“Guys,i heard that there is a festival going on today,at the town near here. I think that maybe both of you want to go?” Jongup almost laughs at the comical look on Himchan’s and Jaehyo’s face as they squeals a chorus of deafening ‘yes please!’. “Oh my god,you have no idea how much i want a new clothes,this old shirt is almost killing me with the smell. And i want soap and perfume and yes,a new shoes. Please i beg you,take me there!” Himchan sputters,face reddening in excitement. Jaehyo nods eagerly, his body shaking giddily. “I want to buy food and drinks and blanket,you don’t know how many times i woke up yesterday because of the mosquitoes. And candles. I hate darkness.”

Jongup lets out a low chuckle,shaking his head slightly as the two keep nudging him to get out of the hut as soon as possible. They travel to the town with a single horse since neither of the two knows how to ride a horse. As uncomfortable as it might sound,it is fun nonetheless,Jongup secretly smiling to himself as Himchan’s body pressed to his back so tightly that  they might glue together . Jongup knows it is stupid to keep on dreaming like that when Himchan wants nothing but to be a mere friend to him but he can’t help butterflies in his stomach every times Himchan giggles silently as their heads keep bumping into each other due to the close proximity of the three of them.

“Himchan,your head feels like a stone my head might break. Or i might lose my memory or turns forgetful or even lose consciousness if we keep on bumping like this” Jaehyo whines,rubbing his sore head slowly. Himchan just laughs,tightening his grip on Jongup’s waist and rests his head on Jongup’s back to prevent another bumping. Jongup sighes. Himchan is not helping at all. “If you think my head is a stone,then Jongup’s head is made up of steel. It’s a million times harder,i already feel bruises on my forehead.”  Jongup snorts,muttering ‘not funny’ under his breath before bursting out a rather loud chuckle,making them laugh too.

“You look different when you smile and laugh,Jonguppie” Himchan utters,peeking a look at his face with a smile. Jongup finds himself smiling back,stomach fluttering at the nickname Himchan just created before turning to the narrow path in front of him. Yup,Himchan is not helping at all. Jongup just keeps falling deeper and deeper for the elder,and he realises that,and he couldn’t stop it. Not when Himchan makes no effort to stop him. Not when the beautiful male just calls him ‘Jonguppie’ and smiles a beautiful smile at him. “Stop flirting~” teases Jaehyo when he feels so neglected. Himchan feigns a cough when he feels Jongup tenses. “We’re not flirting.”

“Really~~~” Jaehyo sings,poking Himchan’s side. Actually Jaehyo was hoping for Himchan to return Jongup’s feeling since the younger had done a lot to him,to them in general and Jongup is really caring and sweet toward Himchan and he just want Himchan to get his real smile back and to be able to be more expressive rather than keeping everything within himself and suffers alone like he’s been doing right now. He just want Himchan to love and to be loved and be happy again,despite this whole predicament. “Shush Jaehyo, i was not flirting. His smile is beautiful and i just Jongup to know that. And i was hoping he will smile a lot more.” Himchan says,loud enough for Jongup’s hearing.

“Thanks,but i already know i have a nice smile. And yeah,it did sound like you were flirting with me” Jongup snickers jokingly,making Himchan punching his shoulders lightly with a loud ‘Stop being silly’. He smiles a second as he focuses on the path ahead, “Stop giving me false hope,it hurts” he whispers to himself and although Himchan couldn’t hear it,he did see the sudden change in Jongup’s expression. Himchan bites his lips,silently resting his forehead on Jongup’s back and mumbles an inaudible ‘I’m sorry’ feeling the guilt slowly creeping into him.

“No way! Look at that beautiful shirts and scarves!” Himchan and Jaehyo are practically drooling as they are eyeing rows and rows of clothes and accessories while Jongup constantly turns his head around cautiously in alert,afraid of being discovered. “Come on,silly. Stop being paranoid.” Jongup sighs as Himchan drags him from booth to booth,forcing him to try a few clothes and the fact that Jaehyo has strayed away somewhere just makes his head aching gradually.”No thanks i don’t need new clothes or scarf or anything and please stop being so visible and where the hell is Jaehyo?”  Jongup groans silently as Himchan turns away and ignores him as he keeps on negotiating on the prices with the old lady on the booth and with Jaehyo out of his bearing,he thinks he just might want to die now.

“Himchan,stay here,don’t ever think of leaving. I’m gonna find that brat” Jongup silently informs Himchan just to be replied by a nonchalant wave of a hand and an almost rude ‘Yeah,sure’ and Jongup almost loses his temper if Himchan didn’t just freaking smiles at him at the very last second and lifts a shirt muttering a giddy ‘for you’  as he succeed on getting a cheaper price. Jongup sighs again,but with a small smile gracing his lips as he turns around to start looking for Jaehyo. “Really...what will they do without me...”  Jongup started to panic as he didn’t see Jaehyo anywhere at all,he breaks into a sprint hastily,craning his head around the crowd,searching from booth to booth. 

Screw being invisible, the only thing he wants right then is to find Jaehyo and freaking get them out of there. He already has this sick feeling on the pit of his stomach. “Jaehyo! Jaehyo! Where the hell are you?” Eventually Jongup grows tired thus returning to Himchan on one of the booths,silently praying that Jaehyo has gone back to Himchan. Jongup never pray,he never even believe in anything before but maybe,this once,someone....something just hear his desperate wish and might as well kind enough to grant it. “Jongup? Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for like 10 minutes or so,i thought you left us” comes the whines that Jongup normally annoyed of but this time,this one time,he is happy to hear that particular exaggerated tone of voice.

“Idiot! Dont do that again! Do not just leave,okay! It’s dangerous” he nags,flicking a finger to Jaehyo’s forehead,making the older male stumbles back slightly. Jaehyo nods sheepishly before continue to ravish the fried squid on his hand which he spends almost 5 minutes to stare at before the owner finally relents and give it to him for free. Turns out that Jongup’s effort has been useless since the fried squid stall is exactly next to the booth where Himchan was waiting. “Seriously Jaehyo, you could’ve just asked me to buy you some instead of trying to get the sympathy. We’re not beggars,okay.” “Bhutt i wesh steerrving..” Jaehyo retorts with his mouth still full with food. “And why you look so pale,Jongup? Want some?” Jaehyo holds out the fried squid close enough to Jongup’s mouth.

Jongup just shakes his head and smiles before taking both of their hands and drags them to the horse. “I’m just worried. Don’t stray like that anymore,i almost had a heart attack.” Jaehyo giggles,poking his sides playfully. “Whoa,Jongup was worried about me. So sweet” he coos childishly,batting his eyelashes and exchanges glances with Himchan then both of them giggles giddily. Jongup lets out an ugly snorts,but couldnt help himself smiling anyway as he ushers them both to the horse. “Shut up. And let’s go home.”  “Ugly hut..” “Muddy ground...” “Land of mosquitoes and disgusting insects...” “Leaking roof..” “Shut up and lets go guys,we don’t have all day” Jongup reprimands only to be replied by a synchronized ‘no fun’. “Yeah,yeah..Keep on ganging up on me like that...” “Joking...” “Why is he always serious..”

In midst of their silly talks and constant jokes which effectively letting Jongup’s guard down,there is a presence on top of the tree,his sharp stare invisibly burning holes into Jongup’s skin. The presence silently hops away from tree to tree as he feels Jongup has started to be alerted. A small satiated grin stretches upon his lips as he gives one last glance to the trio. “Found them.”

#####

trouble begins.....