Eun-Jae’s lips were pursed in concentration as he stood on his tip-toes, fingertips just barely grazing across the packaging of various types of cake decoration. He was aiming for the cute little stars on the top shelf, a small whine of frustration escaping him as the item remained just out of reach. Why did he have to be so short? His legs trembled as he pushed himself further up onto his toes and then had to grab one of the lower shelves to keep himself from falling over. He let out a huff and another whine, eyes wide as he turned his attention to the nearest person. “Sir, uh, could you help me? I’m trying to get the stars.” He pointed up at them, lower lip jutting out in a slight pout. “I’m not tall enough.” @sangminhr
“Oh, thank you! I didn’t even realize I had misplaced them,” he beamed at the taller male, his eyes turning into crescents before he took his mittens and put them on right away. He had found solace from the cold by entering this small club earlier only to discover that there were a bunch of bands performing, so he had decided to stay and enjoy a nice evening filled with music. Some bands had been…not good, but others, like the one this guy had been in, they had been good.
“You sounded good out there,” he complimented. “You guys sounded great. Have you been together for a long time? Do you already have music out?”
even after moving to hwaryung for good, bang yujin had never fully explored all five neighborhoods.
as a rule of thumb, he stuck to the places he was familiar with, like his favorite cafés and bars in simsaengdong, and the quirky art and record stores that lined a certain street in soryungdong.
he was in the latter area at the moment, having just emerged from the nearest shinhan bank to withdraw some money (as the art supply store he was about to go to only accepted cash). he was extra mindful of the notorious reputation of this particular neighborhood, and had purposefully shunned his typical get-up of a blazer and a black button-up in favor of more casual wear.
yujin pulled his coat tighter around him as he made his way down the sidewalk with big, harried strides. despite missing the convenience of having his car with him, bringing his audi here would simply garner unwanted attention—and in soryungdong, attention was pickpockets and bag-snatchers, both of which yujin wanted nothing to do with.
thankfully, this particular street seemed peaceful enough (at the moment, at least). yujin was nearing his destination when the telltale sounds of guitar strums and soft singing met his ears, compelling his eyes to immediately dart around to seek the source of it. this was all against his better judgement, of course—yujin should really be getting his custom canvases now and fleeing before his surroundings got too rowdy (like last time), but his curiosity got the best of him.
sitting on a wooden bench, not too terribly far away, was a man playing a song on his guitar. he sang along with his energetic strums, of course, and yujin found his voice to be smooth and soothing, like rum-and-coke after a long evening.
he couldn’t see his face well from this distance, thanks to his less-than-perfect vision, but yujin could make out the faint outlines of wind-bitten ears and pink lips. handsome was the common adjective to be used for someone like him, but picturesque was the word that came to yujin’s mind.
i guess i found my muse for today, he thought to himself, willing his shy feet to move towards the musician. he began to memorize the scene in his mind, tracing the the man’s facial features with his eyes. yujin glanced at his fingers, then his red knuckles, then his beat-up guitar, until they finally settled on his wind-blown hair, and—
—he realized he’s been staring for too long.
a blush crept up his cheeks, and he took a tentative step backwards.
yujin whipped out his wallet and pulled out a wad of cash, not bothering to count it in his haste. he placed it into the man’s open guitar case (which was filled with coins, and a few paper bills, he noticed), looking at anywhere but him, before he bolted for the art supply store.
looking up, seungwoo is suddenly overcome with embarrassment, even though he knows the stranger probably hadn’t meant to inflict that upon him in any way. he supposes it is a little unusual to sit on a park bench with an overly large blanket obviously made for two wrapped around one’s body – most people fare well enough in the winter with just multiple layers of outerwear. everyone passing by seems to think the same, casting him odd glances every now and then. this particular man in front of him, however, is the very first one to actually stop and comment on it.
“yeah, i…” seungwoo considers telling a white lie for just a millisecond – he’d been waiting for someone that never showed up, or something along those same lines, but he quickly comes to the conclusion that that actually sounded a lot sadder than the actual truth. “it’s cold.” that’s the whole, bold-faced and honest statement. “i wanted to be outdoors for once and i figured i’d come prepared, considering how sensitive i am to the cold.”
