Chapter Fourteen

Touch

“Here’s my favorite model of all time” Jeonghan chuckles as Jonghyun puts his camera down and hug him. “Thanks for coming,Jeonghan. I know it’s really sudden and i even took your supposed to be your crucial time before exam”

“It’s okay. I don’t have anything to do, anyway.” It’s Saturday, and he was planning to spend the day walking around the town before the exam occupy his time. Jonghyun miraculously called him just last night with a plead for him to be his pinch model. He even asked his sister’s permission beforehand. And so,here he is, getting his make up done for the photoshoot.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No,never have one” The photoshoot’s crews are different than Jonghyun’s usual staffs, the beautiful make up artist named Luna explains that this is a big project for a famous jewelery brand. “Then,boyfriend?” Jeonghan almost opens his eyes –which also almost makes Luna to dab the eyeshadow on his eyeball instead. “Ehm,no, i never date anyone”  

“Besides,i’m not gay” Luna laughs at the extra explanation. “That’s good that you’re straight”

“Are you against homouals?” The question bursts out his lips in reflex, almost too fast that it sounds like a sarcasm. The lady puts one last touch at his make up. “Not really,i’ve seen things in this industry,young man. And homoual is the last thing i need to concern about .What is gender when it’s come to love,anyway?” Luckily she doesn’t take it that way.

“Then why did you say it’s good that i’m not one?”

“Well,you’re young,talented, smart, and still have countless posibbilities of having a good future.There’s no guarantee of the same relationship. You may address your feeling as love and such,but will it last forever? Moreover,for you youngsters, it might be just a puberty thing,right? there’s no future for homouals”

There’s no future for man who loves another man. Jeonghan laughs, because it perfectly makes sense. Seungcheol might just be curious, just like he afraid it to be.

“Why do we have to think about the future if we can enjoy the present?” Jeonghan looks up. A lanky frame towering over him and Luna, bright red curls and big round eyes. “Says the reckless man” Luna rolls her eyes and pushes the tall man aside,leaving to the costume room.

“So,you’re my partner today.” Jeonghan nods, the man is incredibly handsome, he has sharp jaw line and full lips, mouth stretched into a cresent smile with a dimple showing shyly. “I’m Chanyeol, Jeonghan right?”

Jeonghan accepts the handshake. Eyes still on Chanyeol who takes the chair beside him. “Yes,please take care of me”

The man laughs, his wide ears perk up and Jeonghan finds it really weird. “Why are you so formal?Let’s have fun together.”

And it turns out the photoshoot is really fun. Chanyeol is definitely a mood booster and much to Jeonghan’s surprise, is a mature person. He tries his best not to make him nervous. He will occasionally tell jokes so Jeonghan will smile.

“How was the photo session?” Jin ah is finally home after a three days working outside the town. Their dinner today is only a bowl of pumpkin soup because Jeonghan is too tired and his sister is too lazy.

“it’s going well, they’re nice”

“Are you enjoying it? Being a model?” jeonghan puts his spoon down. “I don’t know, i’m still doing it because it’s easy and the money is good, probably the only thing i can do with my body”

Jin ah’s eyes soften, she knows she’s not a good sister, she never has been. She’s never there for Jeonghan when he has to deal with cruel reality a mere nine years old boy should never encountered. So when Jeonghan agreed to live with her, she had promised to herself that she will try to be a good one. “If it’s about money, you don’t have to do it anymore. I have finally achieved a spot in the agency. You should focus on your study instead”

Jeonghan apreciates everything his sister does for him until now. Eventhough he doesn’t really know her well, she’s still the only family he has left. She’s working her off to fulfill their expenses of living in a big town, she tries to provide him a family. But Jeonghan doesn’t want to be a burden, that’s why he’s still working. She had insisted that he has to finish high school and go to college. He still remembers how happy she was when he told her about the acceptance letter from Pledis. She’s honestly happy about him and Jeonghan knows he have to keep working because she will surely working harder for him to get into a good college one day.

“I just want to earn some pocket money,it’s not a big deal.I am still studying hard so i will get a scholarhip for my college,so  you don’t have to worry about my institution fee anymore” 

“i know you will, it’s just..i don’t think it’s good for you to keep working as a model,even if it’s just for a few coins”

“Why?” Jin Ah blinks for a moment at the question

“Because you’re a good boy and i’ve seen things what this path can do to change you” she smiles. Jeonghan doesn’t say anything again after that, he finishes his meal quietly and excuse himself to his room afterwards. If only his sister know he’s not as good as she thinks, he bitterly laughs.

He had imagined possibilities if his sister ever found out about his preference over boys, or maybe over Seungcheol –Jeonghan is still not sure about that-. He thinks about them everytime he realized that maybe this relationship may actually work out somehow. Or maybe about the possibilities of him telling her about it first. He knows it will be awkward as ,they never share any personal matters to each other. He was actually thinking about it too, to stop being part time model, he doesn’t enjoy attention people gave him after knowing he’s doing advertisements for various brands –eventhough most of the attentions are because Jeonghan is actually too ing beautiful they can’t help to notice- he just doesn’t really like it.

, it’s not the right time to think about it, he has exam this Monday and he’s going to lose his rank if he slacks off like this.

~~

His head is spinning and and his feet are killing him. But he still drags his body out of the bed knowing it’s already past mid day and he has not eaten anything since the steak he had with Yoona yesterday. He ended up lurking around the town and got back almost 11 pm, he couldn’t sleep so he decided to do some problems from his textbooks until he decided that he’s not in the right mind to solve those equations. It was stupid of him that he grabbed his basketball and headed to the court downstairs, he didn’t want to risk his right hand so he used his left but then got irritated since his play was sloppy and he couldn’t get the basket done most of the times. Seungcheol knew it wasn’t about his skill, eventhough he’s right handed, he’s pretty much still good with his left. He knew it was his mind that’s completely in a mess. He feels bad for leaving Yoona all of sudden, and he bets she’s feeling worse after he left like that and didn’t pick any of her calls and just left her messages unread. Yoona didn’t do anything wrong, and to be honest, she didn’t deserve this cold treatment.

One thing he’s grateful, she doesn’t tell Yifan about it. Because if she did, Yifan should have been bombarding him  with calls right now. She’s keeping it her secret,she’s indeed a kind woman. Seungcheol thinks so.

The fridge is empty. Right, Yifan told him to grocery shopping because mother is coming tomorrow afternoon –while he’s at school and Yifan is on his way home- and she’s going to freak out if she finds out her two sons are wasting the money to buy junk food instead to make themself nutrisious proper meal. 

He looks down at his feet, his fingers are swollen from playing basketball in slippers,no wonder they hurt. He’s going to be so dead if his coach knows about it. He recalls putting the emultion gel in his locker after the last practice.

“”

He jolts when his phone rings. He carefully walks back to his room. “Yo ! Where are you?” ing Kim Taehyung.

“Home, what now?”

“Nothing, just want to ask which one do you want, a wristband or headband?”

“a wristband, i guess. Why? Where are you?” he slumps back on his bed. “Me?German”

”German?! How the hell did you get there?are you nuts?tomorrow is the first day of exam”

This fella. Unbelieveable. “Relax,i’m taking the plane this evening. I’ll just go straight to school from the airport. ”

“That’s not the problem you know that” Seungcheol can imagines Taehyung rolls his eyes at his words. “Oh, come on, i’m just taking a breath before exam”

“Yeah,but in German”

“If you’re still nagging at me,i will give the wristband to my cousin instead” Seungcheol is a simple person “All right,i’ll stop”

See? Easy. “By the way, Yoona asked me to check on you because she can’t get through you since yesterday, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just slept in after studying and playing on the court downstairs, , my feet are swollen.” Taehyung shrieks in horror “Dude,did you injure yourself?”

“What?no. it’s just swollen, but i need to buy grocceries and it hurts when i walk”

And Kim ing Taehyung laughs. Out loud. Over the phone. “Thank you for laughing on my behalf, what a great bestfriend you are”

Taehyung laughs again for some moment and then stops when Seungcheol just about to shut the phone down. “You have no sense of humor” Seungcheol doesn’t understand which part of his suffering is worth to laught at. “Just sit prettily and i’ll send Taeyong over,okay?”

So apparently Taeyong knows about the trip faster than him, and Seungcheol is sure that Taehyung treatened him that he won’t buy Taeyong anything if he refuses to help Seungcheol. Nice,Taehyung. Very nice.

It’s about two hours later Taeyong finally arrives and abuses his doorbell, with two bags full of grocceries and a Jeonghan, who immediately darts his eyes at his swollen feet and back to his face , his expression screams “What the hell have you done”.

And Seungcheol knows he’s so dead. He shifts his gaze on anything but Jeonghan. Because the pretty boy is glaring everytime their eyes meet.

“Allright, i’ll get going then, Jeonghan will keep you company” Taeyong turns his heel. What? No, Wait!
“No-  Aren’t you suppose to stay? Taehyung asked you right?” Being alone with angry Jeonghan is the last situation he wants to be in right now. “Sorry,but i’m not gonna babysit you,He just told me to get you the groceries. Besides, i have something to do after this. So long, my friend.Hasta la vista” and taeyong mercilessly slams the door closed.

Jeonghan is still standing near the fridge and Seungcheol has to shift from his seat. “Err..tea?” he stands up abruptly from the awkwardness,causing him wince because of the numbness. And Jeonghan sighs. “Just sit” He rolls up his sleeves and starts grabbing ingredients from the paper bag. It’s just plainly awkward to sit there doing nothing, so Seungcheol  turns on the tv. The Walking Dead is playing but he doesn’t feel like watching Rick killing the walkers. His eyes darts every now and then at the back view of a long haired boy, chopping God knows what in his kitchen. His raven hair is getting longer, almost reaching half of his back spine and it looks just a soft as he remembers.
 

He hears sizzles,bubbling water,and the sound of chopping board. And then fifteen minutes later, Jeonghan joins him in front of tv with a tray full of fried rice, sweet and sour chicken pops,salad, and sausages stir fry. “You haven’t eat anything right?” Jeonghan shoves the spoon at Seungcheol. “You’re not eating with me?”

“I’m not hungry”

Jeonghan looks scary and it just makes him feeling more guilty for being dumb. “Sorry,i won’t do it again” and now Jeonghan looks guilty.There has to be something that bothers Seungcheol that he did something as reckless as hurting his feet when the game is just few weeks away . Jeonghan is not  stupid, Jeonghan knows it something that involves him from the expression Seungcheol made when he saw him coming . And that’s what exactly Jeonghan is mad at. Himself.

“Just don’t do it again,okay?i don’t like seeing you wounded” is all Jeonghan decided to say. Seungcheol is on the cloud nine, Jeonghan is worried about him. He’s happy,so damn happy. Jeonghan eventually stays until five. He helps with the dishes and even with his swollen feet . “Can you stay for the night?”

“Don’t be silly, i haven’t study for tomorrow” Seungcheol doesn’t want Jeonghan to leave, but he hasn’t study either. He wants to take Jeonghan home but Jeonghan’s glares are too terrifiying he had to comply and only accompany him till the door.  “I’ll get going then”

“Jeonghan” He grabs Jeonghan’s hand just before he pulls the knob. Yoona’s words suddenly ring inside his head.

“Because it won’t work and i don’t want you to get hurt”

“Can-can i hug you?” he bitterly presses a smile on his face.

Jeonghan looks down for a few seconds, he is hesitating and Seungcheol thinks that’s it’s just a bad idea. He should’ve have a bit more self control, he has promised not to be selfish and think about Jeonghan’s feelings, but it’s just too much. The temptation to hold Jeonghan’s hands, to embrace his body, to kiss his lips, are too much. He should’ve just shut up.

 “Mm” but Jeonghan nods. Seungcheol reaches out, gently pulling Jeonghan’s nape and burries his face on the crook of Jeonghan’s neck. He misses this scent. This warmth. He pulls closer, pressing his other hand with Jeonghan’s. Intertwinning every fingers with each other. . He misses it badly. He misses their moment together.

He wants to grow up faster,to be adult,makes his own decision and proof that what  Yoona said is wrong, he will be fine,they will be fine. It will work out,Seungcheol will make sure it will.  

No more running.

~~~ 

I hide the chapter oh my god for a ing week i don't ieven know i am sorry

I'm such a forgetful granny

The chapter is a bit short, but it will get longer in the next chapter.

i'm going to attend my bestie's graduation on monday, and we es squad are preparing to make surprises for her, hohoho

I had planned to end the story around chapter twenty-ish so there are still less than ten chapters left...And i’m planning on posting other stories i write (there are few titles sitting there inside a folder,mostly half written because i barely have time to continue) but still haven’t decide if i’m gonna change the characters(i mostly use anime characters hehe) and post them.

I’m thinking of taking requests and write them as a collection of oneshots too..i don’t know,it’s harder for me to decide which pairing i should use instead of writing the story itself.