Lonely Planet ; KaiSoo
If there were specific days Kyungsoo would have to pick out of the week as his favourites, he would choose two of them. Wednesdays are a fleeting affair, and Friday simply sweeps him off his feet. Thursdays, though, haunts him beautifully as the tune of an untuned piano in the middle of their patio.
Do Kyungsoo is a college student who sings for a living, recently being booked by a mid-high-end café to hold his gigs there on three days a week. He’s sort of living the dream, looking from another point of view, that is. Kyungsoo earns a decent amount of money to pay off his apartment rent three streets down the café, and a quick fifteen minutes ride on his bicycle to college -- everything was going extremely well, in his opinion. Kyungsoo has a wonderful older boyfriend who helps him with his work, and they’d occasionally sing a song or two together in their campus park, bringing joy to the different people listening. Things were amazing, and Kyungsoo wouldn’t ever exchange anything for the joy he experiences.
It’s another Thursday while Kyungsoo’s packing up at ten-thirty, ready to leave the premises when it starts pouring heavily. It takes less than four minutes before his phone starts ringing, a picture of him and Joonmyeon flashing across the screen. He quickly slides his thumb across the green button, picking up the call and waving a quick goodbye to the leaving waiting staff, walking over to the corner of the café. Kyungsoo heaves out a sigh of comfort when the last few staffs disappear into the kitchen, leaving him alone standing next to a potted plant.
“Soo?” A shiver runs down Kyungsoo’s spine, but he’s sure that it isn’t the temperature in the cozy dining area -- the air conditioning had been turned off ten minutes before. “I heard that the monsoon period’s up early. Do you need me to pick you up from the café?”
He swears that there was a rhythmic tapping on the cover of the piano, immediately catching his attention because it was sitting as lonely as per usual, out on the sheltered patio. It couldn’t have been the rain -- the shelter ran out far, where rainwater usually doesn’t come into close contact with the instrument. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he should be bolting out into the pouring streets of Seoul, where he could hardly see what was in front of him at an arm’s length other than the flashy neon lights.
“Soo?”
Kyungsoo has half a heart to yell for the kitchen staff, because the next thing he knows was that the key lid had been lifted and something was playing the song he’d been composing for the past few months. It was still incomplete, but Kyungsoo hopes to be able to finish it up before Joonmyeon’s birthday. It was loud and obvious, but there was absolutely no one other than Kyungsoo himself in the dining area. There was nothing but still silence besides the swift taps of the piano keys -- played as though someone was very familiar with the tune. His blood runs cold upon hearing the bridge of his unfinished work, and he’s trembling in his feet. It’s so very cold, but it’s neither because of the downpour, nor was it due to Kyungsoo’s weak immune system.
The playing had fully ceased -- but Kyungsoo knows that the thing that had been behind it was still around. Somewhere. He wants to run, but the numbing coldness in his toes had frozen up and refuses to allow movement. The chair right in front of him shifts just a little, and his breath hitches, knowing that it’s just there. There's no way a normal chair would move by itself, and in no way would there be the beat of his incomplete composition be repeated outside of his workroom.
“Kyungsoo! I’m coming over!”
It’s painful to hear the soft chattering behind the kitchen doors, with Kyungsoo fully knowing that he’s out alone with no help. He has his phones gripped tightly in his clammy hands, Joonmyeon still talking over the other line and growing agitated with each second of Kyungsoo’s silence. He’s praying with his eyes tightly shut as he falls onto his knees, giving way to fear.
Kyungsoo watches the way a leaf on the potted plant moves a little, before a sense of warmth had taken him over all of a sudden.
It… wasn’t an overwhelming feeling, but was definitely strong enough to let Kyungsoo know it didn’t carry a bad intent. He’s scared to the point of almost breaking into tears, but he’s unable to react to any of that. The warmth only got cozier, and Kyungsoo’s just so tired. He doesn’t know why, but everything felt so surreal -- like it had all been a dream, and the cold, hard wall behind him was his bed.
The front door opens, and Kyungsoo had never felt gladder seeing Joonmyeon around.
“Soo!”
“Oh God, Joonmyeon.” He breaks down in the other’s arms when they get wrapped around him, burying his face into the other’s neck and sobbing with his fingers curling around Joonmyeon’s collar. “I-I…”
“Let’s go home.”
By that time, the other kitchen staff had heard about the commotion happening outside and ran out to see what was going on. They were all pretty surprised to see their gig singer trembling in someone else’s arms, being carried out of the store and into a car. The man returns a few seconds after, walking in to collect Kyungsoo’s bag and guitar. It’s funny though, for they get a dressing-down from him for not having anyone out in the front counter even after opening hours.
“It’s your responsibility to keep the café in check -- what if there had been a robbery? What if a crime had happened, and none of you were around to see what was going on? Had Kyungsoo gotten hurt, I wouldn’t have let things go without a lawsuit.” Joonmyeon glares over at the man dressed in a lush black uniform, still unable to comprehend the amount of carelessness in play. “For a place like this, you would’ve expected security to be better at night, rather than all five of you huddled in the kitchen, leaving someone defenseless out here by themselves.”
Joonmyeon throws a glance over at the place, looking out for anything Kyungsoo might’ve left behind other than the two things he was holding on to. He looks at the group of waiting staff, before turning back and walking out of the café, umbrella opened above his head. He’d parked the car two stores down, with the rest of the parking lots taken by the club goers. It was unbelievable for the store manager to have allowed such behavior -- moreover, he had partaken in it! He should’ve never allowed Kyungsoo to work for them, had he known what kind of treatment his boyfriend would be receiving. A tap on his left shoulder snaps him out of his reverie, almost dropping Kyungsoo’s guitar.
“Hey,”
He turns to see a male who was dressed in a plaid flannel, drenched wet from the rain. He’s gasping for his breath, hair dripping water and covering part of his eyes -- but it was a given that the taller male standing in front of Joonmyeon was really good-looking (and with that being admitted from Joonmyeon, that guy is bloody handsome). “Kyungsoo left his umbrella in the music room earlier before.” He stretches out his arm to pass the umbrella over, nodding and urging Joonmyeon to take it.
“You’re soaking wet! All the way just for this?” Furrowing his eyebrows, Joonmyeon shakes his head and refuses the umbrella. “You look like you need it more. I’m sure Kyungsoo wouldn't mind if you took it, return it tomorrow if you must. I mean, if you’re in music then --“
“Just take it, I have to go soon.” The other male thrusts it into Joonmyeon’s direction, before he gave up and took it from the drenched stranger. “Oh, and -- shit!”
Joonmyeon watches the way his smile falls when he pulls out a small piece of soaked green paper. Desperation flashes across the other’s face, and Joonmyeon isn’t sure if that had been the rainwater, or if it had been his tears trickling down his eyes. Nonetheless, the stranger clenches the piece of paper, wringing off the excess water and hands it over to Joonmyeon.
“Please pass this note to him,” He licks his lower lip, the other free hand reaching up to push his fringe back. “It’s nothing urgent, but I really hope he would see this.”
“Alright.” Joonmyeon nods, taking the paper and keeping it under the umbrella, preventing it from getting wet any further. He returns the gesture when the other sends him a grateful smile, but calling out when he noticed the stranger had started to take a couple of steps back, ready to run back home or to wherever he was supposed to go. “Wait!” Joonmyeon struggles with the different things in his hands, “What’s your name?”
There was a still silence from the other -- seemingly pondering?
“…Kai.” He says, uncertainty trailing in his voice. “Tell Kyungsoo I didn’t mean to scare him earlier on! I’m so sorry!”
Right before Joonmyeon was able to mention another word, Kai had ran off in the opposite direction, and disappeared into the dull darkness of the night; the only sound around was the soft club, slowly blending in with the loud pitter-patter of the downpour. There were questions running through his head, but he decided that Kyungsoo would have to come first. He walks over to the car, dumping everything in the car boot and walking over to the driver’s side. Quickly entering the car and closing the umbrella, Joonmyeon reached into his chest pocket, about to pass the slip of note to Kyungsoo, before he decides to keep it with him -- or at least till Kyungsoo's in a more stable condition.
“Soo?” He starts, letting a hand caress the side of Kyungsoo’s face, wiping off the cold sweat he had broken out in. “What happened?”
“Don’t want to talk about it.” Kyungsoo sighs, remembering the tall guy Joonmyeon had been talking to earlier before. His face didn’t ring a bell in his mind, not that Joonmyeon wasn't allowed to have his own friends, but most of the people they knew were mutual. “Who was that from before?”
Setting the gear into drive, Joonmyeon stepped on the accelerator and started the drive back to their shared apartment. He chuckles at the question, quickly glancing over to check on Kyungsoo’s condition. “He said his name was Kai… You forgot your umbrella in the music room again, silly.”
“Umbrella?”
“Yeah, funny how I’ve never seen you carrying that baby blue one before.” Joonmyeon nods briefly, resting his elbow on the car’s windowsill. “Oh, and he told me to tell you he’s sorry for scaring you earlier on.”
“What?” Kyungsoo sits up immediately, back straightened and head getting fuzzier than before.
“Yep.” Joonmyeon chirps, as though he hadn’t just said something that totally threw Kyungsoo off guard. “Speaking of this Kai dude, I’ve never seen him around before. New transferee?”
Shaking his head, Kyungsoo slumps back into his seat and lets his head lull off to the side. “O-Oh… Yeah, he’s new in college…”
The rest of the drive back, which didn’t take that long, was spent with Joonmyeon cursing at the heavy rain, and how drunken college kids shouldn’t be out so late at night, which, of course, was a blessing, because he hadn’t continued asking Kyungsoo about the previous events. Main factors which had caused Kyungsoo to be such of a jittering mess included the fact that he’d not brought an umbrella to school since twelfth grade, and his mother refused to buy him another one since that was the fourth time he’d lost it in the music room.
In high school.
Three years ago.
A baby blue umbrella.
But getting to the point, Kyungsoo’s pretty sure that the only scare he’s received recently was that probably haunting case in the café. In fact, his life had been rather simple ever since he’d graduated from high school, where everything fell into plan -- well, maybe Joonmyeon had been a surprise in his life, but everything just spooked him out. Obviously he wasn’t going to tell Joonmyeon any of that, since he’s pretty sure the other would poke fun of him, and tell Kyungsoo that he’s probably been watching too many movies lately.
Joonmyeon offers to carry everything back into their apartment, especially since Kyungsoo isn't exactly in the best condition to walk even. The former grabs onto the black umbrella placed on the car mat at the back, opening it the moment he pulls on the door handle. Walking over to Kyungsoo’s side, Joonmyeon shields the other from the rain while he is leaving the vehicle and they end up leaving all of Kyungsoo’s bags in the trunk, especially since it was a Friday night, and they could just simply get his stuff tomorrow.
Kyungsoo doesn’t know who that person Joonmyeon had been talking to was, nor did the name ‘Kai’ ring a bell in his mind. He rushes into the workroom once Joonmyeon opens the main door, searching for his composition file and flipping it through hurriedly. Kyungsoo lets out a sigh of relief when he notices the latest piece he’s been working on was still safely filed, but he still doesn’t understand -- if the sheet was still here, how did someone else manage to get their hands on it? He’s not one to believe in supernatural causes, but coincidence. Joonmyeon’s voice bellowed around the house, notifying Kyungsoo that the umbrella Kai had returned was placed in the balcony, left opened to dry.
He replaces the clear folder back in the bookstand, walking out to check on the mysterious umbrella. Well, it’s not that he really deems it as all but a mystery, but you definitely can’t rule out how weird it was to suddenly have an umbrella be returned to you, three years after it had been lost. So maybe he didn’t exactly lose it, but he did misplace it -- and it was gone when Kyungsoo went back to look for it. His feet thread along the marbled floor tiles, dragging himself all the way out to the balcony.
And there it stood.
The baby blue umbrella, which had landed Kyungsoo into heaps of trouble three years back, was placed right next to their little bench. Kyungsoo could vividly remember the different times he had braced the weather with his trusty umbrella, and he smiles, seeing the small yellow duck printed on its side. The print had faded on the duck’s beak, showing the damage it had taken from the acidic rain. He picks it up from its handle, closing the umbrella and started shaking it to quickly get the water off.
“Don’t do that.”
Kyungsoo turns back, thinking that it had been Joonmyeon. To his surprise, no one was around -- the living room was clear.
Weird.
He goes back to shaking the umbrella, getting the excess rainwater off of it.
“I said, don’t do that, Kyungsoo.” The voice repeated itself, this time louder.
Freezing up, Kyungsoo glances to his sides, making sure that no one was indeed around, and it wasn’t just a stupid prank Joonmyeon was pulling. The latter knew that Kyungsoo wasn’t one for surprises, and he would probably freak out, only to refuse communication for a few weeks.
“Who’s there?” Kyungsoo asks, voice shaky and uncertain of what was about to be in store for him. It couldn’t possibly be a burglar after his umbrella, could it?
He brings the item up to his chest cautiously, looking all around and down at the umbrella. Holding it out, Kyungsoo shakes it once again.
“I told you not to do it!” the same voice sounds -- only this time, Kai had popped out of thin air, and was standing right in front of Kyungsoo. “It really hurts whenever you shake that umbrella! Oh, and for your information, I kept getting these giddy spells in the car. It’s time for Joonmyeon to put some air freshener in.” He continued rambling, ignoring the fact that him coming out from seemingly nowhere was absolutely impossible.
The last thing Kyungsoo remembered was the yelp Kai had let out when he’d accidentally dropped the umbrella -- while he was getting knocked out of consciousness.
-
Kyungsoo wakes up at nine-seventeen on a Saturday morning, to a glass of water already conveniently placed by his bedside. Joonmyeon could be so sweet at times, but adding to his list of ‘I-do-not-comprehend’ was how even though there was the aromatic fragrance of fresh rice being cooked when Joonmyeon was laying in bed next to him.
So who in the world was making food?
Well, someone besides them, that was.
He chuckles at his own joke, but realizes the reason why he couldn’t remember a single thing about climbing into bed last night. Kyungsoo’s a fairly light sleeper, so he must’ve been thoroughly knocked out about yesterday’s event…
Sliding off bed and slipping on his slippers, Kyungsoo heads for the kitchen and gets the biggest shock of his life (next to yesterday) -- Kai’s sitting on the tabletop, legs swinging above ground with the umbrella opened and perched on his shoulders. If there was a possible explanation for any of this, Kyungsoo would have very simply put it as ‘hallucination’. But the damn stove was open, and there was bread set in the toaster.
“Morning!” Kai chirped, jumping off the tabletop and scuttling over to Kyungsoo’s side. “I hope you guys like kimchi stew and rice for breakfast.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t understand.
He just doesn’t understand.
“How in the world did you get in here?” he takes a step back, hands touching around and hoping to grab something to defend himself -- a pan, hopefully. “You-- You!”
Kai shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, walking back to the stove and checking on the food. He fans the boiling stew with his free hand, letting the wondrous scent of actual food wafting right down his senses. “This is going to be so good.” Kai mutters, rolling his eyes at the same time.
Staring at the scene right in front of him in disbelief, Kyungsoo could hardly make any sense out of the situation -- and he doubts that any logical explanation would make as much sense as a grown man standing right in the middle of his kitchen, making breakfast for him with an umbrella perched on his damn shoulder at nine in the morning.
Indoors.
“I-- Why are you here?” Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head, giving Kai a once-over. The other didn’t seem like he was out to harm anyone, but the fact that he’s in someone else’s house doesn’t explain anything. “How did you even get in here! Are you Joonmyeon’s friend?”
“If you want to believe so,” Kai brushes the question off with a casual nod before heading over to the sink and starts washing the dishes. It’s funny how the other never does let go of the umbrella.
Kyungsoo’s upset and mad when Kai ignores him, because this isn’t right -- in fact, none of this is going right. Kai shouldn’t be in his apartment, and neither should he be preparing his breakfast. Was this some kind of sick practical joke being pulled on him right now? Because it’s not funny anymore. He trudges over, grabbing onto one side of the baby blue umbrella, pulling it away and throwing it out of the kitchen. A gargled yelp escapes Kai, and Kyungsoo steps back in shock -- the other looked as though he was in fear as Kai immediately pulls him by the collar of his pajama top and into a the corner beside the sink.
“Don’t let the sun touch me,” he looks up at Kyungsoo desperately, body crouching and letting the latter tower over him. “I don’t want to die again!”
“What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo exclaims, trying to pry the tight grip near his neck. “Let g--“
“Death is a painful thing!”
“The only thing that would be painful would be this plate against your head!” Kyungsoo reaches over to the stack of dirty plates, grabbing onto one of the ceramic dishware and swings it at Kai. Another thing to add onto his list of how much more shocking his life could get was when the plate swung right through the other’s head; instead, it flew out of Kyungsoo’s hand and was flung into the wall. “I--“ He stares at the broken shards on the ground, and turned back to the cowering boy in front of him.
And it hits him like a truck.
Kai…
Isn’t human.
Struggling even harder, Kyungsoo ignores the pained groans whenever he tries to tug himself out of Kai’s hold. He pushes the other into the wall, bolting for the kitchen entrance when he knocks into Joonmyeon -- the latter staring at him confusedly and then into the messy space.
“Listen, it’s not what it seems! It’s all a misunderstanding, I came in and he -- it -- was already there!” Kyungsoo turns to look back at a writhing Kai in the corner, curling himself up further into a ball. He doesn’t get why the bubbly male wasn’t moving much, but neither does Kyungsoo want him to move any further than he already has. Kai is something out of their realm, and the last thing he wants is to dabble into sorcery.
He’s surprised when Joonmyeon chuckles and pecks him on the forehead, telling Kyungsoo that breaking a plate isn’t that big of a deal, and that they could always buy a few more. He watches the way his older boyfriend picks up the broom and a dustpan, sweeping up the broken pieces, before walking over to turn off the stove.
“It smells great, Soo.” Joonmyeon smiles over at Kyungsoo while picking up a spoon to stir the kimchi stew. “I can’t believe I bagged a guy like you.”
“B-But…”
The fact that Joonmyeon couldn’t see that there was a figure in the corner of their kitchen was on the tip of Kyungsoo’s tongue -- but he bites down on his lip, watching the former making his way out of the space, mentioning that he was just going to take a quick shower. Kyungsoo glances between Kai and the baby blue umbrella left forgotten right beside the kitchen cabinets, realizing that Kai had meant no harm despite appearing at the worst of times -- but really, when would ever be a good time for something like him to ever appear? He shifts to pick the umbrella by the tip, walking over and very, very cautiously, slotted the handle into Kai’s arm, making sure that he was covered fully. Kyungsoo’s not too sure if he’s even doing the right thing, but there could be a whole good chance that Kai was probably a vampire and couldn’t be exposed to the sun -- or whatever Twilight taught him.
…Or could he?
Kyungsoo runs back out into the living room, his slippers making little squeaky sounds while he ran, and stands right under the morning sunlight shining in from the windows. He’s unsure if it’s due to the past few happenings, but Kyungsoo doesn’t feel as frightened this time round. Maybe it’s because he finds Kai less threatening by the second, or maybe it was because Kai reminded him of someone… Of someone who Kyungsoo doesn’t know.
His blood runs cold when Joonmyeon walks out of the bathroom, holding onto the umbrella and asking Kyungsoo why it was placed in the kitchen. It was closed, then. He stares at the older male when he brings it out onto the balcony, opening it once again to let it dry from the water that it had somehow managed to get sprayed by.
He rushes back in, but only to realize that Kai was gone. Joonmyeon was just done with setting the table, pulling the frantic boy into his arms and telling him to stop fretting for no reason. He forces Kyungsoo onto a seat, pushing a bowl of rice right under his nose, and to ‘eat up!’. Kyungsoo’s so, so close to telling Joonmyeon what exactly happened less than an hour ago, but he couldn’t bear to see that smug smile the other always shown whenever he’d felt Kyungsoo was a little out seeking for his attention.
“Joonmy--“ and all of a sudden, Kyungsoo feels as though his lips had been sewn shut.
Kai was sitting right under the umbrella, shielded away from the sun and waving right at him on the balcony. He’s biting down on his fingernails, watching Kyungsoo watching him.
Kyungsoo lets out a muffled chuckle, onto to get a questioning ‘huh’ from Joonmyeon who had a mouthful of stew and rice.
“Nothing you’ll understand,” Kyungsoo sticks out his tongue, before scooping up a spoon of rice and shoving it into his own mouth.
-
It’s a change of pace when Kyungsoo walks down the quiet park with Kai, the latter holding up the baby blue umbrella for the both of them, neither caring that the little duck printed on its side was too kiddy for two grown ups. The entire walk had consisted of Kai telling Kyungsoo how he loves the composition he’d made, and that he hadn’t meant to scare Kyungsoo that way on their first meeting.
“I was just too excited, and I didn’t realize that you were going to be freaked out so badly.” Kai explains, footsteps going a little faster when he spots a butterfly in front of them.
“Why were you excited?”
“The weather permitted me to be closer to you.”
And Kyungsoo’s confused again. By the end of the day, he realizes that they’d probably just be going around in circles, and that he's never going to understand what’s the real meaning of everything.
“So Joonmyeon couldn’t see you earlier on?”
“Nope. When I’m weak, people can’t see me. Though most of the time I don’t like being noticed, so I prefer to stay low.”
“But I saw you.”
“That’s because I’m living in your umbrella!”
Kyungsoo stops in his steps, grabbing onto Kai’s arm. “You’re what?”
Kai smiles as though his lips were going to split while nodding. “I’m kind of like the genie that lives in a bottle. Only that I can’t grant wishes because I’m not a genie -- and I don’t live in a bottle either. That’s why I’m attached to your umbrella, and I’m basically a freebie that comes along with it!”
“So why can’t you step into the sun? Or the sunlight, if that matters.” Kyungsoo asks, looking at the pigeons pecking up breadcrumbs all over the ground. He doesn’t get why people do that -- feeding the birds -- despite having signs put up all over the park, warning people not to feed them. “You… don’t happen to be a vampire or some sort, do you?” Kyungsoo raises a leg and kicks the air, effectively scaring a couple of the feeding pigeons away.
“You’re close,” Kai lets out a hearty chuckle -- one that sends Kyungsoo to skip a heartbeat.
“C-Close?” He slowly turns over to face the other, something close to a vampire had better not be bloody Dracula. They were both essentially the same thing, but still.
“I’m not Dracula, if you were wondering.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes were widened incredulously.
“And no, I don’t read minds. You’re just like an open book to read, Kyungsoo.” Kai reaches a hand over to ruffle the shorter male’s hair, but he’d misjudged the proximity and flinches when a ray of sunlight burns the side of his arm. Apparently, Kai really didn’t take the sun too well, for the entire patch of skin surrounding the affected area had turned into a shade of vermilion red, and the part which was touched by the sun had been burnt off, leaving it charred black.
“It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean by ‘it’s nothing’? This is horrible! We need to get you to the hospital!”
“I can’t,” Kai wiggles the umbrella above him, “I’m dead, remember? They’ll need identifications. Moreover, this isn’t the first time. It heals up by itself at a later time, so no worries.”
“But I--“
“I’m a water ghost, I evaporate in the sun when I do get into contact with it.”
A gasp slips out of Kyungsoo, realizing why Kai said the weather had permitted him to get closer, and the reason as to why his umbrella was wet when Joonmyeon had found it in the morning.
Part of Kai had evaporated.
“I drowned when I was eighteen. When I was trying to retrieve… something…” Kai hesitates, looking away far off into the trees.
“Something really important?”
There’s a moment of silence between the both of them, before Kai slowly nods. “Kinda.”
Kyungsoo decides that it was for the better when he says that it’s high time to stop asking personal questions. Kai didn’t seem to be taking them too well, and obviously he doesn’t want to push things. They’d reached the end of their walkway when Kai grabs onto Kyungsoo’s arm, telling him that it’s time to get back. “The sun is getting too bright for me, and my feet feel as though they’re about to combust any moment.”
But Kyungsoo has other plans.
“You can’t go back to the apartment with me,” he pushes Kai into the other direction, “Joonmyeon’s going to think I’m crazy if he sees me talking to myself.”
“Don’t send me away! I promise I’ll be good!” Kai grabs onto Kyungsoo’s sleeves, refusing to let go till the latter stops in his track. ”Don’t throw me away…”
“I’m not-- I’m not throwing you away!” Kyungsoo laughs, slinging his arm with Kai’s. “You’ll have to stay in the café till I’ve made further arrangements.”
“But why can’t I just stay in the house with you?”
Kyungsoo brushes the question off, refusing to answer as he continues to drag the other alongside with him. “You’re staying in the café and that’s it.”
“I’ll be sure to haunt you at night!”
“And I’ll be sure to crucify your ass if you do that.”
The walk towards the café results in a whole lot of little squabbles between them, with Kyungsoo constantly taking a step out into the sun, and Kai chasing after to shelter him with the umbrella. It’s definitely something different where he doesn’t need to worry about his studies, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but place Joonmyeon into the back of his mind -- and let Kai continue his whining about the sun. ‘But it’s just so warm!’
Of course, Kyungsoo doesn’t miss the looks meant for him when he steps into the café -- he’s pretty sure that Joonmyeon had made a whole lot of problem for the staff on shift. Smiling awkwardly, he approaches the store manager, notifying him that he’s just going to leave his umbrella in the café in case it rains again. He’s bombarded with questions as to why he’d reacted that way last night, and all Kyungsoo could manage was a soft squeak of ‘I’m afraid of lightning’, squirming his way out of the way and slotting his umbrella into the stand beside the door.
The last thing Kyungsoo notices before he leaves was a clueless-looking Kai crouching beside the umbrella stand.
-
Time passes a little too slowly for Kyungsoo’s liking, where he couldn’t help but wonder if Kai was doing just fine in the café. He feels extremely guilty for leaving him there, yet Kyungsoo couldn’t possibly bring Kai all around with him, and neither does he want Joonmyeon snooping around the umbrella (or what he thinks Joonmyeon might do).
He finds himself running as though his whole life depended on it, probably having pushed a couple of people out of the way while he was headed for the café, his guitar carelessly slung around on his back along with an overly-heavy bag. For some reason, Kyungsoo felt a light tug on his heart when he was packing his bag for college earlier this morning -- picking up the pink folder in his workroom and packing it in. He only smiled bashfully when Joonmyeon had asked why he was bringing the whole composition file, ignoring the other and telling him to focus on the road instead.
It’s seven-thirty in the evening on a Wednesday when Kyungsoo arrives at his workplace -- an hour too early, panting and rushing in to the manager’s dismay. He brushes the other’s snide remark off (looking great, Kyungsoo), opting to look around for a specific person instead. Sighing in relief when he spots the baby blue umbrella still in the stand, Kyungsoo makes his way towards the closed patio, setting up the microphone and getting out his guitar. He doesn’t touch the instrument any further than placing it atop of the high chair, reaching out to pull the composition folder from his bag, and slides out the unfinished sheet music he’s been working on. Looking around, Kyungsoo slides the entrance door towards the patio shut -- with permission, that is --, and it takes less than a second when he realizes that Kai was already seated on one side of the grand piano bench.
“You left me all alone here,” he mutters, crossing his arms on his chest. “The people here were loud, and so boring!”
“Sorry! That’s why I’m here an hour early!” Kyungsoo whispers, knowing that the doors weren’t proofed and the guests outside could hear him speaking.
“Whatever,” Kai says childishly, glaring over at Kyungsoo and refusing to forgive the other.
Kyungsoo chuckles, taking the empty space beside Kai on the bench. He places the folder on top of the piano key lid, the same memory of what had happened a couple of days ago rushing back into his mind. He lets out a slight giggle, remembering how afraid he had been when he’d realized someone -- or something -- knew of his unfinished composition.
“Hey,” Kyungsoo taps on Kai’s arm with the end of his pen. “Have you been following me for a long time?”
Kai visibly freezes up, the mock anger on his face dissipating to one of surprise.
“Well?” Kyungsoo urges him on, nudging Kai with his elbow. “I mean, if you know how to play this song, you must either be some kind of psychic, or you’ve been around me for some time.”
“I guess?”
“You guess?”
“It’s not a necessity for you to know, okay?” Kai snaps, refusing to answer.
“Fine, fine. No need to get all grumpy at me.” Kyungsoo utters under his breath, going back to filling up the remaining of his composition. He’s been stuck at the same part for the past few weeks, and by this rate, he’s pretty sure that it wouldn’t be finished in time for Joonmyeon’s birthday. As in, it isn’t a must to finish it by then, since he has something else prepared as a present, but wouldn’t it be great to receive a song specially composed for you on your birthday?
The night passes by three times faster than how Kyungsoo had always remembered it to -- he’s unsure why, yet when ten-thirty came, he finds himself rejecting the offer of having Kai walk him home. He’d rather not get too attached to the dead. What Kyungsoo does decide to do was to linger around even after he was done with what he was paid for, opting to sing for the remaining one or two lonely customers -- and Kai in the corner.
Wednesdays often ends up with Kyungsoo staying out for supper, grabbing something quick while Kai watches him eat, because he finds out that ghosts didn’t actually need food. He’d walk back alone though, leaving Kai to make his own way back into the café. It’s before time that Kyungsoo gets an extra to sing on Fridays as well, only that his services were to be extended till midnight. He’d agreed almost immediately, despite Joonmyeon mentioning how tired Kyungsoo was going to be if he did take up the job.
On the contrary, Kyungsoo finds himself constantly looking forward to Wednesdays, hoping to skip out on Thursdays and move on to Fridays. Although he does crash once it’s Saturday, and Joonmyeon was gradually getting pissed, because they were no longer spending time together.
Kyungsoo tries explaining that he needs the extra exposure, but Joonmyeon didn’t seem all set on believing him. Either way, they had both decided that a break between them would help cool off the situation, and Joonmyeon has been sleeping in the extra room ever since. Kyungsoo falls asleep with thoughts of Kai, constantly wondering what he was doing all alone when night fell -- would he get out and walk around, or does he stay in the café, till dawn breaks and it's time for the first staff to arrive?
-
Three months into Joonmyeon and Kyungsoo’s separation, they’d finally decided to break things off. They hardly see each other anymore, and there was absolutely nothing they had in common. Strangely, Kyungsoo never did feel an ounce of regret when he agreed on the break-up, and he wonders if it had really been just a prolonged decision all along. They had spent too much time on something that they shouldn’t have, because it was right in front of them the whole while.
-
It’s on a Thursday night when Kyungsoo decides that he couldn’t possibly leave Kai all alone, and when he realizes that there’s no longer a need to report to Joonmyeon where he was going. He’s probably going to regret doing it, but Kyungsoo changes out of his pajamas and into a casual tee with jeans, before picking up his guitar and walking out of the room. It wasn’t much a surprise when he sees Joonmyeon sitting on the couch, randomly flipping channels on the television with his remote. “Where are you going?” he asks, not bothering to look over at Kyungsoo as he pulls out a pair of sneakers.
“Out.”
“It’s eleven at night, and you have college tomorrow.”
“And it’s none of your business.” Kyungsoo grabs onto his set of keys hung on the wall hook. He leaves the apartment despite Joonmyeon’s calls of ‘Soo!’ and ‘It’s not safe out there, Soo!’. They got softer every time Kyungsoo took another step forward, and he couldn’t help but feel pretty darn good about himself.
He rides his bicycle down to the café, feeling a whole load of burden lifted off his chest. Kyungsoo’s humming to an unknown melody, making up the next note on the spot as he cycles with a bright smile on his face. It takes approximately twenty minutes before he arrives at his destination due to a traffic problem, and it’s a first for Kyungsoo to see the store in total darkness. He peeks in, hoping to find the same baby blue umbrella slotted in the stands -- but there was none. Taking a few steps back, Kyungsoo looks around, seeking for a familiar face somewhere in the midst of this empty street.
Kyungsoo panics when he couldn’t find Kai at all -- had he left, after-all? Was he tired of waiting for his appearance? He leaves his guitar next to the bicycle, running down the dimly lit paths, where the homeless and drunk dwelled around this time. Kyungsoo tries his best to stay afar the club exits, his voice timid and small as he calls out for Kai.
“I’ll bring you to the person you’re looking for, beautiful.” A husky voice reaches Kyungsoo’s ears, and he knows that there was no way he’s going to be able to find the bubbly male around this area.
Shaking his head furiously, Kyungsoo sprints off in the direction he’d just came from, pushing off a pair of hands which had latched themselves on his arm with all the strength he could possibly muster. Every second he spends running back was a terrible, terrible nightmare for him while he tries to remember just which way he had taken. It’s funny how he has never explored this area, despite working in this district.
“Kai…” he mumbles, feeling lost in the middle of the night with nowhere to go.
Maybe he should’ve listened to what Joonmyeon said; stay home because the outside world is way too dangerous for little Kyungsoo.
Little Kyungsoo who has led a sheltered life, growing up safely and falling in love with the first guy who told him that he loved him.
Little Kyungsoo who has never understood the need for real fun, for his entire life has been planned out for him.
And little Kyungsoo who is in love with a man that’s not so real at all.
It’s as untimely as things get when it starts drizzling, and Kyungsoo is no longer able to differentiate the raindrops from his tears. All he knows is how leaving the apartment has been a bad choice on his part, and that all he wants is to be held by Kai. He doesn’t feel warm in Kai’s arms, in fact, it gets a little too cold -- but even for that spine-chilling feeling he receives, Kyungsoo felt safe. It’s silly for him to say so, yet what a strange, strange, world they are in. Everyone only ever regrets when the one thing they desire for is gone, and that was the only emotion Kyungsoo’s carrying right now.
The rain only gets heavier while Kyungsoo continues standing rooted in the middle of the empty crossroad, flashy neon lights telling him that he wasn’t safe in this area. The pitter-patter surrounding him speeds up, and his shoulders quake even harder; sobs getting louder with each mutter of ‘Kai’.
“Kai!” Kyungsoo shouts, his inability to stop the broken and choked out call frightens even himself.
His emotions were building up -- so much anger, so much raw sadness within him.
But years down the road, Kyungsoo would never have regretted calling out for Kai, because in that very moment the rain had finally stopped pouring down on him.
Kai was standing next to him, sheltering him from the rain whilst he got wet himself. “Someone looking for me?” he asks, looking smug at the same time.
It was then, when Kyungsoo throws all of his doubts away only to jump into Kai’s arms. It’s coldcoldcold, but all Kyungsoo’s heart could tell him was hothothot when Kai slings an arm around his waist, pressing a kiss onto the side of his lips. He lets the other lead him back to where he’d left his bicycle at, before Kai disappears once again.
“Kai?” Kyungsoo grabs onto the handlebar of his bicycle, looking around. “It’s not funny, Kai!”
“I’m here,” And there he was indeed, holding the café door open for Kyungsoo.
A trail of wet footsteps trails behind the both of them, leading to the patio. It’s a special sight when it was so late into the night -- with Kyungsoo realizing that it was already eleven forty-five.
“Where did you go?” Kyungsoo tugs on Kai’s sleeve, pulling the latter to take a seat beside him on the piano bench.
The lights in the patio were turned on, much to Kyungsoo’s surprise.
“I didn’t think you’d come at such an hour,” Kai’s voice was deep, and he sounds really different. Lifting up the piano key lid, he presses down on a note. “What made you decide to visit anyway?”
“The thought of you being alone did.”
A light chuckle erupts from Kai, as he glances over at Kyungsoo, before starting to settle both his hands on the piano keys. “It’s time for you to finish up the song,” he clears his throat, “it’s been more than a year. Two, if I dare say.”
It’s a wonder to Kyungsoo when Kai starts playing the piano -- emotions taking flight and bringing him to different heights. It is his song, but somehow, it didn’t seem like the one he’d composed. Was it always this gentle? Kyungsoo looks down at Kai’s hands while he plays, fingers swiftly gliding across the different keys. The piano was untuned, yet to be able to produce such wonderful tunes would always stay a mystery for Kyungsoo.
In his composition, the notes were playful and fun, showcasing the joyful side of Joonmyeon when they were together. But from what Kyungsoo was hearing, it was all but fun -- melancholy, was it?
It was the same bridge, yet it was just so different.
Once again, Kai stops playing then. “You really have to continue this, Kyungsoo. I hate stopping right here every time I try this composition.”
“What’s the use of continuing, when Joonmyeon and I have already broken up?”
“I’m still here, ”
Kyungsoo sits up straight, a startled look splayed all across his face. “You?”
“Yeah,”
And in that moment, Kyungsoo thinks that they are invincible.
Kai leans in for another kiss -- only that they were placed on his lips the second time. It’s absolutely magical, Kyungsoo feels. Kai’s lips were the only thing that was warm, and it made Kyungsoo burn up like a high school girl facing her crush.
“Me.”
-
Thursday night didn’t end there.
Kai tells him that he wants to bring him the best time of his life, where he ends up cycling all night throughout the rain with Kyungsoo holding up the umbrella, leaned against his back. Kai was rather sure that Kyungsoo had actually slept some time through, while they were debating whether the next note for the composition was a A-minor or C-minor.
Maybe that’s the reason why Kyungsoo didn’t exactly see which way Kai had taken, for the both of them to land up in a field of sunflowers.
It was still raining though, a light drizzle.
“This is my land of magic,” Kai whispers into Kyungsoo’s ears when they arrive, a hand grabbing onto the umbrella, and another arm gently pushing the latter forward. “They look so much different at dawn, compared to when the sun has fully risen up in the sky.”
“Don’t sunflowers need the sun to grow?”
“They do, don’t they?”
“But you can’t touch the sun.”
“Nothing is impossible.” Kai smiles and points up at the baby blue umbrella, “’Sides, the sun isn’t up yet.”
“Do you come here often?”
Shrugging, Kai closes the umbrella and slots it under his arm. “It’s kinda like my resting place.”
Kyungsoo throws his head back and laughs for a couple of seconds before his expression turns coy, Both hands grabbing onto Kai’s arm and pulling him forward. “Since we can’t do this often, might as well make the best out of it.”
The sky seemed limitless as they ran across the land, and Kai thinks that there’s absolutely nothing prettier than a soaked Kyungsoo; water droplets on the side of his cheeks as he delves further into the fields, running his hands along stalks and stalks of sunflowers. Kai trails behind him, watching the way Kyungsoo jumps around at every flower. He smiles when the male in front of him stops in front of a specific stalk -- it was significantly shorter than the rest, yet even in the dark sky, could Kyungsoo notice that it was literally glowing brightly, compared to the other flowers.
“Kai!” Kyungsoo points down at the sunflower, which was glowing, seemingly half amused and the other half in disbelief. “Is this a real flower?”
“Idunno. I don’t really care to know either.”
“It’s a glowing sunflower!” Kyungsoo exclaims, hitting Kai on his chest. “And look at how freaking tiny it is!”
“It’s not exactly that tiny, Kyungsoo.”
“Well, it is for me!”
“It’s taller than you!”
“Shut up!”
Kyungsoo reaches out a hand, letting his fingers gently caress the sunflower florets. It’s weird though, that it seems as if the flower kind of shies away at Kyungsoo’s touch. Nonetheless, it was a wondrous sight; despite the ten thousands of other flowers around, there would be one that shone under circumstances. “I shall name this pretty little thing as ‘happiness’.”
“Just because it glows?” Kai has an eyebrow raised, eyes flickering between Kyungsoo and that very sunflower.
“It glows!” Kyungsoo emphasizes on his last word, unable to understand why Kai doesn’t see it as something special. “You don’t see a glowing sunflower everyday!”
Kai ponders over something before he turns around and takes a couple of steps forward, before swiveling back and leans his upper torso towards Kyungsoo. “Do you want to see something much, much more magical?”
Squinting his eyes, Kyungsoo stares at the other, and nods his head slightly -- as if he was skeptical of Kai being able to show him something better than this.
“Take a step towards me.” Kai beckons him over; the grin on his face was wide. “Hurry up, the sun is going to rise soon.”
Kyungsoo raises a foot, only for him to let it hover above the next step.
“Kyungsoo, hurry!”
He takes in a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever was to come and took a step forward. Kyungsoo blinks blankly at Kai when nothing happens, slightly mad at him for pulling a trick on him.
“That was a step? Forget it-- “ Kai walks over to him, entwining their fingers together and pulls him forward.
Kyungsoo lets out a gasp when the sunflowers beside them start lighting up at every step they took, and it feels as though he was in a movie. The mellow white the flowers shone in defected off every inch of darkness in Kyungsoo’s heart, bringing him nothing but joyful tears and memories of the boy whom he had a crush on back in high school. A very innocent one, of course. Kyungsoo never did manage to get the boy’s name, but all he knew was that his crush was a captain of their school’s dance team, and that he was musically inclined. He hardly remembers how his crush looks like now, memories vague and faded after time.
“Isn’t this much better than witnessing one glowing sunflower?” Kai jokes, smiling at his masterpiece. “I would’ve made the entire field light up though.” And he mumbles something at the end, which Kyungsoo couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“You know, happiness for me… is a very simple thing.”
“And what would that be?”
“Not telling.”
Kyungsoo pouts, breath still ragged after running through the field. He notices that far off, a slight warm hue of orange was starting show in the sky, breaking the vast black. Before he could possibly react, Kyungsoo had been pulled into Kai’s arms, the umbrella poking into the side of his bicep. “…Got to go soon.” Kai mutters.
“Yeah, let’s go back now.” Kyungsoo buries his head further into the cold surface of Kai’s chest, nuzzling his nose into the wet nylon top. The rain had long stopped by then, but there was something else that kept wetting the side of Kyungsoo’s forehead.
“No, I have to go soon.” Kai grabbed onto Kyungsoo’s shoulders, pushing him away gently.
“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo was bewildered, and he had fallen deeper into the pit hole of utter confusion when he realizes that Kai was standing before him, while the sun was up. “The umbrella…”
“I’ve overstayed my time on earth, Kyungsoo. They’re here for me,” Kai nods over to somewhere at the side. “I have to go now.”
“Kai?”
He hadn’t meant to blink -- because the next thing Kyungsoo knows, was that he was standing all alone in the fields of sunflowers. The mellow glows of the flowers were replaced by the sunlight, as if all the magic of Thursday night has been replaced by a Friday oblivion.
“Kai!”
“Kai, where are you?”
“It’s not funny anymore! Why do you keep leaving me!”
Kyungsoo falls onto his knees, letting his tears fall once again. He cries and cries till all he sees is a familiar smile, and black and black and black.
-
He wakes up at five-forty on a Saturday morning, finding himself in a room of blinding white, and Joonmyeon’s blood-shot eyes staring at him. There was something unreadable in his expression, but Kyungsoo was too tired to bother. His throat was dry, and the remnant of Thursday night spins his head in circles.
“Soo!” Joonmyeon shouts, only to apologize for something which Kyungsoo couldn’t catch. “I promise I won’t get mad over something so stupid ever again.”
Amongst the commotion Joonmyeon was making, Kyungsoo notices the bouquet of sunflowers placed atop the cabinet. He points weakly at it, wanting the flowers to be brought over.
“Oh, that Kai guy brought it over while you were asleep,”
Kyungsoo stares wide-eyed at Joonmyeon, refusing to believe what he was saying. Kai left him all alone in the middle of nowhere!
“There was another person beside him though. Didn’t seem all that friendly.”
As Joonmyeon hands Kyungsoo the bouquet, a card fell out from within. It was nothing too fancy -- a simple black and white photo was at the back, but it renders Kyungsoo weak all over and sends him bawling the moment he sees it. He lets Joonmyeon fret over his condition, pulling him into an embrace and whisper words that only lovers would.
It was a picture of his high school graduating cohort’s picture, the different faces and names colored out with a black marker, only leaving two of them untouched. A phrase had been scribbled above the blackened out names as well.
One was of Kyungsoo, and the other was of his Kai. It’s another whole thing as to why Kyungsoo had never did realize that Kai had been his crush all along.
‘Do Kyungsoo’
‘Kim Jongin’
‘Happiness for me, is to watch over you.’
--
hate on this all you want but i love myself for writing this.
i love 1stepcl0ser for reading through this whole thing and for kicking my ass to write this out. sorry i didnt send the last part to you but i don't think i can handle it ANYMORE