My skin was unbearably hot. The sweat on my skin was making me uncomfortable. I felt the sheets beneath where I lay were damp from my moisture as well. I turned over from my back to stomach, sighing in a bit of relief. The air around me felt heavy and damp, but still a bit cold and fresh, like it was morning. My body quickly notified me that it held too much liquid and needed to go to the bathroom. Maybe if I got up fast enough I could beat my little brother to it before he hogged it all day, I thought and cracked my eyes open.

My heart fell in a frenzied panic for three seconds.

I wasn't at home. Where was I? The answer flooded my mind painfully.

I was in Hawaii, I was married now, to a man named Wu Fan, and I was never going home.

The hot tears flowing down the side of my face made me sniffle in mild anger.

The sigh leaving my lips calmed me down a bit, because I needed to remember it wasn't so bad so far. Along with my memories of where I was, I remembered what I had done last night. I hadn't had a terrible time. Things were not so bad, and there was definitely a bathroom in this house to relieve my body. I stiffly rose from the soft mattress and pulled back the sheer canopy to get up. There was a door connecting the bedroom to the bathroom and I happily trudged over to do my business.

I freshened up a bit, wiping the sweat away from most of my chest and back, cleaning my face and stretching before deciding to find clean clothes to wear.

It was awfully quiet here, I thought. I could hear nature alive outside, the calm rush of the river not to far away. But other than that, it was quiet. There was no loud children screaming, workers trying to sell goods outside my window.

I rested my chin on the window looking out in to the expansive green fields beyond the tiny house. There were tall green mountains that let the golden morning sun peak out from behind them. I was right when I felt the air heavy and damp, I could see the thick morning dew dancing in the air. The chill was still present though, refreshing me for a new day. And it was so quiet...I decided I liked the quiet.

Only for a fraction of a second did I wonder how I had gotten out of my previous dress clothes and in to my underwear, but I left that wondering alone. It was good to be in my underwear in this place because it was so damn hot. I changed my clothes and figured I should find Wu Fan.

As I finally stepped out of the bedroom I heard other life that was not just nature. Low laughing and conversation could be heard from behind the door that lead to the dining area.

I braced myself, the back of my mind remembering Wu Fan had friends he worked with, and made my way inside.

All laughing and conversation ceased the minute I stepped inside, all eyes turning to me with curiosity.

I counted four people in the room total including Wu Fan. He was seated the farthest from me, at the dining table with a bowl of food in front of him and a steaming mug in his hand. He had some kind of stick in his mouth that he was chewing on.

The man sitting next to him had a darker complexion than the rest. His hair was a chocolate brown that easily laid in his eyes. He was well muscled from what I could see, and his face seemed kind and pleasant upon first sight.

The man sitting closest to me had a mischievous smirk on his lips as he stared at me. His black hair was cut short. He too had a twig of some sort sitting in his mouth and a hot mug in his hand. He sat cross legged in his chair, asserting confidence and playfulness.

The last man was standing next to the counter with a bowl in his hands, he was mid bite before I had walked in, and now he stared wide eyed at me. He had very wide eyes, and very light hair. He looked so frozen to me and so caught off guard, like a deer in head lights.

I noticed they were all dressed very casually in work ready clothes. Loose tank tops that either hung low or held tight to their bodies. Their pants were either loose fabric that clung to their hips, or low riding jeans with a worn look.

I was happy I had only opted for a plain tank and jeans with how hot it was.

I stood still for a long time, as they all continued to stare at me (except Wu Fan, he was biting back a smile) and I had no clue what to do.

“Guys, this is Minseok, my new husband.” Wu Fan broke the silence, the other three nodded politely.

“Minseok, this is Yixing,” the tan one next to him smiled and I muttered hello to him,

“That’s Luhan,” Wu Fan continued, the one standing at the counter smiled shyly, I said a greeting.

“And that’s Jongdae.” Wu Fan finished, the one with the smirk winked at me, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“Nice to meet you.” I whispered. I looked up in surprise when Yixing started saying something to Wu Fan in a different language. My surprise grew when Luhan joined in with ease, and my jaw actually dropped when Wu Fan finished off the conversation in the same foreign tongue.

“You didn't know your husband was Chinese?” Jongdae grinned at me, I shook my head. I don't know why I hadn't picked up on his name being unusual now that I thought about it, but still, he spoke Korean so well. Jongdae pointed out that Wu Fan, Yixing and Luhan were all Chinese. Their grandparents had been forced to come here as slaves way back when. So had Jongdae's mother, even though he was Korean instead, and the four of them had all grown up together.

“They know better Korean than I know Mandarin, but don't worry, you'll catch on!” Jongdae assured and I smiled with a nod. His mischievous grin came back. I actually laughed out loud when he flicked a few kernels of rice over to Wu Fan and Yixing who were animatedly talking in their mother tongue.

“Can't you see your husband is uncomfortable with your gibberish?” the playful man barked. I tried to bite back my smile as Wu Fan glared at Jongdae and told him to shut up and mind his business.

“Kris, be a better husband! I don't think Minseok likes standing~” Luhan joined in with his small smile. I assumed Kris was a nickname they had for Wu Fan.

“You didn't even offer him anything to eat!” Yixing gasped at the forever glaring man who didn't seem to like that his friends were now ganging up on him. I interrupted to tell them I wasn't hungry. Wu Fan eyed me then, measuring my statement like he didn't believe me.

“Minseok, come sit next to me. Luhan serve him some food.” Wu Fan's voice wasn't too loud or authoritative sounding, but it seemed Luhan didn't need to be told twice and turned around to do his task. I pouted knowing that he wasn't listening to me, but went to take the open chair next to him anyways. Yixing turned his attention to Jongdae as I sat down and Wu Fan began to speak to me in a hushed voice.

“Good morning.” he started and I smiled timidly up at him, uttering a small 'Good morning Wu Fan' back. He had leaned in a bit, to give us some kind of privacy while his friends continued to converse amongst themselves.

“Did you sleep well?” Wu Fan asked, I nodded. A question lit my mind suddenly, but I was unsure if I should ask it...

“It was comfortable?” he pressed, I nodded. The question was making me more curious now.

“Are you...are you okay?” he was careful, holding his breath for my answer. He meant how I was dealing with all of this, being here and with him. I only had to think about it for a short while, I nodded.

“Good. Do you need anything? Want anything I don't have here?” I felt his fingers lightly brush over some hair on top of my head. They were gone as soon as I felt them. I shook my head.

“You should eat, you were asleep for a whole day. You need something in your stomach.” he pushed a warm bowl of rice, meat, and vegetables towards me that Luhan had slid on to the table. I didn't feel that hungry but I obliged and took a small bite for his eyes to see.

The question was still in my mind. Right after he had asked if I had slept well, a question came barging in to my mind. I was a little embarrassed to ask it though, wondering if I would seem like an idiot for wondering such a thing.

Wu Fan read my expression easily, “What is it?” he asked. I looked up, unsure. I wanted to ask, but then again I didn't. What if his friends heard me? Would they make fun of me for it?

I motioned for him to come closer, he lent me his ear so I could whisper my stupid question that I was dying to know.

“I was just...um...wondering. Did you...did we sleep in the same bed?” I whispered. I sat back in my seat quickly, stuffing my mouth with rice and meat to distract myself. I glanced over to Wu Fan when he didn't answer for a few seconds. His ears were red and his eyes wide. I waited, and he finally opened his mouth to answer.

“Well, I—“

“Ay we should get to work Fannie! We need to pick an extra mile today!” Jongdae declared and hopped up from his seat. Luhan was chugging down the remains of whatever was in his glass, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and agreeing.

“The sun is already up Wu Fan, we should go.” Yixing's gently reminded. Wu Fan nodded, turning to me, his face telling me he could answer me later. He rose from the table and began to pile the dished in to the small kitchen sink. The other three bid me goodbye, promising to see me later, and made their way out from a side door that led directly to the fields. I realized they were going to be working the fields all day, and I wondered if I should join them too.

“No, of course not.” Wu Fan stopped me from trying to get outside and help.

“I don't want you working out there, you could hurt yourself.” his words were kind and affectionate.

“But I can't sit around here all day, just waiting for you to come home.” I sulked. He laughed at me.

“Well...its kind of the reason I wanted to get married. You know, to have someone waiting for me at home.” his gummy smile was nice to see. I couldn't help agreeing to stay. But I still demanded something to do rather than just literally sit around. Wu Fan placed his hands on his hips in thought, a small scowl on his lips.

“Well you can do the dishes, and clean up the house I guess. Its dusty in here, I haven't cleaned it in ages. Um...can you cook?” he inquired. I nodded eagerly. My mother was a very good cook and I had learned everything from her.

“Wanna have something small ready for lunch for all of us?” he asked. I jumped a little in excitement, I liked cooking for others, it was one of my hidden pleasures. We settled that, and Wu Fan waved goodbye. I stood in the back doorway, watching his tall figure melt in to the gold sunshine and disappear in to the mist of the morning.

I did as he said, I cleaned the dishes and made my way around the house. The windows were a bit dark from dirt collecting, the sunlight shined in brighter after I was done. I dusted the whole house and found it was a little easier to breath afterward. I changed the bed sheets I had been sweating in for the past day, finding the washer dryer out back behind the dining room. I cleaned the bathroom, and the dining area thoroughly. After that I started on a simple lunch of spring rolls made of rice, lettuce, and shrimp, and some ice tea on the side.

Although these men seemed to live with the very basics and with out a care, they had an abundance of food in a very large refrigerator. I found every ingredient I needed and tea bags and sugar in the cupboards to make a lunch I knew they would enjoy.

When the sun was highest in the sky I heard the faint voices drifting closer to the house. I finished up my work and set the food on a platter for them, their drinks in separate cups with ice to cool them down. I looked out the window from the kitchen and sure enough I saw the four men walking down a narrow path away from the fields.

And I think that was when I initially started to fall for Wu Fan.

His white tank top was hanging low on his body, but it stuck to his skin with the sweat from his hard work. His hair was lazily tied back but loose strands fell behind his ears. The jeans he was wearing rode extremely low on his hips I could see a small sliver of tanned skin peeking out. I noticed the definition in his arms, the round muscles not overwhelming but still present. He was fit, and tall...and I finally saw how incredibly beautiful he was, just as he tore off his gloves from work and shoved them in his back pocket, wide grin on his lips as he looked up and made eye contact with me.

There was something y about him coming to me like this, after working so hard with the sweat making his neck and brow glisten, and his whole aura relaxed and happy to see me...very manly.

I liked it.

“I haven't had these in forever! I'm so glad there's a Korean in this place!” Jongdae was first to come skipping in. He didn't hesitate to grab two rolls and begin munching away. He roared in glee, I took that as his thank you. I smiled at his silly self.

“Oh? You made food? Minseok you're the best!” Luhan glided in after and copied the man before him, but he first chugged down his drink with a groan of satisfaction. I quickly refilled his glass without him asking. It was the right thing to do, I noted, as he smiled widely at me and gulped down half the glass again. He happily bit in to the rolls and leaned back to enjoy.

Yixing came in next, eyeing the rolls and snatching up three on his own. He made his way to sit next to Jongdae, but not before patting me on the head with a thank you. He too gulped down his drink and I refilled it automatically. He too smiled.

Finally Wu Fan came in. He payed no attention to the food and headed straight to me. I was a little overwhelmed with his present state. He didn't notice this and leaned right toward me to talk semi-privately with me.

“Hey.” he greeted.

“You're back.” I said. He nodded with a satisfied smirk.

“I made lunch.” I gestured to the table of men munching and slurping.

“Thank you.” he didn't give it a glance, he kept looking down at me. Not only did he look great, he smelled great. Usually men didn't, after working so hard and sweating so much. But Wu Fan smelled like wood from trees, and morning air. His scent was refreshing and nice. I almost leaned in to him.

“You should eat before they eat it all.” I distracted my mind. He finally looked over his shoulder at the few spring rolls left on the tray I had set out. He warned the other three to leave him at least two rolls, they warned him to hurry up or else they wouldn't. He laughed it off, and turned back to me.

“You're doing okay?” he checked again. It was the same question from this morning. I smiled reassuringly and nodded again. He didn't seem convinced, but left it alone. He thanked me for the meal and made his way over to claim his food out of Jongdae's stealthy hands.

When they left for the second time out to the fields, Wu Fan made an effort to step toward me and give me an awkward high-five before smiling and leaving. I watched the four figures retreat back in to the sunlight. They had told me they wouldn't be back until nightfall. Jongdae and Luhan had eagerly asked if I was going to be making dinner also. When I told them I was, I was pretty sure never in my life had I seen full grown men throw themselves on the floor and weep in happiness.

I bid them goodbye. And was once again left in the house, but this time I was left with nothing but my thoughts and wishes.

I sat for a long time in the kitchen, not wanting to be alone. I wandered to the front room to sit and watch the fields be still outside. I tried not to let my mind wander to home, to my family, to my loneliness. I tried not to cry.

I left the front room and went to the bedroom, where I laid down on the very fluffy bed. It was such a comfortable bed, I had realized this when I'd first woken up. It fit to my form as I laid down, and puffed up where I had left. I had a few fun moments on my own of jumping up and down on the mattress, but later figured I shouldn't break the damn thing.

I was growing to bored. So bored I was talking to myself. So I put on a pair of sandals I found in Wu Fan's closet and went out to look around.

I remembered Wu Fan talking about the river nearby. I took the stroll, enjoying the tall tress and the thick grass. The air was less dense now, still a bit humid to make me sweat, but breathable. I realized I was going to have to get used to this air. It was thick, but then again it was clean.

As I kept walking I began to smell the river before I could clearly hear it. It was the faint sent of algae on smooth rocks, of small wish paddling down through the clear water. It was where the the thick coconut trees cleared out and made room for the small pebbles to gather before the sweeping water too over. It smelled like purity and peace. I still enjoy that smell.

I finally caught sight of it.

I realized now what Wu Fan meant by him building the house “up here”. The land I was standing on fell off and dropped down a few feet. I was basically on a small cliff. The river was wide and looked very strong. I could only imagine how much wider and stronger it got during the raining season. So Wu Fan had built his home not only on this elevated land, but a few yards in as well.

I walked along the edge of the cliff until I spotted a natural staircase of large boulders. There were a few others like it and even some flat stones one could sit on, but none reached the top like this.

I carefully made my way to sit on the first two large stones, stepping and testing. I dared to jump, but they held steady, a little force like me not budging them. To make my way down I had to slide a bit, but I had no fear once I realized that none of the boulders had thoughts of going anywhere. They seemed to have been there for ages, and planned on staying for a few decades more.

I finally reached the bottom, and sat down. On the bottom were three smooth, flat, and wide rocks spread out with in a foot's distance of each other. Perfect for fishing I thought.

I didn't try to get in to the river though, not by myself. I played with the water for a bit, dipping my toes in and splashing for my own entertainment. I watched little schools of fish swim by. As the sun began to dim I began my climb back up the stone staircase and made my way home.

I made an easy beef stew with rice, I found some pomegranates and squeezed juice out of them.

When they all came back, I was once again left a little breathless with how Wu Fan looked when he got back from work. He greeted me again, asked my the same question, and I joined them for dinner.

“He's cute. I approve of him.” Luhan fake-whispered to Wu Fan during the meal. My blush creeped up my cheeks and I heard them cackling like little kids.

“He's a great cook! I totally approve!” Jongdae chimed in. Yixing quietly reminded Jongdae to chew the food in his mouth before he talked. Wu Fan kept quiet but laughed easily at his friends.

“So did you get a picture of Fannie too? Or was that just him?” Jongdae asked, he was already on his third serving of the stew.

“I did.” I replied. The image of the black and white photo flashed in my mind quickly. I remembered I'd packed it in my luggage, it was in my small journal with the other photos of my family and country.

“Were you intimidated by his face?” Luhan teased the man sitting next to me who tensed up and scowled. I laughed but told him I wasn't.

“Why not? Wu Fan does have an...intense face.” Yixing carefully picked his words out. I agreed with that, he did have an intense face.

“He does. But his eyes seemed nice.” I blurted. My eyes expanded when I realized what I'd just said. I didn't dare look up from my bowl. I could feel the hyena grins that were fighting for release.

“I-I mean...he...the picture...it was nice...” I was becoming more mortified with every word. Sure enough after a beat of tension, Jongdae howled loudly, and Luhan began clapping like a seal. I finally looked up, only to see Lay biting his lip to hold in his laughter.

“Hyung! He thinks you have nice eyes!” Jongdae screamed and held his stomach. I pouted, because really what was so funny? It was the truth wasn't it...jerks.

“Don't make fun of him.” Wu Fan's voice made me jump a little since he hadn't said a word the whole time. As if on cue the laughter slowly died down.

“Don't worry Minseok, he liked your photo too.” Yixing gracefully changed the focus from me to Wu Fan. This statement brought on a new fit of chuckles and giggles.

“Yeah 'liked' is an understatement.” Jongdae giggled, “more like 'obsessed over” the laughing man began to tear as he continued to smile.

“Oh my god! Minseok you don't understand! He would stop in the middle of work and just stare at it! Not that you're not good looking, you are. But still! He was like a school girl looking at his crush!” Luhan emphasized this with hand motions and wide eyes of amazement. I peeked up at Wu Fan who was seemingly ignoring them, but I saw his jaw twitch. He was very likeable when he was irritated like this, I thought, very cute.

“Did you crush on me?” I asked with a small grin. His eyes shot up to meet mine in shock, mouth hanging open.

“You better not join them in this! You married me! You can't take their side!” Wu Fan complained, I smiled wider.

“I'm just asking.” I defended with a pout and turned back to my food. He playfully nudged me, and I nudged back.

“Oh god their getting all coupley already.” Jongdae huffed. Wu Fan sent the chatter box a glare and the box was instantly shut. We ate the rest of the meal in comfortable silence, save for a few compliments on my cooking and discussion among the four about work that I couldn't follow.

After dinner, they told me to join them on the front porch for awhile. Wu Fan explained it was a tradition of theirs, and what had kept them friends for so long.

So I joined them outside, thinking this would be good for me and to make this experience easier on myself. It was an interesting night...

I got a better look at the porch than from before. The screen covering the entire patio was a thin rusting black metal sheet that kept bugs out, and I was all too thankful for that.

There were a total of three actual chairs on the patio. Two almost matched, their wood was the same color but their body was different, and they had mismatched cushions. The third chair was a little bit lower than the other two, the upper part leaned back a bit. It too had a random cushion thrown on to it. There were multiple large corroding tin buckets, all placed upside down. Some had thick cushions glued to them in an untidy manner, meant to be improvised chairs. And some buckets had castles of candles that had melted together and let streams of dried wax fall over the edges. I watched in interest as Luhan quickly a match to life and began to light the clusters.

Wu Fan sat on one of the taller wooden chairs and beckoned me to sit next to him. Yixing wrestled Jongdae for the leaning chair and won easily, Luhan and Jongdae settled on to buckets.

Now, I was close with my family. I knew my mother and my little brother very well. My father, not so much, but enough to be called his son.

But the way those men knew each other, and trusted each other amazed me.

They started their little meeting with their proudest moment of the day, each person taking a turn to share. I didn't expect much, but a rivers of thoughts came pouring out of their mouths. Yixing shared that his proudest moment that day was how he'd caught a rotten sugar cane right before he'd thrown it in to the basket.

I didn't think this was anything special, but the other three praised him immediately. They told him he was quick-witted, how he'd probably saved them from bad luck, saved them from losing money.

I quickly realized they were making each and every person feel important.

After that they shared their lowest point of the day. Jongdae told the men how he'd coincidentally smelled my cooking from the fields, and thoughts of his mother had flooded his mind. It had hurt to remember his Korean mother who had been a slave most of her life, forced away from her country, and he missed her.

They all consoled him and one another, and quickly made light jokes to make the person who had just shared smile and laugh. They were showing concern, making each other feel better.

Continuing on, they addressed any hard feelings towards one another for the day. Luhan complained to Yixing for shoving past him across his rice paddy and not even saying sorry. Something pitiful and stupid I thought, but Yixing sincerely apologized and they shook hands. Wu Fan asked the trio to please hold back on their aggressiveness towards me, it had annoyed him in the kitchen when I looked uncomfortable and they hadn't noticed. He knew it was with good intention, but to still hold back. I had wanted to speak up, but all three of them quickly apologized to Wu Fan before I could. I was a little embarrassed when they then turned to me and promised to ease off, understanding it must be hard for me to settle in to this new environment.

So they were being honest with one another, respecting each other, taking responsibility for their faults.

And finally they shared love and appreciation. This was more of a free flowing part with no turns and responses. They conversed back and forth, sharing positive after positive events. From the minute they'd woken up and Luhan had appreciated Yixing keeping the window shades closed, to the end when Jongdae thanked Wu Fan for helping him hold his basket on their walk back home. They shared jokes, old stories that made them smile, and future ideas that could make them more prosperous.

So they ended everything with praise and love.

And I realized they must know one another like the back of their hands. They were more like brothers than friends, true family whose bond was seemingly unbreakable.

After a while of relaxing and chatter, Lay stood up and told the Luhan and Jongdae to say goodnight and head over to their home. The smiling duo said goodnight to me and Wu Fan and walked out of the porch gate, making their way in to the night.

Yixing discussed something about work and extra miles or not with Wu Fan before saying his good nights to us both and jogging to catch up to his brothers.

Which left Wu Fan and I alone.

I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. I was still amazed by what I had just seen. Never in my life had I ever complained to my mother, told her every little thing she had done to bug me. I had never told my father how much I appreciated him. I had never praised my brother for things like waking up on time, or closing the door behind him.

They were so intimate with one another, so honest, so respectful.

“Are you okay?” Wu Fan's voice cut through my thoughts. I over to him, he was looking at me with concern. I automatically nodded yes. But I saw him frown, unsatisfied.

“Are you really? I feel like you are more distressed about missing your home then you're letting on.” he theorized, still staring at me as his eyes searched for signs. I shook my head.

“It's okay to be upset, homesick, or sad Minseok. I won't judge you for it. I will understand.” he reassured. I sighed and nodded. Well damn, and I'd thought I'd been doing a good job of acting.

“I hope you're liking it so far, even though its different. The way we live here is not...usual. But I hope you can find happiness here eventually.” he continued. I nodded in agreement, his way of life was a little different. The house spoke for itself in its unique style.

“Do you have any questions? Anything you are wondering or need to say?” he asked, I shook my head. He told me to head inside because it was getting late. I heard him blowing the candles as I headed inside and made my way to the bedroom.

I changed with speed in to an undershirt and my underwear before running to the bed. I was suddenly a little anxious for Wu Fan to head in and of course change for sleep.

Sure enough a moment later he entered, shutting the door behind him. I turned my head as he pulled his shirt over his head and waited for him to change. I timed it out, and when I finally turned around he was dressed like me, in a thin tank top and his underwear.

His eyes drifted around the room. He looked at everything but me. And I wondered if he was ever going to lay down to sleep...

Ah! My question from earlier in the day came back to me.

“Can I ask you a question?” my voice was timid. He nodded, still no eye contact. I gulped a little in attempt to try and ease my nervousness. He still wouldn't look at me.

“Did...while I was sleeping the past day...did you sleep in the bed with me?” I asked. The same light blushed touched his ears and his eyes finally met mine. Right before they shot away and he coughed.

“Um...would you prefer me not to? I won't. Not until you're comfortable. If that's what you want.” he rushed out while staring at some point on the ceiling. He hadn't exactly answered my question.

“I don't mind if you do.” I whispered, but he heard me. He gulped loudly. I told myself that he was a nice man, he had treated me great so far, and I should just get used to being married.

He slowly eased himself over to the bed, sitting at the edge to start.

“Which side do you prefer?” he motioned towards the bed's outer and inner sides. I smiled, and pointed to the inner half that touched the wall. He nodded, and I scooted over to my side. He shuffled over to lay down, his body stiff as his back finally touched the plush mattress. I rolled on to my side to look at him, feeling a little bolder. The playful side of me coming out with a smirk.

“Do you want from me?” I leaned closer to him. He gasped and sat up with his mouth wide open. Sputtering and stuttering that he would never expect that from me if I wasn't ready of course not, not now maybe we should wait there was no rush he didn't want to rush me.

“Okay. That's good to know.” I smiled. He then realized I'd only been teasing, and let out a relieved breath and laid back down.

“Do you have any other questions?” he asked me. He wasn't looking at me still, staring at the ceiling. But he didn't seem nervous anymore. With one arm tucked behind his head and the other over his stomach. He seemed to be more at ease in this bed. That made sense, I thought, this was where he had laid all his life. And I briefly wondered then, why did I feel so comfortable in someone else's bed?

“Why did you choose me? Why did you want to marry? Was I your first choice?” I finally spoke. He frowned slightly, taking in my questions and searching for answers. I was a little stunned that he turned to his side also, looking at me.

“I've been...lonely. For quite some time. I wanted a companion. Someone to wait for me at home...” Wu Fan's eyes found mine. His voice was soft and deep. His eyes wide with anxiety.

“I wanted someone by my side. To be there for me, to keep me company and...just stay with me. Always. Never leave me.” he was being so honest. I couldn't help but lean closer to him, entranced by the man that had taken such great care of me and had seemed to bare everything to me in such a short time. I found myself trusting him completely. No doubt in my mind.

“I have fantasies. Having a partner, waking up with them in the morning and cuddling them close. Eating breakfast with them and kissing them goodbye before I go to work in the fields. I dream of coming home to them and holding them tight against me, telling them about my day and them to me. I want to bathe with them, and relax with them, kiss them. And at night when the day is done I can fall asleep next to them, knowing I am not alone...I don't want to be alone anymore.” he finished. My home was almost completely forgotten then. As he spoke of his fantasies, I pictured he and I together from morning till night. And I did not mind it, I welcomed it, and I wanted it. But not then, in the future I thought, when I've spent more time and found my place here.

“So when the opportunity came, when our village gave us information on how to...arrange a marriage, I took it. But I almost backed out, thought it was stupid and not worth it. And then...” his eyes had been looking off in to the distance, past me as he spoke. But now they locked with mine, the a strong feeling behind them. I tried to catch my breath.

“I saw your picture. When I went down to the city hall meeting. I had planned to cancel my...I guess you can call it an order. Yes, I was there to cancel my order. But that night they were showing pictures of our options. We were supposed to choose from the pictures. I saw yours. And I couldn't help myself. I reached out and took your photo. I cherished it, and I wanted you by my side.” his voice was distant again, his eyes looking in to the past.

“And when you wrote back to me...I was excited to meet you. Eager to show you how I would care for you. I wanted to protect you and I wanted to make you comfortable...I don't know if you truly are. You say you're fine but...” his eyes were looking at me. Truly looking at me. I couldn't calm my heart.

“I want to make you happy Minseok. I know you are away from your home. I know you miss it. But please give me a chance to show you, I can make you happy. I can give you a good life. I will be here, I will be by your side always. I chose you, because you have the most beautiful eyes I have every seen, and I want to look in to your eyes for the rest of my life. Give me a chance?” he breathed. And how could I say no?

“Of course.” I answered. He smiled a bit, just at the corner of his mouth and closed his eyes and he relaxed in to the sheets. Happy, content, accomplished.

“Can I ask more?” I whispered, unsure if he had fallen asleep.

“Please. I will answer anything.” he opened his eyes and waited. I pulled out questions I had been wondering about since I'd arrived.

“How long have you been living here?” I started.

“This house? Five years since I built it.” he quipped back.

“You built it? By hand?” that was impressive.

“Yes. My friends helped me, but yes.”

“How long have you lived in Hawaii?”

“All my life.”

“Your parents?”

“Its a long story, I'll tell it to you later.” he sighed. I pouted.

“You said you would answer anything!” I complained. He chuckled.

“I did, I answered you that it was a long story and I would tell you later.” he shot back. I huffed, but continued with my questioning.

“You've known Yixing, Luhan and Jongdae all your life?” I asked.

“Yes. Since we were babies. Except Jongdae, he came here when he was around ten.”

“Whose your favorite?” I teased.

“Luhan. He's the perfect mix of Yixing and Jongdae.” Wu Fan answered with a straight face.

“Are you Luhan's favorite?” I was puzzled, I thought he would go in a speech of how they were so close and such. But he'd answered so seriously...

“No. Jongdae is, they play around too much.” he answered again.

“Whose Jongdae's?”

“Me, he likes to tease.”

“No one likes Yixing?” I was a little shocked.

“Everyone loves Yixing. He's my favorite.”

“But you said—“ I started, but caught sight of his smirk and pouted again.

“Fine. I get it.” I growled and he smiled wider.

“We're like brothers. I could never choose one over the other.” he said, I nodded. I was still a little disappointed that he had beaten me at my own teasing.

“Anyways. Why chose a husband? Why didn't you chose a bride?” I asked. He surprisingly rolled his eyes and to his back.

“Well I don't exactly like women. And I was a little excited when I read you didn't either. I thought it was too good to be true...honestly, I don't want to bother with children...or is it that I don't want to deal with a pregnant women? It's not that I don't want children...or do I? I'm not sure.” he finished with a long sigh and I could only giggle at his incomplete thoughts. He turned at the sound of my laughing and arched a brow in question.

“So no children for us?” I inquired.

“I mean...its not that I don't want children...I mean I'm not going to go out of my way for one..it would cost so much to go adopt one, oh my god all the paperwork...I don't know. Wait!” his panicked expression made me smile. He flipped back on to his side with a worried expression on his face.

“Did you want kids? If you want kids we can get them.” he blurted out.

“Not particularly. I can't imagine myself as a parent. I'm not against it though. I wouldn't mind a little boy or girl to love and hug.” I shrugged.

“If you want one...we can.” he stated the words thickly in the air with determination.

“We don't have to have one.” I slowly said back to assure him. He bit his bottom lip with a frown. He laid on to his back again.

“Well...I'm just saying, if you ever happen to come across an abandoned one like in the river, I'm just letting you know I wouldn't be opposed to it.” he muttered.

“An abandoned baby at the river?” this caught my attention. He sighed.

“Ask Yixing another time, he'll tell you all about the stories.” he put it simply. I nodded slowly before putting his previous sentence in to understanding. I smiled a bit.

“So if I find a baby by the river, I can keep him?” I smiled as he rolled his eyes.

“Yes.” he grunted and turned over. I laughed lightly and relaxed my body, ready to rest.

“Don't worry about me Wu Fan. You're making this new life much easier. I was scared at first, at what I would find here, how things would be...if you continue to treat me so nicely, I'm sure I'll be okay. Just give me time.” I mumbled, not sure if he heard me with his back to me. He didn't answer, so I assumed he hadn't heard. A laid there next to him for a while, staring at his back.

So it seemed I would have a pleasant life here. If this day was basically what it was like everyday, I didn't see how I couldn't grow to love this place and call it my home.

I was still closed off a little, after all I really didn't know anything about Wu Fan. Of course he was a nice man, a good person. And I felt the small voice in the back of my head that warned me I would eventually fall in love with him. It told me that one day when I least expected it I would look at him and love him completely and accept him in every way...the ever way part scared me a bit.

But even if all that was true, I knew it would take me time. I wasn't the type of person to jump in to things. It was the reason I had tried so hard to keep my emotions at bay when I'd heard my parents talking about an arranged marriage to man from another country. I was the kind of person that took hours to figure out if I wanted to buy a new winter jacket or not. I was the person who argued with my father when I was eleven on whether we should move from our home or not.

And when decisions were made, it took time for me to get used to them. When my mother once moved my bed to opposite side of the room to make room for my little brother I cursed her for it, because I would come home from school and continuously toss my book bag on to the floor where I was sure my bed was.

And Wu Fan.

I was moved here, to this land with this new culture, and these new people with this new man...it was going to take me a lot of time. I was still scared of what the future held for me. I was scared of how hard it might be to adjust to this life.

I wasn't exactly poor in Korea, nor was I rich. But I had never walked very far for things, I never walked barefoot anywhere, I depended on my mother and father for everything. I was scared because I didn't know how to survive in this very big world I had never stepped foot in.

But I was comforted by the idea that Wu Fan would be there for me the whole way, he would guide me and protect me, he would make sure I was happy and had a good life.