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Jongin buys himself food and a drink before getting inside the cinema. A bucket of salted popcorn and a tall cup of iced tea.
Bored at home, he decided to go out, but not expecting himself looking for a movie to watch. Yet, here he is, underdressed. Plain white v-neck shirt, jeans, then open sandals. Like an ahjussi. He's twenty-seven.
With his ticket in hand, he saunters to cinema 4, but not missing a glance at the pregnant male, pouting and caressing his bulging tummy.
One thing he takes note about the said male, he doesn't have anything but himself which is a little strange to him. The last time he accompanied his pregnant sister to watch Star Wars, he got tacos in one hand and a bucket of popcorn in one. He thought they'd share food, but his sister ended up eating everything. More than that, Jongdae, his cousin, has told him that once he and his pregnant husband went to the movies, he ended up ordering food every time his husband finished one and he wasn't able to see the movie that he was very excited to see properly. Perhaps, every pregnant person is different. But Jongin can't help but wonder why this man is empty handed, and another pregnant male arrives just as the man enters the cinema. Compared to the man that caught his attention, this pregnant male has two buckets of popcorn in hand. Then another pregnant woman arrives too. Again, with food in hand, and this time, eating. Just why are there so many pregnant people today?
Shrugging, he passes security and shows his movie ticket then enters inside the dark theater.
Once settled on his seat, he sets his cup of iced tea in the cup holder and lifts his head to the big screen to see a trailer playing. But upon looking, he gets distracted by the crumpling sound of plastic and foil next to him.
A man, rather, the pregnant male from the express lane earlier is sitting next to him, donned in thick frame glasses and a quirky smile on his lips as he opens a pack of chips with his teeth. But it's not how cute the guy is closely that made Jongin's eyes almost jump out from their sockets. It's a fact that this short man is cute like the penguin from a penguin movie Rahee loves watching every Sundays on repeat. This penguin sitting next to him definitely came out from the movie he's thinking about. But again, it's not the reason why Jongin was astounded. Well, that partly, though what rocked him on his seat the most is seeing the man pulling out his stomach, then putting back a bowl-shape styrofoam under his loose t-shirt.
The man pulled out his stomach and returned it. The stomach. The fucking stomach.
"Cool," he comments instead of the lingering, 'what the fuck did i just see?'.
The man next to him gives him a passive stare while stuffing his mouth with chips. "Yeah?"
Jongin blinks rapidly, darting his eyes at the fake protruding tummy back to the man's puffed cheeks. The sound of chips grinded is louder than the sound from the movie starting.
"Your tummy," he points out, his eyes widening once more when the man pulls out the styro under his shirt carefully.
The styro holds a bunch of biscuits and small bag of different junkfoods.
"Oh you mean my tummy is cool?" Jongin hasn't found someone so cute as this guy with his wide wide eyes. "You know I was pregnant? I mean you saw me?" He nods in response, despite the movie playing before them.
"Saw you earlier outside, pouting while you caress that, tummy." He drops his tone from his last word. "You didn't buy food because you already brought a lot."
What fascinates Jongin the most is, the guy is too straightforward and even too proud for what he just did, fooling random people about his condition when the real thing is, he just stuffed food in his fake baby bump.
"The food they offer is quite pricey for a broke, college student like me." He munches on more chips, yet he eats neatly. "One more thing, I tend to eat a lot when I watch movies and I can't just leave this movie to buy food again when I finish one. So this styro-bowl is heaven sent."
Not taking off his eyes from the man, instead of paying attention on the movie, Jongin asks, curious. "Did you make that?"
A brief glance, then a shake of the head. "Found it in the storage room and it fit, so why not make it something useful. Here, this is something useful. I just saved money for food."
He quickly empties his snack and opens another one. They are not even in the half of the movie and this guy has consumed a lot while Jongin hasn't even touched his yet.
"That's genius of you." Genuinely, he comments, watching the guy remove the styro out and setting it on his lap as he eats.
"I know right. Just you wait I'm going to manufacture more of this. I'm sure people who love eating like me would love it too. I'll be the next Bill Gates because of this awesome idea. I'll be in line with Einstein and Newton." He rambles, pushing his glasses up for effect. “Then I’ll be featured in Times magazine.”
Jongin chuckles quietly. "That's cute."
"I know I'm cute." The man deadpans. Jongin shakes his head in amusement and stares at the side profile of the guy more than he takes time to concentrate on the movie.
"Can I have that styro bowl too?" He interrupts. The man waves him off.
“Sure. Sure.”
“So what are the details?”
The man shushes him. "Talk later for details. Movie first." He offers politely and Jongin cackles, agreeing. He turns to the movie, but every now and then, he casts the guy next to him a glance who doesn't stop eating for the rest of the movie. “Oh wait, do you have a drink?”
Jongin hums and drops his gaze on the cup of iced tea where the man is already looking at. “You can have it.”
“You sure?” The man picks up the drink and sips on it. Jongin snorts because he still has the audacity to ask when the straw is already in between his lips. Really fascinating.
“As long as I get a discount for that thingy then why not?”
The man burps cutely, lower lip jutting out. “10% discount then.”
“That’s generous of you.”
The man hands him back the drink. “Drink too or you’ll choke. Can I have some popcorn too?”
All Jongin could do is laugh quietly and offer him some of his popcorn.
This is the most fascinating thing he has experienced in his lone escapades--sitting with a fake pregnant man, an Einstein wanna be and a cute descendant of penguins from Happy Feet who loves eating so much.
*
The movie ends with a cliffhanger, but Jongin is too absorbed watching the man's every move. He became the movie instead, finishing his bucket of popcorn while watching him intently. The man is equipped with a plastic bag where he puts his trash inside. He still has three snack bars in his styro bowl that he carefully fits under his shirt again, patting it for good measure once he pulls down his shirt.
"So what do you think of the movie?" The lights flick on and the petite man stands on his toes, bending back a little but supporting it with one hand just like how real pregnant people do it. He's doing this effortlessly.
"It's fine." He can't say a profound critic about the movie when the entire time he's more curious about this guy next to him.
"It sucks for me. People all over the internet are all over this movie, but it's not that great than what I expected." They move out of the theatre room. The man walks next to him, a hand on his fake belly. He shoots the security a timid smile and Jongin doesn't want to think that the look on the security's face upon seeing him is akin to understanding that he and this small male next to him are a thing. He doesn't mind really if that is what the security thinks. Alright, so he thinks it is.
"My baby is kicking. Aigoo." The man plays pretend and Jongin can't believe the audacity of this guy. He's done with the movie yet he's still enjoying this acting game of his. "Baby, please behave you're hurting Dada Soo."
"Are you going home like that?" Jongin queries, walking at the same pace as the man.
"Of course. I came here pregnant, so I'm going home pregnant too." He pouts, head lowered as he pats his round belly. "Baby, we'll eat more when we get home. Dada promises."
Hearing the man like this, Jongin just quietly laughs, endeared by the man's cuteness.
"You're cute." he comments which is true and he even chants it in his head from every move the man does and every word he says. The man alone screams cute.
"Thanks." He beams. In a flash, Jongin's arm gets hugged. "I don't know you, but you seem a good guy, so pretend as my husband as we look for baby clothes! I don’t want to go back home yet anyway!"
Without anything exciting to do, he plays the role the man asks him as they peruse the aisles of baby clothes.
"By the way husband, my name is Kyungsoo! Twenty-two." He introduces enthusiastically, heart smile on display while he hugs Jongin's arm.
"I'm Jongin. Kim Jongin."
"Then I'm Kim Kyungsoo now." He giggles and Jongin has never had someone so hyper as Kyungsoo before nor has dated someone so carefree and eccentric like him since most of the guys and girls he dated were all either too shy or reserved it gets boring for him. But Kyungsoo, he's a different one. He may be loud and can't keep himself in one place as he checks all the baby dresses ranging in pink to white colors, but this got Jongin so drawn to him even if they just met.
After exactly twenty minutes of picking up dresses, pretending that he's interested to buy from the branded baby store they entered, they left to go to a stall that sells cotton candy and Kyungsoo buys two rainbow colored ones.
He hands Jongin one. Jongin grins widely because he got a cotton candy from Kyungsoo. But before he plucks a cotton, Kyungsoo interrupts, "That's not yours. Buy yours!"
Jongin startles. "What?"
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes as he feeds himself with cotton candy. "I told you just to hold it not eat it. One is not enough. I need two. Buy one for yourself if you want one. It’s for me and the baby. Our baby."
Straightforward. Instead of getting annoyed, Jongin laughs heartily and ruffles Kyungsoo's hair. "For a second, I thought you bought one for your husband. You eat too much. But if it’s for our baby, then go ahead."
Looking like a kid, Kyungsoo slightly lowers his head as he eats and mumbles. "Food is life. Sorry Daddy."
Jongin wants to get to know him better. The Daddy has lured him completely.
*
As they reach the exit of the mall, Kyungsoo fishes out a small pen from his wallet and holds Jongin's arm. "You are my first ever customer for my styro bowl. Here's my number if you haven't changed your mind wanting to purchase one." Dark ink numbers were scrawled on his wrist. Kyungsoo smiles from how neat he has done it. "Don't rub your wrist or you'll lose my number. Don't lose it because you might be my lucky charm for my future business after I graduate." He retrieves his second cotton candy from Jongin and gives him a warning look. "Don't forget."
Jongin stares at the numbers written on his wrist, a smile tugging at his lips.
Kyungsoo waves for a goodbye, smiling so big it can light up a thousand houses in town.
"Bye Jongin! Baby says bye bye too!"
Jongin waves back and smiles, watching Kyungsoo get on a cab after before he drops his hands. It's a good idea he left home to watch a movie or else he wouldn't be able to get to know Kyungsoo at all.
*
Later that night when he's freshly bathed and sprawled on his bed with phone in hand. He types Kyungsoo's number by heart though it was already saved in his phone. He composes a message.
I want to order one for myself -Kim Jongin
He gets a reply after two minutes.
But I haven't started my business yet -Doh Kyungsoo
What I mean is I want to order one Doh Kyungsoo on a date. Would he date me? Watch another movie with me again some time?" -Kim Jongin
Why not? As long as there's food to lure me in -Doh Kyungsoo
Deal. So when are you free? -Kim Jongin
Tomorrow, Daddy. Baby, misses you! -Doh Kyungsoo
Jongin has never laughed so much like this before.