The shortest chapter I’ve ever written with 6 pages in MS Word.

It was 7 in the evening of July 4th. The two of them stood near the rooftop’s door in silence. No one uttered a single word since they arrived there. What could be the right words to say? The atmosphere was awkward. That was an understatement. Their long breaths just proved how much the two namjas were weighing so much stuff in their minds.

“Don’t tell me you made me cancel my magazine shoot just to stare at this door.”

“I didn’t tell you to cancel it.”

“You told me to go here. I even heard you say ‘Emergency’ on the phone.”

“Yeah. But I didn’t tell you to cancel it.” Nemo repeated stubbornly.

The vampire just shook his head in disbelief. Is this guy serious? “Yah Lee Donghae.”

“Do you remember the reason why we started that silly racing game?”

Silence.

“I always loved your mom’s cooking. She really does those dishes that made me want to eat your lunchbox. It all started because of food.” He heard Donghae laughed.

Another minute of silence enveloped the two.

“But Dara is a different thing, Jaejoong. She’s not a dish that I could just share to anyone.”

Jaejoong finally looked at Donghae who took a step forward and opened that door. The cold breeze of the night made their insides shivered for a bit. “Just make sure that you’ll bring her back to me. Before 11 p.m. Safe and sound, arasso?”

The JYJ member looked at the fish in nothing but confusion. “What?” He managed to say. But then he realized that he needed not to ask, when Jaejoong looked at where Donghae was gazing.

Dara.

The white handkerchief on the very middle of that tug of war.

Jaejoong’s love.

Donghae’s life.

The person that gives them that extraordinary warmth. 

The one that made them believe that it is truly wonderful to fall in love. 

The living reason why they could sacrifice everything. Anything. For her.

His Sands . . .

His Santokki . . .

“I thought you don’t want to share.” Jaejoong finally said as his stare kept on Dara’s small back. The 2NE1 member was leaning on the balustrade and was enjoying the view below.

“I don’t.” Donghae quietly said and turned his back to go down the stairs. “Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong looked at him in the eyes without saying a thing.

“I told you back then that I don’t owe you an apology for,” Paused. “Leaving Dara. So I guess, I don’t have the right to tell you how thankful I am that you stayed when I . . .” The wind blew stronger on their skins. “You are important to her, Jaejoong. I know.” His eyes . . . Jaejoong had always disliked those eyes. It was because his eyes never lie. For a grown up man, they were so full of innocence and purity.

The two just stood there, rubbing against one’s shoulders as they stared at each other. “Do you remember our last race?” Jaejoong asked all of a sudden.

The fish nodded. “Wae?”

Jaejoong looked at him. If it weren’t for Dara, we would’ve been really close brothers, Donghae. “You won.” He barely said and smiled at the Suju member.

The fish was startled at first as he blinked his eyes. I won? I finally won against Kim Jaejoong? Solma?! “All is fair in love and war, huh?” Donghae laughed shortly which Jaejoong joined as he shook his head, remembering how that race ended.

“Deh.” Jaejoong stared back at him. “I envy you, Donghae.” 

“Huh?”

“I envy you in so many things.” Jaejoong eyes looked ahead and gazed at the angel goddess just outside the door, totally oblivious of their presence. “Of all the bets that we did,” His voice was shaky and Donghae could just kept his silence. “It has to be her that I couldn’t win.”

“Sands.”

Dara stopped pointing at the lights of the buildings down her. She slowly turned around and smiled. That smile that never failed to make him weak. “Jae.”

“Sup?” Jaejoong patted