Sleep well tonight, my dear

Lay down the burden on your shoulders

The man in the black suit was watching the trains go by, by the seat he was on. He was waiting for the one that stopped at the station that was ten minutes from the company he worked at.

Jinki was up early that day like every other day. It wasn’t only during the weekdays anymore, even on weekends he woke up like an alarm at 6 am. His days weren’t much different from each other. He always saw the same people at the train station, strangers that he saw more often than his own family, with whom he sometimes shared a silent nod, more than he did with many of family members.

Seoul was a city full of light and bustle and yet lately, for him, Seoul was like one horse of a merry go ride where he would sit and stay there going round and round with each passing day.

Another train passed by on the other line opposite for the one where the right train for him would arrive and Jinki watched the many early birds sitting on their seats quickly before the train started moving.

He leaned his head back and tried to look at the sky. It’s been a while since he went somewhere, since he had a proper vacation. Being someone with so many qualifications at work wasn't a blessing sometimes. Often his boss would give him all the responsibilities and hardest tasks and that meant that he had less time for himself, having to work overtime, sometimes even weekends and vacations periods became almost like an oasis.

Maybe that day he could try to talk with him and take some days off, maybe a week. He wasn't even that keen on it actually. He had nothing to do. He couldn't have a single idea of a possible thing he wanted to do.

A person sat beside him, reading a newspaper. Jinki glanced at the man that was probably only a little younger than him, wearing a big white hoodie that had the the words “333, only half evil” on it.

That made Jinki smile slightly and the man seemed to have noticed because he blinked at Jinki.

It was something that left Jinki a little taken aback and he looked away.

“Oh Jinki!” A familiar voice made Jinki raise his eyes from the platform on the other side to the person speaking.

“Ah...Joowon!”

Jinki stood up to hug his old friend from college that patted his back warmly.

“I haven’t seen you in such a long time ever since Da-Eun’s marriage.”

“It’s been a while yes. How is the wife and the kids?”

“They are fine. Ah the twins are troublemakers! You need to visit us one of these days.”

The invitation made Jinki smile.

“And Yunseo, how is she? Did she get the job she wanted?”

The question didn't made Jinki uncomfortable but he was sure that the answer would make his friend a little.

“We broke up. She is living in Europe now.”

“Oh..” Like Jinki suspected there was that small hint of alarm in his friend’s eyes that people often had every time they asked him about his ex and realized they shouldn't be asking about it. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.” He was over it. “It was two years ago.”

It was such a long time ago that the pain of the betrayal has given way to a silent acceptance. Their relationship wasn't good to begin with and without talking with him about it she went and applied for a job in Germany. Once she got it she left him.

Even if he was ok, even if he forgot her already, that was the definitive crack in his apparently perfect and mundane life. That's the little hole that gave way to the greyness that entered his life.

It’s impossible not to think about the “What did I do wrong?”, “Maybe If I asked her to stay…”, “Did we truly have feelings for each other?”, “What if I never find someone that accepts my shortcomings like she seemed to do?”

“Two years! That’s a really long time.” Joowon remarked his gaze lost somewhere behind Jinki while he thought about something else to ask him to make the awkward mood go away. “What about work? You still work at the same company?”

“Yes. Still the same.” Like everything in his life. Still the same, day after day.

“Ah that’s good. It’s one of the best IT companies in the country.” He patted Jinki’s shoulder friendly. “You must be proud.”

His parents were when he got the job. He also was back then, when it seemed like his life depended on a good job and a steady high paycheck but now that he had it, he almost had no idea what to do with it besides helping his parents.

“Well I have to go. Maybe we can meet someday, go out to drink together?!”

“Sure.”

“Call me!”

They hugged again and his friend left.

Jinki sat back on his seat beside the young man and stared into nothingness, thinking.

He wasn't going to call Joowon. It wasn't as if he didn't like him, but they now had different lives and Jinki truly didn't feel like it. It would be only a night of drinking, pretending to be happy with his life and hear a man brag about his busy days while the only thing he had to share was about work.

Working, meeting friends and drinking. Waking up and working and meeting friends and waking up...It was the same all over again. He was so tired.

Jinki sighed deeply and that seemed to make the young man beside him intensely stare at him.

“Here.” The man offered him the newspaper he was reading and Jinki noticed for the first time how his hair had a very unusual type of hair color. It was black and yet it became little blueish in some angles, as if he was some kind of a magical creature. Maybe he was truly half demon. “I think you need this.”

Jinki grabbed the newspaper or it would fall on the ground because the man stood up stretching his long legs with a huge grin on his face as if he just saved a life. “Ah…” He turned to Jinki. “No need to thank me!”

Another blink of an eye and then he stepped away of the station which confused Jinki.

Wasn't he there to catch a train?!

There were weirdos everywhere.

Jinki looked at the newspaper. It was open on the adverts section and in the middle of the job offers and miscellaneous selling adverts, was a big one about a beach apartment at a cheap price. The apartment’s pictures seemed nice but that wasn't what caught Jinki’s attention. One of the pictures showed the sea and even though the newspaper was printed in black and white he could almost see the deep blue of the ocean, inviting him.

He felt a weird desire to see it live, to bathe his feet in the water. Just below the picture it was written: “Come and rest here. Heal your wounds.”

That was exactly what he needed. Healing, resting. Jinki raised his eyes to the stairs from where the young strange man disappeared and frowned. It was as if he was reading his heart.

A place to heal your wounds.

Jinki used his phone to take a picture of the advert and the phone number he had to call to rent the house. That was like a sparkle of good luck. Just on the day he decides to ask for a vacation he finds a place to go, something he wants to do.

Even if it's only to look at the sea, even if it's only a small whim with not much significance, he wanted to do it.

He placed the newspaper on the seat where the young man was before and stood up.

His train was arriving.

He was so distracted with the advert that he didn't notice it. He rushed to the edge of the platform with other passengers and that's when a woman bumped into him.

He barely saw her, a cardboard box in her arms; a brief glimpse of her yellow dress that seemed to give some color to the gray of the station. She apologized and he nodded barely looking at her, his eyes on the door of the train that he entered fast searching for a free seat.

The train started moving. Jinki sat by the window, his eyes outside, on the mix of colors of the landscape. As soon as the train moved faster they mixed and become almost one.

Grey.

And yet his mind was somewhere else while he made plans of seeing a very deep blue sea.

It’s nothing but my gift to you

Is only this song

The girl with the yellow dress apologized to the man with the black suit and sat on the seat he left empty, placing the cardboard box she was carrying beside her legs.

She was speaking on the phone and that was why Haeun didn't see the man before it was late.

“Are you sure you are ok?” Her cousin asked her on the other side.

“I’m fine.” the train started moving and soon the station was almost empty. Haeun’s eyes focused on the platform in front of her but she wasn't really seeing anything. “It’s been one year since she died.”

“I know sweety. I’m sorry you had to collect your things from your mother’s apartment alone.”

Haeun touched the box beside her with her feet slightly. There weren’t many things inside anyway, mostly some mementos of her mother when she was still healthy. Many things she asked the landlord to throw away. It wasn't as if she needed painful mementos of the last moments of her mother. Anyway, the last year before she died she was at the hospital so the house was empty for long.

“Did you take many things?”

“Not really.” What people didn't get was that the worse part wasn't the things she had to place inside a box; they weren’t the objects that were once precious to her mother or the comb she used to comb her hair, or the clothes she wore; it was the emptiness, the silence inside that apartment where music would play all day, where you could hear the tv playing, the lack of her laughter and voice. That silence, that empty feeling was the worse.

That was what she felt inside, the greyness that took care of her life, that took away her sleep at night.

“Are you going to work now?”

“I have a family photoshoot to do but not much besides that.”

“Want to go out and drink tonight?”

She bit her lower lip. It was funny how like 90% of humanity thought that most of your problems can be solved with a glass of alcohol, that you can heal your heart drinking the night away.

“No, I prefer to rest tonight if you don't mind.”

Her cousin was lovely but the last thing she felt like doing was socializing, let alone with someone that looked at her as if she was a stray puppy.

“Are you sleeping better?”

“Not really.” Haeun smiled bitterly. “I will I’m sure.” She ran a hand through her black hair “I’m sure that things will get better with time.”

That's what everyone said. Her family, her therapist and even all the authors of self help books that she read. She wasn't depressed and yet she felt so tired and so empty.

It was as if her mother’s loss made the crack inside her, open her up more and darkness crept inside her heart. Nothing seemed to make her smile, her days were a blur of gray and nights were even worse. Her mind was a machine without a turn off button that she didn't seem to be able to quiet down for a few seconds and just rest.

“Do you know what you need? A vacation!” Haeun scoffed. “Get out of here! I mean it! Leave the city, go somewhere nice, somewhere different, meet other people!”

“I don't have money now. I’m still paying the hospital bills.” She needed at least two more months to repay everything she owned.

“I’ll repay you want I owe you.” Her cousin offered. “Remember when you lend me money to send my oldest to that expensive school. I never repaid you. I will now.”

“Aigo..where would I go?”

“I don't know. Somewhere you really want to visit.”

She wondered what that somewhere was.

“Go take pictures! Do what you love to do!”

She used to love taking pictures. Somehow even photography became more like a mundane thing than a hobby.

“I’ll think about it. I’ll call you later.”

Her train was arriving, just on time. She stood up ready to grab the box when her eyes fell on an open newspaper on the seat beside her.

She grabbed it attracted by the advert on the middle of the page.

They were renting beach apartments at a low cost.

She was never that fond of the beach and it was probably too cold to swim now.

Yet, the picture of the sea, even though it was black and white, made her interested.

When was the last time she took pictures of the ocean? When she was able to walk on the sand and feel the little grain under her feet?

“Come and rest here. Heal your wounds.” Was written under the sea’s picture and Haeun hesitated.

The train stopped behind her and the doors opened. She grabbed the newspaper and the box and walked to the train.

It was a small strike of luck, how she found something that she wanted to do.

Sleep well tonight, my love

As you are tightly held in my arms

A few weeks later

Jinki pushed the door of the house open and and walked inside the small and yet luxurious side of the apartment that belonged to him.

He met the landlord before he got the key to the building and he told him about the peculiarities of that apartment. It was built for a writer that used to live there with his wife. Since he needed solitude to write, the apartment was divided in two sides. The main door was the same that lead to a common living room with view to the sea where the writer used to meet his wife and then there was doors on each side of it leading to separate rooms. Each one of them had a small kitchen, a luxurious bathroom and a bedroom on the second floor.

Jinki was going to stay in one of the rooms and apparently another guest would arrive soon and stay in the other. He didn't have to communicate at all with that guest so it was as if he was alone. Not much different from his situation back home.

Jinki closed the door behind him and placed his bag with his sparse belongings on the floor. He walked in the direction of the window, passed by the black couch and looked outside. It felt like a dream.

The ocean that he dreamed of for days was there, outside, waiting for him. He knew there were many kinds of blue, all with different names but he really had no idea what blue was that. For now he would call it healing blue. Jinki sighed relieved and looked around him. On his left there were a couple of stairs leading to the bedroom upstairs and he could see the bed from where he was standing.

He wondered how the life between the writer and his wife was. Didn't she mind sleeping in another room away from him while he was writing? For sure they would meet once in awhile and share the same room, the same spaces but was that enough?

He also wondered what happened to the writer and his wife, why did they sell the house?!

Maybe they broke up, maybe one of them died, maybe they decided to move to the city tired of the sea.

It was such a beautiful sea though.

He could live there forever. He was sure of it.

Jinki carried his bag upstairs, tried the bed and then made coffee. He sat on the couch drinking it and reading a book he brought with him, while he listened to one of his favorite singer’s album.

Healing.

It wasn't as if he didn't do that at home, because he could do it, but it didn't feel the same at all.

Everytime he sipped his coffee and looked outside the window, the healing blue sea greeted him. There were no grey buildings, no rushed people outside, no sound of cars honking.

His healing process was interrupted after a while. Thoughts about how his co worker was doing his work, how his cat was back home - he did ask his brother to feed it - and a bunch of other useless worries assaulted him.

He was never the type to worry about small things, but he was insecure and nervous sometimes. Things did get pretty worse in the last years. Maybe he was getting old, maybe he lost some of the spontaneity and spunk he had before.

Maybe the problem was truly inside him. Maybe he was the one who had no color, who fell into a dreamless sleep. Evening gave way to night and soon it was time to sleep.

He finished washing the dishes - it wasn't many to begin with since he ate instant ramen - and then walked to the window to admire the night sky.

He barely could see the sea now, since night fell over it. There was only darkness ahead.

A flash of red made him look away from the darkness to a woman that was on the sand.

She was far away from the water, almost beside the road, where the beach began so he could see her back view well. She was barefooted, her shoes in one hand a travel bag in the other, her black hair swaying with the wind, her red dress giving her away.

Jinki watched her for a while wondering what she was admiring for such a long time when you could barely see the water. Then he realized that instead of looking at what was in front of her she was looking up at the stars and the moon.

He did the same marveling with the beautiful night sky.

You barely can see any star in Seoul. Not only the pollution was preventing you from it but also the lights of the buildings. Seoul was a city that was never bathed in darkness. It’s funny how you need it to be able to see the stars shine.

Jinki truly felt blessed that he found that place. It was all worth it.

He turned around and walked to the bathroom to wash his teeth and change into his pajamas.

He came out changed, wrapped in a robe and ready to sleep, or try to.

He even yawned a little which made him smile satisfied.

He had no idea what he would do the next day but for the first time in a while he didn't care. He could do whatever he liked. He could even lay on the couch all day, explore the beach, take a relaxing bath, anything.

He was going to climb up the stairs when he heard a noise outside.

He completely forgot about his neighboor. He hesitated before deciding on greeting that stranger that would live beside him for a few days. Hopefully they would get along and not cross each other's paths much.

Jinki opened the door that lead to the common room and a woman dressed in red turned around a little startled.

“Oh...the woman from outside.”

She widened her eyes and covered . “The man at the window.”

So she also saw him.

“Ah did you talk with the landlord?”

“Yes, he told me on the phone about this peculiar apartment.” She seemed to think and then added. “I won't bother you. Don't worry.”

He didn't mean it like that and was going to add it but the woman disappeared inside her side of the apartment and he closed the door and got back to his bedroom.

From his bed, if Jinki laid on his right side he could see the ocean outside. Since everything was so silent he could even hear it.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

Sleep usually came easy since he was tired of work, of his rushed life of every day. However it seemed as even if he slept for a whole day he couldn't take that tension out from his shoulders, the tiredness from his body and soul.

The sound of the ocean lulled him to sleep, instead of the usual sound of the cars or his neighbour from upstairs that seemed to have a party going on almost everyday.

Jinki’s mind was still very active though.

He wondered if the woman in the red dress was asleep already or was by the window of her living room admiring the stars above. He wondered what was her name, why was she there alone in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she was just like him, tired of her life, wanting to take a vacation from it. Maybe she was hiding from something or someone, maybe from memories. Those were the worst to run away from.

Slowly he fell into sleep.

I pray that I can protect your pretty smile

Good night, my love

Haeun arrived too late. She got lost and caught the wrong bus from the train station there. She truly choose the most forgotten beach ever and apparently there wasn't anything to visit or do at that small village. That was why the bus driver that brought her was so surprised that a tourist was truly coming to that side of the coast.

As soon as she stepped outside the bus, and after thanking the driver she walked to the beach. She took off her shoes - she couldn't wait any longer - and still carrying her bag she stepped into the cold sand that made her shiver. The sea seemed upset with the gods, the waves crashing into the beach making water splash in all directions.

She liked it. The fury, the break in the passiveness. Maybe she had a sea inside her too, wanting to explode, to complain to the gods also about how unfair life was sometimes.

Haeun moved her toes on the sand and raised her eyes to the sky. If she forgot about that unfair god that she didn't even knew if she did believe in, she could appreciate the stars illuminating the dark sky.

The moon wasn't shining brightly that night but the stars were so many that she didn't mind at all. Besides she could see the moon in Seoul from the window of her kitchen. She could never see that many stars though.

It was such a pretty vision that she stayed there in wonder. It was a little chilly and she trembled slightly but she didn't care, it meant that she was alive, that she still could feel.

She moved her big toe in the sand and tried to write with it which made her smile softly.

If someone saw her there they would think she was crazy. As if it was destined to be so she turned around and her eyes settled on the window on the other side of the road on the first floor, supposedly more or less on the building she was going to stay.

A man was there, his eyes on the sky above and she watched him for a while, how the light of his living room was shining from behind him.

He left then so she didn't have time to see his face clearly and Haeun looked back at the sea again.

Darkness.

It was funny how light worked.

During the day everything has colors and a world without color would be such a sad world. She knew that better than anyone. As a photographer she had to work with lighting and enhancing colors and freezing memories in time, in a way that you could remember the exact color of your grandfather's eyes, or what hair color you had when you had your first date, or the color of your babies first beanie.

But colors were liars. The truth was that nothing really had a color. It was only our eyes and our brain that perceived objects in that way. And it all happened because of the way objects absorbed the light.

In the end it all came back to us and the way we perceive things, we see them and analyze inside our brain and feel them.

To one person one dress could be blue and to the other it could be green. It can be a simple dress for one and to other the most precious piece of clothing that person has.

That was why she believed that she had the key to change her destiny, to close that crack inside her. Maybe she did need a push but it all came down to her.

That was also why she was there now in front of all that darkness, of that upset sea and dreamlike stars believing that she made the right decision.

It was late when Haeun entered the common room of the apartment. She heard from her landlord before about the story behind that strange house.

She felt the urge to ask the landlord about the couple that lived there before. Maybe he killed her and was arrested. Maybe she cheated on him and left. Maybe they went to live overseas.

Haeun was thinking about all those thriller like plots when the door behind her opened.

A man, a handsome man in a robe, widened his eyes looking at her.

“Oh...the woman outside.”

She widened her eyes and covered recognizing the man due to his clothes. “The man at the window.”

So he also saw her.

“Ah did you talk with the landlord?” He asked a little hesitantly and she wondered if he wasn't also a writer and needed his space.

“Yes, he told me on the phone about this peculiar apartment.” She bit her lower lip and added. “I won't bother you. Don't worry.”

The last thing she wanted was to have problems with a man she barely knew and during her special vacations.

Haeun quickly entered her apartment carrying her bag that she threw over the couch so that she could admire the view from the window.

“It’s wonderful.”

No one answered back and she didn't expect to anyway. She explored the rest of the apartment and then got ready for bed.

She was tired. Her body hurt from the long bus ride and she didn't sleep more than two hours the previous night due to her insomnia.

Maybe with the wave’s sound, maybe away from a place with her mother's memories she could be able to rest properly.

It was funny that even though her mother never stayed at her apartment sometimes she had the feeling she could hear her cry during the night with pain.

Haeun laid down on her bed covering herself with the covers. She could see the sea from her bed once she woke up, if she was facing her left side, she couldn't wait for morning.

She closed her eyes and sighed waiting. There was no crying, but she couldn't quiet down her brain, nervous, wondering if she would truly sleep anything in that unfamiliar bed and bedroom.

The bed was cold and she longed for warmth, for that loneliness to go away.

That’s when she remembered that she wasn't truly alone.

Somewhere on the other side of the wall that man she just met was sleeping.

She wondered if he was snoring already or if he was watching the stars once again.

Why did he came to that place so far away from everything?

Was he a writer too?

Or maybe he was running away from his boring life like her.

Maybe she wasn't truly alone, maybe more people like her, lost inside themselves existed.

She was so lost in those thoughts about her neighboor that slowly she fell into a light sleep.

Sleep well tonight, my dear

You did such a good job today

Jinki woke up early.

He had breakfast - instant coffee that he brought with him and a pack of snacks. He definitely needed to find a grocery store or at least a restaurant.

It was with those thoughts that he changed and grabbed his phone and wallet.

The sea was outside waiting for him and he wanted to also explore the village and the woods around the building he was staying at. Jinki grabbed his earphones and connected them to his phone so he could listen to some music while he did his explorations.

When he was leaving he noticed the frame beside the door for the first time. It looked like a poem handwritten by someone and he wondered if the person who wrote it was the writer. The handwriting was cute though, more feminine, and he stood there by the door reading the poem out loud.

Sleep well tonight, my dear

Lay down the burden on your shoulders

It’s nothing but my gift to you

Is only this song

Sleep well tonight, my dear

You did such a good job today

Even though you were alone, even though you were lonely

I am right here

Sleep well tonight, my dear

Put down that heavy burden

I pray that your pained heart will be comforted

Good night, my love

Now that he read it he had the feeling that it wasn't a normal poem, it looked like the lyrics of a song, of a lullaby that you sing to a loved one.

He didn't know what happened to the couple who lived there before but he had a feeling that it was written for the writer probably by his wife. It was very sweet and it gave him warm feelings. Such a connection like that, the pain and yet the sweetness of the lyrics.

Jinki spent the whole morning walking around the village. He didn't find any restaurant but he found a small market where he bought some things. Then he listened to his music while he played on his phone, walking in the middle of the woods, filling his lungs with pure air.

His stroll ended up at the beach. He took off his shoes and walked on the beach until, he was more or less in the middle of it. The sea was calm and he sat on the sand not caring about dirtying his clothes.

If the weather got warmer he would try to go for a swim. He loved to swim ever since he was a little kid.

He was so distracted admiring the horizon that he only noticed that he wasn't alone because he saw movement on his right side. Jinki glanced to his right and to his surprise, the woman from the night before was there a few steps away, sitting on the sand like him, her yellow dress pulled upwards leaving part of her legs unprotected from the sun. She didn't seem to care or have any worry in the world, her eyes on the sea. Her head and elbows over her knees.

He admired her profile for a while. She was pretty with beautiful long black hair that fall over her back. Her cheeks were a little pink and she sighed deeply before glancing in his direction.

Their eyes met and she raised her head as if she was also surprised to notice that she wasn't alone. How couldn't she notice him when she arrived for sure after him?!

She blinked her eyes cutely and he was sure she wasn't doing it on purpose. It seemed to be all her with no lies. Then she looked away and he did the same a little awkwardly before he looked back at her. He wasn't surprised to see her also looking at him.

She smiled friendly like you smile when you see a friend after a long time on the other side of the street and he smiled back so naturally that it confused him.

Even though you were alone, even though you were lonely

I am right here (can you hear me?)

Haeun slept only 5 hours and yet it was the most she slept usually.

She felt invigorated and took a bath inside the luxurious big bathtub in her appartment. She stayed there reading her book and playing with the water until her skin started to get wrinkles. After eating a small package of cookies - the only thing she brought with her - she decided to leave the house.

She didn't have anywhere to go but she could take pictures of the beach or at least find a place to have lunch.

It was then, when she was leaving that she noticed the frame beside the door of her side of the apartment.

She read it out loud to herself since she was alone.

Sleep well tonight, my love

As you are tightly held in my arms

I pray that I can protect your pretty smile

Good night, my love

Sleep well tonight, my dear

You did such a good job today

Even though you were alone, even though you were lonely

can you hear me?

Sleep well tonight, my dear

Put down that heavy burden

I pray that your pained heart will be comforted

Good night, my love

It was for sure written by a man since the handwriting was very messy and she had a feeling that the writer that lived there wrote it to his wife.

It was so sweet and yet so very sad that she felt an ache inside her chest.

So much loneliness on those words and yet so much love. She wasn't sure where they were now, what went wrong in their relationship, but after reading that she was sure he at least loved her.

Haeun stepped into the beach barefooted. She carried her camera in her hand and took some pics of the ocean, especially of the foam bathing the sand.

She shoot a couple more and then sat near the sea, her full attention on the way the water left marks on the sand, her camera by her side on the sand.

Haeun was so focused on it that she was a little surprised when she looked to her left and saw the man from the night before looking at her.

He awkwardly looked away as if he was caught doing something he shouldn't and she moved her toes on the slightly warm sand.

He looked at her again and she smiled at him warmly. They were both stuck together, in the same apartment after all so it was better if they were friendly with each other since they would probably meet very often during that week.

He smiled back at her, a beautiful smile illuminating his features that left her a little breathless.

Sleep well tonight, my dear

Put down that heavy burden

“I’m Haeun.” She introduced herself raising her voice over the wind and the sound of the ocean.

“I’m Jinki.”

“So we are neighbors…kinda roommates.”

“Yes.” It was weird to talk like that and he stood up grabbing his things from the sand. “Maybe we could get closer…” He blushed slightly. “I mean sit closer to talk.”

“Sure.” She stood up, grabbed her camera and walked to him. He did the same and both met halfway facing each other. She was almost as tall as him and he wasn't wrong, she was very beautiful. She was thinking the same. His lips were very y and the way his eyes become small when he smiled at her it made him very attractive.

They sat on the sand beside each other again and looked at the sea. Now that they were closeby they had no idea what to say.

“There is a poem.” She said turning to him. The appartment was the only thing they had in common so she was going to start there. “I mean in my side of the apartment. There is a lullaby written on a paper inside a frame.”

“Mine too.”

“Really?”

“I think it was written by a woman. Not sure you know but…”

“I do. The landlord told me about the couple living there before.”

“Right.” Silence and yet he didn't feel uncomfortable. There was no rush or a need to pleasantries. “Did he tell you what happened to them?”

“No.” She scratched her neck and he couldn't help but look at the skin there, it looked so soft and he fought the urge to touch her. “I have theories.”

He smiled and she smiled with him “I have too. Tell me yours first!”

“So…I think he killed her out of jealousy. Or maybe one of them died and the other sold the house because they couldn't bare to live there anymore, with all the memories.”

He watched her, how her eyes seemed to lose a bit of it’s sparkle, watching the sea. She seemed to notice his eyes studying her and smiled cutely. “Maybe they just decided to live somewhere else like the city. What are yours?”

“I think their marriage ended.” He nodded. “Yes, one of them got tired of the other, of living separately and yet in the same house. Tired of the loneliness. The one that comes from inside.” He his lips. “The one that stayed couldn't take it, the memories…”

“And sold the house.” She finished for him and then sighed. “I wonder what truly happened. Maybe we can ask the landlord next time. “

“Maybe.”

“It's a beautiful poem though.”

“So much love and sadness.”

Doesn't love bring sadnessss sometimes?

She agreed with him and the sound of the sea became the only sound again.

“Can I ask you something?” She asked after a while moving her fingers on the sand her eyes on his adam's apple and moving down his body. He was so manly and handsome and she wondered why someone like him was there alone and not with a girlfriend.

“Sure.” He frowned though and she giggled because he did seem to have a cute boyish side to him.

“Why are you here?” He kept frowning so she added. “I mean there is nothing to do here.”

“Why are you here then?”

Haeun laughed. “No way, I asked first!”

“I wanted to see the sea.” He breathed in the fresh breeze. “The sea here is so blue. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come. Because it was so blue in my imagination and I wanted to confirm if it was like I pictured it.”

“Do you realize that colors depend on the eye of the beholder. That objects don't truly have colors and it's only the way we percept light being absorbed by objects.”

He chuckled. “Yes I know. In a way it’s like we perceive people. Yesterday if we passed by each other you would be just someone and today we are here and you are my…roomate.”

“The true magic happens inside us.” She swayed in her place and then smiled at him. “I like you. I like talking with you.”

“It’s been like…five minutes?” He laughed. “I like it though.”

She was sure it was more than five but she didn't feel like moving or ending their conversation there.

“It’s your turn.” He announced. “Why did you came?”

“I was running away.” He frowned and she added. “I was trying to run away from myself.”

“Is it working?”

She hummed thinking. “No I don't think so but the thing is, I'm more bearable now. I don't feel like leaving myself anymore. Maybe I can stick around me a lot longer.”

His lips turned upwards and she hugged her knees closer to her body.

She felt good.

He felt good.

They stood there for a while saying nothing, enjoying the sea’s breeze and the sun that would bless them with warmth once in awhile once the clouds let it show.

“Water you doing after?”

Hauen blinked her eyes confused since he was speaking in English to her and then she realized he was trying to make a joke.

“Water...you know since we are looking at water and…”

She laughed covering more because of his funny embarrassed expression while he explained than with his lame attempt of a pun.

“I get it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and added. “I need a place to have lunch. Do you know any restaurant around here?”

“I saw nothing when I went to the village. I also need to find one. Maybe we should ask around.”

“Maybe…” she couldn't take her eyes away from his and he did seem to have the same problem.

“I haven’t done this in such a long time.” His words were almost swallowed with the wind but she heard him, she saw his lips moving while he said them. Haeun never realized how those words could make her happy. They never did. It was new to her.

“Want to have lunch together?” He asked a little louder, digging his fingers in the sand under him.

She never noticed the nervous gesture because she was admiring the darkness of his eyes, the curve of his nose and the cute dimples on his cheeks.

“Yes.”

She wasn’t grey. He couldn't stop thinking about that. She was like the sea, so full of light that he couldn take her eyes from her. She also didn't see him as if he was a stray cat needing to be loved.

“Did I sound too eager?” She asked shyly and he raised an eyebrow.

“Ah no…” Maybe he was looking at her for too long for her to had that idea.

“Wait let’s try this again. Ask me again!”

“Eh…” He stuttered wondering what was that all about but he did it. “Want to have lunch with me?”

She grabbed her phone and then pretended to be checking something on it so he peeked slightly but she was basically moving her finger randomly on the dark screen of her phone.

“I think I have time…just now!” Haeun grinned at him and he smiled back. “Did it sound less desperate now?”

“It didn't sound desperate the first time around.” He rubbed his nose. “It's not like you have many people to have lunch around here.”

“True. A very clever observation. I like smart men…” She blushed deeply and he liked it, he liked it very much. “I mean, I'm joking...well not really...it doesn't mean anything.”

Jinki stood up and before he knew what he was doing he offered her his hand to stand up with him.

She looked at his fingers for a while and he realized his mistake. However when he was going to withdraw his hand she took it and he softly pulled her up.

Her hand was warm and soft and even after he released her, Jinki felt weird.

“Shall we search for a restaurant in the village?” He suggested.

“Let's go.” She raised her camera and took a last picture of the sand and Jinki wondered why was that worth of a picture.

She looked at the screen of her camera where she pictured the place where they were sitting.

A memory of their first meeting frozen forever that for other people was only a picture of sand but for her and possibly to that stranger, that was a stranger no more, was something special, a proof that it happened.

I pray that your pained heart will be comforted

(I pray)

They did find a place to have lunch.

It was the only restaurant of the village, a small one by the sea. There weren't many options on the menu, but the food was delicious.

Even if it wasn't they satiated themselves with each other’s lives. Jinki told her about his work at the company about his days before he took a vacation. She did the same talking about photography and how she had a hard time falling asleep.

He was thankful that he found someone that wouldn't judge him for feeling so sad in his own shoes even though he had a good job and good health and she was thankful for him for understanding her when she talked about her sleepless nights and messy daily thoughts.

They left the restaurant talking about photography and she proposed to show him some tricks to take better pictures. They spent the afternoon in the middle of the woods taking pictures, sharing and listening to music, laughing about their dull lives and lost dreams.

Jinki took many pictures and Haeun helped him. Soon the main theme of the pictures wasn't the landscapes anymore and it became each other.

Jinki’s smile, her ankles, the small hair on top of his head that didn't want to stay with the others, her perfect nose or red ears…

Dinner ended up being in the same restaurant where both drank together, laughter filling the table.

None felt like that in such a long time, none smiled so widely or laughed so loudly in such a long time.

To end the night they did the same that started their day, they went for a stroll on the beach.

The sea was surprisingly calm and it was warmer so she didn't feel chilly at all. Actually she felt warm, maybe it was the alcohol maybe it was her heart filled with a bit of color.

During dinner she told him briefly about her mother, about how she sometimes could hear her cry at night, how she couldn't seem to fill the space she left inside her. He said it was ok, that she didn't have to fill it, she only needed to close that space and open a new one beside it. She wondered why she never thought about it like that, about how nothing could ever replace her mother’s love but that she could find someone else to love, another kind of love.

She watched him in silence, drinking her wine while he spoke about his ex girlfriend and how cheated he felt, wondering about what he did wrong. She tried to give him her insight on it. A relationship was made by two people, so both would be at fault if something went wrong. If he felt like he did his best then he truly did all he could at the time. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

Since they opened their wounds to each other they felt better, as if the blood lingering inside it was slowly dripping from it and maybe the wound would finally heal.

It was funny how two strangers established such a special connection between each other. At least that's what he felt, walking by Haeun’s side.

“I feel like I shared all of my seacrets with you today!”

She glanced at him raising an eyebrow and he was going to explain his pun when she grinned.

“It’s ok I get it…secrets and sea.”

“Right!”

She laughed and then turned to him, the camera around her neck moving over her chest.

“I didn't have so much fun like this in such a long time.”

“Me neither.”

There was a moment, a share of gazes, a slightly movement of their bodies in each other’s directions, as if a magnet was pulling them together.

To break it Jinki suggested for them to wash their feet.

They took off their shoes and stepped into the water. The water was so cold that she screamed complaining when a wave reached her ankles.

“I’m going to freeze!”

Both laughed and she grabbed his arm to steady herself. He grabbed her by her hand instead and they entered the water holding hands, his pants folded to his knees her dress getting a little wet.

They did not advance more and stayed together holding hands, facing each other.

“I can't feel my toes.”

“I can't either.”

But both could feel their hearts beating fast, their desire to touch more than each other’s hands, to kiss the lips of the person in front of them, from where their sweet words during dinner came from.

“I like you Haeun.” He said mimicking what she said when they met that morning. “I know you for only a few hours but I like you.”

“I like you too Jinki. You are funny even if your jokes are lame.”

“There is…” He didn't know how to say it, how to describe what he was feeling and he was afraid to scare her away.

“Something.”

Apparently she felt the same he did.

“Yes.” He mastered his courage. After all he opened up with her more than he ever did with his close friends and family. “You have more color than anything around me lately. Like the sea…ah…” He wasn't sure how to explain it to her and she was looking at him with such warmth that he was afraid to ruin everything and say the wrong thing. “I can't take my eyes away from you, not even to look at the sea.”

That was the solo reason he came there, he told her before, so that was some kind of a confession and she liked it because she smiled to herself, squeezing his hand in her’s.

“Why do I feel the same? What is this?”

“I don't know.”

Maybe it was a little of hope that after all they weren't wounded beyond repair. Maybe a cure for their restless nights.

They weren't sure how it happened or when they made the decision but when they noticed what they were doing it was already too late, his lips were on hers already and she was kissing him back.

It was soft, gentle and yet filled with longing.

How could two people that met for such a short time feel so much desire so much need of each other?

Her dress and his pants were getting drenched but none seemed to mind, not even about their feet freezing with the cold water.

Their hearts were warm enough.

Good night, my love

They never let go of each other's hands, not even after entering the apartment.

They hesitated on each side to choose but Jinki ended up making the final decision so they entered his side of the apartment instead.

They didn't look at the frame beside the door, they didn't look at the window or the sea outside or even turn on the lights. He guided her in the dark up the stairs with no rush, their wet feet leaving marks on the floor up to his bed where he climbed over, both sitting facing each other in silence.

He the lamp on the bedside table which barely illuminated the bed but was enough for him to see her face.

“Are we sure?” He asked in a low voice that made her almost tremble.

“Yes.”

It was funny how he said we and not you and that made her smile. He couldn't take it anymore and leaned forward kissing her again a little more eager now.

She let him caress her face as if he was trying to memorize her features and down, his hands moved to her shoulders over the fabric of her dress.

Jinki broke the kiss to look at her and she slowly pulled her dress over her head. He watched her in wonder, how her hair fell slowly over her skin, how the blue of her underwear seemed to match the sea, how her lips seemed to call for him for another kiss that he didn't deny.

This time she had to touch him not being able to resist the torture anymore. She traced his ears and down to his chin and neck and then up to his hair again. Ever since that afternoon while she was taking his pictures, she wanted to touch him like that, to kiss his adam’s apple to taste his skin.

That's what she did, kissing down his neck that he raised for her to reach it better and down to his collarbones.

Jinki took off his shirt and she kept exploring him as if he was one of those photography books she loved, filled with beautiful pictures where she liked to trace with her fingers her favorite parts. She wasn't sure what part of him was her favorite and she couldn't decide yet before seeing all of him but she loved what she was touching already, his sensitive , his muscled chest and down to his tummy so close to the waist of his pants that she couldn't take her yes away from there.

Jinki kissed her neck making her close her eyes, his hands caressing her back, unclasping her bra that he took from her slowly, revealing her s to him. He cupped them with both his hands making Haeun bit her lower lip and then massaged her. There was so much tenderness in his actions and so much desire in his eyes that her heart was a complete mess.

A ache inside her was starting to build also, matching his arousement.

His lips moved down from her neck so slowly and gently that it was as if a feather was kissing her, if it wasn't from the wet trail and tingling sensation they left behind she would believe they never happened.

With her eyes closed Haeun caressed the back of his head while he kissed around her , caressing her other that wasn’t receiving his lips’ attention.

A soft moan left her lips when he her and then kissed and it.

She opened her eyes now avid to watch what he was doing. He didn't stop there and moved to her other , his hands caressing her back, tracing her spine as if he was fixing her, taking all the weight from her back, the one making her drag herself through the day.

As soon as he moved away from her to kiss her shoulder instead she attacked him passionately, kissing him, pushing him down on the bed, her hair working as a curtain around him, hiding him from the world. He didn't mind. There was no other place he would rather be.

Jinki closed his eyes while she kissed his lips, on his lower lip gently before moving down his neck to his chest.

He let her take her time, kissing him anywhere she wanted rubbing her body against his, eliciting soft moans from him every time her s rubbed against his chest, every time she kissed him deeply, their tongues caressing each other.

If they were cold before now they were burning. Slowly his tensed body relaxed under her.

Haeun struggled to open his pants and Jinki helped her, his intense gaze on hers. They did not lie on the beach. They couldn't stop looking at each other as if they wanted to contemplate each other's soul. He raised his body up to help her take his pants off of him and she did it slowly, her fingers brushing against his hairy muscled legs.

He probably exercised, she had no idea since they didn't talk about it but that didn't matter at the time, she only wanted to kiss him.

She almost threw herself over him again in a passionate kiss and he rolled with her staying on top this time.

Jinki pulled away just enough to slide her down her legs and he took the opportunity to take his underwear off also.

Now that they were both completely there was no shame and they looked at each other’s bodies, desire and need in every look and touch.

Jinki stood up fast and she watched him open his wallet from where he took a .

As soon as he was ready, Haeun pulled him by his neck to her again and he spread her legs so he could touch her with his fingers where she needed him, where she was burning.

She arched her back opening in a silent cry, surprised with the intensity of his touch, with the skill of his fingers. It was as if he knew exactly where to touch her and yet they were never together before.

He kissed her muffling her moans while he rubbed her oris fast. She didn't want to stay behind and run her nails on his chest, and down to his that was poking her thigh.

Haeun wasn't a selfish lover so she repaid what he as doing to her. She slowly moved her hand over his length ing him as if it was even needed, caressing his burning skin, drinking the moans coming from his lips.

It was enough to make Jinki stop what he was doing and he grabbed her hands away and above her head, pushing her down on the bed firmly in a very manly gesture that left her breathless, her heart beating so fast that she was afraid nothing would ever be the same anymore.

However the kiss he gave her was tender and his hands’ hold on her softened. With a swift movement he entered her, making Haeun arch her body under him, her teeth biting his lip.

He moved slowly and she met his s dying with the pleasure. He was perfect. She felt perfect.

He opened his hands over hers, his fingers filling the spaces between hers. He was filling everything inside her and Haeun felt her chest tighten with each of his, her fingers curling to lock his on her hand.

That intensity, that thirst and warmth was new for her and she completely let herself go moving her hips up kissing his lips with no second to spare to breathe.

Soon she wouldn't be able to keep going.

Jinki sensed her difficulty breathing and moved away just enough to look at her while he moved, his lips still rubbing against hers and noses touching.

He wasn't sure what she was seeing in his eyes but he loved to look at her’s, the pleasure in them, the satisfaction that matched his.

She was close and Jinki was too and he moved his hand over hers pulling it with him and to the space between their chest where he released her hand.

He was still holding her other hand so she didn't complain and instead caressed his face while he rubbed her between her legs making her cry in ecstasy.

Haeun’s hit her like a storm, waves after waves crashing inside her, and she closed her eyes shut breathing fast, the sweet adrenaline rushing through her from her head to toes that she stretched.

It didn't end immediately and she felt the pleasure for a little, while he kept ing into her pursuing his own release that happened soon after. The grip of his hand on her’s almost hurt when he came and she felt him tremble over her before he fell, his hot fast breathing on her neck warming her already hot skin.

They didn't move for a while afraid to break the magic, afraid that if he moved from inside her the gray world would come back again and erase that day. That all the fixing they did would be only an illusion and nothing else.

Eventually they went to sleep and Haeun woke up in Jinki’s arms, facing him, one arm around her. He was sleeping peacefully and she stood quietly admiring him.

She wasn't sure what that man had of so special but she truly had a good time with him the day before, and - if she could call that magical moment they shared only - was amazing. She felt so warm with him and she even managed to sleep the whole night since it was already morning, the soft light entering the big window illuminating one side of the bedroom.

Eventually all magic has to end and she carefully pulled his arm away from her and sat on the bed. She wanted to kiss his lips but she wasn't sure she could do it. She wasn’t sure how he would react when he woke up.

Would he blame the wine they drank at dinner - he didn't seem drunk though - would he tell her it was all a fling, a mistake?

They barely knew each other and one good day and wonderful couldn’t truly mean that they had something going on. She didn’t even know how old he was, if he liked cats or dogs, what hobbies he had.

What happened was madness and yet she couldn't regret it not even a little bit.

Haeun stood up from the bed a little in panic, her chest hurting, and grabbed her clothes before she left his side of the apartment, her eyes falling on the poem beside his door before she left.

So much sadness and love. At the time she couldn't truly understand it completely but now, only a few hours after she read it it made sense to her.

Her eyes filled with tears. She could now understand that lullaby.

Even though you were alone, even though you were lonely

can you hear me?

Jinki woke up to an empty bed and he quickly dressed up and went to knock on the other side of the apartment door. No one answered and his heart ached worried that Haeun might have gone back home. They didn't really talk about how long they would stay at the house and maybe she only came for one day and two nights.

Troubled, he entered his apartment again and stood by the door trying to figure out a way to reach to her. He had an idea of the reasons that lead her to leave him that morning and he couldn't blame her because he had probably the same worries. That's when his eyes fell on the lullaby poem.

A deepest connection, sadness and warmth.

He could feel it now and the intensity of his feels only made him worry even more.

He grabbed his phone and wallet and left the apartment in search of her.

It wasn't hard to find her actually.

Haeun was walking by the beach wearing a pair of jeans shorts and a white t-shirt. Her hair was caught in a bun and he strode to her determinedly not even bothering to take off his shoes.

She spotted him also and after a brief hesitation she also walked in his direction. Like on the previous morning they met halfway and stood facing each other.

However this time the way they perceived each other was different. He wasn't only the man that lived next door from her and she wasn't only the woman that sat beside him on the beach.

They were so much more. Their perceptions, their colors changed. They were no longer gray, they had color, they were bright. They represented the hope they were searching, a proof that things could truly get better.

“I don't want this to be a one night thing.” He said first talking over the sound of the waves.

“I don't either.” She confessed.

They both smiled relieved.

“I was so worried when I didn't see you this morning, I was afraid you regretted it or I gave you the wrong idea…”

“No. I’m happy.” It was her most honest feelings. “But this is new. We barely know each other. I’m so confused because I like you and I feel good beside you but...But I need to know you better.”

“True. We should go slow.”

She was happy he felt the same about it.

“One meal at a time?” She suggested not wanting to part ways with him. She only needed a little of patience from him.

“Yes!” He offered his hand to her and she placed her’s in his. He was willing to give her time because he also needed it. “I’m also happy.”

Happy. He thought he would never use that word again and it was now easily leaving his lips.

That was only a beginning. It could be the start of something big, something that could last or maybe it was only the beginning of a short adventure. Whatever it was both were sure that their life changed the moment they met each other, that another person would go back to Seoul, ready to keep healing even if alone. Their short encounter breathed hope into them.

“I’m hungry.” He squeezed her hand “Shall we go and eat something together?”

One meal at the time…

“Where shall we go?” She asked and he guided her out of the beach.

“There is this small restaurant on the other side of the beach where I'm a faithful customer…”

She laughed. “I was truly suspicious why the rent of the apartment was so low and now I know.”

“Maybe it doesn't have to do with the lack of things around here, maybe someone truly died in it.” He remarked while they walked holding hands down the road.

“The apartment is amazing. Who cares about a ghost? It's not like he will share the bed with you or eat your food!”

“True!”

Their voice and laughter was muffled by the sea while they walked away.

My love, you

Good night

Two years later

Jinki saw another train pass by and yawned before looking at his phone again. Lately he barely looked at the trains, he was busy thinking about other things to truly focus on the things around him.

I’m almost there.

A new kakao message which made him smile.

And I’m here.

He raised his eyes from his phone to the stairs at the end of the platform where a woman came up from them wearing a black blouse over green pants. She was carrying a yellow bag and smiled as soon as she saw him.

He stood up to help her with the bag and Haeun sat beside him on the bench.

“I’m sorry I am late.”

“No problem. Did you get it?”

She showed him a receipt with a huge grin. “The house is ours for one week.”

It has been one year and a half since they started dating. After a week together by the beach making love and getting to know each other they got back to Seoul and decided to meet only as friends. It lasted for half a year until they fell into each other's arms again. After Jinki kissed Haeun at his place during a dinner date, his cat on her lap, they became inseparable again. They healed their wounds, they restarted to see more into life than sadness, they leaned on each other and life wasn't grey anymore. Now after more than one year dating, after deciding to live together and even marry, they knew they were strong enough to get back to where it all started.

“The house where we started healing.” Jinki said.

“The house where we started healing.” Haeun repeated.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and they held hands.

It was like magic how they met each other at the lowest points of their life and managed to fall for each other, healing their hearts in the process. Maybe soulmates did in fact exist, maybe they were fated to fall into a grey world before they could find color, or maybe it was all a little bit of good luck that made them cross paths even if they lived close by, in the same city, using the same train station, passing by each other without a second look.

When they left the house they asked the landlord about the mysteries that surrounded the house.

It once belonged to a famous writer called Kim Jonghyun.

However Jinki and Haeun didn't guess right the reason he left the house. No one died, no one cried and there was no breakup. After a few months of staying there his wife got pregnant. Since they were having a kid they decided to move to a bigger house appropriated for a child and he decided that maybe only a room was enough for him to write, that his family needed him by their side everyday and he would be more inspired if he managed to spend more time with them.

It was such a mundane reason and yet it made them happy that that couple they never met was happy somewhere. Back then they were so grey and sad that they only could think about awful possible reasons for that house to be vacant.

It was different now. They could see things in a more brighter way because they slowly got rid of the darkness inside them.

Another train passed, not the right one. Even though the vision in front of them is still the same every day this time they aren't gloomy. They could always look at the blue sky instead of at the sad station or at each other.

All colors reflected perfectly on them now, days sometimes were the same but nights weren’t restless anymore since they met each other at the end of the day.

They were each other’s lullaby.

Each other's sleeping pill.

----......----