Cool waves wash over Joonmyeon's ankles as they dangle in the water. He stares abesntly out to sea, thinking about the time he spent with Jongdae. It was over so soon but so much happened, so much changed, and he misses him so, so much. He'd read stories and seen films about whirlwind summer romances and always scoffed at them because he thought love was something that you build up to, something that grew gradually, but with Jongdae it was nothing like he'd ever experienced before.

Will Jongdae ever come back? He doesn't know, but he finds himself sitting out here every day anyway. Just in case, he tells himself. The odds are slim, but still he holds out hope. He had never realised just how lonely he was before the merman arrived on his shore, turning his life upside down. His childlike curiosity and natural happiness was contagious and telling him about everything in the human world was a delight.

He'd also made Joonmyeon question a lot of things, about both himself and humanity. Were they really that different? He'd struggled internally for what felt like eons, and slowly fallen for him. At first it had been hard to see past the dark eyes and oh so different-ness about him, but once he got used to his mottled skin and pointed teeth, he saw him for the beauty he truly was. He was breathtaking, in all honesty.

After that he'd been in a freefall, enjoying his time with Jongdae durung the daylight, but as soon as he went into his house and lay down for the night, the self hatred would kick in. It was wrong to fall for someone like him, after all, he wasn't even human. How was it even possible? Joonmyeon had no idea, and he tried to stop himself but it couldn't be done. Being asked about what love was like all the time didn't help either, it just reminded him of his confused feelings.

Sometimes he thinks he can see him, frolicking in the shallow waters, but it's just seafoam crashing over the rocks, or light glinting off the deep blue water. After the first few times his heart still jolts when he sees the mirages, but he learns to question everything, and ignore all the signs. He wonders if he's slowly going mad here, by himself. What an impact the merman had made on his life, to think that he's seeing ghosts in the water.

Weeks pass by lethargically, and Joonmyeon stares at the stars, and the sea, and doesn't feel like doing much except wish Jongdae were here with him. Each day seems to last a moment and eternity at the same time, and the heat of the late summer sun makes him drowsy. Sometimes sick and lightheaded.  He snoozes on the rocks, losing track of time coming in and out of conciousness.

"Joonmyeon?" A familliar voice emanates from somewhere he can't see. They sound worried, and Joonmyeon rubs his eyes sleepily, having been awake only a few minutes. From where he is, he can't quite see who it is shouting for him, but he has a good idea as to who it might be. Sighing, he scales the rock and wades to shore, and sure enough, there she is. 

"Sooyoung," he calls out to reassure her, and a moment later she comes bounding up to him, eyes wide with concern as she tucks wispy stray hairs behind her ear.

"Joonmyeon, are you ok? You haven't been by to buy food in a while so I got worried. No one has seen you in over a month."

"I'm fine," he placates her, unsure what to say. He doesn't want her to leave, she's is friend after all, but he doesn't want her to start asking questions he can't answer. She purses her lips, frowning as she looks him up and down.

"You look like you haven't been eating, too, are you sure you're ok? You seem ill, do you need to see the doctor?"

"No, no I'm fine- I will be fine, don't worry," he ammends when she glares at him sceptically. Sooyoung takes hold of his arm and pulls him towards his tiny house that seems even lonelier than before, and forces him to sit on the chair that Jongdae once sat in, the time when his mother was looking for him. He'd never managed to get the salt out so it was a little crusty, but he didn't mind that.

"I'm going to make you something to eat. Hopefully you actually have some food in here," she mutters to herself, opening and closing cupboards above his cooker and scouring through his tiny fridge. He fidgets, antsy with her judging the state of his home and kitchen, particularly the lack of it. He knows its barely servicable, but it has served him for a long time now. And he really doesn't have much in the way of food at the moment.

Once something is simmering inside a pot, Sooyoung turns around, absently stirring with one hand, the other resting on her hip,

"So. Why are you sitting around and doing nothing? I'd say you look like you just had a nasty breakup but you didn't have a girlfriend, so what's up? Did you get some bad news or something? Is your family alright?"

"Yes, they're fine. I'm really fine, you know. Thanks for cooking for me, but I'll be ok on my own." He promises. She shakes her head disapprovingly, setting out two bowls on the cluttered countertop, pushing back a few things to make sure they don't fall off. Joonmyeon cringes at the mess he's allowed to accumulate there.

"Fine. Don't tell me," she sighs, bringing two bowls of noodles and handing one to him, "I don't need to know the details. But I care about you, ok? My parents are worried too, so please, come by and see us soon."

"Ok. Sure," He shoves a mouthfull of noodles into his mouth, his stomach suddenly rememebering how hungry it was. He finishes the food, and Sooyoung senses that he wants more, or maybe he was being obvious in the way he way craning his neck to see if there was any more inside the pot, so she gives him another serving, not saying a word against him. 

The sun sets quicker than he expected, a single patch of yellow light pasted on the wall and purple shadows hiding under his bed. He shivers. He used to wonder what Chen did at night- sleep in the sand? But now he's probably curled up inside his bed in the palace, alone. His heart aches for both of them.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok by yourself?" Sooyoung insists, as she hovers by the door on her way out.

"Yes,"

"...I'll be back tomorrow," Sooyoung declares, staring at him as if just looking will reveal the secret he refuses to tell. Joonmyeon shrugs.

-

He's given up hope of Jongdae ever returning, after all how could he? There's no way he would be able to escape from the palace, he told him about all the guards and people watching over him. It would only be worse now that he'd been caught. He's probably stuck there forever, yet Joonmyeon still sits on the rock and watches the waves. Just in case.

Today he has brought with him a collection of shells and threads, determined to do something useful while he's out here. Weaving the shells into pretty patterns that he can sell reminds him of the merman. Heck, everything reminds him of Jongdae. He stalls with his work, sighing, and stares at the ocean again, holding out one tiny sliver of hope.

Something moves, in the corner of his eye, near the rocks, and for a moment his heart leaps. But it's just white water, not Jongdae. He sits down feeling incredibly stupid, and begins to cry again. Of course it wouldn't be him, he's gone. How long is he going to wait for him? Forever, maybe.

-

The apparitions, as he calls them in his head, keep happening, and although he would like to ignore them, every time he sees one he feels a jolt of happiness. Only for it to be crushed once again. After the third or fourth one, he forces him to learn to ignore them, to pretend he doesn't see anything, because there isn't even anything there in the first place. It's been more than two months, and the pain in his chest has dulled to a constant ache.

He breathes deeply, stomach full of food for once, thanks to Sooyoung, and tilts his head. The way the water glistens under the sky, reflecting an always-moving column of oranges and yellows, relaxes him somehow, makes him feel serene. His eyes droop,  head lolling, and he can feel himself drifting off.

"Joonmyeon!" A cry of his name wakes him from his sleep, and he jerks, almost falling off the rock. Is Sooyoung back again? But she left not long ago, she wouldn't come back would she? He can't see her on the beach, and by now she knows he sits here during the day, so she would be somewhere they could see each other if she were trying to get his attention. He can't see her anywhere, so he puts it down to his imagination again.

"Joonmyeon! Joonmyeon!" The voice comes again, and he must be imagining it because there's no way Jongdae is here, that's just not possible. He squints, wanting to make sure he's just delusional, but when his tired eyes focus he can clearly see something bobbing in the surface, making some serious headway. He waits a moment longer, eyes gradually widening, just to make absoultely sure that he's not seeing things, his heart palpitating like it might leave his body.

"Jongdae?" He breathes, overcome with emotion. Is he crying? He wipes the stray moisture from his face and stands up precariously, waving. Is it really him? Not willing to waste a moment, he jumps into the water with a loud splash and kicks off his flip flops, throwing them back onto the rock before swimming out to meet him. Water fills his mouth as he flails, going slowly but surely.

The moment Jongdae is within arms reach he grabs onto him, squeezing him so tightly he probably can't breathe but Joonmyeon has to, he has to convince himself this is real. Jongdae's arms wrap around him in turn and Joonmyeon thinks he must really be crying because Jongdae is pulling back, concerned, but he just clings onto him, using Jongdae's buoyancy to keep him afloat. He wraps his legs around his body, ankles linking behind his tail.

"Joonmyeon, I missed you so much!" Damp hands tangle into his drenched hair and tug him closer, until their lips are connected and they're kissing. It's awkward- they keep sinking under the water and and resurfacing, gasping for air (in Joonmyeon's case) but neither of them are willing to stop. Even though Joonmyeon can barely see what he's doing, and the saltwater is getting in his eyes, that all fades into the background as Jongdae holds him close.

Suddenly Jongdae pulls away, rememering that the human has to breathe. Joonmyeon happliy in gulps of air, still clinging onto the merman like his life depends on it.

"Jongdae! I missed you so much! How did you get out? I thought you were trapped! I was so worried about you!" Joonmyeon gushes, spluttering and stammering like a fool. Jongdae smiles at him, his sharp teeth bared in unbridled joy at being reunited,

"I ran away!" He announces, skin glistening. 

"You ran away? And you weren't caught!?"

"No, I wasn't. Sooyoun helped me- she is a magician." Jongdae makes the face he makes when he has something to tell him, eyes crinkled and sparkling and lips pressed together to stop him from smiling too much.

"A what? What did she do?" 

"She cast a spell on me! Let me show you!" He shouts breathlessly, manhandling Joonmyeon so he's clinging onto his back and riding him to the shoreline. Joonmyeon stares down at the merman's long black, slightly curly hair, as he rides his back, admiring how it sticks to his damp skin. When they reach shallow waters, Joonmyeon hops onto the wet sand, feeling the granules between his bare toes. 

Expecting Jongdae to wallow in the warm waters, Joonmyeon is surprised when Jongdae asks for his hand and gets him to drag him onto the sand. He doesn't question him though, just pulls him further and hopes he has some explanation for wanting to suffocate himself again. He can easily pick him up and carry him back if he needs to.

"Just watch," Jongdae says, crawling a little further and rolling onto his back. His tail is gorgeous in the sun, a pale, almost floral shade of pink that melts into his skin about where his bellybutton might be if he were human, and his tail fins are translucent. They don't look so great out of the water, in the same way that a beached jellyfish doesn't look nearly so beautiful dead on the beach, but he's seen glimpses of it while he was swimming, drifting behind him like lace.

"Watch what?" He frowns, starting to worry. Did something happen? Is he ok? He wrings his hands together, waiting for something to happen.

"Augh!" Jongdae suddenly cries out, back arching against the ground. Joonmyeon reaches out to help, or something, as Jongdae's mouth opens in surprise. What he intended to do he didn't know, all he can do is kneel frantically beside him as the merman convulses and jerks.

"Jongdae what's wrong?" 

"Nothin-ng, ahh, I'm turning human- look!" He points down at his tail, and sure enough the scales are softening, melting into one another and spreading, morphing into skin. His whole tail is flattening, stretching and it's horrifying to watch but morbidly fascinating to see it split down the middle, trails between each appendage like the cheese strings when you pick up a piece of pizza. Joonmyeon feels vaguely sick but a whole lot amazed.

He can't even think straight. Is he hallucinating? Maybe this whole entire thing is just a figment of his imagination- maybe he's dreaming! Subtley, he pinches his thigh to make sure and it hurts so this must be real. Right? 

Joonmyeon can do nothing but watch in awe as a pair of lithely muscled legs appear, complete with small angular feet and not a whole lot longer than his own, for which he is grateful. He does his best to avoid looking at what lies between his legs, but from subtle glances he discerns it to be hairless like the rest of his body. He desperately hopes he knows what it is otherwise there is going to be one hell of an awkward conversation. Before Jongdae can ask anything, he cuts in first,

"How did this happen? This...this is amazing, Jongdae." The human breathes, teary eyed. He's- somehow he's human. How is this even possible? He can't comprehend it, even though he just watched the transformation right before his eyes, he still clings onto the idea that this is all just a dream. He reaches out to touch, fingertips hovering over Jongdae's new skin, needing to see if it's real.

His skin is warm to the touch and as pale as the rest of his body,

"It's real. I'm really- really human." Jongdae stares down at his own legs like a blind man seeing the world for the first time. But he doesn't try to move yet, which Joonmyeon understands. It would probably be disorientating if his legs turned into a tail too.

"This is amazing. Jongdae, this is wonderful!" He lunges for him, wrapping his arms around his torso and squeezing him close. He laughs, the sound like music to his ears, but the sound is cut short and Jongdae pushes him away slightly,

"I didn't tell you an important thing." He says seriously, worry creeping into his angular features, "my legs- they're real but..." He trails off, frustrated, 

"What about your legs?" Joonmyeon asks, calming circles into his still-damp back. There's no trace of his dorsal fin anymore and it's quite surreal.

"They are not good. I mean, I can't walk with them."

"What?" Joonmyeon tilts his head to the side, "Can't walk on them? Why not?" Jongdae cringes slightly, and Joonmyeon apologises for almost shouting,

"Because that is the spell. I can be human, people will see me as human but I cannot walk,"

Oh. Joonmyeon thinks. Well, that puts a spanner in the works- wheelchairs and things that he would need are going to be expensive, and he's not sure if he really has the money to pay for that. Jongdae certainly can't pay for one, he has even less money than he does. 

"I'm sorry," Jongdae whispers, breaking Joonmyeon's heart a little at how small he sounds, "I understand if you don't like me anymore," 

"What? No! What on earth gave you that idea?" He asks, shocked. He cups Jongdae's cheek and makes him look at him properly, "Jongdae, I wasn't lying when I said I love you. Whether you are merman, or human of any kind, I will still love you. Got that?" Jongdae nods and gives him a wobbly smile, eyes watering and tears dripping over his cheeks. He gasps, wiping them away in fascination, and Joonmyeon can't keep himself from tearing up a little too.

They cry together, clinging onto each other and not letting go for what feels like hours, just breathing and talking.

After a while, Jongdae starts to shiver- Joonmyeon had wondered about that, that merfolk must have more immunity to the cold than humans. He exhales loudly,

"Looks like it's time to get you inside," he huffs, crouching down and slipping his arms underneath his back and legs. It's like how they first met but so, so different at the same time. Jongdae does his best to make it easy for Joonmyeon to carry him, slinging his arms around his neck and willing himself to be lighter. It's no use, but he isn't really that heavy, not as a human anyway. He'd only said that last time to .

When they get inside, Joonmyeon puts him down on his chair and immediately sets about finding something to warm him up. He rummages through his drawers for something to give him to wear, something that isn't dirty or embarrassing, not that he would understand it if it were. Eventually he comes up with an old pair of sweats and a knitted jumper which he normally has no reason to wear.

Joonmyeon helps him put it on, showing him how to dress himself and helping manoeuvre his legs into the sweats. When he looks up, Jongdae is gleefully patting the knitted fabric, and the collar. He looks so happy, if his legs worked they'd probably be swinging back and forth like a kid.

"I like these," he says, referring to the clothes. 

"I'm glad," Joonmyeon stands up to get a better look. For some reason they look just a little baggy on him but that's ok, Jongdae doesn't mind, in fact that probably makes them better for him, since he's not used to wearing them. He looks sweet, sat there in his human clothes.

"Thank you, Joonmyeon," he singsongs.

"You're welcome," he smirks, "Budge up, I want to sit down too," he pushes Jongdae over and squeezes in next to him. The chair is big, but not quite big enough for both of them, so the choices are to either be squished, or for one of them to sit on the other. Joonmyeon hums, then lifts Jongdae onto his lap, tying him in place with his arms around his waist. Jongdae giggles at this, linking their hands together. 

"So tell me about this magician, then."  Joonmyeon insists, chin resting comfortably on the boys shoulder. 

"Sooyoun? She is lovely and I think like my mother. She is like how you said your mother is. And she was a human too! She was not allowed from the palace because she thinks you...we are not bad. She had a human lover also." 

"She had a human lover? What happened to him? "

"She was a girl. She died a long time ago."

"Oh. That's sad." Joonmyeon frowns. Merfolk live for a lot longer than humans after all. He wonders what it must be like to stay young and watch the ones you love grow old and die. He's sure his heart wouldn't be able to take it.

"It is. " he sighs. "She had Muneo, an octopus."

"She has a pet octopus!? Wow." The only octopus he's ever seen was at a zoo and it was a sullen looking creature. Perhaps that was because it was in a glass box. 

"Yes, it was friendly and gave me kisses, but not like you do." He teases, turning around and kissing his forehead. 

"I should hope not. No one can give you that kind of kiss except for me, ok?" Joonmyeon says, nuzzling into his neck. Jongdae laughs again, the sound makes Joonmyeon swoon all over again. He's still reeling from his sudden arrival, he's not sure how many more surprises he can take so he hopes Jongdae doesn't come out with any other shockers. Jongdae's stomach growls, and Joonmyeon can feel it vibrate under his hands.

"You hungry? I'll get you something, gimme a sec," he promises, getting out from under him and heading over to his cabinets. He realy hopes he actually has some food inside, as he hasn't made much for himself since Jongdae left. That all feels really stupid now- what if he had starved to death, and Jongdae came back to find a malnourished corpse? He shudders. It doesn't bear thinking about.

Inside the cupboards, luckily, there is planty of food. It would seem as though Sooyoung was keeping him stocked up with food without him even knowing about it. He cringes, making a mental note to thank her next time she comes round. Actually, how is he going to explain Jongdae's sudden appearance when she does? It's something he will have to think about, but he won't dwell on it now.

"You want rice?"

"Yes, thank you." Jongdae replies, sat patiently on the chair, his legs looking slightly uncomfortable, since he can't move them himself. Joonmyeon purses his lips and crouches down next to him,

"Here, this might be more comfortable." He folds his legs into the indian position. "There, any better?" He asks, staring up at the new human and patting his knee. He wonders if he can feel it, and is just unable to move them, or if he's completely paraplegic. He doesn't seem to have much of a reaction when he touches hmim. It doesn't make sense to Joonmyeon how he can't move his legs when he can swim perfectly well, and his legs look like they should work perfectly fine but he isn't a magician, nor merfolk, so he wouldn't know anyway.

"A little," Jongdae shrugs. Joonmyeon sighs,

"Ok, well, I'll go back to making the rice, ok?" He heaves himself to his feet, not missing the way Jongdae watches him, and the sad look in his eyes when he thinks Joonmyeon isn't looking. Biting his tongue, he gets on with the food, chopping some vegetables and using a jar of sauce for convenience. As he is stirring the sauce, he hears an oof sound from behind him. Turning around in worry, he almost drops his spoon when Jongdae isn't where he left him.

"Jongdae!" He cries, laying a hand over his heart. The man has crawled over to Joonmyeon's tiny bed, and is closely examining all the photos on the wall. 

"What?" Jongdae turns around, the picture of innocence. Joonmyeon shakes his head, and mutters for him to be careful, before going back to the cooking. He still keeps an eye on him, though.

They eat together fairly quietly, Jongdae occasionally telling him about something that happened while he was with the magician. He's a little embarrassed to hear that he saw him moping through a magic mirror but get's over it with minimal blushing. He's fascinated by the fact that she collected human 'artifacts' and used them as decorations. He imagines a bouquet of knives and forks, and smirks to himself at the funny idea.

After Joonmyeon washes the dishes, they huddle up together in the bed, under the covers. Their limbs tangle together and Jongdae insists on removing some of his clothes as he's sure he'll get too hot. Joonmyeon helps him out of them obligingly, and curls up next to him. Jongdae doesn't seem to even be sleepy, and his restlessness is keeping Joonmyeon awake too. Not that he's that tired either.

In fact, he has the urge to do something, something he's been missing while Jongdae was gone. Should he? Maybe he should just wait until another day, after all he still won't be used to his human body yet. Maybe...maybe just a little bit would be fine. 

"Jongdae?" He whispers, his hushed voice disturbing the quiet of the dusk. Jongdae turns his head to face him and Joonmyeon doesn't miss how his eyes flick to his lips just for half a second. Well, he thinks smugly, maybe it's not too soon for this after all. He leans forward, curling a hand over Jongdae's neck to bring him closer, and captures his lips.

Its slow to start, loving and sweet as they mesh their lips together, but soon the temperature between them rises when Joonmyeon rolls over so he's lying on top, between the other man's legs. Jongdae's fingers are buried in his short hair as he gently bites his lower lip, coaxing a low moan out of him. His reactions are so enchanting, it's easy to forget sometimes that he has very little experience of anything to do with this.

Even his teeth have changed, Joonmyeon notes, as he into his mouth. Jongdae sighs, grip almost painful on his hair. Is this too much for him? He tries so slow down a bit, tone down the crackles of electricity sparking over their skin as though desire were a living, breathing thing, but Jongdae doesn't let him. Instead, he pulls him closer, eagerly inviting his tongue inside.

Joonmyeon instinctively grinds down on him, answering the question he'd had earlier about whether he's able to feel anything on his new appendages. Jongdae emits the most delicious moan, and Joonmyeon swallows all of it, breath juddering. He can't, as much as he would love to keep  going, it's too soon to go this far. Pulling away, he stares into Jongdae's glazed eyes, barely visible in the low light. His lips are pinker than before, and he looks a little out of it. Definitely time to stop, they can build up to this.

He flops down next to him, and moves Jongdae so he's got his back against Joonmyeon's chest.

"Next time, maybe." He whispers, lips moving just next to Jongdae's ear. He feels him shiver in his arms.

"Why not now?" Jongdae whines, making the older human laugh. Rather than reply, he simply says goodnight, and snuggles closer, pulling the covers up over them both. Once settled, Joonmyeon finds himself drifting off to sleep, more content than he's been in what feels like forever. With the person he loves in his arms, be they human or otherwise, he can finally sleep peacefully.

"I love you, Joonmyeon." Jongdae murmurs, barely coherent. Joonmyeon's heart blooms,

"I love you too, Jongdae,"

-

The morning is warm, too warm, stiflingly so. Jongdae is squirming in Joonmyeon's arms, unable to escape his boiling deathgrip. Only half conscious, he extracts himself sluggishly and rolls off the edge of his bed and onto the floor, bringing the covers with him. Jongdae gasps at the sudden rush of cool air, and Joonmyeon almost falls back asleep, rolled up in the covers like a caterpillar.

It's Jongdae's third day as a human, and he's getting a little restless. Joonmyeon needs to figure out a way to get him around without carrying him, as it's just not practical. For the time being, Jongdae can sit on the beach and not mind, but he desperately wants to leave the beach and go visit the rest of the island's inhabitants.

The best thing would be to get him a wheelchair, but they're so expensive. Even if he could afford one, it would probably take a long time to get here. He needs to find something they can use until they can do that. Something that's won't shatter his dignity, he's not going to drag him around on a rug unless they're truly desperate. Maybe he'll have to leave him here so he can ask around in the town for a some ideas. Ahh, but then they'll ask why he wants to know, on an island this small people are always inquisitive, always trying to find out as much as they can.

It's a wonder they leave him be on this tiny beach, to be honest. He sighs, not really wanting his or Jongdae's privacy to be invaded, but it might be his only option at the moment. 

He gets up, unrolling himself from the blankets and wandering dazedly to the kitchenette to start making some breakfast. Jongdae lies flat on his- their- bed behind him, fanning himself with the t-shirt he's borrowing. Well, he could always phone his mum, but he said he wouldn't ask her for money, he promised that he wouldn't need to. And he would be asking a lot to buy a wheelchair, especially one of those fancy ones with the motors and things. Jongdae could probably deal with one you have to push by hand, maybe that would bring the cost down, but he wants to give him the best he can. 

Could he sell anything? He doesn't really have much, as the bracelets he makes sometimes don't even bring him enough to pay for food. He works odd jobs during the year, painting things and building things for the villagers, but they don't pay all that much either. It's not that kind of community, really. But, he thinks, as he rummages around in the fridge looking for leftovers, they'd all be willing to help them think of something to help Jongdae get around. 

"Jongdae? Would you like to meet the villagers soon?" He asks, rubbing his eyes. Jongde's answer is almost certainly going to be yes, he doesn't know why he even asked. He's been waiting for Sooyoung to come back to check on him, hoping maybe he could ease him into socialising with humans more but that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon so he's going to have to take the initiative this time.

"Yes!" 

"I thought so. Well, I'd love to, but first I need to think of a way to get you over there, since I can't carry you that far. It's awful, but I think I'm going to have to leave you here for a day or so, so I can get some help figuring out...something."

"Oh. Ok." Jongdae sounds a lot less happy now, and Joonmyeon hates to be the cause of his sadness, but it's for his benefit in the long run, so he can't change his mind. 

"I'll go today. Do you want to stay in here, or go out to the sea?"

"Can I sit outside?"

"All day? Are you sure? You might get sunburn," Joonmyeon worries, arranging all the things he found for Jongdae to eat while he's out on a tray, "I'll leave you with some food, so you don't get hungry, but are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, if I am in the shade. I'll be fine, Joonmyeon, don't worry," his smile isn't one of his usual ones, not the kind that lights up his face and takes his breath away, so Joonmyeon doesn't believe him. But it's the only thing they can do, right now.

"Here," he hands him his breakfast, and they eat quietly, the mood suddenly somber at the thought of not spending the day together.

After kissing Jongdae goodbye, Joonmyeon starts the trek to the other side of the island, following an overgrown trail which is partially hidden by the folliage but well trodden enough to see where he should put his feet. It winds a bit, back tracking on itself to get up the cliff, and it's tiring work. It makes him glad he brought a drink, as he'd forgotten just how strenuous a walk this was. By the time he reaches the village he's sweating buckets.

He heads up the main street, also known as the only street with shops on it, and goes straight into the grocery store, owned by Soouyoung's parents. Her old man is at the counter today, which probably means her mother is doing some heavy lifting around the back, as always. He has no idea where Sooyoung herself might be. Probably out taking care of someone else that needs help.

The man is a frail thing, but very intuitive. As soon as they catch eyes across the store, he knows something is up.

"So how can I help you today, young man?"

"Well, I was hoping I could ask for some help. From you or anyone," Joonmyeon says, a little shy now. He hopes he hasn't misjudged the local residents, that they really are as friendly and selfless as they seem. He fidgets for a moment,

"And what might that be, I wonder?" The middle aged man leans across the wooden countertop, always ready for gossip of any kind. Joonmyeon decides being blunt is probably the best approach.

"I need to make a wheelchair,"

"Hmm," he frowns, scraggly eyebrows pulling together into one single line. "I can't think how we'll manage that. Maybe Sooyoung can ask the line how to do it," he suggests, "or we could nail wheels to a chair, but I get the feeling that isn't quite what you had in mind."

"You mean look it up online, right? I guess I could do that. I don't know if that would be safe," he muses. Another consideration he hadn't thought of before is that it needs to work on sand. Lots of vehicles struggle with driving on soft ground, maybe what he really needs is an industrial car, with those bands that wrap around the lower parts, like diggers. 

"Yes, that. What do you need a wheelchair for, if you don't mind me asking?" his magnificent eyebrows raise, and Joonmyeon nods his head. 

"I have someone who needs one," he says mysteriously, "Where is Sooyoung, by the way? I should go ask her, you're right."

"Oh, now, you can't just leave me with that!" He cries, burning with curiosity, "You're making a wheelchair for someone? Who? Do I know them? Are you having a visitor soon? Tell, me Joonmyeon, please, go on," 

"No, I couldn't do that," he smiles serenely, backing out of the shop and into the sunlight. Sooyoung's father watches him with pleading eyes every step of the way, not giving him any clues as to where his daughter might be. Luckily this place isn't so big that he could just lose her. She'll be around here somewhere. While he waits for her to show up, he decides to try asking around for more help.

-

He comes across Sooyoung around lunch time, on his way to the only cafe in the village. It's a quaint little thing, with a wooden ceiling fan and small windows. They meet just outside the entrance, and she looks very surprised to see him,

"Joonmyeon! What are you doing out of your little hole?" She teases, inviting him to sit with her.

"Well, actually I was hoping you could help me,"

"What, you mean cooking your meals almost every day for two months wasn't enough?" He cringes, but she isn't serious so he goes ahead with his request.

"I need to make a wheelchair. Safely." He says, scanning the menu by the door. She makes a face at him,

"Why? You don't need one, do you? You've been awfully weird lately, just saying." 

"Not for me, no." He admits, with an awkward laugh, Everyone is interested in who this wheelchair could be for and he's been having to come up with deflections all day. It's grating on him, but he thinks maybe Sooyoung could meet him without telling everyone else within hours.

"Then who?" She purses her lips, staring at him quizzically. Sooyoung has lived here almost all her life, so she's just as part of the gossip train as everyone else living on this peice of rock so it's only natural that she would be curious. He waits for the food to arrive before he says anything else, and Sooyoung doesn't say anything either but he can feel her glaring at him.

"Maybe I'll introduce you some time. But before that it's really important that I can get hold of a wheelchair for him. He can't get around by himself if he doesn't have one." He hopes Jongdae is ok back on the beach. He wonders what he's up to, and if he's lonely. He hates having to leave him like this, and wants to get back to him as soon as he can. 

Sooyoung gets out her phone, a huge touchscreen thing- Joonmyeon only has an old landline back in his house- and types something into it. After a pause, she frowns, 

"I don't think there's a way to make one without, like, specialised equipment. Now will you please tell me who this is for?"

"No, can you look up the prices for ordinary ones, please?"

"Ok, ok," she mumbles, going back to her phone. Joonmyeon hasn't really used a touchscreen phone much before, he kinda left that stuff behind when he moved here. He thought he was being spiritual and embracing freedom, but really, it was about isolation. But that's irrelevant now, he's had enough of being alone.

"Well, some of them are extremely expensive," Sooyoung warns, eyebrows raised so far they're hidden in her hair, "but there are some which are cheaper. They don't look good though. Like, there's the kind you get in hospitals, those ones are the cheapest, but they wouldn't really work around here. But then, they're foldable so maybe it would be ok. Can this guy walk at all?"

"No, not at all. I could probably carry him a little ways if need be. How much is the cheapest one?"

"About 100000krw, oh! There's one which is designed for rough terrain- but it's over 500000krw. Can you afford any of that?"

"I don't know, maybe the first one."

"We could do a fundraiser. I'm sure if we met the guy, everyone would be willing to donate a little to the cause," she winks, still trying to get him to spill the details. He shakes his head. It's not a bad idea, but he can't get him here by himself,

"Nahh, I'm pretty sure I could afford the cheapest one there, I thought they were all going to be really expensive, but I can deal with 100000krw. I have that much to my name. How do I order one?" He asks, leaning over her shoulder to see what she's doing. It's an annoying procedure, which he hasn't done in a long while, so he needs to be reminded how to do everything.

But once it's done he feels jubilant: in just a few weeks Jongdae will be able to get around on his own. He's low on savings now, but it's worth it. Hopefully Jongdae will be able to visit the village soon, and then the rest of the world, with Joonmyeon by his side. He smiles at the table, imagining Jongdae's reaction to all the things he's going to get to see.

"You seem a lot better all of a sudden, actually." Sooyoung interrupts his thoughts. Startled, he looks up to see her watching him fondly, and he blushes at being caught daydreaming like that. 

"Yeah. If you come visit me tomorrow, I'll show you the reason why. Bye!" He says, standing up and getting ready to go back, ignoring her whining about 'why not today'. This gives him enough time to think of an excuse for his sudden appearance, he thinks, hurrying back to where Jongdae awaits.

i think this is one of the fastest updates ive done for this fic??? maybe. its also the longest too i think

dont forget to comment! i love replying to you guys <3

ps. if you like kaisoo and fighting and mama powers and futuristic you might enjoy me and sarah's collab Neon Lights