Roll for Initiative

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(author's note: recently wattpad has somehow been deleting spacing after I posted chapters, it's super annoying and fixing the chapters again sometimes take hours but I'm doing my best to make sure everything is readable, please be patient when you notice spaces between words missing, I'm working hard to fix the problem)

There are not many places to hang out in this small town. Sure, there are plenty of public spots, but not a lot of them really carter to younger people. If you're young and you want to meet up with your friends here, there's pretty much only three places you can go. The first, and most obvious one, is the beach. No matter if it's day or night, there are usually groups of teens hanging out, either playing volleyball or splashing around in the shallow when the sun is high in the sky. Or they are grouping around campfires when it's beginning to get dark. It's most crowded in the summer, even on his nightly walks Chan has had the occasional encounters with other people just hanging out there. But since it's a beach it only really makes sense to pick it as a meeting spot when the weather is actually good. And when it really is, the place is usually overcrowded. Even people from neighbouring towns make the trip on particularly sunny days to take a short dip and later buy ice cream or other snacks from the street vendors that pretty much depend on this sort of tourism at this point. If the beach is a little too crowded for your liking, the next best spot is probably the sport's field belonging to the school. Technically the students aren't supposed to be their outside of school hours. But there is a huge hole in the fence and no one has bothered to fix it for years. So keeping the students out can't actually be that high on the list of priorities. Some especially eager kids bring their own balls to play football or maybe volleyball on the green, but for the most part, they are just sitting around on the bleachers. Because they at least offer some kind of shade or protection from the weather if needed. Still, it's outdoors. So when it's cold or raining cats and dogs there is only one remaining place to go to – unless you and your group of friends prefer sitting in a basement the whole day – that is both a decent place to hang out and actually indoors. The old mall.

Although calling this place a mall might be a bit too much praise. It used to be a hospital until it shut down sometime in the 50s. Then it was just left to decay for a couple of decades until some investor bought the whole thing in the 80s and decided to renovate and turn it into a modern shopping centre. Apparently, at the time he was under the impression that this small town by the sea could turn into some kind of flourishing town with a bit of help. Well, that did not go so well. But at least the mall is still here. About half of the stores are empty, some broken windows with signs taped to them informing everyone walking by about which number to call in case they want to set up shop there. Chan wonders if anyone has ever actually called any of these numbers with the serious intention of bringing their business to this old mall. There are a few stores, still. A couple of fashion outlets, more struggling local businesses and the usual fast-food chains that are pretty much everywhere. And there is an old arcade. Most of the games were probably already considered retro by the time it was built and some of them don't really work anymore, but most are actually in decent condition. Except for the claw machines, Chan is sure that they are either broken or someone tampered with them because he is never able to actually win anything. And, judging by that teddy bear he has seen sitting on top of the pile of toys in one of them for possibly ten years no, no one else is either. Still, the place is alright, Chan supposes.

When he arrives at the mall Woojin is already standing in front of the main entrance. He's looking at his phone so Chan spots him before he sees him which gives him a moment to stop and observe before he actually goes up to greet Woojin. He has changed but at the same time, he hasn't. He still has that same hairstyle he had when Chan last saw him. Still carries around the same backpack slung over one shoulder. And although it's harder to tell from the distance, he probably still has the same stickers glued to his phone case. But the style around these signature items that he has been carrying around since middle school has changed. It seems more modern. More stylish and on-trend. And the way he carries himself is different. Chan remembers Woojin as mostly reserved. Not necessarily shy, but definitely softer around the edges. The type to shut down drama rather than starting it. But just the way he is standing right now makes him look a little more headstrong. But what's most different about him now is the feeling Chan gets when he looks at him. Back then he always used to get flustered around Woojin. The whole knees weak, head spinning, heart beating out of his chest thing. Now there is nothing left of that sensation. Just a bit of uneasiness. But that can probably be blamed on the fact that they haven't talked to each other in a year or so and Chan was never really good at making conversation with Woojin in the first place. Even back when they were actively seeing each other. But now he's here already, so he takes a deep breath and approaches Woojin.