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@Nam Dongju Perhaps Dongju just wanted to feel that he wasn't being shooed away, since he had pretty much calmed down once Christian brought them back to the safety of the car. Dongju had quieted down, and was clearly being less fussy compared to earlier. "So should I call you a cab?" Christian asked, pulling his phone back out to start searching for a reputable cab service around this part of town. He looked up from his phone when he didn't hear an answer, bending to look at Dongju. "Hey? What's on your mind?" he asked. Dongju's eyes seemed glossed over, like he wasn't even processing that he was being spoken to in the moment. "Well...I get it. It's not safe right now. Let's just wait for the mechanics to come okay?" he asked, releasing Lori so she could go help him placate Dongju. Christian lowered his driver's seat again and laid back, staring up at the car ceiling as he waited for time to pass by in silence.

@Christian Yu Dongju’s first reaction to being grabbed was to shut down, like a kitten who was picked up by the scruff. He didn’t even hear anything Christian was saying to him, only knowing in that moment if he didn’t want to be hurt, he just had to follow whatever the bigger, stronger man in his vicinity wanted him to do. With his head down, shoulders strained, he shuffled back to the car and sat quietly in the passenger side, his gaze fixed on the vent directly before him. He didn’t even react when Lori, from the center console, his hand, only sitting still to wait for further instructions.

@Nam Dongju Right after the words left Christian's mouth, he started to regret it. He knew that Dongju was quite fiery and easily offended, so choosing right now to start chastising the younger wasn't going to fix any problems between them. As Dongju cleaned his stuff out of the car and started heading the opposite direction of traffic, Christian hurried out of the car as well, speed walking to catch up to Dongju on the side of the road. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that to you," he said, reaching out boldly to grab Dongju by the wrist, though he didn't use his full power to grip onto the younger in case Dongju tried to pull away and wound up hurting himself. "I don't mean to use Lori against you. I know you're fond of her, but I think you were being too demanding just now. So, let's go back to the car and I'll call you a cab if that's what you really want okay? It's no use trying to hitchhike right now...and it's probably not safe either."

@Christian Yu Dongju could not believe the words he was hearing out of Christian’s mouth. They had actually been communicating quite cordially the entire evening to the point Dongju had forgotten about how much he hated that abrasive man next door, and that they had always been at odds since the first day, practically. They were as good as strangers, if not enemies, and Christian thought he could speak to Dongju like /this/? “You’re the one who dragged me along here,” Dongju said once he recovered from his shock. “I thought I’d do something nice for you by coming along, and now you’re talking to me like I’m the one bothering you? Jerk.” He gathered his things, minus Lori—although he did leave her with her snacks in case Christian tried to feed her fries for breakfast later—and stepped out of the car, not wanting to wait for a taxi and be stuck in Christian’s vicinity for any longer. The weather had cooled a little at night, but Dongju was determined to not be anywhere near Christian. He would rather walk all the way back home, as he had begun doing now, than listen to that man try to lecture him any longer.

@Nam Dongju Something in Christian snapped. "Look." he said curly to Dongju, keeping Lori hugged against his chest to avoid any sudden movements from the younger, "I get that you don't want to be stuck out here right now. I don't either. And I'm not forcing you to stay throughout the night here because you have work. But all of this demanding? It needs to stop for now." Christian thought he had been plenty patient with Dongju, from the start of the day to now. He didn't have the energy to deal with a temper tantrum and scolding from Dongju when he was already trying to solve this problem to the best of his abilities and respecting the younger's boundaries at the same time. "I'll call you a cab, but that's it," he said, pulling his phone out, "But Lori is my dog, and she's staying with me."

@Christian Yu "No way, you're not!" Dongju scrambled to gather Lori up. "She's had a long day already, she needs to sleep somewhere familiar. You're such a jerk to her." He didn't even have it in him to tell Christian how stupid he was for not buying insurance, especially not after Christian tried to make Dongju leave in a cab all by himself. "What if I need Lori to protect me on the way back? You can take care of yourself..." But if anyone tried anything on Dongju, Dongju knew he would crumble. "This is non-negotiable. Now call me a cab—I'm running out of batteries."

@Nam Dongju In hindsight, Christian probbably should've forked over the additional 50,000 won to ensure that all the insurance was covered, but he just didn't think that the unthinkable would actually happen to him. He was just trying to save up some money in that moment so that he wouldn't have too big of extra expenses to account for that month, but that clearly was not working out for him. "I uhm...didn't buy insurance," he said. Truth be told, Dongju didn't have to stay with him, nor did Christian have good reason to ask the younger to accompany him throughout the night. "That's fine, you go on ahead," he said, though he held on to Lori a little skeptically, "But I'm going to keep Lori with me tonight." He should be opening up shop tomorrow as well, but a few phone calls to hie clients with appointments would suffice for Christian until he was able to make it back into town.

@Christian Yu "What! No!" Christian's brain was small to start with, and now he had completely lost what was left of it. Dongju didn't even know how he could suggest something so horrifying. Their shops' rent was already being driven up, and now Christian wanted to spend /more/ money on unnecessary things? "You get a hotel," Dongju said incredulously. "I'm going to call a taxi. I have work tomorrow, you know? Don't worry, I'll bring Lori back with me first." With that, Dongju began to pack his loose belongings back into his bag, including Greenie, who he wouldn't trust Christian with even at gunpoint. "You're welcome to come with me. We'll just tell the rental to go pick up their car at the mechanic. This is what insurance is for."

@Nam Dongju After a very grueling conversation with the mechanic shop technician, Christian hung up the phone with a sigh. He the engine long enough to roll the windows down a little for some fresh air, then turned it back off again to explain the situation to Dongju. "They said the earliest they can send anyone out here is in about an hour and a half," he said, "Their shop only has one night mechanic and he's already on the road with another car in tow." He shook his head at Dongju's ridiculous notion, "No this car is a rental. We have to stay here with it. I asked him if the mechanic can give us a ride back to town, and I think he can. We'll just have to find a hotel on our own when we get to town, since the car can't be repaired until tomorrow." Christian sighed as he lowered his seat towards the back, "No use worrying now. I'd get some rest if I were you. We have some time to kill anyways."

@Christian Yu Dongju sat back down, but even if Christian tried to shield him from the sight of the wheel, and even if Dongju didn't drive, he knew there was no fixing that punctured tire overnight. He could literally feel the car sinking and dipping on his side of the car, and he clutched Lori a little tighter. "Is someone coming to save us?" Dongju asked quietly, glancing out at the rural road. There was nothing for miles around, and even the appearance of cars were beginning to thin out as the night deepened. "They're probably only going to save the car. They can't let us sit in it while they tow. What are we going to do? Hitchhike?"

@Nam Dongju Christian was every bit as baffled as Dongju was by the sudden flat tire that they were met with on the side of the road...in the middle of the highway. He groaned as he eyed his rental car, already imagining the inconvenience he'd have to go through of explaining the flat tire to the rental company if he just had it towed back like this. "Get back in the car," he ushered Dongju, not wanting them both standing out on the streets where cars flew past them like they were on fire. He went to the back first to look for the spare tire, only to find that said tire did not exist under the trunk. Sighing as he also got back into the car, he pulled out his phone, tapping into the search engine while saying, "I'll look for a repair shop nearby...see if they can send someone out to fix it for us. Hopefully it won't take too long..." Christian dialed the number of the closest shop they could find, then explained their situation to a very grumbly man who picked up the line on the other end.

@Christian Yu The sudden jerk of the car and Christian's yell nearly gave Dongju a heart attack as it pulled him from his sleep. His life flashed before his eyes, and he braced for it to all end, but instead, the car just rolled slowly to a stop. Dongju peeked out the window, his trembling arms clutching Lori tightly. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice still groggy with sleep. They were out of imminent danger now, but there was something clearly very wrong, and it didn't look as simple as Lori needing a bathroom break on the side of the road. He slipped out of the car with Christian, and they stood before a rapidly deflating wheel on Dongju's side of the car. Air whistled mockingly out of a large puncture hole, where a piece of metal was still stuck in the tread. "You've got to be kidding me," Dongju burst out. "Tell me I'm dreaming."

@Nam Dongju A day with Dongju was more exhausting than Christian thought it would be, so he was rather thankful that the younger decided to fall silent again once they were back on the road. By the time they were back, it would be close to midnight, and given the traffic that they were getting stuck in as they tried to get out of the city, Christian could almost sense himself needing a break at a rest stop for an energy drink. The first leg of their drive back was pretty quiet, and peaceful for Christian, who didn't really need the music as badly as Dongju thought he did. But as luck would have it, a sudden bang from outside their car and its jerking motion sent his heart racing. "Oh !" he exclaimed, gripping onto the steering wheel as he tried to figure out what they had just passed. Feeling his car getting pulled to the right, he knew something was wrong with his tire, leading him to pull onto the side of the road as he got out to examine what had gone wrong with the rental.

@Christian Yu Dongju didn't hold back an eye roll. "Thanks, I guess," he said. The meal was supposed to make up for the assault on Dongju in the car, and now Christian was making him thank him for it. Dongju sighed to make his displeasure known, leaning dramatically against the car before Christian unlocked it and let them back in. By this time, it was quite late, and they had a long day, so Dongju settled himself in the passenger seat with Lori and Greenie, and closed his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap, so don't play that disturbing music of yours."

@Nam Dongju Christian hadn't really planned for dessert to begin with, so he wasn't all that bothered by Dongju eating most of the peach cobbler. Using that time to get a better look at Dongju, Christian really got to notice the childish features that the younger still had, clearly indicating that he still had room to grow. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad for Dongju to have a well-mannered male role-model in his life, seeing as he lived alone. Out of seemingly nowhere, Christian made the resolution to do that whenever the opportunity arose, since he didn't need the younger to grow into a menace, if they were going to continue their neighborhood businesses beside each other. Once Dongju finished eating and took off, Christian sighed and paid the bill before going to out to find him. "Hey, I don't mind paying for your meal," he told the younger, "But what should you say after that?"

@Christian Yu "Thank you," Dongju mumbled after her, though he really had nothing to thank her for. Even if he did like anyone, why would it be /him/? Dongju stabbed at the cobbler, pulling it apart with his fork without bothering to offer a bite to Christian—if he wanted it, he would eat it. Dongju didn't need anyone else to misunderstand them. He just wanted to finish their meal and leave as soon as possible. Leaving scraps for Christian, Dongju scooped up Lori. "I'll wait for you outside. Hurry and pay the bill!"

@Nam Dongju Christian probably should've been at least a little offended by Dongju's disgusted reaction towards the notion of dating him, but his rationale was that he wasn't trying to start any type of romantic relationship with this /kid/ either, so he didn't need to take it personally. The more things one took personally, the more world of hurt they would get themselves into. He smiled apologetically at the young waitress as she backed away with their dishes, nodding his head, "We appreciate your gesture though. Thank you for the treat." Looking at Dongju pointedly, Christian beckoned the younger, "Go on, say Thank you." Even if they were just neighbors and nothing more, it didn't mean Christian had to watch Dongju go through life lacking some common good manners.

@Christian Yu Dongju was so so majorly disgusted that he was silent for a full ten seconds. "Me?" He pointed to himself, then at Christian. "And him?" Oh, the thought of it nearly brought all of Dongju's burger back up his throat. Christian, of all people? Did Dongju look like he had such bad taste? "You're joking." For the psychic damage, Dongju still took the cobbler as compensation, pulling it in front of himself. Their waitress was a little flustered, but she laughed and began to collect their empty burger dishes. "I apologize, you two just looked so much like a couple. I'll leave you the dessert as my apology. And don't worry, the boss is fine with it. Enjoy!"

@Nam Dongju Sensing the stares of customers around them burning into his skin, Christian's lip curled upward into a little snarl, as if threatening Dongju to shut his mouth. "Just eat," he said, hanging his head to curb his own ferocious expression. He liked to avoid as much unnecessary attention on himself as possible when in public, but Dongju somehow had no issues with garnering it. Christian focused in on his burger, taking big bites and savoring the melted cheese and the taste of the sweet, grilled onions between the warm, toasty buns. "I have to say," he said between his meal, "I didn't know you guys could do hamburgers so well."

Their meal passed without much more incident, and Christian was stifling a burp in the back of his throat when a young waitress approached them with a huge plate of dessert in hand. Christian was glad Dongju spoke up for once because the reason that she gave them left left him speechless. "Hahaha-" was his first response, then upon seeing Dongju's wide-eyed reaction, Christian simply said, "That's...very thoughtful of you. Won't your boss get upset with you for giving away your staff meal, miss?" he asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from the idea of them ever being a 'couple'.

@Christian Yu "Yes, you can give small amounts, IF THEY'RE NOT DRENCHED IN SAUCE OR FRIED IN OIL," Dongju yelled, drawing the stares from the few tables in the quiet store. He didn't see those, though, instead making sure Lori was secured first before picking up the knife and fork at the sides of his plate to begin cutting at his burger. "You are so annoying." Afterward, they both quieted until near the end of their meal, when their waitress approached their table with a slice of peach cobbler topped with an enormous scoop of ice cream. Dongju, with the waistband of his pants already feeling a little tight, eyed the plate. "We didn't order that," he said.

"It's on the house," the young girl chirped. "I always give my staff meal to the cutest couple of my shift. How long have you two been together?"

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@Nam Dongju "You act like she's eating it all day, every day. Don't you know its fine to give small amounts of meats to dogs too? It's protein for them either way," Christian said, still holding strong on his case. He eyed the succulent sitting off to the side suspiciously, though he eventually reached around it to pluck out a sanitizing wipe from the dispenser for his hand. Once he cleaned his hands, Christian picked up his burger. He grinned and gestured for Dongju to eat instead of ramble on and on, "I'm digging in first," he announced, taking a bite of the loaded-up burger.

@Christian Yu "I'm not putting him away," Dongju said, simply sliding the succulent to the side, in case he needed quick access to the plant if Christian said anything to piss him off. "It's not like I'm asking you to put Lori away. In fact, Lori is more than welcome to sit... here." Dongju stood and took advantage of the way Christian's hands were occupied with his food, plucking the dog from his side and setting her down beside him again. "I don't want you feeding her junk again," Dongju reasoned. "Now she has all of these treats we got her today, so /please/ stop giving her your saucy and fried . I'm begging at this point. She's going to turn up with high cholesterol the next time she has a check up."

@Nam Dongju Maybe it was therapeutic to people like Dongju to touch the plants and greenery around them, but it was truly a repellant for Christian. His grip around Lori tightened when he saw how Dongju d the succulent, as if its toxicity could be passed across the table. "To each their own," Christian answered, though it wasn't clear if he was responding to the name of the plant or Dongju's description of it. He simply picked up his cola when it arrived and took big, long gulps of the ice-cold beverage. It had been a long time since their last meal, and with the soda to remind his body of how hungry it was, his stomach began to growl. "Put your plant- Put Greenie away," Christian said when he saw the waiter approaching with two trays of food that looked like what they ordered, "Food's here."

@Christian Yu "But you own her. You have even more time with her than me even if I hold her in the car all day." Freaking jerk. Dongju's frown deepened, lifting only when their drinks arrived first. He took a sip of the milkshake—full of sugar and dairy, just like how he liked it, even if he was going to regret it the next day. "The sink is fine, stop trying to change the topic—don't call my plant 'it'. HE is an Echeveria elegans and he is beautiful." Dongju d the spindly leaves with his fingertip, as if any more aggressive movements aside from hitting Christian with it could ruin its structure. "I want to name it. How about... Greenie?"

@Nam Dongju "And I will do no such thing," Christian said, kissing Lori between her ears again, "I had to drive all day and you played with her. You even held her at the fair, let's be fair here alright?" he reasoned, making sure to keep Lori nestled right against his chest where she liked it. Eyeing the little succulent as if it were some kind of major adversary, Christian sighed and shook his head, "If that thing gets dangerous, I guess I'll just have to ask you to leave it outside of the car. Be careful what you do with it, if you want it to make it back home safely." He didn't need to go any deeper with a threat like that, since there were multiple layers for Dongju to interpret. "Anyways," Christian asked, deciding to bring things back to their neighborly relationship, "Any issues with your sink since that night?"

@Christian Yu Dongju crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. How dare Christian try to take back his dog? Lori already lived with Christian, and he already got to spend so much time with her, while Dongju was only allowed to see her if he happened to cross paths with her. His gaze wandered from Lori to Christian's still exposed arms—how did that man not get cold? "She /was/ having fun," he corrected, playing with the tip of a leaf on his succulent, "until you snatched her from me. Give her back or I'll stab you again."

@Nam Dongju "Go figure," Christian chuckled, putting his menu down and shaking his head in amusement at the sheer...confidence? audacity? that Dongju had. Maybe he wanted to get to know his neighbors better, but even Christian had a limit when stooping low enough to get people to like him. He didn't bring it up though, since this was probably going to be the last time that they did anything together, at least given the adverse reaction Dongju had to Christian's lips accidentally brushing against him. He eyed the succulent again, though he didn't make a comment on Dongju's haughty little demand. Raising his hand to call the waitress over, Christian placed their orders before handing back the menus. "Baby girl," he called to Lori, snapping at her from under the table, "Come to Daddy. Feels like I didn't get to hold you all day," he said, grinning as Lori leapt over to his lap and rested on him. Christian smiled, picking her up in his arms to kiss as he pleased, "Good girlll, did you have the most fun today? Oh yes you did, yes you did!"

@Christian Yu Dongju was easy to please. "Angus cheeseburger," he said, pulling Lori's flicking tongue away from the sticky menu. "I'll take it with half onions rings, half fries, and a vanilla milkshake. You're paying." If Christian covered their meal, then Dongju would forgive him properly. There was nothing for Lori, so Dongju fed her one of the treats they bought her before pulling his succulent out, which he had brought from the car, onto the table. "My new pet should eat with us too," he said, examining the leaves on the succulent. They weren't as green as they seemed earlier, and were softening at the tips. "He needs some water. Cold water."

@Nam Dongju Once Christian's mind was freed up from trying to safely get them out on the road, he started to replay the situation in his mind again. Supposedly he had only leaned in to grab the ticket from the glove compartment, but how had it been so coincidental for him to kiss Dongju's forehead? That probably wasn't a good look from him, but it just didn't seem right to bring it up again after seeing Dongju's adverse reaction to it all. The younger would probably think that Christian was mocking him for it. So, he let the little buzz on his lip linger until they got to the restaurant, which was so loud that having any semblance of a quiet conversation probably was unlikely. Upon being seated and given the menu to peruse, Christian read through the menu items, trying to piece their English pronunciation together using the Korean spelling, "Deo beul an geo seu chizeu beo geo...oh...[Double Angus Cheeseburger]." He frowned at how long the menu would take to decode like this, "Yeah I think I'm good with this one. I'm getting a cola and fries on the side. What about you?" he asked, having to lean closer over the table to hear Dongju speak.