The next morning, Hyukjae decided that he would approach Donghae no matter what it takes. He would approach the younger, apologize for what it was that made the young angler upset, and accompany him on his sail. Hyukjae realized that as much as he loved fishing with Ryeowook’s father or Siwon’s uncle, fishing with Donghae just hits different. The sensation hit closest to home, despite being the other’s companion for just one time.

He put on the work clothes Siwon had lent to him the other day and prepared to shed blood, sweat, and tears both in the fields and on the sea. The moment he opened the door, however, Hyukjae let out a loud giggle. The motivation to talk to Donghae which he gained the other night must have been too much as the sun had yet to make its magnificent appearance.

Oh, well... might as well do something productive and walk around the dock while waiting for the sun.

And so Hyukjae did just that. He hit the dock, completely wide awake in contrast to the other early bird folks who were still obviously sleepy and drained with fatigue trying to organize and prepare their fishing boats and equipment.

“Good morning, Hyukjae! You’re early today, son.”

Hyukjae chuckled, waving his hand to the middle-aged angler.

“Good morning, Uncle!” He greeted in a joyous manner, walking towards the recipient of his pleasantry. Kim Eunho was one of the villagers that Hyukjae grew closest to. He was a middle-aged fisher who lived with his wife, Yena, as well as their daughters, Eunmi and Heemi, Sinan’s most adorable five-year-old twins, on a small cottage directly across his accommodation.

“What can I help you with today, Uncle?” He asked. Since that time the man taught him some of the basic techniques when it comes to fishing, he made it his daily chore to help the man prepare his boat and equipment up.

“I’m fine, Hyukjae-yah. How many times should I tell you that your old man can still work and lift weights?” Eunho patted him twice on his left shoulders. “Have some faith, boy!” the older man added which made the two of them laugh.

“I tried,” Hyukjae snickered.

“You know what, boy? You see that large boulder next to the chief’s field?” Eunho pointed in the opposite direction. Hyukjae’s eyes followed where the man was pointing and nodded when he did find the boulder he was referring to.

“Why don’t you go beyond that boulder and wait for the sun to rise? The view is the best in there and that’s one of Sinan’s pride,” the old fisher explained. “And since you’re one of us now, might as well share the glorious view to you. I bet all my fishes that Seoul’s view of the sun wouldn’t come close to ours.”

Hyukjae smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically, “Alright, old man. I’ll do that. I’ll see you later, Uncle.”

Hyukjae’s jog from the dock to the boulder took only three minutes or less. He carefully climbed the large rock and winced in slight pain as he scraped his right elbow across a sharp, pointy edge.

When he managed to lift himself up, he took in his surroundings. At first, he found nothing special in particular that would take your breath away. It was just a grassy patch with shrubs and some flowering plants scattered around. But since the sun had started to ascend, Hyukjae finally understood why the view was the best there.

The morning sky was like a canvas. A mixture of dark and light blue blanketed the entire atmosphere but what made the view much more gorgeous were the orange and red hues starting to take the center stage. Hyukjae simply couldn’t take his eyes off of the sky.

“Woah! Uncle was right. Seoul’s view wouldn’t even come close to this,” Hyukjae exclaimed to nothing and no one in particular.

Majestic. That’s the right word to describe what he was seeing right now.

“I know, right?”

A familiar voice appeared out of nowhere which made Hyukjae jump a few inches into the air. With his right hand clutching his chest tightly, he turned to look at the owner of the voice and felt how his heart throbs faster than ever. The view of the sunrise was majestic indeed, but the view of Donghae under the rays of the blooming sun was on another level. He stared and stared and just took in the sight and couldn’t help the growing admiration in his chest.

When Donghae turned to look at him, Hyukjae swore he saw a flash of a smile on the young angler’s face.

“Stop standing there like a fool and come sit here with me,” Donghae patted the space beside him. Hyukjae didn’t know how it happened but maybe his feet had minds of their own.

A comfortable silence bloomed and was a bit deafening yet Hyukjae did not bother to break it. Donghae looked stunningly peaceful at the moment and he just didn’t have the heart to take the serenity away from the younger.

“It’s incredible, right?”

It was Donghae who had broken the silence. Hyukjae hummed, eyes literally glued to the sun which finally ascended completely.

“Yeah,” Hyukjae murmured. “It’s priceless.”

“I bet you don’t see views like this in Seoul.”

“Indeed. Honestly, I didn’t really put many thoughts on things like the sunrise or sunset not until I arrived here in Sinan.”

“Me too,” Donghae replied which urged Hyukjae to divert his eyes away from the sun and on to the person beside him.

“Donghae, I’m sorry.”

There he said it. Hyukjae knew he was a man with overflowing pride and towering ego but there was something about Donghae that blurred those characteristics of him.

Donghae looked at him with creased eyebrows as if he grew another head or turned into a three-eyed monster.

“What are you apologizing for?”

Hyukjae shrugged his shoulders, “I honestly don’t know, but I feel like you are upset with me since we last talked near the dock which made you avoid me. Whatever I did or whatever it is that made you feel bad, I’m sorry.”

He thought the young angler would ignore his apologies and leave him alone, but when Donghae let out an unsteady chuckle, Hyukjae knew his questions will be answered.

“I really don’t know why you’re apologizing to me,” Donghae started, nervousness being shown by his fumbling fingers. “I’m sorry if you thought that I’m avoiding you. I’m just—I don’t know...I really can’t say this without sounding weird or like a stupid person...but I’m afraid, I guess.”

“Afraid?”

“You’re a nice person in general, Hyukjae-ssi, and I could feel how rewarding it is to be your friend,” the black-haired angler sighed. “You’re kindness...it’s something very Sinan-like. I know what I’m saying doesn’t make any sense, but maybe I’m afraid that I would get really close to you; that I will open up to