“Hey, Armen?”
“Hmm?” Armen makes a nose without looking up while fiddling with his camera.
“What happened?”
“Oh I’m just checking the film-”
“No, what happened between you and Raian?”
Armen’s fingers stop. Then, he looks up at Arsh, an easy grin on his face. “Nothing happened, why?”
“Then why was he like that after we came back from the amusement park?”
“Like what?”
“Like…depressed and gloomy, you know what I’m talking about.”
“Awwww, worried about your man I see?”
“…What?” Arsh springs up from the couch. “What the heck are you talking about?!”
“You and Raian, don’t think I don’t know there’s something between you two…”
“…What?! There’s nothing between us! He likes you.” At this, Armen’s eyes wander and Arsh catches it.
“You obviously know it but…wait. Don’t tell me you…” Instantly Arsh’s brow contorts. He sharply grabs a pillow and starts smacking Armen repeatedly.
“Hey, hey, ow! What the heck?!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“You know, you obviously know he likes you and you broke his heart didn’t you? That’s why he was all depressed that day!” Hearing this, Armen’s expression remains unperturbed however his fingers almost unnoticeable tighten around his camera as his mind involuntarily flashes back to his response that day.
“…P’w rbggs.”
“Qts?” Ejljc vfwjcvr.
“Dfmjerf la’r cba wfjca ab yf.”
“Why?”
“…Dfmjerf” Cgwfc rkjiibkr, “Cgrt ilxfr sbe.”
“…So you’re rejecting me because of that?”
“Yes.” No. There’s a moment of silence. Then…
“Mlcf.”
Cgwfc yilcxr, mbwlcu yjmx ab atf qgfrfca.
“Vb sbe gfpfmafv tlw yfmjerf bo wf?” Cgrt jrxr, tlr ojmf mbcabgafv.
“Qfii ilaaif ygbatfg, P mjc’a ufa lc atf kjs bo sbeg agef ibnf-“
“What true love? That’s bullshit! If it was true love he’d have loved me while you were gone! But he hasn’t…and you know that. I’m sure you do! You’ve always been faster at realizing these things than me…I get it, you didn’t want to be with him so you used me as an excuse, is that it? Ha, hahaha!” Arsh bursts into angry laughter while Armen resumes inspecting his camera, neither denying nor confirming his brother’s words.
“You-you-” Unable to contain his anger, Arsh turns around and stomps out of the room while Armen continues absentmindedly tapping against his camera. Within a few moments, the room is dead silent save for the rhythmic tapping. Armen gazes up and through the window where the setting sun has turned the sky pink. He sighs. Well, the system should be finding me soon, right?
A few days later…
“So where exactly are we meeting?” Armen asks, raising a brow.
“It’s a new milk tea place: Bobo’s Boba.” Arsh says, shuffling about the room.
“Huh, okay. And why exactly aren’t we going together again?”
“I have something before hand-”
“Then I’ll just go there with you.”
“-something personal.”
“Huh, what would be so personal that you won’t let your own brother come?”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, just go to this location at this time. I’ll see you later!” Then Arsh rushes out the door before Armen has a chance to get a word in edgewise. Watching the door slam shut, Armen heaves a sigh. After the incident, Arsh ignored him for a few days. Then he suddenly said he’d forgive Armen if the other went with him to a milk tea place he’d been wanting to try. Naturally, Armen had agreed since he’d had nothing better to do and honestly, for all he’d know, this might be the last day he could spend with his brother. I already suck as a brother, the least I can do is get milk tea with him. Armen thought, with a mirthless laugh.
However, Arsh’s behavior today has been odd. If they’re getting milk tea together then why can’t they directly go together? If they’re starting from the same place why do they have to meet there? He picked out my entire outfit today. With the way he’s acting it’s like he’s packing and sending me off on a date. Armen barks out a laugh-then freezes. Wait…he can’t actually be-
A few hours later, Armen’s suspicion comes true as he finds himself seated across from Raian. The comedic multicolored bubble letters spelling “Bobo’s Boba” does nothing to dispel the tension in the air as the two sit in their plastic chairs.
“So…” Armen begins. After several seconds, his “so” trails off and the silence resumes. Raian is watching him, yet the expression on his face is inscrutable. After several more moments of permeating awkwardness, Armen speaks up again.
“You must have something more to say, I mean, if you went through the effort of getting my brother to bring me here.”
“I didn’t get him to do anything.” Raian finally looks up and speaks, meeting Armen’s eyes.
“Oh really?”
“It was all between my secretary and him.”
“Oh?” Armen quirks a smile. “Looks like those two are getting pretty buddy buddy, you’d better do something or your man is going to get taken-”
“Stop it.” Raian’s gaze turns sharp and Armen flinches slightly. “You know I like you, I can never like him in that way so don’t say that.”
To this Armen opens his mouth, then closes it again. Finally he speaks up. “I’m not…worth that like.”
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“But haven’t you already seen it? With how I hurt you, you should be done with me, right?” Armen asks, raising a brow.
“You sound like that was your goal from the start.”
“So what if it was, so what if it wasn’t?”
“Regardless, I like you.”
“But why?” Armen’s voice carries a faint pleading. “It’s really not worth it, you must have realized it by now right-”
“What I realized, ” Raian cuts across his words. “Is that you’re someone who runs away from things, and it’s much harder to catch you than I initially thought. But…I like a challenge.”
Hearing these last words, Armen pauses. That feeling like a beast stalking its prey…it’s just like my Rai. He pauses. What am I thinking, there’s no way that he’s Rai! I mean they’re different-
“So,” Raian continues, looking intently at Armen, forcing him to meet his gaze, “I love you Armen Babayan and I will continue to love you-”
System has located target, initiating removal in 5…4…3..2..1..
Bam, Armen is gone and Raian is left talking to an empty seat and a half-drunk cup of milk tea.
Author’s Note:
Ah, poor half-drunk milk tea, I’ll finish it if you don’t want it Armen! Ahem, anyway we’re in the home stretch everyone so just one more chapter and the secret as to what in the world is going on is finally going to be revealed! However I am curious, what do you all think is going on with Raian? What do you think is the mystery behind it all?
If you’d like to venture a guess please feel free to comment below. The final chapter and the author’s note should be released in a few days anyway so you won’t have to wait long to find out. BUT, if anyone decides to comment a guess I will respond and let you know if you’re right or not, both before and after the final chapter is released 🙂
I reckon it is a piece of Rai’s soul in both his Rai and this Rai we’ve met. So essentially they are one and the same.
thanks for the chapter <3
Okay, so technically both your statements are true, although the second one more so than the first. Let’s just say, it’s simpler than that. Anyway, thanks for following along with this story for so long and commenting! I believe you were even the first ever person to comment on this story and I’ve been seeing your profile pic a lot since then XD so thanks so much!
I’m all over the place! but yes, I might have been the first QAQ
I do have your other stories on my list and I will read them eventually!
😊
ok, this is my guess: Rai is future version of Raian, after he, too, gets in contact with the system, and he has stealthily been getting closer and closer to Armen, but waiting for Armen’s timeline to catch up with his own.
this is what you get when you watch too much doctor Who 😆😆 (🏞️🎶❤️)
Same😅
…Dang it Dr. Who, why did you have to give away my story😩…lmao, but BINGO, you got it right on the head!
Damn, I’m happy I’m right🤩! But I shouldn’t have guessed, because now, everyone knows 😅
No worries, I’m trying to get the chapter out ASAP since the secret’s out anyway😁
Did Armen’s name change, or is there something there I don’t understand? In chapter 4, on the headstone it said his name was Armen Babayan, but then here Raian calls him Armen Spearen.
😅 That’s what we call a forgetful author😂 Actually, the mc of my other story is Spearen so I confused the two, thanks for catching it!
And here I thought there might be some hidden meaning that I hadn’t understood! Now I’ll go look up your other story.
Thank you for the chapter <3
And puff the beloved boy is gone just like that. I bet Raian is now all wolf like and goes to find his bro to help him track him down. 😁
Am I really the only one who laughed crazily at Armen’s disappearance????
I am sooooo glad I started this when it was already completed!!