"Up! Up! Get up you lazy man!" blasted throughout the bedroom. Youngjae groaned as he reached under his pillow for his phone. Still half asleep, he swiped to the right to silence his alarm. The days had been creeping close to a month now since Yezi left him with the surprise of having switched out his soft ballad for her rambunctious voice and all this time, despite probing himself to change it back, he never did. 

Today would be different. He tapped his way into the phone's alarm settings when thoughts of an ailing Jaebum rushed to the center of his attention. He stumbled out of bed, leaving behind his phone with the twelve year-old's voice set as his alarm for yet another day.  

He made it downstairs to see Jaebum sitting up with his hands in his hair. 

"Are you alright?" Youngjae asked. 

Jaebum looked up. Youngjae was relieved to see that his skin no longer looked as sickly as yesterday.

"I never would have guessed how  good it feels to run your hands through your hair." He let out a moan as he continued running his fingers through his hair. 

Youngjae walked over to the lamplights and flicked them off. "We're heading somewhere today after-"

Jaebum looked up at him with expectant eyes. Youngjae didn't have it in him to eat breakfast when Jaebum was suffering through an empty stomach so he threw that idea out completely.

"After I get ready. I'll be back in a few."

"Okay."

Youngjae returned to his room. He shuffled through the pants scattered about his floor until he selected a pair of light denims. He pulled the first shirt he saw hanging in his closet and proceeded to find a pair of shoes for both himself and Jaebum. He hoped that they shared the same size or else he'd have to run to the shoe store down the street and Youngjae wanted none of that. He knew how nosy Mr. Myeong was and with buying a shoe size not his own, what better way to invite him over for some quality snooping around the house. Youngjae couldn't take those chances if he didn't want Mr. Myeong finding out about Jaebum.

He opted for his most comfortable shoes and a pair of worn-out sneakers. As a final touch to the outfit, he snatched his only snapback from the rack hanging on his door. 

Realizing his phone was not in his possession, he ambled over to his bed and slid it into his pant pocket before heading out. 

"Here, put these on in the foyer," Youngjae said as he handed Jaebum the newer, more comfortable shoes. "And wear this."

"No nonsense," Jaebum read aloud as he searched the cap for any other words that might be printed on the black fabric. 

"Quick. We have to catch the bus."

A few minutes later Youngjae stepped out into the midmorning sun  with Jaebum following close behind. Youngjae finished locking the door before brushing by Jaebum and heading for the entrance, his messenger bag knocking against his leg with each step. 

Jaebum stopped at the bottom step, his eyes roaming over the world around him. From the way the shrubs rustled their leaves in tune to an invisible ensemble's beat to the way the birds overhead sprung over a bridge only they could see, everything was a fascination he had to commit to memory. He watched as a small cloud connected with a larger one before lowering his gaze, his eyes falling on Youngjae's retreating figure. 

Every bit of him was illuminated by the sun's soft, golden rays. 

The entire underwater populace prided themselves on only giving into the concrete-matters that could be solved with a formula or proven through facts-but if they were to see Youngjae, they would start to believe in the theoretical; in chances and luck. They would allow themselves  the opportunity to imagine.

Jaebum had found his sprite. But unlike the ones he was always reading about in children's stories, his sprite came to him in the form of a handsome young man. Something tangible. Jaebum was going spend his time here compiling memories with someone he could trust; with someone that had become his everything in the span of a few days.

"My sprite," he whispered. 

Youngjae turned, exasperation threatening to cloud his preoccupied expression. "Let's go." 

Jaebum jogged up next to Youngjae  who was already a great distance ahead of him. He didn't break pace with Youngjae as they hurried along down the street.

"Thank you for taking me out."

Youngjae faltered. For a passing second, he wanted to turn his head to the side so he could see Jaebum's expression but he willed himself to keep his eyes trained on the phone in his hands. 

"Just don't cause me any trouble."

Jaebum nodded. He smiled and added on an "Mmm" when he noticed Youngjae hadn't looked up from typing something into his phone. 

They made it to the bus stop and a couple of minutes later, stepped inside the bus to a gust of cool air. 

Youngjae scanned the vicinity as he paid for the ride. To his relief, not a single person was on board. Hopefully, it would stay like this on  their ride to the city. 

The bus lurched forward, bringing Youngjae back to attention within the bus. He signalled to Jaebum to follow. They started to cross the wide open space where two rows of seats faced each other on opposite sides when Youngjae ultimately decided on the first set of seats situated on the slightly elevated end of the bus in the back. 

Youngjae was unaware of the tension laced throughout his muscles until he found himself relaxing into the seat. He watched Jaebum take a seat before turning to look out the window. 

The town with its jumble of houses and surrounding sea gave way to wide, open plots of land as the bus crossed over one of the two bridges that connected it to the mainland. Youngjae rarely had time to sit down and marvel at the beauty that was this world so when he did make time, it was as if the world were serenading him with all of the unspoken truths and dreams it carried. 

Youngjae was beginning to imagine what Jaebum's life at sea might have been like when a light thump against his shoulder disrupted his thoughts. He turned his attention to the right. He was in utter disbelief.

Jaebum had fallen asleep. On his shoulder. Even after he agreed to keep from causing Youngjae any trouble. 

Scenes like this only happen in dramas. And the sappiest of them all, too. No, wait. This is the set to a drama. That would make Jaebum an actor. Right, Jaebum? How much are they paying you to do this? You've got the wrong lead. Youngjae opened his mouth to let out a voiceless scream. In shock at his own reaction, he glanced up at the bus driver to see if he was looking but his eyes remained trained on the road. 

"Jaebum." He nudged him in the side with his elbow. "Jaebum, wake up. Don't fall asleep." He tried poking him but when that didn't work, reverted to pinching his thigh. The only thing it elicited was a soft grunt that sounded oddly too ual. 

Youngjae slouched in his seat and folded his arms over his chest, not caring if the movement waked Jaebum. To his luck, it did not. He resigned himself to hoping that the remaining stops would have no one there to board the bus.

As the time inched along, Youngjae  felt the strain of his slouched position begin to take a toll on his lower back. He tried wiggling his way up but stopped moments after with the fear that he would wake Jaebum. In the time it had taken them to reach the city's outskirts, Youngjae had analyzed the benefits and drawbacks associated with Jaebum's sleeping state. Apart from the gnawing feeling that he shouldn't wake him because he was still hurting, it would also be less exhausting to have him asleep like this. 

Youngjae turned his attention to the cluster of high-rise buildings and shop fronts that whizzed by. He had forgotten what he was bracing himself for until it came in the form of a group of schoolgirls. His eyes grew wide. They stood around the bus stop, laughing and taking photos. By the looks of it, they meant to actually board the bus. 

He grumbled. If it were a grandmother, he'd probably be able to convince her into believing Jaebum was his cousin whose father is a drunkard and whose mother hates modern advancements in technology. No questions asked. But if it's a group of girls, well, Youngjae was doomed. 

Youngjae sat up straight in his seat and awkwardly fiddled with his fingers until he decided to lay them flat against his legs. He tried grinning but it fell flat when the first few girls poured into the bus. They seemed to be about Yezi's age. 

He stared straight ahead, unblinking, but soon realized how strange that must have been when the tallest girl shot him a strange look. He might as well have been wearing a sign saying "I'm a creep! I want you!". 

Youngjae dropped his gaze in time to see the last two girls enter. The one with two braids running down the length of her back on either side wrapped her arm around the other as they walked by. Youngjae bit back a troubled laugh full of his suffering and embarrassment from the past few days. They probably thought him a weirdo but they didn't even know the half of what he had gone through since the arrival of the fish-turned-man at his side.

The girl with the long, black hair whose tips were dyed a mint green turned her head around as the duo made for their seats. She met Youngjae's eyes and ducked her head. 

Youngjae looked down at his shoes and gave himself some time before peering up. Although, he needn't worry about being caught staring. She was looking at Jaebum. 

Youngjae blew a gust of air through his nostrils. Maintaining his upturned face, he managed to eye Jaebum from the corner of his eye. He hadn't noticed it leaving the house but in the midst of this girl's wandering eyes, he was suddenly conscientious of just how striking Jaebum must appear in this outfit. He wore an equally balanced combination of chic and laid-back with his nearly all-black look and running shoes. As an added touch, the snapback gave him a sense of mystique. What could Mr. Dark and Brooding be hiding beneath that black fabric? y came in the form of his broad shoulders and distinguishably handsome face. 

Youngjae looked down at his lap. Light denims and a pink shirt stained with splater after drip of food coloring. He quickly averted his gaze. Youngjae knew he was just another guy. Easy on the eyes. That's all.

He shook his head. He wasn't one to be critical of his appearance so there  was no sense in letting himself wallow in these melodramatic thoughts now. He loved himself and that was that. It was, in fact, all he could ever ask for. 

Youngjae saw the mall appear from afar. He checked his watch. On time. Sort of. Before leaving the house, Youngjae had spent time trying to teach Jaebum how to tie his shoelaces. After a tower of minutes passed by without success, it was ultimately decided that Jaebum would tuck his shoelaces into the side of his shoes. 

He needed Jaebum awake now if he wanted to earn back those precious minutes. "Jaebum," Youngjae leaned down closer. He glanced over at the girls to see the duo from before staring intently. A heat tore over the nape of his neck. He pulled back. Anything he did with Jaebum could be warped into a false reality. He had to be careful.

He faked a yawn and stretched his left arm behind him. In the process of trying to cover his mouth, he let it fall forward. It knocked into the back of Jaebum's head with enough force to startle him awake. His snapback flew off and landed in the middle of the bus to where a multitude of curious eyes directed their attention to it before locking their gaze on the spectacle that was Jaebum and Youngjae. Jaebum shot up, his eyes darting about frantically until they focused on his immediate surroundings and then, finally, on Youngjae. Relief washed over his features. His ragged breathing returned to normal. 

Youngjae wondered if he had seen fear in Jaebum's eyes but dismissed it as the bus crept to a stop. "Come on, we're leaving."