Beijing Art Gallery was located at the most crowded district in the city. Every year, hundreds of artists, mostly painter, sculptor and photographer, made reservation to hold exhibition here with the hope of displaying their works of art to not only the specialists but also to the community as well. However, only half of them could pass the strict quality examination of the Management Board of the gallery.

Luhan settled down on the long chair placed in the middle of the main hall, gazed at the white big frame of a particular photo in front of him intensively. The party was ended half of an hour ago and still he couldn’t believe he had made it through. The last two days was just like a dream, a dream that he could never forget.

After one year planning and preparing with their time and effort, using all the intimate relationships they had, finally Wong Hao and he could achieve a goal that many of artists in this field have been dreaming of. Their first exhibition named “Rhythm of the seasons” was successfully ended, appealing over five thousand people visit in two days, gaining few cooperation proposals from other companies and especially receiving a lot of compliments from leading experts in photography.

He couldn’t be more grateful for his professor also his partner who gave him this chance to make the first big step in his career. With the success of this collection which contained half of his works, he was now the youngest to be recognized as a professional photographer in National Photography Association. “You can fly high from now on Luhan.” was what Wong Hao praised him in front of people earlier this evening.

Luhan shifted his eyes from the photo to his entwined hands between his legs, pondering where he could fly to in this world when his heart belonged to another place.

“What are you doing here?”

A voice resounded from somewhere made him almost jump out of his skin. He shifted his eyes to that direction to find Wong Hao standing with his back leaning against the wall, the glasses hanging low on his nose bridge as if he was observing a prey concentratively.

Regaining his calm, Luhan greeted him with his habitual smile, wondered how long the other was there because he had seen Wong Hao hail a cab to his home after the party.

“Nothing. I just want to stay here for a little longer.” his voice changed into a higher questioning tone “But I thought you were home like half hour ago ge.”

“Well, I forgot this file for the interview tomorrow.”

Moving toward his spot, the elder male held up a plastic folder in his hand to explain what he had said. He took a seat next to the latter, carelessly scanned around the main hall with a contented smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“We did a great job, didn’t we?”

Luhan looked up to meet his gaze. He guessed he had to say this one more time even though he knew it’s never enough.

“Yes, we did, all because of you, Hao ge. Thank you.”

The folder hit his shoulder in no time along with a soft grunt escaped from Wong Hao

“Stop saying that or I’ll kick you out of my studio. Half of them are yours!”

Rubbing the spot on his shoulder, Luhan let out a small blissful laugh, knowing that none of those saying was joking. He had worked really hard for this collection, traveled from town to town to capture every single moment of nature’s beauty. After all, one week suffered from frosty winter on Tibetan Plateau was totally paid back.

They stayed in the silence for a while before Wong Hao spoke again, this time something sad lingered in the air around them.

“What are you doing here Luhan?”

Luhan was caught off guard. He didn’t understand why his gege asking him the same question just ten minutes ago.

“Huh? I told you ge, I….”

“No, I mean what are you really doing here, in China?”

The elder male didn’t let him finish his sentence, stressed the word China deliberately. He was aware of his time cooperating with Luhan was going to end soon and it’s none of his business to talk about the younger’s personal issue but he couldn’t help it. Actually, he couldn’t stand seeing his beloved brother kept wasting his time and living with regret any more.

“I know about your story Luhan. I know why you had to come back to China, why you knocked on my door after rejected my offer, why you completely wrapped up in working in the last two years. But it’s over bro. You need to let it go. You need to give yourself one more chance.”

Luhan kept his head hung low as those said words dancing inside his ears. He tried to protest but it came out so weak as memories rushing back to him without control.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about ge. I love living here, in China, being around people who talk in Mandarin.”

Wong Hao chuckled, as if he could see through the lie had just come out of the latter’s mouth. Slowly stood up, he walked to the big frame hanging on the wall in front of them, gently caressed the surface of the picture. It was one of four main pictures of the collection, symbolized for four seasons in a year.

This was “The Rhythm of the Spring”, a photo of a handsome violinist playing in the middle of a grassland with many tiny blooming flowers around and cool breeze playing with his brown hair. The background effect was perfect, the shooting angle of the photo was nothing to complain. But what stood out of all those things was the glistening tear at the corner of the young male’s eye under the warm sunray of a Spring morning. People were curious about what kind of music the artist was playing that made him so emotional. Luhan just laughed off as an excuse.

“I still remembered the way you looked at him when you first introduced us to each other, the way your eyes sparkled whenever he was around, the way you gazed at the laptop’s screen when we were choosing photos. They are the same at how you just stared at this a while ago.”

He stepped aside and turned around, facing the latter who was rooting into his seat, doe-like eyes opened in surprise.

“How…how do you…”

It was just a small slip of tongue but it’s enough to make Wong Hao smile in confidence

“I’m a photographer. I tend to observe.”

With his back leaning against the wall, he continued with a soft voice that he only used with someone he really cared about

“It has been two years since your mother passed away and there is nothing to keep you here anymore Luhan. You’ve done enough with living for other’s happiness. It’s time for you to live your own.”

Luhan looked at his ge for a split of second before averted his eyes to the picture next to him. He could still recall exactly that day when he took it, the day he broke the love of his life’s heart, Sehun’s heart. In the last four years of separation, never once did he not crave for the Korean’s presence. He had tried to put on a cheerful mask in days when he spent time with his mother and curled up on his bed at nights crying over the longing for Sehun. Then his mother’s condition suddenly went bad after two years living happily with him. Luhan didn’t prepare himself for that loss either. He started working like a maniac to fulfill all his time at Wong Hao’s studio despite the other’s countless scolding.

He got what he had expected but there’s something still missing. Someone named Sehun. The last piece of his happiness.

“I don’t deserve him ge. I left him heartbroken.”

Luhan sadly admitted, a sticky lump lodged at his throat made his eyes became all blurry.

Wong Hao stepped toward and knelt down in front of him, placed both hands on his shoulder

“Then go find him and fix it. Make him happy. Make both of you happy.”

“What if…..”

Luhan’s voice trailed off at the thought of seeing Sehun again and being rejected. His little poor heart couldn’t handle another wound.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

The elder gave him a last squeeze before stood up, bended down to take the folder he had left on the chair.

“I’ll leave the decision up to you. Just think about it Luhan.”

The younger was silent in a second then nodded his head in response, mumbled assuredly

“Thank you ge. I will.”

When he was about to reach the door knob, Wong Hao stopped and spun around, said out loud to pull the latter’s attention.

“Just one more thing, wherever you’re, here in China or in Korea with your Sehun, I’ll still always support you with all my best. Remember it!”

With that he disappeared behind the door, leaving Luhan dumbfounded for a moment before a small smile spread on his face. He turned aside to gaze at the picture one more time, feeling his heart beat faster at the sight of Sehun playing for him for the first time. So what if Sehun didn’t forgive him? He would just make plan to win him over again and again until there was no way for the younger to escape from him. Or at least he wouldn’t have to live for the rest of his life with regret weighing down inside.

**********

To have a visitor at 4pm on a Thursday was so abnormal for a dancer like Jongin. He was in the middle of practice for the next play when an intern poked his head into the room and announced the news that there was someone waiting for him in the canteen down the hall. His curiousness was raised up along with every step to the south of the building, especially after he heard some whispers on his way gossiping about an angel-like boy they had just seen. From all of those people had come across his life, there was just one special male who had that kind of look. But that was the only one he didn’t want to see ever again.

When he pushed open glass door of the canteen, he almost immediately spotted a honey brown head and a baby face vaguely darting his eyes to the outside through the window. Right, that boy liked to sit near the window.

“He’s a photographer. He tends to observe” was what Sehun answered for the question about his boyfriend’s odd habit. It’s still shocked to him that he could remember everything about his best friend’s relationship after all those years. And because of that, it also hurt him when it’s broken.

Luhan averted his eyes to the entrance as he felt someone was approaching his table and stood up at once when he saw it was Jongin. They just stared at each other for a long minute, none of them said any word even though they had tons on their mind.

“Jongin ah. Long time no see you.”

The Chinese was the first broke the tense silence between them, pointed the opposite chair to motion the younger to sit down. He had predicted this reaction before but it still twisted his stomach a bit seeing the cold welcome from his used to be favorite dongsaeng.

“How have you been? Yixing told me you just got promoted to be team leader.” he tried to start the conversation casually.

Jongin shifted uncomfortably in his chair, eyes never left the other with unreadable expression.

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Why do you come back here Luhan hyung?”

The question was so straightforward that Luhan flinched although he already saw it coming in advance. He entwined his fingers around the glass of juice on the table, suppressed a small chuckle. It reminded him the time when he came to Jongin asking for help to be friend with Sehun. But this time was different. This time, he had to win his love all by himself.

“I come to find Sehun.” he calmly responded

The tan skin boy let out a muffled laugh. Of course the answer was very clear but he was expecting a little hesitation in the elder’s voice. Strangely he got none.

“And where do you think he is now? After you left him?”

Jongin knew it was sarcastic and disrespectful to the Chinese but he couldn’t help it. His conscience totally understood their situation but his heart refused to accept it. And he owned it a chance to explode after long time restraining.

Luhan lowered his head, softly mumbled

“I don’t know.” then he looked up to meet the boiling up anger in the younger’s eyes “But I have to fix what I started Jongin ah.”

Silence again covered their table. The dancer averted from the boy sitting in front of him, something stuck at his throat made him not able to range his rage with the other.

“There’s nothing here for you to fix.”

Luhan narrowed his brows in confusion

“What do you mean?”

Slowly dropped his eyes back to the elder, Jongin lifted up the corner of his lips into a wry smile

“Sehun didn’t live here anymore. He moved to America at the end of that school year.”

The sadness was easily caught in the young boy’s voice. He didn’t prepare for those changes at that time. Sometimes he wished Sehun had turned into the “old Sehun” with violence and peevish disposition, not the one who was plunged in melancholy the whole time.

Because he would know how to handle an angry Sehun, not stayed so useless looking his best friend absorbed in studying and practicing to get over his misery.

“You know how to contact with him right?”

Luhan’s voice snapped him back to reality but he just stared at the latter without saying anything. Of course he did but that didn’t mean he needed to share with the one who left a wound on his buddy’s heart.

“Jongin ah?”

“You think you deserve to have him back after all of this?”

There he was, finally revealed his resentment that he had held back from the beginning of this conversation. He knew that he had no right to judge the Chinese for what he had done since he had no idea what to do if he was one of them back then. But he couldn’t stop himself. At least he wanted to confirm Luhan really put all his heart and soul to find Sehun this time. Despite his unforgettable bad memories of the last four years, a part of him always prayed for their reunion one day.

Luhan was speechless for a moment because that was the question he had asked himself the entire week before making decision to come back to Korea.

“No I don’t.” he admitted bitterly “And I deserve to be rejected. But I don’t care if he refuses to see me, I don’t care if he ignores me like a stranger. I don’t care about any of that Jongin ah. Because I will try over and over until I can gain his trust on me and make him fall in love with me again.”

For the second time, the Korean boy just gazed at him with an unreadable expression all over his face as if he was testing his impatience. Luhan leaned in, pleading with all of the sincere and cuteness in his voice

“Please, Jongin ah. Pleasee….”

“Aishhhh….” the younger suddenly exclaimed to his surprise, made him jerk back “How can you remain that aegyo after thus years hyung?”

The younger crossed arms against his chest, threw the photographer who was grinning big across the table a sideways look before giving in

“Fine, I’ll call him for you. But don’t raise your hope hyung, we leave the decision whether to see you or not up to him.”

Luhan breathed in nervously and nodded his head. At the most, he just used this baby face to force Jongin to give him the contact and flew all the way to America and found Sehun if the latter turned him down. He was going this far on his journey to ever after happiness, he didn’t want to turn back anymore.

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A.N/ So one more chapter to go and we'll actually say goodbye to this story. Couldn't help but feeling a little sad, you guys.

But I have something interesting for The Spell - Behind the scenes already. Can't wait to start writing.