[FIC] Next Door, Next to You, CH2
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Time: 7:43AM, Korea Time
Kui Xian had just left for school and I’m glad
he finished the breakfast I cooked for him again.
I wonder if noodles are the only things Koreans
eat because, goodness, that’s all he gobbles up!
Everyday!
If I hadn’t caught him buying from that
convenience store near our place then
he’d be eating that for the rest of his life!
Thanks for the cooking lessons, mom!
Well, anyway, I’m off to train at SM Agency!
It’s my third session today!
I just hope the instructor will not hit
me again.
Zhou Mi, jia you!
Mood: Ecstatic
--
Heechul had that knowing smirk spread across his face when Kyuhyun arrived less snarky than normal tonight. And who could miss that paper bag he was holding then placing inside the kitchen like some secret stash? A mystery snack, Heechul thought, made by a mystery someone. Oh, this was just too good to be true.
“So what’s for dinner, boy? Heechul motioned his head over the unattended bag when he and Kyuhyun were alone together at the counter. They had a few customers in and the female-ish-man was too psyched up teasing their pretty-boy mascot right about now. Kyuhyun on the other hand was less interested about it.
“Just sandwich. I don’t know what’s in it. You want it?”
“Oh, no no no~ I wouldn’t want your new boyfriend to get upset.” He ended with a sweet, sweet smile that almost made Kyuhyun swallow terrible bile down his throat. He knew who Heechul meant and he was not hearing this again.
“Just so you know, he made that because he owes me for saving his ass twice this month. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Apparently though, his manager was all happy and giddy and not listening, because, as what he always said, Nothing beats escaping one’s barren love-life than messing another’s! Or something between those lines. “Don’t be shy, Kyuhyun! C’mon, eat that thing! I wanna see that nirvana look on your face!”
Heechul must be lonely, really, really lonely, Kyuhyun concluded in the end before disappearing into the kitchen to avoid more misconceptionalized romance. What was his stupid manager thinking anyway?
“So, Kyuhyun, what exactly is Zhou Mi up to these days? He barely shows up and we need more customers, you know? Not that he’s not being paid but he did insist on working for free. How amazing can he get? More money for us!” Shindong suddenly cheered when Kyuhyun appeared inside the only-safe and Heechul-free area he knew, and cursed when even Shindong was so eager about that man, he’d be hearing this too.
“Why don’t YOU guys ask him yourselves? Like hell I know.”
“You don’t know anything about why’s he here? And he just MAKES SANDWICHES for you like that? YOU STONE-HEARTED KANGAROO!” The manager suddenly burst from the door, feigning dramatic poses and tears and Kyuhyun swore he’d be shaving Heebum if Heechul didn’t stop. “THAT’S IT! GO HOME AND GET HIM! GET THAT SEASONING!”
“WHAT? WHY? And why should I-
“NOOOOW!”
Before Kyuhyun realized it, his apron was magically taken off of him and that he was shoved - roughly, yes? - outside the cafe by their manager and all he could hear was Shindong asking curiously, “Yow, boss. Why do you call him Seasoning again?”
He began walking away, not really interested on hearing another Zhou Mi-related topic or going back to the apartments at all. Where he’d be going, somewhere that wasn’t Chinese-infested. Too bad for the sandwich at the counter; Kyuhyun was a little tad hungry.
Maybe he should visit that computer shop down the street for a good round of Starcraft, hmm? The night was young and he was relatively sure that IF he had gone back to the apartments, Zhou Mi wouldn’t be there because he was doing whatever what he was doing.
Kyuhyun stopped and contemplated for a moment. Wait, WHAT is he doing again?
Shindong was right. He knew nothing, not even a single thing about Zhou Mi’s activities here. And all he could take note of was that dream that foreigner was happily rambling about and some agency he was in search for from day-one. How long had it been, one week since he first met that giant Chinese man-stranger?
--
He made it to the apartment hours after he was casted out from the cafe - Kyuhyun just spent his time looking through the city and scanning for nothing in particular and he knew Heechul wouldn’t fire him because the cafe had few patrons tonight and they didn’t need extra hands.
It was either he’d be back with Zhou Mi at hand or none at all, he chose the latter. He just didn’t want that kind of attention he was getting, especially one that had that Chinese man tangled with him. Kyuhyun didn’t like it one tiny bit.
With another choice of newly found of unhealthy snacks, he made his way up to his crib and decided that it was retirement night when he spotted a bundle right in front of his neighbour’s door. A large bundle, Kyuhyun corrected and looked at it sceptically. What the hell was it?
And then he gawked for a good two seconds, disbelieving.
“O-oi! What do you think you’re doing!?”
Zhou Mi looked up from the floor and huddled closer to himself, wincing again when he moved his legs and not exactly answering the yelling Kyuhyun who looked dead-surprised by the hallway.
Kyuhyun dropped his bag and snacks immediately, ran and knelt next to Zhou Mi, not touching the man on the ground, not even a single finger on him because he didn’t know what to do. He was utterly speechless that Zhou Mi was just there - groaning and recoiling in pain on the cold cement and Kyuhyun could only spin his head around, looking for any help. Finally, Zhou Mi managed to cry out, first in some foreign language and in broken Korean language.
“M-my legs... It hurts... I can’t-
And then he passed out - pain still on his face - and Kyuhyun had never, ever felt like all the blood from his face drained out merely in seconds.
Tonight was not a good night at all.
--
Bruises? Purple Spots? Horrible marks? What in the world had Zhou Mi been doing that got him this? Did he get into a fight again? Did some men take advantage of him for being the goody-goody foreigner that he was? Those were the few thoughts that ran in his mind but a lot more at the back of his head as he placed a damp cloth on Zhou Mi’s horrid legs and feet and hoped it would soothe the pain. Even just a little.
They were inside Kyuhyun’s place, precisely sitting on the small living room with Zhou Mi laid down and him, Kyuhyun, next to the man’s bruised limbs. Since Kyuhyun took up medicine, First Aid was no brainer and he had all the materials he needed and it was by sheer luck that Zhou Mi finally awakened after a few water sprinkle on his face.
Zhou Mi came into, groaning when he tried sitting up but was jolted stop when Kyuhyun yelled, pushing back on the ground-mat. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? You just don’t go around doing anything you want and then coming back to my building, on my floor, right beside MY apartment room looking hurt and wounded and shi-WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE FIRST PLACE!? Where did those come from!?” He ended, with his finger pointing particular bruised spots and watched Zhou Mi turned paler than possible.
Normally, Kyuhyun was reserved and quiet and, really, he didn’t care much about anything unless it was directly related to him or important. It was either he’d brushed it away and ignore it altogether. However, this time, there was no ignoring-to-do when this was Zhou Mi who he was addressing to. And it annoyed Kyuhyun to an extent to why he was wigging out like this. He was not like this to begin with. He hated the feeling that he didn’t know anything. Much less that he was helpless.
“I-the agency. I was - this is discipline and training. For modelling.” It was all Zhou Mi could manage within his communication capacity but enough for Kyuhyun to understand completely. He wasn’t stupid.
“Do they hurt other people?” He asked, slightly horrified at the thought and Zhou Mi nodded to his shock. Carefully, he placed another clean, damp cloth on the bruises and quiet whimpering had made his head spin a little. He tried making eye-contact but Zhou Mi refused to do so.
Kyuhyun wove the information to one comprehensible idea that Zhou Mi seemed to be training under that agency he was looking for. To be a model was his dream? Now that had a he clear look on Zhou Mi, he was, indeed, potential for idol-material but then all for this to reach it? Getting hurt? Unable to walk the next day?
“The instructors get awfully mad when we don’t do things right. But I know they are doing it for us to grow. It just got it bad today because I kept on tripping with the new shoes. Ah, b-but don’t worry. This is just a little sacrifice.”
Sacrifice, he said. Kyuhyun wondered if it was worth it. Well, If it was, why then Zhou Mi kept his gaze downwards as if he was ashamed? He looked at anything but Kyuhyun and wore a little smile - like he knew that those wounds were meant to be where they are.
“I’m okay.” Zhou Mi whispered which sounded more like uncertainty to Kyuhyun but the latter didn’t press on. Instead, he just continued wiping the wounds and placing ointments on them. They weren’t pretty, Kyuhyun mused to himself, but he was sure Zhou Mi would be walking soon. He should, after all he was this crazy Chinese boy who would do anything to reach his ultimate dream. Or so Kyuhyun’s impression on him
Suddenly, someone banged the doors impatiently, causing the two to jolt up. Then it opened up and came barging in was Heechul like an angry tornado and just marched right in and flicked Kyuhyun’s forehead. Zhou Mi was shocked and Kyuhyun knew it was time to get back to snark-mode quick and kick his manager.
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?”
“For leaving the cafe without MY direct permission and NOT getting my Seasoning A-S-A-P and I bet you didn’t know that I know where you live and-the fuckery happened here?” Heechul finally stopped and stared below - at the legs, at Kyuhyun glaring at him and Zhou Mi bowing his head over and over again and then wincing after.
Kyuhyun on the other hand was just massaging his temple, wishing to pacify migraine. It didn’t.
“Kyuhyun, out. We need to talk. And oh, sweetheart, just stay there and we’ll get back to you quickly, alright?”
Zhou Mi was quiet but he nodded like an obedient kid, looking then at Kyuhyun for confirmation that he’d be okay alone.
Heechul shot his most adorable smile while one hand was reaching and latching on Kyuhyun’s ear, pulling him away and out of the apartment and thundering at him. “Okay, I’m not gonna ask what happened because I’ll be a bitch about it. No, seriously, I will. But the thing is, Kyuhyun, something tells me that you need to keep him close to you. I’m NOT going to tease and play Cupid right now because that there wounds don’t look like lovey-dovey marks at all.”
“I did not do that, hyung!” Kyuhyun interjected and Heechul gave him the I-know-you-didn't-do-it-stupid-kid look and pat him.
“I know. Just, just look after the guy, alright? I know you two aren’t, well, bestest of friends yet and he’s like an alien that just dropped from the sky and, so, treat him good, okay? OKAY? I’m not hearing any confirmations, HEY! Seasoning’s a good kid!”
“I get it, I get it.”
Heechul never worries for anyone or himself or his cat, Kyuhyun remembered but this was a first to see his manager being the considerate Hyung that freaked him out. Well, not really, but it did shed some kind of light that Heechul seemed to care for Zhou Mi as much even though they just met by accident. And judging Heechul’s impression, Kyuhyun believed that Zhou Mi’s a good person if his manager liked him.
“Now, where’s the nearest food store here? I bet you guys are hungry and will grovel at my feet if I don’t feed you. I don’t really want to be accused of frustrated murder by starvation so let’s eat.” Heechul locked an arm around Kyuhyun’s neck and sauntered over the stairs and to the road, going wherever.
Kyuhyun looked up to where his door was and wondered a moment if leaving that man alone was a good idea. He and his loud manager would be quick to snatch proper food and go back; Kyuhyun resolved and led the way. “I know a near convenient store around here. Let’s go there.”
Kyuhyun would never anticipated that when they entered the store, Heechul had become someone he didn’t recognize when he was all but graceful and smug and downright conceited after slipping next to the WET FLOOR SIGN and Hankyung - the store manager - came out to pull him up, apologizing profusely.
“I-I’m fine! Just who do you think you’re talking to? I’m Korea’s number one amazing Kim Hee-
Then he impossibly slipped again, sprawling on the tiled floor with groceries falling on him.
While his floor-kissed manager and Hankyung were over there, arguing something about helping-up and not asking-for-helping-up-because-I’m-too-cool, Kyuhyun looked over the time.
It was already past midnight. Tomorrow, what would he and Zhou Mi do? Better yet, would Zhou Mi be able to attend training?
--
Time: -- (I don’t know. I’m too tired to look at the time)
Today was horrible and worst of it all was not
the instructor hitting me with the wooden rod
but making Kui Xian and his manager worried over
me. I don’t like making my friends worried.
I must do my best the next time. I can’t
afford this to happen again.
I’m so sorry, Kui Xian.
Mood: Depressing
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A/N: OKAY. I FINISHED THIS AROUND 1:30AM AND I FEEL LIKE ALL GRAMMATICAL SYNTAX THERE ARE ERRONEOUS SO, UH, YEAH, PLEASE EXCUSE THAT. But then, please do review and leave cakes because today is a very, very special day - ZHOUMI'S BIRTHDAY! I finished this fic especially for this day!
Well, I gotta sleep and I'll fix any errors tomorrow. Ugh. I feel like a zombie right now. And, oh, what do you think of the HanChul meeting? Seriously, it was a last-minute inspiration thing.
BTW, do join the International Zhou Mi's fan-based forums - Honey-Symmetry! XDDD *sleeps like a log*