𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊 ✎ 𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 『zerobaseone』

N I N E T E E N

After a long wait, Ricky's case that he had ordered was finally completed, and he was eager to pick it up with his lover, Gyuvin. Excitedly, Ricky had already informed both his lover and his friend about the gift. They had made plans to meet at the bus stop near the shop where the case was being sold. Gyuvin had arrived at the stop earlier and had been waiting patiently for Ricky's arrival. Just as Gyuvin was starting to feel a sense of impatience, the bus he had been waiting for finally arrived. With anticipation building, Gyuvin eagerly watched for Ricky's familiar blond hair to appear through the bus window. A smile gradually formed on Gyuvin's face as he caught sight of Ricky stepping off the bus, surrounded by a wave of passengers.

"Hey! Sorry I'm a little late, the professor made me run some errands. And I also bought something for the salesmen," Ricky said, intertwining their hands as they walked into the store.

Gyuvin chuckled and commented "Must be hard to be loved by the professors" Gyuvin chuckled.

"For real, everyone thinks it's fun since we get high grades but the truth is THEY LIKED US BECAUSE WE HAVE HIGH GRADES." Ricky sighed, earning a laugh from Gyuvin. Then, eventually reached the shop.

As the couple stepped into the store, they were met with a display of friendly and inviting smiles from the salesmen. "Welcome!" Taerae exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm, recognizing Ricky among the visitors. "I have good news for you, Mr. Shen. The highly phone cases you've been waiting for have finally arrived." Taerae's excitement was evident as he guided the couple towards the showcased customized cases. Eager to please, the salesman eagerly offered, "Why don't you try them on your phone? That way, you can ensure that it fits perfectly." Intrigued by the suggestion, the couple eagerly followed, slipping the phone cases onto their devices to check it.

Gyuvin's excitedly said, "Oh, it looks absolutely fantastic!" as he watched his phone flawlessly glide into the phonecase.

"Well it's because you designed it well" Taerae complimented, they chatted for a while. Eventually, Ricky decided to complete the transaction by settling the remaining balance for the cases. To show his appreciation and gratitude, "oh right- these are for you" Ricky surprised Taerae by presenting a generous gift, a bunch of bread.

"Oh my God - you didn't have to," Taerae said as his ears turned slightly red from the kind gift.

"Then we'll get going now, thank you!" After that, Ricky bid farewell to Taerae and Hanbin, waving his hand as a gesture of goodbye.

"Take care! Also, thank you for the food, we'll enjoy it!" Taerae smiled as he bowed to the couple.

"That was quick" Gyuvin commented as they hopped on a cab.

"Yeah, the case only took 5 days too" Ricky said as he leaned on Gyuvin's shoulder. "Comfy" he muttered earning a chuckle from the other.

"This is starting to become your habit," Gyuvin laughed as he leaned on Ricky's head.

"Can't help it, I already became used to it. So don't you dare try and leave me" Ricky retreated his head and glared at Gyuvin.

"As if I would" Gyuvin said as he shook his head.

"Yes, that's not possible, otherwise I'll hunt you down," they laughed and finally reached their place. The two decided to stay with Gyuvin.

"I messaged Jiwoong to pick up his case here" Ricky said while Gyuvin just nodded.

"I have some ice cream, do you want some?" Gyuvin asked. Ricky's face lit up like a child who had just been granted permission to indulge in his favorite sweet. Without uttering a single word, he nodded, his excitement filling in the air. The brown-haired boy grabbed the tubs of ice cream and gave it to his lover.

"I bought an air conditioner already, it might come in this week" Ricky informed. Then the couple continued to chat as they enjoyed the ice cream. After a while, a knock was heard on Gyuvin's door.

With a bright smile on his face, "I'M HERE!" Jiwoong announced his presence as he stepped into the place.

"You want some ice cream?" Gyuvin asked.

"Nah, I'm good. I just ate a while ago" Jiwoong said as he settled comfortably on the couch alongside Ricky.

"Here, try it if it fits right," Ricky said as he handed the phonecase to Jiwoong.

After that, Jiwoong proceeded to fit the case on his mobile device, and he was happy to find that it fit perfectly and seamlessly. With satisfaction evident in his voice, he exclaimed, "yep, it does fit!" while appreciating the aesthetics and functionality of the case.

"We have matching cases..." Gyuvin chuckled as he proudly exhibited his case, and Ricky followed suit with a similar display. The two of them shared a sense of camaraderie as their cases seemingly mirrored each other in style or design.

"We have matching tastes-"

"Nah, you purposely choose similar ones" Jiwoong said interrupting the blond's words who rolled his eyes at him.

"So what if I did?!" Ricky retorted.

Gyuvin urgently gestured for silence, his index finger pressed against his lips. "Shh," he pleaded, desperately trying to maintain peace in the room. "It hasn't been 5 minutes since he came. No fighting, okay?" Gyuvin said as he shushed the two.

"Fine." the other two replied.

Jiwoong asked, "Oh right, Gyuvin do you have a charger I could borrow? I forgot to bring mine and my phone died on me". As he desperately attempted to revive his lifeless device, Jiwoong's hopes were quickly shattered as it remained unresponsive, failing to power on.

"Sure. It's in my room..."

Jiwoong swiftly rose from his seat as soon as he noticed Gyuvin making a move to stand, "Where? I'll go grab it".

Gyuvin replied, "you can find it in the drawer of my study table," as he settled back into his seat.

Jiwoong made his way down the hallway, leaving the couple behind as he headed towards Gyuvin's room. As soon as he entered, his eyes darted to the drawer, his main objective being to find the charger he desperately needed. After a brief search, he was relieved to finally spot the charger tucked away inside. However, his attention was quickly diverted when he noticed something unexpected amidst the contents of the drawer - a comic book. The cover depicted a character that bore an uncanny resemblance to both Ricky and himself. "What is this?" Jiwoong pondered, his curiosity getting the better of him. In that moment, Jiwoong's mind was flooded with questions and thoughts, wondering what this comic could possibly entail. How could there be a story that seemed to mirror his own experiences? Who had created it and why was it hidden away in Gyuvin's drawer? Despite the ethical dilemma he found himself in, Jiwoong couldn't help but feel restricted to uncover the secrets and mysteries held within the pages of the comic. "Love, Maybe?" Jiwoong read the title.

Jiwoong was in the middle of reading the comic when, out of nowhere, "hey, what's taking you so long-" Gyuvin suddenly appeared and startled him. Startled by the brown-haired sudden appearance, Jiwoong was taken aback and accidentally dropped the comic he was holding.

'Fuck', Gyuvin cursed on his mind with his eyes widening in shock as he caught sight of Jiwoong holding the comic book that depicted his and Ricky's story. The sudden surge of emotions left him momentarily paralyzed. Despite his desperate urge to grab the fallen comic from the ground, his legs seemed to have turned into stone, preventing him to move. "I- uh", Stammering in disbelief, he attempted to form words but faltered mid-sentence.

"Y'all what's happening?" Ricky asked as he entered the room, seeing his friend and lover in complete shock. He then noticed Jiwoong's strange hand position and saw what the boy had dropped. He then walked towards the comic and grabbed it. "What is this? A comic?".

'Please kill me instead'

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to be continued...