Golden Orbs [TAEGI]

chapter - 2. The man on the stairs.

"Was that man.." Said the man peeling tangerines on the stairs. "Your boyfriend?"

Yoongi glanced up at the man keeping his expression neutral. You've got to be nuts to be peeling tangerines on the stairs in the middle of night.

No, you've got to be nuts to peel tangerines on the stairs.

"He was.."Yoongi answered. "Until just now."

Yoongi grabbed the knob and twisted it around with a clack.

"Did he cheat on you?"

Yoongi opened the door wide open.

"..No."

"Did he have venereal disease?"

"No."Yoongi glared at the man. Chestnut hair, tan skin, tall.. and golden eyes. What's with all  the questions?

"Then did he take out a loan in your name?"

Yoongi glanced at the basket full of orange coloured tangerines beside the man. Most of them looked ripe and expensive.

What the hell even ...

"What about you?" Yoongi pointed his fingers at the basket of tangerines. "Why.. are you peeling tangerines on the stairs at this hour?"

The man looked startled for a second, but broke into a sweet smile the next moment.

"I want my apartment to smell tangy." He said. "I don't want my apartment to smell of anything else. Smells... are disgusting when they mix together." He smiled at Yoongi. "Don't you agree?"

—

Several days later. . .

"Buenos Dias."

It's been a while since Yoongi had met his peculiar neighbour..

"Bonjour, Monsieur." Yoongi replied to which the man smiled back.

And he's doing that again.

Yoongi had noticed that the man doesn't peel the tangerines to eat them, rather, he likes spilling the juice that comes out of the peel in his eyes. And as far as he knows, it makes your eyes sting and hurt.

"Um,"Yoongi cleared his throat,"Are you some kind of masochist?"

"Something like that,maybe."

Yoongi sighed, rubbing his nape. "It's just that I always see you sitting here, red-eyed. Don't you peel those to eat them?" He glanced at his watch. He's running late. "Stop spilling that juice in your eyes. Try eating the tangerines instead."

The man smiled. "Would you join me to eat them?"

Yoongi's cheeks turn red. The man's smile..

He's handsome, Yoongi hadn't noticed that till now.

—

The next day, however, Yoongi catches the man again teary eyed on the steps.

"I told you to stop spilling the peel's juice on your eyes, didn't I?"

"You did, indeed." The man said, smiling wide. "But I never said I would follow your advice."

Yoongi's facial expression turns into that of a culture shocked person. "Huh."

From then on, the man continued to bring his tangerines to the staircase. Yoongi wakes up every single day to be welcomed by the tangy smell of tangerines and his neighbour's oddly warm smile with a usual Buenos Dias by the man. Yoongi tried his best to ignore the man's red eyes and the rotting peeled tangerines.

It kind of hurt his heart to see such expensive fruit be wasted that way. But it wasn't his money to complain about so he would just casually greet him and ignore the rest of his surroundings.

And it's been ten days since he decided to ignore the man's whole existence.

Yoongi wobbled out of his apartment room wearing his usual pyjamas one cold morning to find the staircase empty, as odd as that sounds.

"Where is he..?"Yoongi mumbled to himself. The man should be here by now peeling tangerines. Strangely enough, it was weird when the man was around here .. peeling tangerines, but it even bothers Yoongi more now that the man isn't there.

The smell of tangerines.. it was fine at first, but Yoongi soon started to get sick of smelling the same sour air. And soon enough, he didn't want to go through such discomfort in his own doorstep. That was probably why he gave him the advice to eat the tangerines instead.

"I know my eyes look like I've been crying and that's why you told me to stop doing that," The man had said some day prior,"But I never said I'd follow your advice."

Tsk.

"You have a soft spot for tearful faces.." He told him. "..Yoongi."

It was so.. weird. Yoongi wasn't so pleased that a nameless neighbour was talking as if he knew all about Yoongi's personality.

In any case, he has never considered himself to be susceptible to tearful faces.

"Are you here to peel tangerines with me too, Yoongi?"

Yoongi jolted at the sudden voice of his nameless neighbour. He's there, looking up at him from down the stairs.

.. Looking as handsome as ever.

Well, Yoongi doesn't know if he has a soft spot for tearful faces—but he does seem to have a thing for tall, handsome guys.

"You'll freeze to death in those clothes, Yoongi." The man said as he stepped closer to Yoongi towards the staircase. Well, of course! Since he had waited for almost two hours for a man he barely knew anything about except for that he peeled tangerines and was ridiculously handsome.

He leaned closer to Yoongi's face and the latter found his cheek burning up even in this freezing cold weather.

"What are you doing dressed like that, mh?" He mumbled. "If you want to commit suicide.. you should find somewhere quieter, Yoongi."

"Yeonsang river will the most ideal one to do the deed. It's even closer from here." He smiled. "You might as well get a first class train ticket in 2,000 won. Only a day from here-"

Yoongi sprung up from the stair, gritting his teeth in both rage and cold. "T-thorry to dithappoint you, but I hab no intention oph dying!" [a/n: sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention of dying.]

Yoongi blushed furiously as the taller neighbour smirked cheekily at him. Yoongi ploped back down on the staircase, face palming himself in painful embarassment.

"Would you like to put this on?"Yoongi looked up to find the man pull out a pink blanket. "I've only just finished making it. It was harder than I expected which is why I was three hours late."

"Ah.. hahah.."

"Don't you think it's pretty?" The man's dazzling smile made Yoongi turn away.

And also feel like a cat being tamed.

Yoongi turned back around and glanced back at the blanket. Then his eyes fell on his neighbour's nails.

Huh? Why are they so black and .. dirty? He didn't look like someone who did labour work or work that required to hold anything dirty then why..?

"..Yoongi." Yoongi flinched back to reality when the taller called out his name. The man stared at him for a moment longer and then smiled wide.

Ah, he hasn't realised until now, the man had a very cute boxy smile.

"Would you care to join me for dinner?"

—>>>-<<<—