The third wheel
Walk Next To Me
Love is………………………….. when I only want you for myself.
“Please put on the seat belt guys.” Siwon instructed.
Both Donghae and Hyukjae immediately abide. They were in Siwon’s car and were about to leave the school compound.
“Why does Fishy here gets to sit in front?!” Hyukjae demanded.
“Because you are not supposed to come with us, we are just being nice!” Siwon’s irritation was evident in his reply.
After the embarrassing argument between the three of them in school, Siwon decided to allow Hyukjae to tag along. He really wanted to chill out only with Donghae but since Hyukjae was being a nagging ahjumma about Donghae’s injured ankle, he decided to allow him to tag along. He was hoping that Hyukjae would feel more assured. If not like he is going to do dangerous activities with Donghae that may put him at a risk of injuring his ankle further. Siwon was surprised by Hyukjae’s over-reaction. This was his first time seeing Hyukjae so worked up about something. Hyukjae was usually quite cool with everything.
“Where are we going Siwon?” Donghae asked.
“You said you just arrived here from Mokpo just before school starts right? That means you have not had the chance to visit some of the famous places in Seoul right?” Siwon was clearly asking rhetorical questions
“Well …. yes…what’s your point?” Donghae asked impatiently. He was not really in favour of Siwon not being wishy washy.
“I am going to bring you to one of the nicest place to chill out.”
“But its going to be dark soon….. plus we have school tomorrow.” Hyukjae interrupted.
“Are you student? If you have a curfew let me know, I will drive you home now, Hyukjae.”
“Fishy needs to rest his ankle………..”Hyukjae continued.
Siwon sighed. “Yes yes I know that! Don’t worry ok, we will not be running around! We are just gonna sit and chill! Gosh! For goodness sake, Hyukjae!”
Donghae chuckled. He was the main reason why his two new friends are on a constant bicker the entire evening but he could not help but felt blessed. He was surprised by the care shown by Hyukjae who kept insisting that he needed to go home and rest. Hyukjae may seem rude and even though they have been arguing on a daily basis, he realized that Hyukjae was not as mean as he originally thought.
“Fine. If Fishy’s ankle doesn’t heal properly or if he catches a cold tonight, you will be paying for both our lunches for the week.” Hyukjae crossed his arms implying to Siwon that he was serious.
“Please Hyukjae, I always end up paying for your lunch.” Siwon replied sarcastically.
Donghae was smiling in bliss. This was actually the first time he was hanging with the guys. Siwon was right; he did not have the chance to chill out and rest since he arrived in Seoul. His gay neighbours, his work and the ankle incident were all a bit too much for him. He admitted he did need a mental break.
“How much longer is this journey?” Donghae asked Siwon. He was getting impatient and quite curious about where they were heading to.
“Almost, I just need to look for place to park.” Siwon was turning the wheels of his car. He spotted an empty lot of immediately parked his car. “We are here! We need to walk slightly though. Donghae you ok with that?”
“I thought you said not much walking!” Hyukjae interfered.
“Aish!! Its just a bit of walking! I promise it will be worth it. Hyukjae ah, stop being a nuisance and go get the drinks in the boot.” Siwon instructed the pouting Hyukjae.
The three guys started walking; Siwon was leading the two guys. Even though he was limping, Donghae thought the walk was leisurely because the weather was nice and cool. There were many people walking around too, some couples holding hands and some kids speeding away on the bicycles. It was actually a nice place to take a stroll.
“You could have just told him that we were going to Banpo Bridge you know. Its not like he is not from this country.” Hyukjae said sarcastically. His voice broke the silence of their stroll.
“Aww…..no, its fine. I read about this place but I have never been here.” Donghae stopped Hyukjae from talking any more. He turned to Siwon, “This is a nice place, thank you for bringing me here.”
Siwon smiled at his limping friend. “It gets better. Come on, let’s find a place to sit.”
The place was crowded and everyone was leisurely sitting on the floor. Most people brought mats or rugs to sit on. Everyone was facing the waters, enjoying the light breeze. From where they were sitting, the buildings on the opposite side of the Han River had matching lights with the stars in the sky. Since it was a clear night, they could clearly see the twinkles in the sky.
When music started, the entire bridge started to rain rainbow waters. Rainbow lights and the soothing music made the water looked like it was dancing out of the bridge. People around were all silently admiring the scene. It was truly a beautiful sight.
Donghae was sitting on the steps. Siwon was considerate enough to suggest sitting there since he was not able to sit cross legged. When the rainbow light show started, people around him started to snap photos while others snuggled closer to each other enjoying the beautiful view. The light breeze that brushed onto his face and hair felt good. He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. He was feeling relaxed.
“Here have a drink.” Hyukjae handed him a bottle of beer.
“Yes, have a drink Donghae, I brought it for the two of you.” Siwon added.
“A beer?” Donghae was surprised by the offer. He was not a big fan of drinking. He could hardly hold up a small dosage of beer. He gets drunk even with a sip.
“Errr…no thanks. I do not really like drinking beer.” Donghae refused politely.
“Are you kidding?” Hyukjae asked. He was shocked.
“Yes, I get drunk easily and I am sure you do not want to carry me home.” Donghae added.
“Just a sip ok, I am sure you are not THAT bad of a drinker. I wish I can join you but I am driving so no beer for me.” Siwon assured Donghae.
Hyukjae held the bottle of beer and handed it to Donghae. “Just a sip won’t do you harm.”
Donghae was torn. How was he going to tell his new friends that drinking is a bad idea? The last time he drank, he passed out and had to be carried home. His colleagues in his previous school learned their lesson and from that moment on, he was banned from drinking any types of beer.
“Ok, but just a sip.” He reluctantly agreed.
He took a sip and felt acidic water gushing down his throat. It was only a sip but he started to see white spots. Hyukjae and Siwon were staring at him. ‘I must stay awake.’ Donghae reminded himself.
“Achoo!!” Donghae sneezed. “I feel slightly cold.”
“Oh my God, this is the first time I see someone feeling cold after drinking beer. Normal people usually feel hot. Are you sure you are human?” Siwon laughed. He started to take off his jacket and covered Donghae with it.
Seeing Siwon’s gesture, Hyukjae immediately took off his jacket too. “Yah!, Remove your jacket from him. It is expensive right? What if Fishy here throws up? Put it back on.” Hyukjae casually removed Siwon’s jacket from Donghae’s back and replaced it with his own jacket.
Siwon was dumbfounded. He did not understand why Hyukjae was so petty because of a jacket.
“Thanks guys….I can’t really drink…..wow, the rainbow lights spread to the sky!” Donghae exclaimed excitedly.
Siwon and Hyukjae both looked at each other. It was almost too soon to be drunk. Furthermore, Donghae only took a sip.
“Guys……is it just me, or that girl there has been starring at us for the past few minutes?” Donghae pointed to his right. Following the direction of his fingers, Siwon and Hyukjae turned their heads to look.
Donghae was right. About 20 metres away, was a girl in short, pink dress. Her long hair was tied into two ponytails and she carried her sling bag on her left shoulders. Her eyes were fixed on the three guys who were just as frozen as she was. All their eyes met and there was an awkward silence.
“Hyukjae……….”Siwon muttered.
“I know…..”Hyukjae said calmly.
Donghae was straining his eyes to see the girl’s face but his vision was blurred from the sip of beer he took.
“Do you guys know her?” Donghae managed to sober himself up to ask that question.
“My biggest nightmare.” sighed Hyukjae.
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