Yesteryear

Goodbye Nottingham

When Ada opened the door for Wooyoung yet again, they shared sunny smiles. The woman stepped away to allow him entrance without questions. Her voice travelled ahead of her toward the kitchens.

"Yeosang, your handsome friend is here. Go and greet him."

In a reply of the first day Wooyoung had spent here, Yeosang came skittering over immediately. The laces on the collar of his white linen shirt were undone to expose his neck and pronounced jugular. Many days of sitting inside hunched over his books while the sun shone outside left his skin pale like marble.

"Wooyoung, good morning! We prepared baked goods; come and look at them!" Yeosang bounced around excitedly as Wooyoung followed him inside. It was one of the rare mornings he didn't get a completely hungover Yeosang who had either fallen asleep sucking on Wooyoung's neck or pouting over getting called a piece of gum. Not that he looked any more like a morning person. He hadn't even combed his hair since he didn't plan to go out today.

Yeosang came to stand next to Ada, who shoved him aside a moment later when she had to put a new patch of pale dough formations into the oven. Yeosang pouted and pretended to be hurt. His sulking only got a scoff out of Ada.

When Wooyoung had finally caught up with the large wooden table filled with flour stains and creations in various stages of finish, Yeosang came back to him. He stepped in closely into Wooyoung's personal space as if there wasn't an entire table for them to stand at. Wooyoung smirked at his boldness. For being an inexperienced fool, Yeosang had got comfortable with their little flirtations quickly.

"This is the first finished pile! Look, they are soft little breads." Yeosang pointed out the plate with bread rolls out to Wooyoung. Some of them had raisins in them.

"These are mine." His excitement tone carried on, but the sight of the second pile of buns was far less impressive than the first. They had lumpy, sad bodies that seemed to wail at Wooyoung to put them out of their misery.

Proud, Yeosang stood next to Wooyoung. He was even a little taller than him like that.

With a last sympathetic glance at the rolls, Wooyoung rose his hand to the fluffy mess of hair atop Yeosang's head.

"They are wonderful. Good boy," he praised him. Yeosang probably didn't know how to place the blush that took over his features, but Wooyoung did. He watched Yeosang slink off while shyly scratching his nape to get back to work.

Breakfast happened alongside their baking activities. Ada explained to Wooyoung how he had to knead the dough so it wouldn't end up as a disfigured mess as Yeosang's rolls did. They worked side by side and ate the bread while it was still warm. Ada provided jam for them that tasted of apricots.

Their morning was fun and relaxing. Wooyoung loved watching Ada and Yeosang interact like two petty siblings, and he enjoyed teasing Yeosang whenever the man was overcome by boldness. It was the most homey setting Wooyoung had experienced on a trip to the past so far, homier even than Berosus' house.

When they all had their fill and the last patch of rolls that Ada would gift to her other guests baked in the oven, Wooyoung announced his departure. Two different expressions met him. Ada looked delighted that he would go out into the world again to tell his tales and become a famous person. Yeosang, on the other hand, looked downtrodden. Wooyoung knew the man didn't have many friends, so he felt as if ditching a kind soul who didn't deserve to be ditched anymore. His heart clenched uncomfortably in his chest when Yeosang looked at their bread buns rather than at him.

"Accompany me to the crossroad?" He thus suggested. When he glanced at Ada, she nodded carelessly.

Like a loyal dog, Yeosang followed behind Wooyoung when he picked up his bag next to the door and took off. He said his farewells to Ada, and she called back to take care and that he should come and visit again if he found the time. Wooyoung smiled softly. If he would visit anywhere again, then here.