⠀⠇ laundry room

@park chaeyoung if there was one word to sum up how jungkook was feeling, it would simply be: helpless.

he couldn’t help but think back to when him and chaeyoung were such good friends, best friends – unrequited lovers. he loved her, and would have done anything for her, but she loved him in a way that he could not return. even if he tried, they were too different and he could not muster up the feelings that would be required. jungkook has always been annoyingly self-aware, even at his lowest. the reason he’d left after she’d bravely proclaimed her love for him had nothing to do with himself, but all to do with himself.

he couldn’t give her what she deserved, and no one else would be able to get him on his feet other than himself. he was still homeless at the time, had no money, barely any food and was struggling to keep a place in the overpopulated shelters. It wasn’t a time to think about romance or being in love, it wasn’t a time to think about anything other than getting better, than finding a job and finding financial security. and it took years for him to do that. his home, now, was his safety net. even if he lost his job (which was unlikely, but still possible), he still had a roof over his head. and he couldn’t have done that, admittedly, with her company all along. It had to be done by himself, and his way.

“chae,” he whispers with a frown, bravely reaching a hand up to collect the droplets slipping down her cheeks one at a time. “c’mere, I’m sorry.” soon, his arms encircle her smaller frame to hug her close to him. It felt just as it did before, as the palm of his hand caresses the back of her head.

“i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have left you the way that i did. you can hit me.. punch me, even, but we both deserved so much more than what we had at the time. we were so young, i had to get on my feet. but I could have handled it better. I /should/ have handled it better.”

@seo changbin "ow." eunwoo said in aboe monotone, responding to his friend's hit on his arm. being the ambiguous and emotionally challenged person he was, he'd never admit it out loud, but he was glad to see his friend. it'd been a long while since they had last hung out, and it truly was nice to see that changbin was seemingly doing better for himself. although physically his friend looked pretty much the same, the mood around changbin seemed lighter—brighter, compared to the past.

his ears turned pink in embarrassment, having completely forgotten his friend's attraction to the same . he blamed his recent run-in he had with his ex-girlfriend, which still left him unsettled, bittersweetly. "sorry, it slipped my mind." eunwoo apologized. "yeah, i'll definitely drop by." he then added, ignoring his friend's silly comment and despised nickname. the fact that changbin had been working in a store he passed everyday was some bizarre coincidence. then again, a tattoo shop was definitely the last place he'd be found at. he appreciated them on other people, not himself. "8f. i'm 2b. why are you so short on staff?" he then asked.

@cha eunwoo receiving a simple shrug as an answer wasn't something changbin appreciates, eyebrows furrowing at his friend. he lets out a soft sigh—reminding himself that eunwoo isn't obligated to be telling him anything. especially not when he's not being very open either.

changbin rolls his eyes, his tatted arm moving up to playfully hit his best friend for being infuriating. "shut up. not you looking excited to see me earlier?" he grins, "—okay now you're just pulling my leg. you know my preference quite very well, nunu."

"and yes! still one and proud to say, still the best you can get around." never you'd find changbin to be bragging about his skills except when around his closest friends. he likes being irritating like that. "it's just a block from here. turn left and you'll see a big sign saying tattoo and piercings. do drop by when you can." he nods, "and oh? asking me for a date now, nunu?" changbin laughs, "kidding. always up for lunch especially if it's going to be your treat, mr. national treasure of south korea."

"and by the way, i stay at 8f... occasionally. you'd probably have better chance catching me at work if I'm honest. we're very short on staff these days."

@seo changbin eunwoo almost let out a scoff of amusement. changbin choking mid yawn was comical, unlike his somber looks and dresscode. the younger was like that of a living paradox; looked cool, mysterious and like an eboy, but in fact acted like a clumsy goofball. he shurgged to his friend's questions, the body language being a plausible answer to all of his friend's questions. however, his eyes widened when he realized that his best friend had resided in the same building as him for a whole, whopping 6 months.

"6 months?? and we never ran into each other? must be a blessing. it's ruined now though.." eunwoo remarked, softening his voice at the latter part of his statement. "i don't know, you could be a visitor doing your own laundry. maybe your girlfriend ordered you to? or maybe you spilled something while you were at a friend's house. i did think you've been here at least a few times or lived here however, when you didn't have any trouble with the machine."

he held down the power button to his headphones, turning them off, as he was now going to be chatting and catching up with his friend. "nice. are you still a tattoo artist?" eunwoo asked him. "where's the shop? maybe i can stop by and take you to lunch some time. i live here too. there's a lot of golf courses nearby, so i practice at them." he then explained. "what floor are you on?"

@jeon jungkook for months on end, even after no longer being a volunteer, chaeyoung had found herself retracing her steps to the local shelter. the place in which their humble friendship had began, after jungkook had picked on her reading selection. from there, they had naturally grown to talking to each other more often—laughing, joking around, taking late night walks through the city. she had grown to learn that even though jungkook was facing such adversity, that he was in hopes of living life to its fullest. he couldn't give up on his dream. something about his presence and nature had made her feel comforted. if something had been on her mind, telling him had always made her feel better, his moving words making her feel inspired, in awe, but most of all, to carry on and do better.

but then her feelings had gotten in the way, ruining the ideal friendship that they had maintained. she knew she had chased him away. she knew that he always had her best interest at heart, that the situation he had been in at the time, had left him no options. but nonetheless, his sudden absence had hurt—gravely wounded her. he had left, without a proper goodbye, without any closure. she hadn't known if he was safe, or was endangered—had tracked down darker paths.

"i'm s-sorry.." she sniffles, letting out a shaky laugh. chaeyoung quickly wipes at her face with the back of her sleeves, trying to gather herself and her pouring emotions. turning away, she bites her lip, trying to suppress her quivering lip. after a few shaky breaths, she faces him again. chaeyoung smiles at him, but it doesn't reach her eyes. single tears silently continue to drop from her eyes, rolling down her dampened cheeks. "you look good t-too.." she manages to say.

she wants to be mad, to scream, to hate him for everything he's put her through, but she doesn't. she can't.

@park jihoon Wooseok let out a soft chuckle and nodded his head, signaling that yes, he indeed knew how to operate this machine. But knowledge is an expensive treat. Confidently, he leaned his profile against the wall and folded his arms on his chest, looking at the poor boy. "I know, it is really easy. But before anything else, do you have any coins?" No, coins are not the only option. These days, these machines are getting creative; they allow cards and digital payments as well. However, Wooseok just wanted to tease the younger male since he had nothing better to do today.

@cha eunwoo the young man was in the middle of a good yawn when he heard the other person speak—almost choking on air because he didn't expect to be regarded by. and most importantly, he did not expect that familiar handsome mug to be staring back at him.

"—?!" his eyes widen, mouth agape. "eunwoo—?" changbin sounded and looked as confused as he felt. why was he seeing his childhood best friend in this—no offense to their good landlord—not so high-end apartment? shouldn't he be traveling the country (or the world) to participate in his golf competitions? or so he thinks, because clearly changbin knows nothing about said sport.

despite all the things he wanted to tell eunwoo, changbin couldn't help the snort that escaped his mouth at his question. "seriously—? do you think I could be a visitor doing my laundry?" he snickers, soon nodding as a response anyway. "been here for almost six months now. a good friend of mine recommended the place plus i got a nearby job too so..." changbin shrugs, a small smile on his lips.

"well, enough about me! why are You here? where's uncle and auntie?" he asks because there's no way in hell mr. goody two shoes eunwoo will ever get kicked out of his family like changbin was. and besides, eunwoo's an only child too. it's a bit surprising that his parents let him stay away from home.

@seo changbin he was scrolling through his phone, watching a bunch of clips that pique his interest. his main page was littered with clips of the usual; esports, sports, video games and golf stuff. he was currently about midway through a lck (league of legends champions korea) finals game highlights video, when eunwoo felt the perception of someone else watching him. looking up from his phone, he looked to his side, nearly jumping at the sudden appearance of someone in his immediate vicinity. he thought it was some weird stranger, but oddly enough, the person turned out to be no one other than his childhood best friend—

"changbin? dude. what the heck are you doing here?" eunwoo asked in confusion, taking his headphones off in an instant. he blinked his eyes rapidly, doubting his own vision. he hadn't see his long-time friend since years ago. they had only recently texted just a couple of nights ago, when changbin had randomly messaged to ask him if he was dating some online influencer that he had never even heard of.

although the years had passed, the latter looked more or less the same; jet black hair that was in an undercut, pale, obvious signs of sleep deprivation, face that was anemic in color. eunwoo also noticed that he still dressed the same as well; in grim reaper color scheme. he also noticed that changbin had an empty laundry bin behind him, leading eunwoo's mind into further perplexion. "do you live here?..."

@park chaeyoung jungkook saw her the moment he stepped within the smaller confinements of the laundry room.

both of his hands were full as his fingers curled around the plastic of his laundry hamper, clothing spilling out of each side, although the hamper had been tilted back against his chest to prevent any item from slipping out. it had been longer than he would prefer to do his laundry, admittedly, but he finally had been released from the prison that was writers block, and hadn't even slept in two days. he just needed time to get his together, and of course he would bump into her as he started.

he's thankful for the music blasting in his ear (aurora by daisy jones & the six, his guilty pleasure that had relieved him from his writing slump) so that if she attempted to confront him, he wouldn't be able to hear her. actually, jungkook felt as though he was doing a good job pretending he hadn't even seen her to begin with. although, if his heart had the capability to scream, it would jump out of his chest and do just that. the last he had seen her, it was when she'd been vulnerable and told him how she felt, and he walked away. the look on her face in that moment had always haunted him.

he'd stolen glances, quick ones that quickly returned to his hands loading his laundry into the washing machine before him. to be honest, he felt like a coward. years ago, jungkook had the nerve to walk away, but he couldn't say hi? he guessed, at the time, he was doing what was best for their relationship, for himself, for /her/. perhaps he was wrong, but if he were correct, he'd do it all over again for her to be happy. a brief feeling of panic surges through his veins as all of his clothes are loaded in, because what would he distract himself with now? he couldn't ignore her forever.

carefully, he lowers his hamper and starts the machine. tightlipped, he removes one of his airpods from his ears and drops his gaze to the floor. this was social suicide.

"..h..hey," there were so many questions he would refrain from asking - has she lived here for a long time? how hadn't they seen each other? which floor is she on? how is she doing? instead, he silently turns to face her with both brows immediately knitting together. "hey.. don't cry.. i --" well, what was he to do now? never quite the best at comforting, the tips of his fingers anxiously pinch the fabric of his jeans at each side, jaw locking.

"..it's good to see you, chae. you look good."

@jeon jungkook the alarm on her phone rings off, signaling that her laundry is done. chaeyoung sits up slowly, stretching out from the fetal position she had been lying in. yawning, she reaches for her phone, turning off the ringing alarm. she then sits up from the bench in the laundry room, coming to a stand. raising her arms into a big, upward stretch, she then shakes off the remaining drowsiness that still slumbers, before taking a step towards the door of the dryer. just as she's about to open the machine's door, she hears the door to the communal room swinging open. turning her head, chaeyoung greets them, her lips curving into a friendly and warm smile. but, only for a split-second.

it doesn't feel like reality, seeing his presence—seeing him just walk into the room. the whole scene is surreal, making chaeyoung feel as if she were watching a movie. she doesn't feel present—out of touch—disorientated. she questions whether she's hallucinating or dreaming.

his style is different; permed, wavy hair, piercings on his lips, more tattoos on his forearm. his face seems thinner, hollowed and chiseled out to perfection, highlighting the contours of his impeccable jawline. he still dresses like a dork, wearing a wifebeater, whilst sporting a pair of y2k baggy, denim shorts. chaeyoung wants to burst out laughing, pointing and making fun of his socks and slides.

she wants to run up to him and envelop in the most suffocating embrace.

instead, chaeyoung begins to cry, tearing up at the return of her friend. time had healed her of his departure's worst, but time had also drawn out the radio silence. for the first time in her life, she would rather it be quiet—unanswered.

@cha eunwoo it was very rare for changbin to have a late night shift at the tattoo studio since not many customers choose to be scheduled at that time.

unfortunately for him, he had one that lasted way past midnight yesterday. it wasn't even an intricate design but changbin took his time—preferring to take it slow to avoid any careless mistakes.

fast forward to now—waking up at almost 9 in the morning. getting at most 6 hours of sleep. maybe even less. to be honest, changbin could've slept some more before his shift at 2pm but the piled up laundry at the corner of his bedroom is saying Hell No.

so, there he was. half-asleep as he hurriedly stuffed all his dirty clothes into the machine—thank god for whoever invented this one, really.

he then slumps at the nearest bench, barely noticing the other person in the room with him. he groggily mutters his greeting, "hey... 'morning. doing laundry too, huh?" as if it wasn't obvious enough, "—what brand of detergent do you even use?"

okay. in his defense, changbin was never the best at small talks—much worse when his mind is both exhausted and sleepy at the same time.

but! the other seems to be wearing headphones so—he probably didn't even hear changbin being an embarrassment anyway.

... right?

@seo changbin it was nearing the end of the week, which meant it was time for eunwoo to do the laundry. walking into the communal room, with his bin of worn clothes in his arms, he walked over to the far machine in the corner. listening to music through the headset on his ears, eunwoo opened up the door to the laundry machine and began to put his clothes inside of it. the task was a part of his weekly routine, but strangely enough, eunwoo found it therapeutic. he didn't mind it, and liked the smell of fresh laundry. besides, while listening to his music, he was in his own world and thoughts. usually, there wasn't much people in the room when he was there, so it was a rather decently vacated space as well—to his comforts. today, there was only one other person, on the opposite end of the room, whom was also putting in his laundry as well.

reaching into his pocket, eunwoo took out the packaged laundry detergent, ripping it open. tossing it into the machine with his clothes, he then shut the laundry door to a close, inputting the cycles he wanted. finally, he started up the machine with a push of a button. he then sat down on the nearby benches by the machine, going on his phone to watch a few videos on youtube.

@byun wooseok the sudden voice of the stranger startled him, dropping the basket as he was brought out of his own thoughts. "ah - sorry -!" he rambled out an apology, worried he might have offended the other with his embarrassingly extreme reaction, quickly crouching down to gather his clothes. "do you know how to use these machines?" he looked up, a handful of dirty shirts in his arms as he decided to take the kind offer from the stranger. it was like the heavens sent down an angel to answer his prayers. besides, the last thing he wanted to do was attempt to figure it out on his own and flood the entire building with his incompetence.

@park jihoon 'Why would this kid be admiring the wall…' wondered Wooseok silently as he entered the laundry room. He noticed a good-looking young man, clearly younger than himself, staring at the wall and the machines with the wonder of a person witnessing modern civilization for the first time. Wooseok proceeded to his favorite washing machine, conveniently located next to the entrance, and tossed his casual clothes inside. He carefully pressed a series of buttons, added liquid detergent and softener, and closed the door, eagerly anticipating the transformative magic that would occur. The young man, still lingering nearby, seemed to be muttering something incomprehensible. Wooseok couldn't help but ask, "Do you need any help? It seems like the machine your family owns is different from the one we have here. Confusion is to be expected."

[ open starter! ]

now, jihoon wouldn't consider himself a "spoiled brat" despite coming from a place of comfortable wealth. however, he had to admit he lacked a bit of common knowledge for most people his age. standing in front of an empty washing machine, he could only stare blankly, laundry basket in hand as a couple more moments of silence ticked by. back at home, he usually relied on the maid to do such chores for him but now that he was living on his own, he'd have to learn how to take care of things himself. step number one was apparently figuring out the laundry. taking a single step closer, he glanced around as though the answers to his confusion would spawn out of thin air. "i'm a straight a student. how hard can this be ..."