↬ mall.

@⁰² jeonghan y. felix had made some sort of breakthrough, the money he had saved put into his first real reach out into the world. and it was the form of a little stall in the mall, a perfect little place to showcase -- and hopefully sell -- some of his treats. a large portion of the day had him standing, sitting, leaning, anything to keep himself occupied. sometimes someone would come over and look, ask questions, the like. sometimes someone would buy something.

but then there's a figure that radiates a certain aura that catches his attention, and of course they're coming right his way. felix makes eye contact with the man, or at least he thinks he does (what kind of person wears sunglasses inside?) before breaking into a wide smile. "oh, of course!" immediately, he's in his element, plucking up the pastries and putting them in a neat little box, a smile on his lips all the while. "anything else i can get for you? even a sample? anything you need!" he would never turn down a paying customer.

@⁰¹ felix l. The saccharine scent of delicacies easily reach Jeonghan's nose, and it's almost immediate, really, the way his head whips to the direction of its source. There stands a small stall, rather, amongst other stalls that sell snacks that he would /absolutely/ indulge himself in, but unsurprisingly, his attention is completely on the sweets stall. He simply /has/ to get one of those right now, weight gain be damned!

He adjusts his sunglasses a little (he has to remember, honestly, that he's alone right now in a mall that is a little too crowded for his liking, and it isn't as if he's dressed humbly either — one can most likely tell that he isn't a simple man on a journey to hunt down sweets), before approaching the stall with a rather wide smile that is almost as sweet as the delicacies that are certainly waiting for him. "Hi! Can I get some of this, this... and oh, this too! Hm, and one of this too?" he says, finger pointing too excitedly at each of the pastries of his choosing.

@⁰³ chaeyoung s. *sometimes I like to poke fun at those shorter than me but that’s mainly also due to being poked fun for being so tall, but nonetheless I continue to keep my attention on you*
*unaware that you’ve caught me spacing out because of my thoughts, but I let out a quiet grunt, chuckling softly afterwards, raising my hands up as if I’m surrendering*
Maybe I will~...you never know~
*relaxing my arms at my sides once again, I watch you look around before tilting my head a bit, raising a brow at you for glaring at me before shrugging my shoulders*
You never know haha~
*running a hand through my hair, I look around, trying to see what we can eat*
Hmmm....what do you say about burgers and fries?
Something simple and something that we can both relax to.
*I would ask before my eyes land back to you as I show you my soft smile*

@⁰⁴ mingi s. *I find myself wishing I had worn taller boots, knowing that people tend to treat me differently for being so short. I soon brush off the thought, knowing it's a bit late now as I return my attention to you*
*I instead focus on how tense and lost in thought you seem from time to time, making me wonder if there's something bothering you. I gently shove the center of your chest with my free hand when you make a comment about scavenger hunts, shaking my head*
Oh yeah. You're totally going to message me when you can't find Waldo one day.
*lifts a brow at your mentioning of compliments*
Right. If you say so.
*takes a few seconds to glance over the nearby food court booths and the like, teeth nibbling at my lower lip in thought*
I honestly don't know.
*sends a glare in your direction when you slide in another comment*
As if you'd be enough to satisfy me, Mingi.
*I tease with a quiet laugh, crossing my arms over my chest*
Are you craving anything in particular? Of the /food/ variety?

@⁰³ chaeyoung s. *as I look down at you, I find it kind of cute you are, not minding the height difference since it's something that I'm used to be called out about*
*but I remind myself that even if you are cute, that I don't deserve friends, a connection or someone special in my life ever again, that you'll just end up as a one night stand victim of mine*
*letting out a small chuckle to your words, I shrug my shoulders a bit before responding*
Really~?...I'll definitely keep that in mind whenever I'm doing a scavenger hunt or playing Where's Waldo?
*I would say teasingly before raising a brow at you, seeing your hand extended and slowly reaching a hand to shake yours, soon pulling back and letting it relax on my side*
Hmmm...maybe I like to compliment everyone~...
But yes, we should~
*looking around, I hum to myself before looking back at you*
Anything that you're craving, beautiful?....maybe me?
*I would say with a small smirk as I let out another chuckle*

@⁰⁴ mingi s. *takes a moment to briefly check my phone, taking note of your offer for food before I slide the object back into my pocket*
*my lips part in a subtle smile when you respond, trying not to breathe a sigh of relief that my guess wasn't wrong*
*dark eyes flick upwards when you stand, only then realizing just how small I am by comparison*
Of course I did. I happen to be great at finding people when I want to. Correct.
*lowers my head in a brief nod, eyes rolling when you proceed to compliment me*
Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, love.
*calmly extends a hand, allowing the other to slide into my jeans pocket*
It is nice to meet you though. Shall we go get some food while we talk?

@⁰³ dohyun l. there was a shift in the older's expression, jungkook knows that much. he must've said something to trigger unwanted memories of dohyun, and that only worsens the guilt eating up at the shorter's principles as he traps his lower lip under pearly whites to suppress more mindless bickers from slipping past his lips— it'd probably be wise to stop talking right now. "weeeeeeelllll," drawled out word soon ends with a sheepish grin, his hand coming up for svelte digits to comb through eunbi's hair gently by means of prolonging his apology. he did agree with the latter: violence wasn't always the answer. and it shouldn't be her only option when she's met with struggles. just the thought of the little one caught in countless of fist fights made him grimace internally (she would win every battle though, he has full faith in that), imagining the physical pain she would go through and of course, the long sermons her father was sure to serve.

he murmurs a little "sorry", in such a quiet voice, he wasn't sure his friend had heard him. when he cleared his throat to give a proper apology however, a waitress had cut him off and reluctantly, jungkook turns to face her, quickly plastering a polite smile as he raises three fingers before they were led to a table. perhaps, this wasn't such a bad interference— the youth could take his time to compose himself and slowly coax the elder a little. besides, who could turn down free food? maybe an angry parent, but surely he would come around once he sees his daughter happy. "anyway, ice cream?" he pushes a menu towards dohyun whilst a hand busied itself with gentle pats against the child's back, lightly shaking her in his arms to rouse her from her sleep.

@⁰³ jungkook j. he pauses upon hearing that his daughter was called names, a pang of pain stabbing at his heart. memories of his own school life came rushing through his mind, recalling all the horrid words that had been thrown away as if his feelings didn't matter, like he really was nothing. regardless, he knew that dealing with those situations in an immature matter wasn't good for eunbi in the long run. he didn't want to make her have to deal with ridicule with violence or escalated arguments. so while he knew jungkook's intentions were good, he refused to go easy on the two of them. at least, he would try not to.

it was obvious kook felt guilty from his expression but he still acted like a child. he's a little bit like eunbi, dohyun thought to himself as he stifled a laugh at the little stomp, not wanting to break the firm facade on his face. "you did but don't think that excuses you from the trouble the two of you caused today. i don't want her to think getting into fights is the best solution every single time someone says something." his gaze went to his sleeping daughter and his expression softened. if he had been a stronger father, if he had been much more capable, maybe she wouldn't have to live like this.

@⁰³ chaeyoung s. *looking over your post of you once more after I respond to your comment, I close the app and look around, leaving my phone on the table*
*humming to myself, thinking maybe we could grab food or drinks if you want to or go look into some stores*
*my eyes continue to travel before they land on groups of friends, making me shake my head as I’m aware I don’t have any anymore because of my selfish ways*
*soon they fall on a couple, how they’re all lovey-dovey, making me roll my eyes, mumbling under my breath*
....like they’ll last......she’ll just cheat....or he will....then they’ll go their separate ways....
*I have my reasons for saying that before I let out a sigh and soon see at the corner of my eye someone coming over to me, making me push myself off the chair to stand, grabbing my phone and shoving it into my pocket before you reach over to me*
*giving you a small smirk, I nod, looking down at you since I’m much more taller*
You found me~...and I didn’t change shirts. But you must be, Chaeyoung?
Because might I add, you look much more beautiful in person, I’m really glad to get to meet you.

@⁰³ dohyun l. red creeps up from jungkook's neck, slowly spreading to stain his cheeks a bright scarlet as he offers an embarrassed smile to every mall-goer he bumps into— if he could, he would've disappeared down a hole to escape from the older's chiding and onlookers' stares. the male doesn't even get nagged at this much by his parents but dohyun . . . well, he was quite something, someone who the youth still respects anyway. it wasn't the first time he has gotten into trouble (with eunbi), and he knows he was in the wrong, but he never knows how to properly apologise or make it up to him; he has tried many times but always ends up causing more problems though, he does enjoy every bit of time he got to spend with the restful small figure in his arms.

as a familiar ice cream parlor comes into view, jungkook speeds his steps a teensy bit more, excited to finally sit down and get some food into the elder's mouth. "i had my reasons!" with a turn of his heel, he spins to peer up at dohyun, his larger palm cupping the child's ear before tilting his head to rest his cheek against the sleeping girl's forehead. "they were calling the little missus names. . . and for the record, she's no bighead, she's a cutehead— so i stand my ground!" per usual, instead of a simple 'sorry', jungkook ended up bickering with his friend, his childish antics surfacing with every word that tumbled past his brims, ending it with a huff and stomp of his foot. "i did pick eunbi up though," did he know when to quit it? definitely not, albeit the obvious downturn of lips that clearly reflected his guilt.

@⁰⁴ mingi s. *begrudgingly leaves the place I call home to head to the mall, knowing that even if our meeting didn't go well, I'd at least find better food there than on campus*
*cards my fingers through my blonde tresses upon my arrival, the heat of the spring sun having tortured me on my walk and the now present air conditioning serving as a kind of reward for making it this far*
*my smaller hands slide into the back pockets of my jeans as I walk around the rather large shopping center, carefully eyeing objects of interest as I make my way to the food court*
*umber orbs scan over the food court area minutes later as I search for you, those same eyes catching on a red plaid shirt and brunette hair as I make my way towards you, silently hoping I'm right*
Mingi?

@⁰³ chaeyoung s. *after our little interacting on Instagram, I roll my eyes, thinking to myself what the heck I'm even doing, knowing I'm just someone who uses people before heading to the mall, wearing what I told you I would wear*
https://i.imgur.com/stJsMSt.jpg
*soon I find myself a parking spot, parking my car and soon look at myself in the mirror, mumbling*
Hopefully I don't look like a catfish to her...
*letting out a small chuckle before I step out of the car, locking it and heading inside*
*looking around the mall, I shove my hands in my pant pockets, watching people hang out with friends and how others shop around, making me roll my eyes to myself, keeping to myself how I'll always be a lone wolf and not have anything like that ever again*
*wondering around a bit more, I soon make my way to the food court like I told you, moving over to take a seat at one of the empty tables, glancing around, trying to see you're around before looking down, taking out my phone, I can't help but to look over your post again before shaking my head and closing my phone, placing it on the table as I wait for you*

@⁰³ jungkook j. dohyun was following after jungkook, an obvious sulk on his face after the whole debacle they had managed to escape from. arms folded across his chest, he silently stomped after the two troublemakers in silence as he let jungkook take the lead through the busy mall. the moment he had burst into the principal's office, he had been overtaken with disbelief as he saw his friend sitting there as if he had committed a crime. even as the male turned around to talk to him, he kept his little frown on his face, wanting to seem stern and obviously disappointed but knowing he probably just looked like a sulky child instead of a full grown adult.

"off the hook?" his brows furrowed as he tried to adorn the most serious expression he could manage. "i trusted you to pick eunbi up, not engage in a fight with a bunch of kids!" he wasn't even sure his little scolding session was being heard as he struggled to weave between passerby's, mumbling out soft apologies to everyone he bumped into in an attempt to keep up with jungkook and his daughter.

@⁰³ dohyun l. tucked safely away from the hustle and bustle of the off-hour crowd was a small figure cradled into a tight embrace, the male's arms naturally finding its way to envelope the entirety of little eunbi who was now snoring softly, her head resting atop his shoulder where jungkook ensures his movements weren't too big and sudden in fear of waking her up. it wasn't unusual to find him at the mall on a weekday, when there would still be classes; he was a familiar face to see, appearing often enough for majority of the store owners and salespersons to recognise him. the arcade and food places were more interesting than his studies anyway. besides, this time, he was here with an actual purpose that wasn't simply ditching classes.

he easily maneuvers himself around the shops and greets the friendly uncles and aunties with a polite nod and wide grin, one that was sheepish for he was feeling a prick in his conscience before he turns to steal a glance at dohyun, the reason why he was guilty, guilty enough to forcefully drag his close friend out for a treat at the mall. "hey. . . there's no need to be upset, right? i think eunbi is happy her favourite big bro picked her up today!" -- and fought for her -- the words were cut off from slipping past his mouth, knowing full well the reason why the older would be mad at him would be for creating more trouble for him, especially since he was supposed to be the responsible one of two. "i'll treat the both of you to some good food so . . . haha i'm off the hook?"

@⁰⁴ zhan x. Somehow hearing the other say he was important didnt bring him any comfort. Neither did it made him feel happy. Instead it made him feel sad. Perhaps it was the truth that weighed it down that made him feel such, the truth behind those words that no matter how important he was, he could never be what he wanted to be and there was always going to be a clear line drawn between them. He was a friend and it failed to make him better. It felt like such an unfair thing to him. A part of him was slightly angry that his pain needed to be covered by the older's offering of friendship. Was that going to be enough to heal him? There was a bigger part of him that was trying to be rational and tell him that Zhan wasnt at fault, he didnt do it on purpose and that he was trying to do what he could do. It was a battle with his inner selves.

Unconsciously, his brows furrowed. Even though he wanted the two to be happy, seeing it with his own eyes felt like a jab. The excitement in the older's tone at the mention of his boyfriend, even the word made him feel sick, was a stab. He really thought he was beyond all this and that he could be happy with their happiness but he was human afteral. A person with flaws and vices. And it didnt help him. Instead he felt suffocated. He gave a smile, it was bittersweet, a bit forced. "Thats good to know" He wanted to run away in that moment. He didnt think he could do this any longer.

@⁰¹ taeyang c. Everything he said was true, as much as Zhan wanted to argue otherwise. The smile that he had gotten used to over the summer now replaced by a coldness that shot through his heart. He's spent days wondering how he'd missed all the signs, then again. He's never been all that perceptive of romantic cues, truth be told the senior was always much better acquainted with his textbooks and projects than other humans.
" You're important to me, and an amazing friend" He finally uttered, he wasn't sure if by saying this he was hurting the other more. But he didn't want to risk these thoughts going unspoken and regretting it in the future. "And I really hope not to lose you." Zhan gulped back the tear brimming his eyes, he swore he wouldn't cry. He didn't deserve to cry. "Take all the time you need. If you need me, you know where to find me." a sad smile dances across his features "If you dont...." want to speak to me again, he couldn't finish the sentence "I'll understand."
Just the mention of his boyfriend's name is enough for his eyes to glimmer in excitement, "YIbo...we'll be fine. Believe it or not I think he's worried about you too" He chuckles, hoping to lighten the mood. Yibo had filled him in on how the roommates didnt quite get along.

@⁰⁴ zhan x. "There is nothing to be sorry for." Taeyang spoke after what felt like hours even though it was some seconds. "I needed time. I still do." He gave a shrug, his face showing no signs of the inner turmoil. "You knowing or not knowing wouldnt have changed anything. It was not like your feelings for me would have suddenly changed if you had found out earlier. That isnt how things work, specially something like feelings." He wasnt sure why he was trying to comfort the other but he was quite rational too. There was no use of blaming someone for things that was out of their control. "You should think about Yibo now. Think about each other and not about me. It will take time but i will be better. So dont make it awkward for you, for us by feeling guilty about something you cant control."

@⁰¹ taeyang c. Zhan rocked back on his heels, searching for the right words to say "I'm sorry" He whispered, what he was even apologizing for, for coming? for not feeling the same way as Tae? for falling for Yibo instead? Perhaps all of the above. But he hated this, he hated the visible sadness in his friend's eyes, the awkwardness in the air. The senior was starting to doubt if coming here was even a good idea, "Yibo says you haven't been back at the dorm" He explained, justifying to Tae, and himself, why he was even there "I don't think that qualifies as fine" It killed him to see Tae so incredibly hurt, and it was much worse that he was the cause of this pain. "I-..i had no idea" Of course he had no idea, even if he did, would it have changed anything, not likely. He sighed, giving up on finding words

@⁰⁴ zhan x. He placed all the notes inside his bag and looked at the time. He decided to wait five more minutes and then leave. He never made any promise to wait so it wouldnt mean anything if he left, would it? It was hard to say if he wanted the other to arrive on time or be late. As much as he wanted to see the older, he wanted to stay awat from him as well. He knew it would hurt to see him and it did when Zhan finally arrived.

Taeyang couldnt bring himself to smile back, it would feel like a lie if he did and he had always been honest. "I was going to leave if you hadnt arrived in another five minutes." He said as a matter of fact. It was awkward and he didnt know how to act around him anymore. Seeing the other now only made everything real for Taeyang and he could feel the ache coming back in full force. "I am doing fine Zhan. You didnt have to come all the way here." He didnt mean to sound rude or anything. It was just stressful on his part to be face to face with the one who still held a part of his heart that was slowly breaking into pieces.

@⁰¹ taeyang c. The mall was only a couple blocks from the school, but unsure if the freshman would actually wait for him Zhan sprinted nearly the entire way there. He'd been just gotten home from his last class of the day, and only had time to drop his bag off before he was out the door again. It wasnt long before the city's most popular mall was in sight, and he spotted the familiar figure of his friend standing outside. He slowed his pace to catch his breath, he'd run here on impulse and hadn't had time to think about what to say.
The last conversation he'd had with his friend replayed in his mind as he approached him, the one where Tae had finally told him how he'd felt about him. The one that had Zhan cursing himself for for days following, wondering how he'd never caught on, how he'd allowed himself to potentially lead on the younger. "Hey," He said, giving him a soft smile, still slightly out of breath. It only dawned on him now how awkward this encounter might be. His mind had been too focused on making sure the other was okay. "You stayed, I wasn't sure if you would" His smiled turned into a sad one as he examined his friend, he'd gotten thinner than before.

@⁰⁴ zhan x. Taeyang did not want to reply to the older's text but the part of him that still held a soft spot for him, didnt allow him to ignore it. He had come to terms with the fact that his feelings wasn't going to be reciprocated and there is way no possibility when the other's heart already belonged to someone else. Yet it made his pain no less. He needed time away from everything, from them. Because he would be lying if he said being near wouldnt hurt him. And accepting the truth didnt mean he was suddenly okay with everything. It was going to take time and he wanted that time.

He looked at his watch as he waited outside the mall for his classmate to show up who would hand him over the week's assignments and notes. He tried to focus on that instead. He really had not wanted to meet at the mall, it was crowded and he knew there was possibility of meeting people he wanted to avoid but his friend had insisted on the mall since he had to do some shopping. And since he was doing a favour to Taeyang by helping him stay up to date with his classes, he couldnt really complain. So he waited.