Chapter 38: Wake Me Up.

Yoo Youngjae woke up with a severe headache, he touched his forehead and yelped as he felt stitches, and then he remembered last night. He stalked Zelo and Dasom into the ice rink, he didn't know how to skate and bumped against a handrail. A smug smile appeared on his face as he felt he won even if there was a nasty cut on his forehead, since Zelo and Dasom had to call off their date to take him to the hospital.

    Suddenly he heard the sound of the doorbell. Annoyed, he got out of bed and went to open.

    “What are you doing here?” Youngjae raised an eyebrow as he saw Daehyun standing before him.

    “I came to see if you're all right” Daehyun looked him up and down, Youngjae wore a baggy t-shirt and too long sweatpants, and his dark messy hair looked like a bird’s nest.

    “What do you want?” Youngjae leaned back and crossed his arms as the other kept gawking at him.

    “Dasom… told me about… your forehead… How are you feeling? Did you take the painkillers yet?”

    “You care? The last time I saw you, you sent me off” Youngjae uncrossed his arms and got ready to slam the door in his face.

    “I didn't do that”

    “You told me to stay out of your life”

    “It was a mistake coming here” Upset, Daehyun clenched his jaw and turned to leave.

    “Wait” Youngjae called as he felt stupid for his fake tough act “You want some coffee?”

    “I’m not a coffee addict, I just have it at work” 

    “Then how about breakfast? Omelette and French toast”

    “That's perfect” Daehyun nodded and followed him into the apartment.

    They went to the kitchen, Youngjae sat down at the counter while Daehyun looked around in confusion, there weren't eggs or toast.

    “They're in the fridge” Youngjae said and Daehyun opened the fridge.

    “You want me to cook?” Daehyun frowned as he took the loaf of bread and the carton of eggs out of the fridge.

    “You said that's perfect”

    “I thought you invited me in for breakfast! Not to make breakfast for you!”

    “Fine, I can make breakfast for you, but you know I don’t know how to cook, so if you die, don't complain” Youngjae reached out his hand to take the loaf, but Daehyun pulled away.

    “I'll cook, I don't want to die” Daehyun started with the French toast and then the omelette.

    “This looks amazing and smells delicious” Youngjae said as he drooled over the toast, he grabbed one and topped it with strawberry marmalade, then he looked at Daehyun who was very focused on the eggs “I want my omelette with ham and cheese”

    “I hear and obey, master of the world” Daehyun scoffed and cracked eggs in a bowl and beat them while looking in the fridge for ham.

    “You're too slow, beat those eggs like they owe you money”

    “Shut up or I beat you like you owe me money” Daehyun stuck his head inside the fridge “There's no ham, but there's a can of sardines and tomatoes”

    “That's nauseating”

    “No food is nauseating”

    “Then make omelette with sardines and I'll see how you enjoy it”

    “You don't think I'm capable of eating sardines and tomatoes?” Daehyun made the omelette with the infamous sardines and tomatoes. The outcome looked good… and he hoped that to taste good too.

    “What are you waiting for?” Youngjae could hardly keep from laughing.

    Daehyun gulped and took a spoonful of the omelette.

    “You only got egg in there, you gotta take a bite with the sardines and tomatoes”

    Daehyun took a bigger spoonful and ate, but then he made a face as he felt a scale and spat it out.

    “No nauseating, uh?”

    “Why do you even have canned sardines if you don't like it?”

    “I don't know, the maid’s the one who buys groceries”

    “You're so stupid” Daehyun was going to grab the last toast on the plate, but Youngjae beat him to it “Don't you think you've eaten enough?

    In reply, Youngjae took a big bite out of the toast.

    “Thanks for inviting me to breakfast” Daehyun said sarcastically as he watched Youngjae finish the last toast “There's crumbs around your mouth” he reached out his hand to wipe the crumbs off Youngjae’s mouth, but he stopped midway as he caught a glimpse of his lips, small and thin and soft. He swallowed hard as he remembered the dream where the younger held the back of his neck and French kissed him slow and deep.

    “What are you looking at?” Youngjae asked and Daehyun touched his lips with his slightly before regretting it and pulling away, horrified by his own reckless behavior.

    “Sorry” Daehyun mumbled and covered his mouth with his hand, and then Youngjae grabbed his wrist with one hand and used his free hand to cup his face and kiss him good.

    “Wake up, wake up” Yongguk shook Daehyun’s shoulder gently “Wake up, Daehyun”

    “I was dreaming about Youngjae!!!” Daehyun whined under the sheets “We kissed in his kitchen!!! Best kiss ever!!!”

    “I thought the best kiss ever was the one in Han River”

    “All our kisses are the best kiss ever!!!” Daehyun sat up and glare at the bodyguard “You’re a er”

    “I didn’t interrupt you two during , did I?”

    “No, we were just kissing, but we could have had if you hadn’t woken me”

    “You wanted to kiss and now you want to , your imaginary relationship’s escalated quickly”

    “Yoo Youngjae is like the plague, I’ll soon be dead” he covered his face with his hands “This time I started the kiss, kind of… and he kissed me back, does that mean he loves me too?”

    “The Youngjae in your dreams does”

    “Not the real one…”

    “Look, as a cop I tell you he's a suspect, you better keep your distance, but as a friend I tell you to go to him and tell him about your feelings”

    “You're crazy?!!! He’s been dumped, I’m not a vulture, I’m not going to scavenge on his broken heart!!! Besides… I think he likes Dasom by the way he helped himself to her date with Junhong… ”

    “You know you’re Dasom, right?” Yongguk raised an eyebrow “Why don’t you tell him you’re Dasom?”

    “I don't want to be punched in the face again” Daehyun shook his head “I'm sure I’m stronger than him though”

    “Why would he punch you in the face?”

    “Because I’ve been lying to him since we met… If he loves Dasom and finds out she isn’t real, he’ll have a heart attack”   

    “Why didn't you tell him you're Dasom from the beginning? You told Himchan”

    “Himchan’s the stylist, it was impossible to hide from him, on the other hand, Youngjae’s the editor in chief, I didn’t think I’d see him every day of my life, I didn’t think he’d become so important to me”

    “I thought he was a big-headed, arrogant, childish, rude and mean person… But he is indeed a kind, nice, gentle, caring, trustworthy, hilarious, wonderful person”

    “Himchan suggested me to tell him the truth, but I was afraid he’d get angry and fire me, so I kept my mouth shut. I really needed the job and the money… Now it’s too late to say anything, there are too many lies. If he knows he’ll do nothing but hate me”

    “Maybe falling in love with him and never being loved back is my punishment for being a disgusting liar”  

    “I wish I could help you”

    “Nobody can” Daehyun covered himself with the blanket “Just let me live in my dream world, at least the Youngjae in my dreams will never hate me”

    “No, wait!” Yongguk said “I forgot to tell you Jongup is waiting in the hallway”

    “Hell, I forgot we'd be going to a camera exhibition” Daehyun exclaimed and climbed out of bed.

Not only was there all types of photography cameras, but video cameras, film cameras, voice recorders, etc. There were also photography galleries and famous photographers, but Daehyun wasn't interested at all, he just wandered aimlessly and Jongup noticed.

    “Daehyun, are you all right?” The brown-haired young man asked.

    “I'm all right, why do you ask?”

    “You seem distracted, like something's bothering you”

    “I'm looking for an apartment, you know, Youngjae got one for me because I'm a model for Ego, but I won't be a model anymore by the end of the month, so I have to return it”

    “That's what's bothering you?”

    “Yeah”

    “There's nothing else?”

    “No” Daehyun said as he stood before a booth where the latest and best DSLR cameras were exhibited.

    “I thought you prefer film cameras over DSLR”

    “I like all types of cameras” Daehyun eagerly said and smiled and then Jongup smiled as he saw his smile “I've always wanted to have a DSLR, but it's crazy expensive” Daehyun took a big camera and checked the price “Seriously, 50.000?” he was so surprised he almost dropped the 50.000 camera.

    “This model is a giant leap ahead of any camera system ever made” A clerk said.

    “I know… But 50.000 is too much” Daehyun put down the camera carefully.

    “This is 10.000, got a deep set ergonomic grip for easy handheld shooting, autofocus sensors, light sensitivity range and weather sealed” Jongup showed him a camera.

    “It's still expensive” Daehyun sighed and gawked at a camera that was worth 6.000 “Maybe I'll buy this one when I get paid, or maybe not. I have to save up for an apartment… But my actual camera is old and sometimes doesn’t work”

    “You can keep working as Dasom”

    “No way, passing as woman is really hard, all the makeup and waxing isn’t glamorous, it’s painful and exhausting”

    “How about working as photographer at Ego? Everybody liked to work with you when Hyoseong was sick”

    “That'd be great!” Daehyun smiled, but his smile died off quickly “No, I want nothing to do with Ego”

    I want nothing to do with Youngjae. If I work as photographer at Ego, I'll see him from time to time, he'll ask me about Dasom and I'll lie about her whereabouts. He’ll keep asking, I'll keep lying and falling for him and going crazy because I can' tell him the truth...

    “If you don't like Ego, there are other places that'd hire you, you're a great photographer”

    “Most places just hire renowned photographers or people with connections”

    “You can talk to Hyoseong, she’s got a lot of connections. She’ll help you out”

    “You think so?”

    “Definitely!”

    “Hey, join the contest of 100 Best Places in Korea” A girl on roller skates approached them and handed every one a flyer.

    “What's this about?” Daehyun asked, curious.

    “It's a contest, anyone can participate, you just have to take a photography of your favorite place in Korea and email it to the address on the back of the flyer. A group of professional photographers will choose 100 photographs and publish them on a book”

    “You're going to win” Jongup said to Daehyun.

    “What?”

    “You have to participate”

    “What about you? I'll do it if you do it”

    “Deal”

Back to the apartment, Daehyun was laying on the floor and playing with Ganji. He threw a pink rubber ball and Ganji brought him a sneaker.

    “You're dumb like your dad” Daehyun said and Ganji looked at him without blinking “Not me, your other dad (Youngjae)” Ganji whined and jumped on his lap “You miss him too? I miss him so much”

    “Who do you miss so much?” someone said, entering the apartment.

    “Himchan?” The pink-haired man walked over “Do you have keys to the apartment?”

    “No, the door was half open”

    “Sometimes I forget to fully close the door”

    “You're lucky this building got heavy security. What are you going to do when you move to another apartment?” Himchan said “Why don't you stay here?”

    “This place is Dasom's as long as she works for Ego and soon she won't”

    “Who said that? Youngjae’s kicking you out?”

    “No, but it's the right thing to do” Daehyun said “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

    “I have nothing to do, so I came to see...”

    “Yongguk isn’t here”

    “So? I came to see you” Himchan sat down on the floor “and this little buddy” he patted Ganji on the head and in reply Ganji gave him the stink eye “You're still mad because I lost you in the dumpster? You're a real diva” Himchan hissed and looked at Daehyun who checked train schedules on the phone “Are you going on a trip?”

    “Today I went to a camera exhibition with Jongup”

    “A camera exhibition must be paradise for you”

    “It is” the younger smiled big “There's a contest where people take pics of their favorite places and professionals will choose 100 photos for a book”

    “You're going to win!!! I haven't seen much of your work, but I know you'll slay!!!”

    Daehyun blushed hard, no one had ever believed in him and suddenly Jongup and Himchan believed in him, they believed in his dream instead of mocking at him. That made him more confident.

    “What's your favorite place?”

    “It’s not special or important, but there's a beach in Busan I used to go with my parents every summer... It's one of my favorite memories, so it's one of my favorite places”

    “It's seven” Himchan checked his phone “Let's go to Busan in my car, we'll be there by midnight or earlier”

    “What are you talking about?”

    “I have nothing to do, I'll drive you. It'll be the best road trip ever!!! Like Thelma and Louise!!!”

    “They died at the end of the movie”

    “Come on, it'll be fun and exciting!!! I got Twice's Twicetagram and Red Velvet's Perfect Velvet!!! I also got beef jerky, pork jerky, thousands of bags of chips and a big box full of ramyeon!!!”

    “I've always taken the train, but going by car sounds fun. Let me pack some clothes and my camera”

    “I'll go to put gas in my car. Wait for me in the driveway”

Daehyun carried the camera in his backpack and some clothes in a gym bag. He didn't know how much time he was going to spend in Busan, but he thought two or three days. Daehyun was very excited to go with Himchan, he left the building and walked over to a black van parked not too far, however, as he got closer, he realized that the man that leaned on the car while playing with his phone wasn't Himchan, but Youngjae. Daehyun thought of running away, Youngjae hadn't seen him yet, but right at that moment, Youngjae lifted his head and looked in his direction.

    “You're not Himchan” Daehyun managed to say as he felt like hyperventilating at any time.

    “He has an emergency at work and asked me to take you... to Busan?” Youngjae said, not very sure, Himchan was in a hurry, went to his flat and dropped the car keys before disappearing.

    “I don’t want to bother you, you must be very busy. I can go on my own”

    “I'm sorry I stuck my nose in your love life, I shouldn't have talked to Natalie”

    “I'm glad that you apologize, that was really none of your business” Daehyun said with a straight and then he bit his lower lip and softened his expression “I must apology too, you're always there when I need you…”

    “I’m always there and I’ll be always there” Youngjae puffed out his cheeks and let out his breath “That sounded corny… So… I take you to Busan or not?”

    Daehyun didn't want to be around Youngjae after of dreaming that they kissed. What if they kissed in real life? What if Daehyun did something stupid like kissing him in real life? The Youngjae in his dreams always kissed him back, but the sad reality was that real Youngjae would never kiss him back, real Youngjae would freak out and punch him. The smart thing to do was to say NO, but Jung Daehyun was stupid and love made him more stupid.

    “Yes, let’s go!!!”