The crisp mid-October air was what you definitely needed after spending the past few weeks doing more work than necessary. Translating art journals from German to Korean was already a lot of work and it just so happened that the gallery was opening a new branch in Tokyo very soon. As you were the only one at work who could speak Japanese, you were required to spend the last three weeks in Tokyo to attend meetings with your head curator. Interpreting during meetings and translating texts all day long almost made you want to flip over and just scream senseless. But you managed to get through those torturous weeks—your battle scars were your aching lower back and constant headache.

The fact that you had to go back in a few days and stay there until the end of November made you frown at the thought. And so being back in Seoul was definitely the temporary cure you needed. The steady rhythm of your footsteps against the concrete, the slight burning in your muscles as you pushed forward, and the sweat that rolled down your forehead and back… all these made you think of your limits and how you could push further—knowing that you still haven’t reached your full potential yet.

The phone strapped around your arm vibrated and you quickly stopped running to answer it without looking at the screen.

“Hi.” The familiar deep voice greeted from the other line.

You had not seen him for quite some time since you both had been incredibly busy. He had been working on the new album and his auction. And you were abroad for work. The last time you were together was a day before you flew to Tokyo and he to Hong Kong. It was spent with more conversations of art and other interests. And the two of you had sometimes exchanged messages over the phone these past few weeks.

“Hello, Gwisin-ssi.” You used that nickname of his and you heard him chuckle.

“Why do you sound like you’re out of breath?”

You breathed deeply then. “I’m out running.”

“At sunset? Where?”

“I’m almost at the end of Banpo Bridge.” It was really difficult to speak so you were breathing quite heavily by then.

“North of the river?” You hummed in response. “Take a taxi once you reach the end. You know my house is quite near, right? Go here.”

“Excuse me... But why are you ordering me around?” You chuckled as you started walking.

 “I’m actually having a crisis right now.” His voice sounded a bit desperate then.  “I need your help.”

“What? What’s happening?” You pushed your legs faster and you were running with more speed than earlier.

“Just come here. I’ll message you the exact address.” And he ended the call.

As if your life depended on it, you ran so fast that you felt your lungs burn. Once you reached the end of the bridge, you hailed a taxi and it only took a few minutes before you were in front of his villa. After one buzz, the gate opened and you quickly went inside. Seung Hyun greeted you as soon as he opened the main door.

“You’re here.” He smiled as he gave you a once-over. You knew you looked like a complete mess. “You look like a wet puppy.”

“And you look like a grandpa.” He consciously ran his hand over his hair and you chuckled.

His silver hair was not unusual. He had bleached his hair quite a few times in the past and you were used to seeing him in that style. But it was the first time you saw him with that hair in person. And you could only say that he looked strangely ethereal.

“I thought you’re in trouble?” You asked as you tried to even out your breathing.

Seung Hyun calmly ushered you inside and you followed him to his kitchen. What you saw made you frown.

“Really now?”

He shrugged as he pointed at the half-prepared dish on the counter and the boiling pot of water on the stove. “I prepared a lot and I realized I can’t eat everything.”

Sighing, you leaned your elbows on the counter—careful that you were a safe distance away from him. He gave you a glass of water and you thought that it was a really nice gesture from him.

“You could’ve told me earlier. I just came from running and you know how people don’t feel good when they’re so sweaty and sticky?” You scrunched your nose in irritation after gulping down the water. The feeling of it running down your burning lungs made you sigh loudly. “That’s what I’m feeling right now.”

“Take a shower here then.” He said so casually you almost didn’t believe it. “You’ll feel much better and then we’ll have dinner.”

“Seriously?” Your dubiousness made him furrow his brows.

“Follow me.”

He led you to a bathroom in the same floor. You waited there thinking how the hell you got into this situation. It was definitely something so absurd you almost wanted to laugh. When Seung Hyun came back, he was holding a white shirt and grey boxer shorts.

“Don’t worry… I haven’t worn the boxers yet.” Simply nodding your head, you took the clothes from him. “There are clean towels in the cabinet below the sink.”

Seung Hyun was about to leave you alone when you stopped him. “Uh… can I use your dryer? For my clothes?”

“It’s downstairs. I’ll show you once you’re done.” And then he went back to the kitchen.

Standing in the bathroom made you feel a little bit nervous. You were inside his house with him and he just told you to shower there like it was no one’s business. Once you had stripped off all your clothes, you then realized how horribly you sweated. You had been running for over an hour by the time he called and it had been the first time in a long while. The hot shower definitely soothed your tired and aching muscles. At one point, you debated if you should use the shampoo and body wash in the bathroom or not… and then decided to just use a little. Once you were done, you quickly wore the clothes Seung Hyun had given you. The shirt was too big that it completely covered the boxers. It didn’t help that you weren’t wearing any underwear. You wrapped your damp clothes with the towel you used and hesitantly went out the bathroom.

“I’m done.” You said to Seung Hyun once you saw him cooking in his kitchen. He looked at you and the corners of his lips slightly quirked up. You were barefooted and hugging the ball of clothes on your chest. What a sight you must’ve been…

Without saying anything, he led you to the basement which was surprisingly bright and clean. Seung Hyun took the clothes from your arms and threw them all inside the washer which already had water in it. You quickly crossed your arms on your chest.

“I filled it up earlier.”

“Do you wash your own clothes?” You asked curiously once you saw some shirts neatly folded on the counter.

“Sometimes.” Was his short reply and then he noticed your arms. “Are you cold?”

“No.” You instantly flushed thinking about how you could say it out loud. “It’s just…”

Seung Hyun was completely clueless as he waited for you to finish what you were saying. Ducking your head, you managed to say the only thing that came up to mind. “Do you have a dark-colored shirt with like… a lot of print on the front?”

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes as he started looking at the folded clothes and quickly pulled up a black shirt and handed it to you. “You’re weird.”

“Says the weirder one.” You retorted as you turned your back at him and looked at the shirt—your eyes widening in disbelief. “Seriously?”

“It’s the one you described.” He laughed and then moved as if remembering something. “You can put the clothes in the dryer in five minutes and then go back upstairs.”

Nodding your head, you saw him disappear from the stairs and then you quickly went to change the shirt right then and there. The shirt he gave you was the one from their MADE Final Concert in Seoul that you attended in March. You knew it well since the other members had worn it during the encore. Once you had transferred the clothes into the dryer, you went back upstairs and found Seung Hyun already setting the dishes on the glass dining table. His eyes locked on the shirt you were wearing and then your eyes—a slow smile creeping on his face.

“Why do I feel like I shouldn’t be wearing this in front of you?” You were feeling extremely conscious by then. “It’s got your face in it.”

“But you’re a VIP.” He grinned and you couldn’t help but feel strange realizing that he had not referred to you as a fan in a long time. “And don’t worry… I can’t see anything.”

You felt the heat rush to your face.

“Yah!”

The dinner he made was good—nothing spectacular but you were able to eat to your heart’s content. It was nice knowing that he knew how to cook a proper meal and that he even did his own laundry (sometimes). Both of you spent the next few hours talking about a lot of things: the success of his auction, your restless work in Tokyo, the two music videos they were going to shoot, hairstyles, and a lot of other random things you couldn’t quite remember in detail because you had been drinking wine as well. Seung Hyun knew not to give you too much because you would probably pass out on his precious Pierre Jeanneret dining chair.

Maybe it was because of the exercise earlier that you felt more languid than sleepy. You had quietly helped Seung Hyun in cleaning the dishes and the next thing you knew you were unashamedly slouched on the sofa. Your head felt light but your body was the opposite.

“Tell me three things that I still don’t know about you.” Seung Hyun said on the other side of the sofa. He still had a glass of wine in hand.

“It’s only fair if you do the same.” You quickly responded which made him smile as he nodded his head. “Okay… The first one is… “

Thinking of the things you had done your whole life was challenging. And so you shared the first thing that came to your mind.

“I got injured a lot when I was a kid.” That made his eyebrows lift up. “I was careless. I fell down a canal, a bike, and a tree.”

Seung Hyun reached out his arm to pat you on the shoulder. “Poor you.”

“I was also bitten by a dog.” You chuckled. “I was walking home one night and it was really dark. Then I accidentally stepped on its tail.”

“No way…”

Pulling up the shirt, you showed him the faint bite mark on the side of your right upper thigh. Seung Hyun leaned closer to look at it. “This is the reason that during full moon, I transform into a—“

He lightly ran a finger on the scar and you froze on the spot—your languidness immediately disappeared.

“It’s almost invisible.” He stated in a whisper before he pulled back and resumed drinking his wine.

“Uh—yeah… I was probably nine at that time.” Feeling like your heart was about to burst from your chest, you pulled the shirt back down and cleared your throat. “Your turn.”

“I’m a crybaby.” He took a sip of his wine. “I cry easily whenever I watch sad scenes or read sad stories. I also cry when I’m very exhausted.”

You nodded your head knowing that it was nothing new but you just let him say what he wanted to say. “Crying is normal.”

“What’s the second thing?” Seung Hyun prodded and it took you a while to think of one.

“There was this one time when I was in university…” You started and his eyes sparked in curiosity. “I briefly worked part-time in a local theatre as one of the set artists. I helped pain