Chapter 5

Sehun didn’t know where he was. Didn’t care either. Anywhere apart from his apartment would be perfect. Now was not the time to be dealing with an investigative Luhan, especially since he had a mission. The thing about Luhan is that he’s never afraid to ask for what he wants. Never. Sometimes it’s a good thing though; for example when he’s in the department store and would like a shirt of his size. However, Sehun has always seen it as a hindrance. Always.

Nonetheless, Sehun decided it would be best to venture into the city centre and busy himself for a few hours before he was needed at the bubble tea store. Glancing down at his phone screen, he saw that it was 10AM which meant the stores will have all opened by now. What he also saw when checking his phone for the time was the apparent crack lining the right side of the boy’s phone screen, a result of him dropping it a few weeks prior. Seeing it again reminded Sehun that he needed to have it repaired, or at least buy a case which would offer a little more protection than the flimsy screen itself. “I know what I’ll do, I’ll see if the phone store is open. I hope it’s not too expensive,” Sehun mumbled, recalling his plans aloud which usually helped him in clearing his mind.

And so it was decided. After several moments of furious ‘Googling’, Sehun finally knew where his destination was and began the short journey towards one of the city’s busiest shopping centres. It wasn’t often Sehun went shopping and it was even rarer for him to be alone when doing it. Luhan was always with him. He was the one who enjoyed shopping; in fact, he revelled in the aimless wandering of Seoul’s crammed streets, his glazed gaze eyeing the cluttered windows and shelves. If only Luhan was here now, Sehun thought, a sigh slipping his lips as his arms fell to his sides.

Luckily for Sehun, the trek to the mall had been shorter than expected and he wondered whether he’d accidentally discovered a shortcut or something. He peered over his shoulder, eyeing the direction from which he’d just come from, narrow eyes briefly searching for any signs of a shorter path. Nothing appeared to be jumping out at him though so Sehun merely shrugged the thought away. “Oh Sehun, stop worrying yourself over dumb things,” The teen scolded himself aloud, slapping the back of his own hand as punishment, not caring whether anyone saw. Since the encounter with the two males last night, Sehun had surpassed the point of caring, so much so that there was no going back now.

Come to think of it, who were those two males they’d encountered last night? Sehun’s eyebrows knit together in a frown as he attempted to recollect any memories from the night. Any memories apart from the ones involving the shorter of the two males. The one with the spiked hair, who’d smiled at Sehun in what had seemed like an apologetic fashion. By the looks of it, the pair were most likely around the same age as Sehun, if not almost as old as Luhan, and one of them was definitely Chinese. “Like Luhan,” A ‘hmph’ slipped the boy’s lips. Of course, it wasn’t the Chinese male Sehun was interested in. Oh no, it was the dark-haired, brown-eyed male who he was certain was Korean, even if his name didn’t sound particularly native to the country. Oh, what was his name again? Xum- Xiu-

“Xiumin! Xiumin!” A woman’s shrill cries could be heard behind the teen. He spun almost immediately on his heels, wide orbs searching for the source of the high-pitched shrieks in both curiosity and annoyance. It couldn’t possibly be the same boy. Could it? However, it wasn’t long until Sehun spotted the owner of the voice, not surprising really considering she was the only middle-aged woman Sehun had ever come across who sported neon pink locks which, today, happened to clash with her ravishing red pencil skirt and blouse. For a moment Sehun was in complete shock. Not only because of the woman’s, shall we say, unique attire but also because of the name she was continuously shouting.  “Xiumin, come here! We’ll never finish shopping at this rate,” She threw another threat at the so-called ‘Xiumin’, this time aiming a skilfully decorated fingertip at the boy who stood opposite.

Curious, Sehun allowed his inquisitive gaze to follow her finger, occasionally glancing down at his phone or reaching for something in his pocket so it appeared as though he had a purpose to be standing there and that he wasn’t just watching the pair in almost a stalker-ish way.

And there he was

Xiumin. The boy from the night before.

Funnily enough, he was just as Sehun remembered, even if the last time they’d encountered one another had been darkness, the measly glow from a streetlamp illuminating the other’s features just enough so that Sehun was able to recall them at this very moment. Sehun was clueless as to exactly why this other teen rendered him speechless. Perhaps it was the other’s auburn locks which always fell in front of his eyes though he always cutely swept them away. However, it could possibly be the unusually-light shade of his hues which sparkled with, what Sehun couldn’t decide, as mischief or anger. He seemed capable of both. Then suddenly their gazes met, the way Xiumin stared at the teen making his cheeks warm for some unknown reason.

“Is something the matter?”

Sehun inhaled. Sharply. It was then that he realised he’d been staring, who knew for how long. His hands flew to his reddening cheeks, trying their best to completely conceal them. His heart threatened to explode out of his chest. Embarrassment was slowly eating away at his insides, making his stomach churn. Minutes passed and he was still silent. He decided it would best if he managed to sputter an excuse sooner rather than later. “I’m sorry. Nothing’s the matter,” Sehun started, immediately regretting the words as soon as they left his lips. “I just thought I recognised you from somewhere,” the teen admitted, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, hidden from sight just as he wished to be right now.

Xiumin merely nodded, his left eyebrow fixed in a sharp eyebrow, his piercing gaze raking the other from head to toe. It was only now that Sehun noticed the heavy ring of dark makeup lining the other’s eyes. Perhaps that was why his gaze was so acute. So accusing. Sehun felt the need to apologise, again. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, really I di-“

A cough from the other sent the boy silent. Sehun’s gaze dropped to the ground as he shifted uncomfortably on the spot. He felt cornered, like a deer caught in the headlights. A breath hitched in his throat when the other coughed again, unfolding his arms and slipping his hands into his pockets. A lazy smile played across his lips and, when Sehun glanced up, he noticed that the female –obviously Xiumin’s mother – had disappeared. Silence lingered between them for several moments, deafening the teen. He opened his mouth to speak, to break the silence, but luckily Xiumin beat him to it. “You’re the boy from last night, aren’t you?”

End of Chapter

Author's Note:
I'm really sorry for the bad quality of this chapter.
It's a filler and it was written at 1am too.orz