first bloom

{where Chen witnessed the fall of cherry blossoms and Luhan}

No one knew how the legend started or if it even happened.

       Every student who entered the university had probably heard about the story of the two legendary students who changed the course of the university’s history forever. Not only had they erased the disparity of social hierarchy of the students, they also proved that nothing mattered when it comes to friends and family.

       Here was the tale of two people, one was rich in material wealth and one was rich in kindness, and together they created a treasure which value could never be appraised: friendship and most importantly, love.

(Yeah, something like that...)

##

Chen saw it with his two eyes how it all started – the fall of the said to be perfect student, straight A’s since he started schooling, always on top, rich family background, born with good genes, and his best friend, Luhan. It wasn’t abrupt but the gradual fall was painful for him to bear. No, scratched that. Even though Luhan was his best friend since they were young – because he was the first and only one to bear his friend’s weird antics - he actually enjoyed how his friend fall into pits of insanity.

       It just happened that flowers were not the only ones which bloomed that time about three springs ago. It wasn’t about the humidity nor the rise of temperature neither it was because of miraculous early blooming of cherry blossoms that covered their school pavement. It was all because of that simple gesture and Chen swore he saw how the nature upheld to that fateful meeting. How the blushing petals fell perfectly in slow dreamy motion, showering his friend and this mysterious bun, ah man. It was definitely about that smile, that gummy smile  and plump cheeks that brought Luhan into a churn of rage. But Chen was sure that it was about Minseok's kindness that slowly burned Luhan’s rationality to ashes.

##

His steps halted as another pair of steps drew nearer. However, those pair tripled and then quadrupled. The next thing Chen saw was a hoard of students running towards the bulletin board. What could be the reason for those students to ignore his beautiful existence? He asked himself. He approached the board and, of course, what was posted there was none other than the student ranking of the freshmen according to their entrance exam results. The higher the score entailed a higher chance to be popular. Being popular would lead him to fame and glory. Being famous meant having a favorable appeal to be recommended to great companies in the future. Well, at least, that’s what everyone thought but for Chen it was all a living nightmare. Who would be happy being stuck in a university full of students who were just up for grades? Not fun at all but then again, when he saw his ranking, he wished he was never motivated by Luhan to study all night because he was just a part of the top ten students, name signed on the tenth spot. It also meant that he’s stuck with Luhan for another four years of his life. Sigh.

       However, Chen’s eyes grew wider when he saw the top most student on the list. He wondered how Luhan would take this. Speaking of…

       “Ah, these students are still looking for their name on the list? Seriously, why bother to look for your ranking if you’re not even the top? But then again, why would I bother to look for my name on the list when I know that I am the top? In other words, no one should look on that list anymore. The entrance just looks like a mess with these peasants.”

       “Ssh,” Chen covered the mouth of his best friend. “We’re just new here. Stop attracting attention if you still want to make it to the classroom alive and they’re not peasants. They are as rich as you are. Look at those accessories and gadgets. They can afford it as much as you can.”

       Luhan just shrugged and tugged Chen's hand. “Let’s go to our class fellow achiever,” he smiled. Even half of his system hated Luhan because of his over conceitedness, once his friend smiles, he would definitely forget the hatred and curses because Luhan’s smile was a living spotlight, too bright and too lenient as if the heavens awarded him the smile of the decade or even the smile of the lifetime award.

       Chen looked at Luhan’s beaming face then on the board then back at Luhan, contemplating to himself if he would say the bad news to him. However, Chen couldn’t control what Luhan had to face because before they go further from the bulletin board, some students already started talking about his friend.

       “I wonder who is that who got the top spot. A perfect score, he must be a genius.”

       Chen caught a sight of Luhan out of the corner of his eye and saw how his smile widened. If only he knew…He was about to drag his friend away but it was too late.

       “Kim Minseok? It looks like a promising student got the top spot.”

       Chen saw Luhan's lips twitched.

       “Look, the second to him, Luhan, only falls behind with just a point but ninety-nine percent is also not a joke.”

       “Of course it’s not!” Chen retorted but he covered his mouth with his palm and regretted saying something because Luhan had his eyes on him.

       “You knew? You saw my ranking and you didn’t say anything to me. Is that true, I only got the second spot?” Luhan was teary-eyed but Chen avoided his gaze. Luhan scowled as he pushed Chen away and dragged his feet towards the bulletin board.

       Chen covered his face and closed his eyes because the moment Luhan saw his name on the board, the boy screeched with a long exhale, “No!” followed by a dramatic fell on his knees. The students looked at him in horror and some gave him a what’s-wrong-with-that-guy look. If Chen could untie any connection with Luhan (which he wished he had done before), he would do it by now but he also knew that he was the only one Luhan could rely to.

       “Students! You should go to the theater hall for the welcome ceremony,” someone announced. When the entrance hall was nearly empty, leaving Chen and the fallen Luhan, the announcer went beside Chen and swayed his head in disappointment. “I knew this would happen.”

       Chen gave the guy a stern look and returned his gaze on Luhan. “If you knew all along, you should have just at least give Luhan a clue of what to expect.”

       “Nah, I just saw his score this morning. I didn’t expect it either. Who would have thought my brother has finally found his competition? Besides, seeing his reaction is kind of amusing,” the man giggled.

       “Yeah…wait, no! How could you say that?” Chen pushed Yifan aside and ran towards his friend who was already creating puddles of tears on the floor. Okay that might sound exaggerated but if Chen couldn’t stop Luhan it might come true and he didn’t want to carry a lifeless Luhan due to dehydration.

       “Luhannie…” Chen’s hand tremblingly reached for his shoulder but the latter whined louder.

       “My life is over! If I’m not on the top, who will look at me? Who will respect me? How will my popularity go? How about the fame and glory? No company will accept me anymore. No—” Luhan felt Chen’s index finger on his lips.

       “Ssh, you’re exaggerating. And stop crying because—” You look ugly when you cry “—an angel like you doesn’t deserve to cry. You’re world is not over, Lu. Gosh, it’s just a point—”

       “A point? How could say that it’s just a point? I’m a point behind him! I should have been the top one if only I got that point. That point is important, Chen!” Luhan whined.

       “Nope. You won’t be the top one even if you got the point. The two of you will be on top. It means you have to share that spot with him,” said Yifan before he felt a very painful nudge on his side and once again, Chen shoved him aside.

       “You…go away,” Chen mouthed before giving Luhan consoling back rubs.

       “Hey, I’m older here.”

       “And you’re not helping. Shoo!”

       It wasn’t long before Luhan stopped whining. The silence was deafening in each passing seconds. Chen was eager to touch his friend to know if the boy already accepted the painful truth but the latter suddenly laugh a laugh that was so crazily devious.

       “He’s gone crazy,” Yifan muttered in the corner.

       “Luhan?” Chen asked in fear. His friend had gone insane and now was the time for him to untie all their connections and run for his life but his feet were just stuck there as Luhan’s laughter echoed in the hallway.

       “I will find whoever that Min Kimseok is—”

       “Kim Minseok,” Chen silently corrected.

       Luhan glared at him. “Whoever he is and I’ll make sure that I’ll make his life a living hell,” he added before another roar of laughter escaped his lips.

       “Ah, I think we should go to the theater hall now. Besides, if you’re looking for that Kimseok guy—”

       “Minseok.”

       “He’s probably there now. And I’m just a new professor here. I have to impress,” said Yifan as he straightened his formal wear.

       “He’s there? No! I have to be there first!” said Luhan as he dashed to the exit, Chen and Yifan followed behind closely to avoid having Luhan create another disaster. Who would’ve imagined what Luhan could do to the oblivious boy? Luhan didn’t even know what he looked like and he might attack someone randomly.

       “Luhan, you shouldn’t—”

       And it was there, three springs ago, halfway to the cherry blossom covered path towards the theater hall, Chen together with Yifan witnessed a collision in seemingly perpetual slow motion. A gust of wind brought the petals to shower their fateful meeting. Dramatic as it may look and Yifan's stomach churned in disgust, but Chen clasped his hand and stared dreamily because Luhan didn’t just bump into someone but a human being with a heavenly beauty which Chen never thought existed before aside from his face of course.  

       It took only seconds when Luhan opened his eyes to see a hand offered to him. He didn’t bother to look up to the person as he took the hand to stand up and brushed the dirt off of his uniform. “Tsk. You should look where you’re going,” he hissed

       When he lifted his head, the man was already bowing apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bump onto you. I am busily looking for the theater hall so I might not have noticed your presence. Sorry.” The man remained in that position for a long time before he lifted his body to look at Luhan.

       “This is bad,” Yifan muttered beside Chen.

       “What do you mean?”

       “That guy…”

       The stranger stared at Luhan who was busily mumbling how his Milan costume-made blazer was ruined as he was brushing off the petals on his sleeves. “Ahh, let me help you,” he stuttered when he reached for the petals that Luhan failed to notice.

       Much to Luhan’s surprise, there were small fair fingers brushing petals off of his sleeves and his eyes widened even more when the stranger’s hand traveled to his hair.

       “You’ve got this stuck in your hair,” said the man, showing him a pink petal that appeared tinier in his cute hand.

       Luhan lifted his head to finally take a glance of the stranger before him. The man, in his almost one and three-quarter meters of glory stood in front him with a smile plastered on his face. A smile that Luhan had never seen before. A smile that beautifully showcased his white row of teeth and lips extending wider, showing his pink gums.

       “He’s done,” said Yifan. Chen just stood there, mesmerized.

       “Kim Minseok,” the man extended his hand to shake Luhan’s hand, the tiny petal stuck between their palms. “First year Architecture student.”

       “First, Business, Luhan” Luhan stuttered dreamily, eyes still stuck on the stranger’s lips—ah, smile. Wait, did he just say… “Kim Minseok!”

       And that’s how Luhan's nightmares of chasing gummy smiles, velvety cheeks, and cherry-colored lips started...