Dreams Alike (Daejae Fanfiction)

Chapter 14

Youngjae sneaked a glance at the clock and quickly lowered his head before his mandarin tutor saw him checking the time. His mandarin tutor, Ms Liu was stricter if not just as strict as Eugene. She had a voice that was high pitched and grainy, one that would make it impossible for someone to fall asleep hearing it.

Fifteen more minutes.

Just as he was about to write, his stomach churned and roared like a lion. Youngjae immediately began flipping the pages of his notebook rapidly, making the pages crinkle nosily. Youngjae hoped that the thunderous noises his stomach made would not be heard by others.

His stomach would not cease its incessant growling for remaining duration of class. Seconds before Mss Liu announced dismissal, he had already shoved all his things into his backpack. It was already 11.30 pm and most trainees would be heading back home while some others stayed for a while longer to do solo practice in a clandestine environment.

As Youngjae walked down the hallway, images of mouth-watering food flashed through his mind.

What should I eat for supper? So many things I wanna eat...

Youngjae increased his pace when he saw Daeho coming out of the washroom. In the recent days, Daeho had been sticking to him like a piece of gum that wouldn't peel off the sole of a shoe; simply put, being annoying as hell. Sometimes he would be scarily nice, but the next moment he would turn back into his true demonic self. Youngjae preferred the latter. Daeho was unpredictable. More than anything, Youngjae wanted more time to himself instead if being bombarded with the unnatural get-to-know-each-other and ice-breaking games suggested by Himchan after hours of singing, dancing and classroom lessons.

He was still schooling and had homework too, and a dance to perform on Saturday, which was two days away. Not to mention, he was also under constant scrutiny of his instructors and the CEO. Youngjae was beyond stressed. Before he became a trainee, he thought he knew how to manage stress. In the past, he always performed excellently in both academics and sports. But after signing two different trainee contracts, he witnessed life changing its tune gradually before him; from 'Medium' to 'Hidden Ultra Diffucult Not For Beginners'.

As much as he wished trainee life wouldn't be so hard, he couldn't possibly back out now. His passion refrained him from doing so. All the time he had invested would go to waste if he did so. And so, with teeth clenched, he chose to continue on the treacherous journey.

One of the things which cheered him up was the late night suppers. It was the perfect excuse for Youngjae to treat himself, to reward himself after a day of pure hard work.

Youngjae stopped in front of the food stands. The delicious and warm aroma of the freshly cooked food emanated from the food stalls, causing Youngjae to sigh exasperatedly with his eyes closed. He felt like he just returned to heaven for the hundredth time. He reopened his eyes, taking in the sight of the brightly lit food stalls along the stretch of the quiet street, where only few people were present.

Youngjae's stomach roared even louder than ever, and for the first time in a while, he didn't mind it. The ahjumma at the nearest store giggled when she heard his stomach growl, and beckoned him over.

"Poor Youngjae, long hours of training must have made you very tired. What would you like today? " The stall lady fussed over Youngjae. She recognised Youngjae as he was her regular customer and sometimes they would have short chit chats about how each other's day went. Youngjae eagerly cast a hungry gaze upon the food spread out on the counter. He could literally hear the food saying 'buy me, buy me!' in his hunger-infested mind.

" I'll have a bacon wrapped sausage, a gimbap roll, and four pieces of hotteok please! "  Youngjae requested. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into the delicious street food. Street food was one of his motivations to get through each day of training. They tasted so good to the extent that Youngjae would feel lesser guilt gaining a few pounds on days when he ate more of them.

(A/N: Ready for some food porn? ;) )

"Coming right up!"

The stall lady began packing the food requested by Youngjae. Youngjae dug his hand into his coat pocket for his wallet while watching her do so like a hyena. To his horror, his fingers came into contact with nothing but the interior linen material of his coat pocket. He then turned his back on the stall, walked a few steps away and began doing a quick pat-down on his clothes, hoping that his pocket was stashed somewhere. No wallet. Youngjae sighed in disappointment. How unlucky!

Just as Youngjae was about to abandon his order and apologise to the stall lady, he caught sight of Daehyun chatting with the stall lady.

"So both of you are trainees at the same company! My, you're such a good friend!" The stall lady gushed as she handed bags containing food to Daehyun.

Youngjae caught his eyes as Daehyun turned around. Carrying plastic bags containing food, he walked towards Youngjae.

"Here, don't worry about the money." Daehyun said, entrusting one of the bags to Youngjae.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Youngjae smiled at Daehyun, grateful for his help.

Youngjae took the bag from Daehyun. The food in the bag emitted warm heat and sweet aroma. Youngjae sighed in delight, his breath taking form in a visible wisp of air within the cold weather. Even without consuming any of the food, he felt warm and happy because of Daehyun's act of kindness.

(A/N: Hi guys, I am so sorry for not updating in a holy long time. I am thankful for the votes you guys gave. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Take care!)