colors • sh

s i x t y - n i n e

α мοиτн нαѕ ραѕѕє∂ and it was already December. The city was covered in snow, heaters were turned on and hot beverages were served.

Jihoon stood behind the counter in Pledis Café as a cashier, watching as people come and go, ordering a hot coffee or anything sweet to appease their sweet-tooth.

A few friends came to visit them, chatting for a few hours before leaving as well with something hot to drink in the cold season.

It has also been a month since Soonyoung went to Japan. It was announced that his marriage will be somewhere near New Year and Jihoon couldn't help but dread about the oncoming holiday.

Usually, Jihoon didn't care about this coming occasion, but after he met his soulmate, he couldn't help but imagine a future with him. And to think all those hopes he built only broke down into nothing...

The colors were gradually going back to the way it was before, tedious and blank. He wasn't talking much. Sometimes, his friends would see him spacing out. They would also catch him sleeping in the early mornings and awake in late evenings, either writing songs or just staring out of nowhere.

To say that his condition has gotten worse is correct. He couldn't find it to himself to eat, the bags under his eyes were getting bigger that Minghao had to apply some concealer under his eyes and he couldn't think straight like before. They would often catch him knocked out somewhere in school or at work.

It wasn't normal.

Mingyu and Minghao tried to convince Jihoon to stay back at home, get some rest instead of working but Jihoon stubbornly refused, saying he's been out of work for who knows how long now. He needed to pay his share of rent as well.

Even though Mingyu and Minghao insisted that it was alright, that their Bumzu-hyung understood completely, Jihoon refused to back down and just walked out of the house ahead of them, forcing them to agree with him instead.

Now, he was regretting his decision. He should really have stayed back at home, because he was spacing out again and lost yet another customer for constantly "ignoring" him.

Jihoon sighed when Minhyun went to his side and patted his back.

"You alright, buddy?"

Jihoon wasn't sure if he's alright, so he didn't answer. Minhyun hummed.

"How about you go get some rest in the Staff's room? You can borrow my pillow there and take a nap, okay?" Jihoon didn't resist when Minhyun pushed him towards the staff room and let Baekho pull him into the room and pushed him down on the couch, laying his head on the pillow.

When his hyung left the room, closing the door behind him, Jihoon took his phone out and scrolled through his contacts, stopping by the name that made his heart yearn, his vision getting blurry until he found himself asleep, tears rolling down his face.

"J-Jihoon?"

"Soonyoung...?"

★彡

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нєи ѕοοиγουиg ωαѕ ϐαϲκ into the comforts of his room, he slumped down into his bed, bouncing back by the sudden intrusion of his weight on the comfy mattress. His eyes were slowly closing when a distinct ringing caught his attention.

He sat up groggily, reaching out for his phone in his pocket only to realize it wasn't from there. It was somewhere in his closet. Then he remembered, maybe it was from his old phone.

He rushed to get it, digging through clothes after clothes until he finally took hold of it, the clean floor now filled with messy clothing scattered around.