Jeonghan was napping on the lush field of his garden, a beautiful expanse he had claimed in his corner of the Outer Realm. It was vast and wide, large enough to contain an entire human city and had an abundance of petite, pure white flowers that would blanket the field and surrounding area, spreading further than the eyes could see. Petals scattered and fluttered about like snow. In the human world the garden would have been a great wonder. An immense and near limitless thing of pure beauty. But in the Outer Realm it was merely a tiny plot of land. Jeonghan liked to think of it as his own miniature garden.

Upon feeling a sudden commotion, Jeonghan awakens, eyes squinting at the rays of sun glaring down at him before turning to his side, propping his head up on a hand.

“So how’s that world?” Jeonghan yawns, not particularly interested despite asking, “You seem to have stayed there longer this time.”

“I don’t know.” Seungcheol replies, plopping down on the flowerbed beside Jeonghan, somewhat sullenly.

Seungcheol was one of the few gods Jeonghan knew in the Outer Realm. They had known each other for a very long time, longer than they could remember, and they often met up to chitchat. Seungcheol was a curious god, easily fascinated by little things. He frequently crossed the boundary to visit the human world for the endless amount of entertainment they had to offer. However, the god had a different demeanor today. Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, slightly fazed, It was odd seeing his friend who would always chatter away happily about the humans look dispirited.

“Don’t fall in love, Jeonghan." Seungcheol warns, rather sudden but serious.

“...What? With you? I’m incapable of that." Jeonghan deadpanned, slightly taken aback.

“Ha! Of course not.” Seungcheol snorts.

“You’re being kind of strange today. Are you alright?” Jeonghan asks, concerned. This was definitely not the usual Seungcheol.

“You shouldn’t get too close to the humans you know. Their emotions are contagious, or so I’ve heard." Jeonghan flops onto the flower bed, lying on his stomach and prepares to go back to his nap.

Seungcheol sighs at the nonchalant god.

“Yeah, maybe.” He says patting his bored friend’s head.

Offering an unseen lonesome smile, he disappears, heading back beyond the boundary. 

That was the last time Jeonghan spoke to Seungcheol.

The next time they meet is hundreds of years later. Seungcheol had changed and long since lost his personality and physical form. He now mindlessly wandered the Outer Realm, as if haunting the land. He was no longer the same friend that Jeonghan once knew.

That was the first time Jeonghan remembers feeling sadness. Perhaps, it was because of Seungcheol’s close association with the humans that some of those emotions had spread to him.

As he watched what was left of Seungcheol, Jeonghan felt an inkling of regret. A conversation from long ago tickled at the edges of his mind, but it was something he had long forgotten and would not be able to grasp or recall ever again.

“Hey Jisoo! Look at these!”

They were strolling down a busy marketplace. Jisoo sighs as he watches the overly excited person before him prance around and stop by every stall.

“Jeonghan! stop heading off on your own!” he shouts, ignoring the curious heads turning to look at them.

All he receives however, was the other sticking out their tongue and snickering like a child.

Jisoo lives his life as a traveling bard, venturing across the land with nowhere in particular he wanted to settle. He sings and performs, entertaining people with stories of his journey through music. It was something he enjoyed and he gets a decent amount of requests wherever he goes, whilst earning just enough to get by. Folks hired him for happy occasions like weddings and celebrations. Sometimes he’d sing at funerals for the souls that passed away. On his own, he’d play for the children, the homeless and even the animals. He loved the expressions of joy people showed.

Learning of this, Jeonghan became incredibly fascinated and wanted to tag along. It was a great way for him to see what the human world was like. He wanted to know about the land that many gods seemed to have abandoned the Outer Realm for. But most of all, he was curious about Jisoo. The first human he’d ever met. He wanted to hear more of the beautiful music the pretty human played. He wanted to be with him.

Believing that Jeonghan was someone who had left their homeland alone, Jisoo was more than happy to take him. However, they had become quite an eye catching pair, often earning gazes of affection and envy wherever they went.

“That’ll be one silver, sir!”

Jeonghan stopped by a stall, seeming to have taken interest in some small trinkets.

“Ahh yes, money! The medium of exchange!” Jeonghan exclaims. He fiddles with his pockets and pulls out a silver coin, flipping the shiny object into the air then catching it between his fingers. He holds it up to his eyes, proudly. “It’s this right?”

The stall-keeper nods as they took the coin into their palm.

“ Y-yes. Thank you for your patronage sir…!” As they watched the pretty boy run off, they gave him a questioning glance.

Jisoo shook his head as he witnessed the exchange, sympathising with the stall-keeper. The boy he took in seems to often behave in quite a strange manner. 
 

Cicadas chirped loudly as the sun beamed brightly upon the earth, straight above and unguarded by clouds.

It’s a hot midsummer day, the traveling duo hitched a ride on a horse wagon, hoping to reach the next residence and avoid the heated rays. Unfortunately, the trip was awfully bumpy. Rocking caused by the wheels grinding on uneven paths made it unbearable for Jeonghan to stay in the cart any longer.

Jisoo watched warily as his friend hunched over looking extremely nauseous.

“Hey sir,” Jisoo calls out to the driver, “how much further till the next town?”

“Just down the hill!”

Seeing that the next town was only downhill, Jisoo decides that they could get off and complete the rest of way on foot.

“Alright, we’ll get off here then.”

“Whoa!” The coachman halts the horse and pulls over. “You sure? It’s not that far.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think my friend here can handle anymore.” Jisoo responds apologetically.

“Motion sickness huh?” The man turns around and looks pitifully at the poor condition the long haired boy was in. “Alright then, watch your step.”

Jisoo supports Jeonghan off the wagon, while their kind driver unloads their luggage for them. Jisoo thanks the man and hands him a few silver coins as payment before bidding each other farewell.

The pair settles under a tree, taking shade while they rest. Jeonghan sits down immediately on the lush green grass, slouching over and panting, trying to recover from the queasiness.

Jisoo kneels down besides the ill boy, gently massaging his back. He combs through Jeonghan’s disheveled hair and pats away the cold sweat that had formed on his face with a handkerchief. Jisoo was guilt-ridden. He didn’t think that Jeonghan would get so sick from the ride.

As if reading his mind, Jeonghan places a hand on Jisoo’s leg and gently squeezes the concerned boy’s thigh.

“Don’t look so worried, I’m just not used to this.” Jeonghan assures him, attempting to smile “I’ll feel better soon.”

As he had said, soon enough, Jeonghan’s breathing begins to regulate and he starts to recover. Straightening up a bit he surveys his surroundings.

Beside the gravel trail they were riding on is a small grassy field encircled by many trees and bushes. Feeling somewhat nostalgic, he thinks that it was a little similar to the place where he first met Jisoo.

Above the hill was slightly cooler and very pleasant. A gust of fresh summer wind blew, relieving them of the stuffy air they had undergone during their ride. It seems like stopping by wasn’t that bad of an idea at all.

As time passed by, they had regained most of their energy. Since they were in no rush, the two decided to leisurely relax where they were.

While Jeonghan had wandered off distracted by butterflies, Jisoo pulled out a book and quickly became immersed.

The book was one he loved and had read many times. It was a story of tragic love between a god and a mortal princess.

Their love was taboo and denied by all the beings of the world. They couldn’t escape and were banished; sent to opposite sides of a river formed by stars. With no bridge to cross, they were forced to eternally yearn for each other, never being able to unite.

After many years, the princess grows old and sickly while the god remained young and ageless. He watched as his lover became bedridden, her life seeping away. Unable to bear the pain of seeing his beloved die, he jumps into the stream, getting washed away and becoming one with the stars.  

Jeonghan quietly approaches Jisoo, who was deeply engrossed in his book, twiddling with a gardenia in his hand. Without warning, he plops down on the boy, straddling him.

Surprised, Jisoo looks up from the book, eyes catching a hand reaching behind his ear. He feels Jeonghan tuck the flower in and begin caressing the side of his head, fondly running his fingers through the ginger hair and smoothing it back.

It wasn’t the first time Jeonghan had done something spontaneous, but this was a bit more intimate than usual. Jisoo felt flustered but also found it cute, like a child petting a cat. He bit at his lips to restrain himself from chuckling while enjoying the affectionate touch.

As Jeonghan was having fun, he takes a glimpse of the book Jisoo was reading.  

His heart drops upon reading a few words. 

‘Gods’, ‘Humans’, ‘Love’.

Love.

Something was ringing in the depths of his mind. Something important. His head felt fuzzy and his heart was beating fast. A surge of foreign emotions began to wash over him.

He stops what he was doing and gazes intently at Jisoo, unconsciously bringing his hands in to cup the human boy's face while brushing the pads of his thumb across his cheeks.

Jisoo freezes at the sudden change in action. He notices that Jeonghan was no longer smiling like before but had a more serious expression, he looked almost sorrowful.

Putting down his book, he watched nervously as the other slowly leant in, lips aiming towards the tip of his nose.

Confused and not knowing what to do, Jisoo jerks. Jeonghan’s eyes widen as he’s snapped back to his senses, and quickly pulls away.

Their eyes meet and a slight tinge of pink forms on both their cheeks.

“I...um...I’m sorry.” Jeonghan turns away, ashamed and embarrassed. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. For the first time, he thinks he feels like crying.

Not daring to look back, he tries to get off Jisoo but is stopped by a pair of hands boldly holding him down by the waist. Startled, he glances at the other again, meeting furrowed brows.

But instead of a demand for explanation, Jisoo’s expression softens.

“It’s okay...Jeonghan,” Jisoo speaks softly. He takes hold of Jeonghan’s hand and brings it up to his chest “I know what you’re feeling.”

Jeonghan feels like his world had suddenly brightened.

They start off with small curious pecks, then a little more. Holding their breaths, their lips meld into each other's, soft and warm.

Deep red rose petals rain and scatter around the couple. Jisoo thinks he’s drunk on love and seeing things, or maybe the gods were blessing them.

Their lips part, then draw back in together. This time, a little longer. A little deeper.