Yuta stood in the elevator, eyes fixed on his phone screen as he scrolled through the presentation his assistant had sent earlier that morning. "Yeah, I get it, don't worry," he said into the Bluetooth earpiece, his voice low and even.
"I'll tell you about it once I reach the office." He hung up and removed the earpiece, the sudden silence a welcome respite from the conversation.
As the elevator doors closed behind him, Yuta pressed the button for his floor and returned his attention to the screen, oblivious to the presence of another person in the confined space.
The other occupant of the elevator couldn't help but stare.
Yuta's focused expression and the soft glow of the phone screen illuminated his features, making him almost ethereal.
That was until Yuta looked up, his eyes locking onto the stranger staring at him.
The stranger's eyes widened in shock, his eyebrows shooting up toward his hairline.
"Oh my God, it's you?!" The words burst out of him like a dam breaking, loud and incredulous.
Yuta's head jerked up, his gaze snapping to the male standing a few feet away. The man's mouth hung open, his index finger pointing accusingly at Yuta.
For a moment, time froze. Yuta's mind went blank as he took in the familiar features, the sharp jawline, and the bright, expressive eyes.
The man's face lit up with a radiant smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "You are Taeyong's neighbor? My god, hi! You remember me?" The words tumbled out in a rush, each one overlapping the last.
Hoshi's eyes, wide with shock and confusion, darted between Yuta's face and the floor, as if searching for an escape route.
His cheeks flushed a deep pink, and his lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen in place by the unexpected encounter.
Meanwhile, Yuta's face remained frozen, his eyes fixed on Hoshi's animated features.
The world around him seemed to slow down, and all he could think was that this was the last place he expected to run into the other man.
The elevator, once a mundane space, had turned into a pressure cooker of awkwardness, with Yuta trapped and unsure how to react.
Yuta's eyes widened as he stared at Hoshi, his mind reeling from the unexpected encounter. "Uh-huh, what are you doing here?" he asked, trying to sound casual despite his growing unease.
Hoshi's face fell, and he looked at Yuta with a confused expression, realizing the awkwardness of the situation.
Yuta quickly shook his head, apologizing for his abruptness. "No, what I mean is... how are you here? I mean, what brings you here in the early morning?"
Hoshi's face lit up again, and he said, "I live here, on the 6th floor." He pointed his index finger up in the air, his happiness and excitement palpable.
Yuta nodded, feeling increasingly awkward as he tried to process the situation.
As they stood there, Yuta avoided eye contact, staring at the ground. After a few moments, he collected himself and stood straight, finally looking up at Hoshi. "It's nice to meet you," he said with a slight bow.
Hoshi imitated the bow, a small, childlike smile on his face. Before either of them could say anything else, the elevator doors opened, and Yuta quickly took his leave, followed by Hoshi.
As they parted ways, Hoshi's excitement was palpable.
He couldn't wait to tell Taeyong about the unexpected encounter. He dialed Taeyong's number, but it went straight to voicemail. Undeterred, Hoshi decided to break the news to Taeyong in person that evening.
As he drove to work, Hoshi's mind was filled with thoughts of Yuta and their unexpected encounter.
He couldn't help but wonder what Yuta's reaction would be when he found out they were neighbors.
Hoshi's excitement grew as he imagined Taeyong's surprise and reaction to the news. Little did he know, his enthusiasm would only be the beginning of a series of unexpected events.
[]
"Your life is really a fan fiction, you met that guy after almost a year and half and it turned out that he is your neighbour, congratulations yu." Kun teased yuta laugh hysterically making the Japanese male irritated.
"There's nothing to laugh about it qian, and moreover we are not neighbour, we live on different floors" yuta told the Chinese male who somehow managed to control himself from laughing much and hummed.
"But that didn't change the fact that now you guys gotta see each other here and there" Kun said and this is the thing bothering yuta ever since he met hoshi earlier in the morning that cause him getting distracted during the work here and there.
"This is too much" yuta said while sipping on his coffee that he bought from the coffee shop nearby the company when he was his way back to home but later decided to visit his favourite park near the han river first to clear his mind that was still roaming around the entire elevator thing.
"Coincidences happens man, it's ok moreover it's not that he is a criminal or a psychopath that is needed to be avoided, he seems like a nice guy by the way he helped you out last time and now by the way how happily he greeted you according to your narration"
"Yeah I know...but it's really awkward for me to see him, the more I look at him the more I feel like he might be making fun of me inside his heart for my reckless and vulnerable behaviour that I showed that time"
"Did he said something or did something that made you think like that?"
"No, but it's just how I think"
"Listen yu, if there is actually something like this been showcased by that man then address it id it's making you awkward, and if not then stop thinking too much because it won't help"
And the line went silent for a minute with yuta taking all the words said by kun in and thinking hard to apply it but it's just not easy when you have too many insecurities surrounding you.
Hearing no response from other side kun decided to lighten the topic up as he know yuta is intelligent enough to think things through he don't have to lecture the Japanese male now atleast not for now.
"So what's the name of the guy, we have been talking about for so long?" Kun asked snapping yuta back to reality and he sipped the coffee with embarrasment as he realised he never get to ask for the male's name.
"Don't tell me you didn't asked for his name, even after got to meet for the second time"
kun read it through the silence that has took place a moment ago and now when yuta awkwardly hummed in response kun rolled his eyes feeling extremely disappointed on his friend.
oh! How much he wish to be standing there infront of yuta give him some good slaps and punches.
"I was just too stunned to speak forget about asking for name"
"And what if you didn't get another chance to meet him then what?" Kun Said getting furious making yuta scrunched his face in disgust.
"Why are you behaving like this suddenly? And didn't you just said that we'll get a lot of chance to meet each other here or there, when we will meet again I'll ask him for his name, what's there for you to be so mad about?"
Yuta said not aware of how his remark made kun almost chuckle over the fact that he is the same guy who was saying that he don't want to meet that person again.
And now saying he will ask for his name on their third meeting as if he is 100% sure that he will meet that guy once again which is quite true.
"Forget it, judging from you narration of today's interaction you can't even look directly at him forget about initiating a conversation and asking for his name and I bet you still haven't thanked him properly for helping you, seriously never thought you would act like that yu"
kun said intentionally as he know how charged up yuta get when someone try to question him and will do his best to prove them wrong no matter who it is.
"Are you challenging me qian?" Yuta asked suddenly feeling pumped up and kun smirked evily as his plan for making yuta interact with that guy work halfway.
''what do you think?" Said kun and yuta nodded with determination suddenly feeling himself being full of energy.
"Fine then, if I met him again I'll initiate the conversation, ask for his name and will also thank him properly for helping me out that time"
"We will see."
[]
"So you know it all along the way?!" Hoshi said looking at Taeyong with a look of shock and disbelief the poor male can't believe that his bestfriend hide things like that from him for so long.
His excitement of telling Taeyong the entire thing went in vain and right now hoshi was looking like a kid whose candy got stolen away without even trying as his baby face do the thing itself making Taeyong feel bad and happy at the same time.
"Why you didn't tell me that when the first time you have told me about your new neighbour? Why you didn't told me that it was yuta, you really hide that from me for so long tae!" Hoshi whinned in anger punching Taeyong not so lightly at the arm making the older male laugh out loud causing few people to look at his direction where they were sitting in the residency park.
"Because I wanted to see that reaction, I am sorry" Taeyong apologised genuinely before hoshi shook his head in disappointment and shift in position a bit to look at the view in front of him then to look at Taeyong.
"Come on! Don't be too upset now, if I had told you that earlier would you had felt this Happy as you were actually when you saw yuta in the morning?" Taeyong said and hoshi sighed still angry at Taeyong even though he accept his point.
"You still should have told me" hoshi said looking sternly at Taeyong and the older male apologised once again as he know if though hoshi is the most adorable and wholesome person ever but his anger is something best to be avoided because the male know when to be funny and when to be not.
And he clearly don't like seeing his friends hiding things from him specially id it's realated to him and most specifically not Taeyong as the guy is like his older brother for hoshi.
After apologising few more time hoshi let go of his grudge and then again the two males start chatting happily as if hoshi wasn't angry just a moment ago, talking about work, friends, family and after a short comfortable silence that has fallen few moments ago.
Both the males enjoying the night view of their residency from a corner of the park, letting the cold breeze hit them on the face once in a while they felt extremely relaxed.
surely spending time in nature with someone you are close and with someone with which you can even enjoy silence surrounding both of you always have a healing effect.
And after a short silence Taeyong cake up with an out if Blue question for hoshi making the younger male confuse "so what about yuta now?"
"What about him?" Hoshi asked being completely oblivious making taeyong roll his eyes at him and shifted his upper body a bit to look at hoshi properly while still leaning back on the bench.
"Don't you think you should try to befriend him?" Taeyong suggested causing to male to give taeyong a look of unsurity, he had just met the Japanese and he is not that stupid to realise that yuta was not feeling comfortable around him at all.
Even though he realised it late but he eventually did. So how come he can think of befriending someone who is most probably wishing to ingnore him?
"What? Why should I?" Blurted out hoshi without more thoughts causing Taeyong to huff, the guy is already shipping them after judging from hoshi way of treating the Japanese.
Taeyong and hoshi know each other from years so there is no way that the older male is stupid enough to not to realise that there is a slight tension going on Between yuta and hoshi which don't feel negative or theartening at all ever since he saw both of them at hospital.
He can be wrong but his gut feeling are telling him that things could turn for better between hoshi and yuta as Taeyong knows hoshi's preference and yuta also don't seems to someone who might be against of dating some from same sex.
But Taeyong don't have absolute surety of anything so he don't want to push such thoughts to hoshi but atleast he can try to encourage hoshi to try befriending the Japanese as even though hoshi don't realise it yet.
Taeyong can see that he is excited to meet the Japanese again and to talk to him so why not try to take a risk of trying to make friends with yuta?
"Idiot, of course you should! because ever since I have saw yuta, I feel like he needs a friend, he never talk to anyone, I know I got no right to judge his attitude and I wasn't about to suggest you that earlier but now I think you should try to talk to him and I believe you would also love to have him as a friend now as he lives in the same residency isn't it?"
taeyong asked with a subtle hint of teasing that went unnoticed by hoshi as the male was thinking deep about Taeyong's word and suddenly a child like smile appear on his face as his thoughts got exposed by Taeyong when he said the last sentence and Taeyong felt proud to judge hoshi's thinking right.
"It might be a bad idea, he seems reserved and aloof specially in front of me he act like as if my entire presence is bothering him" hoshi said rembering the early morning incident and shookee his head in no, he don't want to embarss himself anymore nor want to bother someone when he know how uncomfortable the Japanese got in front of him in the morning.
"What are you thinking?" Taeyong said snapping hoshi back to reality who was looking ahead with a deep frown on as he was thinking about something.
"I think i should I not" Hoshi said looking back at Taeyong making the older wander why he said that.
"There is a lot of awkwardness among us which is pretty reasonable so it would be a bad idea to ask him to become friends.
"He already seems uncomfortable because of me and I don't want to make him more uneasy, better respect his choice and boundaries, but if in future I get the right chance then I wouldn't let it go and try to befriend him only if he'll allow or else no."
Hoshi told taeyong, who processed everything before nodding in agreement and realised his own mistake of unintentionally suggesting hoshi to step up on someone's boundary all because the older somehow ship the two and want them to get close with each other.
"You are right" taeyong said realising his mistake and hoshi smiled proudly and that's how the day ended with each of them learning something new regarding each other's perspective.
To be continued.....