on the corner of 2nd and 7th
on the corner of 2nd and 7th
wooyoung/jaebum
pg
1285
completely based on the man who can't be moved by the script.
September 28th
Wooyoung tells his mother he’s going on a work retreat in Japan, he’ll be gone for a while-“don’t worry umma, I’ll brush my teeth.” He’s not one to lie, but he has a feeling she just wouldn’t understand. His bag isn’t heavy; there wasn’t much he’d need.
The walk is short, a few blocks down from his one-person (lonely) apartment. It’s past a ramyeon restaurant and a few convenience shops; down a crowded sidewalk filled with students and couples and mothers hand in hand with their children.
The coffee shop is mostly empty save for a couple sitting in a discreet nook, wrapped up in their own world, and for a second, Wooyoung stops to envy them. He shifts his bag on his shoulder.
“Hey Wooyoung,”
He glances away from the couple and forces a smile at Junho. It’s halfhearted and useless and he knows that Junho knows.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Junho frowns a bit, shuffling from behind the counter. “Kinda slow,” he shrugs, “can I get you something?”
“I need to ask you for a favor,”
Junho doesn’t think it’ll work. It’s farfetched, a one way ticket to more heartbreak, as far as he’s concerned. But Wooyoung doesn’t listen, never does when it comes to matters of the heart, and Junho doesn’t have the heart to say no.
Wooyoung’s just too naïve, too hopefully, too ready to put everything he has into something he believes in.
And as he watches Wooyoung pull a sleeping bag out of his rucksack he entertains a sliver of hope, hope that this won’t fall through.
Wooyoung settles down, outside of the coffee shop, on the corner of 2nd and 7th, and pulls out a photograph. It’ll be a long wait, he knows, but he thinks it’s worth it.
October 12th
It rains. Junho tries to make him come inside, “you’ll get sick, you idiot.” But he refuses to budge.
October 30th
He wakes up and his shoe is full of loose change. He sighs heavily, shaking his head to himself. He makes Junho keep the money, all of it, even if it’s not much at all.
Sometime before evening a cheery looking man passes by, he digs into his pocket and drops more change into Wooyoung’s lap.
“No, I’m not-”
But the man has already flashed his smile and made his way down the street.
December 5th
Wooyoung hadn’t seen this coming.
“…and I’m really sorry but you can’t stay here.” The officer-Ok Taekyeon-is telling him, eyeing the accumulating crowd.
“But you don’t understand, I’m waiting for someone.”
“Well you’ll just have to wait somewhere else, this is a public sidewalk, and you’re an obstruction.” His chest is puffed out slightly and his height is towering but Wooyoung has got a will.
“I’m not on the sidewalk, I’m within this shop’s property and I have permission from the owner.”
It strikes a nerve with the already pestered police officer and the man growls slightly before stomping inside.
There are whispers among the crowd, people are watching him, trying to understand but falling short. He straightens up and holds his photograph high.
“If you’ve seen this person, can you tell them where I am?”
December 19th
It snows. Junho brings him hot chocolate and a thicker jacket. Wooyoung’s grateful for having such a good friend.
December 27th
“Is it rolling?”
“Chill Khun, lemme get the audio fixed.”
Nichkhun whines a bit, pulling his coat closer to himself. He spares a look at Wooyoung, who is sitting there with his photograph, looking a bit confused and doe-eyed. He’d find it cute if the situation weren’t so absurd.
“Chansung would you move it, my fingers are going to turn blue.”
“You are such a drama queen,” the one with the camera grunts, finally propping the equipment on his shoulder and taking a few steps back. “Ok we’re rolling, three, two…”
“Good evening and happy holidays to everyone. We’re here live with Jang Wooyoung, dubbed as ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, by passersby who have taken a fondness to him. The mystery still stands as to who and where this lost person, his other half, might be.”
“Mr. Jang, what inspired the idea of waiting on this corner for your loved one?”
Wooyoung just smiles, relieved that people are finally getting it.
“This is where we first met.”
“And what makes you think it will work?”
Wooyoung’s brow furrows a bit, and he chews the inside of his cheek.
“I don’t know that it will… I’m just hoping for the best.”
The reporter does a lousy job of hiding his roll of eyes but continues to prob.
“And don’t you think that this person will dislike being propagated as your lover? I mean, if they left you, it was for a reason, right?”
The jab catches Wooyoung off guard, and he can only gape as the small crowd of people begin to murmur. It’s a deep wound, salt, scabs, scars, and all, and there’s only a small part of Wooyoung that still has hope. But it’s enough, always enough.
Nichkhun clears his throat, straightening up and fixing his gaze on the camera.
“Well there you have it, a naïve but charming resolve to be reunited with his soul mate; a somber yet intriguing story. This was Nichkhun Horvejkul, good night and happy holidays.”
“Okay, cut.”
“Sweet, let’s go get ramyeon.” Chansung’s face lights up a bit at the thought and he quickly packs his bag.
Wooyoung watches them leave, and the crowd dissolves back into sidewalk traffic. He wonders if today was a good day or not.
January 1st
It’s only a few minutes into the new year. Wooyoung doesn’t make any resolutions; he’s still stuck on last year’s. Junho brings him a few bottles of soju, tells him he should have some kind of celebration.
He finishes them all in a couple of hours. He’s never found the appeal of drowning his problems and worries in alcohol, but it was a nice release. He sits back and sighs heavily, eyes fluttering shut.
Mind hazy and body temporarily warm, Wooyoung contemplates failure for the first time. It tastes bitter on the back of his tongue.
January 7th
Jaebum can’t decide how he’s feeling as he passes Wooyoung’s apartment building. His stomach is churning with a wide range of emotions and he can’t seem to give the concoction a name.
He passes the ramyeon restaurant and a few convenience shops; walks down the crowded sidewalk filled with students and couples and mothers hand in hand with their children. He has to slow himself down as his feet get ahead of him, these steps are too familiar, too engraved into his mind for him to ever forget.
The corner of 2nd and 7th isn’t as crowded as it had been when he had seen it on tv. He remembers dropping his bag of dried mangos and the feeling of his eyes watering as they strained to stay open. He remembers rewinding his TiVo and watching it all over again. He watched it a few times after that, and then a bit more, until Junsu knocked him on the head and called him out for being a stupid moron.
Next thing he knew he’s standing on the sidewalk, looking at Wooyoung. The younger man hasn’t seen him; he’s scanning people’s faces as they pass by, photograph still in hand.
Something in Jaebum’s chest flutters and he takes the few steps forward.
It’s a stolen moment; Wooyoung glances in his direction, their gazes meet. Jaebum’s breath is caught in his chest and Wooyoung gives him a heartfelt smile.
“Hi,”
A pause and a little bit of hope.
“Hi,”
i kinda wrote khun and taek as jerks. sorry about that. also, there is significance to the streets' names. 2nd for 2pm and 7th because they will always be 7. /corniness.
wooyoung/jaebum
pg
1285
completely based on the man who can't be moved by the script.
September 28th
Wooyoung tells his mother he’s going on a work retreat in Japan, he’ll be gone for a while-“don’t worry umma, I’ll brush my teeth.” He’s not one to lie, but he has a feeling she just wouldn’t understand. His bag isn’t heavy; there wasn’t much he’d need.
The walk is short, a few blocks down from his one-person (lonely) apartment. It’s past a ramyeon restaurant and a few convenience shops; down a crowded sidewalk filled with students and couples and mothers hand in hand with their children.
The coffee shop is mostly empty save for a couple sitting in a discreet nook, wrapped up in their own world, and for a second, Wooyoung stops to envy them. He shifts his bag on his shoulder.
“Hey Wooyoung,”
He glances away from the couple and forces a smile at Junho. It’s halfhearted and useless and he knows that Junho knows.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Junho frowns a bit, shuffling from behind the counter. “Kinda slow,” he shrugs, “can I get you something?”
“I need to ask you for a favor,”
Junho doesn’t think it’ll work. It’s farfetched, a one way ticket to more heartbreak, as far as he’s concerned. But Wooyoung doesn’t listen, never does when it comes to matters of the heart, and Junho doesn’t have the heart to say no.
Wooyoung’s just too naïve, too hopefully, too ready to put everything he has into something he believes in.
And as he watches Wooyoung pull a sleeping bag out of his rucksack he entertains a sliver of hope, hope that this won’t fall through.
Wooyoung settles down, outside of the coffee shop, on the corner of 2nd and 7th, and pulls out a photograph. It’ll be a long wait, he knows, but he thinks it’s worth it.
October 12th
It rains. Junho tries to make him come inside, “you’ll get sick, you idiot.” But he refuses to budge.
October 30th
He wakes up and his shoe is full of loose change. He sighs heavily, shaking his head to himself. He makes Junho keep the money, all of it, even if it’s not much at all.
Sometime before evening a cheery looking man passes by, he digs into his pocket and drops more change into Wooyoung’s lap.
“No, I’m not-”
But the man has already flashed his smile and made his way down the street.
December 5th
Wooyoung hadn’t seen this coming.
“…and I’m really sorry but you can’t stay here.” The officer-Ok Taekyeon-is telling him, eyeing the accumulating crowd.
“But you don’t understand, I’m waiting for someone.”
“Well you’ll just have to wait somewhere else, this is a public sidewalk, and you’re an obstruction.” His chest is puffed out slightly and his height is towering but Wooyoung has got a will.
“I’m not on the sidewalk, I’m within this shop’s property and I have permission from the owner.”
It strikes a nerve with the already pestered police officer and the man growls slightly before stomping inside.
There are whispers among the crowd, people are watching him, trying to understand but falling short. He straightens up and holds his photograph high.
“If you’ve seen this person, can you tell them where I am?”
December 19th
It snows. Junho brings him hot chocolate and a thicker jacket. Wooyoung’s grateful for having such a good friend.
December 27th
“Is it rolling?”
“Chill Khun, lemme get the audio fixed.”
Nichkhun whines a bit, pulling his coat closer to himself. He spares a look at Wooyoung, who is sitting there with his photograph, looking a bit confused and doe-eyed. He’d find it cute if the situation weren’t so absurd.
“Chansung would you move it, my fingers are going to turn blue.”
“You are such a drama queen,” the one with the camera grunts, finally propping the equipment on his shoulder and taking a few steps back. “Ok we’re rolling, three, two…”
“Good evening and happy holidays to everyone. We’re here live with Jang Wooyoung, dubbed as ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, by passersby who have taken a fondness to him. The mystery still stands as to who and where this lost person, his other half, might be.”
“Mr. Jang, what inspired the idea of waiting on this corner for your loved one?”
Wooyoung just smiles, relieved that people are finally getting it.
“This is where we first met.”
“And what makes you think it will work?”
Wooyoung’s brow furrows a bit, and he chews the inside of his cheek.
“I don’t know that it will… I’m just hoping for the best.”
The reporter does a lousy job of hiding his roll of eyes but continues to prob.
“And don’t you think that this person will dislike being propagated as your lover? I mean, if they left you, it was for a reason, right?”
The jab catches Wooyoung off guard, and he can only gape as the small crowd of people begin to murmur. It’s a deep wound, salt, scabs, scars, and all, and there’s only a small part of Wooyoung that still has hope. But it’s enough, always enough.
Nichkhun clears his throat, straightening up and fixing his gaze on the camera.
“Well there you have it, a naïve but charming resolve to be reunited with his soul mate; a somber yet intriguing story. This was Nichkhun Horvejkul, good night and happy holidays.”
“Okay, cut.”
“Sweet, let’s go get ramyeon.” Chansung’s face lights up a bit at the thought and he quickly packs his bag.
Wooyoung watches them leave, and the crowd dissolves back into sidewalk traffic. He wonders if today was a good day or not.
January 1st
It’s only a few minutes into the new year. Wooyoung doesn’t make any resolutions; he’s still stuck on last year’s. Junho brings him a few bottles of soju, tells him he should have some kind of celebration.
He finishes them all in a couple of hours. He’s never found the appeal of drowning his problems and worries in alcohol, but it was a nice release. He sits back and sighs heavily, eyes fluttering shut.
Mind hazy and body temporarily warm, Wooyoung contemplates failure for the first time. It tastes bitter on the back of his tongue.
January 7th
Jaebum can’t decide how he’s feeling as he passes Wooyoung’s apartment building. His stomach is churning with a wide range of emotions and he can’t seem to give the concoction a name.
He passes the ramyeon restaurant and a few convenience shops; walks down the crowded sidewalk filled with students and couples and mothers hand in hand with their children. He has to slow himself down as his feet get ahead of him, these steps are too familiar, too engraved into his mind for him to ever forget.
The corner of 2nd and 7th isn’t as crowded as it had been when he had seen it on tv. He remembers dropping his bag of dried mangos and the feeling of his eyes watering as they strained to stay open. He remembers rewinding his TiVo and watching it all over again. He watched it a few times after that, and then a bit more, until Junsu knocked him on the head and called him out for being a stupid moron.
Next thing he knew he’s standing on the sidewalk, looking at Wooyoung. The younger man hasn’t seen him; he’s scanning people’s faces as they pass by, photograph still in hand.
Something in Jaebum’s chest flutters and he takes the few steps forward.
It’s a stolen moment; Wooyoung glances in his direction, their gazes meet. Jaebum’s breath is caught in his chest and Wooyoung gives him a heartfelt smile.
“Hi,”
A pause and a little bit of hope.
“Hi,”
i kinda wrote khun and taek as jerks. sorry about that. also, there is significance to the streets' names. 2nd for 2pm and 7th because they will always be 7. /corniness.