique shop.

As against the buzzing of the morning hours at the Toranomon station where you struggle to push yourself amidst the ever-energetic crowd, this neighbourhood was peaceful. And I'm very glad about it.

Over the past two months, a lot has changed. The season changed with the buzzing murmur of the cicadas shouldering their way through the unmown tall, green grass and tawny tree barks.

The old landlady took pity on me, decreasing my monthly rent by half, because - one, I haven't found a stable, high-paying job yet; and two, I cook for her sometimes and volunteer to help with her daily chores, which naturally paved the way for decrements in monthly rent. Don't get me wrong she's a sweet person and I respect her, but the rent was too high for me, so yeah I might have kind of requested her.

My evening classes has started, but I haven't been able to make any progress in my studies. So far I've been trying my best to educate myself with the language, customs, traditions and the culture in general, with the hope that I'll make some new friends at university; but that has still been a hope for now. I really wish my classmates would take mercy on my pathetic soul and approach me.

But, nevertheless, I made a friend outside the university. A foreigner at that.

I always imagined myself to be the one who would die from the fear of forced social interactions. But here I am with my very first friend since I moved to Japan. The friend I'm talking about might not be surprising since he is the same guy with the haunting midnight eyes.

Ever since the 'umbrella incident', he would drop by the shop around the afternoon hours and we would talk, sometimes for a few minutes, and sometimes for long hours.

It started with our mutual love for The Beatles and Cindi Lauper, and very slowly escalated to the point where we would tease each other about various topic. The awkward tension that surrounded us before had vanished in a poof.

Even though he took his sweet time to reveal his name, but that sure was an interesting episode.

"So why wouldn't you tell me your name?" I started with a rousing interest. "Give me a valid reason and I'll zip my mouth for eternity."

"That's a huge statement coming from a chatty one like you," he snickered, eyes trained on the screen as he continued playing Candy Crush saga on his phone.

"Am I supposed to take that as an insult?"

"You can take it in any way you want, your excellency." The side of his lips curved up.

"Don't call me that. It's embarrassing!"

"So is my name." He murmured softly.

"Huh?"

Pausing the game, he put the phone in his pocket, and proceeded to stretch his limbs in his seat.

"My name. It's embarrassing." He let out a deep sigh, folding his arms as he bit the insides of his right cheek.

"Psst. As if I like my birth name," I concisely rolled my eyes to prove my point.

"At least you're name doesn't mean 'Gloss' in Korean."

"Wait, what?"

"I know you heard me right, don't pretend!"

"Wait, wait, wait, I did not know you're Korean!" And I clearly didn't. He never mentioned it to me before.

"You did not?"

"How am I supposed to know that? You look very Asian to me, and you speak fluent Japanese so I assumed maybe you're Japanese."

"Next thing you'll say you assumed I'm Asian because I eat rice and noodles only."

"Uh- yeah...sorry about the racist remark." I mentally cursed at myself for not thinking this through. That was so inappropriate and judgemental of me. I diverted my eyes from his form, trying my best not to make the situation any more awkward than it already was.

"It's fine, I get that a lot."

Minutes past, there was an eerie silence unfolding between us with. I felt the awkward tension growing on me, and shifted my weight from one foot to another. I took this moment to switch my attention to the page in front of me, avoiding his eyes in the process.

"By the way, it's..." he started in a small voice.

"Hmm?" I softly hummed, letting him know I'm listening without breaking my eye contact from the page.

"Yoongi. Min Yoongi." Came his soft reply, turning to his left side to stare at the lone glacier painting hung on the wall.

It took me a solid minute to process what he just said, and as soon as I did, I guffawed. "That actually sounds like James Bond's introduction."

Clasping my hand over my mouth, I tried to suppress the laugh from escaping, but it was hard not to.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"But I like your name," I admitted once I stopped laughing for good. "Yooouu-unnn-geeee." I gave his name a long experimental try, as it rolled off my tongue.

"Just say Yoongi! Y-O-O-N-G-I."

"Okay, okay, Yoonjingles."

He gave me a sour grimacing face that made me burst into another fit of giggles. "Don't associate me with such silly nicknames."

Planting my hands on the counter, I purposely leaned closer to him as he moved back in a pronto to maintain the distance between us.

"So would you like me to call you something else? Something more intimate? How about Yoongles? Or perhaps, Yoons?" I offered, saying it in my best coquettish voice.

"I hate humans so I would really appreciate the distance." He muttered in a low voice, raising his two palms in front of his chest in a defensive manner.

My bold act seemed to bring a fresh tint of red to his cheeks as he tried his best to lean backwards, putting a safe distance between us.

"So why did your parents name you Yoongi?" I gave him a small smile and moved back to my previous position to stand behind the counter.

"Jeez, just shut up already!"

"Oh, how I wanna rub that smile off your face." Yoongi said in his usual deep voice, arm supporting his chin and lightly tapping his index finger on his cheekbone. The fact he was satisfied breaking me from my happy flashback was clearly etched on his face.

I blinked twice, mouth gaping open as his gruff voice tried to zip through my afternoon daze. "What are you even doing..." I took a quick glance at the clock behind him, noting it was one o' clock already before shifting my attention on him "...here?"

"Am I not supposed to be here?" Yoongi eyed me with interest.

"No, what I actually meant was - don't you have any classes to attend?"

"Too bad I'm not a student." He clicked his tongue. Pulling out the nearest stool in front of the counter and settling himself into it, he maintained his eyes on the same level as mine.

"I don't know, you kind of look young to me so I thought maybe you're a student," I nibbled the inside of my cheek.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Well, you're wrong."

Brusque silence between us is of the worst kind. At first, it was comforting when we did not talk much, but ever since we started exchanging words, I've come to hate it. Among the two of us, it made me feel awkward. Even though half of the time it was me saying something gibberish and unintelligent, and he being his usual self, making fun of me, but I never want our conversations to pause or end, at least not now.

"As much as I would love to go back to that phase, I'm currently unemployed."

"You must be filthy rich then," I mused absently.

"No denying that," Yoongi chortled, as he brought his legs up to sit in Indian position on the three-legged stool - the sight of which has become common for me now.

"You are?" I asked, clearly surprised by his answer.

"That's a secret for you to find out." Yoongi winked.

"It's not like I'm gonna bankrupt you or something."

"There's a fine possibility you might." His eyes sparkled with a familiar glee.

"Don't give me any of that jive!"

"I don't trust you."

"You know my eyes just rolled to the back of my skull."

"Pleasure knowing that." Yoongi seemed so unbothered by the whole thing that it had started to irk me. I really thought he would say 'oh sorry I did not mean that,' or something of that sort, but then again it would have been so uncharacteristic of him.

"Argh, we have known each other for like three months now and I know so little of you," I whined, jutting out my lower lip.

"But why are you so interested in me?"
He grinned like a Cheshire cat. "You sure you are not in love with me?"

The palpable teasing lilt in his voice reflected in his dark orbs and I wished I had a camera so that I capture that face and later tease him about it, but since I was too broke for that I decided to bring my bitch-self on guard.

"Eww no! Where did that come from?"

"First off, I'm not 'eww,' and second, if you weren't interested in me, you won't pester me with so many personal questions," he noted.

I actually wanted to say I did not mean the 'eww' comment I said earlier, but I felt like it's already late and there's no room for correction.

"You just silently agreed to my statement, didn't you?" His lips twisted at the ends.

"I did not!"

"Fancy yourself in Yukio Mishima?"

That was so out of the blue. Him quickly changing the topic and enquiring me about what the author whose I was currently reading felt quite extrinsic, but then again, it would be wise enough to shrug off the feeling because everyday I meet a new 'Yoongi', and if this is yet another interest of him, then I'm okay with exploring other versions of him.

"Spring snow is simply beautiful," I said, staring admiringly at the book. "Some parts are just mind-boggling. It's worth a read."

"Reasonable," he nodded twice, eyes trained on the page of the book I was reading.

"What about you?"

"Nah, I'm not much into literature. But I do read a few pieces every now and then. Mostly, children books," he shrugged his shoulders shyly.

"That's new. So, what do you like?"

"Mostly fandom books, like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings; books like these brew my tea."

"Interesting choice of words."

"After all, I'm an interesting person." He gave me a suggestive grin.

"Seriously, why are you in Japan?" Changing topic probably seemed likethe wisest decision. As much as I like Yoongi, his flirtatious side is kind of creepy. I mean I feel alright when I flirt with him, but when it's the other way round, it sort of feels strange to me.

"I'm on a vacation."

"A three month long vacation?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

Fishing out a lollipop from his pocket, he started unwrapping the cover before putting the yellow lollipop inside his mouth. "I intend to stay longer."

"How's that a vacation?"

"Just so you know, you really annoying," replied he, in his profound quietness.

"You are quite the reserved type, aren't you?" I murmured after a moment of hush, unsure of his reaction.

"So are you."

"True. But you're more. At least I did not hesitate to say my name."

He stared at me for a little while before he blinked. "Anyhoo, I gotta run." He breathed out before getting up from the backless stool.

"So soon?"

I liked his company. I really did. At first, he seemed sweet to me but in all reality he's a little devil, who is at the moment busy sucking a lollipop like a nonchalant toddler. But I like him, more than I did to anyone ever since my arrival to Tokyo. Or maybe it's just my homesickness acting up.

"Yeah, I have to pick my clothes from the laundry lady. Plus, I have to buy the week's grocery from this supermarket near my apartment. There's a sale on eggs and meat and I have the least intention to miss that."

"Wow, you're like a stay-at-home dad."

"Tell that to my future wife and children." That one darned smile makes it's comeback as he strode backwards to the door, waving me a lazy goodbye.

"Toodles Yoongichi!" I purposely winked at him and he cringed his nose cutely, making me laugh at his actions.

"Just go back to your reading already," he cast me one last glance before he opened the door, stepping outside the shop's premises.

And just like that he disappeared behind that wooden door, leaving me yet once again with my thoughts like most other days.

Min Yoongi was like a breath of summer air - warm and refreshing. He breezed into into my life when I thought I was living in the cycle of autumn - me with my shadow, being the only constant of my life.

He was singular and au naturel like a modern concept. He had looked aerial to me the first time we met, but as the time unfolded I could see he was more than just sparkles and sunshine. He had a tempest whirling inside of him which were apparent in his midnight pools.

And, even if it is too early to say it aloud, he made a small place in my heart. Though small, but a place nonetheless.

Ever since his arrival, I talked more, I laughed more and this new change in personality surprised me to a large extent.

I was just glad he was there in my company as I was in his, even if it's for a brief time.

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AN: The italicised sentences recounts to past memories or flashbacks. The part where the un-italicised sentences begin means back to the present day. I hope this was helpful, even though I suck big time at explanations.

All the votes and hearty comments are appreciated.

Thank you so much for reading this cray-cray fan-fiction.