Archive of Our Own

Minho is South Korea’s number one extroverted introvert.
Or perhaps South Korea’s most introverted extrovert.
Regardless, he is a mystery to almost everyone he meets.

Minho is an enigma that defies consistency, at least to those around him. His coworkers don’t understand his humor, but recognize his exceptional work ethic. His friends think he’s hilarious, but is a slacker who needs a push to succeed in life.

But why?

He loves his job. He loves his friends. He values the conversations he gets to have, whether funny or deep. And he also values his alone time.

Walking through the city is a rush. Being a single soul flowing through the river of the masses, wondering where each person is going to or coming from. Seeing who is or isn’t paying attention, whether someone is walking or running, or driving a car impatiently in and out of traffic. Having nowhere in particular to go, Minho could wander around the same block and still find something new to see every time

If the hustle and bustle of the city, or the stress of living up to other’s expectations, became too much, there was always the nearby park. The hiking path was eight kilometers long, looping around two different lakes. Taking in how the trees subtly changed through the year was as beautiful as the unchanging buildings in the city. They would start shedding their leaves and pines near his birthday, and grow back as he became another half year older.

His friends have this weird aging system of being double your age and calling it half. He’s currently half 53.

Spring was Minho’s favorite time to draw his strength from the forest instead of the city, especially any day after it rained. On those days, less people frequented the trails, and even less were willing to traverse through the damp dirt of the forest to the lake’s edge. The smells of the rain, trees and water brought peace to Minho’s soul and a smile to his face. On those days, he would lace up his leather brown hiking boots, put on a light jacket and sweatpants to temper the breeze off the lake, and a backpack holding an outdoor yoga mat. He had two favorite spots, one by each lake, depending on if he wanted to walk the short or long path.

Today was a long path day.

Minho leaned back as he made his way down the hill, deliberately digging his feet into the ground to let out some extra frustration before he settled in. The rain last night was light, so he wasn’t worried about falling. He chuckled to himself, noticing he was following his own footprints from two weeks ago. Although, it has rained heavier between then and now, so they should be more washed out…

Minho shook the thought out of his mind, finding the low branch he usually hangs his backpack on to pull out his mat. He unhooked the straps and rolled it on the slight decline towards the lake that was more stable than one might expect. Sitting sideways long enough to push his boots off, he pointed them out towards the lake and assumed a butterfly position, fingers tapping his knees from where they rested.

He closed his eyes and absorbed the sounds and smells around him, focusing on breathing in and out. Sometimes he forgot to breathe, especially when he got upset with other people. The reason he was here is because he had a particularly stressful day at work, and then snapped at his best friend Hyunjin over text when the man with the softest heart in the world was only trying to help. He took a full lap around the eastern lake, deciding to settle at its southern forest when his anger at himself didn’t dissipate like it normally does. They both knew Minho would apologize once he calmed down.

It’s just that Minho’s friends didn’t know where he calmed down.

The lapping of the lake at the nearby shore and the breeze through the newly formed leaves helped ground him, as nature always did, but Minho detected another sound that was vaguely human. Usually, he could hear people walking on the path above, but this was much closer. And it wasn’t footsteps like he was accustomed to. It sounded more like…muttering?

Minho opened his eyes and blinked away the fading light of the sunset. He softly grinned at the oranges and purples mixing with the remaining patches of blue sky, a light cloud cover making it look like a painting.

Maybe he should bring Hyunjin here at some point and commission him. Although Minho knows he’d probably create a beautiful piece of art for free.

He’s getting distracted.

He rotated to face away from the water as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to disturb whomever was here, even if his mind was making it up. He scanned the area slowly, eyes methodically moving back and forth like an old typewriter punching out each letter. Each tree and patch of dirt was thoroughly examined before moving to the next.

And then he spotted the anomaly.

About halfway up the hill and slightly to his right was definitely a human. The man looked so tiny compared to the vast forest around him. Minho looked, turned his head away in disbelief, and then studied the scene in front of him.

“It’s okay.” Minho heard the man whisper, now focused on the sound that didn’t belong here. His voice was tender, soft and borderline alluring. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”

Minho slowly blinked a few times in shock. Not only were the words bizarre, but the action was too. He flat out could not believe what he was seeing. If his day hadn’t been so bad and his mental recovery via nature hadn’t been so thorough, he wouldn’t trust himself to see what he was seeing.

A random guy.
In the forest.
Was HUGGING THE FREAKING TREE!!!

Part of Minho wanted to go up to him and ask why. Another part wanted to approach him and tell him he was being weird. Although, someone could throw the same criticism at him, so that would be hypocritical. Two souls in a similar section of the same patch of forest finding ways of getting away from the city and recentering within themselves…

Oh no.

Oh no…

Minho looked back up at this wild scenario. The mystery man had his cheek gently pushed against the tree trunk, making the other one puff out cutely as he was whispering. His arms didn’t even make it halfway around the tree, despite other trees near him being small enough to complete a full hug. There was something about him looking so small in such a vast landscape that enamored Minho. He couldn’t help but stare and want to learn more about his motivations for finding solace here, of all places.

But not today.
He was too scared.
So he quietly packed up his things and tiptoed (like, excessively and dramatically tiptoed) away from his spot to own up to getting mad at Hyunjin and ask for his advice on this…situation he found himself in.

—-----------

knock knock knock KNOCK KNOCK “Open up!”

“Hyung, I’m busy!” Hyunjin grumbled behind his apartment door.

Minho sprouted an evil grin when he didn’t hear footsteps coming near. “I’m sorry about earlier and…I need advice.”

That did the trick. Hyunjin almost fell over as the door flung open. His clumsy friend looked at him wide-eyed while Changbin stood in the background, black hair tousled from activities that were probably happening before Minho interrupted them. “Advice?”

“Yeah,” Minho walked past Hyunjin and made himself at home on his couch, plopping down with a loud thud. “Advice.”

“I can go if it’s a private thing.” Changbin offered, still standing awkwardly as a blush spread across his cheeks.

“I can’t kick you out, Binnie. You practically live here.”

“Hyung!” Changbin yelled, causing Minho to plug his ears.

Hyunjin closed the door and looked back at Changbin, frozen in place and genuinely terrified, and Minho, sprawled out on his couch with a cheeky grin. He chuckled as he walked towards Changbin, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before picking up Minho’s legs (under great protest, but it was his fault for lying down on the entire couch) and putting them in his lap as he sat down.

“So,” Hyunjin started, “you need advice.”

Minho was regretting this already. “Yeah.” He looked over at Changbin. “You can sit down, you know.”

Changbin obediently sat down on the other couch across from them. “Okay.”

“What’s on your mind?” Hyunjin inquired while Changbin obediently sat down on the couch across from them. He was relishing in the fact that Minho’s independent and stubborn nature was giving way to maybe actually listening to him for once.

“So I have a spot where I…”

Minho didn’t know how to explain it. He knew that they knew he got upset sometimes, but he hid a lot of that from them. Not that they weren’t worth trusting, Hyunjin or Changbin, it’s just he’s always been a little closed off. It’s why he’s so befuddling to everyone. At least that’s his theory. He just wants to figure things out on his own. And yet, this situation, of all situations is the one that is so unusual that it needs outside thoughts and feedback. He was used to either blocking life’s punches or just taking one straight in the jaw, so it never occurred to him to just…ask for help.

“Where I meditate? Ground myself? Become less emotionally obnoxious.”

“That’s what you want advice on?” Changbin asked gingerly.

Minho shook his head. “I want advice on what I saw.”

“A ghost?” Hyunjin asked.
“No.”
“An evil spirit?”
“No.”
“What did you see then?”
“Someone hugging a tree.”
“Why would you want advice on that?”
“Don’t make me kick you!”

Hyunjin put weight onto Minho’s legs, but knew it would be futile if Minho wanted to actually commit friend-on-friend violence. “So what’s so weird about that?”

“He was talking to the tree.” Minho pictured the scene in his mind once again, still in disbelief. “He was telling it that it would be okay.”

Changbin was instantly empathetic. “Did you ask him why he was talking to the tree?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“It was…kind of adorable.” Minho admitted quietly. “He sounded so genuine. I didn’t want to bother him.”

Hyunjin kept himself from openly snickering. “So you didn’t bother him because he was cute?”

Minho snorted reactively in disagreement. “Does getting advice always have this many questions?”

“So you DID think he was cute!” Changbin pointed at him with an accusatory finger, getting some sort of revenge for his earlier embarrassment.

“So what if I did? I’ll just go to my other spot.”

“Avoid the weird cute guy.” Hyunjin gave Minho a pat on the shins before moving over to the other couch and pulling Changbin into his side. “Got it. You solved the problem.”

“I guess...”

Minho smiled wistfully at his cute couple friends. They technically helped him solve the problem, but he wasn’t sure if it was a satisfactory solution. Sure, the (cute) guy in the forest hugging the tree weirded him out, but it was a mystery to solve. He could almost grasp how his friends saw him. The people who knew Minho best were constantly trying to figure him out, and Minho enjoyed that. He was so comfortable with being himself that it didn’t matter if other people thought he was deficient in this area or that. It was a similar vibe he got off the stranger too.

Realistically, who hugs a tree if they’re not okay being asked about why they’re doing it?

“What?” Hyunjin asked, breaking Minho’s train of thought.

“What?” Minho echoed back.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

“I’m thinking about how cute you two are.”

“Same thing.” Hyunjin cackled when Minho stuck his tongue out at him in response. “I love when I’m right for once.”

“Who said you’re right?”

A beat of silence hung in the air before Changbin started to giggle into Hyunjin’s shoulder. Which made Hyunjin giggle. Which inevitably made Minho giggle too.

—----------------------

Minho was disappointed in himself for being so emotional.
irl smh…
…
…

At least that’s what he told himself as he made his way back to the forest for the fifth time in two weeks. Not including the two (maybe three?) times he went to his patch of forest on the short path around the western lake. And yet, no tree boy.

Tree boy.

Not the boy who grew warts that made him look like a tree. The pictures surprised Minho at first when he initially googled the term, and then grossed him out so much that he wanted to dropkick them out of his head. He thought maybe he could find a humanitarian story about a cute 20-something from South Korea who loved nature so much he hugged trees. Instead, a ripple of shivers shot through him as he frantically closed the tab on his browser at work.

Yes. At work.

It wasn’t an obsession. Minho swears it hasn’t become an obsession. It’s not like when he checks these spots on his usual (and much more frequent) walks around the lakes that it’s not in the exact time window where he first spotted tree boy. Orrrr that somehow asking tree boy about why he hugged trees would somehow give Minho insight into himself. Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr that Minho realized that sitting by the lakes gave him more inner peace so he could be more productive….

Look, sometimes it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

The tree boy is cute.
Therefore, Minho wants to see the cute tree boy again.

Though the incessant teasing from his friends through text was an experience with a range of emotions that could make some corner of his mind justify coming back to the forest to find inner peace.

Not like he had to try very hard though.

He tiptoed down the path he created a few days ago (or yesterday?) excruciatingly slow, looking for extra footsteps or paths deviating other ways. He really wished his head could turn 360 degrees like an owl’s head could. Logically, Minho knew that wasn’t possible. And yet, he thought it was more possible than finding his tree boy.

How disappointing.

“It’s okay…”

Minho’s head whipped to where the voice was coming from. It was him!

“I’m here for you Mr. Squirrel.” Minho ducked behind the nearest tree to admire him from afar. “I’ll protect you from all the bad animals and people that might hurt you.”

Minho looked up and, sure as stuff, there was a squirrel on a branch above the boy’s head. He wasn’t hugging the tree this time as much as he was cuddling with it. His right arm was awkwardly positioned around the trunk, and his knees were tucked into his chest. His head was leaning against the tree, large pieces of his fluffy brown hair stuck in the bark to match the fluffy cheeks seared in his memory. Minho was pretty sure his eyes were closed.

And then he snuck out of the mother trunking forest.

Jinnie, I found him! :O Minho frantically texted Hyunjin as he found a bench to sit on nearby. He saw the text bubbles of doom within seconds.

Ok
Go talk to him

This ‘asking for advice’ thing is severely backfiring.

Why would I do that? Minho texted back, glaring at his phone hoping Hyunjin would pick up the evil hyung vibes he was trying to send.

Because you want to
lol
You’re welcome

Curse his best friend.

Minho put his phone in his pocket, because he gave up pretending like he needed his backpack sometime earlier this week, and ducked back across the pathway towards his footprints. He became acutely aware of how much noise he was making and forced himself to stand still. When he used every muscle in his body to not tumble down the hill, he happened to look down at his feet.

Wait…
I’m wearing sneakers…
These aren’t my footprints…

“Hello!”

Minho was so startled that he lost his footing and fell on his butt. As he winced in pain, he looked up and to his left to see tree boy. The adorable and weird (and MUCH cuter than expected) tree boy.

He was frowning, eyes partially covered by his long brown bangs, and yet his cheeks were still puffed out. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Even talking at a normal volume, his voice was incredibly gentle, as if every action he took paid respect to his surroundings.

“Uhhh…” Minho was doing his best not to stare. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his jaw from unhinging and falling down the hill of its own free will from the shock he was experiencing. “I’m fine. Sorry for interrupting?”

“I think I’ve been interrupting you.”

“Huh?” Minho was in even more disbelief, doing his best to check tree boy out without getting caught. Although, now that he’s face to face with him… “What’s your name?”

“I’m Jisung.” He sat on the ground, backing up to give Minho some room, settling into an eerily similar position that Minho chose when he spent time here. “What’s yours?”

“Mi…Minho.” He awkwardly stuttered out.

“So meditation boy has a name.” Jisung mumbled while chuckling to himself, bowing his head ever so slightly. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Minho’s face heated quickly, and his mouth spat out the first thought his brain formed. “Tree boy has a name for me?”

That got Jisung to laugh a little louder, nodding gleefully. “Yep. Sure do.”

Minho didn’t quite know what to think. All this time he thought he was being subtle, and Jisung already knew who he was? So all this time spent obsessing over him was for nothing? He could have said hello weeks ago and the embarrassment would be infinitesimal to what he was feeling right now.

Wow.
Just…
Wow.

“Are you okay?” Jisung asked again, daring to slide closer to Minho. Being that they were surrounded by damp dirt and leaves, it was more of a lift-and-shift-closer motion, but it was endearing all the same.

Minho nodded confidently, finally feeling brave enough to look at Jisung. “I’m just shocked you know I exist.”

It was Jisung’s turn to blush. “That’s what I get for trying to get a better view of you a few weeks ago.”

No way…
NO TRUNKING WAY!!!

This new information was too overwhelming. The plot twist that makes a story great. Bringing the fated lovers together through a shared appreciation of respecting themselves and nature. Pining one another from afar and then…almost falling down a hill into the lake. Or perhaps bonking into several trees like bumpers in a pinball game on his way down to being drenched in the lake. Although, that could be sexy too…

Okay, maybe Minho is getting a little too dramatic.
Seriously, curse his best friend.

Getting back to the reality of the situation, tree boy - Jisung - found him cute, and that was a promising start. They both appreciate nature. They don’t mind going on a journey to get to the reward of finding calm away from the city. Maybe he wouldn’t have to third wheel Hyunjin and Changbin anymore. Of course, Minho knows he’s getting ahead of himself, but looking at Jisung’s nervous smile and flushed (and adorable and pokeable) cheeks gave him a shred of hope. He just needed to not sound stupid.

“I’ve been trying to find you.”

“I know. It’s been cute to watch.”

Come again? “How often do you come here?”

“Almost every day.” Jisung hid his face behind his hands, spreading his fingers on his right hand enough to still look at Minho. “I’ve been hiding from you since I noticed that you noticed me. But today I got caught. Clearly.”

“Did I scare you?”

Jisung shook his head. “Not really. It’s just…why would cute meditation boy want to hang out with someone who hugs trees? That’s pretty weird.”

Minho shrugged. “It is kinda weird, but it’s also adorable. Why do you hug the trees?”

“Oh!” Jisung’s hands fell into his lap like rocks. The tension left his body and a heart-shaped smile grew on his face. “Well, I like feeling connected to nature. The touch of the tree bark helps ground me because of the texture. And I like protecting the squirrels since I look kinda like a squirrel when I eat because my cheeks puff out.”

Jisung held his breath and leaned slightly into Minho’s space, cheeks within reach and eyes shining. Minho was shocked. This felt too intimate, with this technically being their first proper meeting. It was like having sex on a first date, but not like that at all.

Minho stuck his index finger out. “Can I?”

Jisung nodded, and Minho gently pushed into the soft skin. The reaction was as adorable as he imagined. Jisung sharply exhaled and started laughing, grabbing Minho’s arm in the process. Jisung noticed where his hand landed, but Minho trapped it before he could pull it away, grinning like an absolute idiot.

“So, tree boy…” Minho shifted Jisung’s hand into both of his.

Jisung looked at him fondly, still recovering from his outburst of laughter. “Yes meditation boy?”

“Wanna go on a date sometime?”

“Sure!” Jisung grabbed his hands and easily pulled him up and moved over to the tree where Minho first saw him. “How about right now?”

“You’re strong!”

“Strong as a tree!”

Minho laughed in disbelief. He couldn’t believe his life right now. Jisung has a crush on him and he’s not a complete jerk! Perhaps he’s being too optimistic, but sometimes you have to risk falling into a lake to find the person who’s right for you.

“So this is Mr. Squirrel’s favorite tree.” Jisung explained in a serious tone. “He prefers the ones with the bigger branches.”

Minho boldly grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. “Is the squirrel as cute as you?”

“What kind of pick up line…”

Minho looked to his left and saw Changbin’s hand over Hyunjin’s mouth, the both of them poorly trying to hide behind a tree. He used his body to shield Jisung from them so the inevitable corruption from Hyunjin’s dramatic antics would be delayed. “What are you two doing here?”

“We were curious where your special spot was.” Changbin explained, not bothering to hide anymore.

“It’s not so secret if you’ve been here every day this week!” Hyunjin shouted, running towards Minho and Jisung. “We decided to show up after your text so you didn’t chicken out.”

Minho looked back at Jisung, who had a wry smile on his face trying to hold back a laugh. “I haven’t been here every day.”

Jisung raised his eyebrows. “Oh sure. Sure you weren’t.”

Minho turned back towards Hyunjin, annoyed that he was being interrupted. Changbin was already walking back towards the path, considering their mission a success. “I wasn’t going to chicken out!” He pushed Hyunjin up the hill. “Get out of here! You’re interrupting our date!”

“Fine!”

It was Minho’s turn to be embarrassed, facing Jisung as he heard Hyunjin’s footsteps stomp away. “Sorry about them.”

“You’re welcome, hyung!” Hyunjin’s voice echoed before he officially disappeared. “I want a double date out of this!”

“It’s okay, Minho.” It was obvious Jisung had been smiling as much as Minho had. “How old are you?”

“Half 53.” Minho facepalmed as soon as the words came out.

“Oh.” Jisung’s face became serious, deliberately moving his fingers to make sense of what Minho said. “I’m half 48, I think?” His smile returned in full force. “Can I call you hyung?”

“Yes you can, Jisung-ah.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

“You should call him daddy!”

Minho turned towards the voice quickly, spotting Hyunjin behind a different tree, before grabbing Jisung’s hand, leaning forward to whisper something very important. “Can you wait here for a second?”

“Sure, hyung. Why?”

“Because I need to beat up my best friend.”

Jisung gave Minho a subtle nod. “Okay!”

Minho gave him a quick hug and started running directly after Hyunjin. Jisung giggled as Minho was yelling about someone named Changbin needing to save his long limbed friend. He quickly tiptoed over to his regular tree, now that he could go back to it again now that Minho knows he exists, and looked up into the branches. He saw the squirrel sitting in its usual spot and gave the tree a hug.

“I think meditation boy, I mean Minho hyung, likes me Mr. Squirrel.” He squished his cheek to the trunk, bouncing excitedly on his toes. “I’m so lucky!”

“So am I, tree boy.”

Jisung looked over at Minho leaning against the tree and flung himself into his arms. “Thank you for liking me! Everyone just thinks I’m weird!”

Minho heard tiny sniffles and pulled Jisung closer, running fingers gently through his hair that was as fluffy as his cheeks. “It’s okay, Jisung-ah. People think I’m weird too.”

“Can we be weird together?”

“Yeah.” Minho felt Jisung hug him as tight as he must hug the trees. “We can hug trees and meditate on yoga mats together all we want.”

“Can we go on a double date with your friends too?”

Minho laughed. “Sure. After I have you to myself for a while first.”

Jisung pulled back to look at Minho, keeping his arms around the older’s waist, admiring the way the sunset made his face more beautiful than how he imagined it from afar. “This is crazy.”

“I know.”

Becoming too nervous and excited to say anything else, Jisung tucked himself back into Minho’s embrace, facing towards the sunset so they could enjoy it together. Who would have thought hugging a tree could find him the cutest and kindest half 50-something in all of South Korea.

Trunk anyone who doesn’t like you for you.
Because you never know when you’ll find the tree person to your meditation person.