Thinner

48

Payphone.
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Not only did he manage to find the address on the paper via his phone. But he managed to find a place with an accessible payphone. His day seemed to go so well already. Even if he was still dizzy and definitely a bit bruised up from yesterday's event, he managed to walk the 30 minutes it took to reach the indoor area with many different payphones available. But even so, he already knew it wasn't a good place to be for too long.

There were many people, mainly men, smoking and drinking beer, tattooed arms, and tuned sweaty skin from the humid room. It stank of tobacco and sweat. And people seemed to not be on the polite side here. So he cautiously walked in, keeping his eyes to the few empty booths, as he sat down on the uncomfortable stool.

A lot of thoughts rang through his head as he tried to find a way to converse with the older if he were to even pick up the phone in the first place. But his day has been going well so far, so he was desperate for even more luck dawning upon him.

Some of the other people were yelling and screaming over the phone, and some talked about money laundering. Others were seemingly discussing not so legal things.

He sighed quietly as he counted the money for the 10-minute mark. You could choose the period of times you wanted. He didn't need that much time, but he needed enough to get a conversation through. It was a dollar per five minutes. Which for him was really expensive, he barely had enough to leave the house with if he didn't steal them from his mom and dad.

Pressing the phones buttons, he held the piece of paper firmly in his hands, looking around to see if anyone was watching..but no one batted an eye in his direction. He listened to the phone ringing, taking a small breath as he crossed his fingers. He could really use some hope now.

It kept ringing and ringing constantly into his ear, making his hopes die down as he looked into the wall in despair.

"Please" he mumbled, shutting his eyes tightly as he anticipated for it to stop ringing. He looked behind him, seeing people who just kept talking in the back. He felt like he was wasting his time.

As the ringing stopped, he genuinely thought he wasn't going to get contact with anyone at this point. Feeling let down, he almost let go of the phone when he heard a deep voice pick up the phone.

"Yes?" The man on the other side of the phone spoke. Jeongin didn't recognize that voice, but at the same time, it was familiar.

"Uhm..who am I speaking to?" He asked, feeling his chest rise as his breath slowed down. He tapped his fingers on his thighs.

"The names Chan. What do you want?" He asked. But in that very moment, Jeongin's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't believe it...the number Hyunjin gave was Chan's? It must have been a mistake, right? He stared into space for a minute before responding.

"C-chan?" He asked out, looking to his side to make sure no one was listening in on him. "Is it really you?".

If it was the Chan he knew, he could break down crying. There was so much he could talk about with the older, but he needed to confirm his identity first.

"I'm sorry, I just woke up, I'm a bit sleepy..can you tell me who you are?" Chan requested, making the younger feel kind of disappointed.

What if it wasn't him? What if Hyunjin gave the wrong number? But it couldn't be coincidence..could it?

"It's Jeongin" he answered, once again looking around to make sure no one heard. He couldn't risk his identity in such a place. It wasn't even safe to walk in and out of.

There was a brief silence, but it was heavy and felt long. And it set so many thoughts going on in Jeongin head, but he couldn't afford to wait for the older. His time was running out. The more he just sat here.

"If this is the Chan I know...i-i want you to know Hyunjin gave me this number, an address too..but it's not important. I have about 6 minutes left of this call, and I'm currently around King Avenue Street and i-".

"Wait, is it really you?!" The voice exclaimed on the other end of the line, and it made him feel so relieved to be remembered.

"Chan?" He whispered, holding the phone tightly.

"Yes, yes, it's me. You finally called!".

"I know..but Chan, I could really use your help. I really need you to come see me. I don't have much time left, I'd gladly talk with you, but I have just a few minutes left, and I need to get to my point across" he spoke, scratching his neck nervously. He double-checked again, just to be sure no one heard the next part. "I'm far away from home, Chan. Can you meet up? Do you have time?" He asked, biting he nails anxiously.

"You said King Avenue Street, right? I'm familiar with that area, I could go to the nearby park, it isn't a good place to wander around alone" Chan spoke in a concerned voice. Jeongin could hear Chan moving around, possibly getting ready.

"I guess I already found out about that. Will we meet at the park? I have no phone, you can't text me".

"It's okay, I'll be there as fast as possible, okay? Then we'll talk about everything that has happened, alright?".

"Yes-" the call cut off, the time was up, and Jeongin felt like crying.

He was in complete shock. He hadn't spoken to Chan for so long. He could feel that in him that he missed him and longed for him. It was weird to be on the phone with him, especially when he expected Hyunjin to pick up. He was so confused and happy at the same time.

For one, he was happy he got to see Chan again soon. He was in desperate need of that.

But second. Why did Hyunjin give him the wrong number?