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Written for shawolistic because her request fit this au and she liked this story

Idk how much justice I did to it ^^;

“You at this. I hope you know that” Jongdae tells Haneul seriously. Haneul has a smart reply waiting but another fit of giggles consumes her before she can open . Jongdae rolls his eyes. “I am never letting you drink again” he swears. He probably won’t stick to it though but the effort counts. It’s four in the night after a late night concert and an even later night movie. Jongdae sort of understands how they ended up roaming on the eerily silent streets but does not understand how he ended up in this exact situation.

“Jongdae~” Haneul sings and his attention returns to her. She intertwines their fingers and swings it as she walks forward. Jongdae has no idea where they are going but so far they have been walking on main roads so it should be okay. Mentally he is counting down to five thirty in the morning when the bus service starts again. He’ll get Haneul home first and go sleep the day away. Also, Haneul sobers up a lot faster than other people. He doesn’t understand how someone as buzzed as her can sober up within two to three hours of drinking but he has seen it happen and now prays for that miracle to repeat.

She stops abruptly and pouts. Jongdae feels the whiplash from her mood swings. Having a girlfriend like Haneul is really demanding in situations like this. “I want a piggy back ride” she insists childishly. “Haneul...” Jongdae starts. This is the third time this night that she has insisted on it. Haneul pouts extra as Jongdae gives her look. She jumps about, whining mentally but he does not budge. So she resorts to sitting on the concrete footpath.

“Come on Haneul” Jongdae says exasperatedly as he pulls her up. She resists and he has to drag her limp body up. “Okay fine geez” he relents, bending down so that Haneul can climb over. He can almost imagine Baekhyun’s voice in his head, cracking a highly inappropriate joke about climbing and in public. But he doesn’t really have a choice. Haneul wraps her arms and legs around him (she is surprisingly light) and they set off in the direction Haneul points in.

“Where are we going?” Jongdae dares to ask. “To the beach” Haneul tells him. “The beach is too far away. We’re in the city and not on campus” he reminds her. “There is one nearby. Small but pretty” Haneul says burying her head in Jongdae’s neck. Her hot breathe tickles him and makes him feel uncomfortable. Her deep breathing and hold on his body incites a reaction that Jongdae did not expect and which he does his best not to dwell on.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep yet!” he exclaims when he realizes that he doesn’t know the way beyond a certain point. Haneul mumbles into his neck giving him goose bumps. She rubs her eyes to get rid of the sleepiness and gives him directions to the “beach”. Jongdae follows diligently, even if he is sure they will not end up anywhere near a sandy shore with salty water. At one point, Haneul falls asleep on his shoulders again and Jongdae seriously considers turning back. But he has been so distracted with Haneul that he forgot to keep a track of his way back. He’s lost either way. He decides to brave the deserted path into the darkness ahead. Better to be lost with an understanding Haneul in the morning than to be lost with an upset and grumpy Haneul.

A small gate comes up, illuminated by a blue street lamp. “I told you there was no beach nearby” Jongdae complains as he lets Haneul down. His muscles are sore now. Haneul has a good amount of weight in her body. His common sense advises him against suggesting weight loss programs for her. Piggy back rides are a definite no in the near future though. “That’s because you have to cross the gate dummy” Haneul says smartly. Jongdae raises an eyebrow. Haneul has definitely started sobering up then, he realizes wryly. He watches Haneul jump over the gate before following her example. His feet land with a thud on wild grass. The force of the wind has increased and Jongdae can hear a brief humming in the background. Are they really near a beach? The city lies along the shoreline but Jongdae doesn’t expect it to be this close. How far have they walked?

Haneul takes his hand and guides him through the dark road. “Watch your step” she advises. Jongdae’s foot finds an elevation and he tests it before stepping on it gingerly. Haneul walks ahead but very slowly. The dark is easing up. It must be past five thirty because the skies turn light blue by six to six thirty along the shore. The staircase comes to an end and Jongdae realises that the huge tower in the background is actually the ruin of the old abandoned lighthouse that had fallen during an earthquake fourteen years ago. The buzz in the background becomes louder and more defined. It’s the sound of rough waves clamouring against the shore. The area has wild undergrowth and there are small twigs and branches scattered everywhere. How does Haneul end up finding these places?

It turns out that Haneul is just passing by the lighthouse. She walks to the wall opposite to the ruin and climbs over a spot where the bricks have broken through and weathered away to make a hole big enough for people to pass through one at a time. “Jongdae!” she calls out and he hurries over to her. He clambers through the hole since it is a bit too small for him and she pulls him out. His feet sink into a bed of thick, soft fine grained sand. It shines silver and blue in this light. The sky has turned navy blue now. Dawn must be close by, he concludes.

“This is the beach” Haneul says proudly. Jongdae admires the vast expanse of sand in front of him. “The shoreline had initially been rocky but had been replaced by an artificial sandy beach to attract tourists to the lighthouse” Haneul tells him. “It’s pretty alright” Jongdae agrees. It stretches for a mile on both sides and is twenty paces of sand which descends into salty blue green water. Lights from the ships from the city’s harbour are visible on the horizon. The water here is deep but too shallow for a ship to wade through.

Haneul tugs on his shirt and pulls him along to the shoreline. They take off their shoes and Jongdae rolls up his pants. They stand by the edge where the wave comes up once in a while, wetting their toes. The sky is light blue now. Haneul sits down and stretches her legs out so that the waves can wet them whenever they come in close enough. Jongdae follows suit and they spend time in silence, observing the outbreak of red and orange in the sky. The sun is about to rise. The sight makes Jongdae feel content. It’s oddly fulfilling. The adventures of yesterday have culminated into the starting of today. It’s an ending and a beginning, blurred together. Now that he thinks of it, life is a series of such blurred endings and beginnings. So many things set in motion, moving in a pattern that no mere human can observe. Maybe the divine, all seeing power understands?

Haneul lazily nudges his leg with hers. Jongdae smiles indulgingly as he nudges her back. He hums along as she lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. She has been here before, Jongdae remembers. This is the kind of life Haneul lives. Flitting from inspiration to inspiration, moment to moment. Every person is a sum total of their life’s experiences. Haneul has had a variety of them already. Each new experience with her, adds a dimension to his understanding of her. Despite her obvious flaws, she always leaves him in awe of who she is.

Jongdae considers himself lucky.

“Are you cold?” he asks her. While he has been looking at her, the sun has started rising. They sky is a myriad of colours from blue to purple to red, orange and now golden yellow by the horizon. “A little bit” she admits. “What happened to your jacket?” Jongdae asks. “Lost it” she says with a yawn. He feels the weariness in her words. He shakes his head and takes off the shirt he wore over his t-shirt and covers her with it. It looks good on her. It’s oversized but it makes him warm to see her wear his shirt. It’s an odd sort of possessiveness he can’t put to words.  

He starts to hum a nameless melody. Haneul smiles because his voice reminds her of an endless road trip on a summery day through a road covered with trees. She falls asleep, dreaming of catching the beams of sunlight that filters through the leaves. Jongdae watches the ships sail on the horizon and thinks more about life in general. Sunrise always makes people philosophical.

-x-