Pliant was a word not usually associated with Choi Seunghyun.

Talented, charismatic, even intimidating were the terms most often used to describe him. Pliant, however… no one would ever accuse him of being easily influenced by others, much less allowing himself to be controlled by them. Much the opposite in fact, his stubborn streak and temper had been getting worse in the last few years, making him much more set in his ways.

So when his manager had suggested a vacation, his immediate response was a clear and short “no”. Simply put, he had too much to do. The movie’s shooting was wrapping up but there was another lined up for next month, there were photo shoots to do and press conferences to attend and interviews to give. He was far too busy a man to even contemplate the idea of taking time off.

His manager was competent but also mild-mannered and, usually, both quite reasonable and willing to accommodate his wishes, so the man insisting on it had taken him off guard. He had been worried about Seunghyun’s health, about how the actor had taken to try and pile up as many projects as humanly possible on his plate, how he barely had time to sleep, how he had taken to smoking more frequently and had started drinking in the middle of the day again.

It would just be for a single month anyway, a little down time before the shooting for his next movie begun, his manager had reasoned. A month seemed far too long for Seunghyun but between actually trusting the man’s opinion and being caught off guard by his vehemence about the subject, he had agreed almost out of reflex.  And now, stepping outside of the airport, slipping a pair of sunglasses on, he was already regretting that decision.

It’s not that the country wasn’t beautiful, Seunghyun thought as the driver opened the door and let him in. It was sunny and bright and clear but it was also far too hot and the blazer he was wearing was already making him sweat despite the air conditioning inside the car. Plus his brain couldn’t help but obsess over the offers he had passed up in order to be on this “vacation”. Nothing particularly important for his career, true, and nothing too high profile but it still made him uneasy.

It was unlikely that his manager would just let him return, however, at least without being severely disappointed. And as weird as it sounded given that the man worked for him, Seunghyun didn’t actually want to disappoint him. They had been together since the very beginning and the man had always stressed that his health and well-being were as important as his career.  He was genuine in his concern and for that the actor was at least willing to try this out.

He was staying at a town, not quite a city but the beaches were supposedly something to see and there were a few museums and galleries around he was interested in checking out. Seunghyun had been assured that the particular part of the country he was staying at was out of the way, relatively private and its inhabitants used to celebrities staying to take a break from their chaotic lives. His privacy was assured as much as it could be and that would have to be enough, really.

The heat did not abate during the trip – in fact, it seemed to get worse. Seunghyun took the blazer off, rolling the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to his biceps.  The hand he brushed across his neck came away wet, making him grimace.  Usually he wasn’t one to show skin regardless of circumstance but this was too much. The voice of the driver informed him there was cool water in the mini fridge to his right and apologized for the heatwave they were having but stressed that those were not uncommon.

Seunghyun thanked him – he might be reserved but the man had done nothing wrong, there was little need to be abrupt – and, looking outside the window to the rolling scenery, decided to ask a few questions. The driver turned out to be a rather chatty man, more endearing and friendly than obnoxious, and was more than happy to answer his inquiries as best as he could, mixing it up with random trivia about the place.

He hadn’t meant to make actual conversation but by the time they arrived at the hotel he didn’t feel nearly as lost and some of the jokes the other man had made actually made him smile a bit. Even if they were awful. They shook hands after getting his luggage to the entrance and the driver introduced himself properly – a native which wasn’t surprising, younger than himself which was – and told him to call if his services were needed again.

They parted ways and Seunghyun allowed himself to relax a little, tucking the little card with the number inside his pocket.

* * * * *

 

On the first day, he did nothing.

At his manager’s insistence, Seunghyun had turned off all the alarms and notes on his phone and completely turned it off for the night. That resulted in him sleeping for almost sixteen hours. It took him by surprise and left him more than a little bit disoriented. Maybe it was the trip, or the jet lag, or maybe he had just been more tired than he previously thought.

After taking a shower he hadn’t bothered getting dressed, deciding to order room service instead of going out to eat or even merely going downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant. The temperature was much less abrasive in the late afternoon, pleasantly warm rather than absolutely stifling, and the breeze was refreshing rather than hot.

After the food arrived he carried it over to the balcony, sitting down, propping his feet up and enjoying the view. He could see the sea from there, hues of red and orange and purple to mirror the sky and the setting sun, complementing rather than contrasting with the pale colour of sand. Seunghyun leaned back a little further, plopping a strawberry into his mouth, chasing it down with champagne.

Maybe he could actually enjoy this, rather than spend all of his supposedly “free” time worrying about his career or pacing in his room for lack of something productive to do. His movements turned slow, his head lolling to the side as laziness, brought on by the heat and the quiet, settled into his every muscle. Despite how long he had slept, Seunghyun felt himself drifting off more than once and, eventually, dragged himself to bed again.

* * * * *

On the second day, he went to find the art gallery.

Seunghyun spent the morning familiarizing himself with the hotel and its immediate surroundings, before asking for information about the gallery, its location and what type of currency was usually accepted in the area. The place turned out to be too close for him to bother calling the driver again, merely three or so blocks away, so he decided to just walk there.

Unfortunately, the heat was as unrelenting as the day he had arrived. The patrons had warned him to keep himself hydrated and stay out of the sun between noon and around three o’clock but Seunghyun knew if stayed in his room he would start staring at his phone nonstop and thus had decided to risk it.

After all the suits and the designer clothes, the simple, tropical print shirt, the shorts and the flip-flops looked absolutely ridiculous on him but he wasn’t yet going inside the gallery. Besides, this would hopefully make him stand out less as someone important – pretending not to be a tourist was a lost cause since he couldn’t even speak the local tongue, although thankfully everyone seemed to be able to speak his second language.

There were more than a few stalls with merchants advertising their wares, everything from fruit to clothing to carved figurines, something he found peculiar. He hadn’t seen anything like that in quite a while outside special occasions and so spent more than two hours browsing the little stalls, occasionally purchasing something or another. It became incredibly clear that he didn’t know how to bargain but the merchants seemed more amused than angry by it.  

At some point he stumbled into an area with people selling food and, after a period of consideration that lasted less than it should, he decided to try everything out. Seunghyun had known weaknesses, one of which was food. There were too many things for him to possibly try in a day without making himself sick, but he reasoned he could come back at any time. The sellers cheerfully served him, even being kind enough to teach him the names of what he was eating and, on a few occasions, how to eat it.

Distracted as he had been by everything, by the time he reached the gallery it was already closing. That was fine, his only goal had been to locate it, it wasn’t like Seunghyun would set foot inside wearing his current clothes anyway. Making his way back was easier, since he recognized the way he had came and only needed to resist the temptation to try more of the food.

That night he replied quickly to his managed and shoved the phone inside of the bedside table’s drawer of his own accord.

* * * * *

On the third day, he tried actually going to the art gallery.

Tried being the operative word. The prospect of going out in that heat in a suit was daunting and so Seunghyun decided to only go in the afternoon. Not early enough to catch the worst of the heat, hopefully not late enough that he had to rush his way through the exhibition.  Unfortunately it seemed the day did not agree with his plans and the heat merely turned from blazing and sharp to lazy and stifling as the afternoon went on.

Seunghyun passed a hand through the jacket of his chalk-striped suit, trying to remember why he had chosen that particular one. Certainly the black one would be preferable? Not because of the colour, rather because it allowed him to take the blazer off and still look presentable, something the one he was currently sporting didn’t. He had, once again, managed to underestimate the heat.

Maybe it was the air-conditioning in his hotel room making him forget how hot it could be outside. Dwelling on the thought wouldn’t help him, but it could temporarily distract him from how tight and stuffy his shoes seemed. Leather, imported, and another terrible choice. Some of the locals gave him a bemused look, others chuckled under their breath, shaking their heads at the sight. It would hardly be the first time they saw a tourist make such a mistake, he imaged.

His musings did succeed in distracting him from his misery but they also made him not notice his surroundings, beyond the fact that he was still going in the right direction. Thus Seunghyun didn’t manage to process the yelling behind him in time to avoid something colliding with his back rather strongly. He stumbled to the ground immediately, an indignant noise escaping his mouth as he went.

One of his knees collided rather abruptly and painfully with the cobbled stone of the street, making him wince, but his hands braced his fall before any more damage could be done. Raising his head, Seunghyun caught a glimpse of someone running away. They couldn’t have been more than seven or eight, if that, merely a child and some of his anger ebbed away. A voice behind him pulled his attention back from the perpetrator of his fall, the words making no sense to his ears.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the new voice said in a language he could understand, speaking slowly, a thick accent underlying every sound. The actor supposed he must have looked confused. “Are you alright?”

Seunghyun raised his head but couldn’t see whoever was speaking to him, as they stood against the blinding sun. Squinting his eyes, even raising a hand to shield them from the light didn’t wield any results and he ended up sighing. “I can’t see you. You’re standing against the sun.”

For a moment nothing happened, and then the stranger moved, allowing him to see. The very first thing he registered was the tanned skin of the local residents from being out in the sun most of the time. Then small eyes peering down at him, a pronounced nose, a brow furrowed in worry, hair wavy and plentiful and brown, highlighted gold in certain places by the setting sun. Those weren’t features he would find attractive individually but together they went well with his round face. A kind face, Seunghyun realized.

“Uhm,” the stranger tried again, offering a hand. “Are you… okay?”

“Yes,” he replied, accepting the offer, barely having enough time to register how calloused the man’s hand was before almost yelping as he was quickly pulled to his feet. The stranger was a lot stronger than he was expecting, a fact that called attention to his wide shoulders and defined arms – the contrast between the tanned skin and white shirt had kept him from noticing them before.

The brunet opened his mouth to say something but stopped, frowning and looking down at the suit. Seunghyun followed his gaze, quickly registering the dirt and tears on the fabric around the sleeves, around his knees. This time he did sigh, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He supposed the gallery would have to wait. Again.

“I’m sorry,” the other man repeated again, quietly, before shaking his head. “I will go get her so she can apologize for this.”

“That’s… not necessary,” he found himself replying. For all that irritation clawed at him, Seunghyun couldn’t really bring himself to get mad about this, even with the ruined suit. One of his other weaknesses were children, perhaps because he always wanted to remain silly and childish for as long as he could. Somewhere along the way he lost sight of that – he lost sight of a lot of things – but his soft spot remained. “She’s just a child.”

“… thank you,” the man smiled at him then, a smile kind and relieved that changed his entire face and made his eyes disappear, almost brighter than the sun still behind him. Seunghyun blinked, his own face shifting and it took him a second to realize he was grinning back. Now that was something he hadn’t done in quite a while, at least according to his mother. She always seemed too concerned about him.

“A tourist, yes?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“… uhm,” the stranger replied hesitantly, clearly looking for an answer that wouldn’t offend him. Seunghyun found himself almost laughing, his grin widening a little as he shook his head. The other man seemed a bit worried but the look quickly slipped off his face when it became clear he didn’t just accidentally insult him.

“I look terribly out of place, it’s okay.”

“… just a little,” his laugh was loud and warm and Seunghyun found himself extending a hand.

“We didn’t get properly introduced. Hi, I’m Seunghyun.”

“Daesung,” the stanger-no-longer answered, shaking his hand twice, grip as strong as when he had pulled him up.  For a moment, neither of them spoke, hanging in awkward silence, and then Daesung quickly looked around before staring at him again with another smile. “Let me… ah, if you’d like, I can show you around? As an apology?”

“That’s not necessary,” Seunghyun was quick to assure him.  It had been the kid knocking him over, not Daesung, and while the offer was incredibly tempting – seeing thing from the native’s perspective would probably be quite different from the usual tourist attractions – he just didn’t want to burden the young man.

“No, no,” Daesung insisted with a smile, shaking his head. “It’s okay. I would like to make it up to you but…” he trailed off, raising both his hands in a gesture Seunghyun didn’t quite understand. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay too.”

The offer left the actor in a conundrum. He was surely tempted to be sure but felt like maybe this would be taking advantage of the guy’s generosity. Plus, there were plenty of things to do around the town, even just in the hotel, so he most likely wouldn’t get bored for a while.

And, finally, the motion of being friendly with someone made him a bit uncomfortable. Seunghyun spent most of his meager free time locked away alone inside his house and while he endeavored to be professional and polite, he was… awkward and less than graceful in other social situations. Yet…

“Are you-“ he started, stopped, tried again slowly. “Are you going to be around…?”

Daesung blinked at him a couple of times before smiling again, nodding with a short but sincere laugh. “Yes. If you ask around the market for Gummy, she knows where I am.”

“I might take you up on your offer later. Thank you,” Seunghyun said it to be polite really, to not coldly turn down such a kind offer, but the smile directed his way turned even brighter and he felt the corners of his own lips turning up once more. The man’s positive energy was positively infectious.

“Okay. I’m sorry, again,” Daesung scratched the back of his neck, still grinning, before taking a step back. Then another, then pointing behind himself. “I’ll be going. Try to stay inside when it gets too hot. Oh and drink lots of water!”

Seunghyun chuckled, nodding to show he understood. Daesung turned around and started quickly walking away, glancing back only once. The actor watched him go, silhouette moving against the setting sun, hair flashing gold for a few moments, and smiled quietly.

* * * * *

It took him a few days to take Daesung up on his offer and even then, Seunghyun hadn’t really meant to do it.

The fourth day of his vacation he had actually managed to go to the art gallery and enjoyed the exhibition of the local and national artists, especially when their techniques and subjects were so different from the ones he was used to.

That had always been one of this favourite things about art, one of the aspects of it he appreciated the most really. How much it could tell you about not only the author or artist but their culture. Most of the works on display seemed to have a preoccupation with the seas, from rough and tumultuous and transforming waters to calm, pristine, clear ones.

Seunghyun wasn’t quite sure what it meant but the emotions practically oozed out of the canvas in each picture. As he found himself having a lovely dinner with some of the artist and people responsible for the gallery, he found himself also learning about their history and culture, about the sea and sailors' old tales.

The fifth day he had tried going to one of the beaches, only to find out it was too cluttered and packet with people for his taste. It wasn’t even that full, all things considered, but Seunghyun had always felt uncomfortable exposing skin, even more so in the presence of other celebrities.

He ended up spending most of his time on one of the seaside cafés, trying not to have too much ice cream for once.  It was much more pleasant there anyway, the smell and sound of the sea strong enough to still reach him, the breeze slight but cool and pleasant, and the shade doing a decent job of taking the worst edge off the midday heat.

The next few days, he had started getting restless. After exploring most of the hotel and its facilities and taking to working out in the afternoon – since not doing anything productive had him feeling antsy – the actor sort of ran out of things to do. It wasn’t that there weren’t other attractions around, far from it, but none of them were able to distract him properly.

Specifically, they weren’t able to distract him from the fact he could be back home, working. This vacation idea was very nice, truly, but after an entire week he started getting anxious and wondered how he was going to last an entire month. Seunghyun was aware that he could call his manager and ask to come back but he didn’t want to hear the disappointment and worry in the other man’s voice.

After an entire day of sitting down on the bed, opening his bedside drawer, taking his phone out, fiddling with it, putting it back inside, starting at the drawer and repeating those motions for three straight hours he just left the hotel, desperately looking for a suitable distraction. There were information booklets he could have picked up but his feet ended up carrying him to the market again instead.

There was some sort of even going on there, the stalls in the middle had been cleared out and there was someone singing on a makeshift stage. Seunghyun couldn’t understand a single word but he could appreciate the soothing, musical quality to her voice and the way her fingers deftly ran the chords of a small string instrument he had never seen before. The locals were clapping and laughing and singing along and he found himself humming with them, tapping his foot to the rhythm. It was the calmest he had felt since the restlessness started eating at him.

The sudden mention of the name “Gummy” brought him out of his reverie, however, and the actor looked around, trying to pinpoint who exactly had said it before he even remembered where he had heard it before. As soon as he realized it was just part of the conversation around him, the memory came to the front of his mind: the kid and Daesung’s sun-kissed skin and the offer.

Was Gummy the name of the singer, then? The other man had mentioned she knew where he was, if the actor ever wanted to take him up on the offer. Seunghyun hadn’t planned on doing that but maybe it would keep him entertained, or busy, or distracted enough that he could prolong his stay without his obsession with work getting worse.

He took a deep breath and put on his best smile, reaching politely for the shoulder of the nearest woman singing along. “Excuse me, may I ask you a question? Do you mind telling me who’s singing?”

* * * * *

Seunghyun couldn’t quite remember the last time he had felt so undecided about an outfit.

Fashion was something he liked and had taken quite naturally to, after growing out of his more rebellious phase. Even before that, he had been assisted by a stylist so his public appearances weren’t a complete mess. Now that he possessed enough know-how, fashion sense and knowledge of the industry to put together his own outfits, it was something he quite enjoyed doing.

The problem was that this wasn’t a press conference, or premiere for one of his movies, or even a party with coworkers and friends. One the one hand he had been wearing a suit when they got introduced, so showing up in anything less made him feel like slightly embarrassed, like he was being unprofessional. On the other hand, this wasn’t work related and he really didn’t want to go out in the heat with any sort of suit on.

In the end, he decided to settle for a similar outfit for when had stumble onto the market for the first time. Some sort of tropical print shirt, shorts, flip flops and designer sunglasses that seemed entirely out of place with the rest of the ensemble. Hopefully Daesung wouldn’t say anything about the way he was dressed, although Seunghyun thought he really didn’t seem like the type to.

Regardless, he was worrying far too much about this small a thing. There was no harm in looking like a tourist since he was one, was there? He shook his head, going to grab his wallet and phone, resisting the urge to check the news or his emails. After a moment of thought, he went to apply a liberal amount of sunscreen on himself and grabbed one of his hats before leaving the room.

The other man was already waiting for him down at the lobby, peering curiously around with wide eyes, making him wonder if he had ever been inside the hotel. Surely he must have, once or twice? Maybe not to stay but it was in his town, so the possibility of not coming to take a look struck the actor as odd.

“Good morning.”

Daesung turned around, staring at him for a second before waving, his face shifting completely once he recognized him, wide smile blooming and his eyes almost disappearing with the strength of it. “Oh, Seunghyun! Hello!”

There was something inexplicable about the way the brunet said his name that made him want to smile. Perhaps it was his accent, the way his tongue rolled clumsily around the unfamiliar syllables, or maybe it was the way he said it slowly and carefully and deliberately as to not get it wrong.

“Hello, Daesung,” the smile that came to him couldn’t be helped. It’s not like Seunghyun wasn’t used to people being excited about meeting him, but the casual and kind way in which the other man displayed it was endearing. “Thank you for coming. Although, if you have something more important to do-“

“No no,” Daesung was quick to assure him, smile still firmly in place. “It’s fine. I was happy that you remembered me,” there was a pause and a small embarrassed laughed before he pressed on. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Seunghyun replied immediately before realizing that he didn’t know where they were going or what they were going to be doing. “Where are you taking me?”

The guy’s smiled turned just a little bit cheeky suddenly as he started walking backwards, in the direction of the exit. He gesticulated for the actor to follow as he continued on his way, throwing a casual “today? Just for a walk” over his shoulder.

One of Seunghyun’s brows quirked up sharply, but the vagueness of the response made him intrigued rather than annoyed and he followed with an amused smile. It lasted right until they actually step foot outside the hotel and the heat immediately settled around him, although not as severe as it was in the middle of the day.

Daesung say not a word about it, but the way his lips were pressing together and his shoulders were almost shaking gave the distinct impression he was trying not to laugh. It made Seunghyun huff, which made his shoulders shake a little more, which in turn made the actor have to fight not to stick his tongue out – an impulse that took him by surprise. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to act childish.

They walked south, down towards the beaches.  It was early enough that most people were still setting up their stalls and getting their wares out. Daesung didn’t stop to greet every single one but he waved as they went, exchanging a few words and laughs and it was clear he knew almost everyone around. One time he actually stopped, talking quickly with someone, gesticulating and picking up what looked like a small square of baked bread with powdered sugar on it. “Have you tried this yet?”

“I don’t think so?” He didn't remember even seeing it in the market before. Daesung smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners as he held it out for the actor to taste, laughing at his wide eyed look once the sugary flavor settled on his tongue, explaining that the market was next to the hotels and specifically sold the things they knew tourists liked but not much else.

There were more things to try but more things to see first and Daesung clearly wanted to show him something. He was courteous enough to point to several places on their way and explain what the buildings were and what they were used for as well as what they were called in the local language, just so the trip wouldn’t feel awkward.

Seunghyun noticed a difference in how he was being treated by the rest of the people – he hadn’t by any means been treated badly before, but now it was like they saw him as a friend of Daesung’s rather than just another tourist. It made him curious to know what the other man was saying about him but he didn’t want to intrude or be impolite so he didn’t ask.

Much to his relief, they didn’t actually go to the beach or at least not the one he had been to before. When they reached the tunnel passing underneath the train tracks that lead into it, Daesung had changed direction, starting to go west. They still seemed to be going in the direction of the sea but Seunghyun was alright with that, just not with crowds so much.

After a few minutes they reached it, their feet coming to a stop. Daesung leaned over the wooden rail, smiling as the wind ruffled his hair, laughing at the seagulls up high but Seunghyun was too distracted by the sight in front of him to take much notice. Instead of light, clear sand and the gentle waves of the sea, this part of the beach seemed, for the lack of a better word, wilder.

There was only a small strip of sand, the rest taken over by rocks.  Some were small, some were very long and thin, the majority of them were so big you could walk across them like you did on the sidewalk, branching off in different directions, leading smoothly up or cutting off into a dropping point abruptly. Most were covered in moss, with white spots he couldn’t quite make out from that far away.

The rocks extended into the sea proper, forming little natural pools sheltered from the stronger waves that crashed up ahead and there were little ponds everywhere, in every rock, small and quiet and undisturbed. He wondered if they would look like tiny little aquariums. His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle laugh and Seunghyun turned to see Daesung smiling at him like usual, the corners of his lips a little cheeky.

“Do you want to go explore?”

“Yes!” his response was immediate and so enthusiastic it caught Seunghyun himself off guard but the local resident didn’t even seem surprised, just grinned and grabbed at his wrist, pointing towards the nearby stairs leading down.

Daesung told him to leave the flip flops on the sand before trying to climb up, even as he went first, explaining what and what not to do. Seunghyun was to avoid the green patches, since moss and algae were extremely slippery, and wet rock for the same reason. He was reminded to get solid footing before trying to advance and not to go too near the front rocks, as the waves tended to be rough and could drag him down.

He listened attentively, both because he didn’t actually want to get hurt and because he didn’t want to distress Daesung by being reckless. All the precautions dimmed his enthusiasm a bit but it came back even stronger as they reached the first little pond and he crouched down to take a look.

His hand brushed against something rough and he looked down to see shells of some sort. The other man told him to try and pry one off and then laughed heartily when Seunghyun was unable to, even while using both hands. He wasn’t weak by any means, but it was impossible to get it off! After scrunching his eye at the other man still laughing at him, his attention returned to the little pool of water.

It looked pretty like that, in the morning light. Everything was so still and undisturbed that poking through the surface with a finger made him feel a little guilty. The little algae swayed a little but what caught his attention was a movement in a little hole at the right edge of the pool. Seunghyun did it again, closer in that direction, and surely enough something moved, allowing him to catch sight of it for a moment.

“It’s a crab!” Daesung laughed, delighted. The actor’s eyes snapped up to stare at his face, one of his eyes partly covered by the wavy fringe, glowing warm in the sunlight, smile wide and bright, crinkles at the corner of his eyes. His reverie was broken by the small crab suddenly showing up in his field of vision, startling him in such a manner Seunghyun lost his balanced and fell back, right on his .

Any would-be anger quickly dissipated as Daesung suddenly burst into laughter, less gentle but booming and amused, bending over, distracted enough that the crab pinched him and he yelped, accidentally releasing it into the water. Seunghyun allowed himself to laugh at the sight as payback, only doing so harder when the other man pouted at him, finger in his mouth to take the sting off.