(Thanks to advice from a writer I really respect, I decided to rewrite this chapter, I hope you enjoy the revised story. Still the longest one shot in this collection so far lol

Kaukokaipuu (n finnish) a yearning to travel to far off places

A fortune teller had once told him that he would find the man of his dreams abroad and ever since he had traveled every chance he got. He had gone from one end of South Korea to the other; his stops included little towns and the metropolitan sprawl of Seoul. But his travels had been in vain. For the last ten years he had searched endlessly and he planned to search until he found what he was seeking; he was almost 40 and he had started to give up hope.

Dongwan sat at his desk at home and looked at one travel package after another; he had taken a month off from work and planned to search for his destiny once again. He had been born with a wanderlust and and his travels had taken him all over the world, even before he had decided to heed the words of the grizzled old fortune teller that he had gone to see on his 30^th birthday. It was almost 10 years to the day since her prediction and he had started to get anxious. He couldn’t decide between a trip to San Francisco and Switzerland. He was nervous about Europe because of a trip he’d taken to Finland where he met a wickedly stunning woman with a beautiful dog. He had enjoyed hanging out with her but he felt like he had wasted a chance to find the one he searched for. With a determined sigh he clicked on the trip to San Francisco and entered his credit card info. A confirmation email popped up in his inbox and he printed it out to add to whatever itinerary he would come up with. His flight would leave in two days and he needed to get everything packed and ready.

The sun was bright outside the airport so he slipped on his sunglasses before he looked around. His car rental had fallen through at the last moment and he had been forced to go out and hail a cab. He stood at the curb and stuck his arm out and waited for a cab to pull up beside him. Finally one slowed and the driver got out to pop the trunk so Dongwan could wrestle his two large suitcases into it. He got into the back seat and carefully explained his address to the driver. He had been taking English lessons, as well as Japanese and Chinese lessons so he could communicate a little when it was necessary. He watched the scenery pass by as they navigated the freeway that would take him to the Airbnb that he had arranged for his stay. It was a single family town house that was connected to a whole block of other houses built the same way. The owner would be out of town the first two weeks and the last two weeks of his visit he would be home but working and out of Dongwan’s way for the most part.

They finally reached the street the house was on and the driver pulled up in front of it. “Need any help with those bags, man?”, the driver said after Dongwan paid him. “No thank you”, Dongwan said in accented English and got out to get his bags and drag them up the sidewalk to the front door. Before he could knock the door popped open and he was greeted by a slender man with light brown hair that hung in his eyes slightly. He had told Dongwan he was 36 but he looked easily 10 years younger than that in knee length khaki shorts and a loose tank top,

“You must be Dongwan”, he said with a smile and reached for Dongwan’s hand to shake it and Dongwan set his bag down and took the offered hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lee Sunho”, Dongwan said and shook it. He was stunned at how smooth the man’s hand was and gripped it lightly. It was warm in his hand and he was reluctant to release it but he didn’t want to seem awkward.

“Call me Andy”, the man said with a grin, “no one calls me that but my mom. Why don’t you come on in and I’ll show you the place. I expected you sooner and now I have to leave soon. I’ve got to work tonight and then I’ll be gone for two weeks like we talked about.” Dongwan followed him.

“My rental car was canceled so I had to take a cab here”, Dongwan said as he pulled his bags inside and shut the door. He saw a pair of slippers inside the door so he slipped his shoes off and stuffed his feet into the slippers as he followed the younger man.

“No worries, I’m just glad you made it before I left.” Andy led him through the first floor of the house and showed him where everything in the kitchen was and where the laundry was and then they headed upstairs. On the wall along the stairs pictures marched in a diagonal line. They showed the younger man age from an infant through what looked like a college graduation. He had gotten more handsome as he aged and Dongwan wondered about the man beside him from probably high school to college but he didn’t ask, it was none of his business.

“And this is the room you will have while you are here”, Andy said they turned down a narrow hallway and walked into a room that was done all in blue and peaceful ocean pictures. “There are clean sheets in the linen closet down the hallway and the first bathroom on the left is for guests. Did you have any other questions.

Dongwan couldn’t think of any and smiled, “It’s very nice, thank you.” He took a quick walk around the room and then they headed back downstairs.

“I’ve got to go now. I hope you enjoy your time in San Francisco, Kim Dongwan”, Andy said as he grabbed a backpack from beside the door and headed out. Dongwan walked through the house again and examined the pieces of Andy’s life. He had clearly traveled a bit, there were little souvenirs all over the place and he noticed that the man liked things organized. A shelf full of cookbooks told him that the younger man liked to cook and his cookware was top of the line. There was a home gym in a screened in porch just off the kitchen and he was glad the man had said he could make himself at home. He liked to work out in his free time and it also helped clear his mind when the future weighed too heavily on his shoulders.

He took his suitcases up the stairs one at a time and decided to have a nap before he unpacked. He felt refreshed when he woke up and unpacked quickly and did a quick tour of the upstairs. He stayed out of the room that he assumed belonged to Andy but a quick peek in the door showed him a room that was decorated similar to his own and very neat. He grabbed his soft leather bag and headed out to take a walk in the neighborhood. It was a young trendy place with lots of cafes and bars and places to shop. He went to the first cafe he saw and went in and sat down to look at the menu. He ordered his meal and finished quickly; he wanted to explore more. He avoided the gay bars and stuck to the shopping areas and the park that lined the other side of the street. It was filled with young families, many of them gay like himself. He watched two men play with a little dark skinned girl and smiled when she called them daddy. It reminded him that he had always wanted a family and how impossible that would be if he stayed in Korea.

As dusk fell he headed back to the house and settled down to watch some TV before he went to bed. His first day had passed quickly but he hadn’t seen anyone that he could see himself with for the rest of his life. But tomorrow was a new day. He spent his days in museums and took long walks on the beach but didn’t find what he searched for.

The two weeks passed quickly and when Andy returned he tried to give the man some space but Andy constantly invited him to go places and they spent much of the time together. He made excuses every chance he got but the young man was very persistent. If only he knew the reason that Dongwan gave him ample room. It seemed ridiculous to the older man but he couldn’t help it.

On the night before he had to head back to Korea, they sat out in the back garden and shared wine Dongwan drank too much and opened up and told Andy his story and why he had come to the States. Andy listened with an interested expression and before they knew it they were talking about past relationships.

“And he was completely happy to stay put even though I wanted to travel the world. We split up shortly after and I heard he had moved to the East coast with some guy. So I guess it wasn’t me that he didn’t want to be with’, Andy said sadly as he opened a third bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. The moment became awkward and Dongwan excused himself and said he should get a good nights rest before he headed out in the morning. Andy finished his glass of wine, as well as the one that Dongwan had hurriedly abandoned. He sat out alone in the cool night and finished the bottle before he went in and stumbled up the stairs and flopped to his bed fully dressed and fell into fitful dreams of the shadow of a man that no matter how hard he tried to catch, it always eluded his grasp.

The next morning Dongwan overslept and as he rushed out the door he looked back at the house. Andy was still asleep and he didn’t want to disturb him to ask for a ride. The cab he called was out in front of the house and he got into the back seat, bags and all and the driver pulled away. At the airport he rushed for the gate and he waited for his bags to be checked in he glanced at his ticket.

“Oh !”, he shouted as he realized that he had booked his flight for a date that was two weeks away and not today. He could have changed it but it would cost more than he was willing to spend. He got out of line and went to dig his phone out of his bag to call Andy to see if he could crash on his couch tonight and get a different flight tomorrow, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. He tried to remember where he had seen it last and he sighed as he realized it was on the nightstand at Andy’s house. He would have to take a cab back to the man’s house and wake him up.

Outside a cab stopped for him quickly and soon he was headed back to the house that make him feel unsettled for reasons he didn’t quite understand. The driver dropped him off and he lugged his bags back up to the front door and rang the doorbell and hoped that Andy had woken up in the time he was gone.

“Just a moment”, he heard a sleepy voice call out and when the door opened, Andy stood there, he was still in the same clothes from yesterday and his hair was a wild mess above his deceivingly young handsome face.

“Wannie….. I mean Dongwan, what are you doing here? I thought your flight was this morning”, he glanced at his watch and saw that Dongwan should be getting ready to get on the plane.

Dongwan smiled sheepishly and held out his ticket, “I screwed up, i booked my ticket for two weeks from now instead of for today.” Andy looked at the date and chuckled.

“Why didn’t you just change it?”, he said, secretly pleased that he might have more time to get to know this man,

“I used a special deal to book the tickets and if I change it, it’s going to cost almost as much as the original booking”, Dongwan asked and prayed that Andy would invite him to stay.

“Well get in here”, Andy said as he rubbed his eyes, “You are more than welcome to stay until you need to leave.” His heart raced as he watched Dongwan smile with relief.

“I’ll rebook your room, just let me get settled and let my job know I’m going to be gone longer than expected.” Dongwan pulled his bags into the house and shut the door behind me.

“Just keep me company and maybe cook in the evenings when I get home and we’ll call it even”, Andy said as they headed for the kitchen, “I was about to make some coffee and something to eat.”

“L-let me do that”, Dongwan said eagerly and scooted past Andy to reach the kitchen first. He started a pot of coffee and started to pull ingredients out of the fridge to make omelets.

“Sure…. let me go up and shower and I’ll be right back”, Andy said and resisted the urge to hug the man. He ran up and showered and dressed in shorts and a t shirt and came back down. Dongwan stood in front of the counter and carefully chopped the veggies for their breakfast. Andy watched him silently for a few moments; Dongwan’s hands moved with a quick sureness and Andy absentmindedly wondered what other things he was good at with his hands.

“The coffees ready”,Dongwan said and startled Andy out of his reverie.

“O-okay”, Andy stuttered and blushed. Dongwan had known he was there and it made his heart race that Dongwan was that aware of him. Andy went to his cabinets and pulled out two mugs and filled them both. He knew how Dongwan liked his coffee so he added the cream and sugar and set it by his arm.

“Thank you”, Dongwan said gratefully and grabbed it to take a sip, “are onions, peppers, cheese and mushrooms okay in your omelet? I can add some of the steak leftover from dinner last night if you want”, he moved to grab a bowl and started to crack and the eggs and whipped them with one hand as he took a long drink of his coffee.

“Whatever you put in it is fine with me, Dongwan”, Andy said and took his coffee over to the table and sat down, “Why didn’t you just call me when you realized the ticket was wrong?”

Dongwan added the eggs to the hot skillet and added salt and pepper, “ I actually forgot to take my phone when I left, it’s still up stairs”, he said and laughed at the way Andy rolled his eyes.

“Well that does make sense”, Andy said, “I guess it’s good you messed up your tickets.” He actually thought it sounded like fate but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t know if Dongwan’s feelings matched his own. Dongwan smiled and turned to add the omelet fillings to the massive pan he had chosen, that way he could just make one and they could split it. He too wondered if there were forces at work that made it possible for him to spend more time with the man he wanted to get to know even more.

Just as the omelet was finished Andy got up and put some bread in the toaster. He leaned against the counter, his hip lightly pressed to Dongwan’s. they chatted about what they might do today, it was Andy’s day off and he wanted to show Dongwan more of the city that he had lived in for the last ten years. He had moved here to study at U of C and ended up staying because he found he could be himself here more than he could in the strict society rules of South Korea. They ate in companionable silence and Dongwan went up to unpack and take a shower before they headed out for the day.

The next two weeks passed and they learned more about each other. Andy liked to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends and Dongwan loved to drag him out of bed at dawn to hike somewhere and watch the sunrise. Soon their schedules synced and Andy was the one that woke Dongwan up at dawn. Their evenings were spent together, either at the table over a home cooked meal or out at a restaurant where Andy knew someone so their meals were cheap and more delicious than Dongwan could prepare. Before they knew it, the extra two weeks were over and once again they sat outside under the stars. They split a bottle of wine and picked up where they had left off that night. Andy refilled Dongwan’s glass and as he passed it to him, their fingers brushed. Dongwan’s eyes met his and he gave him a shy smile. Dongwan took it and looked over the rim as he took a sip. He mind went back to what Andy had said about his ex not wanting to be with him and he wanted to reassure Andy that it had nothing to do with him. He was the perfect man and anyone that didn’t see that was a fool. But his heart took over for his mind and he set his glass on the table as he leaned towards the man beside him, put one hand on his cheek and the other on the back of his neck and pulled him close. Andy blinked but didn’t resist and as Dongwan’s lips touched his own he closed his eyes and sighed softly. The kiss was brief and when Dongwan pulled away he had a strange look in his eyes.

“Did you feel that?”, he whispered softly, “it was like a spark.” Andy blinked at him again and leaned into capture Dongwan’s lips and this kiss was more intense and Dongwan felt his heart start to race.

“When you showed up at my door, I suddenly didn’t want to leave”, Andy said softly as he pulled back. His feelings at the moment he had met Dongwan had only intensified while he was gone and he had checked the man’s social media to find out everything he could about him. He saw the pictures he had taken in far flung places, as well as the ones from the city he lived in. As Dongwan posted pictures of his time in San Francisco he had found himself eager to return home. Somehow, in the course of two weeks he had fallen in love with a man he only met once. Dongwan looked at him from under hooded eyelids.

“I tried to keep it impersonal but the more time I spent in your home, the more it felt like I knew you. I wondered what you would have wanted for breakfast and where were would have lunch and what your favorite pizza topping was. I wanted to text you and make up some problem so that you would have to return home to handle it. But I wanted to continue my search and I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with someone I hadn’t spent time with or anything.” Dongwan felt a little more sober with each word and by the time he was done he looked at Andy with clear eyes. He was more thankful now than ever that he had screwed up his return ticket, it had given him more time to know Andy now he was more certain than ever that he was the man that he had spent a decade searching for.

“So you think I’m the one that you have been looking for?”, Andy said softly and he got his reply in an instant. Dongwan wrapped his arms around him and kissed him again. This time they both felt a spark and Dongwan was certain his search was over.

The next morning Dongwan canceled his ticket, called and quit his job and scheduled another flight to go back in a few and pack up everything he owned. He was going to take another chance and move to San Francisco with Andy. His search was over and he was ready to begin a new life with the man of his dreams.