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Saturday 10:48 am
Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon arrived at the aquarium a bit before 11am on a Saturday morning. There shouldn’t be too many people yet, so they could look around more leisurely.
Kim Namwoon was visibly giddy, understandably so, as Lee Jihye had finally agreed to go on a date with him. He'd planned for where to take the girl and deemed an aquarium to be a classic 'safe choice'. Plus Jihye seemed to have a penchant for things concerning sea and water in general. Maybe. Maybe if a chance for a second date arose, he could look up info on a boat museum.. Did regular ones have sections for marine warfare? Or perhaps a waterpark? That might be better, since she was more on the active side.
Lee Jihye who couldn't know what the whitehaired young man next to her was thinking, sighed. She'd finally given in to his pleas for a date, but on the condition that he'd tone down his 'chuuniness'. Even if only for the duration of their date.
She took a peek at Kim Namwoon who was immersed in his own thoughts, eyes practically sparkling.
..Well, guess he had tried. Nothing you could do about his hair color on a short notice and he probably wouldn't either, even if his life was threatened. But today it was styled back, revealing his forehead. It was. Well, different.
His clothes... Well, it was clear where the inspiration had come from. Her Master. Everything was black. Except for the white collar shirt that was thrown on top of everything, almost like an afterthought.
..Were those chains hanging from his belt? Points deducted.
She herself had dressed very casually. Black hair in the usual high ponytail. Jeans, a tank top and a blue shirt over it. As long as everything was clean and relatively easy to move in, she was fine with it. She never cared for fashion or dressing up too much. Her friend had tried to inspire her into trying some things, but had quickly realized it wasn’t going to work.
"You have such good sense for what looks good but why don't you use it for your advantage!" Na Bori had wailed.
"By the way. Who's paying? You better not entertain any ideas about being a gentleman and paying for both of us." Jihye said. She and Kim Namwoon walked in the aquarium building, bickering as they went.
"Give it up, you can't possibly afford it. I know you recently got some more of those things you build and paint yourself." Jihye huffed.
"I can afford it too!" Namwoon growled, his pride threatened. "Wait. How do you know? ..Did you follow me on social media?"
Lee Jihye speed walked to the ticket office. "One ticket please!"
"28,000 won for one adult. We have a wristband system instead of the tickets." The cashier explained and handed over a bright pink and green colored wristband. "Here you go! Would you like help putting it on?"
"No, it's quite alright. Thank you." Jihye accepted the wristband and moved to the side to let Kim Namwoon purchase his. She wrapped the offending thing on her left wrist.
"The color combination reminds you of a watermelon, right?" Said Kim Namwoon, his face bright again, securing his wristband. "Or Patrick from Sponge*ob."
"Sure.." Jihye muttered her face blank.
Saturday 11:24
Later a tall man, dressed all in black, pushed the door open to the same aquarium. Giving the place a quick once over before unwillingly taking one step inside.
"Yoo Joonghyuk please, we made it this far already! Just accept your fate." A man in a white coat grunted from behind, attempting to push the other man further inside.
Yoo Joonghyuk pursed his lips in resignation and let himself be pushed towards the ticket office counter.
The receptionist and a few other visitors were openly staring at the man who was unrealistically handsome, despite the deep frown etched between his dark brows.
The plainer looking man in a matching white coat who stepped out from Yoo Joonghyuk's shadow seemed a lot more approachable. He had an easygoing smile on his face, contrasting the look on his companion's face.
"I still can't quite believe I finally got you to agree coming with me here." Said the plainer man incredulous, but happy. And after a pause: "You do realize that it's about time for you to introduce me to your relatives, you sunfish bastard."
Yoo Joonghyuk's glare grew more murderous, but the other man didn't seem affected and strode up to the counter. "Two tickets, and he's paying. For both."
White coat rustled from the abrupt movement of its' wearer escaping the grabbing distance of the black coated man.
"Your habit of immediately reaching for my neck is getting predictable."
"Kim Dokja. Behave."
"So handsy." Kim Dokja tutted in mock annoyance and noticed the booklets of the aquarium lined up on a stand next to the counter. "Do you mind if I take one of these?" Asked the man named Kim Dokja, as Yoo Joonghyuk was paying for their admission.
"Huh? No, not at all! They're free and there for the visitors of our aquarium." Said the receptionist who was explaining Yoo Joonghyuk about the wristbands they were to put on.
Joonghyuk accepted the colorful pink and green wristbands, staring at them for a while - motionless. Finally he fastened one of them on his wrist and turned to Kim Dokja who was examining the handout with great interest. Anything written was sure to catch his attention.
"Dokja, hand.'' Absent-mindedly Kim Dokja lifted his hand to place it on Joonghyuk's waiting one. Yoo Joonghyuk tugged the coat and shirt sleeves down to get access to the other man's bony wrist underneath. His brows wrinkled in dissatisfaction looking at the protruding bone, making a mental note to make sure the fool was eating everything on his plate properly in the future.
He secured the wristband on his companion and yanked him closer. "Are we going, or are you content staying here, reading?" Joonghyuk murmured into Kim Dokja's ear and the latter suppressed a shiver.
"I've asked for you not to do that." He hissed through his teeth, ears tinted red. "Especially in public." He swatted Joonghyuk's arm for good measure after prying his own free from his grasp.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked smug, some of his piling frustration alleviated. Kim Dokja was as good of a stress reliever as he was an inducer. The moments Kim Dokja's self built wall showed even the slightest of cracks were especially precious to him.
Saturday 11:54am
Jihye was sipping her drink through a straw, waiting in a corner of a big rest stop sort of room. One of the walls was made from glass and all sorts of exotic fish were swimming by behind it. A few decorative pillars stood around the room, painted with murals of seaweed, coral and fish.
Jihye looked at the plaque on the wall indicating that the WC facilities could be found in the dark corridor where Kim Namwoon had moments earlier disappeared to.
'That's what he gets for inhaling his drink so fast.' Jihye snorted, biting her straw.
She had to admit she was having more fun than what she originally thought. Kim Namwoon was surprisingly decent company when he wasn't looking for a fight. And her good mood didn’t disappear even after learning that swordfish couldn't be kept in captivity and thus weren't found in this aquarium either. She would really have liked to see one live if possible.
She lazily surveyed the few people milling about and around the room and almost spat her drink out when she saw two very familiar men walk into the dimly lit space.
‘No wonder the gaming practice was called off and we were given a day off today.’
Yoo Joonghyuk has been coaching Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon weekly for quite some time, and even with his remarkable ability to adapt, he hated when his set plans were disturbed. Rarely initiating such a scenario himself, so no wonder Lee Jihye was surprised about the somewhat sudden change in schedule. Never did she imagine to see her Master in a place like this on his own volition. Not even in her wildest dreams.
Of course it was for the squid.
She swiftly hid behind the closest pillar to herself, ditching her almost finished drink.
'How did he manage to talk Master into coming??' Jihye was staring at the other man with Yoo Joonghyuk. 'That has got to be a talent of some sort.' She was astonished.
'..It must be the power of love!' The realization came to her like a revelation.
They moved closer to the glass wall and Kim Dokja was saying something and gesturing towards the fish in the tank. As Jihye was observing their interaction from a safe distance, she noted that her Master was watching his companion next to him with an indecipherable look on his face and with such intensity that the fish were forgotten. (Though it might've just been too dark for her to see properly, even with the light from the water tank illuminating them from behind.)
'!!!!!'' Witnessing the scene unfolding in front of her Jihye felt something constrict her heart. 'I gotta tell Uriel-unnie about this!' She mentally squealed as she snuck to take a picture with her cellphone.
"What are you looking at?"
She felt a breath next to her ear and nearly screamed. She whipped her head to the side to see Kim Namwoon's face, too close, and squinting in the general direction she had been pointing her cell phone camera to.
His face lit up in recognition when he spotted his Captain.
"Capt-mph!" Jihye sprang into action, nearly tackling Kim Namwoon and muffling his mouth with her arm. "Shush! Call out to them now and I will never speak to you again." Her voice was chilly when she all but dragged her date deeper in the corridor's shadows.
Kim Namwoon could only nod stupefied, his mouth gagged.
Lee Jihye glanced towards the room and after making sure no one had followed them, sighed pocketing her phone and slammed her free hand on the wall next to Kim Namwoon's head. It looked a bit comical, since she was around 10cm shorter than him. But her commanding aura made up for the height difference.
"What were you doing sneaking up on me like that??" She asked as she removed her hand from blocking Namwoon's mouth, still leaning into his personal space.
Kim Namwoon felt wronged. He didn't understand what he had done that could have elicited such a reaction. But he didn't want to risk Lee Jihye never talking to him again. By the way, was this what they called a 'kabedon'..?
Jihye side-eyed the silent boy, and backed away ruffling her hair in annoyance.
"Argh! I'm sure I missed some major development because of you..!" Kim Namwoon hung his head and was radiating 'kicked puppy' -vibes.
Lee Jihye inched back, closer to the pillar to peek at the spot the two men were standing previously. There were some random people there, the two men nowhere in sight. Lee Jihye groaned. At least she managed to take one picture.
Saturday 12:04pm
They had been touring the aquarium at a rather fast pace, since Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't the most comfortable in such a setting and Kim Dokja didn't like places with a lot of people either. That's why they came before the rush hour started, and preferably got out before that as well.
Yoo Joonghyuk was watching his boyfriend animatedly telling him about the fish in front of them. He couldn't care less about fish trivia that wasn't needed anywhere. ..But if it made Kim Dokja happy, he thought that maybe the trip was worth it. He had been asking about it once or twice already and he knew that if he kept refusing to go, Dokja would eventually give up. It was rare for him to ask for things for himself so he would rather finally agree and suffer a bit than see him hiding behind a smile, covering up his disappointment.
Who knows exactly why the squid wanted to come here, but for now it seemed it was just to spite Yoo Joonghyuk.
Meeting his family.. He knew there wasn't much to meet, since he only had Yoo Mia. But it wasn't like Kim Dokja's situation was much better.
The emptiness they both felt in their lives, being filled with the appearance of another. They now were each other's family. Bringing them a sense of salvation.
He kept his eyes on Kim Dokja's face. It was glowing in the soft blue light being reflected from the water tank. His silky black hair covering his forehead, dark mischievous eyes that slanted slightly upwards. Even his everpresent dark under eyes and his unlucky smile. It was all very dear to him.
Overcome by an inexplicable feeling, he stepped closer to grab Kim Dokja's arm and to shield them behind the aquarium's pamphlet in his hands. Not giving his fool time to react, he leaned in and stole a brief kiss from the other man's lips.
'..Why were they always so perfectly moisturized?' He slightly frowned at the thought. Like it was some useless passive skill effect to retain moisture.
He slowly pulled back to watch rigid Kim Dokja's brain visibly turning its cogs, trying to catch up with what just happened to him.
...
..
.
Kim Dokja slowly wrinkled his nose, placing his free hand on his mouth.
"Really Joonghyuk-ah, in public, again? What has gotten into you today?" he shot him a glare without any real edge to it. "..I bet you didn't listen to a word I said."
Yoo Joonghyuk's lips twitched as he let go of Dokja's arm.
"There was something more interesting in front of me." he answered honestly and held Kim Dokja's puzzled gaze a moment longer before starting to walk towards the exit to the next room.
"..Hmmh." Kim Dokja hummed, fanning his face with the convenient leaflet and trailed after his tall boyfriend.
Saturday 12:46pm
Despite Kim Dokja’s whining and best impression of puppy dog eyes, Yoo Joonghyuk had adamantly refused to pose with the aquarium's Mola mola for a picture. Kim Dokja had guessed as much, but he was still a bit disappointed. Yoo Joonghyuk did, however, help Dokja take a picture with his 'namesake fish' himself. Even suggested it, to escape from his own blight.
Beaming at the picture on his cellphone screen, before pocketing the phone. He thought about sending the picture to a certain annoying witch later. He wasn’t one to use social media, so he just sent these things directly.
“Let’s stop by the souvenir shop before we leave. I want to pick something for Yoo Mia.” Said Kim Dokja when it was almost time to leave. Yoo Joonghyuk grimaced at the burst of color that was the shop they were looking to enter. The shelves were cluttered with colorful plushies made to resemble different fish found in the aquarium, along with ocean themed trinkets of all kinds. He really dreaded going inside places like these.. But if it was for his sister and a request from the man he loved.. The surekill combo that made him unable to refuse most things. With a surly look on his face he followed Kim Dokja inside the glittering hellhole.
.
.
.
“Hmm.. I think she’s too old for the mermaid stuff. How about these hairclips?” Kim Dokja said after browsing the selection for a while and lifted the item he found for Yoo Joonghyuk to see properly. The hairclips were decorated with shapes of sea stars, seahorses, seashells, pearls..
“Oh, and I’m definitely getting this!” Kim Dokja brandished the Ocean sunfish patterned bookmark he had found from the sales bin.
Saturday 12:50
Lee Jihye saw the two men were now occupied and their attention elsewhere. Their chance had come.
“Now!” She whispered as loud as she dared to and with a sense of urgency ushered Kim Namwoon to quickly sneak past their Master/Captain and his companion to get out the building before them.
Namwoon grumbled but let himself be pushed along. Why were they even avoiding them? And not like he had wanted to check the souvenirs with Jihye too. He totally didn’t want a memento of their first outing together. Nope, not at all.
Only when they had finally gotten out of the aquarium and having dodged her Master from discovering them, did Jihye notice the sour look on Namwoon’s face when she thought she could finally catch a break.
“Ehm, I guess the latter half of our… date.. got kinda ruined.” Said Jihye apologetically, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger.
Namwoon’s pout only intensified.
Jihye sighed. “What do you want me to do? Not like I could have guessed we would run into any familiar faces here. Not Master of all people!”
Namwoon muttered something under his breath.
“? What did you say? Speak u-”
“I SAID. A boat museum or a waterpark. Where do you want to go for our next date?” Kim Namwoon gave her a challenging look, like he was daring for her to shoot him down after all that had happened. He was going to score that second date.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Han Sooyoung
[hey, ugly squid]
[how was your date with the grinch?]
[IMG_1864.JPG attached]
[nice couple selfie]
[flaunting ur happy relationship much?]
[ :) ]