Taking off his jacket, he steps into the studio. He’s a little early but better that then late. He has a client coming in an hour and there is much to do before she arrives. He needs to get everything set up and ready, to be prepared for whatever she wants.

Later he adjusts the camera lenses, making it zoom in closer on his subject. She looks quite cheerful when she smiles. The red dress compliments her nicely and her hat is tilted at the perfect angle. She’s quite pretty, he notes.

He walks closer to her, wanting to get a close up of her from the neck up, as she had asked. He didn’t quite necessarily agree with the bold red background she had chosen-he would have gone with something a little fainter-but if she is happy with it, that’s all that matters.

He gently presses the button on his camera, snapping the picture. Backing up, he takes one slightly to the left. Then slightly to the right, panning around her to get a good picture from all angles.

Soon he is finished. As she leaves the room to change into more casual clothes, he sinks into a chair with a sigh. As much as he hates to admit it, that was a pretty boring shoot. Not that he’s complaining, he loves what he does, it’s just some people are quite stubborn and set on what they want. That’s not a bad thing, per se, but it does make working with them more difficult.

After his client leaves, he gets ready for his next appointment. He is supposed to take some pictures at the local aquarium for one of the newspapers. He’s not sure exactly what animal it’s supposed to be of but he was told the manager would inform him when he arrived.

Pulling on his jacket, he leaves the room, pausing only to lock the door to the studio before continuing down the hallway and soon out of the building.

Sungyeol watches him from afar. He doesn’t understand Sungjong’s fascination with sea creatures and doesn’t want to understand anyway. The whole subject bores him, honestly. It’s not something he’s interested in and it’s not something he’d think others would find interesting but it can’t be helped.

Sungjong walks down the short hallway, looking at the glass above him. The whole hallway is made of glass, the ceiling and half of the walls so one can see the animals swimming through the water at all angles. It’s a very nice idea and Sungjong loves it. He loves seeing them, even if it is an illusion, free to roam, just like in the ocean. They can swim anywhere and with other creatures too, so they’re not alone.

He wishes he was free.

Stingrays float above him, looking big and soft. They are followed by little schools of tiny fish that weave in and out of their way. Hearing the footsteps of his companion, he tightens his mouth and exits the glass-ceilinged room, entering another darkened room. This time, one whole wall is see-through and is just as populated as the other. Animals come together and drift apart, having more than enough room to have their own little areas but not being ever alone.

Smiling slightly, he presses a hand against the glass. Two dolphins cut through the clear blue water, playing with each other. They look quite carefree, even if they are trapped behind some glass in the middle of Japan. At least that way, no one can hurt them.

Sungyeol clears his throat impatiently, signaling he wants to leave. Sungjong sighs to himself. Whenever he wants to do something he likes, Sungyeol is never for it. And yet when Sungyeol drags him to whatever his interests are, he expects Sungjong to be interested in them as well. Their relationship, once so strong, now seems to be take and take and take. He doesn’t know how much longer he can stand it. But if he says anything…that would just make Sungyeol more demanding tonight. And he doesn’t want that.

“I’ll meet you at the front. Bathroom,” Sungyeol says as way of explanation. Sungjong nods, not the least bit sad to have at least a few more minutes to himself. As Sungyeol wanders off to the restroom, he starts to make his way to the front of the aquarium.

Looking around, he tries to read all the posters on the wall that details information on all the species the aquarium carries. There are sharks, dolphins, catfish, eels, sting rays, trout-so many different kinds of fish and then different types for each kind. It is amazing, he muses. That things so different are actually so similar and only differ by something small.

The automatic doors open and Myungsoo steps through them, unfamiliar with the layout of the aquarium and therefore unsure where to go after this. He’d never been before, since he had had no reason to. His manager hadn’t been very clear where he should go to see the head of the aquarium’s office so he’s a little anxious about how he’s going to find his way. But then again, Dongwoo is never very clear on a lot of things so he shouldn’t be too surprised.

He sees a young man in the opening hallway, gazing around at all the posters on the wall that explain the different species of aquatic creatures. He looks familiar…

When the boy turns, he gets a full view of his face. He’s very young looking, probably no older than twenty. His dark hair is slightly tousled, falling down in slight waves over his forehead. He’s skinny and tall, but not as tall as Myungsoo’s almost six feet. And his eyes…his eyes are the richest brown Myungsoo has ever seen.

They are deep and light at the same time. They catch the bright light of the chandeliers above them and they seem to glow with happiness as he reads the posters.

Shaking his head of such thoughts, he ventures forward to ask the boy if he knows where the manager’s office is. But then the young man is joined by another and he steps back, not wanting to interrupt.

His companion nudges him, making the other look uncomfortable. Chuckling, he leads him from the aquarium, brushing past Myungsoo and out into the street. He notices his eyes are back to being guarded, being emotionless. Nonetheless, he’s still quite beautiful.

Myungsoo finds himself watching the younger of the two the whole way out.