“How long have you been waiting here?” Minhyun asked as he sits down beside me.

“Uhh…” I actually don’t know what to answer because I’m so immersed in drawing I don’t know what time it is already. I looked at my watch and answered him that I’ve been here for almost 3 hours.

“Woah. I’m really sorry I just arrived right now!”

“Oh? Uh, where is Ren?” I don’t want to be rude. I’m happy that Minhyun’s also here but I’m expecting Ren to come.

“You don’t want to see my JR-sshi?” Minhyun asked with a sad tone.

I reached and hug him before beginning my long rant. “Oh my God, don’t cry, I don’t mean it like that. I was expecting Ren to come and—“ However, I stopped talking when he began to shake. I released him from my arms and he began to laugh out loud. “Why are you laughing?”

“You didn’t change JR-sshi. Oh, and Ren’s in the gallery right now, he’s busy because of the exhibit tomorrow, yeah right! He asked me to fetch you here.”

We are walking for 10 minutes catching up on each other’s lives when he pointed a 2-storey building. “That’s where you’ll be staying while you’re here JR-sshi.” We went inside and he toured me to the apartment where he and Ren are staying for the past 5 months. There are the kitchen, living room, dining room and a bathroom on the first floor while there are two bedrooms facing each other on the 2nd floor. Minhyun said that each room has its own bathroom so it won’t be a bother if I needed to use one. There is another room on the side-most part of the first floor and I feel like entering that room. When Minhyun noticed that I stopped in front of that room he immediately went in front of me and gave me a somewhat apologetic smile. “We can’t go inside that room JR-sshi, Ren will be angry. That’s his private room here.”

“Private room? So you have your private room too?”

“None. Actually, Ren stayed here from that time he left us in Korea. I didn’t know that his staying here until I saw him taking pictures on that place where I fetched you. When he saw me he asked me if I have a place to stay in and offered me his apartment. So, yeah… And he doesn’t want anybody to see what’s inside that room. Weird, right?”

“Yes, weird… But that’s Ren, right?”

Minhyun smiled when he was sure that I already believed his explanation. Things can be a bit out-of-normal when it’s Ren we’re talking about. He leads me upstairs to show me my room. I saw the letters R-E-N in front of my supposed-to-be room and I asked him why I am going to stay in Ren’s room.

“Ren wants you to stay there. He won’t come home tonight anyways. And besides, I remember him telling me that you’ll be using some of his clothes.”

“Oh yes. So, when I will be able to see him then, Minhyun-sshi?”

“Tomorrow JR-sshi, we’ll be going to the exhibit tomorrow. Now go inside and relax. I know you’re tired from the flight. That’s one entire ocean you travelled!”

After he said that he opens the door and pushes me inside. Before he closes the door though, I asked him one last question. “Can I get Ren’s number? We can at least, talk, you know…”

He seemed to think first before he replies, “I think not JR-sshi. He’s really busy right now. Okay, rest and I’ll wake you up when it’s time for dinner.”

And then I’m alone in the room. There are a lot of photos everywhere I look and the room smells like strawberry. The room’s pink except for the color of the floor and the ceiling. Seeing a place I can almost call home my body begins to react the way it should have reacted a while ago. I am so tired. I lie down on Ren’s bed and let my thoughts flow out endlessly.

That day when Minhyun confessed to me when we were in high school we parted in front of his dorm building. I had the feeling that I should walk with him up to there because I am a man, right? Until now I can’t help but laugh when I remember my thought back then. Both of us are men, it’s just, Minhyun’s pretty. When I went back to my dorm room, I saw Ren assembling something on his desk.

“What’s that?”

Ren gave me an are-you-serious-you-don’t-know-this-thing face before he replied “A camera. Duh.”

I went behind him and saw that it’s really a pink camera. He smiled contentedly when he finished doing whatever he was doing with the camera and took a photo of us by surprise. He laughed when he saw the photo on the screen and I asked him why.

“Why are you so ugly here? You should’ve known that I was about to take a shot when I placed it in front of me, or us, right?” he said while laughing his life off.

I should’ve been angry that time but I was so happy seeing him laughing like that. We took another round of photos of the room and of ourselves before going to sleep.

A week had passed and I and Minhyun continued to go out. We ate, talked, walked, played arcade games and watched movies like what normal people do. We still had our time hanging out with Ren but it became a lot shorter than the past months. Ren seemed not to mind, he said he was happy taking lots of photos of everything he didn’t notice that he was alone. I believed him, however, on the second week of I and Minhyun’s relationship, Ren said something that still bugs me until now.

I just went back to our room and I saw him scanning the photos he’d taken for the past week. As usual, I crept behind him and attempted to surprise him but I miserably failed. He might seem not to notice me come in but “The door creaks louder than your chipmunk voice that’s why I always know when you are there.” He’d just shrugged off every time I did that but that day was different. He glared at me for a moment before scanning the photos back.

“Hey, are you angry?” I asked him.

“What did I asked you last night Kim Jonghyun?”

I tried remembering what he’d asked me the past night. I immediately knelt when I remembered it. How could I forget? “Woah, Ren-ah, I’m sorry! Let’s go out tomorrow, okay? Okay?”

“But I need the clothes tomorrow JR! How dare you forget that you’ve promised to shop with me today? I am always left out! I’m freaking tired of this!”

I was shocked to hear him say that. “I-I thought you’re okay with it? You actually knew from the start that Minhyun likes me right?”

He calmed himself and there was a deafening silence between us. I was about to cry when he started speaking again. “Okay, I am calm now, I know JR. I know. But you’ve promised. You just proved that promises are made to be broken.”

I didn’t speak because I am having a hard time stopping the tears that were about to drop. He knelt in front of me and hugged me to calm me down. I told him I was so sorry that I forgot and offered him to go out early so he could still choose the clothes he’d like.

“Okay. Don’t cry, okay? I don’t want any of us hurt. I’m sorry I’ve been so moody.” Ren said.

“No, I’m the one who needs to apologize Ren. I’m such a bad friend.”

Ren nodded when I said that and replied, “I’m happy you know JR. Yes, you are a veeeeery bad friend. Now get up and let’s get ready to sleep.”

When I went out of the bathroom I saw him still concentrating on the photos. I went to my bed and sat on the edge while looking on his back. “What are you doing? I thought we’re going to sleep?”

Ren peeked on his shoulder and went back on the photos. I suddenly remembered that he wasn’t allowed to take photos before so I asked him why he brought a camera all of a sudden.

“I want to do the things that will make me happy, JR. I don’t want to regret it later.” He answered.

He was really random that night. He was angry, he was teasing and then he was serious. But that’s how Ren is and I’m happy he showed that side of him to me. I laid down on my bed and hugged my favorite pillow still looking at his back. When I was about to close my eyes, he asked me if I was already asleep.

“About to. Why?”

“Just thought about this. I think you’ll regret it someday that you didn’t date me JR.”

I sat up immediately because of that and looked at him. I saw that he was already looking at me with a small sweet smile on his face. I gave him a curious look before choking myself. “What are you talking about, Ren?”

“Nothing. Now let’s go to sleep. We need to wake up early tomorrow, right?” Ren said.

The next day both of us woke up extra early. We ate breakfast and went to buy the clothes Ren needed. It turned out that he’d attend a funeral ceremony for a cousin who died because of a heart disease. He was wearing a black suit and it really fitted him well. I sent him off to the bus stop and he told me that he’d come back the next day, he’d spent the night in Busan.

When I returned to the dorm, I saw Minhyun standing in front of our room. I approached him and he smiled as soon as he saw me. “JR-sshi! I saw this pasted in the announcement board a while ago!”

For your final art project, you can do anything you want. No, that must involve a person. You can paint, do sculptures, take breathtaking photos, as long as it’s art then it’s okay. Submission will be after the cultural festival.

“So JR-sshi, do you have something in mind, like what to do? I’m actually thinking of making a cross-stitch of us three. So I need Ren right now to take a photo. I need to do the pattern as soon as possible!” Minhyun said, obviously excited for the final requirement.

“Oh, Ren went back to Busan just now. He has some business there. He’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry.”

“Aa, I see, so JR-sshi? Any plans?”

“I’ll draw or paint for sure. Who to draw, I still don’t know.”

Minhyun’s face changed from beaming to a serious one after I said that. Then I remembered that we’re dating that time. I showed him an apologetic smile because I obviously offended him. To be honest, I didn’t really think of him first when I read the announcement. I thought of Ren and how much I wanted to draw him from the first time we met. But I still didn’t know if it’d be okay with Ren and I was dating Minhyun so he needed to be my model, right?

“You’re thinking of someone else, right JR-sshi?” he asked.

I stayed quiet and he said he excused himself because he needed to do something else. I offered to walk with him to that place but he said he’ll be fine alone. When he’s gone, I felt guilt eating me up. Sorting out my feeling’s the best option to take that time.

I don’t realize that I am sleeping soundly until I feel something lightly shaking me. When I open my eyes Minhyun’s the first thing I see.

“Dinner’s ready JR-sshi, let’s eat!”

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Sorry for the late update~ chapter 4. I think I should erase the [mini-series] from the title coz this will have more than 5 chapters.. but yeah, let's have it that way. This won't reach 10 chapters anyway. So, what do you think? Unbeta-ed. kkkk

OH YEAH, and belated happy birthday to our choikangmimo, Choi Minki!! To those who don't know, he opened a twitter account on his birthday. Follow him @ChoiGoRen

To my readers, to those who comment and to those who subscribed, thank you! ^^

nowplaying: 좋아해 (I Like You) (feat. Kim Jin Pyo) - Yozoh