#remuxs

they say that a crescent moon looks like a smile in the sky; that the stars paint pictures and tell a long winded story if you look hard enough at the constellations.  they also say that when you look at the sky, you’re looking at the past because the heavens run on finite time and it takes so long for light to touch the earth.  such a strange concept that he almost thinks astronomy is a science studied by the dreamers in their vast imaginations large as the universe.  the thought of this always makes him feel really, very small ( makes him think off on tangents that have his mind rolling for hours ) but it is what it is, and it’s something beyond beautiful.  and so, ahn jaehyun always finds himself looking towards the sky.  

but tonight, he sees nothing beyond the glow of neon lights burning bright with colour, enticement — the stars won’t show themselves if there’s a rival light burning on the ground.  he wonders if that’s the vanity of the stars despite knowing it’s just the fact their light can’t reach — but it’s almost poetic to think that the stars get jealous, too.  his eyes sweep the street around him and how he found himself here, he’s not quite sure.  but this is where his feet led him as his thoughts wandered off to places elsewhere amongst the stars and this, too, is what it is.  

a wrong turn leads him to a street that’s way too dark, but he doesn’t feel his pulse quicken.  there’s nothing that makes his hands shake, because jaehyun looks up and he can once again see the stars — just a few of them, but enough to paint the picture that it’s supposed to.  but he’s standing in the middle of a too dark street and it’s time to move, or try to.  something, someone stops him before his feet take another step — it’s a pale arm that snakes around his body and makes him almost stiffen out of reflex.  almost.  

instead, jaehyun turns his head when he hears the voice -- clearly intoxicated, by the sound of it.  potentially harmless, but a turn of his head makes him wonder if he's seen this person somewhere before.  perhaps it's not that important, even though a nagging sense of familiarity tugs deep at his core.  he'll remember in due time, if it's necessary; they've never met, of this at least, he's sure.  he doesn't really make a move to disentangle himself from the embrace of the ( younger? ) man, just stands stock still because surely the other will fall if they're allowed to stumble on their own.  " i think perhaps you have me confused with someone else."  the words come slow but clear -- hopefully enough for someone so off point to understand.  but jaehyun, still, doesn't make a move.  

Whispering becomes the backdrop for several of his meetings. Drunken gloating is merely the high setting on the volume and he knows he can turn it down any time he wants, but he chooses not to, simply because here, he wants to be a bystander. He filters air from the smoke the clouds the room and waits as, one by one, a bet is placed, raised, and someone else folds.

It's easier to discuss things here, where he doesn't have to explain why someone who looks like a delinquent is walking around at company headquarters. He has plenty of these buildings, bars with back rooms solely for high-stakes games like these. If someone loses their entire savings account, nobody outside this room is going to know.

He doesn't play - he doesn't have to. He'll make money on it regardless. Not as much as the winner, but enough to make worth sitting through several hours of this shit. He's off to the side, watching from behind his... associate.  They discuss things over the other man's shoulder while he puts a small fortune on the line.

"I'm not sure why I should be inclined to partner with you," he says, and he knows that he's a little too candid sometimes - this would be one of them, "You don't have anything to offer me."

As he leans back, he decides he should probably invest in some better chairs in the future; this is starting to get uncomfortable. He threads his fingers together and lets his hands rest on his stomach, watches another man slam his cards face down on the table with an annoyed grunt. He almost wants to laugh.

In hell.

He would’ve preferred to respond that way, but the gaze staring back at him had foiled his intentions and left his mind completely blank. And then he felt the grip on his arm tighten and all senses of reality returned to his frame. In which, he wished hadn’t. The features facing him were excruciatingly painful to watch. The stranger looked… dreadful. It was a mystery on how the male was still breathing. He must’ve felt as shitty as he looked.