I went home after our little 'encounter' and found it best not to visit the cafe for a few days. Little did I know that trouble would find it's way to me no matter what.
Frustrated, I decided to visit an old friend, Namjoon. He worked at a bookstore he owns with his partner, Kim Seokjin.
The day was warm, the sun just peeking through the clouds. Gentle breeze blew past my face leaving the scent of earth behind, rain is about to come. The wind chimes chimed with melody as I opened the door to the small shop at the corner of the street.
A slow jazz song could be heard along with the sound of chatters. My eyes searched for a certain grape-purple haired male but landed on a blond bloke.
Once again, I could hear the clock tick on my left. A rather tall woman walked past me blowing off a kiss in my direction but I couldn't care less. I let out a breath I was holding for not more than five seconds which seemed like hours. Just then, he jolted his head in my direction catching me off guard. He smiled at me as if he could hear my thoughts. My instincts told me to run away and never look back, but my body wouldn't budge. Instead, my feet found their way towards him and before I knew, it was too late. I was hovering over his table by the window, in a cold sweat.
"Hoseok! I thought I'd never see you again" He talked as if it was as easy as sliding down a frosty road. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts, to chew over what happened in the last twenty seconds.
"Uh-yeah. I-I thought so too"
"Why don't you take a seat?"
"Oh-sure" I did as I was told.
"Why did you come here anyway?" He said, a smirk crawling up his right cheek.
"I came to visit a friend of mine. He owns the store"
"You mean Seokjin?"
"No, I mean yes, him too. But I was talking about Namjoon"
"Ah, I see. Why don't you visit the cafe anymore?"
Because of you.
"Because I was ill."
"But you're here now"
"I came to see Namjoon"
"They own the cafe too, did you forget?"
"I am not compelled to answer your stupid questions"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk to you"
Why? Why me?
I cannot really express it in words but I felt something. It felt nice knowing that someone cared.
You can coax the cold right out of me
Drape me in your warmth
"Look, Taehyung, I told you. I'm HIV positive and am not looking for any sort of relationship"
"But you're the one that came to my table" He had a point.
"Then I'll leave" With that, I got up not bothering to look at his face.
"No! Please stay. I mean, we could just talk..." Me next mistake, I stayed.
We talked. We talked without a care in the world. We talked about our families, our friends, his past relationships et cetera.
"So...Hoseok, why did you leave it all behind?" I was anticipating it all afternoon.
"I guess you should know. I didn't just quit, I teared Seongjin group apart."
"I know. You fired all the employees, sold off all of your shares, your company building is demolished." He stared deep into my eyes, for a minute I was scared. "I need to know why did you do it?"
The rapture in the dark puts me at ease
The blind eye of the storm
"Because I'm dying, Taehyung. These opportunistic diseases are killing me....I know I won't live long"
"That's stupid! You know millions of people are living normal lives even with AIDS! Our medical science has evolved-"
"I have Encephalopathy"
"W-what?"
"It's an opportunistic disease, a brain disease. Toxic-metabolic encephalopathy is a kind of dementia which can cause temporary or permanent brain damage..." It had been a long time since I had to explain my condition to someone.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's not your fault. Besides, I've learnt that pondering over it won't do anything. I mean, I cannot just sit at home waiting for my death, can I?"
"Your perspective is very admirable however....I still don't understand why you gave up your company"
"It was because I knew that my condition would only get worse and I just didn't want anybody pitying me. Seongjin Group was doing very well so I gave my employees a good bonus along with their salaries. I even released a three-month prior notice for them. The shareholders were not very happy with it at the beginning but once I reasoned with them, they were very supportive"
"So you gave up six years worth of hard-work?"
"You could say so. Since I'm the only heir and this company has been passed down from generations, I didn't want to defame it in any way. Yes, I've worked in it since I was eighteen but there are people who gave up their lives for it. Sometimes if you really love something, you need to let it go for it's own good" I sighed as I rested my case. I was expecting some sort of repugnance or odium but definitely not a warm smile.
"Hoseok...I'm glad to be your friend"
He stood up from his seat after a long time and walked across the table. My eyes followed his every move as he neared towards me, gently wrapping his arms around my shoulder. My head rested on his rather hard torso.
For the first time in a long time, I felt comfort, in a stranger's embrace.
Let's go for a walk down Easy Street
Where you can be reborn
And kiss me on the mouth and set me free
But please, don't bite
