𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 // Jihan

twenty-six

The next day, Joshua had to return home from Seungcheol's place before heading to work. His dad and mom were eager to know what had happened after the confession.

"Josh!! Did you have a sleepover with Cheol? You didn't tell us what happened at the confession!" his dad inquired.

"Come on, Honey. I'm sure he spent the night at Jeonghan's place with that messy hair!" his mom chimed in.

Joshua replied with a somber tone "He rejected me. Dad is right."

He couldn't bear to listen to more questions from his parents right now, he needed to forget about Jeonghan. When he entered his bedroom, he noticed Jeonghan's sweater on the bed, the same one he had mentioned wearing when they were together.

[Memory]

"Your sweater looks good! Where did you got it from?" Joshua asked, returning with ice creams.

"I made it myself! I crafted it back when I was in university. Seungkwan helped me with it too! Every time I wear this sweater, it brings me comfort. I feel peace. I don't know why!" Jeonghan explained with a smile.

"Do sweaters really have that much power?" Joshua teased.

"Maybe." Jeonghan replied.

[Memory ended]

A bittersweet memory, but he needed to move on. He grabbed the sweater and tossed it into the closet, resolute in his decision to forget about Jeonghan.

"Forget about him already, Joshua!" he shouted to himself.

***

Arriving at his workplace, Joshua had a photoshoot scheduled for the day. He wasn't in the mood for it, but because he had missed work the previous day, he had to make up for it with double shoots today.

"How exhausting." he thought as a man gave him instructions during the shoot.

After the first session, he had a few minutes to rest, and a fellow model named Jun approached him.

"Joshua! You don't seem happy today!" Jun observed, taking a seat beside him.

"Leave me alone, Jun. I'm really not in the mood to talk with anyone right now." Joshua groaned.

Jun persisted "Could you at least tell me what's bothering you? Are you tired?"

"I'm not okay, and I'm tired." Joshua admitted.

Jun pressed further "Why?"

"Well... Remember I used to talk to you about a guy I had a crush on? I confessed to him yesterday, and he rejected me." Joshua explained, despite his resolution to forget about Jeonghan.

"Oh, Hannie? That's why you're feeling down? Don't be sad! I've been rejected by a guy too, and I know it's tough, but you'll get through it!" Jun consoled.

"Wait, are you gay?" Joshua asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jun nodded with a smile "Yeah, I am. I have a huge crush on Minghao, my childhood friend. He's incredibly sweet, and even though he rejected me, I still care about him. I hope that one day he'll feel the same way about me. When I was a kid, I was pretty lonely, but he always made sure I wasn't alone. Isn't that lovely? I love him."

"Wow, that's touching..." Joshua remarked.

"What? That he rejected me? Nah, he's asexual. Maybe he's not meant to be mine, but he doesn't belong to anyone else either. So I shouldn't be too sad about it." Jun explained.

"The guy I like isn't asexual." Joshua stated.

Jun inquired, "Have you ever asked him? Is he gay or straight?"

"I've never asked him, and he never told me his sexuality. But I can sense it. He used to date my best friend back in high school."

"That's tough. Be careful, though, your best friend might steal him away at any moment!" Jun warned.

Joshua had never considered that possibility before, and it added another layer of complexity to his feelings and worries.

***