Chapter 10 Reunion with an Old Friend

After crossing the street and reaching the destination, I leaned forward with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Blake, on the other hand, stood in front of me as if nothing had happened.

Here, I deeply felt the age gap and was annoyed by my lack of physical strength.

No, maybe the lack of exercise in normal times was also a big reason, but it was really pathetic to be out of breath just after running a little.

"Are you okay?"

"... Of course not completely okay."

I couldn't help but reply to Blake, who was worried, in a thorny tone.

Seeing me like this, Blake's mood also changed.

He looked pitiful, and I sighed deeply.

So, your expression like this makes you look weak.

"Are you angry?"

Blake seemed to misunderstand the meaning of my sigh and frowned even more confusedly.

"... I'm not angry. Forget it."

Actually, I was still angry a few seconds ago, but now it doesn't matter.

For some reason, I was always very tolerant of Blake.

Or rather, I always couldn't help but want to indulge him.

"Why?"

I couldn't help but ask myself.

Why was I so defenseless against Blake?

I felt very strange.

Indeed, Blake was a very nice person, straightforward, honest, and gentle, and being around him wouldn't make me feel unhappy.

Although I always felt irritable recently, I didn't hate him - thinking of this, I found that my thoughts were developing in another direction, and I realized this.

In the end, I still couldn't figure out the reason why I was so defenseless against Blake.

"Teacher?"

Seeing me suddenly lost in thought, Blake frowned worriedly, but I didn't answer, just stared at his face. An incomprehensible feeling increased again.

"Nothing."

"Is, is that so?"

Blake looked at me somewhat confusedly, as if still trying to figure out my mood. Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but raise the corners of my mouth.

"...?"

Blake seemed unable to believe his eyes when he saw me suddenly smile and blinked many times looking at me.

"Let's go."

I said to Blake, who was rarely stunned, and walked towards the nearby entrance. After passing through the opened automatic door and looking back, Blake finally came to his senses and ran towards me.

"I'm sorry."

I glanced at Blake, who apologized, and pressed the elevator button to go upstairs.

"He's very famous."

In the elevator, Blake suddenly murmured in a low voice.

I looked back at Blake standing behind me, and he was staring at the poster of the photography exhibition posted on the wall. The big poster listed the names of many companies and magazines that sponsored this photography exhibition. There was also a brief introduction to his experience, which was very brilliant.

"Ah, yeah. He has won many awards, and it seems that many places have invited him. Recently, he has not only been shooting landscapes but also started shooting people, but I haven't seen it yet."

"Oh."

Blake responded vaguely, and I also looked up at the photos on the poster. From the few carefully arranged photos, one could glimpse his unique worldview.

Although it was an ordinary daily life, it was moving because of his shooting perspective, and that kind of beauty was shocking to the soul no matter how many times one saw it. It was more vivid than what one saw with one's own eyes, making people sigh at how beautiful the world could be.

"But, he himself is very strange."

"Teacher, how did you meet him?"

I thought of that person and couldn't help but smile. Blake frowned for some reason and turned around.

"Hmm? Ah, well, it's not exactly that I met him. Actually, he's a friend of a friend? I said I liked his works, and my friend introduced us. Well, now we can be considered friends, right?"

I was confused by Blake's sudden unhappy expression and replied like this, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened even more.

I didn't quite understand why he suddenly became so unhappy.

"Do you like him so much?"

"Ah, hmm? Well, I quite like him."

"... Is that so."

His pressing tone made me blink, and I nodded lightly. He suddenly narrowed his eyes.

His somewhat indifferent gaze made my heart flutter.

I didn't understand the reason why Blake suddenly became so strange and tilted my head in confusion.

At this moment, Blake sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and suddenly lowered his gaze.

"Blake, wha..."

I was about to ask Blake, who suddenly became downcast, when the elevator sounded the notification of reaching the floor.

I noticed the sound and slowly looked at the door that began to open. When I saw the person outside the door, my eyes widened. And the person on the opposite side also widened their eyes when they saw me.

"Ah, Ben?"

After the door fully opened, he blinked many times and called my name.

The person who suddenly appeared in front of me opened his arms wide and hugged me as soon as he saw me.

He pulled me out of the elevator and hugged me tightly. I lost my balance and leaned against his arm.

"It's been a long time. I didn't expect to see you today."

I was startled by the sudden hug, and he patted my back many times.

Although the pats weren't heavy and didn't hurt, his momentum still made me feel confused.

"Well, I didn't expect to see Daniel either."

I didn't expect to see the person himself at the exhibition site on a rest day.

Although this building was a bit far from the front of the station, one could see that people were constantly coming in and out of the reception area inside.

Who would have thought that this popular photographer would appear at the venue in broad daylight.

"I hardly show up, so I won't be noticed unless it's a special case."

Daniel seemed to read my confusion and smiled happily.

After hearing his words, I looked around, and just as he said, the visitors didn't seem to notice the presence of the photographer - Daniel Clark.

If he appeared in the media, he would definitely attract a lot of attention.

"Well, Daniel might look like a model."

"Really? I don't care much about my appearance, but I'll still be happy if Ben praises me."

He said and smiled, and I stepped back a little to look at him. He narrowed his eyes behind the light blue sunglasses.

I noticed his gaze and looked at him carefully again. He was wearing all black and was still a very noticeable person.

He tied up his shiny golden-brown hair that reached his shoulders at the nape of his neck, and his emerald-green eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses.

I remembered that he was four years older than me, but he seemed to have changed little since I met him in my student days.

Maybe it was because he was half-blooded, so his age was hard to tell.

I heard a long time ago that his mother was British.

His hair and eyes made him look like a foreigner at a glance, and he had fair skin. His nose was straight, his eyes were long and narrow, and his facial features were perfectly proportioned, like a beautiful work of art.

"It's great to see you so energetic, and I'm so happy that you haven't forgotten me."

He cupped my cheeks with both hands and smiled brightly.

He had always been a person who liked physical contact, but this seemed to have become his deep-rooted habit. Since we had known each other for a long time, I had also gotten used to his reaction.

"It's great to see Daniel so energetic too."

"I was called here for a meeting today. It's lucky to be able to come here without any trouble."

He grinned and kissed me on the cheek. This was also his common way of greeting.

Behind him stood several men in suits. They were of different ages, but they only showed a surprised expression for a moment when Daniel suddenly hugged me.

But they seemed to know Daniel well, and now they all had expressionless faces, as if nothing had happened.

For him, hugs and kisses when meeting were very natural things.

"Ah?"

While he was in physical contact with me, he suddenly blinked and tilted his head.