Hello Kyungsoo!
How are you doing?
I'm sorry for not replying yesterday... I was a little worn-out from the sleeping pills I got.
Those things make you really woozy and stuff.
Mr. Jung said I'm doing well these days though! I'm still hoping I can come to visit you one day. I've never been to the West - is it really as warm as they say?
Is there anything fun over there we could do? Like-

"Good morning, Kyungsoo."
Kyungsoo merely hummed at the shy voice, not even lifting his gaze from the phone though he did go out of his way to roll his eyes.
"Morning."
He really wanted to continue reading -however diligent of a worker Kyungsoo might be, some things came first, after all- but Chanyeol's loud voice immediately interrupted the peaceful silence.
"Morning Jongin! Did you get home safely last Friday?" he inquired brightly only to be shot down by a curt 'obviously' by Jongin. Not that it deterred the relentless Southener.
"That's good to hear! This morning I heard about the latest political issues between the East and the West. They're all over the place! I hope your family is alright." he continued to gush, and Jongin continued to scowl while setting up his workplace.
"It's just political issues. Not a war."
The attitude surprised Kyungsoo a little. Normally Jongin was groveling to an extent that it was a sickening sight. It seemed as if Friday's bonding session had made matters worse if even low-key Jongin became snappy like that.
Kyungsoo idly played with his pen while waiting for several programs to launch.
He wondered what exactly about Chanyeol was ticking him off.
Even now he couldn't hold back a tiny smile at the memory of their last meeting at the orphanage. He'd had a great time. To be reminded on why he was going through all this, to feel welcomed and accepted... It had felt like coming home after a long time. Even though it hadn't been Chanyeol's intention, it was exactly what he'd needed.
And even though the other had been completely out of his comfort zone, he'd handled everything well and treated the children with respect.
If he had secretly admired Chanyeol for his skills before, he could now wholeheartedly say that he even liked him as a person.
So what could possibly annoy Jongin so much about him? Then again the Eastener was hardly more than a kid himself on most areas so he was probably just being sulky about something minor.
Immature brat.

"Sounds good. Then let's propose the active continuation next week on Monday. Any complains?" Chanyeol asked, giving Kyungsoo an openly pointed look. Instead of looking actually annoyed he seemed more mock-exasperated though and Kyungsoo found it to be almost amusing.
He simply shook his head.
"Lucky us. Alright, then that's settled! What are you two doing on your date this weekend?" he asked with a giddy smile directed at Jongin who grimaced, pulling his chair further away from the space-invading mop of white hair.
Then he shot Kyungsoo a helpless look as if the scornful look from before had been nothing but his imagination.
Maybe the guy had schizophrenia.
Only when Chanyeol turned to look at him as well with big, questioning eyes did Kyungsoo realize that an answer was probably needed.
A little startled his eyes went from Chanyeol to Jongin and back again.
"Why would I tell you? It's none of your business." he stated with the slight stutter betraying his hesitation.
Damn. He hadn't spend a single thought on that yet with all the other issues there had been.
'Still are', he corrected himself.
"Actually I had plans for the weekend." he reluctantly offered even though Jongin looked a tad disappointed and Chanyeol was obviously having none of it.
"That's not how this is supposed to go! You can't get away just cause you don't feel like it. You don't have to spend the whole weekend together, after all."
"But..."
Another pointed look by Chanyeol, this time an honest one. Kyungsoo sighed.
"Fine." he murmured in defeat.
He had really wanted to go home for the weekend but it was hardly possible with one day missing. Well, he'd had to wait another week, then.
"Friday, then. Are you free on Friday?"
Jongin nodded meekly, as if apologetic for ruining his plans. As if being the key words.
"You got anything in mind?"
A sheepish shake of his head. Kyungsoo sighed once more, closing his eyes from the headache-inducing reality.
"Thought so."

"So what are we even gonna watch?" he asked in a monotone voice.
It was admittedly lazy but Kyungsoo really couldn't think of anything better.
"Uhm. I don't know. Anything you like...?"
And as he heard the passive boy's reply he really couldn't find it in himself to care anyway.
"Then it's gonna be Basic Instinct, sorry not sorry." he dryly replied, nodding over to a movie poster that showed a couple and the explicit promises of plenty of scenes written below in the form of a movie critic. Jongin's head whipped down from the schedule board to look at him with a faint blush on his face.
"You watch these kind of movies at the theater...?" he asked quietly, his widened eyes giving him a scandalized expression.
Kyungsoo sighed soundlessly, giving up.
"Seeing as I'm zero percent interested in heteroual scenes or bad movies... No, I do not watch these kind of movies at the theater." he deadpanned and the brunette looked a bit startled.
"Oh." he dumbly said, his eyes flitting back to the board with his cheeks still being slightly flushed.
'Oh'? You wanna make a comment on my uality?
Of course you don't.
Cause you're a coward.
"Then... Uhm. I... I don't know, actually."
Tired of wasting time, Kyungsoo stepped forward and simply asked the cashier.
"Hello. What's the least sold out movie you got starting in under an hour?"
The woman blinked. Obviously this wasn't the most common question but she answered nonetheless, slightly intimidated by his unrelenting look.
"That would be '2012', since it's in its last week now. It's only a small theater as well so-"
"You know that movie?" Kyungsoo asked with a look over his shoulder to Jongin who only shook his head.
He turned back to the woman.
"Great. Two tickets, please."

So what if he was lazy? Thousands of people before him had had the same train of thoughts. Including people who'd had to think of an actual date.
Kyungsoo took a sip of his ridiculously expensive sprite while making himself comfortable in the plush seat.
He was in no mood to have any bonding time with this kid. The most obvious solution was to do something that required no talking. Hence the cinema visit.
If he was completely honest he felt a tidbit guilty though.
A sideglance to Jongin told him that the boy was fiddling with the fixture for his coke and he glanced down at his dim phone screen, opening the second screenshot showing a handwritten note.

I really think highly of you for not playing any social games.
And even though you're harsh you're just being true to yourself and don't lose reason.
Above that you're very skillful. You probably don't even need us to accomplish your goals.

If he wouldn't be sitting right next to him this moment, Kyungsoo would have groaned in frustration.
He really wanted to dislike Jongin.
So why did this brat have to make it so complicated by flat-out admiring him?
Kyungsoo didn't even know what to make of this.
People mostly respected him. They rarely liked him.
They most definitely didn't admire him.
And even though this didn't change the fact that he depicted Jongin as useless and annoying he couldn't help feeling this extremely annoying prick of guilt. Still... was it his fault that Jongin was incapable of developing a backbone? He didn't think so.
While he could see the brunette fidgeting awkwardly in his seat he himself didn't feel uncomfortable at all, leaning back to indulge himself in the first movie he'd see on the big screen in ages.

"God. A divorced dad, the y teenage kid, ex-wife with a new jerk boyfriend... Gimme a ing break." Kyungsoo whispered more to himself than anything else. He had really tried to keep it in but only a few minutes into the movie his patience was wearing thin with all the cliches being thrown right at him.
To his surprise Jongin replied with a whisper of his own.
"What do you expect? They're measuring in feet."
Despite it all he found himself shrugging. Not that the brunette was seeing this.
Fair enough.
For a few minutes it was silent, until Jongin spoke up again.
"This guy has three pens on his lab coat. Three."
"Pens equal importance, didn't you know?" Kyungsoo whispered back dryly.
Jongin scoffed ever so slightly and while he kept his eyes on the screen, Kyungsoo couldn't deny his mild surprise at the boy's attentiveness and attitude.
Not that he minded.
So he unconsciously stopped holding back and soon Jongin grew bolder as well, not trying to be subtle anymore in order not to disturb the other people - which had been useless in the first place since the only other viewers consisted of some guy who had fallen asleep the minute his head had hit the headrest and the obligatory couple on the top row, decisively more busy with making out than anything. Kyungsoo liked movies, he really did. He also liked movie theaters. But if there was even the slightest possibility to avoid obnoxious people in close proximity, he'd take it. Though it was a pleasant surprise to find the theater this empty.

"'Download my blog'? Who the would download a blog?", Kyungsoo asked incredulously, barely whispering anymore as he was this close to throwing his hands up in exasperation, "Sure, on Monday I'll ask Chanyeol right away how many people have ever downloaded his blog!"
"Chanyeol has a blog?" Jongin asked with his head turned towards Kyungsoo and for some reason he felt flustered.
"Well. Yeah. He's always had one, didn't you know?" he gave back more quiet than before.
"How do you know?"
In a fit of some random bright shot he saw the mixed emotions on Jongin's face.
Kyungsoo didn't know what to make of them.
"Huh? Obviously I'd research the basics about our team. Besides that Chanyeol has always been all over the news anyway."
Jongin only hummed softly, turning back to the movie and leaving him with the vague feeling of having said something wrong.
At first he thought that these few lines had destroyed whatever they'd had going on and Jongin wouldn't say another word. A disappointing thought, it had just begun to be fun.
But a few minutes later he heard him complaining about the second car in a row that wouldn't start as if nothing had ever happened and so the movie's flaws were thrown back and forth between them.

"Those guys are the iest scientists in history."
"The world has officially ended but sure, the cellphone signal is on point."
"U-huh. Of course no one has a problem breathing at the top of the Mount Everest."
"Well someone has moved on fast." Jongin stated dryly after a woman threw herself at her ex-husband mere seconds after the tragic death of her boyfriend.
"I'd say she moved back." Kyungsoo gave back equally enthusiastic.
Jongin snorted at the lame pun.

Kyungsoo always felt a little dazed when stepping out of a movie theater. There was a different reason for it this time around though. As soon as they had exited the dark theater the spell was broken and neither of them said a word as Kyungsoo took wide strides towards the exit with Jongin shuffling behind him, nervously slurping the last drops of Coke (presumably mainly to keep himself busy).
So awkward.
It almost seemed as if none of it had every taken place. But back there, Jongin had been so... different.
A little more like the boy who sent dirty glares Chanyeol's way.
More sharp, definitely more snarky and less gullible. It defied his image of Jongin and while anyone else would probably have their complains about the sudden change of attitude Kyungsoo had to admit he had found it quite pleasant.
Unfortunately -and this was currently very obvious- Kyungsoo was horrible with words. He had no idea how to express his thoughts properly, mainly because they were so confusing. Do Kyungsoo had always seen himself as a very straight-forward person. If there was something that had to be said, he would do so without sugar-coating it. That much was true.
But this was about feelings and he didn't know what to say as it was impossible to come to a definite conclusion. Nothing had changed his view on Jongin's skills but he had gotten a glimpse of his personality instead. And while he actually appreciated this side of him, it only added to his confusion.
He just didn't get Kim Jongin.
Why was he being so snappy in one second and all coy in the next? What was wrong with this guy?
What was going on inside his head?

And so they found themselves standing in front of the cinema, their breaths coming out in faint puffs against the chilly air without having exchanged a single word.
They both stood there, unsure of what to say. Jongin shuffled his feet anxiously and finally broke into a sheepish lopsided grin.
"So... the film kinda . Sorry for wasting your time." he softly murmured, rubbing his neck and avoiding eye contact.
Like a completely different person. It was bizarre.
"I liked it." Kyungsoo broke out before he could help it.
It was nothing he could explain but it felt like rebelling against this sight.
"H-huh?"
"This side of you. I like it more than the one you show during work."
"W-what?"
If Jongin had been surprised before, he looked entirely startled now. And also highly flustered.
"See you on Monday." Kyungsoo simply replied and with a curt wave he turned to leave first.
Sometimes he wished he wouldn't be that blunt.
Maybe this had come out the wrong way?
Kyungsoo put in his earbuds and turned up the music, vainly attempting to drown out the torturing second-thoughts he was having already.

And now all the honest opinions are revealed! They might be a good explanation as to why everyone seems to be taking turns in behaving like a jerk, depending on who is telling the story.

To be honest '2012' was one of the first movies I've watched with my boyfriend. It's every bit as awful as depicted above and that makes it either a terrific choice or very suited for a date movie – depending on how silent you can stay at the sight of stupidity.
(There are worse movies. But there ALWAYS are.)
But since this has been YEARS ago I took the liberty to look up the CinemaSin video for the few flaws I've listed. Feel free to check it out~
Love,
Sugar-and-Salt