Glimses In The Real World
Man of His Dreams
Over the next week, the man had appeared again and again in Jaejoong’s dream. They colored the city together, painting it in every shade of every color, hanging up lights in every nook and cranny, and filling it to the brim with people. No place had the dullness to it than before Jaejoong had met him. He had also learned the man’s name: Yunho.
Every morning, as soon as Jaejoong woke up, he would paint the scene he captured. The second day was a café. The third, a Laundromat. Then a bakery. A clothing shop. A street corner. And a park. No stone was left untouched. Nothing was grey, or boring. Bright colors grabbed his eyes at every glance, lights dangled in front of his eyes. Everything was a perfect as they could make it. Then Jaejoong began to tire of the city. He lived in one, why must he dream of them, too?
“Hey, Yunho, why don’t we head someplace else in the world?” Jaejoong suggested. Yunho looked at him, eyes opened as big as they could get. Always staring intently at him, as if whatever Jaejoong had to say was the most important thing in the world. Jaejoong liked it that way. He knew the other was listening.
“What do you have in mind?”
Jaejoong sat on the grass and stared up at the clouds as they passed by. “Maybe we can go to Los Angeles? Or maybe Paris?” Jaejoong glanced at Yunho. One look from each other, and they both smiled. The sound of his quickening heartbeat pounded in his ears, his entire body necame a nervous wreck. Yunho’s smile always did that to him. It always made him get nervous, and sweaty, even though he shouldn’t since it was just a dream.
Yunho nodded, still smiling at him. “We can go to LA next time. And after that, Paris.”
Jaejoong nodded, staring back at the clouds. “Maybe we can travel the world?” That question got no response from the other. The quietness became awkward, as Jaejoong thought what he had said was wrong. Maybe Yunho didn’t want to travel the world with him. Maybe Yunho just wanted to stay in the city. Jaejoong was about to take it back, afraid he was asking for too much. “Uh, but, we can stay in our city. If you want, of course.”
Yunho shook his head this time. “No, no. I would love to travel with you.” Jaejoong sighed a relief, glad that he wasn’t making the other uncomfortable in any way. Maybe he was, but Yunho seemed to be good at hiding it. Jaejoong didn' t like it when he Yunho forced himself to agree with him, but he let it slide this time.
The next week involved going to as many places in the world as they could remember. They went to Los Angeles, and then Paris, just like Jaejoong wanted. Once Paris was done, he realized he may have feelings for Yunho. Then they went to Venice, Prague, London, Rio, and Bora Bora. Once morning had come, Jaejoong had gotten up, and painted each snapshot he took, and refusing himself breakfast until he was done. Some days he would go an entire day without eating. Others, would only be a couple of hours. He painted while he thought of Yunho.
Why he made his heart flutter, and his palms sweaty and jittery. How seeing his face would brighten his whole dream, and his voice would calm any fears he had. Why the very thought of the other sent him over the edge. Why he craved to touch him. Why he desperately wanted to go back to sleep so they can meet again. Hugs were the best. When Yunho first hugged Jaejoong, he felt like his entire body was on fire from the warmth he was giving. He felt protected, and safe, like nothing would hurt him. His friend, Yoochun, said the day when Yunho hugged him: “You look like you had a nice sleep for once.”
Over the next month, Jaejoong had begun to spot the other in real life. The first time, he only saw a glimpse of the back of his head. Jaejoong dismissed it, seeing as how it was impossible for a dream person to come to life. But the next time he saw Yunho, it was at a restaurant. Jaejoong was heading in, and Yunho was walking out, sunglasses and a hat on. It took a moment to even register that Jaejoong had just seen the man from his dreams, but when he did, it was too late. Yunho was already gone and out the door. His entire day was thrown off after that, and his eyes began searching everywhere for the next place he'll spot the other.
The next time, Jaejoong was walking down the sidewalk when he spotted the back of Yunho’s head again. He was waiting at the crosswalk. However, by the time Jaejoong had caught up, he had lost him again to the crowds. Every time he would spot the other, he would be either too slow, or he would trip over something and lose him. The month passed by, and he grew more and more frustrated, slowly convincing himself that Yunho wasn’t actually real. That the man he kept seeing in real life was just a figment of his imagination, and his brain was playing tricks on him.
Angry at himself for realizing his dreamland was better than his own life, he began picking fights with Yunho in them, somehow determined to get him to go away. And it worked. Yunho left at the end of the month, and didn’t reappear for another two months. He took the warmth that drove Jaejoong’s dreams, and left an emptiness. The paintings stopped, and Jaejoong secluded himself. Staying up for as long as he could and then passing out. He wanted to see Yunho’s brown hair, but his stubbornness wouldn’t allow it. It wouldn’t conjure the man again. To pay the bills, Jaejoong worked odd jobs his friends gave him. Mostly Junsu.
“Hey, Jaejoong?” Jaejoong looked up from the fax machine, his dead eyes taking their time to adjust to new input. It was Junsu, holding out some papers. Jaejoong took in a deep breath, and reach out to take them. He missed, and instead his body leaned a little forward. “Whoa there!” Junsu caught him before he completely fell. Jaejoong took a deep breath and placed his hand on the fax machine as he gathered the energy to hold himself up. “After you take these papers to the office across the street, why don’t you go home and sleep, okay?” Junsu looked at him, the hands on Jaejoong’s shoulders holding him up.
Jaejoong nodded and took the papers, not even sure about what he just said. He made it across the street okay, and even got inside the lobby just fine, after bumping into the glass doors.
That’s when he saw him.
That’s when he saw Yunho.
The man was sitting as the front desk receptionist, typing away in glasses Jaejoong had never seen on him before. He stood in front of the door and stared, completetly surprised that Yunho was real. Jaejoong rubbed his eyes, and an indescribable feeling washed over him. Part of him was glad that Yunho was real, but another part of him was angry that he dissapeared, yet another part of him wanted to apologise profusely and convince him to come back. Yunho’s concentrated face looked especially good on him. They both stood that way until the one typing looked up and said something.
“Can I help you?” That was the voice of someone who went through an entire day dealing with ty costumers, and hadn’t even had their lunch break yet. Jaejoong didn’t even know what to say. I’m sorry I argued with you, why haven’t you appear in my dreams lately? Can you come back? Do you even remember me? We can go back to the city if you’re still angry. Instead, Jaejoong’s mouth just opened and closed like a fish, still shocked that the man from his dreams was an actual person.
“Hello? Do you need something?” The irritated tone in his voice was what snapped him back. It hurt that that type of voice was directed at him. Jaejoong nodded and stepped up the desk.
“Yeah, um…” His mind went blank at the worst time. Here he was, talking to the man in his dreams, and he couldn't even come up with a coherent sentence. He completely forgot why he went to this building, but he was acting the same way he did whenever he me the other in his dreams. Racing heartbeat, sweaty hands. Jaejoong went to wipe them down his jeans, but the papers got in the way. “Oh!” Jaejoong held up the papers and smiled. It faltered when Yunho didn’t smile back, unamused. “I was, uh, tasked to give these papers to you guys.”
Yunho took the papers and glanced them over before finally breaking out a smile. “We’ve been waiting for these all day.”
“Really?”
Yunho nodded. “Yup! Now I take a break and get my lunch.” The man tucked the papers under his keyboard and got up. “Thanks” he mumbled, before walking off towards an employee's only door. Jaejoong stood there awkwardly for a moment, before he came back to his senses.
“Wait!” Luckily Yunho heard him before he closed the door. The man peeked his head out, classes now on top of his head.
“Um.” Jaejoong took a deep breath in, and tried to force his heart to calm down. “This might sound weird, but…I—you, er…You were in my dreams.” Jaejoong glanced up to see the other’s eyes wander up and down his body. He stepped out from behind the doorway and casually walked over.
“Oh? I thought there was something familiar about you.” The lighter tone of the other's voice had him relax a little more.
Jaejoong took that as a sign that Yunho remembered something about the dreams, or that Yunho had the same dreams as he did. “I’m so sorry!”
“W-what?” Yunho took a step back.
Jaejoong sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. The sweat from his hands rubbed off on it, and his hands became jittery again. “I’m sorry I got angry at you in my dreams. Please come back!”
Yunho shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t dreamed for half a year now.”
Jaejoong sighed, irritation settling in. “Everybody dreams. Just some people are better at remembering them than others.” He looked up at Yunho to see the man staring at him either like was crazy, or what he was talking about was important, like in his dreams. Jaejoong let out a wine, and turned away, burying his face in his sleeves. His face was burning, having forgotten what it was like to have Yunho look at him that way. “Just…just come to the nearest park when you’re done with your work okay?” Jaejoong mumbled through his sleeves.
“Okay.”
Jaejoong nodded to himself, and when he turned around, Yunho was gone.
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