in the city • astro

introduction

"Not again."

These were words that were groaned under the light of the bar, which floated quietly away from the couple amidst the busy sounds of late night city life.

"Yes Eunwoo, it happened again," Jinwoo said, placing his slightly tipsy head into his hands, almost sighing as if it could untie the tight knot of dread in his chest. He made eye contact with the bartender, who nodded solemnly and prepared another glass of beer. It wasn't a new situation, evidently, as this reappearing conversation was essentially tiresome to go through again. It was as if it were a mechanical machine that Jinwoo would regularly start over again; fall in love, cry, sip another beer. However, Cha Eunwoo still had yet to figure out where he fell in this equation, though he was eventually pulled into this mess that was Park Jinwoo's love life.

"Just stop falling in love so much," Eunwoo pulled the beer away from Jinwoo's grasping fingers, acting as a sort of mother that makes sure that you don't make too many bad decisions.

"Well, if it were that easy, I wouldn't!" Jinwoo tapped the counter in high tension with the pads of his fingers. "Why did I even appoint you as my homosexual love counselor?"

"That's a question I'm still asking myself."

"Note to self: never ask a straight guy for gay advice." Jinwoo slumped back into his seat while fiddling with the collar of his button up.

"Friendly reminder that there is a difference between heterosexuality versus asexuality," Eunwoo rolled his eyes. "But that's beside the point. Just talk to him and you'll be alright."

Jinwoo replayed the dismissive statement in his head, desperately trying to believe it. Maybe his never-ending struggle with finding a definitive relationship with someone he likes will be ended when he-- talks to said person? As if he could possibly find someone, whose name is not Cha Eunwoo, who can accept his eccentricity. Jinwoo was almost past the phase of desperation in his drinking tonight; however he was simply thinking about ways to procrastinate on approaching his own situation, similarly to many times before. It's not that Jinwoo has an inability to flirt, it's just that he does it so often and perhaps too often, that maybe he cannot find the difference between really meaning it and throwing his winks around. The thought of being hopelessly devoted to someone was almost sickening to the head, and said sickness could not be dealt with by drinking another can of beer.

"Funny, I have this weird, mental block from talking to pretty boys; I don't think that I'll be able to. I mean, I'll try--" Jinwoo stopped trying to form his thoughts abruptly and looked back at the figure beside him. "Is it weird that I'm talking about your childhood friend this way?"

"Myungjun? A little bit. I mean, you've only just met him, anyway."

Jinwoo groaned for what seemed to be the hundredth time and rested his head on Eunwoo's shoulder. "Maybe this is just another crush. Maybe he's not as unapproachable as my head makes him out to be."

"Maybe." And with that, Eunwoo patted Jinwoo's back softly, before waving at the bartender for the check.

-

Kim Myungjun found himself wandering in an empty art studio, staring off at the mountains of cardboard boxes filled with paint bottles and disregarded scraps of half-made papier mache sculptures. It was fairly late in the night; however, he couldn't force himself to go home, as his excitement at beginning a new semester at his dream arts school had yet to be calmed. He was somehow in denial of the experiences that have happened in the past days, and for once, he could not simply form words to explain how he was exactly feeling. With denial came self-doubt, and Myungjun felt the pang of panic when he realized that he must prove himself worthy of receiving a full scholarship to his dream college-- and of course, that constant mission must start tomorrow...