The cool breath of air from the ocean caressed your face in the gray early morning light. You leaned precariously on the edge of the ferry’s deck and watched as the dark water slid way under you.

The Sydney morning was chilly and you shrugged your jumper closer. Your mom had agreed to let you come all the way out to this side of Sydney only after much begging, pleading, bargaining, and the agreement to drive your little sister to soccer practice for the rest of the year.

But today was special. You let a small smile sneak it’s way onto your face as your iPod played your favorite album. You watched the Sydney Harbour Bridge pass slowly in the distance and made a mental note to add that to your list of possible tourist stops.

“Am I that - that easy? Is love that easy to you?” the Korean lyrics played from your headphones. You stretched and finally grinned. Today was really happening. You turned around and made your way down to the first deck of the ferry to wait to exit once it had docked. You had to be first off.

The ferry docked and you heard the general safety announcement over the loudspeakers instructing the passengers on when and how to disembark. You bounced eagerly up and down on the balls of your feet, looking over the small crowd of people who, like you, had tried to be first off the ferry for various reasons.

When the ferry doors finally opened and the crowd began to file out, you craned your neck to look at the people milling about on the dock, waiting to board or for passengers to arrive. Heart racing, you glanced around, the fear you had been feeling for weeks finally filling up your chest.

Did he decide not to show? Your feet hit the stable platform and you moved slowly with the crowd. There were parents waiting for their children who were returning from visiting their grandparents, wives waiting for husbands, older brothers waiting for younger sisters. But there didn’t seem to be anyone waiting for you.

Turning slowly in the emptying dock, you scanned the sidelines hopefully for a waiting figure with a smile that caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach and your heart to beat to a different rhythm. But there was no sign of the bright smile and laughing eyes.

“Yah!” a familiar voice called out, annoyed. “Are you going to make me stand here all day?”

Your breath hitched as you turned to face the smile you’d been searching for. He was leaning back casually, arms crossed across his chest, a look of feigned annoyance spread across his face. But as soon as he saw your eyes alight on him, he broke into a brilliant smile.

“Yah! Shin Dongho-sshi!” You exclaimed, relieved, exulted, but now more nervous than you had been during the days, hours, and minutes leading up to this moment. But it was here and you weren’t about to let it slip through your fingers.

He smiled and relaxed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was dressed simply, you finally noticed, not outrageously fashionable as expected from Korean Idol Stars. He moved to your side, seeming nearly as excited as you felt inside. His steps were long and quick and he seemed to be rocking on back and forth on his heels.

“What, did you think I’d miss a tour of Sydney when you promised?” he asked cutely, crinkling his nose.

“Yah!” you shouted, giving him a quick smack on the arm. “It’s not funny! Do you want a tour of my city, or not?”

Some part of your brain registered that the people around you were staring a little at the two of you conversing in loud, rapid Hangul. You were used to the looks by now, no one really expected someone who looked the way you did to speak nearly fluent Korean.

“Well I’m here!” he protested weakly, “So why are we standing around here?”

Grinning, the two of you moved out into the now bright Sydney morning. The streets were bustling and cars whizzed on the roads. Your mom had given you extra pocket cash for a taxi (thankfully) and you also had what you had been saving up from your part-time job outside of school.

The two of you hailed a taxi and clamored inside. As the driver took you to your previously planned destination, you pointed out significant landmarks to Dongho who would ask occasional questions and point excitedly at things he found interesting. The taxi weaved it’s way into Sydney’s central business district where your first mental stop had been. Finally the car pulled to a stop.

“Chinatown,” you told Dongho with a grin. Dongho was gaping open mouthed at the giant gate to the shopping district of Chinatown. You paid the driver and slid from the taxi, Dongho following obediently.

“Pretty cool, huh?” you prompted, elbowing Dongho in the side. He blinked several times.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaebak….” he drawled in a husky voice, eyes drinking in the unfamiliar sight. You were used to the awe of Chinatown, since you liked to frequent the flea market in Market City on Wednesdays after classes with you two best friends.

You moved to pass through the gate, but paused when you saw Dongho was rooted to the spot.

“What?” you asked, curious.

Dongho shifted. “I don’t speak Mandarin…that’s Eli’s thing.” It was cute, how worried he was about communication that you couldn’t help but smile. You laughed and pulled him after you, moving into the area of shops and food stalls.

Dongho would stop every three feet to look at things, excitedly chattering about which member would like what, and why he should buy it for them but wouldn’t. When he lingered too long over some street food, you grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

“You don’t need all that stuff,” you chided.

“But I like it!” he countered. “If I like something, I’m interested! I also tend to buy things needlessly - but I don’t care, I’ll buy it anyway.”

“Tch,” you interjected with a roll of your eyes. “Blood type B.”

“Tch,” Dongho mocked. “Blood type….” He paused and looked at you. “Wait, what blood type are you?”

You shrugged, picking up a cute butterfly hairpin from a vendor’s table and turning it over in your fingers. “I don’t know, I’ve never actually been blood typed.” You sighed internally when you saw the price and set it down. “I’m not Korean - no one here actually wants to know what blood type you are,” you told him smartly.

Dongho watched you mess with the hairpin and stood gazing at it for several seconds after you had walked away. He jerked suddenly as if coming out of a trance and followed you. “That’s weird.”

As the day grew later, your stomach grumbled and Dongho laughed. “Hungry?” he asked teasingly. “Do you want to get something to eat?”

You looked at the nearest food vendor and saw they had boxed lunches and grinned. “Boxed lunch?” you asked hopefully.

Fifteen minutes later, you and Dongho sat in Centennial Park, happily munching on the boxed Chinese lunch. Dongho kept trying to steal food from your box but you swatted his chopsticks away before he could take anything of value.

Because the sun was reaching it’s peak in the sky, most of the tourists had retreated to indoor restraunts for lunch and there weren’t many locals out. The two of you sat comfortably on the grass in front of the Federation Pavillion.

“Yah!” Dongho said suddenly after another failed attempt at taking one of your dumplings. You looked up shocked.

“What?”

“…are we even allowed to be here?”

You laughed. “Really… What’s this? Shin Dongho is afraid of breaking rules?” He pouted, his best maknae pout, and you sighed. The round building behind you slowly stretched it’s shadow out on the grass, inching closer as the day grew on.

Dongho finally stood and stretched. “Really…” he mumbled to himself before turning to you as you brushed yourself off and cleaned up the lunch boxes and did some of your own stretching, arms reaching over your head as you extended your back and felt the muscles pull in happy response.

You both lazily wandered back to the area of civilization with cars and buses and people, feeling happily full.

“Where to next?” Dongho asked, hands back in his pockets, looking at you unwaveringly. You checked your watch. You had time.

“Well, everyone should see the Sydney Opera House when they come to Sydney,” you grinned.

While the Opera House was close, it wasn’t within walking distance, so you had to get another taxi. Dongho constantly strained to look out the window as the car grew closer to the Opera House.

“Well, here we are,” you said, breathing deeply after getting out of the taxi that had smelled thickly of smoke and liquor. Dongho leaned over the viewing rail and looked at the building that was just starting to light up as the sun began to descend farther in the sky.

Dongho was speechless as he took in the distinctly shaped building - the symbol of Sydney all over the world.

“Daebak?” you asked cutely as you moved to stand next to him against the railing.

Dongho grinned. “Daebak.” He pulled out his cellphone. “Will you take a photo with me?”

You shrugged and moved to take his phone to get a better picture but he held it above his head. He grinned as you stuttered, confused.

“Not for me,” he stressed. “With me.”

You stiffened and felt your face grow warm as he slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you to his side. He his phone’s camera and you smiled as he took a few pictures in case the first one didn’t come out right and as soon as he finished he let you go.

Your heart pounded faintly in your chest. You knew he was saying something to you, so you nodded, but you didn’t really hear as the blood rushed to your head and your ears rang. Finally, you looked up when you saw he was grinning at you, waving a hand in front of your face.

“Are you tired?”

You shook your head vehemently. “No! Sorry! I just…got…distracted! Sorry, what were you saying?” you recovered quickly, hoping he didn’t notice your cheeks flaring a bright pink color in the growing dim light.

Dongho laughed. “I was asking what the last stop of the day was going to be - unless you want to go home now?” He looked slightly crestfallen but tried to hide it.

You shook your head. “No! I didn’t have another stop in mind, but we can go wherever!” You didn’t want to admit that you really just didn’t want to leave. Your hectic life sometimes made you feel as if you were never included or in the flow of the life around you, but spending the day with Dongho was like finally finding your place.

Dongho looked cheered by this and grinned. “What about…what’s it called? Eli and Kevin talked about it once. B…Bongo beach?”

Erupting into a fit of laughter, you had to lean on Dongho for support. He looked confused. “That’s not right, is it….”

“B-b-bongo….b-b-beach!” you snorted, tears stinging your eyes as you laughed. When you finally calmed down, you wiped your eyes and stood up.

“Sorry,” you apologized weakly. “It’s Bondi Beach. And if we grab yet another taxi, I think we can make it there in good time. It’s just a drive that way,” you pointed in the vaguely correct direction. “And, since it’s getting dark, it won’t be that crowded.”

“Perfect.”

The drive to Bondi beach was silent, except for the crackling of the taxi driver’s radio station that quietly played old Bollywood hits. The traffic was slow and you felt your head nodding. Dongho glanced over, tearing his eyes away from the window for a few seconds, and chuckled. He patted the middle seat next to him.

“Come on, sleepy.”

You didn’t protest, and slid over next to him where he let you lay your head on his shoulder. You leaned against him, drowsing, but never fully falling asleep. Your nerves had gone on high alert once your head had touched his shoulder, so you remained drowsily awake, aware of every breath he took.

When the taxi slowly rolled to a stop, you jerked up, eyes wide.

Dongho chuckled and paid the taxi driver and you mildly protested. He rolled his eyes, offering the excuse that you had paid for the last three taxis. You stuttered about how he had paid for lunch and the drinks you had bought outside Centennial but he brushed it off.

When the taxi pulled away, he sighed. The beach looked calm and empty, only a few straggling tourists staying to stargaze from the sand. He grabbed your hand and you froze, but Dongho simply pulled you along behind him. 

When you finally regained your senses, you moved up beside him and pouted. “You really should have let me pay for the taxi.”

“What kind of date would I have been if I let you pay for everything?” he asked with a small laugh. Your brain seemed to fizzle out at his words. You stopped in your tracks in the sand and he paused.

“W-what?!”

Dongho sighed. The waves roared around you and the breeze kicked up your hair. Dongho faced you and smiled. “I told you,” he said gently, “If I like something, then I’m interested. Ever since I met you, you’ve kept me interested. A city is just a city,” he said, casting a glance at the skyline view of Sydney. “But a tour of the city you’re from, with you?”

He dove his free hand into his pocket and sighed. “Now that sounds like fun.”

Your heart hammered against your ribs and your breath was short. Was he really - did he really -  Your brain had long since devolved into strictly running the primary functions of your body but you struggled to regain your conscious thought.

“D-D-Dongho…” you stuttered, his name on your tongue feeling like it had when you had first met him, the U-Kiss fan meeting Shin Dongho, light, foreign, and extremely precious. Saying his name out loud sent your heart into another set of gymnastics, as it wildly jumped into your throat and beat your sternum black and blue.

He smiled and finally pulled his hand from his pocket. “I almost forgot,” he said quickly, “but I got this for you since I couldn’t pay for the taxi since Manager-hyung doesn’t let us carry a lot of cash.”

He opened his palm and sitting neatly inside was the blue and black butterfly hair pendant you had been looking at in Chinatown. It twinkled vaguely under the cast light from the cityscape in the distance.

He finally slid his hand from yours and moved to place the clip in your hair gently. “When you finally come to Korea,” he said softly as he brushed the strands behind your ear, “I’ll take you on a tour of Seoul as a return favor.” He clipped the butterfly in place firmly and moved his hands from your face.

He leaned forward and placed a gentle, careful kiss on your forehead. “I really like you,” he whispered softly before pulling away and taking your hand again. He tugged gently and you followed, walking on the beach in the gentle silence together, cradled by the sound of the waves as they softly caressed the shore.