"It's not that I don't trust you but... I just don't trust the people around you or well, in this case, anyone who I don't know personally," I said and he sighed, finally giving up. Honestly I didn't even know how much I could trust Minhyun but he had seemed honest thus far so I didn't really have a reason not to trust him either. "We will go together, okay? Just wait for me. Be a good kid and don't run around by yourself. If you're tired of the lunchboxes... You can order pizza."
Minhyun pouted and I refrained myself from poking his cheeks again. Seriously, why do his cheeks just look so fluffy and cute? Get a grip, Dongho. Instead of touching his cheeks, my hand moved to ruffle his hair instead to my own dismay. Seriously keep your hands to yourself.
"Alright I have to go now. Take care of my house for me, okay?"
He nodded and smiled a little. "Have a good day at work."
I nodded and left the toilet to change. After I was done, he bade me farewell again at the front door. Somehow it made me feel more eager to go to work, finish up my work and come back home. Oh god, what is happening to me? I passed by Jonghyun's door and pursed my lips. Hopefully he wouldn't give Minhyun another scare again. After that, I rushed off to work.
"Someone's happy."
I flinched when Bumzu suddenly stuck his head near me as I was listening to the latest soundtrack that we had just finalised. I scoffed and turned away but he pulled the headphones off. "Hey!"
"What? The song ended like a minute ago but you are still grinning like a fool. Love songs make you happy now?"
I felt my face heating up from embarrassment. "N-no! I was just... Happy that we finished the song."
Bumzu huffed and rolled his eyes at me. "How long have I known you for, kiddo? You can't lie at all."
"Ugh..."
"So? Is it that luggage guy?"
"Great. You even have a nickname for him," I groaned and he laughed at my somewhat misery display.
"But like come on, you could still try to go after him. Even if you confess, he accepts and go back, Yada Yada Yada, you'll still get a long distance relationship," Bumzu said cheerfully. My eyes widened and I flicked my eyelashes a couple of times just to try to process what Bumzu had just said.
"Woah. Who said anything about dating him?"
"Uh... If you like someone then you'll want to date them, right?"
He wasn't wrong but do I really like Minhyun that much to try a long distance relationship? I barely even know the guy. "Uh... No. Its not a good idea."
"Suit yourself. I'm just saying. You could just try to get to know him more before he leaves. If you still don't think he's right for you, just don't say anything and let him leave."
I sighed and shrugged. Since when did this topic even derail this badly?
"Anyways. I'll be leaving a little earlier today. Gotta do some grocery shopping and then call his mum for him."
Bumzu gave me the knowing stare and I squinted back at him. "Grocery shopping? Now you're already acting like newly weds."
"Sh-"
"HAHAHHA."
Baekho - > Minhyun
Boring. Ugh. So boring. I tapped my fingers furiously on the table, feeling bored out of my mind but I didn't leave. Not that I had money anyways. There goes my plan to cook something for Baekho too to show my appreciation for taking care of me. Well, I could still do that after we go grocery shopping together I guess. Depending on how long I was allowed to stay. I sulked and laid on the couch but shot up again. I took a chair and slid it up against the door, suddenly reminded that there was still the possibility of someone coming inside who wasn't Baekho. I went back to the couch and rolled around, endlessly watching videos and catching up with series that I hadn't watched in weeks. Back in Korea, I would have been too caught up with my busy life to even watch them yet somehow I had gotten accustomed to not watching them to the point where nothing seemed interesting to me anymore. Still, it was a better form of entertainment than nothing. I glanced at his music studio but decided not to go in again. What if the chair didn't stop him from coming in? I gulped and tried to calm my nerves down. You're over thinking this.
So I sat up again. Well... It wouldn't hurt to put the latch on as well, right?
After doing exactly that, I decided to find papers and pen to write a journal or something to keep myself busy.
Minhyun - > Baekho
"And that's all for today. Thanks for your work," Bumzu said once they had sent in the last of the files to their clients. Baekho stretched his arms and started keeping his stuff. "Oh hey. I forgot to tell you that I emailed you a new potential client. They have this whole view they wanted to do with the song and stuff but... Just check the mail. You'll see the problem."
I raised my brow at Bumzu. "Okay. Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"Cause housewives tend to get bored easily. And when they do, they would probably start finding for different forms of entertainment."
"The f- hyung!" I slapped his shoulder and he broke into fits of laughter again.
"Go back to your date and tell me how it goes."
"It's n-not a date!" I scoffed back at him while putting on my bag. "Well, at least I don't think it can be counted as one." Now he was making me overthink stuff. Ugh. "Bye, hyung. Get back safely too. Don't stay out too late."
"You know the studio is my second home. See you next week."
I waved to him and left the studio in a rush. I got home safely and opened the door, walking headfirst into it as well.
"Ow-what the-" I rubbed my forehead when I realised the latch of my door was on so I couldn't enter it even though it was open. "Minhyun?!"
"Coming!"
I could also see a chair poking out and raised a brow. He pulled the chair away and unhooked the latch before the door finally opened wide enough for me to enter.
"What's going on?" I asked while still rubbing my forehead.
"Oohhh. Did you knock your head?" He asked while moving my hand away and replacing it with his. I blanked out for a split second before swatting his hand away, hoping my cheeks haven't sell me out.
"Yeah. Why did you put the latch on?"
"Uh... I was... Afraid your neighbor might come in again so... Just as a precaution?"
I stared at him and he smiled awkwardly, probably hoping that I wasn't judging him. I sighed, unable to get irritated or upset since he was just being cautious. "Alright. Well, are you ready to leave?"
"Leave?" I put my bag down and nodded, picking up my recycling bag from the kitchen. "Oh. We are going now?"
"Well yeah. The supermarket won't be open for us during midnight."
"Oh right. Right." He didn't really have anything to take I guess so we just left the house again. He walked close to me. Almost too close. I can still smell his scent and it made me wonder if I was being a weirdo. His arm brushed against mine and I stiffened.
"Y-you know, you don't have to walk so close to me," I blurted out and he gasped.
"Oh. Sorry," He muttered and slowed down his pace. Curse his long legs.
"So... What do you want to get? Wait. Do you even know how to cook? I don't want to come home to a burnt kitchen one day."
"Uh... I know how to cook instant noodles. Egg."
I squinted at him and he grinned nervously. "So... You don't know how to cook then?"
"Uh... Well, I was originally planning on maybe trying a few stuff out and... Cook for you? As thanks?"
I sighed and nodded. He meant well although now I was fearful to leave him in the house with actual food that he could attempt to cook. "We will pick simple stuff then. Things you can't go wrong with."
We reached the supermarket that was about 12 minutes away from the apartment and I took a trolley. He followed beside the trolley, looking amused by the sheer size of the supermarket. Walmart had pretty much everything someone like me would ever need.
"You could try making pasta. You just have to boil them, cook the sauce. Can't go wrong," I said as we passed by the aisle filled with pastas. He scrunched his face a little and I realised he did that quite often. The way his lips would just shift upwards a little and two little dimple like features would pop out if he did it hard enough. I blinked and shook my head, realising that I was staring at him. Food, think food. You love food too, don't you?
"I could try. Is there anything you like to eat?"
"Hot pockets are easy," I muttered a response and I could see him laughing a little.
"What's that? The microwavable food?"
"Yeah. You just pop it into the microwave. Wait a couple minutes and it's done. There's no trouble preparing anything."
He sighed and continued browsing through the mart. "What about pancake? Our Korean type of pancakes."
"Um... Could find for chives," I said and shrugged. He nodded and we headed down another aisle. As we kept going, I noticed how compatible our actions were. He would suggest something and if I agreed, he would take it without wasting anymore time. If I suggested something and he was a fan of it or he wanted to try it, we would go with it too. It felt weird to me as much as it felt good. Having someone to shop with made it less mundane and actually enjoyable.
"Alright. I think that's enough for now," I said when I realised the trolley was halfway full. "Don't forget that I won't be able to finish everything by myself once you leave."
Upon mentioning that, his eyes widened a little as if he had forgotten that his stay was temporary as well. "Oh. Right. Sorry. I was just having too much fun. Should I take out a few things?"
"No, it's fine. As long as we can finish them," I replied him and he beamed. "Off to the cashier then."
He nodded and I pushed the trolley over to the cashiers. He seemed surprised to see that there was a cashless and self service system but helped out with it. I would scan the items and he would bag them accordingly. We kept going until everything was done before I signed my card. There goes my money. Oh well, not like I spend much of it anyways.
"That's so cool," He said as we carried the bags back to my apartment.
"What is?"
"You get to do it yourself," He said and I raised a brow at him.
"Korea is implementing this too. Why are you so surprised?"
"We have them?"
I was dumbfounded for a moment. "Are you some kind of Prince? Have you enver done grocery shopping before?"
"Uh... No. My mum has..." His pause made me question him more. He smiled awkwardly as if that would make me stop asking him but I sighed.
"What? You're too rich to go get your own stuff?" I asked jokingly and he shrugged.
"Even at the hostel, I don't really go grocery shopping. My friends aren't really... The type."
"Then what kind of type are they?"
"Um... Please don't judge me but they loved to party and drink. None of them really... Cook."
I blinked, unsure why he was afraid of me judging him for the friends he hung out with. "Huh. Bunch of rich kids?"
He chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah... I guess so. They're... A little stuck up and don't really care much about others' opinion which has its good and bad."
"So why do you hang out with them then?" I was genuinely curious until I saw how his expression had fallen. He didn't seem happy. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Well... I'm not great at making friends and they approached me first so... I guess I let myself be in that situation. Its really my own fault for not speaking up."
I could understand how he felt. Making friends wasn't an easy feat especially if you're not much of an extrovert either. "Guess so. But hey, I guess you could use this as an excuse not to hang out with them anymore." I tried to cheer him up although I just wasn't sure what to say. He smiled a little and shrugged. "You've graduated too. So you can move on now. Make new friends."
"Right... Baekho?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you... Be my friend?"
I almost dropped my shopping bags from his abrupt question. I blinked and stopped walking. He did the same as he looked at me with a serious expression. I gulped, feeling an answer just at the tip of my tongue but knew it was probably influenced by what Bumzu had said earlier today.
I want to be more than just friends.
"Aren't we already friends?" I grinned and he sighed in relief.
"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that."
"Y-yeah." I gulped down the butterflies fluttering up to my throat and continued walking in a hurry. Please don't see my face, please don't see my face.
"I'll take a copy of your number when I go home. Then we can chat even after that," He suggested and I just nodded.
"Uh... Sure."
We made it home and I rushed to the kitchen immediately as he locked up beside me. I put the bags down and escaped into the bathroom for a moment to calm myself down. I almost gave myself away. Ugh... How could this be happening? I washed my face and breathed in deeply a couple of times before I came out but one look at the man standing at my kitchen counter and I was all mush again. He made me feel such strong emotions even though I barely knew him and it was just bugging me so much. It was making my stomach twist as I approached him to help out with putting the stuff away. What I would give to ask him to stay. But I can't. He has his own life back in Korea which was just beginning too.
"Minhyun, let's call your mum after this."
"Don't you want to eat first?" He asked and I realised all the butterflies had rendered me unable to feel hunger.
"Uh... Right. Yeah. Let's do that."
"We could make the hot pockets if you're not that hungry."
"I'll like that," I replied, trying to stay calm as I saw his smile. Crappppp. I clutched my stomach uneasily. The faster he leaves, the faster everything will go back to normal. Although I can't even tell what normal is anymore. He dumped in two pockets and pressed the start button. He turned around and noticed that I was still at the same spot.
"Why don't you sit and wait in the living room? I'll bring it over for you," He offered and my heart just did a random flip.
"Ugh," I groaned and he raised his brow.
"Does your stomach hurt?"
"Huh? Oh. Haha.... I guess so," I said, technically not lying since he was making me a nervous wreck all of a sudden. I head to my living room to get some breathing space from him but it didn't help as he reappeared seconds later with a glass of water and a pill.
"I looked through your medicine cabinet and this might help if it's gastric pain."
Oh. The agony. "Thanks, Minhyun." He stared at me and suddenly came closer. I froze and shut my eyes when he lifted a hand. His cold hand touched my burning forehead and he gasped.
"Are you sick? You're really warm."
"N-no, I'm not," I squeaked. This was all his fault but I couldn't blame it on him either. Before he could say anything else, the microwave saved me. I gasped for air, trying to keep my cool as I hugged a pillow tightly. He came back with a plate of two hot pockets and also a different pill sachet. "I'm really fine, Minhyun."
"But what if you really get sick? That's no good," He said as he laid them down on the table before taking a seat beside me.
"If I get sick, guess you'll just have to take care of me for now, huh?" I said jokingly but he seemed to have taken it seriously.
"I will. But... Just don't get sick either. You have to take care of yourself, Baekho." I wasn't expecting him to place
his hand on mine gently and I flinched. He seemed surprised and pulled away. "Um... Let's eat."
"Ah-uh- yeah."
We silently ate. I wasn't sure what to say to him but then I caught sight of the stack of papers on my neat tabletop. Curious, I leaned over and peeked at it.
"What's this?" I asked. He looked up and squeaked, using his long limbs to snatch it away from the table.
"I-I-i was writing something," He stuttered and hid it behind him. I blinked in confusion.
"Writing... What?"
"N-nothing! Just I-ignore it."
"Uh... Okay."
Then the silence ensued until we finished eating.
"I'll wash the plate. Don't worry about it. Just sit still since you're having a stomach upset."
"Oh. Thanks." He got up and took the plate with him. I didn't really need medicine so I refrained from taking them as I sipped on the water. I noticed the papers fluttering on the couch and groaned, holding back from picking them up to read. Respect his privacy. Yes. Keep a safe distance. I reached over to my phone and checked my email, recalling that Bumzu had sent something over earlier. I read through it and my face grew increasingly red. So this was what Bumzu meant.
"Are you really sure you don't want medicine?" Minhyun suddenly spoke and I almost screamed, hiding my phone behind me as if I had been caught doing something illegal.
"N-no! Don't need them," I hissed and Minhyun cocked his head to the side.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Well, absolutely cheerily nothing," I blurted and he chuckled softly before sitting down again.
"Okay. So... Shall we?"
He motioned to my house phone and I nodded. "Y-yeah right. Sorry." I picked up my house phone and he dialled his mother's number. We waited and I could feel my heartbeat racing. I was having all sorts of thoughts right now. This is why I need a goddamn break.
'Sorry. Please try again.'
"Not picking up, huh," I mumbled, trying to act calm and nonchalant. He shrugged and sighed.
"Not surprising. She's always been a busy person," Minhyun replied me while trying again. I noticed his sullen look and decided not to comment about it. We waited and tried a couple more times but it didn't work.
"Why don't we try again tomorrow?" I suggested and he sighed, nodding a little.
"I guess so."
"Don't look so down. I mean, if she already come into contact with the police, I'm sure we will be able to get a hold of your passport and ID soon."
"Yeah... What about your luggage? Still no news?"
I shook my head and he sighed again. "Okay. Guess... We could call it a night."
"Yeah." He got up and headed to the bathroom to clean up. While he was gone, I took out my phone and read through the email again. No way, no how. There's no way I can ask Minhyun regarding something so crude but neither of us, Bumzu and I, had actual experience and this was technically a chance if Minhyun accepts but it would also be hella awkward if he didn't. I stared at the message, a little stunned on what to do. The pay was great and the singer had an international fan base after a little more research. The offer was indeed too good to let up but the content of the song made me understand why Bumzu said that it was a problem.
'The idea of my song is about sex friends and how they want to be something more but neither dare to make the first move. So I was hoping you could help work out the lyrics for it.'
Yeah. No way, no how.
~~~
Do you really need the help?
> Ask for help
> Be a man of action
> Do not ask