Venetian Mask - Hyunlix (ENG)

Twenty-Six

Tom Walker - Just You and I
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On Wednesday, Felix went back to school. This was what Seungmin had advised him to do to clear his mind and concentrate on other things. The young man was still tired, but fit enough to take part in his classes. In the morning, during his first inter-course, the blond ran into his interlocutor from the previous day. Indeed, Jinnie had been waiting for him almost in front of his classroom when the younger man left. He accompanied him to his next class. As usual, the older boy was smiling, happy to see the younger one. On the way to his next class, the two youngsters touched on subjects they'd discussed the day before. The conversation was pleasant but short. The taller boy abandoned the blond in front of his classroom. After seeing him enter, he hurried to his next class, late. Indeed, taking his time to see as much of the blond as possible meant being late for his lessons with the fake blond.

As for Felix, he continued his morning without any problems or delays. He could just about keep up with his lessons, but Taehyun had helped him a great deal to ensure that the youngster got all the content he needed. Felix didn't know how many times he'd apologized to his friend for his momentary lapses in concentration. The rest of the day continued in the same way. The blond ran into Jinnie again by chance. Most of the evening passed calmly. Except like the previous days, when Felix cried because of his ex-girlfriend. Seungmin had been right, for the day had made him forget a little about Chae, even if he remained on the blond's mind. What's more, it was all he could think about in the evenings, which made him cringe.

The rest of the week was like that Wednesday. The blond sobbed every night. On the other hand, some days he ran into Jinnie more often. The two also kept in touch by message. Most of the time it was Jinnie who initiated the conversation, but the blond didn't push him away. The blond still received messages congratulating him on his work. And this side of things lifted the young man's spirits and made him smile a little more and more.

At the beginning of the week, Felix had forgotten about the still ongoing story of the mask. Indeed, the story with his ex-girlfriend occupied all his mind. It might even have been seen as unexpected that he should remember this affair in relation to his situation. But he thought about it as he communicated with the tall man, so he took advantage of the opportunity to talk to him and ask him questions or try to find out information on the web from time to time. Felix now wanted to find out as much as he could. As a result, their exchange became longer and more regular. Jinnie had noticed the purpose of these questions and so he gave him clues, as at that moment when the two crossed paths Jinnie began:

"Kitten! We meet again.

- Jinnie, I have a name. I didn't give it to you just now to call me "Darling" or "Kitten".

- Listen, kitten, I know you've got a name, I've got one too! But nicknames are so much better, don't you think?

- Okay then, I'll give you one...

- Don't bother, I've already given you mine.

- What's wrong? I didn't hear what you said.

In fact, this time they'd bumped into each other in front of the school at exit time. The square in front of the college was therefore crowded and made it difficult to fully understand each other. So Felix couldn't hear his interlocutor's reply. Jinnie, on the other hand, had heard what the blond had just said. At that moment, he moved closer to Felix. The blond didn't understand, they were so close. Seeing that the boy was not serene, the fake blond said:

- It's so we understand each other, don't be afraid.

- Okay, as I was saying, I've come up with a nickname for you!

Jinnie gave up trying to explain that "Jinnie" wasn't his real first name, just this once. So he let Felix continue:

- It'll be crab, Jinnie the crab!

- And why's that? asked the tall boy, intrigued.

Felix explained every detail of his thought process. The explanation brought a big smile to the fake blond's face, but he was also embarrassed when his interlocutor revealed his elusive side. At the end of this, Jinnie replied:

- Okay, that's fine with me! It's cute too, and it works with what you're telling me."

Ever since they'd met, even with Chae's event, knowing that Hyunjin had noticed the change in the younger man's behavior, he hadn't changed the way he was with him. He was still teasing, still kind, still smirking. He even thought it might help the younger boy to feel better or think about something else, which it did - Felix simply and genuinely enjoyed Jinnie's company.

The following week began like the end of the previous one, with no particular clues received. But at the beginning of the week, Chae was much less on the blond's mind, to the point where he stopped crying in the evenings. As for the mask, Felix found it unreal that he had so many clues but no suspects apart from Jinnie. But the blond didn't want to believe that his good friend was the owner. He was trying to wrap his head around it, almost to the point of trying to find someone else to blame. He didn't want to believe it, it was too simple and complicated at the same time. When the blond thought about it, he quickly lost himself in all his antithetical reasoning.

One afternoon, while strolling through the corridors, Felix caught sight of Jinnie from a distance. For once, the blond decided to make the first move and see his friend. But he was stopped by, surely, some of the tall man's friends, before he could accost him. Jinnie hadn't noticed Felix. In the end, the blond decided not to interrupt them and set off in the opposite direction. But he stopped in his tracks when he heard the tall man's famous companions "Jinnie" and "Hyunjin" calling his name. Felix didn't quite understand the situation, wondering whether his friend Jinnie and this "Hyunjin" were the same person.

Later, during one of their exchanges, Felix asked Jinnie the first name of the person who had made the web. The tall man replied simply, "I think he's called Hyunjin, for his first name". Felix stopped when he received the answer and froze in place. All the elements blended together in his mind. The conclusion he came to was that, yes, his friend, the "great one", was the painter of this work, something the younger man had forbidden himself to believe. When Felix came to his senses to answer, his interlocutor had left and Felix couldn't find him for the rest of the day, as if he'd disappeared.