The Last Piece of Me {HyunLix}

I Wish I was a Mind Reader.

Felix.

His name was Hyunjin, as I found out when he walked through the door, Han presented him to us proudly. He had this look on his face, like he was less than pleased to see me again, and it didn't disappear even after we'd figured out how everyone was acquainted.

As we walked around, I got the sense that he was sour about his painting. And fairly so, I had figured yesterday that he was just in shock. That's why he hadn't blown up at me; but he didn't seem like the kind of person to get violent or vocal when angry. He was quiet and closed off, even to the other two. Han had told me he was shy, but I got the feeling his silence inside the stationary shop was meant to be a sort of expression of his annoyance. I felt bad.

Han had mentioned earlier that he and Hyunjin were going to get materials for an exhibit showcase at the end of the year. A last goodbye, or something of the sort, to inspire the younger years and get their work out for exposure. I thought it was a great idea. I'd been to one in my first year, just by coincidence when I'd mistakenly walked into the mess hall. There were so many different types of artwork around the venue, and the people all looked interesting, and the energy in the place buzzed so much that the hair on my arms stood up. I really considered switching majors after seeing that, but I'd never had the knack for creating. I could only ever admire other people's work... and in this case, I admired the artist more than his art.

We were sitting at a table outside my favourite cafe, just sitting in a nice, tranquil feeling of silence while we waited for Leeknow and Hannie to find us. There were a few pigeons at our feet that Hyunjin seemed quite intrigued by as they cooed and walked around aimlessly with beady eyes. Han had talked about this boy so often and so adoringly, it felt like I was meeting a celebrity of some sorts now that we were face-to-face.

His skin was fair and clear framed by medium black hair tied halfway into a bun with a white ribbon. His eyes were tired, like they'd seen more than the average human being, and his hands were dainty. His fingers tapped his cup as he watched the birds play out on the street, not a fear in the world. He was really, truly, a sight.

I wasn't usually so secretive about observations like that. Normally, I'd just tell the person upfront that I found them attractive, and they would either giggle or flee. But something in me warned that he would do the latter, and it hurt to think I might never see him again after just one meeting, so I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I ordered a brownie with my hot chocolate, and began picking crumbs off the outside of it to throw to the ground at our feet, drawing the birds closer to us.

Hyunjin held out his hand suddenly, still looking at the birds as if they'd suddenly be spooked and fly away. I broke off a piece of the brownie and put it in his palm. He crumbled it in his hand and leaned down to get closer to the pigeons. They walked up to him without much hesitation and began to eat right out of his palm. I tried the same but they steered clear of me. Perhaps even stupid pigeons could sense his beauty with their empty eyes and walnut brains. I wasn't sure any plain of nature could ignore how unusually this boy glowed. I hadn't seen anything like it before.

I didn't realise how shamelessly I'd been staring till he looked right at me, then down to his coffee, then back out to the street, his eyes flitting everywhere uncomfortably. Whoops. I flipped my chin to my chest and sipped my hot chocolate. Good going, I thought.

"So..." He spoke up after a while, "do you go by Yongbok, or Felix?"

I looked up at him, "oh," I shrugged, "either is fine. Most people know me as Yongbok just because it's easier for them to pronounce, but people like Chan and some of the foreign professors call me Felix."

He nodded, "did you think I was foreign? You put 'Felix' as your contact."

No. All I could think about was getting to class before Leeknow killed me, and the ruined painting, and the way the boy was looking at me; then, and now. My heart was in my throat, and he hadn't even flirted or anything. I shook myself out of my thoughts, I was only making things awkward.