The following morning, Jaebum staggered into the bathroom. The sun had yet to rise.

He leaned his head up against the cold wall as he waited for the painful throbbing in his head to dull.

"Hello, Jaebum," came a voice with crystal clear tonality.

Jaebum's eyes shot open. He scanned the vicinity but saw nothing out of the ordinary. While he knew to expect a visit from the O.D himself, he hadn't expected that day to come so soon. On one occassion, he had come close to praying to the God Youngjae didn't believe in—all for the sake of prolonging his time on the earth. He wanted to stay; to be with Youngjae. One second more. 

Even he knew forever was impossible.

Jaebum glanced down at the parched skin on his hand. The intersecting lines were much more prominent now than they had been yesterday. At this point, only the sea's embrace could moisturize him.

"You've noticed the effects of being so long without the sea, haven't you?" 

Jaebum chortled. "What effects? This dry skin here?" He threw his head back and laughed. "Nothing some shea butter or coconut oil can't fix."

"From the thousands of plastic containers that go into the sea, right?" 

Silence. 

The voice sighed. "I apologize. I'm not saying that to play devil's advocate. I only want you to know that there's nothing but pain if you continue down this path."

Jaebum looked up to see Jinyoung seated on the edge of the bathtub. His coat pooled over the edge like wisps of shadows. A burgundy cravat was tied around his neck and a silver chain hung down around his ear.

"Jaebum, it's not too late. Return home."

"To what? The ridicule?" Jaebum clucked his tongue. "But, wait. That's the least of my concerns. I have someone-"

"I love now," they both said in unison.

Jaebum eyed him with disdain.

Jinyoung scoffed. "I didn't take you as the romantic sort."

Jaebum smirked. "And I didn't think you would come to do S.R's bidding. What a well-trained puppy you are."

Jinyoung pulled a compact watch from out of his trouser pocket. He inserted a golden key into the lock and rewinded it two times before the lid flipped open. He turned it so that the mirror inside faced Jaebum. Tick, tick, tick went