"unrequited love

is the most

painful

type of love."

Youngjae forced the corners of his lips to raise into a pathetic excuse of a smile. The grin felt unnatural against his face, like it didn't belong there. 

Certainly, it didn't. 

He felt an arm wrap itself around his slightly slouched shoulders, sending a few waves of electricity down his veins. He turned his head and directed his gaze towards the raven haired boy he has always admired.

Im Jaebum. 

A pang of pain stabbed his beating heart. He was reaching for something his hands didn't have the ability to touch. He was longing for something so close, yet so far away. He was just shoulder-length apart from his love, but it feels as if he was a thousand miles away.

"Smile!" Youngjae's grandmother exclaimed oh-so-merrily, a gigantic smile imprinted on her chapped lips. Youngjae craned his head back to it's original position, grinning a grin that was obnoxiously strained. The flash of the camera blinded him for a second, forcing him to blink. Of course.

"Youngjae-ah, where do you want to eat? It's on me." Jaebum asked, nudging the younger boy in his sides. A surprised shriek escaped his throat, cheeks burning up into a shade of bright pink afterwards.

"Anywhere." Youngjae muttered, clutching the rolled up diploma with his right hand. Jaebum nodded, walking towards the exit of the gymnasium with Youngjae and his grandmother in tow.

Jaebum unlocked his car and went inside the driver's door. Youngjae and his grandmother sat on the backseat. As Jaebum shoved the keys into the ignition and revved up the engine, Youngjae removed the hat and the graduation robe, giving it to his grandmother. 

The ten-minute drive was spent in utter silence, the only noise being the occasional honks and the music coming from the stereo.

"Order whatever you want." Jaebum said. 

They were sitting in a booth for four people, conveniently placed beside the window. Youngjae opened the menu and let his eyes trail over the delicacies served by the restaurant. He wasn't feeling hungry, but free food wasn't something you get in a daily basis.

Jaebum was there, in front of Youngjae, glancing down on his phone with a genuine smile and crescent-shaped eyes. Perfect, Youngjae concluded. Jaebum looked perfect that moment; an eye-smile that was as bright as the Sun glaring down at the streets that afternoon. 

The waiter arrived and they said their respective orders. The food arrived in record-breaking time, five minutes, and as soon as their plates were supported by the table, they immediately digged in.

Amidst their silent eating, the sound of the bell ringing had Jaebum looking behind him. His cheek bones became prominent as a smile graced his lips. He stood up and approached the woman, who had a grin as big as his, and they hugged. Jaebum's arms went around the girl, while hers tangled themselves around the man's neck.

Youngjae felt his heart shatter into millions of fragile shards.

With hands intertwined, they went back to the booth. The girl tucked her hair behind her ears, bowing in respect. Her lips were colored with a seductive tinge of red, make-up natural and enhancing her beauty.

"This is my girlfriend, Yuna. Yuna, Song Yi halmoni," Jaebum gestured his hand towards Youngjae's grandmother, graying hair and wrinkled forehead and all, "Youngjae dongsaeng," his hand then pointed to Youngjae, who bowed.

If his heart was already broken into hazardous splinters, then those splinters had broken into smaller fragments. There was something in Jaebum's statement, Youngjae dongsaeng, that made his heart skip beats, and not in a good way. It wasn't even in the way Jaebum had uttered those words, no, it was very harmless and didn't intend any emotional scarring, but it still did.

Yuna ordered a fruit salad, order arriving quickly, and it was all quiet. Comfortable for the three, but painful and awkward and hostile for Youngjae. Tears threatened to fall, but Youngjae willed himself to be strong.

You have no right to be jealous, Youngjae. He scolded himself. He really had no right at all. They were not involved in a romantic relationship, and Youngjae was just a mere dongsaeng, and nothing more. 

Once they were all done eating, Jaebum offered to drive the two home. They had no choice but to accept, as they didn't bring their own vehicle. They clambered to their respective seats, the same as before, just with the addition of Yuna in the passenger seat. Their hands found each other, intertwining, and Youngjae just stared out the window, watching buildings and lampposts fly by.

Jaebum's car turned and they were already nearing their destination. Youngjae's hand was already on the handle, preparing to open the door and sprint swiftly into their house. It was very disrespectful, but Youngjae didn't want his heart to break even more than it already was.

Jaebum parked his car, and Youngjae opened the door. He slammed it shut, dashing to their front door. He twisted the doorknob then sighed in distress. His grandmother had locked the front door and the keys were with her.

A hand grabbed onto Youngjae's pale wrist and he was turned around, slamming into a chest. Arms wound behind his back and his eyes were wide open, the intoxicating scent of Jaebum rendering him drunk and hopeless. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Jaebum's back, patting twice before letting his arms fall back to his sides.

"Congratulations, Jae-ya." Jaebum's breathy voice tickled Youngjae's flushed ears. Youngjae nodded, whispering a silent 'thank you, hyung.' before pushing Jaebum away.

Jaebum frowned at that, but decided to let it go.

He heard the front door click open and in a blink of an eye, Youngjae was inside the house and in his room, face planted onto the softnes of his pillow, resisting the urge to scream very loud.

Youngjae's acting weird, Jaebum thought, shaking his head to get rid of the notion. He walked back to the car, entering and starting up the engine, driving away to his apartment with one hand entwined with his girlfriend's.

is this even considered a 'Youngjae's graduation' piece?

i think it is, lol, i did mention that it was, in fact, Youngjae's graduation and they were going to celebrate it at a restaurant.

DONT KILL ME this was supposed to be fluffy af but i suddenly felt very angsty [perks of sleeping at 2am] so yeah this is a pieceof but i hope you still enjoyed it lel. 

enjoy life, yow.

[plug time; follow me on tumblr! [epiken] and request prompts. idek.]