KissTheDream:

Sorry for the wait

I know that I am late

But I have a big fat chaper (though it isn't great)

So have fun, and please don't hate?

* * *

The moment he entered Leo’s room, Jaehwan suddenly doubled up, coughing into his fist until his eyes started to water. The smell in the room was so disgusting - almost like rotten meat - that Jaehwan had to jerk up his collar to shield his nose and mouth. At first he blamed the horrible cat food - but the stench was far too strong. It seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

“So, I’m here.” began Jaehwan, eager to finish with Leo quickly and get away from the repulsive scent. “What did you want t-”

Jaehwan stopped in his tracks, blinking rapidly, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

For once, Leo didn’t have his headphones on. His long legs, usually tucked beneath the desk, were now at the side, crossed over, with hands on top of his knees. Jaehwan could swear Leo was waiting for him, although he’d rather not think about that. It was kinda creepy.

“… Feeling better?” asked Leo in his tiny voice.

His usual absent-mindedness seemed forgotten. Now Leo was awake, focused, and Jaehwan couldn’t help but squirm under his gaze and lightly kick the floor for something to do. As much as Leo’s usual lack of interest was driving him crazy, this kind of over-attentive behavior was even worse. Dammit, can’t you stop acting differently every time I see you?! Conversing with Leo seemed a lot like trying to guess the answer when you don’t even know the question. Honestly, Jaehwan was about to tear out his own hair by now.

“… What happened?”

Did he just ask TWO questions in a row? Whoooa.

“Ah, you mean when I passed out? I, uh, saw some things. Probably a nightmare.” Jaehwan grinned, trying to cover up his awkwardness. He wasn’t really in the mood to discuss his deepest fears with a person who was little more than a stranger. “Oh, and sorry for taking up your bed.”

Jaehwan was about to excuse himself (the smell was getting really, really awful) when Leo whispered once again.

“What did you see?”

One hand on the doorknob, Jaehwan reluctantly let it go and turned back towards his roommate. “Oh, well, uh… nothing.” Hongbin’s bloody body on the ceiling certainly wasn’t nothing, but Jaehwan really, really didn’t want to talk about it. Why is he suddenly so interested in something that isn’t his laptop?

There was a raspy meow from below. Leo’s cat emerged from under the bed, then started making circles around Leo’s leg, wrapping its tail around his muscular calf. The broad-shouldered boy leaned down to scratch it at the base of the chin, and the little animal purred in response. It was quite an ugly cat, really; multi-coloured and spotted like any of the cats banqueting on the trash cans in the streets below. Leo, however, didn’t seem to mind.

Somehow the sight of Leo doing something as normal as petting a cat soothed Jaehwan a little. Reluctantly, he sat on Leo’s bed, painfully aware of the loud and awkward whine it emitted.

“Well…” started Jaehwan. He needed someone to speak to, and badly. Even though Leo would hardly be the best choice, he was the only person immediately available. Unsure of where to start, he watched Leo scratch the feline at the base of the ears, the cat bumping its head against his hand, as if to ask for more. Jaehwan almost thought the sight was really cute, until Leo raised his head and gazed at him intensely, and Jaehwan remembered with a cold chill that there was nothing cute about Jung Leo.

“Uh, well,” is it really a good idea to tell him?, “I kinda saw someone hanging from the ceiling fan. In the kitchen. Dead.”

A silence followed his words. Jaehwan felt prompted to talk more, to laugh, to make some noise. But his words ran dry.

“Is it someone you’re worried about?” asked Leo, in that soft voice that contrasted everything else about him.

Jaehwan stiffened, surprised by the response. “H-how did you know?!”

Leo’s lips twitched upwards in a tiny smile. Jaehwan couldn’t help but notice his lips were full and voluptuous, despite his tough appearance. “When you’re concerned about someone, you tend to imagine the worst.”

The answer was so simple, Jaehwan sat there thunderstruck for a whole minute. Of course. Hongbin’s missing. I kept thinking something happened to him, so I imagined the whole thing. Of course!

The entire world seemed to brighten up. Even the horrible stench of the room seemed to subside. “That’s- that’s true.” Jaehwan grinned, truly happy for the first time in days. “That’s so true.

…Thanks.”

He stood up to leave, thinking of calling his friends to meet up in their usual park, when something warm touched his back.

His footsteps froze instantly. His hair was standing on edge. His mind was racing so fast he couldn’t follow his own thoughts.

Yet, even after a minute, the warmth was still there, along with a pair of arms. One was draped loosely around his neck, the other hanging from his shoulder. Leo was back-hugging him – unless Jaehwan was having another hallucination. NO WAY. I’m probably thinking stuff up again.

But then Leo pulled him closer by the arm around his neck. Suddenly Jaehwan felt panic rising from the pits of his guts. He felt warm, far too warm, but it was more than just that – the smell was back again, the repulsive smell of a rotten carcass. But the worst was definitely the undefined feeling of Leo, that dangerous, alien feeling Jaehwan had encountered on their first day as roommates, when Leo had slammed him into a wall and scared him more than Jaehwan could possibly admit.

He knew he was supposed to say something, some kind of a “bye, see you later,” but there was a growing lump blocking his throat. Instead he launched himself at the door, ran down the corridor and grabbed his coat quicker than he thought possible.

Within thirty seconds, he was out of the apartment.

* * *

“Is it normal that a guy you’ve known for, like, a week, randomly back-hugs you?”

He was waiting for Ravi to finish his shift, lounging in the hall with Hyuk and Hakyeon. Hakyeon was mostly gaping at the tough-looking policemen, not even hiding his admiration, while Jaehwan stared mostly at the floor. I’ll never feel comfortable in a police station.

But at Jaehwan’s question, Hakyeon finally stopped staring at policemen, fixing his eyeliner or bouncing in his seat. Instead he focused on Jaehwan, eyes wide and shiny. “What- what did you say again?!”

Truthfully, Jaehwan had no idea why Hakyeon was so excited about it. He repeated the question, puzzled.

Right in that minute, Ravi walked out of the office. Even his way of walking had changed, Jaehwan noticed. Ravi wasn’t that dopey highschooler anymore. His steps were more confident; his eyes were more stern.

“GIVE ME 20000 WON!” Hakyeon screamed at Ravi, beaming, as soon as he appeared.

“Hold up, WHAT?” asked Ravi, eyebrow raised. Jaehwan wondered the same. He looked to Hyuk, who shrugged.

“Hakyeon and Ravi had a bet.” said Hyuk casually. “Hakyeon said your crush was a guy. Ravi swore it was a chick.”

“EXCUSE ME???” yelled Jaehwan, bewildered, earning himself an annoyed stare from a passing police officer carrying a load of papers. “Why exactly are you discussing my life behind my back?!”

“Because we were bored?” suggested Hakyeon, not the least bit apologetic. Suddenly grinning, he hugged Jaehwan tightly. “I knew you were on my side of the fence!”

Jaehwan must’ve looked completely lost, because Hyuk couldn’t stop laughing at his face.

Ravi collapsed into a sofa and took a deep sigh. “I sure miss Hongbin. Without him, I’m the only straight person here.”

Hyuk fake-coughed, demanding an explanation. Ravi rolled his eyes at him.

“Loving your Playstation 4 doesn’t exactly count as being straight, Hyuk.”

Just when Hyuk opened his mouth to protest, Ravi cut him off.

“Anime girls don’t count, either.“

That statement started a long and angry argument (“THEY’RE JUST DRAWINGS, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!!!”), followed by a wave of fury from the youngest (“THEY MIGHT BE DRAWINGS BUT THEY’RE DRAWINGS WITH S! HOW COME THEY DON’T COUNT?!”). Hakyeon, on the contrary, almost pissed himself laughing. It would’ve probably ended up in a food fight with the jellybeans Hakyeon had brought, if only two police officers didn’t show up, standing like statues and looking the four students over, judgingly. They called Ravi over.

Suddenly the atmosphere changed completely. Hakyeon, Hyuk and Jaehwan waited in tense silence, while Ravi’s face got darker and darker with every sentence spoken by his co-workers.

“… Guys… I have bad news.” confessed Ravi as soon as he approached again. He bit his lip. “Hongbin, he… he’s really missing.”

Hakyeon stood up at once. “What the hell do you mean?!”

Ravi looked back at him, no less puzzled. “His mother called. He hadn’t phoned her for more than a week. She’s worried sick.”

“Maybe he was busy-” started Hyuk, but Ravi shook his head gravely.

“It gets weirder.” said Ravi, eyeing them as though they had an answer. As no one said anything, he continued.

“He moved house, about three weeks ago.” Jaehwan and Hyuk nodded – that, they already knew, and they had told Ravi as well. “But he refused to tell anyone where he moved.”

Hyuk blinked like a confused child. “That isn’t like Hongbin at all.”

“His mother tried to force it out of him, but he wouldn’t say no matter what. She assumed he had a girlfriend, and moved in with her.”

“That- that does make sense.” said Hakyeon. His voice was quiet. “Maybe he thought his mother would be against it.”

“Makes sense?” said Ravi, suddenly angry. “It does NOT make sense at all, Hakyeon! Don’t you think he would’ve told us he had a girlfriend? We’re his best-”

“Maybe we’re not.” Hyuk blurted out.

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on him. Hakyeon gaped at him, in total shock.

But Jaehwan agreed it was possible. Even since that visit to Hongbin’s house, the idea seemed more and more probable – that Hongbin didn’t really think of them as close friends at all.

“What the hell, Sanghyuk?!” raged Hakyeon. Hyuk didn’t bring it up again, yet it was obvious it was now on everybody’s mind.

Out of the blue, Ravi cleared his throat, determined to break the loaded silence.

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, guys.” The rest hastily nodded their heads. “We need more information about this.” He spread his hands, as if to wave away any guilt he felt. “I-I’m really doing all I can, you know?”

* * *

Distracted by the news, Jaehwan walked back to his apartment. His thoughts were completely preoccupied with ideas about Hongbin’s case. Maybe his girlfriend was a celebrity? Maybe he simply didn’t want to live with his parents anymore, so he faked having a girlfriend? The possibilities were endless, but each was wilder and wilder than the last. Or maybe he was turned into a vampire, and moved out so his mother wouldn’t learn the truth. Or maybe he’s an alien.

In fact, Jaehwan was so obsessed with his theories that, when he passed a light switch in the hallway, it took him a few seconds to understand what he was seeing.

The finger tape! He thought, suddenly excited. He had forgotten all about it after what he saw in the kitchen that night. Jumping up and down, he checked the tape against the light. He could barely suppress yelling out in victory.

Sure enough, there it was – a fingerprint on the tape.

* * *

KissTheDream: Block B is freakin amazing live, and my soul has gone to heaven that night. <'3

I'm thinking of writing a fanaccount of the concert (though it was a month ago XD), and also of the Vixx concert from last year.

I kinda want to write it out, so that I never forget.

You know that stars shine for millions of years, right? So do Starlights. ^.^

first the poem, now this?! why am i so cheesy today X'D >.<