Chapter 12: I Do (Not) Like It

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Jieun
+00778372XXXX

I don’t get it, with all those pictures
you have together, you got to be
kidding me :O

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Himchan snickered one message after another. He doesn’t remember the first time she sent a message nor does he remember a time when they actually stopped sending them. If we were to think more seriously, it really would appear like they were going at it all day. His phone had been ringing and buzzing all day. But who could really blame him? She speaks, uh, or texts, only things that he had been dreaming to hear and read, Himchan prayed hard that all her words come true, if only for one fleeting night. It’s as if the woman knew him well, maybe for a lifetime, and she kept saying only things that Himchan kept at the very depths of his mind – of his heart.

“You’re not listening, are you,” a low voice took him out of his reverie.

“Of course I was listening!” He said that too loud, too defensive, maybe.

“Nah, that’s okay,” the man smiled at his feet as he kicked lone items on the road.

“I was listening, I swear,” he assured him. But the man just smiled and shook his head as if saying it was alright.

Not long before he could say something else, his phone vibrates and there was another message, he flips his phone too quickly, a little too excited and giddy, reads everything and snickers once more. Yongguk, on the other hand, just continued with his strides, without Himchan even noticing that he had placed his hand on the giddy man’s back to make sure that he doesn’t walk into another lamp post… like how he already did four times today.

- - -

“You’re heeeeeere!”

Yongguk jumped up in his seat as Himchan screeched throughout the room, stopping mid-sentence whatever it was he was saying absent mindedly as he fiddled with his phone. He had his back turned against the crowd of people quietly sipping his lemonade, and this screech just threw him off. Turning his head to the direction where the man ran off to, he found them happily jumping around.

“What are you doing here?” the startled rapper asked, seeing his friends happily chiding with each other.

“Himchan invited me, silly!” So bubbly, Yongguk eternally wonders wherever in the world does she get her energy after a long day of training and rehearsals.

“H-he did?” the world was full of wonder these days. By some strange of luck, the two suddenly became the best of friends and would seem inseparable.

“Yeah! He texted me,” the young woman exclaimed.

“He texted you?” his eyes registering confusion.

“Yeah! Isn’t that right, Himchannie?”

“H-Himchannie?” It felt like Yongguk was bent on being a parrot that day.

“Of course, JiJi!”

“Jiji…?” And Yongguk ended it with that.

Himchan was so elated. It felt like he was the star of some sitcom. All that’s missing is a soundtrack, and a cheesy opening song with the three of them dancing in a brightly colored backdrop.

The night flew by so fast and it was not long before Yongguk had to stand from his comfy cushion and take the stage. That night, Yongguk seemed to shine even more. The man seemed more active and more charismatic on stage, for reasons unknown. It was something unique to him, and Himchan could only fawn at the sight. It was as if with every bounce, with every word, Yongguk tries to seduce the crowd – to captivate them, and honestly, he was successful in every attempt.

Captivating.

Himchan wondered when will be the next time he would stand on the same stage with someone of Yongguk’s league.

- - -

The walk home was silent. For some reason, Yongguk found quite an interest in a water bottle that a fan gave him. He was told it was from Japan. It had a clear glass marble in the middle, and it was quite interesting. Normally, Himchan would have been just as curious as him, but the man was awfully quiet.

He had been acting strange the whole day, maybe even the whole night. Normally, after every performance, Yongguk would sit quietly in a corner, and just like always – Himchan would automatically walk right next to him and chat his tiredness away. But that night, Yongguk sat by the stage, right next to the cheers of his adoring fans, much to Himchan’s surprise… and undeniable dismay.

It felt like he was being ignored. It wasn’t so bad. It shouldn’t be so bad, if only it wasn’t Yongguk. Something was up, but he didn’t exactly know what. Himchan retraced the whole night, all his tracks if needed be. But the young man simply could not think of anything. What went wrong? And when did it happen? He was happy all day, all night. Spending time with Jieun, and Yongguk, whatever happened to the man, he simply did not have any clue.

So he did the only logical thing he had in mind, whipping out his phone, trying to type a message to his new found best friend. But he easily gets interrupted, shortly after the third letter, with a figure right in front of him. He didn’t notice him turning there, he didn’t notice him stopping from the long strides he had taken.

“You—You don’t even text me.” He suddenly says, staring at him. Himchan thought his gaze bore right through his head.

“W—what?” He was surprised. Where did that even come from?

“I called you, once, you never answered,” the man said, almost flailing, gesturing at the lighted device that he was holding.

What was he… “I was asleep, that one time you called!”

“And that was just one time!” Himchan added. He should have called again, right?

“Been a year or something, no message at all,” Yongguk continued his blabbing, throwing his hands up in the air as he stalks off, leaving a frozen ulzzang in his tracks.

Yongguk…

Are you…?

“You just met her, and you’re like the best of pals!”

“Wait, what? Stop overreacting!” This does not make any sense. It does not make any sense at all.

Yongguk wasn’t making any sense.

And this light feeling, this weird giddy feeling Himchan was feeling,

In the midst of Yongguk’s frustration, it made the least sense…

But this feeling, there was no denying it – he liked it.

“I just don’t kno—”

“Yongguk—” he grabs his arm to stop him, pulling him abruptly, just so the man would face him.

“What’s your problem?!” eyes wide, staring intently at one another, panting, the cold air fogging off of their mouths.

For a second there, it felt like they were the only people in the world.

 “Himchan, I—”

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Note: Surpriiiiise! Early chapter /o/ Thank you so much. I wish I could express with my writing how much I love all of you for sticking around. Hope you liked this one!