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1.
It’s surprising, really, how Sangyeon hasn’t noticed the boy before.
With how crowded the subways were during the end of his shift, Sangyeon could only focus on making sure he didn’t miss his train home. Today was no different, he thought as his feet hit the metal stairs.
The clock in the middle of the subway station chimed loudly and people hurriedly rushed around to catch their trains. Sangyeon watched as varying noises and faces passed him, all with complex and simple expressions. It wasn’t always that the brunette had the chance to idle—in fact, the last time he got off shift early was months ago. So he took the station at his own pace, instead of keeping up with the crowd.
Soon after, the station thinned out and Sangyeon, plus the other early birds, were left to their own devices in the now empty area. He took a quick glance at his watch as he kept walking. 6:04pm. He briefly mulled over what he could do to pass 16 minutes when suddenly, he heard a voice—the most angelic voice he’s ever heard before—echoing against the station walls.
Sangyeon’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The radio would occasionally blast through the subway station’s speakers, but the melodic voice sounded unalike any loud pop music he heard before.
Then again, Sangyeon didn’t pay the best attention to his surroundings when exhaustion was seeping into his bones after his long shifts, so he wasn’t entirely sure.
He trekked deeper into the subway to reach his stop as his eyes curiously searched around the station for the owner of the voice—if there even was one. It was getting louder, Sangyeon noted to himself, and when he finally got to his stop, there, close to the corner of the station, sat a blonde-haired boy on one of the metal benches, strumming his guitar and singing a song Sangyeon didn’t quite recognize.
It felt like he was in one of those cheesy K-dramas his roommate liked to watch. The imaginary, pink flower petals were falling down from the sky as Sangyeon stared at the blonde’s face. He was sure there was a stupid smile on his face, but that was the least of his problems (his heart starting to beat quicker was one of them).
Sangyeon stood a respectable distance away from the guitarist, and let the soft, honey-like voice filter out the random noises coming from the subway station.
Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one watching the guitarist perform, so he didn’t feel too awkward standing there. He recognized a couple of songs, and for a second, wondered why he had never noticed the busker before; he was absolutely ethereal—the face and the voice.
Suddenly, the squeal of wheels against a metal track screeches throughout the station, and only then was Sangyeon brought back to reality. Sangyeon took a quick glance at his watch: 6:19pm. He couldn’t believe that 15 minutes had passed by so quickly.
Sangyeon tore his eyes away from the guitarist and readjusted the messenger bag strap on his shoulders. As passengers shuffled around him, a sigh escaped his lips. Was it selfish if he wanted the moment to last longer, he wondered while walking towards the train.
He took one last glance over his shoulder at the blonde-haired boy who was still singing and smiling at the people who paused for a moment to listen, before finally disappearing into the train before him with an identical, small smile on his lips.
(And if the blonde-haired guitarist was on his mind the entire ride home and he was starting to believe in love at first sight, then that was for Sangyeon to know and Sangyeon only.)
2.
Sangyeon’s nights were a tiny bit different from then on out.
He still caught the same train home, went to the same train station, and arrived right on time so not even a minute wasn’t wasted loitering around.
However, after the discovery of the cute busker that played his guitar on odd days of the week, Sangyeon found himself smiling every time he heard the melodic tune of the acoustic guitar. A pleasant, welcomed change.
Yet, Sangyeon’s thoughts are occupied by everything but the boy with the angelic voice. If it were up to Sangyeon, he’d love to daydream about the blonde-haired boy, but with new gossip getting a rise out of the city, Sangyeon had to stay back later to make sure he got every detail correct for tomorrow’s paper.
Sangyeon rolled the crick out of his neck as he walked down the stairs into the underground station. Everything was the same, from the impossibly shiny floors to the colourful art decorating the walls to the glaring neon signs giving directions. However, the station was much emptier than what he was used to when he arrived.
It wasn’t surprising, considering he stayed an extra hour at work than he usually did, but an itch under his skin told him the emptiness was something the station would become familiar with, eerily enough.
Without the bustling crowd, Sangyeon was able to hear his own thoughts. He could hear the confirmation beep after swiping his subway card, and his footsteps actually echoed against the cool station walls, but what surprised him the most was the absence of chords resonating off the stone walls.
It was weird to feel compassion towards a complete stranger, but Sangyeon’s mind couldn’t help but flip through reasons why the pleasant singing was missing. Maybe he’s just not busking today, maybe he’s already gone, or maybe he got sick of the repetitive leaking sound that you can hear if you concentrate hard enough.
Thankfully, Sangyeon's thoughts were interrupted because the boy on his mind was right there, at the same spot he was usually in. Except today, Sangyeon found him crouched in front of his guitar case, counting the money he got with his bottom lip snagged under his teeth and slumped shoulders.
It’s not good to stare at people, Sangyeon could hear in his mother’s scolding tone, but he couldn’t help it. The imaginary cherry blossom petals were falling down from the sky again, and Sangyeon was starting to wonder if it was just infatuation or something more.
A part of him felt upset that he missed the performance, but then a thought appeared in his head—an obviously bad one. Yet, his impulsive brain was practically screaming for him to do it, and he was never good at controlling his impulses.
Before the brunette could contemplate his decision a bit more, he opened his mouth and let out whatever his brain could think.
“Do you play here often?”
Almost instantly, the blonde-haired boy’s shoulders jumped and his head turned around to face Sangyeon with a confused and surprised expression on his face.
In any other circumstances, the surprise in the blonde’s eyes and the furrow of his eyebrows would be just a little cute. Maybe next time Sangyeon should learn to control his impulses better, or even learn how to not start conversations in the worst way possible. The embarrassment quickly settled in and he could feel warmth starting to creep into his cheeks.
Sangyeon flung his hands around in a frenzy as if he could wave the question away and sputtered around, trying his best not to seem weirder than he probably already did.
As an editor for the city’s most popular newspaper, Sangyeon was naturally charismatic—with both his words and his appearance. It was easy for colleagues to like him, and it was just as easy to get along with new people. First impressions were something Sangyeon was used to. And yet here he was, flustered and stunned into embarrassment over a cute, blonde guitarist.
“Sorry, god. That’s such a weird question I—”
Sangyeon’s apology was interrupted when suddenly, he heard soft laughing coming out of the blonde’s mouth. Laughter.
He wouldn’t be proud to admit it, but yes, the boy’s laughter did daze him into silence for a small moment—like his brain wasn’t able to process such an attractive sound. The smile on the other male’s face wasn’t making it any easier to calm down his increasingly flushed face either. At least his arms weren’t floundering around anymore. Although, having his arms being glued to his side and his shoulders being overly tense weren’t an entirely good look either.
“It’s all good,” the guitarist said, a small laugh trailing the end of his sentence. “And to answer your question, yes, I do play here often.”
Sangyeon’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape in response. A tiny part of him was glad that the other male decided to entertain Sangyeon’s question instead causing the editor sleepless nights thinking about this exact moment. Plus, the guitarist’s regular voice was just as sweet as his singing voice—mesmerizing.
“Well, it’s a pleasure seeing you play all the time,” Sangyeon replied, a small smile appearing on his face at the same time.
And to that, the guitarist beamed. Seriously, Sangyeon believed that he might have just seen the sun reincarnated into a human being. The smile on the blonde’s face was blindingly beautiful, and Sangyeon could feel his heart tug just a little as he kept staring.
“Thanks.” The other male dragged the ‘s’ a little longer than necessary, and titled his head to the right. A look of curiosity was directed directly towards Sangyeon, and it took him a short second to realize what the guitarist was doing.
“Sangyeon,” the brunette supplied. “My name is Sangyeon.”
If it was even possible, the smile on the blonde’s face got even brighter. “Sangyeon.” The guitarist repeated, as if he was testing the taste of the editor’s name in his mouth. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jacob.”
The blonde—Jacob—was standing now. The guitar case that was on the ground now sat on the bench that Jacob usually occupied during his busking hours, and Jacob stood right next to it. His hand was curled around the handle, but if Sangyeon remembered correctly, the next train was due in five minutes.
“Jacob,” Sangyeon repeated similarly to what Jacob did earlier. “Have you always played the guitar?” He questioned as he walked closer to Jacob to sit on the bench near the one he was standing by.
Jacob’s eyes widened just a little—as if the guitarist didn’t expect Sangyeon to continue the conversation—but in a blink, Jacob’s soft smile was back on his face. The blonde took the chance to sit next to Sangyeon, and Sangyeon couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
“My older brother forgot to take his acoustic guitar with him to college, so he gave it to me. I enjoyed playing it a lot more than I thought, and here I am now.” Jacob ended his story with a small corner of his lips tilting upwards.
Cute, a voice said in Sangyeon’s head, and he couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.
“Being able to play an instrument sounds nice. I wish I paid more attention to music class when I was in high school.” Sangyeon said, voice on the edge of a reminiscent tone. “I’m great at karaoke though.” Sangyeon continued while a grin made its way onto his face.
“You should join me sometime then. I’d love company.” Jacob suggested, a matching grin resting on his lips.
Sangyeon was taken aback for a second, surprised at the show of genuine interest towards the brunette. A million thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn’t decide on a single one to focus on. Thus, accidentally showing the surprise and confusion on his face, causing the grin on Jacob’s face to fall.
“Ah, sorry. That might’ve been a little too direct.” the blonde added, saying the last part under his breath.
Immediately, Sangyeon’s expression changed from surprise to guilt as the guitarist looked dejected over what he thought was stepping over the line.
“No, no, no you’re all good.” Sangyeon quickly reassured, bringing back his eye contact to Jacob. “I mean, I’d love to join you if you’d like me to.” Sangyeon said, the same grin, albeit a bit sheepish, from before coming back onto his face.
A smile found its way back onto Jacob’s face, and Sangyeon had to stop a sigh of relief from escaping his lips. “It’s a deal then.” the guitarist declared.
Suddenly, the walls started to rumble and Sangyeon directed his attention to the glaring train lights starting to illuminate the station. Talk about perfect timing.
Sangyeon looked to his left and watched as a tiny puff of air escaped Jacob’s lips. Despite wanting to, he didn’t have an opportunity to ask why. Instead, he watched as the blonde got onto his feet with a bounce he didn’t expect.
“That’s my train. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow?” Jacob asked while looking over his shoulder. Sangyeon’s heart skipped another beat at the sight of Jacob’s smile, and Sangyeon could only nod and offer a small smile in response in fear of saying something stupid.
Sangyeon let out a loud sigh when Jacob and his guitar case finally disappeared onto the silver train and put his head in his hands. Mentally beating himself up for somehow failing his first conversation with the guy he has been daydreaming about could wait—he still had 20 minutes to spare, and none of it was going to be filled with the adorable smile on Jacob’s face.
(When Sangyeon got home and told his roommate all about it in a frenzied rant, Younghoon just shook his head with a shit-eating grin and started singing The Starlight is Falling. The ‘shalala’ was now stuck in his head, much to Sangyeon’s dismay.)
3.
Unsurprisingly, Jacob was naturally finding his way into Sangyeon’s life.
The little things were starting to become noticeable to Sangyeon. Like the fact that he always searched for Jacob’s eyes as he passed by his busking spot, and how Jacob always found Sangyeon’s face in the huge crowd and gave him a big, beaming smile. It felt like a breath of fresh air, and even by the time he got home, the fluttering feeling was still in his stomach.
The line between busker and audience was starting to blur, and Sangyeon couldn’t help but feel giddy at the thought. Friends, maybe?
Sunshine filtered through the window next to his desk, and for a moment, Sangyeon wondered how Jacob would look under the sun. The blonde already looked so perfect under the light coming from the old LEDs in the subway station. Under natural sunlight however? He’d glow, Sangyeon thought to himself, a smile decorating his features as he walked through the editors’ floor.
“You don’t even know his favourite colour.” Hyunjae sighed, picking up the stack of papers Sangyeon just dropped onto his desk with a teasing smile on his face.
Before Sangyeon could even ask how Hyunjae knew what he was smiling about, another chippier voice filled the room asking for Sangyeon’s whereabouts.
“Sangyeon? Did you get me coffee?”
Both Sangyeon and Hyunjae turned their heads to watch as Eric walked towards them. The younger male looked as energetic as always, and Sangyeon was constantly reminded of the age gap between them when he asked how Eric was able to be so lively in the morning.
“Are journalists even allowed on this floor?” Hyunjae asked once Eric was within earshot, causing the raven-haired boy to land a small punch on Hyunjae’s shoulder.
Right as the thought of throwing his pen at Hyunjae’s stupid looking grin appeared, another, more important thought materalized in his head.
“So no coffee, Sangyeon?” Eric asked, an annoying grin creeping onto the boy’s facial expressions.
Which brought Sangyeon to where he was now—at some expensive looking coffee joint because his memory failed him that morning. In hindsight, agreeing to one of Eric’s bets was a terrible idea from the start, but Yesterday Sangyeon was not going to let the younger get away with his cheeky little grin. Today Sangyeon chose to remind himself to never do that again.
Thankfully, the aromatic smell of coffee was enough to bring Sangyeon’s mood up. Expensive be damned—if Sangyeon was already forced here against his will, might as well buy something nice for himself.
His eyes scanned the menu on the wall, internally cringing at how expensive the macchiatos were. Slowly, his eyes ended up looking over the rest of the cafe too. It was practically empty, save for a few of the employees cleaning the tables and a small number of customers walking in and out with their drinks.
For a brief moment, Sangyeon thought about the manuscript he looked over yesterday. The small printed text was foggy in his head, but he clearly remembered the rumours outlining every paragraph in the paper.
It couldn’t have been a coincidence—the streets getting emptier as the week went past, and the unconfirmed disappearance of the crown headlining the newspaper that morning. Even on the walk to the cafe, Sangyeon could feel the air being more tense than it usually was.
You’re here to buy coffee, a voice in the back of his head reminded himself, and Sangyeon finally tore his gaze away from the empty seats. Rumours, rang in his head as he walked towards the counter where a barista holding a customer-friendly smile was ready to take his order. Are they really just rumours?
Ordering coffee was as simple as it was, and in about seven short minutes, Sangyeon was holding three cups of coffee to go in a cardboard cup holder. Just as he finished thanking the barista for handing him his drinks, Sangyeon heard the door to the cafe open.
When Sangyeon turned around, the last person he expected to see was standing there, clad in a simple off-white sweater and dark blue jeans. Perhaps the stars aligned perfectly for the brunette, or he just won the mental lottery, or all the good karma he acclimated over the years has led to this moment.
For a second, Sangyeon thought his consciousness was just making things up. Even Jacob had a confused expression written on his face when they met eyes, similarly to that evening.
Sangyeon couldn’t believe it, as if his brain was completely accustomed to seeing Jacob at the station that it’d be so surprising to see the boy elsewhere. The confused face on the other male quickly turned into amusement and curiosity though, and Sangyeon didn’t even try to fight the smile appearing on his face.
“Oh, Sangyeon.” Jacob started as a smile blossomed on his face, “Fancy seeing you here.”
The boy looked lovely—his brain oh so helpfully supplied. The crisp, fall wind outside just barely put a pinkish tint to Jacob’s nose, and Sangyeon resisted the urge to tuck the stray blonde hair behind the other boy’s ear. If this was what being in love felt like, Sangyeon could get used to it.
A little laugh came out of Sangyeon’s mouth as he beamed right back at the guitarist. “Fancy indeed.” Sangyeon replied, a teasing glint hiding behind his brown orbs. “Are you getting coffee too?”
Jacob nodded his head in response, which ended up into a slightly curious tilt. “Do you work nearby? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
“No, I work down at Fifth.” Sangyeon responded, causing Jacob’s mouth to fall open in surprise. “I lost a bet against my co-worker so he forced me down here to get coffee for him.” The brunette explained, a small grimace forming on his face at the reminder of why he was here in the first place.
A laugh filtered out of Jacob’s mouth, and Sangyeon could feel his heart fluttering for a short moment. Were laughs supposed to be that cute? “I’m glad you lost the bet, then.” Jacob said with a teasing smile dancing on his lips, “It brought you here, I mean.”
Sangyeon felt heat pool into his cheeks at the comment and his eyes widened just a little in surprise. For the second time, Sangyeon wasn’t able to tell if Jacob was making moves, or just pleased to see a friend. If the red tinted ears on Jacob’s ears were any indication, Sangyeon blamed it on the wind outside instead.
The two just stared at each other for a short moment, drinking in all the emotions written in the other’s eyes. It was as if time paused just for them, and allowed Sangyeon to try and figure out Jacob’s intentions—if he had any in the first place.
“Do you work nearby, then?” Sangyeon questioned back. There really wasn’t time for a conversation with the warm cups of coffee in his hand slowly becoming room temperature, but Sangyeon couldn’t help himself—especially after a twinkle in Jacob’s eyes sparkled when the question was directed back at him.
“I do.” Jacob started, shifting the weight of his body from one foot to another. “I work at the daycare right across the street.” The smile was still on Jacob’s face and Sangyeon didn’t know that Jacob could become even more perfect than he already was. He cared about children? Sang and played the guitar? Sangyeon was lucky enough to even be acquainted with the blonde.
Before Sangyeon could even question Jacob about his job, a sudden crash outside drew their attention away from each other. Sangyeon could hear a wince coming from Jacob as a loud, booming noise followed up the sound of the crash, echoing throughout the entire street. Sangyeon however, could feel the knot in his neck forming already. He was definitely going to have to stay late at the office again.
Both heads turned towards the entrance of the cafe, where Sangyeon could make out a blurred commotion. With more important things at hand however, he looked back at Jacob, who’s eyes were blown wide open.
A pang of empathy hit Sangyeon’s heart, and for a short second, he wondered why Jacob was so shaken up. But perhaps that was just him, as someone who read about the grueling details of just about anything daily, to not be so surprised.
His thoughts drifted back to Jacob, and in a tiny part in the back of his mind, he wanted to pat Jacob’s fluffy hair and tell him that the crash was probably something that he didn’t need to worry about.
A sigh coming from Sangyeon’s mouth broke the silence, causing Jacob to look back over at the brunette. “I guess that’s my queue to leave.” Sangyeon hummed as he showed Jacob the warming cups of coffee he was holding. A small smile appeared on his face at the same time, “I might get scolded for taking too long.”
Jacob, who’s eyebrows were now furrowed down in what looked like resentment, nodded in response to Sangyeon. “Oh yeah, of course.” The blonde started as the displeased face morphed into a sheepish smile. “Sorry for holding you up.”
Sangyeon shook his head, the small smile from earlier still resting on his lips. “No worries. I’ll see you tonight?” He asked, before the internal panic started to build up as he wondered if saying something like that was stepping over a line.
Thankfully, Jacob nodded as a reply, The blonde continued to stare at Sangyeon, and opened his mouth to add one more thing. “Walk safely, Sangyeon.” The guitarist said as his eyebrows furrowed downwards again.
“You too, Jacob. Enjoy the rest of your day” Sangyeon returned, before walking past the blonde and out of the cafe, with the smile on Jacob’s face still stuck in his head.
(Sangyeon only learnt the truth about the loud sound the next day. The word ‘intentional’ rang all the sirens in Sangyeon’s head, but all of it became a blur in the back of his head except for a singular thought—he was a liar for wanting to tell Jacob everything was alright.)
4.
“You’re picking her up right?”
Sangyeon hummed halfheartedly in response as he turned the corner on the sidewalk. “I’m on my way right now,” he said as he fiddled with the phone to his ear. “I’m also bringing her to the nice bakery she likes so she ends up liking me more. Which she already does, actually.”
The brunette could hear a small scoff come from the other side of his call as he finished his sentence, causing a grin to bloom on his face as he continued his stride. “Haha, very funny.” Younghoon replied, “Can’t believe I called just to check up on you and see how you were doing to just get slandered like this."
To this, and the crackly voice from the poor signal on Younghoon’s phone, he lets out a laugh. The weather was warm for the autumn season, he was about to see his lovely niece, and he got to tease his roommate relentlessly all in one day—it was more than perfect. “Okay okay, sorry Hoon.” he said, his laugh trailing the end of his sentence.
“You should be.” The younger male huffed. A few shuffling sounds follow, and Sangyeon can just barely hear the jingle of Younghoon’s keys.
“Thank you again, though.” Younghoon continued, followed by more shuffling noises.
Sangyeon shoved his hand into his pocket and squinted as his destination appeared ahead of him. Bloomberg Daycare was just a couple steps away. “Don’t worry about it. Just spare me the details of your date later.” He responded, stopping for the traffic lights right as he finished his sentence.
This time, a laugh came out of Younghoon’s mouth. Full and hearty and familiar, bringing yet another smile to Sangyeon’s face. “You signed up for all my bad date and good date rants when you moved in.” The other man hummed, both malice and playfulness colouring his voice.
“Woe is me.” Sangyeon dramatically sighed. The light turned green, and the brunette walked across the road as he shared goodbye’s and see-you-later’s with Younghoon.
Once again, he eyed the place in front of him. Unfamiliar with the building, and even less this part of the city, the brunette felt a bit uneasy walking in this area. Still, he had a favor to fulfill, and there was no way he was leaving his niece alone.
Without another thought, Sangyeon pulled the door to the daycare open, causing a bell to ring. The interior was nice, he thought as he scanned around for a sign of another person. When he heard a quiet rustle from in the corner, he carefully peeked over the child-protective barrier from the door.
“Welcome!”
The brunette couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping. Sangyeon most definitely had an embarrassing expression on his face, but he couldn’t help it—after all, an equally surprised face was written on a very familiar blonde as well.
Of course. The same daycare Jacob worked at was the same daycare Yujin was dropped off at everyday. Of course it was like that.
“Wow.” The guitarist blurted out, causing Sangyeon to be broken out of his dazed stare. “Fate has a really good way of bringing us together, wouldn’t you think?”
Sangyeon allowed a smile to unfurl and replace his surprised expression. “I guess I’d have to thank fate then. I like seeing you.”
Jacob beamed right back at the brunette—causing Sangyeon to internally swoon just a little bit—and stood up from his crouched position. “Are you here for one of the kids?” he asked while shuffling towards the front desk.
“That’s right.” He replied, watching Jacob move around in his duck-patterned apron and mismatched slippers. “Her name is Kim Yujin.”
Jacob hummed to himself and took a dollar store blue pen off the counter. He scribbled something on a sheet of paper, and looked back at Sangyeon. “Alright, they’re all watching a movie right now. I’ll go get her from the cinema room.”
Suddenly, a small voice in Sangyeon’s head whispered, ask him to stay for a bit . Maybe they could have a longer conversation and get to know more about each other. His brow twitched, almost furrowing down at the selfish thought. Maybe next time.
“Take your time.” the brunette finally replied, the smile on his lips before gracing his face once again.
With a cute nod, Jacob headed straight towards the back of the daycare. And once the blonde was out of sight, Sangyeon let a small sigh out of his mouth. He was here for one thing and one thing only. Plus, he had to get back to work later anyway. He should be focusing on his job instead of wanting to talk to pretty musicians.
Chewing on his bottom lip, Sangyeon allowed his mind to absorb his negative thoughts—why would he want to talk to me for longer anyway—until a high-pitched voice called out his name.
“Uncle Sangy!”
Releasing the tension in his shoulders, he crouched down and beamed at the familiar little girl. “Hey there sweetie. Did you have fun today?” he asked while giving Yujin a hug.
As he listened to Yujin rave about the movie they were watching, he briefly forgot about the blonde standing in front of him until Jacob made an awkward coughing sound once Yujin was done speaking.
Both Sangyeon and Yujin turned around to look at Jacob with curious expressions, and he swore that Jacob’s face turned a little pink.
“I didn’t expect you to come instead of Younghoon.” The blonde said, diverting the attention away from his reddening face.
“He’s occupied with something else right now.” Sangyeon hummed while patting the top of Yujin’s head with a smile. “Do you talk to him a lot?”
Jacob shook his head. “No, no not really.” He said, bringing one of his hands up to scratch the back of his neck. “Other than the occasional conversation about the weather here and there, we’re just employee and customer.”
As Jacob rambled on, Sangyeon took the small window of opportunity to pick Yujin up into his arms. “Really? He’s the chatty type, or maybe he’s only like that to his unfortunate roommates.” Sangyeon replied, faking a dramatic sigh.
A giggled escaped Jacob’s mouth—a sound Sangyeon wasn’t even going to mentally process at the time— and watched as the expression on Jacob’s face brightened a little. “I would be too if you were the one I was having conversations with.”
The tips of Sangyeon’s ears turned pink, and he was ready to make a witty retaliation when suddenly, he heard a loud voice shout from outside the daycare.
And there it was—the uneasy feeling creeping up on him as the shouts escalated and got more vulgar from the words Sangyeon could make out. His hold on Yujin subconsciously got tighter, and he turned his head towards the door, wondering what it was going to be this time.
Finally, a large crashing noise could be heard, and Sangyeon instinctively turned his head back around to see Yujin, as if she could possibly be caught in what was happening outside, to see a sight he wasn’t expecting.
Jacob was a lot closer now. Except there was nothing heart racing about it, as Jacob’s calloused hands covered Yujin’s ears. A calm expression was settled on the blonde’s face, and Sangyeon couldn’t help but look in awe at Jacob as he entertained the young girl while hiding her from the dangers outside.
Thankfully, the situation outside stopped just as fast as it started, but Sangyeon didn’t make a move to tell Jacob it was okay to stop what he was doing. Only when Jacob finally caught Sangyeon’s stare, did the blonde release his hands.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Yujin.” he said, breaking the blanket of silence between the two. Sangyeon let out a small breath he didn’t know he was holding, and nodded to himself. Right, he had somewhere he needed to be.
“Byebye, Teacher Cobbie.” Yujin beamed, causing a small smile to appear on Sangyeon’s face despite the inner turmoil he was facing.
Sangyeon took a step backwards towards the door, before looking at Jacob. And only then was Sangyeon able to tell that Jacob’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t have time to reassure him it was okay this time—nor did he think it would be the honest thing to do either.
“Get home safely.” the brunette heard. Sangyeon’s facial expression deepened just a bit further, before managing to reply with a short thanks as he pivoted and pushed the exit door open.
He’ll come back to give the guitarist a more proper thanks next time, he promised himself that.
(As the tension in his shoulders relaxed, Sangyeon shut down his computer and looked to his right where Yujin was taking a small nap. Another sigh escaped from his lips. Maybe he’ll wonder what Jacob’s favourite colour instead.)
5.
There were days in the past where Sangyeon would have to stay overtime to finish his portion of work, but it’d only be a day or two within an entire month. It has never been this bad before.
His entire week was spent hunched over manuscripts into the late hours of the night, and if there was ever a time Sangyeon regretted working at the publishing company, it’d be now. Just as Sangyeon thought his share of work was over, he’d get another pile with more papers to spell check. Reading about gruesome deaths and the deterioration of society didn’t make it any better.
Sangyeon rolled the cramp out of his neck for what felt like the thousandth time that evening as he descended down the stairs to the subway station. He looked around the subway station as he walked. The impossibly shiny floors were still shiny, and the glaring neon signs were still as bright as ever, but frighteningly enough, the station was practically empty—something he wasn’t so surprised about anymore.
The car crash that happened a week ago, the recent riots starting, the still unconfirmed disappearance of the crown; things were piecing themselves together faster than Sangyeon would like.
It wasn’t like Sangyeon knew what it would all mean, nor did he know how it would all end. That’s the terrifying part, Sangyeon answered himself as he swiped his subway card. The tapping of his footsteps was sickeningly consistent unlike absolutely everything else, and Sangyeon felt himself losing his mind at all the information that has surfaced over the past week.
The rest of the East City wasn’t taking the information too well either. Sangyeon walked to work finding scorched pieces of the newspaper on the ground and the rumour spreading whispers that were usually quiet got louder as he walked down Fifth Street—sometimes in the form of hidden posters.
However, Sangyeon moved through the station quicker than usual despite the exhaustion in his bones. The clock hands on his watch were 5 minutes away from hitting 10pm, and yet, he still heard the strumming of an acoustic guitar echoing throughout the barren station. If there was one thing he noticed out of the entire week, it was that the familiar blonde always went home before the clock struck 9.
The honey-sweet singing that came with the guitar chords was absent, but when Sangyeon finally reached the subway station’s waiting area, Sangyeon found Jacob sitting on the same metal bench he was usually at, absentmindedly plucking the strings on his guitar.
“Jacob? You’re still here?” Sangyeon blurred out without much thought, confusion evident in his voice.
Jacob’s head snapped upwards in surprise and the grip on his guitar tightened for just a second, before relaxing after realizing it was just the brunette.
If Jacob was trying to be discreet about rolling the tension out of his shoulders, Sangyeon wouldn’t mention it. “Yeah. Why do you ask?” The blonde asked, trying his best to seem natural—as if waiting for almost strangers that you had 2 conversations with was natural. Sangyeon didn’t necessarily mind anyway.
The brunette walked over to the guitarist and sat down right next to him like the first time they spoke. “Nothing really. I’ve just noticed you go home before 9, and it’s already 10 now.” Sangyeon hummed, looking straight at Jacob while a natural smile appeared on his face.
Jacob looked away from Sangyeon’s face and chewed on his bottom lip, as if he was weighing between answers to reply with. It was only then Sangyeon realized how chapped Jacob’s lips were. Maybe it was the cold starting to become more present during the later hours, or the refusal to use lip balm, or maybe both.
The blonde’s hair was getting longer, but Sangyeon could still see the tips of Jacob’s ears turning red. The longer it took for Jacob to respond, the more Sangyeon anxiously drummed on his thigh. Still, he kept patient for Jacob’s response.
“I was waiting for you.” Jacob said after a short moment passed. Jacob’s eyes looked back into Sangyeon’s with some finality decorating his irises, and Sangyeon felt his world stop.
Sangyeon’s eyes widened as he looked at the guitarist with incredulity written all over his expressions. “For me?” Sangyeon voiced out with a small whisper, as if he spoke too loudly, it’d become untrue.
Jacob gave Sangyeon a firm nod in response, and Sangyeon felt all the racing thoughts in his head solidify into one. He was waiting for me.
“You were coming to the station later than usual for the past week.” Jacob explained, looking away from Sangyeon’s face again out of embarrassment. Sangyeon could see the colour pink bloom on Jacob’s cheeks as the guitarist’s fingers ghosted over the chords on his guitar.
“You noticed?” Sangyeon couldn’t help but ask. The thought of being on Jacob’s mind was still so surreal, but as the colour in Jacob’s cheeks insisted at the sound of the question, Sangyeon was finding the idea easier to believe. A smile fought its way onto his face and Sangyeon just knew that he’d never get over this.
Jacob finally decided on a chord to play, and the sound of an Emaj7 chord filled the empty subway station. “Sorry if doing something like this was stepping over a line. I wanted to see you, but then you stopped arriving when you usually do. I got worried.” Jacob admitted softly, strumming each individual string on his guitar.
Sangyeon was unable to hide the astonishment on his face as he continued to stare at the sheepish expression on the blonde. “Thank you,” Sangyeon responded, knowing he’d do the same if their roles were switched. “I appreciate it a lot, actually.” he added, just in case he wasn’t able to convey those emotions with just his expression.
The shy smile on the guitarist bloomed into a larger, softer smile. His eyes were misty, and sparkling with an emotion Sangyeon couldn’t pinpoint. “Anytime.”
And the two just stared at each other, absorbing the moment. Jacob’s eyes were captivating, and not even the maddening dripping noises from the empty subway tracks could bother the brunette. Perhaps the long hours at work were worth it all, if what he got in return was the opportunity to count all the moles and imperfections on Jacob’s face.
With a soft, ever-so-growing smile on his own face, Sangyeon tried to convey all the emotions that he never got a chance to convey before— You’re cute, I like your hands, you’re insanely talented at singing, I might be in love with you.
A tiny sigh escaped Jacob’s lips—a sigh he would’ve missed if he wasn’t paying so much attention. “Say, do you know any Dean songs?” Jacob asked as his hands continued to strum different chords in a rhythm Sangyeon wasn’t familiar with.
With a shake of the brunette’s head, the blonde continued to play his guitar. He watched as Jacob started to hum to himself, and before Sangyeon knew it, the blonde was singing.
Maybe it was because he was sitting closer to the guitarist, and he got to watch all the little quirks that Jacob had as he sang, or that his singing was much louder, and Sangyeon could hear the honey-like voice clearer.
Whatever it was, the brunette was absolutely stunned. His eyes probably sparkled as Jacob performed right in front of him.
“We’re riding on top of time that passes quickly. Though we don’t say much,” Jacob sang, briefly taking a pause to look directly into Sangyeon’s eyes, “Am I crazy? Yeah maybe."
Like the first time they met, Sangyeon listened to Jacob. Maybe even halfway through a lyric he shut his eyes and fully allowed the blonde’s voice to filter out all the random noises, the random thoughts, the random kinks he was feeling in his neck.
“What is it? What is it about you? You’re not that pretty.” Sangyeon opened his eyes and couldn’t help but sprout a smile on his face as Jacob titled his head towards the brunette as he sang. “But my eyes keep going to you. You’re bothering me."
Sangyeon absorbed the entire song sung by Jacob’s angelic voice, and even clapped his hands enthusiastically when the blonde finally released his hands from his guitar strings. Jacob laughed a bit, and bowed, playing along with Sangyeon.
“You’re really good at singing.” Sangyeon blurted out once Jacob sat up straight again, unable to keep the thought to himself after the entire experience.
The colour in the blonde’s face turned pink, but Jacob confidently said, “I guess the audience has been motivating me to try my best every time.”
Sangyeon beamed, and Jacob beamed right back. Perhaps it was all better than okay.
(And when Sangyeon’s train arrived and he bid Jacob goodbye, he promised himself with a blushing face and a racing heart that he’d tell the blonde the rest of the things he wanted to say the next time he saw him.)
+1.
It’s surprising, really, how Sangyeon hasn’t noticed the boy before.
As the first snow hit East City, Sangyeon held out his palm and caught the snowflakes that landed on warm skin. It was nice out—sure it was cold enough for snow to fall from the clouds, but as he was bundled up with a gifted scarf, he had enough warmth to be happy.
Smiling to himself, Sangyeon took a glance upwards as the snow under his shoes crunched after every step he took. The sun was still high in the sky, which was something he didn’t get to see often after work. Today was different though. He got off work earlier due to the first snow.
Sangyeon couldn’t even remember the last time he felt this upbeat. Maybe he’ll splurge on expensive pastries to share with Younghoon and Yujin. Maybe he’ll even share one with Jacob.
Jacob.
A clause in his life that he never would’ve expected. In fact, if someone had told the office worker that he’d be infatuated with a gorgeous guitarist from love at first sight, the brunette would’ve scoffed at them and asked where the first draft of the day was.
Things like that only happened in flowery dramas anyway, he thought—the perfect meeting until the perfect ending. But maybe the brunette had started watching those cheesy dramas with Younghoon, imagining the main character along with someone blonde.
Was it too similar to teenage love to feel like this? Sangyeon remembered faceless girls and boys he had crushes on during his youth. And yet somehow, it felt exactly and nothing like what he was experiencing right now.
It was slow and easy, but Sangyeon felt all different kinds of emotions rush around in his head every time he was with Jacob. Perhaps the perfect love life really did only exist in dramas. but even the cynical side in him couldn’t win against his overwhelming optimism. He could make it work for them.
Suddenly, he felt a gush of wind hit him, and then a shout and a loud bang resonated throughout the area. Sangyeon, now completely broken out of his thoughts, slowed down his pace. His eyebrows furrowed downwards out of curiosity and concern.
The loud noise jostled him just a bit, but he wasn’t too surprised anymore from the occasional startling sounds—a thought that didn’t sit too well inside his head. Still, he was hesitant to keep moving forward as a swarm of people started gathering towards the sound of the direction.
Thinking that finding another route to the train station was the best idea, Sangyeon turned around, only to see people with their cameras out running towards the situation behind him.
Sangyeon took a step forward—this time unable to hear the satisfying crunch—and thought it was nothing to be concerned about. He had a home to get too, and—
“Run faster! The rebellion set Central Train Station on fire!”
And only then was he able to smell the growing scent of kerosene in the air.
Sangyeon pivoted on his feet and followed the crowd. He didn’t even realize he was headed towards the station in the first place.
As his shoes hit the ground hard, he looked up to the sky and spotted a large growing grey spot emitting from a familiar place afar. Wasn’t it going too far now, Sangyeon thought as his feet hit the ground harder from quickening his pace.
He didn’t stop running until he reached the group of people crowding over the entrance of the station. Sangyeon put his hand on his chest, in hopes of chastising it to heave less. His eyes scanned the area, not sure what he was even looking for in the crowd.
“What pushed them to the edge like this?” The brunette heard a stranger whisper to another. Sangyeon lingered on the thought, and his eyebrows furrowed deeper.
It was a direct message to the crown by burning Central Train Station. After all, it was one of the many places built to honor the new prince. Still, Sangyeon chewed on his bottom lip as he watched the firefighters walk into the station. It was too risky—even for the rebellion. None of their previous attack patterns lined up with this one either.
Suddenly, a pair of girls brushed past Sangyeon while trying to get closer to the scene, and he couldn’t help but overhear what the two were conversing about. “What happened to the people in there?”
Sangyeon blinked at the thought and sighed under his breath, causing a puff of white air to escape out of his lips from the negative-degree weather. Of course people were caught in the fire.
Soon after, their questions were answered as a group of firefighters walked out of the train station. Sangyeon and the rest of the crowd diverted their attention to the coughing people and assorted belongings found.
Curiously, Sangyeon took a glance at what the firefighters brought out, and caught a glimmer of metal, shining impossibly bright under the sun.
And then his eyes widened, and felt his breath stop in his throat.
It was an empty guitar case.
(+82-2-992-0913 [05:12PM] so you did it
+82-9-903-0530 [05:13PM] of course i did
+82-9-903-0530 [05:13PM] i had to
+82-2-992-0913 [05:15PM] we could’ve helped you you know
+82-2-992-0913 [05:16PM] we could’ve persuaded them to do something different
+82-9-903-0530 [05:18PM] im not hurting anyone else
+82-2-992-0913 [05:19PM] asking for help is not harmful
+82-9-903-0530 [05:20PM] not when it ends in death
+82-9-903-0530 [05:22PM] im doing this for myself)