(no subject)
Title: Pink Scooter
Characters: Heechul, Sungmin
Genre: General
Rating: PG13
Summary: Tired of being a celebrity, Heechul leaves the city. Lost, hungry and tired, he meets a stranger riding a pink scooter.
Hmmm... So this is what happens when I mix stress from work, a whole lot of urge to write and Sungmin together.
It should never happen again hahaha!
Please, do excuse my horrible randomness :D
When Heechul decides to leave, he does so without hesitation.
In the past, he's always been like that, doing whatever he pleased, whenever he felt like it. This time, however, once he's out in the middle of nowhere, with no food or shelter and just the stars and the endless road as company, he's beginning to think that what he did is a little bit too stupid. And that maybe years of being directed on what he should and shouldn't do made him too rash once he had a taste of freedom.
But because of his pride, he walks on, silently hoping that a car would miraculously pass by in the middle of the night. Or that no other strange person with a quirky personality, like himself, would join him.
Heechul doesn't think he can stand two of him.
So he walks on, hands in his pockets trying to stave off the cold. He doesn't want to admit it, as the thought is much too dramatic for him, but despite his hunger and tiredness, the millions of stars dancing in the sky, the summer wind gently caressing his face and the sweet smell of the trees lining the edge of the road, is kinda nice. Comfortable and relaxing, something that he can't quite seem to achieve in the middle of the city.
Grimacing on how he's gone overly mushy with nature, Heechul doesn't immediately notice the scooter parked at the other side of the road. Or the rider curiously looking at him.
He would have kept on walking had not the voice of the rider interrupted his thoughts.
"Heeey!" the rider yells, surprising Heechul, "What're doing out here in the middle of the night? Did your car break down or something? I can help you back, if you want!"
Heechul, once he pinpoints the location of the voice, yells back, "No, I don't have a car! But a ride back to the city would be fantastic!"
As he walks over to where the stranger is, Heehcul notices despite the darkness, the surprise on the others' face. Heechul chuckles a little before saying, "What?"
"You didn't have a car?"
"Nope," reaching where the other had been standing, he says, "I took a bus, then walked. And then walked and walked and walked and here I am."
Just as all the others who have had the privilege of meeting him, Heechul had been expecting the other to call him crazy. The stranger however, simply laughs.
"Really?" he says, shaking his head as he laughs, "That's pretty neat."
This time, it's Heechul who's left speechless.
"You don't think I'm stupid? Or crazy? You don't think I'm a nut case? At all?"
The stranger just shrugs, "Aren't we all a little crazy? The stupid part, though. That's definitely what I think you are. Taking off and walking without any means of going back, aish." Shaking his head as if berating a child, he chuckles, "Well, in any case, didn't you think I might be crazy, too? Hanging out here, with a scooter, in the middle of the night?"
The thought of the other being a psycho murderer crossed Heechul's mind for a second. Then it vanished when he looks at the others' physique.
Rolling his eyes, he snorts as he says, "If you are crazy, I think I can pretty much take care of myself."
Taking out a spare helmet and handing it to Heechul, he smiles as he puts on his own helmet, "You would think that, wouldn't you?" Winking conspiratorially at Heechul, he says, "Looks can be deceiving, ya know."
Putting the helmet on, Heechul just shrugs, "Whatever. At least take me back home before killing me."
The stranger laughs at that, then he gestures at Heechul to climb on, "Glad to know you're willing and all." Starting the engine, the stranger looks back and says, "Do you mind stopping by a few places before going back?"
Because there isn't really anything to go back to in the city, he nods, "No, I don't mind. Take as long as you like."
"Okay!" the other chirps, "I'm Sungmin, by the way."
Gripping the edges of his seat as they rode on, Heechul shortly replies, "Heechul."
"Right," Sungmin says, laughing, "Hold on, then. Our first stop! The ocean."
The thought that going with this kid, for he looked younger than Heechul, was a bad idea had crossed Heechul's mind more than once. But the genuine smiles and honest laughters of the other was a huge change from the plastic expressions he's been facing day in and out in the city. It might be a bad idea, and he might not ever make it back, but at least, he thinks, as he listens to the other rant about his beloved scooter, he would be free of the constricting lifestyle he so desperately wants to be rid of.
Because being a star might be the dream of millions of people and sure, he wouldn't trade his job for anything else in the world. But it also means the end of being private and having time to yourself, of anonymity and having the freedom of doing whatever you wanted.
---
"Where are you from?"
In front of him, Sungmin says, "Ilsan. But I live in Seoul now. You?"
"Kangwon-do."
Taken aback, Sungmin looks back at Heechul, "You came here all the way from Kangwon-do?"
Heechul rolls his eyes, "Of course not, stupid. I was born there. I came from the city, like you."
"Oh," Sungmin says sheepishly, "We're you trying to go there, then?"
"Maybe," Heechul shrugs, "I don't know where I'm going these days."
Sungmin stays silent.
Heechul had been wondering whether Sungmin knew who he was or if he was just being polite about everything. Last night, when they first met, Sungmin had driven themselves to a motel to stay till morning. When the receptionist gaped at seeing Heechul, Sungmin hadn't even batted an eye and continued to pay for their room and meals. Even when they both saw each other with proper light, sSungmin hadn't treated Heechul differently at all.
Heechul's beginning to think that Sungmin might be lying about living in the city.
"I love mornings," Sungmin suddenly says, distracting Heechul from his thoughts, "I love it especially here, where there're no buildings or cars or noise. It's beautiful like this. Just yourself and the trees," laughing, he continues, "I used to wake up very early in the city just to go out and drive as far away as I could to smell clean, fresh air. It kinda recharges me."
"That's cute," Heechul comments dryly, "I hate mornings."
Sungmin looks back at him with a frown and asks, "Why?"
"Because things you try hard to forget at night, come rushing back to you at full force in the morning."
Instead of staying silent, like what the younger always had done when Heechul said something deeply personal, Sungmin drives the scooter at the edge of the road and stops. He climbs out of the scooter and looks at Heechul pointedly, "Hyung," he says, seriously, "Come with me."
Heechul has never stopped himself from telling people about his problems, but even then, he's always been answered with fake smiles and people pretending to be concerned about him. Sungmin, however...
"Hyung, come with me," he repeats.
Instead of saying no, Heechul asks, "Where are we going?"
"Like I said, to the ocean."
"Ocean? We're in the middle of the road, how is there an ocean here?"
Sungmin just shakes his head then offers his hand to Heechul. "Just come, hyung. You'll see."
Heechul frowns, "You're not taking me somewhere to kill me, are you?"
The younger boy smiles and shakes his head. Heechul doesn't take the others' hand, but he does climb down from the scooter. Standing in front of Sungmin, Heechul grumbles, "What now?"
Smiling as if he won the lottery, Sungmin grabs Heechul's arm and drags him into the dense row of trees. Heechul, as it his personality, begins complaining at how rough he's being handled, and, "How dare you treat your hyung like this!"
Sungmin, however, just laughs and continues dragging Heechul forward.
Minutes go by like this, with Heechul complaning, and Sungmin directing them forward. It feels like forever to Heechul, but as he asks again, for the nth time, where they were going, he hears it.
"Do you hear it, hyung? The waves?"
Heechul stares at Sungmin. And when he hears the waves again, he laughs and laughs and laughs. In front of him, Sungmin smiles questioningly at him. The other boy stops dragging Heechul and continues walking forward. Heechul follows after him without complaining this time.
They walk for another minute before the trees begin to lessen. Further ahead, Heechul sees a railing. When they reach it, Sungmin looks at the ocean and says, "Look at it, hyung. Isn't it beautiful?"
Heechul doesn't say anything for a minute. This isn't the first time he's seen the ocean, but looking at it here, is strangely different.
They're silent for a while, just staring at the waves, at the huge, blue body of water encompassing the horizon.
Suddenly, quietly, Sungmin says, "You're tired, aren't you hyung? That's why you came here without thinking about going back. That's why you aren't concerned whether I'm a bad guy or not. And that's why it doesn't matter to you even if I'm taking so long going back." Leaning on the railings, Sungmin continues, "In Ilsan, and in Seoul, you can't really see something like this. It's always busy in the city, things are always fast and instant. And most of the time, no one really cares about really relaxing. Just, do this and do that, be busy and work, work, work."
Smiling sheepishly, Sungmin looks at Heechul and admits, "That's one of the reasons why I'm here, in case you were wondering. Back there, it feels like I'm trapped, with problems and worries and just, life. But in here, when I look at the ocean, seeing how calm and peaceful it is, it quitens my troubles a bit." Shrugging, he says, "But you know what hyung, the sad thing is, the moment I step back in to the city, all the problems I left would still be there, just like how you would wake up in the morning. Nothing's really changed and nothing will unless I do something about it."
When he hears that, Heechul quickly breaks away from looking at the ocean and locks eyes with the other boy, "If you're going to give me advice on how I should run my life, please, save it for when I care."
Sungmin, though, frowns and shakes his head, "I'm not trying to tell you what to do or what not to do with your life, hyung. And I'm not going to either. What I'm just saying is," he says, shrugging, "That everyone feels the same way you do. Everyone, at some point in their lives, grows tired of the lives they're leading. What I'm trying to say... is that, maybe you should find your ocean, too."
"My ocean," Heechul deadpans, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your ocean, hyung!" Sungmin insists, "A place you can go to when everything's going far too fast and far too tiresome. Somewhere that can calm you, you know, like what the ocean does to me."
Heechul stares at the other boy incredulously and says, "Right."
Sungmin stares back at Heechul and pouts.
"You left your precious scooter, dragged me all the way here, just to tell me this? To find my ocean?"
"Well, yeah," Sungmin replies, still pouting. "From what I was hearing from you, about not being sure where you wanted to go and not liking the mornings because of your problems, I thought it sounded a lot like me, so I thought, that maybe, by showing you what helps me find my way again, what makes me love the mornings, maybe it would help you too. But clearly," Sungmin says, now miserably pouting, "It hadn't helped you at all. Now I feel stupid for saying all of that."
Beside the other boy and still looking at the ocean, Heechul is quiet for a second. Then when he looks at the other boy who is still pouting, he can't help himself but he laughs and laughs till there are tears in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he knows he isn't faking it.
This boy, he certainly is quite unlike anyone he's ever met.
---
When they get back to Sungmin's scooter, which was thankfully still there, they ride again. This time, in companionable silence.
For once in a long, long time, Heechul feels completely at ease.
"You know what," Heechul says suddenly, "You're really weird."
Still driving, Sungmin doesn't turn around but replies, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Heechul nods, "I mean, are you always like this?"
"Always like what?"
Gesturing at Sungmin's back, Heechul exclaims, "Like this! This, this cheerful and happy and optimistic! You're like, a ray of sunshine or a bunch of daisies! Like kittens and puppies and blue birds and rainbows! I mean, I don't think I can imagine you frowning at all!"
Turning around briefly, Sungmin smiles cheekily, "I can show you my frown! I can even show you a sad face, if you want! How about fake crying? Or sobbing uncontrollably? I'm pretty good at that!"
Smacking the other boy's head (though it was protected with the helmet) with the back of his hand, Heechul says, "Yah! I'm being serious here." Shaking his head, Heechul continues, "But seriously, how are you always this optimistic and happy?"
"I'm not always optimistic," Sungmin replies, "I'm not always happy either. I don't think anyone is always happy."
"From what I've been seeing of you, I think you're pretty close to that."
Sungmin shakes his head fervently, "Not even close, hyung. Didn't I say it a while ago? I came here because I wanted to run away from my problems. You're just seeing me happy all the time because we're here. Because I'm here. Because in here, I can relax and recharge and not be lost again."
"I heard that," Heechul says, frowning. Looking up at the sky in thought, he continues, "It's just that, you're so... I dunno. I mean, you're younger than I am and a lot of other friends I know. And yet, the words that spill from your mouth... it feels like it's coming from someone really old. Like a grandpa, or something."
In front of him, Sungmin scoffs, "Wow, hyung. Thanks, I guess."
"I'm not yet done, idiot!" Rolling his eyes, Heechul continues, "It's like you're an old soul, or something. Like you know a lot about... this world, however corny that sounds."
Sungmin doesn't respond to that, so Heechul says, "You're really different from anyone I've ever met. For some reason, what you say, is right on the dot. Like you've been there and done that even when you obviously haven't."
"I told you, hyung. Everyone experiences being tired of their lives--,"
"And yet," Heechul interrupts, "I haven't met anyone who's even close to understanding. Not like this, not like you."
"Well," Sungmin says, shrugging, "Maybe you just haven't opened up enough till now."
Heechul blinks.
"When I feel depressed," Sungmin continues, "Or angry or hurt, sometimes, no matter how sincere an advice is, I'll hear it, but I won't really listen." Laughing, Sungmin says, "I only realized that when I was on the other end, when I tried to be there for a friend but she kept on insisting that she's alone and that no one cares for her anymore." Checking the gas meter on his scooter, Sungmin taps the glass as he says, "She kept on isolating herself even when people would come to her to cheer her up. She was hurt so deeply that she closed off herself, barricaded herself with walls so thick that she couldn't see that there are people who still care and have always cared.
"I felt so helpless back then. Because she's important to me, you know, and yet she couldn't see it, no matter how much I told her, no matter how much I tried to show it to her. Trying to think of ways to make her realize how she's deluding herself, that was when I realized that I've been like that, too, although a little less extreme."
Turning briefly to smile at Heechul, Sungmin says, "I think it's when we let ourselves be vulnerable, when we open up, do we realize how much people love us, that they are sincere and that they do want the best for us. If we keep on thinking that the world is out to get us, then it probably will feel as if everyone's against us." Chuckling lightly, Sungmin says, "The mind is a powerful thing, is what they say, right? Whoever we think we are, we are. Whoever we think we're not, we're not. If we think no one loves us, then it really would seem like no one loves us."
Sungmin turns again to look at Heechul, then he winks and asks, "Right?"
Heechul just stares at the younger boy's back.
"Hey, hyung?" Sungmin asks after a while, like nothing important just happened, "Since I already saw the ocean, and since I've been gone for too long now too, we're gonna head straight back into the city, okay? Is that okay? Or do you still want to drive around?"
It takes Heechul a moment to answer, "Huh? What?"
"I said--,"
"Yeah, I heard what you said," shaking himself awake, because what the other just said was a bit too much to take all at once, Heechul answers, "It's fine. I think I've made a lot of people angry by now."
"You would," Sungmin agrees, nodding, "You're filming a drama, aren't you?" Laughing, he says, "I can just imagine them pulling their hair out trying to find their lead! Or what to do with the story since you're not there! Maybe I should get there faster?"
"Wait a minute," Heechul starts, "You know who I am?"
"Yeah!" Sungmin chirps, "Who doesn't?"
"But, but... You. You didn't treat me any differently at all! You didn't even show one bit of surprise when you saw me!"
"I did! That time, when you told me that you didn't have a car."
"And then what? You know, most people would have been flustered, or something. Like the receptionist in that motel. Not like this! You treat me as if we've been friends for the longest time."
"So?" Sungmin says, laughing, "Do you want me to treat you differently? I thought that you'd appreciate it if I didn't."
"You're right," Heechul agrees, "I do appreciate it, really. But, it's just weird, I guess. I'm not used to people not acknowledging I'm a celebrity."
Sungmin shrugs, "I've got celebrity friends. They told me I'd do them a favor if I don't treat them like they're perfect human beings."
Heechul snorts, "Perfect human beings, huh? I wish."
---
It takes them another day and a half to reach Seoul. Sungmin drops Heechul in front of his dorm.
"Well, this is it," Sungmin says, smiling, "Maybe I'll see you around, hyung."
"Maybe," Heechul agrees, quietly.
Sungmin, in the short while they've been traveling together, notices. So he asks, "Something still bothering you, hyung?"
Heechul looks at Sungmin then, at the beat up scooter they've been traveling in for three days, at the concern in the others' eyes and realizes, "I had fun."
Tilting his head sideways in confusion, Sungmin just says, "Me, too."
"I had fun," Heechul repeats, "I really had fun."
"Okay, hyung. You had fun."
"I was happy." Heechul, in the three days they've been together, finally gives Sungmin a smile, "I was really happy." Grasping the younger boy's shoulders, Heechul shakes the other a little as he laughs and says, "I really, really was happy!" Looking straight into Sungmin's eyes, Heechul opens himself, just a little for now, and says, "Thank you."
Sungmin, however, just smiles and shakes his head, "I didn't do anything, hyung. You're happy because you chose to be happy. Just like how who I think I am, I am; who I think I'm not, I'm not. Right?"
Rolling his eyes at the other boy, Heechul ruffles the others' hair and says, "Whatever, kid."
Shooing Heechul's hands away from his person, Sungmin pouts, "Right, I'm gonna leave now." Starting up the engine of his pink scooter, Sungmin smiles at his hyung and winks, "Before I change my mind about murdering you, right?" Laughing as he begins to drive, Sungmin waves and says, "I'm a trainee in the same company you're in, hyung. Maybe we could drive around again sometime?"
Heechul, a little stunned that a person like Sungmin had always been so near, blinks for a second. Then he shakes his head and laughs loudly, "I'm counting on it!"
As he enters his dorm, Heechul takes out his phone and turns it on. Immediately he's bombarded with missed calls and messages.
In the past, he would have deleted each and every one of them, thinking how they're all just sending him messages because they feel the need to, because that's what they're supposed to do as 'friends', because they want to get closer to him. And sure, some of them might be like that. But Heechul's different now, a little bit more open, a little bit more trusting.
So he reads the messages, and he reads the call logs. Smiling as he thinks of Sungmin's ridiculously pink scooter (honestly, pink?!), Heechul presses the call button.
Just like always, the other answers on the first ring.
"Hey, Teukie hyung. Miss me?"
And as Heechul listens -- really listens -- to Eeteuk's voice, Heechul wonders how he's ever thought that their leader's concern isn't sincere.
"Oh, right. I wasn't open."
"What?!" Eeteuk yells, sobbing now clearly heard over the phone, "Are you listening to me Kim Heechul?! Yah! Do you know how worried we all were?! Where the hell have you been?!"
Laughing, because the thought of Sungmin makes him laugh, Heechul shakes his head and says, "I've been to hell. Then a pink scooter came to get me, brought me to the ocean, and now I'm back home with you guys."
---
Thank you for reading this random story!:D
Characters: Heechul, Sungmin
Genre: General
Rating: PG13
Summary: Tired of being a celebrity, Heechul leaves the city. Lost, hungry and tired, he meets a stranger riding a pink scooter.
Hmmm... So this is what happens when I mix stress from work, a whole lot of urge to write and Sungmin together.
It should never happen again hahaha!
Please, do excuse my horrible randomness :D
When Heechul decides to leave, he does so without hesitation.
In the past, he's always been like that, doing whatever he pleased, whenever he felt like it. This time, however, once he's out in the middle of nowhere, with no food or shelter and just the stars and the endless road as company, he's beginning to think that what he did is a little bit too stupid. And that maybe years of being directed on what he should and shouldn't do made him too rash once he had a taste of freedom.
But because of his pride, he walks on, silently hoping that a car would miraculously pass by in the middle of the night. Or that no other strange person with a quirky personality, like himself, would join him.
Heechul doesn't think he can stand two of him.
So he walks on, hands in his pockets trying to stave off the cold. He doesn't want to admit it, as the thought is much too dramatic for him, but despite his hunger and tiredness, the millions of stars dancing in the sky, the summer wind gently caressing his face and the sweet smell of the trees lining the edge of the road, is kinda nice. Comfortable and relaxing, something that he can't quite seem to achieve in the middle of the city.
Grimacing on how he's gone overly mushy with nature, Heechul doesn't immediately notice the scooter parked at the other side of the road. Or the rider curiously looking at him.
He would have kept on walking had not the voice of the rider interrupted his thoughts.
"Heeey!" the rider yells, surprising Heechul, "What're doing out here in the middle of the night? Did your car break down or something? I can help you back, if you want!"
Heechul, once he pinpoints the location of the voice, yells back, "No, I don't have a car! But a ride back to the city would be fantastic!"
As he walks over to where the stranger is, Heehcul notices despite the darkness, the surprise on the others' face. Heechul chuckles a little before saying, "What?"
"You didn't have a car?"
"Nope," reaching where the other had been standing, he says, "I took a bus, then walked. And then walked and walked and walked and here I am."
Just as all the others who have had the privilege of meeting him, Heechul had been expecting the other to call him crazy. The stranger however, simply laughs.
"Really?" he says, shaking his head as he laughs, "That's pretty neat."
This time, it's Heechul who's left speechless.
"You don't think I'm stupid? Or crazy? You don't think I'm a nut case? At all?"
The stranger just shrugs, "Aren't we all a little crazy? The stupid part, though. That's definitely what I think you are. Taking off and walking without any means of going back, aish." Shaking his head as if berating a child, he chuckles, "Well, in any case, didn't you think I might be crazy, too? Hanging out here, with a scooter, in the middle of the night?"
The thought of the other being a psycho murderer crossed Heechul's mind for a second. Then it vanished when he looks at the others' physique.
Rolling his eyes, he snorts as he says, "If you are crazy, I think I can pretty much take care of myself."
Taking out a spare helmet and handing it to Heechul, he smiles as he puts on his own helmet, "You would think that, wouldn't you?" Winking conspiratorially at Heechul, he says, "Looks can be deceiving, ya know."
Putting the helmet on, Heechul just shrugs, "Whatever. At least take me back home before killing me."
The stranger laughs at that, then he gestures at Heechul to climb on, "Glad to know you're willing and all." Starting the engine, the stranger looks back and says, "Do you mind stopping by a few places before going back?"
Because there isn't really anything to go back to in the city, he nods, "No, I don't mind. Take as long as you like."
"Okay!" the other chirps, "I'm Sungmin, by the way."
Gripping the edges of his seat as they rode on, Heechul shortly replies, "Heechul."
"Right," Sungmin says, laughing, "Hold on, then. Our first stop! The ocean."
The thought that going with this kid, for he looked younger than Heechul, was a bad idea had crossed Heechul's mind more than once. But the genuine smiles and honest laughters of the other was a huge change from the plastic expressions he's been facing day in and out in the city. It might be a bad idea, and he might not ever make it back, but at least, he thinks, as he listens to the other rant about his beloved scooter, he would be free of the constricting lifestyle he so desperately wants to be rid of.
Because being a star might be the dream of millions of people and sure, he wouldn't trade his job for anything else in the world. But it also means the end of being private and having time to yourself, of anonymity and having the freedom of doing whatever you wanted.
---
"Where are you from?"
In front of him, Sungmin says, "Ilsan. But I live in Seoul now. You?"
"Kangwon-do."
Taken aback, Sungmin looks back at Heechul, "You came here all the way from Kangwon-do?"
Heechul rolls his eyes, "Of course not, stupid. I was born there. I came from the city, like you."
"Oh," Sungmin says sheepishly, "We're you trying to go there, then?"
"Maybe," Heechul shrugs, "I don't know where I'm going these days."
Sungmin stays silent.
Heechul had been wondering whether Sungmin knew who he was or if he was just being polite about everything. Last night, when they first met, Sungmin had driven themselves to a motel to stay till morning. When the receptionist gaped at seeing Heechul, Sungmin hadn't even batted an eye and continued to pay for their room and meals. Even when they both saw each other with proper light, sSungmin hadn't treated Heechul differently at all.
Heechul's beginning to think that Sungmin might be lying about living in the city.
"I love mornings," Sungmin suddenly says, distracting Heechul from his thoughts, "I love it especially here, where there're no buildings or cars or noise. It's beautiful like this. Just yourself and the trees," laughing, he continues, "I used to wake up very early in the city just to go out and drive as far away as I could to smell clean, fresh air. It kinda recharges me."
"That's cute," Heechul comments dryly, "I hate mornings."
Sungmin looks back at him with a frown and asks, "Why?"
"Because things you try hard to forget at night, come rushing back to you at full force in the morning."
Instead of staying silent, like what the younger always had done when Heechul said something deeply personal, Sungmin drives the scooter at the edge of the road and stops. He climbs out of the scooter and looks at Heechul pointedly, "Hyung," he says, seriously, "Come with me."
Heechul has never stopped himself from telling people about his problems, but even then, he's always been answered with fake smiles and people pretending to be concerned about him. Sungmin, however...
"Hyung, come with me," he repeats.
Instead of saying no, Heechul asks, "Where are we going?"
"Like I said, to the ocean."
"Ocean? We're in the middle of the road, how is there an ocean here?"
Sungmin just shakes his head then offers his hand to Heechul. "Just come, hyung. You'll see."
Heechul frowns, "You're not taking me somewhere to kill me, are you?"
The younger boy smiles and shakes his head. Heechul doesn't take the others' hand, but he does climb down from the scooter. Standing in front of Sungmin, Heechul grumbles, "What now?"
Smiling as if he won the lottery, Sungmin grabs Heechul's arm and drags him into the dense row of trees. Heechul, as it his personality, begins complaining at how rough he's being handled, and, "How dare you treat your hyung like this!"
Sungmin, however, just laughs and continues dragging Heechul forward.
Minutes go by like this, with Heechul complaning, and Sungmin directing them forward. It feels like forever to Heechul, but as he asks again, for the nth time, where they were going, he hears it.
"Do you hear it, hyung? The waves?"
Heechul stares at Sungmin. And when he hears the waves again, he laughs and laughs and laughs. In front of him, Sungmin smiles questioningly at him. The other boy stops dragging Heechul and continues walking forward. Heechul follows after him without complaining this time.
They walk for another minute before the trees begin to lessen. Further ahead, Heechul sees a railing. When they reach it, Sungmin looks at the ocean and says, "Look at it, hyung. Isn't it beautiful?"
Heechul doesn't say anything for a minute. This isn't the first time he's seen the ocean, but looking at it here, is strangely different.
They're silent for a while, just staring at the waves, at the huge, blue body of water encompassing the horizon.
Suddenly, quietly, Sungmin says, "You're tired, aren't you hyung? That's why you came here without thinking about going back. That's why you aren't concerned whether I'm a bad guy or not. And that's why it doesn't matter to you even if I'm taking so long going back." Leaning on the railings, Sungmin continues, "In Ilsan, and in Seoul, you can't really see something like this. It's always busy in the city, things are always fast and instant. And most of the time, no one really cares about really relaxing. Just, do this and do that, be busy and work, work, work."
Smiling sheepishly, Sungmin looks at Heechul and admits, "That's one of the reasons why I'm here, in case you were wondering. Back there, it feels like I'm trapped, with problems and worries and just, life. But in here, when I look at the ocean, seeing how calm and peaceful it is, it quitens my troubles a bit." Shrugging, he says, "But you know what hyung, the sad thing is, the moment I step back in to the city, all the problems I left would still be there, just like how you would wake up in the morning. Nothing's really changed and nothing will unless I do something about it."
When he hears that, Heechul quickly breaks away from looking at the ocean and locks eyes with the other boy, "If you're going to give me advice on how I should run my life, please, save it for when I care."
Sungmin, though, frowns and shakes his head, "I'm not trying to tell you what to do or what not to do with your life, hyung. And I'm not going to either. What I'm just saying is," he says, shrugging, "That everyone feels the same way you do. Everyone, at some point in their lives, grows tired of the lives they're leading. What I'm trying to say... is that, maybe you should find your ocean, too."
"My ocean," Heechul deadpans, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your ocean, hyung!" Sungmin insists, "A place you can go to when everything's going far too fast and far too tiresome. Somewhere that can calm you, you know, like what the ocean does to me."
Heechul stares at the other boy incredulously and says, "Right."
Sungmin stares back at Heechul and pouts.
"You left your precious scooter, dragged me all the way here, just to tell me this? To find my ocean?"
"Well, yeah," Sungmin replies, still pouting. "From what I was hearing from you, about not being sure where you wanted to go and not liking the mornings because of your problems, I thought it sounded a lot like me, so I thought, that maybe, by showing you what helps me find my way again, what makes me love the mornings, maybe it would help you too. But clearly," Sungmin says, now miserably pouting, "It hadn't helped you at all. Now I feel stupid for saying all of that."
Beside the other boy and still looking at the ocean, Heechul is quiet for a second. Then when he looks at the other boy who is still pouting, he can't help himself but he laughs and laughs till there are tears in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he knows he isn't faking it.
This boy, he certainly is quite unlike anyone he's ever met.
---
When they get back to Sungmin's scooter, which was thankfully still there, they ride again. This time, in companionable silence.
For once in a long, long time, Heechul feels completely at ease.
"You know what," Heechul says suddenly, "You're really weird."
Still driving, Sungmin doesn't turn around but replies, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Heechul nods, "I mean, are you always like this?"
"Always like what?"
Gesturing at Sungmin's back, Heechul exclaims, "Like this! This, this cheerful and happy and optimistic! You're like, a ray of sunshine or a bunch of daisies! Like kittens and puppies and blue birds and rainbows! I mean, I don't think I can imagine you frowning at all!"
Turning around briefly, Sungmin smiles cheekily, "I can show you my frown! I can even show you a sad face, if you want! How about fake crying? Or sobbing uncontrollably? I'm pretty good at that!"
Smacking the other boy's head (though it was protected with the helmet) with the back of his hand, Heechul says, "Yah! I'm being serious here." Shaking his head, Heechul continues, "But seriously, how are you always this optimistic and happy?"
"I'm not always optimistic," Sungmin replies, "I'm not always happy either. I don't think anyone is always happy."
"From what I've been seeing of you, I think you're pretty close to that."
Sungmin shakes his head fervently, "Not even close, hyung. Didn't I say it a while ago? I came here because I wanted to run away from my problems. You're just seeing me happy all the time because we're here. Because I'm here. Because in here, I can relax and recharge and not be lost again."
"I heard that," Heechul says, frowning. Looking up at the sky in thought, he continues, "It's just that, you're so... I dunno. I mean, you're younger than I am and a lot of other friends I know. And yet, the words that spill from your mouth... it feels like it's coming from someone really old. Like a grandpa, or something."
In front of him, Sungmin scoffs, "Wow, hyung. Thanks, I guess."
"I'm not yet done, idiot!" Rolling his eyes, Heechul continues, "It's like you're an old soul, or something. Like you know a lot about... this world, however corny that sounds."
Sungmin doesn't respond to that, so Heechul says, "You're really different from anyone I've ever met. For some reason, what you say, is right on the dot. Like you've been there and done that even when you obviously haven't."
"I told you, hyung. Everyone experiences being tired of their lives--,"
"And yet," Heechul interrupts, "I haven't met anyone who's even close to understanding. Not like this, not like you."
"Well," Sungmin says, shrugging, "Maybe you just haven't opened up enough till now."
Heechul blinks.
"When I feel depressed," Sungmin continues, "Or angry or hurt, sometimes, no matter how sincere an advice is, I'll hear it, but I won't really listen." Laughing, Sungmin says, "I only realized that when I was on the other end, when I tried to be there for a friend but she kept on insisting that she's alone and that no one cares for her anymore." Checking the gas meter on his scooter, Sungmin taps the glass as he says, "She kept on isolating herself even when people would come to her to cheer her up. She was hurt so deeply that she closed off herself, barricaded herself with walls so thick that she couldn't see that there are people who still care and have always cared.
"I felt so helpless back then. Because she's important to me, you know, and yet she couldn't see it, no matter how much I told her, no matter how much I tried to show it to her. Trying to think of ways to make her realize how she's deluding herself, that was when I realized that I've been like that, too, although a little less extreme."
Turning briefly to smile at Heechul, Sungmin says, "I think it's when we let ourselves be vulnerable, when we open up, do we realize how much people love us, that they are sincere and that they do want the best for us. If we keep on thinking that the world is out to get us, then it probably will feel as if everyone's against us." Chuckling lightly, Sungmin says, "The mind is a powerful thing, is what they say, right? Whoever we think we are, we are. Whoever we think we're not, we're not. If we think no one loves us, then it really would seem like no one loves us."
Sungmin turns again to look at Heechul, then he winks and asks, "Right?"
Heechul just stares at the younger boy's back.
"Hey, hyung?" Sungmin asks after a while, like nothing important just happened, "Since I already saw the ocean, and since I've been gone for too long now too, we're gonna head straight back into the city, okay? Is that okay? Or do you still want to drive around?"
It takes Heechul a moment to answer, "Huh? What?"
"I said--,"
"Yeah, I heard what you said," shaking himself awake, because what the other just said was a bit too much to take all at once, Heechul answers, "It's fine. I think I've made a lot of people angry by now."
"You would," Sungmin agrees, nodding, "You're filming a drama, aren't you?" Laughing, he says, "I can just imagine them pulling their hair out trying to find their lead! Or what to do with the story since you're not there! Maybe I should get there faster?"
"Wait a minute," Heechul starts, "You know who I am?"
"Yeah!" Sungmin chirps, "Who doesn't?"
"But, but... You. You didn't treat me any differently at all! You didn't even show one bit of surprise when you saw me!"
"I did! That time, when you told me that you didn't have a car."
"And then what? You know, most people would have been flustered, or something. Like the receptionist in that motel. Not like this! You treat me as if we've been friends for the longest time."
"So?" Sungmin says, laughing, "Do you want me to treat you differently? I thought that you'd appreciate it if I didn't."
"You're right," Heechul agrees, "I do appreciate it, really. But, it's just weird, I guess. I'm not used to people not acknowledging I'm a celebrity."
Sungmin shrugs, "I've got celebrity friends. They told me I'd do them a favor if I don't treat them like they're perfect human beings."
Heechul snorts, "Perfect human beings, huh? I wish."
---
It takes them another day and a half to reach Seoul. Sungmin drops Heechul in front of his dorm.
"Well, this is it," Sungmin says, smiling, "Maybe I'll see you around, hyung."
"Maybe," Heechul agrees, quietly.
Sungmin, in the short while they've been traveling together, notices. So he asks, "Something still bothering you, hyung?"
Heechul looks at Sungmin then, at the beat up scooter they've been traveling in for three days, at the concern in the others' eyes and realizes, "I had fun."
Tilting his head sideways in confusion, Sungmin just says, "Me, too."
"I had fun," Heechul repeats, "I really had fun."
"Okay, hyung. You had fun."
"I was happy." Heechul, in the three days they've been together, finally gives Sungmin a smile, "I was really happy." Grasping the younger boy's shoulders, Heechul shakes the other a little as he laughs and says, "I really, really was happy!" Looking straight into Sungmin's eyes, Heechul opens himself, just a little for now, and says, "Thank you."
Sungmin, however, just smiles and shakes his head, "I didn't do anything, hyung. You're happy because you chose to be happy. Just like how who I think I am, I am; who I think I'm not, I'm not. Right?"
Rolling his eyes at the other boy, Heechul ruffles the others' hair and says, "Whatever, kid."
Shooing Heechul's hands away from his person, Sungmin pouts, "Right, I'm gonna leave now." Starting up the engine of his pink scooter, Sungmin smiles at his hyung and winks, "Before I change my mind about murdering you, right?" Laughing as he begins to drive, Sungmin waves and says, "I'm a trainee in the same company you're in, hyung. Maybe we could drive around again sometime?"
Heechul, a little stunned that a person like Sungmin had always been so near, blinks for a second. Then he shakes his head and laughs loudly, "I'm counting on it!"
As he enters his dorm, Heechul takes out his phone and turns it on. Immediately he's bombarded with missed calls and messages.
In the past, he would have deleted each and every one of them, thinking how they're all just sending him messages because they feel the need to, because that's what they're supposed to do as 'friends', because they want to get closer to him. And sure, some of them might be like that. But Heechul's different now, a little bit more open, a little bit more trusting.
So he reads the messages, and he reads the call logs. Smiling as he thinks of Sungmin's ridiculously pink scooter (honestly, pink?!), Heechul presses the call button.
Just like always, the other answers on the first ring.
"Hey, Teukie hyung. Miss me?"
And as Heechul listens -- really listens -- to Eeteuk's voice, Heechul wonders how he's ever thought that their leader's concern isn't sincere.
"Oh, right. I wasn't open."
"What?!" Eeteuk yells, sobbing now clearly heard over the phone, "Are you listening to me Kim Heechul?! Yah! Do you know how worried we all were?! Where the hell have you been?!"
Laughing, because the thought of Sungmin makes him laugh, Heechul shakes his head and says, "I've been to hell. Then a pink scooter came to get me, brought me to the ocean, and now I'm back home with you guys."
---
Thank you for reading this random story!:D