i burned down my house and built it up again

the heat outside is merciless and the impending rain gives the air a muggy feeling. eunwoo is already counting down the days till the end of monsoon season, unable to bear this for any longer than necessary. the mall offers a much welcome refuge, the air conditioning works tirelessly to keep both staff and visitors cool. eunwoo frequents it more than he would like to admit, although not to drop his money at effulgé jewelers or try his luck at xpixels. with too much time on his hands, he has made it his mission to bother insoo at his tattoo shop several times a week. he can only imagine that his employees are sick of him by now, but if they are, they are masters at hiding it. perhaps eunwoo bringing in coffee for everyone every once in a while helps to keep their annoyance at bay. 

in eunwoo’s defense, he truly had not planned to drop by today. at home, a small mountain of paperwork is waiting for him, things to do with the restaurant and his parents, things he had been avoiding for the longest time. things that weigh heavy on him, although he doesn’t like to admit it. but instead of sitting by his small, round table in the kitchen, ripping at his hair and losing his mind just a little, he is now idly spinning in a swivel chair at barracuda, staring at the ceiling. the frappuccino in his hand is basically empty, he is only chewing on ice chunks by now, an occasional lone chocolate chip in the mix. insoo’s drink is still half full, unable to gulp it down as quickly with a tattoo gun in his hand. eunwoo hums along to the song coming out of the dingy portable speaker as insoo finishes up his customer, meticulously applying the second skin over his latest work.

after insoo cleans and wraps up his client's tattoo, he stands up shortly after eunwoo, grabbing his iced coffee to take a big gulp. “it’s a surprise, i'll take you over in a second.” he turned to address his client, giving a small nod.

"thanks for stopping in... sir.” this guy was definitely a regular and insoo forgot his name again, for the third or fourth time. “you can pay the rest of what you owe and tip with the receptionist, alright?" he starts walking toward the exit, quickly turning around to add, "and hey! make sure she doesn't try to double-charge you. she's a sneaky little thing, that one. don't let her pretty face fool you." he briefly wiggles his finger at the young woman tending the front desk, who simply scoffs as insoo leaves the shop with eunwoo strolling beside him.

once they get to the surprise location, insoo swiftly pulls out a paperclip from his back pocket, bending it straight before moving close to the door to pick the lock. it takes a concerningly-short amount of time for the lock to click, a big “for lease” sign falling off of the door as he opens it wide for the other to enter. “you first, future owner and ceo.”