my first and last || renmin

F i f t e e n - Swedish Rap

It was a crisp spring morning in Amsterdam.

The buzz in the air was equalled by the buzz in Renjun's hotel room where he paced excitedly.

"I really don't get that shirt." Renjun wore a screen print shirt of Magritte's "Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe".

It was a painting of a pipe with words below that meant "This is not a pipe".

"Jaehyun will get it, trust me. There are like a gazillion Magritte references in the book."

"This is not a pipe." Mrs. Huang read the shirt.

"Exactly."

"But it is a pipe." Renjun smiled.

"No, it's not. It's a drawing of a pipe. See?" Mrs. Huang still didn't understand.

"A drawing of a thing is not the thing itself. Nor is a t-shirt of a drawing of the thing itself." Mrs. Huang was at a loss of words but she was still impressed.

"When did you get so grown up? Feels like yesterday when 8 year old Renjun asked me why the sky was blue. You thought I was a genius back then.

"Why is the sky blue?" Renjun asked, silencing his mother.

"Because I say so." A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, Jaemin poked his head in.

"Who's ready for answers?!"

***

Jaemin and Renjun stood outside Jung Jaehyun's white house.

"I'm so excited I can barely breathe."

"As opposed to other days?" Jaemin joked, Renjun playfully hit him.

He took Renjun's arm, picked up the oxygen tank and they went towards the front door.

As they approached, there was a noticeable noise coming from inside the house.

It's the deep thump of a bass beat.

Loud.

Like, obnoxiously loud.

Renjun grabbed the brass ornament and knocked, they waited but there was no response.

"Maybe he can't hear us over the music?" Jaemin tried again, this time with more force.

Still nothing.

He tried a third time and finally, the music stopped.

They waited, still excited.

A moment later the door swung open.

It's a man in pajamas with thinning hair, the stench of alcohol, armpits and sweat radiated off of him.

"What?!" Jaemin and Renjun looked at eachother.

Could it be?

"Mr. Jung?" At which point, the pajama man slammed the door in their faces.

Renjun and Jaemin were too stunned to react, through the closed door they could hear shouting.

"Lee Taeyong!"