Chapter Text
The pub is a dingy old place and it smells like hundred year old dust mixed with alcohol. Nevertheless, Sunggyu walks up to the counter and orders a whisky. The bartender - a middle aged man with a messy gray beard - puts a glass in front of him forcefully and walks away looking for the whisky, a string of colorful curse words leaving his mouth with every step. Sunggyu has a terrible day behind him and he wants - no he needs to drink something strong or he won't be able to cope with all the shit anymore.
As he looks around he notices that however disgusting the place is, it's full. Well, maybe it's not so surprising, given that this is the only pub in this small, forgotten town. Yellow lights beam down on him, their heat stronger than summer sunlight and the clinking of glass and the shouting of men drowns out all the noises in his head. He sits at the counter, and he would just start wallowing in self pity when someone puts their hand on his shoulder. Sunggyu turns around and now he's facing a man approximately his age in a black leather jacket, hair ruffled and sticking in all directions, but with eyes so striking he can't help the soft gasp escaping his lips. Then the guy leans closer and for a second Sunggyu thinks he will kiss him but instead he whispers.
"I want to drown."
"What?" Maybe he misheard something.
"I had an awful month. I want to drown." The man repeats. "I want to walk into the sea and never stop. Go step by step until the waves crash over my head. Then I will drown and all of the sea will welcome me. I'll dress up in seaweed and wear a crown made of starfish. And when I come back to the shore I will be the most beautiful dead person this place has ever seen."
For a second or two Sunggyu only blinks then he remembers to close his mouth. Okay, he's mental. What a pity. "Yea whatever." He says lowly and turns back to his drink. But the stranger somehow squeezes himself between Sunggyu and the old man sitting next to him and just continues.
"And then on the shore I'll meet you."
Sunggyu immediately looks up to those incredibly deep eyes again and the man smiles somberly.
"We will walk along the sea hand in hand, watch the rise of the moon on the shore and later find all of the constellations in the summer sky. We will dance careless and free, we will sing as if we are the last singers on earth. We will collect shells and hearts and share stories about nothing and everything."
Despite everything, Sunggyu smiles at that. It doesn't sound so bad. The man must take it as encouragement because he takes Sunggyu's hand in his, and starts playing with his fingers.
"But then you'll remember I'm dead." He says slowly, with a frown on his face. "And the moment you remember I'll start longing. Longing for the sea again. So one day I'll go and as the sun rises I'll walk back to the sea step by step until the waves crash over my head."
He doesn't look at Sunggyu, just keeps fiddling with his fingers looking so sad and sorrowful that Sunggyu suddenly wants to hug him. I don't even know his name. He waits for the man to continue but the he is silent, his eyes downcast and slowly tears start streaming down on his face. Sunggyu can't stand it anymore. He grabs the hand in front of him, caressing softly with his thumb and whispers.
"After a while I'll feel empty. So empty that I'll go looking for the moon, stardust, white sand and slow music to fill me up. But everything will remind me of you. So I'll go to the place where we first met, and I'll walk into the sea and never stop. I'll go step by step until the blue is so overwhelming I can't keep my eyes open. Then I will drown and all of the sea will welcome me. I'll dress up in colorful scales and wear a crown made of corals. Then I will meet you again and we will come back to the shore and we will be the most beautiful dead people this place has ever seen."
Now the man's mouth is hanging open but his eyes are lit up and when Sunggyu looks at him, he breaks into a beautiful smile. They are still holding hands and Sunggyu asks tentatively.
"So... Was this a weird way to ask me out... or...?” he finishes uncertainly.
The man nods silently, smile a bit smaller and hesitating, but eyes shining bright like thousand stars.
"What's your name?" Sunggyu asks.
"Woohyun."
"Well Woohyun..." Sunggyu cocks his head. "What do beautiful dead people usually do in a situation like this?"
Woohyun smiles and answers without hesitation.
"They kiss."