It was three hours after everybody went home but I was still in my office… staring at the pile of papers on my table. There was a note there that said the deadline would be tomorrow. They would still be delivered to the hospital for the signature of the poor sick man who’s ought to be resting.

The sudden burst of my attitude earlier circulated around the building quickly. Stares and whispers were on me the whole day. I was the great fiancé who yelled at his future wife on the first day of engagement.

It didn’t do any good because she ignored my point.

It was nearly 9:00 in the evening and I was still inside my office. I reached for my phone and called Kangin. It took a while before he answered.

“Hello?” I barely heard his voice through the loud music “Teukie, hello?”

“Youngwoon,” I said “are you, uhm… busy right now?”

“Wait don’t hang up,” he said when he heard the sad tone of my voice. After a while he seemed to have found a quiet spot “hello, you still there?”

“Yeah,” I replied “you seem busy right now—“

“Shut up Jungsoo,” he said “I’m never busy if it’s for you. What happened to you? Are you alright? You don’t sound well.”

“Actually I’m not okay. I’m still at the office now, and I was kind of wondering if I could come over to your place or something—“

“Office? At this time of night? God, Jungsoo don’t you ever take a break!? I’m not at home right now but I could go over there and pick you up—“

“No, I’ll go there just tell me where you are.”

Kangin tried to insist the other way around and warned me that he’s in a place where I wouldn’t feel comfortable. I know perfectly well that he’s in a bar. I was never fond of drinking, unlike Kangin, but at that time I didn’t care wherever he is. In the end, he reluctantly agreed.

Before I left the office, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I hated having headaches because it would cause my whole body to be weak and I always throw up and then collapse whenever it gets worse, but I ignored it. I wanted to be with Kangin now and no headache could stop me.

It took me nearly an hour drive to get to the address he gave me. I found myself in front of a seemingly abandoned theatre house. Well, Kangin wasn’t really picky when it comes to bars… as long as they sell liquor that’s strong enough to knock him down.

With my fancy office coat and all, it seemed awkward to be in a run-down place like that.

I looked around and saw a stage where there was a band playing.

There was a counter at the side filled with drinks.

The place was nearly full with people… already half-drunk I supposed.

After a while, Kanginapproached me. He grabbed my hand and we found a spot at the corner.

I noticed thatKangin’s eyes were nearly red so I assumed he must’ve been drinkingfor hours already.

“Having a rough day?” Kangin asked.

I simply nodded in response.

“Me too…”

After a while, a scrawny waiter placed a bucket of drinks on our table. Kangin nodded at the boy as he paid.

Kangin took a bottle and started gulping down, not bothering to ask me if I want one because he knew all too well that I didn’t share his fondness in alcohol.

“Better get another bucket,” I said as I grabbed a bottle.

Kangin stared wide-eyed as I emptied my third bottle. He was still holding the first one he took.

I looked around and noticed that my vision was starting to get a bit blurry. My headache was starting to take its toll.

“Awesome isn’t it?” Kangin asked while I was staring at the empty stage.

“What is?”

“Alcohol,” he held the empty bottle in front of his face.

I just nodded and stared at him.

“It’sawesome how this poison right here could make you feel numb even for a while…” Kangin continued “how it can somehow cover up the pain…”

“The pain of what? ”I asked, leaning my chin on the messy table.

“The pain of needing someone very badly… but all you can do is watch that person with someone else, because you know that it meant happiness to them…” he paused for a while and met my gaze.

I couldn’t think of anything to say.

Curse this headache.

“Is that why you left?” I asked and he looked quite surprised.

“What?”

“Is that why you left for five years without even considering the pain I would feel?”

“I—Jungsoo you know I always consider your feelings…”

“Then tell me where you’ve been.” I pressed on, ignoring the stinging pain in my head… and the fact that I’ve been having a bad attitude all day.

“I enlisted,” he said, looking down at his bottle.

“That covers the first two years…” I arrogantly said, feeling the effects of the alcohol take a toll on my mood “what about the next three?”

“I went abroad,” he nearly mumbled “you know back then that I always wanted to go abroad and explore…”

“That’s pretty shallow if you ask me,” I kept my gaze on him.

At last, he looked up at me and met my gaze.

“At that time, I didn’t do it because of my pathetic wants,” Kangin seriously said, sounding more confident “I did it because… because I needed to.”

I shook my head, showing him I didn’t fully get the point.

“When you’re asked to do something for the sake of someone special, you’d just do it even if it could crush you down.”

“That must’ve been one hell of a special person coz you didn’t even bother tell me something about it and you just vanished—“

“It was for you, Jungsoo.” Kangin cut me off in the middle of my nag.

I frowned.

“I did it for you so just stop.”

I couldn’t understand anything and I didn’t want to press him anymore.

“The cheapest plane ticket that I could afford took me to the Philippines. And that’s where I met Kyuhyun and Sungmin…” he suddenly continued, but obviously out of the track of the topic about me.

I just nodded, my head still lazily leaning on the table.

“They’re nice kids. Well, Kyuhyun’s a bit of a pest sometimes, but they’re both very kind and they helped me in many ways.” Kangin said with a smile.

I felt quite jealous. He shouldn’t smile for anyone else but me.

He then started telling the times when they would annoy Sungmin just to see him pout and stomp away like an agitated little girl. And those times when Kyuhyun would pester him every night just to play Starcraft and other online games.

I laughed along the stories.

I enjoyed seeing him that way… smiling and laughing, just being happy.

Could we just stay like this forever?

Being happy with each other.

After my marriage… would I still be able to spend time like this with Kangin?

I don’t want anything to change… I don’t want him to go away again.

 “It’s midnight,” Kangin then said “crazy kids would pour in and dance away like lunatics there,” he pointed at the middle of the bar where the waiters were clearing up the tables.

And just like he said, after a few minutes, the bar was filled with lively teenagers as loud music blared from the speakers.

The shifting lights worsened my headache… but the alcohol and the pain in my head and heart gave me that crazy push to stand up and join the havoc.

 

I wasn't able to go online for 2 days because we had conferences work that lasted til night o.O

As promised, this chapter's longer than the previous one :)

I hope you'll like this. Just comment away!

P.S.

Pray for the Philippines