Chapter Text
Riki watched as buildings passed by, legs facing towards the door. Strangers on this road we are on. We are not two, we are one, a song that Riki hasn't heard before played on the radio. The song sounded old, from Riki's small amount of music knowledge had anything to say. He glanced at the screen of the car.
Strangers - The Kinks
He made a mental note on the song name if he'd get the chance of buying the song. Maybe he'd ask the driver of the car, his lover, his secret lover, if he could buy the song on a CD. He'll think of it but disregard it later, is there a possibility of it going his way. It's unlikely to think of it, even wording it out would be dangerous. Still, he'll daydream of buying something of his own, something tangible and he could grasp and it was his. He'd giggle and blame it on a crazy thought.
Riki noted his surroundings, it seemed like a small town, as old wooden houses appeared hinting that they were in a neighbourhood. He looked at the older man, were they going to stop for the day? It seemed so as the man, Choi Jihoon, parked the car near a run-down bar. It looked like one of those wild west bars, the windows faded, the wood logs oriented sideways. Jihoon spoke,
"Get a seat at the bar, get water if you want, I'll get a room."
Riki nodded, remembering the instructions as if they would change. He'd speak it back to him as he watched Jihoon leave, he looked like he had a purpose, his posture tall, straight and confident. Riki was just as tall, but when he walked, he was hunched over, the clothes he wore hung off his boned body, it made him look small, he felt small sometimes. In the night.
Riki was just as lost as he was on that day when they first came to Korea, the first time he tried to run. His excuse was he lost his hand. He eyed the bar, a man behind it, getting a drink to someone, perhaps the only man there, with dyed blonde hair, his face fierce and bold. He looked around, Jihoon was at the front, talking to the girl who gave out keys to the motel part of the bar.
He sat down, right next to the man with the bold features, maybe he liked the idea of being around someone to not be alone with Jihoon. He sighed, looking at the man behind the counter, "Can I get water?" He voiced, he tried to make his voice loud, but it was soft, not threatening at all.
"Are you allowed to be in this part of the place? You look like a kid," the man with bold features asked, sizing him up for measure. Riki side-eyed him,
"I'm just here for water," he mumbled back.
The place was quiet, he'd thought it'd be lively, but the town was rundown, maybe everyone fled from it. Was there a time that the bar was a place of joy, fear, sadness, did it have any other emotional value other than the loneliness or was it forever haunted by this empty feeling? However long Riki could think of the questions, he'll never get an answer. He'll just have to let it go on.
"Where's your parents, kid?" Kid, something he hadn't been called for such a long time. He hasn't seen his parents forever, he got kicked out, and Jihoon would rather die than admit the truth. The feelings rushed to him, cheeks reddening from the adhering word, was he that desperate. Was he so lost internally that he'd reach out for the first person to call him a child?
"He's getting a room," Riki answered, a glass of iced water was placed in front of him. The ice floated to the top, clinking on the glass before it settled. Condensation had collected on the cup, a coaster put underneath so it didn't damadge the wood. His 'dad' hasn't stopped talking to the woman, if he was flirting, Riki didn't care anymore. Perhaps a thirteen year old him would, he'd storm up to him, grab him by the wrist and leave, Jihoon would laugh and say he was embarressing or overreacting, but now, Riki couldn't care less. He just wanted to leave.
"I'm Jay, or Jongseong if you prefer," the blonde man said, Jay, Jongseong, Riki wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Riki," he replied back, glancing at him, he had earphones that hung on his neck, a sweater and a plain dark red t shirt.
His back straightened when he felt someone run their hand up on it, stopping on his shoulder.
"Riki, what did I say about talking to strangers, don't annoy the man," Jihoon said, a light joke to his tone. Jay questioned the two, looking at the hand that rested on the boy. Nothing was out of the ordinary yet somehow everything screamed 'help' at him.
"He wasn't bothering me, how long are you staying for?" Jay asked; watching the man's grip tighten, it was so fast, so slight of movement he wouldn't have noticed if not for the boys increased tensness.
"For a couple of days, anyways, Riki, you ready to check out the room?" Jihoon questioned, looking down at Riki, a smile on his face, waiting for Riki's response. Once he nodded, Jihoon continued, "I'll get the bags in the trunk, finish your drink," and he was off again. Riki looked back, watching as the doors closed.
He took a sip from the water, ice burning his top lip when he heard, "He good to you?" It was Jay, did he care? Why would he, did he just assume that because he witness it and felt obligated to ask. Riki wasn't sure if he wanted to take advantage of such kindness.
"Look, if he hurts you, call the police, they'll help," Jay tried.
"It's none of your business, I should be going now."
Riki took one last sip of his water, putting a dollar on the wood, and ran off to find Jihoon.
He helped carry a bag into a room, sitting on a bed, he put on the TV to cartoons, laughing at all the jokes. Glancing at the open back door, the smell of smoke entered his nostrils. He had muffled a cough within his arm, Jihoon looked back at him with a cigarette in his mouth, grinning as he blew out a puff of smoke.
"Oh, a lovely lady is going to stop by tonight, go find a grocery store and get noodles in an hour or so, we'll be dining in tonight, here's my wallet," he said, shoving his hand in his pocket before throwing a brown rectangle shape towards him. Riki dove to catch it, quickly looking up to see Jihoon insert the cigerette in his mouth and closing the see through the door. He opted to watch TV for the rest of the time he had. He supposed he could ask someone at the enterance where a grocery store was.
He closed his eyes, hearing the sound of old, static cartoon noises.
;;;
When he awoke, his ankles were gripped onto, dragging him out of bed. His eyes shot open just before he landed on the ground. "Get going," Jihoon ordered. Riki waited for his ankles to be let go, apologizing for sleeping and taking the wallet from the bed and running out. Walking to the enterance, a part of him hoped that Jay would be there, he seemed kind, but where did kindness lead him in life.
Just before he entered, a door opened, causing him to step back to not get hit,
"Oh, Riki," Jay said, sounding surprised, he pushed his hair back, revealing his forehead, "where are you heading off to?"
Riki asked, "Do you know where I could get to a grocery store? I want Ramyeon."
"I know where one is, are you planning on walking, it's a bit far," Jay said, observing at the heat of the sun.
"I have too,"
"I'll give you a lift," Jay suggested, gesturing towards his car, it was black and could hold seven people. Riki thought of it for a moment before agreeing.
He walked across the gravel, opening the door and getting in. Waiting for Jay, if this was a kidnapping attempt, it wouldn't be much different.
"Do you take after your mother?" Jay questioned abruptly, "You don't look like him at all," he mentioned. Riki played with his thumbs not really knowing how to respond.
"I do," Riki lied, "are you going home? Or are you going on vacation?" Riki changed the subject, deciding it's best if it's like that.
"I'm going home, I live with a couple of other people, they're probably pissed that I took the car," Jay joked, turning the wheel, Riki hummed, listening to the older male. He looked young, not as young as Riki, but young enough, was he also running from something, or was he just a free spirit that left because he wanted to and not because he had too.
"How old are you?" Riki thought out loud, Jay was 19 is what he got from the answer, the answer was repeated back to him, "I'm fifteen, turning sixteen in December," Riki told, "so I'm not really a kid anymore," Riki confronted, he wanted to be told otherwise, say he was a kid because he never felt like it, he just wanted the reassurance, the childlike energy he once felt had fleeted away with the wind.
"You aren't twenty so that makes you a kid," there was a calm silence, Riki's head gravitated towards the window. He always felt calm when looking at passing trees, buildings, anything really, seemed like he was running.
"Look, Riki," Jay started, surprising Riki from the interrupted silence, "are you in trouble? Is you dad in trouble? What's happening?" Jay had managed to get out, every second he sees Riki, it feels like the boy was getting more into trouble, and his urge to help had will grow with the millisecond, if only time let him.
Riki stayed silent, as he always did when older men tried to 'help' him, but Jay persisted, "My room is 107, if you need anything while you are here, just come, okay?" Jay instructed, he doubted that Riki would, but it'd lessen the guilt in his conscience. Riki agreed, thinking the same, his heart fluttered from the thought of someone caring for him like that.