It's almost 4PM by the time they reach Haeundae beach. "Jjan!" Taeyong shouts as soon as Haeundae beach appears right before their eyes. He spread his arms and jumps and it makes Jaehyun laughs as he has never seen Taeyong so excited before. "You love the beach that much, hyung?" he asks, sincerely curious. Taeyong nods and grabs Jaehyun's wrist to drag him even closer to the water. 

Taeyong loves the sea and the beach. He remember he used to go there with his mother back when he was really really young. Being on the beach makes him feel like he's back to being a child, protected from the danger of the world. Taeyong doesn't think he loves any other places more than he loves the beach. Lost in his own thoughts, again, Taeyong doesn't realize Jaehyun waving his hand in front of him. 

A few years ago, Haeundae Beach, Busan

The little boy sat on the arms of his mother who was walking along the pedestrian beside Haeundae beach. His eyes kept shifting between the crashing waves, the birds that's flying around, and people who are doing all sorts of different activities. His ears were listening to people conversing, the chirp of the birds, and the sound of the waves saying hello to each other and disappears as they reach the beach. 

"Do you like it here?" the woman asked, breaking the little boy's focus on his surrounding. He nodded and circled his short, little arms around his mother's neck. "I really like this place, mom," he replied, feeling the breeze grazed over his cheeks. The mother let out a big, content smile. "I know you'll love it here. You're my son after all," she said. "Mom used to love visiting beaches too especially this one since it's far from Seoul. When I was a teenager, I used to runaway during weekends just so that I can not be home with your grandma and grandpa," she continue with an even bigger smile on her face as she reminisces on her younger days. 

Little Lee Taeyong understood very little of what his mother said at that time. Not because he wasn't smart enough or not because he wasn't paying attention, but simply because he hasn't been through enough to understand how a simple getaway could mean so much to somebody. "When a person's soul is tired, it needs to take a break. You, as the combination of a soul and a body who's capable of bodily control is the only one who's able to put your soul on rest," she continued again, leaving the confused Taeyong even more confused.

He couldn't even think of asking what has she possibly gone through during her younger days that she's able to talk so deeply about life. And even though he wasn't an adult yet, he could sense the fusion of bitterness and sweetness coming out of his mother's lips and he was curious even then, what they could be and how they could've become. 

Back to present days, Haeundae, Busan

Now, Taeyong understands a little bit more it seems. Tear starts dwelling in his eyes as the image of his mother smiling with that signature bittersweet smile of her appears on his mind. And the tears that formed finally falls as he realizes he's doing what his mother did maybe more than 20 years ago; a getaway. 

Maybe, just maybe, he has become an adult. He definitely tasted a lot of the bitter things in life and right there. Yet he wonders where in the world is the happiness that's waiting for him. 

"Hyung? Are you okay?" the sound of Jaehyun's voice wakes Taeyong up from his daydream. "Eh? What?" he asks, still trying to gain back his full consciousness. Without answering first, Jaehyun wipes Taeyong's tears with a scarf he always keeps with him. "Why are you crying, hyung? Are you sick? Do you want to go back to the accomodation? Do you need med-" "Jaehyun, i'm fine," Taeyong cuts him off, trying to reassure the younger that he's really fine. 

"I just suddenly thought of when I used to go here with my mom as a kid," Taeyong continues, stating the reason so that Jaehyun is more convinced that he's really not sick. "You came here before?" Jaehyun asks, turning his head towards the beach and stares at the sea for a few seconds. Taeyong nods. "I used to come here during holi