The Bus Stand
Synopsis
What happens when two very unlikely male meets in one very unlikely place?
It was quiet in the bus stand. It was understandable since no one other than him was crazy enough to brave the cold wind of the fall and sit in open spaces like this. Everyone who was not at their work place would rather sit in the warm living room of their house, munching snacks while watching the tv.
His eyes fell on the golden leaves that fell from a huge maple tree nearby. Some of it that lay scattered on the ground gushed everytime the wind blew.
Jaejoong heaved a satisfied sigh. Everything seemed so idyllic in this place. The quiet and deserted roads, the golden trees, the silent winds. It didn’t feel like Seoul to him, even though he really was still in Seoul.
There was a high school at the end of the street, a good distance away from the bus station. It was the old high school he used to attend.
Back in the past, everytime he came home late and his mother couldn’t fetch him, he would sit all by himself in this bus station, waiting for buses that rarely comes. It was a good therapy for him, especially everytime the pressure of their exams got into him. Sitting by himself in a quiet place amidst the orange glow of the sun would always do the trick.
That’s why he kept going back to this place everytime he felt as though the universe had turned against him. It comforted him.
He had stopped frequenting this place the last few years however. The mental stress was still there, but somehow he couldn’t find the time to go to this place. At one point, Jaejoong noted, he had completely forgot the existence of the place, seeking solace with the company of liquor and comforts in the dense smoke of his cigars instead. The life in the entertainment industry really…. Jaejoong had always knew he’d have a career in the entertainment field one day. He fancied singing, and was fairly good in acting. Though he was lacking a bit in the dancing department, that flaw of his was redeemed by the ethereal face he possessed.
Now that he was a successful pop-star, he wondered if this was what he really wanted. He liked singing, he still did. But the pressure was too much. At time like this, when he’s under the weather, Jaejoong usually would be lying on the Persian rug on his living room while sipping the most expensive wine his loft could offer.
Today, however, was an entirely different case. He had hopped on a random cab in his efforts to shrug off his mob of stalker fans. Jaejoong had been in a huge controversy lately, and his stalker fans seemed to think that following him around would make him feel better, if the increase of their numbers in the recent days said anything.
So when the cab driver asked him where to, he had to think for a while before he grinned, his first genuine smile in a while concealed by the mask he was wearing.
“Chung Ang High.”
The cab driver hesitated for a while because of the distance between the school and the city center. But the promise of cash could thaw the hardest of hearts and Jaejoong saw yet another example of it today.
And now here he was, sitting alone in an empty bus stand, at least until another figure made his way to the bench.
Just like Jaejoong, the male was also wearing thick clothing and a mask, as though trying to hide who he was.
Jaejoong threw a suspicious glance at him while the other did the same, neither realizing that they were equally suspicious of the other.
After a fair few minutes of staring fest, Jaejoong looked away, but not before putting his hoodie to his head. Just in case.
There was an awkward air between them while each try their best to ignore the existence of the other.
It worked perfectly well for a while, at least until the other spoke up. “Do I know you?”
Jaejoong turns to face him with a furrowed brow.
There was a recognizing look on the other’s almond eyes as he scrutinized Jaejoong intently, as though trying very hard to remember where he had seen him.
Funny, because Jaejoong too felt as though he had seen that almond eye before.
“Do I know you?” he asked back, pressing on the I.
The other man huffed awkwardly before he turned away.
Jaejoong raised his brow at that behavior and looked away as well. Things got quiet again between them two.
It was a while before the other man spoke up again. “So, what are you running away from?”
That question had come so randomly yet so on-spot that Jaejoong just had to stare at him in an incredulous manner. The male wasn’t looking him, instead, he was shuffling his feet on the dusty cement floor beneath them. It was as though he wasn’t speaking to him.
Apparently mistaking Jaejoong’s silence as his unwillingness to divulge any of his private matter to him, the male spilled the bean first. “For me, I am running away from responsibility,” he started, still shuffling the soles of his shoes awkwardly.
“They wanted me to marry someone I wouldn’t. I didn’t want to. So I bolts. I bet they’re currently turning every stones in Seoul to find me,” he added with a bitter laugh.
“Why?” Jaejoong asked softly. “Why won’t you marry the girl? No parents would choose a random, unknown girl for their son. In fact, all parents out there only want the best for their child. They wouldn’t, you know, want to mess with your life. At least not purpose.”
“Well, not my parents,” he claimed in an acidic tone. “They keep expecting me to do things. Great things. And marriage is just a tip of the ice berg. I bet after this, there’ll be more sacrifices for me to do. I don’t want to sacrifice anything anymore, so I just…. run, at the first opportunity that I get. I hopped into the first taxi I sees and tell him to take me to the most secluded place in Seoul. He brought me here, saying that his daughter studied in the nearby high school. This place is gorgeous, I’m glad I ran away.”
Jaejoong heaved a heavy sigh when he heard him. “Same case for me. I’m running away from responsibilities too.”
There was a soft laugh from the man next to him.
“I guess we’re just the same, are we not,” the man said, and Jaejoong could just see the wide smile on his face underneath the mask.
“I guess we are,” he shrugged non-chalantly, smiling back at the male even though he didn’t know if he can see it or not.
The atmosphere became much much friendlier after that, the two busy exchanging stories and Jaejoong blissfully unaware of the breaking news currently buzzing over the whole nation.
‘The Crown Prince of South Korea Missing!’
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This is inspired from Lee Shin's first meeting with Min Hyo Rin. At first I intended to make 'The Prince and the Pop Star' as the title, but that would be a see-through and I want everyone to be surprised at the end of the story. I wrote this today, and just need to get it out of my system. There'll be loads of typos.
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