reunion | [wonki]

♡

"wouldn't you be interested in dating a friend of mine?"

ni-ki took another swig of his beer cocktail and endured the face of displeasure, just as he did when he heard the question. he wasn't used to drinking such strong drinks, but at this moment in time, it was the only thing that kept him somewhat "calm" while listening to his old classmates setting up the boy he liked since high school on a blind date.

with the direction this conversation was headed, the alcohol was definitely going to stay by his side.

jungwon smiled broadly, playing with the silver jewellery that was on his ring finger. "is she pretty?"

"well, she is a bit short in stature, barely five feet tall, but she's just your type."

jungwon let out a laugh again, catching ni-ki off guard when he gave him a sidelong glance, bright and breezy, until the other guy caught his attention again and continued to persuasively insist. "jungwon, wanna see a picture of her? i think i have one saved on my phone," he said, sliding his finger on the screen of the device. "i'm telling you; one look at her and she'll sweep you off of your feet."

another classmate cackled outrageously, wrapping an arm around jungwon's shoulders and drinking beer with the other hand. "don't you see that ring, buddy? it's a signal to stay away and stop trying."

as it happens, ni-ki wasn't a fortune teller, but he was pretty sure he was going to get a damn headache in a couple of hours.

"well, the one who decides here whether he takes the leap of faith or not is jungwon, am i right?"

ni-ki took a big gulp of his drink, finishing half the contents in one swallow and looking at the glass as if it were the enemy as soon as he put it back on the table. the burning in his throat more tolerable than the one that was burning him in jealousy, but then his displeasure grew all the more when he heard the scandalous laughter of the two devilish parrots, approaching jungwon with mischievous faces while the young man looked back at them a little amused.

"so, what do you say, yang jungwon? sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?"

"you guys are persistent, huh." jungwon laughed, looking at them both as if he were at a tennis match.

"you know what they say, man. he who perseveres, conquers," the guy squeezed jungwon's shoulder, speaking a little more emphatically. "but stop playing around and tell us once and for all, are you interested or not?"

for a moment, it seemed as if the whole table remained silent, all pairs of eyes on jungwon eagerly waiting for his response. "um, well..."

ni-ki was not sure he could stand another second of that conversation, so he finished his drink and got up quickly, saying, "i'm gonna go out for a quick smoke," without actually looking at anyone. like old times, none of his former classmates seemed particularly interested in hearing about his life and he wasn't thrilled to hear about theirs either, so he grabbed his yellow jacket and left the restaurant without giving it a second thought.

once he was outside, he sat on the floor near a lamppost, reached inside his jacket and pulled out a cigarette pack, tapped one out and lit up.

his cheeks were slightly flushed due to the night chill and it was hard to see the moon because the sky was covered with clouds, the only visible thing being a pair of clouds that were illuminated by the hidden moon. "fucking cold." ni-ki then rubbed his body with his other hand, trying —and miserably failing— to feel warmer, but he threw in the towel and decided to welcome with open arms the crappy weather once there was no success.

it was at times like these, lonely, dark, when he began to question the why of things. he knew perfectly well why he had decided to come, what had been his train of thought when he accepted the invitation, if someone had paid attention to him during the reunion it would have been too obvious for the others as well, but during the course of the night his conviction had begun to fade a little and now he wasn't so sure anymore.