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The city lights gleamed with eyes of passing vehicles, each heading in different directions, but somehow having the same destinations. Bustling streets were always a chore, but nothing someone who had been born and raised in the city for years couldn't handle. Those who didn't live in the city of New York had fantasies about it; how perfect it was, how it was every tourist's dream to visit. He felt that way at first when he was a young child. As he grew older, his mindset changed, and some days he almost loathed the city of the Big Apple.
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While everyone around him hurried down the street to their destinations, Taehyung walked slowly, taking in the sights and sounds of Times Square. He had planned to move here and start his career, but he wanted to see the views first, to take in what his life would be. He was leaving the open, starry nights of the rural countryside to live in the big, bustling city, and the thought was utterly terrifying but fascinating to him. Why leave the peace and quiet for this, he thought, I need a change in pace, a change in scenery. Looking up at the flashy billboards and the many different ethnicities put a smile on his face. I love it here.
Distracted by a board for a Broadway show, Taehyung ran head first into a city-goer who looked younger than him. "I am so, so sorry!" Taehyung exclaimed, snapped out of his daze.
"O-oh, um, it's okay..." The younger replied, rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness. "I'll just be on my way—"
"Wait! Before you go..." Taehyung turned around, but the younger man had already made it halfway down Broadway, and he wasn't going to chase him like a maniac and scare the poor boy. Instead, he made his way towards the apartments, ecstatic to start his new life in the city.
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Once there, Taehyung waited in the lobby for the landlord, who was supposed to meet him ten minutes ago. Are all New Yorker's this late? He pondered on that thought, sitting in the modernly fashioned seats in the corner. Thirty minutes later an older man entered the door, scanning the lobby. Once his eyes landed on Taehyung, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Kim Taehyung?" He asked, extending his hand. His accent was harsh and brittle, and his voice had a rough edge to it from aging.
"Yessir," Taehyung shook the man's hand.
"Here's the keys—" The man, who Taehyung had figured out was the landlord, reached into his pocket pulling out a small, simple housekey, "—and here's the paperwork. Thank you for buying the beauty off me. It may not be the most luxurious penthouse in the city...but it'll do for a blooming author like yourself, right?"
Taehyung nodded, "Yes sir! Thank you for the opportunity!"
"Please, just call me Jeonghan," Jeonghan smiled at Taehyung, handing him his key. "Keep in touch!"
"Will do! Thank you again, Jeonghan," Taehyung replied, unexpectedly pulling Jeonghan into a hug. "Oh, um, sorry, I usually don't impulsively hug people I just met—"
"No, no! It's fine. You're a great hugger, by the way," Jeonghan winked. Jeonghan turned around before Taehyung could embarrass himself even more and waved, walking out the front doors. Looking down at the house key, he read the room number and rushed to the elevator, ready to see his new apartment. Since he had known one of Jeonghan's friends, he had gotten the penthouse fully furnished for a bargain price since Jeonghan was moving to another city not too far from here.
Taehyung leaned on the wall of the elevator, pressing the "P" button for penthouse—all the way on the thirty-sixth floor! A few of the buttons were lit up for the ride up from various floors, but the first stop at floor five surprised him. Once the doors of the elevator slid open, there stood the mysterious boy from earlier in the streets. Taehyung blushed and looked down at his feet, wondering if the man recognized him. "Um, hi...you look familiar," The man next to him smiled, and it took all of Taehyung's will not to blurt out 'yes! you know me! I was the lunatic who bumped into you in the street earlier!'. Instead, he nodded, "Yes...you look familiar to me as well."
