okay so the previous chapter was a little boring and i hope this makes up for it
ps, the tickets for wanna one fan meeting in the ph are toooo pricey smh @ IME
oh, and jbj teasers are out and i swear, it's the best concept i've seen since i became a kpop stan in 2010
sanggyun looks so dashing i cannot even

“If my paintings could speak, they would’ve told you to stop staring already.”

Jinri was frozen on the spot right after hearing Seongwu’s voice from behind. She bit her lower lip, giving herself a mental facepalm as she slowly turned to look at the boy behind her, giving him a polite bow. He looked at her with a serious expression and the only thing Jinri could think of doing was to apologize. “I didn’t m—”

Seongwu suddenly smiled, catching Jinri off guard as he waved his hands in front of her, a gesture to stop her from apologizing. “I was just kidding.”  He took a sip from the cup of ice cold Americano he was holding, walking closer to Jinri. Seongwu kept his gaze on the canvass hung on the wall. “Don’t be so tense. I’m actually happy that you’re taking time to look at this extremely random work.”

“You call this random?” Jinri raised a brow, pointing at the painting in front of them.

Being classmates with Seongwu helped get rid of most the nervousness she has every time he speaks to her, or every time he’s around. She’s still feeling a little nervous, but she’s trying to clear her mind, not overthink and just act like a normal human being not infatuated with the person beside her.

Jinri has to admit that she’s feeling a little proud that she can talk to Seongwu now like a normal person instead of just running away. Besides, it would cause so much awkwardness if she walked away at the moment, especially when Seongwu is talking to her and not just coincidentally heading towards where she is.

“Mm.” Seongwu nodded nonchalantly. “This is extremely random.”

“I can’t even do this with my best effort, and you call this random?” Jinri tried her best not to sound so surprised. Since Seongwu is an art major, this kind of thing may be a piece of cake for him.

Seongwu let out a soft chuckle, shrugging slightly. “I did that out of the blue, and those were the colors which caught my eyes.”

He went on and on enthusiastically about how he did the painting, using several art terms which Jinri couldn’t understand. Not wanting to look stupid or disrespectful, she kept on nodding every once in a while as if she understood everything Seongwu’s saying.

“And I’m guessing you didn’t understand any of the terms I used, huh?” Seongwu looked at her with an amused smile.

“Guilty.” Jinri let out a soft chuckle, nodding slowly. “Sorry, I’m interested in art but I don’t know much. The only things I understood from what you said were paintbrush, canvass, and oil-based paint.”

Seongwu looked at her, a little amazed. “You know about oil-based paint? That’s something not much people are aware of. Others think we use one kind of paint, or watercolors at the simplest.”

“I wanted to be an art major when I was younger, that’s why.” Jinri joked. “My stick drawings are the best.”

“Make me one stick drawing of yours in our media studies class, it gets really boring.” Seongwu said with a smile, glancing at Jinri. “I’ll bring colorful pens.”

“Alright, I’ll prepare my rusty art skills.”

The two stood there in silence, feeling a little awkward after running out of things to say. Jinri’s mind was slowly starting to panic, thinking of different things at once: should she talk about random art stuff she knows?  No, that would be too pretentious. Should she just stay there in silence? No, it would be too awkward. Should she just tell him she’s leaving first? That seemed like the most decent one out of the three.

Right before she could say anything, Seongwu looked at her. “Are you free next week?”

Jinri blinked, a little surprised and confused at his sudden question. Why on earth would he ask that kind of question? His question triggered the overthinking side of Jinri’s brain.

“You see,” Seongwu looked at her with a smile. “Our organization’s holding an art exhibit next week. You should come. You’ll get the chance to see works that aren’t as random as this one.”

In their university, there are different organizations which have their own specialty. Besides different fraternities and sororities, most of them are official organizations created for a specific degree program (i.e. Minhyun’s journalism organization which is in charge of the university paper, Seongwu’s art major organization, the Society of the Visual Arts which aims to unite art majors, as well as people with interest and the skills in the art field) and other interest organizations (for people who like a certain thing such as cooking, and other hobbies).

Jinri raised a brow. “When exactly?”

“On Saturday. Besides the art exhibit, there are live bands and guess who’s playing?” He asked with such an enthusiastic smile, wriggling his brows as he pointed to his self with his thumb.

“You?” Jinri answered with a soft chuckle, finding Seongwu’s actions extremely cute.

Seongwu nodded. “Mm. We’re going to play there. Also, there are free drinks and snacks for everyone. You’re going to come, right?” He looked at her with a hopeful smile, and Jinri couldn’t help but nod.

“You need to buy the ticket from me, okay?” As if Seongwu was tempting her to do something, she just nodded. It felt worth it though, she got to see Seongwu smile. “All right, I’ll reserve one for you. I’ll see you in class, mm? I’m going ahead first.”

Jinri watched Seongwu as he left, the boy waving at her before he went out of the pub. She was still in a daze, Seongwu’s smile had that effect on her.

“Hey, .” Jaehwan’s voice pulled her out of her train of thoughts. She almost jumped out of shock after seeing Jaehwan standing beside her. She didn’t even notice when or how Jaehwan was able to get there.

“You scared me!” Jinri scrunched her nose, looking at Jaehwan who’s face has gotten really red.

“Seongwu sold you tickets, right?” Jaehwan said, chuckling. It was obvious that he was a little drunk, and it is a signal for the three to call it a night.

Jinri nodded slowly. She still felt a little confused.

Jaehwan laughed louder, shaking his head. “That guy, really. That sly guy. He needed to sell all the tickets with him. He even sold me one even though I’m one of the members of the band. ONG SEONGWU IS A SLY PERSON!” Jaehwan laughed louder, making the other people in the pub look at where two were.

She didn’t realize it at first, but she did end up laughing as well (while she tried to cover Jaehwan’s mouth and silence him because he’s already making a scene). Ong Seongwu just sold her tickets to an art exhibit. He talked to her because he needed to sell all the tickets he had. She felt like she got scammed, and it seemed funny because the drunk guy beside her kept on laughing like crazy.

On the brighter side, she got to talk to Seongwu, and see his beautiful smile. It was worth it though. A few bucks are nothing compared to Seongwu’s smile.

The things I do for you, Ong Seongwu. Really.

*

To: Ong Seongwu
From: Yoon Jinri

Seongwu, I’m at the convenience store.

Jinri pressed the send button and placed her phone down on the table. It’s her first time to go to an event or a party without Jaehwan and Minhyun. Because it’s a school event, Minhyun had to go fetch his camera from the dorm and go with the other members of the Journalism club to cover the event. On the other hand, Jaehwan was still at soccer practice, and will be heading straight to the venue just in time for the bands.

Ever since the day Seongwu asked Jinri to buy some tickets, he’s been reminding her about it every time they see each other. At first, Jinri didn’t want to come, or if she did, she would wait for Jaehwan and just come together. It was her plan, since she already told Seongwu she’d come. However, the boy insisted that she should come earlier for she would miss a lot from the program.

“I’ll keep you company.” She remembered Seongwu say, trying to convince her. “Niel and I would keep you company, right, Niel?”

At first, she was firm with her decision: she was going to wait for Jaehwan and come with him just in time for the bands. But Ong Seongwu isn’t Ong Seongwu for nothing. In the end, he got Jinri’s number from Jaehwan and told her to come earlier.

And that’s how she ended up waiting for Seongwu at the convenience store a few blocks away from the venue.

To: Yoon Jinri
From: Ong Seongwu

Alright, I’ll be there in a few

Just like what Seongwu said, he came in six minutes later. Jinri was surprised to see the boy outside the convenience store, waving at her and gesturing for her to come outside.

Jinri nodded, heading out of the convenience store slowly. She let out a sigh as she pushed the door open with her whole body. Act normal, Yoon Jinri. You can get through the night until Minhyun and Jaehwan comes.

Seongwu smiled and waved at her as she walked towards him. He looked classy with his maroon button-down shirt, one side tucked in his jeans, black jeans and the leather belt hugging his waist. His hair was styled neatly, just like the famous comma hairstyle most actors sport recently.

After seeing how Seongwu was dressed, Jinri felt so underdressed. Her faded ripped jeans, worn out sneakers and the marymond shirt she likes underneath her favorite gray jacket look so shabby right next to Seongwu’s outfit.

“You should’ve told me if there was a dress code.” Jinri scrunched her nose, looking at Seongwu from head to toe.

Seongwu chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly. “No, no. Don’t worry, there isn’t any dress code. The members of our organization need to wear something like this since we’re going to present the exhibit to the people.” He then smiled at Jinri, making her feel a little nervous and blank. “I thought you won’t come.”

Chill, Jinri. She had to remind herself. Jinri gave him a small smile, shaking her head slowly. “I already promised I’d come, and I’m not the kind to break them.” She looked around, looking for any sign of Daniel’s presence. Seongwu clearly stated before that Daniel would be with him, but the said boy was nowhere to be seen. She would feel a little more comfortable to have Daniel around, since she wouldn’t be left alone with Seongwu only. “Where’s Daniel?”

Seongwu shrugged. “I couldn’t find him in the venue and he won’t answer my calls. He’s probably drinking up all the beer there.” He chuckled softly at the thought before clasping his hands together. “Should we go now?”

Seongwu led her to this modern-style house a few blocks away from the convenience store. Music can already be heard from the outside, and different colored lights lit the open space behind the said building. It was a wide two-storey modern-style house with black and white walls, a place famous for different parties and out of school events by different organizations from their university.

“I have your ticket with me, don’t worry.” Seongwu said with a smile, gesturing for her to follow him to the entrance. He showed his ID to the person behind the counter before giving high-fives to his other org-mates busy selling tickets to those who weren’t able to purchase beforehand.

He took out the ticket from his back pocket and handed it to his org-mate. “Give me your hand, Jinri.” He peeled the sticker off of the edge of the strap. Jinri held out her left wrist. “Nope, the right one.” Seongwu took her right wrist and wrapped the strap around her wrist.

Jinri knew her hand was shaking. She tried her best to keep her hand still, but she just can’t. It was embarrassing.

“You’re shaking, and your hand is cold.” Seongwu attached the sticker on the strap before he let go of her hand. He looked at her with a slightly concerned expression. “Don’t worry, it’s warm inside. If you don’t feel like drinking cocktails or beer, we also serve coffee.”

She nodded, placing her hands inside her jacket’s pocket. As soon as they went in, the song And July by Heize, Dean and DJ Friz can be heard around the place. Jinri felt at ease, slowly bobbing her head to the rhythm of the song. It was one of her favorites, and the song matched the over-all aura of the exhibit.

The two headed straight to the second floor, making their way amidst the drunk people partying at the ground floor. The actual exhibit took place upstairs, since it would be a little crazy to have drunk people and fragile art pieces in one room.

The plain white walls were decorated with different paintings and sculptures with strong colors, and the black wall on the right side was where the ones with dull colors in order to complement the strength of the wall’s color. There wasn’t much decoration around; the paintings and sculptures were enough to make the place alive.

Seongwu took a small pamphlet from the small table right beside the door. “Here you go.” He handed it to Jinri. “Welcome to the Society of the Visual Arts’ annual exhibit. Do you want me to give you a full tour of the place first or do you need some alone time to look at everything?”

“I’ll take a look around first.” Jinri nodded, giving Seongwu a slight smile.

The boy nodded. “Alright, call me if you need me.” He smiled at her before walking off to the group of guys wearing clothes the same color as his, probably his org-mates.

Jinri took a quick scan of the place, not knowing where to start. She has always been a big fan or anything art-related, and for someone who can only draw stick people, this kind of place was a feast to the eyes.

The pamphlet she was holding contained all the information about the exhibit. The art exhibit was called Raw, and just by looking at the pieces displayed would be enough for an explanation. It turns out that this event is a joint project by the Society of the Visual Arts and the official organization of the Literature majors: an art exhibit and a poetry night in one night.

Around twenty art majors participated in the said exhibit, showcasing different works from oil based paintings to different sculptures displayed around the area. Jinri went to look at each work one by one, admiring the beauty of each work.

Seongwu had a total of two works for the exhibit, and it surprised Jinri. The first one which was placed on the black wall was called ‘Ethereal’, a painting of a woman, laying down on a bed of flowers. It looked real, as if it was a photograph taken and printed instead of something made from paint. Even though there were flowers in the painting, the colors Seongwu used were all dull. The only color which stood out was the red paint he used for a small flower on the corner.

The other was called ‘Emergency’, a picture of a young boy playing toy cars despite the busy and lonely emergency room behind him. The were sharp and easily seen, as well as the colors Seongwu used. In comparison to the previous one, the colors were vibrant and strong, almost as if it was screaming at her face.

Jinri stared at the two paintings in front of her. There are still so many sides of Seongwu she hasn’t seen yet, and the pictures he made was giving her a peek of what they might be like.

“That’s Seongwu’s mom.” Dongho suddenly appeared beside her, giving Jinri a mini heart attack. She was too engrossed at the paintings to even notice when or how Dongho arrived.

Jinri looked at Dongho; the boy was looking at the painting on the black wall. That’s the explanation; the woman in the picture did resemble Seongwu a lot. The two stayed silent for a few seconds, Dongho busy taking a sip of his drink (how he was able to sneak it in was a mystery since drinks weren’t allowed at the second floor)

“And you’re here.” Dongho turned to look at Jinri, smiling.

“And I’m here.” Jinri answered awkwardly, nodding slowly. “Do you have any works here? Probably something I missed?”

Dongho looked at her with an amused expression. “What?”

“Aren’t you part of the exhibit?”

“Jinri, I’m not an art major.”

Jinri blinked, not knowing what to say. Since Dongho , Jonghyun and Seongwu are seen together most of the time, she just assumed that Dongho was also an art major. But she was wrong.  No wonder he didn’t have that kind of aura most art majors have. Jonghyun probably isn’t an art major as well.

“Then what’s your major?” Jinri asked curiously, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I’m a music production major.” Dongho looks amused; letting out a soft chuckle as he looked at Jinri.

She felt a little embarrassed, but she can’t do anything about it anymore. “So Daniel’s your classmate probably?”

Dongho shook his head slowly. “Nope. He’s my junior.”

“Junior?” Jinri blinked, a little confused. If Daniel is Dongho’s junior, then.. “Are you a fourth year music production major?”

“And you’re only realizing that now?” Jinri nodded, a little dumbfounded. Dongho ended up laughing as he looked at the girl. “This is funny. You thought we’re both juniors? I’m a senior, and I’m graduating this semester. Wow, I didn’t know I look that young.”

Jinri was really dumbfounded. She didn’t know that Dongho was older than her; she kept on treating him like how she would treat a friend of the same age. If she knew, she would’ve been more careful.

“Oh, and just in case, Jonghyun’s a senior as well.” Dongho added in a teasing manner. “And Seongwu’s the same age as me, if you’re curious. He’s a year late since he’s not originally an art major.”

Jinri chewed on her lower lip, not knowing what to say. All this time, she’s been acting a little rude and careless around her seniors. She’s a little lucky that Dongho isn’t unlike the others who demand respect from the younger ones and gets mad whenever someone’s being disrespectful.

Dongho noticed the sudden change in Jinri’s mood. He nudged the girl, a little surprised that she turned silent. “Oh my gosh, don’t be so tense and awkward.” He looked a little flustered from the sudden change of Jinri’s treatment towards him. “It’s okay, really. Just act like how you were before, like we’re friends or something.”

“Are you sure?” Jinri asked, a little unsure if it was okay to keep acting the way she used to around Dongho.

Dongho nodded. “Yeah, it would be awkward if you suddenly go all sunbaenim on me. That’ll be weird after all the stop it or else I’m going to hurt you Kang Dongho’s.” The boy laughed heartily, making Jinri feel a little comfortable and at ease. “Do you want to go downstairs? There are food and drinks. That is if you’re done with your business up here.”

Jinri nodded, placing the pamphlet inside her bag. “I’m getting a little hungry.” It seemed a little awkward because she’s not usually this friendly around Dongho, but since she doesn’t know anyone in the place and Seongwu’s nowhere to be seen, she didn’t have a choice. She’s actually feeling a little grateful towards Dongho for asking her to come with him downstairs. Being alone at university parties doesn’t seem nice, it makes one look like an outcast in the sea of overly-friendly people.

“Kang Dongho, how many times am I supposed to tell you that drinks aren’t allowed in here?” Yoon Chaekyung, one of the members of the organization, said as Dongho and Jinri passed by the table of those in charge of the exhibit.

Dongho smiled at Chaekyung, waving as he headed for the stairs. “Sorry, not going to happen again.” He then looked at Jinri. “Ladies first.”

The first floor was half-filled with people drinking and playing different games. A group of guys and girls on the right side of the room were cheering for someone about to throw the darts, another group playing billiards, and a bunch of noisy guys playing beer pong.

“Aren’t art exhibits usually quiet and not like this?” Jinri had to lean a little close to Dongho for him to hear what she was saying since the music from the speakers was a little loud. How this scene wasn’t able to disturb the serenity of the exhibit upstairs was a mystery. The soundproofing must be really good.

“You know people from our university. If the art majors did it like the usual ones, not much people would come. Only those with genuine interest would come, or the friends of the art majors. Not trying to degrade them or anything, their works are lit.” Dongho emphasized on the last phrase. “But you know others. Alcohol attracts a lot of people from school, that’s why.” Dongho carefully placed an arm around Jinri’s shoulder, guiding her towards the bar. “Careful.”

Jinri nodded, feeling a little awkward that Dongho’s actually taking care of her. “It’s a surprise that people are actually complying to the no alcohol upstairs rule. Well, except for you though.”

Dongho let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. “I’m friends with the ones guarding the stairs since I’m at your building most of the time.” He gave his cup to the person behind the counter, getting a bottle of beer instead. “What are you going to have? Beer?”

“I don’t drink beer. I’ll have a cocktail.”

Dongho nodded, requesting for a cup of cocktail for Jinri. He also got a cup of bread sticks and handed it to Jinri before giving her the red cup of drink.

“There you are!” Seongwu’s voice was loud enough for the two to hear. He made his way towards Dongho and Jinri, catching his breath a little. “I was looking for you upstairs. I thought you left.”

“Kind of took over since you weren’t around.” Dongho said with a smile, handing a bottle of beer to Seongwu.

Seongwu looked a little guilty for leaving Jinri alone, even if she kind of requested that little alone time. “Sorry, I was a little busy with the event outside. The literature majors needed help with the setup of the stage for the bands and I wa—”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay.” Jinri cut him off before he felt more guilty. “I’m really okay. Bread sticks?” she offered him, smiling.

“Are you sure?”

Jinri nodded. “One hundred percent. Now, let’s go find Daniel. He still owes me a few minutes of his time.”

While munching on the bread sticks, Jinri went with Dongho and Seongwu to look for Daniel. Since Seongwu was just outside, he was sure that Daniel wasn’t there.

It turns out that Daniel’s one of the noisy guys playing beer pong. From the looks of it, it seemed like he was the one winning since he kept on dancing out of excitement. When Jinri took a good look at the guys Daniel was playing with, she felt a little uneasy.

Right beside Daniel is Kim Yongguk, one of Sanggyun’s friends. Across the two were Noh Taehyun, Kim Donghan, Kim Taedong, Takada Kenta and Kwon Hyunbin, Sanggyun’s friends as well.

Ever since the breakup, Jinri hasn’t seen Sanggyun or his friends around school. The guys were a little aloof and cold towards Jinri ever since the split, thinking that she broke up with their friend because of another guy. That is one of the reasons why she kept her distance, and whenever she sees them around campus, she’s lucky enough to not meet them this close.

“Niel!” Seongwu called, catching the guy’s attention as well as the group of guys he was with.

Daniel looked up, turning to look at where Seongwu was. “Ong hyung!” He smiled, gesturing for the guy to come closer.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere, man.” When Seongwu got closer and took a good look at who Daniel was with, it seemed like he hesitated a little. He greeted Daniel with a soft pat on the shoulder, bowing slightly at the others as well. Dongho did the same as well, standing right beside Seongwu afterwards.

The guys gave both Dongho and Seongwu slight bows, acknowledging their presence as well.

Daniel took a peek behind Seongwu and saw Jinri. “Yoon Jinri is here as well! Hello there, neighbor!” The boy seemed a little more giddy and happier than usual, probably the effect of the beer he’s had ever since he arrived at the party an hour ago.

Upon the mention of Jinri’s name, the guys’ expressions slowly changed into a serious one. They all looked at Jinri, then at Seongwu.

Daniel took Jinri by the wrist, pulling her closer to the table. “Guys, meet Jinri. She’s a friend, and my neighbor.”

Much to Jinri's surprise, Daniel is one of the guys who moved to the apartment next to theirs. He's living with three other guys from their school as well.

Jinri bowed at the guys, feeling a little weird at the sudden turn of events. The atmosphere around the beer pong table was suddenly starting to get a little tense, in addition to the group of guys refusing to speak. It seemed like Daniel was the only one unaware of the current situation.

She knew the reason why it’s weird for her to be around Sanggyun’s friends, but she doesn’t know the reason behind the tension slowly building between the boys (except Daniel). If it was from the point of view of Taehyun and the others, she was sure of it. However, she was curious of Seongwu and Dongho’s reason.

“Yeah.” Noh Taehyun was the first one to break the awkward silence. “We’ve met before.”

“She used to date Sanggyun hyung.” Kim Donghan said in a matter-of-factly tone before taking a sip from his drink.

And things got more awkward.

*

if i'm not too lazy, the next one will be up tonight xo