The room is calm and quiet, with only the vague sound from the TV penetrating through the thin wall that is separating the bedroom from the living room. There, a commercial reminding everyone to be careful of dehydration and drink a lot this summer is on.

"Buy our sparkling water! Now in three different flavors. ~"

Cha Hakyeon rolls over in his bed, towards the big window which light allows him to see tiny dust particles float carefreely through the air.

He closes his eyes. 
And then opens them again.

Just when he does this, he hears a low rustle in the clean white sheets behind. It makes him turn around and instantly meet eyes with Jung Taekwoon who now has woken up from his sleep as well.

"Did we forget to turn the TV off again?" Taekwoon mumbles, rubbing his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand.

Hakyeon smiles and sits up on the soft surface the bed provides. Legs folded and bare feet that tickle as they graze against the soft hairy blanket beneath. Even that – in a gentle white color. His hand reaches the nape of his neck and he scratches it lightly, creating; if not present before; a vague itch.

"Should I turn it off?" He asks to which Taekwoon shakes his head.

"Just come here..."

They snuggle up to each other under sheets that are turning warmer from their bodies but they don't mind. They love each other. It's a calm love; its feeling much alike seeing the sun sleepily shine through light pink cherry blossom in early spring. Or maybe, more like the sweet amorous feeling they're experiencing right now.

Warm and cuddly.

Hakyeon gives Taekwoon a light peck on the nose, "Let's go make breakfast?"

The younger agrees and Hakyeon is once again stunned by his partner's beauty as Taekwoon sits up on the bed, wearing nothing but unseen underwear and plain white soft shorts. His upper body is bare and collarbones gracefully visible. His hair is raven black, creating a cutting contrast against the dreamy white colors that surrounds them. Rebellic, but maybe Hakyeon's hair isn't less of that too; being the lavender-blended lilac it is.

Out to the kitchen they go.

Hakyeon is placed on a white-painted wooden chair in the narrow kitchen, watching as Taekwoon flips the pancakes in front of him. They look yummy and the air smells sweet from the table where the already opened jar of strawberry jam is put on stand-by. Against the thick glass edge of it, a metallic spoon is timidly resting, put there from feelings of impatience from the elder. It is currently reflecting the room in a nauseous matter...

"Are you going somewhere today?" Hakyeon leans back in his chair with the fork he has already prepared for the upcoming meal leaning onto his pinkish lips.

"Yeah." Taekwoon shortly answers.

"Where?"

"The mall."

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Your doctor said that you shouldn't leave the house more than necessary."

"But that was months ago..."

Taekwoon turns around with a vague smile and the finished plate of pancakes in his hand, "Let's eat."

Hakyeon sulks but turns his chair around towards the table. The sun outside is mildly shining through the window, playing on the white tablecloth before him. He wants to go out, he really do. But the last time he was allowed to follow Taekwoon to wherever he was going, it resulted in the worst way possible that wasn't actual death.

He still remembers how he fell down to his knees with his arms struggling in front of him as the air abandoned his chest. He couldn't breathe. It felt as if several liters of heavy water was filling up his lungs, making him paralyzed and so frustrated it felt like he was going to die. Drown in himself.

He couldn't scream of course since that takes oxygen and he couldn't move at all since his all of his limbs, the same ones that once had been in his control seemed to suddenly had turned both heavy and useless. Luckily, he eventually managed to get his breath back but passed out right after. And apparently... Taekwoon eyes had been wide open in fear the whole time. Watching, helplessly in shock. The whole thing was terrifying, unexplainable and the doctor didn't have many words for it either.

"It may be a trauma, have you experienced almost drowning or something earlier...?"

And the couple had left saying that Hakyeon hadn't. That's why Taekwoon is scared to let Hakyeon out of the house more than necessary. He doesn't want to lose his beloved.

They do the dishes together before Taekwoon changes clothing and goes to the front door. There, he gives Hakyeon a sweet kiss on the lips. Taekwoon's hands link around Hakyeon's thin waist as he holds him in his embrace. Like that, he lowers his chin near the elder's ear to softly whisper;

"I love you."

And Hakyeon quickly responds,

"I love you too."

...

✱

The mall is unusually empty today but Taekwoon really does not mind. Rather, it's what he wished for. See, he never really liked loud people, big masses of them or strangers in general. It makes him feel uncomfortable, chained up, like his actions are restricted. Like he is being watched.

Taekwoon moves quickly through the mall, knowing his destination well and knowing exactly what he wants to buy. However, just this day in particular something seems a bit wrong. A bit off, maybe that's why there're no people around?

Then he spots it, something strange that does not fit in within the atmosphere. Something eye-catching whose entire existence seems to be screaming for attention, rebelling against everything life stands for. Because amongst the white soft colored stores, the just as white floors, walls, ceiling and even roof; there's a new store standing that is dressed completely in pitch-dark black.

Big curtains behind the windows cover the insides of the mysterious store and it does not seem to have a sign above the entrance giving away the actual name of the shop. It isn't until Taekwoon moves closer, right outside that he sees a small sign by the door that reads in cursive, "until it makes sense, truth will ponder aimlessly on one's lips."

Taekwoon tilts his head, narrows his eyes and reaches out for the door. Curiosity has gotten the best of him and as he presses down the handle, opens the door; an ominous feeling instantly sneaks up from behind. It wants to corrupt him, scare him away. But Taekwoon has seen something that he can not run from. Because on the floor a few meters behind the now opened door – lies a boy that looks to be either his age or younger.

He looks unconscious. The clothes are torn, his brown hair ruffled and his eyes are closed. He frowning too, so Taekwoon manages to remain relatively calm. He's at least not dead.

Taekwoon takes a step into the darkened room and suddenly feels how a heavy atmosphere almost pleads the air to hold him down, cling to him and he tells himself that it must be his imagination. Then, a warm feeling of darkness wrap around his skin and it makes him shudder, hesitate in his steps. However, by now he's almost right by the boy on the floor so he fights on.

"Are you okay?" He asks as he stops, panting slightly which surprises himself.

The boy on the floor doesn't answer him. Instead, he frowns harder and a weak whining sound escapes his lips. Taekwoon touches the boy's arm and the latter moves his head a bit, if ever so slightly.

"What's your name?" Taekwoon asks and this time actually gets an answer to his question.

"Sanghyuk... Han Sanghyuk." The boy mumbles, eyes now slightly open and Taekwoon nods.

"What are you doing in here?"

... Suddenly, the doors closes themselves and Taekwoon turns around in panic from the unexpected slamming sound. The atmosphere turns creepy and not to mention that the one apparent light source that came from outside now is closed out for good. It's pitch black and by now, Taekwoon has started to regret his decision to come in here in the first place.

He wants to get home to Hakyeon.

Taekwoon feels blindly in the air in front of him, right in the spot where the boy he just talked to was lying only to soon enough find out that he, in fact, seems to be missing.

"Hello?"

That's when he feels it. A strong, disturbing feeling of that he really shouldn't be here. It's overwhelming, desperate and it's screaming at him to get out. I have to get out. Hakyeon, I need to get home to Hak-

Something touches his shoulder and Taekwoon's body stiffens, freezes. It's a hand, he's sure of it. Gently, coldly, firmly it clings to him and Taekwoon opens his mouth to scream; only to discover that the heavy feeling in the room doesn't allow him to. That it takes his breath away.

Hakyeon. Hakyeon. Hakyeon.

The hand eventually lets go of him but that doesn't make him feel much better. He wants to go home, that's all he can think. Taekwoon needs to get home... But as soon as an unidentified bright light appears in front of him, swallowing the darkness and appearing as a glimmering circle a few meters ahead – he strangely forgets all about it. His eyes widen and his senses both relaxes and resists. Something about that circle is... Enchanting. He can't stop staring, can't pull himself together. If he now wanted to, which oddly enough isn't the case.

Hakyeon is off his mind and the outside, the white landscapes and soft feeling he woke up to gone. All that exists right now is the light in front of him. The light which both pulls him in and tells him to stay away. Maybe he'll stay frozen like this for the rest of his life? Endlessly hesitating. Because he sure could, it wouldn't matter. However, Taekwoon now feels someone or something giving him a push in the back from behind. It's gentle and weak, just a small nudge. But still enough.

Taekwoon takes a halting step forward before he shuffles all the way up to the glimmering circle. For every step taken, the closer he walks, he hears it more and more clearly.

It's the sound of people talking.

People are talking, laughing, cheering, joking and... crying? Taekwoon frowns as he now is standing right in front of it.

"Until it makes sense..." A whispering voice appears from behind but Taekwoon can't be bothered to even turn around, "Until it makes sense, truth will ponder aimlessly on one's lips."

Taekwoon touches the light, carefully and with his hand floating unsurely in the air from hesitation the brief moments before. He touches it and sees everything. He sees himself, people he knows are his parents and people he knows stands him close. But it's really odd. Because Taekwoon doesn't actually know them, although he feels like he once did. It's like they're lost in time, somewhere distant and now he also sees someone sitting drunk on the doorstep in front of a blue door that he somehow know leads to his own apartment.

"Wonshik...?"

He backs away, snaps out of it and holds his head which suddenly seems to be pounding with ache. Taekwoon crouches down and screams loudly out in pain, squirms in misery and falls down to the floor. What is happening to me? Wonshik, it can't be?

The pain settles down.
But Taekwoon is out of it, he's dizzy, too tired. Exhausted. He closes his eyes... and passes out.

...

When he opens them again, he's on a white-painted wooden bench in the mall with a strange brown-haired boy staring down at him. Although the world's still fuzzy, Taekwoon recognizes him within seconds.

"Han Sanghyuk?" He mumbles and the mentioned one helps Taekwoon sit up straight before he smiles a giggly smile.

"That's me."

"What was that?" Taekwoon asks.

"The portal?"

"Portal?"

"It's leading to the real world."

"Real world?"

Taekwoon closes his mouth as he suddenly notices that its wide open. He tries to come to his senses as he sees how the one called Sanghyuk has his eyebrows slightly raised from Taekwoon uselessly repeating everything he's saying.

"What do you mean?" Taekwoon eventually asks and Sanghyuk leans back on the bench with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Listen closely and I won't blame you if you don't believe me. Okay?"

Taekwoon nods. Sure, he won't blame him. Actually, he's almost sure of that any explanation to what freaky thing that just happened would be accepted by his mind. He just wants to know what that was. He just wants to know about... Wonshik?

"You're dead Jung Taekwoon. Everyone here is." Sanghyuk speaks and gives Taekwoon a brief glance to make sure he's listening and not like, freaking out before he continues, "This is a place people are sent to when they still have love to give but didn't get to give it on earth when they were still alive. This is said to be because they either die without notice or by another human's hand."

It's silent for a few seconds before Taekwoon blinks, "Excuse me, what?"

"I don't believe that last theory whatsoever though." Sanghyuk explains, seemingly ignoring Taekwoon's unstable reaction, "See, earth is driven by love and honestly, I think that this place exists for a darker reason that what is commonly believed. I think yo- erm, we're placed here because the angels want us to produce love forever rather than on earth where we can die and our love will follow us to the grave. The angels took us here for selfish intentions, they-"

"Whoa, what? Wait, what are you even talking about?" Taekwoon interrupts.

He stands up, holding his head that seems to have begun pounding in pain again as it's fed with the unbelievable things Sanghyuk is spitting. Angels?

But there was a portal...

Taekwoon shakes his head in denial, it's too much to take in. Also, if he gave love on earth but then died and proceeded to give it here, did that mean that Hakyeon died together with him? But- Wait. Taekwoon's memory shivers, stops, like it doesn't want to remember. For...was it really Hakyeon that he loved on earth?

Stop it.

He frowns and falls down to his knees. The fog in his mind seems to grow both clearer and thicker at the same time, all until he feels nothing but pure misery in there. Because Taekwoon doesn't actually know, now that he for once thinks about it – how he came to love Cha Hakyeon. He doesn't know how they met or how they got to know each other. He just knows that he loves him. I love Hakyeon.

I love him.
I need him.
We'll be together forever.

These thoughts, these feelings, are they not real? Are they just planted in his mind? Although Taekwoon doesn't want to believe it, somewhere within, he knows. He knows that it's true, that he's dead. That the eternal love and understanding he has for Cha Hakyeon – once was given to somebody else.

And above him, Sanghyuk softly chuckles, "Taekwoon, do you want to know who Wonshik is?"

... Do I?