He was unsure, and he certainly does not want to ask Luhan or Yixing. He checks the time, and sees that it is still 9 in the morning. The end of his shift is still going to be during lunch time, so he figures that he can send Jongin a text that said, “Have a great lunch,” or something.  After a while, a thought occurrs to him: Why am I putting so much thought in a single text message? Kyungsoo knew all too well that Jongin has problems of his own, so he shouldn’t stress too much about a trivial matter such as a text message.

 

At noon, Kyungsoo religiously sends a text message to Jongin, still careful about it since it was his first message.

 

Hello! How are you doing? Hmm...I hope you’ve eaten already ^^

 

And with that, Kyungsoo taps on the ‘send’ button. After about a minute, his phone lights up. He replied, Kyungsoo thinks to himself. Without another second to lose, he opens the message.

 

I’m good.^^ How about you? By the way…Kyungsoo? Can I ask you something?

 

He smiles, wondering what Jongin would ask him. Kyungsoo replies:

 

I’m all right…And sure, what would that be?

 

---------------------

 

Kyungsoo goes to a fast food restaurant as he waits for the other boy’s reply. He slowly heads back to his home, a phone in his right hand, and a boxed chicken meal from the fast food he just went to. He unlocks the door to his apartment. Still no reply, Kyungsoo thinks, when suddenly, his phone vibrates. He picks it up immediately, and his mouth trembles as he speaks. “H-hello?”

 

He hears Jongin laugh on the other end. “Hello. Are you free right now?”

 

“Yeah, I am,” Kyungsoo replies.

 

“My dad’s going to go on a business trip later tonight right after dinner, and I, uh….well, the point is, do you want to sleep over at my place? It’s okay if you won’t, I just kind of don’t have much to do and I figured that maybe you’d want to go here? If you want to,” Jongin says.

 

“Sure thing!” Kyungsoo says with his energy and happiness on full blast.

 

“Thanks so much! This is great. I’ll pick you up in…an hour and a half. Two hours tops. Is that fine with you?” Jongin questions.

 

“Yep, where are we going to meet? The café?”

 

“Really? I was going to suggest I’d pick you up at your place or something...” Jongin suggests.

 

“No...that’s too much...” Kyungsoo says.

 

“Not a problem! I wanted to see your place too, so, yeah.”

 

“You’d do that for me? Well, I don’t live very far from my workplace though. A four-minute walk, I guess.”

 

“Thanks again. Text me your address...gotta go. See you,” Jongin abruptly hangs up.

 

Kyungsoo exhales, happy because the conversation went so smoothly and normal. And Jongin is coming to visit. He texts Jongin the address, adding a note that said if Jongin would ever get lost they could just meet up in the café. Jongin sends a reply shortly, only sending Kyungsoo a happy emoticon.

 

After about an hour and a half, Kyungsoo hears a knock on his door. He opens it to see none other than Jongin, who is wearing an eye-blinding bright smile. “Hello Kyungsoo!” Jongin waves as he steps in the room.

 

“Hey, I’ll go get my bag in the room…want some tea or something?” Kyungsoo returns Jongin’s smile.

 

“Nope, I’m good,” Jongin replies.

 

---------------

 

“I’m ready to go~” Kyungsoo says in a rather cute manner as he wears his backpack on one shoulder, beaming like a little child.

 

Jongin laughs at this sight. “Kyungsoo, you look like a little kid. How cute.”

 

“Don’t say that, I’m older than you, in case you forgot…” Kyungsoo playfully teases Jongin.

 

“But I’m taller than you.” Jongin stands in front of Kyungsoo, laughing, the corners of his eyes scrunching up together.

 

The pair merrily leaves Kyungsoo’s apartment, passing by the coffee shop. “Want some coffee? My treat,” Jongin tells Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo agrees and later remembers that their manager apparently has ‘eyes like an eagle,’ but thankfully Luhan wasn’t working this afternoon.

 

With each minute passing by, Kyungsoo absorbs every moment with Jongin. He feels happier when he is with Jongin, especially since he isn’t talking about his ex anymore. Kyungsoo doesn’t know whether or not he should bring that topic up, since he doesn’t know how it really feels to get dumped. Though, he thinks that if Jongin was troubled, he is going to admit it, thus avoiding any event that may cause Kyungsoo to cross the line.

 

The two manage to safely get on the train, and they are now in the subway. The total travel time is a little over an hour, and during these minutes the two don’t speak that much. Kyungsoo doesn’t feel awkward at all, but he also has not found any topic they could talk about with each other. At that moment, Kyungsoo realizes how much they barely knew each other. Of course, those train rides are a chance for them to become close, but none of them seize that chance. Their conversations are just about the weather, when Kyungsoo is working, and how long their break lasts--until Jongin sparks up a new conversation. Though it’s an insignificant matter, they are now at least talking about something.

 

“We’re almost there,” Jongin looks at Kyungsoo, who is beside him. Both of them have boarded a subway train, and are now seated quietly.

 

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo sleepily says to Jongin. He isn’t used to long rides at all. Kyungsoo can’t even begin to imagine himself faithfully traveling for more than an hour every day, alone, getting on and off trains, walking, feeling like every day because you were dumped by the person you trusted so much to the point of trusting him too much.

 

“Wanna share?” Jongin holds the right piece of his earphones and gestures it towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo smiles and takes it, putting it in his ear. The music starts and Kyungsoo immediately recognizes it.

 

He sits up, his big eyes shining, “Hey, I like this band too!”

 

“Really?” Jongin grins. He changes the playlist, making sure all the songs were from the same artist.

 

“They’re having a concert around here or something,” Kyungsoo says.

 

“I heard. We should go together…” Jongin gazes off into space. Kyungsoo clearly notices this, and he knows that concerts somehow remind him of his ex-boyfriend. But Kyungsoo doesn’t want to ask him about it; he isn’t so curious about him anymore. Kyungsoo intently looks at Jongin, smiling.

 

“Yeah, we should--we will. You and me.”

 

Jongin stops staring at the floor and perks up. “Yeah. We will.”

 

---------------

 

“Dad? I’m home. Brought a friend over…he’ll be staying for the night,” Jongin says as he opens the front door, leaving his shoes behind.

 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Jongin says immediately after his previous statement to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo thanks Jongin and also removes his shoes, stepping into his home. Kyungsoo looks around and it looked normal. It is coated with warmth and comfort, Kyungsoo thinks. He sits on their living room couch. Jongin trails off into what seems to be their kitchen, just near their living room. “Dad?” Jongin says, his voice only faint from where Kyungsoo’s situated.

 

“Welcome home Jongin,” his dad replies. A sizzling sound proceeds after that, and Jongin skips back to the living room, “Hey,” Jongin starts, waving at Kyungsoo. “Dinner’s almost ready. Let’s go to the dining table now, shall we?” Kyungsoo’s eyes light up and he follows behind Jongin.

 

Jongin’s father enters the area, bringing with him a plate of fried chicken and a pitcher of juice. “Jonginne, can you bring the rice please?” He says as he sets the items he was carrying down on the table. Kyungsoo quickly stands from his seat, bowing. “Hello Mr. Kim. Sorry for the intrusion. I’m a friend of your son. Thank you for having me here.”

 

“No, not a problem,” Jongin’s kind father cheerily says. He is wearing a white-collar uniform, he has thick eye glasses on, and his face bore a striking resemblance with his son’s.

 

Jongin returns, carrying with him the rice, and they all find their seats. “Dad, meet Kyungsoo. I think I forgot to tell you his name when I said I'd be bringing a friend over.” Jongin’s dad gently nods, not asking any further questions.

 

Kyungsoo notices that the table has five chairs, but as far as he’s seen, the household is only made up of Jongin and his father. 

 

“You’re sleeping over, right, Kyungsoo? Thanks for taking care of my son. I know he’s quite a handful,” his father says, laughing.

 

“No problem sir. Yeah, Jongin is unpredictable sometimes,” Kyungsoo says.

 

“I’m happy we’re on the same boat,” Jongin’s dad says. Meanwhile, his son scoffs, eventually joining in their laughing.

 

After they finished eating, Jongin proceeds to his room upstairs, getting their extra futon out. “Be right back,” he says. Once the sound of footsteps slowly faded, Jongin’s father’s expression grew concerned.

 

“—What’s the matter?” Kyungsoo says as he helps him pile up the dishes on the table.

 

“…Have you noticed that there are five chairs in the dining table, when Jongin and I are only two?” Jongin’s dad starts. Kyungsoo nods in agreement.

 

“I don’t think Jongin will ever tell you this, but his mother and elder sister passed a year ago…It was pretty hard on both of us. He says being alone in this household makes him remember them more, and then he’ll end up missing them. And he’ll become even lonelier,” he pauses for a moment as he looks at Kyungsoo. “Kyungsoo, that boy is quite weak. Although he is a spontaneous person, he is still just a kid. I have to leave tonight, but I’ll return tomorrow. I’m happy you’ll be with him tonight. He needs someone, but he doesn’t have his sister anymore, the family member he was the closest with. I know it may not seem obvious, and he might not admit it, but to him, your presence means a lot.” He pats his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. Kyungsoo sympathizes with Jongin, although he cannot fully do that. It is such a hard life Jongin leads, and it was far from what Kyungsoo had gone through in his youth. When Kyungsoo was an only child, he never really was close with his parents. He has no idea what Jongin must’ve felt when his family left him for good.

 

Jongin’s father disrupts Kyungsoo’s quiet thinking as he shouts, “Jongin! I’ll be going now, see you tomorrow! Good-bye, Kyungsoo.”

 

Jongin hurriedly goes down the staircase saying, “Bye, dad. Have a safe trip!”

 

 --------------

 

All throughout the rest of the evening, Jongin and Kyungsoo played video games and watched movies. Kyungsoo feels nostalgic, although in contrast, the sleepovers he had spent as a high schooler were wild, to say the least.

 

Midnight is nearing, and Jongin suggests that they better go to sleep. Kyungsoo complies. And when Kyungsoo finds himself slipping into the warm futon, the words of Jongin’s father start to echo in his head.

 

He rolls to his right, looking up at the sleeping boy. His eyes trail off to what’s behind Jongin—a window. The curtains don’t manage to fully cover the windows. As he stares at the view more, he notices all the little things—the distant twinkling stars, the deep sky, the trees, the houses, the silence—and they all now matter more to Kyungsoo compared to before, for some reason.

 

And the words ring in his head again. The thought of having to cope with a death of a dear friend has never even occurred to Kyungsoo. It never crossed his mind, simply because he has yet to lose anyone. A loved one’s death—Kyungsoo realizes that this experience added to Jongin’s sadness. Slowly, Kyungsoo’s image of Jongin goes back to his first impression of him—a guy who is silent. Sure enough, Jongin can be loud in many ways, joyful and cheery. But he is also silent in many ways. As Kyungsoo knew more about Jongin, his thoughts mix and his confusion grows. Who was the man that Kyungso fell in love with? What made Kyungsoo admire him in the first place? Jongin is hard to read. Though they have only known each other for five days, tonight, he and Jongin are in the same room, surrounded by the same four walls. Yet, Kyungsoo feels distant. He clutches on his blanket.

 

“Kyungsoo? You awake?” Jongin’s soft voice disrupts Kyungsoo’s thoughts.

 

“Yeah…” Kyungsoo says. He hopes he wasn’t making noise loud enough for Jongin to hear.

 

“Oh, great. I’m just having trouble sleeping tonight. So I’m sorry if I woke you up,” Jongin pauses and breathes out loudly. “But you know, I’m happy you’re here with me. I can’t believe I made a friend...in the course of five days…Kyungsoo, thank you.” After that, the room goes back to being quiet. Jongin’s words had to sink into Kyungsoo for a couple of moments. “Jongin?” Kyungsoo questions, ready to give the boy a reply. No reply is heard, and Jongin is now snoring. Kyungsoo smiles to himself, thinking that he’s a complete idiot for not replying any time sooner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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