How it Feels to Be Replaced

Chapter 1

"Here you are, sir." Jinho wore a wide, closed-lip smile as he handed the drink to the man waiting in front of the counter. The man thanked him briefly before walking away, not looking for any kind of casual conversation. As the man left, Jinho let out a breath and the smile instantly fell off his face. He hadn't been in the best mood today, or yesterday for that matter. It was hard for him to remember last time he was genuinely happy or excited about something.

Hopping over the counter, Jinho sat himself down on it, gazing out the front window of the coffee shop. The mid-morning sunlight trickled in through the glass, reflecting off of his onyx eyes, which accented his softly pale skin. He brushed a couple of black strands of silky hair out of his face, pushing them off to one side. Continuing to gaze out the window, his eyes unfortunately rested on something familiar to him.

There was a large commercial television on the building across the street that continued to flash the same advertisement nearly every day. Silvery hair that fell around a piercing ebony gaze that quickly cut away to a few words, and then back again to a strong jawline and soft lips. The screen cut one more time to a wider shot that captured the entire person on the screen.

Gyuchan...

Jinho zoned out at the advertisement for a long moment, finding himself becoming nostalgic. It had been years since he'd seen his old friend, but to the young man sitting on the counter, nothing had changed, almost like they'd just graduated yesterday...

"Hey, don't get so down about it. It's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll come visit ya, I promise." Gyuchan smiled, putting a hand on Jinho's shoulder as they stood face to face with one another. Jinho looked up from the ground; sad, onyx eyes meeting Gyuchan's. His gaze was comforting and endearing, and Jinho couldn't help but smile at him, even if it was filled with melancholy.

"That doesn't mean I won't miss you. What happens if you get a girlfriend? Promise to still talk to me then?" The soft guy lightly poked Gyuchan's shoulder, shoving it backward a little. Gyuchan just shook his head, letting out a little scoff.

"What kind of guy do you think I am? You're not gonna be replaced, Jinho. I'm not going to forget about you either. University can't change a person that much. Don't worry about it. Hey, even if something does happen, I'm gonna work really hard. Maybe one day..." Gyuchan pointed upwards at a commercial television playing some sort of advertisement. "...I'll be on that screen."

"Excuse me..." A soft, slightly timid voice brought Jinho back to his senses as he got tapped on the knee. He jumped a little, bit realizing he'd started daydreaming.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Immediately, Jinho jumped down off of the counter, running around to the back to help out the customer. She giggled at him a little, and proceeded to order what she wanted. Jinho prepared it quickly, and brought it back up to the counter for her. "Again, I'm sorry. I was just zoning out. You don't have to pay for this."

"No, no! It's just fine, I'm not in a rush anyways." The girl giggled at Jinho again, tilting her head to the side. She was a rather attractive young woman, someone most people wouldn't be able to pass up if the opportunity was given. "What has you so down? You're pretty cute, too, y'know."

"I ah—" Jinho hesitated for a moment, running his hand through his hair before resting it on the back of his head. "I already have a girlfriend... sorry..." His eyebrows furrowed a little when he told his lie, a little confused as to why he'd do it himself. "...that's actually the reason I was daydreaming. She went away for... university... and I haven't seen her in awhile...." Jinho's voice quivered a little towards the end of his sentence, and he trailed off, realizing what he was lying about.

That's not a story about any girl...

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize!" The girl began to apologize profusely, just taking her drink from the counter and leaving Jinho the payment for the drink, even though he said she didn't have to pay. She began to run out of the coffee shop, pausing in the doorway again before she disappeared. "Again sorry!"