-•☆•-

-Earlier that day-

There wasn't a leeway for the light of dawn to seep into some of their rooms. The sizzle of sun roasted beets defiled the deplorable air inside. Joon had gone to the market, Daeseong was computing the allowances. They had had damage of a shitload of amount on outlining the blast, especially throughout their trials.

Chris, on the other side, was getting rid of the blotches left on the floor of the detention room. He was being too alert to not wake Sehun up, who was slumping against the walls soundly. It came to his notice that Sehun came into being very wan, bleary-eyed. His face had shrunk and was relatively ruddy too.

Minhyuk or Wooshik could take a hand in what Sehun had been through, if anything, he thought. Chris thus kept him at an arm's length and swabbed the remaining.

"Minnie??...Is it you??" Chris recoiled at that. Although Sehun emitted, laying half comatose, in an obscure manner, the panic in Chris's chest in some way settled in.

"I swear!! I swear I didn't wake you up!!! I really fucking didn't!!" His head pounded with tension, "Please don't tell either sir or Captain that I woke you up, alr- right?" Chris brooked a shortness of breath when he bit his lips to the height that it might have started bleeding.

"Huh??" Sehun discarded his torpor as much as he could, "Calm down. Why are you so anxious??" He stabled his posture as he shrugged, "Why would I tell them anything in the first place?"

Chris released his severe austerity, "You were looking out for sir. So I- I only became paranoid."

"Paranoid of?" Sehun was mystified, "Why would you be paranoid?"

A laugh without humor fell from Chris's mouth into the space between them, "I'm so stupid!! I thought you would. What they both did to me last time is very ripe in my memory, I'm sorry." He pulled himself away and stood up. "I didn't intend on scaring you," he was ashamed, "Get to the hall, okay? Breakfast would be served soon," he said with a chuckle before taking leave.

If he could find a road leading into Chris's head, Sehun would have taken it, it would have made no difference what came in the way. Chris was being too ludicrous and irrational, and Sehun wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Sehun slowly lifted his head that throbbed from drinking too much. His throat felt parched more than any wasteland,

"Ahh I need water," he massaged his neck and took a look at his shirt, all dishevelled and Minhyuk's NY cap sprawling beside.

To where he was wearing that cap, Sehun couldn't recall that either, "Why can't I remember anything from previous night??" He thumped on his contracted cheeks himself, "All I remember is Minnie. But- but what the absolute fuck did I tell him last night??" He had not the faintest idea of what occurred, "Did I embarrass myself? Is that why he hadn't yet come to face me? Fuck, fuck, fuck!!"

Everytime Sehun would drink unbounded, he had records of acting inept and babbling too much.

He thought he messed up, but only if he knew the reality...

He hastily picked up the cap and crawled outside. Thanks to his long and fleecy bangs, Sehun could hide his face from the raking stares of everyone else.

"Is this a new stunt, Eve?"

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!!! Why did Minnie have to be here???" Sehun gasped, endeavouring to veil his head with his flight bomber jacket, positioning to return to that detention room.

"Wait!! What are you upto? Are you possessed or something?"

"Can you just mind your own stupid business?" Sehun stood on his all fours awkwardly, "I really don't remember if I said anything fun the previous night," his face was concealed beneath the jacket.

"The previous night?? Are you certain we talked the previous night??"

In his own time, Sehun did away with the veil he came up with. He swallowed, opening his eyes and bringing those to meet with the speaker's.

"Joon hyung??"

Joon stood glancing at the younger, two Hessian bags occupying his arms.

"If you're done with your bullshit, can you lend me a hand? These groceries are too heavy, as you can see."

"Don't embarrass me," Sehun held up the groceries and followed Joon to the kitchen.

They, in harmony, were disinfecting those latter mentioned.

"What are you both doing here?" A plash of water followed.

With its suddenness, Joon and Sehun's heads snapped, "Wooshik hyung!!" One said, the other shrieked, "Captain!!"

"Get out, both of you."

Wooshik's composure felt eldritch, so neither Sehun nor Joon could bother enough to pour fuel to fire. Joon had gone.

"What are you waiting for?" Wooshik regarded Sehun didn't move an inch, "I told you to go out. Leave the groceries to me. Wait at the table."

Sehun's throat began to twitch, "Can I have a glass of water?"

"Do I need to find a glass now?" Wooshik reached for a bottle, "This won't do?"

Shaking the haze from his body, Sehun accepted and gulped all the water down, "Thank you!" He could ultimately breathe in without snags.

"Sehun."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you drink if you can't hold it in?" Wooshik was sautéing a few chickpeas, "Did you want a disaster?"

"I believe I have already commenced one. Although you might be relieved to remember that I drank soju and beer too. I've been drinking since my pre-teens."

Wooshik rubbed his neck, "Then maybe there are exceptions!" A smirk played on his lips.

"Indeed there are."

Wooshik allowed Sehun to lessen the distance between them, "It was you last night, wasn't it Wooshik hyung?"

Those few chickpeas popped. A fume rose from the other pot, stringent smelling smoke gushed out,

"Shit!! I burned the food," Wooshik coughed.

Sehun held Wooshik's cheeks, as much Wooshik turned a blind eye to Sehun's gestures, Sehun's grey gaze became more intense, "Wooshik hyung...was it you last night?"

The flames added a black grace behind their poorly lit scene. The black smoke took all the attention, but they weren't afraid. They knew they could preserve whatever were on the edge of getting destroyed.

-

Minhyuk inhaled, his breath sputtering. Since the previous night he had not gone down. Daeseong always brought his food to the room upstairs.

Minhyuk clenched his fist looking at the unfurled bleached piece, his sketch so chaotic that he himself found no contentment. Creased balls of papers were fragmented all over the room. Minhyuk's breakfast had gotten as cold as his freezing brain after six pouches of icy cranberry juice.

The only thing Minhyuk loathed upon sight was sketching, it was not like he didn't know how to do it. On the contrary, he was an expert at it but he took it to be too boring of a work for a gangster who should get paid for bringing rather harm on others.

Sehun appeared in the room, his eyes scanning the room more than the person in it.

"Is it a new objective, Minnie?" He collected a black turtleneck, "Can you lend me your black leather jacket? You haven't bought any for me."

"It must be somewhere under the cot, take a look there," Minhyuk turned his head to the side to witness Sehun's face, "Where are you going?"

Sehun wouldn't disprove that Minhyuk was so hot in a casual, yale blue chambray shirt, grey joggers and rimless wayfarer glasses.

"Previous night I got too drunk and couldn't carry out my work. Wooshik hyung hence mandated me to go back to the bar and take note of the surroundings, frequent visitors and this and that," Sehun looked under the cot, "Thanks! I found the leather jacket."

"Can I come along?"

"No," Sehun answered at his instinct, not paying the slightest attention to Minhyuk, "You should do whatever you're doing."

"It's nothing important. I sketched a map of June-Way and its surroundings. Maybe you can take a look sometime?" Minhyuk took off his glasses, his eyes stung from lifting the weight of his horrible sketches, as he preferred to term it, too long, "It's just to make things easier."

"Surely I would love to. After I come back from today's little trip, I would survey it, alright?"

"Alright."

-

"Sehun, if you ask for a dream, I'll bring you a hundred. Someone used to say, uh?" Kiara laid down her apple fizz on the street.

Neither of them did mind if the walkers shot glares at them every time they crossed by, only because Kiara and Yejun sat at the stairs by the sidewalk, holding hands, relishing beverages together. They would occasionally laugh at those judges in accord and they didn't care in the least what anyone thought of them.

"Why are you embarrassing me, you punk?" Yejun splurged the fizz on her face, "If you have the guts why don't you bring him back here, to be with us? Like he used to."

Kiara cleaned her face with Yejun's white tee, "Yeah, as if he will listen," causing the obstinate apple stains to mark Yejun's cloth with beige blobs.

"Whatever."

Kiara stirred her eyes for some moments, and at a given time her heart froze. She choked on air trying too hard to keep her face behind her yellowish knot front, "Is he gone?" She asked in an abstruse voice.

"Who the hell will go where?" Yejun lifted his eyebrows.

"Darn it!! Has Wooshik gone away?"

"Who is Wooshik?"

"I saw him at a distance. Why the hell is he here?" She cried.

Only after the man hadn't pronounced anything, did Kiara speak again, "Is he gone? Tell me for fuck's sake," she let loose of the knot front she held to her face. She looked up in a daze, but only to drop her glare to the narrow alleyway.

Sehun had arrived and so had Lee Wooshik.

"Myself Lee Wooshik, I bet she's talking about me."

Wearing denim over his white hollow T-shirt, combined with stitched white trousers and canvas shoes with a watch on his left wrist, was an outfit that could have tended any woman to slobber or any man to envy after Wooshik.

"Sehun...Sehun is working with you now?" Yejun stood up brushing the dust off of his pants. As might be expected, he wasn't very happy to see them together.

"Oh no Yejun hyung, it is only for the duration till when the bar would be closed," Sehun held a hand out to Kiara, "Shall we go, Kiara?"

She ran a finger through her hair, "Like I have any choice."

Sehun thought it was more of a little luxury than work because the scenery spoke of nothing bleak. It was buoyant everywhere, filled with colours. Tireless labours were trying to sprint through mists.

The bakery shop owner was buffing the glasses. She admired Sehun a great deal, because of his charisma and goodwill. If in June-Way there would be any celebration among only the workers, Sehun would always send that lady free chocolate mousse. When he and the others keeping him company passed by her, she blew a flying kiss to Sehun. Sehun responded in kind,

"She's Mrs. So. Her bakery shop is the most vintage in this town. You must have heard of 'Yeast and Feast bakery shop'?"

"Hmm I think I have," Straightening his back, Wooshik picked up speed. Yejun and Kiara were already ahead of them, unsure of what they were supposed to do aside from taking a leisurely noon stroll.

"That rice cake restaurant, they've recently opened it. I really wanted to try," Sehun turned around slowly from it, they took a turn from there.

"And this is where I specu- mmmhm!"

Wooshik grasped Sehun's mouth, his elbow putting on pressure.

"Fwwuck arghhh!!" Sehun jolted away Wooshik's arms, "Do you want me to die?" He inhaled shakily.

"Maybe we should intake some caffeine? We have a long day coming," Wooshik adeptly sidetracked, "Shall we?"

"Maybe we should go to the new open roof art cafe?" Yejun laid at the table.

"Yeah, where is it? You will lead the way for us."

Sehun stuck out his tongue in a moment of accidental ineptitude as Wooshik hit playfully the back of Sehun's head.

-

"What would you like to have, sir?" A young waiter stood at their table, readying his notepad and pen, "As we have opened the cafe this month, there is a 40% discount on any three items of your choice, from what you order. And if the bill extends 1000 won, 'Creamy Dreams' will bring you our special platter, only for you."

"Uh-" Yejun scratched his neck, "What would you like to have, Sehun??"

"Wow!! I'm sitting right beside you and you care only about what Sehun wants to have?" Kiara pinched on the skin of the man, "Didn't you want to take me out?? Now I'm none? I'm hurt!"

"Guys, guys, cool down!! Wooshik hyung, what would you like to have?" His hands are shoved deep into the pockets of his black ripped jeans.

Wooshik slid over the cushions, "Well...what would you have Kiara?"

"Cortado and apple turnover for me and Calamansi juice for Yejun."

"No, no!! One Choco Hazelnut Frappe for me," Yejun chipped in, making corrections. He looked at Kiara but Kiara wasn't looking.

"Salted Caramel Latte," Wooshik made his order, "Sehun, now only yours is left."

"White Choco Mocha and Tuna Salad."

"Alright, sir!" He bowed after taking their orders and left to fetch those.

"He's patient enough," Sehun was stirred by the waiter's courtesy, "Good choice Yejun hyung."

"So you're rating it five star already?" Yejun collected the menu, "Maybe I should decide on our next order, so that no other waiter have to wait for a decade to only take an order."

They all chortled at that.

Some time passed. Another barista returned with their orders. He wore his golden-brown locks in a man bun. His six pack busted wide from his struggling white tuxedo, only his caramel apron could save his face. His Caramel trews were a match for the theme of cafeteria.

"Wooshik, I didn't expect this from at least you," the barista aforementioned put down the trays, aligning the drinks and dishes, "I didn't hope to see you like..."

"Like what?" Wooshik clocked when the barista was setting the plates infront of them.

"Don't make me say that sickening word, please," he pulled a face, "I don't want to be a sinner."

"I'm really not getting you," Wooshik stirred his Salted Caramel Latte, "What are you meaning to say? Can you be more specific?"

"All your partners today..."

Sehun looked up to descry Wooshik's eyes on the barista, his straw frozen halfway from stirring, "What about them?"

"Don't they all work at the June-Way?"

"Why is that a matter of concern for you?" Wooshik could sense a repulse.

"Why is it not for you? Don't they work in- in that- uhm that bar. Oh come on, don't make me say it!!" The barista was resistant of a certain word, 'gay'. He gathered the two trays, "You could have been better, really."

"Would you lose your tongue if you pronounce the word gay?"

All heads turned to him- Yejun.

"Why did you name it here??? Geez!! You know you just now impured the air of this beautiful cafeteria," he looked so disappointed, "I wish people like you wouldn't come to our cafe only to contaminate it."

"Then you might also have hung a sign board saying queers aren't allowed in here?"

"I would have. If I was the manager."

"At this moment nor are you the manager, neither is the manager complaining anything against us?" Yejun shook his head. "In that instance, we aren't supposed to leave, I believe."

"I wonder why not? Why can't all of the straight population drive away midges like you?"

Yejun sniggered, "So we all are suddenly midges now? You are the only saint?"

Wooshik retained his patience, Sehun was keeping his calm and Kiara nonetheless was agitated.

"Yes you-" a sudden interruption broke in,

"Hosung, there are customers waiting at table number 24. What are you doing there??"

"Coming sir," Hosung acted nauseated before Yejun, "People like you disgust me."

A handful of customers had left the cafe, some crying, some furious. Which didn't run off Sehun's notice,

"Excuse me!!" He stood up.

Hosung turned around, "Yes?"

"Look I really, genuinely, don't want a scene here although you've already caused one. Despite your churlish treatment, I'm willing to forgive you if you are willing to apologize."

"Apologize for?" An unfunny snicker left Hosung's lips, "For stating the truth?"

"You know what you should apologize for. If you want to take this further, this won't end well, so you better be fast? It would be good for us all," Sehun's coying smile was another factor to erupt Hosung's homophobia.

He clenched his teeth, "Sorry my foot!!" Hosung rammed the trays into the ground, shattering them in no minutes, "I feel sorry for your mother Wooshik. That lady has only one son, and he turns out to be what? A disgrace."

"You know that we won't pay for those trays right?" Sehun blootered the hazardous porcelain pieces from his way, "Since you have so much money, why don't you spend it in something useful instead?"

"Oh come on!! I am not going to learn from a gay what is useful and what is not. I haven't debased my dignity so much."

"Did you ever really have one?" Yejun made a sly remark.

"It's better if you don't talk of dignity, darling!!"

"See, it can end right here. Just apologize," Sehun was calm and serene.

"I'm not going to appease to the demands of some butthurt queers, I've work so excuse me," he tried to push himself out of the upheaval, although he felt a hault.

Sehun held his hand out to Hosung, "Sorry but I'm not letting you leave this place until and unless you've apologized. Now it's on you if you want to compromise your job, or just speak out five simple letters."

"You fucking fagg*t!!" Hosung had an attempt at kicking at Sehun's abdomen.

Sehun fended him off, "Don't test my patience!! Say sorry to all."

Enraged, Hosung turned turtle their table with all the orders positioned on it.

"Oh, Kiara!!" Yejun grabbed a tissue, cleaning Kiara's white box pleats, "He probably has hit his head somewhere very hard."

"Come on!! Where are your apologies?" Sehun wiggled his eyebrows at that barista.

"I'm not going to, you fagg*ts. And to your boorish and overpowered attitude, look what I am going to do now," Hosung shoved Sehun aside and pushed Wooshik off his seat. Wooshik sensed his neck muscles straining as his head arched back after the plunge. His chest was abnormally tightened, breath sped up, and he forced to shut his eyes, bracing for impact,

"Being a straight man he stood by you all, now he gotta suffer a little, just a little I promise," Hosung wickedly laughed while debossing Wooshik's face with footprints.

That was it. Sehun lost it at that.

"Peace is never an option," Sehun reached across Hosung's body with his right hand, "I don't get it!!!! What is exactly the problem with people like you??" He sneered and punched the barista in stomach.

Hosung coughed out a lot of blood, although Sehun wrestled to him. He kicked the barista in the chest when he knocked the wind out of him.

Sprawling on the ground, Hosung was beefing about how the other boy was almost killing him. Sehun put his combat booted feet on the hapless victim, "Say sorry," Sehun said calmly, his hands put in the pockets of his black leather jacket.

"Blergh!" The barista was wild with shame at puking like an infant.

"You wanted to puke, now is your nausea put at rest? With this little, just a little torture?" Sehun crushed on the throat of the sufferer beneath his feet, "I'll count only ten. Either you say sorry to these fagg*ts or..."

He glanced at his wrist watch, and thereafter stuck his eyes down again, "10...9...8....7..."

"I'm sorry!!!" Hosung snarled, with no traces of sympathy.

"Heh??" Sehun raised one of his eyebrows, "What was that? Don't make me laugh," Sehun mangled the barista's robust collarbone, "6...5..."

Hosung coughed an ocean of blood.

"4...3..."

"I'm sorry!!!! I'm- I'm really sorry," blubbing, he implored to the other man, "Sorry- sorry sir!!!!" He clapped his hands together.

"PROPERLY!!!!" Sehun importuned with jarred teeth, his feet adding more weight.

He kicked the barista's neck and made him end up near Wooshik's feet, "Say it!!!" Sehun gave a hard smack on his head, "SAY!!"

The barista hugged Wooshik's ankles, "Sorry- sorry, I'm sorry Wooshik sir."

There were yet then no traces of sympathy but at least there was fear.

"Why are you apologizing to only Wooshik hyung?? Apologize to all of us. All the fagg*ts,"

Hosung regurgitated more blood, "Sor- sorry!!" He was out of breath, "Sorry!"

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