Bucket List

The first time Daniel met Ong Seongwoo was when they were both in middle school. It all happened in that one fated day; the day where he turned around in his seat when the boy behind him patted his right shoulder. He was met with a rather handsome looking boy, the latter had a shy smile on his face; the dark orbs were wandering everywhere despite the fact that he was the one who wanted to start a conversation. Daniel just stared at the boy, patiently waiting for the other to say anything.

"Umm, you're Kang Daniel right?" The boy rubbed his neck, his whole body was screaming awkward but Daniel didn't comment anything on that. Instead, a light smile painted on his lips and his eyes morphed into a pair of crescents.

"Yes I am. Nice to meet you, um...?" Daniel offered a handshake in which the other male gladly reciprocated.

"Ong Seongwoo, nice to meet you too." Seongwoo introduced himself. His lips were pulled into a wide smile. To say that Daniel was enchanted by the blinding smile was an understatement. It was as if he was pulled into an abyss. At that moment he knew that this Ong Seongwoo will be one of the important people in his life.

= = = = = = = = = =

Their friendship was going strong and in a blink of an eye, they've already entered their final year in high school. They'll be graduating in a few months and it was every high school students' wish to graduate and further their studies in their chosen University.

"Have you thought of which University you wish to enter?" Daniel asked on one peaceful afternoon as they were having lunch break on the school's rooftop. Seongwoo who was about to bite the rice ball in his hand halted his intention; lifting his face as his eyes met Daniel's. A small smile was etched on his lips.

"I haven't thought about that yet. How about you?" Seongwoo asked before he finally taken a bite on the rice ball. Daniel let out a sigh.

"I don't know. I thought of entering an Art and Performance University. There's a good one in Seoul. What do you think?"

Seongwoo swallowed his food, his lips twitched as he thought of an answer.

"I guess it's a good choice. You love performing anyway so why not?" Seongwoo encouraged. Seongwoo stopped munching on his food when Daniel blankly stared at nothing; the latter kept nibbling on his lower lips.

"What's wrong?" Seongwoo nudged on his friend. Daniel looked a little hesitant but then he finally voicing it out.

"Don't you wanna come with me, to Seoul?"

Seongwoo's eyes softened at the proposition. He let out a sigh; his pair of lips was pulled into a small smile.

"I don't know, Daniel..." Seongwoo said in all his honesty. Daniel nodded his head in understanding.

"It's okay. Let's not think too deep about that. Anyway, school break is near so do you have any plans?" Daniel skillfully changed the topic. A wide grin found Seongwoo's face.

"Yeah I do! I have this short bucket list that I wanted to complete before our graduation. Wanna join?" Seongwoo wiggled his eyebrows, eliciting amused chuckle from the other male.

"So, what's on the list?"

= = = = = = = = = =

Seongwoo had never completely told Daniel about what he had stored in the piece of paper where he scribbled down his wish. Well, all Seongwoo ever told Daniel was there's a total of five items in the bucket list and he only revealed the first one.

"The first thing I wanted to do is to go on a short trip to somewhere far from here, preferably somewhere with beaches." Seongwoo said. Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"What about the rest?"

 Seongwoo smiled.

"I'll tell you along the way."

That was how they ended up taking the train to Busan. The both of them were sitting side by side. Seongwoo stared out of the train's window, smiling to himself when it finally dawned upon him that this is real; he and Daniel are on their way to enjoy their short trip. 

"Why are you smiling to yourself?" Daniel asked; an impish grin painted on his face. Seongwoo chuckled, shaking his head as he uttered a soft 'Nothing, I'm just excited' before he stared out of the window once again. Daniel didn't prod anymore and let his friend be.

Halfway through the journey, Seongwoo found Daniel was fast asleep. A chuckle left his lips when he noticed the other male was drooling. He took a disposable napkin and gently dabbed on the moist lips. His lips were stretched into a smile when Daniel scrunched his nose, mumbling incoherently in his sleep. Seongwoo stared at his best friend. The smile he had before gradually faltered once realization hit him.

He wouldn't stand a chance.

= = = = = = = = = =

The both of them arrived at their hotel. Seongwoo took the responsibility to check into their room. Once he obtained their key card, the both of them took the lift to their allocated room.

The room was spacious; it was a good bargain considering they've got a really decent room for such cheap price. Daniel plopped on the bed once he had hauled their luggage. Seongwoo sat on the unoccupied space next to Daniel, watching the other male in amusement.

"Let's take a look at the beach later. The locals here said that the the view of sunset here is absolutely stunning." Seongwoo said. Daniel hummed and nodded his head; his face was squished on the bed's mattress. He yelped when Seongwoo slapped his back, whining but not making any effort to move from his comfortable position.

"Change your clothes first, Niel. You're gonna feel sticky if you sleep in that." Seongwoo said. Seeing the other male didn't move an inch, Seongwoo let out a defeated sigh, uttering a soft 'Suits yourself then' before rising up and grabbed some comfortable outfit from their shared luggage. Daniel whined some more before he begrudgingly sat himself, uttering a defeated 'Okay, okay. I'll change' with a pout decorating his lips. Seongwoo smirked as he uttered 'Good boy' before he fled towards the bathroom to change.

Daniel watched as his friend disappeared into the bathroom. The door was shut and a click was heard but Daniel's eyes still glued to where his friend was at. Come to think of it, he never saw Seongwoo change in front of him. Daniel could feel the heat creeping up on his face once the image of a shirtless Seongwoo invaded his mind.

"Oh God, what the Kang Daniel..." Daniel uttered, slapping his face once to bring himself out of his self-made imaginary bubble. He shook his head and hastily dived towards the luggage before pulling out anything that he deemed good enough to change into.

At least that would divert his mind away from the unthinkable.

= = = = = = = = = =

Daniel and Seongwoo sat side by side on the warm sand with a can of Coke in their hands, staring at the beautiful view of the sunset. The sea water appeared reddish orange as it reflected the evening sun. The sky was beautiful as well; a mix of orange, purple and soft blue decorated the Earth's canvas with clouds dispersed on it. The locals were right. It was truly an aesthetic view, magnificent even.

"So what's the second item in your list?" Daniel suddenly voice out. He took a sip on his drinks; his eyes never left the view in front of him. A soft smile crept on Seongwoo's face.

"This." Seongwoo briefly uttered. Daniel glanced at his best friend.

"This? You mean sitting down and watching sunset?" Daniel asked, gesturing at what they're doing at the moment. Seongwoo chuckled.

"Yeah..." He let out a contented sigh, "It's hard for us to steal some time just sitting down enjoying the nature around us, with occasional conversation in between."

Daniel stared at his best friend. The way the evening sunlight reflected on the latter's skin made the person beside him looking ethereal. It reminded him of the first time he knew of the other boy's existence. Daniel almost forgot how good-looking Seongwoo is.

"Take a picture for it to last longer." Seongwoo uttered, a playful smile etched on his face. Daniel creased his forehead in confusion.

"What?"

Seongwoo chuckled.

"You've been staring at me for a whole minute now." Seongwoo said as he drew on the sand with his finger. Daniel on the other hand ended up in a flustered mess, garbling a sequence of incoherent words, eliciting a boisterous laugh from Seongwoo. Daniel pouted, uttering a betrayed 'Meanie' towards his best friend.

Daniel chugged his drinks, ignoring the unceasing laughing boy next to him. It took a few moments for Seongwoo to come down f