Sunggyu watches the man, more precisely his neighbour, works happily on the tap as if it is the most enjoyable job in the world. From the kitchen doorway, he sees Woohyun’s smiling or rather, beaming face. The working male is humming an unknown tune as he inspects the problematic tap and soon, is dismantling the tap with ease. Sunggyu is positively convinced his neighbour must be a plumber or a handyman.

“Your tap’s valve is partially eroded, that’s the reason it squeaks when you turn on the tap since air is passing through. You will need to replace it. But don’t worry, I can help you with that.”

Woohyun approaches Sunggyu with the rusty tap, almost dying with internal injury from refraining himself smiling too brightly. Heaven is definitely on his side since he now has reason to linger around.  Sunggyu inspects the tap briefly and sighs his acceptance. He looks up expectantly at the man who is once again clad in tank top, a black one this time but immediately lowers his gaze as he spots Woohyun’s canine teeth. Sunggyu feels a slight flush on his face since cute pointed tooth has always been his thing and Woohyun has two to boast.

“There’s a hardware shop in the town centre. We can buy a replacement and have lunch at the same time. I’m so hungry now since I didn’t have time for breakfast. They have this homey small eatery tuck at a corner that serves the best Naengmyeon. Perfect for this weather.”

Sunggyu cannot help but notice the tiny droplets that are trickling down Woohyun’s neck, resisting the sudden urge to wipe off the sweat for his neighbour. The male has come early, fix the water tower, and is even helping to fix the kitchen tap. He does not want to be unappreciative but Sunggyu has never stepped out of the house in broad daylight since he arrived in this town. It was way too dangerous in the beginning and it could still be dangerous now. Getting caught is not an option but his mind also tells him nothing has happened for the past six months and they might have finally stopped searching for him. The idea of walking in the sun, having delicious food and a meal companion is rapidly eroding his original reservation but the fear of being caught lingers in his thoughts.

Watching the male, Woohyun can almost see the battle going on in Kim’s head. He is just trying his luck by asking, knowing the elusive male standing before him will probably reject his suggestion. However, his hope rises with each passing second when he is not outrightly rejected. He springs into action, refusing to give Kim more time to ponder over the matter and arriving at unfavourable decision for him. Woohyun heads for the door.

“That’s settled then. I’m going to take a quick shower. Be back in 15 minutes.”

Sunggyu watches in surprise as his neighbour disappears into the opposite apartment. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he too heads into the bedroom to ready himself. When the knocks on his door sound some time later, he has been sitting tensely in the living room embracing his haversack. Donning long sleeves t-shirt with cap and mask, he still feels exposed but putting on a jacket in this hot summer weather will definitely draw unnecessary attention. He opens the door with his slightly trembling hand and sees Woohyun leaning against the wall, smiling brightly at him.

The town centre isn’t anything elaborate with the main structure being a three storey building that houses the administrative office, police station and postal office. Behind the building is a traditional market and few rows of shops and eateries. Their walk here has been silent even though Woohyun has been trying to strike a conversation but Kim is too distracted to pay him any attention. The guy‘s attention is only in the surroundings; with constant glances and then tenses up whenever someone walks towards them or passes by them. Looking at the said male, Woohyun is beginning to regret his suggestion. Luckily, they reach the small eatery and he sees Kim visibly less tense after being seated at a corner. Woohyun notes from their seat, they are able to monitor the whole restaurant and at the same time, it is close to the rear exit.

Sunggyu looks around the eatery, it has been too long since he has stepped into one. He still remembers the one near his university where he works in exchange for 3 meals a day and a meagre salary. But it was happy times then, before the nightmares, before the constant running and hiding. He nods to whatever Woohyun is recommending, his mind temporary lost in reminiscences of the times before his captivity. Food is served in no time. Sunggyu stares at the spread before him before hesitantly picking up the Naengmyeon. The first mouth brings tears to his eyes.

Woohyun watches as Kim tries to blink away the tears that have gathered in the male’s eyes while continuing to slurp down the noodles. It is such a pitiful sight that he decides no matter what it takes, he will help Kim out of his misery.

Finally back with the new chapter :p. But school is starting again so it will be awhile before I'm going to write the next chapter. I hope everyone will bear with me. As usual, I'm looking forward to everyone comments!

@joannadecal : Thanks for reading all my stories! So happy that you find them worthy of your time ^^

p.s : anyone has concrete news on Infinite contract renewal? Too many rumours are flying around... I miss Sunggyu and the boys.