The drops of rain that consumed Seoul finally came to a halt. Everyone sighed in relief, shutting their umbrellas. Hongbin smiled as he shut his, shaking off the remnants of rain that stuck to the material before strapping it shut. The summer weather was beginning to transcend into the fall. The once green leaves were now becoming stained gold and red; the nights laced in autumn's chilly kiss. Though, the rain had managed to stick around for the last few days. The young artist always loved the rain, but three days of it got to be rather tiring. It did give him an excuse to stop into his favorite café and warm up after being out in the cold rain. 

Stepping inside the tiny coffee house, Hongbin set his things down at his usual table. He had been going there since his late teens and all the staff knew him well enough to comfortably speak with him on a first name basis. He was a naturally charming person anyways which attracted all the workers to him. One of the baristas was already on his order after he set his belongings down, not even needing to tell the woman what he wanted. Everyone already knew.   

The young artist got himself settled down in the cushioned chair and opened the almost filled sketch pad. It was about that time where he was going to need a new one. The pages were becoming loose and every page was nearly drawn on. Piles of filled sketchpads laid throughout his workroom back home. It was hard finding a good place to keep them all. The mess hadn't bothered him though. When it came to his work space, the messier, the better. The rest of the house was spic and span. You'd think he was a total neat freak by the looks of it. Probably wouldn't be too far off if you did end up calling him one. Any trace of dust thoroughly got under his skin. But his workroom needed to have some sort of... disorganization to it. He never understood why. But it was terribly hard to create anything in an overly pristine room. It felt too conforming. 

His fingertips turned black as the charcoal moved across the page at it's own accord. Hongbin didn't even know what he was drawing. He hadn't went in with any real plan. His hand was just an extension of whatever his mind wanted to be out on the page. Most of the time he didn't even go in with a plan. Planning art didn't seem right to him. Whatever happened, happened. Hongbin was so lost in his own world that he hadn't noticed the barista set down his cappuccino. When he was in art mode, it was hard to get his attention for much of anything. The building could be burning down and he wouldn't notice until the last possible second. None of the staff here had taken offense to it though since they were all used to it by now. 


It was when Hongbin was half way through his drawing that the scent of the cappuccino finally hit him. He set the charcoal down and picked up the white mug, bringing it to his lips to take a sip of the still warm liquid. Luckily it hadn't gone cold yet. Cold cappuccinos weren't the most appealing for someone to drink. Not for him at least. Taking one more sip, he set the mug down and looked down at his sketchpad. A sigh escaped him. Great. He was back to drawing this again? 


The creamy page showcased a drawing of the man whom he couldn't seem to forget; Jung Taekwoon. A year's already gone by, shouldn't he be over this by now? Hongbin wished he could put the male behind him. Forget him and all those years they shared together. It took them being apart from one another to truly appreciate Taekwoon. During their time together, more so his teen years, Hongbin resented him. It was hard for him to feel like a normal teenager when he knew that the bond they shared was far from normal. But now... the young artist actually missed him. Missed having someone always there with him. The loneliness was much worse than he anticipated it would be. After years of waking up to the sound of someone else's thoughts, seeing their lives through their eyes, it was an odd adjustment to live life just as himself. Had he been more reliant on the elder than he thought he was?


Since the split in their bond, Hongbin had become more and more entranced with the thought of it. Why had he hated it so much? Well, he knew why. Looking back on it though, it's not like he should've hated Taekwoon for it. It wasn't his fault. Neither one of them had control over it. Each day that the bond was gone, he felt like he was slowly forgetting the other's face. So, he did what any artist would do and simply drew him. Then drawing turned into painting. Painting turned into sculpting. Sculpting turned into- you get the point. Taekwoon had taken over almost all of his artwork. It's not like he had meant for it to happen. Hongbin just didn't want to forget that beautiful face. Quite frankly, his features were too exquisite to not be drawn. But he was sure that the extent he went to to preserve the other's face in his memory must've been unhealthy. 


From the time he entered to the time he picked up the cappuccino, the cafe had become more packed. It was on dreary days like this that it got most of its business. Some faces were new, other's he recognized. The rain hadn't started up again which was a good sign. Maybe it would stay like that. Hongbin took another sip of his drink and looked down at the half finished drawing. He wanted to finish it. He hated leaving his artwork incomplete. It was probably better he let it be for now though. No need to go adding to his obses- 'No, it's not an obsession.' He quickly assured himself. It wasn't, right? Just a normal longing, missing for someone whom he had spent so much time with. 


Hongbin closed the sketchpad and held his head in his hands for a few moments. He could've done the logical thing and simply sought out his former bond mate. But it's not like he could just up and leave. It didn't help that Taekwoon refrained from using social media. That much he knew. He didn't even like having a cell phone. For a brief time after the bond broke, Hongbin had worried something may have happened to the elder. Yet, if that were the case, he would have surely felt if something had gone amiss with him, right? He had a feeling that Taekwoon was fine and that the bond had merely faded as suddenly as it had come. A part of him was fearful to go searching for him. What if the other had actually come to hate Hongbin for all the years that he himself had hated their link? Hongbin wanted to apologize to him. Maybe an apology wouldn't be sufficient enough for him... 


No, things were better off like this. They both could live their lives freely. Hongbin needed to get over this. Lifting his head up, he rested his chin in one of his hands and let his eyes aimlessly scan the cafe. Same old boring image as alw- His heart froze as his gaze became fixated on one person. Hongbin was going crazy. He must be. He was letting a man he didn't even know take over his life. Yeah, that's it. Must explain why he thinks that Jung Taekwoon was standing at the counter and placing an order. This was all some mean trick his mind was playing on him. Just like the trick it had played when it ripped Taekwoon away from him.


It wasn't until the male had turned and looked at Hongbin that he knew he wasn't seeing things. Taekwoon was never known to really show emotions. But right now, confusion, surprise were clear in his eyes. His eyes were the key to figuring out what he was thinking or how he felt. Hongbin learned that much over the years. 


Hongbin was sure he must've looked like a deer in headlights. What should he do? What should he say? Was any of this even happening right now? For all he knows, this could be some messed up daydream that he needed to wake up from. Taekwoon couldn't be here. No, this couldn't be real. No matter how real it felt. Taekwoon wouldn't come here. He would surely know how much time Hongbin spent there. Right? 

 

"T-Taekwoon-ah?" Seemed to be the only thing Hongbin could utter out at that moment.