Chapter Text
The end of the growing season: brisk wind, crumpled leaves with varying autumn colors. Taehyun can hear the crunch underfoot as he marches on the ground along with the smell of citrus decorating the air surrounding him.
To everyone, autumn was a season of change–unruly weather, nights slowly shifting closer to the days. However, to Taehyun it was the culmination of months of hard work. Seeing the yielded ripe crops on the suspended branches was like seeing the labor of love in the form of a zesty fruit. Harvest season could never get less enticing. His role as a farmer not only allowed him to enjoy this far more than anyone, but it also granted him the chance to have people appreciate his world in the form of a good day that’ll remain in their memories.
Harvest season also means that they will be accepting visitors in the orchard, tourists from all around the world could pick a prior date to have a taste of the tangerine-picking experience. Taehyun appreciates all the farming seasons, however, things might be the most exciting during the harvest; with half of the usually vacant orchard reserved for visitors being occupied by people.
As the light of dawn graces the sky, Taehyun has already been up directing farmers to inspect machinery, equipment and tools for the day ahead. Tractors and other machinery are greased, inspected and cared for to prepare for the day. Prior to the beginning of harvest, farmers must inspect their field to assess the crop’s readiness. They check the ripeness, moisture, quality and overall health of the crop to ensure it is at peak quality and ready to come off the field. Once the sun is in the sky and the dew comes off the field, harvest kicks into high gear. Farmers ready out the crops needed to be sold for the day and get ready to accept visitors by early morning.
In the meantime, Taehyun is getting ready for an interview. What would a farmer get interviewed for? Taehyun’s farm – or rather technically still his grandparents’ property even though he was the one in charge of its matters and soon to be the proclaimed owner – had been selected as the farm with the most sales and visitors in all of Jeju-do island. A reporter had requested to meet the owner for a brief questionnaire and Taehyun had no reason to object, knowing all too well that it could result in more sales to their orchard even if they had been established for centuries.
His royalty ancestors owned a tremendous amount of land and passed it onto the next generations of their family. Taehyun acted in no way as nobility even if it was in his blood; for he wasn’t fond of the gentry nor did he believe in these labels in the 21st century. He took pride in being a successful and smart farmer, performing his job with utmost devotion and enthusiasm. Mundane and exciting all the same to him, he basked in the different types of satisfaction found in both.
The reporter had just arrived, Taehyun welcomed him and his filming crew into the farm. They would tour around it; the crops and the visitors area while asking questions. They asked questions like The type of citrus they plant and sell. The size of their orchard. The owners and their history with keeping the farm in top shape for hundreds of years. How they take care of the soil. What had been the reasons for their exponential growth in sales over the last year alone? And all the other professional technicalities.
But of course, the reporters wouldn’t get satiated by just professional and occupational questions. They had to ask Taehyun personal questions as well, after knowing that he’s the culpable one behind the farm at his young age of twenty-two.
Taehyun had seen this coming, he wasn’t naive, he wouldn’t be in this position if he was. Even though he's technically a nepotist baby in the farmer's world, he grew up wanting this, he’d observed and learned this whole time to end up here. He willed this to happen by earning his grandparents’ trust after his parents broke theirs by running off to Seoul to climb the corporate slave ladder. He was born for this; farming, nurturing the best tangerines in all of South Korea.
So he won’t let his annoyance over questions like Do you have a girlfriend? show when this is presumably a work interview. He won’t reply with: I’m gay on national television. So he just answers with a ‘no’ and a curt smile and diverts the topic back to work whenever something of the kind is being asked. Which the reporters don’t fail to notice but eventually drop.
He understands this is a part of their job, to gain views and what not. But he couldn’t help but feel ridiculed, he wouldn’t mull over it though. Because Taehyun is a goal-oriented person, he doesn’t ponder over unpleasant feelings. He would rather focus on the positive outcome. The outcome being more promotion for their farm by whoever will watch this interview and read the article released by the end of the week. He couldn’t contain his excitement. The interview was soon over and he had to head back to his house.
Taehyun still lived with his grandparents, not that he had any reason to move out even if he could afford the ludicrous amount of rent required to rent an apartment in Jeju island and not live in a house passed on for generations. He loved this house, grew up under its roof and had the best memories he could wish for with his grandparents. Leaving his grandma to live alone would be absurd, he liked to rewind after the day with her. Tell her about all the mundane things he’d done on the farm over the most delectable dinner ever. He used to love chatting with his grandpa about all the politics and domestic affairs of their country back when he was around. Taehyun might be an old soul, yet he doesn’t hold any ounce of disdain towards his life. He would choose to do this over and over again.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
A week had rolled by and Taehyun’s interview was out to the world. The article’s name is of absolute comedic-bait nature. The twenty-two-year-old-handsome-idol-looking-farmer of Jeju island’s most successful tangerine farm tells us about his farm’s secrets of longevity and success. Beomgyu, his best friend for the majority of his life burst into laughter upon reading the title while proceeding to mimic it with a voice full of mockery.
Taehyun had to hold back from chasing him off and laughed along because it was honestly quite absurd. He knew he had extraordinary looks because he wasn’t blind nor did he lack any confidence, yet to have this as the title of an article about his farm was an absolute predicament. He couldn’t blame Beomgyu for laughing if he so wished.
“Drop the act,” Taehyun says, a bit embarrassed that people will be reading this and possibly visiting the orchard because of it.
Beomgyu arches a brow with a visible smirk on his face, “Don’t be so shy, maybe now you could get yourself a boyfriend or something. Although I’m sure you would gain an annoying amount of girls fangirling over your muscles in the farm too.” He fakes an exaggerated vomiting reaction. “Wouldn’t wanna see that, if I’m being quite honest.”
“I didn’t ask you to be honest, maybe you could lie a little and be nice for once, hm? Are you jealous at the prospect of me getting some before you?” Taehyun teases. He knows this will make Beomgyu fume because he’s been nagging about wanting a boyfriend but all this island has is old people and foreigners who come and go. Taehyun doesn’t dislike that but he can sympathise with Beomgyu in his view. Sympathise, not relate; he doesn’t need a lover to make his life any fuller.
Beomgyu attempts to choke him and laughs maniacally while screaming Kang Taehyun! right after. That’s the way they always banter. Taehyun knows Beomgyu cares for him as a friend, and in return, Taehyun cares for him too, just not the same way Beomgyu does. — Their love languages being different makes their friendship flourish. He doesn’t believe Beomgyu is similar to him and he doesn’t have to be for them to be good friends. While Taehyun is more of a sensible person, Beomgyu is the feeler between the two and he’s struggled over the years to be more considerate in order to not hurt his feelings accidentally. He makes sure to show this love through his actions and by constantly playing into Beomgyu’s jokes, for he always tells him that he’s “serious and acts too old for his age.”
Perhaps this is why Taehyun doesn’t have many his age aside from Beomgyu who loves him unconditionally because his heart is just that big. He loves people but he gets along best with the elders. Maybe it’s his upbringing, maybe it’s just him.
They finish their late breakfast and head towards the gate of the orchard. “We have more visitors than usual today,” Taehyun remarks.
“It’s already starting.” Beomgyu laughs and Taehyun rolls his eyes at the comment. Their farm is accepting fifty visitors today alone–the ones who made prior reservations, besides accepting impromptu visits on occasion, if the conditions allow it, which they mostly do.
They start by welcoming guests into the farm and giving them all the needed equipment while assisting them with the proper methods for picking and the types of tangerines they’d most likely prefer.
Each farmer would handle a group of five people; starting with giving them all the paraphernalia for tangerine picking from baskets to tools and even sunhats and parading them around while explaining all the farming and picking trivia and responding to any arising questions. They also show them spots that they could take pictures in because most visitors love to have the Instagram experience and who’s Taehyun to abandon the opportunity of free marketing in the digital age.
Taehyun does it all with mastered expertise, this goes on for several hours. Early morning rolls into afternoon and the morning visitors are already filtered out. They start accepting the second patch of visitors for the day, and Taehyun’s gaze falls onto perhaps the most mesmerising man he’s laid his eyes upon. His eyes trail over his features and take his beauty in like a dry soil absorbing water. The man’s eyes are like shining crescents which makes him notice his heart shaped smile and his hair that shimmers so prettily, like sun-rays filtering through wheat branches at sundown time.
The man looks taller than him and god, is he so handsome. Prince charming out of a fictional story type of handsome. Taehyun had seen many people in his lifetime but he’s never felt quite this awestruck by anybody before this instance. If angels existed, Taehyun believes they’d resemble the man in front of him. He almost happens to lock eyes with the subject of his admiration but he’s called over by one of the visitors he’s assisting. Right. He’s on working hours, he can’t afford to be lost in his daydreaming fantasies about a conspicuous visitor who probably can’t speak Korean.
Communicating in foreign languages is not Taehyun’s strong forte. He could understand the majority of what is said and he can answer most of the tangerine related questions aimed at him by tourists but that didn’t mean he could keep up a conversation in the language if he so desired—His focus remains on his job for the rest of the day. That until he bumps into someone’s back while carrying boxes that obstruct his vision.
Luckily enough, the boxes don’t fall to the ground but the person he bumped into takes the box at the top from the stacked pile he’s carrying and Taheyun’s eyes glint in recognition.
“You’re Taehyun, right?” The man smiles and Taehyun has a dumbfounded expression displayed on his face, not because the man knows his name, but because he’s speaking in Korean—perfect accent. He feels dumb for assuming he’s not a native.
“You speak Korean,” Taehyun states, not a question. The man stares at him for a moment then breaks in a fettered laugh when he realises Taehyun’s statement is serious, his smile is even prettier up close.
“Huh? You’re not gonna ask how I know your name?” He tilts his head to the side indicating a question, his hair sways with the movement and covers one of his eyes which makes him trail a hand to gently fix it into place.
Taehyun puts the rest of the boxes that he’s carrying on the ground. “No, I surmised you got that from the interview.” The man hums, he can’t figure out the meaning of his expression. Is he disappointed or amused? “What’s your name?” He asks instead.
“Kai—Huening Kai.”
Kai… He tries rolling it on his tongue a few times. He does have quite a foreign name, but it’s pretty. Just like how everything about Kai seems to be. They stand in awkward silence until they both decide to break it at the same time. Taehyun ushers for Kai to speak first, so he does.
“You thought I’m a foreigner?” Kai asks, a bit perplexed but also at ease.
Taehyun had no problem maintaining eye contact with people, he, in fact, didn’t understand how some might struggle with something quite simple. However, something in Kai’s gaze happens to make him feel warm all over, a spell? He doesn’t know if he should avert his eyes or keep looking lest he stops feeling this strange fuzzy sensation bubbling in his stomach.
“I did.” He decides to hold this up for longer—not a challenge. He simply can’t look away; entrapped into this bubble they had somehow created in the middle of the orchard where time seems to stay still, if that’s even possible.
“Why?” Kai’s question comes, he says it in a collected way seemingly unsurprised as if he’s used to hearing it but still doesn’t get what it is that makes people say it.
“You’re beautiful...” Taehyun didn’t mean to blurt this out loud. The spell he’s under must be taking effect. “I mean-That is certainly not why I thought you could be a foreigner. I’m not going to take it back, because I mean it. The foreigner part might’ve been me believing that you couldn’t possibly be real so I reached that conclusion, somehow...”
The man breaks out in a laugh, and quickly covers his mouth with his hand. Was there something he said that would elucidate this reaction? Or is it because he’s making a fool of himself in front of a total stranger? — Oh , Kai is shy, he was giggling. Taehyun decides that pink is a colour that looks best on Kai’s cheeks.
“You look Korean enough up close, I think it’s just the blond hair that paints your features in a different way,” Taehyun quickly jumps to defend and he genuinely realises his haste in judgment.
“Do you like it?” Kai asks.
“What?”
“My hair.”
“Yes, of course,” Taehyun replies a bit perplexed as to why Kai would be asking him this question. “Wait, is it your natural hair colour?”
Kai giggles at the solemn expression on Taehyun’s face when he asked the question, “God, no. My natural hair colour is brown.”
Taehyun tries conjuring Kai’s face with brown hair in his brain and he muses that he would look even warmer, “Brown would also look good on you.”
“Thank you,” Kai bites out.
“Have you tried our tangerine chocolate?”
Kai makes a baffled expression as if taken aback by the topic choice (even Taehyun is) but it quickly changes to a neutral one. “No, but I’d love to.”
Taehyun picks up the boxes on the ground and walks them there, his visitors to parade for the day job is already done with all the people he had to handle filtered out. He gives the boxes to Beomgyu after turning a few corners to deliver to the customers, Kai watches him do it all, barely managing to stifle his laugh when Beomgyu keeps wiggling his eyebrows and smirking with suspicious eyes at Taehyun and mouthing a tell me about it later .
Taehyun is honestly going to strangle him later.
The products section of their farm is a little walk from the warehouse. Silence permeates the air surrounding them, Taehyun favors that over chit chat especially when he knows it’ll be awkward if they force speaking. Although silence often feels uncomfortable with people he isn’t accustomed to, something about Kai exudes tranquility. He has this calming aura surrounding his being—a translucent halo of serenity. So he doesn’t feel obliged to start a needless conversation.
The place of their products is an open-area try out. Tables fill the place in rows with whatever they could make out of their produce to sell and he thinks this part of the farm smells the best. Taehyun meanders Kai to a table with picked-out Hallabong-tangerine for he saw he wasn’t carrying any baskets. Not all visitors buy baskets but he has a gut feeling that Kai hadn’t tasted it.
“Our farm specialises in sweet tangerines, if you have a penchant for sweet things.” He peels a tangerine for Kai, dividing it into sections and passes it to him, Kai cradles it delicately in his open palm resulting in a brush of their fingers–his hands are so soft, unlike Taehyun’s coarse hands from field work.
Kai thanks him and takes a slice of the tangerine into his mouth, humming in astonishment. He swallows and takes another slice to chew on, his throat bobbing as he swallows. Taehyun watches attentively, afraid he would miss a crucial detail.
“This is so delicious, if this is how sweet the fruit is just how sweet is the chocolate?” Kai mouths, his lips are shiny with the tangerine juice slipping down them making them look very tantalising.
Definitely not sweeter than you. Taehyun wants to say yet he resorts to a mere:
“It's actually less sweet because the cocoa percentage is high so it tastes like dark chocolate.” Kai’s eyes blink and he lets out an audible Oh in understanding at Taehyun’s reply.
Taehyun thinks he looks cute and oval when he does that and he suppresses a giggle at the thought.
He guides Kai to the tangerine confectionery, it’s several steps away on the opposite side and he briefly wonders how Kai didn’t taste it because this is a part of the activities for visitors of the orchard. Maybe Kai is one of the people who are more interested in commemorating the experience rather than living it and recalling from his failed memory.
Taehyun isn’t the type to speculate but he’s been doing it often with Kai, he should turn it around by asking questions instead. But for now he waits as Kai tastes the tiny chocolate bar beside the chocolate fountain and an approving expression spreads on his face. He knows this expression too well, he’d seen it on the face of tens of people but it looks different on Kai. It’s like he’s been silently waiting for his approval, an approval from an interesting stranger about something he didn’t make himself even if it was initially his idea. It’s like Kai’s opinion is the only opinion that matters even with hundreds who share the same one. Something about this makes Taehyun momentarily panic in his head, but he remains stoic.
“I like it very much,” Kai looks at him with the same crescents in his eyes as the first time Taehyun’s vision was locked in on him. The only difference is that this smile is aimed at him this time so he gets to bask in it without looking like a creep. Taehyun feels like a sunflower tethered to the ground because the sun casts its warm glow on the plant.
“Do you sell it in quantities? I’d love to use it in one of my recipes.”
Taehyun blinks a few times - not expecting the question, “Yes, we do. You just have to inform us of the quantity beforehand. What are you using it for if I may ask?”
“I’m moving to Jeju to open a bakery and patisserie with my best friend. I’d just signed the lease so I should start decorating the place and open it pretty soon,” Kai explains and he looks like sparklers blazing with excitement.
“That’s pretty awesome, sounds like a job that suits you. So you’re not a tourist? Why Jeju island?”
“I think I’d be considered a tourist because I’m still getting accustomed to the Island and I haven’t fully settled in yet. That’s why I’m visiting this farm, I wanna get a better idea of the places here.” Kai faces him as they walk.
Taehyun hums, this leaves room for him to ask Kai if he’d like being shown around. For no other reason than Taehyun being a helpful local of course. “What places have you visited so far?”
“None, this is my first since I arrived at my hotel yesterday.”
Oh?
“I don’t go out much unless I’m strongly inclined to,” Kai explains. Didn’t he just say that he loves exploring around? He guesses being an introvert and loving to explore can perhaps coexist. He wonders about Kai’s strong inclination to start by his farm when there’s so many other natural sceneries and places to explore on the island. People usually start with more common places.
“How long are you staying for?” He surmises this is a temporary visit since he’d just signed the lease and is staying at a hotel.
Kai’s eyes glimmer and he laughs in a pretty delicate voice, he probably finds Taehyun’s quick wit amusing, “I’m staying for another week, then I should move in around two weeks after my furniture arrives.”
“That should be enough to show you all the tourist attractions and good restaurants around.”
“What?” Kai has a bewildered expression painting his features.
“I’m showing you around,” Taehyun deadpans.
“Yeah, I gathered that but why?”
“I’m a local.” Taehyun fails to comprehend Kai’s apprehension. What’s so strange about his kind offer?
“Yeah? Are you asking me out?” Kai looks at him timidly, he looks like he’s afraid the answer to this would be a ‘ no ’ and then he’d brush it off as a joke.
Taehyun can’t afford to turn a pretty boy down, “Yes. If that’s okay with you,” he says with an assuring smile.
Taehyun hears what he imagines to be a sigh of relief from Kai. So that’s what it sounded like. It didn’t cross Taehyun’s mind that him offering to parade Kai in picturesque places, most likely alone together, would sound like asking him out on a date. Or dates, because that would require more than just one of them.
Kai beams, seemingly satisfied with the answer he got because he swings his arms a bit, “Yeah, I’d love that.”
They traipse around some more, Kai makes a lot of comments about how beautiful the Orchard is and how he’s glad he decided to come here first and Taehyun being the botanical nerd he is explains a lot of things about the steps of planting the crops and how slow of a process it is but it feels worth it when he can sell the crops and assist people around the farm. By the end of the mostly aimless walk, they exchange numbers and Taehyun only tells him about the time and the starting point where they’re going to meet, saving the rest of the details as a surprise.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
Taehyun finds himself going back home a bit later than he usually does, which doesn’t pass over his grandma’s head and she asks him about his day eagerly as soon as he barges in. He tells her everything that happened over tea while dangling their legs out of the outdoors balcony facing the courtyard, but he leaves out the parts about Kai because he doesn’t really know how to talk about him in a way that serves him justice. He’ll have to save it for later after properly spending time with the other.
Morning rolls by and Taehyun finds himself going over his morning round with unparalleled giddiness and lack of composure, which if you know Taehyun, it isn’t any close to his typically poised persona.
“So,” Beomgyu nudges his shoulder and whispers, “Did you score a date with the pretty boy from yesterday?”
“Yeah,” Taehyun says and smiles a bit more widely.
“What??!” Beomgyu yells and Taehyun gently elbows him to remind him they’re on work hours and in public. Beomgyu mouths a sorry. “So when is it?”
“Today, I’m taking the afternoon shift off.”
“I see, let me know if you need help with anything,” Beomgyu offers, tone more collected and genuine.
Taehyun pauses to look at Beomgyu through the tree branches, “What could I possibly need help with?”
“I don’t know, your outfit?” Beomgyu suggests, “Where are you taking him anyway?” He quizzes, which is normal friendly behavior in this situation but Taehyun doesn’t like talking about his plans before executing them. Not necessarily jinxing, it’s just what he’s used to because then he starts to overthink.
“I’m showing him around, he hasn’t been to Jeju before,” Taehyun says.
“So you’re basically his tour guide?” Beomgyu teases, eyes a bit playful. See, this is why he - not so seriously - hates talking with Beomgyu about this stuff.
“No—yes? But it doesn’t matter because it’s a date.” Taehyun puts back baskets and rounds the corner to pick out more tangerines, “He wants to use our produce for a special menu.”
Beomgyu shoots him a surprised look, he loves how he’s always so reactive he makes Taehyun’s anecdotes seem like the most interesting thing ever. And the best thing is: Taehyun knows Beomgyu doesn’t fake his excitement, or concern, or any reaction that he can read from him like an open-book. It’s all genuine.
“What does he do? I thought he was just a tourist.” Beomgyu puts back the pruners he used to chop off the excess branches and takes off his gloves and puts them on the ladder steps that he’s now sitting on to listen to Taehyun speak.
“He’s opening a bakery in Jeju, he said he was here to finalise some papers and get accustomed to the place while he’s here.”
“So you suggested showing him around,” Beomgyu guesses.
“So I suggested showing him around,” Taehyun echoes in confirmation. “And he asked if it’s a date so I said yes.”
“Wow, he likes you,” Beomgyu muses.
“You think?” Taehyun asks hesitantly, not really requiring an answer because it’s more to himself than to Beomgyu, he wishes it’s true. He’d do anything to make sure it’s true. He wants to earn it.
“It sure looks like it, dude approached you then proceeded to ask you if you’re asking him on a date when you offered to show him around. He wants you so bad.”
“Okay, now you’re getting delusional. We don’t know that yet.” But it doesn’t stop the heat from rising to his cheeks anyway. All these sensations are new to Taehyun, he didn't know what it was like to like someone and want to earn their admiration, but he’s always known that he’s gay. It wasn’t a dawning realisation, it’s more like an unchangeable fact; the sky is blue, the earth is brown and Taehyun likes boys.
“Oh my god you’re blushing,” Beomgyu points, “The Kang Taehyun is blushing because of love talk, I feel like a mother bird watching her children hatch out of the eggs.”
“Shut up, that’s not even a good analogy. You should say something like ‘a mother watching her baby birds learn how to fly’ or something. If you wanna tease me for finally discovering feelings after being robotic, at least do it properly.”
“Nerd. This is why you have no friends.”
“When are you next free to meet, Beomgyu-ssi? It’s so hard to get access to you because of your bajillion friends,” Taehyun’s sarcasm is rare but deadly when it’s used. Taehyun bursts in laughter at the look on Beomgyu’s face; like he stole all the possible replies from the tip of his tongue.
Beomgyu huffs in annoyance, “Okay, that was uncalled for… Can’t believe you’re calling me friendless and bitchless.”
“I didn’t call you bitchless,” Taehyun deadpans.
“Yeah, but you wanted to,” Beomgyu fake cries.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
They’d agreed to meet at the bus terminal. Taehyun reaches there to find Kai already waiting for him. He’s wearing a hoodie with a denim jacket over it and he looks breathtakingly handsome just standing there staring at his phone. The screen illuminates his face and he sees a sheen layer on Kai’s lips, almost impossible to notice without the phone’s light. He lifts his head up just as Taehyun materialises in front of him, a slow smile stretching on his face.
“I’m sorry, did you wait long?” Taehyun heaves out. He had to shower and change after work and rushed out without looking at the time, so he’s worried Kai was standing for long.
“No, I just got here, don’t worry,” Kai smiles, his eyes quickly trailing over Taehyun’s figure. “You look nice.”
This isn’t the first time that Taehyun feels like he’s being pinned under the intensity of Kai’s gaze, like a glass frog whose organs are translucent to the viewer. “Um, you too.” Should he say more? Like, compliment something specific? He doesn’t wanna seem awkward so he leaves it at that.
“So where are we going?” Kai inquires, “Don’t tell me this is some plan to kidnap me or something, I’ll have you know I’m really strong.” He flexes his arm as if Taehyun possesses X-ray vision to see his muscles under his clothes.
Taehyun laughs, a bit loudly like Kai is the funniest boy in the world. “We’re going to Cape Seopjikoji, it’s a really pretty place you’ll love it.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Kai says while looking at Taehyun a bit mischievously.
God, is he flirting right now?
Taehyun noticed Kai seems to have random spurts of confidence where he breaks character a bit. He wouldn’t describe him as insecure, not at all, he’s self assured in a poised elegant manner that doesn’t seem preposterous. Yet, he often throws remarks that throw Taehun off balance. He likes this side of Kai too.
The bus arrives and Taehyun lets Kai get on first so he can choose the seat. Kai picks a seat towards the end of the bus near the second entrance and sits in the left window seat, Taehyun slides in next to him.
“How long is the road till Cape Seopjikoji?” He says in a whisper, too close to Taehyun’s ears and he almost winces because it tickles.
“Like twenty minutes? It’s not too far, just enjoy the view from the window,” Taehyun nudges his head towards the window to enunciate his point.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
They get off and the first thing Kai does is gasp and point his finger in excitement, “You didn’t tell me it would be this pretty,” He enunciates the syllables to show his admiration.
A smile makes its way to Taehyun’s face as he treks closer to Kai with his hands in his pockets, “I sure did, let’s go.”
They walk a fenced path surrounded by greenery, little daffodils sprouting in the field beyond the wooden fence and the beach at the edges surrounding the island, the view is mesmerising and Kai stops to take pictures whenever he deems it too pretty to pass out on, which is quite often. Taehyun waits for him and assures him that he can take as many as he wants and that he doesn’t have to feel like he’s holding them back and Kai’s smile is as gentle as the afternoon sun seeping through the clouds in the middle of October.
Kai’s pace slows down marginally as they approach the top and the path starts to feel more like climbing than walking. So Taehyun offers to take a break and sit on the rocks facing the beach. They find a part of the fence open so they go through it to have a better view of the ocean downwards.
“You know, I’ve heard about the wonders nature does for your soul my whole life and I’ve always pushed it to the back of my mind because it wasn’t what I was willing to prioritise, but now it feels true. I feel like I can finally breathe, maybe it’s also because it reminds me of Hawaii,” Kai says as he inspects the horizons, eyes lazily glazing over the seemingly redundant ocean beyond in between big breaths, as if simply observing the view vivisicates anything between his ribs to allow his lungs to take in as much clean air as they can.
“Is that why you’re heaving so fast?” But then he realises Kai’s other statement, “Wait, Hawaii?”
“Hey!” Kai yells, fake exasperated. “No, that’s from walking so much. But you get the point. I used to live in Hawaii when I was a kid. Looking back at it, I think it’s the happiest I’ve ever been, but I don’t know if it’s because I was a kid and my view of the world was skewed and perfect or if it was because I was surrounded by nature. Still, I think everyone yearns for their childhood even if it wasn’t in fact perfect so it’s hard to pinpoint.”
Taehyun stretches his legs in front of him and imitates Kai by looking at the crashing waves, a sight he’s always beheld. He’s one with this land after all. This is perhaps the most Kai has ever talked about himself since they’ve met. The insight he’s offered is something that needs a bit of silence after so it would linger, so he could offer a heartfelt reply without seeming like he just wants to relate even if he actually does. It’s fitting, if the ocean is moving this slowly, who are they to rush?
A moment passes, or two.
“Hawaii sounds a lot similar to Jeju indeed. I’ve never been there, but if you think so then it must be. And I do get the point, it’s why I chose to live in Jeju.”
“I thought you were a local,” Kai quips, he turns his head to face Taehyun now like whatever he has to say would be more interesting than the view he was taking in.
Taehyun also understands.
“I am, but I left for Seoul with my parents when I was a kid and hated it there, so I came back and swore to never leave again,” Taehyun scoffs, a bitter laugh. Memories paint the walls of his brain - the walls he’s worked hard to paint over with different layers only peeling again to mock him. But if he could go back he would choose living here again and never change a thing. Taehyun’s allegiance ties to this land alone.
Kai looks at him with a knowing gaze, sensing that Taehyun doesn’t wanna talk about his parents so he redirects his reply, “Yeah, Seoul sucks. I see why you’d hate it.”
“Is that why you chose Jeju? Were you sick of living in Seoul?” Taehyun asks, his eyes a bit inquisitive and curious.
“It wasn’t really my choice at first. Soobin, my best friend and co-owner, found the place through a friend and I liked the idea of being away from Seoul so I thought why not have our own bakery in Jeju. Little competition here. I was also sick of working under people, it’s always been my dream to have my own bakery. Soobin made it possible. ”
“Soobin seems like a nice guy,” Taehyun remarks.
Kai’s eyes light up and he tells him about Soobin and how they were childhood friends and always attached at the hip and came as a 2in1 deal everywhere they went to the point where people always asked about the other if he was absent from sight.
Taehyun could relate, that was Beomgyu to him, he couldn't bear to live without him even if it’d kill him to admit that to him in words because it would inflate his ego too much and Taehyun was a man of action anyway. Boasting about him was no problem to Kai though, it came easy to quip with little replies in agreement to Kai’s stories about Soobin. He deduced that the two are a lot alike, and would probably click so well if they met.
“Where is he then? Didn’t he come with you?”
Taehyun couldn’t help but get curious after all this talk about Soobin and he vaguely remembers seeing someone with the same aforementioned descriptions with Kai in the orchard yesterday. But he isn’t sure, maybe his eyes had fooled him: he was too entranced by Kai’s demeanor to pay attention to his companion.
“He left this morning. I’d have loved to have you meet him, but he’ll be back again.”
“I would love that. You guys should meet Beomgyu too, he’s friendly and also likes gaming.” Taehyun wants to say he’s also a bit of a loser as well, but maybe that would also apply to Soobin and he doesn’t want to indirectly insult Kai’s friend in the process so he suppresses the urge just to badmouth Beomgyu, they’ll find out sooner or later.
They’ve had a good fifteen minutes of rest, so Taehyun stands up and stretches a hand out to Kai so they can continue their journey. They still need to reach the peak because the view is even more breathtaking there. “Here,” he says while extending his hand towards Kai’s face. He takes it in an instant and Taehyun leads them away from the precipice of the ocean to the safety of the ledged path.
Kai could choose to let go of his hand because there’s no need to hold onto it any longer, but they both seem to have formed a silent agreement to harbor the shared warmth of their intermingled fingers as they trek towards the top with fettered steps.
Once they make it to the top they’re both so absorbed in taking in the view to stop and regulate their breathing, literally standing on the cusp of a breath. Kai’s face seems to glow with the casted evening light on his face, he seems satisfied with the effort he’s exuded to reach this pinnacle.
“Thanks for taking me here,” he says with a sincere tone and Taehyun’s thoughts are a cacophony of I’d do anything for you if you just let me.
“Do you want a picture?” He barks out, already taking his phone out to capture it because who wouldn't want their picture taken here? Kai nods and strikes a peace sign as Taehyun snaps it. Crazy how the photo fails to capture half the beauty of the joint view, maybe it’s his mediocre photography skills to blame. Maybe this scenery and Kai in one frame is worse than a nuclear explosion in effect to Taehyun’s heart. It makes sense that a photo would pale in comparison to what he can see with his own eyes and still fail to comprehend.
“Can I see?” Kai steps in to peek at the phone, his shoulder lightly brushing him as Taehyun swipes through the several pictures he took. He gasps in fascination, seemingly satisfied with the results, “These are all so pretty,” He lets out in awe.
“Easy task when the subject at hand is pretty.”
Taehyun can’t believe he said that out loud (2.0), he isn’t the flirtatious type and he wouldn’t consider this flirting because it’s the first thought that came to his brain and out of his mouth. He’s not being calculative like his usual self. God, being in Kai’s vicinity was like someone sipping all his composure from his brain through a paper straw. He deserves to know though, he’s just afraid Kai would think he means it any less when he repeats it. But he’d do anything to ensure otherwise.
The evening orange sun rays are coating Kai’s face and dusting his cheeks a primrose colour, he never thought orange and pink would coalesce this well in something other than the sky. Kai might just be a divine miracle.
“You keep calling me pretty,” Kai says, tone a bit unreadable.
Taehyun examines his features to gauge his tone, he doesn’t wanna make him uncomfortable, but his continuous gazing comes off as him taking in his features to assess his statement and Kai blushes even more. This is proving hard, because Taehyun really wants to kiss him.
“Yes, can’t I?” Taehyun says firmly with an endeared smile. If Kai wanted him to stop, he’d find a way to, even if it’s the hardest thing in the world.
“No, I like it. I like feeling pretty so I like hearing it too,” Kai mutters in a whisper.
Would you like kissing me too?
Taehyun will abuse the hell out of this information, Kai has to know when Taehyun thinks he’s pretty which is basically all the time. He’ll make sure to only tell him an extraordinarily normal amount.
Descending the peak is fairly easier than going up the last part. They make it back to the bus and Kai takes the window seat again. Kai watches the road and Taehyun watches him. It’s already dinner time and the restaurant they’re heading to is a few stops from Cape Seopjikoji and not where they initially met for the day. He made sure to ask if Kai likes seafood before deciding on the place.
They make it to their stop and enter the small local restaurant. It’s not an eye-catching one and it's been there for as long as Taehyun can remember–even his grandparents used to come here often and they’re friends with the owners.
As soon as they sit down, the owner greets Taehyun by his name and asks if it’s his usual order or if he’s having something different this time because of the new companion. He orders the usual with an addition of Abalone and grilled mackerel and a bottle of soju.
“You come here a lot,” Kai observes, his eyes busy taking in the place. It’s a traditional restaurant in decoration. They have the option to sit at the circular tables or the bar stools, but they’re already sitting on the table. Taehyun usually prefers the former if he’s alone or with Beomgyu, but this is more efficient because that way Kai is facing him.
“I do, the food here is good and foreigners don’t come here often, it's basically for the locals.”
Kai's eyes light up and his mouth goes oval, “I basically landed the jackpot by spotting you in the orchard.”
That’s my line.
Taehyun levels him with a smile, “I’m glad you did.” He fidgets with his bracelet with occasional awkward glances till the food arrives, which is shortly after. The service here is unmatched.
“Oh my god, is this Galchi jorim? (braised cutlassfish) I’ve never had it before.” Kai’s mouth would be metaphorically hung open by the way he sounds so excited to get a taste. It automatically draws a smile to Taehyun’s face, heart fuzzy. He made the right choice by bringing Kai here.
They both start picking food out of the Charong into their personal plates and Kai keeps making joyful hums while chewing, he’s so meticulous about his chewing and he eats in such a captivating way like you’d want to learn from the way he eats his food. If Taehyun voiced these thoughts to anyone he’d sound insane.
“Do you like the food here?” Taehyun asks, tipping the cap of the soju bottle open and pouring both of them two glasses.
Kai eyes the glass and swallows before he answers, “Yes, it’s so delicious. I don't know if it's that good or if it’s because the hunger after all the walking is making it more delectable.”
“Have you considered that it could be both?”
Kai looks at the ceiling as he considers it then nods, “Yes, you’re right.”
“Where did you eat yesterday?” Taehyun asks, he knows most of the restaurants around and he wants to confirm whether Kai has been eating well or not. Why does he care so much whether Kai is eating well or not? Is this normal?
“Yesterday I had so much of the tangerine you gave me, so I only ate cup noodles for dinner because I didn’t feel like ordering something stale off the hotel’s menu.”
Right. Kai is staying in a hotel so it’d make sense for him to eat their food instead of going through the hassle of looking for restaurants, “I’m guessing you prefer this food over the hotel’s then.”
Kai groans as if remembering the taste physically pains him, “Of course! Hyung, their food is absolutely ass in comparison.”
Hyung. Hyung. Hyung. Taehyun’s head lulls like an empty metallic container that’s been hit with a heavy object; he's never been called Hyung before, because everyone here is older than him and the village kids call him Ahjusshi!
Kai notices Taehyun’s dumbfounded expression and jumps to apologise. “I’m sorry, should I keep the formality? I know you’re 6 months older so I figured—“
Taehyun stops Kai’s spiral with a hand on his on the table, “It’s okay, keep it. I’m your hyung then, Kai-ah.”
Kai coughs a bit and Taehyun hands him the glass of soju he has left untouched and he slowly sips from it, “You are,” He says, albeit more quietly.
“Do you not drink? Did I make a mistake handing you the cup?” Taehyun peers curiously. There wasn’t water around to quickly aid him so it was more of a reflex.
Kai waves his hand in the air, “I do, I do. I usually forget about my drinks while eating.”
“I’ll remind you then. Unless you’re a lightweight? Don’t wanna get you drunk easily.”
Kai smiles at the sentiment and denies being a lightweight, “Thank you, hyung.”
This isn’t getting any easier on his poor heart.
Once it’s time to pay, Kai insists that he pays for both of them since Taehyun did all the planning. But he finds that Taehyun had already paid and he shoots him a pointed look and Taehyun just mutters ‘ let me treat you this time’ . They agreed that Kai would be the one paying next time they eat out.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
Kai’s hotel turns out to be close to the restaurant they were at. Taehyun insists on dropping him off, or walking him there because he didn’t ride his scooter here today.
He stops by a convenience store to get some popsicles for dessert. Also because he wants to drag out his time with Kai even when he knows that they’ll be meeting again tomorrow. Taehyun is bad with goodbyes and he likes to cling on till the last moment. Bad habit.
They make their purchase minutes before the closing time (Kai paid but he said that it doesn’t count because it’s not a meal) and they sit outside on the wooden deck with only the street lamps illuminating their vicinity.
Kai got a blueberry flavoured popsicle and, after a few minutes of having it in his mouth, he rolls out his tongue and nudges Taehyun to ask him if it's tainting his mouth blue in incoherent mumbling because he refuses to close his mouth before speaking. Taehyun affirms that it's blue enough and rolls out his own tongue to ask if his mouth is coloured red as well.
They both erupt in a fit of laughter, holding their stomachs in pain because they were too full and Taehyun finds that Kai’s laugh is higher in pitch and squeaker than his usual tone of speaking. He wants to keep collecting knowledge about Kai like little shiny stones the more time they spend together.
The strangest thing about love (if he can call it that yet) is the visceral need to know everything about the person you like–to share parts of yourself with them, and to have them share parts of themselves in exchange. Curiosity. Along with the desire to be seen and known; I’m looking at you, would you look at me too?
Finding similarities and contradictions so that they can help make them fit better together. Selflessly, or not so selflessly adjusting to their needs, highlighting the information that would maintain the connection, that would show the other that you care.
Taehyun finds himself doing all of that. Some he chooses to do and some he just takes notice of and simply allows to happen, like a signed permit. Falling in love isn’t by choice, and it’s not something to be restrained and controlled. So if he can’t stop it (he doesn’t want to) then he’ll help it flourish, for he’s good at nurturing things to full bloom.
“The night sky is so pretty here,” Kai’s voice cuts through his thoughts like a hand through a body of water. Like the one they’re sitting in front of.
Taehyun shifts his vision from the sky to Kai and then to the sky again. As if Kai’s statement will give him a new insight to the sky that he was already looking at, as if he’ll be able to see it through his eyes instead. “It is,” he says but then pitches in to maintain a conversation. “Do you think you’ll miss Seoul?”
Kai shakes his head in a slow movement, “No, I don’t think so. I might get nostalgic but I won’t truly miss it since I wasn’t the happiest there.”
“What about your family, don’t they live there?”
“My family lives abroad. My dad is American but he’s from Germany and he lives there and my mom is in the US with my two sisters because she can’t leave them alone there.”
Taehyun hums, a family scattered across three countries. It must be hard. “Are you the oldest sibling?”
“No, I have an older sister; Lea. And my younger sister is Bahiyyih,” Kai replies. “What about you?”
“I have an older sister, she lives in Seoul. My parents do too, so I live with my grandparents here.”
“Why do you not live with your parents? Is it just because of the land or?” Kai asks, his eyes gleaming with genuine interest, yet Taehyun’s silence leads him to apologise. “I’m sorry, was that too personal?”
Taehyun shakes his head to assure Kai that it’s okay to ask, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore but it’s not a pleasant topic of choice. He should’ve expected this by asking about Kai’s family: he’s too polite to not ask the same questions back to show his interest.
“I didn’t want to live like them. They didn’t want to live like their parents. I guess that’s one thing we have in common.”
Kai nods his head and gives Taehyun a shoulder pat that shouldn’t make the hairs on his back stand at the unexpectancy, but it does nonetheless. “I see. So do you like being a farmer?”
Taehyun smiles, there’s nothing that he likes more. Farming is a lifestyle and it’s one that he'd chosen. While he can’t relate to his parents’ choice of wanting to do something else with their life, he does understand it; he wouldn’t be able to do farming if he hated it, if it wasn’t what he truly wanted. Spending your life in an occupation that you hate is a certified recipe for early doom and trapped misery.
“Yeah, a lot. I think it’s quite similar to being a baker. But while farming is a large scale and a long process, baking is more meticulous and faster in results. Yet the hard work often results in something delicious.”
Kai’s eyes glimmer with the comparison and he taps his hand on the wooden deck excitedly like a big puppy. “You’re absolutely right. That’s why I want to use your crops in my baking. Imagine the joint sweetness, they’ll be a hit.”
Taehyun chuckles, it’s starting to get hot so he fans his face a bit with his hand. Then he finds a cold mass making contact with his cheek, he looks over to the side to see Kai’s outstretched hand holding a cold water bottle to his face.
“I bought it earlier,” he mutters, his eyes are like two shiny marbles that are reflecting Taehyun’s dazed look. It gets him all hot to look at them so he flits down his gaze to his mouth. This is marginally worse because now he’s also thinking about his pretty lips, he can’t, he can’t.
Taehyun’s heart beats are deafening out the sounds of nature around them, the sound of reason. He finds himself inching closer to Kai’s face, till they’re merely a breath away then he wipes down the corner of Kai’s mouth with his thumb. “You had a crumb there,” he chokes out, which is a total lie. But how could he admit he wanted to kiss him then chickened out last minute? At least this sounds absurd but hopefully believable.
“O-Oh…” Kai stammers. His cheeks are now sporting a matching red color to Taehyun’s. Great!
“Let’s go back,” Taehyun suggests but he’s already on his feet to walk Kai back.
-
Taehyun shifts in bed, reminiscing about the day’s events. He feels an intensified contentment that he hasn’t felt in a while, his emotions are usually at an equilibrium; never too much of anything because he’s good at balancing them out and nothing too exciting or too egregious ever happens. He doesn’t know if he can get used to this: the giddiness of being a man in love and seeing the world through that lens. He’s sure that it’s not just being in love, it’s Kai’s effect on him, like he gave him a vision of something tender, sweet while also lifting his feet off the paddle so he could lose this balance.
He wants Kai to know his seeping effect on his life.
⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹
Today, the customers are sparse, settling back into the familiar rhythm that his farm typically welcomes. He guesses it might be because the effects of the article are dwindling, or maybe it’s simple fluctuations according to external conditions. Nothing is constant in the business world even if they regularly update their statistics.
This allows him to take things easy at the orchard for the day so he can have more energy for later to enjoy his time with Kai without physical restraints. But he doubts that even such exhaustion would make him budge once he’s in Kai’s vicinity.
Taehyun finds the routine of going through the same steps everyday relaxing, it doesn’t get any easier just because it’s familiar but it’s grounding nonetheless. Knowing what he has to do and how to go about it makes him less susceptible to panic. So this means that he’s planned his day to the littlest details, never leaving something to chance.
He breezes through the day and his face lights up when he gets a text from Kai. They’ve been texting a lot lately, mainly about locations and exchanging captured pictures but also random check-ups. Yesterday, they’d gone to the teddy bear museum and Kai had taken so many pictures of the bears displayed there on Taehyun’s phone because his phone ran out of power. It’s the first thing he sees when he opens the chat followed by a goodnight. I had so much fun today (o^^o) . from Kai.
Taehyun too had a lot of fun. Kai had subtly complained about his feet hurting from all the climbing on their first date, so he thought somewhere with less unpaved tarmac and tweeds would be a better option in between dates in natural places.
Kai ended up liking the museum date a lot and he discovered that Kai likes plushies because the man was struggling not to get every plushie in the gift shop even if it was only a slight difference in shape or size. The sight of Kai, a guy of his size cooing at tiny miniature teddy bears was too endearing for Taehyun and he found his heart inadvertently beating harder as a result.
Kai went home with what he considered a reasonable amount of plushies (Taehyun considers it too much but whatever makes Kai smile) and Taehyun added to the pile of souvenirs with a music box containing a miniature teddy bear band because Kai had mentioned that he likes band music in passing. Kai let out a gasp then covered his mouth on receiving the gift and he looked a bit disarmed by the specificity of it before rotating the hand crank and giggling because a band song rendition with kalimba makes him laugh airily at its cuteness.
Taehyun wishes he could store the sound of Kai’s laughter in a music box like the one he gave him so he could play it on repeat—a symphony for his ears alone to relish in.
Taehyun had planned two places to visit today per Kai’s request. He said he’s babying him and that he can handle going to more places since he’s more used to exerting effort here now since he has the best guide. He didn’t have to walk much in Seoul as there are close to no places to explore on foot and the transit option is abundant so he’s grown a bit lazier there especially with his job as a baker.
First destination: Yongnuni Oreum Volcanic Cone. It’s close to the second destination and Taehyun thought it’d be nice to climb and camp with the view there. The summit isn’t so high so it’s not a struggle to reach it walking through the right ridges.
Taehyun’s been here a lot and it’s one of his favorite places to be. Climbing it again feels like climbing it at 16, 17, 18 and all the times along those preceding years. The memories always come flooding through his veins, carrying specks of nostalgia. The feeling of looking at the view from the top is familiar but never less rewarding. Taehyun wants Kai to experience this too; being in a place that’s a part of Taehyun, that carries his memories in between the folds of its soil.
He prepared all the camping and cooking equipment for the day and Kai only had to get some ingredients because he insisted and Taehyun couldn’t turn him down. He doesn’t want Kai to feel like he owes him even if he prefers coddling him, so this works for both of them.
Now as they walk through the fields of the cone, Taehyun keeps looking back at Kai to check if he’s having a hard time walking through the slopes because his gait is naturally faster from the familiarity, he notes that he should learn to match his step and slows down a bit to accompany him.
“The fields are actually silver, I thought it was a light thing but it doesn’t change when I keep looking.”
Taehyun laughs, walking back a few steps to stand closer to Kai so he wouldn’t have to shout his reply. “It’s autumn, this type of grass is usually silver and not green in autumn and winter, Kai-ah.”
Kai nods and stretches his fingers to get a feel of the grass, as it'd be tactilely different to touch in a different season. Kai is like that - Taehyun had noticed - exorbitantly curious when something interests him.
And Taehyun is also a naturally curious person - similarities - it’s something his grandparents encouraged in him; the desire to learn, about anything and everything. He’s always been curious about the sciences, mostly biology and things related to animals, bugs and plants and his interests come in handy because it’s somewhat related to his work.
“It's a prickly feeling, isn’t it?” Taehyun muses.
Kai looks up from the grass and nods, he has one hand over his knee and the other squeezing a tall foxtail plant’s head. “This looks so much like wheat but it isn’t, right?”
“Yeah, that's a foxtail plant. They’re bad for dogs, that's why they’re banned from here.” He points to the sign with his eyes. “A lot of people get upset over this ‘discrimination’ without knowing the reason for it. They’re safe in winter though because these plants wilt when it snows.”
Kai blinks a few times, looking all around him to take in the visage. “Oh, how sad.”
“The dogs or the foxtails?”
“The plants, of course, because they die. The dogs can go to other places that are safer for them,” Kai explains, he has a downcast look splaying on his face and Taehyun is slightly surprised because he’s never met someone who feels for plants when it’s not what they do for a living or as a hobby. Kai is so warm.
“Yeah, but it allows for a new season. These plants, like every other plant, need the winter to exist. We plant the seeds in the winter for them to sprout in the spring and harvest in the fall or earlier in the winter.”
“Wow, it's a full cycle of life,” Kai says with an amused tone. “I took this in school before but these things slip your mind when you’re not constantly subjected to them.”
Taehyun hums and starts ascending the slope towards the summit and ushers Kai beside him. “Some soils are even perennial, meaning that they can go on for generations to grow crops with the right maintenance without having to be replanted every season. An example for this would be tangerines, their root system stays in the soil. That's why it's hard to get a tangerine farm licensed.”
“That’s amazing, it’s like the soil making a home for the tangerine trees for centuries and refusing to budge for something else. A mutual camaraderie.”
Taehyun chuckles at the analogy, leave it to Kai to make science facts romantic and cute. “Yeah, exactly. I bet you already know all the trivia about our farm since you visited it but it’s never less amusing to me how something so meaningful can go on for so long. Whenever I get tired of working in the farm, I remember all those who helped keep it alive for ages before me. It's my job now to keep it going, it's a great honor.”
Kai regards him with a marveled expression, “Your work is so noble, I’ve never put much thought into what goes on the work that goes behind a delicious fruit that I ate, but now I feel guilty that I haven’t.”
“Well, it’s not too late to start now,” Taehyun says with a gentle smile. He starts taking longer strides with Kai because this part of the parasitic cone is easier to trudge. They have only little to climb so that they’re at the summit. The summit is relatively low and not hard to climb, along with the pretty visage with the meadows and foxtail and trees in between ridges in sight it makes sense why this place is one of the popular tourist attractions.
Taehyun rotates to face Kai and stretches out a hand for Kai to take. Kai eyes his hand, then his face and then his hand again.
“I think I can manage without falling. Unless you wanna hold hands?” Kai says in an honest and curious tone. He fiddles with his sweater paw in an endearing way. Taehyun is sure Kai is bigger than him in size but that doesn’t prevent him from having the urge to scoop him up and tuck him in his vest’s chest pocket, next to his pulsing heart.
But this wasn’t Taehyun’s intention by his offer; he simply wanted to ensure Kai could climb with him even if he’s perfectly capable. It’s a safety thing. But now that he’s put things into perspective because of what Kai said, it makes sense that it would seem this way. Maybe Kai gets him more than he thought he does. He isn’t perturbed at the slightest when he takes Kai’s hand and leads him through the grassy hill towards the top. It feels like deja vu. He fails to notice a slow satisfied smile creeping on Kai’s face.
Taehyun climbs slowly to be steady (and to have Kai’s hands in his for longer). Kai’s hands being bigger, fingers slightly longer fill him with a tingly sensation. He noticed that they’re soft when he held them before, but having the face of his palm under his fingertips really makes it feel like he has a thorny stem scratching on fine silk. He wonders if Kai finds the sensation of his hands off putting from their coarseness. If he does, he’s doing a really good job at hiding it.
With a forceful last tug to Kai’s arm, they reach the summit. They both stand there, rapidly inhaling and exhaling and Taehyun takes off his camping paraphernalia with a resulting thud to sit on the grass close to the edge with his palms outstretched behind him for leverage; he always does this first thing when he gets up.
Kai joins him on the ground and takes in the view in awe, he continues with his deep breathing with a simmered lull in his eyes. It’s totally different seeing the whole cone from the top, with all the plants that form the shape of the land.
“I kind of want to shout right now. Is saying yahoo on top of a hill too old fashioned?” Kai asks while fiddling with a little tweed in the ground and gazing at Taehyun.
“I don’t think so. And who am I to judge? You can shout at the top of your lungs, I’ll go with you,” Taehyun says and stands up, “Okay, wanna count?”
Kai squeezes his forearm once in lieu of a thanks, “Yeah, 1, 2, 3…”
“YAHOOO!!!!!” They shout in unison. It reverbates and echoes and they hold their breathing in as they exchange glances and wait for it to stop.
Taehyun looks at him amused and lets out a giggle at the loudness of their joined voices, and that’s Kai’s cue to burst in laughter. He’s laughing so heartedly that Taehyun is sure that the sound reaches the heavens. It’s only natural that he ends up laughing because Kai is.
“I love your laugh,” Taehyun says, voice full of truth when he catches his breath. He doesn’t get how Kai can do that; reconstruct the core of his being every time he laughs.
Kai covers his face with one hand, “You need to stop saying things like that out of nowhere, you know.”
“Why’s that?” Taehyun asks, inching a bit closer. He wants to pry Kai’s hand off his face. Almost mad that it’s hiding his face from him.
“Because…” He says, voice slightly above a whisper.
“Because?”
Kai groans in frustration and - thank god - lowers his hand. “Because It makes me fall for you even harder.”
“What?” Taehyun’s brain short circuits. He knew Kai probably likes him a bit to go on dates with him. But falling, doesn’t falling mean love? Love is a bit of a crazy thing to bet on when it’s the Huening Kai in question.
“You heard me. I’m so stupidly in love with you and you’re so gentle with me yet so dense when it comes to the cues I drop.”
Taehyun honestly feels his jaw metaphorically unhinge, his heart leaping out of his chest, his screws coming loose - you name it. “Pinch me,” He says.
Kai trudges closer, he holds Taehyun’s hand,
The touch is real.
He leaves a breadth of air between their faces,
The way he steals his breath is real.
before kissing his mouth slowly, softly then pulling away.
“Bet it feels real now,” Kai says, a smile playing on his lips. He looks victorious, like he just achieved some goal of his and is about to go back to tick it off the list.
Taehyun stands there trying to refocus on what had just transpired but once he snaps out of it he cups Kai’s cheeks to pull him down and kisses him again. The kiss is frantic at first, desperate just the clash of their lips with a slight tilt of their heads, Kai reciprocates the energy and leans into it with his hands on Taehyun’s waist. It’s anything far from quiet, you’d hear them humming into it if the wind was a bit quieter. Taehyun registers that they’re in public and pulls away to catch his breath.
He heaves into Kai’s neck, somehow more than he has from climbing this hill.
His love for Huening Kai is also real.
Then he says, “I love you too, a lot. It’d be silly to say that it was love at first sight because I don’t think it was ‘love’ back then but just interest. I wanted to know you so badly, to willingly let myself fall for you. I knew I was bound to anyway.”
Kai holds him by his shoulders to look into his eyes but not before he steals another kiss, “So does that mean we’re boyfriends?” He giggles, the sound could make fairies come out of hiding because it’s a cue for safety.
“Yes, angel. Let me treat you like you deserve.”
Kai blushes, he likes the pet name. “And what’s that?” He boops his nose.
“The best of course, like a princess,” Taehyun says, he hopes his love wouldn’t pool out of his eyes and spill to the ground.
“Your princess?” Kai asks with a tilt to his head, he looks a bit timid again. He wouldn’t be if he knew everything that went through Taehyun’s mind.
Fuck - “Yeah, mine,” Taehyun says through his teeth. “Should I carry you to demonstrate?”
“Oh my god no,” Kai refuses with a giggle and a swat to Taehyun’s arm. Taehyun loves Kai when he’s shy. Taehyun loves Kai when he’s daring, Taehyun is going to love Kai no matter how he acts. “How about we set up the tent because I’m a bit hungry?”
“Sure, Kai-ah.”
Taehyun grills the meat as Kai boils some dumplings. They’ve already set up the tent - mostly Taehyun but Kai took out the cooking stuff from the bag - with the chairs outside and the griller along with the electric stove. It’s getting chillier so they’re both wearing scarves. Taehyun tends to run colder so Kai gave him a small blanket to cover himself with while cooking. The sound of the meat sizzling along with the smell of the grass and the air merging the two together reminds Taehyun of the vegetables he picked out from a neighboring farmer for this occasion. He takes them out to grill the cut potatoes and carrots and leaves the cabbage to eat raw.
Kai lurches closer to him when the smell gets tantalising and Taehyun feeds him mouthfuls of the cooked meat and a bit of potato. The way Kai's mouth closes around the food and a bit of his finger is downright obscene. All Taehyun can do is gulp and try to calm his stupid racing thoughts down.
The wind starts to get stronger and Kai nuzzles even closer as he watches Taehyun’s left arm flip the meat pieces.
“Do you think we’re going too fast?” Kai mumbles, his head resting on Taehyun’s shoulder as he traces his index on Taehyun’s open palm.
“No baby, I don’t. Do you want to go slow?” Taehyun replies almost instantly, he’s never been more sure of a decision. He’s never felt the readiness for dedication to something other than his work. Now it’s Huening Kai too, his angel. But if Kai has worries he will do whatever’s going to put his mind at ease.
“I don’t, I’m just scared…”
Scared?
“Scared of what, Kai-ah?” Taehyun takes out all the sizzling meat left on the griller along with his gloves and he thumbs the pulsing vein on his neck. He bores his eyes on his face, not in an inquisitive way as much as it to show Kai that he’s hearing him out, that he cares. But all this does is make Kai avert eye-contact so he thumbs at his hand and looks at them instead.
“We can not label it if you want, is time what you need?” Taehyun suggests he tilts his head a bit to show Kai that he’s serious about doing anything for him. Kai feels comforted enough to look at him as he speaks now.
“No, I’ve just never been in a relationship. I don’t know the right pace at which we’re supposed to go. I don’t want my lack of experience to scare you away so I’ve been pretending to know what I’m doing…”
“Angel, you can never scare me away. Well, unless you do a really good spooky cosplay or something.” Kai giggles and Taehyun feels the tension loosening from his shoulders. “And the right pace is what we decide it is, okay? So, let me rephrase it again: Your lack of experience won’t scare me off, ever. But if you still have any doubts, can you talk to me about them? We can try out things when we want to, there’s no rush.”
This seems to placate Kai’s anxiety, “Okay, Hyung. I’ll try,” Kai says and hugs one of Taehyun’s arms after planting a kiss on his neck.
“What’s up with the Hyung again?”
“You feel so older than me sometimes when you act wise. Can’t help it — Do you not like it? Shall I call you my love?”
Taehyun feels butterflies hatching in his belly. This is what metamorphosis must feel like, to be born again as something more beautiful, full potential.
This is what he feels like with Kai. His life wasn’t any emptier before him but it’s like now that he has Kai, he doesn’t know if he can take his life without him. Which should be an incredibly terrifying prospect, yet all Taehyun feels is a tranquil sense of settlement.
What Kai did to him is something akin to magic, but maybe love is the closest we can get to magic.
“Mm,” Taehyun hums, he takes out the remaining raw meat pieces and continues flipping them with Kai’s head on his shoulder. It’s like his neck was carved as a place for Kai to nestle in.
“I’ve also never had a boyfriend.”
“Really?” Kai’s voice is higher in pitch, surprise lacing his tone.
“Yeah, so we’re in this together. You have me,” He says and kisses Kai’s hair. He hopes what he said comes off as genuine as he means it. No matter what happens, Taehyun is there for him. Devoted.
“You have me too,” Kai mutters softly with one squeeze to his arm.
This is when it feels like the world stills around them.
The meat is almost done and Kai gets the plates from the small convertible table beside him to line food on the plates with chopsticks. He starts with the cabbage and adds the pieces of meat that Taehyun isn’t stirring anymore. They start eating and Kai keeps humming at the taste of the food.
“This is so yummy, Taehyun-ah,” He says in between bites and Taehyun feels overjoyed, proud that Kai likes something he made and is indulging in it.
Taehyun reaches for the dumplings and bites into one and regards Kai with an astonished expression. “This is also so good.”
“Thanks, it’s store bought, I just put it in the pot,” Kai says flatly, not owning up to what he’s capable of.
Taehyun rolls his eyes and laughs, “Don’t be so humble, going by this logic: I also just bought meat and grilled it.”
“That’s a more complicated task, plus you’re better at cooking,” Kai refutes and sticks to his reasoning.
Taehyun arches a brow, “How do you know that? Should we have a contest? Whoever cooks a better dish is the winner. Beomgyu will be the judge since we’re both biased.”
Kai holds his hand up for high-five and calls it a deal. Taehyun will most likely just invite him over and cook for all of them. He wants Beomgyu to meet Kai, his first boyfriend.