Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

  I never would have imagined myself becoming friends with Jung Daehyun. In fact, anyone who knows who I am would never imagined me befriending someone like him. He's strange and somehow always find me wherever I go. Because I always see this guy, I can't help but become more curious about him and why he has an infinity symbol above his head. I have ideas. It's just my ideas are something you would find in fantasy books. For one, I doubt he's a vampire because, clearly, he's roaming around in broad daylight. He can't be an angel because if he was, then does that mean he's a fallen angel? What could that imply? Did he do something bad during that lifetime? He can't be a grim reaper because surely, no one would be able to see him unless he's taken over someone else's body. There's only one thing that stands out to me. Jung Daehyun may be immortal because he drank from the fountain of youth. However, if he really was like the family from Tuck Everlasting, then wouldn't he be trying to protect the spring he drank the water from? Ah, it's all too confusing. I try not to think about it so much, but every time I see his face, I can't help but wonder.

  It's been a week since I last saw Jaebum. It's not uncommon to only see someone on campus once, but considering how small our university is, I thought I would bump into him in the library or at the dining halls. Maybe he'll just be a face that remains in my memory.

  Today I am to meet with Daehyun at a nearby coffee shop to study since the library is typically crowded. Plus, it'll be nice to change studying locations once in a while. I enter the shop and find Daehyun already sitting at a booth in the corner of the cafe. He has his book out already and is engrossed in the reading. His back is turned to me. I know what you're thinking. Any normal person would try to sneak up behind him and be like, "Guess who." Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not that person.

  I make my way around the table and drop my bag on the seat. "I'm going to order. Want me to get you something?"

  Daehyun looks up and smiles. "I shouldn't have ordered anything if I knew you would pay for my drink."

  I rolled my eyes. "If I ever buy you something, you'll have to pay me back. I'm a broke college student that can't afford buying someone else's meal." I leave it at that and make my way to the counter. My heart is beating quickly in my chest. It's strange. For the past week our conversations are like this and yet I haven't gotten tired of him.

  As I'm waiting in line, my eyes wander around the shop. It's not my first time here, but I always find it interesting that this place can turn into a bar after 5PM. There are a few students sitting at the bar stool as there are limited seats. I spot a familiar figure sitting at the far end and can't help but stare. It takes me a while to realize who it was, and before I can turn away, we make eye contact. Well, .

  I don't know what to do at this point since I'm still in line, so I just wave. I didn't even wait for him and face the front. Who knew I would meet him here, and how did I not notice him when I was walking by? Did he see me come in? Did he see me approach Daehyun?

  I'm second in line when I feel someone tap my shoulder.

  "Hello, Yoo Youngjae. I didn't expect to see you here."

  Well, yeah, I didn't expect to see him either. "Yeah. I'm just studying with a friend." Ah, I feel so awkward. Small talk is just not my forte cause I never know what to say. Not only that, but when I met people I know on the streets or at the store or at school, I alway try to find a way to avoid confrontation either by checking my cell phone or going down a different path. This situation would not have worked with either.

  "I see." Jaebum looks behind where Daehyun is sitting. He seems to be deep in thought as he continues to stare at him. It takes him a few seconds before turning back to me. "Is that your friend over there?" He points at Daehyun.

  "Yeah. That's him. I mean, we're not really friends. He just hangs around me a lot." It's not a lie.

  "I see. Oh, looks like it's your turn to order. Do you mind if I sit with you two? I'm also studying, so I won't bother you."

  "Uh." Honestly, I would prefer to study by myself. Daehyun just wouldn't stop bothering me about wanting to study together. And now Jaebum wants to join. I purse my lips. I don't have much time to think since I still need to order and people are waiting behind me. I nod my head, "That's fine."

  "Great." Jaebum leaves.

  As I order my drink, I watch as Jaebum gathers his book and stuffs it inside his backpack. He doesn't even close his bag before making his way towards Daehyun. At this point, I'm done ordering and begin walking up to the two. I see Daehyun staring at Jaebum with wide eyes and without saying a word. Jaebum says something to him (probably explaining the situation) and settles on my side of the booth. He moves my backpack on the other side of him and scoots over when he notices me approaching.

  I sit down and feel a strange tension in the air around us. I don't understand why there's this heavy feeling, but I decide to ignore it. I glance at Daehyun, who was still staring at Jaebum. That's when I realized they haven't been properly introduced to each other. "Oh, Daehyun, this is Jaebum. Jaebum, this is Daehyun," I exchange their names. That's the proper way to do it right?

  Jaebum grins. "I know who he is. We've met before."

  Daehyun squints his eyes. "Yeah. A few years ago. I'm surprised that you're attending university here. I thought you said you would go overseas."

  "I wanted to, but my father wouldn't allow me. It's not so bad here though."

  I don't know what happened in the past. However, based on this atmosphere, it looks like their relationship didn't end on a good note, but at the same time only Daehyun is the one that I feel the tension from, not Jaebum. As the two are having a stare-down, I pull out my book and turn to the assigned reading. All I have to do is not pay attention to them. 

  "How do you know Youngjae?" I hear Daehyun ask after quite some time.

  "Just by coincidence. We bumped into each other at the library one day and that's about it. I'm actually glad we met again because now I know you're still alive."

  Daehyun scoffs. "What do you mean by that?"

  "You just disappeared. I didn't know you moved until my father and few of our friends told me. What happened?"

  "Nothing. I just moved because... because... Do I really need to explain why I moved?"

  "No. There's no need since you're here, right now. So, what do you say? Let's be friends again?"

  I flinch at the word 'friends.' I was not planning on having friends while I'm here. Acquaintances, sure, but not friends. Anything but friends. I look up at Jaebum's number above his head. 74. He's going to live a long life, but even so, just looking at the number makes me anxious. It can change any time just like it did to my friend years and years ago. I bite my bottom lip and say nothing. I know I should have a say in this conversation, but I didn't really feel like butting in. Listening for now is fine. I mean, they can say they're my friend, but will I hang out with them as much as a friend does on a daily basis? Probably not. And I'm totally okay with that.

  "Friends? Sure, we can be friends. I have no problem with it as long as we're all just friends here," Daehyun states.

  "Why? Do you think we could be more than friends?" Jaebum teases while reaching over. He flicks the eraser end of his pencil to move a stray strand of hair away fromt Daehyun's face.

  Daehyun swats his hand away with wide eyes. "Wha- No. Whatever you're thinking, that's not what I meant."

  Jaebum laughs, "You're still the same even after all these years. You take everything so seriously."

  "Whatever."

  I look up from my book. Daehyun is blushing and I can't help but feel a pit in my stomach. This is the first time I've seen him blush. It's usually me who blushes because of the things he says to me. Just when I thought I knew what Daehyun is like, here comes another side of him. Just who exactly is Jung Daehyun?

  "So what's your relationship with Youngjae?" Jaebum asks.

  I can feel Daehyun's eyes on me and continue on with my reading as I wait for his answer. Why is my heart beating so much right now? There must be something wrong with me. It's clear that he's going to say that we're just friends, but why am I wondering if he'll say something else?

  "We're friends. Or at least that's what he's making me think what we are."

  What does he mean by that? Ugh. I should just ignore him. He's weird anyways, so whatever comes out of his mouth won't make sense. I decide to block out the rest of what they say and focus on my work. I need to make a good grade on these exams and in order to do so, I need to concentrate. Yes, that's all I need to do, and I'm pretty good at doing that.

  We study a couple of hours before deciding to go our separate ways. Jaebum leaves first while Daehyun walks me outside. Now that Jaebum is gone, he seems to return to his normal self and begins talking to me, "Do you want to study here again another time? I find it relaxing, but I think it will be best if Jaebum wasn't with us. After all, he was quite a distraction. You weren't too bothered by him, were you?"

  "You were the one who was distracted," I point out. Sure, at first I wanted to listen in on the conversation, but after some time, I knew how to include them as merely background noise. Something like that won't distract me that easily. If I'm able to ignore people nearly my whole life, I can ignore two people having a conversation next to me. As much as I want to go back home and shut myself in my room, something in the back of my mind is bothering me. "How do you know Jaebum?"

  Daehyun stiffens. "We were friends back then and went our separate ways when I moved. That's all you need to know," he pauses and gives me a cheeky grin. "Why? Are you curious about our relationship?"

  "No. Why would I?" I quicken my pace. What kind of question is that? Can he just leave now? I want to go home and watch videos.

  When I hear no footsteps following behind, I turn my head and notice that he's not following me. In fact, he's just standing at the same spot with a huge grin on his face. He gives me a wave, in which I return with glare. What is with me lately? I could easily just walk away without turning around, so why did I? There's something wrong with me. My hand reaches towards the airplane. As I rub my fingers against it, I begin to calm down. Ah, I might be thinking too much about it.

  Author's Note:

  Hello! I'm back! So glad to see you here and reading! Sorry it took me so long to update, but I'll try to update as much as I can while I have the time. Hopefully, this chapter was enough for all of you! Thank you for reading!

  With Love,

                      LokiCraze123