Archive of Our Own

The ocean waves feel light on Jaehyun’s back, his body moving in rhythm to the subtle ripples of the current, pulling him the tiniest bit away from the shore before inevitably inching back towards it.

Despite the sun blaring at him from above, the water beneath soothes him, making the heat bearable. Despite the memories that the tides beneath him carry, he still finds peace in moments like this. Despite the breakup happening over five months ago, the ocean will only ever remind him of his time with Leehan.

He’d like to imagine Leehan was with him every time he floated aimlessly like this, the water enveloping him in the same kind of hug Leehan would give him—covering his whole being in a safe embrace. They were only able to do it so many times before things ended between them.

“Jaehyun!” The muffled sounds of someone calling out to him echo through the water. He closes his eyes to brace himself. “Come on! We’re about to eat!” The voice still muffled but a bit closer this time. He lets out one big exhale and, in an instant, his body goes under.

Shortly after, he pops his head out of the water with his arms keeping him afloat as he continuously gasps for air. Once he came to, his friend was already in front of him with this look of worry written across his face.

“You know, you don’t have to keep doing that every time right? You could just kick your foot down or something.”

“But where's the fun in that?” Jaehyun pushes the water in front of him with a quick force, splashing his friend and nearly knocking him under. “Race you back?”

“Too tired, let's just go ba-” And before he knew it, Jaehyun was already off, darting across the water in record speed and already nearing the halfway mark from the shore.

From the distance, Jaehyun stops in his tracks and looks back at his distant friend behind him, “Come on Sungho, you’re too slow!” He stares at Sungho intently, waiting on him to make a move before starting up again, inevitably winning this one-sided match either way.

Sungho just sighs and shakes his head before swimming across, each movement a mix of power and grace. Jaehyun can’t help but smile as he watches. Once Sungho caught up to him, Jaehyun turns back and starts toward the shore, gliding across the water with such ease. You’d think he was a dolphin.

With each stroke though, the only thing Jaehyun can think of is how he and Leehan raced the last time they went to the beach. He remembers watching Leehan from behind every single moment of that race, how his back glistened with salt water as he stepped out of the ocean, and the smile on his face as he turns around to meet Jaehyun, arms already out to welcome him into a hug. He remembers Leehan’s patience as he taught him the proper swimming form right after and how he’d laugh at him when he was first starting out. Come to think of it, he never did get to beat Leehan once in any of their races.

Jaehyun, unsurprisingly, comes out on top and arrives first, with Sungho lagging behind by a few seconds. The sun was giving them some extra attention, the light bouncing off the water dripping down their skin. The heat was made immediately apparent the second they got off the shore.

Once they recouped with each other—Sungho looking a little worse for wear while catching his breath—they made their way to their friends over by the huts. Jaehyun’s arm was slinged over Sungho’s shoulder despite the latter needing it much more than he does.

Despite that, Jaehyun doesn’t lean on Sungho, fully carrying his own weight without actually burdening him. Almost like a towel already draped over his back. A very enthusiastic, very unfettered towel… that was dripping more water on Sungho’s back rather than drying him.

Nevertheless, the pair soon make it to their other friends who were already setting up to eat. The smell of seafood grilling allures Jaehyun, instantly unlatching from Sungho and practically bolting it to the grilling area a little further from their enclosure.

“Taesan-ah! What are we having?” Jaehyun rushes towards him, nearly tripping over the rocks beneath the sand and immediately coming up from behind him before Taesan could even turn around to make a sound.

Taesan just sighs in defeat, with Jaehyun already hugging him from behind and towering over him through sheer presence despite Taesan being a lot taller than him, “This batch is nearly done,” Taesan nods his head over to the side, “But you can go ahead and take that back.”

“Thank you for your hard work Taesan-ah,” Jaehyun lets go of him and grabs the plate he was previously signaling at, “I’ll go save some for you.”

“You better. Thanks,” As Jaehyun makes his way back to the others, The sound of metal dropping alerts him and almost immediately, Taesan greets him again before Jaehyun could get another step in. As Taesan suspected, Jaehyun was already grabbing one of the pieces off the plate, “Ah hyung…” Another sigh fills the air, “You should wash up before you do that. It’s gonna ruin the flavor.”

“Oh don’t be dramatic,” He plops a piece into his mouth.

“You just got back from the water. You’re dripping all that salt water onto the meat.”

“Oh… right, my bad,” Jaehyun resumes his steps back again, “Join us soon, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. And don’t forget about that plate!” Taesan turns back to the grill as Jaehyun’s footsteps get weaker in the background. As soon as the sound died out, he relaxes his shoulders, the tensity dissipating like smoke though, that’s probably just from the grill, “At least it looks like he’s actually doing good.”

He bates his breath as the smoke stings his eyes and the heat imposes itself on his skin, “I really hope he’s getting better now.”

Back at the table, Jaehyun sets the plate down in the middle before taking a look around. Sungho was over by the side, hanging all their wet towels and clothes to dry, “Hey Sungho, where’d Woonhak go?”

“Said he was going to go buy some drinks by that stand we passed by.”

Jaehyun makes his way out of the hut, staring (more like squinting) at the sky. The sun was still looming pretty high up over the ocean, in that middling spot of 3pm. Despite that, the heat was still overbearing and the air was still buzzing with excitement.

“I’ll go over and help him bring the drinks over.”

“Take this with you,” Sungho’s voice echoes behind him and, before he could turn, something damp surprises his shoulder, instinctively making him jump. It was a towel.

“It’s still pretty hot out. Put it over your head before you go.”

“Thanks,” He feels the fiber brush up against his fingertips. A bit coarse but still pretty soft despite the added density. He puts it over his head and turns to Sungho to give him a thumbs up, “Does Woonhak already have one?”

“Of course. Now go out and help him.” Sungho pats Jaehyun’s shoulder and pushes him towards the direction of the shop like some sort of mother urging their child to go up in front of something to take a picture.

Jaehyun gives him a salute, complete with the straight posture and everything, before laughing at himself and heading over to that stand.

As Jaehyun’s silhouette gets smaller, Taesan walks in, plate in hand with the rest of the meat he grilled before setting it down beside the other plate. He joins Sungho in watching Jaehyun walk in the distance, a worried look starting to paint across his face.

“He looks like he’s doing good, right?” Taesan leans on the entrance’s frame, slowly tapping the wood with his fingers.

“Well, he hasn’t talked about Leehan at all since arriving,” Sungho moves past Taesan and heads inside, tending back to the rest of the clothes, “But I’m sure something’s still up. I tried talking to him and asked him directly about it, but he just avoided the question.”

Taesan in the meantime, still hasn’t moved his gaze from Jaehyun’s general direction, despite his silhouette no longer being visible among the crowd. Sungho clears his throat, practically asking Taesan’s attention to be on him.

“Look, I know you’re worried about him but come on,” He sits down, patting the area beside him. Taesan obliges and takes up the space, before returning his gaze back towards the entrance, “He’ll talk to us when he’s ready. This is the first time he’s invited us out since his breakup, I’m sure he’s just biding his time.”

Taesan finally lets his guard down, compromising his posture to relieve the weight he’s been carrying for a while now, “I know, I know.” He looks up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back towards the ocean, “I just can’t help but worry.”

Jaehyun in the meantime was on his way to Woonhak. The towel on his head weighed particularly heavy on him, both literally and metaphorically. It was too reminiscent of Leehan to his liking, the image in his mind vividly displaying itself despite his resistance. He wouldn’t expect Sungho to know about it considering he doesn’t go into that much detail whenever he talked about Leehan.

Whenever they got off the water and started drying themselves off, Leehan would always wear his towel on his head like this and just sit on a chair, letting the sun do the rest of the work as he just rests there with his eyes closed. Jaehyun would always end up staring at him a bit too long, watching closely as his chest moved ever so slowly, ever so calmly, and watched as the light on his skin dance in harmony with all the little droplets of water yet to be evaporated.

It was enticing for Jaehyun—he’d be hard pressed to say that he wasn’t thinking about Leehan in that sort of way whenever they were able to finally meet up. Especially when he’s as exposed as this in front of him, with the only thing covering him up was a measly pair of shorts. He can’t help but be excited.

The first time at the beach he was able to resist temptation and just settled with lying down to a chair next to him after he was satisfied with just watching, but Leehan caught on to this—it wasn’t like he was actually resting or dozing off when he closed his eyes.

He could feel Jaehyun’s eyes on him the entire time, the subtle hunger mixed with gentleness, almost like yearning on them was alluring; It piqued his curiosity.

So, the next time they went to the beach and got dried off as usual, Leehan was laying there on his chair, eyes closed and waiting for Jaehyun to take up the space beside him. When he was sure that Jaehyun had laid his sights on him, he turned to his side and greeted him with a gentle touch on his knee.

He looked up at Jaehyun and though his expression was of shock for a moment, when he settled, his eyes immediately commanded attention, that same hunger-yearning he felt the last time being stronger now that he can actually see those eyes looking down at him.

With no hesitation, Leehan gets up and almost pounces at Jaehyun, instantly getting on top of him with ease. Even with Leehan’s weight on top of him, Jaehyun couldn’t help but let out a big smile, his thoughts running wild and his excitement showing in more ways than one. They sit in that moment for a while just staring at each other, catching their breaths as they wait on one another to make the next move.

Jaehyun had something he wanted to try.

He grabs Leehan’s arms and shimmies out from under him, pushing Leehan back to his chair once he was free and getting on top of him in quick succession. Leehan looks up at Jaehyun, his gaze becoming even deadlier than it already was. To say he wasn’t getting excited would be a lie. Jaehyun adjusting his body to sit directly on his cock wasn’t helping either.

Jaehyun sat there for a second after adjusting for the final time, his hand on Leehan’s chin. He looks at him with delight painted across his face—he’s been raring to do this since their first beach trip.

He quickly leans in for a kiss though, because of how quick he was, he instantly smacks his lips on Leehan’s, prompting the other to hold his arm and let out a little laugh when they separated. Jaehyun lets out a laugh of his own and just smiles at Leehan for a moment, their noses grazing each other and their breaths filling in the space between them.

Shortly after, Jaehyun leans in again, slower, and properly kisses Leehan this time. Leehan follows Jaehyun’s lead, his hand on the other’s neck as he kept pulling each time Jaehyun pushed. There was a sort of rhythm to it all that they slowly picked up on though, that was probably due to the occasional lip biting that the both of them fell victim to.

With each kiss, they became more in tune with one another, breaths getting caught in each other’s throat as they got hungrier and hungrier for the next and though they wanted to do more, they wouldn’t want to be caught with their pants down quite literally by anyone passing by. Even if they were at one of the ends of the beach where no one else really comes to, it was better to cover their bases.

This back and forth went on for at least two hours before they called it off, their breaths pacing themselves as they cooled down with a constant exchange of smiles and pecks. Both of them were beat after it all but they still enjoyed it regardless, despite wanting to do a little bit more than they’d hope for. When they got back to their hotel, they just laid on top of each other for the rest of the night.

Nonetheless, it’s in the past now, and he probably couldn’t get him back even if the longing on some days felt like an iron stake piercing through his chest. Not with both of their situations right now anyways, and maybe even in the next 5 years. Jaehyun couldn’t wait that long, and it’s not like Leehan wouldn’t be able to find someone new during that time. He was just cutting his losses before it was too late.

Though even now, as he’s making his way to Woonhak and the beach just beside him reminding him of the salt, of that strong sting you get when you breathe in the ocean air, he wonders if it was too hasty of a decision; That maybe he was too hyper-focused on what he wanted without thinking about what he already had.

The relationship was good, great even, especially considering Leehan was his longest one so far. But that gnawing feeling of just something missing, something constantly hollow within him, was tearing him apart. He just wanted to be close to the person he loved—hold their head when they’re tired. Hold their hand as they walk through a park. Hold them tightly and have that assurance that they’ll come home to his arms without making him wait too long. He was greedy for this proximity, and Leehan wasn’t the one to give it to him.

He stops walking and looks down at the sand beneath him, only just realizing how apparent the grains felt and how they fit way too comfortably in between his toes. Frustrated with all these thoughts and memories, he kicks the sand—not enough force for other people to notice the already visible emotion on his sleeve, but just enough to have a small pit form from the displacement.

He shakes the feeling (and the sand off) and resumes his walking. The stand was already well within view and he could see the tall frame of a guy leaning against the counter, looking closely at the selection of drinks available.

“Woonhak-ah!” Jaehyun calls out to him, speeding up his pace when Woonhak turned towards the sound of his voice.

“Ah, hyung-“ Before he could even finish, Jaehyun was already by his side, interlocking their arms together as he greets the owner with a small smile, topped off with a bow too. Woonhak just sighs. He’s lost count how many times he’s done that during this trip of theirs but still, he doesn’t deny him despite what his begrudging face might say, “Help me pick out drinks for the others.”

Jaehyun looks up at the menu, quietly mouthing some of the items displayed, “Raspberry Extreme, Grape Blast, Cherry Bomb…” He turns to Woonhak and whispers into his ear, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Woonhak just nods without saying anything. Jaehyun just orders some Cherry Bombs and Raspberry Extremes.

As the auntie at the stand prepares their order, Jaehyun unlatches from Woonhak to turn and look at the ocean behind him. He just stood there, watching as the waves ebb and flow, dictated by the wind blowing past him. He sits in this moment, eyes closed, with Woonhak just off to the side making it fairly obvious he was staring the whole time and though unreadable, he could sense the concern in the silence.

Eventually, the store owner calls out their order. Jaehyun takes a deep breath, that sea salt practically burned in his nostrils at this point. Strangely though, after the sharp sting, a faint floral fragrance suddenly invades his senses. He opens his eyes and starts scanning around—none of the fruits displayed at the stand bore that kind of scent and there was no one else around apart from them.

He dismisses the scent, thinking himself to be mad at this point though he allows himself one more scan around, hoping for confirmation that he hadn’t actually gone lunatic. The only other thing he could see was the small figure of a person off way in the distance at the end of the beach just sitting alone in the sand. Though the wind may be a powerful carrier, he surmises that no kind of perfume, no matter how strong, would be able to make its way to where he’s at. He gives it up, and just turns back to Woonhak, locking their arms back together.

After ordering, the two head out, drinks in hand and an unusual silence prevailing between them. Even when they were nearing their spot, the sullenness still loomed around, neither one of them was willing to break it. Jaehyun was just content having his arm holding Woonhak’s while Woonhak… he wasn’t sure how to approach Jaehyun these days.

Would trying to comfort him lead to more awkwardness? Was he in any kind of position to do that sort of thing? The only thing he can do is just be there for him, let him be more lovey-dovey with him and the others than he usually is. “He’ll talk about it on his own terms. I just have to trust him.” These words resound in his mind every time Jaehyun’s around.

Seeing the subtle sadness in the way his eyes curve differently from before whenever he smiled at him, that foul bitterness baked into the irony of his words, and the reservedness of his actions in general. He wouldn’t admit it now, but he misses the way Jaehyun would fully wrap himself around Woonhak in his tight embrace. Though a bit aggressive before, he felt safety in that world.

After a bit more walking in this stifling silence, they arrive. Sungho was already outside of their hut taking steps to meet them halfway, grabbing the drinks they had on them as they went inside together. When they got in, Taesan was in a corner of the room, wearing his headset and just scrolling through his phone.

He immediately notices them, taking off his headset and leaving his phone to charge as they gather at their table. Woonhak instantly plops a piece of pork in his mouth before they even sit down and Jaehyun soon mimics him. They do a quick exchange of glances before laughing it off, Sungho just happily dismissive to the act as he gets some utensils.

They all eat as they usually do: Taesan laughing at Jaehyun after his reaction when he fed him a wrap that’s more garlic than meat, Sungho being hasty about giving the members more food when their plates were empty for far too long, and everyone was busy chatting away after each bite of their food. Jaehyun, decidedly, didn’t bring up Leehan once in any of their topics. Still, he wasn’t shy about being loud in any of the things they talked about.

Before they knew it, all the food was already gone and the common consensus of “Well, that wasn’t enough,” was made apparent.

“You guys wanna order something in?” Sungho was the first to break the silence, already on his phone, opening up a delivery app. A resounding yes immediately echoed around them.

“While we’re at it…” Taesan grabs his phone as well, opening up Google Maps to the confusion of Woonhak who was leaning in close beside him. He navigates through the map, squinting at all these locations in search of a particular one.

After a few seconds of no answer (and Sungho already being finished with ordering their food), Taesan’s eyes lit up, “There’s a nearby convenience store here that’s just twenty minutes away. You guys down for drinks?”

Jaehyun was the first to answer, “Sure, we’re already out here anyways. It’d be a waste.”

Woonhak stands beside him, hand on his chin like the thinker and aggressively nodding with his eyes closed, “I’m going with you.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just gonna get in the way of Taesan buying,” Sungho pats him on the shoulder, “I’m going with him, you stay here and wait for the food with Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun gives Sungho a salute and Woonhak just goes off to his phone, head hung low as Jaehyun just laughs at the sight of him dragging his feet behind him.

After putting on their still somewhat wet clothes, Taesan goes outside first while Sungho grabs his phone, “Call me if you guys want anything else.” Woonhak just nods and returns to his phone while Jaehyun follows Sungho out, waving them goodbye as they set off.

Outside, Jaehyun sees the almost setting sun in front of him just floating above the horizon. He reminisced of the sunset he and Leehan sat through during their first time meeting up—not quite at the beach but still watching it in front of a body of water and at that time, it was a lake. The sun dipping down just below their sight, slowly melting within the water and spreading out through the reflection.

Just like back then, the same scene is playing out in front of him, the water already dispersing the light even if the sun has yet to touch it. He stares at it for a while and wonders if right now, Leehan was also watching; He wasn’t set to go abroad yet so they’re still living in the same time zone.

He shakes it off, “I should do something else until the others come back,” He stares at the sand beneath him and, as if possessed, an idea strikes him. He goes back inside to grab his still-drying clothes.

Woonhak just looks up from his phone, a brow raised at the rushed Jaehyun in front of him, “Hyung, where you going?”

“I just want to check something out,” He starts clumsily putting his clothes on as Woonhak sets his phone down.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’ll just be quick,” His arm finally manages to fit through the t-shirt hole, “Plus the food might arrive any time soon. Just wait here.”

Woonhak scrutinizes Jaehyun for a bit before just giving in and going back to his phone. Jaehyun goes out and after just taking a few steps, a voice from behind catches his attention, “Hyung! You forgot your phone.”

Jaehyun traces back his steps and grabs the phone from Woonhak’s hand, “Thanks!” He goes for a quick hug before rushing off again.

“I’ll call when they’re back!” Woonhak stands there for a bit, watching as Jaehyun get farther and farther from view. He was going in the direction of the stand they went to earlier, so he guessed he was just going to buy another drink before they closed.

Jaehyun was, in fact, not going to buy a drink. He rushes past the stand and almost immediately, that faint floral scent invades his senses. Well that, a few grains of sand and the overpowering smell of the sea burned him with each breath. But it was undeniable, with each step the scent of flowers just kept getting stronger, bit by bit. He slowed his pace once he crossed that threshold, beginning to scrutinize his surroundings a bit more to find the source.

The intrigue compels him to this scent, like an animal following around a pied piper and though a bit random on his end, it makes for a fine distraction from… everything around him. Maybe this could serve as a new memory, one that he would think of every time he went to the beach. A memory that’s separate from Leehan. A selfish memory that only serves him, not shared with anyone else, that he could reminisce over without any of the hurt, or melancholy… or the pity.

Even if nothing comes of it, it would at least be a fun story for later, a sort of buffer before he had to inevitably talk about Leehan. Though he knew his friends wouldn't pry, he knew himself well enough that he needed to talk about him and let his feelings out. Hell, this is why he arranged the whole beach trip in the first place: It was a way to stifle their worries and to finally talk about Leehan openly. He’s been bottling all these emotions up inside of him, just constantly swirling, constantly begging to be let out. Doing it over text just didn’t feel right.

Though, he was supposed to do it back when they were eating. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it, not yet at least. That feeling still felt like it was pulsing within him, and he wanted to suppress it first, fearing that he’d misspeak if he didn’t or that he’d get too emotional to even utter Leehan’s name once he got to it.

Either way, he closes his eyes and starts following the scent more adamantly, picking up his pace as he lets his nose guide the rest of his body. With each inhale, that aroma courses through his veins and fills up his lungs. It was soothing and numbing his senses all the same and, for what felt like the first time, the tension within him softened up, making his arms fall back for more than a second after each step.

It felt like some sort of aromatherapy to him, the fragrance exploring every inch and crevice of his body and letting it rule over his senses, covering his entire body in this relaxing wave that just made it feel like he could blindly let it control him. It was like pheromones to him, drawing him in and triggering his instinct. Whatever the case, he felt free—the lack of autonomy felt freeing.

Each step he took, he got closer to his destination. More and more sand stuck to his feet with each stride, the weight of which felt meaningless and yet still, they cling and hang on tight.

After a while though, he felt something other than sand touch his feet. It was soft and had a bounce to it, nothing like the harsh and grainy sand he’s been walking on all this time. When he opens his eyes, he looks down and before he even sees his own feet, he immediately takes a step back and drops to his knees.

He just stepped on someone.

“Oh God I am so sorry,” He profusely bows his head, always making contact with the back of his hand as he shoots out a continuous flurry of “I’m so sorry”’ in between each rise and fall of his body.

The person in front of him just lets out a tiny laugh, more amused than offended at what just happened, “It’s ok, I’m fine really.”

Jaehyun bows for one last time before finally getting a better look at who he’d actually bump into—a guy who looked to be around the same age as him. His hair immediately caught his attention. It was on the shorter end and wasn’t styled much, mostly kept down, but what struck him was his being blond. As he continued scanning his face, he could see the sharpness of his facial features, from his nose down to his jawline. He also had two earrings on. To say that he didn’t find him a little bit intriguing would be a lie.

It didn’t take long for him to realize what he was doing and immediately gets up, “Sorry, again, for not looking where I was going.”

“It’s fine, really.” He was still sitting on the sand, his gaze fixated on the sunset before he turns his attention to look up at Jaehyun, “No one got hurt anyways, don’t sweat it.” And greets Jaehyun with a light smile before returning to the sunset in front of him. It was starting to dip past the horizon already, a tiny part of the sun already submerged under the water.

Jaehyun sees how enamored this person was at the scene unveiling before them—the way his eyes gleam and reflect a tiny oasis from the vast ocean. His heart pulsed at this sight and every single thing around them was feeling a little too palpable to his liking.

The grains of sand that stuck to his thighs. The air letting itself linger in his system for a tad bit longer, practically being brandished by that salt burn. Or even the damp spots still present on his shirt. Time felt slower even though the tides were still crashing and the sun was still setting; He felt the need to stay in this moment for longer.

He takes a deep breath.

“Do you mind if I stay here for a while? I just want to watch the sunset.” He could feel each beat from his heart. It wasn’t too fast or too slow. He was just noticing it a bit too well.

“Go ahead,” The person remains astute, still fixed on the image in front of them, “Sit anywhere you’d like.”

Jaehyun nods, even though the person wasn’t looking at him to see it. He clears some of the sand on the space next to the guy and keeps a little distance away from him, crossing his legs and planting his hands behind him.

The sound of waves hitting the shore fill in the silence hanging between them. Despite this though, Jaehyun doesn’t feel any discomfort, no awkwardness in this reticence. He was captivated in this space that he’s been let into and though nothing extraordinary, it was still new and exciting in a different way.

The sight of the sun mixing delicately with the water. The sound of the tide resounding in his ears. That floral scent still lingering in the air, the strongest it’s been since he first caught a whiff of it. He feels the warmth in this stillness, and he can’t help but just smile in the face of it all.

His companion probably caught on at some point, he could hear the faintest snicker amidst the rolling current and in that moment, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this stranger liked his company, even if abrupt and sudden.

“I’m Jaehyun by the way,” He unfurls his legs, laying them on the bare sand just before the sea. He could feel the little splashes from the waves coming in.

The guy next to him follows Jaehyun’s motion and though not fully relaxing his legs, the triangle shape morphed into more of a diamond. Still connected but a lot bigger than what it was initially, “My name’s Riwoo.” He rests his hands in the now-large space between his legs.

Some moments pass, the sun went from only the tip touching the water to almost half of it being submerged now. Jaehyun wonders if he should start up a conversation with his new acquaintance. Normally he would’ve already been on it, but this time it felt different for him. The sereneness of everything around him and how comfortable Riwoo looked to be while just basking in the dimming sunlight, he didn’t want to interrupt his peace.

He wants to stay here for as long as he can. Whether it was staying in this moment or staying with Riwoo, he wasn’t quite sure yet. But what he does know is this newfound comfort he found himself in. From being a bit tense and dancing around Leehan all day, to this stillness taking over him… it was warm, comfortable, and relaxing.

Before he knew it, he relaxed his shoulders, letting his body fall on the sand. He lay there on his back, looking up at the pink and orange of the sky, intermingling with the white from the clouds and natural blue undertones.

On hearing the muffled thump from Jaehyun, Riwoo turns to look at him, a small smile forming on his face before he turns his attention to the sky.

After a short while, Riwoo turns slightly towards Jaehyun again, fully relaxing his legs this time around and letting go of the shape he’d formed, “So, Jaehyun…” Jaehyun sits back up again, “What were you doing anyways? Apart from running into me of course.”

Jaehyun gave off a sheepish look, a light smile painted across his face as he bowed in another attempt to apologize, “Sorry, again,” He looks past Riwoo, towards the edge of the beach, “I’ve been smelling a sort of floral scent for a while now and I was just curious.”

Riwoo turns to look behind him, “Oh, there? There’s a small patch of lilacs just past the beach. It’s not a far walk after crossing the rocks.” He returns to look at Jaehyun who still had his gaze fixed beyond him. He stares for a moment, scrutinizing the curious expression written across his face.

Riwoo waves his hand in front of Jaehyun’s face, “Jaehyun-nim, are you there?”

Jaehyun snaps back to reality almost immediately, fixing his gaze back on Riwoo, “Oh, Sorry. I just find it interesting that there’s flowers so close to a beach is all.”

“There’s a story to those flowers actually,” Riwoo looks towards the ocean, his grin growing much, much wider than before and his cheeks perking up for once because of it, “My brother likes telling this story a lot when we drop by here.”

Jaehyun watches him closely, his eyes finally noticing the little mole on his lower lip, “I’d love to hear it.”

“Well,” Riwoo mimics Jaehyun, planting his hands firmly behind him as he tilts his view upwards ever so slightly, “Two girls—they were best friends, liked hanging out in this beach,” He shifts and looks towards the rocks at the border of the beach, “Around there, to be specific,” He then turns to Jaehyun who had fixed up his posture and had his body angled towards him. This surprises him a bit, seeing how intently he’s listening already when he’s only started the story.

Jaehyun catches on to his brief surprise and looks at Riwoo curiously. Riwoo just scoffs it off, “Anyways. On one night, one of the girls asks the other to meet up at that place. When she arrived, she saw the other girl hunched over, crying. She rushes over upon seeing this and the crying girl confides in her—she’d just broken up with her then boyfriend. They stayed there until morning.”

Jaehyun raises his eyebrows, “Where is this going exactly?”

Riwoo waves him off, “I was just giving some background. In any case, after that night the two girls had gotten even closer to each other and after a few months, they’d start dating. One of the girls loved flowers a lot, lilacs were her favorite,” Jaehyun’s expression lightens and starts nodding unconsciously.

“Next year though, the couple was given some bad news. The girl who loved flowers had to go overseas because her family needed to move for her dad’s job. Because of this, the couple went to the beach one final time before they saw each other off at the airport. This time though, there was a surprise waiting for the girl who was moving away. The other girl led her to that field. What was once just a plain old field now had flowers planted on them—lilacs, so that there would always be a piece of her here.”

Jaehyun looks over towards the edge, smiling to himself for a moment before going back to Riwoo, a more forlorn expression across his face now, “Do you know if they’re still together?”

“They’re managing. The other girl comes back here when she can, they’ve been living separately for around three years now.”

“Three years…” He furrows his brows for a minute before sighing, dropping his shoulders and fixing his attention on the sand underneath him, picking at the grains one by one as he lets his thoughts linger.

Three years was how long he and Leehan lasted before he broke things off. The weight of him wavers still and though he’s no longer in the picture, Jaehyun still manages to think of him in every little thing. Even in this supposed cute story, he can’t help but just think of him and what could’ve been if he just held out longer—held out until the day he and Leehan can be in the same place for more than two days.

Riwoo looks at him curiously as Jaehyun gets lost in his thoughts. He watches as Jaehyun picks at the sand and then flicks it off a second later, as if he’s digging for answers underneath all that grain. He thinks to himself for a moment, though Jaehyun didn’t notice it in his current state. After a few seconds, he scoffs and waves at him to get his attention, “You know, there’s a reason why flowers are commonly given to the person you love.”

Jaehyun looks up at him, his hand no longer busy playing with the sand, “Yeah? Why is that?”

“For one thing, they’re just iris-sistible,” Jaehyun looks at him with immediate amusement in his face, in a manner that screams ‘really?’ as his smile begins taking form. Riwoo continues, “And for another, they make you feel head clover heels in love with the person even more.”

Jaehyun breaks and bursts out laughing, letting out the widest smile he’s let out this entire trip. The way his face instantly lit up, his teeth gleaning against the darkening backdrop and his eyes almost closing as a result of this. He hastens to cover his mouth with his hand as his laughter continues to fill the air.

Riwoo shoots back a smile of his own at Jaehyun, even sharing a quick laugh as he watches him settle down, “I’ll be here all night,” He places his hand over his chest and bows as if he’s finished performing in front of a live crowd. He was content with his audience of one.

Jaehyun wipes off some of the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes and started pacing his breathing more, trying to return to a more normal state.  “That was a good one.”. He lets out another tiny laugh before composing himself and lying down, his hands interlaced over his chest while his smile still lingers remains and though not as wide, it was still shining through and through. He looks at the sky as a different thought drifts within him.

Riwoo in the meantime, goes back to gazing at the sunset, who was now more than halfway under the water, its light scattering further out amidst the water and almost reaching them on the shoreline. The sky was almost clear with only a few clouds streaking within it and although he was content with just looking at this, his concern for Jaehyun clouds the back of his mind. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t care about what he saw.

“I might be out of line, considering we just met,” Riwoo turns his head to the side though not directly looking at Jaehyun as he speaks, “But are you doing alright? I just noticed the way you reacted back there and can’t help but be concerned.”

Jaehyun instantly shoots up, embarrassment written all over his face. He takes a moment to consider Riwoo’s words, thinking of a way to say what he wants to without tears getting involved or at the very least not make it out to be anything serious. He wouldn’t want to burden Riwoo like that.

After a while though, Riwoo fully turns to face Jaehyun, angling his body closer to him, “Sorry if that was too out of line for me, don’t pay it any attention if you don’t want to,” He begins to return to his previous position when Jaehyun quickly places his hand on Riwoo’s knee.

“It’s not that I don’t want to say it…” Riwoo places his hand on top of Jaehyun’s, “I just don’t know where to start, especially because you don’t know the person. It’s a long story.”

Riwoo nods, “I have time. Or if you don’t want to tell a story that long, you could always just give me…” He taps Jaehyun’s feet with his own, “The footnotes.”

Jaehyun scoffs before giving in shortly after, letting out a quick and boisterous laugh, “I won’t go into too much detail yet but basically my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend and I lasted for about three years,” Whether he was meaning to or not, Jaehyun tightens his grip on Riwoo’s knee. The latter notices but pays it no mind, “The breakup was five months ago.”

“Yet,” Riwoo thinks to himself. It was nice to know that, though he wasn’t ready to spill the whole thing, that he feels comfortable enough to possibly do it at a later date, “Was the breakup peaceful?”

“You could say that…” He bites his lower lip for a moment before sighing, “I was the one who wanted to break up.”

Riwoo nods, “Do you regret it?”

Silence dawned over them almost instantly. Jaehyun, even after the five months of being separated, still wasn’t sure if he made the right decision. It immediately lifted a burden off his chest, sure, but some of that weight still lingered—gnawed at him like little mice leaving tiny scratches in his heart. The wound bled in microdoses; Not enough to be painful urgently, but enough that it left doubt after it had kept bleeding for a while.

He enjoyed every moment he had with Leehan, enjoyed their time even more when they were finally able to meet up after a long while. But he knows deep inside that he can’t continue like that, especially when Leehan mentioned he’d be going abroad and staying overseas. They were never going to meet up again. Or at the very least, only meet up once a few years pass. Two? Three? The uncertainty Leehan gave him, though through no fault of his own, didn’t help. It would just end up hurting him sooner than later.

Seconds pass with no answer from Jaehyun. The only thing Riwoo could do was to keep holding his hand firmly. Jaehyun eventually comes back from the depths of his mind and does a quick exhale, alerting Riwoo.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Jaehyun circles his thumb on Riwoo’s knee, “I miss him, sure. But I don’t think I want to go back to him with the current state of things.”

Riwoo taps on Jaehyun’s hand with his thumb, “I think it’s fine to miss what you had with him. If it got to a point where you no longer feel secure in the relationship and there’s no way of ensuring that again, then doing what you think is best for your own psyche is a good thing. Even if it ends up hurting now, eventually you’ll look back and thank yourself for going through with it.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Jaehyun tightens his grip even further, “Maybe I just miss being with someone again,” He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly over a few seconds, “Despite the breakup, we really did love each other.”

“I’m sure you have friends who still love you the same. I’m sure you didn’t come here alone, yeah?”

“I’m on a beach trip with friends, I wandered over here because they were out buying drinks,” Jaehyun nods to himself, “But you’re right. Throughout the trip I could feel how concerned all of them were for me.”

Riwoo turns to look at the sun who was mostly under the water now—a sliver of its peak still showing. The backdrop was ready to turn black and the clouds in the sky looked much brighter against it. He smiles as he watches the scene play out before him, “Love can still take form in many ways. Our hearts are meant to give and receive a lot of love and all of that shouldn’t just be staked on one person. Each person has their own little community filled with people who care about them and vice versa. You just have to be more open with your community.”

Seconds pass as the waves continue to crash, the sound of which fills the air around them. A few more moments pass and Jaehyun finally loosens his grip, letting his arm lax after what felt like an hour of his whole body being tensed up. At this point, he started feeling Riwoo’s skin more and more, allowing his fingers to glide across the small surface of his knee ever so slowly. It was unconscious to him, letting that feeling anchor him as he kept processing what Riwoo had said.

The whole moment felt palpable in a lot of ways. The weight of his feelings was becoming too apparent to him and yet, it didn’t feel overbearing or that it was too much. He felt a sense of comfort being by Riwoo’s side as he felt things more heavily within him. Maybe Riwoo was sharing in his burden, shouldering some of it on his own, letting Jaehyun feel these emotions at a more manageable pace, or maybe just the thought that he wasn’t alone right now was enough to ease him a bit.

In any case, silence continues to envelop them. The two of them kept their gazes ahead, just watching as the sunset finishes while relishing every moment that passes. Riwoo feels how much more relaxed Jaehyun is now, letting his fingers tap rhythmically on his hand, a soft bounce accompanying each touch.

Not long after, everything around them darkened. Stars were beginning to shine on them and yet the moon hasn’t made its appearance. The night was just beginning.

Riwoo slides his hand underneath Jaehyun’s and gets up, pulling the other along in the process, “Let’s go check out those flowers. That’s why you came over here in the first place, right?” Jaehyun immediately sends a smile towards Riwoo, tightening his grip. This time though, he no longer felt that overbearing weight waning on him. Instead, he gripped Riwoo’s hand out of trust, that feeling of being so sure in your safety with someone else.

They begin their walk towards that field, with Riwoo leading the way and Jaehyun following close behind—their hands still intertwined with each other. After a few steps, Jaehyun finds himself by Riwoo’s side. He stares at him as they walk, unconsciously analyzing every corner of his face; He notices the way his lips naturally rest, the shape that it forms, how deep his cupid bow actually is, and how it shines against the dark backdrop of the sky.

He moves on to the rest of his face—mainly focusing on his eyes. There was a perfect balance of sharpness and softness to them that evened each other out. It triggered intrigue yet still remained inviting all the same. Not to mention the mole on his lower eyelid as well. He was sure of his attraction at this point and whether or not it would turn to something more after all of this, well, he’s not paying that any mind for now. He was just happy to have this memory.

Although, he does sense something from Riwoo as well. Even though he was busy getting lost within himself, he still felt the way Riwoo held his hand, the gentleness that came about it, and how easily he became comfortable with a stranger. He just hopes he isn’t making it up in his head.

After a short walk, they cross over the border of rocks, hands still interlocked as they make it over the other side wherein they were immediately met by grass as soon as they took their first step over. In the distance, streaks of purple could be seen—another short walk before they get to their destination.

Once they get there, Jaehyun immediately lays in front of the flowers, dragging Riwoo down with him without realizing it. After the initial shock, Riwoo looks at him and just lets out a big laugh, his eyes almost closing and these faint whiskers forming on his cheeks. He found his fangs charming on top of it all. In that moment, he felt like he was looking at radiance itself.

They lay there, resting their heads on their arms as they look up at the sky. Jaehyun lets go of Riwoo’s hand for a moment to point at a distant star in the sky, commenting on how bright it shined despite the other stars surrounding it. Riwoo does the same and they play this game of back and forth between them, singling out stars for whatever reason they can think of.

Whenever they weren’t pointing at a star, their hands settled on top of each other, not quite being held but still enticing to Jaehyun, nonetheless. He would always find an opportunity to cradle his fingers underneath Riwoo’s hand and every time he did, the other gave way, letting Jaehyun stroke the palm of his hand as he pleases. Riwoo thinks he was tracing the lines on his hand.

Riwoo smiles, though it was Jaehyun’s turn to be busy pointing at the sky to even notice it. When Jaehyun’s hand made its way back to Riwoo, he turns to his side to look at him, “You know why they call them lilacs?” He nods towards the flowers’ direction

Jaehyun was already preparing to laugh, a smile preemptively forming on his face as he mimics Riwoo’s position, “Why?”

“They have everything that makes up a beautiful flower: An alluring fragrance, a striking color, and delicate petals. They don’t li-lack in anything!” Riwoo laughs even before Jaehyun could give a reaction as he shies away from him. Jaehyun shares in the laughter, and they stay like that for a while, just exchanging shy looks and letting out the occasional chuckle.

After a while though, Jaehyun properly sits up, prompting Riwoo to do the same. He takes a deep breath, letting the scent from the lilacs dancing in the wind fill up his lungs. He wanted to talk about Leehan in every pathetic detail he could.

“I think I want to talk about him more. I just need to let it out.” He hangs his head low, avoiding Riwoo’s gaze.

Riwoo looks at him curiously, “Of course. What’s a few more stories, right?”

Jaehyun looks up at him and smiles, before turning his attention to the ocean, his legs huddled to his chest as his arms wrapped around them. He takes another deep breath, “The real reason why I wanted to break up with Leehan was because he was going to go live abroad for I don’t know how long—he didn’t know either—because his dad got a new job and they all needed to go with him.”

He turns to look at Riwoo who nods in response, “But that’s not just it, isn’t it?”

Jaehyun relaxes, letting his legs lay straight. He nods, “Obviously I wouldn’t break up with him just because of that… And I’m getting this out of the way: He loved me very much so, and we were trying our best to compromise during the relationship. Things just kept not aligning for us and I was getting tired of the uncertainty of it all. We initially met back during our final year of high school. Things between us instantly clicked and we became a couple before graduation. Not long after that though, he had to move to a different province for college. The first year wasn’t so bad, we got to go on dates every other weekend and we video called frequently.”

Jaehyun sighs and lays down on the grass again, hands clasped on his chest as he stares directly at the sky. Riwoo remained upright but turned his gaze towards the sky as well. The moon was beginning to show up.

“During our second year though was when things kept coming in between us. Our dates every other weekend only happened after every major exam. We only got to hang out four times that year. On top of that, we’d be lucky if a video call lasted for more than an hour or two, or even happened in the first place. At least we still texted a lot.”

Jaehyun turns to his side, tugging at Riwoo to do the same. Riwoo obliges, their faces just inches away form each other, “I wouldn’t have broken up with him if he would still be here after graduation,” He looks down and starts picking at the grass, “Not having the one you love beside you hurts, you know? Checking up on each other through your phone just doesn’t feel the same. If he says he’s fine, I’d worry because things can get unpredictable. If he says he’s not fine, I wouldn’t be there immediately to take care of him. I worry about him a lot even with how open we are with each other. Even if I trust every single word he says, a part of me can’t easily shake that feeling off.”

His hands stop absentmindedly picking at the grass while he lets out a winded exhale. He plops back down and closes his eyes for a second. The sound of waves crashes over him, the noise washing over his thoughts and for a moment, all he could see was black.

Another deep breath from Jaehyun, the salt in the air still mixing with the scent of lilacs. He looks over towards Riwoo, “Do you think it was selfish of me? To break things off I mean.”

“Like you said, it was a peaceful breakup. Even though I don’t know him personally, I’m sure Leehan agreed for a reason. Maybe he recognized the things he can’t give to you and knows how much that’ll affect you in the long run. Just like you said, even he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to come back home.”

“He wasn’t keen on the idea at first honestly. Obviously, we still wanted to work things out and explore every option. Hell, I even considered going to him straight after graduation… He said it would’ve been too hard on me and that he’s sure his dad would want him to take over his work after graduation. By the time I graduate he might be in a different place already.”

At this point, Riwoo could see the tears forming in Jaehyun’s eyes, practically covering them in this busy and reflective layer. It reminded him of how water in a small pond would dance if you dropped a rock into it.

Riwoo plops down on his back and inches closer to Jaehyun, their shoulders nearly touching, and their heads just inches apart from each other, “You know what I think?” I don’t think you’re selfish. If you were, you wouldn’t have hesitated so much in that decision.”

Tears started to flow, a slow and steady stream coming out from the corners of Jaehyun’s eyes, trickling its way down to the grass, “You really think so?” His voice was hollow and fragile, easily carried along by the wind. He uses his arm to cover his eyes in an attempt to shy away from Riwoo, his breathing getting a bit disjointed as he tries to stop himself from crying even further.

“The fact that you and him still tried finding ways to make things work, to have things feel less agonizing when you’re far apart feels to me like both of you still care about each other very much and you recognize that keeping at this relationship would just end up hurting both of you. If you were really selfish, you could’ve just left without talking to him, but you did. You still wanted to give it a go despite knowing the circumstances.”

Jaehyun starts bawling. His muted cries get echoed into the void of the night as his tears run rampant. All that pent up emotion inside of him just floating to the surface and letting itself burst from within. The only thing Riwoo could do was grab on to Jaehyun’s arm and look over him as he let himself just feel that sorrow he’s been hiding from everyone else.

They sat there like that for a while, the occasional caressing from Riwoo helped ease Jaehyun into his emotions and though Jaehyun wasn’t planning for this to happen, he’s still glad he’s able to let it all out in an environment like Riwoo’s company. Even though there’s still a hint of embarrassment from the fact that he’s doing this in front of someone who’s basically a stranger, at least it makes telling the story to Sungho and the others later a bit easier.

Though, that didn’t stop him from imagining what could’ve been with Leehan. Even if he understands it all too well and Riwoo’s words cut through to him, that lingering regret remains and these thoughts come at him constantly, like a torrent of rain surging through his mind. Maybe that’s where his tears were coming from.

Words like, “If I was just patient enough,” or, “He’s been nothing but good to you,” keep floating around in his head. They keep reverberating despite what Riwoo had said and the only thing he could do is let it linger, let it hurt, let it run its course until it no longer pained him as much. Being in this moment is the only thing he can do, he’s just thankful he’s not alone.

Once his breathing calmed and the tears waned down to a trickle, he lets himself stay like that for a while, the warmth from Riwoo’s touch making him feel as though everything will be alright and that he’s safe to remain like that. That warmth invades his senses, like it was trying to replace that swirled mess he’s been keeping inside. It felt like Riwoo was sharing the burden in any way he can.

Eventually, Jaehyun takes his arm away and the vast sky above him immediately greets him. A lot more stars have shown up, their shine catching his attention for a brief moment before his vision focused a bit and Riwoo’s silhouette came to frame. He smiles at him absentmindedly as Riwoo looms over. He could see his mouth moving but his ears couldn’t register anything except for the muffled sounds of his voice. Though, he could guess that Riwoo was probably asking if he was feeling better now.

He winces for a moment before getting up, his senses slowly coming to him one by one—his vision became less blurry, now seeing the full image of Riwoo still beside him. His skin no longer feeling like static, now feeling the softness of the grass once again and the chilling winds blowing through. And his hearing now tuning itself, finally registering Riwoo’s voice calling out to him.

“Feeling any better?”

“Definitely feel better now,” He sits up and starts looking around even if things in the distance are still hazy to him. The streetlights lined up behind them were already turned on, their glow hitting his eyes like lens flare. Despite that, he keeps staring, trying to let his eyes adjust and for his vision to fully clear up. It took him a moment, but after some time his vision finally came to, immediately turning to Riwoo with a smile on his face, “Thanks for being here.”

Riwoo meets him back with a smile of his own and they sit in this silence for a while, not really breaking away from each other’s gaze to look back at the ocean or the sky above them and rather than feeling discomfit, there was an air of gentleness around them that neither felt to break. Especially Jaehyun. In the back of his mind he thought it’d be best to say nothing more than a thank you—he’s spilt enough emotions for one night, and he wasn’t sure what would happen after this.

Would he want to keep in contact with him? Would Riwoo have any reason for it? All he knew about Riwoo at this point was his name, and he wasn’t sure if now was the time to ask him more about himself. The only thing he can do now is enjoy the moment they’re in and let Riwoo do the rest.

He still hopes by the end of all of this though that he’d be able to ask him for his number.

Not long after, Riwoo breaks out from their little exchange, turning to look around for a bit before meeting Jaehyun again, “Do you have time?”

Jaehyun was surprised for a moment, his head already thinking about why he would ask that question, “Does he want to part ways already? Have I been holding him up all this time?” and though he wasn’t usually one to think like this, the thoughts still popped up in his head, a tinge of sadness washing over him each time they came at him.

He shrugs it off and looks back at the direction towards the beach for a moment before facing Riwoo, “I think I do, why?”

Riwoo looks past Jaehyun and eyes the beach before looking back at him, “Aren’t your friends waiting for you? I was gonna ask you to go somewhere with me, but I think I’ve held you for long enough.”

“Held me for long…” The thought crosses his mind and though he was probably right, he couldn’t help but feel a bit happy that Riwoo still wanted to be with him, “They said they’d call me once they get back. I’d love to go with you, least I could do after…” He gestures to his whole body as he laughs at himself, “All this anyways.”

Riwoo gets up and dusts himself off before extending his hand towards Jaehyun. A broad smile formed on his face, “Hope you don’t mind riding on the backseat of a bike.”

He takes his hand and pulls himself up with the help of Riwoo, “Any bike’s a couple bike if you want it to be.”

Riwoo looks at him, his brows raised and a slight amusement to his expression before shaking his head and turning towards the street, their hands now interlocked in each other as he leads the way.

“So,” Jaehyun rushes to meet Riwoo by his side, “Do you live around here? Having a beach be within biking distance must be nice.”

“Sort of. The office my older brother works in is a bit close. I just tag along with him sometimes and go off on my own with my bike while he’s at work. I always like visiting this area whenever I can.”

Jaehyun was growing curious about where Riwoo was taking him. He didn’t mention anything about where they were going, and he was reluctant to ask him about it. A little surprise wouldn’t hurt anyone after all, “For the beach?”

“The beach is one of them,” They stop by the side of the road, a particular red bike was tied against one of the poles of a streetlamp, “But there’s another place I always visit around here. It’s not too far out,” Riwoo lets go of Jaehyun’s hand and busies himself with unlocking his bike.

Jaehyun looks around to get an idea as to what this place Riwoo was talking about could be, though to no avail. The only thing he sees across from them is a sea of trees that stretches even before the beach. He remembers riding in the car and looking through the window only to see trees on his side of the car for half the trip.

After a bit more scanning, he just shrugs the thought off and inches towards Riwoo, who just got done freeing his bike from its chains. Riwoo gets on shortly after and backs up towards Jaehyun, letting him get on as he adjusts with him so that they don’t fall off. Once Jaehyun sat comfortably (Something he didn’t expect considering the lack of an actual seat on the back, instead just sitting on those little steel carriers which, to this day, still confuses him on what you’re supposed to be placing on them), he turns to pat Riwoo’s back, giving him the go signal.

Jaehyun watches as the beach starts to narrow within his view, getting farther away as they move forward to god knows where. For all Jaehyun knows, this could be him getting kidnapped and he’d be none the wiser. After all, who wouldn’t follow an attractive man who sat there comforting you for a while. It was just courtesy at this point, or something.

They turn a bend, and it was at this point was when Jaehyun regretted not facing Riwoo’s back, or at least sat sideways, so that he could grab on to Riwoo as they turned that corner. Instead he settled with the cold, hard steel he was sitting on. After the turn though, Jaehyun noticed them speeding up a bit. Maybe he was getting kidnapped. Though he guesses he’s just stuck sitting here. The only thing he can do now is enjoy himself as the cool wind blows past his face—a refreshing feeling before whatever comes next.

After a while, they began slowing down. The area’s unfamiliar to Jaehyun though he surmises that they’re still not too far from the beach. Their wheels slow down until it reached a grinding halt and Riwoo steers the bike near a streetlamp, tapping Jaehyun on the shoulder and gesturing him to get off, “We still need to walk a bit, the place is just there,” Riwoo points towards the forest.

At this point, Jaehyun’s mind was telling him, “This feels like a bait,” Though, of course, he pays this no mind and marches on ahead with Riwoo in front of him. If it was a lure, he’s letting himself get baited.

Riwoo took the lead as he carries along his bike, walking slowly and navigating confidently through the sea of trees they’re in. Jaehyun just watches from behind, seeing how he takes steps without thinking about it much. No constantly looking around and every turn he did made it feel like he had this whole area mapped in his head.

Though, as they made their way through what felt like an endless maze, Jaehyun sees a little area past Riwoo devoid of trees, the moonlight shining in from above. As they drew closer, Jaehyun notices slivers of color popping up sprawled across the field, an alluring scent catching his attention.

When they reached the outer ring of trees surrounding whatever was in front of them, Riwoo stops in his tracks for a bit, prompting Jaehyun to do the same. The air here felt… pure. Just breathing it felt so much easier than what they were used to. It felt light and gentle, flowing through the system with ease. Riwoo stood there for a moment, taking in as much as he could, closing his eyes and letting it move through every part of his body.

Jaehyun sees this and couldn’t help himself to a smile, just watching him enjoy himself quietly like this. He still wasn’t sure what this place was, but he understood why Riwoo took him here, even if they haven’t gotten to the main part yet. He inches forward to meet Riwoo’s side, his eyes widening as the landscape in front of him became clearer.

A field of flowers meets his eyes—different kinds all sprawled out and surrounding a well near the center of the area. The well was decently bigger than a standard well, a blue roof hanging above its hole alongside a lever and a bucket just hanging out at the base of the well. Beside it, a lone bench sat there, vines spread out beneath it, intermingling with the patches of moss decorating the well.

Jaehyun steps forward instinctively, like a moth drawn to a flame. The field basked in moonlight draws him in, the abundance of life enticing him to run out and just lay amidst the flowers, taking it all and letting himself drown in that fragrant death.

And so he does.

He takes Riwoo’s hand, letting his bike fall by the wayside as he guides him out into the open field. Each stride quick yet careful, making sure to avoid trampling over any of the flowers, weaving themselves in between the chromatic hues surrounding them and though the field itself wasn’t very big, Jaehyun made up for it by constantly going back and forth.

He does this for a while, occasionally looking back at Riwoo to see how he was holding up and every time he did, an exchange of laughter always happens. Even when he wasn’t looking at him, he could feel Riwoo smiling behind him. Or at the very least, he could feel he was at least enjoying this too, with how Riwoo fully surrendered himself to Jaehyun.

No asking him what he was doing, following and fully trusting every step Jaehyun has taken, and the overbearing warmth permeating through them against the otherwise cold night—Riwoo was free to let go at any time and yet, even after the third time running through the field, their grips haven’t loosened from each other, not even a tiny bit. Just locked into a moment that only the two of them know and understand.

Eventually, Jaehyun slows his pace down, leading Riwoo towards the worn-out bench in the middle. He doesn’t let go of his hand as he sits down on the grassy floor, propping his back on the foot of the bench and resting his head on the seat. Riwoo on the other hand opts to sit on the actual bench instead, loosening his grip on Jaehyun as he spreads his entire body in his seat, letting his arms and legs breathe freely.

Their hands gently lay on top of each other as they catch their breaths, their gazes fixed above them. They sit in that moment, just letting themselves bask under the moonlight as the wind dances on their skin—locked in a sultry tango with their sweat and carrying it away, taking their fatigue along with it.

Jaehyun closes his eyes and holds onto Riwoo’s hand once again, catching the other’s attention, “This place is really beautiful,” Heavy breaths intermingle between his words and still, a smile remains at the end of it.

Riwoo looks down—first at his hand locked into a hold with Jaehyun’s. He tightens his grip, letting his fingers wrap around the other. He then moves on to looking at Jaehyun himself, his head still resting on the space beside him, “Ever since I found this place I’ve made it a habit to just sit here and enjoy… everything before I go back to my brother’s office.”

Jaehyun turns to his side and looks up at Riwoo, his eyes firmly making contact with Riwoo’s, “How’d you even manage to find this place?”

“I was just lucky,” Riwoo gets off from his seat and joins Jaehyun on the ground, resting his head on the seat as he stares up at the moon. Jaehyun doesn’t break away, instead fully intent on staring at Riwoo, “Well that and one of my dogs practically lead me here.”

“You have dogs?” Jaehyun’s expression lights up as he inches closer, “You should bring them next time.”

“And when is this next time exactly?”

“Maybe if I had your number I could tell you,” A sly expression was forming on Jaehyun’s face now and though Riwoo remains looking at the moon, Jaehyun could see the immediate smile that formed on his face.

Riwoo turns his attention to Jaehyun now, his free hand stretched towards him, “Give me your phone.”

Jaehyun just melts and gives him this shy smile, already grabbing his phone from his pocket and handing it off to Riwoo as soon as he got it out.

Riwoo opens up the phone, a curious expression forming on his face, “Well for one thing you should’ve unlocked it first, and for another,” He shows Jaehyun the screen, “You have a bunch of missed calls from a while ago.”

“Wait really?” He immediately grabs the phone from Riwoo and checks to see that he does, indeed, have a bunch of missed calls from both Woonhak and Sungho. He immediately gets up, forcibly pulling Riwoo up alongside him followed by a short “Oof,” from Riwoo, “Sorry about that, I lost track of time. My friends are looking for me.”

Riwoo massages his shoulder with his free hand, “We should get you back, there’s no signal here and they must be worried.”

Jaehyun lets go of Riwoo’s hand and goes behind him, massaging his shoulders, “Really though, thank you for taking me here. You didn’t have to, this was your place after all.”

Riwoo shakes his head and places his hand on one of Jaehyun’s, “I had a fun time with you today, really. It’s not every day someone goes out of their way to hang out with me,” Riwoo drops his hand and starts leading the both of them towards his bike, “I’d love to do this again some other time.”

Jaehyun smiles and just holds on to Riwoo’s shoulders all the way. Even when they got to the bike, he still had one of his hands holding on to him, the other helping Riwoo keep the bike upright as they navigated back towards the road.

The ride back to the beach was much the same though this time, a sense of comfort washes over Jaehyun. In this moment, and in the upcoming moments, the burden that’s been lingering over him was no longer as heavy as it used to be when this whole trip first started. It was still there for sure—he could feel Leehan still hanging out, it was just that this time, instead of the mice scrapping around, it was like a bird just perched on his heart, readying itself to be let go.

It wasn’t going to be easy, it might even leave scratches again as he lets it go. The important thing was that he was ready to let it all go when he gets back.

After a few minutes, they arrive back at the beach. Jaehyun tells Riwoo to keep going a little further down the road and to just take him back near the huts, to which Riwoo obliges. A short distance and a few, ‘Is this it?’s from Riwoo and they arrive just behind Jaehyun’s hut. Jaehyun gets off and gives Riwoo a pat on the back as he goes past and in front of him.

“Thank you again for today, really. I appreciate you being there for me,” Jaehyun shoots him a wide smile, his eyes closing as he scrunches his face a bit.

Riwoo nods, “And thank you for giving your time too, I liked having the company,” He backs up and prepares to head the opposite way.

“Wait,” Jaehyun gets his phone and unlocks it ahead of time before handing it off to Riwoo, “Don’t think I’d forget that easily. You still owe me your number.”

Riwoo smiles and shakes his head in amusement as he types in his number, “Here,” He hands the phone back to Jaehyun, “Call me when you feel like it, I’ll be waiting.” He turns his bike around and waves at Jaehyun one more time before he begins pedaling away.

Jaehyun just watches as Riwoo’s silhouette gets smaller and smaller in the distance. When he could no longer see him, he starts making his way to the hut, checking his phone to see Riwoo’s profile.

Before he could even check the profile photo, the first message Riwoo had sent jumped at him, “Hope it goes well with your friends and make sure to pace yourself. Both on the alcohol and on Leehan. Hwaiting~~” Jaehyun can’t help but sink into another smile as he puts his phone back in his pocket.

He arrives in front of the hut’s entrance as he slowly lets himself in. When he enters, he could see Sungho pacing back and forth on his phone, calling what Jaehyun assumes to be police, “Yes. He hasn’t answered any of our calls and it’s been at least an hour since we’ve last heard from him.”

In a corner of the room, Taesan oddly had his face way too close to the screen. He couldn’t tell what he was trying to look at. Woonhak on the other hand was nowhere to be seen which worried Jaehyun, “Hey guys, where’s—”

“Hyung!” Before Jaehyun could finish, his back gives out as the weight of something overpowers him, “Where have you been??”

“Ah Woonhak-ah, I missed you too,” He turns around to face Woonhak and starts play-fighting with him, engaging in a tickle battle with him as their laughs resound around their encroachment.

“Ya! You really had us worried!” From across the room, Sungho whispers an apology into his phone as he quickly ends the call, “Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

“Sorry,” Jaehyun struggles free from Woonhak and gets up, dusting himself off first before helping Woonhak up, “I didn’t notice them when I was on the bike and I had no signal for a little while after.”

“Where’d you even go?” Taesan gets up and sets his phone down. His maps app was open. “When we got back, Woonhak told us you were out buying drinks again but after a while you didn’t show up we were all worried sick about you, you know—”

“Ah ah ah, come here,” Jaehyun pulls all of them in closer for a group hug, “It’s a long story. Get the table ready. I have two stories to tell tonight so I hope you guys are ready,” He lets go from the embrace and gives them a little smile of reassurance. Though the night was cold, he could feel the absolute warmth just radiating all around him. Tonight was going to be a long, warm night.