After putting the coat on, the lady you now referred to as nuna led you to an airconditioned room. It was rather quiet there and you guessed that maybe, she was asking you to take a rest for a while. You did your 90-degree bow as a sign of gratitude. And obviously surprised, she pointed you to an empty swivel chair; and off she hurried away.

You entered the room and closed the door. You walked quietly to the chair, but as you came closer, you realized that maybe, it was meant for someone else. It has a sign on it saying, ‘RESERVED FOR LEE TEUK’. Disappointed, you went to the sofa near the table where almost a hundred bottles of mineral water were piled up. Beside it were fruits – as you thought it was – neatly packed in separate containers. It looked delicious, and you wonder for whom those were.

Trying to stall away from the idea of hunger – as you haven’t eaten anything since that morning, you sat on the farthest side of the comfortable sofa and leaned your head on the armrest. It was the cosiest spot on that place, you thought. So in the hope of lessening the tension which was building up again on your chest, you looked around the room.

That was when you realized that there were a lot of flower stands inside. In its ribbon were written different messages of congratulations. You wonder what that was about. The last time you have seen those were in a wedding you recently attended with your sister. Were you in a wedding? Are you getting married?

It was a stupid idea. The flowers must have been set there for something else. You smirked at your foolishness and leaned back on the sofa, and closed your eyes to steal some sleep. But just before you doze off fully, you heard the doorknob clicked and you felt that the door opened. Somebody had just entered the room, and with full curiosity, you opened your eyes and looked.

A chubby man, probably twenty years old, came with the same quizzical look you had on your face the moment you stepped inside. His puppy-like eyes were scanning every corner, as if trying to investigate if there’s a bomb or anything hidden. Then his eyes met yours, and you shuddered at the kind of stare he had given you.

Who are you? The man asked.

You were taken by surprise on the arrogance of his tone. You wanted to retaliate of this insolence, but you were stopped by your own instinct as you saw him approach you. That was when you noticed how firm his body was. It was not baby fats after all. It was muscles which are hidden behind the coat he was wearing – which you later on noticed that was similar to yours. Of course you knew how those two differed because you’ve been trying your best to achieve that kind of body too.

Just before you can even speak, he sat beside you and comfortably put his hands on the back of his neck, as though leaning. You looked at his face; he didn’t look so conceited after all. It must have just been the kind of charisma he exuded – strong and superior.

Aish. Don’t look at me like that. Are you gay?

You jumped to your feet, rather surprised than angry. Then you laughed at yourself upon realizing the stupid mistake you just did. Of course, it was bad to stare like that at people. How many times would you have to remind yourself for that day?

No, no! You defended yourself in an assuring tone that you are indeed not a homoual. I was just curious about the kind of charisma you had. You got me afraid the moment you walked in to that door, but as I saw you close, I realized you weren’t that bad after all.

The young boy laughed and it reached your ears like a message telling you that you can sit again and relax. He wasn’t going to hurt you.

Many think I have that kind of attitude, but yeah, it was just the first impression. It’s not like I’ll just punch people anytime I want to. Well, my temper isn’t that good, especially when I don’t get enough sleep – there was emphasis on his voice when he said that – but overall, I’m a good boy.

You heaved a deep sigh and it made him laugh even harder. The sound of his rough voice echoing through that secluded room, bouncing off through the corners, it was music to your ears. Then you saw his eyes, it had turned into a single line and you wondered if he can ever see.

He noticed your stares again, and blatantly asked you one question, How old are you?

Rummaging your mind for words as you were taken by surprised again, you tremblingly answered, t-t-twenty f-f-five.

Oh, I should call you hyung. He smiled at you and once again, you let out a loud sigh. This time, it was a reassuring one. You were older, after all. There was no reason to be nervous around this guy.

By the way, you looked at him again as you muster the courage to ask the one question which answer you’ve been dying to know. He turned to you with an eyebrow raised,hmm?

Do you know what are we doing here? It was a stupid question, but it was an important one for you. You have been there for like hours already but you are still clueless about what you were supposed to do. He looked at you in a very puzzled manner, and asked,you have no idea?

You shrugged your head with full innocence. The boy stood up and inspected the lunch boxes in front of you. Then he went to the flower stands, probably to check if the floras were indeed real. When he looked convinced that it were authentic flowers that were there, he faced you and smiled,

Well, they say it’s a freefall.

A what?

It’s not the right time to play a guessing game. You knew the time is ticking and you were left with a few more hours before the time you were convinced to be the end come. Annoyed, you grunted. The young man noticed what you did and went back to sit beside you.

Your arms were now folded and your impatience was somehow enveloping the whole area. Noticing the sudden change of atmosphere, the young man became anxious.

What do you mean? You started another conversation with a hyung-like tone this time. You threw an annoyed glance at the young man beside you, and as your eyes met his, he jumped like he had just stepped on an angry fox’s tail.

I don’t know! I don’t know! That’s what I just heard outside! He was raising both his hands as if a sign of surrender. His normally arrogant tone was replaced by a panicky one. You saw his knees shaking in spite being seated, that’s when you realized that you’ve crossed the line and the man was saying the truth, after all.

Mianhae.

The young man took a deep sigh of relief putting his right hand on his chest. Don’t ever do that again, hyung. He pleaded you, the rough voice coming out again.