✓ SIX THIRTY ━ johnny suh

. . . . chapter nine.

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SONG OF THE DAY :
pink skies - lany

. . . . . .

[ note : i lost the opportunity to update at 6/30 smh dumbassery ]

"i literally said i was kidding."

it's been nine days since chia had seen youngho. nine days since his hazy sentimentality roamed around the rooftop. and his sudden disappearance hit her harder than she expected.

her assumptions that day were right. those bittersweet goodbyes depicted in fiction seemed to have been implicated in their reality.

so there she was, ranting away in the 7-eleven branch nearest to her workplace, her best friend jace being the one listening. she offered to pay for whatever he'd like that day (under a budget).

she continued, "somehow he disappeared the moment i jokingly told him to? that's so dramatic. can he not take a joke? or is he waiting for me to chase him like i would even do that? it's bullshit. bullshit."

"dramatic? i think that's you," he said, kneeling so he could snatch more of the gummies from the lower section of one of the shelves. "when did you last meet again?"

"december nine."

jace stood up and shrugged, continuing his shelf search. "be careful what you wish for i guess."

"i never wished for it to happen, it was a joke!"

"bestie, i love you, and you're hot, but all your jokes are bullshit . . . well maybe except that one time you sent 'bruce pee' to our work groupchat without context at 2am."

she clicked her tongue. "oh, don't remind me. i was high that time, it was embarrassing."

halfway through the conversation, they decided to finally check out the items they bought, ranging from gatorade bottles, cup noodles, gummy treats, and toothpaste.

"cigarettes too, please. two menthol esse packs and one of lucky strikes. partition the things i bought in two bags too."

the lady on duty nodded, her dead eyes indicating her exhaustion from her night shift that was just beginning. despite her plastering a face that held readable thoughts, she complied, turning to the cigarette section behind her, tiptoeing to reach the brands chia asked for, and coming back just as quick.

"rewards card?"

"don't have one, sorry."

internally, jace was fighting the urge to grab the pack and toss it to the floor, following a speech about how nicotine deserves to be despised by the society due to its effects. the first (and last) time he did it though, the only thing he earned was pure embarrassment and a bestie who looked like she wanted to disown him then and there. not wanting to go through that process again, he remained silent.

he then squinted at the familiar brand. "lucky strikes? didn't you call that the . . . uh . . . dammit i forgot . . . the . . . ah! the expensive cigarettes for rich white assholes who smoke for its aesthetic."

"i never said that."

"you did!"

"i didn't."

still, jace persisted. "you did! i remember you saying it a few years ago when that one song about lucky strikes dropped and you said it would've been your favo—"

"okay! okay, maybe i did, but forget about it." the volume of her voice was lowering by each of her words' utterances. "they're not for me anyway."

finally putting the pieces together after moments of lingering in his thoughts, the younger gasped.

"you buying him christmas gifts now, huh?" he teased, repeatedly bumping his shoulder with hers. "what does he look like anyway?"

"if you see someone during the holidays, getting them a gift is basic decency, isn't it? it's not even a gift."

"i couldn't care less about that. tell me what he looks like."

the woman blanked out.

"he? he has . . . . . nice lips? wait, shit."

being one who spoke before thinking, this was only one of the many occurrences where chia regret what she's said. but she sure was still not used to the mortification. there were several other traits she could've mentioned anyway. why let out something that could stem to topics of malice? to him, the look on her face after realization was priceless.

he snickered and said, "horny little shit."

"bestie, what the fuck?!"

jace might've blurted that out too loud because in a matter of seconds, the cashier's dead eyes were at its widest extents, and the teenage boys getting ice cream nearby were already trying not to laugh.

quickly, she got her change and the two bags without anymore checking whether the amounts were accurate, mumbling a small thank you to the cashier as she pulled her best friend away from the store and into the short flight of stairs outside, only for them to lean on the cold silver railings.

he laughed, sensing her irritation. "you look so pressed. there's nothing wrong with being h-word or wanting to make out someone. you're fucking twenty-five, bestie. just generational hag-ness at its best."

"you're more h-word than i am, excuse me."

"explain," he urged.

"i follow your twitter dump."

"huh? how did you even find that?"

"why did you make it a public account in the first place if you expected nobody to see it?"

he shuddered in fright, remembering the mixes of cringe and foolishness all his tweets on that account had to the point where he wouldn't even be able to show them to his own boyfriend, whom he talks to about everything.

"i— i will literally fucking block you. i was doing just fine with my other three bot followers."

she faked a pout. "block me? but i was having so much fun seeing you aggressively thirst over sicheng! maybe next time i can bring the topic up to him then request him to fulfill that one tweet when you said you wished he'd do—"

"shush! never bring that up."

claiming the perfect timing, a familiar red kia hatchback stopped in front of them.

specifically DONG SICHENG's.

"speaking of the devil."

she noticed his change of mood once sicheng got out of the driver's seat, presenting himself with casual attire. even from meters away, the couple mirrored each other's disgustingly lovestruck smiles. she rolled her eyes, then gave jace paper bag, expecting him to ignore her to fulfill whatever action their glances craved.

"you really sure about working over-overtime though? we can take you home. your apartment building's on the way after all."

"nah, i'll let you have your privacy, you horny little shit," she responded with a tone of mockery, showcasing her satisfied smile after seeing how he reacted. "besides, i need the extra pay so i can send my family gifts on time for christmas."

"you're not going home to nagoya?"

"no. my headache relatives from tokyo are gonna come to our place this time. they hate me."

"is it really because of your relatives, or because you wanna wait for your rooftop crush here in seoul?"

chia could only shoot him a glare, earning her best friend's condescending expression as he walk away. he looked as if he was trying to get scouted as a model with how exaggerated his steps from his arms down to his feet were.

"good luck with work, bestie."

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