Waking up earlier than usual, Kibum picked up the newspaper to find the front page was full of articles about the exhibition. Controlling the involuntary smile that came to him, he read the printed interview with Minho, with him talking about the textures of different paintings. A few lines caught his eye.

Interviewer: Mr. Choi, how is it that you have managed to sell every one of your paintings?

Choi Minho: It was all due to the effort of Mr. Kim Kibum and his company. I couldn’t have done it without him.

Although he was used to being hailed for his work, it felt good when Minho said good things about him. Why was he getting so affected by Minho? He could feel a lot of buried emotions being invoked again, which scared him a little. He dressed up in his favorite baby pink shirt and drove to work. As he entered his office, he saw a box of Godiva chocolates on his desk, along with a note which read ‘I need to learn how to shine as you do’. There was no name, but whoever sent the note, seemed to have an eye for poetic lines. Suspecting it was Minho, Kibum picked up his phone to call him.

“Hi Minho, this is Kibum. I wanted to thank you for mentioning our services during the interview”

“I really appreciate all the help you’ve given me”

As they continued to make small talk, the receptionist walked in with the prettiest ombre roses Kibum had ever seen. They were pink, with a dash of orange and reminded him of the sunset. The accompanying note read ‘I can’t thank you enough. Minho Choi’

“Thank you for the roses, Minho. They’re beautiful. How did you know that my favorite color is pink?”

Minho silently pumped his fist into the air, glad that his guess had been correct. When he saw those beautiful roses, his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of Kibum.

“It was a lucky guess. I’m glad you like them. You seemed rather busy the other day, I wanted to ask if you’d like to meet me for a coffee”

“Okay, I’ll meet you in 30 minutes”

Minho replaced the receiver and let out a huge whoosh of breath. He hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath until Kibum had accepted the invitation.

Dressing up as quickly as he could, he got a table at the coffee shop and waited for Kibum. Kibum looked rather spectacular in his pink shirt. Somehow, pink just seemed to work for him. His piercings glinting in the sunlight as he looked about, Minho saw Kibum smile once he’d spotted him. That smile made his face light up.

Kibum saw the change in Minho’s face when he smiled at him and knew exactly why he had been invited for coffee.

“I’m glad you came, Kibum. I was afraid you wouldn’t come”

“I only came here to clear the air with you. I want to let you know that I’ve recently got out of a relationship, and I’m not ready for another relationship anytime soon”

“I understand, Kibum. I’m ready to wait for you as long as you want”

“It won’t be fair to you. I don’t know when I’d be ready. I don’t even know if I would ever be ready to get into a relationship, so please don’t wait for me”

“I don’t mind. I’d like to spend time with you and get to know you better. I’d be happy to just be around you, as your friend”

Kibum knew he couldn’t expect someone like Minho to wait for him indefinitely. Minho was someone who needed love, and someone who would treat him well. Not someone as complicated as he was.

“I can’t expect you to do that”

“Trust me, I want to”

There was nothing Kibum could say to this, as Minho seemed to be even more stubborn than he was. Kibum’s face flushed as Minho reached across and wiped a bit of foam from the corner of his mouth. Ignoring the rush of emotions, he stood up abruptly and told Minho that he’d talk to him later. He tried not to think of Minho’s disappointed expression as he gave him a quick hug before he left the coffee shop.

Kibum usually got all the letters that were sent to the office, to be delivered at home. While skimming through the bunch he’d received, he came across a letter with handwriting similar to that of the anonymous note. ‘The moonlight that’s about to spill is definitely dark. The same goes to you, the burning torch that’s about to explode’. It had only two lines this time. Two lines that made his heart beat faster than ever. The envelope had no return address but only had his name. It seemed as though someone had delivered the letter to his office, rather than posting it. Who was this from? It was really puzzling.