Yunho looked around the room.
"What time is it?"
"It's ten minutes past six," Yoochun replied.
"Where the hell are those guys?" Yunho said to nobody in particular.
Jeff and Changmin are known for their punctuality. They never arrived late at any appointments or meetings or gathering or anything, and Yunho admired them for that. Even Yoochun, who almost always arrived late.
"Slept late last night." His common response when asked why he's late. But it's true. Yoochun had always had a hard time getting sleep. Usually he gets to sleep at 4 a.m. Sometimes 5. He even took sleeping pills into consideration - an idea that Jeff entirely dismissed.
"Sleeping pills are drugs. In time you become dependent with them. Which is entirely bad. Try music."
With Jeff's help, Yoochun appreciated music like never before. Jeff lent him CDs of relaxing music, which totally helped him in getting sleep. Now Yoochun's getting sleep at 11 p.m.
"You can always count on Jeff for good advices," Yoochun thought. Everybody else would agree.
One strong quality of Jeff that Yoochun will not forget is his focus on punctuality. Once, they had arranged to meet to go to the cinemas at 10 in the morning. Yoochun arrived at 11.
"Sorry I'm late," Yoochun apologized.
"We expected it," Changmin said, smiling.
"Yeah, we actually planned to go to the movies at 11:30," Junsu explained.
"But Yunho. Where is he?" Jeff asked.
Yunho arrived half an hour later with no justifiable reasons as to why he is late.
"Yunho," started Jeff, in a tone Changmin easily recognized.
"You are an hour and a half late. And you do not have any good reasons. We're good friends, so it's alright with me. But for other people, it's not. It is a selfish act. You make people wait for you for no good reason at all. You make them waste a lot of time which they might have use for other productive activities. You too are at a disadvantage. You create a bad impression. Think about how the other party managed to arrive in time. Maybe he skipped breakfast. Maybe she woke up early. Just not be late. And then you will be late without any reason. Punctuality is not discussed in friendship, but in later years, when you have a job, being punctual means being able to keep your job. You should work that one out. It's important."
"You can always count on Jeff for good advices," Yoochun always believed in that.
"So where is he now?" asked Yoochun.
Yoochun and Yunho were seated side by side at the sofa, faced at the large window which provided a nice view of the open sea. Both of them were holding a half-filled glass of champagne. Yunho never drank, Yoochun did. Yunho just gave in to Junsu's request.
"We've got to celebrate!" said Junsu five minutes ago.
"But in what way does drinking means celebrating?" Yunho asked.
"It's tradition," Yoochun explained, laughing.
"Come on," Junsu said.
"But I don't drink," Yunho protested.
"For the sake of friendship?" Junsu asked.
And that's when Yunho took up his first glass of champagne.
"Where are they?" A lady said. Yoochun and Yunho turned around to see who said it.
In a luxurious black gown and a black stiletto, they saw Neru descending the spiral staircase near the other end of the living room together with Junsu. Junsu sported an all-white attire - from the tux, the pants, and the shoes.
"They look good together," Yoochun said.
"Indeed," Yunho agreed.
"I don't know. Could it be that something might have happened?" Junsu answered Neru's question.
"Like what?" Neru replied.
"I don't know. Flat tires? Engine problems?" Junsu said.
The couple seated themselves on the couch just near the sofa.
"You must not forget that their car is not just an ordinary car," Yoochun joined in.
"I know, but we also know that Jeff never gets late," Junsu said.
"And so is Min," Yunho continued. "They're together. So how can they be late?"
"There are only three possible reasons," Neru said. "First, they probably decided not to attend this party for some urgent unforeseen reason."
"Which is unlikely," said Yoochun. "It is unlikely that both of them will be unable to go for the same reason. It's more likely that one of them will still come."
"I know," Neru said. "But still, it is possible."
"Second is?" Junsu asked,
"Second is that the car had problems and they probably resorted to use public transport. Traffic is, at this time of day, heavy. They will still come. But late."
All of them agreed.
Only five people were invited by the couple - Jeff, Changmin, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Yunho. Jaejoong said earlier that he couldn't attend, that he's sorry for not being able to attend. He didn't mention any reason, and Junsu knew better than to ask.
The party is a simple one. Just a small gathering of close friends. Tomorrow is the wedding day. The party was held after the preparations for the wedding were wrapped up.
"It would be nice if Jae is with them if the car indeed met some problems. He's a natural," Yoochun commented.
Indeed, Jaejoong is a car enthusiast. He never had one, but he knows everything about cars - how the engine worked, how the parts are assembled, which functions each part does everything. Any problems on cars are a piece of cake for Jae.
"But it is somehow unlikely that Jae's with them now," Yunho said.
Yoochun felt something weird. Something is on his mind that he can't seem to place. It bothered him. He stared through the window, at the open sea.
Neru continued. "The problem is, Jeff always impressed me as someone who'd let people know if he'd be late. Well, he was never late, so I'm not sure about it. But he would surely inform us if they would be late. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Junsu asked.
"Unless he or Min is in no position to inform us. Which means that they might have met an accident of any form. The third reason," Neru finished.
There was something impressive in the way Neru discussed it. Yoochun felt it, and so did Yunho. They were impressed. They always were. Maybe because they never saw Neru speak in school. Maybe because they knew so little about her.
Or maybe she said something that is likely the truth.
An accident? Neither Yunho nor Yoochun gave it a thought. They were always positive. Something that they learned from Junsu.
But Neru is different. She experienced enough in life to know that it is not just wonderful. It's cruel.
Previous : Chapter 16 - Death's Turn
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