Chapter Text
“Soonyoung-ah, listen to me, do you seriously have no plans to get married?”
Soonyoung sighed, he knew this phone call would eventually get there, just like any other phone call with his mom.
He loved his mom, he really did, but in moments like this, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes in frustration. He had stopped counting the times his mom had tried to get him to go on a blind date or even encouraged him to go to a party in hopes he would once and for all find love. He could already imagine himself saying the one thing he had been repeating over and over again:
‘I have to work mom, I don’t have time for a relationship.’
It wasn’t a lie, he was a busy man, having to manage his own dance studio wasn’t an easy job after all, but, it wasn’t completely true either. If he really wanted to, he could have enough time to go on a date or, hell, even date someone. The problem was, he just wasn’t interested the way his mom wanted him to be. He couldn’t say he was entirely against the idea of finding someone, but he wasn’t desperate enough to humor his mom with her antics, in fact, he wasn’t desperate at all. He was willing to wait for as long as necessary for love to find him instead of the other way around, he had had too many letdowns already and wasn’t eager to expose his heart anymore.
He closed his eyes tightly for a second, why couldn’t his mom understand?
“Mom, could you drop it already?”
“How can I drop it when I worry so much about you!? I know you Kwon Soonyoung, you get lonely and overwork yourself, look at the time, are you at home?”
Soonyoung looked around and saw himself in the reflection of the practice room’s mirror. He considered for a brief moment if he should just lie to his mom, but he was a terrible liar and it would just upset her further.
“I was just finishing when you called, I was about to go home.”
He heard his mom make an exasperated sound before speaking again. “If you had someone, maybe you would have a reason to go home early. Don’t take this wrong soonyoung-ah, I’m really proud of you, but I can’t help but worry.”
“But there’s nothing to worry about mom, I’m not lonely, I don’t have time to get lonely anyway.”
“Yah! Do you think I will stop worrying if you say something like that? Work isn’t everything in life! You should just go on a blind date, my friend’s daughter is really cute, I’m sure you will like her and…”
“Mom, please, you already know the answer.”
“What about a boy then? I’m sure Mrs. Park’s son would gladly go on a date with you, he always asks about you!”
Soonyoung wanted to groan so hard, he was usually very patient but couldn’t help feeling frustrated at his mom’s pointless insistence. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, trying to will the feeling of frustration away, what would take for his mom to finally understand he didn’t need her meddling in his love life?
“Mom, please! I’m begging you, I don’t need you to get me a date, I don’t have time for dating right now, and I swear I’m fine, I’m not overworking, and I’m not lonely.”
“Soonyoung-ah, Soonyoung-ah,” The tone she was using sounded just as frustrated as he was feeling, “why are you so stubborn?”
“I obviously got it from you,” he spoke before stopping to think and bit his tongue right after.
“Yah! How dare you?”
“I’m sorry mom, I’m just tired,” and tired he was. He had been in the practice room for hours trying to finish the last details of a choreography he had been working on, and judging by the clock on the wall, he had completely lost track of time. The state of his shirt was probably the second indicator of how long he had been dancing, it was completely soaked in sweat and was starting to feel cold and disgusting against his skin now that he wasn’t moving anymore.
His mom sighed loudly before speaking once more.
“If you won’t go on a date, then, make me a favor.”
Soonyoung yawned, not really in the mood to go along with any of his mother’s schemes to get him to go on a date.
“You know I have no time to go to parties or blind dates. I won’t do it.”
He could tell his mom’s frustration was growing even over the phone. “I know, I know, you are a really busy man,” her voice was somehow sarcastic, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be offended, he wasn’t that busy anyway. She continued, changing his tone to a sweeter one, trying to allure him into agreeing, “but what I’m asking won’t take much time, I promise.”
Soonyoung wasn’t interested at all, but he had no other option, maybe if he did whatever it was his mom wanted she would finally leave him alone with this issue.
“What would it be then?”
“Could you go to a shrine?”
Soonyoung furrowed his eyebrows confused, trying to make sense of his mom’s words.
“I guess I could, but what for?”
“Oh, Soonyoung, I promise this will work! I read about this amazing place in a magazine last time I went to the dentist, you know they have all those magazines there…”
Soonyoung was making his best effort to listen to his mom’s words, but his stomach suddenly growled and it was extremely difficult to stay focused when the realization of how hungry he really was hit him.
“…It is said that this place is amazing to help you find love! You just have to bring an offering with you!” His mom’s voice was light, as though she was giving him the greatest news ever. He couldn’t help but be a little skeptical.
“Mom, do you seriously think I will magically get married by bringing some offering to a shrine?” Another yawn escaped his mouth as soon as he finished speaking, he could hear his stomach growling loudly once more and just the thought of having to take a shower before going home was enough mortification as it was, he was too tired to deal with his mom.
“Would it hurt you trying? A little bit of divine help won’t hurt, also, the place isn’t that far away from neither your apartment nor your studio. I looked it up, you can get there in a mere 10 minutes by walking if you want. This is perfect Soonyoung, I’m sure your luck with love will improve if you do this! I’m begging you, do it for me! If I know higher forces are looking after you I’ll be able to relax a little, give your old mother some relief.”
There was a hint of desperation in her voice at the end and he felt a mix of amusement and guilt engulf him, he wanted to complain, but he didn’t want to accidentally offend his mom and end up listening to an unending sermon of how ungrateful he was for making her worry so much and not taking her concern seriously. He knew she didn’t have bad intentions and appreciated her concern, he just wished she would listen to him too. He sighed into the phone, considering his options. Was it really worth it to put up a fight with her? Going to a shrine seemed mild in comparison to having to go on a blind date with another cute and perfect girl he would surely, as usual, have nothing in common with. Actually, going to a shrine didn’t sound as bad at all, he could go, bring some sort of offering with him, be done in less than five minutes, and get to calm his mom about the issue for a while. It was a win-win!
“I guess I could go if it’ll make you happy,” he said finally.
“Well, if you put it like that, you leave me no choice but to remind you that what would make me truly happy is you finding someone, but here we are, aren’t we?”
He choked on-air at her words. He wanted to remind her that it was pointless relying her entire happiness solely on how successful his love life was, but it would be a waste of air. She was set in her mission to marry him off. So instead, he decided to change the topic.
“Just send me the address on a text, I’ll find some time at lunch tomorrow and go.”
“Oh Soonyoung, I’m sure this will work! Just listen to me very carefully…”
And he was trying his best to do so, but it was getting harder and harder when his limbs were starting to feel sore and his stomach was demanding his constant attention by growling. He lost track of his mom’s voice for less than a second and the next thing he knew was that she was talking about food and there was nothing he could have done to stop his mind from wandering into a pointless spiral of menu options for dinner.
“…You have to take an offering with you, it has to be food Soonyoung, bring something tasty, maybe get some meat, maybe some beef…”
Beef. When was the last time he had some beef? He tried, without much success, to remember the name of the new restaurant a block away from his building, the smell was incredibly alluring last time he walked by…
“…But no matter what you do, this is important Soonyoung, don’t bring rice with you, are you listening?”
He got a little startled by his mom’s sudden serious voice, his mind catching up with reality once more. He gulped, he definitely hadn’t been listening to whatever it was his mom was ranting about, mind too occupied by images of juicy meat and kimchi wrapped up in a big piece of lettuce, however, his mom didn’t really need to know this, so with a calm and what he hoped was a confident tone, he said, “yeah, mom. I get it, rice.”
“Okay then! I’ll call you again tomorrow, go home soon, I don’t like you walking alone at night even if it’s close!” His mom’s voice sounded bright, a noticeable contrast to the almost desperate tone she was using just minutes ago. He tightened his lips for a second to avoid snorting into the phone at the thought.
“Yeah mom, don’t worry, I’m already done here anyway. Good night, tell dad I said hi.”
“I’ll tell him, Goodnight Soonyoung.”
…
Entering his apartment that night, taking his shoes off in the darkness, slowly walking to the kitchen and turning the lights on, he looked at his small and withered succulent on the counter, and he had to admit that maybe, just maybe, he was a little bit lonely.
…
By the time lunch came the next day, Soonyoung had already forgotten everything about the conversation he had with his mom last night. And it would have kept that way if it weren’t for the reminder he received in the form of a text from her. His attention got caught by the notification sound, and without thinking much, he swiped his finger by the screen of his phone, currently laying on the table next to his food, and sighed when he got to read it.
Mom: Don’t forget to call me after you go to the shrine.
“It’s something wrong?” Soonyoung was currently having lunch at his usual spot with Junhui, his friend and business partner. He looked in his direction and wondered if his face had looked troubled enough for Junhui to comment on it.
“I forgot I have to go to this place my mom wants me to go, she just texted me to remind me,” there was a knowing expression in Jun’s face, and Soonyoung could only assume that the mention of his mom had caused it.
“Is she still trying to get you to go on a date?” He smiled teasingly, and Soonyoung couldn’t blame him for it, his mom’s antics were pretty well known by his friends.
There was an ironic smile in Soonyoung’s lips as he spoke next, “She's passing the task to more powerful and divine forces, she wants me to go and take an offering to a shrine.”
There was confusion in Jun’s face, one of his eyebrows arched in a contemplative expression, probably trying to figure if Soonyoung was being serious or not. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
Soonyoung shook his head, already expecting his friend to laugh, so when Jun did laugh, Soonyoung snorted, there was just something about the entire thing. He had nothing against going to a shrine, it was just that there was something very sacred and mystical about places of worship and he kind of felt out of place going to ask for something he wasn’t sure he wanted right now.
“Don’t you think it would be rude of me?” He asked Jun, who had stopped laughing and was back to eating his lunch. Jun swallowed the food he had in his mouth and directed his attention once more to Soonyoung.
“Wait, you were serious?”
“Yes,” answered Soonyoung simply.
Jun had a pensive expression as he stuck another mouthful of food, he swallowed after some seconds and said, “Why would you think it would be rude?”
Soonyoung stopped his chopsticks midair, “well,” he started, deciding to rest the piece of food on the plate again while he talked, “Wouldn’t it be disrespectful for the people who actually have problems they need help with? I feel like I shouldn’t be going to a shrine asking for help with my love life when I don’t really need it nor want it.”
Jun’s lips curled into a smile again, “maybe you don’t want it, but not needing it…” the expression on his face was enough to convey the rest of his sentence without having to say it out loud.
“Ohhh, shut up,” said Soonyoung, finally taking the piece of food again and successfully sticking it into his mouth this time, his chewing a little hurried by the slight embarrassment Jun’s expression was causing him.
“But you know,” Jun spoke again, pausing for a second to take a sip from his beverage, “I’m not sure, but I don’t think trying to make your mom happy will bring divine wrath upon you. And if I’m really honest, you could use the help,” Jun winked at him. Soonyoung rolled his eyes.
“Not you too, Jun.”
“I’m just saying that I seriously don’t see a single reason you shouldn’t date someone. Work can’t be everything.” Jun shrugged his shoulders.
“I know that, and I swear work isn’t the only thing in my life. I have plenty of friends, I have you, Channie, Wonwoo. I just,” he paused for a second, looking to the side while sighing, his next words were soft, but Jun heard him clearly, “I don’t want a relationship just because.”
Jun’s expression turned warm, a sweet smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You’re actually a romantic.”
“What?” Was all Soonyoung managed to say while sticking the last bite of his lunch into his mouth.
“You don’t want a relationship just because, you want to actually fall in love with the right person.”
“I guess so?”
“That’s cute.”
They both laughed a little at Jun’s words before Soonyoung looked at his watch and sighed loudly. He still had plenty of time before having to get back to work, if his mom had been telling the truth about the location of the place, he had more than enough time to go to the shrine and go back to the studio; they were hosting auditions for backup dancers for a music video soon, and he wanted to check everything was ready for that, including some points in the choreography that were still bothering him. The faster he ended with this shrine issue, the better.
“Sorry Jun, but I’ll get going.”
“It’s okay, just go. See ya!”
…
He checked the address his mom had sent to him on a text the night before and was pleasantly surprised by how close it was, his mom had been right when she said he could get there in 10 minutes.
“Maybe even less,” He thought as he accelerated the speed of his steps a bit. He wanted to get it over with, he was still feeling a little bit uneasy about the entire issue, not to mention there was a nagging thought at the back of his mind telling him it was a little bit weird to bring a bowl of freshly made rice to a shrine. Could he really expect divine help that way?
“This is ridiculous, who would help someone who doesn’t want the help anyway?” He just hoped his halfhearted offering wouldn’t seriously gain him the dislike of any superior and divine entity living at the shrine. He closed his eyes for a brief second, feeling a little frustrated. He understood his mom worried about him, but why couldn’t she understand there was nothing to worry about? He had everything he needed to be satisfied with his life, He was successful doing what he loved the most, had amazing friends who loved him and who he loved greatly in return, and okay, he could admit that there were times in which he, perhaps, felt a little tiny bit lonely at home, but, was that even worth worrying about when it could be easily solved by him finally deciding to adopt a pet?
Soonyoung let his mind wander, losing momentary focus of his surroundings, and when he finally decided to check if he was any way near the shrine he was supposed to be going to, he was shocked by the unfamiliar sight that greeted him. How was it even possible? He was alone, there was not a single person or building around, he was walking in what looked like a very old stone path surrounded by a forest of very tall and thick bamboo trees. Just for how long had he been walking already? There was no way such a place had been always there at a walking distance from his place!
He stopped for a second, looking back to try and see any clue of his neighborhood, but it was pointless. All he could see was bamboo extending for miles to no end. He felt a little uneasy, as if he had been swallowed into another dimension. He shivered at the scary thought, shaking his head softly to get rid of it and ultimately deciding to follow the stone path in front of him. With some luck, it would lead him back to civilization.
He walked for a minute and eventually reached a green hill with very old and abandoned-looking stone stairs leading up. He followed the path with his eyes and could see a tall wooden structure at the top, probably the entrance to the shrine. Soonyoung felt something weird while observing, this wasn’t, in any way, what he had imagined when his mom had talked about a shrine. The place looked neglected as if it had been forgotten a long time ago. Just what kind of magazines did they have at his mom’s dentist?
“Ancient ones for sure, this place is deserted,” He looked around once more, wondering what would be the best course of action. He could try and go back, surely if he kept walking by where he came, at some point, he would end up at a familiar place again. And when his mom unavoidably ended up asking about the shrine, he could just say he hadn’t been able to find the place.
“She would probably nag at me until I accept to try once more,” he thought bitterly while rubbing his eyes with one of his hands and sighing heavily. “There’s no point, I’m already here anyway,” he looked up with newfound determination, taking a step to start climbing up the stairs. He looked carefully around as he made his way up, there were some really tall and marvelous trees at the top, he hadn’t even known trees could grow that big, it was an impressive sight; and suddenly, while still observing his surroundings, he somehow became hyper-aware of the little details. The melancholic whistling of the wind through the trees, the faded color of every single leaf, the smell of nature triggering an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia. It was too much and too weird, he wanted to run away but his body didn’t stop moving towards the place, as if enchanted.
He finally reached the top, and the moment he set a foot inside the place, he was overcome by an intense feeling of sadness pressing his chest, the wind suddenly sounding almost melodic to his ears. Sorrowful, painful, but at the same time, beautiful. He hurried inside, trying to brush off the weird feeling the place was awakening in him. He walked fast, trying to look for a sort of altar or a place that looked like it was made to place offerings, but in his haste, he tripped on a big tree root, losing his balance for a second and being forced to stop. He looked around once more, this time a little bit slower, taking in the way that nature seemed to swallow everything around. It was charming in a way he couldn’t put into words. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself, the entire experience seemed too surreal and it was causing him to panic a little. He breathed one, two, three more times as deeply as possible, finally feeling himself calming down a little. He heard the wind blow harder, but this time he couldn’t tell if what he was hearing was the wind of some sort of instrument, it seemed very unlikely for the wind to carry such a melody with it. He closed his eyes, trying to decide, but the more he focused on the melody the more the sadness and loneliness pressing his chest grew. It was becoming unbearable, he needed to get out of there.
He started walking once more, this time slower, not wanting to trip again and end up falling for real this time. He walked next to big trees and strange-looking bushes with leaves he had never seen before, and after walking for a little more, he finally saw what looked like some kind of altar. He made his way towards it, noticing there were no more offerings in sight.
“I’m the only crazy one who would come to such a place,” he thought as he removed the bowl of rice from the bag he had been carrying and set it in the middle of the altar. He couldn’t help feeling a little bit silly while placing the lonely bowl of rice there, and a sudden question appeared in his head. Should he leave the chopsticks too? He debated for a second, feeling like it would be a little bit ridiculous to do so, but, on the other hand, if there was something or someone actually willing to take his offering, how would they eat it if he didn’t leave the chopsticks? He slowly placed the chopsticks next to the bowl and took a brief look once more.
“Okay! Mission accomplished,” He blurted out. That was it, he could finally go back now. He turned around, expertly getting rid of the thought that he maybe should say a prayer before going, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary there, but when he was barely two meters away, something startled him, freezing his body in place.
That sound.
That was a way too familiar sound but there was just no way it was real, his mind was playing tricks on him. There was just no way he had just heard someone rip open the packet of chopsticks he had left behind. It made no sense. But yet again, he had heard it clearly. He groaned lowly, too frustrated with himself. He had already decided not to look back, but there was no way he could just go like that, so, in a moment of strange bravery, he turned around, leaves suddenly flying around as the wind picked up pace. He noted in the back of his mind that the sound was normal again, not the strange melodic whistle from before. But he didn’t have time to analyze the probable reasons as to why the sudden change, because, right there, sitting on top of the altar-like place, holding the bowl of rice in one hand and the chopsticks in the other, was a man.
A very beautiful man, his mind provided, as if falling victim to a spell. He shrugged the weird thought away, finding himself too surprised to talk, his mind working fast to try and provide an explanation to whatever was happening but failing to do so. He looked cautiously at the man and saw him sticking a bit of rice into his mouth calmly, chewing slowly, eyes focused somewhere far to the side.
“I’ll do it.”
The man spoke suddenly, finally moving his head to look at Soonyoung, his eyes dark and deep, his gaze piercing. Soonyoung felt confused at the man’s words, and although he felt as though he had his heart throbbing in his throat, he was able, somehow, to muster what was necessary to speak.
“Ex-, excuse me?”
He stood there, still frozen in place, and saw the man stick what looked like the last bit of rice into his mouth before placing the bowl and the chopsticks down and standing up. The man started moving towards soonyoung, his movements looked graceful somehow, and Soonyoung felt like he was looking straight into a surreal being. Like there was no way the person in front of him was real. And that was probably it! He thought. He was most likely still in his room, about to wake up from this extremely weird and complex construction of his subconscious. He pinched his own arm, trying to convince himself this was just a dream, but nothing happened. He was still there, looking directly into the profound dark eyes of the other man.
The man was standing right in front of him, he was short but his presence was strong and imposing. Soonyoung swallowed, feeling exposed in a way he wasn’t sure how to explain as the dark eyes in front observed him.
“I accept your offering,” said the man, making a small pause in which Soonyoung felt his confusion grow to unmeasurable levels, “I’ll grant your wish.”
Soonyoung was about to demand an explanation, feeling the situation still too dreamlike to be real and needing to confirm what was actually happening. But he found himself unable to speak, and this time, it wasn’t because of how startled he was, but by a very real and physical reason. He saw it coming in slow motion, the man’s face right in front of him, closer and closer, and before he knew it there was a pair of soft and warm lips against his own. It lasted less than a second, but it was enough to send his heart into a frenzy of rapid and arrhythmic heartbeats.
He looked at the man with wide eyes and saw him slightly rubbing his lips with his sleeve before speaking once more.
“It’s official now, we have a deal.”
Soonyoung was still skeptical, completely unconvinced, and unbelieving. It all seemed too unlikely, for this bizarre situation to be anything but a dream. There was just no way any of this was real, right?