Chapter Text
“It's not safe to walk alone so late at night; you should just stay here.” The wise words of his best friend Sora echoed in Seungkwan’s head as he speedwalked down the darkened street. Seungkwan knew the neighborhood he’d moved to wasn’t known for being the safest; rumors circulated about organized crime being on the rise. He had only moved a few weeks prior, having had enough of the dorm life, and wanting a place closer to his job since he didn’t have a car. Until now, he’d only had praise for his new apartment. It wasn’t too small, the rent was reasonable, and you either had to have a pass key or be buzzed into the building. Plus, it was only a ten-minute walk to both his job and the bus stop that took him directly to the school. That bus route, which thankfully ran this late, also happened to pass near Sora’s high-rise, which meant visiting her was easier than ever. Unfortunately, he’d been so wrapped up in Memories of the Alhambra that he’d completely lost track of time. He would have loved to take her up on the offer to sleep over, but he had to open the cafe in the morning, and he knew he’d be irritable enough without having to get up an extra hour early.
Thus, Seungkwan found himself trying to speed walk the short distance from the bus stop to his apartment building. His legs were burning from how fast he was moving, and his hands cramped from the white-knuckle grip he had on his backpack straps. He only had two blocks left, less than a minute at his current pace, and as long as he was lucky, he would be safe in his warm home in only a few minutes.
Unfortunately, Seungkwan was not so lucky.
“What are you doing out here so late, pretty boy?” The voice sends a chill down Seungkwan’s spine and is accompanied by the click of a lighter. He tries not to let his nerves show, opting not to answer and just pushing his legs to move faster. He only gets a few steps further before a man steps into his path, effectively cutting off his escape. “I asked you a question, pretty boy,” The stranger hisses around his cigarette. He’s taller than Seungkwan, with greasy black hair and acne scars along his cheeks. He seemed older, which had Seungkwan wondering if he could beat him to the apartment if he ran for it. “Awfully rude not to answer me.”
“I’m just trying to get home.” His voice is small and squeaky, which makes him cringe internally. “Excuse me, please.” The man just grins, glancing over to Seungkwan’s left, where another man waits in the mouth of an alley.
“Why don’t we walk you home?” He offers, “Awfully dangerous for pretty boys to be alone so late at night.”
“It's okay, I’m not far. I’ll be alright by myself.” Seungkwan tries again, frantically searching for a way out.
“Don’t you know, pretty boy?” The other man begins, stepping closer, “There’s a dangerous group round this part of town.”
“They like to hunt down stragglers this time of night.” The first man steps closer as well. “And pretty boys like you are their favorite meal.”
“Now, now, Chul.” A new voice interrupts, this one coming from behind Seungkwan, “Is that any way to talk about your friends?” A hand settles on Seungkwan’s shoulder, making him jump, and grip his bag tighter. In front of him, the man’s smile melts.
“I’m just letting this young man know there’s lowlifes in the area who’d seek to do him harm, Mr. Chwe.” He defends, “I’d never talk about you and yours like that.” The man behind him hums.
“Are you saying there’s someone in our part of town acting without our permission?” Seungkwan tries to focus on the new person’s voice, it's much nicer to hear than Chul’s. It’s smooth, like honey, and much younger. “Do tell me who.”
“Well now, sir.” Chul glances nervously at his companion, “You see-”
“I think it’s time for you and Dae to head home.” It's obviously not a suggestion, “I’d hate to have to tell the boss that you’re spreading lies again, aren’t you already on Hoshi’s list?” Chul’s eyes get wide as saucers, and he and Dae bow deeply.
“Yes, sir. You’re right, sir.” He locks eyes with Seungkwan for a moment, a murderous glint in them, “We should all be getting home, shouldn’t we, friend?”
“Don’t worry about your friend, I can make sure he gets home okay.” Fuck, Seungkwan thinks, his luck just kept dwindling. “Get out of here.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good night, sir. Get home safe, pretty boy.” He practically spits the last words at the smaller man. Then he and Dae disappear into the night.
“Those two give me the creeps.” Mr. Chwe chuckles. Despite the racing of his heart and the fear flooding his system, Seungkwan couldn’t help but acknowledge how attractive the man’s voice was. Maybe it was his little homosexual brain just trying to make light of the situation, or maybe he was just losing it. “Are you alright?” Seungkwan doesn’t trust his voice yet, so he just nods, humming in confirmation. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here, what’s your name?”
“Seung-” His voice catches in his throat. “Seungkwan.”
“Welcome to the neighborhood, Seungkwan. Let’s get you home, shall we? I heard you say your place wasn’t far.” He can’t tell if this guy was flirting with him, threatening him, or just being some sort of good person. He had said “our” earlier, which made Seungkwan pretty sure he was part of whatever group ran this neighborhood, and the way the two thugs had reacted to him was cementing the idea.
“Um, yeah. Just, North Terrace.” He manages to explain, which prompts the stranger to throw his hand over Seungkwan’s shoulder properly, pulling him against his side.
“Well then, let’s get walking. You can tell me what you think of the neighborhood so far.” He starts them forward, pushing Seungkwan down the sidewalk. This “Mr. Chwe” is tall, taller than Seungkwan by a few inches at least, and despite wanting to look at him properly, Seungkwan was only able to steal a few glances at his sharp jaw. “So, what brings you to this part of town?”
“Oh, I uh, I work at a cafe around here, the one on 15th.”
“Mingyu’s place?” It's obvious he’s smiling as he speaks, “What’s it called, The Nook?”
“Yeah, my friend recommended it so I could get away from the one on campus.”
“Oh yeah, that one’s terrible. It always tasted like the coffee was burnt somehow.” Seungkwan can’t help the laugh that bubbles up at the comment.
“That’s cause their espresso machine was set too hot.” He explains. The fear was slowly starting to fade; this guy wasn’t so scary. He seemed chill. Seungkwan was even able to unclench his fingers and shove his hands into his pockets.
“Now that I know you work there, I’ll have to stop by sometime.”
“I will owe you a coffee after this, on the house.”
“I don’t drink coffee anymore.” Somehow, they’d already made it to the apartment building, but now, Seungkwan didn’t want to go inside just yet. Instead, he steps out from the man’s arm and turns to face him, finally.
At that moment, Boo Seungkwan is thankful that it's night. He feels his cheeks heat up the instant he locks eyes with the other man, and just hopes the darkness is enough to hide the blush. Mr. Chwe is handsome; there was no other way to describe it. Chiseled jaw, dark eyes, perfectly messy hair, and a crooked smile showing off perfect teeth, plus a leather jacket, Seungkwan had to dig his nails into his palm to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It wasn’t helping that he was in ripped jeans and a tight-fitting black shirt, which let Seungkwan make out the defined lines of muscle on his torso.
“Um,” He manages, very intelligently, “Thank you, Mr…” He doesn’t want to call him Mr. Chwe, it just didn’t feel right.
“Hansol. Just Hansol.” The boy’s smile only grows, “But my friends call me Vernon.”
“Well, thank you, Hansol. For stepping in when you did, and for making sure I got home safe.” Seungkwan bows, taking the moment to try and calm his breathing.
“It was no problem, Seungkwan. I don’t like seeing people get hurt on my streets.” There it was again, that effortless reminder that this guy wasn’t just some cute rando, he was more than likely a criminal.
A cute criminal, though.
“Still. Thank you.” Hansol nods, his cheeky, cockeyed smile never leaving.
“I’ll stop by the cafe sometime soon, make sure you’re staying out of trouble.”
“Hey!” His outburst has Hansol laughing, the action shaking his whole body.
“No but really.” The sudden seriousness almost makes Seungkwan jump, “If anyone tries something, tell Mingyu. He’s a friend of mine, and we’ll put a stop to it.” Kim Mingyu? “Okay?”
“O-okay.” Seungkwan finds himself agreeing despite himself, “I will.”
“Good. You should head inside.” Hansol takes a step back, which seems to break whatever spell Seungkwan had been under. He quickly fishes his keys from his pocket, getting the door open in record time. “It was good to meet you, Seungkwan.”
“You too, Hansol.” He turns back to the boy, offering him one more smile, “Have a good night.” Hansol nods, a smile of his own growing.
“You as well.”
And with that, the mysterious Hansol walked away, vanishing as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Seungkwan breathless in the doorway of the building. Despite the circumstances, Boo felt light on his feet, as though he’d just wrapped a date, and as he nearly skipped down the hall to his apartment, only one thought circulated his mind.
Boo Seungkwan couldn’t wait to see Chwe Hansol again.