Above and Below // SeongJoong

14. Bittersweet Times (1)

DISCLAIMER: I have limited knowledge of the law, so please excuse any mistakes or inaccurate representations of reality. This is fiction, and everything that happens does not reflect any real events.

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It was a brisk evening with breezes crisper yet; people who found themselves outdoors either scurried into buildings nearby or scrambled onto vehicles that would no doubt bring them to the warmth of home. But Seonghwa stood obediently by the bus station post where he'd said he'd wait, digging his gloved hands deeper into the pockets of his wine-colored long coat and burying more of his face behind his ash wool scarf. Everyone around him could be hurrying to places they needed to be, but this was where he would stay; he'd made up his mind. The cold grounded him to reality and reminded him that no matter what happened tonight, it was time he ended this... foolishness, this dream he'd been living in for the past month.

No matter what... he muttered under his breath one last time just as a beam of white light found him under the darkening sky. A familiar car pulled up, and before he could make out the driver behind the windows, the door on the opposite side opened and closed, and the man jogged up to him on the sidewalk.

"Sorry for being late," Hongjoong said, "I should've known there would be traffic on a Saturday evening..." He tugged sheepishly on the collar of his space-grey turtleneck, which hugged his waist loosely where his jeans began.

Seonghwa turned to face him with a smile, and not just because his sweater matched his own scarf in color; he'd rarely seen the lawyer out of a suit or formal wear, and seeing him in a casual outfit gave him an extra sense of intimacy that was beyond anything he'd ever felt before in all their previous dates. "Don't worry," he reassured, "the movie won't start for another half-hour."

Then, as he climbed into the car through the passenger door that Hongjoong had courteously opened for him, he silently convinced himself, this is the last time, but there's still the whole night ahead of us... indeed, we can afford to have some fun before I have to bring it up and end things once and for all.

They arrived at their first destination, the theater, with still fifteen minutes to spare for buying snacks and drinks. Sure, Seonghwa was the one to arrange the date in the beginning, but for some reason, the attorney was adamant about planning out the agenda down to every detail, as though he'd been thinking about it for weeks. Whether he was simply too excited or had a surprise in store, it did not matter to the pet stylist; he was happy enough to just be with the man, even as they stood outside House 4 with a jumbo-sized popcorn and ice teas in their hands, waiting for entry to what was supposed to be the scariest horror movie that came out recently this Halloween.

Because he knew they were never going to see each other again after today.

Their seats were right behind those of a teenage couple, who could cuddle close together with their shoulders touching thanks to the non-existent armrests in the special "lover's column" of this cinema house. When the lights dimmed, the screen instantaneously lit up with an onslaught of flashing colors, accompanied by a deafening soundtrack that served to break everyone's eardrums. The girl in front yelped and buried her face into the boy's armpit and chest, only to giggle and whisper sweet nothings to each other when they realized it was merely the advertisements rolling before the actual movie was scheduled to begin.

Seonghwa, too, had jumped slightly at the sudden noise and reverberation of the speakers that seemed too close to him on all sides, but soon recovered and let his tense shoulders droop as he eased himself into the comfort of the theater chairs. Hugging the giant tub on his lap, he popped one popcorn into his mouth, relishing the sweet-and-saltiness of the confectionary, and the moment he was sharing with the man beside him. How long had it been since he'd sat in front of a big screen like this, thinking of nothing but the film he was about to watch? Too long, he chuckled to himself, feeling as giddy as the young pair in front of him.