.

First thing Tao did when he woke up was check on his phone, which he charged the night before he fell asleep.

And what he found was a message from his lil bro, Ren. They traded their new numbers before parting.

"Happy 19th birthday big bro. Mom and dad sends their love too. We wanted to call but didn't know if you'd be busy with training or something. Or do you have plans to celebrate your special day with Kris? I heard in Korea you'd be 20 and legal. So I guess you'll be having fun tonight *wink* Well, have a nice day!"

Why that little... What do they teach him in that elite school up in the mountains? But... Tao sighed, he missed that little brat and his mama and papa back home.

Just before Tao broke into crybaby mode there was a knock at his door. Tao looked up and there was Kris. He looked different, Tao thought. Kris was wearing a beige fedora hat, a loose white button down shirt with a few buttons undone at the top to hang a pair of sunglasses. And he wore these stylishly faded blue denim capris.

Instead of the usually princely look Kris looked very laid back yet still handsome. Cue the glowing soft lights, sparkles and flowers blooming in the background and call this a manga sequence.

Yet tao, catching his reflection from the wardrobe mirror a short distance away, he had bed head hair, swollen eyes, creases on his cheeks from the pillow cases, morning breath, and some drool at the corner of his mouth. Tao inwardly screamed and sobbed at his comparison to the real-life manga character in front of him (aka Kris) and threw a blanket over his head to hide from the world. Cruel, cruel world.

Tao could hear the other laughing.

"Well good morning to you too. Even though its already 10. Think you can get ready in less 30 minutes?"

"Why?" Tao muffled under the blanket.

"I'm taking you out to somewhere for today," Kris told him.

Tao didn't feel like going out anywhere with a manga character while himself was looking so blah. "I don't wanna go anywhere today." He fell back into his bed still wrapped his blanket.

Tao excepted some response but it was all very quiet. Was Kris gone already?

Out of no where the blanket was yanked right off of Tao's body. And there was Kris getting right on top him.

"Either you take off your clothes and change, or I'm doing it for you." Kris said staring him down as Tao squirmed underneath.

Just then Tao felt Kris' hand slip under is shirt, and fingers grazing over his hipbone.

"Eep!" Tao gasped, pushing Kris away really hard. "Okay, I'll change, but you..." he pointed at the other. "Get out!"

Kris smiled triumphantly as he strolled out the room.

Once Tao shuts his door he falls back into is bed face first, kicking and screaming into a pillow blushing like mad and heart pounding like crazy. He might have just dead from that close encounter. And he might had wet his lollipop printed boxer briefs. No, he didn't peed himself, he got the other kind of wet.

"Ugh!" Tao groaned. He's living with a ert. Although, he kinda already knew that the first time they met.

Some time later Tao found himself whisked away on a motor boat then a short time later stepping foot on a fancy yacht.

"I'll come back tomorrow morning at about 10," said the guy in the motor boat as he zoomed away.

"Thanks Minseok!" Kris happily waved.

Tao on the other hand had this WTF-just-happened look on his face. Like the signature eyes wide open, mouth wide open, and jaw dropping. He needed some time before he shook himself back to his senses to speak. 

"Wait, don't go!" Tao shouted, but the motor boat was long gone. 
He turned to Kris ready to explode. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!? WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA, IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE, ALONE!"

"Calm down, Tao. Don't worry," said a very calm Kris.

"Calm down? Don't worry? What if there's a storm coming? What if a giant squid comes up from a twenty thousand leagues under the sea to gobble us alive." Tao was in a bit of a hysteria, at least he wasn't shouting in CAPS this time.

Kris laughed with his gums showing (like a gummy bear). "It'll be fine. I checked the weather report and it's clear skys for the whole week. And we're not living in a sci-fi novel." He was trying to asure the younger. "Plus I got a captain license."

Tao paused for a moment to look at Kris in awe. "That's pretty cool."

Kris smiled widely, combing back is hair that was blowing in the sea breeze like some high fashion model with the yacht and ocean waves as background. That's so cool, Tao thought.

Then he sighed. "Let me guess, you own this yacht too."

Kris smiled again. "Yea."

As expect of a the rich. Tao nodded, leaning on over the railing, looking out at the calm sea. He felt a bit more calm now somehow. He still loved the sea afterall.

"So why are we here?" Tao had to ask.

Kris was leaning on over the railing next to him. "Can't I take you out just 'cuz I want to?"

"I guess. But..." Today's my birthday, Tao wanted to say. But what if Kris actually didn't really know so all this wasn't meant to celebrate his birthday. That would be awkward if he said otherwise.

"But..?" Kris was waiting for the rest of his sentence.

"But...um, how'd you know I wouldn't be seasick?" Tao tried to make up something to reply. "I'll be spending the whole time throwing up here. It'll end up being a bad trip for the both of us."

"Then I'll be right in the back, holding on to you, rubbing your back while you puke your guts out over the bow of the ship," Kris answered.

Tao squinted at the blonde. "That's like a gross gag version of that scene in titanic."

Kris shrugged.

After some time in the ocean breeze they go down to the cabin to where there sat an array of foods. Catered courtesy of Zhang Yixing. There seem to be everything there but a birthday cake. Guess this wasn't a celebration after all.

Tao's face fell a little.

____________________________________________________
Author's Note
I know it's a bit late, but thank you everyone for upvoting this story and making it a feature story in the beginning of December. I was totally surprised when I got a bunch of congratulations in the comments, I was like "what just happened?" until i checked the front page LOL! And I can't believe I've almost got 1800 subbies for this story WHOA! Again, thank you so so much.

As always, love all your comments, short or long, that's what drove me to finally update. I guess a lot of you are on winter break now so I'm getting a lot of demands for updates which got me writing again. And so, this chapter will again be broken into 4 parts and the next part will be out tomorrow so come back soon. Look out for alot of mushy asian-dramaesque chessiness... sorry if you no likey.

.