Chapter Text
You turn over in your bed for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. You've never been a great sleeper, but tonight you feel especially restless. The moonlight shining through your windows feel more like a nuisance than anything else.
You reach over to your night stand and grab your cell phone off its charger, squinting a bit as your eyes are assaulted by the screen's light.
12:09AM
Perfect... you think to yourself.
You groan as you sit up and throw your covers off. You've been lying in bed for 3 hours trying and completely failing at getting any semblance of rest.
Maybe a midnight snack will help...
Late night snack runs are pretty common for you. A small unmanned instant noodle shop is just around the corner from your apartment, so you are a frequent customer there.
You scooch over to the side of your bed and swing your legs over, your feet hitting the cold hardwood with a quiet thud. You stand up, reaching your hands over your head and stretching. You grunt a bit when you hear a small crack from your shoulders.
You sigh as you wander over to your closet and start digging for something to wear.
Just because it's after midnight, doesn't mean you need to look like a bum.
You settle on a hoodie over your current top and a pair of ripped jeans. You shove your phone and wallet in your pockets and head to the front door of your apartment.
You kneel down near the door where you keep your shoes and throw on a pair of high-tops, then grab a hat to cover up your messy hair. You use your phone to look at yourself, and with a satisfied hum and a nod, you grab your keys off the hook and head out the door.
...
As you ride the elevator down from your apartment, you mind wanders to anything and everything:
I need to send that invoice to the finance department.
Didn't Jay say something about needing materials for his upcoming merch drop?
When was the last time they cleaned this elevator? There are fingerprints everywhere.
Did I lock my apartment door? I think I did.
MURDERER.
You wince and press you palms to your forehead.
Walking around like any regular human. You're a monster. You should be locked away.
"SHUT UP!" you yell, your head now pounding from the voice all too familiar.
You're panting and shaking, but the voice subsides. You exhale slowly and collect yourself as the elevator reaches the ground floor. You let out a sigh of relief as you walk out into the cool air and make your way towards the noodle shop.
Your thoughts wander again:
What kind of noodles should I eat tonight? I think Huntrix had a new flavor. Hamburger or something? I can't remember. Ooh, maybe some tteokbokki.
They still haven't fixed that streetlight.
Did I send that email to Mr. Sung yesterday? Better check when I get back.
You sigh deeply, looking down at your shoes and noticing one is untied - mentally telling yourself to take care of it when you get to your destination.
...
You're lost in your thoughts as your legs instinctively carry you towards the noodle shop. You've made this walk tons of times and can get there with your eyes closed.
You take the familiar turn on the corner where the shop is situated. You think how nice it is that this place is open all night, especially at times like this.
You look up as you reach the noodle shop, but are met with what feels like a brick wall as you crash into something.
You hear a loud crunch and the force knocks you back onto your ass, hitting the cold ground with a grunt and a wince.
A busted soda can drops to the ground near you and makes a hissing sound as it leaks everywhere. Next to it is a cracked instant ramyeon cup, bits of crushed noodles spilling out the hole in the side.
"Are you all right?" you hear a man's voice ask.
You're about to respond when a pair of hands reaches for you, and you flinch back instinctively with a small gasp. The hands retreat, and the man starts to apologize.
"Sorry..."
"It's fine. I'm fine," you say a little too quickly, "It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going."
You stand up and brush yourself off.
"Let me get that for you..." you kneel back down and start picking up the pieces of his broken ramyeon cup and dented soda can.
USELESS.
"You don't need to do that. It's really okay," you hear him say.
"It's the least I can do for ruining your meal," you respond, ignoring the aching in your head.
There's a short pause before you hear the man laugh quietly, "It's just instant noodles and soda."
WORTHLESS.
You stand up and throw the poor man's ruined food in a nearby garbage bin.
"It was still my fault," you say as you turn to finally look at the man you crashed into.
"Let me make it up to y--"
Your jaw drops, and you take a step back as your met with broad chest at eye-level. Your eyes go wide as you look up at the man's face.
He's got to be one of the most beautiful men you've ever seen, and he's huge.
Short, messy, dark pink hair peeks out from the hat he's wearing, and he's got a jawline that could cut glass. Your head barely reaches the man's shoulders, and based on the way it felt when you crashed into him, he's gotta be all muscles.
He's wearing a similar outfit as you - a plain hoodie and jeans with sneakers, but he looks GOOD.
You eye him up and down a couple of times quickly, but you're speechless.
He raises an eyebrow at you and smirks, and you practically melt.
"You good?" he asks casually.
You can hear the amusement in his voice.
You finally snap out of whatever trance you were in and shake your head, trying to get your thoughts together.
"Uh... yeah. Sorry, I've just never seen you around before. Caught me off guard a little."
He laughs lightly. "Me? Or someone like me?"
"Uh... both, I suppose?" you reply, feeling your face turning red. "I come here pretty often, so I definitely would have remembered you."
He laughs again. "I am pretty new in town. This is my first time visiting this shop."
You mentally slap yourself in the forehead, "And I ruined it..." you mumble, mostly to yourself.
You ruin everything.
SHUT...UP... you scold at the voice in your head.
He laughs deeper this time and shrugs. "It's just some noodles and soda. It's not the end of the world."
He turns and gives a small wave as he begins to walk away, and panic washes over you.
"Wait!" you practically scream as you grab the arm of his hoodie.
He turns back and gives you a questioning look.
You pull back your hand, feeling embarrassed.
"Sorry... just... please, let me make it to up to you. It really was my fault. At the very least, let me replace your stuff," you plead, hands together and giving him your best puppy dog eyes.
He raises an eyebrow at you again and smiles. His smile is gentle and his shoulders slouch a little in defeat.
"Alright, if you insist," he says.
You exhale a small breath you didn't realize you were holding in and reach out your hand.
"I'm Y/N," you say with a smile.
He reaches out and shakes your hand gently.
You can't help but think he could shatter your bones with how big his hand is compared to yours.
"Abby."
...
"So... Abby," you start, heading into the shop, "what kind of noodles and soda would you like?"
Abby's eyes wander to the different shelves of instant ramyeon, tteokbokki, and other snacks. He's got a contemplating look on his face as his eyes then move to the coolers lining one of the walls, scanning across the different flavors.
He walks to the back of the store where there are tables with stools set up. He takes a seat on a stool, facing you, leaning back with his elbows against the table. He shoots you a small smirk.
"Surprise me."
You feel your face heat up a bit.
Fuck, he looks good.
"Did you wanna eat it here? Or...? You seemed to be heading somewhere before I crashed into you and destroyed your food," you say, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly and looking anywhere but at Abby.
"Sure. I've got time," he says, "and the company's not so bad." He winks at you, and you're sure your face is as red as a the spicy ramyeon cups on a nearby shelf.
You turn and walk away quickly, suddenly extremely focused on the task of finding food and drinks for you and your new...
Friend? Could you call him that? You'd only just met.
You think anyone would want to be friends with someone like you? If only he knew the truth.
You flinch at the sudden voice interrupting your thoughts. Your head starts to pound, but you try to ignore it. You take a few deep breaths and shake your head, and you start scanning the shelves, ignoring the feeling of Abby's eyes on you. You hope he hasn't noticed.
They have every flavor you could ever want.
Sesame Garlic... Black Garlic... Hamburger... Cheese... Spicy Cheese... Can he handle spicy food? I have no idea what this man likes.
Since when have you cared about anyone but yourself?
You squeeze you eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
Fuck off, you say to the voice raging in your mind.
You decided to go for the safest option and grab two cheese noodle cups.
Everyone likes cheese, right?
Ever the people-pleaser. If only it weren't an act.
If only YOU weren't such an asshole!
You try not to crush the noodle cups in your hands out of frustration as the voice laughs before fading into silence. The ache in your head diminishes, and you continue on your task.
You bring to noodles over to the hot water dispensers and set them up under the spout. You start the hot water. While that's going, you walk over to the coolers and look through the tons of flavors of soda.
Original Cola... Cherry... Strawberry... Grape... Orange... What flavor did he drop? I think the can was yellow?
Your eyes scan the shelves looking for a yellow can that might have matched what he dropped earlier.
Mango... Bingo! you think to yourself.
You've never tried the mango one, but it sounds good, so you grab two out of the cooler, smiling to yourself.
You glance back to where Abby is sitting and freeze. He's got an unreadable expression on his face, and he's staring right at you. Your eyes lock with his, and your stomach does a flip.
Has he been watching me this entire time?
You push back the feeling in your stomach and hold up the mango sodas so he can see, flashing him a triumphant smile.
His laughter feels extra loud in the empty shop.
"My hero," he says dramatically, placing his hands over his heart.
You laugh and roll your eyes at him.
"Think fast!" you shout as you toss both soda cans to him.
He catches them effortlessly and raises an eyebrow at you.
You stick your tongue at him as you walk back over to the hot water dispenser. You grab some chopsticks and the two ramyeon cups, now filled with hot water.
You carry them back to where Abby is sitting, and you're a little surprised to see that he's still looking at you. You place one noodle cup on the table behind him, and he spins around on his stool.
"Thanks," he says as you hand him chopsticks which he places in top of his cup to wait for it to finish cooking.
"You're welcome," you say, laughing quietly.
You place your own cup at the seat across from him and do the same. You then walk back to the front of the store to the payment kiosk.
You start typing in your order and can feel his eyes on you again, but you don't turn around. You pull out your wallet and swipe your debit card.
The kiosk makes a pinging sound and shows you're all paid.
You make your way back to Abby, and he's turned around now with his back facing you, seemingly scrolling through his phone.
You sit at the stool across from him and smile, putting your hand under your chin and leaning on it. He looks up from his phone before shoving it back in his pocket and smiling back at you.
...
You're not exactly sure how much time passes as you sit there with Abby. You've long since finished your ramyeon, but you're having trouble finding the will to get up and leave.
You've been talking about everything you can think of. You learn he shares an apartment with four of his closest friends somewhere nearby. His favorite soda is the mango flavor, and he doesn't like spicy foods.
"Well, it's a good thing I went for the mild ramyeon, huh?" you say, mentally thanking yourself for choosing the safe option.
"Absolutely," Abby responds, "my roommate is the one who goes for the spicy stuff. He's always slipping hot sauce into my drinks."
You almost choke on your drink as you start laughing at the thought.
"He sounds like a menace."
"Oh, he definitely is."
You both laugh before falling into comfortable silence. You fiddle with your empty soda can.
"You said you're new here, right?" you ask. "Are you here for a job?"
"Something like that," he replies with a sigh, leaning forward with his arms on the table.
You give him a puzzled look which he notices. He smiles before continuing.
"It's a lot more work than I expected. Lots of late nights and meetings and planning..."
You groan at the thought, slouching back against the windows behind your stool.
"Ugh... I can definitely relate. My job is the same way. Meetings and emails, emails and meetings... It's rare I don't take work home with me."
"What do you do for work?" Abby asks.
"Oh... uh..."
You're uncertain if you should give him the details of your job. He seems nice enough, but he is still technically a stranger. You decide to keep it vague.
"I work in the K-Pop industry. I'm not an idol or anything, but I do my fair share of work."
"Interesting..." he says. He's staring at you again.
You tilt your head to the side curiously.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Abby chuckles. "No, there's not. I just think you're an interesting person," he smiles, leaning his head on his hand.
Your jaw drops and you feel your face turning a million shades of red. You're unsure how to respond. You suddenly become extremely focused on your empty soda can, fiddling with it and avoiding Abby's stare.
He's lying.
You accidentally crush the can in your hands as that familiar voice grates in your brain. You start to sweat a bit, trying to ignore the pain in your head.
You're nothing but a burden. You always have been.
Get out of my fucking head.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Abby reaches a hand out to your shoulder, but you panic and slap his hand away. He looks at you with a shocked look.
You ruin everything.
"S-sorry," you begin apologizing. "I'm fine," you lie. "Just... tired. I haven't been sleeping well, and it's got me on edge all the time. I guess it's really starting to get to me," you say as you force a small laugh.
You just can't stop lying, can you?
Go to Hell, asshole.
Abby looks unconvinced, but he doesn't push it further. "You should go home and try to get some rest then," he says with a small smile.
You can't help but think he looks sad. You feel a pang of guilt in your chest. You don't want to end your time with Abby so soon, but the increasing pain in your head is making it difficult to focus on anything.
You pull your phone out of your pocket and check the time.
3:16AM
You sigh, your hand pressed to the side of your head. You mentally thank the universe for having the day off from work. You stand up to gather up your empty noodle cup and crushed soda can to toss them in the garbage.
Abby does the same and you feel his eyes burning holes in your back as you walk towards the door.
You both step outside and you take a deep breath of the cold air, trying to calm your nerves.
"Will you be all right getting home on your own?" you hear Abby question.
You force another smile and turn to him.
"I'll be fine. I don't live far."
You don't deserve to live at all.
Abby is frowning at you, and you struggle to keep up the facade.
You throw your hood over your head and shove your hands in your pockets so he doesn't see them shaking, hoping he'll be convinced you're simply trying to keep warm.
"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll bump into you again. Hopefully, not so literally next time," you joke, trying to break the tension.
You give him a small nudge with your elbow and a wink before turning to walk toward your apartment.
"See you, Abby."
You hear him laugh quietly somewhere behind you.
"See you, Y/N."