Chapter Text
During yet another night shift without many customers, Giuk was sitting behind his desk writing a song about the expired triangle kimbap he found in the fridge that no one really buys because of its filling. But Giuk actually enjoys eating it, so he is glad it's always left on the shelf as he can eat it for free. Or maybe he actually enjoys it because of the fact he has it for free. However, this night there is too much of it left, so he will have to throw it out because he definitely will not be able to eat 15 expired triangle kimbaps filled with a weird combination of pineapple and shrimps.
He likes writing songs like that. They are usually funny and cool and his friends like them. He obviously is not a great lyricist. He writes for himself and does not usually show his songs to a lot of people. He has an account on soundcloud, but he hasn't told anyone about it besides his friends. Good thing he doesn't have to actually show his lyrics to anyone if he doesn't want to. Or... yet. He studies music, yes, but not the lyrical aspects of it but the actual music composition. However, next semester he will actually have a lyrics writing class. It's not that he is scared, but it's just that he knows he won't get a good grade. His songs are not the type of songs people expect from music department students. They are studying music in the end. He's afraid people would think his songs are stupid and childish. But he can't help it. Because he absolutely cannot write about love or deep feelings people love listening about. He thinks it's stupid he has to pass this class. Because why does he have to do that when he's a bassist and a composer. Either way, he decided he won't be worrying about it right now. He will when the time arrives.
And right now, he is working. Although you can't really call it working as he is not actually doing it. Most of his night shifts look like that, sitting behind the counter doing assignments that do not require playing instruments or writing lyrics while waiting for his shift to end so he can go home and sleep. Sometimes he thinks it doesn't make sense for convenient shops to be open all night, but then he reminds himself of all those nights he and Dongmyeong were watching dramas or playing games late at night and suddenly craving a certain type of instant ramen they did not have at home. During those night shifts, he meets different people in different and sometimes weird situations buying weird things Giuk doesn't question. Usually, there are not many people, but Giuk thinks it's good as he is able to kind of rest a bit or do some of his assignments while getting paid for it. It's not like he would go to sleep anyway. He is a night owl. On days when he doesn't have classes, he would go to sleep at 6 or 7 am. It's just that he usually doesn't have anyone to talk to while waiting for the customers.
He was actually describing the taste of the mixture of shrimp and pineapple when someone loudly came inside the store. He raised his head so fast when he heard a "hi" said by this person that it actually hurt, not to mention he almost choked on his triangle kimbap. He immediately recognized the owner of this voice as he hears it almost every day on the university's radio station. It was Yonghoon. A senior-year student known by almost everyone on campus. Giuk thought it was quite ironic that his first interaction with Yonghoon would be during his night shift with his lyrics about a triangle kimbap written in his notebook beside the cash register. It's because Yonghoon is one of the best, if not the actual best lyricist among students. His songs were always full of emotions, really meaningful, and about things, Giuk does not really understands, but he sure as hell think are amazing. When listening to Yonghoon's songs, people, including Giuk, feel like they are flying to a different planet. They completely absorb you because of their deep meanings. In this sort of way, that makes you think that for Yonghoon writing lyrics is like painting the most beautiful landscapes with all of the diligence and devotion a person is capable of pulling out of themselves. And everything he writes seems so real because who would be able to describe all those things if not experiencing them in the first place. And Giuk knows it's just so easy for Yonghoon to write those lyrics, and it fascinates him. Yonghoon fascinates him. So yes, it is kind of ironic that he was writing a song about a triangle kimbap filled with shrimps and pineapple when THE Jin Yonghoon came into his store to buy something.
"H-hi" Giuk stuttered. Why did he stutter? He never stutters. After some time, when Yonghoon just stood in front of the fridge without taking anything, Giuk started to think that he just imagined him being there, so he asked, "Can I help you with anything?"
"Well, actually" Yonghoon started and turned around, and Giuk thought he was going to faint. Why did he feel like that when he was only smiling. The fact that his eyes followed every step Yonghood made was not helping. "I craved something because I just moved here, and I don't really have anything in my apartment, so I came here to... wait, do you also go to SNU? Like... the music department?" He suddenly asked.
"W-what?" Now that was just pathetic. Will someone explain Giuk why did he stutter. AGAIN.
"Sorry, you just look like someone, who would go to the music department and SNU is the closest, so I just thought you do"
Giuk did, in fact, probably look like someone who would be in a band or study music, which was both true because he actually was in some sort of a band with his friends. He had half of his hair painted blonde, and he had earrings and a tattoo, so why was he surprised that Yonghoon noticed all those things.
"Yeah, I'm on my first year" he answered.
"And I assume you play like an electric guitar, right?" Yonghood continued smiling and tilting his head a bit.
"Close, I'm a bassist"
"Great to meet you then Giuk" it must have been obvious that he was wondering how exactly did he know Giuk's name because the next thing Yonghoon said was the answer to that "the nametag" he said, pointing at a tag on Giuk's shirt.
Right, the nametag.
"I'm Yonghoon, by the way" he said, pulling his hand out for Giuk to shake it.
"Yeah, I know. Nice to meet you too" Giuk said, shaking his hand. When Giuk thought there was nothing worse than stuttering in this situation, he admitted to knowing him when Yonghoon had no idea who Giuk was. Great. But either Yonghoon didn't notice, or he did not mind.
"You didn't say you write songs! Can I read it?" He didn't really wait for him to answer. He was already looking at his notebook.
Oh dear god.
Oh god no.
Why. Just why.
He tried to decide whether taking his notebook out of Yonghoon's hands would be worse than letting him read it. But it was too late before he decided.
"It's umm it's a..." he started but didn't know how to explain this. Because how?
And then Yonghoon laughed. He just laughed. And Giuk thought he should just move to another country or maybe a different planet would be even better.
"Is this the triangle kimbap you wrote about?" Yonghoon asked, pointing at the big lump of rice that was still in Giuk's hand.
Jesus, let him just crawl under the ground.
"Well, yes actually" get yourself together Giuk, you're a walking embarrassment.
"Pineapple and shrimps? That sounds kind of.... weird. Do you have more of it?" he asked, still smiling.
What is even going on right now.
"Yeah, it's there," he pointed at the fridge "this big pile on the left. No one really buys it because of the filling but it's actually really good but if you think it's weird there are other flavors too and we also have other types of kimbap" A full sentence, congratulations Giuk, only it's just too messy.
He watched Yonghoon walk to the fridge and take more than half of those kimbaps. He then put them on the counter for Giuk to count.
"You really want to buy this much? What if you won't like it?" Giuk asked, taking money from Yonghoon.
"Then I think it's going to be your fault" he said with a smile. "But I think it's good to try new things you know. And if you like it and even wrote a song about it" why did he mention that again "then why wouldn't I like it?"
"It won't be my fault. You bought them yourself" Giuk surprised himself by saying that, but it just came out of his mouth, and there was no coming back.
"We'll see about that" he said, and fucking winked at him. This is not real. This is just not real. "See you at the uni if I won't end up in a hospital after this kimbap. It was nice meeting you Giuk."
"You too!" Giuk shouted when Yonghoon opened the door.
"Oh and by the way, your song is great. Can't wait to hear it." Yonghoon said and closed the door behind him with all of the expired triangle kimbaps in a bag.
Expired kimbap.
He sold him a bunch of expired kimbap, and now it's too late because he's gone. Great. Now he actually thinks it's possible he will end up in a hospital after eating this many expired kimbaps.
He could run after him, tell him, and maybe give him his money back because he obviously forgot he shuldn't sell expired things. But he didn't do that because Yonghoon was probably halfway home, and Giuk definitely did not want to actually run. All he wanted to do was to call Dongmyeong and tell him everything.
Because jesus fucking christ, what the hell was that.