There were a few moments of shared silence between them. They simply stared at one another. It was quite clear that neither of them was prepared for this sudden encounter. There was a thick layer of anticipation hanging in the air that none of the other cafe patrons were aware of. 'Is this even real?' Seemed to be the only thought floating through the young males mind. After a year they suddenly run into one another like this? No, there had to be more to this than what met the eye.


Hongbin wanted the awkward tension to pass so he motioned for Taekwoon to come over to him with his head. The elder seemed dumbfounded by that simple gesture, but came over nonetheless. Hongbin quickly made sure his sketchpad was closed before the other could see what he had been drawing. Thankfully it was already closed and Taekwoon wouldn't see the drawing. That would've been far too embarrassing.


Taekwoon set his latte down on the table and Hongbin almost smiled to himself upon seeing the other's choice of drink. Of course he would get a latte. He could quite clearly remember having the taste of the latte lingering on his tastebuds all day because Taekwoon would chug them down as if they were water. Seems as like much didn't change in the last year. Hongbin wasn't surprised though since the other was a man of habit, rarely ever changing his daily routine, only doing so if it was completely necessary.


Silence still lingered between them. Hongbin unable to speak, let alone make eye contact. Awkward couldn't even begin to explain how this felt. His eyes remained fixated on the latte. Why would he motion him over only to sit in silence? He should say something. Even a simple hello. He parted his pale pink lips to speak, only to hear the gentle voice that belonged to no other than Taekwoon.


"How are you?"


The younger had almost forgotten how soft spoken he was. Hongbin finally lifted his gaze so he was making direct eye contact with him. His breath caught in his throat for a short second. Taekwoon was much more attractive than his mere memory and drawings depicted. His hair had grown out a bit. It came down to right underneath his eyes, slight waves flowing thoughout the charcoal locks. 


"I've been good, actually. My artwork is starting to take off. I'm going to have a gallery viewing next week. How have things been with you?"


Hongbin took notice of how the other played with the cup of coffee. Sliding it back and forth between his hands on the table. Had he been boring him? If Taekwoon didn't want to talk to him, then he didn't have to. He sat back in the seat, his hands folded across his lap as he looked at the other. Suppose this is payback for all the times he was an to Taekwoon.


"Did... Did you miss me at all?" Taekwoon looked down as he asked that, unable to look at his former bond mate.


'Woah, way to change the topic.' Hongbin thought to himself. He at least thought the knitty gritty stuff was going to come a bit later in the conversation. The male bit his lip gently. He didn't want to immediately just gush out saying how much he had missed him. Quite frankly, he couldn't even believe he missed someone that he never met in person before. Even if they had shared a majority of their lives together in such strange circumstances.


"Yes, I did." Hongbin kept his answer short, not wanting to show too much of how he truly felt. His tone was genuine though.


Taekwoon lifted his head again, his eyes seeming to sparkle a bit, as if he were smiling on the inside. "Good." Was all he answered with in a pleased voice. Hongbin wasn't expecting much more out of him since he wasn't much of a talker in the first place. He knew that Taekwoon must've expected him to say 'No, I hate you. You ruined my life-'  blah, blah, blah.


Pretty much all the things Hongbin would say when he had been in high school and went through his angsty artist phase. They were polar opposites at the time. Taekwoon, despite being an extremely quiet man, was quite popular amongst his peers due to his status on the soccer team. Hongbin on the other hand, had only began to break free from the shell he created for himself. He had friends, sure, but not many. Taekwoon always had all eyes on him in admiration. Hongbin hadn't known what that was like until their bond broke. He came into his own and was now the one being admired by his peers in his art classes. It was refreshing, thrilling even.


"Did you miss me at all, Taekwoon?" Hongbin asked softly, almost hesitantly.


Granted the answer wasn't going to be much different than his own -at least, that's what he hoped- he still wanted to hear Taekwoon say it. To know he wasn't the only that had missed whatever they shared all those years.


Taekwoon nodded, taking a sip of his latte before speaking. "You were the closest thing I had to a younger brother, how could I not miss that." 


Hongbin chuckled quietly, remembering all too well the scoldings he would recieve from his older bond mate. He only knew how to scold so well since his three older sisters scolded Taekwoon all too often when they were little. Which, in turn, led to him scolding Hongbin. Even more so as they got older. 'You should use a bag to carry your sketch pads instead of just holding them, that's how you lose them. Don't eat that much before gym class, you'll get sick.' At the time, Hongbin only found that to be a nuisance. Why was he meddling in his life so much, didn't he have his own to deal with? Upon realization, he was only like that because he genuinely cared.


"I must admit, I didn't miss you nagging me all that much." He said in a light tone to tease Taekwoon. The elder smiled at that, Hongbin glad that he caught onto the fact he was kididng. 


"So, tell me, how has Jung Taekwoon been?"

From there, the two men carried on a good conversation. Catching up on the current events of their lives and reminiscing on the past. Hongbin was happy to hear that the other was still playing soccer on his free time despite his injury he had recieved a few years ago. That wasn't a fun day for either of them. He could still remember the pain he felt coursing through his leg. He was usually able to block out Taekwoon, but it had been such a strong pain, it was inevitable to feel on his end. 



A good forty-five minutes passed before Hongbin realized what time it was. He had to get to the gallery and make sure they were setting everything up properly for next week. He didn't want to be late and have the gallery curator up his . Let's just say she wasn't necessarily the happiest of people. So staying on her good side was a must or else she'd bite your head off and make sure your art is practically banned from all other galleries. 


", I've got to get going. I can't be late." 


Hongbin took a few singles out of his pocket and set it down on the table to pay for his drink and began picking up belongings. Taekwoon reached out to help him pick his things up off of the table when their fingers brushed together. A small jolt of electricity moved up his arm and for a brief moment, he thought maybe that them touching could be what sparked their bond once again. A childish thought, he knew that, but there was still hope lingering in the back of his mind. Hope that was let down by nothing happening. Things were as they were five minutes ago. The male sighed and went back to collecing the last of his things.


"It was nice seeing you after so long. Maybe we could see each other again soon? I feel like there's more we need to talk about."


Taekwoon nodded in agreement before fishing his phone out of his pocket and holding it towards the other. "Put your number in and I'll message you."


With one hand, Hongbin took the phone and typed his number as a new contact and handed it back to the other. 


"Maybe you want to come to my art show next week... I know art isn't really your thing, but it would be nice to have you there."


The male seemed surprised by those words, but was quick to agree. Having Taekwoon there would hopefully be a step towards them building some sort of friendship. Though, even if Hongbin was eager to repair things, a part of him was still hesitant. He hadn't forgetton how difficult the bond made his life, even if it wasn't Taekwoon's fault. It was out of their control, but after holding onto years of anger and hate towards one person, it was hard to drop all those feelings in one go. For now, he wouldn't over think it.


"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Hongbin. Text me the address and what time to be there later on."


Hongbin nodded and smiled, bidding him farewell before going off to catch the bus. He was sure he was going to be at least ten minutes late. Hopefully Ms. Kim didn't grill him too much on puncuality and would let it slide. 


Even with all these differnet worries floating around his mind, he smiled to himself knowing that he found the one person he thought he would never see again. Things were looking up for Hongbin, moreso now than ever before.