Yoongi's POV-
"Did you make it?" I ask into the receiver as I pull on my coat, anxious to get to the café.
"Holy shit Yoongs, I forgot how big this place is! And the view is still just as, if not more, gorgeous then I remember. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like to look out at the city at night."
"Are you sure that unit on the other side of the building isn't available? I was looking at the realtors website yesterday and it still shows the listing," I ask, sliding my glasses back into place as I make my way across the yard and onto the sidewalk.
"For the twelfth time, there is an offer pending which means unless the buyer backs out you can forget about it. I'm sorry that you won't be able to wake up to the view of the dark alley and the tinted windows of the building next door every morning like you would in that unit.
"It's a real tragedy that you'll be forced to wake up to see the sun rising over Seoul and glistening off the river every morning."
"Fuck off, Yeol," I say with a heavy eye roll. "Anyway, the movers will be coming this week so I need to confirm with Baek when he'll be there during the day after his classes. I tried to call him earlier but he didn't answer. Is he there now?"
"You know, you really should get an assistant. I don't have time to be doing this. Especially not with school starting this week. I still have a lot of students to call."
"I do not want an assistant. People are dumbasses and I don't have the time nor the energy to teach someone how to manage me and my schedule the way I want it done. It's easier to do it myself."
"But you're not doing it yourself... I am." He retorts back without missing a beat.
I purse my lips, not wanting to debate this any further so instead I repeat my previous question. "When will Baek be there?"
The line goes silent. After a few more silent seconds I'm about repeat my question but am interrupted by a soft "Excuse us" come from behind me.
I turn to see an older couple holding hands while attempting to shuffle around me. Keeping my phone to my ear, I step off to the side letting them by.
I am distracted by the almost sickly sweet site for a moment until I feel my phone vibrate in my hand signaling a notification coming in.
I pull my hand away thinking my call dropped but see the timer still running.
Nope, still connected.
"Hello?" I growl into the phone.
"Yeah... Baek won't be watching your place anymore," he states slowly with caution.
"What the fuck does that mean?!" I basically yell in response.
I hear a gasp and look up to meet eyes with the elderly couple as they shoot me scolding glares. I press my lips into a tight smile and bow shallowly before turning away for a little more privacy.
"Chanyeol, I just spoke with him before I left town and he confirmed he could do it. He said he needed the money." I say through gritted teeth.
"Well it's for a good reason." He says sounding a tad defensive.
"Okay?" I reply totally confused about the sudden change of plans.
I need him to explain to me exactly what has caused this to happen so I can resolve it. I need someone there.
"There was a fire in one of the dorms on Wednesday night. Some idiot left a hot plate on or something. Multiple floors were effected and over two dozen students are being rehoused because their previous dorms have been deemed unlivable due to either flame damage, smoke damage, or both. Baek is one of the them."
Now it's my turn to be silent.
I turn back towards the direction of the café, walking slowly as I process what I've just been told.
"But... If anything that makes my deal with him even more convenient. I am offering- no not just offering, paying him to stay in a much nicer place than any dorm that also happens to be relatively close to campus. I don't understand the problem."
"Obviously not," he sighs. "Yoongs, school starts this week. Baek has been running around trying to figure out where he's going to be moving to, going through his things to separate what is salvageable from what needs to be replaced.
"Then he's got to go to the appropriate stores to repurchase the things needing to be replaced and get moved to wherever the new place is all, ideally, before Sunday so he can be in class the next day.
"He did stay the days after you left up until the fire. One of the reasons he wasn't caught in the smoke was because he was at your place that night. I've been stopping in when I can, but you're gonna need to find someone else to be here until you get back."
"Fuck." I exhale out.
I feel bad for Baekhyun, of course, but I also feel bad for myself.
"Hey Yeol..." I begin my plea with my best imitation of a sweet voice.
"It's gonna be a quick no." He immediately cuts in. "I do not have time to sit for hours on end around your empty apartment staring at the ceiling twiddling my thumbs-"
"It's not empty. The couch should be there and I made sure they had the guest room set up so he would be a bit more comfortable while waiting for my other furniture to arrive."
"I still don't really understand why you need someone to watch this place while you're out. There are at least half a dozen employees standing outside the front entrance downstairs that physically escort you from your car, a front desk to check in at, cameras in every hallway which security monitors daily.
"Plus you have a brand new heavy duty looking deadbolt on your door. Why can't you just lock the door and call it good? Or reschedule the movers to wait a week."
"For your information, this trip out of town was very last minute. I get it, the place seems safe but I don't care about how people get into the building. I only care about the ones that will be in my apartment.
"Besides, before I left town the first thing I did was try to reschedule the movers. It was going to be more work than it was worth. I need someone there to let the movers in and monitor them while they are there to make sure everything is accounted for and nothing gets taken.
"I know how much my furniture and things cost. It would be not only pricey but pretty annoying to have to replace something that was messed with or damaged due to carelessness that could potentially be observed and corrected by someone watching."
I widen my eyes as a terrible thought pops into my mind, "God forbid one of my lyric books is sticking out of a box and gets picked up and stuffed in a backpack. That would be disastrous! I would lose hours- no, years, of work that would be impossible to duplicate.
"Not to mention hundreds of thousands in projected revenue as any song that could have come out of the now missing book would have never been produced or released," I say biting my nails, hating to even be thinking this as a possible outcome if someone got into my place while it was unattended.
"I did see that Hobi made it over to set up the majority of your studio. I guess I can understand wanting that secured, although right now there's not a lot in there.
"Plus the keypad has been installed outside the door. Can't you lock that along with the front door until you get someone else to stay here?"
My breath hitches in my throat and I immediately stop walking.
"What?" I say almost in a whisper.
"Yeah there isn't a lot in there. I think locking the door would suffice. He's only got your monitors, speakers, mixing board set up on the desk. That ugly couch you love so much is in there too and a few boxes are stacked in the corner."
Boxes?! That means some of my notebooks have already been sitting there just waiting to be picked through!
"Yeol, was that door unlocked and you opened it or was it already open when you got there?"
"...Which is worse?"
"Oh for fuck sakes." I growl, looking up at the sky as if it will give me some sort of assurance.
Almost hoping whatever heavenly being is up there will descend down to offer themselves to watch over my notebooks and keyboards until I am back home. But, no such luck.
I quicken my pace as I begin to try to come up with possible solutions. I don't have many but there are a couple that come to mind.
I can attempt to speed up the visit a bit and leave maybe a day or two early, but I need time for the things I've decided to use this visit to do and one of them I definitely don't want to rush.
Or I could beg Yeol to find a way to do his RA stuff from the apartment and offer him an obscene amount of money... but that would be almost cruel to even ask that of him.
Even more so since it'll be the first week of school. I also know he would eventually say yes and that wouldn't be fair.
I could go back through my previous list of prospects that originally said no and offer one of them an obscene amount of money to reconsider...
As I'm in the middle of listing my options down in my head Yeol speaks up with a sigh.
"I'm sorry Yoongs. I'll talk to some people. I'll find someone."
A genuine smile appears as I thank him. What would I ever do without him.
"I owe you for this, Yeol. Anything, you name it, and it's yours." I say with so much relief before adding "I'm sorry I was so short with you. In my defense, I haven't had my coffee yet."
He lets out a laugh at that. "Oh that explains a lot!" He laughs a bit more before continuing. "Alright, I'm going to lock this door with the key pad as well as lock the doorknob and deadbolt on my way out, okay?
"Like I said earlier, I have students to call but I will come back over in a few hours. Hopefully by the time I'm ready to come back I'll have a sitter lined up."
"Weird way to word that, but that would be ideal. Thank you again. I'm just walking up to the café and I can feel my central nervous system shutting down due to lack of caffeine so I'm gonna go."
"Alright Yoongs, talk to you later."
After ending the call I stuff my phone into my jacket pocket then bring one hand up to slide my glasses back into place yet again, as I push the door to the café open with the other.
Once I'm through the doorway I step to the side so I'm out of the way while I reach into my back pocket to retrieve my wallet, hoping I am correct in thinking I have some cash as I don't really want to use my card.
Once I see some bills neatly folded in place I head towards the register, passing by a few tables while I struggle momentarily to line my wallet up with my pocket to slide it back into place.
My eyes land on the man behind the counter and I try to recall if he is the same guy that helped me yesterday. He told me his name but what was it? Something with a "K" I think. A short name too.
Kyle? Kit? Ken?
My previously pursed lips pull up into a small smile as I recall the encounter with whoever the guy was yesterday.
I had walked up to order and when the guy looked up from the register his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
The silence was extremely awkward as he just stared at me before he was suddenly rushing out, "So Far Away is my favorite song. It makes me cry every time."
Then it was my turn to be stunned into silence. It was a much shorter pause from the previous one though as it doesn't take long before he spoke up again.
"It's just... I'm a fan. O-Of your music. And, of you." He clarified, immediately averting his eyes away from me, looking flustered and embarrassed at the situation.
It was hilarious and dare I say, cute.
Thinking about it makes me chuckle. That was probably one of my most unique fan meetings I've had in quite a while.
Still donning a smile I step up to the counter, immediately looking at the man's green name tag.
Key. That's right.
I knew that if I could see the name spelled out I would remember. I am terrible with faces.
I bring my eyes up to see him smiling widely at me in recognition, only this time he greets me with what I assume is the owner approved opening line employees are supposed to recite when welcoming customers.
"Sticking to the script today I see," I say with a smirk.
He laughs loudly at this while I also let out a few chuckles.
He proceeds to ask me if I would like the same order as the day before and I nod saying, "Yes, that's my usual."
He gives a short nod and puts the order into the computer while I move to reach for my back pocket before a voice stops me.
I'm a bit surprised by the sudden sound as I wasn't aware anyone was standing to my side at all.
"Hey, uh, excuse me... You dropped your wallet over by my table."
Upon hearing that I turn my head to see an outstretched hand with my wallet held between his slim fingers.
I raise my eyebrow a tad as I move my eyes up his, noticeably toned, arm all the way up to then rest on his face, curious to see who I should be thanking for this.
That is when I see a man, or more accurately a kid, with round eyes that look to be just a slightly lighter shade of brown than my own. He has a kind smile on his lips as he looks back at me.
I reach out and take my wallet. Opening it absentmindedly still deep in thought.
I've seen these eyes...
I know this kid.
Not personally, and definitely not by name, but I remember vaguely seeing this face with the freckle below his bottom lip along with a few on his cheek.
I've seen this face. His face. But where? And under what circumstances.
A fan meet? Around town maybe?
I am just so bad with faces. I mean, it took me almost a year to even somewhat recognize Hobi's sister when she would come visit him in the studio. And I am told they look similar.
I have definitely seen those eyes somewhere, possibly more than once if I am familiar enough to recognize them so quickly.
I must've also seen his face in it's entirety rather close up if I remember the freckles.
Obviously the recognition is one sided though as he doesn't show any sign of knowing who I am so that removes seeing him at a fan meet as a possibility.
I am still racking my brain trying my best to place him as I turn back to my front as I mumble a "Thanks" while continuing to think about where or why I'd recognize him.
I hear him scoff before saying something I don't quite catch. I didn't have to hear the actual words to notice the offense in his voice as well as the annoyance.
I feel a little bad now because I really am grateful he gave my wallet back to me instead of running off with it.
I turn around in hopes to apologize or ask his name, not that I would remember it for long anyway, but I just want to say something in order for him to stay a little longer so I can figure out what the connection is.
My rising hope to find out who he is crashes down when I see he is already halfway out the door.
Who was that boy?