My car was 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 fixed — after endless taxis, public transportation and rides from friends, I had set out early to pick it up before going to the station. But the one less hour of sleep that I had sacrificed was taking a toll on me, especially after that late night with Felix at the amusement park yesterday. 

But the darkness of the late night only allowed the lights around us to shine, illuminating our faces as he kissed me over the sleeping city.

I kept blushing at the thought, kicking my feet under the blankets like a flustered idiot, (which, I guess, I really was) replaying the moment in my head all night, which was probably what contributed the most to my lack of rest. 

The sunrise found me at the station, eyes half-closed and my face dark and tired. Felix had texted me spontaneously in the early morning hours that he had to leave the city to take care of some business, which he didn't care to elaborate on, and I assured him that I would cover for him. 

He had left so quickly that we didn't have time to talk about the previous night, our kiss, his confession. 

But I didn't mind that as much as the fact that he wouldn't be at the station today — I was surprised when I caught myself thinking about how much I would miss him.

It was a Saturday, but I was content to help Chan in Felix's place, as the former seemed to be more worn out more than usual lately, but at least I was guaranteed Sunday off. Hyunjin, however, had a half-day off this weekend, the fact of which I was consistently reminded of by none other than the man himself.

"...The what?" I said, my tired mind not fully comprehending what Hyunjin was saying, what happened between Felix and I replaying in the back of my mind and causing me to space out in the storage room.

Hyunjin had followed me in, leaning against the wall with a hand in his pocket as he watched me shake my head to clear the smile off my face and stop myself from blushing.

"The favor you owe me," Hyunjin repeated, tilting his head to study my face, swinging his keys from his finger, the jingle distracting me more than I already was as I scanned the shelves for an extra sound panel. "I'm calling it in," he restated with a smile.

"Oh." I recalled when I had promised to dog sit his chihuahua, Kkami, on two separate occasions in return for the borrowing of his car. I had almost forgotten that I had given him such a thing to dangle over my head, and like the innocently mischievous persona he was, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to do so. "You want me to do it today?"

He nodded with a big smile, excitement filling his voice as he finally stopped messing with his keys, allowing me to focus on finding the equipment I was looking for. "I'm going to visit my parents today, now that I have some time off. I haven't seen them in a while."

"Oh," I breathed again, reaching up to retrieve the sound panel from the top shelf when I spotted it. My fingertips brushed the edge of the panel, so I stood on my toes to reach it as I inquired politely, "How are your parents doing?"

I didn't know Hyunjin's parents personally, I had only met them once in the year that he and I worked together, but the way Hyunjin talked about them made me feel like I knew them. His mother and father were the foundation of his happy and memorable childhood, and he spoke about them so often, his face lighting up as he discussed visiting them whenever his days off came closer, like today. 

"Mmm, they're good," He hummed, stepping up behind me upon noticing my struggle and reaching over my head to retrieve the panel without a second thought. His height was definitely more useful than mine in a situation like this, and he almost effortlessly hoisted the panel down from the shelf.

I held out my hands to receive it, but he clutched it against his chest. "I'll carry it for you," He chimed, flashing me another bright smile.

I raised an eyebrow at his unusually thoughtful action. He must be in a really good mood today if he was actually volunteering to help me. Was he 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 happy to see his parents?

"Thanks," I mumbled, eyeing his cheerfully illuminated face with a hint of suspicion as he followed me back to the studio, setting the panel onto the desk with a thump which told me that the piece of equipment was heavier than it looked. He let out a quick sigh and dusted off his hands.

Turning back to me as he leaned on the desk, he continued, "So, I need you to come over and watch Kkami for this evening."

I sighed and folded my arms, but was unable to stop a slight smile from forming on my lips. As much as I wanted to dive into my cozy bed and take a much-needed nap after work, I did owe him a favor, and I couldn't say no.

 "Okay, fine. I'll do it."

Hyunjin's smile widened, reaching his shining eyes and pressing them into tiny shapes. "Thank you, Hana!" Snatching his keys from the desk where he had laid them, he tossed them in the air and caught them, making his way out. "You remember my address, right? Please come right after you're done here," He told me.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," I nodded, grinning at his excitement. 

Mya came into the studio, catching the door before it completely closed behind Hyunjin, giving him a small nod of greeting as they passed each other. An immediate knowing smile tugged at her lips, her eyes meeting mine with a sly glow to them.

Slapping a hand on my back with a little too much force, a huff of breath quickly escaped me as her smile morphed into a smirk. "He's so into you," she commented, wiggling her eyebrows, and I narrowed my eyes to glare at her.

Mya, ever the eager matchmaker, would never discard a chance to play cupid — me being her favorite guinea pig. But my trust in her matchmaking skills had dwindled long ago, as many failed blind dates spoke as a testament to her questionable choice in men for me.

But she's my best friend; so I digress.

"You could have said that without knocking the breath out of me," I mumbled, holding my stomach. "And you'd say that about anyone who holds eye contact with me for a normal amount of time."

Speaking of holding eye contact with me — if staring at me until I was creeped out could be categorized as eye contact — I half expected Jay to come in with Mya. He was usually around her a lot, tagging along with his beloved sister, older than him by three years, although Mya lorded it over him as if she was thirteen years his senior.

But the way Mya looked after him, as if she really was way older, was a heartwarming aspect of their sibling dynamic.

"Where's Jay?" I voiced my thoughts as I glanced over her shoulder, as if he would be hiding behind her like a scared child behind their mother. But his presence was too prominent; I would have sensed his slim, grey eyes on me if he was in the room.

Mya shrugged. "He didn't come in to work today, he said he had something important to attend to." Her voice dropping, her eyes darting around to make sure that no one else was in earshot, she revealed gravely, as if it was a top secret, "He's been acting weird since we came back from vacation — well, maybe he's 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 to being weird since our vacation."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that the latter observation held more truth. I scoffed, "Isn't your brother always weird?"

Mya's eyes glittered, grey, which she shared with her brother. "Yeah, I'm glad I missed out on those genes."

Laughing, we both diverted the conversation, changing the subject, keeping each other company until the end of my shift.

━━━━━━━━━━

I accidentally slammed my car door shut harder than I intended to, which sent the sound echoing through Hyunjin's quiet neighborhood, the buildings on either side of the street bathed in waves of the dim golden sunset, their windows reflecting the glare of the last rays of light for the evening.

Hyunjin usually referred to his living space as an apartment, but in my opinion, the architectural masterpiece of a modern flat in front of me could hardly be disgraced by that term. Out of the monotone angles of black, white and grey emerged the symmetrical shape of an awning over the porch, the steps lined with thriving plants and a wind chime hanging near the polished laterns, the light from which I was grateful for as the sun sank behind the house, giving it a fitting golden halo. 

The whimsical tinkles of the windchime welcomed me as I approached the front door. Reaching out to affirm my immediate assumption that the door was locked, I was surprised as my hand slipped on the doorknob and it turned obediently beneath my grasp.

It was already unlocked? Had Hyunjin just left the door open for me...?

I invited myself inside, immediately relaxed by the wafting scent of jasmine and lavender, but not so much by the bright furniture that filled Hyunjin's living room. Since my first visit to his house, I noticed how artistically wired he was. Hyunjin always loved beautiful and rare things, confirmed by his collection of art pieces hanging on the walls. But he loved more to create them, which was why he had converted an extra bedroom in his flat to an Art Room to store his paintings and begin new projects.

As my thoughts strayed to that room, once described by Hyunjin as his favorite place in the entire house, I began to pick up on a low a sound — heavy, fretful breathing, a hitched sob — coming from the end of the main hallway, past Hyunjin's bedroom.

Holding my breath and straining to listen closely, the muffled sounds continued, and stepping closer, approaching the Art Room at the farthest end of the hallway, the cries became clearer as I neared the source, the breathing erratic and unstable through gritted teeth, the voice edging on a frustrated scream.

I threw open the door leading to the Art Room, rushing inside to be met by Hyunjin's thin frame sitting against the wall, trembling, his knees pulled to his chest, his shaking hands tangled in his hair. Wide, glossy eyes looked up at me as another tear fell from them, cascading down his cheek and adding to the damp cloth over his knees. 

His phone was on the floor beside him, cracked, the screen shattered, as if it was dropped... or thrown.

With a voice shaking uncontrollably, his breath catching in his throat at each gut-wrenching sob, he was barely able to force out a whisper and breathe my name.