The morning before my flight to Sydney I found another parcel locker rental slip. He had scribbled another password on the back, 200492. That was an easy one in which that was Luhan’s birthday, April 20^th.

                “My stepmother used to bring us to the post office when we were children.” I told Joonmyun as I opened the locker in the Tokyo post office. “I wouldn’t be surprised if renting postal lockers becomes Luhan’s preferred method of communication.”

                “There’s no if, it already is.” He held the door for me as I leaned in to grab the envelope inside. So, what has Luhan mailed for me this time?

                “Candy wrappers?” I emptied the contents and several different kinds of candy wrapping fell onto my hand. There was a Violet Crumble wrapper, Cadbury’s, Reese’s wrappings and a very Australian looking Caramello Koala. Yep, Luhan is (or was) definitely in Australia. The envelope didn’t look very common either. It was a corporate envelope with it’s logo and address on the top.

                “Park Associates, Sydney, Australia.” Joonmyun read. “Maybe Luhan is working there.”

                “Maybe, but what does this have to do with the candy wrappers? Does Park Associates manufacture candy or something?”

                “I think that’s your job to find out. I’m just showing you the way.” Joonmyun laughed.

                Maybe the candy has a reference to Luhan’s sweet tooth. He loves candy, as a matter of fact when we were kids, he had a small sugar addiction problem that he used to throw fits of temper tantrums when he couldn’t find candy in the house. It would be so like him to work in a candy factory.

                Or is he? Actually, I don’t think I even know anymore.

                The next few hours in the airport was spent going online, trying to find out who Oh Sehun was. It turned out that he was a famous and highly-acclaimed graffiti artist, whose works covered the streets of Hongdae and back alleys of Gangnam. He had his own blog called Eternal Pain on Tumblr and had something like 40,000 followers. I ran through his blog archive and saw his work. His art isn’t exactly very clear. It had an abstract feeling to it but considering he crafted it out of cans and cans of spray paint, this man truly is an artist. He doesn’t seem to interact much with his fans, but he does leave short messages every now and again.

                My next mission is a grand one. I shall leave a mark of my own in every country in the world before I die. Or at the very least every continent.

                What in the world would possess Luhan to dump everything he owned and go back-packing around the world with a hobo artist? Has he lost all good sense or did Sehun him out of it?

                Luhan didn’t write on anything else in his box of belongings, so I kept all his written words and took them with me. I couldn’t help but feel like he is trying to tell me a story, that all of this is just some elaborate ruse to fulfil his fantasy of stringing me along and torturing me. Because Luhan doesn’t want to be found.

                I should give up, but I can’t. I need to know where he is. I need to know what happened to him. I should be at home, trying to save the company from Jackson, but no, here I am on my way to Sydney, looking for my brother.

                I looked back at some of Sehun’s works I had downloaded from his Tumblr. His most recent work in Japan was a huge mural of the sun rising above a plain of fields. Giant robots bigger than mountains were making their way across the plains, leaving footprints wherever they went.

                I think Sehun is implying that Japan’s rapid progress in technology and infrastructure is leaving footprints and damaging it’s original agricultural roots, but it’s not necessarily bad. That’s why the robots were not painted to be evil, but instead had smiles on their faces. Or perhaps the rapid modernization is also unaware of it’s affects left behind on the world. Or blissfully unaware that is.

                Not bad, I could get used to Sehun’s work.

                “You’re really going down to Australia?”

                “Yes Tao, I’m convinced that Luhan is there and I need to find him.”

                “I understand that, but…”

                “But what?”

                A deep sigh passed through the phone.

                “I miss you Kris. It’s a bit hard here without you.”

                It was selfish of me to ask Tao to take care of my family for me. He doesn’t owe me anything to deserve such a punishment, and I missed him terribly too.

                “I miss you too Tao. I’ll be home soon, I promise.”

                “I’m worried about your parents. They seem to be getting worse as time passes. Won’t you call them?”

                “I will, once I get to Sydney.”

                “Promise?”

                “I promise.”

                “Come back soon, okay?”

                “Okay.”

                His beautiful face appeared on my phone’s lock screen when I hang up and boarded the plane. The flight was quite empty since it wasn’t exactly peak travel period. I tucked Luhan’s letter under my jacket and tried to formulate a plan. When I land, the first stop is definitely Park Associates, there is probably a clue there. You don’t get corporate envelopes the same way you get regular envelopes from the shops.

                My relationship with Tao has been a very long one. We were lovers from high-school, through college and into our career life. The first day I saw him at the fair I was instantly enamoured. I had never seen anyone so handsome before. Tall, almond eyes with jet black hair in those tight jeans. And I didn’t say hello.

                I couldn’t get the courage to talk to him at all. Jessica and I were still kinda-sorta dating while Tao was the cross-country superstar of our rival school. I saw him again during the state level cross-country race. Luhan was the cheerleader (yeah I know) and I was just there to show my support for the team. Jessica hated sports so she didn’t come, and thanked the lord she didn’t.

                “You’re the basketball kid from the fair aren’t you?” Tao asked when I just finished getting a hotdog. I had a sausage bun stuffed in my mouth, with its end hanging out and looking way too appropriate to be talking to the man of my dreams.

                “Uh huh,” though it sounded more like fuh-huh.

                “Are you here for your brother?”

                “My who?” my brain fries when I’m talking to gorgeous people.

                “Brother.” He turned to see Luhan stretching on the field, talking to other cheerleaders. There’s a rather large crowd of people creeping suspiciously close to the field, most of them cross-country runners in tight shorts.

                “Yeah.” I mumbled.

                “Your brother’s pretty hot. He is the talk of the town.”

                “He always is.” I rolled my eyes. Oh great. The man of my dreams is after my brother, and that wasn’t the first time it happened.

                “Are you jealous?”

                “God no,” I scoffed. “What’s to be jealous about?”

                “So it doesn’t bother you that your girlfriend and your popular brother are on the same team?”

                “My who?”

                “Girlfriend.”

                “Oh yeah.” I had forgotten that Jessica was also on the team. “Nah I trust them.”

                “Nice.” He smiled, putting his hands on his hips. There was a stagnant silence between us for a while as I chewed the end of my straw. My feet were close together and I started swaying back and forth, pretending to be watching Luhan or Jessica.

                “What are you doing after the race?” Tao asked.

                “Head home I guess. Luhan and Jessica are attending the after-party so they will be late.”

                “Why don’t you join them?”

                “I’m not a party person.” Which is true. “If you think about it, what’s the point in going to a place filled with people you don’t know or care about, bumping your head to music you don’t listen to, watching people spike the punch even though they know they are gonna get caught and have people throw up in vases and toilet bowls?”

                “Good point.” He nodded. “I’m okay with parties but I’m claustrophobic.”

                “Really?”

                “Yeah, no small spaces for me. Hate them.”

                “Elevators?” I asked.

                “God don’t even mention them.” We laughed together and his voice cracked a little. God why is he so gorgeous?

                “Since you’re not doing anything, wanna grab something to eat together?” he asked.

                “I’m not sure the school would appreciate me dining with the enemy.” I chuckled.

                “Don’t think of me as the enemy. You’re the Basketball Guy, and I’m the one who shoots you the balls.”

                “Deal.”

                Tao and I became fast friends, and my relationship with Jessica (or lack thereof) soured and she moved on (she literally moved to London). It wasn’t long before we dated but Luhan was the first person to notice my affection for Tao.

                “Are you sure there is nothing going on between the two of you?”

                “Luhan, for God’s sake will you shut up about it already? I told you we were just friends!”

                “I don’t understand why you’re being so defensive. Did I insult you in any way?” he teased, eyebrows wiggling at me as I changed into a new T-shirt.

                “You are so annoying.”

                “It’s my job. Deal with it.” He moved on my bed and sat up straight. “Why did Jessica move to London?”

                “For college.”

                “Did you fight with her?”

                “Yes.”

                “What did she tell you?”

                “She accused me of having my head in the clouds.”

                “That’s it?”

                “Yes.”

                “And why was your head in the clouds? Are you thinking about something that will send you to Cloud 9?” he insinuated, voice getting high and annoying.

                “Luhan please.”

                “I think you like Tao.”

                “What makes you say that?”

                “Because I’m your brother and I know.” He laughed and jumped all around me. “It’s so obvious oh my god. Why are you so dense and slow? If I were Tao I would have given up on you.”

                “You don’t know anything.”

                “And yet here I am getting laid.” Luhan was dating Jia (or was it Fei? Never mind not important) after Krystal. Not that he and Krystal lasted very long either. Krystal decided she preferred guys who smelled like overpriced cologne and Luhan figured she was a who wasn’t worth his time.

                “I swear Luhan just leave me alone. I’m a grown man and I can handle myself.”

                “Oh so you’re telling me you’re man enough to go up and confess to him later?”

                “Yes I am indeed…oh no.” the back of my hand met my forehead immediately.

                “Oh yes.” He cackled in glee. “You’re confessing TONIGHT!”

                I knew that if I didn’t say a word to Tao later I was going to get it later from Luhan. Little brothers are so annoying when you tell them what they can use to blackmail you later. I was supposed to meet Tao outside the school hall, and we were going to watch a movie later. It was a rather cold autumn evening and my hands were tucked in my pockets as I made my way to school.

                “Hey Kris!” Tao always greeted me with such excitement. He waved his hand at me and I felt a warmth spreading across my chest. I blew puffs of smoke from my mouth and made my way over.

                “Hey Tao.”

                “Let’s go for our movie then.” He was about to turn and walk away when he realized that I was still rooted in my spot, unwilling to move. “Kris?”

                “Tao, I need to tell you something.” My hands shook even harder in my jacket, and it wasn’t because I was cold.

                “Yeah?”

                “Tao, I think you’re the most gorgeous person I have ever met. You’re funny and nice and you have this beautiful way of snorting when you laugh. I can’t stop thinking about you and if I don’t tell you all this today then Luhan is going to kill me and he will never stop bullying me about it so Huang Zitao I…”

                “Shut up and kiss me.” I felt cold lips on mine and heat pooling in my cheeks. The inside of Tao’s mouth was warm and soft, and his body melted perfectly in mine. My shaky hands moved out of my jacket and around his waist. Tao tasted like cherries and wine, and you know what? He still tastes the same, and I love it even more as time goes by.

                Tao and I have been together for a long time, long enough for marriage I suppose. Lately Luhan (before he disappeared) has been pestering me about it. “You have waited long enough! Your career is stable and so is his. What’s taking you so long to make things official?”

                “Signing a piece of paper will not make me love him more, and not signing it will not make me love him less.” I implied. Honestly our relationship is so stable, it doesn’t seem like marriage will change anything. So what’s the point? Why spend the money and all that time on stuff like that?

                “How do you know if he feels the same? Isn’t it time to make an honest man out of him?” Luhan pushed on. “If you guys are legally bounded by law then there are lots more you could pursue. You could even start a family.”

                “Just shut up Luhan.”

                “Fine, but one day he won’t be around and you can’t fix it. You’ve taken him for granted Kris, and you’ve done it for too long.”

                I don’t suppose he’s right, and someone who just left in a lurch should not be one to judge, but on the long flight to Sydney I couldn’t stop thinking about Tao and our future. I tried to shake it off because I didn’t feel like giving Luhan the satisfaction that he was right. He left the family and caused cousin Jackson to come in and ruin everything. He should not be right about anything.

A/N: Disclaimer: I have never actually been to Australia so this is all based on research, please take those facts lightly hahahahaha!

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