Winter was approaching fast as the skies tried to hold onto the last of its vibrant fall hues, and Mingyu was slowly settling into his new job, as was Wonwoo.

One particular evening, Wonwoo entered the house all scruffy and tired. It wasn’t too different from the usual air around him after a long day of work, but Mingyu thought he looked more downtrodden than normal. He trudged into the dining room and plopped his head onto the table with a sigh.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mingyu gently asked, looking across the kitchen counter at Wonwoo’s slumped over figure.

The sharp swipe of him slicing vegetables was all that could be heard for a good minute until Wonwoo’s head rose from the table and he turned around in his chair to look at Mingyu.

“It’s not that important. Just a long day at work,” Wonwoo gave him a tight-lipped smile and Mingyu frowned.

“Is that all it is?”

When Wonwoo didn’t respond, Mingyu sighed, and walked around the counter to stand in front of him.

“Even if you don’t think it’s important, it still matters to me you know? Because I can see that you’re upset,” Mingyu bent down a little and took Wonwoo’s hands in his. “So at least talk to me.”

Wonwoo only shook his head and pulled his hands away. “I just don’t really feel like talking about it right now…”

‘That’s alright,” he forced a meager smile, feeling uneasy at how cheerless Wonwoo looked. “But maybe when you feel like it?”

Wonwoo’s eyes wavered a little when they met his. “Okay.”

“Okay,” his lips turned up just the slightest fraction with relief.

It was after that brief, but stifling conversation that Mingyu began working away in his study, marking the essays his students had written for their first novel study.

It was getting late, and after the 8th or so essay, he sighed and put his pen down.

Something was off, and he couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

Mingyu’s eyes narrowed and he swivelled around in his chair. It was the house… it was so oddly silent and dead.

Now it was nothing uncommon for the house to be quiet, considering there was only two of them that lived under this roof— but the walls and floors were thin, and there was always a faint shuffle and clank of Wonwoo here, there… everywhere. But right now it felt very empty, and Mingyu immediately noticed the quiet considering it was like this whenever Wonwoo wasn’t there.

“Wonwoo?” He called out, and only a jarring silence responded.

Mingyu looked at the clock that read 9:00 pm, concluding that he definitely couldn’t be asleep.

Now he was up on his feet calling out for Wonwoo, who, as Mingyu discovered was nowhere to be found in the house.

Mingyu was back in the kitchen looking around when he suddenly noticed the back deck light on, and he quietly slunk out of the glass doors and out into the oddly warm, buzzing night. A light breeze ran through the air that made him shiver a little.

Mingyu swore the weather was bipolar sometimes. After a week or so of chilly fall air, the temperature was suddenly climbing back up again as if it was trying to desperately claw its way back to summer and escape the deadly clutch of winter and its cold, heavy rainfalls.

Mingyu made his way down the wooden stairs and walked barefoot through the long grass, and he felt his heart swell when he saw Wonwoo sitting curled up on a picnic blanket, laid out on the sand in front of a small fire he had started in the pit.

“Wow, having a campfire without me?” He teased when he was a couple feet away. His eyes flitted to the glass bottles beside Wonwoo. “And drinking too?”

Wonwoo abruptly turned his head up, looking a little startled as if he didn’t hear Mingyu approaching.

“You were busy working— didn’t want to disturb you,” Wonwoo slowly chuckled, though there was an underlying strain in his voice.

Mingyu gave him a lopsided grin, “Yeah I know.”

He settled down on the blanket next to Wonwoo, who handed him a bottle of cold beer. No words were exchanged for a while except for their sips and gulps of the yeasty golden liquid, the crackle of fire, and the ever-present lull of the ocean.

That is until Wonwoo finally turned to face him. “Hey, sorry I’ve been so off today.”

Mingyu shook his head, “It’s ok.”

Wonwoo sighed and drew in a short breath before talking. “The s I’m working for are well…”

“s?” he finished the sentence.

Wonwoo smiled trivially. “Pretty much.”

Mingyu exhaled and leaned back on one palm, nose tipped up to look at the stars that were slowly becoming visible in the sky. He could feel Wonwoo’s tentative gaze on him.

“Hey, if you want to say something or tell me something, do it. I’m all ears.”

Wonwoo looked away. Mingyu knew he always struggled to express himself, tell him how he really felt. Especially when it came to more serious matters.

If something was bothering Wonwoo, he would bite his lips and chew himself inside out with the stress, rather than be upfront about it. It was a miracle he knew as much about the man as he did, considering how closed off he could be sometimes.

Maybe Mingyu affected Wonwoo more than he thought he did.

“There’s been some issues with the family I’m working for,” Wonwoo finally sighed. “I don’t really know what’s going on, but there’s been some stealing,” He bit his lips, and Mingyu could see his hands tightening around the drink he was holding.

Mingyu’s eyes narrowed. “The family you’re working for are really rich right?”

Wonwoo nodded sharply, “Yeah, their house is practically a mansion. They have so many people in and out of their place every day.” He paused and glared across at the water, and Mingyu could sense both his hesitation, and frustration.

“And?” he prompted gently taking a sip or two of his own drink.

“And... and their first instinct is to suspect me! ing s,” Wonwoo scowled taking a swig of his beer. “Me of all the people, when I’ve been nothing but a good caretaker for their children.”

Mingyu frowned. “Did you do anything to make them suspicious of you?”

“No.” He could see Wonwoo’s frustrated expression turn into something more bitter. “Just the fact that you know, poor, low-class and previously unemployed boy, can’t trust the likes of him right?”

Wonwoo bit out a sharp humourless laugh.

Mingyu held his tongue feeling stiff, wondering if he was able to say anything comforting without sounding overly superficial.

“I spend a lot of time there, I know I do,” Wonwoo shook his head, sounding more subdued now. “But there are a couple newly hired employees who are in that house just as much as me. And there are some who even live there. But of course, I guess I’m the only kind of person they’d suspect there.”

With the glow from the flickering fire illuminating Wonwoo’s face, Mingyu could see something like resentment in his eyes as he spoke. He wanted nothing more but to pull him into a hug and make it all go away. He hated seeing such an ugly expression on Wonwoo.

“Hey, don’t say that. Whatever they think, them.” Mingyu placed the beer beside him in the sand and took Wonwoo by the waist to pull him closer.

“Well Mingyu, I can’t exactly just do that when I can lose my job can I?”

Maybe Wonwoo noticed his guarded expression because his sharp stare suddenly mellowed, and his lips upturned slightly. “Though I mean, you do have the right idea.”

Mingyu laughed lightly and took the sides of Wonwoo’s thighs to turn him and pull him even closer until he was practically on his lap.

He nuzzled into Wonwoo’s neck and could now feel the faint buzz in his head from the bottles of beer, and his limbs felt pleasantly loose; although when Wonwoo remained as stiff as a board against him, Mingyu pulled his head back and frowned.

“Wonwoo, listen to me,” his voice cracked slightly from the chilly breeze around them. “You’re an amazing person. You’re so smart and kind and genuine and — you’re so perfect.”

Wonwoo’s face remained shadowed from the fire flickering behind him so Mingyu couldn’t gage at his expression, but he continued anyways.

“And the people who hired don’t deserve even you. I mean, if they can’t see all that, they’re not worth it. So whatever happens, happens. Seriously, even if you lose this job I can also give you good recommendations where I work, so you have something to fall back on you know?” He shifted from his seat a little so he could see Wonwoo’s face. “I'm just saying you don’t need to worry.”

“What?” Wonwoo’s voice suddenly had this weariness that Mingyu was unfamiliar with. “No… I- I don’t need that. You’ve done enough for me, seriously you— ”

“What do you mean?” Mingyu cut in sharply. “I’m just saying I can help.”

“Well I don’t-” Wonwoo sighed. “Look I just want to be able to do things with my own power you know?”

“Hey, I’m not saying I can get a job for you. I’m just saying I can give you a recommendation. Think of it like opening up an opportunity.”

“I get that.” Wonwoo looked away and sighed more heavily, sounding tired now. “I-it’s not even that. I mean haven’t you ever wished to become something more than you already are? Like you barely had control over the life you were living? And you wanted to change things with your own two hands and work? That how I feel, so it’s just that… I think I’m too reliant on you at times, that’s all.”

Mingyu felt his stomach squeeze. “This is enough for me. I have you, and my job. And I just thought I could help you with your position too… what do you mean reliant on me? I…” Mingyu hesitated, “I want to help you Wonwoo.”

He scanned Wonwoo’s face that had now masked itself into a blank slate, and somehow that scared him. It was fear of not understanding what Wonwoo was thinking or feeling. The ocean sounded louder behind them, and the campfire turned dimmer leaving nothing but glowing embers in the place of its flames.

He peered closer at Wonwoo, trying so hard to tear away the sudden walls that were forming around him even though they were only inches apart.

Maybe Wonwoo could sense the nerves coiling in Mingyu's stomach, because he suddenly reached out to cup his jaw, rubbing gently at the corner of his lips as if to reassure him. “Hey, I know you do. I’m sorry, don’t make that face,” Wonwoo spoke gently. “I’m