Soobin fidgeted in his seat, his fingers busy fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth. He checked his watch for what was probably the fiftieth time in the last twenty minutes he had been waiting.
Yeonjun wasn't late. Soobin was simply early. He may have gotten a little too excited and then scared that he would be late for their meeting.
He hadn't seen Yeonjun in so long. And he missed him. And he hoped that he was no longer angry at him.
"Soobin."
Soobin jumped up to his feet at the voice. "Yeonjun! You are here."
Yeonjun flashed him a small smile. "I said I would."
He looked the same to Soobin. Same mop of dark hair. Same sparkling eyes. Same high nose and sharp jawline. And those lips... pouty as always.
Swallowing his nerves, Soobin gestured to the empty seat across from him.
Yeonjun sat down and at first, there was only silence as they perused the menu. The waiter came around to pour the wine Soobin had ordered earlier and they placed their orders.
Once again, they were alone. Yeonjun was looking at his water glass. Soobin kept his head down but took occasional peeks at Yeonjun.
"Um... how are you?" Soobin finally managed, looking up as he did so.
Yeonjun tore his gaze from the water glass. "Good. I've been good. You?"
"Good." Soobin coughed. "Um... my divorce from Ryujin is being processed. Our family wasn't exactly thrilled but there isn't really anything they can do about it."
"Oh. Ours too. Mine and Yeji's divorce, I mean."
Soobin's eyes widened. Ryujin never told him Yeji and Yeonjun were divorcing too. Then, again, he rarely saw Ryujin anymore ever since he moved out of their home and was temporarily staying at a different place.
They really only saw each other to discuss their divorce and always in the presence of their respective lawyers. He figured it was best this way, just until they could get their life back together again and maybe, they can continue their friendship in a more normal way.
"I... didn't know you were divorcing," was all he managed to say.
Yeonjun just shrugged and took a sip of his wine. "She wasn't happy with me anymore," he stated. "And... in a way... you were right."
Soobin was surprised at that.
"I was holding on to her too tight," Yeonjun continued, gazing at the wine in his glass. "So tight that I didn't even see how unhappy she was... how unhappy I was." He sighed, softly. "I decided to let her go. So, we can both have a chance at happiness." Finally, he looked up at Soobin and their eyes met. "You told me that I deserve to be happy too, right?"
Soobin smiled and nodded. "You deserve it so much."
Yeonjun returned the smile but then it quickly faded, replaced with guilt. "Also, about the last thing I said to you... I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to and I know that I hurt you... So... I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
The sincerity in Yeonjun's tone made warmth bloom in Soobin's chest. "Of course. I forgave you right after that. I should apologize, as well, for putting you in that position. I didn't mean to pressure you at the time. I just... I..."
He couldn't continue his words, not wanting to scare Yeonjun off. Instead, he picked up his wine and took a sip.
Yeonjun stared at him, waiting for him to continue but Soobin couldn't work up the courage to do so.
Just then, their food arrived. Glad for the distraction, the two ate, making small talk. They avoided the previous topic, preferring the neutral topic of current events and work.
Soobin paid the bill, despite Yeonjun's insistence that he would pay for half.
As they left the restaurant, Yeonjun turned to him with a grateful smile.
"It's great to see you Soobinnie. I mean it."
The smile on Yeonjun's face made Soobin's heart flutter. He knew he was a goner.
He hadn't meant to fall in love with Yeonjun. But, somehow, he did. Yeonjun was the very light he needed in his otherwise mundane existence.
"I need to tell you something," he said, softly. "Walk with me?"
Confused but compliant, Yeonjun nodded.
Side-by-side, the two walked down the sidewalk, quiet except for the sounds of their footsteps and of those who passed them.
Yeonjun broke the silence when he noticed that Soobin wasn't talking.
"Soobin? What did you want to tell me?"
Soobin stopped in his tracks, prompting Yeonjun to stop too. Looking around, Soobin spotted a quiet corner by an alley so he walked towards it, Yeonjun man following at his heels. Soobin turned to Yeonjun.
"Thank you for coming to meet me," he began, trying to ignore the way his heart beat fast and hard against his chest. "I'm glad I'm able to see you again."
Yeonjun smiled a small smile, though he still looked confused. "Me too, Soobin."
Swallowing, Soobin took a step closer to Yeonjun. "Yeonjun... I'm... After my divorce is final... I'm.. leaving for Japan."
In front of him, Yeonjun froze. "W-What?"
Regretfully, Soobin had to tell him the truth. "Our company's Japanese branch will launch soon and they need someone to oversee everything. I... I volunteered to go."
"F-For... For how long?"
Soobin swallowed the lump in his throat. "Ten months?... Maybe a year?"
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if you guys thought this story was gonna end soon, think again 👀😂
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