Silent Blue ✦ 2jae (discontinued)

. two .

"Bottle of Kloud," was the next drink Jaebum was to get for somebody— another somebody who smoked in the faces of others and put his cigarette out on the side of his beer. Jaebum nodded quietly and ducked down to get an ice cold refresher for the man who asked.

"4581 won, please," he said, and the man handed him a 5000.

"Keep the change, kid." Jaebum simply nodded again and went back to cleaning empty cocktail glasses.

The bar was hot that night, humidity seeping in through the crack in the door. Their AC was broken, yet to be fixed, and even the four big fans didn't work too well. They hadn't lost any business, though. It seemed that their regulars were used to being around sweaty strangers. Even Jaebum, though he had no choice, had grown to kind of like keeping a towel in his back pocket to wipe his forehead with. It made him feel important enough to need one.

Just then, his phone rang. He hung up the glass he'd just washed and answered with a handsome, "Yes, I spoke to her, Yugyeom," already knowing what the younger was calling about. "You need to come in when the bar is closed so Bam can teach you, but not tonight. Call him." He turned around, half-listening to Yugyeom go on and on about how he needed the job as soon as possible, half-listening to the man who just asked him for a bowl of chips. "Get something to write his number down."

Jaebum hadn't even noticed that Mark walked in and sat right behind where he was standing.

"Call him and see when he's available, alright? Okay, talk to you later. Bye." He turned around and spotted the only blonde in the bar. "Mark, I still don't understand why you hang around here!" he laughed. "You look like a fairy compared to these guys."

"Well then, Mr. Bartender, would you mind getting this fairy a sweet tea vodka?" He flashed a wide smile that soon broke since he couldn't even take himself seriously sometimes.

"Why, of course." Jaebum swivelled around on his heels and went to make Mark's drink, humming along to the song that was playing through the speakers that he's never heard before. "On the house," he said elegantly, leaning over with his arms folded beneath him.

"How is it?"

Mark continued to sip at the tall drink and furrowed his brows. "Did you do something different to this?"

"Why, is it bad?" Mark shook his head and continued to drink what Jaebum mixed together for him. "It's uh..." Jaebum reached down for a bottle. "This stuff from Japan. Shochu. Chaeyoung told me to try some new things with this."

"Huh. This is good, I like it." Jaebum did a little victory dance at his success. He'd never used the Shochu in anything before, and it made him feel good that Mark liked what he made.

"Talk to me, Mark! What've you been up to?"

"Work," he laughed. "Been booking some local gigs, too."

"Nice, man!" Mark smiled, one much more genuine this time, and shyly hid his face behind the drink. "Do you have another one soon?"

"Yeah! I have one in a couple weeks at the diner across from my store, actually, which is really good! Lots of people visit there."

"Hey, I'm happy for you!" Then, of course, Jaebum-ah~~ Please answer your goddamn phone. Mark began laughing hysterically just as Jaebum picked up. "Calling me back already?"

"Bammie said he can do it tomorrow before the bar opens!!"

"Good. Oh, b— Wait, what the fuck is Bammie?" he chuckled.

"His voice is soft, Bammie doesn't suit him better?"

"Decide that for yourself, but he's not nice. You better hope he likes you. Just be ready."

"I will, hyung. Thank you!"

By this point, Mark's face was red like a tomato from laughing so hard. "That's still your ringtone?" He could barely get the words out. It was, and had been, a joke between them for years. They were both drunk out of their minds, and Mark recorded himself singing to the tune of some song they heard on the radio. Jaebum set it as his ringtone the morning after, and it was still the funniest thing they'd ever done together.

"Actual songs are overrated," Jaebum said, starting to laugh now.

An hour or two passed before Mark had to leave, since he had work in the morning. Meanwhile, Jaebum was still serving drinks and onion rings to the lingering customers. Soon, he knew, he would have the bar to himself again, and he'd spend another night with his head in the jazzy clouds, thinking about the day.

And the guy with the beige sweater came to mind.

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© illjae 2017