Flashback

“Daehyun!” Youngjae said, surprised and amused, as he saw the blond after opening the door.

    “I've come to see Ganji”

    “You don't trust me? You think I killed him or what?”

    “It's not that” Daehyun showed him a pink bag “I brought him his favorite toys... He's not dead, right?” he laughed nervously.

    “No, I just lost him” Youngjae lowered his head.

    “WHAT?!!!”

    “I'm joking” Youngjae shook his head.

    “You're not funny!” Daehyun said as he entered the apartment “Here's his favorite plushie, he can't sleep without him” he took a light pink bunny out of the bag.

    “Really? He’s snoring in my bed” Youngjae said as Daehyun followed him to the bedroom, Ganji was sleeping soundly “If you wanted to see me so bad, just tell me, you don’t have to use Ganji as an excuse” the dark-haired man cocked his head and gave the elder a smirk.

    “You're the one who keeps showing up in my life” Daehyun gave him the bag before he took a manila envelope from his backpack “Here's the pics you took at the park, I developed them yesterday, but forgot to give them to you”

    Youngjae used his free hand to check the photos “They're blurry... I'm really bad at this, aren’t I?” he frowned “Where are the ones you took?”

    “In my backpack, I didn’t think you'd want to see them”

    “I want to”

End Flashback

Chapter 60: I Need To Talk.

“I hate you, Jung Daehyun, how can you eat like a pig and have a slim waist?” Himchan said as he helped Daehyun put his jacket on.

    “Jongup works out a lot and sometimes I join him”

    “Can I join you, guys? No matter how many hours I spend in the gym or all the diets I do, I keep gaining weight” Himchan complained as he admired Daehyun; white shirt, black tie, black vest, black jacket, black pants, black shoes “You look great, I'm the best stylist ever”

    “Jongup looks great too” Daehyun said, approaching his friend who was checking himself out in the mirror “You're such a playboy, everybody’s going to be looking at you” he said as he gazed at the brown-haired man in a dark suit.

    “The only one I want looking at me is you” he said, low, like always and made Daehyun blush.

    “The limo is already here” Himchan said.

    “Limo?” they replied in unison.

    “Of course, I'm not going to let you ride Jongup's bike and dirty these immaculate suits” Himchan said “It's waiting, so chop-chop”

    Jongup went to the door while Daehyun went to the table for his backpack.

    “What do you think you're doing?”

    “I want Han Sunhwa to sign my favorite photobook”

    “That ugly backpack isn't going anywhere” Himchan walked over to a couple of bags and purses “You can use this” he grabbed a Gucci pouch and handed it to Daehyun.

    “I don't think my photobook fits...”

    “I don’t care, it's pretty”

    “Ok...” Daehyun took the photobook out of the backpack and put it in the pouch (to his surprised it fitted)

The gallery was filled with people, everybody was hyper for the exhibition, Han Sunhwa was the best and hottest photographer of South Korea. She had traveled the world many times and taken all types of photographies; fashion weeks, war, landscapes, wildlife, actors, singers, politicians, architectural, sports, everyday people doing everyday stuff, etc.

    That night’s exhibition theme was “photographies like pictures”, Han Sunhwa used techniques that made her pics look like paintings, some people were skeptical and thought the pics were actually pictures and some others were astonished by her talent.

    Daehyun wanted to meet his idol first before appreciating her work, however, there were so many people he didn't know who was who.

    “Sir” a waiter came up to him with a tray of champagne glasses.

    “Thanks, but no” Daehyun shook his hand “Uh… Do you know where Han Sunhwa is?”

    “She's giving an interview in the office”

    “Where is the office?”

    The waiter pointed to the right and Daehyun grabbed Jongup’s arm and dragged him with him to the office “You're behaving like a fanboy” the younger teased.

    “I am a fanboy, I love her” Daehyun said.

    “Should I be jealous?”

    As Daehyun came closer and closer to the office, the doors opened and the reporters were leaving, the last one to walk out was Han Sunhwa, Daehyun was so happy to see her he bumped into her, hitting his head against her “I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!!!!!” he said, very embarrassed.

    “Don't worry, I'm fine” she said, rubbing her head.

    “I love you” Daehyun said.

    “What?”

    “I mean, I don't love you as a man loves a woman, I mean... I love your work, can you sign this?” he took the photobook from the pouch “It's the first photobook of yours I bought, you're so talented... I loved the angles, the technique, the colors...”

    “Thank you” she blushed and took the photobook “Do you have a pen?”

    “Stupid Daehyun” he said as he realized that he didn't bring a pen.

    “Here” Jongup gave him a pen.

    “You're my lifesaver like always!!!” Daehyun said and offered the pen to the photographer. Han Sunhwa signed the photobook and gawked at Daehyun before handing it back.

    “You look familiar...” she frowned “Dasom?”

    “She's my twin sister” 

    “She's so beautiful”

    “Thank you, I mean... She thanks you”

    “Well, you're beautiful too, a very handsome young man”

    “Oh my God, Han Sunhwa is calling me beautiful and handsome” Daehyun giggled.

    “Please, call me Sunhwa” she said “Are you also a model?”

    “No... I'm a photographer, I mean, not like you. I work for a newspaper as the manager's assistant... but I like photography, I mean... I take... photos...”

    “Chill out” Jongup massaged the blond’s shoulders in order to calm him down while Sunhwa laughed.

    Suddenly there was a fuss at the entrance and everybody turned their heads towards there, a bunch of people and reporters had gathered around the couple who came in the gallery.

    “Must be someone famous” Sunhwa said.

    “It’s Minjae, the new face of Ego” a woman said.

    “Minjae?” Daehyun said in confusion. He didn't know her friend liked photography, in fact, New Sun always complained how disinterested Minjae was.

    “She came with a man” the woman kept talking “Maybe it's her boyfriend”

    “It's the editor of Ego” another woman said.

    “Youngjae?” Daehyun made a face and Jongup saw it (Daehyun was jealous?)

    “That editor's living the high life for sure” a man said “He got to go out with every model at Ego, first Dasom and now Minjae”

    “Those girls were nobodies before Ego, sleeping with that guy is a small price to pay”

    “Can you shut the up?” Daehyun yelled at those gossips “Sorry...” he said as Jongup and Sunhwa looked at him in surprise “Sorry...” he said and was ready to leave when Minjae and Youngjae came his way. They were very pretty together, she wore a short dress with colorful patterns and white pumps while Youngjae wore a black suit with gray stripes.

    “Daehyun!!! Jongup!!!” Minjae greeted his friends with a big smile.

    “Hi, I didn’t know you like photography” Daehyun said.

    “I don't, but Youngjae insisted”

    “You don't call him oppa anymore, you just call him by his name” Daehyun said, since when their relation was so close that Minjae called Youngjae by his name?

    “Welcome to my exhibition” Sunhwa said to the newly arrived guests “Sad to hear you don't like photography”

    “I didn't mean that” Minjae blushed “I'm just more into music than photography, you know”

    “I have a photography of a gramophone” she said “I'll show you” she took Minjae’s hand and turned to the others “Please Daehyun, Jongup, Youngjae, come too” they followed the elder to the display of the photography of a gramophone, the lighting and colors made it look like a painting of Johannes Vermeer.

    “It's so beautiful, how did you get the photography look old-fashioned and bright?” Daehyun asked.

    “Well...” Sunhwa began to speak, Daehyun and Jongup were absorbed while Youngjae and his partner exchanged glances and whispers.

    “What you waiting for? Tell Daehyun you love him”

    “In front of everyone?”

    “It's romantic”

    “I have no balls to tell him, and you think I can say it before everybody?”

    “Ok” Minjae looked around, searching for an isolated place “It seems there’s nobody in the balcony…”

    “I don’t want to interrupt” Youngjae said as Daehyun was very happy to talk to Sunhwa.

    “Stop making excuses” she shook her head and walked directly towards the group “Daehyun!” she called out and he turned his head to her “I need to tell you something, let’s go to a quiet place” she grabbed his arm before he could reply and dragged him to the balcony.

    “What do you want to say?” Daehyun asked as soon as they reached the balcony.

    “I forgot, you wait here while I try to recover my memory” she said and left to fetch Youngjae.

Minjae went back with the others, but there was no sign of Youngjae “Uh… Where is Youngjae?”

    “He left” Jongup shrugged.

    “He what?” she screamed in frustration and ran for the exit “Youngjae!” she called and the said guy turned around to glance at her before speeding up “Youngjae!!!” she ran after him and grabbed his arm with both hands “Daehyun's in the other way”

    “I can't tell him, I can't be rejected, I’m very scared”

    “You don’t think he was scared as well? But he told you his feelings anyway, why can’t you be brave and honest?”

Youngjae went to the balcony and saw Daehyun’s back, he wanted to run away, but remembered Minjae's words and then he remembered when Daehyun confessed to him, the blond was so nervous and scared, he looked like he was going to break and yet he told him how he felt. Even if he knew Youngjae was going to reject him, he was honest with his feelings.

    “I owe him” Youngjae said to himself “I have to be honest, though at this point he likes someone else (Jongup)”

    Youngjae walked up to Daehyun, he wanted to say “hi” or something to start the conversation, but Daehyun startled with the steps and turned to him with a look of surprise and confusion “I thought you were Minjae, she said she had something to tell me”

    “She doesn’t, I do” Youngjae rubbed his nape hesitantly “I've wanted to tell you this for weeks”

    “I'm all ears” Daehyun laughed nervously as he felt the tension all around him.

    “You look sad” Youngjae said as he noticed Daehyun’s eyes cast down and lips pinched.

    “Yeah”

    “You should be happy, you love Sunhwa and photography”

    “I know... Meeting her was amazing..., but a little upsetting too”

    “Why?”

    “She left Busan at fourteen, she won many prizes as photographer and had her first exhibition at 19 and then she started to travel around the world, taking pics nonstop” Daehyun said “Whereas I past my twenties and I haven't done anything, I serve coffee and donuts”

    “I'm so pathetic, people who are bad at love are good at work, but I'm bad at both, what's wrong with me? I'm a failer, I don't want to be 50 or 80 years old and still serving coffee and donuts, dreaming of being a photographer... Should I give up? I mean, I'm still on time to go to college... I have some money... I could use it to...”

    “Make your own exhibition”

    “What?”

    “I don't know how much money you have or what an exhibition costs, but it can be a small thing, show your photos in some small gallery and get to be known”

    “It's a great idea, why didn't I think of that before?”

    “Because you spend all your time thinking about how pathetic you are, thank me for having me, I'm here to remember you how amazing you are”

    “Don't say that or I may fall for you again” 

    It was now or never, Youngjae thought, it was time to say to Daehyun how he felt...

    “Daehyun, you're here” Jongup said, appearing on the balcony “I've been looking for you”

    “Youngjae wanted to tell me something” Daehyun said as he looked at the editor.

    “I'll tell you another day, it's not important” Youngjae said and walked to the exit, bumping his shoulder against Jongup’s and exchanging killer looks.

Youngjae didn’t want to meet Minjae, since he didn’t confess to Daehyun, didn’t want her nagging, so he went backdoor for the caterers.

    “My exhibition is so bad that the editor of Ego is sneaking out” Sunhwa said from behind and Youngjae turned around to face her.

    “It’s not that, your exhibition is amazing… I have work…”

    “So do I, that’s why I’m sneaking out too” she said “I have a photo shoot at Jeju Island in a few hours, but my assistant is stuck somewhere in Hong Kong ‘cause of the weather, I need to make some calls to see if there’s any good photographer to assist me”

    “You can make the calls at my place, it’s nearby and cozy”

I was thinking about their “makestar, come on baby” looks

a lame joke to distract you from this lame story

yj: don't open the with your teeth, you may tear it

dh: it's not like you can get pregnant anyway