Life Rule #2: Silliness is not a sign of intellectual absence.

Everything was starting to drain on me.

I just looked at him and at the line of trees standing behind him, setting as a good background for him and the groups of people who I reckoned were so happy to just be freely navigating the park, without minding any contract to break and without thinking of feasible and effective ways on how to run out from the guy who proposed it. “What is it?”

“Woah. You still seem shocked about everything.”

Of course I was.

He hesitated to look at me, maybe because of how surprised I was and my inability to absorb the current events was in full operation, but he did anyway. What choice did he have? “Okay. I’ll let you cool down first. But do it fast. We’re in a hurry.”

His words travelled through my ears but were hardly accepted by my psych. “Hurry? Are there other things that we should do other than this?” I said worriedly as I caught up with him. He had been walking so fast so maybe there are more tasks in store for me than I expected.

He just looked away and smiled, a smile that hid and proposed a thousand secrets and questions. He came into a somehow-screeching halt.

“Fine. Let’s start,” he blurted out, his words firm and solid. “Okay. Timer… starts… now,” he said as he pressed the ‘start’ button on the timer on his phone.

I was not born ready.

“Ah, wait, oh, ah, yes. Lee Donghae, 15th of October, I like eating and sleeping, I dislike doing things without me getting merits from it, I want to travel the world,”

The numbers on his phone continued to tick and those seconds were one of the most nerve-wrecking seconds of my entire existence. “40 seconds. Hurry up.”

“Ah! Scary!” I shouldn’t had said that, should I? Facepalm.

“Lee Hyukjae, April 4, I like adventures, I dislike people’s misconceptions about me, I want to achieve something that people never thought I could even do to begin with,” he blurted out confidently.

What could his description for me be?

“Innocent.”

Uhm. Okay. I don’t know if I’d be happy or not.

“And we’re done. Let’s get moving.” He locked his phone, pocketed it and got moving, leaving me behind.

“Done? Already? That’s it?” Though I somehow opposed the flow of this stuff, cutting it so shortly was weird and was hard to believe.

Hyukjae turned to me. “Why? You want more?”

“I just didn’t expect it to end just like that.” True.

“Well, that is the reason why surprises exist.”

I buffered, but what he asserted was also true.

“Task number two,” Hyukjae said as he fished out the notebook from his back pocket.

“We’re… we’re not going to rest for a bit?”

Task #2:

Now, going out, going far away?

Why not have something to munch on for the day

And let that hunger go away?

Buy food. That’s it.

Then strut it on your way like it is nobody else’s business.

Why would you even strut your food? To tell others that you can afford them and that you are more blessed to have them than others? His notebook has just peculiar errands.

I reckoned it was about time to ask something. “Can I ask something?”

“No.” That was hard.

I was about to open my mouth and get ready to answer back to him, but that one word made my brows furrow in dismay.

“Okay. Let’s keep going.”

“Wait! Can you just tell me?”

“Of course I will. I’ll tell you later. Don’t worry. There’s no need to rush.”

Was I really supposed to believe him? Hours ago he was just one of the tens of space-occupiers in our class’ list of students and classroom. And now I am here going on in this undetermined journey full of things Hyukjae. Or whatever he plans to do with his life that I unfortunately delved in because of my thirst for adventure and thrill. I should learn how to sort out my priorities in the future and set out my limitations.

Hyukjae sighed as he reached for the door handle of a convenience store, and I unconsciously looked out for some people around, hoping that I might know someone familiar that I could ask for help or someone whom I could tag along in this trip to lessen the awkward feeling I still had. Stupid self for even agreeing in the first place.

“Sometimes, it’s better to leave some questions unanswered and be clueless of the future. Otherwise, there’s no point in looking forward to what’s gonna happen next,” he said in a manner of like preaching some prophetic words to unbelievers while moving his eyes around the store as he searches for food to buy.

Hyukjae, please. My mind is not ready for verbosity. I staggered to get hold of the nearest shelf, forcing myself to calm down from everything that he was doing and saying.

He was rummaging through the big packs of chips from cheese to barbeque-flavored to those healthy grains that certifies they are MSG-free or naturally-made or baked so they don’t contain those unwanted fatty or whatever stuff.

Sounding concerned, I stepped up to him. “What are you finding particularly?”

“Seaweeds. They are always here.” His eyes couldn’t stay on a particular spot for too long as he searches for the snack.

“Seaweeds?” I never thought he actually liked them. Being a good companion, I asked the person by the counter. “Excuse me. Do you have any dried seaweeds here?”

The person stopped arranging the packets of candies as he heard me. “Ah. They’re suddenly out of stock. A group just bought all of the dried seaweeds earlier. A few of other chips and all of the seaweeds – they left nothing.”

“How selfish. They could have at least left even one. Anyway, thank you.”

“On a diet? Won’t have anything?”

I should have changed my lifestyle as I made it as my resolution for the new year two years ago but I don’t; I think I’d have but I’d need time to choose. “No, but… If you insist.”

“Buy something. It’s gonna be a long day ahead.”

A long day – a day full of tasks or whatever that requires too much effort from a get-goer guy who is passionate and fully engrossed in his own endeavors in life and from a guy who was unfortunately, unnecessarily and unexpectedly dragged along in the other guy’s misadventures but he agreed to go anyway because he was too naïve and too scared to complain as he already signed this so-called contract, if you could even call it as one since it was just a silly combination of sentences contained in a small piece of a page of a little notebook.

I looked at him in complete surrender just as he turned his back to me to proceed to another row full of candies and other cavity-causing sweets. I pondered if I would buy a big bag of cheddar cheese-flavored chips or if I would go for a mere ham-and-cheese sandwich. Yes, I had allowance to help me go through the day, but the idea of eating at the moment or for the entire day was quite unappealing, thanks to the nerve-wrecking thought of me being in a state of uncertainties.

The small packet of gummy worms seemed enough to fuel me for the day, in case my blood sugar would go on an unlikely fit. The cheesy chips also looked appetite-worthy… and cheesy. So I got it.

“Are you sure those are gonna suffice you for the day?”

“Until when are we going to do our stuff?”

“I regret I can’t tell you the exact time…”

“Oh. I see. I’m trying.”

He reached out his hand. “Let me have those. I’ll pay.” Probably to compensate for the destruction of my once-existing comfort zone.

“Oh, thanks.” It’s good having financially stable friends.

“But, yeah, I hope you can trust me,” Hyukjae broke in as the cashier rang up our items and I saw how he really grabbed a whole lot of snacks and drinks.

“Sure. Of course, I do. I just did awhile ago. I wouldn’t be here if I don’t trust you.”

“Great.”

“I know. So great.”

“I think we should go.”

“Okay. So, where to now?”

“School.”

School. Books. Studying. Okay.

***

The sun was up there doing its usual job of heating anything within its range of sunshines. It was a sun-kissed skin experience - not too hot but just enough for the warmth to gently penetrate on the skin. The academe buildings stood sturdily from their own places, looking so fine as if I had never seen them that way before - they were just mere infrastructures needed to establish a learning institution. The green field was looking vibrant with the light, and surely, it was a scenery to be defined as the perfect epitome of a sunny day.

Hyukjae pocketed the sweets from his jeans and gave me the cola-flavored one, strawberry-flavored for him. "One for you, and one for me. Thou shall be satisfied with one."

"Of course, thou should be."

"Ready?"

"I guess.”

I gripped my lollipop and started to get rid of the wrapper but I couldn’t hear any plastic scrunching from Hyukjae. It somehow struck me how he suddenly got hold of a pair of sunglasses and wore it casually.

Glancing through the specs I doubt Hyukjae would ever wear, I wondered if asking him why he had that was necessary or it was just his style. My troubled eyes and mind even got into more trouble as questions started to pop up because of that one single act. I shot a telepathic look at him.

“Here.” He grabbed hold of his back pocket and from there, another pair of sunglasses magically came out. His pockets were somehow reaching Dora’s backpack’s level.

She would be so proud of you, Hyukjae. I drifted my eyes to the pair of sunglasses laid right out before me. “Are you sure about this?”

“Nothing makes you cooler than wearing sleek sunglasses on a summer day. Or when the sun becomes so angry, it decides to burn everything out, particularly our eyes.”

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“Sure. We need to prepare for the things in life.”

He unwrapped the sweet candy and let it linger in his mouth nonchalantly. I followed him and finally wore the sunglasses, feeling somehow uncomfortable with the strange feeling of having something constantly disturbing my face, paired with the sudden blackened view of the place. But it also did me good, because the sun was starting to literally burn everything out. “Not bad.”

“Let’s yank it down.”

“Absolutely.”

He left the bag of snacks on a certain spot on the quadrangle. We strutted down and made our way to the middle part of the wide field.

“So what made you actually come all the way here?” Puzzled out just like me, he interrogated me. Glad how I was not the only one bewildered.

“Unfortunately, I also can’t give you an exact answer to your inquiry,” I answered.

He nodded in approval of my uncertainty. “Honestly, I am still shocked that you are still here.”

“Thanks to me, you won’t do these tasks alone.” I knew it.

“I can do it alone. But you came. Wouldn’t it be rude if I don’t invite the one who went after me?”

To tell you the truth, he was also on point. “Because you have said that, I am now honored.”

I walked as confidently as I can, adjusting my vision with the sunglasses on. I am not a fan of any type of glasses, so I obviously don’t own one. Siwon was even shocked when he tried to borrow one from me because it was too hot outside and I said I don’t fancy having one. The cola lollipop also turned out sweet and nice that I thought I would buy it sometime.

“But, why the school?” Are we going to study? Break school property? Invade the principal’s office? Steal exams’ answer keys?

“It’s where we are everyday. And I just think that walking on the school grounds with a lollipop and glasses makes you feel cool like you win over the entire student body and staff.”

I let out a laugh and he suddenly stopped and glared at me, though his gaze was hidden behind the rims of the sunglasses.

“Sounds lame and funny, huh? Being silly does not necessarily mean being stupid.”

“Well, I just didn’t know you actually think about those things. I mean, Hyukjae, I thought you would be okay to just sit in class, do your ways, go home, eat, sleep. Things I think you do. And we all do.”

“And that’s why I brought you here.”

I froze. Because he got a point. “To clear all those misconceptions about you.”

“And I just thought you would be fit for the role.” Why does he sputter very unyielding words that somehow gets interpreted by me in a threatening way?

Wow. I definitely landed on a role I did not think I would ever actually audition for. The chosen one. Maybe I just got lucky, as it might seem.

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HELLO, PEOPLE! YES, I AM STILL ALIVE. *my unlimited supply of confettis thrown everywhere*

I'm utterly sorry for not updating for a few months (horrible). But yay here it is lol

Congrats to everything that's happening. All of us have been through a lot of tough times but I hope you're all happy wooooooh what

And to all who are actually reading this, thank you so much. You are amazing. God loves you. less than three