PART TWO

Kibum takes a deep breath inhaling the familiar air that was filled with the nasty smell of fish which was vibrating along the sweet smell of flora .

“Kibum, What are you even doing? Help me with these you weird kid.” 

“Alright ma.”

He’s here again after 5 years….

Kibum left home with the hope of coming back and uniting  with Jinki after five years. It was the only thing that kept him going back then. Meeting Jinki again, and becoming normal again. But everything has changed. He doesn’t exactly feel sad or weary. But he feels empty.

He also is changed after all. He isn’t the same person who he was 5 years ago.

For the first month of the first year in the US he managed to contact Jinki almost all the days. On the weekends he had skype video calls pleasing his eyes with the sweet and soft sighte before him which was Jinki as he couldn’t touch him anymore.

When school started a month later he could contact Jinki only over the weekends. But as the time passed it changed from once a week to once a month. He could only please his ears with Jinki’s honey voice. During the last year Kibum couldn’t contact Jinki even a day. With time he started accepting the bitter fact that nothing really persists.

Kibum didn’t meet anyone in the 5 loneliest years of his life. He didn’t care either. Sometimes he found himself doubting whether he has ually neutralized or he has lost interest in living. Though homouality is openly accepted in the country he found himself extremely uninterested in anyone. By the time even his parents were aware about his uality and he was even asked out by some guys but he didn’t feel like going out with them.

He just survived by living off the day. He didn’t have dreams anymore. His targets were short as living off the day without catching anyone’s attention.

Kibum was able to contact Jonghyun there and then. From Jonghyun he learned that Jinki dated a girl for about a month during Kibum’s last year at the States. According to Jonghyun it hasn’t end up so well. To be honest the fact that Jinki dated anyone who’s not Kibum tingled in Kibum’s mind for several weeks but it didn’t got dragged more than that. He wasn’t really surprised.

“Kibum..” 

“mmm?” 

Kibum asks while grabbing a chicken leg. It’s just a simple home dinner, him and his mother. His father has still more month at the States to complete some paper work with the company. 

It was almost dinner time when their mass unpacking event  was completed.

“Aren’t you gonna meet up with Jonghyun and Jinki?”

“I should.”

“I’m planning to go to Jonghyun’s house tomorrow. You can come, or you can go to Jinki’s?”

“I’ll call them and ask.”

.....

Kibum opens his closet which has been neatly arranged by him few hours ago. His eyes wanders all over the closet until being halted at certain something. He doesn’t remember him taking it out from any of his packings.

“Momm” 

“Yeah?” Mrs.Kim’s voice resonates through the next room to Kibum’s which is empty at the moment.

“Did you put the bunny here?”

“Oh.. yes..”

Kibum concludes that his mom has somehow washed off the bunny with some strong detergent. Bunny gives off a soapy and comforting fragnance which Kibum loved. It smells so familiar. Kibum sets up the bunny on his bed next to his pillow.

The bunny is almost 15 years old. It looks old and weary but Kibum never felt like getting rid of it.
Kibum grabs his pajama kit before heading to the bathroom.

Kibum pops in the ear buds of his headphone choosing some random classical music. Sleeping isn’t really easy as his own bed is not that familiar to him anymore. 5 years is such a big time. He rolls over the cozy blanket, simultaneously dragging one corners of the blanket with him to make out a cocoon of him. Back in States music and becoming a cocoon was the remedies he had to overcome the scary insomnia.

Twenty minutes passes but Kibum finds himself wide awake thinking about this and then. The calm soothing music that was playing in the phone did not had any effect after all. The cocoon was just as ineffective as the music.

He turns to side and his eyes lights up with some glow as they halt on the bunny again. He unrolls himself from the cocoon and grabs the stuffed animal. He sniffs bunny’s white fur and his lips instantaneously twitch in to a soft smile. He easily recognizes the red scarf that is winded around bunny’s neck. Was it like 10 years back Jinki gave him the scarf? The soft fabric slips through his slender fingers. His eyes stop on something written on the scarf small hand writing. Two of the characters were messy while one character was less messy.

“ Jin-ki-bum” He smiles again.

He pokes at bunny’s nose again before tightening the small stuffed animal to his chest.

Kibum loves the comfy soap smell

Kibum loves the warmth

Bunnies are warm

Kibum loves bunnies

Kibum’s eye lids close slowly as he falls asleep along with the soothing music giving off from the ear phones. Everything becomes easier for Kibum when bunnies are there.
…………………………………………………………….

Kibum starts navigation in him mom’s cab after setting it to the location sent by Jonghyun. From Jonghyun he got to know that both Jinki and Jonghyun work at a local coffee bar on Saturdays.

Kibum feels a little bad about the fact that Jinki didn’t bother to reach him even after knowing that he is back. He was pretty sure that Jinki has heard about his arrival from Jonghyun.

He drives switching his eyes back and forth between his tab and the road. He finally sees a chocolate colour sign board on which COFFEE BAR is written with white chalk. He slows down turning the cab towards the parking lot.

He takes his phone out to dial Jonghyun.

“Jonghyun”

“You’re there?’

“Yea,in the parking lot”

“Wait for me, I’ll come.”

“what about Jinki?”

“You can meet him, just give me a minute.”

“what the hell is..”

Kibum sighs as Jonghyun hangs up.

He spots the petite man making his way towards Kibum’s cab. Kibum gets off and walks towards Jonghyun trying to register how much he had changed over the ye