Chapter 35: Distance 1.2

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Jongdae waits at the park, standing, waiting for Minseok to come. The older phoned him, telling him to wait for him at the park. He had forgiven the older in his heart, even though Minseok didn’t know what he had done and hasn’t apologized for it, but still, Jongdae forgave the older in his heart since the older treated him out for dates for the past few days.

It was sweet as he have concluded it and the memories of the past few days returns, making a smile bloom on his face, completely happy at their sweet moments.

He was waiting at the park since the older told him that he’ll treat him out for a date and that he’ll meet up with him at the park and wonder is he could wait for him if he runs a bit late.

He agreed, not minding at all, telling him that he’ll wait for him. The last thing he heard from him was an ‘I love you, Jongdae.’

It was sweet and lovely sentence for Jongdae, so he waits, because Minseok told him to and the older would surely come, right?

[Jongdae’s Point of View]

I’m back at the café, healthy and new. After a few days of resting at home and eating Kyungsoo’s delicious food, my horrible flu is gone! Yes, I’m happy, very happy. Although, the next day after I out wasn’t pleasant or simply I couldn’t remember how I ended up at the house, I remembered asking Kyungsoo how I ended up at the house when the last thing I heard was Minseok hyung’s voice.

Even though I knew what probably happened, because I happened to be awake when Minseok hyung tended to me after he let the doctor examine me, I still asked him because it has to be that way. I just can’t slip it that way, he would likely ask me why I am not asking how I ended up in the house, so yeah, I asked.

He explained, telling me the Minseok hyung took care of me, calling him to bring me home before I even wake up and that’s how I ended up at the house. So pretty much knowing that, the tightening of jaw simply seems so natural to me after I hard his explanation.

I was always like that, whenever Minseok hyung happened to be involved together with me. I would always tighten my jaw for some matter. It has been a habit. Back then whenever my heart would be broken so many times, I would always tighten my jaw as I cried out in pain.

I guess it has been a part of me since then. I didn’t want to mind it, but it comes so naturally that I can’t do anything about it, not that I mind it, but still.

And as I have promised to myself, I took my revenge on Sungmin hyung for giving out my number so carelessly and without my permission. It ended up with an argument after I tried to choke him to death, and yeah, it wasn’t pleasant since I lost the argument.

“What can I do? Minseok has been begging me to tell me what your number is! He’s been deathly worried for you, Jongdae! I could almost see his grave if he doesn’t see or hear your voice at all! So I gave him your number to save his life!”

That was all he said when I shut my mouth and didn’t bother to response to him, knowing well that I lost the argument of why giving my number to him. I remained silent for the whole day, doing my work, finishing up the works. I was out when Sungmin and Eunhyuk finished the Wu’s orders. Everything seemed to be fine since the Wu’s were glad while I wasn’t around.

That happened for the past few days when I was slowly recovering of my sickness. They paid highly when I came across their payment for their orders. I wouldn’t say that the orders were grand but I would state that the food they chose were exquisite.

So as the hours passed, I decided to go home, leaving the care of the café to Eunhyuk and Sungmin’s care, not minding their response as I left the shop without a word. I walked around the town, my hands carrying a plastic bag of a pint of ice cream after I bought in a nearby ice cream shop.

Yeah, call me crazy. I don’t care. After only recovering from flu, I’m going to eat an ice cream? Why yes, yes I am. As I have said, call me crazy, but I don’t care.

I found myself in the movie theatres, wondering what movie I should watch. I was I daze, not really minding what I should watch when a familiar presence filled the empty side beside me, clasping his hand together with me.

It’s warm, I admit and I want to smile but I didn’t so. Not wanting to give in with the feeling, I suppressed my smile, instead having my poker face and let him do the talking.

“Hmm, let’s pick the Rewind, shall we?” he says, but I didn’t answer. I don’t feel like talking when I’m with him. He looks at me and instead of frowning from the lack of response from me; he smiles instead and tugs my hand before pulling me with him.

“Okay then, Rewind it is.”

And to say that the movie is boring is completely an understatement, because the movie is actually painful, so true and painful. Somehow, the movie is the same like my past or should I say how things are happening to me now, since I know why Minseok hyung chose this movie.

The movie, somehow, resembles our lives, him being the other main character and I as the main protagonist in the movie, declining every ways of the man who loved me (or really did loved me), to give him another chance yet the protagonist doesn’t want to; already scarred many times with his unending pain to her.

Really, now? How ironic could this be?

There are no other people filling the theatre except us and when the movie progress more, I feel like going home already. It reflects too much of my life and I don’t want to see the ending of this movie. It hurts to see that it’s going to have a happy ending while I don’t. I don’t even want that.

I was ready to get up when his hand clasped with mine, preventing me from even continuing with my plan. I felt the familiar warmth course through my body, filling up my once empty and cold heart. Truth to be told, I’m scared. I’m afraid of what I’m feeling right now. I don’t want it; I don’t want to feel this way.

I stood up, pulling my hand away from his hold, a bit quick and harsh, but I ignored it. Quickly, without seeing his reaction, I left the theatre, leaving behind the plastic bag. I don’t care about it anymore. All I want is to get away from him and that place.

 I don’t care…I don’t care.

[End of Point of View]

Minseok watches Jongdae leave him alone, making the side behind him fill with empty space. His heart feels broken, seeing the love of his life leaves him all alone again, but he doesn’t complain because he thinks he deserves it for all what he have done to Jongdae. But Minseok wishes. He wishes that Jongdae could stay a bit more, to let the show end because the ending is not a happy ending at all.

It’s a sad one.

The protagonist died, leaving the man with nothing but regret.

He somehow finds it ironic, watching a movie that reflects their life so much, but he doesn’t complain because it only shows him how much he had done in life, wasting a lot of time and doing things that are not to be done.

But he hopes. He hopes that the end won’t end up that way. He hopes that their end would be a great one, happy and fun with no lingering regrets and pain of the past. He hopes that it would be like that in the end of their story not like this movie.

He smiles, broken and sad, tears rolling down to his cheeks, showing his regret and pain.

“I’m sorry.”

Broken sobs followed after, filling the hollow theatre.

Jongdae waited until night, but Minseok didn’t come. And what makes it worse, his friends told him the next day that they saw Minseok in the bar with a senior girl. And that’s enough information for Jongdae to cry on because he knows too well, who is the senior girl and he feels his heart scarred once again in pain.

~*~~

They are in an ice cream café, cafe filled with different flavours of ice cream. Chanyeol decides to take Baekhyun there instead of the usual café they stay in, since Chanyeol thought that it’s a good time to let Baekhyun go to other places instead of the café and the craving of ice cream fills him up also.

They were eating bubblegum ice cream in one large bowl for three people. Baekhyun was the delighted of the two, while Chanyeol was having his quality time watching Baekhyun eat happily. The ice cream café haven’t changed since the last time he went to it. Middle school, he have assumed was the last time he visited the café and the last time he was with someone was way back then when he was still a child. It was around the time when his family and their family friend went for a vacation strip to Seoul for a month. He remembers his first time in the ice cream café together with his best friend, ordering different kinds of ice cream every day. And somehow they ended up claiming this café’s different flavours of ice cream.

It was a good memory, a cherished one and a smile brought up to his face.

“Hey, hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any memory of going here?”

“Hm? I don’t think so. This is my first time going here. I didn’t even know that this existed in the first place until you showed me.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yeah, is there something wrong?”

“Ah, no. Nothing’s wrong.”

He nods his head, acknowledging Baekhyun’s answer.

‘So he doesn’t remember, huh?’

It hurts a bit, but he ignores it, putting up a playful smile instead on his face. He takes a spoon of ice cream, holding out to Baekhyun who only looked at him in confusion.

“Take a bite,” he says cheerfully, making Baekhyun blush, shaking his head. Chanyeol pouts at him and Baekhyun has to sigh because the pout is really irresistible and Baekhyun finds himself taking a bite from the spoon.

“Good?”

Baekhyun nods his head, agreeing that the ice cream is good. Chanyeol smirks, taking a spoon of ice cream and taking a bite.

“Well, yeah, indirect kiss is good, I guess.”

Baekhyun could feel his whole face burn up in embarrassment, completely not expecting that kind of statement thrown to him by Chanyeol.

His mouth opens and closes as he was completely lost at what to do. Chanyeol smiles innocently at him, feigning innocence at what he did. He takes another spoonful of ice cream, feeling the taste of bubblegum on his tongue.

Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol weirdly, completely flabbergasted by his action. The younger seems to notice his stare, eyes softening up and smile warmly greeting the older.

“Just kidding, hyung,” he says, reaching out his hand, and gently brushes away Baekhyun’s bangs away from his covering his face.

Baekhyun pouts, not wanting to give in to his mere joke, but soon nods his head for the giveaway. He really doesn’t know why he just let it go, but he did and that’s that. He continued to eat the ice cream loving the taste and somehow he remembers the taste of the bubblegum m ice cream. Instead of feeling the foreign taste, Baekhyun finds himself remembering the taste from somewhere as if he had it before.

Chanyeol notices his expression, a hidden smile formed as he asks his final question.

“What’s wrong, hyung?”

“I feel like I’ve tasted this taste before. Not sure where, or when, but I really remember the taste somewhere.”

Chanyeol wants to smile so widely at the information he received, but he decided against it and let the flow continue. He decides that he would let Baekhyun to remember the memories of them before by himself and he would be just the one to drop it off for him to get the chance to remember it.

It wasn’t really that hard, really, because in a few moments, Baekhyun remembered the memory. Quite blurred and he finds himself in the memory, young and playful, scooping ice cream and taking a bite and wide smile appearing on his face after. He finds himself not alone in the memory, that he is with someone, but he doesn’t remember who it is nor he could remember the face.

“I remember something. I remember that I’ve been here before. I was eating an ice cream with someone here before. “

It was great news for Chanyeol himself, but merely nothing to Baekhyun because he doesn’t know the importance of it at all. Chanyeol smiles at what Baekhyun told him, appreciating that the memory came back, vague, maybe or just simply Baekhyun doesn’t remember it, but either way, Baekhyun remembers it.

“Oh, really? That’s good then, hyung.”

Baekhyun doesn’t notice the sudden change in his voice, too busy remembering the memory and eating the ice cream. Chanyeol doesn’t mind, telling himself that Baekhyun would remember it soon enough and all things will be on the right place again.

He smiles at him and Baekhyun caught it and smiles back to him.

The day passed by with Baekhyun trying to speak but came out with nothing but a shredded gasp of air. Chanyeol comforts him, telling him it’s okay and that they’ll try it again next time.

---

It’s another day, Suho is reading Lay a story, while the younger is watching the world outside, seemingly to listen or not; a cup of tea in his hands, the aroma of azalea filling the room. Lay is in daze again and that doesn’t get out from Suho’s sight. He knew the younger isn’t paying attention, but he continues anyway.

“…and so Cinderella and the prince live happily ever after. The end.”

Suho closes the book, setting it at the nightstand before watching the frail boy watch the outside world with his usual gaze of daze. It’s becoming a habit, Suho concludes as he watches the younger does every day. He seems to think something hard and deep that it’s frightening and completely not right. He wants to help him, but he can’t if the younger doesn’t want to let him know what the thing that is troubling him.

So he decides to wait, to let the younger have his time to think things through before letting him know. He waits, because that’s the only thing he could do for now.

“Lay?”

No answer or any reaction from the younger.

He slowly reaches out his hand, taking the unoccupied hand of Lay that is resting on his side. He clasps it with his and he notices the coldness that is filling the younger’s hand. So he clasps it with his, trying to give warmth to the cold hand of the younger. He rubs it with both of his hands, trying to warm up the cold hand with his.

Lay doesn’t tear his gaze away for a moment, but soon tore it away and casted Suho a look, that Suho smiled at him and told him,

“Your hand is cold, so I’m warming it up.”

A simple answer that is filled with affection and concern; Lay could feel the warmth in his hand, feeling Suho’s hands clasped with his, rubbing his cold hand to make it warm.  A smile bloomed on his face, decorating a warm expression.

Suho looks at him, sighting the warm smile from his face and a smile bloomed on his face also, feeling his heart swell with affection at the younger’s smile.

Lay doesn’t feel scared anymore, not afraid of being touched by the older anymore. It’s been a week since they started the session of having their touches lasts more than a minute and now, Lay let it all go, letting the feeling of being scared drown in the pits of his mind and just be comfortable with the hand clasped together with his.

A sigh of content slips his lips, finally letting him breathe once again and regain the strength of the world. Suho is here with him, always by his side and he could live with that (he hopes so.)

~*~

Decorated with ivory and roses the gazebo, a young-looking woman sips her tea, with crossed legs, her dress elegantly suited her under the shade. She closes her eyes, smelling the aroma of tea as she sips the azalea tea, feeling the warm and sweetly-bitter taste of the tea caresses her tongue.

She sets the cup down, a smile playing on her lips as a butler waits for her command behind her as her smile disappears and a frown replaced it.

“Call Zhu Yix. Tell him that I’m going to visit my son,” she calmly says, her silky voice playing along in the wind. The butler bows deeply, saying his short response before leaving her presence.

After the butler left her side, Cha Liao comes and settles beside her, watching the waves if the sea plays along with the sand, dancing so freely in and out. His presence didn’t affect her, but simply her mind was focus in one thing.

“Are we going to meet him again?” Cha Liao asks in a whisper.

Li Mei narrows her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows in the process before she relaxes and a sigh escapes her salmon lips.

‘Yes,” she breathes out.

The past two night’s conversation truly affected them a lot, revealing the nightmare of their lives. It has to happen when Hao Min has to ask about their son that they abandoned to someone’s care. They never told them that they abandoned Yixing, their sickly child that gave nothing to them but misery and grief.

“Where is Yixing?”

Li Mei and Cha Liao froze on their seat, hearing their son’s name once again. They felt their soul dropped, their blood turning cold at the mention of their son. Li Mei was petrified as to where Cha Liao regains his composure quickly and answers Kris’ question.

“He’s not with us, Yi Fan.”

“I know, but I’m asking where he is right now? Yixing. Zhang Yixing.”

Cha Liao couldn’t answer, not knowing what to say and when he was about to answer, to escape the topic, Li Mei beats him to it.

“Yixing is in the hospital, Wu Fan,” she says calmly, trying not to break down or to show any slightest off from her character.

Hao Min gasps in surprise as she and her husband looks at each other in surprise, not knowing what to say as they look at the couple in front of them in shock. Kris was dumbfounded at the news, not expecting it at all. He tilts his head, mumbling an okay, before asking another question that completely sent the two couple not to be able to answer it.

“Could I visit him, though? He’s in a hospital, right?”

It was a sudden question, a sudden request that they couldn’t answer him right away. They hesitated at first, but decided to agree in the end but they would give him a date when to visit their son. They are going to let him anyways, soon, but not this soon, that they are expecting now.

So they had to make a move, trying to make things wrong to right, because having to let Kris know that they are not in good terms or actually that they abandoned their own child, will simply affect their reputation, throwing off their image.

But then, yet again, Li Mei did promise her son that they are going to visit again, right? Well, they haven’t met in person or so, because Yixing would always be asleep whenever they visit, she promised in her last letter for him that they would visit again, to have their reunion.

It would be a surprise visit for Yixing and they were highly anticipating seeing him anyways, because even though they abandoned him. Their heart yearned for their child that they casted out, their heart yearned for the young blood of their own, wanting to hold and see their child.

They ignored it, they really did, but the blood is really strong, not letting them rest at all when they didn’t want to see their son after a few months that they told Zhu Yix that they are leaving Yixing’s care to him.  It was painful, really, for Li Mei’s part. Even if she didn’t felt it right away, she felt it later, the unimaginable pain of abandoning her child and the sudden yearning of child, the same it goes with Cha Liao.

Both of them yearned for their son, just like how they begged Zhu Yix to let them handle their son for a few months, letting them handle their son for a few while. Zhu Yix agreed, even if he didn’t want to, but he did, because Yixing is their son after all. Even if they did abandon him, he is still their son and he couldn’t do anything about that; so he let Yixing be in their care.

And to regard about the Wu’s son and their son, it was unexpectedly weird for Yixing to accept Wu fan so easily, trusting him so easily and not fearing of the other’s touch to him. It was weird, while his own parents can’t do anything about touching him, a young boy who is his cousin could touch him freely and that simply enrages them a nit.

And after doing so, taking care of Yixing for a few months, they abandoned Yixing again, but this time Li Mei is cruel to Yixing, leaving the poor young boy alone in a tree, telling the naïve boy that they’ll be back but isn’t really. Cruel was Li Mei back then, she was blinded by anger of not being able to hold her child, of her child being afraid of her and not trusting her.

And when they went away, her anger slowly slips away, letting the yearn and regret fill their beings and let them feel the misery of life without their son. That’s why they had someone check on Yixing from time to time, letting them have some update of what’s going on and that’s Dir. Xing. He lets them know from time to time, the condition of their son but sometimes he doesn’t, wanting them to feel the pain and worry more.

Now that they are back and the news of having Zhu Yix at another country, tending to other’s needs, Yixing’s parents vows to regain back their bond. To rebuilt the broken relationship they had with their son. It may take time, but they don’t care, because all that matters is that there son to be with them again.

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The waves crash together, forming a beautiful harmony together as the wind blows softly, murmuring the cries of their son in the past.

Li Mei sips her tea, finishing the last drop as she sets down her cup down on the table. The butler appears behind her, giving the phone beside her ear as she takes it with her hand, so easily and knowingly.

“Hello? “

“Xing Zhu Yix…”

“…Zhang Li Mei.”

“What do you want?”

A smile plays on her lips.

“My son.”

The sun goes down.

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A/N: Lol, so yeah, this is how it end up ^^' :3

Comments are appreciated ^^