Epilogue. (1/1)

and they meet again  2 years later Key’s POV. I rubbed my palm on the wall very hard, I could feel that my hand was already burning up. “Ugh—why—won’t—you—remove—yourself?!” I cussed under gritted teeth. I rolled up my sleeve and rubbed it again, almost in fury. I was busy making something with acrylic paint and now did I just notice that there was paint on my hand. It already dried up, and the color wouldn’t just get the dickens out of my skin.“What’s wrong, hyung?” Taemin came in the room, with a worried face. I guess he heard all my groaning and curses from outside.I showed to him what the problem was.“Oh,” he hovered one hand on his mouth and let a chuckle escape. “Why don’t you wash that?”I stared at my hand blankly. I just realized I haven’t thought of that. “Okay.”Taemin turned on one heel and walked out. “We’ll be going there in twenty minutes hyung. Manager-hyung said get ready,”“Yeah.” I replied, and took again a look at my painting. I noticed a few errors here and there, and corrected it. Finally, I was done. I let it sit there on the table for a while. I retired on the bed in relief as I have accomplished another artwork. I sighed dreamily as I stared at the ceiling. My eyes travelled around the room, and it made a field trip across the walls. Frames of doodles, paintings, sketches and mere drawings. Two years have passed, and I must say, the name HyunMi doesn’t ring a bell anymore. The members did not dare mention about her for the whole duration time flew (except for Jjong-hyung); I dare say they think that I still have feelings for that girl. I just laugh at the idea—oh, such good times I had during those three months I spent with Moon HyunMi, and how she drove me half-wild! But then she left me. I can’t blame her. She had to finish her studying back there in Los Angeles. For the passed two years I kept myself busy, and my feelings that I once thought were much scarred healed more rapidly than I expected. Indeed, fondness fades after time. “Kibum-ah! We’re going!” I heard Minho’s voice. I got up from my bed and followed. “A-are you okay? Key-goon?” Onew-hyung timidly asked me as we were driving nearer and nearer to our destination.I chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”“I was just thinking…”“…about HyunMi?” I guessed, with a wicked smile on my face.“Yeah.” He bobbed his head.Jonghyun-hyung supported me in this. “Jinki-hyung. Chill. Key’s as okay as he’ll ever be,”“What do you mean?” the three of them asked.“You see,” Jjong-hyung took a side-glance at me. “Several months ago I found our Key being sappy. Then I recommended him to go where we’re going now, and he said yes. So there, as you can see—“ he presented me with his palms, and wiggled his wrists so his hands shook. “Going there did him good!” I assented to this with a gesture. I put my hands on both cheeks and grinned with an open mouth.The others laughed sheepishly, like they were still impugning the fact. Truthfully, when HyunMi left, I was sad. I went on with how my life was before she came, and I proved to myself I wasn’t damaged beyond repair. I thought I was in-love. But alas—I got rid of that delusion. Oh well—the perversity when we’re young.  And well, I can say, my last attack of being sad about my loss was when Jjong-hyung found me, in accordance with his story. We got down the car. “Aaahhh~ smells like the past,” I stretched my arms with a yawn, looking at the huge building in front of us. We were to perform for the 22nd Annual Painting Contest of the Kwan Art Institute. HyunMi :) “E-eh? A-a-a-ahjussi? Seriously?” I stammered, not believing what Mr. Kwan said. “You’re going to post my painting?!”He nodded. “Why, it’s too beautiful to not post!”“I-I-I…but…that’s not even deemed worthy to be displayed in the exhibit,” I reasoned again.“No buts,” he wanted to end this set-to once and for all. “My grandson is the curator, and he himself said that he’ll choose your painting,”I glared at Dong-gun, his grandson, who was also in the room. He just covered himself with one hand trying to avoid my look.“Fiiiine,” I sighed, my shoulders slacking. “But ahjussi, can I watch them install my painting in the gallery? It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,”“Sure, dear. Welcome back to Korea, by the way,” he went back to his mighty seat behind the CEO’s table. “Dong-gun-ah, tell me you’re not serious about this,” I said to him with a frown, while we watched the staff putting my painting on the wall.“Ah, HyunMi-ssi, stop saying that! By the way, the awarding ceremonies will be tonight. May I ask you out?”I scratched my head. “But my studio—““—nothing to worry! The ceremonies will start at 8pm. Most probably your studio is closed during that, yes?”“Um, yeah,”“Good. Now, for my proposal…let’s talk about that in a resto I know,”“You’re wasting your time on me,” I frowned at him as we were walking out of the building.“No I’m not. Stop saying you have no talent! I saw your paintings and they’re beautiful. Besides, you haven’t even heard my offer yet.” He opened the door of his car for me. “So, let’s go?”“Okayyyy.” And I went in. Key.We were taking a break from rehearsals. Me being tired, I decided to take a walk outside the hall and sniff in some fresh air. I immediately went to the gallery. As I toured myself around, I saw the relics of the past. There was Deception, Post-War Scenes, and I stopped at a very familiar-looking painting.It was the painting of a boy facing the window and outside of where he was there was an airplane in the sky. It looked like an ordinary painting, yes, but looking at it closely, it was made of words. Under the painting was its description—“DEPARTURE”Moon HyunMi and SHINee’s Key I found something hammering against my chest when my eyes caught sight of, not what the description plate said, but something on the signature. Kibum ♥ HyunMi I gasped. I ACTUALLY WROTE THAT?! A week later I went to my home-town to visit my mother and stay there for a few days. I found something in the house that made me eat my words.Now what happened to having already moved on?I just got home from gallivanting when just before I was going in the house, I saw moving-men going out. I hurriedly went in, and I was greeted by a gigantic painting just freshly installed in the living room. “Umma?” I asked, as she stood beside me. “What is that?”“Why, son, that is a painting,”“I—I mean—uh…” I gaped at the painting and its familiarity. It was the picture of a mother holding her son. They both had brown hair. The painting was in abstract form, and I know who paints with those strokes.“Beautiful, isn’t it?”“Yeah…”My mother noticed how dumbstruck I was. “Is there anything wrong?”“N-nothing…it’s just that…”“Come on, dear, you can tell me anything,”“The painting…it’s so familiar,”My mom put her finger on her lower lip. “Really? I thought there was only one of that,”“Yeah…only one.” I squinted my eyes, examining the artwork. My heart rate was increasing as I walked nearer to inspect it. “Where’d you get it?”“It’s from an art studio I stumbled upon when I was out for shopping one day. Why?”I waved my hand in dismissal. My thoughts were chasing each other it was impossible to answer her with a coherent one yet. “I’ll tell you later,”“Okay…” my mom shrugged, and went back to the kitchen. I walked nearer to the painting and closed in my face. Specifically, on the lower right corner of the canvas. Blood rose to my face when I read a well-known signature.   HyunMi’s POV My work-room was at the back part of the studio. It looked like a stock-room, or it’d be better to say it actually was. It was very small, with a low ceiling and unpainted walls, and I don’t know what got into me that I loved to sniff the smell of dust. I don’t know why, but I just love working in a hot place. I just open the windows to let some ventilation in. I was busy working on a painting and I was on a very climactic part when three knocks landed on my door. I heard a click and it opened. “Miss Moon?” popped her head in was Da Ji, my secretary. “Someone is looking for you,”“Aish,” I threw my head backward and groaned. “Just let it come in here,” I hate to be disturbed my painting, and moreover, I’m too lazy to go out.“Okay,” she giggled. I fixed myself in the long mirror just nearby. I placed it strategically near where I usually put my canvas-stand to paint, so that I only have to turn my head when I need to groom me. I brushed my hair, which has gone really long now. It reached all the way down to my back.I didn’t notice that ten minutes had already passed since I permitted the entrance of my visitor. Just when it crossed my mind, there was a knock on my door.“Come in!” I answered.But no one came in.“Now what is this joke—“ I walked with huge steps towards the door and opened it in a swing. “Who’s there?” but no one was around. I walked out of the stock-room to look around. “Ugh. Da Ji must be fooling with me,” I frowned, and went back to the studio. Then my heart jumped at the sound of—“Nice room you got here.” I froze in my tracks. “Oh, what’s this? Nice! And this one—you changed your style, didn’t you? And this, oh, pretty,” he leafed through the shelf filled with finished paintings.I stayed in my position, not wanting to face him. “Uh…sir, the sale of paintings is not today. You can come back tomorrow, yes?” I excused myself, croaking.He ignored what I said. He went on with what he was doing, mumbling compliments and complaints worthy of being remarked.Half-annoyed, I turned to his direction. I then was stunned; I stared at him the whole time he was checking on my paintings. I didn’t know how long I stared at him but everything felt like slowed down. I couldn’t believe I was actually standing in the same room with him once again. Now did I just realize how long it has been, and how much I missed him—even more than I thought. Wow, I am getting really corny with this. He looked at me, and that was my cue to go back to reality. “How have you been, HyunMi?” he inquired with a smile.I grabbed the closest paintbrush to my hand, and played with it, so as to have an excuse not to look at him. “Uh…me? Well, as you can see, I have this now…” I looked at the ceiling, lost in thought. “And, uh…you?”“What do you see?”This made me look at him, which I thought was actually a trap,  but fell for it anyway. I looked at him, wielding all my willpower not to turn red. “Still the way I left you,” I said coolly, with a shrug.“What?”“You know, annoying,” I stifled a laugh.He rolled his eyes. “By the way, suspenders? Your shirt is orange and your apron is green? Why, Moon HyunMi, I thought you had more sense,” he tossed his head to one side in contempt, and inspected another rack of paintings. “Someone really needs to slap some sense on you in fashion,”“Shut up,”He snatched a canvas out of the rack. “Oh, what’s this?” I saw what it was: my painting of him during his birthday last year. “Is this what I think it is? A painting of me?”“Hey that’s mine!” I protested, scrambling forward.“No, not anymore—hey look! This was made on my birthday! You could’ve chosen a better color! Where am I looking at this picture? You didn’t get my eyes right, did you?”“SHUT UP! That’s taken from memory, idiot,” I growled. “Now gimme that!” I tried to snatch it from him but he astutely evaded my attacks.“It’s mine now,” he stuck his tongue out.I stopped. This is the part where I give up. I walked back to my canvas and resumed painting while I fumed with anger. I heard steps approaching, and felt a shadow towering over me.“Can I try it out?”“Mwoh? Why, sure. here,” I handed him the brush, and he rolled up his sleeves and painted manfully like he was the next Picasso.“Now tell me, what is this for?” he asked.“Ah. It’s for the children in a kindergarten which the Kwans sponsor. Someone proposed to me if I could do an artwork for them and manage to impress the kids, he’ll pay me big time. By the way, I’m talking about Mr. Kwan’s grandson,”“How old is he?” his question was a little far-out.I looked at him with a flummoxed face. “About your age? I think. Hey, careful!” I yelped as he almost painted the bird with blue.He didn’t talk for the minute that followed. It didn’t really have me worried though. He’s still as territorial as ever. “Hey HyunMi…”“Yeah?”“Why didn’t you come?”“Come? Where?”He slowly turned his head to face me. “We went to Los Angeles for a concert. Why didn’t you come?” I could sense the sadness in his voice.“Well, about that…” I gulped. I seriously don’t know how to answer this. “Kibum-ah…” my voice faltered.“You chose not to come, am I right?”I frowned. “I’m sorry…I thought if I attended to the concert, it’ll still be in vain. I still won’t get to talk to you. Plus I was busy,”“I understand…” he sighed.“I’m sorry, Kibum-ah,” I hung my head low. And just to break the moment, his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket immediately.“Yobosseyo? Oh, Taemin-ah! Eh?”A little pause.“Oohhh. I see. Be right there. I’m here at HyunMi’s studio. Yeah, yeah. Sure. okay. Got it. okay bye.” And he put down the phone.“What’d he say?” I queried.“He said we’re going somewhere. And I have to hurry. He also said he wanted to send his regards to his HyunMi-noona,”I smiled. “Tell him I miss them too—““—you didn’t miss me?” he interjected.I rolled my eyes. “Here we go again…” I heaved a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Go now. Wash your hands over there.” I pointed the sink nearby. While he was washing his hands he said something that made me blush, like really. “Oh, HyunMi-ya, what do you say we have dinner? Me. you. Tonight?”I covered my mouth. “I—“ I cleared my throat. “Sure. pick me up here at 8pm,”“Okay,” he was making his way to the door, but before he got out, he walked back to me and—well, I don’t know what happened next. My whole brain underwent a black-out. “Before I leave,” I heard him say. As I closed my eyes, the last thing I saw was a reflection in the long mirror—two figures, their heads attached at the point where their mouths were; a tableau of human love and warmth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------HyunKey kiss lol finally after 2 years  after 5 months and 17 days! at long last! the most nonsensical fic in AFF has ended!!! HEEHEthank you very much readers! especially to the ones who always leave comments hihihihiso this is goodbye?  (╯ಊ╰)I'll be working on Tumbling Dice immediately. I will miss you. I still hope to see you in Tumbling Dice though  be happy always. bless you! yolo -drollface