Chapter 64 - Into A New World

They reached the inside of the booked floor and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a rather tall woman, almost as tall as Yul and more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen.

"Hi!" She screamed and threw her arms around Zeng, who hugged her back. Then she withdrew and kissed him on the cheek and smiled at Yul. Yul was staring at her in confusion. Then it transformed into a glare.

'Who is this woman and why is she kissing my Zeng ge? Why is Zeng ge letting her do it?!

"Your boyfriend?" The lady asked, looking back at Zeng. The doctor rubbed the back of his neck and nodded rather shyly.

Xuan Lu laughed at the shy man and smiled as she gently held Yul by the shoulders, placing kisses on both of his cheeks. Yul blushed.

"Welcome, dear. You can call me Lu jie. Feel free to chat with everyone and help yourself with the food, okay?" She said with a lovely smile.

Yul nodded absent-mindedly and Xuan Lu left to attend to the other guests.

Yul found himself confused again. No questions were asked and they already seemed to welcome a stranger to their place. Was this okay? Should he be in a place like this?

A drag queen wearing a flamboyant dress passed them and Yul was awed to see it for the first time. When he turned to look around, there were all sorts of people there. People with fashionista, classy, vibrant and even gothic vibes. People with an array of clothes, most of them defying the gender norms. He found it more of a gathering of people to express themselves rather than just a cause of celebration.

And expression was Yul's weakness.

He feared it more than anything.

It was amusing to see all these individuals who were so unique in every aspect, so different from each other. People chatting, dancing, singing, laughing and just being themselves. An amalgamation of differences blended beautifully. He had never been to such a place before. All the gatherings he had had before felt so bleak in comparison to this.

His question was did he really fit in there?

He was pulled back from his thoughts when Zeng held him by the hand and dragged him in further. They grabbed drinks and Zeng found his circle of nerds where they talked about all the things that went over Yul's head.

Yul saw himself out and found a bunch of sports fanatics and needed no time to mix with them. While Yul was the type of guy to stay quiet for most of the things that didn't interest him, like literature or politics but talk about sports and his job, or any such 'cool' stuff our boy was a talking parrot.

Yul noticed that he was more comfortable and expressing around these people. Hell, some even gave him the Subin vibes, total chatterboxes with loud energy. Yul guessed he did well around extroverts. They were all so different from him yet so similar. They were like that lady, the host of this party; welcoming, friendly and non-judgmental.

They were like every other people. Just… people.

It shouldn't have come to him as a surprise. Really, what was he afraid of? He found himself smiling and enjoying the company.

"Yul!" Zeng called when Yul and his newly formed acquaintances were discussing the upcoming Moto GP race. Yul excused himself to walk up to his boyfriend. A much shorter girl was standing beside Zeng, along with the party host. Yul noticed that the two ladies had similar rings on their ring fingers.

"Lu jie had already met Yul. So Yul, meet Zaria, my friend and Lu jie's girlfriend. Amd Zaria, this is Yul, my boyfriend," Zeng introduced them, loud enough and proud much. Yul noticed that Zeng had a light shade of pink on his cheeks and a goofy smile. Maybe he was a bit drunk but he liked the introduction. "My boyfriend" the word sounded sweet on Zeng's lips. He would love to hear it often.

Zaria checked Yul out from head to foot and let a long groan. "Damn hot!" She said out loud, making Yul blush.

"Zaria!" Xuan Lu and Zeng said at once, the latter holding his boyfriend closer now, protective of him against anyone and everyone.

"What? It's just a compliment!" Zaria shrugged. Why were these people making a fuss? Anyone can appreciate a hot guy, right?

"Thank you," Yul bowed.

"Aww, he's so cute," Zaria said, making him blush again.

Another group of people arrived and Xuan Lu decided to go, "I will go check the guests. You, don't trouble them much. Be good." She patted her girlfriend's head.

Zaria nodded like an obedient student with a lovely smile and as soon as her girlfriend left, she turned to look at the boys with a snap of her head, her sweet smile morphing into a wide, witchy grin on her face.

Her attention was now on Yul, who felt uncomfortable under her gaze but hid it effortlessly with an undifferentiated look. He had a 'cool guy' image to keep on.

"You! Come here," Zaria wriggled her finger, telling Yul to come closer. He obliged. Zeng stood back with hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes on his crazy friend.

"Look me in the eyes," Zaria mumbled as if casting a spell. Yul followed her every step.

"Now tell me honestly," she narrowed her eyes and Yul's heart beats quickened, anticipating her question. She took a long pause then asked, "Is this idiot forcing you to be with him?"

Zeng rolled his eyes.

"Like, seriously!" She motioned at the hall full of people, "Look at all the fine men in this room and all you want to settle on this stupid twig of a man." She dramatically threw hands in Zeng's direction like he was a failed piece of art.

"Thanks for the praise," Zeng threw in sarcastically, pushing her back by the shoulders. Zaria punched him on the shoulder for that, making Zeng wince.

"Ow," Zeng rubbed his abused shoulder, glaring at the lady who grinned back at him, "Your frail arms are no match for me, twig man." She dismissed him, her focus back on Yul.

"So, all in all, are you sure about this?" She asked seriously, her eyes fixed on the officer, daring him to mess this up. She waited for him before throwing in a judgement. Not that she could change anything if Zeng had decided to be with this guy but she would know if he isn't the right choice. She believed she had a good judgement of people.

Yul took Zeng by the shoulder, gently massaging it. "I have never been more sure of anything," he answered the lady doctor's question, "I love him… with everything I have. I will keep loving him even if I have nothing. I am sure about it."

Tears sprung up on the brim of Zeng's lashes and Zaria rolled her eyes at that. "Oh god, such a crybaby!" She taunted but pulled him in a tight hug anyways. This emotional mess of a person was her friend after all.

"He's good," Zaria mumbled in his ear, an approval of sorts while Yul rubbed his back. She moved away, putting her hands on her hips.

"Come on, you big baby. It's my farewell party, I should be crying, not you. Don't steal my stoplight!"

"Yas, Queen!" Zeng mimicked her energy and Zaria grinned before walking away like a storm after blowing kisses to them.