Kyungsoo first met Jongin at a mall.

***

Kyungsoo has a lot of friends. He gets along with everyone, most people from his school knows him to be friendly. But honestly, he's a loner at heart. He likes the solitude and the peace that comes with it. He goes anywhere he wants alone, he likes observing everything and everyone. It amuses him to see a family laugh together or bicker over small things, to see a couple in a lovers' quarrel, to see a couple bloom. He even saw a proposal at a waterpark once. He likes his freedom in solitude but feeling connected at the same time with everyone.

He is a wallflower.

Not by choice, though.

It is the irony that is Do Kyungsoo. He chooses to be a loner, but doesn't particularly likes being a wallflower.

He can't connect with people properly, it's like everyone's heart and mind is on FM while his own is on AM. They're all frequencies, he just happens to be on a different one. He wants to, earns to, connect with people. To feel a bond with someone and be genuinely happy, sad, angry, disappointed or in love with someone; but he can't.

He just ing can't.

So, in solution to his problem, he made the irony that will become a blessing and a burden to him.

To become a wallflower.

***

It was summer and Kyungsoo went to the mall. No one was at home anyways so he went  outside. He went to an american restaurant and ordered a hamburger. He was listening to his favorite american singer that day, so he went on an American restaurant. He was feeling great that day because his favorite singer just released the digital album he has been waiting for for months. He likes the vocal arrangement of the songs, how the singer's voice was recorded several times in different tones and layered together to make a beautiful harmony. He loved music, and loves dissecting each part of the song to appreciate it separately.

He was listening to a song when a guy walked in the restaurant alone. Kyungsoo liked to give nicknames to the people he watches, for entertainment purposes.

The guy was obviously taller than he was. A head taller, give or take. He was good looking and Kyungsoo knows that the guys knows it too. He was wearing wide necked white sweater tucked in a faded light blue skinny jeans, and white sneakers. His light colored outfit showed his beautifully tanned skin and perfectly styled light brown hair. He was walking gracefully with his lithe dancer's body, but without an air of self importance. Everything about the guy screamed Model Material, but on it's own, his clothes were basic. 

He decided to name him Mr. Model.

He was busy examining the Mr. Model's clothes that when he looked at his face, he saw him staring back.

Least to say, Kyungsoo looked away, flustered, not able to see Mr. Model's small, shy smile to himself.

Kyungsoo tried to forget about the guy after that and decided to eat. Since he was alone, he didn't have the need to pay attention to anyone, so he brought out his phone decided to buy a movie ticket online. Every movie showing is either horror or suspense or conspiracy theory. All but one, a RomCom. He was glad because he really can't stand horror or suspense, and he finds conspiracy theories boring. Unless they were about aliens, but they weren't, so he wasn't interested. On the other hand, he liked RomCom's so he picked that instead.

He looked up to look at Mr. Model eating his pasta. Kyungsoo can't help but feel like whatever the guy does is on camera, because damn, no one eats naturally that perfect, like in a commercial. It seemed like Mr. Model felt someone's eyes on him and caught him. But he wasn't about to look away again this time around. He kept on looking at Mr. Model and he decided to hold onto Kyungsoo's gaze.

They weren't backing down on their little contest, but it seemed like Mr. Model had a trick up his sleeve. He winked at Kyungsoo. Not those seductive winks girls give to their preys, but a playful, flirty wink, which has done it's trick on Kyungsoo. He looked away. He lost. He looked back at him to see him smiling before looking away himself. He found Mr. Model's smile attractive. Like really attractive.

He finished his burger and checked the cinema schedule to see what time the movie will start. It seemed like he had some time, so he decided to stay a little longer.

'Should I check if he's gone?' He thought to himself. 

'Will it be awkward if I caught him staring at me?'

'Oh my gosh, is he staring at me?'

'Wouldn't he be shy?'

'Why would he be? He caught me staring at him. TWICE.'

'Is he really? Staring at me?'

He didn't know if he can dare to look at Mr. Model again and be flustered for the third time by a mere stranger on a restaurant. He looked up to see that he was right.

Mr. Model was looking at him.

With his head on his hands, staring at him carelessly. (And shamelessly, too)

He was so flustered by the stranger's action, but before he can look away, Mr. Model sat back up, and raised his index finger. The wait-a-minute-I'll-be-right-with-you-in-a-jiffy hand gesture you do to someone when you're in a middle of a phone conversation. 

'Wait, what?'

'Why would I wait for him?'

'Is he crazy?'