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Kang Daniel is crying, alone, inside a bus in the middle of the night – goodness, he must’ve looked like a crazy person but who cares. He holds on to his gadget tightly as he continues to sob quietly. He can feel his tears keep streaming down and his nose is runny already and great, he knows he doesn’t bring along any tissue, but who knows that he will actually cry.
It wasn’t until a couple of second later that a handkerchief was offered to him from the seat next to him and Daniel gladly took it to wipe both his tears and snot, and continue focusing on the screen in front of him – and it took him a minute later to realize that he is sitting next to a stranger.
Daniel immediately turned his head to see the stranger was staring at him in awe and amused smile, and Daniel immediately unattached his earphones from his ears. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, I will replace this, I swear, I am sorry.” Daniel bowed slightly while muttering a lot of apologies, while the stranger only chuckled lightly.
“It’s fine, you can keep it,” The latter replied instead afterward before facing the front seat again.
Daniel should’ve known that it was a bad idea. But having his mother screaming on the phone because Daniel forgot to buy a ticket home to Busan on her birthday is an even worse idea, but right then, he knew he should’ve bought a less packed bus ticket instead, just because he actually dislike it having a stranger as a seatmate – it takes away his freedom on the road.
And right then, he just embarrassed himself hard, in front of a handsome stranger.
“You know, Love, Simon doesn’t strike as a sad movie for me,” The stranger suddenly remarked when Daniel decided to stop fucked his dignity even more and turned of his laptop.
“It isn’t, don’t worry, I am the weird one.” Daniel tried to laugh – it came out very awkward and he is pretty sure that the handsome stranger will soon change his seat with someone else because Daniel appeared as a lunatic already.
“I think you are just being precious by crying over a coming-of-age gay film,” The stranger replied with another chuckle and Daniel cursed three times inside his head because one, the stranger looks really good under the moonlight coming from the window beside Daniel, second is because even his laugh is pretty and third is because he just called Daniel precious. What.
“There are a lot to process from that one sentence alone, I am just saying,” Daniel commented nonchalantly and the stranger grinned cheekily.
“Maybe this one will be a lot easier to take, well, I think you are cute,” The stranger stated and it took everything for Daniel to keep his cool and not to jump out from the bus.
“More like, gross, but it’s really an inspiring movie and I’m Daniel, by the way, Kang Daniel, I don’t really want to be that cute but gross guy from that one bus ride.” Daniel replied afterward – oh well, he cried in front of the guy, might as well talking (flirting) with the other and besides he could use it to kill three more hours before they arrive at Busan.
“Okay Daniel, my name is Ong Seongwoo.” The latter offered his hand, which Daniel gladly took. “Really, Ong?” Daniel grinned in amusement. “Really.” Seongwoo nodded.
“So, tell me why Simon writing that post made you cry,” Seongwoo added afterward, tilting his head when he faced Daniel and Daniel swore that the moon loves Seongwoo because the way its light filters through Seongwoo face is unreal – Daniel has never seen someone so pretty in the middle of the night. “It hit close to home?” Seongwoo added when Daniel wasn’t answering.
“No, no, I didn’t have that kind of complicated coming out journey, it just it’s beautiful, I think,” Daniel replied while shaking his head.
“I agree with that,” Seongwoo nodded his head. “So, why are you going to Busan, Daniel?” Seongwoo continued.
“Visiting my parents and stuff, and oh, it’s my mom’s birthday, so.” Daniel shrugged. “What are you doing in Busan?”
“Me too, visiting friends and stuffs.” Seongwoo grinned.
It was a pretty awkward silence afterward – which is kind of uncanny, because Daniel has already embarrassed himself from the very first, there is no way that they could be more awkward than that – until Daniel realized that Seongwoo seems to be staring at him and if Daniel may suspect, the latter is studying him as well.
“Can I tell you something that might freak you out?” Seongwoo suddenly asked and Daniel was kind of taken aback by the question – as if Daniel hasn’t freaked the latter out first by sobbing over some teenage movie that isn’t suppose to be sad at all. “I think it’s okay since I disgustingly wipe my boogers in front of you first,” Daniel replied instead.
“You are weird,” Seongwoo remarked and Daniel scoffed in reflex. “No, no, I mean you don’t fit into my categories of people I made inside my head,” Seongwoo quickly corrected, which made Daniel raised his eyebrow in confusion.
“Well, you see, I am a liberal arts student,” Seongwoo explained immediately. “One time, a professor told us to make an literary essay about people, so I categorized them by day, so people are divided into seven days, from Monday to Sunday.” Seongwoo beamed. “I got an A by the way for the assignment.”
“That sounds fascinating,” Daniel replied in amusement. “So what day am I?” Daniel asked curiously.
“You supposed to be Saturday,” Seongwoo answered in enthusiasm. “Like today?” Daniel chuckled. “Exactly, like today.” Seongwoo nodded.
“How are Saturday’s people though?” Daniel tilted his head a bit, obviously wanting to know more about what the handsome boy beside him has in mind about him.
“Well, since I am only excelling in categorizing people around my ages, you know students, I mean, you are a student, right?”
“Political science, actually.” Daniel shrugged. “Excellent, okay, wait what?” Seongwoo raised his eyebrow. “Why are you not in an art major?” Seongwoo continued.
“Because political science interests me more? Wait, but I dance though, is that what Saturday supposed to do?” Daniel chuckled again.
“Yeah, most of them, because Saturday, they are just wild and they wear leather jackets. They live in another world because they paint at two in the morning and, they like late nights and they probably broke the main rules once or twice. And they can’t function without a coffee and they are literally why hurricanes are named after people.”
Daniel has never met someone has a pretty face and speak so engagingly at the same time.
“Well, I can’t say that I am wild, but I do love wearing leather jackets. I stayed up all night to finish a paper but not painting, but sometimes I do stay overnight at my dance studio. Also, I broke the rules like once a month, I guess, but I can function without coffee, and I am pretty sure that no hurricane is name after me.”
“Ha, you are wrong,” Seongwoo cut in as he showed his phone’s screen and it showed a Wikipedia page for a hurricane called Hurricane Daniel.
“Okay, so a hurricane is named after me,” Daniel laughed – he is supposed to be the diverting one in this conversation but why is the stranger become a lot more absorbing than he was already earlier in just a matter of second.
“So I fit like four from the criteria, but why am I weird?” Daniel knitted his eyebrow together before Seongwoo burst into a laugh that the people in front of them actually shushed them.
“Because you cried watching Love, Simon.” Seongwoo muffled his laughter.
“How is that supposed to be weird? Anyone can cry over any movie in any day.” Daniel defended himself – and why is Seongwoo calling him cute earlier when he himself is like a hundred times more adorable that Daniel will ever be.
“True, maybe every system does have a flaw,” Seongwoo reckoned. “You don’t though,” Daniel remarked nonchalantly and goodness, he wanted to thank his mother and the whole universe existence that he did get a seat next to Seongwoo because he is able to witness the sight of Seongwoo blushing.
“Can I guess what day you are?” Daniel suddenly asked.
“Sure, cute guy from that one bus ride.” Seongwoo chuckled.
“I think you are Friday,” Daniel stated and Seongwoo is already looking at him in amusement.
“In contrary of people’s belief and also because you said that Saturday is a wild one, I think Friday is more like the calm before the storm? You stayed up until late nights too, but instead of living in another world, you make up your own world. You probably have a notebook filled with doodles or writings, and you like to wear baggy clothes, and I bet you smell like a museum.”
“Because I resemble a painting?” Seongwoo smirked playfully.
“Close, because you are a masterpiece,” Daniel replied instead. “How was my analysis?” Daniel said when he noticed Seongwoo is turning away his head.
“Well, I do carry around a notebook and I’ll let you take a peek inside, maybe after our third date possibly?” Seongwoo smiled cheekily when he faced Daniel again.
“I thought this bus ride is going to kill me and embarrassed me for the rest of my life but now I got a hot date? The universe must’ve loved me and thank you Simon,” Daniel commented.
They went back into another silence – it was a comfortable one that time around, and the sound of the bus engine is clearer now that they aren’t laughing at each other in the middle of the road approximately two in the morning.
“Saturday sounds good? I have a car back in Seoul, I could pick you up,” Seongwoo spoke up.
“I personally think Friday is better, though,” Daniel said in return.
“We could, you know, have a movie date and see which one is going to make you cry and therefore will defy my system even more,” Seongwoo replied with a playful smile.
“I will forever be that crying guy in that one bus ride, am I not?” Daniel raised his eyebrow.
“Well, if I’m lucky enough, you will be my crying Saturday guy from that on bus ride,”.