“I swear, if Byun Baekhyun doesn’t arrive within one minute, I’m going to make sure he’ll regret fooling around with the wrong person,” Kyungsoo said through gritted teeth while his eyes were glued to the door.

“Kyungsoo, please calm down,” Chanyeol said with a sigh, “You know how he is. He’ll love it when he opens the door and sees your furious expression.”

“Just because he’s the CLO doesn’t mean he’s free to do anything he wants. Even Jongin doesn’t show such disrespectful behavior. And how dare he not even show up his face at the conference? Don’t tell me he was fooling around with some famous model again,” Kyungsoo spoke unhappily.

“Kyungsoo, I know the past is the past, and we shouldn’t dwell on something that is history, but,” Chanyeol said before glancing at Kyungsoo curiously, his low voice laced with sincerity, “are you really certain you’ve forgiven him?”

This caused Kyungsoo’s hands to turn into fists and eyes to glare back at Chanyeol, “Don’t bring it up, Chanyeol. I don’t want to explain myself again.”

A sigh escaped Chanyeol’s mouth as he moved his hand through his hair, “As you wish. Just don’t get into another fight with him once he arrives. I don’t want him to leave before I’ve even started discussing the matters with him.”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand,” Kyungsoo said before looking away to the window, “I’ll try my best.”

A sudden knock on the door caught both their attention, and for a quick second Chanyeol eyes Kyungsoo before he spoke out, “Come in.”

Chanyeol never understood why Kyungsoo had started disliking Byun Baekhyun with so much passion. Maybe it was because he still could not let go of the past. Chanyeol would agree that Byun Baekhyun has changed. They used to be friends, quite good friends actually, until he suddenly changed. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had always been on friendly terms, especially since they met quite some times when Baekhyun would visit Sehun. It was only when Sehun was officially appointed as the new CEO of ROYELL, that he began to change. He started dating several celebrities, pretty and beautiful and famous, and started neglecting his responsibility as the CLO of ROYELL. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun got into a fight soon and since then nothing has been the same anymore.

It had never escaped Chanyeol’s thoughts that Baekhyun might hold grudges against the decision of having Sehun being the CEO. After all, ROYELL was a company that was founded by both Sehun’s and Baekhyun’s father. It was a thought that ran through everyone’s mind, but nobody wanted to be the first one to speak out those words for the fear of hitting the bullseye. Baekhyun had never showed any desire to become the CEO of ROYELL until Sehun became the CEO.

“A good afternoon, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said the moment he stepped inside, an air of confidence wrapped around him, before he looked intently at Kyungsoo, “Kyungsoo.”

“Please sit down,” Chanyeol said in a nice tone.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun said before taking place on one of the chairs, comfortable leaning against it before looking at them nonchalantly, “So, what brings this? It’s rare to meet with you two these days.”

Chanyeol saw how Kyungsoo was refraining himself from throwing out some unpleasant remarks, which he was thankful for. He quickly took the initiative to lead the conversation, “We want to discuss your recent behavior.”

“I don’t have to talk about private matters with you, though,” Baekhyun said with a smug grin, “or is this actually an informal meeting between three friends? Because that would be a whole different situation, and I would love to share my stories with you two. However,” He continued as he leaned against the table, shifting his gaze smoothly between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, “if it isn’t, I’m afraid you two don’t have any right to interfere with my private life. And don’t try to discuss this with the CLO of ROYELL, because I should know best.”

“Listen, I don’t know what’s going through your mind, but fooling around with models and actresses is attracting too much attention,” Kyungsoo said as he slammed his hands on the table, “too much unnecessary attention that is dragging down ROYELL’s name. Grow up already.”

For a moment, Chanyeol was certain something akin to sadness flashed in Baekhyun’s eyes, before Baekhyun smirked, “It’s always about ROYELL, huh? But of course, it’s Sehun’s everything. He has spent his whole life preparing himself to become the president of ROYELL. As his lover, you would want the best for ROYELL, which is automatically the best for Sehun.”

“What do you want?” Kyungsoo asked in a dangerously low voice as he looked the other right in the eyes.

“Kyungsoo, calm down-” Chanyeol said, the growing tension in the room beginning to suffocate him, but Baekhyun cut him off.

“I want everything that was supposed to be mine,” Baekhyun said with an evil glint, “everything that Sehun took from me.”

»

“You’re going back already?” Shixun asked at the sight of the suitcases next to Soojung before looking at her.

A small, elegant smile graced her lips as she nodded, “It’s time to get back to reality. Don’t dwell too long on dreams, because that’ll spoil the magic, not?”

Shixun chuckled at this, “You remember.”

“Kaito Akira’s works are my dreams, and I’ll never let go of them,” Soojung said while glancing up at the sky, “but certain dreams are so beautiful because they can’t easily be grasped.”

“I’m sure you’ll find that person with who you’ll share that magical cup of coffee with,” Shixun said gently before extending his hand, “have a safe travel home.”

Soojung broke out into soft laughter because of this, which she bashfully hid behind slender hands, “At one point,” She spoke out as she gingerly held onto Shixun’s hand, “I think I might’ve thought you would be that person. However, my prince would certainly have a better appearance. I can’t accept someone who speaks of Kaito Akira’s works while wearing clothes that are at the end of their days.”

Shixun scratched the back of his head embarrassedly at this, “Well, I…”

Soojung shook her head at this while reaching out for Shixun’s cheek with her hand, touching it softly before moving her head towards his face and kissing him tenderly on the cheek. It caused Shixun to startle in shock, instinctively blinking his eyes before moving his whole body away from the other. For a short moment Soojung looked emotionlessly like she always did, before a soft grin appeared as she shook her head in defeat.

“I’ll make sure to share this magical cup of coffee with someone ten times better than you,” Soojung said before moving her hands to hold onto her suitcases, “take care, Shixun.”

Shixun smiled sincerely, “Take care too.”

And he waved innocently as he watched her walk out of the hostel, nodding at her encouragingly when he saw her looking back at him. Soojung was a beauty, truly a beauty, but not only on the outside. Shixun realized from their first conversation that if you understood Soojung’s thoughts, you would see the eternal beauty lying inside of her. She was not beautiful only for something as temporary as appearance. No, she was the kind of person who was an exact replica of the princess out of fairytales, with endless beauty that came in the form of wisdom and intelligence.

Shixun sighed with a smile before turning around, about to get back to work, when he saw two heads popping out one of the rooms’ door frame, probably having watched the whole scene unfold with utmost glee. Another sigh escaped his mouth this time, but this time because of the expected endless questions he was certain he was going to get, at the sight of two pairs of glistering eyes.

“Did you even understand one sentence of what they just said to each other?” Lu Han asked Yixing.

Yixing grinned, “Only that Shixun got dumped because he wasn’t good enough.”

“W-When did I get dumped?” Shixun stuttered with wide eyes, “Don’t say things that aren’t true!”

“She even kissed him on the cheeks,” Lu Han said with a pout, “Shixun sure is one womanizer.”

“You two,” Shixun said before moving a hand through his hair, “please don’t say anything more.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t run after her, grab onto her hand and tell her you’ll run away with her?” Yixing said teasingly.

“She’s not into Romeo and Juliet! Kaito Akira writes about a much more profound love than that,” Shixun said indignantly, “Ritsu would never be like Romeo. And Nana would understand Ritsu, would believe in him, nothing like Juliet.”

Yixing and Lu Han looked at each other in the eyes, nodding at each other while saying, “Ritsu… Nana…” and then bursting into laughter.

Shixun had to snap his eyes shut to calm himself and not to yell at the two for not appreciating literature. Not knowing how to appreciate it was one thing, but making fun of it was a whole other thing. However, as the sound of laughter continued to fill the hallway, Shixun could not help but smile himself. There really was no reason to get too serious sometimes when it came to these two. They found pleasure when they saw you so worked up, after all.  

“Okay, okay, keep on dreaming about Ritsu and Nana, I’ll go see whether the cook needs some help for lunch,” Yixing said between laughter, “see you at the dining room in thirty minutes, okay?”

Shixun nodded, and watched Yixing walk away before turning his attention to Lu Han, who was still laughing loudly. A smile crept on his lips as he walked up to Lu Han, eyes glued to Lu Han’s face and appreciating the way the smaller male’s eyes would close when he was laughing happily. It made him look older and younger at the same time.

“It isn’t that funny, right?” Shixun asked while watching Lu Han.

Lu Han wiped away some joyful tears before looking at him, “Actually, it is. Are you sure you’re not a romantic at heart? Actually, you really do seem like the kind of person who would be able to leave everything behind for the sake of one passionate love. Everything for true love, right?”

True love. Shixun could not help but laugh at himself at the mentioning of this term. In all honesty, Shixun was not sure how he used to think about love. Memory loss seemed to have taken every single bit of autobiographic memory of him. Whether he had ever fallen in love, ever thought of spending the rest of his life with this person, he could not remember. However, true love did not sound that bad. In fact, it sounded quite good. It sounded pleasant to the heart. Whether there really was something like true love was not up to him to answer, but he wanted to believe there was. And not everyone was lucky enough to encounter something like true love, a love so pure and strong that nothing could break, but maybe that was the price that had to be paid for something as eternal as true love.

He watched contently how Lu Han continued to laugh, desperately trying to stop himself by covering his mouth with his hands. His eyes blinked at the sight of the ring around Lu Han’s finger. It was a ring Lu Han always seemed to wear, no matter what occasion. Shixun remembered Lu Han once asking him whether he knew the whereabouts of the ring. He did not. But it really was a beautiful ring, certainly something he could appreciate. And the way it was wrapped around Lu Han’s finger was…

He reached for Lu Han’s hand, holding onto it gently as he brought it closer to himself to look at the ring more closely.

This caused Lu Han to stop laughing and ask in a rather concerned voice, “What’s wrong?”

Shixun looked at the ring intently before shaking his head at the realization of his silliness, a smile appearing, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Lu Han answered in surprise, “You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shixun said before ruffling Lu Han’s hair, “I’m sure.”

“Hey, don’t ruin my hair!” Lu Han yelled, fingers quickly wrapping around Shixun’s wrists to prevent him from damaging it any further, before Lu Han’s attention suddenly changed, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“What?” Shixun asked while blinking his eyes, slowly moving his head away from Lu Han’s face when he saw the wide eyes looking right into his, suddenly too conscious of their close proximity, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Han looked him in the eyes before grinning like a child, “Can I call you Ritsu?”

Shixun almost choked on air at the sudden question, not knowing whether to laugh at this or answer it seriously, “W-What are you-”

“I know it must’ve hurt to not be able to be Soojung’s Ritsu,” Lu Han said while nodding his head, as if completely agreeing with all the nonsense he was saying, “so I’ll call you Ritsu to comfort you.”

“Don’t you dare call me Ritsu!” Shixun exclaimed angrily but flushed cheeks.

A frown appeared on Lu Han’s face, “I was just fooling around, don’t go yell at me.”

“Just… Just don’t call me anything but Shixun,” Shixun said sternly, although not entirely convincing.

“You’re acting like a girl,” Lu Han said teasingly, “What, you want to be Nana?”

“Yah, stop it!” Shixun yelled at Lu Han, who was quick to run off to the other end of the hallway, “Come back here!”

“See you later, Ritsu!” Lu Han screamed cheerfully before turning the corner, leaving Shixun flabbergasted and all on his own.

Shixun blinked his eyes for a couple of times before he shielded his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to stop the soft sound of a bubbly chuckle to escape and fill the hallway. And, among other things, one thing made him want to hit himself. That was the realization that he was being so silly. Silly, because in his eyes, Lu Han was his clumsy and silly cousin, someone Shixun could not help but compare to a little kid. Yes, Lu Han was an adult, someone who had his own way of living life, and he seemed quite mature at times. He took good care of Shixun, which Shixun completely acknowledged. However, look beneath it all, and you will find the little kid that had never grown up. Beneath everything that meets the eyes, there was an innocent vulnerability that Shixun had found when Lu Han was in his own dream world.

Shixun never told Lu Han, partly because he thought that maybe Lu Han really did not know, but Lu Han had lots of nightmares. Really lots of them. The first time Shixun was pulled out of his sleep was short after he started living in Lu Han’s place. Lu Han suddenly began to thrash around in his bed, which made too much noise for Shixun’s liking. Lu Han began to whimper and incoherent strings of words escaped the smaller male’s lips. Shixun had awkwardly laid on the ground, letting it all wash over him, not knowing what to do at all. He did not felt close enough to Lu Han to go and comfort him, so he decided to listen carefully and see how it would all go. Soft pleads of don’t go resonated in the small bedroom, and the desperation laced around those words made Shixun’s heart clench uncomfortably.

From that night onwards, Shixun could never look at Lu Han the same way again. Every single smile and laughter Lu Han expressed had to be examined thoroughly by Shixun, because no longer could the taller male simply accept them as the truth anymore. He began to question what Lu Han was really thinking when he looked at Yixing and Minseok in a rather envious manner, and he started to wonder why Lu Han was so insistent on having the bedroom door open at night. Shixun never openly asked Lu Han about it, never felt like he had the right to do so. However, he slowly began to grow to feel comfortable around the other, and gradually began to show his affection for the other in his own way. He wanted to see Lu Han smile sincerely, and to reach this he realized he had to learn more about Lu Han, pave a path towards Lu Han’s heart and mark his existence somewhere.

He never thought it would be easy but it surprisingly was. Lu Han was quite predictable when it came to what would make him happy. His face would lit up whenever they earned a lot of money, when he could eat his favorite food, whenever his favorite football team was playing, and these days, also when he was around Shixun. Shixun realized that his cousin was easily content, easily satisfied, and it was quite endearing.   

And the point was that it was simply silly of Shixun to think…

That the ring wrapped around Lu Han’s finger seemed to fit Lu Han so perfectly.

Silly because he did not know why he would ever have such a thought.

»

“Someone came to me today,” Minseok said unhappily while putting down his chopsticks, attracting everyone’s attention, “they want me to consider selling this place.”

This caused Yixing to put down his chopsticks immediately, eyes filled with anger, “What?! And what did you tell them?”

Lu Han dropped the piece of meat in his bowl, asking hesitantly, “W-What… What did they say?”

Minseok let out a deep sigh, “They know about the debts. And they know that if I can’t pay them anytime soon, it’ll be the end. They told me to consider selling the hostel to them, and said they would give me a good price for it. I immediately said no, but they just told me to consider and that they’ll come back on another time,” Sadness was written all over Minseok’s face as he looked around him, the hostel that he loved with all his life, “How can I ever let this go?”

Shixun had already heard from Lu Han that the hostel was Minseok’s life. He took it over from his father, who had continuously reminded him that the hostel was something he needed to keep alive with all his might. There were deep and profound meanings behind this desire, which was to be easily explained by the name of the hostel. U&KIM was supposed to be a place where coziness and comfortableness were to be priority. Treat the customers with a kind of family love that you would not be able to find anywhere else. It was a place where customers and employees bonded.

Shixun never thought this kind of belief still existed, and he was impressed with it. Indeed, there were not a lot of customers, and the hostel was relatively old, but there was something that made it worth the stay. This something came in the form of sunny smiles and lovely laughter. This something came in the form of Yixing who never saw working in the hostel as work, in the form of Lu Han who would never fail to make the customers feel at ease, the cook’s endless dedication to make the food taste decently, and of course Minseok’s strong passion to keep this something alive. Shixun felt at ease in their company.

“I wish there was a way out…” Minseok said tiredly, “But I really wouldn’t know what to do…”

“I… Maybe we could promote the hostel a little?” Lu Han said before shaking his head, “But we tried that already in the past…”

 “Have you ever considered contacting some travel agencies?” Shixun spoke out, catching everyone’s attention.

“Travel agencies?” Minseok replied with surprise, and then he shook his head with a smile, “Nobody would want to work together with us. We’re barely making any profit right now. They’ll find it too unreliable to work with us.”

“Indeed, most of the travel agencies would prefer the more well-known hotels, since that would make the travelers feel more at ease of what to expect. On top of that, the travel agencies will know with more certainty that nothing will go wrong,” Shixun said in agreement, “However, it is a fact that people, especially those from the big and busy cities, desire getting closer to nature these days. It’s an excellent selling point that this hostel is located so closely to the beautiful beach. The environment is refreshing, and this place kind of feels like coming home. Together with the fact that there is a small forest right next to the hostel, where people can walk through, it’s definitely not impossible to catch any travel agencies’ interest.”

“Shixun, are you sure?” Lu Han asked while glancing at Shixun.

Shixun looked at him before smiling reassuringly, “Completely sure.”

Lu Han glanced at Minseok, “Minseok, what do you think?”

Minseok massaged his temples in exhaustion before looking at Shixun with a smile, “Are you confident about it?”

“I can’t guarantee anything but it’s definitely worth the try,” Shixun said before pointing to Lu Han, “and I’m sure that Lu Han can do this. I’ll help him.”

“Me?” Lu Han said with widened eyes, “Why me?”

“If there’s anyone who’s strong and brave enough for this challenge, it’s definitely you,” Shixun said easily and confidently, “And you would know more about the hostel than me.”

A faint blush bloomed on Lu Han’s cheeks, “But I wouldn’t know how to do it…”

“I believe in you, Shixun,” Minseok said with a grateful smile, “so if you think this might work, try it. I’ll let Lu Han help you,” Minseok said before wearing a playful grin, “he doesn’t do much in the hostel anyways.”

“Hey!” Lu Han yelled indignantly, “I’m a very productive employee!”

“I’ll try my best,” Shixun said with a humble smile.

Minseok nodded his head, “I know you will. I’m so grateful for your appearance here, really. You’ve helped a lot. I can never pay for everything you’ve done, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“No, it’s my pleasure to help,” Shixun said while gesturing that what he had done was nothing worth such compliments, embarrassedly scratching the back of his head.

Minseok’s smile brightened up at this, “Shixun, could you come with me for a second?”

Shixun nodded before standing up, giving the surprised Lu Han a quick pat on the head before following Minseok out of the dining room and into the hallway. Minseok lead them to the small administrative room where Minseok spent most of his time. It was just big enough for one person to stay in, having only a small table desk, a chair and a filing cabinet. Piles of paperwork were lying everywhere, and Shixun noticed dry paint peeling off at the corners.

“I’ll give you some general information about our hostel, its history and all. I’m sure it’ll come in handy for you,” Minseok said as he rummaged through the filing cabinet.

“Thank you for your belief in me,” Shixun said as he watched the other look around.

This caused Minseok to stop his movements, and he wore a smile as he looked at Shixun, “I should be the one thanking you. Not only for helping us, but more importantly, for making Lu Han happy.”

Shixun shook his head, “I didn’t do anything.”

“I’m not sure how good your relationship was with Lu Han, he never tells me anything about his family, but I can tell you one thing,” Minseok placed a warm hand on Shixun’s shoulder, “he’s never been anything close to happy until you came. He’s one to bottle up his feelings, forcing him to only explode when he’s all alone. He’s simply scared.”

“I know,” Shixun said, a weird feeling spreading inside of him that made his stomach churn uncomfortable and his heart clench painfully, “I know.”

Shixun knew that much. And it scared him more than it really should. He was afraid that the day might come that this would all end. And Shixun was afraid that Lu Han would get hurt when that day would come.

That day when he would have to leave.

He clenched his fists as he spoke, “That’s why I want him to do this.”

»

“Hey, Shixun, why are you so silent all of a sudden?” Lu Han asked the moment he sat opposite of Shixun, folded arms immediately leaning against the kitchen table.

Shixun looked up to meet Lu Han’s eyes from behind his bangs, a small smile growing on his lips, “Nothing, I was just thinking.”

Lu Han frowned at this, “You’re never this silent though. And what’s there to think about? The travel agencies plan? Don’t push yourself, we’ve plenty of time.”

Plenty of time. Shixun never stood still to think about it, but time really was not something he had control over. It had only recently begun to pop up in his mind that this was not forever, this was only something temporary. He had come to visit his cousin, and he was going to need to leave at one point. When Shixun had woken up that day in Lu Han’s bed, completely lost and with his head bandaged, Shixun was already thankful to know he was in good hands. Lu Han had taken care of him the best he could. Minseok and Yixing were unconditionally nice people. Shixun could enjoy life by seizing the days, already really grateful and content when they had worked hard for a whole day and would get to eat a good meal. There were no worries, no problems he had to deal with. It was almost a blessing.

But it was also a curse. Because Shixun did not know what he had left behind. Shixun did not know about his real life, his real existence. His responsibilities, his problems, his everything that was waiting for him to return, although Shixun would not even know what this all could possibly be. Lu Han had only told him that he was here in Incheon to visit Lu Han, and that he came from Busan. Shixun realized recently that he would have to get back to Busan at one point. He would not be able to sleep on the ground in Lu Han’s bedroom for the rest of his life. He would have to pick up his life in Busan at one point. The thing was that he was not even sure whether he wanted to leave or not. But he would have to eventually.

The point was – he was not certain about anything.

When he would have to go and what would await him.

When he would regain his memories, if ever.

“Lu Han,” Shixun said, all too seriously all of a sudden, “you need to do this well and learn how to keep the hostel alive, alright?”

“S-Shixun, what are you saying?” Lu Han replied with a nervous chuckle, “Of course I’ll do my best! But you’ll be there to guide me, right? If you’re by my side to help me, it’ll be fine,” A bright smile appeared on the smaller male, “It’ll certainly be fine.”

And ever since the realization, the painful realization of uncertainty of his time in Incheon, those words Lu Han spoke out no longer made him feel happy. It also did not make him feel burdened, it never did, he realized. No, it made him feel guilty, unhappy, sad. Because Lu Han was already too close to him, and he himself was already too used to being by Lu Han’s side, that the thought of an end sounded too cruel all of a sudden.

“I won’t always be here to help you, Lu Han,” Shixun said softly.

He watched how Lu Han’s expression fell, how those eyes that recently seemed to shine were slowly losing their glow again. He watched it all and it hurt. It really hurt. The way Lu Han would look so disappointed and sad, so terrified and frightened, made Shixun wish that day would never come. He wished he could stay by Lu Han side forever, just so Lu Han would never have to deal with a separation.

But life was not that pretty.

If only they had not become so close, maybe things would have been better.

“Shixun…” Lu Han said weakly, slowly reaching out for Shixun’s hand that was lying on the table but Shixun was quick to move his hand away, causing the hurt in Lu Han’s eyes to intensify.

“Lu Han…” Shixun said before swallowing the lump that had grown in his throat, “don’t get too attached to me.”

And before Lu Han could even say anything, Shixun already stood up and walked away, not knowing whether he would be able to endure it if Lu Han were to cry in front of him. Probably not.