“Thud!” a sound approached his ears while he was taking a nap. It was from Kris’s bedroom. Tao rushed to see what was happening that time. When he reached in front of the door, he could see Kris packing all his clothes into a baggage.

“Where are you going?” Tao asked. Kris gazed, then he rolled his eyes while continue packing.

“I’m going to leave.”

“But… but, what’s wrong? If it’s because of me, just tell me. Don’t leave please.”

Kris gazed up again and said, “Don’t ask me why.”

Tao confused.

“I will change, hyung. I promise. Don’t leave.” Tao begged. Kris ignored. He crossed his legs; restfully sitting while kept on putting his belongings into the baggage. Tao rushed back to his room and took out a basketball from the rack. He then threw the ball right on Kris’s lap. Kris stopped and looked right at Tao’s face.

“Just a game, you can do anything you want if I lose,” Tao said. Kris had done packing.

“Just forget about it, kid,” he said, arose. “Goodbye,” Kris smirked while putting on his sunglasses. He gave the ball back to Tao. Tao was nailed on the floor, like a statue. Kris walked away and when Tao was trying to chase him, he was already inside the elevator. Tao managed to catch him up right in front of the building.  

“Please, don’t go,” he said, a meter apart from Kris.

But Kris didn’t look back, he moved into his black chic Porsche and drive away.

Huang Zi Tao didn’t know what’s wrong with Kris.

The first time he saw Kris was on the day he found Kris playing basketball alone on the court which belongs to their apartment, about two years ago. He admired on how charming he was while dribbling the ball, twist and turn around, as if he steered away any imaginary bodies that were going to grab the ball away from his hands. The first time in his life that he felt regret of not going deeper into the sport since he was in his school days. The feeling that he had that time was none similar as compared to how he admired his late father, who was a master of Wushu. He is the perfect reflection of his father today, tall and handsome, and a famous action actor.

However, there were some parts of him that were contrasting of what he does look like. The coward part; he was one of the humans in this world who almost afraid of anything, and emotional: he was the kind of person who will tell you everything that he feels at the moment, an open book which people could always come and read straight away.

Since that day, Tao grew a new hobby which was swimming. While resting at the side of the pool every day, he could see Kris on the other side, playing the basketball, alone. Sometimes he did look like he was relishing the game, sometimes he looked like he was forced, though. There were days when Kris realized that Tao was watching him from the pool, Tao waved his hand as he greeted, but Kris turned his head away coldly and continue on his imaginary-court game.

Until that day when Kris collapsed on the court; Tao stormed to see him lying on the court while pressing on his chest hard, gasping for air. As fast as his legs could carry him, Tao brought him back to his apartment and prepared a Chinese medicine which he had learnt from his mother. Their first conversation session might be the most awkward session ever and it lasted for only an hour when Kris said that he need to go back to his apartment.

On the next day, as usual Tao will go down to the pool to swim, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of Kris playing basketball on the court anymore. That repeated for a week. Tao thought that it was the last day he could meet him because he couldn’t find him playing on the court anymore. Since then, Tao quitted swimming and spend more on his time practicing Wushu at home. It was until the next Saturday when Kris came knocking on the door with a pack of Nanaimo bars, a gift from Canada. Since that time, they grew a relationship where they would always need each other.

Kris is a guy who we can say such a hard outside, soft inside candy. He was such a mystery guy, who only let the people around him know what he wanted people to know about him, and he will make sure that it’s really minimal. He was not a type who will spill everything in his mind, usually a quiet guy. While Tao was an open book and an emotional chicken; they were totally an opposite side of each other on pretty much everything, yet, they were somehow work well together, such as yin and yang. 

* * *

“Cut! Good job all! Take 10.” Director Zhang Yixing got off from his seat and stand. Tao was sweating heavily under the hot sunshine. The stylist stormed towards him right after Yixing directed them to take a break.

Tao sat at the shade and asked the Manager Kim Jongdae to hand him his phone. There was no notification available. He read through all his sent messages to Kris since three days ago on Kakao Talk. The messages were all seen, but no reply. He called him but Kris turned off his phone. He also called Kris’s mother, but then she told him that Kris wasn’t at home. Feeling anxious, he called Kris’s coach, Luhan.

“Yeobosaeyo?”

“Annyeong, hyung. Is Kris hyung there at your place?

“Err… nope. Waeyo?”

“Nothing, I just wanna know how well he is doing,” Tao said to the phone while scratching the back of his head. “Alright, nothing much to say, so… thanks hyung. I’ll hang up now. Oh yeah, if in case you meet him, just tell him to call me, arassoyo?

“Alright. Will do,”

“Kamsahamnida hyung. Goodbye,” Tao said, before he hanged up. He sighed heavily, tilting his head slightly to the left while fixing his sight on a trunk of a tree in front of him.

“Tao-ssi,” then there’s suddenly Yixing standing in front of him, while he really have no idea on where did he come from.

“Ah, ggamjakiya (surprised). Director-nim, 10 minutes hasn’t really passed yet, why are you here?” Tao uttered.

“I know. How are you these days? Are you feeling unwell? You must tell me if you do,” Yixing said, smiling.

“Oh. Nothing serious, I’m still fine. As usual. Waeyo? Was my acting really bad?” Tao asked, worried.

“Not really, but yeah, when you did you backflip just on the last shoot, I realize that you were kinda bit unstable, unlike the one that you usually have done before. That’s why I was wondering if you’re alright or not.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I will do better next time. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Aigoo this kid. Alright then, take care of your health ok? Keep this and prepare for the next scene,”Yixing said while he gave a small pack of vitamins.

“Omona, kamsahamnida!” Tao said, surprised of the gift that his kind director had given to him.

* * *

He was really surprised to see a Porsche which is really familiar to him, neatly parked in front of the basketball stadium. When he approached closer to the entrance, he could hear the screech sound of the shoes soles mixed with the echoing dribble sounds every time the ball bounced on the floor, and the man-voice that he treasured a lot in these couple of weeks.

He stunned at the door, refuse to enter while looking at who was playing with Luhan. They stopped playing.

* * *

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Saranghaja!