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Yuchan cursed under his breath, hurrying down the streets while trying his best not to step into any puddles. Junhee had told him to bring an umbrella, but the sun had been shining and now here he was… Without an umbrella, in the middle of a downpour.
By now his wet clothes were sticking to him like a second layer of skin and Yuchan was too scared to look down and check just how see through his white dress shirt had become. He had already been on his way home, when it had started raining, but between his current spot and the warmth of their apartment it was still a bus drive and a ten minutes walk.
Desperately, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rain and looked around. The street was pretty much entirely deserted. Apart from him there was only a middle aged woman heading towards the bus stop, but she had been smart enough to bring an umbrella with her. Yuchan sighed, slowly noticing the way the cold rain was draining the warmth from his body. He’d probably get a cold, miss work as well as having to listen to Junhee repeating “If you had listened to me this wouldn’t have happened” multiple times. That thought made him shudder. He hated having been wrong… And he had been wrong… Very wrong…
At that moment, his eyes fell onto a glowing shop sign to his right and without thinking much about it, he stormed inside. “Mystery Moon” sounded close enough to a clothing line for Yuchan to hope he’d find a new shirt to change into there. However, it took the chime of bells upon his entrance, soft music layed over tacky nature sounds, and Yuchan finding himself face to face with the statue of a gnome, for him to realize that this shop was many things, but not a clothing store.
Perplexed, Yuchan stared at his new surroundings, trying to take everything in properly. Unlike most shops in the area, the inside of this store wasn’t following the trend of simple modernity. Instead it resembled a cave, filled with moss surfaces, statues of fantasy creatures, crystals in all kinds of shapes and colors, and the biggest variety of fountains Yuchan had ever seen. They ranged from small indoor fountains to pretentious outdoor fountains, the biggest of them clearly being the store’s heart piece. It was decorated with beautifully crafted fairies, sitting between hundreds of flowers, and Yuchan couldn’t help but stare at it in awe, so captivated by its craftsmanship that he completely forgot what he had originally been looking for.
“Welcome.” It was a soft voice that greeted him and like that pulled Yuchan out of his trance-like state. Startled, he turned to the direction the voice had come from only to feel his mouth drop open when his eyes fell on the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Well… One of them at least.
He was wearing an ivory colored shirt and pants but just like the rest of the store, they didn’t really want to fit in with modern Seoul. Not that Yuchan was able to pay much attention to how weirdly the man was dressed. He was too captivated by his beautiful face, framed by long, golden hair and adorned with a smile that seemed to be both kind and knowing at the same time. Yuchan couldn’t explain it to himself, but for some reason the man seemed to radiate power which made him feel like he was slowly getting drunk just by looking at him. He could swear the man’s smile grew even wider.
“Horrible weather out there… It’s good you seeked shelter in my store. Feel free to stay for as long as you want.” He held out a white towel and Yuchan stared at it in surprise. “Use it to dry yourself… It must be awfully cold in these wet clothes.” The man’s eyes lowered onto Yuchan’s torso and suddenly the cold seemed to get replaced by heat, while all blood shot to Yuchan’s face.
“Thank you!” He exclaimed, quickly grabbing the towel and holding it in front of his chest, before he eventually remembered his poor manners and hastily added a few small bows.
“It’s not a problem,” the man replied and went back behind the cashier desk. “Would you like a cup of tea while you are waiting? I don’t think the rain will stop for another twenty minutes.”
“Oh I don’t want to trouble you…” For some reason that made the man chuckle softly.
“It’s no trouble at all. I was looking forward to finally meeting with you anyway.” He shot Yuchan a wink and the latter felt the heat in his cheeks growing even hotter. How did this man manage to turn him back into a hormonal teenager? And what had he meant by his mysterious remark? A handsome man like this couldn’t perhaps be a creepy stalker, right?
“Oh, Yuchan… It’s because Junhee still never shuts up about you.” That only confused Yuchan even more and he watched with a frown how the man poured tea into two cups, before returning back to where Yuchan was still standing by the fountain. He handed him one of the cups with a blending smile and Yuchan took it with trembling hands. His dripping clothes were already forgotten.
“You know Junhee?”
“Something like that…”
Yuchan lifted the cup to his mouth since he didn’t know how to reply to so much vagueness. How was it possible to be more confused after getting answers to a question than before?
Then the tea met his tongue and he gasped, his eyes falling shut, while the hot liquid ran down the inside of his throat. The man had called it tea, but never before had Yuchan tasted something like this. It wasn’t like normal tea at all. Everything about it was perfect. It didn’t taste too sweet nor too sour or bitter, and filled every part of his body with a comfortable warmth that made him relax and feel much lighter.
Suddenly nothing seemed to really matter anymore. Who cared about the rain, wet clothes or the way the man’s previously gentle expression had turned into something like hunger? It was fine. After all, he had said he knew Junhee.
“Feeling better? I think tea always works wonders,” the man said, the smile having returned to his face. Yuchan nodded, his lips spreading into a wide grin.
“Yeah… That stuff is amazing!”
“That’s because of the honey I added. It’s very rare. Only fairies who collect wildflower pollen can produce it. I knew you’d like it.” That explanation alone should have made Yuchan turn around and leave the store immediately, but all he did was nod thoughtfully.
“Fairies… Are you a fairy too, then?” He asked, looking at the man with wide, curious eyes who smiled and fondly placed a hand in his hair.
“Oh no, my little flower. I’m not a fairy… I’m much more than that but you can call me Donghun.”
“Donghun…,” Yuchan whispered, testing the way the name felt on his tongue. He didn’t notice Donghun leaning in closer until he suddenly felt his warm breath against his cheek. Surprised, Yuchan looked back up. Being so close to Donghun allowed him to see the thousands of stars shining in his dark eyes that were so lively and old at the same time that Yuchan felt like he was staring into the universe itself.
Soft fingers joined the others in his hair, caressing him gently until it got more and more difficult to grasp a clear thought. Soon there were also tender lips kissing the skin on his cheeks, temples and eyelids. The kisses sent a warm tingling through Yuchan’s entire body who was sinking deeper and deeper into the sensation. He had never felt like this before… At least never until he had met Junhee… At the thought of his fiance, he suddenly regained enough control over his body to open his eyes and return Donghun’s questioning gaze.
“What is it?” He wanted to know, gently brushing the hair out of Yuchan’s face.
“I can’t do this…! I’m engaged!” Donghun only chuckled, like this managing to look even more breathtaking than before.
“Oh, Yuchan, I know that already. But you should be aware that despite my relationship with Junhee being on the more complicated side, we still always share. Though he’s been horribly selfish recently…”
Yuchan wasn’t sure what Donghun meant by that. His brain was still working awfully slow and before he could come to any useful conclusions, Donghun cupped his cheeks and kissed him with the same gentleness with which he had previously caressed his hair.
The feeling of Donghun’s lips on his and the way he was pulling him closer shut out any further thoughts from Yuchan’s mind and he willingly let himself fall and drown in it all. Now even time seemed to stop mattering. All that mattered was Donghun and the feeling of their lips being connected. Because the kiss tasted the same as the fairy honey. It was intoxicating, yes even addicting. Yuchan couldn’t get enough of it; didn’t want the kiss to stop ever again and so he whined in frustration, when Donghun eventually pulled away again. The latter only smiled, clearly amused at the way Yuchan chased after his lips but despite his whining, he didn't give in.
“That’s enough for today…,” he said assertively and Yuchan immediately knew that there was no use in trying to change his mind. “The rain has stopped. It is time for you to go home.”
Yuchan was about to protest after all, but Donghun only shook his head and turned to fill a glass with water from the beautiful fountain.
“Here drink this…”
Yuchan did as he was told, still unable to take his eyes off Donghun who attentively watched him empty the entire cup. Once Yuchan had drunk all of it, he placed the cup on a shelf and carefully grabbed his chin. Not that that was necessary to get Yuchan to look into his eyes.
“Listen Yuchan… Once you step out of this store, you’ll be unable to remember my existence. All of this will merely have been a nice dream which you’ll neither be able to ever fully grasp, nor get back out of your head.” Yuchan frowned, not happy about that idea, but suddenly also feeling too tired to protest. Meanwhile, Donghun guided him towards the door, handing him an umbrella before pressing another last kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t worry… The next rain will be following sooner than you might expect. And until then, tell Junhee to visit me from time to time too,” he whispered into his ear.
Yuchan nodded, throwing Donghun another longing glance, before he hesitantly opened the door.
“Goodbye, little flower,” Donghun said, gently pushing him forward.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly and while blinking into its warm light, Yuchan asked himself why he had once again listened to Junhee’s stupid advice and taken an umbrella to work. His fiance somehow managed to never be right when it came to the weather and this had already been the sixth time Yuchan had brought an umbrella for no reason. Maybe it was finally the right time to tease Junhee about his bad intuition. That thought drew a smile to Yuchan’s face and he went on his way home, humming contently.