CHAPTER ONE

...I thought that I was dreaming when you said you love me

It started from nothing

I had no chance to prepare

I couldn't see you coming...

After hearing a familiar tune, Jongin automatically opens his eyes but doesn't move an inch in his bed. He had fallen asleep again while doing one of his project and seeing how it was already dark outside, it must be very late. He glances at the small clock on his night stand and lets out a groan after realizing it was already mignight. Lazily, he sits back up and grabs the white Macbook at the other side of the bed. Thankfully, it didn't fall when he was sleeping because he wouldn't really want to go out and get a new laptop at their company at that time of the day. 

“This is why you should do your projects on time, you ing idiot.” His conscience tells him.

...I ain't a kid no more

We'll never be those kids again...

With his laptop now on his lap, he reaches for his papers at the table to check the remaining things that he has still have to do and gets back to business. Maybe it was because of his desire to sleep that he accidentally reached a part of his computer that he hasn’t been to for so long. Confused, he clicks on a folder that he named ‘plane’ for whatever reason and immediately regrets clicking on it upon stumbling a selfie of him and his former fiancé.

Suddenly, he didn’t feel very sleepy anymore.

...It's quite alright to hate me now

When we know deep down 

The feeling still deep down is good...

The picture he secretly took of them while she was sleeping on a plane back when they were about to go to Los Angeles together appeared at the computer screen. He stares at it with wide eyes, remembering all of what happened back then. He seemed so happy back then, even if it’s just a 4 pictured mosaic four years ago, it was obvious that he was happier before. He wasn’t sure if he could say the same thing now, though.

“I can’t believe I missed one picture.” He mumbles to himself angrily. He had deleted all of their pictures together, or her solo pictures, from both his phone and computer and he just couldn’t seem to believe that there was still one left. He immediately closes the picture and presses right click on the whole folder. His cursor hovers toward the delete button, but he found himself hesitating to do so. Just when he decided to click it already, his phone suddenly rings.

...All the things that I didn't mean to say

I didn't mean to do...

“What kind of sane person would call me at midnight?” He sighs, after getting startled by the sudden noise. Chuckling as he glances at his screen, he lowers the volume of the song before picking it up. The person calling him was in fact not sane. “What do you want?”

“Yo, man. What’s up?”

“Don’t ing ‘Yo, man. What’s up?’ me. It’s midnight already, Oh Sehun.”

Sehun just laughs after hearing how pissed his friend sound like. “Come on, man. It’s not like you’re already sleeping anyways.”

“Even if I wasn’t, it’s not normal to call at this hour.” He scolds him, and even if he couldn’t see him, he was certain that he was shrugging by what he just said.  To get a better reception, Jongin stood up and upon seeing his reflection on the mirror, his hands automatically fixes his dyed blonde hair. “Tell me what you want, and hurry. I have to finish something.”

“Can you come over tomorrow-”

“I told you, Sehun. I’m too busy to help you move out your father’s place. I’m sorry.”

“No, no! It’s not that, I swear. I just want to talk to you about something.”

Confused, Jongin raises an eyebrow. “Why must we meet there then? Can’t we just meet at the campus?”

“Because! Uh, because…”

“Because?”

“I honestly have no excuse to tell you.” Sehun laughs, and he could only roll his eyes. If he was right there beside him, he would have hit his head. “But seriously man, you have to go here once your classes end.”

“Alright, alright. I will.” He agrees, but only because he wanted to end their conversation already.

As soon as his class ended, Jongin drove to the Ohs’ mansion in his black Mustang car. Even though he originally planned not to as he didn’t have a very good sleep from last night, Sehun blasted his phone with his calls before he could even send him a message. He even prepared to make up a lie, with him forgetting about their conversation they had late last night, but his friend insisted for him to come.

His father was actually days away from getting remarried to Sooyoung’s mother, which Jongin finds quite funny as he knows that Sehun had tried to flirt with her back then in their Imperium Academy days. Meanwhile Mr. Oh planned to move in with his new family, Sehun didn’t want to, but not because that he didn’t get along well with his future step-mother and step-sister. In fact, they'd even have lunch sometimes at least once a week. He had actually bought an apartment near the campus so that ‘he could get up late but still arrive early in class’ and was actually slowly moving his things there. That’s why when he arrived, there was a truck and some employees from a moving company.

Sehun welcomed him his usual stupid grin at the patio. He waved at him excitedly as if he hasn’t seen him in ages, when they usually bump at each other at their campus. When they walk inside, he starts talking about Chanyeol’s arrival later that day, something that he already knows. He must have forgotten that he was also friends with him.

He would point that out, but he was slowly realizing that he doesn’t know where Sehun was taking him. Usually, when he comes over to his place, they’d either spend the whole time in his room, on his backyard or at the game room. But this time, for some reason, Sehun led him to the basement.

“What are we even doing here?” He asks him when he finally the lights.

“Just shut up and follow me.” He tells him as he walked ahead of him, not even bothering to wait for him.

The surrounding was so dusty, and it had a lot of old things, something that doesn’t really surprise him. Now that Jongin thinks about it, it was the first time that he brought him there. Never once in his years of being friends with him has he stepped on that basement. He hasn’t even heard him talk about it, not even once.

“Aha!” He hears him shout in glee. “I found it.”

Finally getting back to his sense, Jongin stops right next to Sehun. They both stood right in front of an easel and its canvas. It had a painting, a portrait of… him.

“Dude, you painted this?!” He asked in amazement. It was unique, definitely nothing if you compare it to any of Picasso’s or Van Gogh’s paintings but, nevertheless he thought it was something beautiful.

“Oh, Jongin. No matter how much I wanted to paint like this, it was a work that I did not paint. My face is already art, and if I did art as beautiful as this, it would be too unfair, don’t you think?” If you don’t know Sehun personally, you’d think that he was joking. But he was hella serious when he said that. “However, the painter who painted this had a face as beautiful as this.” He grabs the painting in his hands before continuing, “This, my friend, was made by Soojung-”

“Oh Sehun!”

“What? I haven’t even finished my sentence!”

“Didn’t I tell you to-”

“Never mention anything about her or her name, I know, I know.” He mocks his tone and proceeds to roll his eyes. “How can I tell you who really painted this then if I can’t even say her name?”

“You know what, I’m leaving.” Jongin tells him, turning his back on him and was about to walk away, only to be blocked by his friend.

“Okay, fine. I won’t say her name again.” He sighs, and Jongin turns to him again. “Anyways, remember when you… uhm, went to that café where Jackson and the kids used to work at?”

“What about it?”

“Well, during those days, you got mad at this girl who was hanging out with them, remember?” Jongin nods slowly, though he didn’t understand why he has to remind him that. “She got… really lonely because you ignored her for like two weeks or something and visited me almost every day. I even think that she missed you even though she never told me-”

“Just get to the ing point already.”

“Long story short, your birthday was approaching that time and Jung Soojung didn’t know what to give you so she invited Sooyoung here once and she helped her paint this. I honestly didn’t know why they had to do that here and annoy me in the process, but probably because Soojung knows that I like art. Anyways, in the end Soojung didn’t like this so she gave you those stupid coupons, though I doubt you disliked that though since you managed to have a date with her and even kissed her so…”

Sehun reveals everything in one breath, but immediately regrets it, putting a hand over his mouth in shock. He didn’t just say Soojung’s name once, but thrice. This is why people shouldn’t tell him secrets, nor should people tell him to rush as he usually panics. Jongin didn’t make any comments throughout what he said though and was pretty speechless.

“I’m going to kill you.” He warns him, but his eyes were still glued to the painting in his hands. He doesn’t say anything else until Sehun hands him the painting.

“Take it.” He tells him, and Jongin just frowns.

“Are you crazy?! There’s no way I’m bring something that she did back in my place! I mean, we're not even engaged anymore-”

“My father doesn’t want this around the new house, and neither do I!” This time, it was Sehun’s turn to frown. He has really had enough of his bull these past years of him acting as if he shouldn't see or talk about her ever again just because they called off their engagement. If only he wasn’t his friend, he would have left him. “Come on, Jongin. I’d be weird if I put up a portrait of yours in my apartment, and it’d be a waste if I just throw it away.”

Sighing, Jongin slowly reaches for the painting.

There have been a lot of changes for the past four years after Soojung’s departure.

Just like her, Chanyeol was out of the country, studying and occasionally travelling around Europe to find inspiration for his music. He’d always go back to Seoul whenever he’s free, but it would usually last just days and his friends would complain about that. Sehun seemed like the most normal one in their group this time. He was, no matter how weird it sounds, studying really hard this time. And there’s Jongin, who has started to help with their family’s company, something that he has been wishing to do. He’s no level of his father yet, but he’s really trying really hard to prove to them that he could do a good job in the company.

The one who has changed the most was Jinri, and even if Jongin wants to say it in a good way, it isn’t. Fame is such a scary thing. It can really change a person.

When her first movie came out, Jinri was an instant star. People loved and adored her. Her face was everywhere after that – tv shows, advertisements, commercials, music videos, more movies, fashion shows... She was called a Hallyu star, gaining a huge following in their neighbouring countries. All the girls wanted to be her, all the boys wanted to be with her. Jongin wasn’t really shocked. He has known her since they were children and he had always known that her friend would be famous, but not this famous.

All these had its pros and cons. The positive part is that she finally reached her dreams. She has followed her parents’ footsteps, something that she has always dreamed of. The con is the she has spent rarely hanged out nor