The salty smell of the sea air fills the lungs of a young man leaning against the railing dividing grass from sand. His vision is filled with young people having the time of their lives - laughing, playing volleyball, and catching frisbees. He wishes he could join the crowds, but remembers the pile of work on his desk at home. With a heavy sigh, he starts to turn away when he sees a splash of black out of the corner of his eye. Intrigued, he turns his head and spots a thin boy in ripped jeans and a dark t-shirt. The boy’s sandy blonde hair blends seamlessly into the sea of Californian heads but his outfit screams outsider.

Strange, the young man thinks to himself before turning back around and making his way back home.

...

Frustrated at the little progress made on his work, he rushes out of his small apartment to escape its stifling atmosphere. With his notebook in hand, he finds a cozy coffee shop to settle down in and enjoy the sunset. After ordering a steaming cup of coffee, he lowers himself onto one of the plush armchairs by the window. Staring wistfully at the view, his eyes widen as he recognizes the boy from the beach walking past. The urge to get up and run after the boy is immense, but he realizes the foolishness of the idea.

He shakes his head to himself as he turns back to his work laying in front of him, but finds himself looking out the window again, thoughts wandering back to that strange boy. Why am I like this? He ponders, hands rubbing the back of his head. Unable to concentrate, he downs the rest of his already cold coffee and gets up to move to an isolated corner of the coffee shop. Now, with a fair distance between him and the wide window, he focuses back on his work for a few more hours.

...

Whistling a tune as he leaves the coffee shop, the young man heads to the bus stop to catch the last bus home as it pulls up to the stop. As he climbs the narrow steps of the bus, a low greeting to the bus driver escapes from his throat. Head down, he plops himself down on a seat next to the window. Finally looking up, he jumps slightly as right in front of him, in the seat across, sits the boy in the ripped jeans.

“Hey” he mumbles, unable to e any other words.

“Um, hi,” the boy responds, looking disinterested and not bothering to spare a glance from under his cap. The young man notices a suitcase on the seat next to him and wonders if he has someplace to go. Night had fallen several hours ago.

Trying to keep the conversation going, he tries speaking again. “New around here, huh?”

The boy, not quite catching what he said, grunts, “Hmm?”

“I asked if you’re new in town,” the young man repeats a few decibels higher. “I was just asking since you have an aura about you that doesn’t quite fit with California yet. With your ripped jeans and black t-shirt and that ‘I don’t care about anything’ look on your face.

Giving him a look, the boy says nothing and glances out the window, watching the empty streets pass by.

Trying one more time, the young man says, “Hey, if you’re looking for somewhere to stay, there’s a hostel in a few stops. It’s not too bad and the area isn’t too shady.”

“Why do you care so much?” the boy suddenly blurts out crossing his arms, “Does it look like I need your help?” Enraged, he grabs his stuff and begins to head to the doors of the bus only to be stopped by a strong hand on his wrist.

“The bus hasn’t stopped yet if you haven’t noticed,” informs the young man, “I bet you don’t even know where to go or what to do. If you need anything, you can call me at this number.” He hands the boy a post-it with 10 digits written on it.  Shaking his hand off, the boy doesn’t respond, too embarrassed to say anything and makes his way to the doors again.

Just as the bus is about to stop, the young man calls out, “By the way, my name’s Minseok!” In response, all he gets is a rude gesture involving a middle finger as the boy slips away into the dark streets of Southern California.

Slightly amused but concerned, Minseok shakes his head and settles back down into his seat.

...

For some time, Minseok can't get the strange boy out of his mind. He often wonders what happened to his. Should he have tried to do more or just left his alone all together? Eventually, Minseok becomes consumed with other things. He has his own problems to worry about, and with exams fast approaching, he has no time to think about the boy in the ripped jeans and the black t-shirt.

...

Finally, Minseok can begin to breathe again. His last exam of the semester was over and to celebrate, he decides to go down to the beach. He misses the salt air and the carelessness of everyone around him. A much better atmosphere than the stuffy, stale classroom environment oppressing any feelings of freedom. Catching the bus down, he gives a farewell to the buildings that had caged him for the last few months and looks forward to an evening spent outside.

Sunset had always been Minseok’s favourite time to visit the beach. It’s when things start to calm down and a sense of serenity always manages to envelope him. Stretching his arms out and taking a deep breath in, Minseok starts to make his way down to the water-

“GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU ING S!”

Instantly, Minseok turns to the source of the noise, recognizing it as the voice of the boy in the ripped jeans. From the corner of his eye, he sees a figure with sandy hair being chased by two gangly men in baggy pants with scraggly beards into a nearby alleyway. Without thinking, Minseok abandons the water to chase after the strange trio who quickly dash into a nearby alleyway.

Pausing to catch his breath, Minseok stops at the entrance of the alleyway. He peers around the corner and sees the two men cornering the boy.

“It’s been over a month,” exclaims the larger of the two men. “Your time is up. Hand over the cash!”

“I don’t owe you anything! Leave me alone,” the boy yells back.

“We went through all the trouble of tracking you down and we’re going to get what we want,” threatens one of the men.

As Minseok sees the two men inch closer to the boy, the instinct to protect overcomes him and he decides to take action.

Casually making his way down to the scene of conflict, Minseok calls out, “Hey Minjae, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

At the sound of his voice, all three heads turn in his direction.

“Stay out of this,” calls the second thug. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Actually, it does have something to do with me,” replies Minseok. “This is my cousin Minjae that you’re bothering. We have a dinner to go to, so if you could let him go that would be great.”

“I think you’re mistaken. This boy isn’t your cousin, his name’s Luhan,” the second man retorts.

So that’s his name, muses Minseok. “I think I would know my own cousin. Clearly you have the wrong boy. Now if you don’t mind, we’ll be on our way right now.” Grabbing Luhan’s wrist, Minseok begins to drag him out of the alleyway.

“Hey! Come back!” shouts one of the men.

“No can do. We got a dinner to go to remember,” Minseok yells out as he and Luhan turn the corner. “C’mon, let’s go before they catch up to us.” Still holding onto Luhan’s wrist, Minseok breaks into a run, dragging him along.

…

“Let go of me, you freak,” yells Luhan, making them stop running. Minseok realizes that he’s been holding onto Luhan the entire time and drops his wrist quickly.

“Oh, um, sorry, I didn’t realize,” Minseok looks down and blushes.

“Who do you think you are, messing around with my life!” accuses Luhan. “I don’t need your charity!”

Looking at him incredulously, Minseok retorts, “If it wasn’t for me you’d still be in that alleyway and you’d probably be beaten up or dead!”

“You don’t know what would have happened. I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly you’re doing a great job,” scoffs Minseok. “Have you even found a place to stay?”

“Why do you care so much?!” Luhan retorts.

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m trying to be nice to you!”

“You don’t even know me!”

“I know enough to see that you’re in trouble and could use some help.” Out of nowhere, Minseok grabs Luhan’s arms and brings him closer. “Just let me help you, okay?” Minseok says softly, staring directly into Luhan eyes.

Defeated, Luhan can only nod.

…

“Home sweet home,” Minseok declares as he plops down onto the couch. “Consider everything in here yours as well.”

Luhan only stares at Minseok, clutching his few belongings.

“I only have one bedroom but you can take it. I’ll sleep on the couch. Make yourself at home,” Minseok adds.

Looking around, Luhan sees that Minseok’s apartment is small but neat. The walls are painted a pleasant blue and there are large windows that allow the moonlight to shine through. There is very little in the living room, just the essential furniture: a couch, a table, and some chairs. A desk with papers scattered across sits in the corner, displaying a family picture, the only decorative item in the room. Making his way to the dining area, he sees that the kitchen is also small, but contains all that is needed. He continues to move through the apartment, opening up each door he passes. The door immediately to the right of the kitchen contains a washer and dryer set. Closing the door, he makes his way to the next room, which holds the washroom. Again, like everything else in the apartment, it is small but functional. At the end of the narrow hallway is the last door. Upon opening it, he sees that it is the bedroom, where a large and comfortable looking bed dominates the room.

Once he has gone through every room in Minseok’s apartment, Luhan heads back to the living room where he sees Minseok sprawled across the couch, arms crossed as he lightly snores. With a soft smile gracing his lips, Luhan stares at Minseok’s still form, softly illuminated by the moonlight.

“Thank you,” is all he says before turning away.

…

As the months pass by, Luhan and Minseok establish a routine. In the mornings, Minseok makes breakfast for two and leaves Luhan’s plate out for him for when he wakes up. Then he goes to school, the beach, or runs some errands. Luhan, once awake, would eat the breakfast prepared by Minseok and spend the day in his apartment watching shows on the flat screen TV in the living room. The two would not see each other until late in the evening when Minseok returned home. Little was spoken between the couple but they soon fell into a comfortable friendship.

...

“Hey Minseok,” Luhan calls out as he hears the sound of the door shutting. “I was thinking, I don’t do very much and I want to help out.”

“No, it’s completely fine,” Minseok responds.

“I’m starting to feel useless not doing anything. Before, I had to worry about where I’ll be sleeping that night and if I would have enough food. I was always getting into trouble. Since moving in, it’s been so safe and uneventful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful that you offered me a place to stay but I’m just feeling so restless,” Luhan explains to Minseok. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I decided that I should get a job. It’ll give me something to do and help me to move on in my life. I’ll finally be able to help pay rent too. Do you think that’s alright?”

“You’re in charge of your own life. If finding a job is what you want, then there’s nothing standing in your way, including me,” Minseok tells him as he inches closer to Luhan.

“Thanks Minseok, I just wanted your opinion on the idea.”

“I’ll help you with your resume and everything. I’m glad you’re moving forward,” Minseok reassures Luhan before giving him a hug.

…

Luhan soon finds a job as a secretary at a small law firm downtown. With a new sense of purpose in his life, Minseok notices that Luhan’s mouth seem to curl up at the corners more often. Luhan moves with more ease now and seems to laugh more, even taking up cooking lessons to fill his time when not working. Although his job tires him out at times, Luhan always manages to prepare dinner for himself and Minseok, much like how Minseok prepares breakfast for the two. The comfortable silence that is always present at dinnertime slowly turns to light-hearted banter and laughter. Their lives continue on pleasantly, but the topic of their conversations never stay on Luhan’s past for long.

...

A sudden succession of shrill rings cut through the silence of the apartment. Quickly getting up from his desk and moving towards the phone, Minseok picks up on the fourth ring.

“Hello, Minseok speaking.”

“Hey, is Luhan available?” A deep voice on the other end asks.

“He’s at work right now. Who is this?” Minseok responds.

“It’s Yifan, his brother. Can you let him know I called?”

“Sure thing. Do you want to leave a message?”

“Yeah, just tell him that the old man finally kicked the bucket. Thanks,” Yifan responds casually before hanging up on Minseok.

Speechless, Minseok can only stare at the phone before slowly placing it back down and making his way to the couch. He hears the apartment door open and close.

“Minseok! I’m home from work. I bought some eggs since we ran out of them this morning,” Luhan calls out as he places his belongings on the side table. Walking into the living room on his way to the kitchen, Luhan is stopped by Minseok’s voice.

“Luhan,” Minseok calls out hesitantly.

Not looking at Minseok, Luhan continues talking, “I was thinking we could make something for dinner instead of having takeout like we-”

“Luhan,” Minseok cuts in, “Your brother just called.”

Finally glancing at Minseok, he questions, “My brother? Yifan?”

“Yeah, he left a message,” Minseok breaks off.

“And?” Luhan inquires.

“Maybe you should sit down first,” Minseok suggests.

Puzzled, Luhan moves to sit next to Minseok on the couch. Taking Luhan’s hand in his own, Minseok takes a deep breath in and stares directly into Luhan’s eyes.

“Luhan, your dad, he’s dead,” Minseok softly admits.

“Is that all? You really scared me for a second,” Luhan says as he gets up from the couch to go put away the eggs. “I’m going to start on dinner now.”

Before Luhan can reach the kitchen, Minseok calls out, “Aren’t you upset? Your dad just died! I think you’re acting way too nonchalant about this.”

“Not really. We were never that close,” Luhan responds.

“But he was your dad! Don’t you feel even the slightest bit sad?” Minseok exclaims, incredulous at Luhan’s attitude.

“No I don’t. Stop questioning me, just drop it,” Luhan tensely says back.

“We’ve been living together for six months! Aren’t we close enough now? I think I deserve to know more about you!” Minseok accuses.

“You don’t want to know my past, it’s messy,” Luhan defends himself.

“I know you had a tough life but aren’t you past that? Why do you have to keep everything bottled up and hidden from me? I want to become closer but you never let me in!”

“Some things should just be left alone!” Luhan yells at Minseok before storming into the kitchen.

Frustrated, Minseok groans and falls back down onto the couch. Head in his hands, he sighs loudly. The only sound in the apartment is the opening and closing of the kitchen cabinets. “Look, I’m sorry for pushing you, I’m just trying to look after you,” Minseok apologizes.

The shuffling in the kitchen stops. Luhan is still for a few moments before continuing to move about the kitchen. Minseok, disappointed, leans his head against the back of the couch and closes his eyes. An eternity seems to pass as, in the silence, no words are spoken.

“He was an alcoholic.”

Minseok opens his eyes at the sound of Luhan’s voice.

“He was abusive and could never really take care of us.”

Minseok begins to sit up.

“Mom never stood up for us and we were left to fend for ourselves.”

Getting off the couch, Minseok slowly makes his way to Luhan.

“It worse than being homeless. We had no electricity, our house was basically falling apart, and we went hungry most nights. Instead of getting a job and supporting us, he drank away the money and had stupid goals that never came true. He promised us everything but gave nothing.”

Pausing at the door to the kitchen, Minseok sees Luhan supporting himself with his hands on the counter, staring out the window. Minseok leans against the doorframe to watch and listen, not making a sound.

“It was so hard to be happy. We were supposed to pretend that life was good when, in reality, it was awful. I used to dream of what my life could have been if I was born to a family with a dad who had a nine to five job and a mom who actually cared. We wouldn’t have had to worry about if we had lunch that day or-”

Luhan is suddenly cut off as Minseok’s arms envelop him from behind. Cradled by the strong arms around him, Luhan trembles as he tries to control the sobs that are threatening to escape.

“I’m sorry, Lu” Minseok whispers, lips pressed against Luhan’s blond hair. Unable to hold back his tears anymore, Luhan breaks down and collapses. The only thing keeping him up is the strength of Minseok’s embrace.

The two stay wrapped around each other, not saying a word, as the remaining daylight slowly becomes dimmer and dimmer, fading into the night.

...