It was clear that day when Seungri met Jiyong. The sun blistered his skin, his eyes swollen and bruised from the countless assaults of war bandits. He spread his arms in front of him, trying to clutch onto that warm light, the sun’s rays…and throw them far away from his battered body. He wanted to cry, to yell, to scream at his misfortunes. Isn’t it enough that he lost his home, was kidnapped and then thrown away like useless garbage? And now, he lay here with nothing but the sweaty, dirty clothes on his back. 

            The sun was getting too bright for him. Seungri crossed his arms over his face to shield himself from the overbearing light. He decided to sleep. At least that way, when he died from dehydration and infected wounds, he would be unharmed in his dreams.

            Soon enough, he slipped into dreamland’s grasp, touching soothing grass, hearing the humming of countless forest birds, tasting trickles of water that flowed down his throat and dripped from his chin. The sensation felt so real, his parched lips soaked up the refreshing liquid. The humming got louder until he realized it was a voice, calling out to him. His eyes opened into small slits as he choked back the excess water. The sun still hurt his eyes, but he noticed the shadow of a man looming over him.

            “Drink slowly,” the stranger with a voice as smooth as velvet, commanded softly, pressing a metal canister to Seungri’s lips. Seungri faintly nodded and with slow movements, grabbed the object from the man’s hands. It was only after he finished the water did he realize that he had been propped up by the stranger’s knee so he could drink the liquid better. He started to feel a bit guilty for exhausting the man’s drink and lowered his head, handing the empty bottle back to him.

            “Can you stand?” The man asked him, taking the canister in his hands and fully standing up. His shadow cast a welcoming shade over his body as Seungri took the chance to really look at the man who saved him.

            Hidden in garments of white and gold, two bronze eyes stared down at him. Unusually pale skin and dusty blonde hair surrounded those haunting eyes. If he looked any closer, Seungri bet there would be flecks of amber embedded in those deep-set eyes that gave off confidence and mystery.

  It was like staring at a king.

            Too fascinated by the stranger’s eyes and still a bit woozy from his time in the desert, he didn’t notice the animal standing protectively next to the man’s side. Seungri almost had the humor to chuckle when the camel tried to nip at the mask that covered the top part of the man’s head and bottom half of his face. He could tell that the stranger was a bit annoyed as he swatted the camel away from his face with a gentle tug of the reins. The man’s eyes squinted in amusement at his camel’s antics.

            Those eyes. They were so expressive that Seungri could envision the bright smile that went along with them. But more than anything else, those eyes spoke of understanding, wisdom, hope, and simply, friendship.

            “Can you stand?” The man asked again, this time bringing the camel with him. Seungri pushed himself up with his arms and stood on wobbly legs. The desert took a toll on his body as he started to drop again. Someone grasped onto his arm in a strong hold, breaking his fall.

            “I guess not,” the stranger quirked up with a small chuckle. “Seunghyun, let’s saddle him up.”

            Seungri looked behind him to see a tall figure with coal black hair that shined blue in the sunlight. It hadn’t registered in his mind yet that this other man was the one who stopped his fall. Seungri gave a little yelp when his arm was suddenly pulled around Seunghyun’s broad shoulders.

            “It’s okay,” the velvety, light voice told him, his eyes steady and unyielding. Seungri nodded and with some help from Seunghyun, was quickly placed on top of the camel.

            “Now, just hold on to the reins and we’ll take care of the rest,” the tall man’s surprisingly deep voice assured him. He nodded again, feeling the light pull of the reins from the shorter man in front. Seungri was a little disappointed that he couldn’t see those comforting eyes—so different from his own uncertain ones—now that they were being used to lead the gentle beast.

            It had maybe been a couple of hours when he started to doze off again. Seungri snapped his eyes open when he felt something soft cover his skin.

            “Sorry,” Seunghyun said apologetically as he wrapped a cloth over Seungri’s head. “This will help to ward off heat .”

            Seungri smiled his thanks and looked around him. He was still sitting on the camel, only now the animal seemed to have sat down to rest as well. The sun was going down, giving off its final blazing waves. It was then that he noticed that the other man was not with them. It seemed as though Seunghyun had read his thoughts because he nodded his head to some direction westward.

            “Jiyong is scouting ahead to find some shelter. We are close to our village, and although a night ride would be more cooling than walking in the day, it would be too dangerous to travel in darkness,” Seunghyun said matter-of-factly, sitting down next to him. He grabbed a handful of dried fruit from a bag slung on the camel’s back and handed it to Seungri who took it gratefully.

            The travellers sat in a peaceful numbing silence. Seunghyun tried to tell interesting tales of the desert and the creatures around them, but all in all, silence seemed to be the tactic that they would always fall back on.

            Seunghyun was a friendly man with a dimple smile and kind hazel eyes. He seemed to understand Seungri without having him say anything. But he didn’t give off the same feeling as their other traveling companion.

  Jiyong.

           That was what Seunghyun called him. Jiyong looked at him as if he knew exactly what he has been through, how he felt, his innermost desires.  It was like he was staring straight into his soul. Seungri felt a stirring in his core, a tug that bound him to this man he just met hours from probable death.

  And he knew that he would never have this potent loyalty for anyone else as long as he was alive.

            “He’s back,” Seunghyun commented, already preparing the camel for the trek. A blotch of white treaded towards them in calm strides. Jiyong nodded to the tall man as he grabbed onto the reins.

            “Not far. I’ve already set up most of the tent. Home is only a few hours away, we’ll make it by tomorrow, midday,” Jiyong petted his camel affectionately. He suddenly looked up at Seungri who was unashamedly staring back at him.

            “How are you feeling?” Jiyong asked. Seungri tried to respond, but it hurt to even open his mouth. So, he gave a small smile instead. That seemed to satisfy Jiyong as he signaled the camel to start moving forward.