Archive of Our Own

Namjoon liked to plan things out. Their CEO said that was what made him a good project manager. His mother said that’s why she trusted him to take care of their family trip arrangements. So, no, he didn’t do spur-of-the-moment t hi Ihings, usually. Except for moments like this one, when he’s blindsided.

“Namjoon, are you still there?” 

He could hear his mom’s voice clearly. “Yes, eomma. Sorry, could you repeat that again?”

“I saw Kyungnam at the market this morning. He saw me, said hi and introduced his boyfriend.”

Boyfriend . His ex-boyfriend Kyungnam brought his new boyfriend to their hometown on Christmas. Presumably to meet his parents and do all the couple-y Christmas things people usually did. Namjoon didn’t think he’d be able to take seeing that, especially not on Christmas.

“That’s great, eomma. Good for him, I guess?”

“Hmm.” Namjoon could picture his mom at this moment: hand on her hip, one eyebrow raised. “Are you coming home this year?”

Namjoon froze. He had, in fact, planned to go home for Christmas. His boss had just informed him earlier that day that his leave for the holidays was approved. This news, however, changed things.

“Sorry, eomma. I made plans to go somewhere else this year.” He walked into his bedroom and sat in front of his computer.

“Oh. Alright. Where are you going?”

Namjoon panicked. “Uh…” Far away, he thought. He mentally pictured the map of South Korea and had a brilliant idea. He’ll go the opposite way, southeast instead of northwest. "Busan."

There was silence and Namjoon was worried that his mother would ask more questions. “Alright. Have fun. See you at Seollal.” His mother’s tone made it very clear that he’d better show up in February or else .

“Yes, eomma,” Namjoon replied as placatingly as he could.

“Hmm… Let me know when you get there safely, Joon-ah.”

“Yes, eomma. I love you.” Namjoon ended the call and sighed. He placed one elbow against his desk, resting his forehead against his hand. 

He contemplated just staying in Seoul for Christmas and maybe finishing all the shows he had on his Netflix My List. An image of Kyungnam’s face popped up in his mind. Joon-ah! Can’t you live a little? You know, do something without planning it down to the last minute? 

He suppressed an eyeroll. He’d heard those words so many times that it was like Kyungnam was still there with him. “I’ll show him! I can be spontaneous!”

He opened his computer and navigated to the KTX Trains website. He selected Seoul in the From options and Busan in the To options but he didn’t touch the date and the one-way options that were default on the search bar. 

There’s a train leaving at 5PM and arriving in Busan at 7:40PM. Namjoon checked his watch. It was 2:30PM. Plenty of time to pack his stuff and get to the station. He bought the ticket and printed it out. 

Fuck., Namjoon thought and laughed. He was really doing this. It was then that Namjoon realized that he didn’t know where he would be staying when he got there. Quickly he opened up airbnb and started scrolling through the Busan listings.

Majority of them were for apartments. He already lived in one, so Namjoon figured he might as well try something new now that he was on a spontaneous, adventurous kick.

He clicked on the first listing he saw that wasn’t an apartment. The listing was for the second floor of a house. It had two bedrooms, which was a bit much since he’d be alone, but the house looked really nice and there were two dogs in the backyard in one of the photos. There was wifi, heating, and early and late check-in was allowed. The price was reasonable too. 

Namjoon input the current date but hesitated on what to put in the checkout date box. December 26… 3 whole days should be good enough , he reasoned as he clicked on the date. Luckily the listing was still available. He surveyed the calculation for the total fee, which ended up being ₩297,071.74. He could live with that.

After paying for the accommodations, he scrolled down to the information about the host. “Hosted by JK,” Namjoon read aloud.

On impulse, Namjoon clicked on the Contact Host button. “Hi, JK-ssi. I’m Namjoon. Sorry for the short notice. I’ll be staying at your house starting tonight.”

Namjoon got up and headed to his closet to start packing. Halfway through his task, he checked his computer and found a reply from JK. "Hello, Namjoon-ssi. That's fine. What time will you be arriving?"

"The KTX is scheduled to arrive at Busan station at 7:40PM. I'm not really sure what time I'll get to your house, though. I was planning on checking how to get to your house while I'm on the train. 😅"

He finished packing the rest of his clothes before glancing back at the computer. "If you don't mind riding on a motorcycle, I can pick you up if you want. Will you have a suitcase with you or just a backpack?"

Namjoon smiled. "Just a backpack. There's a washer and dryer at the house that I can use, right?"

"Yes. Great! Can I get your number or KaTalk ID in case we have a hard time finding each other at the station? Here's mine: +82808080707, abc_xyz."

Namjoon quickly typed out his own number and KaTalk ID before saving JK's number and ID on his phone. "Thank you for this. I'll let you know when I'm almost at the station."

"Got it. 👍"

Namjoon had to admit things were going well so far, despite the fact that he didn't do any planning and almost zero idea what he was actually going to do while he was in Busan. Maybe he really could do this. 

It felt a little scary but also slightly exhilarating. Still, Namjoon couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something. He looked around his apartment, checking if all the appliances that needed to be turned off and/or unplugged were already taken care of. The window was shut tight too. Everything he needed for the trip (clothes, money, phone charger, etc.) were also all carefully packed in his bag.

It's probably nothing , Namjoon concluded. He took out his phone and unlocked it. That's when he saw his wallpaper, a photo of him and his friends at his birthday party, and realized what he had forgotten to do.

He pulled up his recent contacts list and pressed the call button on the first number listed.

After a couple of rings, someone finally picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Hi, Hob-ah. I’m going to Busan. Please tell Yoongi hyung and everyone else so they don't worry about me."

"Wait. What? What do you mean? What’s in Busan?"

“A nice, quiet airbnb with two cute dogs. Also,” Namjoon added in a rush. “I’ll tell you who’s not there. He-who-must-be-named, that’s who.”

“What did he do now? Did he drunk dial you again? Joon-ah, you really should just block his number.”

“I have! It’s just… My mom told me she just saw him in our neighborhood in Ilsan. And he brought his new boyfriend with him.”

“That was fast.” Hobi paused and Namjoon could hear clattering in the background. “I thought you said you were over him, though.”

“I am! But this feels… I don’t know. Disrespectful, I guess. We’ve been broken up a little over half a year and he’s already bringing this new person to meet his family or whatever.”

“So you decided to head to Busan? Why Busan?”

“It’s the farthest place I could think of that wouldn’t require me to get on an airplane. Plus, I’ve always wanted to go there anyway. Feels as good a time as any to finally do it.”

“Okay. Have fun, I guess? Do you know where you’re gonna go?”

“Honestly, not sure yet.”

“Do you need a guide? Jiminie’s from Busan! I can ask him if he knows anyone who can show you around.”

“No, Hob-ah. It’s okay–”

“Who’s going to Busan?” The voices were reduced to mostly muffled sounds when Hobi, presumably, put his hand over the receiver, but Namjoon could still make out a few words. “Yoongi hyung— Kyungnam hyung– Ilsan— Busan.”

“Joon-ah?” Yoongi’s voice was laced with concern.

“Hi, hyung.”

 “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Never better.”

Yoongi remained silent, like he was gauging Namjoon’s answer before speaking. “Okay. If you need someone to talk to, just call me, alright? And let me know when you get to Busan so I won’t worry too much.”

“Thanks, hyung. I will.”

Yoongi gave a satisfied grunt and Namjoon heard rustling as the phone changed hands. 

“Let me know how your trip goes, Joon-ah! Be careful!”

“I will, Hob-ah. See you soon!”

Namjoon put his phone back in his pocket and grabbed his backpack. After a last survey of his surroundings, he exited his apartment and closed the door behind him. Nervously, he patted his pockets, feeling for his wallet and phone even though he already knew they were there, then checked that the door was locked. As he put more distance between him and his home, the uncertainty in the pit of his stomach started to settle and some of the earlier bravado he felt came back. I’m going to have fun., he thought determinedly, as he pushed the down button on the elevator. This is going to be the best vacation ever!  

🌃

Namjoon settled into his window seat and stared out the window as he waited for the train to start moving. The loudspeaker somewhere above him crackled to life as the welcome messages started playing. “Welcome aboard the KTX bound for Busan. We will do our best to make your journey as comfortable as possible.”

The further away they got from the station, the calmer Namjoon felt. The die had been cast, so to speak, and there was nothing left to do but (literally) enjoy the ride. 

Namjoon put his airpods in and browsed the Spotify playlists on his phone. He had painstakingly created them from old mixtapes he had and lists he'd written down in an old notebook. He paused when he saw a playlist titled “Hobi’s recs.” Hoseok had made a mixtape for him in college, saying Namjoon had to listen to those songs, especially when he just needed to vibe and relax. Namjoon couldn’t remember any of the songs on the playlist but this seemed like the perfect time to play them. He pressed play on the first song on the list (“Pure Shores”, the screen said) and turned his gaze back out the window. He had to hand it to Hobi, or maybe to fate, because the first song that played felt like the perfect one for that moment.

Namjoon wondered if he should use this time to think about where to go while he was in Busan but he wasn’t sure if it would count against this being a spontaneous trip or not. Namjoon sighed. He’ll just let tomorrow’s Namjoon handle that problem. JK seemed friendly enough, though. Maybe he can suggest an itinerary for him or something. 

The rest of the trip passed smoothly and before he knew it, night had fallen and his watch told him that they should be nearing Busan station already. He sent his friends a quick message that he arrived before getting his backpack from the floor and patting the bottom of the bag clean.

While on the train, JK had messaged him that they should meet at Exit 10. He hoped it would be easy enough to find once he got there because he knew Busan Station was big.

Thankfully, the signs were straightforward and Namjoon didn’t have any trouble finding Exit 10.

I’m here. I should have asked you what you’re wearing. I’m wearing a white shirt and a cardigan with a zigzag pattern. Namjoon pressed send and waited for JK’s reply. It came almost immediately. 

I’m here too. I’m wearing a white turtleneck and black jacket.

Namjoon looked up and immediately began scanning his surroundings. As his gaze panned to the left, he noticed a man staring intensely at him. He was wearing a white turtleneck and black jacket. Namjoon hoped this was JK or else this was going to get awkward. He started walking to the man who took it as his cue to start walking towards Namjoon too.

“Namjoon-ssi?”

“JK-ssi?” Namjoon replied with a smile. He held out his hand to shake JK’s hand.

“Actually, it’s Jungkook. I just use JK on the internet. But you can still call me JK if you want.” Jungkook smiled back at him and Namjoon was suddenly struck with how beautiful he was. His hair came down to roughly the level of his cheekbone and the way it framed his face softened his already lovely features even more. Jungkook shook Namjoon's hand and the spell was broken. "Let's go?" 

Namjoon nodded and followed a step behind the other man as they started walking.

"I was surprised to see your booking, Namjoon-ssi. We usually don’t get last-minute bookings like yours." He glanced quickly at Namjoon. "Did something go wrong with the first place you booked?"

"Uh, not really." Namjoon grimaced. "Yours is the first place I booked."

"Oh. What brings you to Busan so suddenly?"

Namjoon didn't feel like he was ready to share things with someone who was practically still a stranger so instead he went with a vague-but-still-true explanation. “I just wanted a change, you know? I’ve always wanted to come here and this seemed like as good a time as any.”

If Jungkook found Namjoon’s story strange in any way, he didn’t show it. “You’ll love it here!” he said cheerily. “Which places are you planning on going to?”

“Uh, I actually haven’t planned anything. I’m definitely set on going to Haeundae Beach and Sea Life Busan Aquarium. Other than that…” Namjoon shrugged. “I guess I’ll just see what I feel like visiting for the day.” Namjoon smiled. “Do you have recommendations, Jungkook-ssi?”

Jungkook grinned back. “You’re in luck, Namjoon-ssi. I have free time this week. I can be your tour guide, if you want.”

“Oh. That sounds great but I don’t want to impose, though…”

“You’re not. I love Busan and I’ll take any excuse I can to explore the city. I mean, I’m not actually a tour guide so I might not be able to give the history or whatever of places, but I can take you to places you might like, at the very least.”

“If you’re sure, then yeah, that would be nice. I’d love that.” Namjoon bit his lip. “I could pay you? Maybe charge a little more on my account? I’m not sure how that works. Or I could pay you now?”

Jungkook laughed, the sound so bright and unrestrained that it caught the attention of the people they passed by. “You don’t have to pay me, Namjoon-ssi.”

“I feel bad about just taking up your time and not giving you anything in return.”

Jungkook crossed the street and Namjoon rushed after him. “Okay. How about this: you pay for gas and food?”

Namjoon nodded after mulling it over for a second. “That seems fair.”

They walked past car after car before finally reaching the area where the motorcycles were parked. Jungkook stopped next to a black motorcycle. He opened the lock box at the back and gave one of the helmets inside to Namjoon. “This should fit. I hope.” He took the other one and put it on before closing the box.

Namjoon put on his own helmet as Jungkook got on the motorcycle, took it off the center stand, and started the engine. The helmet felt strange and heavy on his head.

Jungkook turned to look at him. “Have you ridden a motorcycle before?”

“No.”

Jungkook grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m a good driver.”

“You know, I’d be less worried if you didn’t smile like that.”

“Just trying to get you to relax.” Jungkook scooted forward. “Hop on.”

Namjoon hooked one leg over the motorcycle and adjusted himself on the seat, making sure his feet were resting as comfortably as possible on the footrests.

“Ready?” 

Namjoon held his hands up. “What should I hold on to?”

“Technically, you don’t need to hang on to anything, but if it makes you feel better you can try gripping the seat?”

Namjoon looked down. He was practically chest-to-back with Jungkook. 

Jungkook laughed. “I meant behind you. You can reach back a little bit and hold the sides of the seat.”

“Ah. I see.” Namjoon did as Jungkook suggested and it did help make him feel more secure. “Any other things I should remember before we go?”

“Don’t lean on the lockbox. It might not be able to take your weight.”

Alarmed, Namjoon leaned forward a little more.

“That’s it, I think. Oh, wait. Don’t move around too much and don’t lean to the side when I do. Just try to keep yourself steady.”

“Got it.” Namjoon sat stiffly on the motorcycle and hoped for the best as they pulled away from the parking spot and started the journey to Jungkook’s house. 

🌃

Namjoon got off the motorcycle, gingerly walking off the numbness of his ass courtesy of the motorcycle’s vibration.

The neighborhood looked relatively quiet. Jungkook opened the gate and motioned for Namjoon to enter.

The pictures he saw on the website didn't show the house's facade, most likely for safety reasons, which was a shame because it was a very charming-looking house.

"I stay here on the first floor with my halmeoni and my hyung. My parents live in Seoul but they visit whenever they can," Jungkook said as he locked the gate behind them.

The garden was full of plants and off to the side, Namjoon could see an outdoor dining table set-up. There was no sign, however, of the dogs that Namjoon remembered seeing in the listing. “I remember the listing said something about you having dogs?” Namjoon asked, trying to sound more nonchalant than he felt.

“Oh! Yeah, Bam and Gureum! They’re inside right now. Do you want to meet them?”

Namjoon and Jungkook shucked off their shoes on the front steps before going inside the house. They took off their jackets and hung them on the rack by the door. Without warning, two very excited dogs came bounding over to them, tripping over themselves to get to Jungkook. The man just laughed as he bent down and scratched both dogs’ ears. “Namjoon-sii, this is Gureum.” He pointed at the small Maltese. “And this is Bam.” He pointed at the large Doberman who was now scrutinizing Namjoon with his intelligent eyes.

Namjoon crouched down and gently patted both dogs. “They’re really cute. I miss having a dog. I had to give mine to my parents because I was always too busy at work to take care of him properly.”

“Jungkook-ah? Is that you?,” a female voice asked from somewhere deeper inside the house.

“Yes, halmeoni. Our guest is here too.”

Namjoon stood up just as an older woman stepped out of a side door near the back, wiping her hands on an apron. “Hello. Welcome to our home. Have you eaten yet? If you’re hungry, we have some kimbap.”

“Thank you, halmeonim, but I ate dinner on the train and I’m still full.”

Jungkook kissed his grandmother on the cheek. “Is Junghyun hyung still at work?”

“No, he just got home. I think he’s resting in his room.”

Jungkook nodded and turned to Namjoon. “I’ll show you upstairs.” 

Jungkook led him up the wooden staircase. The second floor was probably twice the size of Namjoon’s apartment in Seoul. The open area had a small table that looked like a makeshift dining table, given the two mismatched chairs and small bench around it. In the corner was a large refrigerator. “There’s juice, water, and beer in the fridge.” Jungkook pointed down the hallway. “The first door is the bathroom and the last two doors are the bedrooms.”

Jungkook stayed near the top of the staircase as Namjoon started exploring the rooms. He was pleased to find that the bedrooms looked exactly as the pictures on the website. Namjoon wandered into the bathroom next. There was a front-loading washer there, half-hidden by the shower curtain. There was also a shelf full of toiletries by the corner, as well as toothpaste in a cup by the sink.

“This looks great, Jungkook-ssi. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Namjoon-ssi.”

Namjoon expected Jungkook to leave then but he lingered hesitantly where he stood. He drummed his fingers on the handrail, tight smile on his face. Finally, he spoke quietly. “If you’re serious about needing a tour guide, my offer still stands. I really don’t have any plans this week.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, of course! What time should we meet up tomorrow?”

“I’m usually up pretty early in the morning so I can feed Bam and Gureum but really, any time you want to start is fine with me.”

“Where are we going tomorrow?”

“Hmm… What kind of things do you like Namjoon-ssi?”

Namjoon thought for a moment. “I like nature, hiking, great views, art, and food.”

“Got it. Other than Haeundae Beach and Busan Aquarium, are there any places you have in mind?”

“Not really.”

“Jagalchi Fish Market?”

“Uh, maybe not that one. I don’t eat seafood.”

“Huh.” Jungkook looked like he wanted to say something more about it but held his tongue.

“Sorry! I don’t mean to be difficult. I’m not very good at winging it. Usually I have things planned to the last detail, but this time I just really just want to go wherever. Somewhere fun, someplace I’ve never been. Could you just… surprise me?” 

“Sure, I could do that.”  

“Um, one more thing. It would be kinda awkward if we keep addressing each other so formally for the rest of my stay. How old are you, Jungkook-ssi?”

“I’m 25, Namjoon-ssi.”

“Oh, I’m your hyung then. I’m 28.”

Jungkook beamed at him. “You’re older than my brother, Junghyun hyung!”

Namjoon just nodded, unsure of how to respond to that. Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Jungkook took one step down the staircase. “Sorry, you’re probably tired and want to rest already. My halmeoni always cooks a lot of food for breakfast. Just go down tomorrow morning whenever you’re hungry.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Namjoon waited for Jungkook to descend the steps before he headed to his room, backpack in tow. The next few days should be interesting. 

🌃

It was early afternoon when Namjoon and Jungkook set out for their first destination. The younger man forgot that he had some errands to run in the morning but he reassured Namjoon what he had planned would work best in the afternoon anyway so it was alright. Namjoon ended up spending the morning playing with Bam and Gureum and reading the book he had brought. Still a morning well spent, all in all.

The trip took roughly 25 minutes, not that Namjoon was nervously checking his watch every time they were at a stoplight. They parked at a parking garage and Namjoon followed behind Jungkook as they started walking.

“So, where are we going?”

“Wait, we’re almost there. Okay.” Jungkook opened his arms wide in a flourish, gesturing at the wide alley in front of them. “Today’s theme is food! Welcome to BIFF Square!”

Namjoon looked up at the archway which read BUSAN International Film Festival . 

Namjoon stared curiously at the food stalls as they passed. After a few minutes, he turned to Jungkook. “I think we’re gonna have a problem.”

“What do you mean? Do you not like it here, hyung? We don’t have to get anything with seafood, you know.”

“No, that’s not it. I like it too much! I want to try everything.”

Jungkook cackled. “If you don’t know where to start, can I suggest what you should try first?”

“Sure.”

Jungkook smiled and gripped Namjoon’s forearm, dragging him along. After a few meters, a road opened to the left where even more stalls were located.

Namjoon let Jungkook take the lead. Finally, they stopped in front of one stall, taking cover under the umbrella that covered the kiosk. "This is ssiat hotteok," Jungkook said as he ordered two. 

Namjoon watched in fascination as the lady who ran the stall started making the hotteok in front of him. She moved quickly, clearly having done this so many times before that she can rely almost completely on muscle memory. Once the dough was fried, they were passed to a man who sliced them open and scooped nuts inside. He then placed the hotteok inside paper cups before giving them to Jungkook. After Namjoon handed over his payment and promptly got his change, Jungkook held out both cups to him. "Pick one."

Namjoon peered closely at both hotteoks. "Do you prefer more nuts or less, Jungkook-ah?" 

"More, I guess?"

Namjoon handed him the ssiat hotteok that had more filling.

"Thank you, hyung."

Namjoon pulled at the hotteok so that it protruded more from the cup. Once he was satisfied, he took a big bite of the hotteok. It was sweet and crunchy, definitely different from the hotteok he was used to eating in Seoul, but just as delicious.

Belatedly, Namjoon realized he should have taken a photo first. There was no way to hide the gigantic chomp he had taken off the hotteok so he just went with it. Not even a minute after posting, he got a notification that Hobi had commented on the picture. It was just an emoji (😋) and Namjoon pressed heart on the comment.

After polishing off the hotteok, the two men wandered down the area to see what else they could try.

They tried bacon kimbap (the veggies were crunchy, the bacon was smoky, and the sesame seeds on top made everything taste even better), tteokbokki (really chewy and the sauce was so good, thick and not watered down like he was used to), and corndog (basically regular corndog with sugar and ketchup on top, but the fried batter on the outside was sweet so the salty-sweet-salty-sweet combination worked). Jungkook had the idea to dip the corndog in the tteokbokki sauce and the taste was so good that Namjoon could have sworn his soul left his body for a little bit. 

After a few more minutes of walking, they found themselves at Gukje Market.

Namjoon stopped abruptly in front of a food stall. “This looks good…” He glanced at the sign. “‘Yubujumeoni.’ I’m gonna try this. Do you want some, Jungkook-ah?” 

“Do you even have to ask?” Jungkook smiled cheekily.

The yubujumeoni were bean curd pouches with japchae noodles inside. Another great find for that afternoon. Namjoon had to hand it to Jungkook. It was just the first full day of his vacation and he already had high hopes for the rest of it. He actually felt like Anthony Bourdain at the moment, like he should be offering commentary to an imaginary camera about the food he was eating.

“Let’s go this way,” Jungkook said, pointing to the left. Namjoon nodded automatically.

The market sold all kinds of things and he could barely take in everything at once. His focus lingered on a stall selling KPop merch. 

Jungkook stopped walking when he realized Namjoon had paused to take a look. “Oh, you’re a Kpop fan? Who’s your favorite group?”

“I don’t really have one now, but when I was a little kid, I really liked this group LEO. Their main rapper Kim Boseok was cool. They weren’t that popular, though, and they disbanded maybe less than a year after they debuted? He's an actor now. Oh, and he’s on Problematic Men. Do you watch that show?”

“Not really. What’s it about?”

“They solve neopulgi questions – brainteasers– and then they have a main problem to solve. If I’d been famous, I would have tried to find a way to guest on the show. I think it’d be fun… Oh, what’s that?” Namjoon walked over to where a lady was putting dough with filling on top of what looked like a huge metal pan with individual molds. 

Jungkook looked at the sign plastered on the front of the cart. “‘Gukhwa ppang.’” He leaned closer to the pan. “It smells good.”

Convinced, Namjoon turned to the seller. “How much is it?”

“Just give me however much worth of ppang you want.”

Namjoon handed her 2,000 won, and she proceeded to fill a paper bag with 8 pieces. 

Namjoon held out the bag to Jungkook so he could take one before taking one as well. Before he could take a bite, Jungkook held out the piece in his hand. Namjoon looked at him quizzically. “Cheers.”

Namjoon laughed. “Cheers.” They took a bite at the same time. Namjoon watched as Jungkook’s facial expression morphed to one that looked akin to anger, but he had explained earlier to Namjoon that he just looks that way whenever he tastes food that is really, really good. No judgement, Namjoon had told him. He was the same way. Much like now. 

The gukhwa ppang, despite it’s not-so-impressive appearance, was good. Really, really good, hence the mutual looks of anger on their faces. The outside was crispy and the red bean filling was gooey and tasted somewhat like melted rice cakes.

They ate the rest of the ppang as they continued wandering around. They stopped by a few bag and clothing stores but while there were a few things that caught Namjoon’s eye, he didn’t like any of them enough to actually buy them. 

Eventually they found their way to the street with the vendors selling food positioned all in a row in the middle, with seats for customers who wanted to eat right there. The ladies called out to them and Namjoon was momentarily too conflicted to make a choice. He nudged Jungkook with his elbow. “Which one should we choose?”

“Is there something you want to eat or you’re okay with anything?”

“Not really. As long as it’s good, I’m fine with it. I trust you.”

Jungkook reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. Namjoon barely had time to register what was happening before Jungkook had tugged him to one of the makeshift stalls about ¾ of the way down the line.

The woman smiled at Jungkook as they sat down. “You’re back,” she said warmly. “What would you and your friend like?”

Jungkook looked tentatively at Namjoon. “Should I order for both of us?”

Namjoon nodded. As he moved to get more comfortable, his knees knocked on the table awkwardly. Namjoon had long limbs and the stool was short but after a bit of maneuvering, he managed to get into a less unbearable position. While Jungkook and the stall owner discussed their order, Namjoon took the opportunity to look around. As it was a weekday, there weren’t a lot of people. He turned back to the pair just in time to see Jungkook reaching for his wallet. 

“Jungkook-ah!” 

Jungkook’s eyes darted to look at Namjoon, but the rest of him was startled into stillness.

Namjoon reached out and rested his hand on Jungkook’s arm. “I thought I said I would pay for the food.” He tried not to pout but he wasn’t very successful and a smile crept across Jungkook’s face. 

“Thank you, eomonim,” Namjoon said politely as he took the change from the vendor.

Jungkook handed him a pair of chopsticks. “The sundae here is really good. You should try it with the sauce.” He transferred several pieces of kimbap from his plate to the plate in front of Namjoon. “Uh… this one’s mine,” he said sheepishly, referring to the plate in front of him that had fish cake and squid on it.

Namjoon chuckled. “It’s okay, Jungkook. You can eat whatever you want.” He tried the sundae first by itself, before he tried dipping it in the sauce. The sauce was sweet, very sweet. Thankfully, Namjoon was partial to sweet stuff. Score 1 more point for tour guide Jungkook.

The pair ate in companionable silence. Namjoon snuck glances at Jungkook throughout the meal. He was an extrovert and his job required him to be able to deal with different kinds of personalities, but all things considered, it was strange for him to feel so at ease with someone he hasn’t known for very long. He guessed it must be because he and Jungkook have similar temperaments. 

“ Soulmates,” Hobi’s singsong voice popped up in his head unbidden. Namjoon shook his head to clear that thought, earning him an odd look from Jungkook. Namjoon wasn’t sure how he felt about the concept of soulmates, but as he had told Hoseok the last time the other man had brought it up, he was happy for Hobi and Jin hyung, but he didn’t think that he had one of those. To which Hobi had replied, ( possibly prophetically? , Namjoon now realized in horror) that with Namjoon’s luck, his soulmate probably lived on the other end of the country. He peeked back at Jungkook but dropped his gaze immediately when he realized that Jungkook was looking at him curiously.

He finished the rest of his food quickly and he and Jungkook decided to head back home.

“So how was your first full day here in Busan?”

“It was amazing! You have great taste, Jungkook. Literally.”

Jungkook laughed shyly. “Thank you, hyung. Thank you for the food too.”

“It’s the least I could do. I had fun hanging out with you. I think I might actually like you better than having a ‘real’ tour guide,” Namjoon said, putting the word “real” in air quotes. “It was very relaxed and like I was just spending a day with my friend.”

“I’m really happy to hear that. I had fun hanging out with you too.”

“I’m excited to see what you have planned for tomorrow.”

When they got home, they found Jungkook’s brother Junghyun sitting by himself in the living room, watching a show on Netflix. He and Junghyun greeted each other politely before Namjoon bid Jungkook goodnight and headed up the stairs. 

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, he ambled over to the refrigerator to grab a beer before heading to the balcony. There were a couple of garden chairs and a table off to the side, but Namjoon chose to lean on the balcony railing as he drank. Jungkook’s neighborhood was relatively quiet and peaceful, not all that surprising as it was a residential area without many businesses and located several streets away from main roads.

He was halfway through his drink when the door below him opened and he saw Jungkook step outside. He watched quietly as Jungkook sat on one of the garden chairs below, preoccupied with something on his phone. Judging by the faint noises coming from the younger man’s phone, it seemed like he was watching a video.

Jungkook started laughing and Namjoon chuckled quietly. Jungkook’s laugh was infectious and honestly, a little endearing with how cute it sounded. Suddenly, Jungkook looked up, wide eyes growing even wider in surprise.

Namjoon gave him an awkward wave. Jungkook waved tentatively back. Namjoon gestured with his beer can back towards the door behind him before giving him a small smile and stepping out of sight.

Nice one, Namjoon. That wasn’t weird at all , he thought, mentally facepalming himself. He sat down on one of the garden chairs and finished his beer, trying to ignore the faint sounds from Jungkook’s phone. Once he was done, he opened the door as quietly as possible and made his way inside. He slid the door closed just as Jungkook burst into a peal of laughter.    

🌃

Knock, knock, knock. 

Namjoon’s eyebrows scrunched together but he didn’t have it in him to open his eyes just yet.

“Namjoon hyung. It’s time to wake up.”

Namjoon grunted, still half-asleep. 

The doorknob turned slowly and Jungkook peeked in. “Sorry, hyung, we really need to– Oh.”

When Jungkook’s silence stretched to several seconds, Namjoon forced one eye open to see what was going on. The younger man was staring at him like a deer in headlights, his cheeks slowly turning a light shade of pink. “What’s wrong, Jungkook-ah?”

“I just–” He lifted a hand and gestured vaguely in Namjoon’s direction. “I wasn’t expecting– Sorry. I’ll wait for you downstairs. Breakfast’s ready.” He closed the door hurriedly. 

Namjoon stayed laid out on the bed as his brain tried to process the encounter while trying to wake up at the same time. When he was feeling a little more awake, he sat up. That’s when he remembered that he went to sleep without a shirt on, like he usually does when he’s at home in Seoul. Oh. He stood up and grabbed a random shirt from on top of a chair and put it on. 

He descended the steps and found Jungkook in the dining room.

“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable, Jungkook. I’m used to sleeping shirtless at home–”

“No, hyung. It’s okay. I should be the one apologizing for barging in.”

It was then that Namjoon noticed Jungkook’s arm. He realized then that this was the first time he’d seen the younger man’s arm, which was covered with tattoos. Jungkook noticed him staring and self-consciously tried to tug down his sleeve in an attempt to cover up more of his tattoos.

“Your tattoos are really beautiful, Kook-ah.”

Jungkook seemed surprised by Namjoon’s words, though if it’s because of the compliment or the nickname, Namjoon couldn’t tell.

“Thank you.”

Namjoon leaned over to take a closer look. “It’s like art.”

“Do you have tattoos, hyung?”

“Yeah. I have a bonsai tree tattooed between my shoulder blades.”

“Really? Can I see it?” Jungkook stepped forward and attempted to get around Namjoon in an effort to see his back. 

“I’m just teasing you.” Namjoon laughed. “I don’t have a tattoo. Maybe someday, who knows, but not right now.”

“Oh. Was the spot and design you said what you’d get if you had a tattoo?”

“Well, I definitely can’t get one anywhere that’s easy to see, so a back tattoo really is my best option.” 

Namjoon sat down heavily on one of the dining chairs. Unlike the day before, this time there were only two place settings on the table. He looked up at the clock. 10:45 AM. 

“I’m sorry for waking up so late. You should have eaten with your halmeoni and Junghyun.”

“I was still asleep when they left, hyung.”

“Left?”

“Yeah, they went to Seoul with Bam and Gureum to visit my parents.”

“Oh. Was this a scheduled trip or…”

“We usually visit them during Christmas if they can’t come here.”

Namjoon stared at Jungkook as his mind processed the news. “Were you supposed to go with them? I’m so sorry, Jungkook!”

“No worries, hyung. It was my fault for forgetting to snooze reservations on the website. And the extra income from your stay helps us out a lot anyway so it’s okay.” 

Namjoon still felt conflicted about the whole thing, which must have shown on his face.

“Hyung, really, don’t worry about it. It’s not like it’s a chore staying here with you. You’re the most fun guest we’ve had here in a while. Of course, you’re probably the only guest we’ve had close to my age so that’s probably why.”

Namjoon chuckled. “I guess we have to have as much fun as possible while I’m here to make up for you missing out on time with your family.”

“That’s up to me then!”

“Where are we going today?”

“Somewhere with a great view,” Jungkook declared confidently.

Namjoon helped with the clean-up after they finished eating so that he and Jungkook could get ready for their trip faster.

Namjoon wouldn't say that traveling by motorcycle was something he enjoyed doing but, numb butt and potential safety issues aside, it was faster than going by car and the wind did feel nice. Plus, Jungkook was a cautious driver.

Namjoon stayed quiet for most of the ride, hands gripping as much as he could of the sides of the seat.

Finally they reached their destination. Well, the parking lot of said destination. Probably. Namjoon looked around. There didn't seem to be anything remarkable there except for an awning stretching all the way up the hill. 

He followed Jungkook out of the parking lot and as they turned to the right, Namjoon realized that the awning was covering a single-person escalator flanked by two staircases.

Jungkook walked confidently towards the escalator and Namjoon hurried after him. There was more than one set of escalators, as it turned out. After the first one, there was a short series of steps followed by another escalator, followed by another set of stairs and escalators. 

After several minutes, they finally reached the top and stepped out into the open area. To the left and right of the entrance they had passed through were structures that looked like mini houses but in actuality seemed to be shop fronts. 

“This way, hyung,” Jungkook said, leading the way towards a wide set of stairs before Namjoon could do a closer inspection of the houses. As they walked up, Namjoon thanked his past self for being consistent with his cardio routine or else he’d probably be huffing and puffing from exhaustion right now. 

Any fatigue he left walking up the stairs faded as soon as he saw the park. It was beautiful and clean, just as he expected. To their left was a large circular display of some sort with plants on it. Namjoon walked closer and saw that it was a clock face made up of small plants. What was even more amazing was that it was a real, working clock. 

“This is really nice.” He glanced back at Jungkook who was watching him with a pleased expression on his face. 

“Do you want a picture, hyung?”

“Sure.” Namjoon handed his phone to Jungkook before leaning slightly over the clock. He then threw a peace sign and smiled. Jungkook had his phone held up high over his head so that both Namjoon and the clock face were visible. He tapped on the screen and quickly checked the photo. Satisfied, he gave the phone back to Namjoon for inspection. It was a pretty good picture, clearly taken by someone who at least knew a little bit about angles and lighting.

“Let’s keep going?”

He glanced up to find Jungkook looking at him expectantly. “Yeah, sure, Kook-ah. Let’s go.”

A shadow of a smile grew on Jungkook’s face before he abruptly turned around. “This way.”

He led Namjoon towards a wide, sloping road. There were a few people making their way down as they made their way up. Dodging the other visitors, Jungkook and Namjoon finally reached their destination.

“As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, this is Busan Tower,” Jungkook gestured at the tall building in front of them. “There’s other stuff to see here too, though, if you want to look around first.”

“Sure, you’re the guide. I trust you.”

“You say that a lot,” Jungkook was doing it again, staring at him with the most peculiar expression on his face that Namjoon wasn’t sure how to interpret.

“Say what?”

“‘I trust you.’”

“Oh. I hadn’t noticed.”

Jungkook made a humming sound but said nothing more so Namjoon kept silent as well.

They came upon a giant inflatable bunny on one side of the tower grounds. To its right was what looked like a large inflatable moon replica. The bunny didn’t have a face, but it still somehow managed to look cute. 

“I forgot about this! Sorry, hyung. We should have gone here later. The rabbit and the moon light up at night, so it looks prettier in pictures.”

“It’s fine, Jungkook-ah.” He handed his phone to Jungkook. “Here, take a picture of me. I’m sure it’s okay.”

Jungkook did as he asked and as Namjoon predicted, it was perfectly fine.

“See, it looks nice.” 

Jungkook rolled his eyes in response but followed it up with a dazzling smile.

They walked over to another part of the grounds where they spotted the Busan Tower sign. Knowing the drill by now, Namjoon gave Jungkook his phone, stood behind the sign, and then winked while holding up a finger heart.

“Interesting choice of pose,” Jungkook quipped as he took the picture. 

“How would you pose then?”

Jungkook walked over to Namjoon and passed him his phone before taking Namjoon’s spot behind the sign. Namjoon burst into laughter when he realized that Jungkook copied his pose. 

Namjoon flipped back and forth between their two pictures. “How is it that everything about our pictures look the same but you look so much better than me?”

Jungkook giggled and came closer to see the screen. He swiped between the two pictures and shook his head. “I don’t see it, hyung. Maybe you just don’t realize how attractive you are.”

Jungkook said it plainly, but it made all thoughts flee Namjoon’s mind. 

“What?” Jungkook asked when he saw Namjoon’s eyes widen.

“Nothing,” Namjoon replied automatically. Relax , he told himself. Just because a cute guy says you’re attractive doesn’t mean he’s attracted to you.  

They made their way inside the tower, buying their tickets from the ticket counter before heading to the elevator. They didn’t speak during the elevator ride up, too distracted by the video playing on the ceiling of the elevator.

The view at the top was even more spectacular than Namjoon expected. He took his time walking around, taking in the 360-degree view of Busan. He could see the sea, mountains and what felt like all of the city. The glass panes had writing on the upper portion, and when Namjoon looked closer, he saw that they were names of places all over the world, as well as the distance from Busan Tower to that place. 

He took a panoramic photo of the view and as he was reviewing it, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Do you want me to take your picture?” Jungkook asked, hand already held out.

“Ah, you don’t need to. I feel bad for making you take so many pictures.”

“Don’t feel bad, hyung. I want to do it. You should have lots of photos to look back on whenever you think of your trip.”

Namjoon couldn’t argue with that. He gave his phone to Jungkook for the nth time that day and backed up a bit so that he was almost leaning on a glass pane. He waited for Jungkook to raise the phone before he tilted his head, scrunched up his nose and smiled. 

Jungkook chuckled. “Cute.”

“Your turn,” Namjoon declared, taking the phone from Jungkook and nudging him closer to the window. 

Jungkook didn’t protest but his smile was shy as he let Namjoon take his picture. Jungkook photographed well, almost unbelievably well. Namjoon thought the younger man could be a model. “You look beautiful, Jungkook,” he said absentmindedly as he tapped on the photo to forward it to Jungkook on KKT.

He turned his attention back to Jungkook. Jungkook was focused on his phone, probably looking at the picture Namjoon sent, but he looked up suddenly and his eyes met Namjoon’s. His face looked a little redder than usual.

“Are you okay? You look a little flushed.” He pressed the back of his hand to Jungkook’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever, at least.”

“It’s nothing, hyung. I’m fine. It’s probably the heat.”

Namjoon’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. It didn’t feel that warm to him, but maybe Jungkook was more sensitive to temperatures than he was? “Okay, if you’re sure.”

They spent a few more minutes taking in the view. “It must be nice living somewhere like this. I love Seoul but it gets too fast-paced sometimes. That’s probably why I spend so much of my free time going to art galleries and biking along the Han River.”

“What is it about biking that you like?”

“The wind on my face feels like freedom... Does that make sense?”

“Freedom from what?”

Namjoon was quiet as he gave it some thought. “Expectations, I guess. Problems, work, the past, the present, and all worries about what the future will bring. When I’m on my bike, I don’t think about any of it.”

He could feel the weight of Jungkook’s stare on him. He didn’t want to look at his face in case he saw pity there. He didn’t need that. Fortunately, although embarrassingly, at that moment, his stomach started to rumble.

Jungkook giggled. “We have some time before we go to our next destination. Do you want to eat first?”

“Sure.”

They made their way down the tower and back through Yongdusan Park and further down than where they had parked. Once on street level, they crossed the street and just a few meters into the alley, they came upon an Ediya Coffee. 

Namjoon gently grabbed Jungkook’s arm. “How about here?”

“Sure.”

The first floor of the cafe was full so they ended up going upstairs to the second floor. While demolishing their order of honey hotteok and iced americano, they talked about pretty much any random topic they could think of (“Squid Game?” “Haven’t seen it yet.” “What?!”) and before they knew it, a couple of hours had passed.

Jungkook glanced at his watch. “You wanna walk around a little?”

“Okay," Namjoon replied, already halfway up from his seat.

They went back in the direction of the tower and stopped as they reached the corner of Gwangbok-ro. Dusk had just begun to settle but most of the store fronts were already brightly lit. The Christmas light displays that ran above them in the middle of the street were lit as well.

“Whoa.”

Jungkook smiled mischievously. “Surprise! This is the Busan Christmas Tree Festival!”

Namjoon looked left and right and both directions were strewn with Christmas lights and displays. “Which way should we go?”

“Let’s go right first then come back this way later.”

Trees decorated with LED lights lined the street. There were reindeers, snowmen, and somewhere a shop was blasting Christmas music. There were a lot of people on the street, some were alone but most were with their families, friends, or significant others.

They stopped every so often to take pictures of each other, although it was mostly Jungkook taking pictures of Namjoon.

In the distance Namjoon could see a looming structure that was located on an elevated rotunda. It was more tree-shaped than actually tree-like and looked like it was made of glass or maybe plexiglass, something that reflected colors.

As they got nearer, Namjoon was better able to see the details, from the colors of the glass to the giant star at the top and the LED lights that radiated out from the top towards the sides. When he saw that there were people inside, Namjoon went there as well. In the middle of the tree was a display case containing a nativity scene. He studied them for a moment before refocusing his attention on the tree.

The colored panels making up the tree were even prettier up close. He glanced up. Through the gaps in the panels he could see the lights above.

He looked back in front of him and was surprised to see Jungkook a few feet away with his phone raised in front of him. “Sorry, hyung,” he said as he came closer. “I thought it would make a really good picture.” He tapped on his phone screen a few times before Namjoon felt a buzz in his pocket. He opened his phone and found that Jungkook had sent him the picture he had taken. 

Jungkook was right, it really was a good picture. Namjoon had his head tilted up, mouth slightly open in awe, limbs loose at his sides, posture completely relaxed. With the lights of the tree and the people around him as background, it looked like a movie poster starring him as the main character. “Thanks, Kook-ah. This is amazing. Your turn,” Namjoon declared as he ushered Jungkook to the middle of the tree to have his picture taken. Like him, Jungkook looked up, but he kept his back to the camera. Namjoon snapped the photo anyway, and the outcome was movie poster-worthy too, though that's mostly because Jungkook seemed to have a natural instinct when it comes to the best poses.

As they continued walking down Gwangbokro, Namjoon could feel the coldness of the night air intensify. He stuffed his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. Beside him, Jungkook did the same. Namjoon suddenly remembered how Kyungnam would hold his hand when it got cold. Then he imagined what if Jungkook held his hand too? The thought made him laugh out loud. The season was really getting to him. 

“Why are you laughing, hyung?”

“Uh, nothing. I just remembered something.”

Jungkook looked at him strangely..

“It’s just… I remembered my ex-boyfriend. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Jungkook’s eyes widened a fraction, but he was quick to school his surprised reaction. "Do you miss him, hyung?”

Namjoon paused as he ruminated. It wasn’t so much missing him at this point but more of the memories and having someone there with him to share his experiences with. He told Jungkook so.

“You can share experiences with friends too,” Jungkook pointed out. “Like me. See, this is fun, right? Unless you’re not enjoying this? You should say something if you don’t like it, hyung.” It was cute, the way Jungkook scolded him. 

Namjoon smiled, unable to stop the little giggle that escaped him. “I’m having fun, Jungkook. I never said I wasn’t. I like spending time with you.”

Namjoon nudged Jungkook’s arm then gestured with his chin towards the building across the street from where they’re standing. The red and white sign read Hanshin Pocha . “Are you hungry?” 

Jungkook smiled. “Do you even have to ask?”

They crossed the street and Namjoon slid the door open for Jungkook to enter first. 

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair. Like the day before, they didn’t talk much while eating, but it was alright. Some silences are comfortable and this was one of them. After stuffing themselves full of chicken feet, cheese pork gochujang barbecue, and chicken skewers, they walked all the way back to the parking lot. 

That night, Namjoon posted the pictures on his Instagram. As he scrolled through the photos, he saw the picture he took of Jungkook at the giant Christmas tree. He thought back to what Jungkook had said about having lots of pictures to remember his trip by. 

Looking back on this moment, Namjoon assumed he hesitated before posting the photos. In reality, though, he didn't think twice about including the picture and posting it, because why would he? Jungkook was definitely part of the things he wanted to remember about his trip so he belonged there, somewhere in Namjoon's Instagram account filled with memories he wanted to keep.

🌃

The late night they had meant a late wake-up that morning and the sun was high up in the sky by the time they made their way up the few steps leading to the Busan Museum of Art.

Upon entering the lobby, they were greeted by a display of miniature Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling at varying heights, forming a cone: a Christmas tree made up of smaller Christmas trees.

After purchasing their tickets, they headed over to the elevator banks and saw that there was a guide to what was on each floor. “2nd floor, Onoooff…?” Jungkook read aloud. “BMA Collection Report. 3rd floor, A journey of fantasy. Christian Boltanski.” He turned to look at Namjoon. “Where do you want to go first, hyung?”

“Let’s start at the Christian Boltanski exhibit and make our way down from there.”

“Sounds good.”

Stepping off the elevator, the first thing they saw was a huge free-standing wall with “CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI 4.4” printed in big bold letters on one side and several smaller paragraphs of text written on the other side.

“You know, Christian Boltanski did one of my favorite art installations ever.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s called ‘Personnes.’ It had several pieces of clothing strewn on the floor in groups, and you could walk between those piles of clothes, and at the very far end was a mountain of clothes and there was a crane claw hanging above that picks up clothes and then drops it back down. It’s meant to make you reflect about the meaning of life and human memory, but there are many possible interpretations of it because it’s art and art can be seen and understood in different ways.” 

They walked around the exhibit, usually stopping a couple of minutes at each piece but staying much longer whenever they found something they found interesting. One of them was an art installation where an entire wall was covered from top to bottom with rows of clothes tightly packed together, illuminated by evenly spaced out light bulbs. On an adjacent wall was a large picture of a child, and on the opposite wall were black-and-white pictures of people. They ended up staying there for 30 minutes just discussing the art, how objects hold memory, the impermanence of people and things, and if leaving a legacy counts as being immortal or not. 

The next display they lingered at was called Animitas Chili. It had huge sheets of paper with faded images on them hanging from the ceiling. There was a screen on the wall that had a video that looked like it was taken in a desert. In the foreground of the video were what looked like wildflowers at first glance but were actually metal rods with a bell and a strip of paper attached at the top. It was the way that the wind moved through them that created the illusion that they were plants. 

In front of the screen were hay, dried flowers, and two benches. Namjoon and Jungkook sat on one of the benches as they looked up at the screen. The way the video was taken, and the scale of elements of the exhibit, made you feel as though you were a small creature looking at everything from ground level.

“I feel so small,” Jungkook whispered.

“Same.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, taking it all in, before they received a call from the museum saying their time slot for the ONOOOFF exhibit was about to start. They headed over to the second floor and sat on adjacent bean bags on the floor for the VR experience. Namjoon found the bean bags they sat on so comfortable that he started to get drowsy and almost fell asleep.  

Once the VR part was done, they headed to the offline part of the exhibit. Namjoon and Jungkook discussed the art pieces like they did before, with Namjoon and Jungkook sharing their opinions and interpretations, with Namjoon occasionally adding trivia je knew about art history, techniques, and artists. Despite previously telling Namjoon that he had a short attention span, Jungkook was attentive the whole time and asked very intelligent and thoughtful questions to the things Namjoon said. If Namjoon hadn’t already started feeling something for this man before, he certainly did now.

After exhausting all the exhibits in the museum, they exited the building and turned left to head to the Lee Ufan Space next door. The weather was cold, colder than it usually was for this time of year, Jungkook told Namjoon. Namjoon was glad he wore the thicker jacket he had brought for the trip. 

The Lee Ufan Space had its own building, its facade covered with dark glass panes. The yard was brown, all the grass gone for the winter, and stone sculptures were scattered around the area. Namjoon held the door open for Jungkook. “After you.”

Namjoon had always admired Lee Ufan’s works so he was very excited to be there in that space surrounded by the works he had only ever seen in pictures.

The first floor featured pieces from Lee Ufan’s Relatum series. The sculptures were composed of one or more stones, almost boulders, in some cases, and another material like iron rods or plates.

They stopped in front of the one labeled ‘Relatum 2015.’

Namjoon eyed Jungkook, eager for his opinion. “What do you think, Jungkook?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. It makes me feel something but I’m not sure I can say exactly what that is?”

“That’s okay! Don’t worry! It’s like that sometimes. Art– great art– can evoke feelings even if you don’t really ‘get’ what the art is about.”

They continued their tour of the first floor before moving to the second floor where most of the paintings were.

“Oh, I like this one.” Jungkook pointed to a rectangular painting, about 1 foot tall and 4 feet wide. Short, thick blue lines were painted against a beige background. He came as close as the barrier at their feet would allow and drew a circle in the air. “The way these two lines are painted make me think of butterfly wings.”

Namjoon soon found that Jungkook gravitated towards artworks that had shades of blue on them, like ‘ From Point 1974 ’ and ‘ From Line 1976 .’ Namjoon, on the other hand, was partial to the artworks in the exhibit that had shades of brown, with his favorite being Cut Up 1973 , a carved wood plate.

Namjoon glanced at his watch. “Do you wanna have dinner now?”

“I can cook for us. I think there’s still time.”

Namjoon shook his head.  “You already cooked breakfast and lunch for us today, Jungkook. Let me treat you to dinner.”

“If you’re sure…”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.”

Namjoon and Jungkook had come to an agreement earlier on that whenever they eat out, Jungkook would be the one to decide where, so Namjoon didn’t even bother to ask where they were going for dinner. On the ride to wherever they were headed to, he suddenly realized that the way they passed seemed familiar and for a moment, Namjoon wondered if Jungkook had disregarded what he had said and was going to cook for both of them when they got home. Once he was sure that the neighborhood they were in was Jungkook’s, Namjoon carefully lifted a hand and placed it on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“I thought you agreed we’d find somewhere to eat!,” he all but screamed, trying to make sure Jungkook heard him through his helmet and over the sound of the air rushing past them.

“We are!” Jungkook shouted back as he started to slow down before eventually moving to the side and stopping next to a restaurant. Jungkook waited for Namjoon to alight from the vehicle before turning off the engine and locking the center stand in place.

They entered the restaurant together and Namjoon let Jungkook order for both of them. The staff prepared the charcoal for the grill as they waited for their order to arrive. When the meat and stew arrived, Jungkook took the tongs and started transferring the dwaeji galbi and samgyupsal onto the grill. 

“You’re still cooking,” Namjoon pointed out.

“I didn’t cook the doenjang jjigae, though.”

“You got me there,” Namjoon replied wryly. 

Jungkook took a couple of the cooked ribs from the grill and placed them on Namjoon’s plate. After most of the current batch of meat was done cooking, Jungkook turned his attention to Namjoon again.

"What do you do for a living, hyung?"

"I'm an IT project manager. Usually I enjoy it but it's a high-stress job. Makes me want to quit and move to the countryside to just read and study or something. How about you, Kook-ah? What do you do?"

"Right now, I help out with my family's airbnb but I do a lot of things on the side. I dance, sing, take photographs, and do freelance graphic design. Gig economy and all that."

"Wow, you must be really talented."

"You know, when I was younger, I thought about being an idol. I even auditioned for one of those shows and a lot of agencies tried to recruit me after I got eliminated. I had a hard time choosing one, though, because there wasn't one agency that made me say, "Yeah, this is it." So I just went with the one my parents said seemed like the best. I gave it a try for a few months and my co-trainees were nice but I was homesick and they never felt like family, you know?"

“Uh… I don’t really know much about trainee life, but it does seem tough.”

“You have to have a lot of mental strength to survive the training. You have to be tough too, when you become an idol, especially when it comes to handling the negative things some people say about you and when some of them try to invade your personal life.”

“Oh, like with dating? Must suck to not be able to be open about your relationship.”

“I know. I think that would be hard for me.”

“Why do you say that?” 

“I don’t like hiding things like that. I’m a shout-your-love-from-the-rooftops kind of guy, a regular hopeless romantic. I believe in the red string of fate, soulmates, whatever you wanna call it. And while it’s not realistic, I think it would be cool to hear bells when I meet my soulmate’s eyes.”

He looked up and as their eyes met, Namjoon heard bells ring in the distance. He felt like his heart dropped to his stomach. What the hell? , he thought. Jungkook’s gaze shifted to something behind him and Namjoon turned to look. 

A customer was making his way to one of the tables after, apparently, entering the establishment and triggering the bell attached to the door.

He turned back to face Jungkook who took one look at his face and started laughing. “Hyung! Your face!” 

“What?” Namjoon asked defensively.

“You looked so surprised. That’s a pretty weird coincidence, huh? What are the chances of a bell ringing just as I was talking about soulmates?”

“Probably about as much as winning the lottery?”

Jungkook seemed to find Namjoon’s answer amusing, his nose scrunching and a smile gracing his face. “Do you believe in soulmates, Namjoon hyung?”

“Not really? Fate, maybe?”

Jungkook watched him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate.

“I used to be an idealist when it came to love. I had such unrealistic expectations, which probably came from the books I read. I learned pretty quickly that it’s not always like that in real life. A lot of times, love is about choice, not fate.”

“So, that’s a no to love at first sight then?”

“Not necessarily. That’s mostly just attraction, right? The love part comes after, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Sometimes like sunset and sometimes like sunrise.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I think of sunsets, they’re warm and red– passionate– but then it gives way to calm, steady nights. Sunrises are different, almost the opposite. It starts off with dark, cold nights and gradually day comes and everything is bright.”

"Okay, I think I get it. Some relationships start off passionate and then mellow over time and some relationships you kinda don’t see coming and then suddenly it’s just there?" Jungkook stretched his arms in front of him, like he was trying to convey the magnitude 

Namjoon gave him a dimpled smile. “You get me.”

“Which kind of love do you prefer?”

“Both kinds of love are beautiful,” Namjoon said diplomatically and somewhat predictably, if he was being honest with himself.

“But if you had to choose one, at this moment, which one would you choose? Red as sunset or golden like sunrise?”

Namjoon looked at Jungkook and realized that his answer came easier than he thought it would. “Golden like sunrise.” 

Jungkook smiled at him, pleased that Namjoon had indulged him.

“Golden like daylight.”

The rest of the meal was spent like that, eating and talking about the most random deep and superficial things they could think about before they were told by the staff that it was almost closing time. They hastily finished the last few bites of their meal and headed home after that.

The restaurant was only five minutes away from Jungkook’s house. Namjoon handed Jungkook his helmet and waited for Jungkook to stow the helmets in the lockbox before they headed into the house.

As they stood on the path leading to the house, light flakes of white something started to fall around them..

“Is that…? Is it snowing?” Namjoon asked incredulously.

“No way…” Jungkook titled his head up to the sky. 

“I thought it didn’t snow in Busan in December?”

“I–” Jungkook shrugged helplessly. “Global warming? Christmas miracle?”

Namjoon watched the snow fall in wonder. Seoul had its fair share of snow but the idea of experiencing this rare, improbable occurrence of snowfall, which he would have missed had he gone home to Ilsan really did feel nothing short of a miracle. 

His silent contemplation was cut short when he felt something go splat against his back. He turned around to find Jungkook grinning at him, his hands behind his back.

He looked down and saw a rapidly melting clump of snow right behind where he was standing. "Did you just throw a snowball at me?"

"I don't know what you mean, hyung. I thought you said the snow wasn't thick enough to form a proper snowball. How could I possibly have made one?," he replied innocently.

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. He bent down to try and gather snow. It… wasn’t the best snowball he’d ever made since the flurry meant there wasn’t a lot of snow to begin with but it would do in a pinch. He looked up only to find that Jungkook wasn’t where he stood earlier. He glanced left and right but couldn’t see him anywhere. “Jungkook?” Before he could turn around, he felt something heavy drape itself on his back. In his confusion, he barely registered a hand reaching out from behind him and taking the snowball in his hand. The weight disappeared and Jungkook suddenly appeared in his field of vision, eyes glinting mischievously, Namjoon’s small snowball resting in his gloved hand.

“Hey! That’s mine!” He lunged forward but Jungkook was too quick and managed to move out of the way in time. 

“Finders keepers!”

“It was literally in my hand!” 

They started to circle each other, the snowball gradually getting smaller and more misshapen as the seconds ticked by.

Namjoon faked a move before stretching a hand out as Jungkook moved right past where he expected him to go. He managed to grab onto Jungkook’s jacket. He pulled hard and the momentum sent Jungkook careening into his chest.

Both of them were laughing as Namjoon hugged the younger man tightly, keeping his arms locked at his sides and preventing him from throwing the snowball at Namjoon. Jungkook threw it anyway only for it to fall to the ground in front of him. This sent both of them into a fit of laughter, Namjoon finally releasing his grip on him.

“You’re such a menace,” Namjoon said as he paused to catch his breath. Namjoon couldn’t remember the last time he laughed this hard. Jungkook rested his hands on Namjoon’s shoulders, leaning his body on Namjoon as he struggled to contain his laughter. 

Namjoon felt exhilarated and also terribly terribly endeared by the man in front of him. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Jungkook’s ear. The gesture seemed to shift the air around them. Neither of them moved, just stared at each other as snow started to fall lightly again around them. 

“Namjoon hyung.” Jungkook’s voice was so soft, so quiet. If Namjoon wasn’t looking at his lips as he said it, he probably wouldn’t have realized Jungkook was talking.

“Yeah?”

“We should…” Jungkook trailed off before clearing his throat. “Do you want me to take your picture? It’s not everyday that it snows here, especially this close to the end of the year.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Namjoon gave Jungkook his phone before crouching down and resting one hand on the ground. 

“Looks great.” Jungkook handed him back his phone. “We should go back inside.”

They headed into the house in silence and Namjoon smiled at Jungkook as he headed up the stairs.

He quickly posted some of the photos taken that day to Instagram then went to the bathroom to freshen up. He came back to a notification on his phone, from Jimin, surprisingly. Hoseok was usually the first to like and comment on everyone’s photos, and Jimin was almost never on Instagram.

@j.m Namjoon hyung, how are you finding so many strangers who can take good pics of you?

They’re all taken by the same person. , Namjoon replied.

@j.m … like a tour guide?

        @rkive sort of. my airbnb host

               @j.m Didn’t know that was part of the service now

As he was thinking of a response to Jimin’s last message, he received another notification. He checked and saw that it was a message from Hoseok.

@uarmyhope Joon-ah, did you get yourself a boyfriend there in Busan? 😏

I wish ., Namjoon started to type out but, thinking better of it, he erased it and wrote something else instead.

@uarmyhope Joon-ah, did you get yourself a boyfriend there in Busan? 😏

        @rkive not looking for one right now 😝

               @uarmyhope ㅋㅋㅋ

Namjoon chuckled at Hoseok’s response as he crawled under the blanket and settled comfortably on his bed. He browsed through his Instagram feed and paused when he saw that one of his former high school classmates had posted a photo with Kyungnam and another guy he’d never seen before. This must be the boyfriend. Namjoon was surprised to realize that he didn’t really feel anything except curiosity while looking at the picture. The new guy was around Kyungnam’s height, shorter than Namjoon, then, and fair-skinned. They looked good together. Namjoon waited for the familiar pang of jealousy, loneliness, whatever, but nothing came. Namjoon smiled and continued scrolling.

🌃

Namjoon wasn’t even halfway down the stairs when he heard a cheery “Merry Christmas, Namjoon hyung!” coming from the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas, Jungkook-ah!” he replied automatically. Namjoon stuck his head into the kitchen and found the younger man cooking something on the stove.

“Nice to see you up early,” Jungkook teased. “It’s a good thing too, so we can get to the Busan Aquarium before it gets too crowded.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes before giving Jungkook a playful poke on his ribs. “I’m not that bad.”

Jungkook giggled. “Don’t worry, hyung. I get it. This is supposed to be your vacation so you should be sleeping in if you like.”

They made small talk as they waited for the janchi guksu to finish cooking. They ate quickly and after splitting clean-up duties, they headed off to their respective rooms to get ready.  

They got to the Sea Life Busan Aquarium a little after opening hours, so there wasn’t a crowd at the ticket booth anymore.

“Two tickets, please.”

“We have an ongoing promo right now, sir. Couple ticket for 2 plus commemorative photo, only ₩39,600. You can purchase through the website and just show the barcode to us.” She smiled pleasantly at Namjoon.

Namjoon just stared blankly at the ticket seller as he processed her words. 

Jungkook tugged at his sleeve. “What’s wrong, hyung?”

“There’s a discount on the website for couple tickets.”

“Oh. Uh… I guess I don’t mind if you don’t. A discount’s a discount, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Namjoon shook his head. Why was he making such a big deal about this? He purchased the tickets on his phone and presented the barcode to the ticket seller. The transaction was fast and painless. Not even a minute later, they were in.

The first section was the Tropical Rainforest area. It was dimly lit, with most of the light coming from Christmas lights wrapped around the fake trees and leaves that were scattered around the zone. The walls were brown with plants painted on them to give the appearance of an actual rainforest.

“Whoa, are those piranhas?” Jungkook said, awestruck, as they approached a tank many feet wide that was filled with the carnivorous fish. After confirming that they were, indeed, piranhas, they went to the smaller tanks but some of them looked empty so they moved on.

“What is that?! It’s huge!”

“That’s…” Namjoon looked at the sign beside the tank. “An arapaima gigas.” Namjoon took a photo to post later on his Instagram.

They took their time at each tank. Namjoon read as much as he could of each display explanation. He was impressed by the fact that each display tried to mimic the sea creatures’ natural habitats as closely as possible, given the limitations of each space. After viewing all the tanks in the Tropical Rainforest, they continued down the path towards the next area.

“Penguins!” Namjoon exclaimed as he rushed over to one of the bigger tanks. There were a couple of penguins swimming happily inside the tank, flipping their fins and twisting their bodies this way and that. 

Further on was where a small otter (an Asian small-clawed otter, the sign read). They watched as one of the otters clambered down the log and onto a rock. 

The next zone, weirdly enough, was just a pink-and-black then black-and-yellow polka-dotted hall. They went quickly past that one. The next one was the fashion collection zone, which they also didn’t bother spending time in. After walking through a tunnel lined with mirrors, and taking pictures in a zone that had a massive tank filled with schools of fish, they rode the escalator downstairs. The bottom of the escalators had a sign that said “Welcome to Sea At Night.” Like majority of the areas they’ve seen so far, the area was dim, almost everything bathed in purple hues.

The jellyfish displays were eerily beautiful. There were many small jellyfish, all of them seemingly glowing thanks to the lights in the tank.

The next gigantic tank they encountered was filled with batoids, sharks and a few large fish. Another massive tank, probably two stories tall, was filled with fish.

Namjoon stopped when they reached the entrance of the tunnel that passed through one of the big tanks. It was a little scary thinking of the amount of water pushing at the structure from all sides. Jungkook grabbed his hand and gently pulled him forward. 

“Come on, hyung!”

As they walked, a school of large, unknown fish swam past them. Somewhere near the middle of the tunnel, Jungkook stopped and pulled out his phone. “Smile!”

Namjoon grinned.

They looked at the screen together to see how the picture turned out. Jungkook had managed to click the camera button at the exact time that a shark and a stingray swam overhead, crossing from one side of the tunnel to the other. Jungkook immediately sent him a copy before they exited the tunnel. 

They walked over to the tank on the right. Just as they approached, a large sea turtle slowly swam into view. They came closer and the turtle drew nearer to the glass. They stared at it, eye-to-eye. There was something old and very wise about the turtle’s gaze that felt humbling to them.

After seeing the remaining tanks, they headed over to the Magic Memories store to get the photo that was included in the fee they paid. They had been asked to post against a green screen and they had ended up choosing a jellyfish background. It looked very much like a couple’s souvenir photo, but instead of voicing this observation to Jungkook, Namjoon chose to hastily put the photo inside his jacket’s inner pocket.. 

Their last stop at the Aquarium was the souvenir shop. Most of the products seemed to be geared towards young children, which made sense since they saw a lot of families while they were touring the aquarium.

“What’s wrong, hyung?”

Namjoon pouted. “I don’t see any crab stuffed toys.”

“Guess you’ll just have to buy an otter, hyung. They’re cute, right?” Jungkook picked one up and poked its face. “Look at its little smile.”

Well, the otters were cute. Namjoon took two from the shelf and headed to the cashier. He asked the cashier to put the toys in separate bags and after paying for the items, he handed one of the bags to Jungkook. “Thank you for taking me here. Here’s something to remember this day by.”

“Aww… hyung. You didn’t have to. Thank you.”

They exited the Aquarium and came upon the displays in Haeundae Beach. The lights were all still turned off since it was still early in the afternoon.

“It’s still gonna be awhile before the lights are turned on. Do you wanna go somewhere else, hyung?”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“It depends.” Jungkook’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Are you scared of heights?”

After a quick snack break at a nearby restaurant, they headed off to their next destination, which Jungkook only gave vague hints about as they ate.

“You’re gonna love this, hyung,” Jungkook said as they made their way inside the elevator.

To Namjoon’s surprise, the sides and ceiling of the elevator were screens. As they went up, a counter on one of the screens showed how many meters up they were already. Above them, they could see the burner of a hot air balloon they were supposedly riding spew fire. Suddenly there were small airplanes and skydivers in and out of formation waving at them. As they went even higher, a thunderstorm appeared around and above them. Finally, they reached a majestic looking building in the clouds..

They exited the elevator and turned left, as the elevator operator instructed them. The view that greeted them was spectacular. They stayed there for a few minutes just looking out the window panes, marvelling at what they could see.

It seemed strange to Namjoon that Jungkook would bring him there when he’d already had a great view of Busan from the Busan Tower. Unless they went there for the elevator? Sensing that Namjoon was getting antsy, Jungkook led him over to the other end of the floor. 

A sign pressed up against one of the columns had SHOCKING BRIDGE written in large font.  Not the most reassuring of names. To the right of the sign was a corridor where the floor was made of glass. 

Being the braver one, Jungkook went first. He got a few feet before he turned his head to see if Namjoon had followed.

“I thought you said you weren’t scared, hyung,” Jungkook teased.

 “I’m not! It’s just– This doesn’t feel safe…”

"Don't look down then."

"Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"

"That's why you should be brave, hyung. Live a little."

That phrase jolted Namjoon out of his state of fear. Kyungnam hyung really ruined that phrase for me forever, huh? Screw it.

Namjoon stepped carefully after Jungkook. He could see all the way down to the beach below. It was enough to make anyone dizzy.

“Sit down, hyung! Let me take your picture!”

Namjoon sat down slowly before tilting his head and smiling up at Jungkook. Once the picture was done, Namjoon stood up and they crossed the rest of the bridge to see what else was there in the building. 

There wasn’t much left to do that Namjoon found interesting except for the Sky Letter where he and Jungkook got to write letters on a touchscreen which then appeared on a large screen as a message made up of clouds. 

The elevator ride down was interesting too. It was almost a reversal of their ride up. When the elevator doors closed, the cabin turned black for a second before the screens on the side changed to show that they were in a small cabin with windows on the sides and a hatch on top. Suddenly the sky was everywhere and it was as though they were falling. They landed with a splash in the sea and were soon surrounded by sea creatures, mostly schools of fish before a shark tried to “bite” the elevator. 

There were a few restaurants on the outside of one of the buildings they passed by on the way back to the Haeundae Beach Christmas Illumination so they picked one randomly to have dinner in. The food was okay but not memorable. The ice cream they had after was better, in Namjoon’s opinion.

The walk back was longer than he remembered. At first, except for the occasional LED lights on restaurant fronts, there really wasn’t anything that felt Christmas-y about the places they passed. Eventually they reached a small plaza of sorts where the shrubs and trees were covered in Christmas lights. 

After that small pocket of cheer, there was a lack of lights again. Not that it really bothered him, though. 

“It must be nice living in these condos. The view must be amazing,” he told Jungkook as he stared up at one of the many apartment buildings they had passed so far.

“You really have a thing for bodies of water, huh?”

“I guess I do. They bring me a lot of peace. Anything nature-related gives me peace.”

They kept walking and finally they saw a cylindrical structure of some kind with gaps in between for people to take photos in. To his right, Namjoon spotted the illuminated Haeundae Beach sign. In the distance, he could see a gigantic Christmas tree with a large star on top.

They headed over there first, stopping to take a picture underneath the massive Christmas tree made up of Christmas lights. Further on was a display that said ‘2022,’ with the 0 being much taller than the 2s, allowing people to take a photo within it. Needless to say, Jungkook pushed Namjoon to stand  in the zero so that he could take the older man’s picture.

They walked around some more, heading to where there seemed to be the most number of people.

Christmas lights were laid flat on an elevated platform where they came together to form beautiful moving patterns. They walked around this field of lights and headed down a path, passing by a short wall that matched and acted as a backdrop for the main Christmas lights show.

At the end of the path were more Christmas lights on platforms, creating the illusion of a sea of light, and located on that sea like little islands were lighted photo zones. They took a picture at the ones they loved the most: inside the giant gift, a mermaid holding a polaroid, and a tree with illuminated branches whose flickering lights made it look straight out of Avatar. 

Past the lights was another lit structure that looked like a large hut, but it was filled with people so after taking a quick snapshot, they left and kept going further down the beach. The farther they got from the Christmas displays, the less people and lights there were. Before long, they reached a set of steps that led downward towards the beach.

The beach was empty and dark at that time of night. They walked closer to the surf, searching for a good spot to sit down. They picked a spot close to the surf but far enough that the water couldn’t reach them.

The sound of the waves lapping at the shore was relaxing. As what usually happened during the past few days, they sat silently as they took in the experience together. Namjoon had no idea how long they sat there, but it was definitely long enough for his legs to start getting a pins-and-needles sensation. He stretched his legs out in an attempt to get rid of the painful feeling. While he was focused on moving around to get into a more comfortable position, Jungkook suddenly stood up. Running on instinct, Namjoon quickly stood up as well. 

“What’s wrong?”

Jungkook excitedly pointed in the distance. “There’s a shooting star!”

Namjoon squinted in the direction Jungkook pointed and sure enough he could see a shooting star.

“Make a wish, hyung.” Jungkook closed his eyes, eyebrows scrunched together, concentrating with all his might.  

Namjoon couldn’t help but smile fondly. He wondered what it was exactly about this guy that had him feeling so soft.

“Are you making a wish too?” Jungkook opened one eye to look at him. “Hyung! You’re gonna miss your chance! Look over there and make your wish!” Jungkook glared at him. Namjoon didn’t have the heart to tell him that there was nothing remotely intimidating about him so he just did as the younger instructed and faced the sea.

Namjoon tried thinking of a wish, but his mind was blank. He had a good job, nice apartment, the best group of friends and he can think of Kyungnam now without feeling anything. Life was good. No matter the reason why he ended up here, everything ended up as it should have. Namjoon realized now how much he needed this. 

“Can you save up a wish?” he asked Jungkook jokingly.

“I don’t think it works that way, hyung. Use it or lose it.”

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you my wish! If I do, it won’t come true!”

Namjoon closed his eyes. The ocean breeze felt good on his skin. He breathed in deeply, the smell of the ocean felt cleansing somehow. He took another deep breath and let the calm wash over him. 

He let his head tip back. Was this what it felt like to be truly free? Namjoon couldn’t remember the last time he felt this peaceful.

He opened his eyes and turned to look at Jungkook. The younger man was looking at him with an unreadable expression. “Jungkook-ah?”

Jungkook stepped forward resolutely, closing the distance between them. Namjoon’s mind emptied when Jungkook pressed his lips against Namjoon’s. 

Jungkook’s lips tasted sweet and minty, traces of the mint chocolate ice cream he had earlier still lingering. Normally, Namjoon hated mint chocolate, but for Jungkook, he was willing to make an exception.

The kiss was tentative and over too soon. Namjoon breathed deeply and rested his forehead against Jungkook’s.

“Jungkook, I–” Finding someone he could really come to care about but having them live 300 kilometers away seemed like a cruel twist of fate.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I got carried away.”

“No! That’s not it. I like you, Jungkook.”

Jungkook’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“I wish I could stay here longer, get to know you better, but I need to go back to Seoul and…”

“And you’re worried your work will keep you too busy to make a long-distance relationship work,” Jungkook said, repeating what Namjoon had told him during their conversation at the restaurant the night before.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry about it, hyung. I get it.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Not at all. I believe in fate, remember? If we’re really meant to be, we’ll meet again under better circumstances.” He smiled at Namjoon before his eyes widened. “Hyung, you don’t have a picture at the beach yet.”

“Oh. Right.” Namjoon pulled out his phone. Jungkook held out his hand to take it from Namjoon but instead of giving him the phone, Namjoon opened the camera app before putting an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders. “Smile!”

Jungkook managed to smile genuinely despite his confusion. “Why’d you include me in the picture?”

“I loved being here, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if it was just me. So I wanted you in the picture too.” He said it so calmly, like it was no big deal, despite the fact that his heart and mind were still all over the place after that kiss and their conversation. 

Once they got home, they bade each other good night and Namjoon headed up to his room. After a quick shower, he laid down on the bed and opened Instagram to post the latest pictures of his trip. He included photos of the massive tank, him in the underwater tunnel, and the one of Jungkook watching the penguins swim.  

He switched over to the Twitter app and scrolled through his timeline. Before long, he received an Instagram notification. He opened the app, and as he expected, Hobi had commented on his post.

@uarmyhope @rkive Is this the same guy from the tree? 👀

Yes, Namjoon typed quickly.

@uarmyhope Do you have a picture of him from the front?

Namjoon laughed. Yeah. Do you want me to post it?

@uarmyhope 👀

Namjoon posted a story of the picture they had taken at the beach, but he made sure to cover Jungkook's face with a star sticker first, just to tease Hoseok.

@uarmyhope NAMJOON SJSJDBKASBHJFJFK 

         @uarmyhope You look happy though. I’m glad

🌃

Namjoon gave his room a once-over to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. Satisfied, he made his way down the stairs and found Jungkook on the sofa, browsing through his phone. He looked up as Namjoon approached. 

“Ready to go, hyung?”

“Yeah.”

As Jungkook locked up the house, Namjoon took one last look at the house. It was strange how the place started to feel like home for him.

They arrived at the parking lot around 45 minutes before Namjoon’s train was scheduled to leave.

“I enjoyed my stay.”

“You better give me a good review!,” Jungkook joked.

“5 stars, I promise.”

“Will you be visiting again?” Jungkook’s tone was hopeful, and Namjoon didn’t want to disappoint him.

“I’ll try to come back over the summer,” he promised. “I should go now, though.”

“See you soon, Namjoon hyung.”

“See you soon, Jungkook-ah.”

The ride home was uneventful, just like the next few days. Namjoon was looking forward even more now to their New Year’s Day celebration.

As what has become tradition for their friend group, they gathered at Seokjin and Hoseok’s apartment to welcome the New Year together.

“Namjoonie!” Hoseok greeted him enthusiastically as soon as he opened the door.

“Hi, Hobi.” Namjoon took off his shoes and placed them neatly on the shoe rack by the door. “Is everybody here already?”

“Yoongi hyung’s in the kitchen helping Jin hyung. Taehyung and Jimin are on the way.”

After greeting Seokjin and Yoongi, Namjoon went to the living room and settled himself on the couch. Hoseok sat down on one of the armchairs across from him.

“So, Namjoon, how was your vacation?” he asked innocently.

“Great. I had a lot of fun. I went to a lot of really nice places and I was able to get a lot of pretty pictures out of it.”

“And what’s the deal between you and Insta guy? Did you have a winter fling?” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"What's a winter fling?"

"You know, like a summer fling but during winter!"

“Hobi, come on. It wasn’t like that.” He chose to remain silent on the whole kiss thing that happened at the end of his visit.

“Just kidding. But if you’re ready to find love again… Well…” 

Namjoon narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Hoseok who smiled guiltily at him.

“Don’t hate us, okay, but Jimin has been meaning to set you up with one of his hoobaes for the longest time, even before you and Kyungnam hyung got together, actually, but the kid was always busy. Anyway, he’s here in Seoul now and he could possibly be here to stay, if he and Jimin can come to an agreement about his possible job at the studio. Plus, he's a Busan guy, which apparently, seems to be your type.”

"... Liking one guy from Busan does not make it a type."

"Don't let Jiminie hear you say that."

Namjoon sighed. “You know what, Hobi? Sure, why not. I’ll meet him, we’ll see how it goes.”

“Jimin is gonna be so happy! Act surprised when you meet him later, okay?”

“Wait, what?! What do you mean ‘later’? Hobi–”

He was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

“Oh, did I say later? I mean right now.” Hoseok got up and left Namjoon flabbergasted on the couch.

Taehyung was the first to walk into the living room, smiling immediately when he saw Namjoon. “Namjoon hyung! How was your vacation?”

“Hi, Taehyung. It was great.”

“I’ll bet.” Taehyung’s wink let him know that, despite not interacting with any of his Instagram posts, Taehyung had definitely seen them.

“Where’s Jimin?”

Taehyung pointed somewhere behind him. 

“Namjoon hyung!” Jimin rushed over and gave Namjoon a warm hug. “I can’t believe you went to Busan without me.” He pouted.

“Sorry, Jimin. I kinda just went for it. I didn’t even think about bringing anyone along.”

“You’re forgiven, hyung. And since I’m already feeling very generous, I have your Christmas present right here.”

Namjoon looked at Jimin’s empty hands. “Huh? Where?”

Jimin looked behind him and gestured for someone to come over.

“Namjoon hyung, this is my high school hoobae Jeon Jungkook.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t expecting this gift.

Jungkook had a huge grin on his face and Namjoon suspected that the smile on his face was just as wide.

“Hi, hyung. Happy new year.”

“Happy new year, Jungkook.”