So there we were. Sitting in a coffee shop at 8pm sipping latte.

It was a nice and warm ambience with a touch of familiarity as I had come here quite often. With soft classical music playing in the background, I gazed at Jinyoung who had been drinking his latte quietly. Noticing my eyes on him, he smiled the same old smile he always gave me as a child. The sides of his lips curved upwards and my heart skipped a beat instantly. And yet, his dressing was extremely foreign to me.

The slender guy I had always known had long curly hair. The floral dress he was wearing seemed exceptionally unusual and yet surprisingly suits him well. He sat demurely, as if this was not his first time cross-dressing.

When I was young, Jinyoung had always been there for me. We shared our hopes and dreams. For Jinyoung, he wanted to be on stage, to sing and to dance and to use his talents to lift the spirits of others. For me, I wanted to be an art graduate majoring in fashion design. Together we made a quirky pair who lived just one step away.

But then, he was scouted at the age of 17 and I was sent to America to study art on a scholarship. We haven’t really contacted each other since then so after 2 years, I was surprised to see him here in America.

And now the big question – “What are you doing in America while cross-dressing?”