"And are you sure you don't need any extra money for groceries? Or paying back some of the loans?" his mom questioned from the other side of the line, making Baekhyun sigh for the umpteenth time.
"Mom, I have a job now and I can pay for my own things. Please take care of Kihyun and yourself instead of worrying about me."
His mom hummed as she thought about Baekhyun's words, giving in after a few seconds of silence. "I guess you're right... But if you ever change your mind, just give me a call, alright?"
Baekhyun agreed, even if he knew that he'd never actually ask for his parents' money, and only after the general five-minute-long farewell did his mom hang up. He let his phone drop onto his mahogany comforter, ruffling his light-brown hair in frustration before falling onto his back with a huff.
It hadn't been long since he had started his third year of college, and Baekhyun honestly thought that—other than learning about methodical procedures and programming language theories—he had gone nowhere.
He still didn't know how to properly manage his time and he was constantly swimming in debt, not to mention how his social life was hitting an inescapable plateau.
Luhan was the only friend that Baekhyun had, and that was solely because they had met as children and continued since. If Baekhyun were to talk about any romantic relationships, he'd only be able to mention his two flopped dates with the same girl... Other than that, Baekhyun had never properly dated, held hands, kissed, or other... stuff.
It was then that the door to their dorm opened and Luhan's familiar voice filled the silence, pulling Baekhyun out of the detached state his thoughts brought him to and instead, made Baekhyun focus on the mop of blond hair falling onto the bed opposite to him.
"So, how have you been enjoying your hermit life in our dorm?" Luhan questioned, turning his head to the side so he could see Baekhyun.
Baekhyun shrugged, deciding to return his gaze to the ceiling instead of staring at Luhan who was most likely judging him. "It's only been one week, Luhan. I swear that I'll be more social this year."
"Uh huh," Luhan said as he turned on his side and propped his head up onto his hand. "And how many times have I heard you say that?"
Baekhyun didn't reply, because frankly, he didn't think he could recall all the times he had said that.
The silence was an obvious answer to Luhan's question, and the older let out a laugh as he sat up, folding his legs and sitting criss-crossed so that he could stare straight at Baekhyun. "I'll believe you if you go out with me for some fun tonight."
Baekhyun groaned, rolling over so that his face was buried in the sheets. He grumbled unintelligible words as he clearly opposed to Luhan's idea, wanting to spend his Friday night cuddled up in his blankets with a good K-Drama to watch.
"Come on, do it for me? Please?" Luhan asked, and Baekhyun didn't have to see him to know that he was using his puppy eyes. "Think of it as something to celebrate the success of our first week at college."
At that, Baekhyun spoke a little louder into the sheets, his tone accusatory. "I wouldn't label 'success' as getting an email reminding me that I've only been paying a quarter of my student loans each year."
"Good point." Luhan agreed, looking around the room as he tried thinking of ways to convince his best friend to do something fun on a perfectly fine night. "How about this," he proposed, "I take you somewhere real nice and pay for all the expenses. That way, you can use your money on something better..?"
For a moment, Luhan thought that his bribery had failed because all he got for an entire minute was silence, but he was proved wrong when Baekhyun lifted his head, peeking at his best friend with an interested look on his face.
"Really?" Baekhyun questioned as he stared at Luhan, wondering if it was all a ploy.
"Yes, really, I have a lot of money on me right now," he answered right after.
Baekhyun slowly sat up, patting down his hair as he folded his legs and sat, smiling a little. "Well what are we waiting for, then?"
~
Luhan hadn't been kidding when he said 'someplace real nice'.
The brunet found himself nearly gaping when he first saw the low-hanging chandelier; an ornament that hung right after the fancy swinging entrance doors.
The floor was made entirely out of polished marble, and each seat accompanying the ebony tables had a comfy cushion for the diners to enjoy.
Luhan decided to choose a place before Baekhyun decided to spend the entire evening staring, ordering a table for two and being led there shortly after. The two sat down promptly without another word, the older man picking up a menu as if he did it every day. The second half of the duo tried to seem as casual as the other, but he couldn't help feeling as if all his attempts were in vain.
Baekhyun looked around the restaurant further, sinking down into his seat upon realizing how underdressed he was compared to the people around him. Luhan, noticing his friend's unusual behavior, mirrored his action, seeing if there was anything wrong with where they were seated.
"What's up?" his blonde haired friend asked, still trying to find anything out of the ordinary around them.
"Ah, it's nothing," Baekhyun said, drawing his attention from the expensive jackets and shining jewelry around them and back onto the menu, eyes widening when they saw the prices of the meals.
"Baek, I've known you for years, and you still don't think I can see that it isn't nothing?" he refuted, his hand reaching for the glass of water that the waiter had brought the two upon their arrival. He touched the glass to his lips as he watched his friend open and close his mouth, as though unsure if he should say something.
"I just... feel weird being here," the brunette finished, not taking his eyes off of the menu.
"What do you mean?" Luhan questioned, eyebrows furrowing together at his best friend's remark.
"Everyone in here looks so nice, and I... well..." Baekhyun trailed off, looking down at his jeans and yellow t-shirt, Luhan's eyes following them there as well.
Luhan rolled his eyes at his action. "Shut up, Baek. You look fine."
"I just feel underdressed, that's all," he said, still avoiding eye contact.
Luhan let out an amused laugh. "This coming from the guy who wore a tux t-shirt to our senior prom?"
Baekhyun's face grew red at his friend's comment. To everyone's knowledge, Baekhyun had been ecstatic about wearing that shirt to prom, but who wouldn't be happy wearing the finest tux that you could afford?
"Come on, you can talk to me," Luhan said, tone softening and head lowering, trying to get the attention of the man sat across from
him.
"I guess the right word would be more... underclass?" he said quietly, a sad laugh following suit.
"Baekhyun, look at me," Luhan softly commanded. "No one here cares what you look like. The customers here are too busy with themselves, and the servers only care about... well, to put it one way, they don't care if you look like a million bucks, they just care that you have it."
To that, Baekhyun only grew frustrated. "But I don't have a million bucks. I don't even have a hundred."
Luhan froze, a little taken aback that Baekhyun was suddenly bringing up his financial standing.
Baekhyun continued on, "You're lucky enough to have parents who have enough money and are willing to spend it all on you—"
"Woah woah woah, where did you get the idea that my parents are sponsoring me?" Luhan said, cutting Baekhyun off before he could continue.
"Come on, Lu. You constantly go on vacations alone, have high quality clothing, and you're able to afford eating in places like this," Baekhyun finished, gesturing to the dimly-lit, expensively decorated setting around them.
"Well, I'll have you know that being able to be here—" Luhan started, imitating Baekhyun's gestures, "—had nothing to do with my parents money. They cut me off when I turned eighteen. But anyways, I said I can cover this meal, so don't worry about it."
Baekhyun sighed, clearly put off by what his best friend had told him. "But you can't pay for my food every time I want to eat. And besides, I need money to pay for my own things, too."
"Well, if you're looking for easy money on the side, I do know one way..." Luhan trailed off, breaking eye contact, clearly hinting for his friend to inquire more about the topic.
"How? I'll really try almost anything," the brunet said, looking straight into the blond-haired male's eyes.
Luhan looked back into his eyes, searching for any hesitation in the latter's. After not finding any, he continued on.
"You could get a sugar daddy."