Yoongi leaned back into his couch. Work didn't start for another half an hour. A half an hour of precious time was being thrown in the drain because Yoongi had done all his homework and wasn't allowed to work overtime. Damn it, Salmon boss.

After his Mother managed to pay for his college education, Yoongi had found himself an apartment that was close to campus. He didn't want his Mother to have to support him when she was so tired as it was. She didn't need the added strain of having to care for her adult son who was of age to do that for himself. She had worked enough when he was younger, she didn't need to do that now. She didn't need to lose more of herself to multiple jobs.

And so here he was. In a fairly nice apartment. Furnished. No clocks. Yoongi wondered how he managed to keep track of the time when he had no clocks. It was like once he had gotten rid of them, his own built in one activated. An inner clock that was upset at him for not doing anything worthy of the time he had to himself. An inner clock that was endlessly screaming for him to do something; anything other than waste time pressed against his cushy brown couch.

Yoongi groaned and stood up. What was there to do? He had done practically everything that he could. He had already washed his windows the day prior. His bathroom and bedroom were spotless. His office was well organized. His dishes were washed and his dining room was vacuumed. His creativity was lacking today so writing wasn't an option. Maybe he could think out what he would do first at work? That seemed productive enough, he reasoned.

He'd check in with Jin hyung and then go join the other wait staff in the breakroom or behind the counter until a customer needed something or a new one arrived. He'd organize the storage room or the kitchen in his off time, which ultimately pleased not only himself, but Jin hyung too. That was all, he supposed. Was that all he did? There was so much more he could do in a day than just that. He could do so much more. Was he that slow, that pointless that he could do so little in such a large expanse of time?

Yoongi took a deep breath. He couldn't think like this. He couldn't have a repeat of a certain event that occurred a while ago. He just couldn't. It had hurt so much. He avoided talking about it as much as he could.

As much as he didn't like talking about it, he could remember the incident like it was yesterday. It wasn't too major, nothing that could permanently scar a young child. More like, shake him up enough to know to stay away from something.

He had to have been nine or ten when it happened. It was the first time that time had ever appeared as a threat to him. He had just arrived home after school to find the house empty. It hadn't been a common occurrence at the time. His father had only just left two or three weeks prior. It had hurt him so much when he discovered that his father wasn't coming home. He'd trusted the man with his all only to have him run out like he didn't have a family waiting for him.

He'd arrived home to a darkened space with no one around. He waited for what felt like hours for his Mother to return. The clock stared at him, almost as if to tell him that waiting was useless. The sky became coated in pinks and oranges swirling across the sky, blending and coalescing together. However, tonight was not the night for enjoying pretty skies. His Mother wasn't home. Hadn't even called. Yoongi was beyond scared. The clock just kept ticking forward, like it was going to leave his Mother behind. The numbers soon became all Yoongi could see. Just the time soaring around him like crazed birds. Those bright red luminescent numbers had exited their domain and entered his. Taking over everything. Becoming the only thing he could think about.

When his Mother finally entered their home, stars littered the dark skies outside the window. The young boy was still awake but on the verge of sleep. She sank into the sofa without so much as a greeting and leaned her head back, letting out a groan. Yoongi immediately ran to her, asking where she'd been. She smiled lightly and told him to not stay up waiting for her anymore. That mommy wouldn't be home until late because she was working to support the both of them. That'd she'd be too tired to talk with him and just needed rest. Yoongi could tell that much from her sleepless eyes that were pitted with what seemed like either anger or sadness. Maybe even both. They weren't open long enough for him to decide. She was asleep in a matter of seconds after talking to him. Yoongi sent a glare in the direction of the analog clock before escaping back to his room.

His hatred for the time telling devices had only grown since. It was all time's fault, he had rationalized. It was all time's fault that his Mother had hollowed out and left nothing but a shell to raise him.

Yoongi shook his head. Like he said, he didn't like to talk about it and didn't want to think anymore about it. It happened so long ago, yet still influenced him. Crazy how those things worked.

Work was such a short time away. He really should be on his way. Salmon Boss didn't like it when they were late and he was scheduled to be doing rounds today. Most of his fellow employees, including one of his friends, Hoseok, thought that Salmon Boss, otherwise known as Namjoon, was a bit tough on all of them. In Yoongi's opinion, Salmon boss didn't overwork them. At least not to him. The Boss was just making an efficient use of labor and time. If anything, Yoongi looked up to the way Namjoon managed everything. It was a different style than what Jin Hyung used. Jin Hyung was too soft with them. He didn't make sure that the employees knew their place in the environment which led to confusion on most days. He was incredible when it came to the customers, however. He was like a social genius. Yoongi respected Jin Hyung but he idolized Salmon Hyung, though he'd never tell him or anyone else that. Yoongi grabbed his apron which was by the door and took one last look over his apartment. All seems to be in order, which was enough for him.

Word Count: 1,139

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So, uh, the ending kinda sucked. Most of it kinda sucked. I'm way more proud of the later chapters, so I hope you'll stick around for those! I'll see you all soon!