[FIC] Curiosity 5/?
Title: Curiosity
Author: Yours, truly.
Pairing: Kyumin, possible Eunhae and/or Yewook, ohoho.
Genre: High school!AU, Romance, Fluff, Comedy?, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Some language [It's not so bad, in my opinion.]
Disclaimer: Like no other here, I do not own them. ;v;
Summary: Kyuhyun never thought 'love' was supposed to be easy.
"Hyukjae."
The backdoor creaked open.
"You're late."
"I know," he quietly breathed, shaking out the wet umbrella through a thin crack of the door.
"My son is sick. You'll have to do some of his duties tonight..." The elder man murmured behind his newspaper. Eunhyuk hunched over the bench, stripping himself of his thin jacket. Small specks of rain clustered together, until a drop large enough formed and peeled away. Apron in hand, he snuck behind the front counter. Standing by his employer, he awaited a starting command. He knew his routine and Junsu's front to back, though.
He wished the man would look at him, at least.
Mr. Kim lifted his head, eyebrows raised. His forehead defined its numerous creases well, and two small, beady eyes peered up from behind thick and foggy glasses. He blinked. Eunhyuk shrugged, reached underneath the counter, and dragged out a large box of new shipments. He lifted them up, recounting the items usually in need of restocking to himself, while maneuvering to the correct aisle.
This was how most nights were. A monotonous act of moving numerous boxes at a time, repetitive rows of items, stacked carelessly but organized. A slow and smoothed motion, drawn from his fingertips with ease. And sometimes it was a game, even a competition between him and Junsu - not just who can finish their work the fastest, ever since they had knocked a whole row of glass bottles down and had to clean their mess together; but who could look the best doing their job.
It was a weird game.
Junsu had been the one to start it.
It had started with a teasing comment: "You're doing a sloppy job."
Not long after, the objective was to show your skill. Points were counted by however many customers took a second glance. Eunhyuk was a natural at it; flashing a large smile here and there was like second nature and being creative was in his blood. But Junsu had simple charisma. He had the stage presence - if the shop's dulled tile floor was any stage.
Eunhyuk would never tell it to his face, though. Junsu would just laugh at him.
But that would be okay, too.
Still, tonight, there was no Junsu to keep him alert, awake, and ready for the world.
He hoped he could manage without needing to chat up Mr. Kim for distraction.
Maybe taking a single box per trip would eat enough time.
Eunhyuk decided after three more boxes, four boxes in total, that time wasn't passing quickly enough.
It had been twenty minutes since the first box.
Three boxes still lay underneath the counter, he knew; if he finished that, maybe Boss would let him leave early. Though the place stayed open until midnight, no one would come rushing in through that kind of rain, especially without an umbrella. He's lucky Sungmin had reminded him.
He made a choice and stuck with it. He stacked the remaining boxes with precision and hoisted them up - the first box began at his thigh's middle, the next at his bellybutton, and for the third, his chin stretched high enough to clamp down on it.
The distanced, heavy footsteps stole Mr. Kim's eyes away from the paper.
"Hyukjae, what are you doing!" the elder gasped. He stretched both of his thin arms up, but hesitated from tugging down a box. He hired Hyukjae for a reason (since for Junsu, it was an obligation). Eunhyuk couldn't remember if he began working for the Kim family before or after he befriended Junsu; he dismissed the matter by claiming it was the exact same time. That answer worked for now.
"I can handle it," protested the youth.
A light bell rang from across the room. Eunhyuk was in no position to move his neck, or even tilt downward, so he swallowed his curiosity and proceded with his cautious march to the shelves.
A coarse plea came from Mr. Kim, most likely to the new customer. "Excuse me, but would you please grab this top box from him for a moment? He put too much on his plate."
Eunhyuk snorted, then gave a small yelp after earning himself a swift flick.
"O-Oh! Sure," The voice made Eunhyuk grit his teeth. He halted his steps; there was no point in trying to refuse now.
The box was lifted, revealing behind it a man close to his height, and of his same build. He wore a large pair of sunglasses - when it was clearly nighttime! He had also worn a hooded cotton sweatshirt, drawstrings pulled tight. All Eunhyuk could see of his face were disguised eyes and small patches of skin, white with cold.
This man was obviously crazy.
Eunhyuk frowned.
The other blinked, just in surprise.
Then it dawned on him.
He knows this worker.
He frowned back.
The quiet seconds ticked, until Eunhyuk broke the silence. "Now if you'll excuse me..." he mumbled, sidestepping the threat.
The new man's eyes followed him away, then flickered back to the manager. He gestured to trail after the employee, and then he might continue on to shop.
Wordlessly, he fell in behind Eunhyuk, matching each step with his own. When the other had set his own stack down, he did the same, adding the top of the tower.
The lights flickered twice, and let out its last breath before fading slowly.
Mr. Kim cursed under his breath. He walked up to the window, slipped two fingers through the blinds, and scissored them open. The entire street had gone dark. He shook his head and let out a small groan of frustration.
"Ahh, this is horrible!" He looked around for the customer, trying to make out his figure in the shadows. "Sir, are you still there? I can't allow you to buy anything tonight. I apologize for the inconvenience."
The voice piped up, sounding timid. "No, sorry, I'm sorry," He stepped forward and past Hyukjae, his arms fully extended to keep him away from corners.
"I can bring you home if you'd like. To compensate for your trouble!"
Eunhyuk crouched down in the shelves, silent.
The figure forced a laugh and shook his head. "I'll go back myself. Maybe I can take a rain check? Stay in good health!" he bid, before dashing out, back into the rain.
Eunhyuk stood, clearing his throat.
Mr. Kim fetched his car keys.
~~~
Sungmin stretched himself on the couch, lying still. The television's blare muffled out to a low hum; his fingers rattled out soft clinks from the tall can atop his chest, its spout just above his chin. He nibbled the empty container's lip, eyes fixed on the low ceiling.
He had slightly cheered up from the earlier event, at the school day's end. It was a short chat with the teacher, only a slight warning for Sungmin to watch his Literature grade. The student said he would, dipped his head, and left - simple.
He didn't mean to get so upset about it.
Eunhyuk's sister returned not long after her brother had left, and she was anything but surprised to find Sungmin tucked under a blanket, huddled before the TV. The usual questions came with the usual answers.
"Staying over?"
"Yes."
"Hungry?"
"No."
"You know where to find me."
"Thank you."
This minimal conversation was absolutely routine between Sungmin and Lee Sora. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't rude - it was casual, but unlike comfortable. But Sungmin doesn't mind.
He minded when he was younger.
He minded when he was fourteen.
He minded when he thought he liked her...
But he doesn't mind now.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing about Hyukkie's job, jsyk. Comments will forever be loved! :'D
Author: Yours, truly.
Pairing: Kyumin, possible Eunhae and/or Yewook, ohoho.
Genre: High school!AU, Romance, Fluff, Comedy?, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Some language [It's not so bad, in my opinion.]
Disclaimer: Like no other here, I do not own them. ;v;
Summary: Kyuhyun never thought 'love' was supposed to be easy.
"Hyukjae."
The backdoor creaked open.
"You're late."
"I know," he quietly breathed, shaking out the wet umbrella through a thin crack of the door.
"My son is sick. You'll have to do some of his duties tonight..." The elder man murmured behind his newspaper. Eunhyuk hunched over the bench, stripping himself of his thin jacket. Small specks of rain clustered together, until a drop large enough formed and peeled away. Apron in hand, he snuck behind the front counter. Standing by his employer, he awaited a starting command. He knew his routine and Junsu's front to back, though.
He wished the man would look at him, at least.
Mr. Kim lifted his head, eyebrows raised. His forehead defined its numerous creases well, and two small, beady eyes peered up from behind thick and foggy glasses. He blinked. Eunhyuk shrugged, reached underneath the counter, and dragged out a large box of new shipments. He lifted them up, recounting the items usually in need of restocking to himself, while maneuvering to the correct aisle.
This was how most nights were. A monotonous act of moving numerous boxes at a time, repetitive rows of items, stacked carelessly but organized. A slow and smoothed motion, drawn from his fingertips with ease. And sometimes it was a game, even a competition between him and Junsu - not just who can finish their work the fastest, ever since they had knocked a whole row of glass bottles down and had to clean their mess together; but who could look the best doing their job.
It was a weird game.
Junsu had been the one to start it.
It had started with a teasing comment: "You're doing a sloppy job."
Not long after, the objective was to show your skill. Points were counted by however many customers took a second glance. Eunhyuk was a natural at it; flashing a large smile here and there was like second nature and being creative was in his blood. But Junsu had simple charisma. He had the stage presence - if the shop's dulled tile floor was any stage.
Eunhyuk would never tell it to his face, though. Junsu would just laugh at him.
But that would be okay, too.
Still, tonight, there was no Junsu to keep him alert, awake, and ready for the world.
He hoped he could manage without needing to chat up Mr. Kim for distraction.
Maybe taking a single box per trip would eat enough time.
Eunhyuk decided after three more boxes, four boxes in total, that time wasn't passing quickly enough.
It had been twenty minutes since the first box.
Three boxes still lay underneath the counter, he knew; if he finished that, maybe Boss would let him leave early. Though the place stayed open until midnight, no one would come rushing in through that kind of rain, especially without an umbrella. He's lucky Sungmin had reminded him.
He made a choice and stuck with it. He stacked the remaining boxes with precision and hoisted them up - the first box began at his thigh's middle, the next at his bellybutton, and for the third, his chin stretched high enough to clamp down on it.
The distanced, heavy footsteps stole Mr. Kim's eyes away from the paper.
"Hyukjae, what are you doing!" the elder gasped. He stretched both of his thin arms up, but hesitated from tugging down a box. He hired Hyukjae for a reason (since for Junsu, it was an obligation). Eunhyuk couldn't remember if he began working for the Kim family before or after he befriended Junsu; he dismissed the matter by claiming it was the exact same time. That answer worked for now.
"I can handle it," protested the youth.
A light bell rang from across the room. Eunhyuk was in no position to move his neck, or even tilt downward, so he swallowed his curiosity and proceded with his cautious march to the shelves.
A coarse plea came from Mr. Kim, most likely to the new customer. "Excuse me, but would you please grab this top box from him for a moment? He put too much on his plate."
Eunhyuk snorted, then gave a small yelp after earning himself a swift flick.
"O-Oh! Sure," The voice made Eunhyuk grit his teeth. He halted his steps; there was no point in trying to refuse now.
The box was lifted, revealing behind it a man close to his height, and of his same build. He wore a large pair of sunglasses - when it was clearly nighttime! He had also worn a hooded cotton sweatshirt, drawstrings pulled tight. All Eunhyuk could see of his face were disguised eyes and small patches of skin, white with cold.
This man was obviously crazy.
Eunhyuk frowned.
The other blinked, just in surprise.
Then it dawned on him.
He knows this worker.
He frowned back.
The quiet seconds ticked, until Eunhyuk broke the silence. "Now if you'll excuse me..." he mumbled, sidestepping the threat.
The new man's eyes followed him away, then flickered back to the manager. He gestured to trail after the employee, and then he might continue on to shop.
Wordlessly, he fell in behind Eunhyuk, matching each step with his own. When the other had set his own stack down, he did the same, adding the top of the tower.
The lights flickered twice, and let out its last breath before fading slowly.
Mr. Kim cursed under his breath. He walked up to the window, slipped two fingers through the blinds, and scissored them open. The entire street had gone dark. He shook his head and let out a small groan of frustration.
"Ahh, this is horrible!" He looked around for the customer, trying to make out his figure in the shadows. "Sir, are you still there? I can't allow you to buy anything tonight. I apologize for the inconvenience."
The voice piped up, sounding timid. "No, sorry, I'm sorry," He stepped forward and past Hyukjae, his arms fully extended to keep him away from corners.
"I can bring you home if you'd like. To compensate for your trouble!"
Eunhyuk crouched down in the shelves, silent.
The figure forced a laugh and shook his head. "I'll go back myself. Maybe I can take a rain check? Stay in good health!" he bid, before dashing out, back into the rain.
Eunhyuk stood, clearing his throat.
Mr. Kim fetched his car keys.
~~~
Sungmin stretched himself on the couch, lying still. The television's blare muffled out to a low hum; his fingers rattled out soft clinks from the tall can atop his chest, its spout just above his chin. He nibbled the empty container's lip, eyes fixed on the low ceiling.
He had slightly cheered up from the earlier event, at the school day's end. It was a short chat with the teacher, only a slight warning for Sungmin to watch his Literature grade. The student said he would, dipped his head, and left - simple.
He didn't mean to get so upset about it.
Eunhyuk's sister returned not long after her brother had left, and she was anything but surprised to find Sungmin tucked under a blanket, huddled before the TV. The usual questions came with the usual answers.
"Staying over?"
"Yes."
"Hungry?"
"No."
"You know where to find me."
"Thank you."
This minimal conversation was absolutely routine between Sungmin and Lee Sora. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't rude - it was casual, but unlike comfortable. But Sungmin doesn't mind.
He minded when he was younger.
He minded when he was fourteen.
He minded when he thought he liked her...
But he doesn't mind now.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing about Hyukkie's job, jsyk. Comments will forever be loved! :'D