Chapter 18: Drunkenness.

Himchan took Kanji to the spa and Daehyun spent the whole day, developing the pictures he took at Namsan Tower. Once he got the photos, he wanted to call Jongup and show him, but he kept from doing that, after all, Jongup didn't even go to work just in order to avoid him, it was clear that the young man didn't want to do anything with him after learning his lies.

    Daehyun was hurt, Jongup was a dear friend to him, but he couldn’t blame him for running away instead of falling into the web of lies. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang, Daehyun rushed to the door, thinking it was Himchan and Kanji, but to his surprise, it was Jongup.

    The photographer's assistant wore a black t-shirt, black leather jacket, faded jeans and boots and stood right there before Daehyun.

    “Jongup?! What are you...?! Do you want in?” Daehyun said, curious and surprised to see Jongup after many days.

    Jongup just nodded his head and entered the apartment, following Daehyun to the living room.

    “Do you want something to drink? Coke, tea, coffee, water…”

    “Coke” Jongup said and Daehyun hurried to the kitchen and returned with a glass full of ice cubes and a can of soda in less than the blink of an eye.

Jongup saw photos all over the coffee table, he picked out one of them and stared at it thoughtfully. It was a picture of Seoul under a sky painted in purple and pink. The feeling was almost magical and enticing.   

    “These are the photos I took at Namsan” Daehyun said “I developed them a few hours ago. I wanted to call you, but I didn’t think you’d answer”

    “Why wouldn't I?”

    “Because you know… My lies... and you found out” Daehyun lowered his head, mortified “You don’t even go to work, I guess you want to avoid me at all costs and that’s your right to be disgusted and mad at me”

    “I’m not disgusted or mad” Jongup said “Do you think that I’ve been avoiding you?”

    “Haven’t you?”

    “My mom returned from overseas and she wanted to go to Jeju Island with the whole family” Jongup said “That’s why I haven’t been at work”

    “So aren’t you mad at me?” Daehyun asked, puzzled “You just walked away, poker-faced… What does that mean?”

    “I told you, I’m not mad at you” Jongup said “I just walked away, poker-faced because I was surprised, in shock, but not mad. In fact, I understand why you did what you did”

    “You do?” Daehyun raised his eyebrow.

    “Well, I’m sure there are other ways to get money instead of passing as woman, but your aunt just gave you one week to move. I can’t imagine how desperate you were and you took the only way out at that time; the modeling job” Jongup said “Indeed, I think it’s admirable, you did what you had to do to survive”

    “It means we’re still friends?” Daehyun sighed in relief and smiled.

    “Of course” Jongup smiled back “It's tough making friends that share the same passion for photography, they always laugh at me for using optical filters to create special effects in the photos. They always say why you waste your time with such complicated things? That’s Instagram and its filters are for”

    “I know, right? What are those filters? It’s better to create natural filters with the sunlight or old rolls of film”

    “So true! And the thing I hate most is my father nagging me for spending too much money on cameras. Why don’t you use the cellphone like everyone? He always says things like that!”

    “A damn cellphone isn’t a camera!!!”

    “It is not!” Jongup shook his head in disapproval and then he kept quiet and stared at Daehyun.

    “Is something wrong?”

    “I was thinking how much I missed you during these days”

    “I missed you, too” Daehyun confessed.

    “I’m glad to hear it” Jongup said, checking the time on his phone “We have to go now”

    “Where?”

    “To our date, don’t you remember?” Jongup winked at him “Jeeyoung Lee exhibition is tonight”

    “I forgot!!!” Daehyun gasped, covering his mouth “Tonight?!!!”

    “Yes” Jongup chuckled at how excited Daehyun was.

    “I’ll go to change!!!” Daehyun was in sweatpants, so he ran to his room and searched his closet while texting Himchan.

    I’m going out.

    Can Kanji spend the night at your place?

    You don’t have to ask!

    Kanji can stay with me forever!

    I love him!!! It’s my teeny tiny snowflake!!!

    I want to eat him!!!

    Wait, wait, you’re going out with who?

    Did you meet someone? XoXo

    It’s Jongup, we have a date.

    It’s not a date, date

    We’re going to Jeeyoung Lee photographic exhibition.

    Jongup? The same Jongup that knows…

    Yeah. He isn’t mad as I thought.

    Long story, tell you later.

    I’ll be waiting. Have fun.

    Know how much you missed that guy

    And how much you love photography things.

Daehyun wore a white tank top, denim t-shirt and black pants with black sneakers and left the building with Jongup. The night was nice, the weather was warm, perfect to go out.

    “Are we taking the subway or taxi?” the elder asked with his index finger on his lips.

    “We're taking bike” Jongup said, pointing at a bike across the street.

    “Do you have a bike?”

    “Yes”

    “That’s badass” Daehyun said “I've never been on a bike though”

    “It’s time you do”

    They set out to cross the street, but a car appeared abruptly and Daehyun was nearly hit by if it weren't for Jongup that threw his body over him, protecting him.

    “Are you ok?” Jongup asked with his arms around Daehyun.

    “Yeah, I thought I was going to die” Daehyun said and they looked at the car, crashing into the street light.

    The pedestrians gathered around the car and recorded it with their phones while others called the police and an ambulance.

    “Let’s go” Jongup shrugged as if nothing.

    “No” Daehyun said “We have to check on the driver, to see if he or she is ok”

    “He or she nearly ran you over!!! And you care about him or her???” It was the first time Jongup met someone as selfless as Daehyun, he was more worried about the driver that almost killed him than his own life.

The ambulance showed up and the paramedics dispersed the crowd. The first paramedic opened the car door and found the driver unharmed, the airbag cushioned the impact, and then he and his partner helped him to get out. The pedestrians gasped when they saw that the driver was a young man. The elders whispered about how shameless the young ones today were while others booed him for being a reckless .

    “Youngjae?” Daehyun saw over a woman, he pushed her away and did the same with everybody until he reached the ambulance.

    Jongup, that never left his side, followed him.

The paramedics sat Youngjae in the back of the ambulance while they took his pulse and checked his eyes with a flashlight.

    “Is he ok?” Daehyun asked loudly, startling the paramedics.

    “It seems so” a man said “And you are?”

    “I’m his…” Daehyun got a lump in his throat. Flashbacks of his parents’ car accident hit him.

    “It’s our boss” Jongup said.

    “Well, your boss is ok, however, the blood alcohol level is skyrocketing” the man said.

    “Are you saying I’m drunk?!” Youngjae barked like a mad dog and tried to stand up to show them how sober he was, but he just fell to the floor.

    Daehyun acted quickly to help him up meanwhile the police showed up and Youngjae started yelling again.

    “Ha, are you going to arrest me? I dare you!!!”

    “Can you shut up?” Daehyun said, worried sick.

    He was the oldest, and yet he didn’t know what to do, so he looked Jongup, asking for help. The younger didn’t say anything, he just walked towards the policemen and they talked for a while, then Jongup came back and said:

    “The cops will let it slide this time”

    “How did you get that?”

    “I just told them who Yoo Youngjae is”

    “I’ve heard that the rich get away with everything, but wow, I can’t believe it”

    “I thought you'd be happy to know he won’t be charged”

    “I don’t want him to spend the night in jail, but he has to learn his lesson”

    “Well, the next time he does something like this, he’ll be arrested for sure and then he’ll learn”

    “I don’t want him to do something like this again” The mere thought of Youngjae having another car accident made Daehyun anxious and upset.

    “What I wanted to say it’s don’t worry” Jongup never saw his friend so worried before “Let’s take him to his flat”

    Jongup helped Daehyun to carry Youngjae to his apartment, thank God for the elevators, Youngjae lived on the 17th floor. The manager gave Daehyun the key, so now he was opening the door while Jongup held Youngjae by the arms.

Daehyun opened the door, Jongup carried Youngjae inside the apartment. The lights automatically when they entered, Youngjae’s apartment was way bigger than Daehyun's, the doors were made of crystals like a crystal palace and there were two large windows on each side overlooking Seoul.

    “Where’s his room?” Jongup asked.

    “What makes you think I’d know?” Daehyun asked, horrified “It’s my first time here!!!”

    “I wasn’t implying that you two…”

    “Just drop him on the couch” Daehyun pointed at the big white couch in the middle of the living room.

    Jongup rested Youngjae on the couch without problems, the editor-in-chief stopped fighting and yelling a while ago and now he was sleeping.

    “We have to cover him with a blanket and take off his shoes” Jongup said.

    “I’ll do it later” Daehyun said “You go to the exhibition” 

    “You’re not going?”

    “I’ll stay with him” Daehyun took one look at Youngjae.

    “Why?”

    “I can’t leave him alone after his reckless ”

    “Fine. I’ll stay, too”

    “Youngjae's isn't your responsibility”

    “Is he yours?”

    Daehyun didn't know what to say, Youngjae had been nice to him so far, he stayed by his side when he got the flu, didn't he? That's why Daehyun felt he had to stay although the truth to be told, he didn’t have to do anything; the only reason he decided to stay it was because he wanted to. He wanted to stay with the careless .

    “I'll stay” Jongup insisted.

    “You go to the exhibition or I'll never talk to you again”

    “But... You like Jeeyoung Lee more than I do”

    “That's why you go and tell me about it later” Daehyun smiled and pushed him out of the door. The tickets were expensive and the display was only once in a lifetime, he couldn’t let Jongup miss it.