He’s crying, and crying, and crying.

Yunho refuses to go home, not yet. Not when he’s such a mess inside and out. He figured Geonho and Mingi would be waiting up for him, so it’s not like he could leave town, especially with two more days of school remaining for the week.

Needless to say, Yunho needed a break. He needed to risk his life to go back to feeling okay, but as of now, that wasn’t really possible. So he rerouted to the convenience store.

He had enough gas in the tank, he was sure of it. He didn’t need a snack, either, since he was just sat at one of Seoul’s five-star restaurants. No, he was searching for something else– something that awakened a different type of hormone. Dopamine ? Testosterone ? Oxytocin ? Either way, it was something he didn’t have to inject into his veins, so a win is a win.

But he couldn’t just walk in and go talk to Hongjoong’s daddy. That would be weird. Yunho would look stupid, and he didn’t like looking stupid.

He parked at the front, instead of paying for gas he didn’t need. He sure did love the smell, though. Petroleum and the sweetly sterile scent of a convenience store. Did wonders to his messed up brain.

Before even walking in, he could see the glow on his face. Even in the empty store, he still kept a smile on his face.

Yunho pulled the door open, slinging himself in and sparing him a shy glance as he walked straight to the back, acting like he came here just for a drink. He doesn’t pay attention to which one he grabs, he just does, before stumbling over to the cashier’s counter.

He sets the drink down, pawing it forwards. Daddy looked at him with a soft, welcoming smile as he rang him up.

Yunho felt his cheeks flush as he struggled to keep eye contact with him, his heart lurching anytime he caught glimpse of his broad shoulders filling out his uniform, or the subtle flex of his forearms as he reached for a bag. There was a quiet strength in him, a solidness that Yunho hadn't realized he was craving, a sense of safety wrapped in undeniable appeal.

Daddy pushed the bag forwards, tilting his head at Yunho as he did. “Are you upset ?” He softly asked, furrowing his brows. Yunho gave a tight lipped smile, shaking his head. “Oh, no, sir. I’m okay.” He instinctively said, awkwardly brushing some hair out of his eyes.

“I can tell you’ve been crying.” He pointed out, looking at him with empathetic eyes.

Yunho huffed, then nodded, looking down at the floor. “I-I’m sorry, today has just been… a rough day. I’m not feeling too well.” He whimpered, his lips turning into a frown. Daddy sighed, reaching forwards and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t be sorry. And please don’t cry, angel. I’m sure things will get better, okay ?” He smiled, reassuring him and squeezing his shoulder softly. Yunho nodded, his ears turning red as he took the plastic bag from the counter.

‘Angel. He called me angel.’

Before Yunho could fully take a step away from the register, Daddy stopped him. “Wait– take these, angel.” He held out a box of cookie-flavored Pepero with upturned lips and soft eyes. Yunho happily accepted it, pulling some cash out of his pocket and setting it on the counter.

“Thank you…” he sweetly said, waving bye-bye before Daddy could force the cash back into his hands. It was a sweet gesture, but Yunho didn’t want to risk getting him in trouble for a snack.

As he approached the door, a bright slip of orange paper on the floor caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks. He bent over, picking it up and scanning the words.

‘EXCLUSIVE CAR MEET, 12 AM SAT EVENING.’

On the bottom left in small hangul was a location Yunho recognized from researching areas to drive at night without getting arrested. It was a small abandoned airport just outside of the city limits, perfect for an event like this.

He slowly stepped out of the store, further examining the flyer as he got to the car. It was dark out, nearing ten pm. Yunho knew Mingi had to be worried about him, and if Mingi was worried, God knows what Geonho was going through.

The engine ignited and he pulled out, making his way back home. Traffic was fair this evening, most likely because it was a Wednesday, but still. He had tucked the paper in the net on the passengers side, save for later, save for Saturday.