LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES....Ch 22.3/36
Title: Love Knows No Boundaries
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO and BAP, f(x) (minus Victoria), Beast (Kikwang and Dongwoon), former APINK member (Yookyung), JB and JR
Word Count: 5630
Genre: College, Drama, AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: College students; Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like a roller coaster. They find relationships, and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: Third installment, the very last one~ with EXO AS ONE IN THIS CHAPTER (again). This is the part that makes the whole chapter really climactic.
Warning: Language under stressful conditions, and Character Injury/Death
T-3 hours and 15 minutes… 4:00PM.
“You got this, Jongup-ah!” Luhan says encouragingly, as he pats Jongup on the shoulder. They are wearing their dance clothes for their auditions, as well as a paper pinned to their clothes, with their audition numbers on it.
“Jonguppie, you can do it! Do well, Jongup-ah!” Cheers from Jongin, Yixing, Luhan and Sehun come from nearby as the quartet is gathered around the people waiting for their numbers to be called. Jongup gives a thumb up and a bright smile.
Jongup is aware that Himchan, Yongguk, Junhong and Daehyun are somewhere in the crowd, and he hopes to give his all for the audition. Last night had been something memorable for him and he wants to keep that memory in his head to keep his nerves calm. He knows his routine well enough since he has done this one too many times. He takes a deep breath as he waits for one of the panel judges to announce his number.
Yongguk and Himchan are with Daehyun, Kyungsoo, Zitao, JR, and Junhong, seated in the audience to watch the auditions. The audience is not fully packed as there are some people dispersed, and the panel judges are at a panel row in the middle of the audience. The lights are off except for a few directed on the stage, leaving a darkened audience, so that the dancers who are auditioning can have a calm environment to focus.
“678-0206, please come on up to the stage.”
- -
Meanwhile, Soojung is hosting a sleepover party at her house once again with her friends Sunyoung, Jinri and Amber. Her house is quite a modern house, very eccentric; thanks to her uncle who is an architect.
“Kibum-oppa admires our uncle, so he likes to keep some photos of architecture in his room, even though he’s a fashion designer,” Soojung comments.
“Wah, Soojung-ah, I’ve said it before, but your house is so huge! And I can see the sunset from here!” Jinri stands in front of the glass wall on the second story. “Ahh, it’s so scary being up here, it’s like you’re about to fall off from the edge, but there’s this glass in front of me!” She giggles.
T-2 hours and 30 minutes…
“So where to, Baekkie-yah? Italian? Chinese? French?” Chanyeol lists off as he walks with Baekhyun, arms linked, wearing thick coats, long sleeved shirts and jeans.
“Chanyeol, let’s have Italian. It’s getting cold these days, and I am craving for some lasagna.”
“Italian, it is! Arrivederci! No wait, Ciao! Molto bueno! Mannaggia! Or was it ‘Mangia’?” Chanyeol exclaims happily, saying random things in Italian, as Baekhyun giggles and nudges his boyfriend to stop being so corny in public.
T-2 hours and 15 minutes…
“So what do you think? Can we play Starcraft now?” JB spins in his chair as Youngjae scans the music sheets.
“…Jaebum…you know very well I cannot play Starcraft when we have a project due next week.”
“But it’s just us in the project! We’re just singing a duet, not performing with limbs like what Luhan-hyung and the others are doing tonight with their dance auditions. We could have gone there to watch, just saying…”
“We could have, had you not procrastinated on your part with our project. You were supposed to write the harmony parts!” Youngjae says, a little annoyed.
“But it’s Saturday~ We still have one more day before the week starts, and besides our duet isn’t until Wednesday.”
“And?” Scoffing, Youngjae stares at JB with a murderous look that says, Dare to retort back at me?.
JB gulps. “And I say we work on our duet and get it done as soon as possible so we can make this work.”
“Right you are, Jaebum-ah,” Youngjae nods with a tone of finality, focusing on the music sheets and figuring out what music notes and lyrics would blend well together.
Sounds of a pencil scratching across the paper and papers rustling on the desk replace the conversation, as Youngjae scans the music sheets. JB watches him mutter to himself as he picks up several papers.
“It’s just me and you, in this room, me and you, so alone~” JB singsongs as he gets up from his chair and walks over to his friend.
Youngjae blinks with a ‘what-the-hell’ expression, as he lifts his head up slowly to stare at JB with a judging look.
JB smiles and pokes at Youngjae’s cheeks. “You’re so cute when you glare, Youngjae-yah. Your cheeks are so puffy.”
“Yah, Jaebum-ah. Stop it.” Youngjae flails his arms to block Jaebum’s incessant prodding fingers. “I said, stop it. You're being weird today, aish.”
JB stops his poking, pouting at his friend, before leaving him. Youngjae assumes that JB has gone to get something from his backpack in the closet behind Youngjae. He is about to write something on the music sheet, when he is suddenly attacked with hands digging at his sides.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Jahaha-stop! Jaeb-whahahahaha,” Youngjae’s body jerks from the tickles as he crows out laughing. JB, chuckling, continues to tickle Youngjae mercilessly, leaving him no time to breathe and say things correctly.
“JAEBUM stahahahahahhaap. Stop it! HAHAHAHAHA!! JAEBUM DAMMIT,” Youngjae snaps as he moves his chair backwards against JB’s body, almost throwing JB off balance. As JB stumbles to regain his footings, Youngjae gets out of his chair and turns around, shooting daggers at him. JB stares back guiltily at Youngjae.
“Can you try to be a little more serious right now?” Youngjae scoffs. “This final is really important. Playtime can come later, alright? I know you have a natural talent for singing and dancing; but come on, this is college, not high school. You know how finals have been in the past two years in college. Use your talents properly. Please, just…can you work with me on this?”
JB bites on his bottom lip, glancing at the music sheets on Youngjae’s desk. He sighs, and nods.
“Thank you,” Youngjae says emphatically as he returns to his desk, often glancing warily at Jaebum. Jaebum comes up behind Youngjae to rest his arms on Youngjae’s shoulders, overlooking the music sheets. Youngjae looks up at him, smiling lightly, and directs his attention back to a paper in front of him. Jaebum scans the melody and harmony notes before looking at Youngjae’s lyrics.
“So what do you think about my lyrics here?” Youngjae asks.
“Hm…it’s not too bad, we could go for ‘My nervous heart that beats wildly only for you, I cannot help but feel like we are meant to be together”…or something, I don’t know...” He hums the tune in Korean, trying to find some kind of rhyme and rhythm between the two lines and a better flow.
T-1 hour and 15 minutes…
It is now Luhan’s turn to go on stage, leaving Yixing with the rest of the people waiting to be called. Sehun, Jongin and Jongup have already auditioned, now waiting at the other side of the stage. The leftovers were told to gather around in the room, and those who have already done their auditions were to be gathered in another, just to avoid confusion.
Luhan closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths as his mind starts playing the music that he will be dancing to.
“Number 678-0420, please come up to the stage.”
“Break a leg, Luhan-ge!” Yixing shouts.
- - -
Joonmyeon is with Minseok, Wufan and Jongdae as he and Minseok prepare the feast for the dancers in congratulations for having completed their auditions. They only have an hour and a half left before the auditions are over and the dancers, as well as their companions, will be home.
Minseok is preparing a scrumptious feast, with Chinese and Korean dishes. Joonmyeon is helping Minseok in the kitchen, a flurry of Korean emitting smoothly from the mouths of the two men. After setting up the table and tidying up the apartment, Jongdae and Wufan are seated in the living room, listening to and watching the news.
T-45 minutes…
“Tonight, Seoul will be expecting some moderate rain, around eight millimeters, so everyone, please watch out carefully when you’re walking and driving out there,” the weatherwoman in the TV announces.
“Rain? But…December’s supposed to be a dry month, with frost,” Wufan mutters to himself.
“Oh, DAMMIT!!” Minseok shouts, startling Joonmyeon, while looking into the cupboard above the stove while stirring a pot on the stove. Wufan and Jongdae immediately turn to the source when Wufan asks his brother what is wrong.
“I need to get some Sichuan spice powder, honeydews and cinnamon! I thought we had enough but now, it looks like I don’t have much! Argh!! I need to get them from Auntie Hwakyung’s grocery store but the broth needs to be constantly stirred and Joonmyeon’s already watching the meat on the stove. The bread needs the cinnamon before it can be baked!”
Minseok looks to the clock and groans. “The guys will be here in about an hour!!”
“Hyung, I can get them if you want,” Jongdae stands up as he offers his assistance and Wufan looks up at him, seated on the couch. “I’ll go there by myself.” Jongdae reaches for his foldable walking stick that is next to him on the side table and unfolds it, locking the rods in place.
“Okay, great! Thanks, Jongdae-yah!”
“I’ll go with you, Chenchen-ah,” Wufan stands up, about to hook his arm with Jongdae when Jongdae gently brushes it away.
“It’s okay, gege,” Jongdae pats his brother’s arm with a smile. “I know where the store is, I have my walking stick.” Wufan blinks at him.
“Let me go with you, Chenchen,” Wufan says with a stubborn tone.
“I’m fine, really, gege!” Jongdae smiles. Wufan stares at him dubiously. “It’s only a few blocks away. Besides, Minseok-hyung may need some assistance if Joonmyeon-hyung isn’t available. One person is enough to carry three grocery items. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Jongdae-yah, don’t forget, Sichuan spice powd-“
“Sichuan spice powder, honeydews and cinnamon, yes hyung!” Jongdae finishes the rest of Minseok’s sentence as he makes his way to the door. He opens it before getting his rain jacket and scarf hanging on the wall next to the entry door. Making himself as comfortable as he can for the cold weather outside, he is about to put on his jacket when he feels a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Okay…but please be careful, Jongdae-yah. Hurry back home, alright?” Wufan’s voice flows with resignation and a tinge of worry into Jongdae’s ears, and Jongdae feels two arms wrapped around him. He hears a deep breath from above him as Wufan buries his face in Jongdae’s hair. “Don’t stay too long out there. I…please just hurry back as soon as you get the ingredients…I love you, Chenchen-ah, you know that, right? I’m just worried about you being out there in the weather.” He sways with his younger brother on the spot.
Jongdae’s ears perk up at his brother’s tone. “I love you too, gege. But, why are you being like that? It’s not like I’m gonna get mobb-“
“Don’t jinx it, Jongdae-yah,” Wufan snaps softly.
Jongdae chuckles lightly. “Alright, I will hurry back home as soon as I have the ingredients, gege. Don’t worry too much about me; it’s just a little rain outside. I’ll be back home before you know it, gege.” He pats Wufan’s arms, before he feels himself being released from his brother’s hold. “See you in a bit!” Jongdae puts on his jacket and walks out the door.
Wufan ruffles his brother’s hair, watching him go. He steps out of the doorway to keep an eye on his brother, who is scanning the hallway floor with his walking stick, walking with confidence. He smiles to himself and crosses his arms before leaning against the wall of the hallway.
T-30 minutes…
Whooossshhhhh…whhhsshhhhh…
After Jongdae has taken the elevator down and exits out of the apartment building, he shivers as he feels the chilly wind blasting on his face.
“Agh, it’s quite chilly,” Jongdae shudders on the spot, despite his thick layers of clothes. Retrieving his winter woolen cap from the pocket of his jacket, he puts it on and lifts his hoodie on top, before he starts scanning the ground with his walking stick, making his way to the convenience store.
Hum of cars’ engines passing by Jongdae as he walks along the curbed sidewalk…
Jongdae picks up some scattered chatters around him, but none are relevant to his interests…
There should be a third lamp pole around here…Aha. I should be making a right turn once I feel the corner curb, Jongdae thinks to himself as he had counted the last two lamp poles, and is arriving at the third lamp pole. Feeling the corner curb nearby, he turns right and moves on. He continues to change directions according to his surroundings and the odd landmarks with which he associates easily with, after having gone to the convenience store one too many times with his brothers.
After fifteen minutes of walking, Jongdae finally arrives at the store. He feels for the door and pulls it open.
A bell rings…and a gentle female voice is heard from Jongdae’s right…
“Oh, hello, Jongdae-yah! Long time no see! It’s Auntie Hwakyung!”
Jongdae smiles, and he feels a soft hand resting on his arm.
“I’m here on a quick errand. Minseok-hyung wants some Sichuan spice powder, some honeydews and cinnamon.”
“Oh? You’re in luck. We have some fresh honeydews here and I’ll go get the spices for you, child. Why don’t you come with me and you can sit down at the bench here?”
“Thanks, Auntie, but I can do it.”
“No no, child, let me. I insist.” Hwakyung leads Jongdae to a metal bench and he sits down tentatively, leaning on the stick after his hand feels for the bench. Jongdae hears her speak again as he folds his stick.
“Aigoo, Jongdae-yah. You came alone? Where are the others?”
“Minseok-hyung and Wufan-hyung are cooking up a feast with Joonmyeon-hyung for our friends who are having their dance auditions today. It’s quite a big event because not only are the dance majors being graded, some of them may have the chance to perform for the national dance competition in the next term after the winter break.”
“Oh, wonderful!! And how’s that gentleman friend of yours, Yixing-ah?”
“O-oh,” Jongdae blushes. “He’s doing well, he’s also at the dance audition…He’s also my boyfriend, Auntie Hwakyung.”
“Is that so?? Omo, you two are so sweet for each other, I knew it was bound to happen. Aigoo, Jongdae-yah, you deserve someone like him,” Hwakyung pats Jongdae’s arm, beaming at him. “Ah! Remember when I saw you and Wufan-ah at the park and I told you we have some treats? We have some persimmons and some red bean buns in the kitchen. Would you like some, Jongdae-yah?”
“Yes, please, I would like one of each.”
“As you wish. Let me go get the groceries for you and my daughter will get the snacks. Yookyung-ah? Please get one red bean bun and one persimmon cut up for our handsome regular here!”
Jongdae smiles softly at the name of Yookyung. Though slightly younger than Jongdae, by a few months, she was quite tall for a girl when they first met, as he heard her voice slightly above him. She is always kind and considerate to him, whenever he visits the store with his brothers and sister. She would meet up with him and Sunyoung, and they would talk about stuff that had been going on in their everyday lives, while Wufan and Minseok searched for groceries.
Now, Jongdae and Yookyung are about the same height, and Jongdae feels like she is still the same dongsaeng she was when they first met.
“Jongdae-oppa! Hello~” Yookyung greets Jongdae warmly, carrying the sliced persimmon wedges and a red bean bun on a plate and tray. “Here are your fresh persimmon and fresh-from-the-oven red bean bun~”
“Thank you, Yookyung-ah, I really appreciate what you guys do around here.” Jongdae holds out his hands and feels Yookyung placing the tray on Jongdae’s palms.
“Anything for our regular customers, and you guys are part of my family!”
“For that, I’m most grateful.” Jongdae takes a wedge of persimmon and bites on it, savoring the sweet taste and the nice crunch in his mouth. “Mmm, this is delicious!”
Outside, the rain is starting to fall…
T-10 minutes…
A man has gotten out of the bar, feeling a bit buzzed. He tells his friends that he will be going home, and that he still feels fine. The friends are stubborn to let him drive, but the man himself is also stubborn. After a few moments of convincing his friends that he can walk straight, the friends let it slide and warns him that it will be his own fault if he does something stupid.
The man gets into his car, chuckling, and turns on the ignition. He backs out of the parking space and exits the parking lot located underneath the bar. After emerging from underneath the bar, he arrives at the street level and heads on his way home.
- -
Meanwhile, Hwakyung has now gathered the groceries and charged Jongdae not a single price on the groceries as a treat. Unfolding his stick, Jongdae thanks her and is about to leave when he hears her voice.
“Oh dear, it’s raining, and it’s so cold out there. Jongdae-yah, do you want me to drive you home?” Hwakyung asks with heavy concern. “I don’t want you to get sick. Your brothers would get worried about you.”
“It’s okay, Auntie,” Jongdae smiles as he makes his way to the exit, his stick dragging across the floor in front of him. “I can make my way back quickly. I know the directions to get there by heart.”
“Are you sure, sweetie? Yookyung or I would be happy to drive you back…”
“Really, I’m fine, Auntie,” Jongdae reassures her. “I don’t want to burden the two of you in the rain. Thank you for the offer! I’ll be going now! Take care, Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung-ah!”
“Be careful!”
Jongdae waves before he exits the store, meeting with a blast of sheer chill and rain.
The cold rain falls moderately as Jongdae continues to walk on, his stick scanning his path. With wet fingers, he tightens his grip on the stick, as the string loop on one end wraps around his fingers loosely.
Pitter patter pitter patter…step step step step step…
“Watch out, missus!”…
Cars are driving past Jongdae to get back home…
People are brushing against Jongdae, leaving him a bit disoriented at where he is going…
Dogs are barking…
Okay, where is that lamppost? I need to find it, Jongdae worries. He does not mind that he is getting soaked; he knows the plastic bag is getting wet, but the items inside are not of a concern as they are well protected.
“ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!”
Suddenly, Jongdae hears a stampede of feet and laughter, before he is literally enveloped in the sea of wet kids. Amidst the hustling and bustling in the crowd, Jongdae accidentally loses his grip on the walking stick and feels it being tugged before it is out of his grasp. He quickly turns around as he holds onto the grocery bag that has the ingredients.
There are sounds of yelling and excited cheering from the kids, somewhere in front of Jongdae, as someone yells several feet away from him, “I WON! I WON! I REACHED THE FINISH LINE!”
“WAIT, MY STICK!” Jongdae yells to the direction of the shout. He nervously inches himself towards the sound. “Can any one of you please give me back my stick? I need it.”
Jongdae extends his hand out in case a kid nearby gives it back. When he does not receive any response, he squats down to feel the cold, wet sidewalk for his stick.
“We’re sorry but we don’t know what you’re talking about, ahjusshi! We don’t have your stick. It must have fallen off somewhere,” one of the kids says to him.
“I think one of your friends must have pulled it out of my grasp.”
“Ahjusshi, none of us took your stick. I’m sure it must’ve fallen somewhere.”
“Well, can you find it for me please, kids? I’m completely blind, and I need that stick to get home,” Jongdae insists, before getting up.
“Sure, we’ll help.” Murmurs of agreement are heard from the kids, and Jongdae thanks them with a smile. “Come on, let’s go find it for the ahjusshi!”
Little does Jongdae know that the kids had seen his walking stick, and that one of them threw it across the street in cruel mischief. The kids run off, snickering, allowing Jongdae to think that they will help him, but they are already on their way back home.
Jongdae stands there on the pavement, waiting a few seconds before he asks again. “Well did any of you find it?”
Silence…with only the sound of rain and a few cars rushing by now and then…
“Anyone?”
Jongdae tentatively takes a step forward, holding onto his bag of groceries. His free arm is outstretched, feeling for any poles or lampposts nearby. He continues to sweep the sidewalk with his feet.
“Hello?!”
Silence…
There are now fewer cars passing by, as the silences between the noises of the cars are getting longer and longer by the minute…
Rain continues to fall…
Man, is there anyone around?? Jongdae frets. Coming to a standstill, he takes a deep breath to calm down, but he finds himself bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can anyone help me out here, please?” He is met with silence once again.
Feeling a little dejected, he decides to take a bold move and take a step forward, not even aware that he is standing near the curb.
A trip on the curb has Jongdae stumbling onto the street…
HOOOOONNNNNKKKK!!!!!
“AHH!” Jongdae exclaims just as a honk blares further away, and he scrambles to find the curb, only to collide with a parked car. There is another honk approaching louder as Jongdae hears the same car rushing by behind him, four feet away from him.
His heart beating wildly, Jongdae recovers from the shock as he clutches at his chest. I could have almost died… Jongdae breathes heavily, alarmed at his sudden near-death experience. At the same time, he feels anger and disappointment boiling in his stomach. Those kids…they’re not even around.
“I’ll just go and find it myself then!” Jongdae angrily shouts to the chilly rain, as he gathers himself and searches for his stick. With trembling hands out of nervousness and the recent trauma, he feels around the parked car and walks further down, feeling the door handles, and then the curvature of the car’s top that leads to the trunk. Once he gets to the back of the car, he hastily walks around to get to the curbed sidewalk. Safe from the street, he groans to himself at his bad luck.
Where is my walking stick?
- - -
T-3 minutes…
Yixing takes a deep breath as he stands in the corner of the stage, hidden from the audience’s view. He waits for his number to be called as he tries to relax himself, thinking back on his performance he gave for Jongdae. He smiles to himself as he remembers the conversation they had following their confession, and Jongdae’s voice resounds in his head.
“As friends having gone through thick and thin, through the bad and good times in the years past, we’ve made it this far to become a couple today. Let’s promise that we will continue to uphold our lifelong bond that we have, that we’ll never leave each other’s side.”
“Number 678-1007, please come up to the stage.”
Yixing snaps out of his thoughts as he hears his number called and he smiles the dimpled-smile.
This is for you, Zhongda, Yixing thinks to himself as he makes his way onstage, hearing some cheers from the audience.
The song starts playing, and it is PHOENIX, an instrumental track that he found on the internet.
- - -
Dongwoon and Kikwang are coming out of the restaurant after their dinner date. They hold hands and tell stupid jokes, their bright personalities unaffected with the gloomy night sky.
“So which of our entrees did you like, mine or yours?” Dongwoon asks Kikwang.
“Hmm…I like mine better, the chef’s special sushi was delicious…yours was pretty typical, the udon noodles.”
“Hyung, mine wasn’t just any typical udon, it was the best udon I have ever tasted in my whole life! You can’t go wrong with Seafood and Tofu Udon!”
T-1 minute…
Having already left the bar a while ago, the man is enjoying the music blasting from his car stereo. He takes out his phone from his jacket pocket, hearing a text message alert as he continues to drive in the wet weather. He opens up the text in his phone, his eyes glancing quickly between the road and his phone. He hurries to text back a reply while driving when suddenly, the phone slips out of his hand due to his slippery grip and it falls to the floor.
“AW DAMMIT!”
The man grunts and leans down to look for the phone. His eyes flickering up and down between his lap and the road, he continues to drive as he reaches his hand down, feeling for the phone. Still not finding it, he checks the road and decides that the coast is clear so he can look down to search properly. He misses the fact that the stoplight further down the road has just turned yellow.
- - -
Jongdae continues to walk hastily near the curb, unable to find his stick. After walking for a few minutes, he makes a daring assumption that his walking stick must be on the other side of the street. He comes to a pole at the corner, and his hand brushes against a button. He figures that he is at the intersection. Pushing the button, he waits for the voice on the other side to say, “Walk Sign is on”.
T-30 seconds…
Dongwoon and Kikwang are walking leisurely in the rainy weather to Dongwoon’s place since it is nearby, with Dongwoon holding an umbrella. Kikwang spots a walking stick lying carelessly near the sidewalk curb.
“Hey, wait a minute, what’s that stick doing there?” Kikwang slows to a stop, causing his boyfriend to stop too. He lets go of Dongwoon’s hand and walks over to the curb, picking up the stick. He takes a good look around the stick.
“Hm?” Dongwoon looks at Kikwang, and then at the stick in his lover’s hand. There is a nametag attached to it. “Whose is it?”
“Lee Jongd- Oh crap, it’s Jongdae’s.” Kikwang whirls around in panic to search for the owner. “Jongdae can’t go anywhere without this stick. This is not good at all, Dongwoon-ah. JONGDAE, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Breaking into a run, he scans the sidewalk, with Dongwoon following him, unaware that they are heading in the opposite direction of the area where Jongdae is about to cross the street.
- - -
T-15 seconds…
“Walk Sign is on…Walk sign is on…Walk Sign is on…Wal- blip…blip…blip…blip…”
Jongdae waits to hear any cars, hesitant to think that he is safe from harm when the sign is on. When he hears no sound of nearby cars, he hesitantly makes his way over to the other side.
- - -
“Wait, who are you talking about?” Dongwoon says between pants, hunched over his knees. He and Kikwang have arrived at the end of the block and still cannot find Jongdae. Kikwang is freaking out, searching for Jongdae on their side of the street.
“We must be wrong. What if he’s on the other end?”
“Kikwang-hyung.” Dongwoon says sternly, and Kikwang looks at him, panic filling his eyes. “Who is this Lee Jongdae?”
Kikwang looks at Dongwoon as if he has lost his mind. “The blind guy that Kyungsoo’s friends with, the one we served at ChaKeo Corner, remember??”
T-10 seconds…
Dongwoon’s heart is stricken with a pang of fear as he stares at Kikwang, remembering how he himself was chatting with Jongdae and Yixing about Chinese lessons.
“Shit, okay. Let’s go see if he’s at the other end, come on!”
Dongwoon and Kikwang run with all their might to the other end of the block. They are nearing to the restaurant that they had exited a few minutes ago before Kikwang found Jongdae’s stick, not knowing that Jongdae is seconds away from danger.
The man’s hands continue to feel around for his phone until he finds it lodged between his seat and the door. He switches his grip on the wheel and reaches for it, accidentally accelerating on the slippery road, not even bothering to look up where a certain young adult is legally crossing the street, wandering in a confused manner.
T-5 seconds…
Running past the restaurant, Kikwang spots a man walking nervously across the street, at least a hundred feet away.
T-4 seconds…
“Dongwoon, is that Jongdae over there!? It’s Jongdae! JONGDAE!! YAH, JONGDAE!!!” Kikwang shouts. Jongdae appears to be confused and continues to walk, not knowing that he is already walking outside of the white painted path. At the corner of his eyes, Kikwang sees a car going too fast under such rainy conditions.
“Oh my God.”
Blood turns cold and Kikwang fears the worst. “RUN! JONGDAE!! RUN BACK TO THE SIDEWALK!!”
When the man finally gets his phone out, he looks to the road and his eyes widen at the pedestrian in his headlights. He hurries to step on the brake, turning his wheel to the right, but the road is too damp and cold to create friction with the tires.
T-3 seconds…
Legs still running, Kikwang and Dongwoon watch in horror that a car is skidding on the road, with Jongdae in harm’s way. Having lost the grip on the road, the car’s left side is now heading towards the blind young man.
T-2 seconds…
HOONKK!!
Jongdae is startled at the sudden noise and freezes in his spot.
“NOOO!!”
“JONGDAE, GET BACK!!”
Jongdae hears his name being called but it is an unfamiliar voice. Mixed with the cold rain, wind and the honking, it is hard for him to tell whose voice it is and where the voice is coming from.
Still too far from Jongdae to rescue, Kikwang and Dongwoon are screaming their hearts out while running, not ready to witness the inevitable. Tears are forming in Kikwang’s eyes as he sobs helplessly.
T-1 second…
HONK HONK!!
Jongdae whirls his head around, overwhelmed with a wave of chaotic noises.
“NOOOOOOO!!!!!”
HOOOOONNNNNKKKK!!!!!
T-0 seconds…
7:15, Time of Impact.
- - -
The air is sucked out of Kikwang’s and Dongwoon’s throats as they watch the car collide with Jongdae…
Time seems to stop for a few seconds, as Kikwang and Dongwoon slow down in their running, only several feet away from the scene. They watch in horror at the scene in front of them.
- - -
Jongdae’s breath is taken away when he is pushed violently sideways by the metallic side of the car upon impact…
His body is pushed with such force that he is lifted several feet off the ground…
The grocery bag is flown out of Jongdae’s arms, after one of Jongdae’s elbows makes a dull sound as it hits the car passenger’s window…
Jongdae feels like he is flying in the rain, but the feeling lasts only for a few seconds…
The car moves with Jongdae, continuing without friction on the road, as the driver looks to his left in sheer panic at his own doing.
Jongdae feels a rough landing as his body hits the ground first before the side of his head knocks the ground, and Jongdae is tumbling and rolling, until he slows to a sprawl-eagled position. The cold, wet asphalt has mercilessly scratched at his skin, unfazed with the material of Jongdae’s coat.
The car skids to a stop, bumping lightly against a parked car. But the driver, still in his slightly intoxicated state, freaks out and drives away from the incident, muttering “ohshitohshit…what did I just do…what the fuck did I just do?!? I don’t wanna go to jail!!”
A flashback of Jongdae’s recent date with Yixing is the last thing that Jongdae hears in his mind, as the weeping shouts of “JONGDAE!! WE’RE COMING!! DON’T YOU DIE RIGHT THERE!” turns into a buzzing, screeching sound lost in Jongdae’s ears…
“Let’s promise… that we’ll never leave each other’s side…”
And for a moment, Jongdae sees color…
His eyes take in the sights of the grey sidewalk curbs, the black road, the dark green trees, and the signs above the buildings…
A small twitch of a smile on his face…
It is only for a fleeting moment before blackness takes over…
Jongdae slips away into the silence, no longer feeling the cold rain on his face or the horrible pain in his body…
- -
7:15PM…
Thud.
Yixing delivers his performance with a final pose, landing on his knees and breathing heavily. The sound his knees make onstage fades into the silence of the darkness in front of him. The Phoenix song is over.
“Thank you, number 869-1007. You may go ahead.”
Yixing keeps a straight face as he gets up and bows to the judges, feeling happy inside and wanting to rush to his friends and to Jongdae’s place, ecstatic that he has done well with his audition.
Zhongda, I can’t wait to see you tonight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sorry readers. ;~;
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO and BAP, f(x) (minus Victoria), Beast (Kikwang and Dongwoon), former APINK member (Yookyung), JB and JR
Word Count: 5630
Genre: College, Drama, AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: College students; Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like a roller coaster. They find relationships, and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: Third installment, the very last one~ with EXO AS ONE IN THIS CHAPTER (again). This is the part that makes the whole chapter really climactic.
Warning: Language under stressful conditions, and Character Injury/Death
T-3 hours and 15 minutes… 4:00PM.
“You got this, Jongup-ah!” Luhan says encouragingly, as he pats Jongup on the shoulder. They are wearing their dance clothes for their auditions, as well as a paper pinned to their clothes, with their audition numbers on it.
“Jonguppie, you can do it! Do well, Jongup-ah!” Cheers from Jongin, Yixing, Luhan and Sehun come from nearby as the quartet is gathered around the people waiting for their numbers to be called. Jongup gives a thumb up and a bright smile.
Jongup is aware that Himchan, Yongguk, Junhong and Daehyun are somewhere in the crowd, and he hopes to give his all for the audition. Last night had been something memorable for him and he wants to keep that memory in his head to keep his nerves calm. He knows his routine well enough since he has done this one too many times. He takes a deep breath as he waits for one of the panel judges to announce his number.
Yongguk and Himchan are with Daehyun, Kyungsoo, Zitao, JR, and Junhong, seated in the audience to watch the auditions. The audience is not fully packed as there are some people dispersed, and the panel judges are at a panel row in the middle of the audience. The lights are off except for a few directed on the stage, leaving a darkened audience, so that the dancers who are auditioning can have a calm environment to focus.
“678-0206, please come on up to the stage.”
- -
Meanwhile, Soojung is hosting a sleepover party at her house once again with her friends Sunyoung, Jinri and Amber. Her house is quite a modern house, very eccentric; thanks to her uncle who is an architect.
“Kibum-oppa admires our uncle, so he likes to keep some photos of architecture in his room, even though he’s a fashion designer,” Soojung comments.
“Wah, Soojung-ah, I’ve said it before, but your house is so huge! And I can see the sunset from here!” Jinri stands in front of the glass wall on the second story. “Ahh, it’s so scary being up here, it’s like you’re about to fall off from the edge, but there’s this glass in front of me!” She giggles.
T-2 hours and 30 minutes…
“So where to, Baekkie-yah? Italian? Chinese? French?” Chanyeol lists off as he walks with Baekhyun, arms linked, wearing thick coats, long sleeved shirts and jeans.
“Chanyeol, let’s have Italian. It’s getting cold these days, and I am craving for some lasagna.”
“Italian, it is! Arrivederci! No wait, Ciao! Molto bueno! Mannaggia! Or was it ‘Mangia’?” Chanyeol exclaims happily, saying random things in Italian, as Baekhyun giggles and nudges his boyfriend to stop being so corny in public.
T-2 hours and 15 minutes…
“So what do you think? Can we play Starcraft now?” JB spins in his chair as Youngjae scans the music sheets.
“…Jaebum…you know very well I cannot play Starcraft when we have a project due next week.”
“But it’s just us in the project! We’re just singing a duet, not performing with limbs like what Luhan-hyung and the others are doing tonight with their dance auditions. We could have gone there to watch, just saying…”
“We could have, had you not procrastinated on your part with our project. You were supposed to write the harmony parts!” Youngjae says, a little annoyed.
“But it’s Saturday~ We still have one more day before the week starts, and besides our duet isn’t until Wednesday.”
“And?” Scoffing, Youngjae stares at JB with a murderous look that says, Dare to retort back at me?.
JB gulps. “And I say we work on our duet and get it done as soon as possible so we can make this work.”
“Right you are, Jaebum-ah,” Youngjae nods with a tone of finality, focusing on the music sheets and figuring out what music notes and lyrics would blend well together.
Sounds of a pencil scratching across the paper and papers rustling on the desk replace the conversation, as Youngjae scans the music sheets. JB watches him mutter to himself as he picks up several papers.
“It’s just me and you, in this room, me and you, so alone~” JB singsongs as he gets up from his chair and walks over to his friend.
Youngjae blinks with a ‘what-the-hell’ expression, as he lifts his head up slowly to stare at JB with a judging look.
JB smiles and pokes at Youngjae’s cheeks. “You’re so cute when you glare, Youngjae-yah. Your cheeks are so puffy.”
“Yah, Jaebum-ah. Stop it.” Youngjae flails his arms to block Jaebum’s incessant prodding fingers. “I said, stop it. You're being weird today, aish.”
JB stops his poking, pouting at his friend, before leaving him. Youngjae assumes that JB has gone to get something from his backpack in the closet behind Youngjae. He is about to write something on the music sheet, when he is suddenly attacked with hands digging at his sides.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Jahaha-stop! Jaeb-whahahahaha,” Youngjae’s body jerks from the tickles as he crows out laughing. JB, chuckling, continues to tickle Youngjae mercilessly, leaving him no time to breathe and say things correctly.
“JAEBUM stahahahahahhaap. Stop it! HAHAHAHAHA!! JAEBUM DAMMIT,” Youngjae snaps as he moves his chair backwards against JB’s body, almost throwing JB off balance. As JB stumbles to regain his footings, Youngjae gets out of his chair and turns around, shooting daggers at him. JB stares back guiltily at Youngjae.
“Can you try to be a little more serious right now?” Youngjae scoffs. “This final is really important. Playtime can come later, alright? I know you have a natural talent for singing and dancing; but come on, this is college, not high school. You know how finals have been in the past two years in college. Use your talents properly. Please, just…can you work with me on this?”
JB bites on his bottom lip, glancing at the music sheets on Youngjae’s desk. He sighs, and nods.
“Thank you,” Youngjae says emphatically as he returns to his desk, often glancing warily at Jaebum. Jaebum comes up behind Youngjae to rest his arms on Youngjae’s shoulders, overlooking the music sheets. Youngjae looks up at him, smiling lightly, and directs his attention back to a paper in front of him. Jaebum scans the melody and harmony notes before looking at Youngjae’s lyrics.
“So what do you think about my lyrics here?” Youngjae asks.
“Hm…it’s not too bad, we could go for ‘My nervous heart that beats wildly only for you, I cannot help but feel like we are meant to be together”…or something, I don’t know...” He hums the tune in Korean, trying to find some kind of rhyme and rhythm between the two lines and a better flow.
T-1 hour and 15 minutes…
It is now Luhan’s turn to go on stage, leaving Yixing with the rest of the people waiting to be called. Sehun, Jongin and Jongup have already auditioned, now waiting at the other side of the stage. The leftovers were told to gather around in the room, and those who have already done their auditions were to be gathered in another, just to avoid confusion.
Luhan closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths as his mind starts playing the music that he will be dancing to.
“Number 678-0420, please come up to the stage.”
“Break a leg, Luhan-ge!” Yixing shouts.
- - -
Joonmyeon is with Minseok, Wufan and Jongdae as he and Minseok prepare the feast for the dancers in congratulations for having completed their auditions. They only have an hour and a half left before the auditions are over and the dancers, as well as their companions, will be home.
Minseok is preparing a scrumptious feast, with Chinese and Korean dishes. Joonmyeon is helping Minseok in the kitchen, a flurry of Korean emitting smoothly from the mouths of the two men. After setting up the table and tidying up the apartment, Jongdae and Wufan are seated in the living room, listening to and watching the news.
T-45 minutes…
“Tonight, Seoul will be expecting some moderate rain, around eight millimeters, so everyone, please watch out carefully when you’re walking and driving out there,” the weatherwoman in the TV announces.
“Rain? But…December’s supposed to be a dry month, with frost,” Wufan mutters to himself.
“Oh, DAMMIT!!” Minseok shouts, startling Joonmyeon, while looking into the cupboard above the stove while stirring a pot on the stove. Wufan and Jongdae immediately turn to the source when Wufan asks his brother what is wrong.
“I need to get some Sichuan spice powder, honeydews and cinnamon! I thought we had enough but now, it looks like I don’t have much! Argh!! I need to get them from Auntie Hwakyung’s grocery store but the broth needs to be constantly stirred and Joonmyeon’s already watching the meat on the stove. The bread needs the cinnamon before it can be baked!”
Minseok looks to the clock and groans. “The guys will be here in about an hour!!”
“Hyung, I can get them if you want,” Jongdae stands up as he offers his assistance and Wufan looks up at him, seated on the couch. “I’ll go there by myself.” Jongdae reaches for his foldable walking stick that is next to him on the side table and unfolds it, locking the rods in place.
“Okay, great! Thanks, Jongdae-yah!”
“I’ll go with you, Chenchen-ah,” Wufan stands up, about to hook his arm with Jongdae when Jongdae gently brushes it away.
“It’s okay, gege,” Jongdae pats his brother’s arm with a smile. “I know where the store is, I have my walking stick.” Wufan blinks at him.
“Let me go with you, Chenchen,” Wufan says with a stubborn tone.
“I’m fine, really, gege!” Jongdae smiles. Wufan stares at him dubiously. “It’s only a few blocks away. Besides, Minseok-hyung may need some assistance if Joonmyeon-hyung isn’t available. One person is enough to carry three grocery items. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Jongdae-yah, don’t forget, Sichuan spice powd-“
“Sichuan spice powder, honeydews and cinnamon, yes hyung!” Jongdae finishes the rest of Minseok’s sentence as he makes his way to the door. He opens it before getting his rain jacket and scarf hanging on the wall next to the entry door. Making himself as comfortable as he can for the cold weather outside, he is about to put on his jacket when he feels a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Okay…but please be careful, Jongdae-yah. Hurry back home, alright?” Wufan’s voice flows with resignation and a tinge of worry into Jongdae’s ears, and Jongdae feels two arms wrapped around him. He hears a deep breath from above him as Wufan buries his face in Jongdae’s hair. “Don’t stay too long out there. I…please just hurry back as soon as you get the ingredients…I love you, Chenchen-ah, you know that, right? I’m just worried about you being out there in the weather.” He sways with his younger brother on the spot.
Jongdae’s ears perk up at his brother’s tone. “I love you too, gege. But, why are you being like that? It’s not like I’m gonna get mobb-“
“Don’t jinx it, Jongdae-yah,” Wufan snaps softly.
Jongdae chuckles lightly. “Alright, I will hurry back home as soon as I have the ingredients, gege. Don’t worry too much about me; it’s just a little rain outside. I’ll be back home before you know it, gege.” He pats Wufan’s arms, before he feels himself being released from his brother’s hold. “See you in a bit!” Jongdae puts on his jacket and walks out the door.
Wufan ruffles his brother’s hair, watching him go. He steps out of the doorway to keep an eye on his brother, who is scanning the hallway floor with his walking stick, walking with confidence. He smiles to himself and crosses his arms before leaning against the wall of the hallway.
T-30 minutes…
Whooossshhhhh…whhhsshhhhh…
After Jongdae has taken the elevator down and exits out of the apartment building, he shivers as he feels the chilly wind blasting on his face.
“Agh, it’s quite chilly,” Jongdae shudders on the spot, despite his thick layers of clothes. Retrieving his winter woolen cap from the pocket of his jacket, he puts it on and lifts his hoodie on top, before he starts scanning the ground with his walking stick, making his way to the convenience store.
Hum of cars’ engines passing by Jongdae as he walks along the curbed sidewalk…
Jongdae picks up some scattered chatters around him, but none are relevant to his interests…
There should be a third lamp pole around here…Aha. I should be making a right turn once I feel the corner curb, Jongdae thinks to himself as he had counted the last two lamp poles, and is arriving at the third lamp pole. Feeling the corner curb nearby, he turns right and moves on. He continues to change directions according to his surroundings and the odd landmarks with which he associates easily with, after having gone to the convenience store one too many times with his brothers.
After fifteen minutes of walking, Jongdae finally arrives at the store. He feels for the door and pulls it open.
A bell rings…and a gentle female voice is heard from Jongdae’s right…
“Oh, hello, Jongdae-yah! Long time no see! It’s Auntie Hwakyung!”
Jongdae smiles, and he feels a soft hand resting on his arm.
“I’m here on a quick errand. Minseok-hyung wants some Sichuan spice powder, some honeydews and cinnamon.”
“Oh? You’re in luck. We have some fresh honeydews here and I’ll go get the spices for you, child. Why don’t you come with me and you can sit down at the bench here?”
“Thanks, Auntie, but I can do it.”
“No no, child, let me. I insist.” Hwakyung leads Jongdae to a metal bench and he sits down tentatively, leaning on the stick after his hand feels for the bench. Jongdae hears her speak again as he folds his stick.
“Aigoo, Jongdae-yah. You came alone? Where are the others?”
“Minseok-hyung and Wufan-hyung are cooking up a feast with Joonmyeon-hyung for our friends who are having their dance auditions today. It’s quite a big event because not only are the dance majors being graded, some of them may have the chance to perform for the national dance competition in the next term after the winter break.”
“Oh, wonderful!! And how’s that gentleman friend of yours, Yixing-ah?”
“O-oh,” Jongdae blushes. “He’s doing well, he’s also at the dance audition…He’s also my boyfriend, Auntie Hwakyung.”
“Is that so?? Omo, you two are so sweet for each other, I knew it was bound to happen. Aigoo, Jongdae-yah, you deserve someone like him,” Hwakyung pats Jongdae’s arm, beaming at him. “Ah! Remember when I saw you and Wufan-ah at the park and I told you we have some treats? We have some persimmons and some red bean buns in the kitchen. Would you like some, Jongdae-yah?”
“Yes, please, I would like one of each.”
“As you wish. Let me go get the groceries for you and my daughter will get the snacks. Yookyung-ah? Please get one red bean bun and one persimmon cut up for our handsome regular here!”
Jongdae smiles softly at the name of Yookyung. Though slightly younger than Jongdae, by a few months, she was quite tall for a girl when they first met, as he heard her voice slightly above him. She is always kind and considerate to him, whenever he visits the store with his brothers and sister. She would meet up with him and Sunyoung, and they would talk about stuff that had been going on in their everyday lives, while Wufan and Minseok searched for groceries.
Now, Jongdae and Yookyung are about the same height, and Jongdae feels like she is still the same dongsaeng she was when they first met.
“Jongdae-oppa! Hello~” Yookyung greets Jongdae warmly, carrying the sliced persimmon wedges and a red bean bun on a plate and tray. “Here are your fresh persimmon and fresh-from-the-oven red bean bun~”
“Thank you, Yookyung-ah, I really appreciate what you guys do around here.” Jongdae holds out his hands and feels Yookyung placing the tray on Jongdae’s palms.
“Anything for our regular customers, and you guys are part of my family!”
“For that, I’m most grateful.” Jongdae takes a wedge of persimmon and bites on it, savoring the sweet taste and the nice crunch in his mouth. “Mmm, this is delicious!”
Outside, the rain is starting to fall…
T-10 minutes…
A man has gotten out of the bar, feeling a bit buzzed. He tells his friends that he will be going home, and that he still feels fine. The friends are stubborn to let him drive, but the man himself is also stubborn. After a few moments of convincing his friends that he can walk straight, the friends let it slide and warns him that it will be his own fault if he does something stupid.
The man gets into his car, chuckling, and turns on the ignition. He backs out of the parking space and exits the parking lot located underneath the bar. After emerging from underneath the bar, he arrives at the street level and heads on his way home.
- -
Meanwhile, Hwakyung has now gathered the groceries and charged Jongdae not a single price on the groceries as a treat. Unfolding his stick, Jongdae thanks her and is about to leave when he hears her voice.
“Oh dear, it’s raining, and it’s so cold out there. Jongdae-yah, do you want me to drive you home?” Hwakyung asks with heavy concern. “I don’t want you to get sick. Your brothers would get worried about you.”
“It’s okay, Auntie,” Jongdae smiles as he makes his way to the exit, his stick dragging across the floor in front of him. “I can make my way back quickly. I know the directions to get there by heart.”
“Are you sure, sweetie? Yookyung or I would be happy to drive you back…”
“Really, I’m fine, Auntie,” Jongdae reassures her. “I don’t want to burden the two of you in the rain. Thank you for the offer! I’ll be going now! Take care, Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung-ah!”
“Be careful!”
Jongdae waves before he exits the store, meeting with a blast of sheer chill and rain.
The cold rain falls moderately as Jongdae continues to walk on, his stick scanning his path. With wet fingers, he tightens his grip on the stick, as the string loop on one end wraps around his fingers loosely.
Pitter patter pitter patter…step step step step step…
“Watch out, missus!”…
Cars are driving past Jongdae to get back home…
People are brushing against Jongdae, leaving him a bit disoriented at where he is going…
Dogs are barking…
Okay, where is that lamppost? I need to find it, Jongdae worries. He does not mind that he is getting soaked; he knows the plastic bag is getting wet, but the items inside are not of a concern as they are well protected.
“ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!”
Suddenly, Jongdae hears a stampede of feet and laughter, before he is literally enveloped in the sea of wet kids. Amidst the hustling and bustling in the crowd, Jongdae accidentally loses his grip on the walking stick and feels it being tugged before it is out of his grasp. He quickly turns around as he holds onto the grocery bag that has the ingredients.
There are sounds of yelling and excited cheering from the kids, somewhere in front of Jongdae, as someone yells several feet away from him, “I WON! I WON! I REACHED THE FINISH LINE!”
“WAIT, MY STICK!” Jongdae yells to the direction of the shout. He nervously inches himself towards the sound. “Can any one of you please give me back my stick? I need it.”
Jongdae extends his hand out in case a kid nearby gives it back. When he does not receive any response, he squats down to feel the cold, wet sidewalk for his stick.
“We’re sorry but we don’t know what you’re talking about, ahjusshi! We don’t have your stick. It must have fallen off somewhere,” one of the kids says to him.
“I think one of your friends must have pulled it out of my grasp.”
“Ahjusshi, none of us took your stick. I’m sure it must’ve fallen somewhere.”
“Well, can you find it for me please, kids? I’m completely blind, and I need that stick to get home,” Jongdae insists, before getting up.
“Sure, we’ll help.” Murmurs of agreement are heard from the kids, and Jongdae thanks them with a smile. “Come on, let’s go find it for the ahjusshi!”
Little does Jongdae know that the kids had seen his walking stick, and that one of them threw it across the street in cruel mischief. The kids run off, snickering, allowing Jongdae to think that they will help him, but they are already on their way back home.
Jongdae stands there on the pavement, waiting a few seconds before he asks again. “Well did any of you find it?”
Silence…with only the sound of rain and a few cars rushing by now and then…
“Anyone?”
Jongdae tentatively takes a step forward, holding onto his bag of groceries. His free arm is outstretched, feeling for any poles or lampposts nearby. He continues to sweep the sidewalk with his feet.
“Hello?!”
Silence…
There are now fewer cars passing by, as the silences between the noises of the cars are getting longer and longer by the minute…
Rain continues to fall…
Man, is there anyone around?? Jongdae frets. Coming to a standstill, he takes a deep breath to calm down, but he finds himself bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can anyone help me out here, please?” He is met with silence once again.
Feeling a little dejected, he decides to take a bold move and take a step forward, not even aware that he is standing near the curb.
A trip on the curb has Jongdae stumbling onto the street…
HOOOOONNNNNKKKK!!!!!
“AHH!” Jongdae exclaims just as a honk blares further away, and he scrambles to find the curb, only to collide with a parked car. There is another honk approaching louder as Jongdae hears the same car rushing by behind him, four feet away from him.
His heart beating wildly, Jongdae recovers from the shock as he clutches at his chest. I could have almost died… Jongdae breathes heavily, alarmed at his sudden near-death experience. At the same time, he feels anger and disappointment boiling in his stomach. Those kids…they’re not even around.
“I’ll just go and find it myself then!” Jongdae angrily shouts to the chilly rain, as he gathers himself and searches for his stick. With trembling hands out of nervousness and the recent trauma, he feels around the parked car and walks further down, feeling the door handles, and then the curvature of the car’s top that leads to the trunk. Once he gets to the back of the car, he hastily walks around to get to the curbed sidewalk. Safe from the street, he groans to himself at his bad luck.
Where is my walking stick?
- - -
T-3 minutes…
Yixing takes a deep breath as he stands in the corner of the stage, hidden from the audience’s view. He waits for his number to be called as he tries to relax himself, thinking back on his performance he gave for Jongdae. He smiles to himself as he remembers the conversation they had following their confession, and Jongdae’s voice resounds in his head.
“As friends having gone through thick and thin, through the bad and good times in the years past, we’ve made it this far to become a couple today. Let’s promise that we will continue to uphold our lifelong bond that we have, that we’ll never leave each other’s side.”
“Number 678-1007, please come up to the stage.”
Yixing snaps out of his thoughts as he hears his number called and he smiles the dimpled-smile.
This is for you, Zhongda, Yixing thinks to himself as he makes his way onstage, hearing some cheers from the audience.
The song starts playing, and it is PHOENIX, an instrumental track that he found on the internet.
- - -
Dongwoon and Kikwang are coming out of the restaurant after their dinner date. They hold hands and tell stupid jokes, their bright personalities unaffected with the gloomy night sky.
“So which of our entrees did you like, mine or yours?” Dongwoon asks Kikwang.
“Hmm…I like mine better, the chef’s special sushi was delicious…yours was pretty typical, the udon noodles.”
“Hyung, mine wasn’t just any typical udon, it was the best udon I have ever tasted in my whole life! You can’t go wrong with Seafood and Tofu Udon!”
T-1 minute…
Having already left the bar a while ago, the man is enjoying the music blasting from his car stereo. He takes out his phone from his jacket pocket, hearing a text message alert as he continues to drive in the wet weather. He opens up the text in his phone, his eyes glancing quickly between the road and his phone. He hurries to text back a reply while driving when suddenly, the phone slips out of his hand due to his slippery grip and it falls to the floor.
“AW DAMMIT!”
The man grunts and leans down to look for the phone. His eyes flickering up and down between his lap and the road, he continues to drive as he reaches his hand down, feeling for the phone. Still not finding it, he checks the road and decides that the coast is clear so he can look down to search properly. He misses the fact that the stoplight further down the road has just turned yellow.
- - -
Jongdae continues to walk hastily near the curb, unable to find his stick. After walking for a few minutes, he makes a daring assumption that his walking stick must be on the other side of the street. He comes to a pole at the corner, and his hand brushes against a button. He figures that he is at the intersection. Pushing the button, he waits for the voice on the other side to say, “Walk Sign is on”.
T-30 seconds…
Dongwoon and Kikwang are walking leisurely in the rainy weather to Dongwoon’s place since it is nearby, with Dongwoon holding an umbrella. Kikwang spots a walking stick lying carelessly near the sidewalk curb.
“Hey, wait a minute, what’s that stick doing there?” Kikwang slows to a stop, causing his boyfriend to stop too. He lets go of Dongwoon’s hand and walks over to the curb, picking up the stick. He takes a good look around the stick.
“Hm?” Dongwoon looks at Kikwang, and then at the stick in his lover’s hand. There is a nametag attached to it. “Whose is it?”
“Lee Jongd- Oh crap, it’s Jongdae’s.” Kikwang whirls around in panic to search for the owner. “Jongdae can’t go anywhere without this stick. This is not good at all, Dongwoon-ah. JONGDAE, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Breaking into a run, he scans the sidewalk, with Dongwoon following him, unaware that they are heading in the opposite direction of the area where Jongdae is about to cross the street.
- - -
T-15 seconds…
“Walk Sign is on…Walk sign is on…Walk Sign is on…Wal- blip…blip…blip…blip…”
Jongdae waits to hear any cars, hesitant to think that he is safe from harm when the sign is on. When he hears no sound of nearby cars, he hesitantly makes his way over to the other side.
- - -
“Wait, who are you talking about?” Dongwoon says between pants, hunched over his knees. He and Kikwang have arrived at the end of the block and still cannot find Jongdae. Kikwang is freaking out, searching for Jongdae on their side of the street.
“We must be wrong. What if he’s on the other end?”
“Kikwang-hyung.” Dongwoon says sternly, and Kikwang looks at him, panic filling his eyes. “Who is this Lee Jongdae?”
Kikwang looks at Dongwoon as if he has lost his mind. “The blind guy that Kyungsoo’s friends with, the one we served at ChaKeo Corner, remember??”
T-10 seconds…
Dongwoon’s heart is stricken with a pang of fear as he stares at Kikwang, remembering how he himself was chatting with Jongdae and Yixing about Chinese lessons.
“Shit, okay. Let’s go see if he’s at the other end, come on!”
Dongwoon and Kikwang run with all their might to the other end of the block. They are nearing to the restaurant that they had exited a few minutes ago before Kikwang found Jongdae’s stick, not knowing that Jongdae is seconds away from danger.
The man’s hands continue to feel around for his phone until he finds it lodged between his seat and the door. He switches his grip on the wheel and reaches for it, accidentally accelerating on the slippery road, not even bothering to look up where a certain young adult is legally crossing the street, wandering in a confused manner.
T-5 seconds…
Running past the restaurant, Kikwang spots a man walking nervously across the street, at least a hundred feet away.
T-4 seconds…
“Dongwoon, is that Jongdae over there!? It’s Jongdae! JONGDAE!! YAH, JONGDAE!!!” Kikwang shouts. Jongdae appears to be confused and continues to walk, not knowing that he is already walking outside of the white painted path. At the corner of his eyes, Kikwang sees a car going too fast under such rainy conditions.
“Oh my God.”
Blood turns cold and Kikwang fears the worst. “RUN! JONGDAE!! RUN BACK TO THE SIDEWALK!!”
When the man finally gets his phone out, he looks to the road and his eyes widen at the pedestrian in his headlights. He hurries to step on the brake, turning his wheel to the right, but the road is too damp and cold to create friction with the tires.
T-3 seconds…
Legs still running, Kikwang and Dongwoon watch in horror that a car is skidding on the road, with Jongdae in harm’s way. Having lost the grip on the road, the car’s left side is now heading towards the blind young man.
T-2 seconds…
HOONKK!!
Jongdae is startled at the sudden noise and freezes in his spot.
“NOOO!!”
“JONGDAE, GET BACK!!”
Jongdae hears his name being called but it is an unfamiliar voice. Mixed with the cold rain, wind and the honking, it is hard for him to tell whose voice it is and where the voice is coming from.
Still too far from Jongdae to rescue, Kikwang and Dongwoon are screaming their hearts out while running, not ready to witness the inevitable. Tears are forming in Kikwang’s eyes as he sobs helplessly.
T-1 second…
HONK HONK!!
Jongdae whirls his head around, overwhelmed with a wave of chaotic noises.
“NOOOOOOO!!!!!”
HOOOOONNNNNKKKK!!!!!
T-0 seconds…
7:15, Time of Impact.
- - -
The air is sucked out of Kikwang’s and Dongwoon’s throats as they watch the car collide with Jongdae…
Time seems to stop for a few seconds, as Kikwang and Dongwoon slow down in their running, only several feet away from the scene. They watch in horror at the scene in front of them.
- - -
Jongdae’s breath is taken away when he is pushed violently sideways by the metallic side of the car upon impact…
His body is pushed with such force that he is lifted several feet off the ground…
The grocery bag is flown out of Jongdae’s arms, after one of Jongdae’s elbows makes a dull sound as it hits the car passenger’s window…
Jongdae feels like he is flying in the rain, but the feeling lasts only for a few seconds…
The car moves with Jongdae, continuing without friction on the road, as the driver looks to his left in sheer panic at his own doing.
Jongdae feels a rough landing as his body hits the ground first before the side of his head knocks the ground, and Jongdae is tumbling and rolling, until he slows to a sprawl-eagled position. The cold, wet asphalt has mercilessly scratched at his skin, unfazed with the material of Jongdae’s coat.
The car skids to a stop, bumping lightly against a parked car. But the driver, still in his slightly intoxicated state, freaks out and drives away from the incident, muttering “ohshitohshit…what did I just do…what the fuck did I just do?!? I don’t wanna go to jail!!”
A flashback of Jongdae’s recent date with Yixing is the last thing that Jongdae hears in his mind, as the weeping shouts of “JONGDAE!! WE’RE COMING!! DON’T YOU DIE RIGHT THERE!” turns into a buzzing, screeching sound lost in Jongdae’s ears…
“Let’s promise… that we’ll never leave each other’s side…”
And for a moment, Jongdae sees color…
His eyes take in the sights of the grey sidewalk curbs, the black road, the dark green trees, and the signs above the buildings…
A small twitch of a smile on his face…
It is only for a fleeting moment before blackness takes over…
Jongdae slips away into the silence, no longer feeling the cold rain on his face or the horrible pain in his body…
- -
7:15PM…
Thud.
Yixing delivers his performance with a final pose, landing on his knees and breathing heavily. The sound his knees make onstage fades into the silence of the darkness in front of him. The Phoenix song is over.
“Thank you, number 869-1007. You may go ahead.”
Yixing keeps a straight face as he gets up and bows to the judges, feeling happy inside and wanting to rush to his friends and to Jongdae’s place, ecstatic that he has done well with his audition.
Zhongda, I can’t wait to see you tonight.
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I'm sorry readers. ;~;