i'm your a to z | jihancheol

an angel's advice

chapter 33

It was the third time Joshua messed up an order in the day and the others were starting to notice something was wrong. Of course, the first was Junhui, who was surprisingly a lot more observant than he originally seemed. It made Joshua feel bad for thinking he was going to be dumb due to his childish acts when in reality, he was quite the opposite.

"You alright, Shua?" the Chinese man had asked and put an arm around the other's shoulder. Almost immediately though, he pulled his arm back perhaps remembering that Joshua didn't usually like it. "You've been acting strange and you don't seem at your best right now."

"Hm yeah, just tired," he answered with a forced smile. Honestly, he didn't really know what was the reason behind his work getting worse and worse.

"You can take a break if you'd like," Mingyu informed, also seemingly concerned. "Junhui, go with him and take him out on a walk, I'll get someone to cover the both of you."

The American stared at his boss, surprised at how nice he was being. Was that even allowed? Before he could question it, Junhui was pulling him out of the door and was walking into the convenience store next to the restaurant.

"Here, drink this," the younger man said as he got Joshua a canned coffee from the vending machine. "It'll wake your mind up."

Joshua stared at the other for a moment before taking the can from him with a quiet thanks. The Chinese man brought them outside and began to walk down the street, insisting the American only needed some fresh air.

"Anything bothering you?" Junhui asked.

The American paused for a few seconds, wondering if he should let the other know. Yes, there was something bothering him. Would Junhui be any help though? Would he even care? Questions like those were the reasons why Joshua never really talked about his problems; he preferred listening to others'.

But there was something about Junhui that radiated a comforting and trustable aura.

"Yes actually," he admitted. "I told Seungcheol I liked him... and Jeonghan."

The Chinese man stayed quiet, besides a small cheer when he noticed a stray calico cat rub against his leg, until he bent down to pet it then glanced up at Joshua. Did he think he was weird?

"Has he been acting weird after you said it?"

Joshua shook his head.

"Then what are you worrying about?" he asked and looked back at the cat, beginning to make quiet cat noises to which Joshua had to smile at.

"I don't want him to think I'm weird," the elder answered with a sigh and bent down to pet the cat as well. "And I don't want him to think I'm like staying with him just for that."

"Tell him."

"Huh?"

"Tell him what you just told me. What was your intention behind telling him?"

"What?"

Junhui stayed silent while the calico walked away and let out a sigh as he stood back up. Joshua followed his actions and began to walk in the direction back to work.

"Why'd you tell him? Was your intention to try to date him or you just wanted him to know?"

"The latter; I felt like he had the right to know."

"Tell him he doesn't have to return your feelings and it was just because of that. He won't think you're weird, I can assure you."

The American nodded as he threw the can away. He decided he'd take Junhui's word; it seemed he was more experienced in the subject. It made him feel even worse for thinking the man was dumb or weird, it was just a front.

"In the meanwhile, distract yourself from thoughts of Seungcheol, alright?" the younger said as they walked through the door. "You can talk to me or the others, they're nice people."

Joshua hesitantly nodded, doubting the end of the other's words. Talking to gang members wasn't really his ideal, only Seungcheol and sometimes Hansol. He watched as Junhui walked over to Wonwoo (were they dating yet, Joshua couldn't tell) and smiled seeing how happy the Chinese male had gotten around him. It was adorable, he thought as he walked back out to the dining area to go back to work, informing the woman who was covering he was back.

The rest of work went rather fast, Joshua thought as he was walking home with Junhui and Mingyu. The two wouldn't let him go back alone despite how much he'd protested but honestly, he surprisingly enjoyed their company. The two boys were quite similar to each other, which once again, made the American feel left out. At first.

They were good at understanding others, he'd give them that, seeing they quickly shifted conversation topics to ones Joshua preferred. He didn't know people could be like that but it inspired something inside of him to want to be like them.

He'd also learned more about Jeonghan and Seungcheol, he realized as he waved goodbye to the other boys when he'd walked inside.

"Jeonghan's not as innocent as he looks," Junhui told him, who apparently dated him before.

"Never ask about his past," Mingyu warned when the question had been asked. "Only if he wants to tell you first."

"He likes strawberries and cute phone cases," Junhui said, reminding him his birthday was soon.

When he'd asked about Seungcheol, only Mingyu answered. Maybe Junhui and him weren't as close.

"Despite being the youngest in his family, he acts a lot like an older brother to the rest of us," Mingyu had said with a laugh, explaining how protective the man was and always listened to his friends. "Oh and he hates his own older brothers and parents so don't even get him started; he just wants to be better than them."

Joshua smiled at the thought as he changed out of his uniform and walked up to Seungcheol's door. He took in a deep breath, remembering everything Junhui and Mingyu had told him, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."