Title: 1 New Message

Rating: G

WC: 2,176

A/N: The procrastinator is back, hehe. As a compensation for being a lazy bum, I’ll be having a double update today.

                His tires abruptly skid to a stop on the parking lot. The prying eyes were in no match to his cold sweat trailing painfully slow at his nape. He tried to cough, something he does whenever uneasiness floats around a situation that feels awkward to the skin, and grabbed a hold at his phone. He tapped on it and the device lit up, his forefinger danced on the sensitive screen and within seconds of breath, Hyukjae was staring at the miracle of the year.

It was exactly nine in the evening of a Thursday night at Heechul’s club, when a vibration in his leg intervened with his train of thoughts. Lazily, he had dragged his hand down to his pocket and fished out the source of his distraction. An unknown number was flashing right before his eyes and honestly, during those times of him wallowing in self pity over a simple message that he has yet to received, the young photographer’s name didn’t cross the bachelor’s mind.

There were a thousand more possibilities of who could it be, from business associates to some random wrong send of message to an old acquaintance of him and other more that is floating in his head. There are just a lot of varieties, any other beside her, and if not for Leeteuk’s voice that could be heard throughout the whole booth asking the rest of them if they’ve got Gyuri’s message, Hyukjae wouldn’t have bothered opening the one new message on his phone that instant.

He stared at lit device, reading the text he had already read for a hundred thousand of times and had already imprinted itself in his memory – he could recite the whole of it even asleep, fluidly. He tapped on the digits’ details and proceeded on for identification. Heaving a sigh, Hyukjae gazed up to the changes made on the sole message in his inbox.

From: Gyuri 09:00:21PM

Hey, I hope you don’t have any plans this coming Saturday. It’s the expo if you remember and I’d really appreciate it if you can come.

Gyuri

“Where in the world of hell have you been?!” He bowed an apology and tried his best to look affected, when in truth he isn’t, “We agreed to meet at three, it’s almost half an hour passed the scheduled time.”

“I’m sorry hyung, I can’t help it when business comes at the most inconvenient of times,” no, Hyukjae isn’t really sorry for that. In fact, there wasn’t any kind of business on this particular day. All had been cancelled for Gyuri. However, no one should know of that or they would make fun of him, especially if they were to find out that he had slept pretty late last night because of excitement, talk about high school fieldtrips.

“Ugh, sometimes I hate you.”

“Yeah, I love you too hyung,” he followed the older inside the bustling crowd of people loitering around the district’s centre. They’ve passed a several amount of shops and ventured on the left wing of the area.

“By the way, I don’t see the rest?” He managed to make a side step when a kid around ten years of age came running in their way.

“Already there,” Leeteuk had calmed down, Hyukjae could tell.

They made a turn on the right corner and what welcomed the two boys was the unending store of arts and crafts. “I’ve never been here. I don’t even know they have it here,” and it was true. The area felt foreign to Hyukjae, each step he makes, each intake of breath he takes.

Leeteuk gave him an amused look, “I thought you like shopping?”

“I do. But I never expect a mall to have a place somewhere close to call itself a museum,” up ahead them was the center with a huge fountain in the open area. There are different kinds of easel and protraits and caricatures displayed around and painters and artists were on their designated places, trying to sell their master piece to onlookers and art lovers.

“I guess you never go out,” he nodded absentmindedly as he take a feast in the beauty of art.

“That’s her friend’s gallery,” Hyukjae stopped on his steps and maneuvered his eye to the shop Leeteuk is going for. The place is popular compared to the other shops around. It is packed with people of different ages and mostly of girls. On the entrance was a grey and white portrait of a man’s silhouette.

All of the portraits hanging on the walls and on the rack were on dull yet very expressive hues. And one thing that intrigued Hyukjae was the inspiration, or more likely what the photographer was thinking while taking these different parts of the model’s face.

From where he was standing, on the left side just next to the entry, was the model’s eyes. They were closed, almost like sleeping, but there was a feeling of solemnity in them. Like it was trying to live the moment, feel everything and just stay right there.

On the wall, as Hyukjae went further, were the model’s lips, they were kept together but an obvious curve on the tips gave him out. It was bashful. He could picture a paint of pink on the model’s cheek if not for the black and white theme and if the whole face was captured instead of that particular part only.

A tiny smile formed in his own pair of lips.

Next to it was a pair of frowning eyes. It took the bachelor’s attention, because they just looked so... confused. It’s as if they don’t know what to do, as if they were caught in a situation they’ve never been into. The way they frown looks so helpless, and Hyukjae (even though didn’t know much about art) feels for the model. They were only captured photos, but it’s as if the emotion was sealed perfectly together as the shutter shuts.

“She’s pretty good, isn’t she?”

“Awesome,” he turned around and smiled at Yoobin.

She chuckled, “That’s where she excels.”

“How she does it?”

“Beats me,” she shrugged and stand next to him, staring at the frowning eyes. “She’s actually out of it, and I really think she won’t make it. But, I guess miracles really do happen when she suddenly went missing from work and couldn’t reach for days.

This one is actually my favorite,” she points at the photo next to the frowning eyes, the one that made Hyukjae smile to himself. “There are other more eye catching than this, and the best ones were already sold. However, this one I can’t seem to forget. It’s like it holds the unkept secrets.”

“Others have been sold?” His tone was laced with amusement.

Yoobin nodded, “Apparently, Donghae-ssi promoted himself out during one of his gigs.”

“Donghae?” He arched an eyebrow, “What’s the relation?”

“Did you just got here?” He nodded, “I see. Well, he’s the model.”

“A-ah m-mod... What?!”

“Gyuri asked Donghae to be her model,” Hyukjae craned his neck a bit to the side to see an approaching Siwon.

“Do you know this?” He pointed an accusing finger to one of the portraits.

“No. Not even the other guys; they kept it as a secret.”

“But how come it’s not you? It should be you, you’re the model not Donghae.”

“Gyuri must’ve known that my schedule was packed, and I suppose since Donghae had dumbly thought out loud during Shindong hyung’s wedding of becoming a ‘model’ she picked him instead.”

“But still. Donghae?” He looked at them, back and forth.

“I see no reason to argue with Gyuri’s choice. He looks professional.”

“I agree with the editor. Come on Hyukjae-ah, if you were here earlier you would’ve punched Donghae for something unbelievable. And the pictures were sold at an unbelievable price as well.” Siwon placed his hands on his shoulders and turned him around, pushing him towards the middle of the room, where a side profile of (indeed) Donghae was the attraction. The singer was sitting on a two-seater cream couch, wearing a plain white shirt and sweat pants, behind him was an open window with the curtain drawn out on one side, making the light of the sun dim whatever’s ahead of it.

“I’m planning on buying that. But I’m also kinda unsure of it, you know, if I hang that on my wall that means I’ll be seeing Donghae twenty-four seven.” He ignored the chuckle that came after and focused on the photo that looked so serene. Donghae wasn’t even showing any kind of emotion, he was just staring outside the window, but the effect made by the sun’s ray of light changed the whole setting to something dramatic.

“What’s the theme?” He asked, too engrossed in the photo to notice Siwon’s departure and another’s presence of arrival.

“Emotions,” but nothing in this world can make him forget that tone of voice.

He was greeted by Gyuri’s warm smile when he turned around. She was standing in a good distance from him, wearing a boho peasant skirt that falls down to her mid-calf and a blazer over her tank top. No sign of photographer hanging on her shoulders. “You came.”

“Y-yeah,” he scratched the back of his head, because Gyuri’s smile is so lovely. “But I’m late though.”

She lightly shook her head, “Not a problem. I prefer that rather than you don’t come at all.”

The first real smile Hyukjae flashed since that Thursday night, and it just felt so right. “Then allow me to congratulate you for a job well done. I would’ve given you a bouquet of flowers but seems like I’ve missed the flower shop on my way here.”

“There’s always next time,” she flipped her hair to the side and stepped ahead, walking along the hanged photos. Hyukjae followed her.

“You turned Donghae into a work of art,” he heard a laugh came from her.

“He’s fit for the job.”

“So what is this Emotions all about? Yoobin said you haven’t got any until the few weeks before,” she stopped, turned around and had this weird smile on her face when she asked; “Do you want coffee?”

“Are you sure this is okay?”

“Yes”

“What about your exhibit? Someone might want to buy your pictures.”

“Do you want to stop here?”

“No”

She smiled, “Then enough with that question, let’s just continue.” And resume they did, facing each other silently, wondering who would make the first move. Outside, there’s a different world, or more likely the reality.

“Are you gonna tell me now?” He asked around his cup of black coffee.

“Isn’t that strong?” She motioned her chin towards his choice of drink and sipped on her latte.

“Just right,” he placed it down and crossed his arms in a way that can make one intimidated, unfortunately Gyuri wasn’t affected. “Tell me,” the finality in his voice wasn’t stern at all, just light. However, it still made Gyuri look down at her phone that came out from nowhere. She started typing.

“Hey, I’m si–” his words were cut off by the sound of his phone. An indication of one new message was flashing.

From: Gyuri 04:58:13PM

You

He stared at it deciphering what could it mean, but no matter how hard he try, it doesn’t ring a bell. “Can you elaborate?” She was back on typing and he waited, understanding that he’ll receive an answer through text. Funny how he anticipated it instead of getting annoyed, maybe, just maybe, Hyukjae loves seeing his phone glow with Gyuri’s name on it. Like now,

From: Gyuri 04:59:46PM

Don’t laugh, don’t even tell anyone. If you dare, you’re dead. I’ve never done this, so consider yourself lucky. What you see in the exhibit was actually how I look whenever I think of you.

He almost dropped his phone, almost, but his jaw dropped. His eyes slowly changed directions from the gadget to the girl who just confessed, somehow romantically related. Gyuri was still staring – glaring would be more efficient – on her phone, however, there’s a bright tinge of pink on both cheeks that Hyukjae is positive isn’t part of her make-up.

He noticed how she gripped the device so tightly and how her bottom lip was caught in between her teeth. A nervous Gyuri is amazingly beautiful in his eyes.

It would be a tremendous lie if Hyukjae would tell that he hasn’t received any confessions from girls before. He had, more than what people could count on. Money does that. Yet, somehow, Gyuri’s confession came off differently. Perhaps, it’s because Hyukjae had already admitted to himself that he liked the girl. Although, he’s strong about his feelings saying that it was still on the first stage of admiration, Hyukjae wouldn’t lie about his heart’s speed as of now. And when he touched her hand, it was a complete different story.

Any girl would be shocked and Gyuri isn’t an exemption, but it was only for a while when she relaxed at Hyukjae’s firm grip on her, “Come with me.”