A wide and satisfied smile is curved on Jongin's lips. He kept flashing his typical wide yet arrogant smile to the people that were watching one of his successful plays, nodding his head and thanking to the people that congratulate him and praised him. All of these are common things that always happened in Jongin's life. Parties after showing off his plays. He grabbed one of the champagne from the waiter that walked passed to him as he walked to the garden outside, maybe he wanted to relax a bit by one or two cigs with a champagne. He lets out his cigar from his pocket and is about to light it up before he turns his body once he feels somebody just walked to the garden too. He raised a brow at the thought of the guy that is smiling widely at him and immediately walking close to him.

"Kim Jongin, isn't it?"

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows once the guy offering his hand for a shake, he's a bit hesitate but he accepts that guy's hand.

"Shinjiro Aragaki."

Jongin once again furrowed his eyebrows, the guy's name is familiar. More than familiar, he thinks.

"From the circus?"

Shinjiro curves a grin as he stuffs his hands inside his expensive material pants.

"So you've heard of me. Congratulations for your play once again, Mr.Kim. It's always been a glamorous yet a marvelous play as you always produced."

"Thank you, and of course it is. People loved plays more than just a mere circus where people just jumping around with random animals."

Shinjiro elicits a chuckle as he shrugs.

"Mind if i buy you a drink?"

"What? I can't just run off and join the circus."

They are currently at the bar nearby the building where the party's held, it's empty and it's only the two of them with one bartender that is wiping the glasses behind the table.

"Why not? You clearly have a flair for show business."

Jongin looks at Shinjiro in a bit weird but the guy doesn't seemed to notice because he's busy eating peanuts provided by the bartender.

"There's show business?"

"Mm-hmm."

Jongin seemed a bit confused as he keeps staring at the guy beside him, he takes single gulp on his another glass of whiskey.

"I never heard of it."

"Cause i just invented it."

Jongin quickly turns his head to Shinjiro and looks at him with a wide eyed, but the showman only flashing his wide grin as he threw peanut on his mouth and letting out another money, bang it on the table and the bartender already prepared another glass of whiskey.

"Right here, right now, i put the offer out. You run with me, and i can cut you free. Out of the treachery and walls you keep in."

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows with his lips parted, looking at the showman in disbelief and is about to interrupt but he got lost in the game because Shinjiro keeps hitting him with his weird yet a bit interesting words.

"So trade that typical snob rich people attitude for something colorful. And if it's crazy, live a little crazy."

"What? How can you say something like-"

"Don't you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play?"

Jongin feels a bit intrigued.

He stays quiet for a while. Indeed, his life is full of glamor with all that money he got from his plays and also from his parents, soon he'll get his heritage from his parents and then he'll get everything he needs, but.. is it?

"Stay in the cage, or you'll finally take the key."

No.

This is truly all he needs. He doesn't need anything more. He has everything, his dream house, all expensive stuffs and praises from the other people who watched his plays, and he'll be the talk of the town if he joined a circus, disgraced and disowned.

"Well, i hate to tell you, it's not gonna happen."

Jongin looks at the showman in a trivial way as he gets up from his seat, putting on his coat and hat back.

"Don't you know that i'm okay with this uptown part i got to play? 'Cause i got what i need. I live among the swells, we don't pick up peanut's shells."

Jongin shakes his head in disbelief and chuckled, looking at the showman with his eyesight.

"So go and do what you do, i'm good to do like me. And, just so you know, i'm not in a cage, so i don't need to take the key."

Jongin is already walking past through the showman and is about to open the door and leaves, before the showman's interrupting.

"So this is how you like to spend your days? Whiskey, parties, plays.. and misery?"

Jongin stopped his pace but not turning his body yet. He felt a bit intrigued by the word, misery. He also felt a bit annoyed by the showman's words because it somehow satirize him, so he quickly turned his body with his annoyed face.

"If i'll mix it up with you, i'll be the talk of the town. Disgraced, and disowned, i mean, another one of your clowns?"

"But you'll finally live a little. Finally laugh a little."

Shinjiro gets up from his seat and walks closer to him. What Jongin sees from this showman, he doesn't feel offended at all by his words. Shinjiro still put on his typical smile as if Jongin's words are nothing for him, as if he felt far more worse than just this and he seemed to be the typical guy that would never give up. What interests Jongin the most is, Shinjiro can all be happy just with his circus. A mere circus that is strangely, is a succesful one in Korea. A mere circus that only the open minded people would love it because the circus is always about freaks, Jongin once heard that there's been a lot of protest against the circus and he thinks the owner might get stressed or something but.. this? All Jongin sees from Shinjiro is a smile on his face with full of happiness and joy. Something that Jongin doesn't have because he always feel like he needs more than just money and plays, but he doesn't know it. That's why he get offended by the word misery. He does feel miserable at some time.

"Just let me give the freedom you dream and it'll wake you up and cure your aching. Isn't this deal seems worth taking?"

Dream. Freedom.

Jongin stared at Shinjiro for a quiet long time. Dream. Freedom. That's it. That's the reason why Jongin always felt something was never so enough, like something is missing. But now it is no longer missing. Jongin sees the chance. This is his chance. There's nothing to hold back. There's no way to turn around. This is it.

"So what percentage of the show will i be taking?"

Jongin crosses his arms and raised a brow, his lips curving a grin and so does the showman.

"Well, fair enough, you want a piece of all your actions. I'll give you seven, we could shake and make it happen."

Jongin constantly letting out a laugh as he shakes his head in disbelief. Seriously, seven?

"Dude, i wasn't born this morning, okay? Eighteen would be just fine!"

"Why not just go ahead and ask for nickles on the dime?"

Shinjiro raising his brow and crossing his arms, a sign that he's challenging him. Jongin emits a chuckle as he leaned his back on the wall.

"Fifteen."

"I'd do eight."

"Twelve."

"Maybe nine."

"Ten!"

Both of them are staring each other for a long time, both are giving flashes of challenging eyes until Shinjiro once again offer his hand with his typical smile, and Jongin casually accepts it.

"Welcome to the greatest show, kid."

"HOLY - OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL-"

Jongin can't stop screaming and yelling all on his way following Shinjiro that is only letting out his typical dad laugh, they're now in Shinjiro's circus, where all his freaks, or so what he called, his beautiful and talented people are walking around behind the stage. Jongin can see all the animals, all the different sizes, shapes of people and to be honest, he freaked out because he never seen something like this. All of this make him scared, but also.. he felt amazed. It's all so unique, so different, and somehow, it really catches Jongin's interest. 

"Isn't all of this beautiful?"

Jongin turns to the showman that is flashing his full of happiness smile.

"Isn't all of this makes you smile, laugh.. and happy?"

Jongin can't say of what just he saw in front of him. The showman and his circus freaks. Jongin never seen this kind of unique before.

"Come and follow me."

Jongin immediately follows. They walked upstairs where there's a lot of people watching the show from the above, Shinjiro opened the curtain and on the exact time..

Jongin freezed.

It's like the time has stopped ticking, as if there was only the two of them there, as if no one's there, as if the world is theirs only.

Jongin never seen this such of beauty.

A beautiful trapeze boy that made an eye contact with him.

"Chanyeol, Sehun, great performance as usual!"

After the show's over, Jongin and Shinjiro has walked downstairs at the same time the trapeze boy has walked to the backstage with a guy beside him.

"I would like to introduce you, Mr. Kim Jongin. Jongin, this is Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun, they're the trapeze players."

Sehun. So that is his name. Raven head, pale skin, long and lean legs. Such a beauty.

"So what's your act, Mr.Kim?"

Jongin blinks his eyes rapidly and kinda confused on Sehun's question, he looks at the way Sehun stared at him but get a bit disappointed once the raven head turn his eyes away as he putting off the gloves on his hands.

"O-Oh.. i don't have an act."

The way Sehun lets out a soft chuckle and the way he curves his smile at Jongin makes his heart beating a bit fast than its normal pace.

"Well, everyone's got an act."

Sehun excused himself, and so does Chanyeol after introducing himself to Jongin, letting him only stare at Sehun's back, stunned at what he just said to him. His lips a bit parted as he blinks, not noticing that Shinjiro had been watching the interactions with a knowing smile. Jongin turns his head to Shinjiro, a bit stutter as he say.

"He's beautiful."

Shinjiro lets out a chuckle as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Indeed he is. Well, i think the tour ends here, Jongin. I'll see you tomorrow on the next show."

Jongin didn't tell anything about him joining a circus to his parents. He already know what could have happen if he did. Those kind of things are not his parents' things. Maybe Jongin would just shut his mouth for a while, until the time comes, he'll tell everything.

"So how's your play today, sweetheart?"

They're currently in the dining room, enjoying the family dinner. Jongin takes a glance at his mom as he munched on his food, wiping his mouth before he got to answer.

"Pretty good as always."

Jongin can see his mom typical proud smile and face, until he turns to his dad that is showing the same expression as his mom. 

"Soon you will get your heritage, son. Don't let us down."

"Well, he should beat that weird and scary circus first. Tch, i don't know why there are so many people love them. They're a bunch of freaks, for God's sake."

Jongin almost choked on his food as he looks at his mom.

"Relax, dear. We already paid much for those protesters, they already did a good job for turning the circus down. Just sit and wait. And a bunch of freaks like that usually won't stay long because they couldn't hold on the ridicule and insult the protesters gave. They'll leave Korea immediately and Jongin once again would take people's hearts again."

That's it.

Jongin shifts hard on his chair and rushes away from the dining room without a word, ignoring his parents calling for him. He grabbed his coat and walking out from the house angrily. Apparently, he felt offended because his parents just insulted him indirectly. He's a part of the circus now. And he just got an insult from his parents. And they paid for the protesters? So his parents are the reason why? 

"Unbelievable."

Maybe this is the reason why he always felt miserable. Maybe this is the reason why there's a hole in his heart like a great black pit that even fame and fortune cannot filled it. 

Because this is not the life he wanted.

Because this is not what he always needed.

Jongin was too coped on his own mind and was busy groaning until he bumped into some stranger, both of them are startled and Jongin immediately apologizes, until the stranger picking his head up and looks at him, and Jongin freezes.

"O-Oh my, it's you."

Sehun.

"Quite a surprise to get a chance on meeting you here, Mr.Kim."

Jongin's lips are parted and once again he stutters on the words he's going to say, for God's sake he's nervous, and for Merlin's beard Sehun looks so cute right now and Jongin thinks he couldn't hold himself.

"I.. w-well, i was just- uh, w-walking around."

Sehun raised a brow at him as he curces a cheeky grin. 

"Well, then, i must not interrupt your time. Enjoy yourself, Mr.Kim. If you'll excuse me."

"W-wait-"

Jongin is surprisingly holding on Sehun's hand and he himself, is surprised. 

Dammit Jongin. The hell are you doing.

Sehun seemed to widened his eyes, his expression is a bit shocked as he looks at Jongin.

"I-I'm sorry.. Mr.Kim, y-you don't have to.."

"Jongin?"

Both Sehun and Jongin are turned their glances at someone that is standing not too far from them. This time it's Jongin that widened his eyes as he quickly released his hold on Sehun's hand. It seems to be his mom, that seemed to be worried about his son as she walked to him, but her expression immediately changes once she sees Sehun.

"What the hell are you doing with my son? Who do you think you are? Get away from my son you filthy almsman! Don't you think that i don't know who you are. You're one of those freaks! How dare you have a guts to get in touch with my son? Get youself together!"

"M-Mom! How dare-"

When Jongin turns to look at Sehun, the raven head is already full of tears as he wraps his arms on himself for protection, when Jongin tries to get close to him Sehun was already rushed away from them quickly.

All that's left is the hole in Jongin's heart is getting more big than ever.

Author's Note.

first time on writing a story. so.. i hope you guys will accept my apologies for any reason that is on your mind. i know it's not a good story, you don't need to leave any comments or anything, reading it is already enough for me. thank you for your time, people. wait for another chapter to be released.