The Devil Within (yujae)

2

As Yuta walked to work he glanced at the people walking around him. I wonder if any of their lives are as fucked up as mine. Do they feel pain like I do? Every waking moment like I do? He walked into the bookstore and waved at the shop owner. She was an elderly lady who Yuta adored. She was like the mother he never had.

He said hello and headed towards the back. Friday's were always his favorite. They were the days he was able to put out the new mangas and anime books. They only had a small section but Yuta loved them.

He grabbed the small box of books and headed towards the manga section. Reading was and music were the two things that made Yuta. That really made him smile. His perfect world would be full of mangas and music.

By the time he finished, it was lunch time, and Ten walked in just as he finished up. "Yuta Hyung! I brought you some food." He smiled and handed Yuta a sandwich and coffee. "Thank you Ten. I really appreciate it." They walked to the back and Yuta set the coffee down and started eating the sandwich. "Here is the book you wanted. If you want to borrow it you can. Just don't damage it. Then you have to buy it." He chuckled handing to book to Ten. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for finding it. I'd better get back. I'll see you after work Hyung." With that, Ten was gone before Yuta could even say goodbye.

I'm glad Ten came by. I was so hungry. And he always makes me smile. Yuta loved Ten. Platonically. They were like brothers separated at birth. Yuta met Ten his second day in Seoul. It was like Ten just knew what Yuta needed but would never ask for. They had been friends from then on. Ten was a welcome change for Yuta. A breath of fresh air, as they say.

Yuta smiled and finished his lunch. He wondered what kind of weird recipes Ten had come up with to try tonight. He walked up front after finishing with the few comic books they had. The day had gone by quicker than he expected. "Good night. I will see you Monday morning." He smiled and waved as he headed out the door.

He noticed the weather had shifted more to his liking as he began the short walk to Ten's coffee shop, scrolling through his music. Hmm, I think we'll start with Drippin today. NCT Dream wasn't his favorite unit but he did love most of their songs. He hummed along to the music as he slowly made his way around the corner, not noticing the person coming towards him. Yuta thought he had walked into a wall. He hit something hard and almost fell backward on his ass but two strong arms grabbed onto him before he could.

He pulled his headphones out and looked at the person. "Shit I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." They let go of him and looked down into his eyes. He could only see a pair of beautiful brown eyes. The mask and hat covered almost everything else. "It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going." And with that, they walked off. Damn. That voice. And those eyes. Those eyes were beautiful. Fuck what are you thinking Yuta? You idiot. It doesn't matter what they were or weren't. Someone like that could never look twice at you. He turned around but they were long gone. He shook his head and continued on his way.

What Yuta didn't see were those eyes following him as he walked away.