Jonghun wanted a new guitar. Well, he always wanted a new guitar. But he never wanted a guitar as much as he wanted it now. He just needed that glossy, y guitar he saw on that store’s window. The feel that he got from running his fingers over the guitar neck; and the sound from pressing the tips of his fingers against the strings would give him delightful feeling… just indescribable.

Not that he actually wanted to buy a new guitar. He just needed a reason to go the store.

…okay, maybe he just needed a reason to drag Jaejin out with him.

It was a perfect plan. He had the day off and it was the day Jaejin had no class. And even better, he got Jaejin’s number the other day – it’d be such a waste not to make a great use of that, so Jonghun just had to make that phone call. He had thought of the right guitar to check at the store, listing down all the possible details that he would ask to the store’s owner.

Perfect plan, it was.

Until Jaejin decided to bring along his two juniors with him.

Jonghun almost dropped his car key when he saw Jaejin walking out from his apartment building with two figures coming along. It might sound weird, but Jonghun could identify those two guys without actually really trying. Maybe those long nights they spent staring at his apartment had made him unconsciously recognise them.

“Hyung!” Jaejin waved at him, making Jonghun forcefully smile back. “Can they come along? They’re thinking of getting some stuff from the store as well. So I thought I might just take them with us.”

He took a look at the two guys behind Jaejin. One was tall, probably even taller than Jonghun himself, while the other was surprisingly small. Or just short… since he wasn’t really all that small. He was kind of muscular like Jonghun, though more on the fluffy side, which was kind of cute. “…sure. They can come along with us,” Jonghun answered rather reluctantly.

“Great! Guys, this is Jonghun-hyung. And Hyung, this one is Minhwan and this one is Seunghyun,” Jaejin introduced them to each other after he smiled at Jonghun’s answer.

Now that there were two extra people in this trip to the store, Jonghun realised that he might as well say ‘bye-bye’ to his favourite small conversations with Jaejin. He didn’t know how Jaejin could stand Seunghyun because in the name of Gibson’s electric guitar, that kid was noisy. He just couldn’t shut up, pretty much like an annoying, four-dimensional version (sixteen was more like it, ugh) of Hongki. How could Jaejin stand him?

The car ride felt like eternity somehow. Jaejin was sitting next to him while the two parasites sat at the back, so technically Jonghun was at the advantage to make conversations with Jaejin. But Jonghun felt like Jaejin’s attention was at those two instead of him. It became so apparent to him that he was the only stranger in that car. Those three seemed to be so close to each other that Jonghun could only sit there and listen to them blabbering around about literally everything.

“I’ve known them since high school. They’ve just been clingy to me since their first day,” Jaejin suddenly said the moment they stepped into the store, the two kids were already rushing towards the drums section. “I have a really hard time saying ‘no’ to them. Thus them being here.”

Jonghun turned his head to Jaejin, blinking in surprise because it seemed that Jaejin brought up the topic because he noticed how Jonghun had felt rather uncomfortable. “I can relate, I guess. I can’t say ‘no’ to Hongki either,” Jonghun answered with a smile, deciding that he shouldn’t be all that butthurt about it.

“Well, let’s just let them do whatever they want to do then. I’ll accompany you. You’re the one that’s looking for a guitar, not me,” Jaejin said.

It didn’t turn out all that bad at the end. Jonghun didn’t buy the guitar, using the excuse that he would compare the price with other stores first (though really he wasn’t planning on buying one to begin with). Minhwan got himself a brand new pair of drumstick rubber grip – red in colour; while Seunghyun bought new guitar strings. Well, it didn’t turn out all that bad because Jaejin’s two friends decided to go somewhere else first before heading home and they said they’d go home by themselves; meaning Jonghun finally got to spend time alone with Jaejin.

“You don’t have anything to buy?” Jonghun asked randomly, leading the way around the street.

“Not really. Wasn’t planning on going out today either until you called me yesterday,” Jaejin answered honestly.

“You need to go out more often. You’re like a hermit, staying at home all the time when you don’t have class.”

“I’m not a hermit,” Jaejin protested, frowning. “And I do go out with my friends when I don’t have class.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“Dude, I know your schedule,” Jonghun laughed. “You only go out when those two kids come around and drag you out.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Jaejin insisted. “And I doubt you know my schedule.”

Jonghun raised an eyebrow, smirking in a clearly mocking manner. He shook his head in amusement as he walked over to the chestnut stall, remembering that he owed Jaejin some because he lost at the Mario Cart race. “Tell me what time I go to bed,” said Jonghun as he ordered the chestnut.

“Ha? Oh…hm, around 2am… 4am the latest,” Jaejin mumbled. “Why?”

A satisfied smile curved on Jonghun’s face. “Then what time I get back from work?”

“It’s never fixed. Sometimes you’re home after dinner, sometimes you’re already home in the afternoon.”

“Now, Lee Jaejin. Where did this ‘I doubt you know my schedule’ come from? You literally know my schedule, why can’t I know yours?” Jonghun chuckled.

Jaejin looked like he had something to say, but then he realised where this conversation was going. “Damn… it’s the freaking window,” he groaned.

While taking his money to pay for the chestnut, Jonghun grinned at Jaejin. He might not know Jaejin as well as those two kids did,  but after he actually met Jaejin and talked to the younger guy, Jonghun realised how much he actually knew about him. He knew what time Jaejin usually went to campus, he knew how long Seunghyun and Minhwan would stay at Jaejin’s apartment, and he even knew how many times a week Jaejin put his laundry on the clothes line. All that - he knew them without even really trying. Thanks to the fact that their verandas were facing each other.

“Here. Your chestnut. Now I owe you nothing.”

---

“…seriously?” Key frowned.

“Yeah. Why not,” Jaejin shrugged.

“But your skin is dark!”

“So?” Jaejin frowned. “I can’t wait till my skin magically turns fair, can I?”

Key tilted his head, staring at Jaejin’s reflection on the mirror from where he sat. Like always, Key was against Jaejin’s hairstyle decision. It was always either it was too safe or it was too stupid. It came to the point that Jaejin had stopped asking Key for opinion because Key would end up choosing the usual short country-boy style. But no, Jaejin didn’t want to go for that hairstyle this time. He wanted something bright. Really bright.

“It wouldn’t suit you,” Key commented.

“You had rainbow highlight before, why can’t I dye my hair blond?” Jaejin turned his head to Key, noticing Mir who was getting his hair trimmed on the chair next to Key’s.

“Cut your bangs for the very least.”

“No. I’m gonna keep my bangs reaching my eyebrows. You had your bangs that long before, why can’t I?”

“Why are you comparing everything to what I’ve done in the past? What’s wrong with you? You usually listen to me,” Key rolled his eyes, taking a glance at Jaejin that had been there at the salon an hour before Key and Mir came. Jaejin’s hair was coated with hair dye cream and there was a comic book on his hands.

After playing hard to get for about two weeks, Jaejin finally agreed to meet his friends again – though not everyone was present this time. Key texted him, telling him that he was planning on going to the usual salon with Mir to get his hair colour fixed. Key hated uneven colour, especially because it wouldn’t be Key if everything were not perfect. So when the root of his hair was dark and had a different tone from the rest of his hair, he just had to get it fixed.

Jaejin had this wicked idea when he woke up this morning. At first he thought he should just trim his hair because it was getting all messy. Then he was watching some random music show on TV and there was this random boy-band singing live on it. He then quickly noticed that all of the members’ hairs were blond… so he thought maybe he should get his hair blond too! He had his hair brown, dark copper or bright copper before (mostly brown). Also, for the longest time he had stick with his dark brown that he believed a change wouldn’t be all that weird.

“Let him get it blond. At least we can laugh at it if it turns out ugly,” Mir commented.

“…true. But the last time he did something so crazy with his hair – you know, that stupid half shaved hair he had during high school – was when he had this huge crush on…who was that girl again? I can’t remember her name, but you got what I mean. Technically only when he wants attention,” Key explained. “You’re not in love, are you, Jaejin?”

The said boy looked up from his comic book, throwing a not amused look to Key. “Dude, if I were to be in love, you and Mir would already know about it by now,” Jaejin frowned. “And you had your hair half shaved too before!”

“Excuse me, but I looked great in it. And pfftt… Oh my Jinnie. I’ve known you since forever. And as far as I know, you never realise it when you’re in love,” Key snorted.

“I second that,” Mir chuckled. “So, who’s the girl?”

“There is no girl. I’m not in love.”

“Oh don’t lie to us,” Key rolled his eyes. “You can be such a coward when it comes to this kind of thing.”

“Come on, guys. For real. I haven’t even met anyone new at all. Well, I got to know my neighbour, but that doesn’t count.”

Key and Mir looked at each other for a second, ignoring the hairdressers that were working on their hair. They both turned their head to Jaejin and opened their mouth almost at the same time.  “Is she hot?” they asked in harmony.

“Eww, guys. Seriously? My neighbour is a dude.”

And Jaejin was glad that his friends dropped the topic the moment he told them that his neighbour was a guy.

He just wanted to dye his hair blond.

For no particular reason, of course.

…well, maybe.

It was just that... at times Jaejin felt rather insecure about his lousy fashion sense. He couldn’t care less if he looked like some fashion terrorist next to Key or Mir who clearly were pretty great at dressing themselves up. Or when he was with Minhwan and Seunghyun because those two usually dressed pretty casually. But sometimes, he found it hard to feel confident when he was next to Jonghun. The older guy looked way too good-looking that whatever he wore always turned out great on him. Jaejin wasn’t even sure why it bothered him and he actually couldn’t really understand how dying his hair blond would help boosting up his confidence level.

He just thought he had to do something.

---

It felt rude, but Jonghun just couldn’t help but stare. He wasn’t sure what Jaejin was thinking when he decided to get that hair, but it didn’t really matter because what mattered now was the fact that Jonghun couldn’t stop staring. It was blond. Like almost platinum blond, but not quite there yet. He didn’t hate it, but he wasn’t sure if he liked it either. It was just different.

He had invited Jaejin to come over for dinner, just for some home-cooked meal. He was no expert in cooking but he knew he could make decent enough food for both of them. Besides, he had talked about this whole Jaejin thing with Hongki. He still couldn’t decide if he really liked Jaejin that way, but Hongki had suggested to him that maybe he should just let it flow and see where it was going. Also that he had to stop getting annoyed each time Seunghyun’s name came out in any conversation that he had with Jaejin.

Then Jaejin came about fifteen minutes faster than the agreed time. Jonghun was panicking of course. The food wasn’t ready yet but he had no choice other than to quickly rush to his front door and greet Jaejin. It was Jaejin’s first time too to be there, so he was a little bit nervous. But all worries he had were washed away the moment he saw a very different looking guy before his front door.

“Hyung… am I supposed to stand here forever?” Jaejin spoke up, making Jonghun realised that he hadn’t said a single word since he opened the door.

“Oh, sorry. Come on in.”

Jonghun stepped aside, giving space for Jaejin to step it. Even when he led the way in, he took several obvious glances at Jaejin’s hair. “Just dyed it?” he said at the end, walking back to the kitchen after he let Jaejin settle down in his couch with some tea to keep him occupied.

“What?”

“Your hair…” Jonghun added.

“Oh… yeah. I thought I should try something different,” Jaejin answered. “Does it look weird?”

Why did Jaejin have to ask that? Now Jonghun had to think of something appropriate to say. It was a bizarre choice, Jonghun thought, but he wouldn’t say that it looked weird either. It surprisingly suited Jaejin even when it made Jaejin look like a totally different person.

“No. It looks fine,”Jonghun answered rather honestly. “…but it makes the haziness in your eyes look more obvious.”

“Haziness?” his answer made Jaejin turn around on the couch, now fully looking at Jonghun in wonder.

“Well, you know… you have the ‘sad-looking’ kind of eyes,” Jonghun explained. “The ‘I don’t know what to do with my self’ type of eyes. I’m not saying that you’re like that for real, but just that’s the impression I got from them.”

Jaejin clearly looked like he didn’t understand what Jonghun just said. Heck, Jonghun himself didn’t understand what he just said. It was so hard for him to explain about it that it ended up bugging him. Instead of initiating the normal small conversations they usually had, Jonghun found himself staring at Jaejin’s eyes for the rest of the night, even when the blond hair was mightily there seeking for his attention.

He noticed that even when Jaejin’s eyes weren’t all that big (not that they were small either), they showed sentiments – something that his own eyes didn’t have. Hongki had in the past about it before, telling him that sometimes Jonghun looked like his mind was so empty because his eyes didn’t show any kind of emotion at all. Though he would usually blame his sharp features for that. There was nothing wrong with his eyes. They were just… not as magnificent as the rest of his face. Still gorgeous nonetheless.

At first, Jonghun thought that it’d take him forever to make Jaejin feel comfortable around him, to make the younger guy just let loose and be as noisy as he would be around Seunghyun or Minhwan. Jonghun thought, back when they went to the music store, he wouldn’t really have what Jaejin had with them any time soon. He thought it’d take time. But this whole blond hair thingy had made him doubt his assumption. Maybe it was just him, but now that he realised how Jaejin’s eyes actually showed emotion, maybe – just maybe – the real Jaejin was the quiet one. The one that he showed to Jonghun. Because Hongki had once told him that the reason why he was so much more annoying when he was with other people but not so much when he was with Jonghun was because he didn’t want people to know the real him. Maybe Jaejin was the same, but it could just be another assumption.

“You’re acting weird,” Jaejin finally complained when he was helping Jonghun with the dishes. “You can be honest if the hair looks bad on me, you know.”

“No, no. It doesn’t look bad on you. Not at all,” Jonghun gulped, realising how close they were that he could clearly see straight to those eyes.

“Then?”

Jonghun sighed, splashing the water on his hands to the sink, half-assly drying them off before turning to Jaejin. He stood there quietly, eyes staring straight to Jaejin. Writing lyrics had been his biggest challenge as a musician. He usually asked for help when he had to put some words together for his songs, and he wasn’t any different when it came to explaining himself.

Carefully, he brushed away Jaejin’s hair from his forehead, revealing those rounded eyes that were staring back at him. They looked – just like he said – hazy; even more apparent because Jaejin clearly was questioning in silence just what the heck Jonghun was doing.

“Will you punch me?” Jonghun mumbled.

“…ha?”

“Well… you know… if I kiss you again?”

There was a pause. The only reaction that Jonghun got from Jaejin was a blink. Jonghun didn’t want to explain anything to Jaejin. There were these urges when he was around the younger guy, things such as just want to get to know Jaejin better or just to spend time with him more. As time flew and they gradually got closer, Jonghun started to feel conflicted when occasionally he felt like he wanted to just wrap his arm around Jaejin’s shoulder. He could do that naturally when he was with Hongki and he wouldn’t care if Hongki pushed him away, but Jaejin was different. Jonghun actually cared what the other guy might think or do about it.

“…maybe not…” he heard Jaejin answered him almost inaudibly.

Jonghun felt his heart pacing up. Was that a green light?

“Really?”

He didn’t get an answer. Instead, he could only stand there while watching Jaejin averting his gaze somewhere else before stepping away. The younger guy didn’t say anything, seemingly had decided to just continue to do the dishes and ignore Jonghun’s question.

Jonghun sighed to himself. He clearly had successfully created a very awkward situation to be in.

---

Staring at his room ceiling, Jaejin exhaled in blue. He couldn’t sleep. He had tried to count sheeps, play some random songs on his guitar, get onto his laptop and watch some anime; he even tried to do some push up just to make himself feel tired so that he would naturally fall asleep. But none had worked.

He hated it when Key was right. Sometimes he wondered if there was something about him that Key didn’t know. Jaejin had never planned to open up to Key or to let the other guy know him so well. It was almost as if Key was just effortlessly able to read him like an open book since the very first day they met each other. He just wished Key didn’t know him so well. The hair… maybe Jaejin did want some attention.

And now all he could only think about was how much he wished Jonghun didn’t ask him such a stupid question and just went for it without asking. Yeah, Jaejin kind of hoped the kiss happened.

Key was right.

He was such a coward when it came to this kind of thing.

---

I really hope that things aren't moving way too slow for you guys, as in story-wise. I have a bad habit of worrying too much that I might have written them OOC, so I tend to let my stories develop slowly.

But I guess things should be moving faster from this chapter onwards XD.

I'm sorry if this is longer than usual. Didn't expect it to be that long, but I hope it's not a big deal :P