Perfectly Imperfect

What life is about?

Luhan skipped classes for rest of the day. His head was throbbing. He was confused and lost. He was sure about his feelings for Hyoyeon but her words lingered in his mind. What if he manages to work part-time and be independent but is not able to maintain a healthy relation with Hyoyeon? His efforts will be in vain if all he does is work and lead a hectic life and is unable to make Hyoyeon happy. He took the day off and wandered around in the streets thinking intently. He was so deeply buried in his thoughts that it was not until late afternoon that he realized he had lost his way.
Luhan was now in a part of the city that he had never been. The houses in that area looked old, the white paints had turned gray and patches of paint were coming off the walls. He never knew that there were such areas in Seoul. As he continued walking down the lane he saw a man walking in the opposite direction. The man was humming some old song as he skipped down the lane happily. What amused Luhan was that the guy was barefooted. He looked at the man with curious eyes and the man noticed this.
"Are you lost?" The man asked as Luhan indeed looked out of place with his branded clothes and sophisticated looks.
"Actually, I am." Luhan replied feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Ahh..I knew it." The man smiled. "Continue down this lane and take the first right. It'll take you to the main road. You'll be able to catch a bus from there."
"Thanks." Luhan was grateful that the man had offered to help even without asking. "You don't wear shoes?"
"I don't have one." The man replied.
"You can have mine." Luhan didn't think twice. Ignoring the man's protests, Luhan removed his shoes and gave it to the man. "Here have it. Take it as a thank you gift." He forcefully made the man take it.
"I have spent most of my life not wearing shoes. I can handle the rest of my life without one." The man said. "But I don't think you can walk without shoes. You need them more."
"No, keep it sir." Luhan smiled. "I have never walked without shoes, doesn't mean I can never walk without them."
The man smiled and nodded his head. "God bless you sir." He said. "You too sir." Luhan replied before walking down the direction the man had told.
Luhan had never walked through the streets barefooted and it oddly felt nice. He smiled as he observed his bare feet touch the pavement. He replayed his own sentence in his mind.
I have never walked without shoes, doesn't mean I can never walk without them.
Yes, he had never gone through hardships. He didn't have to look at the price tag before buying anything. He had chefs cooking food for him, maids who took care of his every need and friends and family who loved him and cared about him. But all this doesn't mean he can never live a life without luxuries. There are millions of people who struggle to meet their ends but come back home happily to their family. In the end, what matters is whether you are able to live life the way you want with the person you love not whether your life was easy and luxurious. Life is all about what matter to you, your priorities.
Luhan remembered what Hyoyeon had said about her parents.
"Despite having high educational qualifications, my parents chose to start a skiing business because that's what they loved to do. They may not be earning a lot but they are living their life to fullest every single day. They are spending their life without any regrets with the person they love the most."
At the time, Luhan didn't understand what Hyoyeon had said but right then, it all made sense to him. Luhan boarded the bus to his home. People saw him barefooted and looked at him weirdly but Luhan couldn't care any less about it. He sat on a window seat and gazed outside.
"After all, life is not about how full your wallet is." Hyoyeon said.
Luhan furrowed his brows. "Then what is life about?"
"Life is all about being happy Luhan."
"Life is all about being happy." He whispered to himself smiling.

The next day, Luhan went to class and found that Hyoyeon's seat was empty. After a while, he saw her enter. He smiled seeing her but she didn't look at his direction and quietly went to sit down on a seat in the front row. Luhan furrowed his brows wondering why she was sitting there and not beside him, which was her original seat.
"Hyoyeon exchanged seats with me." A boy said when he saw Luhan looking at Hyoyeon and sat down on the seat which was Hyoyeon's. Luhan looked at the boy and nodded. He understood, she was avoiding him.
When the bell rang for break, Luhan quickly stood up and walked over to her seat but Hyoyeon was quicker and had left the class. He ran to the entrance but since there was rush, by the time he got out of the class, she had left.
Luhan kicked the floor frustrated and walked to the cafeteria. On the way, he met with his gang and Yeun was with them. They greeted Luhan and Luhan only glared at Sehun before walking past him.
"What happened to him?" Lay mused.
Sehun didn't answer but kept looking at the direction Luhan had left with a stoic face.
"Something must have happened to him. He bunked classes yesterday and day before. That is so unusual of him. It's not like he is ill." Kris said.
Suho nodded. "He does seem strange these days."
"May be we should ask him." Kyungsoo piped in.
"We should." Lay said and the others agreed. They then went to cafeteria to have their lunch.
Sehun and Yeun stayed back.
"Sehun" Yeun called and the guy turned to her "is there any problem between you two?"
Sehun was about to deny when Yeun spoke up again. "Don't lie. I know there is something wrong. I've never seen Luhan glare at you or anyone like that. Everything was okay until you two went to talk in private. What happened?"
Sehun sighed looking down. He then looked into Yeun's eyes. "Tell me one thing. Do you love Luhan?"
Yeun fell silent. She simply stared into Sehun's eyes not uttering a word.
"I want you to tell the truth Yeun-ah." Sehun said.
Yeun looked down and nodded. "I do." The answer came out like a whisper.
"Argh!" Sehun groaned taking his right hand out of his pant pocket to ruffle his hair. "I knew it!" He said kicking the locker slightly. "He has no idea, does he?"
"No." She held the book in her hand tightly.
"Why didn't you tell him?" Sehun walked closer to her peering at the girl who had her head down.
"I felt there is no need. Even if he doesn't feel exactly the same way as I do, he will eventually grow to love me. We are going out so it is impossible for him not to develop feelings me."
Sehun scoffed. "You are so wrong Yeun-ah." He shook his head. "He already likes someone else now."
"What?" Yuen looked up bewildered.
"Luhan likes Hyoyeon now. He asked to see you yesterday to break up with you." Sehun explained. "But I stopped him."
"Luhan.." Yeun looked away feeling at loss of words.
"You needn't worry. I don't think they'll be together. Though Luhan might be mad at me for a while, in the end, he will be grateful for stopping him. You two are meant to be." Sehun assured her.
"I guess." She smiled bitterly.
.
.
After another hectic day at the café, Hyoyeon was washing the dishes while leaving Amber with cleaning tables. While she was wiping the washed plates, Amber walked in.
"Someone is here to see you."
Hyoyeon shot a skeptical look at Amber who shrugged before walking out. Hyoyeon removed her gloves and dried her hands before walking out.
Must be Luhan. Hyoyeon thought. After yesterday's happenings, Hyoyeon was certainly avoiding him since she didn't want to face him yet. For three days, she barely managed to scoot away right before he got to her but she knew that sooner or later, she will have to talk to him.
Though Hyoyeon had boldly pointed out the bitter reality to Luhan, deep inside her heart, she expected that he would come through and declares that the love he has for her meant more to him than the luxuries. Every time Luhan tried to approach Hyoyeon, she ran away, afraid that he might tell her that she was indeed right, that he will not be able to live such a life just to be with her. She was a genius, someone who was an expert at the art of deduction but she always had trouble reading the minds of someone she loved because in such cases, her feelings made it hard for her to deduce the thoughts going on in the complex mind of the other. Thus, Hyoyeon had no idea what was going on in Luhan's mind.
Luhan, though Hyoyeon felt he was a spoiled perfectionist on their first encounter, turned to be more than that, way more than that. He was compassionate, caring and understanding, everything Hyoyeon wanted in a guy. But one can have everything but still be unable to make your heart flutter but Luhan did that as well. Hyoyeon couldn't tell exactly when but at one point, she started noticing the change in the pace of her heart beat and the small butterflies that would form in her stomach and tickle her insides. She knew she loved him but did he love her enough? She had no idea.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Hyoyeon saw the guy sitting on one of the empty tables, his head resting on his palm.
"Henry?" Hyoyeon was surprised to see the guy and at the same time relieved and slightly disappointed that it was not Luhan.
"Who do you think it would be?" Henry looked up.
"No one." She cleared her throat. She asked him to wait until she finished her work.
By half past eleven, they closed the café and parted ways with Amber and other coworkers. Henry and Hyoyeon walked to the latter's apartment in silence. Hyoyeon didn't want to initiate a conversation since she was exhausted physically and mentally. Henry sensed that the girl was not feeling well and decided not to say anything. A conversation will only make things awkward. Their conversation would normally end up in Henry asking her to go out with him and her rejecting him for the umpteenth time. A silence was better than that at the moment.
The two stopped in front of the apartment.
Hyoyeon was about to say bye when Henry spoke. "Is there anything bothering you?"
"Nothing, Henry." She lied.
"Come on Hyoyeon, you know you can tell me anything." He urged her.
"It's nothing Henry." She heaved a frustrated sigh. "Forget about it."
"Why don't you trust me? You can rely on me Hyo." He grabbed her hand. "I'll make your life easy."
"Not again." She rolled her eyes and pulled her hands but Henry held it tight not letting her go.
"Why can't you go out with me? What do I lack?"
"You lack nothing Henry." She replied genuinely.
"Then why?"
"Because she likes me."
Hyoyeon and Henry looked to their side from where the voice came. A person walked out of the darkness into the area lit by the street light.
"Luhan." Hyoyeon whispered.