Shun once again slid the door of the van open and came out, jogging back to follow his Master, ignoring the boiling heat of Korea, and when he finally reached his Master's side in less than half a minute, he halts with a loud thud from the heels of his boots against the ground. He came with a message.
"Young Master, the head operator has been keen to discuss to you regarding the whereabouts of your cellular phone. The case about it was labeled as stolen."
Hiro paused midway. He lifts two of his fingers, signaling Shun to keep the conversation on hold, who nods and oblige to his call. And he breathes out the air trapped in his lungs.
His eyes, at last, landed at the person who had plagued his mind emotionally and mentally for the past hours. Awestruck, his legs had ceased as he stood very still under the sun, unmoving and paralyzed. His lips parts and his breathing starts to hitch.
He's here.
He finally found him—and he's near.
Very near.
Relief floods his eyes.
In a split second, the relief he finally tasted for a few seconds withered away when his eyes shifted towards the person standing next to Jin.
His brows once again furrowed, and his sight turned bleak--dark. His chest overflowed with uneasiness once again . . . This time with an odd mixture of betrayal that made his bottled-up frustration grow a mile, another unfamiliar emotion that effortlessly broke his sanity apart and destroyed the boundaries even he, limits to cross.
He never felt more displeased as this momentarily and it cues to him that this little and innocent man already has this strong influence on him.
He affects him.
What a revelation.
Finally gathering up his resolve, he brought his lips to move. It was not because of his growing anxiety, but because his once empty heart was now again filled with the slightly bland and unwelcoming taste of longing and uncertainty. And it only occurs to him whenever Jin was on sight.
"May I have a word with you?" He's well aware his voice was pleading.
Hiro examines him once again.
He looked fragile even on his uniform that exposed his thin and pale arms, and yet he still looks the same as the memory he last burned of him, except the fact that his pale skin is glowing under the heated morning of Hongwon and his eyes were large, alarmed, and wide, staring back at him.
Will he ever get his fill of the marvelous sight of him?
"Please." He adds, desperate, ignoring Shun's distracting cough behind him.
Jin's lips, again, form in an irresistible 'o' shape.
______________________________
Eye to eye, Jin's eyes bulge as he gapes at the man standing in front of them from afar, enticed by his intense gaze.
His stomach lurches from within, replaying his familiar yet distant baritone voice that's cautiously vibrating inside his ears, ringing to his fuzzy head.
He wants to talk to him.
The thought of it alone brought different sensations deep, deep, deep within him.
Is that why he's here?
'I think we know why,' his subconscious pops out of nowhere, resting his little body on his shoulder while leaning into his ear, and Jin couldn't agree more.
It must be about his phone.
Despite trying hard to retrieve his scattered thoughts, Jin finds himself walking very slowly towards the man, still blinking his eyes whether this was an illusion, just like the ones he sees from the sky when he's sitting by the window from the third floor in professor Jeon's English class.
But one thing's odd. Why does he look at him like that?
He looks rather pitiful--in that sharp black suit of his.
Just as he was about to reach him, a hand drape over him from behind, securely locking around his waist, and dragged him back to where he originally stood.
Jin blinks from the broken spell he was subconsciously drowned in.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jihyuk whispered and hisses. His doubtful eyes never left the man standing very still from afar that could almost be mistaken as a statue and he has never been hopeful that the man is one.
Jin struggles, "Let go, I need to talk to him," and when he looks back behind him, Jihyuk was staring back at him as if he was crazy.
"You know him?"
Jihyuk knew it was an uncanny phenomenon. Korea's huge. Out of all the places, what brings that shrewd guy in here?
And of all people, Jin is the last person he could think of having connections with him.
"We better go, Bom," How could Jin not notice? He's gawking at them like a predator ready to slay his prey at any minute. The thought and humor about it alone are displeasing.
Escape,
Is always the best solution.
Does he seriously think it's sane to do so? From the looks of it, the man's stare against him is one that belonged to a murderer.
He has Jin's bag. He calculated the seconds they'll reach the back gate and he's relieved to find out they're at advantage. There's no better thing to do right now than to run.
"Don't be rude," Jin glares at him, destroying his well-prepared plan.
"So you really know him?"
Jin nods. He sounded surprised from many levels, and he somewhat made it sound it's wrong being so. He's sure Jihyuk heard the man right. The person clearly wants to talk to him--and is asking politely.
Right.
He forgot to mention what entirely happened that night to him. He could only blame his exhaustion. He was too devastated when he got back to that suffocating table, and recalling it again would only bring him sensible grief and discomfort.
He's still getting used to the idea of his mother marrying another man, slowly. He will take his time.
"He's the son of the person my mother wants to remarry, hyuk." He's glad that his mother at least mentioned this matter to him this morning.
Jihyuk's mouth fell open.
Jin looks back and he smiles apologetically at him and his determined eyes reassured him that everything's fine.
Gently, Jihyuk's arm loosened around him, still blinking his eyes numerous times at him in disbelief. He, too, was in deep silence, "Unbelievable . . . " he mutters unconsciously.
"I know," Jin's smile was replaced by a frown when he finally gained back his equilibrium.
There's too much information to sink in and he rather feels overwhelmed.
They both flinch on their place when a shadow towered over the both of them in a blink of an eye and when Jin looks to his front, Hiro was now an arm's length close.
Too close.
Jihyuk's jaw clenches. His sharp and prying eyes attempt to read and stare at the person's cold, bland, and empty ones.
Doing such daring thing, if his parents knew his ill-mannered demeanor and not even bothering to greet an acquaintance of them, he would be heavily punished by his prideful father. He indeed values his life, but the Woos can still put their family's connections to use. Killing him as the next heir of his family would be too boring, no?
"I greet the next rising sun of the Woos lineage." Sarcasm was visible in his voice influenced by his fury and confusion.
This guy's no royalty.
Treating a person with respect who's even worse than a serial killer is ridiculous.