Archive of Our Own ^beta

MY LITTLE ISLAND

Working away, but I'm still in my head

I'm so out of place, what did I do wrong to

Be so unwanted?

It all started one day when Minhyuk woke up all groggy and disoriented.

Lee Minhyuk, born on November 3, defined as a happy-go-lucky child whose brightness exudes like a ray of sunshine, is confused right now. Heck, confused is even an understatement. Lee Minhyuk, a college graduate and a jovial man who everyone calls the sun's child, is freaking lost and befuddled.

He can't pinpoint what exactly he is feeling nor he can't describe it. The best he could define is like waking up not knowing if you're still alive or just a glitch in reality - or you've been ran over by a semi and was resurrected against your will, whichever is the better visualization. 

Nevertheless, Minhyuk doesn't know what to do. There was light filtering in through the curtains, soft chirps from outside resonating that his muddled brain took a lot of time to identify. Wow, he really is so f*cked up.

"Lee Minhyuk! It's 8 AM! You'll be late for your shift!"

Lee Minhyuk? Right, that is my name.

And who the f*ck is screaming at-

"Jesus, Min. Seriously, are you just staring at nothing here? You're going to be late! Wonho-hyung may be the owner of the store you're working in but you can still get written up if you're constantly late." A smaller man appeared by his door, arms crossed with an eyebrow raised, judging eyes focused on the man sprawled on the bed. "Hello?"

"Kihyun-ah."

The name just escaped his mouth, but it caught the attention of the man by the door so that's a win. "Kihyun" cocked his head to the side in question, waiting for him to continue his words instead of floundering like a fish. "Cat got your tongue? Also why the whole name? Just stand up and drink your coffee, Min. You have around 10 more minutes then you have to run to the convenience store for your shift. Changkyun will not be happy if you're late in replacing him again."

His door shut, leaving him wallowing simultaneously in myriads of thoughts and nothing if that is even possible. Groaning, Minhyuk sat up, looking around the place that feels like familiar yet not at all. Huh, there seems to be a theme occurring around here.

Scratching his bed hair, the brunette yawned and sighed, standing up as if his body is on auto-drive, letting himself wander around the place and getting freshened up for his supposed work. Yoo Kihyun, his pink-haired roommate, seems to have left already, a plate of pancakes and coffee in a to-go cup for him the only tell-tale sign that the smaller was not a hallucination.

With the coffee in his hand and the empty plate now in their dishwasher, Minhyuk now got out of the apartment, walking down the vaguely familiar street, letting his feet drag him where he thinks he needs to be. He was about to make a turn to get to the main road when he caught a glimpse of a peculiar sight.

There among the passersby was a tall man who stood out among the commoners. His white hair was hard to miss, and coupled with his all-white regalia, he is illuminating compared to the people running around. The man made Minhyuk blink furiously until the guy disappeared like he is just a figment of the disoriented brunette's imagination.

Maybe he is? That's the most likely explanation. Minhyuk needs more of his coffee.

At 8:30, the brunette stood inside a convenience store, the place empty sans for one man on the counter and two students getting their breakfast. "Minhyuk-hyung! Just in time. I have to get going, my classes start at 9." The purple-haired younger exclaimed, immediately removing his cap and uniform. "Catch you later! Bye!"

Im Changkyun, he thinks that's the lad's name, he hopes it is, vanished through the convenience store's automatic doors after replacing his work uniform with his white button-down and school vest, a large backpack carried behind while his specs immediately perched onto his sharp nose. Minhyuk only managed to wave.

In autopilot once more, Minhyuk finally dropped his stuff at the changing room in the back, his outfit now with his tag, cap, and apron sort of wear. There are only a few people who checked out, and Minhyuk thanks his muscle memory for doing all the work today with how out of it he is.

As soon as the store fell into a bit of a lag time, Minhyuk found himself staring out the glass walls in boredom, arms folded on the table while his head rests on them, watching the busy streets be filled with people - people with who knows what kind of jobs they do. For all he cares, he might be watching millionaires, dreamers, believers, and those who are going to hell. Who knows? It's the least of his concern anyway.

He can't help but contemplate why he is so groggy and disgruntled right now. Surely he shouldn't be like this when it's just a normal day, right? Frustrated, Minhyuk sighed, rubbing his brown hair and leaning back to the chair only to see a glimpse of the white-haired guy again who he thought was just a product of his imagination.

Huh? He is real?

The man quickly materialized at the park right in front of the store, walking at a normal pace across the street along with others. Captivated, he could only stare, the all-white outfit almost glowing whilst he also realized the tall dude was also wearing white headphones. He swore if the man's skin isn't slightly golden, he could have drowned in white.

"Ehem. Can you ring me up, please? I'm kind of in a hurry?" A customer's voice broke his musings, his eyes immediately meeting a man handing him a can of coffee he wants to purchase. "Oh, sorry sir." He muttered, scanning the can quickly. "That would be 1200₩." He added, getting the exact change the man handed him before he exited the store.

Following the man with his sight, he belatedly realized the peculiar guy already disappeared again, as if he wasn't even there. Somehow, that made Minhyuk wonder why people are not looking at him. Dude was literally looking like the pearly gates of heaven, how in the world is he not attracting a crowd?

Maybe Minhyuk is just looking too much at the situation.

Hours passed by and it quickly became 4:30 PM. He was ready to clock out, his mind telling him it was the end of his shift once Lee Jooheon comes in. He hopes he got the name right and he isn't just making up things. God, his brain is fried.

As he was wiping the counter clean, the store chime resonated. He didn't pay attention, already used to the sound. In only a matter of seconds, a strawberry shortcake was placed on the countertop prompting him to look up.

A gasp escaped his lips, wide eyes looking back at the person right in front of him in utter shock as if he had seen a ghost. Man, it felt like one. White-haired, tall man, in an all-white outfit, was standing right in front of him, his headphones already sitting around his neck, eyes looking at him like he was about to take his soul.

And as if to add fuel to the fire of his belief that the man should be garnering views from people, white-haired lanky dude was exceptionally beautiful, too pretty that Minhyuk had to swallow the lump lodged in his throat.

His eyes were large as if it holds the universe inside them. If you stare long enough, you can literally see constellations shining deep within. His nose was adorably sloped at the end, cheeks soft and squeezable, lips full and plump that it accented his face just fine - like a strawberry among an island of cream. 

"Excuse me." White-haired lanky dude called him, out blinking back in confusion at the odd actions of the cashier. Minhyuk, in his embarrassment, quickly broke eye contact, one hand covering his flushed face while the other scans the cake. "Is this all, sir?" He asked, to which the mesmerizing man nods, affirmative.

"Thank you." The stranger replied, and god, his voice is like ganache, smooth and silky. The chime rang again, signaling the departure of the man yet Minhyuk can't still help but stare, still in awe as he watches the tall guy place his headphones back, cake carefully carried in his hand.

He didn't know how long he was staring, but he was again woken up when a person snapped in front of him. "Jeez, Kihyun-hyung warned me of you being out of it but this is beyond expectations." A familiar voice echoed, his eyes meeting a dimply man's concerned ones. "Honey-ah."

Jooheon sighed, patting the older at the back as he fixes his work uniform properly, earphones already idling on the counter for use. "You should probably go home now and get some rest, hyungie. I'll be taking over. Keep safe, okay?"

With a nod and a kiss from the younger on his cheek, Minhyuk took his knitted sling bag off the lockers and made his way outside, walking down the familiar roads he took on the way to his work in the morning. He is still not sure how he made it through the day with his head high above the clouds. He must have been on autopilot for most hours.

As he takes his steps along the pathway near a certain side of Han River, with a few kids playing around the grassy sloped area and a few couples probably going on a date, Minhyuk halted upon spotting an unmissable figure. 

There, sitting down comfortably with his back straight eating his purchased cake slowly with the plastic fork, was the white-haired lanky dude. He was looking so out of place amongst the greeneries, his hair just gently flowing despite the harsh winds, his head seemingly bopping with whatever tune he is playing through his white headphones. Jesus, he needs to make sure this man is not a ghost or he will probably be in a different health care institution now.

Biting his lip, Minhyuk approached a random kid on the sidewalk, crouching next to her to avoid intimidating the innocent girl. "Hi, sorry to interrupt but I just want to ask a question. Can you see that person right there?" The brunette asked the girl in the dress, finger pointing at the white-haired man who is happily munching on his cake, white mousse tainting the red lips like it's the strawberry on the dessert.

The little girl blinked owlishly as if she was just asked an absurd question. Nevertheless, she nodded with a smile, confirming Minhyuk's question and appeasing the older that he wasn't delusional at all. Watching the young girl run back down to her family, Minhyuk heaved a sigh of relief, calming his loudly beating heart and his intrusive thoughts in the process. "Okay, you're okay, Lee Minhyuk."

Maybe I'm just overthinking. Maybe I really do need rest.

With one final look at the strange man, Minhyuk merrily skipped back home, enjoying the gentle breeze sweeping through his hair. 

When he got home, shoes removed by the anteroom, the brunette saw his pink-haired roommate by the kitchen concocting some recipe, the aroma of the food wafting through the air eliciting a gurgle in the older's stomach. "Oh, you're home. Take a bath, food will be ready in a minute."

Minhyuk followed the younger, freshening himself up and toweling his damp hair upon returning to their dining area, the food indeed already prepared and laid out on the table looking scrumptious and appetizing. The two of them sat down, Kihyun typing something on his phone with a tiny smirk.

As the brunette was picking his chopsticks, Kihyun spoke up. "Jooheon texted me, he said you were in a daze when he took over for the store. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He replied quickly, munching the piece of meat, delighted by the amazing taste. "I just got caught off guard. I don't know what's wrong with me but when I woke up, my mind is all muddled and messed up."

"No one drank during our dinner out last night tho?" Kihyun recalled, pouting a bit as he tries to think deeper. "Did Wonho-hyung perhaps mistakenly hand you an alcoholic beverage? I'm pretty sure Shownu-hyung and I requested to not have any alcoholic drinks because of the two minors. Changkyunnie insisted to take the midnight shift even if Wonho said to just close the shop."

At the mention of the names, Minhyuk's mind supplied him with the memories he needed. 

"We're dating!" Kihyun exclaimed, showing his hand with a promise ring in excitement, Son Hyunwoo's arms wrapped around his waist with an affectionate smile plastered on the older's face. "We're dating." He also uttered, helping his lover in confessing their big reveal.

Lee Hoseok or Wonho, their rich older business mogul friend, Lee Jooheon, and Im Changkyun along with Minhyuk all gasped at the confession, eyes widening comically while rendered speechless - well before everyone erupted.

Jooheon and Minhyuk quickly jumped onto Kihyun, shaking the poor smaller man to rattle some questions whilst Wonho has Shownu in a chokehold, his cousin only chuckling at the response. Changkyun only stood there, still flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"What the f*ck?! How did you two hide you were dating?" Jooheon screamed, gripping harder on Kihyun's shirt while the amused older tried to escape.

"I KNEW IT!" Wonho added, Hyunwoo still laughing under his arms. "Yah! You two are so slick! How can you trick us?!"

"Ah!" Minhyuk exclaimed at the memory, eyes training down to see the promise ring sitting peacefully on the younger's finger who jumped in surprise at the scream. "You're dating Shownu-hyung!"

Kihyun exhaled deeply, calming his thrumming heart with a laugh. "Jesus. You shocked me. Yes, Lee Minhyuk, that's what we confessed about yesterday! Jeez, are you really okay?"

The two ended up giggling like gossiping girls, proceeding to enjoy their meals while Kihyun shares details about his relationship with the older. As they both cleans up the table, Kihyun spouted a random question.

"So how was your day? Are you sure you're feeling okay? You know Wonho-hyung can find a temporary replacement while you're on break." Kihyun explained, carefully loading the dishes into the dishwasher.

Minhyuk's mind reeled immediately back to the white-haired man, lips pursing in curiosity. "There's a man I saw-"

"Ah." The younger reacted. "Don't tell me you fell in love at first sight?! That's not so Lee Minhyuk at all dude."

"No!" The brunette scampered to refute. "It's not like that, geez. Stop jumping to conclusions. All I'm saying is that there's this peculiar man I kept seeing all day. He wears all white and he has white hair. He is glowing."

Instead of a verbal response, Kihyun turned around with his hands still damp to face the older, the slap hitting the older's face resonated in the room as the younger finally cups the taller man's cheeks, squeezing it tenderly. 

"Minhyuk-ah, 

Maybe that's a premonition from the other world?"

Well, Yoo Kihyun deserved the kick in the shin for that.

And in Yoo Kihyun's defense, maybe it's not heaven that's calling Minhyuk.

God bless.

Look at my lock screen, there's nothing again

Expected, but oddly, I'm always offended

So codependent

Minhyuk found himself waking up groggily again. Kihyun's voice was echoing outside, reminding him to eat his breakfast and grab his coffee. This time, it's a sandwich but the coffee is still in his to-go cup. Smiling softly, not bothering to orient himself and think of what the f*ck is wrong, Minhyuk went on with his morning.

He walked down the familiar path, sipping his iced coffee nonchalantly, the knitted sling bag wrapped around his torso. On another sip, Minhyuk almost spurted his drink out as he watches the white-haired man cross the pedestrian lane.

White-haired man was wearing all white again, his body still clad in all-white regalia, threading the street along with other commoners, seemingly glowing under the illumination of the sun. Minhyuk swore the white button-down and billowy pants combo reflecting the sunlight can blind people.

And before Minhyuk could even process what was happening, the man disappeared among the crowd once more, like a bubble gliding in the air. The brunette had to shake his head and start walking again, frustrated that he kept getting distracted by the peculiar man.

Ahhh, who is he?

"Oh, hyung! Right on time! I need to get going I have an exam. See yah." Changkyun bade goodbye, quickly removing his uniform like a superhero ready to fight, his school shirt and vest fitted right on his body, large backpack quickly carried out of the store. Minhyuk only managed to wave again before the younger disappeared.

It's the usual, random people going in and out of the store, some buying their usual snacks, pick-me-ups, and the like, the others just buying time to wait for the others they have to meet. Ringing the last student in the store, Minhyuk turned around unconsciously, eyes widening once more.

Is the world wanting to really kill him with fright and shock?

White-haired man passed by the convenience store once again, his natural glow seemingly illuminating the world outside. Minhyuk followed the man with his eyes until he disappeared at the corner of the street, the scenery dimming once again without any other explanation.

"Hi, can you please ring this up?" A student interrupted his thoughts, waking him up from his dazed state. Minhyuk apologized with a smile, handing the banana milk to the lady. "Thank you." He muttered, the woman kindly bowing back at him, seemingly in awe with the looks of the cashier.

Time quickly passed by again and before he was even made aware, it was already 4:30 PM, his time to clock out. Minhyuk was just casually wiping the counter once more when a strawberry shortcake was pushed towards his view. He looked up again and well, - choked in his own saliva upon seeing the familiar figure in front of him.

There he was again, approximately 6-ft tall man lanky dude in his all white outfit and beautiful platinum white locks, cheeks so squishy and plump, eyes glimmering with the store lights, button nose and plush lips, the headphones wrapped around his neck, handing the cake he also purchased yesterday.

"W-would this be all?" He stuttered, fumbling to scan the purchase to which the other man just nodded in affirmation. "Thank you." The alluring nasally voice whispered before the man left the store, placing the headphones back to his ears and glowing once more along with the setting sun.

Minhyuk just stared, his brain not comprehending whether the interaction is for real or he is just living in a deja vu. "Minhyuk-hyung. You're staring outside again. Oh god, please don't tell me you're seeing a ghost, or I will quit this job right here right now. I'm at a night shift!" Jooheon complained, quickly gripping Minhyuk's shirt in fear.

That made the older laugh, patting the younger on the back to assure him. He would love to tease the blonde dimply man more but he also doesn't want to terrify him much when he's the only one to man the counter until Changkyun replaces him for the graveyard shift. "No, I just saw someone I remembered from yesterday. You're good my Honey Joo. There's no ghost here."

After a kiss from Jooheon and making sure that the younger is well settled in the store, he merrily left the place, feet skipping a bit with his knitted bag slung on his shoulder, swaying along his movements. He also has his knitted hat too, a fashion interest that people questioned him a lot about- but Minhyuk loves art, and he thinks these kinds of unique pieces are art that needed to be seen by the world.

Trudging along the familiar roads, he caught himself looking ahead Han River again, the setting sun captivating enough to make him pause his steps and just stare. As usual, at that time of the day, few people are basking in the sunset, some kids playing while some students and couples are on their date.

But that's not the only thing that Minhyuk noticed. There, on the same spot he saw him yesterday, was the white-haired man, peacefully eating his strawberry shortcake, headphones placed on his ears, twinkling eyes trained on the giant orb going to slumber. 

It's mesmerizing how one single man can look that graceful under normal circumstances. Minhyuk doesn't know if it's just because of the whole white concept or what, but the man was really glimmering under the light. He could pass off as a lighthouse if it wasn't for the mere fact that he is on land.

He started walking back home to clear his mind off unnecessary thoughts. However, he decided to turn back, just to see one more glimpse of the man. Yet when he turned around, the white-haired man was nowhere to be found.

Oh god, what if Kihyun was right?

Minhyuk ran back to their shared apartment, slamming the door while panting heavily. Kihyun jolted from the loud noise, looking up from the kitchen where he was preparing food questioningly. "Jesus, Min, you sca-"

"KI! I'M BEING FETCHED BY GOD'S UNDERLINGS!"

Well, he did deserve the whack on the head with a spatula for his hysterics.

Evergreen trees

Temperatures always at 73°

It repeated, over and over again - for days, for weeks, it just kept on repeating:

the morning habits, of Kihyun's breakfast and coffee in a to-go cup

the white-haired man appearing in his path to work, whichever route he takes

Changkyun, who he replaces every morning, rushing to his class, leaving him in charge of the counter

the 6-ft tall enigma gracing the premises through the glass walls, even in just split seconds

the precisely 4:30 strawberry shortcake purchases, the man standing right in front of him with an unreadable face, waiting to be rung up

Jooheon appearing in the store to cover the next shift, getting fearful of constantly finding him staring outside

It's always happening, repeating, over and over and over again.

It's getting ridiculous.

Before Minhyuk knew it, it's been a month of the same odd scenarios, like a repeated deja vu. He never had a chance to confront it, however, because, by the time he found the strength to initiate a conversation, the man disappears as if he was just a fleeting bubble in the air.

It got to a point where he had to question his sanity. Well, sort of, not that his friends piggyback to say he needed to question his sanity all the time but for this one, it's really oddly terrifying. 

The man wears the same outfit, buys the same thing, and appears almost everywhere Minhyuk is. He doesn't know if he is reading too much into the situation, but he certainly thinks this is beyond coincidence. Either the world is playing with him or it wants to scare and give him a heart attack.

But somehow, the clock decided to move forward one day.

"So you're telling me, it's been more than a month since you started seeing that guy everywhere? Why not call the police about this? Tell Shownu-hyung! Maybe it's a stalker, hyungie, and that's creepy." Jooheon exclaimed, the two of them just hanging out by the counter tidying up.

Minhyuk shook his head, handing the younger the coins from the register. "He is not hostile and I don't think of it as stalking. It's just that I see him everywhere it's kind of, frustrating? He doesn't do anything to actively scare me but I just find him odd? He wears the same sh*t, and he buys the same thing repeatedly in the store I swear he is giving himself diabetes."

The dimply younger raised an eyebrow at the statements, looking dumbfounded. "So you're the one stalking him?"

"It's not stalking!"

"I think you're attracted to this guy then, hyung." Jooheon quipped, making the older turn around fast with scandalized eyes. "How in the world did you get to that conclusion?! I literally said I'm frustrated and discombobulated about the situation." Minhyuk retorted, squeezing the cheeks of the younger who whined and screamed at the attack.

When the brunette released the blonde's assaulted cheek, Jooheon rubbed the sore area with a pout. "You're making too much of a fuss about this so I thought you're developing a crush! I've never heard of anyone talking about this white-haired, embodiment of a male version of a white lady terrorizing the vicinity. Surely if he is that strange people would be talking about him, right?"

Minhyuk could only sigh. The younger had a point. He also noticed that even if the peculiar man stood out among other bystanders, no one bats an eye when walking with him. Almost as if, he is invisible? 

But that can't be true, right? 

He literally had a kid agree that he can see the strange man the first day he noticed him. Kids won't lie without any reason. Huh, maybe Minhyuk is really just overthink-

The clock ticked and the brunette unconsciously looked up to it, the hands indicating it was already 4:30, the same recurring time. A small crinkling of plastic took his attention away, eyes wavering at the sight of the familiar strawberry shortcake the convenience store exclusively sells in their location.

That prompted Minhyuk to slowly look up, shakily reaching for the cake yet- "You look like you just saw a ghost, hyungie. Class ended early so I thought I could hang out here."

Changkyun stood right in front of him, button down already having a few buttons popped out, glasses resting neatly on his nose as he smiles innocently. "Is something the matter?"

The clock ticked again, and Minhyuk felt it loudly thump at the same time with his heart. He should have been here by now. What? His mind thought, looking at the clock and Changkyun back and forth in utter confusion. 

"Hyung?" The purple-haired, catlike student asked again, worriedly watching the seemingly distressed older. Jooheon popped out of the back door to find the scene, Changkyun's eyes speaking to him silently asking for help. "Minhyuk-hyung?"

Did something happen to him? Is he not okay?

Strange white-haired man never missed a day, appearing at exactly 4:30 making Minhyuk's heart do weird somersaults in shock and disbelief. If that routine was broken, that could only mean either the man got tired, or the man got into some weird sh*t.

Oh, fuck it!

Minhyuk scrambled to throw his work apron and cap off, taking the strawberry shortcake from the table with an apologetic smile. "Just get a new one from the fridge, Kkung! Jooheon ring this one up for me I'll pay it next time I see you! Take care you both!"

The convenience store's chime jiggled, leaving both youngsters blinking owlishly in puzzlement, watching Minhyuk's back disappear from the corner of the store's glass walls.

"He even forgot to take his bag and hat from the lockers." Jooheon sighed, empathizing with the equally bewildered Changkyun who was unconsciously squeezing his fingers for his stolen strawberry shortcake. "My strawberry." The purple head whined with a pout.

If I could leave, I know

The kind of place I'd go

Minhyuk ran swiftly, apologizing to anyone who he unintentionally bumped into in his haste. Without any pause, he reached his usual trail near Han River in record time, his feet finally skidding into a halt, body leaning onto a tree as he tries to catch his breath, panting heavily with one palm on his chest, the other still clutching the strawberry shortcake safely.

With enough air in his lungs that he isn't breathing like a dog, he looked at the familiar scenery, eyes scanning the place he stares at every day on his way back from work. He almost gave up looking, lips caught between his teeth in disappointment until the wind blew once more. It made him close his eyes and when he opened them again, there was the white-haired man seated on his usual spot sitting straight like a statue, headphones on his ears swaying gently with the leaves of the trees and bushes.

Now or never, Lee Minhyuk. Take it or forever hold your peace. Inhaling deeply, Minhyuk carefully skidded down the sloped grassland until he stood right behind the glowing man. The breeze blew again, white locks gently dancing with it as the peculiar stranger leans back to his arms with his eyes closed.

Swallowing the last bit of fear lodged in his throat and throwing caution in the air, Minhyuk finally approached the unsuspecting stranger, sitting down beside him and handing the cake with a clear of the throat.

The sound made the white-haired stranger open his eyes, showing the constellations within the dark orbs twinkling along the sun. Slowly, the beautiful man turned his head, looking at the cake before finally focusing his attention on the slightly nervous man beside him.

Minhyuk gulped heavily again. He was rendered speechless, finally seeing the man this close and for longer periods of time making his heart stumble inside his chest. How in the world did god create such a magnificent human being with this much grace and beauty embodied in just one face? 

White-haired stranger is the Garden of Eden glowing under the intricate sunrays personified. Minhyuk doesn't believe in gods, but he would surely kneel down and pray for being graced by such beauty. 

He knows he isn't straight, deal with it.

"You're giving this to me?"

He froze again, flinching at the nasally voice that was weirdly endearing, evoking emotions Minhyuk didn't know he is capable of feeling. God, why is meeting and interacting with this man feel like an out-of-body experience? He is just curious, (and worried) please have mercy on him.

"I-ah, yeah. I'm sorry. I got used to seeing you buying this at the corner convenience store nearby. I work there almost every day and I'm the one who rings you up for this cake so I got worried when you didn't a-" he paused, covering his face as his cheeks started to get red in embarrassment. He can't believe he was rambling?! To a person he wasn't even acquainted with, no less! "I'm sorry! I swear I'm not a stalker I didn't-"

A breathy, adorable, soft peal of laughter interrupted his mortification, a sound Minhyuk somehow found he wanted to hear over and over again. 

White-haired stranger has one of his palms slightly covering his lips, eyes crinkling as he chuckles at Minhyuk's expense. His other hand has already brought the headphones down, letting the brunette know that he was listening throughout the whole ordeal.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Minhyuk finally allowed himself to rest comfortably beside the man, the heavy beating of his heart slowly coming into a calm rhythm. He rested beside the man, the prickly grass not a hindrance to him finding a good position.

He subtly watched the white-haired guy open the packaging of the strawberry shortcake, the included fork cutting through the soft dessert in half. Minhyuk was not expecting for the other to place the half piece in the cover, handing it to the brunette beside him with a soft, shy smile. "Thank you again." He whispered. "I hope you like cake."

Well, Minhyuk doesn't have strong opinions regarding cakes. He eats one for special occasions, rarely seeks it when there are more convenient desserts to satisfy his sweets cravings, and to be honest, he really hasn't tasted the cakes from the store. It did surprise him, however, that the man shared his cake without any other words.

"Thank you." He replied back a beat later, taking the offered fork as well to take a piece and taste it.

The taste is, for a lack of a better term, underwhelming. Don't get him wrong, it's not bad. He already has tasted enough cakes and trust him, he had worst (shoutout to fondant, you piece of sweet clay), but it's just not what he expected. For someone who buys this cake a lot, he thought it would be mindblowing and groundbreaking.

But it's just what you would imagine a convenience store-bought cake would be - a bit on the drier side and tastes sweet. Just plain sweet.

Though when Minhyuk took another bite, watching the stranger beside him take his fill as well, it oddly, magically tasted better? Maybe it's a placebo thought, but having someone to eat cake with made it a lot more scrumptious.

They continued to watch the sunset along Han River, their cakes slowly consumed, trash collected and deposited in a nearby trash bin. Slowly, the people in the area dissipated. It's nearly dinner time, and most of the crowd are now on their way back home - similar to where Minhyuk should really be.

His phone rang, prompting him to check it. Plastered on his screen was a message from Kihyun asking where he is and how Jooheon and Changkyun have his bag. The message also contained a restaurant name, his roommate informing him that the others will have dinner there tonight so Minhyuk could just claim all his items there from the youngsters.

He needs to take his leave, but he remembered the other point of his rendezvous with the white-haired stranger.

"What's your name?" Minhyuk asked, not having an ounce of hesitation. He is a curious child, and he will not stop 'til he gets his questions satisfactorily answered. "I'm Lee Minhyuk."

White-haired man blinked owlishly, chuckling a bit at the question. As always, his movements were graceful and his eyes glimmered like it's a mini galaxy. "Chae Hyungwon." He replied.

Chae Hyungwon.

That's such a beautiful name. He thought. Befitting of a gracious man glowing underneath the sunlight. 

"I need to go but I hope we can hang out more and I hope you don't find me a creep. I swear I just got curious." Minhyuk rattled, standing up to pat his shirt and pants, removing the grass and dirt that clung to his clothes. Smiling, the brunette offered his hand. "It's nice meeting you, Hyungwon-ah."

Hyungwon, the white-haired beautiful enigmatic stranger, grinned back, shaking Minhyuk's hand daintily. "Nice to meet you too, Minhyuk-ah." Hyungwon said. "Keep safe." He added, clasping their hands together in a small shake - a start of a friendship, perhaps?

Minhyuk could just only hope.

He eventually left, the white-haired man sitting back on the grass and putting his headphones on while he walks up to the paved roads and headed towards the restaurant Kihyun mentioned. He was a few steps away when the breeze blew. Minhyuk turned around and to his surprise,

white-haired, ethereal man, Chae Hyungwon, is nowhere to be found.

Huh?

Alone and I'm happy

Never offended, so independent

For some reason, that interaction sparked an odd relationship between the two. 

Minhyuk can't really say what they are. It's a crazy situation if he were to tell the story, and trust him, it's been proven. Exhibit A: Yoo Kihyun; Exhibit B: Lee Hoseok; Exhibits C and D: Lee Jooheon and Im Changkyun. He is just lucky that in Son Hyunwoo he could trust. Little did he know, Shownu-ssi is just too kind-hearted, trusting, and gullible - and maybe a little indifferent too, who knows?

Nevertheless, Minhyuk can't really pinpoint where in the relationship spectrum he and white-haired enigmatic, glowing person named Chae Hyungwon are currently in. Friends? Maybe. He sure does hope so because that would be sad on Minhyuk's part if Hyungwon doesn't see him that way.

After all, it's been a month since that not-so-fateful rendezvous.

Time moved swiftly, so quickly that Minhyuk didn't even feel that it had been two months since he first saw Hyungwon everywhere. He would believe that he is in an infinite time loop if not for the variety that occurred after confronting and getting to know Hyungwon. Yes, the first month was insanely like a series of deja vus, but in the second month, he found himself enjoying different activities with Hyungwon.

The hands of the clock definitely moved.

At 4:30, Hyungwon would still buy his strawberry shortcake from the convenience store when Minhyuk is the only one inside. They will talk for a bit, planning to meet up at the usual spot near Hangang, and the young man would leave while Minhyuk finishes his tasks up. At 4:35, Jooheon will replace him, the brunette hastily grabbing his bag and hat from the lockers before eventually fleeing the store. If he is with someone else at 4:30, Hyungwon will only be found in Han River, Minhyuk bringing him his usual cake.

That has been a routine. It came to a point that Kihyun never mentioned about his side trip the fourth time Minhyuk arrived late for dinner. Jooheon tried his best not to be late in overtaking the shift. Changkyun never asked about Minhyuk's meet-ups. Somehow, everyone just respected the brunette's newfound 'relationship', though that didn't stop them from requesting to meet the elusive Chae Hyungwon.

Today, at precisely 4:30, Hyungwon came into the shop handing yet another strawberry shortcake to the person manning the counter. Minhyuk could only chuckle, the two of them smiling at each other, a small greeting escaping their lips before Hyungwon will bid goodbye and a "see you".

However, Minhyuk didn't expect for Hyungwon to lengthen the conversation a bit. The clock has definitely started moving. 

"I'll wait for you outside if you want. Let's walk back together." Chae Hyungwon, beautiful, glowing, mesmerizing Chae Hyungwon, said, eyes hopeful and anticipating. Minhyuk blinked owlishly before laughing, nodding his head as he hands the cake back to the taller. "Okay. Jooheon will be coming any minute now. I'll just grab my bag and we'll go to Hangang."

Hyungwon smiled bashfully and nodded, taking the cake with a soft thank you before leaving. A beat of silence later and Minhyuk removing his uniform in the process, Jooheon came in, sighing exasperatedly upon seeing the older rushing again. "You really are excited to hang out with the white-haired dude, huh? I'm getting jealous." The younger commented with his iconic pout.

Minhyuk chuckled upon returning from the back room, hugging the dimply man tightly before kissing him on the cheek to appease his tantrums. "Of course, you're still my main love, Honey-ah. It just became our usual thing to hang out at that hour and today he is waiting for me outside."

"Outside?" Jooheon asked, turning his head to glance at the glass walls of the store. "But I didn't see anyone outside."

"Oh, he must be at another spot then. Anyway, I gotta go, but I promise I'll convince him to join us in one of our dinners."

With a bade of goodbye, Jooheon could only watch Minhyuk disappear, still puzzled at the turn of events. "But there's really no one with that description outside." He whispered to no one, shrugging in defeat.

On the other hand, Minhyuk just made a turn to his usual path and saw Hyungwon standing there, white hair gently being frolicked by the wind, his eyes closed as he listens to music in his headphones, leaning on a wall regardless of the fact that he was wearing his usual white clothes. It looks like he came from a movie, the scene like ones in a romantic film that Minhyuk's heart will surely flutter.

Gulping the imaginary lodge in his throat, Minhyuk inhaled before tapping Hyungwon on his shoulder to get the young lad's attention. "Let's go?"

Hyungwon didn't flinch, smiling before he could even lower his headphones and nodding to the brunette beautifully. "Sure."

The white-haired man still has his cake unopened in his hands, the two of them trudging along Minhyuk's familiar route on his way home. No words were spoken between them which is kind of unusual for Minhyuk who loves to tell stories to his friends yet when it comes to Hyungwon, he just gets rendered speechless.

"Why did you decide to walk with me this time?" Minhyuk asked.

"Hm?" Hyungwon hummed, shrugging with a soft giggle. "For a change? I felt bad that you're the one who usually goes to where I am."

Minhyuk didn't pry any further as the two of them finally reached the sloped grassland overlooking the river. They sat on the same area Hyungwon stays on, Minhyuk placing his bag on his lap, rummaging inside. "What did you bring?" Hyungwon asked, eyes intrigued and interested

For the whole month that they started hanging out, they did a lot of activities while still staying in the same spot. They had picnics, Hyungwon's favorite cake still present as ever; they had movie 'dates', both of them finishing animes and dramas that they got hooked together. They did a lot of things, one of which is drawing - or at least Hyungwon happily watching Minhyuk paint or draw.

The brunette took his drawing notebook filled with sceneries around Hangang. There is even a sketch of the cake that Hyungwon has finally halved once again to share with Minhyuk. The brunette also drew the convenience store, his friends, and finally on the new pages were just random sketches of Hyungwon, showcasing the daintiness and ethereal beauty of the young man. 

"They look so beautiful," Hyungwon commented, flipping through the notebook as Minhyuk takes drinks off his bag as well, opening two for the both of them. "You're very talented." The white-haired added, genuinely in awe.

Minhyuk shyly scoffed. "Thank you. I try. It's the least I could do since I never had the chance to go to the art school I wanted."

Hyungwon blinked in uncertainty, eyes urging the older to continue. "I've always wanted to go to an art school. My dream is to hold an exhibit at least once, but it was never possible, not when I don't have people supporting me." He confessed solemnly with a sad smile, prodding the cake lightly with his fork. "If it weren't for Hoseok-hyung picking me up, I wouldn't have finished my undergrad degree nor would I ever have a roof on my head. I was abandoned when I was a kid, was raised by my grandmother who died when I got into high school."

The white-haired man placed his hand on Minhyuk's lap. "You did so well, Minhyuk-ah. I'm sure your dream isn't that too far gone." Hyungwon replied, genuinely smiling at the older in support and affection. "It's not too late to try, and even if you didn't, no one can say that you failed, because you're here, you moved forward, and that's what matters."

Minhyuk's eyes met Hyungwon's, the constellations on the younger's orbs glowing like it's guiding him to peace and calm. For a moment, he thought the younger was illuminating like the sun, white hair dancing with the winds, and red lips quirked up into an innocent smile. The beauty is immense for his eyes to handle, his hands almost reaching to touch the other's face only to catch himself and retract immediately. "I-"

"Are my cheeks that plump?"

That caught Minhyuk off guard. He looked down to where Hyungwon was pouting at, a giggle erupting from his chest as he finally sees what the young man was pointing at. It's a drawing of him, cheeks puffed up while looking so concentrated on building the flower crown they tried to do before. Amused at the adorable antics, Minhyuk pinched Hyungwon's cheeks happily, squeezing them while the other whined in defeat.

"Just eat your cake." He retorted, both of them picking up their forks whilst Hyungwon also caresses his abused cheek. "Hurts." Hyungwon whimpered, the brunette apologizing with a laugh.

When they finally finished their food, the drawing pad already placed inside the bag, Minhyuk can't help but wonder. "You know, I don't know much about you and I think it's unfair. I felt like I disclosed so much you can blackmail me already."

Hyungwon took a sip of the drink Minhyuk brought, a fascinated smile plastered on his face. "I won't do that. I don't even have anyone to tell about that anyway."

That made Minhyuk turn quickly, watching Hyungwon take another sip with a nonchalant face. For some reason, it made the brunette's chest constrict a little, a twinge of pain erupting deep within. "What do you mean?"

"It's not a big deal." Hyungwon quickly countered, eyes still trained on the setting sun, seemingly avoiding Minhyuk's stare. "To be honest, I don't remember anything so I really can't share anything with you, I'm sorry. All I know is I moved here and lived here all alone."

"Wonnie-ah." Two palms were placed on the white-haired's cheeks, jolting him into blinking rapidly at the peculiar actions. Minhyuk has his hands on Hyungwon's face, a light slap turned into gentle ministrations as they stare at each other, the sky and air already bathed in red and orange hues. "Well, now you got me. And I can introduce you to everyone. I've been asking you to meet my friends for a long time now, aren't I? I swear they're nice. They do not bite tho sometimes I want to sock them in the face but they're honestly the best part of my life."

Hyungwon giggled in amusement, placing his fingers over Minhyuk's hand with a soft expression. "I'm not lonely, Min, if that's what you're worried about. But,

Thank you." The white-haired man said, pulling Minhyuk's hand and lowering them, though their fingers intertwined unconsciously like it's the most natural next step to be taken. "I'm happy we met."

The statement made the brunette's heart leap happily, a big grin erupting on his face as they turn back to watch the remnants of the bright hues of the sun slowly dissipate. It took more time of just them idling before Minhyuk's phone rang, signaling the need for him to go back. The first ring is the warning, the second one will be a threat, and the third one? Well, no one wanted to know, but it threads along the line of "if you don't get your ass back here or reply to me I will worry the f*ck out of you and also starve you for a week for making me panic and call the police station" from Yoo Kihyun - and trust Minhyuk, he doesn't want a repeat of that. One mistake is enough.

"You should probably go home now. I think your roommate is looking for you." Hyungwon said, standing up and offering his hand which the brunette took gladly. "I had fun, Min."

"I also did. See you tomorrow?"

Hyungwon nodded, waving his hand as he watches his companion run back up to the paved road. With one last wave, Minhyuk trudged back home. He belatedly realized his heart was crazily thumping inside his chest yet he feels elated like he found serenity in another person's comfort. Is that strange? Probably. But Minhyuk is never the one to lie about things he genuinely feels.

With light feet, he skipped back to their shared apartment, eyes focused on his phone as he tries to reply to Kihyun while walking back. He was alone on the streets, with barely few people loitering around probably with the time of the day so he didn't have to look where he is going. Distracted,  a yelp escaped his lips when a body collided with him, pushing him to the wall followed by a crashing sound.

Shocked and hitting his head lightly, Minhyuk closed his eyes upon impact, only opening it when he heard a slight panting next to his ear. Around him was a pair of arms, the warmth familiar and comforting. "H-hyungwon?"

The brunette looked down to find a broken vase to where he was just standing. It was smashed into pieces indicating how hard the impact was. He could have died. His mind unhelpfully supplied, wavering eyes looking back at Hyungwon who finally raised his head. Their eyes met worried ones to pained orbs. 

Pained?

Drip.. drop...

Minhyuk's shaky palms gently rested on Hyungwon's shoulder, the dampness confirming his suspicions. They pulled away from each other, and Minhyuk is pretty sure he released a gasp and flinched harder than he has ever done. 

The white outfit was stained red, Hyungwon's right arm sleeve slowly being consumed by the liquid dripping off the palpable injury. It's not supposed to be this way. The only time white and red could meddle together is in Hyungwon's cake and Hyungwon's lips. 

"Y-you're injured!" Minhyuk shouted, scampering to take Hyungwon away from the path walk and into a nearby bench. Hyungwon remained silent, his uninjured palm covering the laceration on his right arm. "I- Let's go to a doctor! You're bleeding too much!" 

Hyungwon shook his head, smiling despite the pain bursting on his shoulder. "I'm okay." He assured.

"How can you be okay?! You're fucking bleeding, Won! Oh god, you might need immediate medical treatment!" The brunette cried, almost in hysterics. Hyungwon sighed, grabbing Minhyuk's hand when he attempted to call, shaking his head once more with a smile. "It's okay. I'll just get this treated at home. Take care, okay? See you."

When Hyungwon attempted to stand, Minhyuk placed his hands on the free shoulder, eyes glaring in seriousness. "Hey! Do you think I'll let you walk home like this?! Why did you even do that?! Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the kids, if you don't want to go to the clinic just go with me. Kihyun has first-aid knowledge."

"Min, it's really o-"

"Please?" Minhyuk pleaded, biting his lip in worry as he looks back at the red hue still crawling down the white sleeve, some of the blood also splattered on the young lad's pure white headphones and locks. He knelt down on the ground, cradling Hyungwon's arm with a concerned expression, looking at Hyungwon with utmost sincerity. "Just, please, let me help you."

Pursing his lips, Hyungwon only nodded, letting himself get pulled in the direction of the brunette's apartment. 

In record time, Minhyuk reached his apartment, frequently sparing worried glances on the injury the white-haired was tending silently. He was still shaken from what happened, the experience not fully comprehended, yet his mind decided it was not important. What's more vital is to get Hyungwon's injury proper treatment.

With no words spoken, Minhyuk hastily opened the door, their shoes left on the anteroom before they threaded to the living room, Hyungwon's steps slower than Minhyuk's. The door slammed in his haste, Kihyun jumping in surprise from the kitchen, turning around with an intent to scold the older until he froze upon seeing his companion.

"H-he is real." Kihyun can't help but comment. To be honest, he thought Minhyuk was just hallucinating him, yet he doesn't have the heart to burst the bubble of the older. For a white-haired man frequently dressed in white, seemingly glowing under the sun's illumination, and whose beauty is like that of aphrodite's son, he is sure that man should be the talk of the streets right now - yet they never heard about him apart from Minhyuk.

But now that the enigmatic and elusive man who fits all the aforementioned descriptions is standing in their apartment, Kihyun would like to apologize for thinking Minhyuk is going insane or being fetched by the pearly gates of heaven. The man is immensely beautiful, and he could have marinated on that fact if not for the out-of-place, eye-catching red stain on the tall man's arm.

"Yes," Minhyuk replied, offering a seat to the white-haired lad after getting towels to help with the bleeding. "And he is injured because of me. Can you help us, Ki? Please?"

Kihyun woke up from his stupor, nodding wordlessly. He took the first-aid kit from a cabinet, taking a seat next to the white-haired man. "We probably need to cut your sleeve. Is it okay?"

Hyungwon's and Kihyun's eyes met, and it almost made the pink-haired freeze if not for the nod from the other party, Hyungwon quickly cast his eyes down to where the red stain has reached his forearm. Grabbing a pair of scissors, Kihyun cut through the seam of the right sleeve, leaving the young man's arm exposed.

The two roommates winced at the sight of the laceration. It's not too deep that it would need stitches, but it's still deep enough to bleed a lot. Kihyun cleaned up the wound carefully, the white-haired man not making a word yet still scrunching his face when the antiseptic stings. Throughout the whole ordeal, Minhyuk was on Hyungwon's other side, holding his hand. Whether it's for Hyungwon or him, no one could really tell.

When the bandages are finally wrapped, the two sighed in relief, Hyungwon smiling gratefully for the help. "How did this happen?" Kihyun asked as he tidies up, placing the bloody cotton balls in a separate bag. Minhyuk and Hyungwon looked at each other, waiting for someone to tell the story.

"I was walking back home and before I knew it, he pushed me off a falling vase's path." Minhyuk offered, also lost on what happened.

Kihyun's eyes widened, alternating gazes between the two. "Jesus, how in the world? You're lucky Hyungwon was there!" He cried. "Thank you, Hyungwon-ah," Kihyun added, offering a hand to which Hyungwon accepted with his free one. Minhyuk almost retorted, but he was lost for words.

Then it dawned on him. There's no plausible explanation for Hyungwon to be there at all. It was a place quite far from their usual spot near Han River yet somehow, Hyungwon magically appeared just right on time when the vase was about to hit him. Heck, he didn't even hear or feel any impending harm but Hyungwon somehow managed to save and leave him unscathed?

Minhyuk quickly glanced at the white-haired lad, brows furrowing in confusion. Hyungwon just remained looking down his hands, free palm patting the bandage Kihyun have wrapped around his injury. When he followed Hyungwon's line of sight, he was met by a tattoo on the young man's wrist and forearm.

It was a single feather inked black on fair skin, sitting beautifully right on Hyungwon's arm. Minhyuk wanted to ask, but no words escaped his lips up until Kihyun went back to the living room again. "I made some extra food. Join us for our dinner, Hyungwon-ah. It would be better for you to rest too before going back home."

Hyungwon only smiled, thanking the two quietly.

Inside Minhyuk's head, thousands of questions slowly formed, query after query appearing with the tick of the clock.

"Oh, so he is real?" Wonho asked after their beverages had been placed on their table. It's a little bit in the afternoon, the six friends are all gathered in a nearby coffee shop they frequent to. Kihyun took a sip while nodding. "He is. You could just imagine my shock when Minhyuk brought him home."

Minhyuk snickered from where he is sitting next to Jooheon, sticking his tongue out at his roommate to tease him back. "I told you he is real and not some hallucination or a ghost. I'm not going crazy!"

Shownu smiled as he watches his boyfriend pout, amused at the dynamics of the two friends. Jooheon could only sigh, taking a bite of the snacks they ordered as well. "So how was this Hyungwon guy?" The younger asked.

"Just like how Min described him. It's really odd that we haven't seen him around nor heard him from other people considering how outstanding and striking his whole look is. If I weren't so shocked by the blood I'll also think I'm seeing a ghost standing at our doorstep." The pink-haired explained, to which Minhyuk halted his munching, another thought crossing his mind.

Of all the times Minhyuk saw Hyungwon, it's the first time a different color meddled in his palette, like a painting being stained by a hue out of the set he was using. It's riveting, to say the least, that he totally forgot he almost died that same time if not for the appearance of his white-haired enigmatic friend. 

The conversation and snacking continued in their circle, with the older guys asking the students about their studies and such. "I'm hiring new people to take shifts because I already told you I don't want you to work at wee hours! You need time to study or enjoy! I'm even contemplating lessening Minhyuk's hours but you are all so stubborn." Lee Hoseok, or Wonho as everyone knows him by, complained. He owns the convenience store the three of them are working in, the saving grace of them as what they call him.

It's not a secret that Minhyuk's, Changkyun's and Jooheon's lives are not as fortunate as the other three. Heck, even Hoseok didn't start off well yet he managed to go through and get to live a lavish life because of hard work and perseverance whereas Kihyun and Shownu are somewhat the same but have more chances and opportunities on their plate. For the three of them, however, they were all not that blessed.

"I don't like going out, hyung. I also like my time of shift because there are not a lot of people. If you lay me off a bit I'll just probably lock myself up in Jooheon-hyung and I's apartment." Changkyun, the youngest in their group, reasoned out. He ran away from his family because he didn't like the idea of leaving Korea. As a result, he was not being supported by his parents anymore, and all ties were cut between them. He met Jooheon when the older found him living on the school premises, offering his small apartment as roommates.

Jooheon nodded in agreement, thinking the same thing. He is the breadwinner of the family, working his ass off since he was thirteen. Wonho gave him a job to prevent him from taking more than what his body could take, hence the three of them alternating shifts in the convenience store. "Kyun and I have free times of our own. It's enjoyable, hyungie. Don't worry about us."

"And you, Hyuk?" Wonho asked, looking so exasperated already with how no one is listening to him. On the sidelines, Kihyun and Shownu seem to agree with the older's proposition, though they don't want to meddle and just want to respect everyone's decisions. "I'm fine with my shift, hyung."

"But don't you want to take up the scholarship being offered to you? That one veteran artist's proposal is open." Kihyun finally said, bringing up the hot potato topic. Minhyuk only took a sip of his drink, shrugging. "I don't know. I'll think about it."

Sighing in defeat, Wonho laid the conversation off, all six of them going back to having random conversations and making plans for their next break. As they were all busy finishing the dessert, Minhyuk heard a strange ringing in his ear. He placed his cup down to attend to the peculiar bells resonating somewhere only to look out at the glass walls of the coffee shop.

Walking on the paved sidewalk near the coffee shop was the familiar white hair and all-white regalia. Hyungwon still has his headphones on, glowing and standing out among the commoners. Minhyuk still finds it fascinating and strange how Hyungwon's visuals can still shock him and make him freeze and stare but here he is, looking outside as if he was a deer caught in headlights.

But he wasn't alone. All five of his friends followed his line of sight, their eyes widening in shock, some even gasping, at the glimmering man under the sunlight walking like the world is his runway. Hyungwon's features compared to the other passersby are ridiculously eyecatching, you'll have to take triple turns just to etch in your brain that you're not hallucinating.

"Is that-" Changkyun started, only to gulp the lodge in his throat whilst Kihyun bobs his head to confirm the suspicions. "That's Minhyuk's friend."

With everyone preoccupied, Minhyuk's feet moved on autopilot, dashing outside leaving his flabbergasted friends still staring, running towards the white-haired son of aphrodite to grab his arm and halt him from crossing the road.

Hyungwon only turned around, blinking slightly before his lips quirked up in a beautiful smile. "Min." The young man said eliciting a slight twinge in Minhyuk's chest like it always does when his name is being called by him. "Do you need anything?"

Pursing his lip, Minhyuk shook his head and squeezed Hyungwon's hand tighter, inhaling deeply to let the adrenaline simmer down. He could still feel his friends looking out to where they are, possibly waiting for a development in the interaction. In all honesty, Minhyuk didn't know why he ran and stopped the man unprovoked, but he just- "Do you have time to join us inside the cafe for some coffee and cake? I want to introduce you to my friends."

"Oh," Hyungwon replied, eyes lowering in uncertainty. "Min, I- it's really okay. I don't want to intrude."

"Won-ah, I told you, didn't I? You have me now too and I just, they really want to meet you and I want to treat you to some coffee and drinks. It's the least I could offer as thank you for saving my life last time." Minhyuk murmured, glancing at Hyungwon with a hopeful expression. "Just for one cake. You can leave after that."

The white-haired man sighed in defeat, smiling softly like he usually does before nodding his head in agreement, allowing the brunette to pull him towards the entrance of the coffee shop merrily.

That's how Hyungwon found himself seated awkwardly at the same table as Minhyuk's friends, the said friends trying their best to avoid staring at the new addition to their group, which is definitely a hard feat with how outstanding and surreal his visuals are. It's a mystery how the others in the coffee shop aren't looking at him as well.

"Let me introduce you guys to my friend, Chae Hyungwon. Hyungwon, these are my friends Wonho-hyung, Shownu-hyung, Changkyun, and Jooheon. You also already met Kihyun." Minhyuk started, breaking off the stifling atmosphere brewing within their circle. Hyungwon smiled nervously, bowing his head to which the others gratefully reciprocated. 

An exchange of nice to meet you's and whatnots, the group finally settled into one comfortable situation. Every now and then, Hyungwon will be joining in, either by laughing at the dynamics and antics of the group or by answering questions thrown at him. It's a good thing most of the group have their way with words and include people in conversations, not letting Hyungwon feel left out.

"So Hyungwon-ah, where do you live here? I haven't seen you around much, perhaps you just transferred?" Wonho started kindly, letting Hyungwon finish his cake as they all wait patiently. "Shownu is a police officer here and I don't think he mentioned you too before."

Hyunwoo nods in agreement. "I haven't. Though I'm not involved in patrolling that much ever since I've been transferred to another division so it's highly likely that we never crossed paths."

"I just got here, more than two months ago. I actually live away from here but the scenery is much better in this place so I take time to visit." Hyungwon replied before taking a sip of his beverage, eyes brightening up a bit from the taste of the drink, delight palpable on his face. It almost made the others coo, seeing how adorable and quite childlike the tall man was despite his age and height. 

Soon, everyone had to bid goodbye to attend to their matters. "I'm going with Hyunwoo-hyung. Do you want to join us?" Kihyun asked both Minhyuk and Hyungwon as they stand on the sidewalk. Jooheon, Changkyun, and Wonho already left in the eldest's car, talking about looking for better apartments for the students and fixing classes.

Hyungwon shook his head, still smiling softly. "I'll just walk home. Thank you so much for inviting me again. It was really fun." He said before bowing, walking away afterward while slinging his headphones back in his ears.

Minhyuk, Kihyun, and Shownu looked at one another in confusion, the brunette sighing and ruffling his hair in frustration. "I-I'm not going to join you guys! I'll see you later back home Ki! Drive safe!" Minhyuk said, immediately fleeing from the scene leaving Kihyun and Shownu both dumbfounded.

It was near the Han River where Minhyuk managed to find Hyungwon again. God, how can this man walk so fast?! He was panting heavily that it made the young man in white turn around, halfway into stepping down to the grassy land. "Min?" 

"Jesus, what are you? How can you walk that fast we literally just left you for like a second or two!" Minhyu cried, still breathing heavily, placing his hands on Hyungwon's shoulder who only giggled in amusement. "Why did you follow me? Aren't you supposed to be going home with Kihyun-ssi?"

"Well, I-" Minhyuk paused, their eyes meeting as he tries to think of any reason. He really doesn't know. "I just want to spend more time with you."

Hyungwon cocked his head to the side in confusion before chuckling, the crinkles on his lids and his lips releasing the soft giggle making Minhyuk smile as well. Hyungwon looks even more beautiful happy. "That's so weird of you. But-

Thank you, Min. I really appreciate everything." Hyungwon said in a genuine tone. "I've never hanged out like that and your friends are so nice. Thank you, for making me experience that."

There is it again, the twinge in Minhyuk's chest at Hyungwon's statement. Even if the other said he isn't lonely, his words tend to say otherwise. Minhyuk wanted to ask, he wanted answers, he wanted to be enlightened, but he knows he is in no position to do that, not when he and Hyungwon's relationship are threading the lines of non-clarity. Gulping, Minhyuk just gave in to the urge, putting the taller man in an embrace that made him jolt a bit.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Hyungwon asked.

Minhyuk pursed his lips and sighed. "It's called a hug, Hyungwon-ah. I'm hugging you."

"A hug?" The white-haired quipped, still unsure on what to do with his arms. He felt Minhyuk squeeze him tighter. It's supposed to activate his fight or flight response but somehow, it made him feel secure, almost as if he is safe and liked. "What is it for?"

"Seriously? You've never had a hug before?!" Minhyuk cried in shock, pulling from the young man to look at him in disbelief. "Hyungwon-ah." He whispered, only to be caught more off guard at the sight of the other's face. 

"Why are you crying?"

Hyungwon sniffled, hand reaching for his face, his fingertips feeling the dampness touching his cheeks. He didn't realize that he was shedding tears, the emotions swirling inside his chest becoming too much, it almost felt - numbing. 

In front of him, his companion was looking frantic, befuddled by the sudden onslaught of tears coming from the other. "Wonnie-ah. Is there anything wrong? Are you hurt? Hey, you're really scaring me right now. Does your injury feel painful again?"

Shaking his head, Hyungwon wiped the tears away from his eyes. Even when crying, Hyungwon looked so elegant. Minhyuk's brain unhelpfully supplied. 

There was a breathy chuckle followed by another sniffle, Hyungwon's eyes becoming tear-stricken. "I don't know what this feeling is, Min. It's kind of scaring me."

Then it hit him. Minhyuk's eyes widened in realization, his body moving quickly to engulf the other in another tight hug, cradling him like a kid despite their position on the sidewalk. Hyungwon buried his face on Minhyuk's shoulder, finally letting the bottled-up emotions flow out like the Han River nearby. 

Minhyuk's palms rubbed circles on Hyungwon's back in an attempt to calm him down. The young man was slightly trembling in the brunette's arm, pinching Minhyuk's heart in a painful way. The reaction was odd and unexpected, and Minhyuk thinks that these emotions are foreign to the white-haired man. And that is definitely peculiar. 

For someone to not know what a hug is, Minhyuk just can't imagine how Hyungwon's life really is behind this facade.

They remained in an embrace until night has fallen too deep. Hyungwon released Minhyuk from the hold, the white-haired man glancing at his arms as if he was uncertain about what he had just done. While Minhyuk embraces him, Hyungwon's arms slowly found their way around his waist, reciprocating the hug albeit a little bit awkward. But still, it's a step, a step that Minhyuk would love to help Hyungwon take more

And more

And more.

"How are you feeling?" Minhyuk smiled, patiently caressing Hyungwon's head, the white locks gliding nicely between his fingers. 

Hyungwon's eyes widened fractionally before his expression settled to one of serenity. His eyes are puffy, tear tracks still staining his cheeks even though he tried so hard to erase them. Nevertheless, Hyungwon chuckled, sniffling a bit as well in reply. "I don't know, Min. I don't know.

But thank you." He whispered, holding Minhyuk's hands while staring back at the brunette's beautiful orbs. If Hyungwon's eyes are like skies with the stars, Minhyuk's are like the seas calling out to him, singing a song that could lure him to plunge into those deep waters that are calming and comforting.

Like a whale whose song will lead you through your voyage in the oceans of uncertainties...

"Thank you for what?"

"For teaching me how to feel this way, for allowing me to feel this way," for helping me see beyond the horizon that I'm keeping myself in. Hyungwon's voice broke at the last sentence, his eyes watering again that it made him feel so pathetic. 

Yet Minhyuk never looked at him with judgmental eyes. Instead, he was pulled again in a hug, the older giggling softly out of amusement and affection. "I got you, Hyungwon-ah. Thank you too, for letting me relive these emotions I thought I already forgot."

Under the night sky where people seem to come and go, a soul who seems to hold the universe in his eyes met another soul who bears the beauty of the seas in his life.

The clock started spinning again, but this time, its hands seem to have found a new direction.

After that scene, Hyungwon and Minhyuk still continued to hang out. There are still the usual shifts at the convenience store, the 4:30 purchases of strawberry shortcakes, and the rendezvous near Han river - yet somehow things have changed as well. 

Hyungwon has become part of their small group, the others growing fond of the white-haired man who is very childlike most of the time. They never pointed out how Hyungwon seems to not know some basic stuff but they never judged him too, patiently teaching him things the same way Minhyuk taught him the so-called "hug".

And amidst all things, the two frequently went on what their friends call "dates that are not dates at least for the two people involved". Ever since Minhyuk's friends met Hyungwon and finally saw their dynamics, the teasing became profound. On any other day, the brunette would have already performed WWE smackdown moves on his friends but this time though, Minhyuk can overlook these things with how his friends treat Hyungwon like he is part of their group - non-judging, non-imposing, just letting him experience things that surprisingly haven't been experienced by the white-haired man.

Hyungwon, undeniably, had been a constant part of Minhyuk's life - and he isn't complaining. 

*-*-*-*-*

"I can't believe you haven't tried the milk tea here?! It's one of the best you'll ever taste in your life, Hyungwon-ah! I guarantee you." Minhyuk said, the two sitting down on their usual spot overlooking the Han River.

Minhyuk brought a wide array of food he wanted to introduce to the white-haired man, Hyungwon just staring at what he is being handed in an innocent manner. Along with the food is the cake from the convenience store, the brunette respectfully not leaving it out despite his goal to feed Hyungwon the staples of the place while not going overboard with the budget.

Patiently, Minhyuk punched the straw through the plastic, handing it to Hyungwon and anticipating his reaction as he takes a sip. As if his face isn't glowing enough, Hyungwon lightened up in shock and please at the taste, taking another sip happily with a big smile. "Woah, this is awesome!" Hyungwon said, earning an affectionate chuckle from his companion. "I know right! It's one of the things you need to try before you die." He replied, drinking his own beverage too.

They shared the cake like always do, Hyungwon now developed a habit of dividing the cake for them to feast on. As they continue to go through their food, Minhyuk can't help but watch Hyungwon munch on the snacks like a child. Sometimes, he had to remind himself that Hyungwon is in fact, the same age as him at most.

It's difficult to remember when Hyungwon is so innocent and oblivious to a lot of things. Minhyuk had a lot of questions in mind, about the identity of the enigmatic man, about his personality, about his preferences, but every time he is with him making it the perfect opportunity, he just forgets everything. The moment is so precious and serene that his mind doesn't want to ruin it.

Minhyuk continued to watch Hyungwon, the white-haired man taking another bite of his cake, leaving a white frosting on his strawberry-colored lips. Unconsciously, the brunette reached out, wiping the cake remnants with his own thumb, hand gently touching Hyungwon's chin.

"Hm?" Hyungwon hummed, breaking Minhyuk's trance that the brunette quickly retracted his fingers in embarrassment, feeling the heat rising up to his face while his heart beats loudly inside his ribcage wanting to escape. 

Hyungwon stared before softly giggling, leaning his head on Minhyuk's shoulder playfully. "You're so caring. Thank you." He murmured, both of them watching the sun set while people come and go.

*-*-*-*-*

"You look tired," Hyungwon mentioned, watching the store cashier plop down on the empty spot next to the white-haired man with a huff and a sigh. The brunette didn't utter a word, just nudging his head on the broad shoulder of his companion, eyes closing in palpable exhaustion.

He just had a long day in the store, covering Changkyun's shift as the younger gets ready for his finals. Furthermore, the veteran artist reached out to him again talking about the offer that he hasn't decided on yet. He is exhausted, and that seems to be an understatement.

Fortunately, Hyungwon didn't say anything anymore. Instead, he gently pulled Minhyuk to his lap, resting the brunette's head on his folded legs. Peering through his lashes and brown locks, Minhyuk vaguely saw a serene look on Hyungwon's face, the fingers of the white-haired man carding through his hair in a very comforting manner, so comforting that it slowly lulls him to sleep, forcing his lids to close again.

Somewhere along the lines of consciousness and unconsciousness, Minhyuk vaguely remembers a brief moment of him waking up to a melodious humming coming from above. He remembers Hyungwon's blurry image, the familiar white headphones placed on his ears, his lips upturned as he sings along with the music probably playing in his ears.

It's beyond beautiful, Minhyuk can't help but become more mesmerized. Hyungwon's voice, even in just that brief moment, was something Minhyuk would love to hear over and over again. It's simple, yet it's sweet and evokes something inside the brunette, like myriads of emotions that can't be contained in just one single entity.

Like the song of the whale guiding you through your new journey...

"Evergreen trees

Temperatures always at 73°

Alone and I'm happy

Never offended, so independent

If I could leave, I know

It's just the place I'd go"

There was something that hit his cheek, gliding down his skin - and Minhyuk wanted to reach out, to wipe away the tears, but his eyes slowly closed, succumbing to oblivion.

*-*-*-*-*

Changkyun smiled mischievously, watching Minhyuk stare at the clock as it ticks by closer and closer to 4:30 - the brunette's holy time. With how frequent [and frequent is such an understatement] Minhyuk and Hyungwon meet up, Changkyun and Jooheon are already used to the older's antics.

"Hyung, if you're that excited to go, just go. I'll take over the remaining minutes while Jooheon-hyung isn't here yet. I'm free anyway." The young student said, tapping the counter to wake Minhyuk up from his trance.

Embarrassed, Minhyuk cleared his throat, pretending not to be caught off guard. "I'm not excited. I'm just waiting for my shift to end."

The younger just chuckled, tossing the strawberry shortcake from the opened cooling stand to the older on the counter before getting one for himself too. "Just go. The flowers are pretty today around Han River. I'm sure you'll have a great date there. I saw ice cream stands and cold drinks being sold there too."

"We're not dating!"

"I didn't even say a name you know." Changkyun teased, elated, and victorious to find the red hue forming on Minhyuk's cheeks. "Just go. This is my treat because I support your love life but you owe me." He cheekily urged, now taking a sip of the banana milk he grabbed from the same fridge.

Sighing in defeat, Minhyuk jumped over the counter, ruffling Changkyun's hair as retaliation before running out, thanking the student loudly as he skips around town to find Hyungwon. It didn't take long for him to find the said man, but the scene was too beautiful to interrupt. 

Hyungwon was seated on their usual spot yet this time, he isn't alone. A small kid was plopped on the ground next to him wearing a white dress, hair tied in neat pigtails, flowers on her lap, and fingers as she niftily makes a flower crown with Hyungwon's assistance.

The white-haired man has a soft smile on his face, gently holding a part of the crown as support while also handing her flowers. They craftily made a dainty flower crown, Hyungwon having the honors to place it on top of the young lady's head, making her look like a fairy princess. Minhyuk smiled as the two giggled, contented in just watching as he leans on a nearby tree.

They started making a second one, the child being the support this time as she helps Hyungwon make his own version. The white-haired man looked serious while working, focused on doing a great job which elicited a laugh from Minhyuk. Soon enough, they made another crown, albeit a little crooked, still a pretty one that found its place on top of the pristine white locks.

God, that made Hyungwon look even more like a deity.

"Ah, Min," Hyungwon called, blinking in surprise and somewhat shyness as he waves at Minhyuk. The brunette walked towards them, greeting the child with enthusiasm to which the lady returned. She stayed for a bit before running back to where her family was, waving a final goodbye to the two men.

"You should have said something if you've been standing there for so long," Hyungwon uttered with an adorable pout. Minhyuk chuckled, handing the cake to Hyungwon while his eyes still admire the beauty of the man next to him, looking like a god of bounty and harvest with his hair decorated with colorful flowers.

Huh, Changkyun was right, the flowers are blooming wonderfully - but the most beautiful flora is seated next to him.

"Both of you are so cute I can't help but watch." He admitted. "You did a great job with that crown."

Hyungwon whined, scrunching his nose to hide his embarrassment. "Stop it. I'm not cute."

Yeah, you're not cute, you're ethereal - stop it Minhyuk's brain. Stop thirsting over your friend.

With Hyungwon busy poking the cake container, Minhyuk gave in to the urge to touch the flowers perched on Hyungwon's head, gliding his fingers through his hair until it reaches the colorful flora. When Hyungwon didn't say anything, Minhyuk continued to stroke the soft locks, surprised and in awe at how smooth and flowy the white hair was. 

"Min."

"Won." He whispered back, both of their eyes meeting as they glance at each other. The breeze blew, flower petals flying around them that it made the atmosphere more serene. 

Without further words, Hyungwon reached for Minhyuk's hand, holding it gently in his, their fingers intertwining unconsciously. They didn't speak, letting the place calm them down despite the obvious loud beating in their chests. Throughout, even when they decided to stare at the sunset like they always do, their hands are clasped together,

Not wanting to let go.

Hyungwon, undeniably, had been a constant part of Minhyuk's life - and again, he isn't complaining. 

They're near Han River again, the strawberry shortcake and cups of iced coffee next to them. Minhyuk was sketching on his drawing pad, seemingly unaware of the way Hyungwon was staring at him and his work. "You like whales?" The white-haired can't help but ask, watching the pencil strokes on the sheet creating a beautiful image of the massive sea creature.

Minhyuk nodded, scooting closer for the other to see his work better. "They're mesmerizing, an amazing creature that scours the deep waters, venturing on a voyage of their own. Did you know that they have distinct sounds? They're said to be perfect for relaxation, and people associate them with the tranquillity of the ocean." He explains while the other curiously listens. "I find it like a song that will me lead anywhere I want to go, especially to paradise."

"That's poetic," Hyungwon commented, both of them chuckling as Minhyuk slaps his shoulder playfully. "But I like it. It's befitting." The white-haired man added.

As Minhyuk continues to sketch, his eyes wandered back to Hyungwon, their orbs meeting at an unplanned glance. There it is again, the constellations dancing in the deep dark eyes of the taller man, looking at Minhyuk like it wants to devour him and bring him to see the universe as a whole. 

Whilst all Hyungwon can see is the deep recesses of the oceans, calmly pulling him down until he is submerged in waters, yet it's not frightening but rather it's calming and comforting like all his worries are being washed away.

Before he even knew it, his hand moved to sketch, combining the galaxies with the seas as a whale emerges, bringing him to a new sense of euphoria he didn't know even existed. Hyungwon's eyes are like the heavens waiting for Minhyuk, inviting him to cross the pearly gates, and it doesn't help that Hyungwon looks like he came from that same place.

"Min?"

The brunette didn't even have the chance to reply when the wind blew harder than usual, the drawing on Minhyuk's lap flowing with it. He tried to reach for the paper, his fingers almost missing it by an inch but as he grabs the paper, he lost his balance, toppling over and crashing into his companion's body, both of them falling to the grassy land. 

When Minhyuk opened his eyes, he was met by Hyungwon's shocked orbs, the white-haired man underneath and cushioning him, their faces a small distance apart they could hear and feel each other's breath, lips a few millimeters away from touching. Hyungwon's arms are wrapped around Minhyuk's unconsciously whilst Minhyuk's has one hand right next to Hyungwon's head, holding the piece of paper while his other lies next to the other side, unmoving.

Hyungwon, no matter how many times he sees him, is immensely beautiful and captivating - and the young man is even more mesmerizing now that he's right underneath him, so close and within reach. The proximity kind of scared Minhyuk, afraid that Hyungwon would hear his heart beating loudly. 

It's a cliche scene, like fresh out of a romantic movie, but Minhyuk can't help but fall more - pun intended.

They remained in that position, both looking at each other like they were the only people in the world. Swallowing heavily, Minhyuk pursed his lips, letting his free hand move to touch Hyungwon's cheek. They found themselves inching forward, lips almost touching, only for Hyungwon to roll them both over down the slope as a rock flew almost hitting them dangerously.

Scampering, both of them looked at the rock that was now on their previous spot. It's not tiny, in fact, it's kind of large that it could cause great damage if not for Hyungwon's fast reflexes. That ruined the whole mood, Minhyuk clutching his chest as he breathes heavily in shock and horror. 

"What the f*ck-"

Hyungwon's eyes were wide as well before they narrowed down, the taller man standing up to help Minhyuk from the ground. "I think it's best for you to go home now, Min. It's getting late." He said, almost too deadpanned that Minhyuk didn't even have the chance to argue. "Keep safe, Min." He murmured with a soft smile, before walking away, leaving Minhyuk in utter confusion and terror.

For the nth time that day, a sigh escaped Minhyuk's lips.

"I can't believe the elusive, enigmatic Chae Hyungwon is that pretty. Like, I know you emphasized it but damn, that's way beyond what I expected. I'm pretty sure he should have been scouted plenty of times right now and should be walking down the catwalk." Kihyun said, his roommate oddly idling in the convenience store while waiting for Shownu who got a call that time for a case. Minhyuk didn't answer, just staring solemnly at the clock with a frown.

After the rock incident, Hyungwon began to avoid him. Minhyuk tried to find him, still going at the sloped grassland next to Han River bringing the strawberry shortcake from the store only for the night to fall without any sighting of the white-haired man. Now inside their fridge in the apartment, Minhyuk and Kihyun have a week's worth of cake.

"Is he still not showing up to meet you?" Kihyun asked, looking concerned and empathizing with his friend. Minhyuk shook his head, sighing as 4:30 ticked loud. He should be leaving, but he doesn't want to get disappointed again. "I haven't seen him, and I asked some people around and they said they don't know him."

The orange-haired patted the back of the brunette. "Maybe something came up that he just forgot to tell you. Don't you know anything else where he could be?"

Minhyuk shook his head again, pouting. "That's the thing, I don't know anything about him. I thought I did I mean, we've been seeing each other for like three months now, yet I just now realized how little I know. In fact, I don't even know his birthday, his age, or where in the area he lives."

The place became silent, sans the running air conditioner. Kihyun watched Minhyuk bury his head back to the counter, tousling his hair in frustration. "You're losing your mind over someone you met randomly. That's a first. Tell me,

Do you like him?"

Turning to meet Kihyun's serious face, Minhyuk whined. It's not that he hasn't thought about that possibility. In fact, Minhyuk started thinking about it ever since the hug. He had been in relationships, but he never had a serious one. He almost believed that he would die alone, married to his craft and job, but then the enigmatic, white-haired man sporting an all-white regalia with white headphones on that people can't seem to see the majesty of just came in like a bulldozer making Minhyuk flustered like never before. Minhyuk believes Hyungwon holds the record of making him speechless and dazed.

"I shouldn't be. We didn't even talk about anything!" Minhyuk cried. "But I- I think- 

I think I like him." He finally admitted, not knowing what to feel anymore. He faced Kihyun, grabbing his wide-eyed friend in desperation. "Oh god, Ki! I'm going insane, aren't I?! This isn't normal, right?! Fck I-"

The brunette halted his words, random bells ringing in his ears prompting him to look out through the glass walls of the store just in time to catch a glimpse of a passing glowing white figure, the tall stature and glimmering skin under the illumination of the sun unmistakably belonging to the person Minhyuk longs to see.

It felt like deja vu - but Minhyuk needs answers.

"Minhyuk-ah."

"I'm going crazy Kihyun." He whispered, screaming at the top of his lungs that it startled the few customers inside the store. Kihyun reached out to comfort his friend only to watch him disappear by the door, leaving the store to the surprised younger. "I'm sorry Kihyun-ah!" Minhyuk's voice faded as he left the scene on quick feet.

Scratching his head, Kihyun sighed, apologizing immediately to the people in the store puzzled by the scene.

Minhyuk ran, wading through people like he is swimming in rough seas. In his mind, Hyungwon couldn't have gone too far. They just barely missed each other by at most a minute! How could one man stride that fast that Minhyuk's rushed steps won't reach him?

He got to the perimeter of Han River with no Hyungwon in sight, disappointment creeping inside his chest like a vine twisting his heart painfully as he pants on the sidewalk, attempting to catch his breath from running. God, he wanted to cry, in frustration, disbelief, or hopelessness? He really doesn't know. He can just tell the impending tears prickling his eyes, well, until a familiar figure appeared right in front of him, walking aimlessly.

Biting his lip with newfound anger, Minhyuk ran again and grabbed the wrist of the taller man, forcing Hyungwon to look at him, the white-haired man's eyes widened in shock. "Min-"

"Don't call me in that tone!" Minhyuk screamed, brows furrowed as all the emotions amalgamated, threatening to explode right there and then. "Why are you avoiding me?! You could have said a word, you know, instead of ghosting me and making a fool out of me looking for you everywhere! What the fuck Chae Hyungwon?! Do you even know what I feel right now?!"

Hyungwon bit his lip, eyes trained on Minhyuk's pained ones, feeling the brunette's hand tremble while holding him in pent-up emotions. He didn't utter a word knowing he shouldn't give any excuses. It doesn't help that it also hurts him to see Minhyuk like this, yet he knows he is in no position to complain about a situation he made.

"Won-ah, am I nothing to you?" 

The brunette's voice breaking also made Hyungwon's heart shatter inside him, yet all he could do was let Minhyuk's fist pound on his chest. "You can't be f*cking abandoning me like this, Won. Just like everyone else! You can't be f*cking leaving without any explanations and expect me not to feel anything or seek for answers! Especially not when-

Not when I already fell for you."

Hyungwon's fingers palpably shook at Minhyuk's confession, eyes wavering as he moves away, removing Minhyuk's grip that just made the pain in both of their hearts worse. Minhyuk looked betrayed, lips caught between his teeth while trying his best to keep the impending tears at bay whilst Hyungwon doesn't look better either, still looking like he saw a ghost at what he just heard.

"SAY SOMETHING ASSHOLE!" Minhyuk screamed when Hyungwon remained unresponsive. "Say something. Don't leave me hanging. Just explain to me, I won't force you to stay or reciprocate my feelings when you-

"I like you," Hyungwon whispered, seemingly troubled as he runs his fingers through his hair. He can already feel the tears prickling the corners of his eyes, his body shaking in an unknown immense emotion he never felt before. He is- scared, scared of hurting the person he grew to cherish the most; but he is also afraid to make a wrong move, to ruin everything. "I like you, Min, I like you so much it has started to scare me."

Scoffing, Minhyuk released another pained sigh, looking at Hyungwon in disbelief as he lets his tears finally flow down. "I don't understand you. If you like me, then why the fuck did you run away from me? Why are you hiding from me? Why didn't you say anything?!"

"BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID, MIN!" Hyungwon screamed back, shocking the other who never heard the white-haired like this. Hyungwon had been closed off, always conservative, and never the type of person to show feelings intensely and aggressively. This made Minhyuk wince, fearing that he crossed a line he shouldn't have, but Hyungwon's voice softened, tears flowing down his eyes making him look like a kid doing futile attempts to hide them with his fists.

"Because I can't have these feelings for you." He whimpered. "I like you so much I was so afraid that I won't be able to stop myself anymore. I can't like you like this." He repeated, baring his emotions for Minhyuk to witness and feel too. 

"Why?" Minhyuk asked, still confused at the situation they were brought in. "Just fucking explain everything to me! You're not making any sense!"

"I JUST CAN'T!" Hyungwon cried. "You won't be able to understand."

The brunette grabbed Hyungwon's arms, shaking him pleadingly, forcing their watery eyes to meet at a glance. "Then make me understand, Hyungwon. If we like each other, why can't we just like each other and make it exist? For god's sake make me understand. I'm losing my mind Hyungwon-ah. 

Why can't our feelings be enough?"

Hyungwon hiccupped, shaking his head while Minhyuk's grip on his arms tightened. It's the only thing grounding him to reality, the pain inside his chest incredible he can't fathom it even more. "Min, I'm scared. I can't. I can't." He sobbed.

That prompted the brunette to pull him into a hug, Hyungwon pouring his heart out on Minhyuk's shoulder. Minhyuk, oh so lovely and wonderful Minhyuk, the man whose life is filled with adventures, the same man that taught Hyungwon emotions-

Lee Minhyuk, the man Hyungwon grew to cherish the most, the man he is most afraid to hurt, just embraced him like he hasn't wronged him, the warmth making him feel a bit of bliss in the agony he can't even explain. He doesn't deserve the hug, but god it feels so wonderful.

"Make me understand, Wonnie-ah. I'll listen. I'll try to understand." Minhyuk whispered back, patting Hyungwon's back as he continues to sniffle.

Hyungwon shook his head again, trembling inside the embrace as tears continuously pour down his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to watch you get hurt just because I chose to be selfish. Minhyuk I can't. It's so scary. I'm afraid Min. I'm so afraid."

Pushing Hyungwon lightly, Minhyuk's palms found their way to Hyungwon's damp cheeks, his thumb caressing the white-haired's flushed skin, smiling at him softly. "I'm not going to get hurt. When did I ever get hurt when I'm with you? Don't you see it? You're the one who is getting hurt for saving me all the time." He uttered with pure, genuine affection and care, understanding orbs planted on Hyungwon's muddled galaxy eyes. "I'm here, Won. I'm here now. There's no reason for you to be alone."

You don't understand. You won't understand. Hyungwon wanted to scream at him, but all he could do was cling to Minhyuk's arm, feeling the fingers caress his cheek lovingly. Soon enough, he felt Minhyuk's lips press lightly on his forehead, helping the fear subside and dissipate like a miracle - like the oceans washing away his tears and burden. 

"It's called a kiss," Minhyuk said after, planting another on Hyungwon's nose and cheek. "In case you don't know what it is. It's what people do to express emotions that are too difficult to explain through words.

Can I kiss you?"

Hyungwon opened his eyes once more, watching the oceans finally calm down within the orbs of the brunette. He can hear imaginary music ringing, the sound of the whale calling him, leading him back after he went astray. With nothing to fear, Hyungwon nodded, intertwining his fingers with Minhyuk. "I like you, Wonnie. I hope you can let me in."

"I like you too, Min." So much that it transcends unfathomable horizons.

Smiling, Minhyuk finally allowed their lips to touch, the pressure enough for them to close their eyes, letting the moment lead them to wherever they are destined to go with nothing in their heads, just each other and their feelings for each other. 

Their lips continued to dance, not minding wherever they are doing the passionate exchange. Hyungwon squeezed Minhyuk's hand, feeling the other palm of the brunette on his neck whilst his own free one rested on Minhyuk's shoulder. They kissed like it's the only thing that matters, and it does, leading their voyage to something inconceivable to most humans - pure, unadulterated care and affection.

When they parted, their eyes slowly opened, the galaxy meeting the seas, the constellations reflected by the waves creating a beautiful magnum opus no painter could ever bring to life apart from the two souls who made it happen. 

Minhyuk held Hyungwon's hand tighter, afraid to let go. He felt like if he ever removed his fingers from being tightly woven with the other, Hyungwon would be gone. On the other hand, the white-haired is not far off, mesmerized and captivated by Minhyuk as he finally allows himself to feel the emotions in their most wonderful glory. Anyone can call him selfish, but he wouldn't trade this moment for anything else.

"Are you still afraid?"

Hyungwon shook his head. "No, not anymore, not when I know I have you."

Minhyuk grinned wide, tiptoeing a bit once more to capture Hyungwon's lips, both of them smiling at the shared kiss. It's passionate yet pure at the same time, a visual of happiness contained in perfect scenery. A perfect scenery, like watching a sunset near Han River with hands intertwined, sharing a convenience store strawberry shortcake, and listening to some mellow songs.

A perfect scenery, for both of them.

They parted once more, resting their foreheads together as they laugh breathily, already feeling foolish for the absurdity of the prior situation that led to this. How silly of them, yet at the same time, the scene was encased in nothing but innocence and purity of emotions. "As long as we got each other, we'll brave these fears we have," Minhyuk whispered, kissing Hyungwon's forehead tenderly. "I lo-"

A loud shout interrupted them, Minhyuk and Hyungwon looking back at the street to find a little girl frozen on the road, a car swiftly coming with no intention to halt. In an instance, Hyungwon's and Minhyuk's hands parted, the brunette running over the street to grab the kid.

Minhyuk closed his eyes as he puts himself in harm's way, expecting a collision with the car as his arms tighten to protect the kid. Yet instead of the vehicle, a body collided with Minhyuk's, a figment of white meeting his sight before he was toppled to the ground. 

Like the world is in slow motion, Minhyuk looked up, the bright light illuminating Hyungwon's shocked orbs as he is an inch away from getting hit. "WON!" Minhyuk screamed, only for all things to fade out.

"WON!"

The scream startled everyone, Kihyun rushing next to the bed to find a frenzied Minhyuk. "F*ck, guys, he is awake!"

Minhyuk was breathing heavily, wide eyes, albeit his vision is a bit blurry, scanning the place he is in. Everything is covered in white, the ceiling, the walls, even the hospital clothes he is in. He can hear footsteps resonating next to him but all he could think of was the image in his head along with pain bursting almost everywhere.

"Did you call a doctor? Oh god, thank god." Wonho's voice piped in, what he believed to be the older's fingers finding their way on his head, caressing his hair gently. "I'll call," Jooheon said, exiting the room just when Minhyuk looked around once more. 

His eyes wandering, he saw the familiar and palpably worried faces of his friends. Kihyun and Wonho are next to him on both sides looking like they're about to cry while Changkyun and Shownu are silently standing on the sides, still nervous despite their attempts to hide it. Minhyuk would have cracked a joke or even commented on how silly they look, but there's one troubling thing occupying his mind right now.

"Ki? Where's Hyungwon? Is he safe? Please tell me he is okay."

Kihyun seems surprised at the question, looking at the others in uncertainty before going back to the bedridden man. "Min, are you feeling okay? Is your head hurting?"

Minhyuk shook his head, frowning at the reply. "I'm fine, Ki. I want to know where Hyungwon is. Is he here? Did you guys get him checked too?"

There was silence again, the quietness so unnerving but it also made him feel more frustrated. He just wanted to know if Hyungwon is okay?! Why is no one answering him?!

"Kihyun-ah? Wonho-hyung? Shownu-hyung? Changkyun-ah?!" He called them one by one, already growing irritated that everyone became speechless. "Guys, this isn't funny!" He complained louder despite his parched throat, face morphed into a frown.

"Min," Shownu spoke, moving to stand right next to him. "Min, who is Hyungwon?"

Minhyuk blinked owlishly at the reply, chuckling sarcastically while his frustration grows. He ran his fingers through his hair, surprised to find himself hooked up on an IV drip and a bandage covering his head. He didn't even fall that hard, how can he be all wrapped up like this?

"I have no time for games, guys! How can you forget Hyungwon?! I just introduced you all to him a month ago! Heck, you even asked me things about him yesterday Ki!" He cried, glaring at his friends who still looked like they were puzzled and flabbergasted.

They all looked at each other again like Minhyuk is sick in the head. Kihyun grabbed his hand, cradling it gently while looking at him seriously. "Minhyuk-ah, we don't know a Hyungwon, and what you're saying is impossible.

You've been in a coma for almost a month now."

Minhyuk stared at them with wide eyes, a laugh of disbelief escaping his lips before glancing back to the IV inserted in his arm. Everything is not making any sense. "Kihyun I'm not in a mood to joke around!"

"We're not joking, hyung." Changkyun chimed in, a pained expression plastered on his face as he can't bear to see his Minhyuk-hyung frazzled like this. They could only continue to watch as the patient breaks down, the arrival of the doctor prompting all of them to go out without saying a word, concern, and worry filling their veins as the door closes in front of them.

With a sob, Kihyun held onto Shownu, tearing up as well at the sight of his long-time best friend like that. "What's happening? I thought he was going to be okay when he woke up?" He whispered, uttering the words they all thought as well. Jooheon and Changkyun held each other's hand for support, whilst Wonho wraps an arm around them. Meanwhile, Shownu just patted the younger on the back, sympathizing as he too is bewildered by the turn of events.

What the f*ck is happening?

Minhyuk stared outside the window seemingly in a daze, a drawing pad on his lap on top of the hospital blanket. It's been three days since he woke up yet his friends can't stop worrying about him when he continuously breaks down and look at them in disbelief.

"Can you try to finish the whole meal this time? The doctor said it will be good for your healing." Kihyun patiently asked, holding the remnants of the unfinished meal Minhyuk was lazily eating a while ago. When the older didn't respond, the orange-haired only sighed, picking up the food to place it on the table.

In the room, Minhyuk, Kihyun, and Jooheon are the only ones left. Wonho was back to attending some of his business whilst Changkyun is at school finishing his final requirements. Meanwhile, Shownu was called for a case under his division, leaving the last two to take care of the uncharacteristically quiet patient.

It's not like Minhyuk is deliberately trying his hardest to be difficult. In fact, he already feels guilty for burdening his friends like this, not when it should be his family worrying about him like this - but he doesn't have one, doesn't he?

Minhyuk is trying his best, but no one can blame him for being so confused, not when they told you that you've been asleep for a month, and the man in your alleged dreams with who you fell in love was never real. 

They said Hyungwon isn't real - and that scared Minhyuk more than anything else.

He can feel the tears again threatening to fall, his mind, body, and heart not wanting to believe the facts presented right in front of him. How can they not be real? Those months fleeted and engraved in Minhyuk's soul and you're going to tell him nothing is real? Bullcrap.

"You were on your way back from a shift when you jumped onto the road to save a kid from getting hit. I got a call that you were rushed to the hospital and the doctors said you almost didn't make it." Kihyun explained to him after he woke up from being sedated. "We were so worried, Minhyuk-ah. The doctors said it's a miracle that you woke up. Your head injury was severe, and your leg - they didn't even know if you could still walk but the prognosis went well and"

Everyone almost teared up as Kihyun cried, embracing him while he remained dazed, clutching his fingers trying to marinate in the remaining sensation of Hyungwon's fingers intertwined with his. "We're just glad you're okay, Min. I know it's shocking news, and we understand that you might have dreamt a lot, but please, please don't shut us out."

Don't shut [me] out... 

It's like fate's twisted game called deja vu.

Sighing while fighting his tears, Minhyuk stared down at his leg in a cast, brows furrowing at the thick plaster on his knee. That would scar so badly. His mind unhelpfully supplied. Removing his focus on his injury, his line of sight went to the sketch on the pad he painstakingly fought for anyone to bring him.

They tried to stop him, but he was adamant to get on hand with anything to draw on, his hands moving quickly to sketch the memories of the person he grew to cherish before they disappear against his will. Page after page after page, Minhyuk continued to draw, from Hyungwon's iconic soft smile to his all-white regalia, to the flower crown on his white hair, the strawberry shortcake frosting staining his fluffy cheeks, his golden skin illuminated by the setting sun overlooking the Han river; his sloped button nose, thick lips, and eyes that holds the galaxies, that has Minhyuk's universe inside, Minhyuk continued to draw until he was so exhausted and the pages are filled.

He misses him so much, so much that it's starting to hurt so bad. Why, when he got him back, did the world decide to slap him with reality?

"Is that the one you're calling Hyungwon?" Jooheon asked, braving the silence by taking a seat on the bed next to the seemingly in a trance patient. Kihyun flinched at the mention of the enigmatic name, but the orange-haired ultimately decided to join the conversation, occupying the seat he was on previously. "He looks so beautiful." Jooheon continued, hoping for a reaction. He looks unreal, was left unsaid.

Minhyuk slowly nodded his head, looking at Hyungwon's smiling face on the page. "Do you want to tell us anything about him?"

The patient pursed his lips, switching the page to another drawing, fingers tracing the familiar sketch that filled a whole page, the same drawing he did back at Han River of the whale swimming through the galaxy, singing along with the stars and constellations. 

"You also didn't believe me when I told you that I have a friend like him." Minhyuk started, smiling solemnly at the memory of his friends teasing him that he went crazy for imagining the mysterious white-haired man. "You told me that I'm going crazy, that no man like that could exist without garnering attention. That should have been a red flag. How can a man who literally glows under the sunlight not be flocked by passersby when he looks so ethereal? Now that I think about it, I must be really going crazy." 

He felt a single stream run down his eye, Kihyun kindly wiping them away with his handkerchief as the two sympathize, listening to him without any judgment in their eyes, just genuine care and curiosity. "He taught me so many things without him even knowing. He rarely spoke, but he always listened. He was there when I needed him the most.

He saved me many times from near death. So many times that I ever accounted for." He whispered, remembering Hyungwon's injuries, his last look at him before the car supposedly crash - everything. It started to dawn on him, hitting him painfully that all he could feel is anguish and foolishness. He should have seen those signs. "How can he not be true?! How can those things not be true? It's bullshit. It's freaking bullshit.

I can feel his arms around me. I can feel his lips, hear his laugh and his melodic voice." Minhyuk started sobbing, burying his face in Jooheon's shoulder as the younger carefully pulls him into a comforting hug. "I don't know anymore. I don't know. Kihyun-ah, Jooheon-ah, make the pain stop, please. Tell me I'm just dreaming right now, that he is here and you're all joking that you don't know him."

Kihyun stood up and offered another loving embrace. He can feel the pain resonating from the older's voice, and he can also see Jooheon tearing up, yet he felt so useless, not knowing how he could help when he also doesn't understand the situation. All he could offer was a pat on Minhyuk's back, tracing circles as the older finally breaks down and cries his heart out.

"Do you know what he sounds like, hyung?" Jooheon whispered back, gently carding his fingers through Minhyuk's hair. 

"He sounds like your guardian angel."

That took the breath out of Minhyuk's lungs, his cries halting like cold, freezing water was suddenly dumped on him. Like a movie going on rewind, all the memories flashed back in his head pushing him to clutch it in agony. Kihyun and Jooheon frantically called for help as he started to writhe in pain, the sketchbook falling down to the ground revealing the same tattoo Minhyuk briefly saw inked on Hyungwon's arm.

A guardian angel-

That sounds so f*cking absurd.

Tears prickled his eyes as he breathlessly howls in pain, the attending professionals rushing in to the room to hold him down. There's so much pain concentrated in his head, yet his chest hurts the most. As he was sedated once more to help him calm down, an analgesic pumped into his IV line, his blurry vision saw Jooheon clinging onto Kihyun, both of them distressed and shocked at what happened.

Yet Minhyuk's mind is fleeting somewhere off where he only knows as he slowly loses consciousness, the little island inside his head that he craves to go back to again.

A guardian angel - he doesn't want to believe that at all,

But why is it the only plausible reason at this point?

"Wonnie." He whimpered, a lone tear running down his face before he succumbed to oblivion.

Fingers intertwined together, a soft breeze brushing through brown and white locks, children's laughter filtering the air while two souls just watch in contentment like they always do, this time walking together around the perimeter of the river instead of just sitting down.

Soon enough, they found a space with fewer people, the two of them leaning on the railings with their hands still clasped together, seemingly not wanting to let go. They watched the river water flow calmly, small smiles gracing their lips at the temporary bliss like the world paused for a bit to give them a breather.

Subtly, Minhyuk raised his head to look at his companion, Hyungwon's white hair gently swaying with the wind, eyes glimmering with the sunlight while his lips are upturned. The young man's beauty continues to amaze him, unsure as to why a man can this be pretty and eye-catching. 

But above all else, Minhyuk loves Hyungwon's company. The younger, even just by staying beside him, is like a glass of tall water in a desert - so soothing, so calming, a safe haven if you will. Hyungwon never uttered a complaint even if Minhyuk talks a lot. He patiently listened, comforting Minhyuk through his outbursts and intense emotions, helping him and his friends when they needed another hand.

Hyungwon never asked for anything, and Minhyuk will always be thankful for having an angel in his life.

"You're staring again." Hyungwon's voice broke his musings, a chuckle escaping the white-haired's lips while Minhyuk's cheeks heat up for being caught off guard. "Is there something on my face?"

Minhyuk shook his head, squeezing Hyungwon's hand as he feels the young man lean on his shoulder, the sound on his headphones infiltrating a bit that it got the brunette curious. "What do you always listen to? I never saw you without those headphones."

"Oh, this?" Hyungwon replied, his expression turning into a solemn one. Slowly, Hyungwon lifted the headphones from his neck, placing them on Minhyuk's ears instead carefully. "It's a little escape from the world-

Life can be too tough to handle sometimes that we needed a pause every now and then. Sometimes, we wanted to be alone, to just be on our own. This is that place for me. This is a little heaven on here if you will."

"On my little island, there's no one to please

No one can hurt me, and nobody leaves

I won't be a burden, can't be insecure"

Minhyuk's and Hyungwon's eyes met, the brunette holding the white-haired's hands planted on the headphones on his ears. They stared at one another, letting their emotions speak for themselves, not uttering a single word.

Like the galaxies meeting the oceans - 

Like the song of the whale bringing you to heaven.

"We all needed a happy place," Hyungwon murmured. Minhyuk agrees, 

And he thinks he already found his.

"And there's no one that I have to be

I sure won't be cryin' on my little island"

"There's nothing wrong with being alone. It doesn't mean I'm sad. Sometimes, I just really want to hear myself."

The stacks of papers on his desk made the policeman sigh. He just had a long week filled with random cases that he barely even had the time to fetch his lover or even visit his bedridden friend in the hospital. Nevertheless, he is glad he had some free time right now, just going through old files with an unreadable face.

"Finished with the recent case? I brought you coffee." Kihyun, ever-loving and wonderful Kihyun, the light of his life and beautiful lover, knocked in his office waving cups of coffee with a big smile that just alleviated his exhaustion. Shownu grinned back, welcoming the younger with a hug instead after he placed the beverages on the table. 

Kihyun didn't say a word, just running his fingers through his lover's hair as Hyunwoo buries his face in Kihyun's stomach to sigh and catch a breath. "That was such a rough week. You did a great job, hyungie."

Hyunwoo chuckled, letting Kihyun sit on his lap while they drink their iced coffees together, lazily perusing through another stack of cases he was filing. "I should have known considering I laid most of them off. Anyway, who is with Min right now?"

The orange-haired grabbed a stack, helping his lover organize them as he already had a knack for one of Shownu's works after becoming a frequent visitor in the office. "Changkyun said he'll come in after his last class. Jooheon was running around there too under his internship program so there's that. Wonho-hyung also visited early in the morning."

"Is Min still-"

"He is," Kihyun whispered solemnly, halting his hands with a sigh. "I don't know what to think about this situation. I asked the doctors and they said it could be psychological. Isn't it weird tho? That Minhyuk remembers vividly someone who didn't even exist, to begin with?"

Shownu nodded in agreement, placing another case file on the appropriate stack. "But, is he really not real?"

"I asked," Kihyun replied. "I checked everyone Minhyuk knows, even contacted his distant family members just to make sure but they said they never heard that name before. Heck, Wonho-hyung even went to find Chaes close by but no one bears that name at all nor even closely resembles the one in Minhyuk's sketches."

Hyunwoo embraced his lover, resting his head on Kihyun's shoulder after placing a comforting kiss on it, their fingers intertwining on the younger's lap, rings glimmering in the light. "Maybe it's really a product of Minhyuk's imagination?"

"But that would imply that he has other sickness and I-" the younger pursed his lips. "I don't want him to feel that way. They would force him to stay in the hospital and I don't want to think about the repercussions of it."

They remained quiet, resuming their tasks while also thinking about their friend. What Kihyun mentioned had been raised by the professionals. Though Minhyuk had undergone another MRI scan to ensure that his head injury wasn't a problem and the results are impeccable, the doctors still wanted Minhyuk to be placed under surveillance because of his muddled memories. 

As Shownu turns another page, his eyes widened at what he sees. "Ki-" He murmured, fingers shaking a bit at the revelation and disbelief. Kihyun turned around with inquiring eyes, but his phone rang interrupting his curiosity.

"Hello?" He answered the call, heavy breathing resonating in the air before their maknae's frantic voice echoed. 

"Kihyun-hyung! I- 

I can't find Minhyuk-hyung in the hospital!"

He knew that he was grabbing attention. Who wouldn't be, when you're clad in a blue and white hospital gown, head bandaged like crazy, and his one leg covered in thick plaster making him limp as he walks down the familiar path in his "alleged" dreams.

Minhyuk, after making sure his friends are preoccupied, escaped the hospital. The place was stifling and suffocating, mocking his brain and telling him that he is going crazy. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, who can tell? 

The only thing he wants is to go to his happy place, to be alone without having intrusive thoughts that constrict his chest. Furthermore, he wanted to see for himself, to make sure as a final plea, that he isn't imagining things.

If this is the last time he'll listen to the song of the whale, at least bring him to his safe haven.

It wasn't an easy feat to walk and stumble around with one leg practically immobile. He can't count how many times he had to pause and breathe in heavily. He was definitely out of shape, his head throbbing at the exertion, but he had to do this. Something inside him is screaming that he had to do this.

It was around late in the afternoon when Minhyuk arrived at the familiar place. When he looked at his phone blasting from his friends' calls, he was surprised to find that it was exactly 4:30, his holy hour. Pursing his lips, he looked around the grassland near Han River, his heart sinking with every passing area that he can't see the person he is seeking for.

He could feel the tears threatening to fall. God, he became a crybaby so much for his happy place, didn't he? Sighing in defeat, he looked back at his phone, the clock turning the 0 into 1 much to his dismay. Collapsing on the ground, Minhyuk caved in and let a few tears flow out, his fingers clutching his chest through the fabric of his hospital gown.

I thought the song of the whale will bring me to paradise. Why am I only feeling despair and longing?

With closed fists, he attempted to wipe his tears away, opening his eyes to peer through his lashes-

Only to find a familiar strawberry shortcake in his line of sight.

He quickly looked up, mouth gaping in disbelief to find white hair in all white regalia smiling back at him with a concerned and apologetic look on his face. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he isn't hallucinating, even slapping his cheeks yet the man remained watching, offering his other hand after standing up for Minhyuk.

"I-"

"YOU F*CKING BASTARD!" Minhyuk screamed, the cake is forgotten in the other man's hand as the injured one pounds his fists onto his chest. "I'm f*cking going crazy and you have the audacity to offer me cake! Oh god, oh f*ck, I was so worried,

Hyungwon-ah." Minhyuk cried, pushing Hyungwon off to create a distance between them as he continue to cry. With newfound hope, they stared at one another, guilty galaxy-filled eyes meeting pained ocean-deep orbs. "Where have you been? What the f*ck is happening?"

"Who are you?"

At the questions, the white-haired's expression fell, a sad smile staining his lips as he squeezes the cake in his hand. "Didn't I tell you last time, you wouldn't understand."

"So fucking make me understand!"

"I love you," Hyungwon answered back, voice filled with conviction and pure, unadulterated affection. His eyes wavered too, tears prickling, threatening to fall as his fingers tremble in immense emotions and longing. Minhyuk could only stare in shock, not knowing if what he just heard is real.

Hyungwon, with a bitter laugh, slipped his fingers through his hair, letting the wind blow. At the breeze flowing by, Minhyuk was even more surprised when feathers joined the flowers and leaves in the air out of nowhere. Pristine, white feathers were visible in his line of sight, gently touching his skin evoking emotions he can't conceive.

"I love you," Hyungwon repeated. "But I wasn't supposed to."

Minhyuk's breaths hitched at the confession, his heart thrumming loudly inside his chest both in anticipation and fear of where this would lead. Yet he remained frozen, just staring at the breaking down young man right in front of him. "What do you mean?"

The white-haired man chuckled sadly. "I can't love you. In fact, I wasn't supposed to interact with you. I was supposed to watch over you, to help you slowly ease in to your supposed destination. But I broke so many rules, 

because I can't afford to see you go." Hyungwon admitted, a stream of tears running down his cheeks, grazing his lips that were wobbling in agony. "It's the reason why you were in danger so many times because you were supposed to go, and I was just supposed to watch there. But I can't just watch, not when you pushed the boundaries to interact with me, not when you made me feel like a normal person.

I don't have a life, Min. I merely exist." He said, startling Minhyuk, the brunette not faring well with what he is hearing. Like he is submerged underwater slowly being drowned by the truth. 

"I don't have memories. I don't have friends. I don't have anyone, because I wasn't supposed to feel anything. I wasn't supposed to have anything. But you made me feel, you made me experience everything I've been yearning for. And above all, I learned how to love, because you're not hard to be loved. You were meant to be loved, and loving you was one of the best feelings I ever had." Hyungwon cried, his beautiful smile appearing despite the tears, the same smile Minhyuk drew in his sketchpad over and over again just to witness them, the same smile that lights up the gloomy skies and brings the stars down the earth.

The same smile that is Minhyuk's happy place.

"I started loving you so much it made me so afraid. It was supposed to be a mistake, but I never saw it that way. If it was a mistake, god, that's the best mistake I ever made." The white-haired continued. "And I'll do it over and over and over again just to hear you, just to see you, just to feel your embrace again."

Like the song of the whale bringing you to paradise...

Instead of a verbal reply, Hyungwon felt arms wrapped around him, the familiar embrace enclosing him in a feeling of warmth and security, prompting the tears to be shed once again as he feels Minhyuk tightly squeeze him. "Thank you for coming back." Minhyuk shakily whispered.

Hyungwon laughed, wrapping his arms around the other's midriff. "I was meant to come back even if I were to be stopped by the gods. I'm sorry it took so long for me to find you. I was supposed to bring you up with the clouds, but I broke the rules, so they had to punish me, and this is part of my punishment they say."

At that moment, Minhyuk witnessed large angel wings materializing on Hyungwon's back, glowing under the sun brightly that it was almost transparent. With a pained smile on Hyungwon's face, arms tightening around Minhyuk, the patient watched the wings disintegrate in the air, thousands of feathers bursting and flowing along with the wind towards the sky.

Hyungwon could only hold onto Minhyuk, bearing the ache as he finally feels the wings vanishing. The pain was torturous, like losing a limb, but in Hyungwon's heart and mind, it's nothing compared to the comfort he feels in Minhyuk's loving arms. In the heavens above this may be a punishment, but deep inside, he knows this is also a blessing and a gift.

Minhyuk watched until the feathers were out of sight. Glancing down, he saw one lone feather glimmering and sticking out of the young man's back. With pursed lips, Minhyuk grabbed the last one, pulling it in a swift motion and letting it dance in the air. 

At that moment, Hyungwon's tattoo disappeared, his lips turning up into a grin as he finally felt free. "Thank you." He murmured.

Minhyuk smiled back softly, pulling away to cradle Hyungwon's face. "For what? For letting you get punished by the gods?" Hyungwon chuckled at the remark, holding Minhyuk's hand planted on his cheek. "For being here, for existing,

For allowing me to love you." For being my own piece of heaven in this world filled with uncertainties.

With fingers intertwining together, they crossed the remaining distance between them, lips touching in a passionate kiss, dancing together as they let their emotions speak for themselves. There's the familiar taste of strawberries and sweet icing dancing in their tongues, the familiar melody ringing in their ears, the familiar sunset bathing their silhouettes, and above all, the familiar love embracing the two souls who found their way back together- 

transcending time, space, and even the afterlife.

"I love you too, Hyungwon-ah. I love you so much."

My happy place, my paradise, 

my little island where the whale has brought me.

"If I could leave, I know

It's just the place I'd go

On my little island, there's no one to please

No one can hurt me, and nobody leaves

I won't be a burden, can't be insecure

And there's no one that I have to be

I sure won't be cryin' on my little island"

A Decade Ago

"Do you think I wanted to have a child?! I did that to please you! I never wanted a burden and you wouldn't even fucking help in raising this kid..."

He stood by the door again, listening to his parents fight like they always do. Day in and day out, even when he was younger, his parents never got along. It made him wonder how their relationship stood for 13 years.

Maybe it's his existence that they both despise is the only link that keeps them together. Huh, he doesn't know what to feel about that.

With his dad working all the time while his mom lives his lavish life filled with lies, he knew for a fact he would be neglected. It's a miracle he even survived being a baby and a toddler with parents like them. For being a 13-year-old, the amount of time he wished he was never born is very unnatural. And they never missed a day to tell him that too, that they hope he never existed.

Sighing, he took his bag, the same bag that was always packed filled with necessities that he learned to prepare for his daily escapades. They never cared anyway, so every day, he chose to disappear, to be alone -

Because being alone isn't always bad. In fact, he would choose it over hearing his parents scream at each other on the brink of pulling knives and slashing their throats in a fight. Believe him, that wasn't far-fetched.

The door closed with a click, muffling the voices of his parents that are somehow still permeating onto the walls. He ran down the apartment building, not wanting to see the judging expressions of their neighbors. He kept on running, and running, and running, dragging his feet until the ringing in his ears started to fade.

Panting, he found himself collapsing on the grassy land near Han River, the same place he always end up on when he wanted to escape his f*cked up, miserable life. He stared up above, watching the clouds gently sail in the blue sky. I wonder how peaceful will it be if I just go there.

He sat up in a little while, bag plopped onto the ground while he settles in watching the people playing around instead. There are families having a picnic, couples on a date, friends playing together - and they all spark jealousy in his chest. 

Why? Why is he not lucky to even have them?

Before he even knew it, tears started running down his eyes. Even in his dazed state, just staring out in oblivion, there were tears staining his cheeks, yet he doesn't even bother to wipe them. What's the point? There's no one who cares. No one cares. 

No one.

The wind blew hard shaking off leaves and flowers to mingle with the air. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, still not bothered by the tears that already reached his lips. 

Wouldn't it be nice to dance with the wind too? Maybe, he could breathe better that way.

"Are you okay?"

The foreign voice made his breath hitch, eyes opening wide immediately to find another man, maybe the same age as him, looking at him while crouched down on the ground, head tilted to the side in worry. 

Quickly, he tried to wipe away his tears sniffling with a nod. Glancing back, he realized that the teen was pretty, something peculiar to describe a boy. But he was indeed pretty, hair flowing with the breeze, eyes blinking unevenly, lips turning up a bit showcasing a beautiful smile that seemingly made the place brighter. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding. I just noticed you alone crying so I thought you got hurt." He added, his melodic voice replacing the irritating ringing in his ear.

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit? I'm tired of playing." The stranger said, chuckling. With a nod from him, the pretty teen sat down next to him, body leaned back while humming merrily. "Why are you crying?"

He flinched at the question, yet somehow, he can't help but feel like he could safely say anything. The man beside him just exudes comfort and security, something he can't even remember when's the last time he felt them. "My parents are fighting again."

"Oh, that sucks." The stranger said, no tone of judgment even palpable in his remark. "Some parents really don't deserve to have kids, huh? Do you have anywhere to stay around here? I can see you have a large bag with you. Did you run away?"

He shook his head in reply, not minding the rapid-fire questions. Hugging his legs and resting his head on his knees, he watched the place get bathed by the red and orange hues with the stranger, feeling the storm brewing inside him calm for a bit at the beautiful array of colors. "It's okay. I don't have friends, and I'll head back when I know they're already asleep." So they won't hurt me too was left unsaid.

"Are you sure? That seems dangerous."

"I always do it." He whispered, reminiscing the painful moments. "It's nice to be alone instead of them breathing down my neck to remind me how I'm a curse to them. But I- I just wish they could stop fighting, even just for a day. I just wanted peace for one day, for them to recognize my existence, for them to accept me as their child and not regret it.

Even just for this day, for my birthday, that's the only wish I want."

Uneven blink, pretty teen's eyes widened in shock at the confession. He quickly scampered off his feet, holding him on his shoulders and forcing their eyes to meet. "It's your birthday?! Today?! Oh god, stay here, okay? Don't move a muscle or I will scour the earth to sucker punch you. This is not it dude. Just stay here, okay? I'll be back."

With those words, he watched the teen run back up and onto the paved road. He could only stare in confusion, following the stranger until he disappears from his sight. Sighing, he buried his face back on his knees, feeling the tears well up again much to his dismay.

He didn't know how long it took. He didn't know how long he was left there. Does he even expect anything? He doesn't really know. People come and go. No one wants him. What made him believe a stranger would even try something to make his life a bit brighter?

But he was also, fortunately, mistaken.

When he heard careful footsteps nearby, he glanced up, tears immediately falling at the sight.

The kind stranger was walking down carefully, palm covering a candle stuck on a convenience store cake. There was a big smile plastered on the pretty face amidst his seriousness, not wanting the breeze to meddle and ruin his gift.

"Ah! Faster blow the candle before they take your wish away from you!" The young lad said, making him chuckle despite the tears. Closing his eyes, he finally made his wish, blowing the candle with genuine happiness in his chest. God, it feels so nice, a serendipity that brought his serenity. 

"I'm sorry. This is the only one I could find and afford. I hope you like strawberries!" The stranger cheerfully said, handing him the cake with zeal and glee. "You look beautiful when you smile, by the way." He added shyly, still kneeling in front of him while anticipating his reaction.

Red tint formed on his cheek at the remark, making him giggly lightly. Looking back at his hands, he can see that the cake isn't that fancy. It's a bit smooshed too, probably from the traveling, and the candle was a single, simple baby blue one, definitely from the convenience store as well. But for him, it's one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed and received.

All his life, he never had a single celebration cake. His birthdays were never special, always just a passing day that no one really cared for, not even his family. It would be a miracle if someone even greets him. But for the most part, his birthday is just another ordinary day filled with his parents screaming at each other, of his existence being invalidated, of him wanting to be swallowed by the earth whole.

"You're crying again. It's okay. You got me now." The pretty stranger said, cupping his face to wipe the tears off with his thumb. "Birthdays meant no tears! So don't cry,

Please?"

With a breathy laugh, he nodded his head, rubbing his face to rid of the tears. "Thank you. You never know how much this means to me." He muttered, taking the initiative to cut the cake in half, handing the second piece on the lid to the other. The stranger only smiled back, nodding his head as they stare back at the view in front of him. 

"Happy Birthday to you~" the lad beside him started singing, both of them bumping their cakes as a form of cheer before taking a bite. "Happy Birthday to you~" The voice was beautiful, alluring, mesmerizing, singing solely for him and him alone. If only he could record this, over and over and over again he will play it. "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday" 

Like the song of the whale bringing him to his happy place...

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Happy Birthday... to me.

"I hope it made you smile a bit." The stranger said, both of them smiling at one another. He nodded, elation and euphoria palpable on his face. "Yes, it did. It's the happiest I've ever been in my life. Thank you-"

"MINHYUK-AH! Let's go! We have to do homework and review for tomorrow's quiz!" A smaller teen called, his fox eyes watching the two of them while waving his hand to call their attention. 

'Minhyuk' shot up from his place, whining at the idea of doing school work. "I'm coming Kihyun-ah!" He screamed back.

When Kihyun turned around, Minhyuk faced him again, smiling sheepishly while rubbing his nape. "I have to go. I wish we could have celebrated more but, I'm glad I made you smile. A smile suits you the best." Patting his pocket for something, he sighed in relief to find his wired earphones connected to an iPod shuffle. Enthusiastic, he crouched down on the grass once more, placing the device on his lap. "It's an old one so you don't have to worry. Also, it gives us a reason to meet again, right?"

He glanced at Minhyuk in uncertainty, but the young lad just grinned, placing the earphones in his ears and pressing the play button while gently holding his hand. His thumb caressed his cheeks, wiping the remnants of tears away. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be alone, and sometimes we also feel sad. That's normal. That's part of life.

But I hope you find your happy place, a paradise that will make you feel comfortable and safe."

"Happy Birthday. Let's meet again."

Let the song of the whale bring you to paradise.

With tears prickling his eyes, he watched the stranger run to his friend until they both disappeared from his line of sight. Emotions are swirling inside his chest, his body and mind not able to fathom the foreign feeling that all he could do is clutch the iPod to his chest, listening to the song that made him cry his heart out while all alone.

"Evergreen trees

Temperatures always at 73°

Alone and I'm happy

Never offended, so independent

"Thank you so much."

If I could leave, I know

It's just the place I'd go

I think - I already found my happy place.

On my little island, there's no one to please

No one can hurt me, and nobody leaves

I won't be a burden, can't be insecure

And there's no one that I have to be

I sure won't be cryin' on my little island"

On the grassy lands near the Han River, with the taste of the sweet cake lingering in his tongue, with the soft melody playing in his ears, with a memory of a man who made him feel whole even in that brief, serendipitous encounter,

His soul finally felt free. His soul finally found peace. His soul finally felt love.

Chae Hyungwon found heaven.

Breaking News: 

Body of a 13-year-old boy found floating in Han River. Cause of death is still unknown.