Osaka Adventures

by Eiryia

The low puffs of breath told him that Seungyoon finally had gone to sleep. They had been left to themselves like usual at the hotel while the three others and staff had gone out shopping at different places around the city.  

Jinwoo carefully put his laptop down on the bedside table and slid of the bed making sure not to wake Seungyoon.  

It was adventure time!  

Grabbing his things that he had conveniently left by the hotel room door he stuck a head out into the hallway to see if there was anyone around. Not a soul, it was perfect.  

He had taken screenshots on his phone of the maps surrounding them and he had a pretty good idea about the area from scouting it earlier when they had arrived. Osaka was about to get explored and he couldn’t wait.  

The heat of the city and the masses of people passing him dazed him for a moment as he stood there watching the tall buildings towering around him. Their hotel was only a short walk from Osaka station. Since it was early afternoon was there an increase in both traffic and amount of people out and about compared to when they had arrived.  

Knowing that the other three had gone shopping he decided to head in the other direction of the station where most of the closest shops was situated. Even if chances of running into them in this crowd were minimal didn’t he wish to do so.  

They weren’t allowed to wander on their own and even if they were would they have mocked him saying how he would get lost. Little did they know that he had been sneaking out on every given occasion since they arrived in Japan for this tour. 

Sneaking out was easy enough and Seungyoon provided the perfect cover up as he would go to sleep after about half an hour. When he was out cold wouldn’t he wake any time soon giving him lots of time to wander around. Jinwoo would just tell the other that he would stay behind and watch over Seungyoon, order some food and watch his dramas. There had been no questions asked on any occasion and so he would go out on his little adventures ever so often while Seungyoon had his long naps. 

The first time he had gone out had he been terribly nervous. Wrapping his hoodie around his face and continuously pushing his sunglasses up he had looked around every other minute scared to get caught. In the end had he chickened out, bought ice cream for himself and Seungyoon at the convenience store and returned to their room.  

Now he scoffed at his own cowardice. No one had yet to recognize him and there was simply too much to explore to sit inside a hotel room all day.  

Enjoying the warm air of the city he smiled to himself. He loved exploring the more rural areas, discovering hidden temples and tiny food stalls along the way. He sometimes brought food back to Seungyoon who would happily accept it without question still dazed from sleepiness.  

Since he wanted to avoid the shopping districts and the bustle of the rush hour had he made his way towards the direction of the Osaka Concert venue. He doubted he would get that far, but it was a river between him and the venue which would be good for navigating. With this in mind had he increased his pace, eager to get away from the jungle of skyscrapers.  

He was about to turn the corner towards a street leading to the Fukushima Ward when a hand grabbed his shoulder.  

Turning around slowly to face the person who had stopped him in his tracks he swallowed hard, dreading what came next.  

          "Where exactly do you think you are going?"  

Blinking he saw the frustrated frown and the slightly pouting lips of a person he knew very well. It was Seungyoon and he did not look happy. Jinwoo weren’t happy either, he had been followed and now he probably had to turn back before the adventure had even begun. 

          "Just looking around a bit" He said with a weak smile while blinking a bit too much due to nervousness. Seungyoon gave him another worried look before turning his attention to their surroundings. 

          "You have done this before, haven’t you?" Seungyoon said, he didn’t sound as accusing as Jinwoo expected him to sound. His smile grew wider as hope of continuing his adventure slowly crept back into his mind. 

          "Uhm, yes, yes I have" He answered honestly. Seungyoon shook his head. It was obvious that he didn’t approve, but he weren’t angry either. 

          "I figured as much, I thanked the staff for the food the other day, but they said they didn’t bring any.." 

Seungyoon nudged Jinwoo’s shoulder and gave him an accusing look. Jinwoo knew he was found out about for real now, he might as well go for it so he asked: 

          "Since you are already here, why don’t you join me? I promise if we get in trouble you can blame me.." 

He knew using his looks would be playing dirty, but he still put up his cutest smile and stared intently at Seungyoon. It was easy to see the internal battle going on inside Seungyoon’s mind at that moment, he weren’t exactly the rule breaker of the team, but on the other side.. 

Jinwoo knew he had won when Seungyoon took a step ahead of him and when the loud sigh came moments later did he have to use everything he had to hold back from doing a little happy dance.  

          "Where are we going then?" Seungyoon asked as Jinwoo quickly caught up to him. Jinwoo shrugged and just smiled, even if they were going together didn’t he wish to change his plans.  

          "On an adventure!" He had declared happily and sprinted up ahead. Seungyoon laughed a slightly worried laugh, but jogged after him all the same.  

So started their walk around the Osaka back alleys exploring every interesting corner that they came across. 

After about an hour of walking had they passed a very tempting pancake place, a tiny flower shop and so many 7 elevens Jinwoo was wondering if using them to navigate was a bad idea after all. 

          "It’s surprisingly warm" Seungyoon noted as they took a sharp turn down a narrow street filled with parked bikes and potted plants. 

          "Let’s find ourselves something to drink then" Jinwoo replied as he could agree that the heat was becoming a bit much. They found a slightly rusted vending machine and bought each their bottle of fruit flavored water before they began looking for a place in the shade to enjoy it. 

After a couple of minutes more of walking had they arrived at a small baseball court surrounded by trees. They found a stone railing in the shade which proved the perfect spot to sit down. When a slight breeze flew past them had they exchanged a silent glance and wide smiles. It really was the perfect place for a quick rest. 

Watching the tiny fan shaped leaves fly by in the breeze was quite a sight and a nice relief from the warm afternoon weather.   

          "So why do you sneak out like this?" Seungyoon questioned while playing a bit with his water bottle. Jinwoo shrugged. He had no particular reason. Just exploring and being by himself, deciding for himself and doing what he wanted without any interference was enough for him.  

          "I like exploring and I find it sad how we visit so many places yet we barely get to see any of it"  

He could explain the rest as well, but he didn’t wish to ruin the mood. Holding his peach flavored water bottle to his face he sighed as the cold made his cheeks feel less burning.  

          "What if you got into trouble?" Seungyoon asked softly and copied his move with the water bottle. They both smiled again and Jinwoo somehow felt like it was okay not to answer, because Seungyoon knew the answer already. Jinwoo would of course have called him.  

          "Let’s keep going shall we?" Jinwoo suggested while rising up from his seat in the shade enjoying the feeling of the breeze as it picked up again giving them the push they needed to get going. Seungyoon got to his feet as well and they began walking down the street. Jinwoo thought he had spotted a lamp shaped stone at the end of the stone wall they had been sitting on earlier and it could only mean one thing.  

          "A temple!"  

He exclaimed delighted as they made the turn on the path and found the entrance to a small city temple, leading up to it was a narrow stone covered road lined with trees.  

          "Nicely spotted"  Seungyoon mused and took the first few steps up the stone covered path. A few mothers with their kids was the only ones visiting the temple that afternoon. They were so busy keeping their kids from clinging and climbing on the massive wood carvings that they had no chance at recognizing them.  

They walked about the place enjoying the hint of incense in the air along with the breeze and the nice shade the trees around them offered.  

          "It’s nice that they keep these trees here in the middle of everything" Jinwoo said as they followed a side path out from the temple a little while later.  

          "There was a church down the road as well. People need places to practice their faith in the cities just like any other person. This temple looks to be very old so it has probably been here since way before the skyscrapers popped up around it"  Seungyoon mused and picked up one of the fan shaped leaves from the ground.  

The trees around them were pretty big and they certainly fit with Seungyoon’s theory. They must have been around for many many years already. Maybe they had been planted when the temple was built Jinwoo wondered. He picked up a leaf from the ground just as Seungyoon had done and pretended to use it as a fan.  

          "I’m a fan" Seungyoon said and blinked at him while grinning. He was waving the tiny leaf enthusiastically like their fans would do at a concert while smiling widely. This made Jinwoo feel more than a little embarrassed for some reason. Seungyoon always said such cheesy things it was ridiculous, but he never got completely used to it.  

Throwing his tiny fan at Seungyoon he proceeded to sprint down the stone laid path ahead of them. He heard the rushed footsteps behind him and knew Seungyoon was right behind him. 

Reaching the end of the path he stopped, staring out onto a much larger, terribly busy street. 

          "Caught you" 

He heard from behind him and felt Seungyoon grab him by the shoulder, pulling him backwards. Stumbling a little over his own feet he tried to grab onto something for balance, but before he could do so was his back against a wall and Seungyoon the only thing in his line of vision.   

          "Stop running away from me will you" Seungyoon mumbled while leaning closer. Jinwoo had dodged many of these attempts over the years and so he knew what was coming, but there was no time to get away this time. If he were to be completely honest with himself didn’t he really mind either. 

So when the soft lips clashed with his own moments later had he already decided in his mind that he welcomed them. He had known since ages ago really, but there was always that invisible wall between them. A line that they both had silently agreed not to cross. Here in Japan, in some cramped back alley filled with wending machines, potted plants and bike cycles had the warm Osaka breeze whisked that wall away. They were free to act as they pleased, nothing stood between them this time, to stop them from doing what they both had longed for. 

It felt as if his senses was in high gear yet the world around him was completely silent. All he could think about was the soft lips pressed against his own, the cold hand wrapped tightly around his neck and the warm puffs of breath that brushed his cheek every time they pulled apart just enough so they could catch their breath. 

The closeness he felt in that moment had such a healing effect on him. He felt sated, content, even a little victorious as if he had arrived at the treasure chest after a long and dangerous adventure. When they pulled apart after what must have been minutes couldn’t he barely keep his feelings in check. It was only when he saw Seungyoon’s expression he landed back on earth again. 

          "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that" Seungyoon said and looked down at his feet. Jinwoo felt baffled, the fact that Seungyoon didn’t feel the same way as he did in that exact moment that they just had shared was simply incomprehensible to him.  

There was many things he wanted to say, to explain, but he decided within the first second not to say any of it. It could wait, he got what he wanted and he was pretty sure Seungyoon did too. Instead of words he decided to act. He reached out and grabbed Seungyoon’s hand in his.  

          "I found the treasure!"  He exclaimed happily and held Seungyoon’s hand up in the air together with his own hands. Seungyoon laughed at this, but cheered along for a moment before saying:  

          "You have been playing way too many of those phone games lately"  

Jinwoo gave him a fake confused look, knowing that what Seungyoon was saying was more than a little bit true. He needed good distractions in his life, when the pressure from the real world became too much was there nothing better than to escape into a world of magic.  

Today the real world had been filled with magic and he had arrived at the finish line with the biggest treasure of all. Now all he needed to do was to bring the treasure with him back home without any bandits stealing it away from him.  

Still holding Seungyoon’s hand he turned and began walking down the same alley as they had come from minutes before.  

Seungyoon followed without question, he knew too that treasures needed to be guarded. After all that was why he was out and about, breaking every rule set down for them. He had someone he needed to protect too.  

And so they made their way through the alleys and streets, occasionally grabbing the others hand, just to check if they still were allowed to. Each time had the other squeezed it tightly before they continued on until they reached the street where their hotel was situated. 

They bought each their ice cream at the tiny convenience store and walked down the last couple of hundred meters to the hotel. Just as they reached the entrance could Jinwoo hear a familiar ringing laughter, he looked up at Seungyoon who must have recognized it too. There was nowhere to run and so they straightened up pretending to not be completely exhausted from walking around for hours and prepared to greet the others who just turned the corner.  

          "Ah man! Now I want ice cream too!" Mino complained when he saw them and they greeted each other happily afterwards.  

          "You couldn’t get room service to get you those?"  The manager said a bit accusingly, Jinwoo looked to Seungyoon who just shrugged before saying  

          "The hotel didn’t have the ones we wanted, also, I wanted pudding" He held up his small white plastic bag which indeed was filled with pudding. The manager sighed and stepped on ahead of them. Jinwoo met Seungyoon’s eyes then and they both smiled. Seunghoon caught them smiling at each other, but he said nothing.  

Walking down the long hotel hall far up on the 26th floor they trailed behind the others. Jinwoo decided that this trip was his favorite out of all his small adventures so far and Seungyoon was the one who had made all the difference.  

          "Thank you" He whispered and watched as Seunghoon bopped Taehyun's head with his empty water bottle.  

          "You are welcome" Seungyoon replied and grabbed his hand just for a second, then he said: 

          "I hope you invite me along next time you decide you want to go out hunting for treasure as well"  

Then they both laughed at Taehyun’s poor attempts at getting back at Seunghoon before Jinwoo gave his reply:  

         "Definitely"  

He was already starting to look forward to their next adventure.

(p.cr: Eiryia) 

Wrote this and emailed it to a dear incle friend of mine to make her Friday a bit better back in January. After talking about it did we see no harm in sharing it. I have many fond memories of my time in Japan and I tried to capture just a hint of the charms that Osaka offered. Charms captured or not, I hope this story made you smile. 

Thank you for reading ❤️