woohoo~ it's here!

Jongdae takes a moment to read the line over and over again, at loss for words.

Memories come to his mind not in visual forms but in countless conversations…

- - - -

“Hello there.”

Sitting in one of his high school classrooms, Jongdae continued to face ahead as he sat at his desk chair, eating his lunch sandwich alone.  There were sounds of small chatters from several classmates in the classroom.  He did not mind as most of the other classmates had their lunch breaks outside of the classroom, finding the environment to be relaxing and less distracting.  Jongdae had gotten around by himself in the schools he attended, mostly with the help of his walking stick, sometimes with the help of his sister, so solitude was not an issue for him.

A clean, fresh scent of lemon filled Jongdae’s nose.  He did not recognize the voice nearby, for it did not match with any of his classmates’ voices that he so often heard.  And so he did not bother to say anything, assuming the speaker was talking to anyone but him. 

Jongdae detected a prominent Chinese accent behind the voice.  He thought to himself, There’s a Chinese student in our class? … When did we have a Ch-

A gentle touch on his shoulder…

Stopping mid-chew, Jongdae furrowed his brow in confusion while he slowly turned his head to the sensation on his shoulder. 

“Hi, my name is Zhang Yixing.”  It was the same gentle voice Jongdae heard for the second time in a row, somewhere above his head.  Jongdae finished chewing his sandwich before swallowing it. 

“H-hi…” Jongdae could safely assume that the person was standing, so he nervously looked up to where he thought the person’s face would be.  Little did he know he was facing Yixing, his aim was not too far off from Yixing’s face.

“What’s your name?”

“Er…J-Jongdae.  I mean, Lee Jongdae.”

“Nice to meet you, Lee Zhongda.”  Jongdae detected Yixing’s strong accent, and how it had almost altered the entire pronunciation of his name, leaving him fascinated with his new name.  Lowering his sandwich promptly onto his desk, he wiped his hands free of crumbs before he politely lifted one of his hands.  A warm hand enveloped his hand and Jongdae found himself shaking hands with Yixing.  After the handshake, Jongdae noticed that Yixing continued to hold it for a little longer with a looser grip.

This is a little too long for a handshake, Jongdae thinks to himself.

“Do you mind having some company for lunch?” 

“O-oh…uhm.  No, go right ahead.  Have a seat…erm…somewhere.  I usually eat alone, but I don’t mind…having…some…company.”  Jongdae said haltingly, feeling slightly awkward.  He refused to acknowledge the pace of his heartbeat quickening in his chest.

“Heh, thanks.”   As Yixing let go of Jongdae’s hand, he smiled at him and seated himself in the empty desk next to Jongdae.  “I’m 17, by the way.”

“Oh, I’m 16.”  Jongdae smiled lightheartedly as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt with one of his hands, feeling nervous with the state that he is in.  A year above me, that’s why I didn’t recognize his voice… he thought to himself.

“Ahh, I’m older than you.”  Jongdae detected a hint of amusement in Yixing’s voice.  “You can call me ‘hyung’, or ‘gege’ if you want.”

“Actually…I’m part-Chinese, part-Korean.”  Unbeknownst to Jongdae, Yixing reacts with a look of astonishment before it changes to a look of admiration.  Jongdae continued on, “So at my house, my family and I speak both languages.  Can I call you ‘gege’, then?”

“Whatever you want~” Yixing said in Chinese, almost in a singsong manner, happy to have made a new friend.

Having understood that, Jongdae felt a smile creeping on his face.  He wondered why of all these days in his early years of high school, was this the day Zhang Yixing come up to meet him that day. Unfortunately, their chat was short-lived as the bell rang soon afterwards, signaling that class is about to begin.

- - - -

Jongdae’s answer comes not too late nor too soon after their first meeting.

At the cafeteria during lunch, Jongdae was by himself once again, eating Minseok’s homemade noodle soup, thinking back to the day when he first met Yixing.  He had not heard from Yixing since that day, and now, he felt strangely alone, wishing that his friend would join him a little more often for lunch. 

Just then, among the loud chatters of students, a voice was heard louder than the others.  It was coming from none other than the person standing in front of Jongdae on the other side of the table.

“Hi Zhongda, I’ve noticed you’re eating by yourself a lot.  Sometimes I see you eating with a girl, whom I assume is your younger sister.  It seems to me that she may have a different lunch period, so I thought I’d like to accompany you for lunch.  Do you mind?”

At first, Jongdae furrowed his brow upon hearing the voice, frowning a little.  Suddenly, he brightened and nodded, recognizing the owner of the voice. There was a wonderful feeling inside his chest that was threatening to burst.

“Th-“

“Actually…”

Jongdae’s throat hitched at the sudden interruption, his face slightly dropping, and waited for Yixing to finish.

“I was thinking…if I could be your friend from now on.  You really seem like a genuine person, and I’d like to get to know you more.  I have some friends, but most of them don’t attend this school, except for my brother.  Plus, I see you around in school almost every day; it’s not that hard to miss the only blind student in here.  But…you don’t look like you have many friends.  I mean, you might have some classmates but…I don’t see you hanging out with them or vice versa…”

Jongdae did not say anything, feeling a little confused at Yixing’s rambling.  He let Yixing explain more.

“It’s just…you caught my eye a few months back and it’s rare that we walk past each other in the halls.  I have been wanting to talk to you but I end up watching you from a distance.  Oh geez, I sound like a creeper.  Sorry, Zhongda…I honestly do not have any wrongful intention.  I really do want to be your friend even though we just met a few days ago, please understand.”  Still confused, Jongdae nodded a bit too excitedly, wanting to understand what point Yixing was trying to make. 

“You know, you always have this smile on your face everywhere you go, and it makes my day every time I see it.  But, strangely, I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem complete without having a friend walking with you.  Life is meant to be enjoyed everyday, but it shouldn’t always have to be enjoyed alone, you know what I mean?”

Jongdae slowly nodded, still unsure of Yixing’s vague speech, before he brought himself to answer.

“Y…yes, I think I know what you mean, Yixing-ge.  Uhm…it may seem that I hang out with my classmates but the truth is that I’m not that great of a social person, I’m not one to have a lengthy conversation with people.  That’s why I usually walk around in the halls without people around me… And, I think most people feel uncomfortable talking with me because they want to have my full attention.  Even though I cannot see how they are expressing, and I do often misunderstand their tones, it just feels very awkward for the both of us.”

“So…I can’t be your friend?”

“I…” Jongdae’s voice faltered upon hearing the defeated tone in Yixing’s voice, though it did not sound like a resigned statement but of a careful question.

“I…well…no.  I mean, yes, wait no.”  Yixing blinked as he watched Jongdae stammering.  Oh crap, this isn’t how I wanted things to go, Jongdae panicked. 

“I mean, I rea-…I w-want you to be my f-friend…er, that is…if you want to be my friend.  I mean, I didn’t mean to sound like I hate you or dislike you or anything for that matter…it’s just…” Jongdae fumbled with his chopsticks in his bowl, desperately trying to make a sound point.  He took a deep breath. 

“I’d want you to be careful with what you say, because you may say it now that you can be my friend, but you probably won’t me-“

Yixing chuckled lightly. “I want to be your friend, is that too much to ask, Zhongda?”

Jongdae’s mouth dropped slightly open at the sincerity of Yixing’s demand.  He heard a sound of bone hitting the table, feeling a slight reverberation on the surface, and a metal creaking sound from below. 

“That was my knee just now…hahaha, sorry, I’m a bit clumsy sometimes,” Yixing said with an airy laugh, as he seated himself across from Jongdae at the table bench.  Seems like Yixing-ge won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Jongdae thought to himself.

Jongdae suddenly jumped at the physical contact as he felt Yixing’s warm hand over his free hand.

Yixing smiled at Jongdae’s reaction, and continued to hold his hand.  Seeing the faint blush on Jongdae’s cheeks, he chuckled and said to him, “Zhongda…I’ll be your gege, your friend, and your around here in school and outside of school.  Is that okay with you?”

“Uh…wha…er…” Jongdae stammered, taken aback at Yixing’s sudden offer.

“Oppa!” Sunyoung’s voice was heard from Jongdae’s left.  Jongdae mentally thanked Sunyoung for the interruption so he could think about the offer later.  “Oppa, who are you eating with?  Is he your friend?”  Jongdae heard and felt Sunyoung settling down next to his left.  He could smell the warm noodles from his left, and he knew that Sunyoung was just starting to eat Minseok’s homemade noodle soup.

“Erm…Sunyoung-ah…”

“Hello, my