The Glitch (Box #1)

1

When broken, a record could only replay the same groove.
It would start.
Gently strumming away.
All before the glitch occurred.
Thus pulling the record into a never-ending and deafening cycle.

~

Lee Chanhee was well aware of the exact moment the glitch would occur.
Still.
"Headphones? Check."
Lee Chanhee could only wait.
"Book? Check."
Lee Chanhee could only smile.
"Coffee? Check."
All before the glitch occurred.
"Need I say more?"
Truth be told, it was mundane.
This sort of thing occurred on a daily basis.
Yet.
There was something mesmerizing about that single lock of red hair.
Especially as it danced in front of that daunting gaze of his.
"Attitude?" Lee Chanhee could only cock his head to the side as he pursed his lips. "Check?"
Lee Chanhee had solely walked into this café to save his ass from the downpour outside. There had been no way in hell that he would have kept on waiting for his thirty-damn-minute late best friends in the cold, drenched from head to toe.
Therefore his speaking to this complete stranger should have never occurred.
The plan had been for Lee Chanhee to walk in and berate himself in a corner for forgetting his umbrella.
After growing a pair, he had been supposed to calmly sit down, sip on his latte and vent out his anger on the innocent little sugar bags in front of him.
Point done.
However he had noticed him.
More precisely, he had noticed that damned lock of hair.
"It's called wanting to be alone." The stranger insisted.
"It's called an attitude." Lee Chanhee deadpanned.
The stranger had long pulled the curl out of his eye but it only made its way back.
So much so that Lee Chanhee could do nothing but smile back at the young man.
"Sassy, aren't we?" The stranger lightly scoffed as he reached for his cup.
Truth be told, even his gaze fell flat.
It was dull.
It lacked anything out of the ordinary.
Yet Lee Chanhee was unable to look away.
"It's called catching your attention."
Indeed.
Lee Chanhee had been supposed to sit his ass down and be as quiet as a damn wall.
Still by the twentieth time that damned curl had fallen into the stranger's eyes.
By the twentieth time his lips had given way to that infectious smile of his.
Lee Chanhee had grown curious.
Apparently so had the stranger.
Though his fingers had grazed his cup's handle, he had made no motion whatsoever to grasp it. He only seemed lost in thought as though trying to decipher what he'd just heard. So much so that Lee Chanhee was more than eager to give him a helping hand.
"I've been watching you." He explained as he fiddled with a stray bag of sugar.
The lock fell once more.
However this time.
The stranger didn't seem bothered.
Oh no.
"Is this the part where I call the police?"
Quite on the contrary.
He only allowed another curl to fall into his eye as he stared at Lee Chanhee.
His mouth more than slightly agape.
Much to Lee Chanhee's amusement.
"You wouldn't do that." Lee Chanhee smiled as he discarded his bag of sugar.
Red.
It was an odd color.
Still it fit this stranger.
Especially as he cocked his head to the side, his fringe now completely covering his left eye.
Only to accentuate the inviting curl of his lips as he pursed them.
"Oh?" He pushed on.
"Your phone's almost dead."
Lee Chanhee hadn't even meant to peek.
His eyes had simply been following the curve of his arm.
All the way down to his slender fingers as they had effortlessly combed through the pages of his book. All before skimming over his phone's screen, ignoring his battery signal only to repeat a specific song for the umpteenth time.
Lee Chanhee could only smile as he recalled the stranger's song choice.
After all, not only had they chosen the same drink but they also shared the same favorite song.
"I'll just use yours." The stranger shot back.
Hold on just a minute.
"You'd use my phone to report me to the police?"
Needless to say, Lee Chanhee's scoff had more than highlighted the stupidity of the proposition.
Needless to say, it hardly mattered as the stranger lightly shrugged.
"Innovation is key in our modern times."
There it was again.
That infectious smile.
It only seemed to grow all the more irresistible as time went by.
So much so that Lee Chanhee found himself unable to bite back a small smile of his own.
Especially as he felt the stranger's gaze slowly taking him in. Though hidden by his red locks, it was undeniable that he was taking his sweet time to look over Lee Chanhee's every detail.
His interest only seeming to grow as their gazes met once more.
"Why had you been watching me?"
Indeed, he had slowly unhooked his headphones from around his neck.
A clear sign that this conversation was far from over.
Much to Lee Chanhee's pleasure.
"You were in my field of vision."
Clear as day, they both saw through the bullshit Lee Chanhee had just uttered.
They were sitting on stools, facing the busy street.
The only thing obstructing his vision was a damn bay window.
"I wanted you to move."
From all the coughing Lee Chanhee had been doing, one could have expected him to coil over and pass out.
Still.
The stranger's careful gaze never faltered.
"I won't." He softly whispered.
"Ok."
Or not.
Lee Chanhee could only blink as the stranger got to his feet.
His locks hiding his eyes once more.
However that was the least of Lee Chanhee's concerns.
So much so that the latter could only snatch the stranger's book out of his hands.
"What do you think you're doing?" The stranger clucked his tongue as he reached forward.
"What are you doing?" Lee Chanhee shot back, just as appalled.
"Since you won't move." The stranger frowned before ripping his book from Lee Chanhee's hands. "I am moving."
No words could explain the look on the stranger's face as Lee Chanhee did the unthinkable.
Indeed, this fully grown young man had pouted.
"Why?"
However this stranger of his didn't seem to be affected by this.
"Did I or did I not tell you that I wanted to be alone?" He sighed as he reached down and grabbed his bag.
"No." Lee Chanhee shook his head as he got to his feet. "You told me that you had an attitude."
The stranger couldn't help but scoff at Lee Chanhee's smug smile.
Two could play this game.
"You told me that you were stalking me." The stranger simply cocked his head to the side before slightly biting on his lower lip. "I'm not about to sit around and chit chat with my stalker."
"No." Lee Chanhee teased right back as he slid his hands in his pockets. "I told you that I wanted to talk to you."
"You told me that you wanted to catch my attention." The stranger bit back a smile but Lee Chanhee saw right through it. "You did. Now build a bridge. Make sure all the foundations are there and shit. Then cross it."
Lee Chanhee could have been hurt.
He could have.
Had the stranger's smile not been so inviting.
"No." Lee Chanhee slightly bit his lower lip as he looked into the stranger's eyes. "I asked you if you liked guys."
The stranger's voice had a soft timber to it.
Making it all the huskier as he slightly chuckled.
"That escalated quickly." He softly said through his chuckles.
This stranger was sexy.
It was undeniable now that Lee Chanhee completely took him in.
Still there was something adorable about the sharp contrast between his daunting appearance and the faint blush on his cheeks.
"You're about to run away from me." Lee Chanhee teased before leaning forward. "Time is of the essence."
"What are you?" The stranger raised a hand to his lips as he laughed. "Alice's Bunny Rabbit?"
"The Mad Hatter is much cooler, don't you think?"
This conversation should have ended the moment it had started.
The stranger should have left regardless of his cheap book.
Yet he hadn't.
He'd simply sat down.
"He's insane." The stranger noted as he rested his chin on his hand.
He'd simply smiled and Lee Chanhee had complied.
"He does not suffer from madness." Lee Chanhee snapped his fingers. "He enjoys every minute of it."
He'd simply pursed his lips and Lee Chanhee had leaned in.
"I doubt that the Mad Hatter has ever met Edgar Allan Poe."
He'd simply cocked his head to side and Lee Chanhee had chuckled.
"You understood that?"
Truth be told, Lee Chanhee had done more than just peeking at the stranger's phone.
It hadn't taken a magnifying glass for him to decipher the author of the novel in his hands.
Yet it had taken digging through every ounce of his being to find that quote.
"No." The stranger lightly shook his head. "I understood that you're trying to impress me."
Needless to say, Lee Chanhee had been sly.
"I would never."
Needless to say.
"Oh really?" The stranger pondered.
It had been worth every penny.
Especially as the stranger ever so slightly pouted.
"Sir, you seem rather disappointed." Lee Chanhee smiled.
He had stopped speaking, yet his sentence felt incomplete.
It simply hung there.
Missing the obvious question mark.
His question quietly awaiting its answer.
"Lee Byunghun."
Comfortably wrapping around them, the stranger's gentle laughter brought a smile to Lee Chanhee's lips.
"My name is Lee Byunghun and yes." He slightly paused before briefly nodding back at Chanhee. "I am disappointed."
At that very moment, the rain had finally let up.
At that very moment, Lee Chanhee's idiotic best friends had sent him a text message.
Yet.
"We should do something about that, shouldn't we, Lee Byunghun?"
Lee Chanhee could only lightly bite his lower lip as the glitch occurred once more.