Quite and small footsteps lead the man that was still in work clothes towards the lonely park he had left not even an hour ago.
A gloomy air surrounded Minho when he entered the empty park for the second time that night, so many thoughts parking inside his head.
His knees collided with the grassy ground as soon as he walked a bit further inside the place. Minho felt so drained off energy.
Everything that had been happening to and around him tired him out so much; he didn't know how to deal with all the mixed emotions he's feeling.
In short, Minho was overwhelmed.
Having his own demons chasing him throughout his day-to-day life already tormented him enough.
Things happening to his friends on top of that was like hell to him.
Sighing heavily, Minho tried to gulp down the lump growing in his throat while carelessly caressing his face.
As much as he felt like letting go of all his pent up frustration, Minho didn't wanna end up crying in the middle of a deserted park.
Like last time.
Struggling there for a while more, he finally found himself standing up again on his wobbly legs, brushing off his black dress pants to get rid of any dirt.
He let his feet carry him to places.
Minho didn't realise how long it took but the next moment he took in the surrounding in front of him, he found himself standing in front of a bar.
Sighing again for the umpteenth time that night, he lazily made his way inside the bar.
He could really use a break for a night.
"What can I get you, sir?" The bartender, most probably in his early 20s, flashed a kind smile towards his customer.
Minho had taken a sit in front of the counter, a bit further from the few other people present there.
"Just wine please."
When he was served his drink, Minho didn't take long before gulping in the contents in one go, asking for more right after.
It was probably his 5th glass of wine, when the alcohol started to kick in hard.
Minho could feel that he was slowly getting drunk, the intoxicating feeling making him forget about all his worries temporarily.
It was better than the numbness he felt most of the time.
Right now he didn't have to worry about the engagement party coming in a few days, no pressure of work, no concern for his beloved younger friend or his best friend that was most likely going to get his heartbroken too soon.
Right now, Minho didn't have to deal with the surging hollowness in his heart that had been prominent there for years thanks to a certain chubby-cheeked male.
He was about to sip in another glass of alcoholic beverage when suddenly a hand reached out, halting his actions.
"I think you've had enough for tonight." The owner of the hand said.
Minho followed the stretched out hand to land his eyes on a male sitting on the tool beside his own.
The stranger had a bucket hat on that engulfed half of his face, the other half being hidden behind a black mask.
He slowly took the glass of wine away from Minho's hands and let it rest on top of the counter.
"What-" Minho mumbled out, still shamelessly staring at the other person.
"I said that you should stop drinking now and head home."
That voice-
It sounded way too familiar, the tenderness in the male's voice, but somehow Minho's intoxicated mind couldn't put a finger on where he had heard that voice before.
"Who are you to tell me to stop?" His voice slurred a bit at the end.
Minho leaned in and squinted his eyes to get rid of the slightly blurred vision, trying to peek inside the stranger's bucket hat.
As if that was useful in any way.
The unknown guy panicked a bit before instinctively leaning back to prevent the closeness of the two. "Stop, hyung-"
"Hyung? Ah so I'm older! More reason as to why you can't stop me, kid." A chuckle left the drunk male's lips as he reached out to grab the glass of wine.
"No, you can't!" The protest of the younger male came out more like a whine as he used both of his hands to grab onto Minho's right hand.
Perfect.
Getting his chance, Minho quickly used his free hand to push the bucket hat off of the other.
What was revealed right after was a fluff of blonde hair and pair of round widened eyes that stared back into the older's eyes in shock.
Again, a familiar pair of round beautiful eyes.
"Y-You.." the older mumbled.
The unknown guy's breath got caught in his throat as the fear of getting caught spreaded across his body.
It must've been a lucky day for him though.
"You look so much.. so much like My squirrel.. that ran away."
That was the last thing the older could mumble out in his slurred voice before completely passing out due to the fatigue and alcohol working strong on his body.
A sigh was heard beside the sleeping figure before that unknown hand again reached out towards him, lightly patting his head this time instead.
...
Jisung's POV
The night deepened as per nature's will but as always, there was not an ounch of sleep present in my eyes. Being a medical student hampered your sleep schedule enough and when it was paired with insomnia, say goodbye to slumber.
It was around 2 am when I finished studying for the day. My finals were running and so I had to give extra effort into everything.
I couldn't wait to become an intern doctor soon.
Cracking the cramped bones, I thought it was a good idea to go out for a walk. Going on walks late at night had always been my thing.
So grabbing my thick jacket, putting a bucket hat over the mess of my newly blonde hair, I set out.
I didn't have any specific place in mind, just letting my feet take me wherever they pleased. Humming to a tune and silently walking through the quiet streets, I found myself roaming in a eerily familiar neighborhood.
A smile made its way on my lips as I walked around the place where I had grown up. My parents' house was still there, a few blocks away from where I was standing.
It's been a while I've visited them last.
Making a mental note to visit my parents right after exams were over, I started walking somewhere else.
After walking for a while, my steps halted as I saw the park. This one had always been a hotspot for me to visit everytime I went out at night.
My feet were killing me as I had been walking for about an hour. So without thinking much, I entered the park to rest for a bit.
That's when I saw him.
My pace slowed down, eventually coming to a stop, as I saw a man in white shirt tucked in his black dress pants kneeling on the grassy ground.
He looked as if he was crying but observing for a few seconds, I could tell he wasn't. In fact, he seemed as though he was trying his best not to break down.
Not wanting to invade the guy's privacy, I was about to turn around and leave but then on my peripheral vision, I saw him stand up. He couldn't see me as I was standing in a rather dark side.
That's when I got a clear glimpse of the man, the shimmering light of the full-moon reflecting his perfectly sculpted features.
The perfect face I had grown to fall in love with.
I stood there frozen as a rush of nostalgia hit me. It really was him. My Minho hyung..
I saw as Minho hooked his suit on one of his hands, lazily placing both of his hands into his pockets and walk off.
What my heart told me right then was to run after him, engulf him in the biggest hug, feel his scent fill my nostrills all over again. But my body stayed numb on the spot, thousands of questions and hesitations halting my train of desires.
Shaking my head, I quickly started to silently run in the direction the older had set off to. In a minute, I spotted him again.
His steps were slow, drained off of energy. Leaving a good distance between us, I walked behind him.
Call me a stalker but I really couldn't suppress the urge to follow him around, to see him more than just a few seconds, be it from merely afar.
Besides, there were a few questions lingering inside my head.
When did he come back to Korea?
Why was he out so late all alone by himself?
And most importantly, why did he look so.. broken?
I quickly brushed off my thoughts as I saw Minho stop walking before entering what looked like a night bar. Did he plan on drinking this late?
After fixing my hat and mask and taking a few deep breaths, I entered the said bar, immediately darting my eyes around the place in search of the older male.
I found him in no time. He was sitting by the counter by himself. So leaving a few seats in between us, I also took a seat.
I saw as he gulped down glasses after glasses of what looked to be wine. Frowning at the scene, I couldn't help standing up from my seat to go and sit beside him.
Minho had a high tolerance but at that point, I was sure he would get drunk out of his mind.
Jeez this hyung-
When I grabbed the glass from his hand and placed it down on the counter, his little confused eyes blinking at me was so cute.
"Who are you to tell me to stop?" He asked me with fake anger lacing his drunken speech.
I was about to say something witty but he suddenly leaned in closer, making me almost yelp in surprise.
I stared at his squinted eyes, a small pout adorning his lips and I was so so thankful that the mask was shielding my burning cheeks right now.
"Stop, hyung-"
It slipped out.
I saw as he started chuckling. What was so funny?
"Hyung? Ah so I'm older! More reason as to why you can't stop me, kid."
I was surprised how his brain was still working despite the amount of alcohol intake. Now I shouldn't have been surprised cuz what he did next had completely startled the shit out of me.
There was a bit of a fight between us as I was stopping him from reaching the wine filled glass again and taking his chance, Minho shoved the bucket hat off of me, giddily laughing in victory afterwards.
My widened eyes met his before the smile in his face slowly started falling off.
His lips formed into a pout, mumbling out the next few words.
"Y-You look so much.. so much like My squirrel.. that ran away."
And he passed out, his head lazily falling on the marbled counter. I sat there for a few more seconds in silence and shock, processing the words that had just left the older's mouth.
After regaining my composure, I looked at him peacefully sleeping. His long eyelashes were trembling slightly and I now noticed the slight eyebags under his eyes.
His whole face as a whole looked exhausted. Yet so endearingly beautiful.
I carefully placed my hand on his face, caressing gently as to not wake him up. I wonder what thoughts are troubling you so much, hyung.
I felt tears starting to brim inside my eyes. Before I could get anymore emotional, I carefully fished out Minho's phone from his pockets, mumbling a little sorry for invading his privacy.
"Time to get you home," I whispered to him.
I prayed for him to still have the same pattern lock on his phone as I focused on it again. And I was right. I quickly unlocked the phone and went in his contacts to look for a familiar name.
I found it in no time.
Quickly sending a text, I waited till there was a reply, making sure Minho was in right hands in the state he was in.
The reply came in a few minutes just as I had expected.
Minho
Hyung come get me im kinda drunk *insert address*
Chan
On my way
As the time to leave his side finally came, I couldn't help the tears that rolled down my cheeks. I held his face in my palm before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his flashed cheeks.
"Goodbye, hyung." I whispered after pulling away slightly. "I miss you so much."