Stumbling Backward(JOOKYUN✔️)

may

Im Changkyun stares hard at the narrowed eyes beneath that shock of salmon hair, his mind racing as he makes every attempt to understand what's happening. The young man Changkyun had spoken to earlier at the pet shop is also stood before him, a glower on his otherwise handsome face- the dark man has not a clue who to watch as they both regard him from across the checkout counter.

"You again?" The name tag is in Hangul, and Changkyun stares hard at it for too long before giving up on trying to read it. So he only nods at both familiar faces, shifting in his place. "I hope you're not here for the cashier job again. I already told you before that we can't hire you without proper documentation."

Changkyun feels his head lift and then drop in the slightest nod, his eyes shifting down to glower down at his feet for a few long breaths. "I really want the job," he murmurs barely loud enough to be heard by the pair before him.

Jooheon goes as far as to lean forward in an attempt to better understand the dark man. Glancing back at his coworker, the salmon-haired man shrugs before asking, "Isn't your shift up, Minhyuk?"

The dark haired man's gaze finds the clock at the far wall of the store, his eyes alight when he realizes that his shift has ended and he will not have to stick around for the show any longer. "You're alright to cover my shift on Monday, right? Hyunwoo already cleared it on my end so just talk to him if you're sure you can."

Jooheon nods, knowing the extra change on his check will do him good, even if working two jobs almost every day is a bit hard on him. "I'll talk to him before I leave. I'm fine with it." The two exchange goodbyes before Minhyuk leaves Precious Paws through the back employee exit, a pale hand lifted above his head in parting.

Jooheon turns back to the dark man before him with the same frown he'd had at the convenience store. Changkyun matches the glower with his own, none too eager to be looked down on like this. "Minhyuk says you haven't got documentation. We need your info if you're to work here."

Changkyun blinks, and then blinks again, wondering just what in the world a pet shop could need. "What does that mean?"

Now it's Jooheon's turn to blink, his confusion palpable as he regards the dark man for several moments. "Are you serious? Genuinely, you must be joking-" Changkyun mumbles something under his breath that Jooheon doesn't quite catch, but he pauses nonetheless. The darker man shifts from foot to foot, his eyes never quite reaching the salmon-haired man's. 

Starting again, Jooheon chooses to ignore the funny antics of the man before him. "Listen. We need contact info, an address, and some form of bank info so you can accept payments."

"I don't know if I have any of that." Jooheon blanches at the dark man's words, put off by almost everything he says.

"You don't have a phone?" Changkyun shakes his head, no. "Or a house?" Another no. "Does your mom have either of those things?"

Changkyun's eyes lift for a moment before dropping again in anguish. "My mama died." It's such a funny little sentence, said so plainly, that Jooheon almost misunderstands it. But when he let's the three words process and comes to realize what he's just heard, he blanches further. Changkyun shifts in his place again, muttering something even more unheard.

"Well what about your dad?" Jooheon regrets the question as soon as the dark man's eyes close, a hard blink to fight away something. Emotion, Jooheon figures, as the stoic character doesn't seem good at that. "Well how about where you live? A phone number isn't always that important."

Changkyun doesn't understand why this guy keeps asking him the same questions over and over again. He's already said that he has no house, what more does this guy want to know? "It died too," he says slowly, not sure how else to word it. He clears his throat awkwardly yet again, annoying Jooheon to no end.