madamteatime
Summary: What a beautiful thing it is, the old man thinks. To be young and in love.
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Old man Youngsu knows his new neighbour is a celebrity the moment he hears the movers pull up early in the morning.
It's a noisy, chaotic sort of move into the luxury condo beside his, newly built and empty until now. He hears a voice directing where everything should go, and then the sound of other voices – friends? – exclaiming over the place.
There's a thud, as though someone slipped and fell, which is followed by loud, embarrassed laughter.
Youngsu shakes his head and goes to water his plants, resigning himself to a somewhat noisier neighborhood than he's grown used to.
- - -
The old man realises he's hit the celebrity jackpot when his new neighbour comes knocking on his door the next day to apologise for all the noise he made while moving in. He introduces himself as Jung Yunho and holds up a strawberry cake as peace offering.
Disarmed, Youngsu invites him in for tea. Yunho seems delighted, exclaiming over the flowerpots in his windows and the Chinese rugs on his living room floor. He's boisterous and cheerful, an almost glowing presence in the old man's quiet and painstakingly neat home. Yunho offers to cut him a slice of cake, until Youngsu gently explains that he's diabetic.
Yunho looks disappointed but Youngsu indicates that he should help himself, and he cheers up as he devours a large slice of the cake.
"I shouldn't," Yunho laughs guiltily. "But strawberries are my favorite."
He asks interested questions about Youngsu's life and the old man answers in between brewing tea, bewildered but happy at the attention. He has no family, he tells Yunho, his wife and son having passed away many years ago. He was an engineer, and when he was young he had bought some shares in an up-and-coming tech firm on a whim; a small company by the name of Samsung. It had granted him a very comfortable retirement, which was how he was able to afford such a nice place now.
Yunho seems both impressed by his acumen and concerned at his lack of family.
"There's really no-one to care for you?" he asks, then jumps as a white cat appears from around the couch and rubs against his leg.
Youngsu smiles. "I have Mimi," he says, indicating the cat.
Yunho's face lights up. "Mimi!" he exclaims. He picks the cat up and rubs his nose against hers. "What a cute name."
Youngsu thinks his new neighbour does justice to the title of celebrity.
- - -
A few nights later there's a girl on Yunho's doorstep, crying and ranting about his refusal to see her, I'll do anything oppa, oppa why didn't you tell me you moved I had to find out from so-and-so, I'll do anything oppa please I'll get a sex change I know you like that oppa – her tone steadily becoming more threatening – I know oppa, I'll tell everyone, I know about you and –
Yunho opens his door and quietly tells her to leave right now, or he will call the police and have them remove her.
The girl leaves, and Youngsu spends a while finishing his tea before going around to knock on Yunho's door.
Yunho looks exasperated when he opens it, but his expression clears when he sees who it is.
"Youngsu-nim," he sighs, relieved.
"May I borrow some milk, Yunho-yah? I'm afraid I've run out," Youngsu says cheerfully.
It's such an odd, old-fashioned sort of request that Yunho pauses, then bursts out laughing. He invites the old man in and gives him a whole bottle of milk, then sits him down at the kitchen counter and offers him tea.
