attention | gyuricky

eleven.

Gyuvin and Yunseo have been talking about meeting up for a meal for weeks now, but their schedules have somehow never really aligned in their favour until a cancelled class in the middle of the afternoon lets their paths cross. Yunseo's art history lecturer calls in sick and the first call he makes is to Gyuvin, and they meet at one of the Japanese food restaurants near the downtown area down the hill from the school within twenty minutes.

"Gyuvin-ah! It's been a while!" Yunseo greets cheerily, as he sees the other boy rounding the corner to the restaurant. "How are things?"

"I've been busy, sorry we haven't been able to meet earlier like we talked about," Gyuvin says, smiling. "Let's get a seat first. How are you doing?"

They're taken to a table and Gyuvin and Yunseo each get a bowl of ramen, something the restaurant is apparently known for. The two bowls of steaming hot food arrive at their table not long after, and they both stop for a second to enjoy the aroma of fragrant broth before digging in.

"I should eat with you more often," Gyuvin says, scooping up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks. "We always manage to find the best food when we're together. Anyway, how've you been recently? I just submitted a draft for my first graded project of this semester, so I'm taking it easy for a couple of days since I've got nothing due."

Yunseo talks about how small the group majoring in painting for their year is, and how everyone basically knows who everyone else is, and Gyuvin's prompted to ask again about Ricky.

"Oh, yeah, I see him a lot now since we're in a lot of the same classes," Yunseo answers. "I say hi to him sometimes in the hallways but he's quiet and doesn't talk to anyone. Two weeks ago we had a project we were supposed to partner up for, and he got assigned to work with this girl I know, but she said he barely spoke to her. He still did his work perfectly, so she had no complaints, but she was just surprised about how cold he was."

Gyuvin smiles. "That's a little more like the version of him I know."

"I never really talked to him much in the last year of high school," Yunseo says, shrugging. "I guess he changed after the accident happened."

The accident? Whatever it is, it's the first Gyuvin's heard of it.

"There was an accident?"

"Yeah, one of his bandmates passed away at the beginning of senior year."

"Someone died? Who?"

Yunseo smiles, a little awkwardly, shooting him a look. "It's not like you'll know him if I give you his name," he says, trying to keep the conversation lighthearted as much as he can. "His name's Yujin. I practiced with him for the band sometimes and we both studied art, so we both knew each other even though he's a year below us."

"What happened to him?"

"No one really knew much since they tried to keep it quiet. I think he died in a car accident or something," Yunseo says. "I wasn't even allowed to go to his funeral, but I suppose I wasn't that close to him. Anyway, I don't really think I'm in a position to talk about it, so I'll stop here."

"Okay, I understand," Gyuvin says. "Sorry if it was awkward for you to bring up."

"It's okay, I'm the one who mentioned it first," Yunseo says ruefully. "Their band broke up soon after, you know? Maybe it was just because they wanted to focus on their studies for their final year, but I don't really know. I guess I just feel bad talking about it because it must have affected his close friends a lot."

"Of course it would have," Gyuvin says, nodding. "It sucks to lose someone, and no one really knows what it feels like until they've lost someone themselves."

"Yujin was really nice," Yunseo finishes, sighing. "He was always smiling. If I'm not wrong, I think he told me he wanted to come to this university too. But that was a long time ago, before everything."

Gyuvin smiles, and it's a little sad. "Then, in another life I might have known him too. He must have been a really good person, to have been so loved even after he was gone."

He doesn't put his earphones in on his way back to the art building. There are too many thoughts in his head today, and it's one of the times he actually doesn't want to drown them out.

So Ricky had been close friends with a bandmate who'd passed away a little over a year ago. That would explain why he'd reacted that way when Gyuvin talked about his band; it must've brought back a memory he'd tried hard to put behind him. Gyuvin's sorry he'd brought it up, now, but he consoles himself with the fact that he'd genuinely had no idea.

It didn't explain why Ricky hated him, but at least now Gyuvin could see him as more than a bartender/art student who was an asshole to him and everyone else. Maybe there was more. Maybe there was a reason.

Maybe he was hurting, too.

Gyuvin thinks about this as he heads for the art studios. He'd told Yunseo he was taking it easy, but he remembers suddenly he's only submitted the draft and hasn't started on the actual building of the project at all, and since he's done with his classes he decides he'll spend the rest of the day holed up in one of the studios trying to finish at least the foundation of the building so he doesn't have to work over the weekend.