Homeless ➹ 2jae [✓]

- 18 -

As the day went on, Youngjae grew hungry again, and he hadn't stopped walking for two hours. He wanted to find somewhere else to stay, but he hadn't seen anywhere, so he kept looking. Eventually, he'd walked far enough to reach a separated crowd of people, all with suitcases and bags of all kinds. He'd reached Seoul Station.

Just outside, however, he saw some guys hanging out with some sleeping bags and cigarettes hanging from dry lips. They looked dirty; They looked like they'd been on the streets for more than one night.

Hesitantly, Youngjae walked over to them, even though he didn't know what he would say to them. The area they were in was unpopulated and gross, litter and dirt collecting in the sharp, stone corners. "Yah!" a raspy voice called out, startling him. He turned around to see all of the 4 guys looking at him, their cigarette smoke blowing into his face. "What are you doing back here?" The man's baggy and wrinkled eyes looked lifeless on his unshaven face; Nothing but a couple spheres that held numbness.

"Uh..."

"Only bums like us ever check this place out," another one – the bald one – remarked with a small laugh.

"D-do you sleep out here?" His question brought a laugh out of all four of them, but he wasn't sure why it was funny. He seemed to say a lot of funny things, looking back to Jaebum laughing at something he said. He never found out what was funny about that either.

"No, kid, this is where we hang out. Everybody sleeps in that long corridor over there," the first guy informed him, pointing in the direction of a door. "Go check it out."

Youngjae nodded with a, "Thank you," and shuffled off to the door.

Inside, he couldn't believe what he saw. There were two lines of people along each wall, all with dirty faces and torn up clothing. They talked to each other, failing to acknowledge a teenager entering, what they thought of as, their threshold. Youngjae walked over to sit near the left wall, spacing himself from the man and woman next to him. He didn't know where to go from there.

"Hey, kid," the man spoke, realizing that Youngjae was sitting there. "What are you doing here?" Youngjae bit his tongue before answering.

"I can sleep here, right?" The look on the woman's face was shocked, wide eyes raising her thin eyebrows.

"Yahh, don't you have anything?" Youngjae shook his head, a pout forming on his lips. "Oh, you poor boy." She made his way over to him, but he kept his distance as she took a closer look at him. The odor coming off of her was almost sickening, but it was sweet at the same time. Youngjae wasn't quite sure how, though. "I can share some of my blankets with you. I'm sure I have ex--"

"No, it's alright. You don't have to."

"Ah- You're the first teenager to walk in here in months. Let me give you something, okay?" She smiled sweetly, trying her best to hide her teeth that she was embarrassed about. Youngjae nodded, and she did, as well, walking off to her little area to get some of her blankets.

"Thank you," Youngjae said quietly as the woman came back. She set it up nicely against the wall for him, propping a pillow behind his back. The boy watched as she slowly sat next to him, opening her mouth to speak.

"What's your name?" she asked, realizing that Youngjae was nervous.

"Y-Youngjae."

"Hello, Youngjae," she said, holding out her hand. Youngjae took it in his to shake, and his arm was shaken roughly with a strength that he'd never known before. He noticed that her hands were dry and calloused, as well, but he didn't make anything of it. "I'm Joohyun."

"It's nice to meet you..." For a few seconds, the two sat in silence. The quiet murmuring of the others filled Youngjae's ears, and he suddenly began to realize that he was in a room of others who also had reasons to sleep there. He almost felt guilty that he felt so invalid, and he felt that he wasn't there for a good enough reason; Almost, that they would laugh at him.

"Are you okay?" Joohyun asked, noticing the expression on the boy's face grow sadder. He looked at her and bit his tongue, nodding in response. "Are you hungry?" Once again, Youngjae nodded, but he didn't want to be an inconvenience. He never wanted to be an inconvenience, especially by asking things of people who hardly had anything to give.

"I have some money, though... I'll go out and buy something," he said, standing up. "Do you want anything?" he asked, making Joohyun smile.

"Don't worry about me," she told him. "Go out, buy what you want. I'll protect your space here so nobody bothers with it, alright?" Youngjae smiled at how sweet this woman was. He thanked her just before he left, walking out into the street with his hands in the pockets of Jaebum's leather jacket.

As he walked away from the building, he questioned to himself whether he should have gone back, but he didn't want to sleep on the streets again. He found some kind of shelter with seemingly good people, so he felt okay enough. The only thing bugging him was the constant reminder that Jinyoung was worried sick about him, and Jaebum probably was, as well. The jacket that he had over his back, though, with Jaebum's scent, made him feel safe while he was on his own for once.

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a/n: wow this chapter is all over the place yikes.. but hey, the 2jae should continue in a couple chapters or so!! i'm getting so excited wtf,,

anyway, i hope you're looking forward to future chapters!

and, yes, joohyun like bae joohyun bc i love her ok