Chapter Text
It’s been weeks, or maybe months, so many days that he had already lost count.
Taehyun drove to the beach once again, punctually at 5am. It was winter, and the sunrise doesn’t start this early. The sky was pitch black except for the moon.
The waves crashed against the shore. The beach was empty but him. Eyes closed, he listened to the whisper of the waves. “Where have you been…” He muttered. “Please return. Days are torturing without you.” A tear rolled down his cheek silently.
A figure appeared far away, walking towards Taehyun’s direction. Taehyun straightened up. Was it him?
The figure appears to be a person. A young man, to be precise. He had blond hair covering his forehead, shimmering under the moonlight. Striking facial features, so familiar yet also so unrecognizable, leaving Taehyun speechless.
“Sir? What brings you here?” The person asks, breaking the silence.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you?” Taehyun inquired. “I look at the night sea daily, and I have never seen you. Why would you be swimming today, at 5am?”
He leaned on the fence that Taehyun leaned on, genuinely interested in his words. "May I ask... What brings you here, day after day, to share this view?"
“I don't even know you.” Taehyun responded. After a moment of silence passed, he added. “And I don’t know how to tell you.”
The person could sense the weight behind Taehyun's words, and it ignited a spark of concern within him.
“Would you…care to talk about it?” he asked hesitantly, unsure if he was crossing any boundaries by inquiring further. “Sometimes, sharing your troubles can lighten the burden.”
“It's a long story, but to make things simple, someone brought me here, to admire the sea. I didn’t understand it’s beauty at first, but I ended up loving both.”
Taehyun looked up at the night sky, the memories with the someone still fresh as if it was just from yesterday.
—
“Taehyunnie. Look at the sea. Isn’t the view magnificent?” A tall man, named Soobin, drove Taehyun to the seaside.
“Soobin hyung, the sea is indeed beautiful, but I would rather come in the daytime. There’s not much to see here, and it’s chilly.” Taehyun said, rubbing his hands together for warmth.
“There may not be much to see, but lots to feel. Listen to the whispers of the waves, the vast deep ocean is just before you, talking to you.”
—
Soobin: “Taehyun, I’m off to the seaside tonight. Do you want to join me?”
Taehyun reached for his phone as the notification popped up. It was 2am.
Taehyun: “Hyung, I’m sorry, I’d like to, but I have to do my essay. Have fun!”
—
“Kang Taehyun, you’re the last person who contacted Choi Soobin. You were the last person he texted, before disappearing for about 48 hours.”
“Soobin hyung was missing?” Taehyun stood up in shock.
“Since you’re his friend, your words could assist us in finding him. Additionally, you had an alibi. We can see you in the CCTV for the past two days.”
“WAIT. SOOBIN HYUNG DIED?”
…
“Before we can find his body, we cannot make such assumptions yet.”
–
On the night of interrogation, Taehyun drove to the beach where Soobin had brought him to.
He looked at the vast ocean, which was unusually calm tonight. It didn’t crash on the shore. It didn’t seem like it wanted to engulf whoever walks towards the sea. It was glimmering, the reflection of the moon clearly seen on the surface.
Strong winds blew towards Taehyun. “CHOI SOOBIN. IT’S TAEHYUN.” He choked out between sobs. “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!” Taehyun was out of breath after a few cries. Tears rolled down uncontrollably as he knelt on the sand.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve came with you. Soobin hyung. I’m sorry. My essay isn’t due until this week. I just didn't understand the beauty of the night sea. I didn’t understand the reason why you’d come every week, so I refused to come just this once.”
“The sea is indeed incredibly beautiful. Dark like your eyes. The reflection of the moon glimmers just like your eyes. Why didn’t I realize it earlier?”
—
Taehyun lowered his head, turning towards the young man.
“Actually, I didn’t even realize I loved both.” Taehyun softly told the young man.
“The sea is magnificent. He was magnificent. I never even figured it out myself until…that day.”
“I’m sorry about that.” The young man turned towards Taehyun. “You sound like you're waiting for something... someone I mean, since you said you’d come every night.” he ventured gently, trying to gauge the depth of Taehyun's emotions.
“Indeed I am.”
“Is this someone still in your life?” he asked gently.
“I'm not sure.”
—
Weeks passed. Taehyun gained access to Soobin’s account. His last message was saved at 5:53am, but it was never delivered to Taehyun.
Soobin: “Taehyun, please come to that seaside I’ve brought you to before, asap.”
This was the reason Taehyun punctually went to the seaside everyday at 5am. He would patiently wait for Soobin until the sun rose. He believes that Soobin was just waiting for him there, and if he waited patiently enough, he would see Soobin by the shore.
—
On that night, Soobin went to the seaside as usual.
“The night sea view is beautiful. I believe Taehyun will understand it one day.”
He went down to the beach and walked along the coastline. The waves constantly crashed onshore and seemed to increasingly grow hungry. The tide came in. Fast. The sea Soobin found beautiful was also strong and chaotic. The sea that glimmers in the moonlight also engulfs lives when the tide comes upshore.
When the tide is low, it’s the magnificent ocean Soobin loves. However, Soobin was too close to the sea when the tide was high.
When you cross the boundaries, consequences come. Soobin, who was crouched at the part where the sea meets the shore, gasped and ran when the waves come crashing in. Soobin, who was though a tall man, was small and fragile compared to the vast ocean, and lost the race.
In the chaos of the sea, Soobin pulled out his phone. It was 5:53am. He opened the chatbox with Taehyun. Whilst battling the strong current, he typed a message for help.
How foolish was he to contact Taehyun instead of the emergency hotline. How foolish was he to not send the words ‘Help me’, but a long discreet sentence. How foolish was he… Maybe that’s because love blinds men. At the brink of life and death, one will find the person whom he trusts and loves the most – for Soobin, it’s Taehyun.
–
No one could fight the current, let alone this young man who doesn’t even know how to swim and drowns in a pool that's half his height.
He loved the night sea, yet it was the night sea who brought him away. How ironic.
“Taehyun!! Help me!!” He choked out, before the sea engulfed him into chaos. He was nowhere to be found.
—
Since then, the whispers of the waves remind Taehyun of Soobin.
Maybe it’s Soobin who was yelling at the other side. Maybe it was Soobin yelling for him. Maybe Soobin was also looking for him. However Taehyun couldn't decode the whispers of the waves.
—
“Sir, what about you? Why are you here at 5am?”
“I’m waiting for a someone, too. I hope he will understand the beauty of the sea. I also want to warn him about the dangers of the sea.
Since you also love the night sea, let me warn you, as fate brought us to meet. Admire the sea’s beauty with a distance. Never walk towards the raging sea at night, and never crouch at where the sea meets the shore alone.”
“I will remember your words.”
Taehyun turned on his phone to check the time. 5:54am.
He turned his head to further respond, but the young man was nowhere to be seen.