Chapter 5

Sunlight filtered through the open window, casting a beam that ran over Wonshik's bare right shoulder. He woke up in meandering stages. Dreams and voices blended together in his foggy memory, but other than a stiff neck and pleasantly sore muscles from hard work, when he came to he felt rested.

Wonshik stretched his arms high above his head, letting the soft sheet fall from around him as he sat up. The room was full of early morning sunlight and he worried that maybe he had slept in too late for his shift. Hakyeon wouldn't be happy with him, but then Hakyeon should have tried to wake him! He leaned out to the open window beside the bed and realised he was looking down. As in, he was on the second floor. Of a building that was definitely not his regular home here.

"Huh?" This was too much for him to handle this early and so soon after waking.

"Oh, you're awake."

Wonshik let out a shriek, grabbing at the sheets to shield himself. A light chuckle tickled his ear from across the room, and Wonshik pounded his chest in time with his racing heart as he recognised his all too familiar company.

"Leo! Don't do that, you scared me! Geez." As the laughter continued, Wonshik pouted. "I know you did that on purpose."

On the other side of the vast bedroom, Leo was relaxing in a chair with an open book. In front of him sat his coffee and a small breakfast spread over an ornate table. He was dressed for the day in a fine suit, unlike Wonshik who was still in half of yesterday's work clothes.

"What happened last night?" Wonshik asked as he got out of bed, rubbing the back of his sore neck. "I don't remember coming here, I mean I'm not really meant to-"

"You fell asleep. I brought you back."

"Oh..." Wonshik frowned as he tried to remember the night before, not noticing Leo watching his expressions carefully as he paced back and forth. "Oh yeah...I was in the grove..."

The Eastern grove, which had been beautiful and alive with moonlight and the cheerful chatter of bats. That's right, he'd gone to give his offerings at the old tree! It wasn't much of an offering but it was all he could give; hopefully Saewon would understand. He remembered sitting down and taking a quick rest before he had to head back and let Haykeon know he was safe.

His jaw slowly gaped open and his eyes widened.

"Oh crap, Hakyeon will kill me!"

Another soft chuckle came from Leo. "He knows where you are."

"He does? Oh thank the Gods. Did you tell him? Thank you, Leo." Wonshik ran over to circle his arms around Leo's broad shoulders, giving him a hug while the other man tucked his chin into his chest. "You've saved my life, you know. Hakyeon's worse than Hongbinnie when I forget things..."

Wonshik gave his saviour another squeeze and then let him go, looking around for a clock.

"I'm late for work, aren't I? You should have woken me!"

"You were tired..." Leo objected softly, head still not lifted.

"Yeah, but there's a lot of work to do! We're behind on picking as it is! Aish, I should-" As he turned to leave, Leo's hand grabbed his wrist. "Hm?"

Leo's other hand pointed to the table in front of him where the small breakfast tray sat. The food was untouched, and Wonshik felt a warmth spread over his face and tingle at the back of his throat, making the next words come out hoarsely.

"I-is that?"

"Mm. I thought you might be hungry." Leo's hand tugged at Wonshik's wrist toward the empty chair facing him.

He didn't let go until Wonshik began to follow his lead and sat down with wide eyes at the delicate display. It was nothing like the meals back home, or at the compound, or what Hakyeon made for that matter. Soft bread, cured meats, fresh fruits imported from other islands, and a few things Wonshik didn't recognise. There was even a violet orchid sitting at the edge of the plate. It was all a bit overwhelming.

"Will you keep staring at it? Do you want me to feed you too?" Leo leaned forward with a small frown and reached for a fork, but Wonshik grabbed it first.

"A-ah no it's not that. It looks amazing..you know I'm not used to uh..." He gestured at the plate.

"It's still food." Leo shrugged, and went back to his book.

"Yeah...thank you Leo. Sorry for the trouble."

Leo shrugged again, turning the page but Wonshik noticed his head was lowered more than necessary for reading. Cute, Wonshik thought to himself, seeing the tell-tale curve of Leo's puffed cheeks that revealed the other was smiling.

The food was delicious, but Wonshik's hands were rough with using a knife and fork in this way. Ask him to fillet and de-bone a huge tuna and he could do it within two minutes, but this was a skill he did not have the practiced finesse for. There were screeches of metal against porcelain and he winced, looking up guiltily. Leo flinched at the sound but kept his eyes on his book, which saved Wonshik from becoming even more embarrassed.

Face burning, he tried to remember the occasions he would see Leo eating and how the older man was so elegant and controlled, but nothing seemed to translate to his awkward fingers. He was grateful that the book and coffee were occupying Leo's attention.

As he finished, Leo snapped his book shut and finished his coffee.

"Thank you Leo, you didn't have to go through so much trouble for me. I..well.." Wonshik glanced at to the open window and stood to clear his dishes but Leo shook his head.

"It's fine, leave them."

"You're sure? Ah..well..I..." Wonshik ran his hand against his chest. "Oh! Where's my shirt?"

Leo ducked his head, laughing and Wonshik almost wished he didn't ask because when Leo laughed like that it meant he probably won't like the answer.

"It was covered in bat droppings. You're lucky you don't sleep with your mouth open."

Wonshik gave his shoulders and arms a sniff-check, grimaced, and Leo's laughter exploded.

"Er I-"

Leo was still laughing uncontrollably, waving at the ajar door on the other side of the room. Wonshik bolted through and shut the door, resting against it. Directly across from him, the bathroom mirror reflected his bright red face. He could still hear the older man laughing and it would have been a beautiful sound to Wonshik were it not at the expense of his dignity.

He washed up quickly in the bathub with toiletries that were neatly stacked and waiting (presumably) for him while Leo seemed to gain control of his laughter.

Just as he was nearly finished, he was startled by a light tap on the door.

"Wonshik, I have to leave now, ok?" Leo's voice, soft and sounding somewhat disappointed, came through. "I have left clothes for you."

Wonshik nodded, then realising Leo couldn't (thankfully) see him through the door, spoke his thanks.

"Do not rush, I have spoken to the guards already to expect you late." Leo said, footsteps retreating from the door until a distant click meant that Wonshik was alone.

Despite what Leo had said, he washed up as quickly and thoroughly as he could. Peeking into the bedroom to check that he was indeed alone, he shuffled to the bed and dressed in the clean set of clothes. Like the breakfast, the delicate, refined clothing was beyond Wonshik's experience. They were made of ivory cotton that was as soft as sea foam and the fit was nearly immaculate against his body. It felt like a shame to wear something so nice knowing he was going to ruin them by the work day's end. Wonshik did what he could to make up the huge bed and stack the breakfast tray before leaving the room.

He was guided out of White Hall by a kind maid, who had found him nervously trying to navigate the beautiful halls alone. A few of Leo's guards were stationed at the main entrance and he was stopped by one of their voices.

"Oi, Ravi! Heard from the nightshift there was a search party for you last night! You alright?" The guard, Jonghyun, jogged over to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks Jong." Wonshik ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "No big deal, just fell asleep outside.."

"I heard you smelled like bat and Master Leo carried you anyway." Another guard he knew as Key added.

Wonshik's face went bright red and he hid his face. Did everyone know – they must have, by now! The scent of his skin was soft and sweet now but to think of how bad it was before bathing this morning...he would have to make it up to Leo somehow...if he could look at him in the face ever again, that is.

"How did you even know that Key?" The guards chuckled.

Key shrugged, fox-like eyes observing Wonshik's red face with a little smile, then nodded out to the north east where Wonshik was going to be picking today.

"Aren't you meant to be going? I heard there was some loudmouth guy looking for you this morning."

"You sure that wasn't you, Key?" Jonghyun teased.

Wonshik didn't stay long enough to hear the rest of the conversation. It was far too easy to start filling in the blanks from there.

-----

It was easy to spot Hakyeon even from a distance. Hongbin used to say “just follow the shouting to it’s source”, and by following that rule, he could never really lose sight of their Chieftains son. Wonshik wasn’t surprised to find him in the middle of the grove, directing others while he shouldered crates of freshly picked produce. From this distance the impact Hakyeon had was clearly visible – many of the men were moving faster and with greater energy under the sweltering sun. They would be back up to the quota if they kept this pace up and that would be pleasing for Leo, Wonshik thought, smiling a little to himself.

As he approached Hakyeon, others stopped him to give him a friendly swat and have a quick chat. A few of them asked if he was ok to walk after last night, some wanted to give him high-fives, others were curious for the whole story. Most of the questioning left Wonshik confused and he shrugged it away and no one pressed him – there were a few winks and light-hearted laughter so he took it in his easy stride.

The atmosphere changed the closer he got to the centre of the activity. Kyungsoo squinted at him and Suho made a fluttery gesture with his hand, like he was trying to shoo a curious bird away from a dangerous hunter.

He should have heeded the warning.

“Ey look who’s here! Finally up from your beauty sleep?” Jongki teased.

“Shut up.” Wonshik grumbled.

His eyes trained on Hakyeon, who had not yet turned around. Part of him yearned to reach out and touch the other’s shoulder but somehow he knew doing that would be the wrong thing to do. “Hey, Hakyeon. I’m sorry I-”

“You’re late. Get to work.”

Without a chance to reply, Wonshik was left to watch Hakyeon’s back retreat further down the line of trees, talking to the other workers. A heaviness in his stomach settled as Hakyeon moved further away and was laughing at something someone said, like nothing was wrong. Like he hadn’t just ignored his best friend and made him feel like the smallest baitworm in existence.

“You in t.r.o.u.b.l.e.” Jongki threw an arm around Wonshik’s shoulders, tutting softly.

“Jongki, stop. Shik, help me out here.” Suho waved him over.

Wonshik found himself obeying without thinking, eyes still following Hakyeon even as he held the ladder for Suho to climb up and resume picking. He knew he had let Hakyeon down and probably gave him a bit of a fright in the morning but he was safe, nothing had happened. What had he done that was so bad he deserved to be ignored for it?

He could still hear Hakyeon’s voice barking out orders far away as the day went on. Kyungsoo was also skulking around him to the point that Suho had to shout at him to stop.

“What’s his problem? What did I do?” Wonshik asked Suho once Kyungsoo had scurried away and they were alone again.

“Don’t mind him. He just needs to get more sleep and he’ll get over it. Hey, you want to go fishing tonight after work? It’s been ages.”

“Ah...” Wonshik rubbed the back of his neck. “I think I should talk to Hakyeon, he seems...”

“Wonshik.” Suho’s voice was firm. It was times like this that Wonshik remembered that he was also a future leader – already a great one at this point, in Wonshik’s opinion – and this was a voice that brokered no arguing. “I don’t like to involve myself in other people’s business.”

Wonshik frowned, opening his mouth to question him but fell silent at the strong look he received.

“I think you should give him some space for tonight. Let him cool down. Talk to him tomorrow.”

“But-,”

Then Suho gave Wonshik a look he couldn’t decipher. It was gentle, a sad, knowing kind of look and it made Wonshik uncomfortable so he looked down at the huge harvest of mangoes they had stacked into the final cart for the day.

“I don’t see him being able to stay mad at you for long.”

“You don’t know Hakyeon. He once locked down our docks when three boats were late coming back because they’d been blown off course in a storm. He hates it when anyone is late, it worries him. He yelled at me for days about it, and I wasn’t even one of them!” Wonshik pitched a twig into the cart, voice thick with frustration.

“He cares a lot about your people, doesn’t he?”

“He does. But normally he yells a lot – he doesn’t do..well..something like this. He’s not, you know, the quiet type.”

“No, he doesn’t strike me like that either.” Suho agreed, chuckling. “Isn’t it better that he’s quiet this time, then?”

“Hakyeon...” Wonshik flushed as his mind finished what he was about to say and he pursed his lips instead.

Hearing the other workers getting ready to pack up and prepared to jump down to join them. Suho’s hand grabbed his arm before he could go.

“What were you going to say, Wonshik? I won’t tell anyone.”

Wonshik looked down at his calloused palms. He felt the guilt pressing down on his shoulders. It was worse when he saw Hakyeon walking past with another cart, talking to a worker he recognised as Jungkook. Hakyeon didn’t even seem bothered that he hadn’t seen Wonshik all day, chatting animatedly and that hurt Wonshik even more. Yet, to utter what he had been about to Suho still seemed like a betrayal to his best friend.

“It’s nothing.”

Suho didn’t look impressed but said nothing further, so Wonshik forced out a weak smile.

“Let’s talk about something else? Over fishing?”

This time he was rewarded by a bright grin.

-----

The word got around quickly that after dinner, a fishing expedition was to take place near the rocky cliffs of the southern beaches. He had noticed Master Leo observing the nightly bonfire from White Hall, and Wonshik had raised his hand in a wave. The light was poor enough that Wonshik doubted his eyes, but even if he wasn’t sure Leo had smiled at him, he did unmistakably return the gesture with a little wave of his own. No one else seemed to notice the exchange, though Jongki did ask why Wonshik was blushing so much.

The good mood was short-lived. Wonshik had seen Hakyeon a few more times during dinner and tried to get his attention, but his best friend seemed to be much more interested in spending time with his new friends than in acknowledging his existence. He decided to take Suho’s suggestion and tried to ignore the prickling in his eyes when he went back to the cabins to fetch his offerings and saw Hakyeon’s empty bed, remembering how he’d tried so hard to convince him to stay with him last night. What had happened to make Hakyeon ignore him like this? Was it Wonshik’s fault? Should he had stayed instead? It didn’t matter now, he told the guilt gnawing in his stomach, laying the little scrap of paper on the pillow. He couldn’t change the past and he would talk to Hakyeon tomorrow.

For tonight, he would sit at the beach with his friends. A fire was lit and the moon was overhead by the time he joined the group, fishing poles propped in the sand, waves lapping lazily in the breeze. A bottle of taro rum was provided by Ken - “I won it in a knife-fight. What, I’m a good fighter, I swear!” - and silly stories were swapped over a swig and much laughter. Kyungsoo had surprised Wonshik with a glare when he arrived, standing over him until Wonshik had coughed nervously.

“W-what?”

Kyungsoo’s large eyes seemed to in the darkness and starlight as he stared unflinchingly. Each man watched on silently, curious to see how it would play out. No one on the island messed with Kyungsoo and Wonshik was not interested in starting up a fuss when he’d already had one hell of a day.

“Don’t wake me again.” He said, and promptly laid down to use Wonshik’s thighs as a pillow.

Wonshik looked around helplessly to the others for some kind of explanation.

“More drinks for the rest of us!” Ken cheered.

No one argued with that.


Once Kyungsoo was asleep and the others were busy in conversation, Ken nudged Wonshik gently, his voice its usual playful purr.

“Ravi my Ravi, if I had known you’d dress up for me tonight, I would have come in my best for you.”

“Huh..oh...” Wonshik glanced at his clothes and winced. There were a few rips from errant branches today and dozens of stains on the light fabric even though he’d tried to be so careful. “These...Leo gave them to me. My other stuff was uh..wrecked.”

“Oh, wrecked huh? I can imagine~” Ken wriggled his eyebrows.

“What?”

“The guys said you spent the night in White Hall~ What did you two get up to, I wonder?” But there was no wondering – Ken was grinning so brightly the moon was put to shame.

So was Wonshik as the meaning dawned on him. Immediately he raised a hand to swat at Ken, who cackled and pointed at Kyungsoo’s sleeping face. Wonshik dropped his eyes and was relieved to see the motion hadn’t woken him but he lowered his hand, not wanting to push his luck. Even sleeping, Kyungsoo looked grumpy. He instead pouted at Ken.

“I fell asleep at the grove by accident, he brought me back. My stuff was dirty so he replaced it. Don’t say weird things-,”

“I know I’m you’re one and only, it’s ok Ravi~ but you make a man jealous, spending the night with him and you won’t stay in my cabin.”

“Ah, that’s what this is about.” Wonshik found himself hiding his grin behind his fist as it was Ken’s turn to pout, putting on a big pretense of looking upset, huffing and tsking.

It was so over the top that once the Captain had crossed his arms and stuck out his puffy bottom lip, Wonshik was scared his giggling was going to wake Kyungsoo.

“I’ll stay over next time you invite me.” Wonshik offered.

Ken scrunched up his nose in deep thought before sighing deeply.

“I suppose it will have to do. But!” He looked down his nose at Wonshik, who tilted his head to the side questioningly. “You must bring your music this time. It’s not fair that you never show me!”

“Ahh...” Wonshik hesitated. “I...”

“You must!”

“How about...how about I write you a new song instead? Just for you? Will that do?”

Ken made a big show of thinking about it, humming over the rum bottle as it was passed to him. Wonshik was almost worried until he caught the twinkle in the Captain’s eye and he knew the other was playing with him.

“I graciously accept your offer.”

They shared a swig of rum to seal the agreement. The night waned on, a few songs breaking out, gossip about other workers, and some panic when Suho’s line snagged something and everyone but Wonshik tried a hand at reeling it in to no avail. Wonshik found himself silent for the most part, eyes drifting out to the waves in the distance, the buzz of alcohol mixing with the heaviness in his belly while Kyungsoo snored on. It was a great night, the kind of fun he’d been missing all year and an experience he’d hoped to share with Hakyeon. All these years he waited for Hakyeon to finally join him one summer just so he could show him this other part of his life, meet his friends, relax for once without the burden of responsibility on his shoulders.

He’d finally gotten his wish...and Hakyeon wasn’t even here.

----

A/N: Some TaekWon moments finally, and Ken is forever a flirt lol. I'm really sorry for the long delay, I lost some of what I'd written and it was hard to get back into it. I tried to make it longer so make up for it, and I know that this chapter isn't very good but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for reading (: