TIME ─ JAEYONG

003⸰

— all he could wish for was time

✿

yuta, why do you like
going there?
Sent at 12 a.m

jaehyun set his phone down on his dresser as he waited for a message back. he managed to make it back to yuta's just in time to change and meet his parents downstairs for the final toast towards the rich.

now, all alone in his silk sheets and dark room, his mind went back to what he witnessed earlier. the desperation and sadness of those two poor boys. the cold hatred look "tae" gave him.

jae didn't see it as hatred towards him but more so towards the world. how could he think it was towards him? unless the "tae" boy could see right through jaehyun's little act then it wasn't likely.

i like seeing sicheng.
but also, it gives me insight
on what goes on in this world
Received at 12:25 a.m

how did you find him?
Sent at 12:26 a.m

i saw him walking the
streets one day. he was
alone and a little girl no older
than 6 came up to him asking
to spare time to her dying dad.
he didn't hesitate and from that
moment on, i knew he was
special.
Received at 12:28 a.m

the text was left on read as jae thought about tae. he didn't have much time but he still gave it away to that doyoung kid.

i want to find the tae kid.
Sent at 12:32 a.m

but why?
Received at 12:33 a.m

he's special.
Sent at 12:35 a.m

✿

the next morning jae woke to find yuta casually leaning on his windowsill watching him, almost stalkerish like. "morning sunshine."

"why are you here?"

"you said you wanted to find the tae kid. or did you chicken out overnight?"

jae scoffed, pulling the duvet from his lower body. he swung his legs over his bed and leaned back on his arms, looking at yuta with determined eyes.

"i did not chicken out. i just thought you wouldn't go right away."

"you know i love adventure."

"i know you do. let me get dressed and eat first, then we can go."

yuta waited for jaehyun to change his mind as the two ate some cereal. if anyone knew jaehyun, it was yuta. he knew that after he got jae to be adventurous for a while he would want to continue the streak but it would always end when jae felt the pressure finally get to him.

it was an ongoing cycle. "you ready?" yuta smirked as he watched jaehyun shakily set their bowls in the dishwasher.

a croaked out "yeah" left jaehyun's lips which caused yuta to laugh. jae sighed, his shoulders slumped and ears red.

"i chickend out again... i'm sorry."

"don't apologize. instead, let's go over to taeil's."

✿

"that's an hour sir." taeyong found himself inside a bakery not too far from where he resides every so often whenever he's aloud.

his friend mark invites him to spend nights at his house when his parents are out, working long tiresome shifts.

mark has to have the purest heart, or taeyong thinks so. he originally wanted to take taeyong under his wing but he's still young and living with his parents who make the rules.

his parents didn't trust taeyong, seeing him as a dirty child who would sabotage their son's kind heart and time. if only they could see what heart of gold taeyong had under his cold demeanor. "an hour? it was 10 minutes last week!"

the worker shrugged. "that was last week. pay an hour or leave." taeyong looked at his forearm then back at the chocolate muffin he craved. defeated, he retreated out into the warm air, muffin less. the prices were steadily raising and more poor people were dying.

bodies were falling faster than the leaves on the trees. some fell on the streets, some in stores. the bodies once use to scare taeyong until he grew use to them. after so long of watching people scream as their last seconds ran out you get use to things like this.

as he walked aimlessly he thought back to when he didn't understand these types of things. when he didn't have a care in the world because he knew he had time before his time would start to run faster than he could keep up. he wanted those days back. he was just thankful he still had time left unlike others. unlike his mother and father. unlike his best friend ten.

"hey kid!" a gruff voice shouted from behind him. without turning around he broke off into a sprint. heavy footsteps sounded behind him knowing whoever called out to him was following him.

"you're only making this bad for yourself!" a deeper voice called out. taeyong pushed himself to run faster. his calves burned and begged for a break but he continued on, running as if his life depended on it. which it did.

taeyong took a sharp left that led him down a narrow alley. the walls had big enough gaps in them so he could easily conceal himself. he managed to fit into one not a second too late, with held breath he heard the footsteps pass him and fade off in the distance.

when they weren't heard anymore and he knew he was out of harm's way he sighed thankfully. he removed himself from his hiding spot and rested his hands on his knees, taking in gulps of air while trying to regain his breath. "no good bastards. picking on kids." he mumbled to himself.

"here." a voice caught him off guard. he stood straight, ready to take off running again. "no no! i'm not bad."

the voice was like honey to taeyong's ears. it flowed seamlessly. taeyong finally looked at the source of the voice. his stomach dropped at the sight.

milky skin, thin but muscular frame, bright nude pink lips, clean fluffy black hair. he didn't seem to belong in such a dirty place like this. his eyes fell onto the water bottle the boy was holding.

"take it. you'd be an idiot not to." another voice spoke. a tanner boy with soft brown hair and white teeth showed himself from behind the handsome boy. taeyong was too engrossed in the first boy to notice the other.

"if it helps, i'm jaehyun and that's yuta." taeyong grasped the bottle into his own hand and bowed respectfully.

"thank you." as he made eye contact with jaehyun a sense of familiarity washed over him. "i've seen you before, haven't i?"

as he gulped down the respected water jaehyun nodded. "i seen you about a week ago."

"why are you here? you two don't seem to belong here."

jaehyun turned to yuta. it seemed like they were having a debatable mental discussion. yuta seemed against whatever jaehyun was putting off by his facial expressions.

"uh, excuse me." taeyong awkwardly intervened. at that moment yuta looked done with the conversation, if you could even call it one.

"it's your choice bro." jaehyun smiled as if he accomplished something big. taeyong noticed the dimples in his smile. so graciously placed on jaehyun's seemingly flawless skin.

"i want to help you."