Somehow, slowly, he became someone who’s always there..

 

January 2018, Keori Art Studio

It was a busy morning at Keori Art Studio. It’s the first day of another art exhibition by Yiran. She was busy moving around, moving decorations and flowers from place to place. She was just adjusting a painting on the left side of the room when suddenly a pair of hands blocking her sight.

“Guess who?” a deep voice can be heard from her back. Yiran shakes her head lightly, “Stop joking around, Jackson”

The man grinning widely, happy that Yiran recognized his voice. He takes his hands off Yiran’s eyes, while holding a bouquet of white Lilies, “For you, gongzhu”

“Can you stop calling me that, ge?” said Yiran annoyed, yet a small smile threatening to bloom on her face. She takes the bouquet from Jackson, and turn around to face him.

“Thanks for the Lilies”

“Anything for you, princess” Yiran’s face blushed lightly, can’t hide the fact that Jackson is such a sweet person. It’s been half a year, since Jackson and Yiran being friends. When they first met at the restaurant back then, they never bump to each other anymore. But suddenly, Yiran found him looking at her painting in her studio a month later. He seemed surprised too, to meet Yiran there. He didn’t know that she was an artist, let alone know that the painting and the studio is hers. After that, they frequently bump to each other. One time, it was at a convenience store near Han river. Then, another time it was in front of JYP’s building, where she was on her way to met one of her client near that area, and Jackson saw her walking through his office. Yiran stares at Jackson, as Jackson keep talking about how proud he is for her. The bright smile that pasted on his face, made her remember that one time when they were still not this close yet.

‘He has this bright smile on too when finally I let him being my friend’

 

August 2017, Han River

“Yiran!”

A girl with a long wavy hair turn her head around, hearing her name being called. A man with a black hat on his head runs to her, smiling while looking at her. One of Yiran’s eyebrow going up, when the man stop in front of her.

“Are you following me?”

“Silly, I just happen to stroll around here and saw you mei”

Yiran stares at Jackson suspiciously, “Wo-ow! Are you seriously thinking that I’m stalking you, Yiran?” said Jackson hold his hands up.

She shrugs her shoulders, “It’s just weird. We’ve been running to each other so much lately. I don’t even know you that well Jackson-ssi”

“Aren’t we friends, Yiran?” Jackson put his hands on his trouser’s pocket while walking along beside Yiran. Jackson sighs lightly, when he got Yiran’s silence.

“We have a lot of common friends, Mei”

“It’s just Yixing ge”

“Still, we’ll have a lot of common friends anyway in the future. Why can’t I be friends with you?”

“You don’t know anything about me, Jackson-ssi. You can’t force me to be your friend”

“I can get to know you better if we’re being friends, can’t I?”

Yiran stops her feet, making Jackson mirroring her action. Her eyes caught the sight of Jackson’s sincere eyes. She tilted her head, a small smile playing in her face.

“You can’t even get your disguised right. Your hair is poking everywhere, Jiaer ge”

“Jiaer ge?”

“You said you wanna be my friend. I can call you that right, Jiaer ge?”

A bright smile suddenly lit up in Jackson’s face, he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, of course mei”

Yiran smiles softly while started walking again with Jackson tagging along beside her. She looks at Jackson, seeing him telling her about his day today. And the smile on his face never changing since she let him being her friend. ‘I hope I’m not making a mistake, by trusting you to be my friend ge’

Oh how she never knows that it was the best decision she ever made in her life.

 

January 2018, Keori Art Studio

“Mei? Are you listening?”

Jackson moving his hand in front of Yiran’s face, “U-uh? What were you talking about, ge?” said Yiran flustered.

Jackson shakes his head slightly, “I was asking you to come to my grup’s 4th anniversary. You will come, right?”

“When is it?”

Yiran walks towards a small table at the center of her studio, putting the lilies that Jackson brought in the vase on that table. Jackson smiles when he sees Yiran putting his flowers right beside the one that Yixing’s bought. It’s easy to point out that the other bouquet of lilies beside Jackson’s is from Lay. He’s making sure that everyone knows he loves his sister a lot, with a big letter “From your handsome gege, Zhang Yixing” on the greeting card tagged on the bouquet.

“It’s on 3rd and 4th February, at KyungHee University Grand Peace Hall”

“Aren’t your anniversary next week?”

Jackson’s eyes lit up, “You knew?”

“Tsk, what are you taking me for? Even a stranger would know when your group’s anniversary is”

Jackson grinning as he’s following Yiran stroll around her studio. “And are you okay if I introduce you to my members?”

Yiran stops in front of a big frame. It was a drawing of Yixing while he was concentrating in writing music. Jackson waiting patiently, as Yiran still doesn’t answer him. He knows what she has been through, and what scars she has. That’s why it took a long time for him to be this close with the girl. Yiran has trust issues with a man, and literally all man except Yixing. And it was all because of her jerk ex-boyfriend. It’s already a big step for her, for letting Jackson become her friend. So Jackson fully understand, what it means if she’s allowing him to introduce her to s.