Conceal

16. Unexpected

Jooheon went straight for Wonho's apartment after work. He was too mentally drained to do anything other than sleep yesterday night, and he would've done it this morning if it wasn't for work. Sitting in his car and gripping the steering wheel as he waited for the traffic light to turn green, he realised, not the first time, that his job, his passion, was one of the little things he had control over, just like how he could control when to start or stop the car he was in now. The red stop light stared back at him like an animal's eye, which was merely one of the many things he had no control over whatsoever.

His workday had dragged on whilst he waited for the clock to strike 6 so he could leave and return Wonho's jacket, and he could barely concentrate on anything despite being in his favourite place - his studio - with his mind constantly replaying the events that happened yesterday night. The more he tried to forget, the more firmly his memories stuck with him. Instead of them fading away into blurs, they became sharper and more distinct as time goes on. He couldn't even control his own mind the things in it. Nothing was going his way, except for his car, when the light turned green and he stepped on the gas pedal.

Jooheon wasn't ready. He wasn't close to becoming ready. He had no idea what to say to his friend when he arrives. Hell, he wasn't even sure he could stand seeing Wonho's face after...well, since the beginning, really, when they first met and he had decided to keep his other identity from his friends and pretended he was the friend everyone wished for. It felt unfair that this wasn't a problem until recently, but he soon accepted that emotions were something that accumulated until one day you found yourself unable to hold anymore, because they had already started breaking you slowly.

Jooheon steppes harder on the pedal when he saw Wonho's jacket in the back seat through the rear view mirror. He was afraid the guilt would eat him from the inside and swallow him whole if he didn't go to Wonho now. In fact, he was quite certain the jacket would never return to its rightful owner if he delayed this any longer.

He turned the steering wheel and made a left turn, but almost swerved right into the sidewalk and the pedestrians on it when he caught a glimpse of a familiar face at the turning point. His hands dragged the wheel back to its original position at the very last second, as the people on the street scattered as quickly as his heart was beating.

Jooheon pulled up to a curb and turned on the hazard warning lights. The man he saw just now walked past his window, staring at his phone. He was wearing a leather jacket on top of a black t-shirt, a grey scarf with black stripes hung around his neck, and a headband wrapped around his forehead, partly covered by his golden hair. His slim legs looked even thinner with ripped jeans wrapping around them tightly. Jooheon was 90% sure that man was who he thought he was just by looking at his fashion and body shape, but his shoes was what confirmed his guess.

Ignoring the mess he was creating with his car parked in the middle of a city road, Jooheon pushed the car door open with away too much force than necessary and jumped out. His feet merely grazed the floor before he started breaking into a full sprint towards the man, who had gotten quite far with his long legs. Feeling the wind on his face, Jooheon realised he didn't know why he was running full speed towards the man. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen the other for so long and he just took in how many things he had to say, or maybe it was as simple as his subconscious wanting to delay the car trip because he wasn't ready to face Wonho yet.

Jooheon knew the moment he saw the pair of shoes that it had to be him, because he would never forget the present he gave to the man, especially when that man wasn't only his colleague, or his friend, or his long lost brother, but his crush.

Jooheon reached out to touch the man's shoulder, but his inertia made it hard for him to stop and both of them stumbled. Jooheon took a moment to steady his breathing before looking up to apologise and greet.