12th of August, 2012

Let's meet at the tea shop. I'll be waiting ^^

Groaning as the message disturbed him from his slumber, Kai didn't even type as much as a reply. Instead, he tossed and turned in bed and went back to sleep. It was a Saturday, and Jinsung knew quite well that weekends were his only escape from the hustle and bustle of his job.

When he woke up, it was already an hour past noon. Jinsung would understand, he thought, and dragged himself to the bathroom lazily. The cold water felt good as he turned the shower on. He stayed under the shower head for a little while, taking his time and not rushing -- like what he does every morning, or else he would be late for work.

He took time choosing his outfit, staring at his wardrobe for a while before settling for his favorite blue plaid shirt and white jeans. Checking his appearance on the mirror, Kai sprayed some perfume and left. Whistling on his way down, he took the elevator -- not wanting to sweat and feel tired when he meets Jinsung.

Whistling, Kai walked to the tea shop. He loved the place for the relaxed vibe it gives off -- and because Kai loved it, she had grown quite a fondness for it, too. He smiled to himself, remembering Jinsung's stunned reaction after she took a sip of her very first bubble tea. With the thought of her, he strolled faster.

He pushed the door open, his entrance followed by the sound of wind chimes. Kai tiptoed and craned his neck, but she was nowhere to be found. Checking his phone, her message told him to meet at the tea shop, but the text was sent three hours ago. In the end, he decided to take a seat on an empty booth and waited for a while.

After finishing his second tea for that afternoon, Kai irritatedly left the tea shop. There was still no message coming from Jinsung, perhaps saying she decided not to go to the tea shop after all. And he had stared at the ladies' restroom for the longest time, waiting to see if his girlfriend was just washing her hands or whatever. But there was no sight of her anywhere.

"They tell you one thing and then they go and do another," Kai grumbled to himself. "Women." He shook his head in disbelief. He scratched his head and groaned, angered that it took him much effort just to look good and impress her when she didn't show up at all. He tried calling her, but her phone couldn't be reached at the moment.

"You want to ignore me? Fine," he mumbled to himself almost inaudibly. "Two can play at that game." He sighed and continued walking as he marveled at the sky about to darken. Passing by a narrow alley on his way home, he snapped out of his thoughts after hearing muffled cries. He tilted his head to the source of the sound to hear more clearly.

"Wooyoung, please..." the voice cried helplessly. His adrenaline kicking in so suddenly, Kai went to the rescue. Approaching the man pinning his victim against the wall, he didn't waste time in punching the man straight to his face. The attacker fell to the ground and stood up almost immediately. He aimed a jab towards Kai's chest, but he easily dodged it off.

Sending another sharp blow to the man's face, Kai watched as he stumbled back, throwing a threatening glance towards him, before running off. Panting, he turned to the woman he had just saved. "So what, you made me wait in that goddamn tea shop and now this?" Kai shouted, observing as Jinsung fixed her torn shirt in between sobs.

"Jongin, please, he just--" "HE JUST WHAT?!" Kai yelled, almost pulling his hair out in fury. "He just came up to you and said 'Hey, I'm sorry for dumping you back in high school. Let's get back together.' And now what, huh?" He stepped back, afraid he would lose his self-control anytime and hurt her. "I caught you in the act and you're crying because you feel sorry for me. Is that it?"

Kai turned to leave, but Jinsung clung to his forearm. "Please, you don't understand, Kai--"

Hearing that, he turned to look at her. "So it's Kai now, huh?" he asked and felt like tearing up, but he swallowed the lump in his throat with the belief that men, unlike women, were built with less emotions. "Let me...let me go home." He tried untangling his limbs from her grip.

"No, don't leave me, Jongin. Please. Just don't," she cried, her hands reaching out to whatever they could hold onto to prevent him from walking away. "Don't leave me."

Kai yanked his arm back and started to walk briskly, racing against the tears that threatened to fall first. "Let me go home. I need some time to think, okay? And I could only do that without you around, so just let me go home."

He could clearly hear her footsteps behind as she ran after him, even outpacing him. Jinsung stood in front of him. And before Kai could register what was happening, the woman had already fallen on her knees, her hands clawing at his white jeans. "Jongin, don't leave me," she sobbed. "I would die for you."

Kai froze, realizing how this was the day he had been waiting for. It was the day she would share with him one thing she had been saving up for quite a long time. But he stepped away from her grasp and left, anyway, leaving the woman on her knees and sobbing by the ground.

She remained on the same ground for a while. Whether she had lost her mind or not, Jinsung herself didn't know for sure. When the cries toned down and the waves of loneliness crested, she stood up with no idea of where she was. Her hair sticking out in different directions and her shirt ripped in the middle, the woman started walking.

She wandered through roads and streets and highways aimlessly, earning stares -- both terrified and pitiful -- from faces she had passed by. The woman walked without a destination in mind until such time the skies had grown dark. Looking straight ahead, she realized she was only one crossing away from her own home, where she was free to break down and lose her mind.

Looking from left to right and seeing barely a handful of vehicles, Jinsung started crossing the street. Halfway through, she stumbled, with her loose shoelaces to blame. Bending down to tie them neatly, she was too distracted to see a swerving car nearing.

She realized things too late.

16th of August, 2012

When he woke up the next morning, it was still the same. Contrary to what he thought, people had come and gone but life doesn't stop for anybody. He massaged his throbbing temples, aching from the hangover, and sat up. With the sudden action, his phone went tumbling down the floor. He picked it up, and was more than surprised to see a message from Jinsung pop up.

Let's meet at the tea shop. I'll be waiting ^^