Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been taking me so long to update. I'm trying to keep working at everything, but things have been hectic- but I'm still here! Slowly working on it (ﾍﾟ◇ﾟ)」

I do not own Mystic Messenger!

Yoosung sat at his desk, staring blankly at the half-typed report on his computer. He had piles of papers to review and file in-depth reports on, but his mind was somewhere far, far away from here. His assistant had pointed out over a dozen mistakes on his first report of the day, he spilled coffee all over the counter, and even tripped over his own feet at some point in the morning, absolutely unable to pay attention to life going on around him.

His assistant stepped up to his desk in a hesitant manner, a timid smile on her lips.

"Dr. Kim? Are you alright..? You don't look well."

"Huh?" Yoosung jumped in surprise, sighing as he adjusted his glasses, rubbing his forehead, "Um- Yeah- I just feel a little out of it, is all."

She shifted in her position as she stared down at him, clicking her nails on the clipboard in her hands, unsure whether to look directly at him in his current state.

"There isn't much left to do for today- You can leave the rest to me. Go home and get some rest, alright Doctor?" She smiled, bowing slightly as she walked away. Yoosung called out a soft thanks as she left the room, turning off his computer and getting up to grab his coat.

He walked out of the office, waving goodbye to everyone as he left the building, walking around to the lot in the back, hopping into his car. The engine roared to life as he clipped his seatbelt on, backing out and heading onto the road, his body on autopilot as his mind swam with thoughts that were so unclear, he couldn't understand them himself.

He jumped in surprise as his phone rang over the car speakers, just remembering he had the bluetooth feature set up. He answered the call, clearing his throat as he spoke.

"Hello?"

"Yoosung! How are you? I miss you!"

Yoosung relaxed a bit as his cousin Rika's voice floated out of the speakers, her jubilant tone surrounding him.

"Ah, Rika! I miss you too- How's V?"

"He's doing well. We are currently hosting Jumin at our house since Zen got angry at him over Elizabeth again."

Yoosung laughed softly, making a left turn onto a residential street.

"It's never-ending with those two, it seems."

"That is true," Rika giggled softly before letting out an excited gasp, "But I forgot- I heard you may have a crush! Why didn't you tell me?"

"W-What?!" Yoosung felt his face begin to burn, his hands gripping the wheel much harder than they were moments ago.

"Well, Zen told Jumin, and Jumin told us, so-"

"I know, I understand how the info chain works, just-" Yoosung sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand, the other still tightly gripping the wheel, "Ugh, damn it, Zen..."

"If you don't want to talk about it, I'll respect that! But I still want my cute little cousin to rely on me, y'know?"

Yoosung sighs heavily at Rika's playful tone- she means well, but he wassn't sure if this wass helping him in his current state.

"Thank you, Rika- but I promise I'm fine."

Rika giggles softly, letting out an affirmative noise.

"Alright Yoosi. But! Just remember this- You are much more of a man than you give yourself credit for! Come over for dinner sometime soon- don't be such a stranger, okay? Bye!"

The dial tone rang through the car before he could even say goodbye. He pulled up to his apartment building, shutting off his car in his parking spot, making his way upstairs. Sally greeted him with a happy meow, curling around his feet as he stepped in the door. He crouched down, scratching beneath her chin affectionately.

"I'm home, Sally."

She meowed again, padding her feet in front of her food bowl, earning a soft laugh from Yoosung as he walked over, getting her food for her, and preparing some for himself soon after. He reached into the freezer, grabbing a microwave dinner- Today was such a disaster it would be too dangerous to try to cook anything. He ripped open the package, putting it in the microwave. He looked out the window, watching the colours in the sky change as the sun began to set, replaying Rika's words in his mind all over again.

"You're much more of a man than you give yourself credit for!"

Yoosung bit at his lower lip softly, sighing to himself. Was he really a better man than he thought? How does one even begin to figure that out?

The microwave beeped, signalling his food was done, and he pulled it out, settling down at the table, shovelling the food into his mouth slowly. Sally purred at his feet, happy and content with a full belly, as well as elated that her human was home. He smiled to himself as she did so, still contemplating his thoughts.

"What can make me believe I'm a better man? Getting out of my comfort zone, maybe?" He spoke aloud, more so organizing his thoughts rather than hoping for some kind of answer. Suddenly though, it hit him- he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He finished his food, tossing the plastic into the recycling, quickly heading into his bedroom to change. He put on a maroon boatneck long-sleeve with a silk black vest on top, black skinny jeans and dark red shoes. He slid on his black jacket, grabbing his red glasses and heading out the door, giving Sally a quick apology as she let out a dejected meow.

He hailed a cab upon walking outside, his leg jittering impatiently as buildings whizzed by, his heart pounding in anticipation as he reached his destination, handing the driver some cash, insisting he keep the change.

He walked into the bar with purpose, his head held high, forcing his anxiety down- this was what he needed to do.

He opened the doors, his heart soaring as he saw Saeran look up from the bar, his face going from stoic to glowing just by looking at him. Saeran leaned on the counter, setting down the glass he had been cleaning, a coy smile playing upon his lips as Yoosung approached him.

"My my, What did I do to deserve to have you all to myself?" Saeran looked him up and down, the look in his eyes making it clear he liked what he was seeing, his lashes hanging low and flirty in his gaze, "What's the special occasion?"

Yoosung smiled, leaning on the counter, much closer to Saeran than he'd ever dared to before, his cheeks tinting pink as he did so.

"I just really wanted to come alone."

And that's it for this chapter! it feels kinda short but the next few will be longer, so ;0; Yeah! I hope you enjoyed~

~Pixil-8