CHAPTER I : DEPARTURE

(n.) de·par·ture | \ di-ˈpär-chər \

the act or an instance of departing; typically to start a journey (new course)

 

 

‘Drrrrt. Drrrrt.’

 

The vibration of his phone forced Jeongguk to open his eyes. Jeongguk—still half asleep—reached out for his phone and slid his finger across the screen before he let out a long sigh. Namjoon. It was his editor, reminding him about the deadline for his new story. He let out another deep breath then straightened his back.

 

Jeongguk’s eyes widened when he saw the deadline time from Namjoon. 7 PM. . That was less than 24 hours away. He opened the file that was still more or less empty and slumped against his chair. He inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gather his concentration and ideas. After a few moments, his fingers started to dance along the keyboard, accompanied by the tick sounds that soon filled his room.

“So, is it that bad?” Jeongguk asked carefully, sneaking a glance at his editor who didn’t look okay at all. Namjoon sighed as he put his specs down that were hanging on the bridge of his nose. It’s that bad. Jeongguk answered himself.

 

Namjoon folded his arms. “What’s happening to you these days, Jeon Jeongguk?” he asked. “You keep delaying the deadline and giving me uninteresting stories like this one. It’s not your writing style at all.”

 

Jeongguk gulped and looked down, avoiding all eye-contact.“I–I don’t know, hyung. I’m frustrated as well,” he said the truth. He didn’t know what had happened to him these days. It was hard for him to get into the mood to write. “I’ll fix this. Sorry, hyung,” he mumbled as he reached for the draft sitting on Namjoon’s desk, but Namjoon took the papers away from Jeongguk. “Hyung—”

 

“I’ll fix this first. I don’t want you to fix it if you’re just going to rewrite the same story again.” Namjoon’s words always had a way to hurt Jeongguk. But even though it hurt, his words always ended up motivating Jeongguk to do better. “Let me ask you again. What do you want the reader to get from reading your book?”

 

“Hmm—” Jeongguk racked his brain, trying to find the right answer to Namjoon’s question. “I want the reader to feel like they're the one who's falling in love for the first time. I want my story to be relatable but not cliche. An unusual romance with a little slice of life thrown in,” he finally answered.

 

“Then why do I keep getting these trashy drama stories? The plot is way too predictable and your choice of words is just lousy,” he criticised sharply. Lousy. That word wounded his pride. That was the worst thing Namjoon had ever said to him. He was already used to Namjoon’s harsh criticism but lousy— “Sorry if my words are too harsh but you can read it yourself and I’m pretty sure that you would agree with me.” He handed the draft back to Jeongguk.

 

Jeongguk read the draft, word by word, page by page. And it was only after that, he understood Namjoon’s words. It's indeed a mess. “Sorry, hyung. I really messed up this time,” he sighed. He knew he was at fault this time. “But I really don’t know what’s wrong with me these days. I just can’t get into the mood like usual.” He ran his fingers through his hair aggressively. “I think I’m just in a slump right now.”

 

Silence filled the room, neither Jeongguk nor Namjoon said a word. Namjoon walked back and forth, trying to work out a solution. “How about–” he finally spoke up. “I give you a one-month vacation leave?” he suggested.

 

“Vacation?”

 

“Not really a vacation. I will let you go somewhere quietly, enjoy your time alone. But you still have to work on your story there,” he added. “I’ll move the deadline for this novel to the day after your vacation leave ends.”

 

Jeongguk pouted his lips. “And here I thought I was finally going to have a vacation,” he mumbled, complaining.

 

“You don’t want it? I’m going to pay for the transport and accommodation though.” Namjoon shrugged his shoulders. “If you don’t want to–”

 

“No!” Jeongguk quickly interrupted. “I will do it. I will do it, hyung!”

 

Namjoon smirked as he reached out his hand. “So, deal?”

 

Jeongguk sighed. He won again. “Deal.”

“Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for Jin Airlines flight KAL1253 with destination, Jeju-do. We are now inviting those passengers–”

 

Jeongguk stubbed out his cigarette before he got up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He walked towards the gate then took out his ticket, letting the airport staff check it. After passing the boarding check, Jeongguk walked through the bridge that was connected to the airplane.

 

“Welcome to Jin Air,” the stewardesses said to Jeongguk when he boarded the airplane. He walked down the aisle, eyes searching for his seat.

 

34A, ah found it! He took his backpack off and sat down. Well, at least Namjoon hyung got me a seat near the window. He expected Namjoon to give him a first class seat when he said he was going to pay for the transport and accommodation. But when Namjoon gave him the ticket this morning, he realized that he shouldn’t have expected too much.

 

“Let’s just enjoy what you have, Jeon Jeongguk,” he said to himself. One by one, people started to fill the empty seats. Jeongguk looked at the still-empty-seat next to him. Honestly, he hoped that no one would sit there so he could sleep in peace without disturbing others or being disturbed by others.

 

Just when he thought there would be no one next to him, a guy in a washed jean jacket with a grey hoodie beneath it walked towards his seat. He looked so sleepy. He bowed a little, apologizing to the people in their row. He then sat down next to Jeongguk, his eyes meeting Jeongguk’s. “Oh, hi.” He smiled as he gave a slight bow.

 

Jeongguk tried to reply his smile with his best. “Hi.”

 

The guy put down his Gucci duffle bag then fastened his seatbelt quickly. He took off his blue snapback, revealing his ash grey hair. “I almost didn’t make it,” he said to Jeongguk as he ran his hands through his hair.

 

“Ah, yes,” Jeongguk responded awkwardly—really awkwardly. “It’s fortunate that you made it,” he continued.

 

The guy flashed a wide grin. “Yeah, I’m lucky today.”

 

“Thank you for choosing Jin Airlines. We hope you enjoy your flight,” the pilot said over the intercom. Jeongguk straightened his back, ears already stuffed with his earphones when the airplane started to move. He was ready to sleep but then a hand was suddenly holding onto his own tightly. The guy next to him was holding his hand, trembling in his seat, eyes shut tightly. “Are you ok?” Jeongguk whispered. But the guy didn’t answer him or let his hand go. Jeongguk didn’t let go his hand either. It’s ok, right? He’s only holding my hand, that’s all. Maybe he’s afraid of heights, he said to himself.

 

After the airplane took off safely, the guy opened his eyes and looked at their intertwined hands. “Ah, sorry. I’m sorry.” He quickly pulled his hand away from Jeongguk’s and gave another bow. “I-I’m nervous every single time the airplane takes off. Sorry.”

 

Jeongguk chuckled a little. “It’s okay.”

 

“Anyway.” He unfastened his seatbelt and turned to face Jeongguk. His hands were reaching out to grasp Jeongguk’s. “I’m Kim Taehyung,” he smiled.

 

Jeongguk stared at the guy—no, Kim Taehyung’s hand that was already tangled with his before he responded, “Jeon Jeongguk.”

 

“What should I call you?” He let go of his hand. “Jeon? Jeon-ssi? Jeongguk-ssi?”

 

“Jeongguk, just call me Jeongguk,” he answered.

 

“Ah, Jeongguk. You can call me Tae, Jeongguk-ssi,” he said. Jeongguk responded with a nod this time. He plugged his earphones in again and took out his mask - he was finally going to get some sleep.

 

Jeongguk was in the middle of his very-short nap when he felt something heavy resting on his shoulder. He sighed when he saw Taehyung sleeping with his head on his shoulder. “Excuse me,” he whispered, trying to wake him up.

 

Taehyung mumbled in his sleep. “Hm, five minutes,” he said.

 

“Excuse me, Taehyung-ssi,” Jeongguk said a little bit louder which finally woke Taehyung up from his nap.

 

“Ah, sorry. Sorry, Jeongguk-ssi.” He quickly sat up straight then bowed—again—slightly. “I’m really sorry.”

 

“You really love bowing to people, don’t you?” Jeongguk laughed then smiled. “It’s okay.”

 

After that, both of them didn’t say a word until the plane landed. As they walked off the plane, Jeongguk sneaked a glance at the guy walking in front of him. He was tall, taller than him. They stood next to each other while they waited for their luggage.

 

Taehyung’s suitcase was out first. He took his luggage then bowed. “Sorry for what happened earlier.”

 

Jeongguk bowed too. “It’s okay.”

 

“I’ll get going then.” Taehyung bowed again before walking away, dragging his red suitcase—that was covered in patches—with him.

“I think we’ve arrived, Sir,” the taxi driver said who had taken Jeongguk to his hotel. Jeongguk checked the sign at the gate and matched it with the booking details.

 

“Ah, yes. Thank you.” He opened his wallet and paid the taxi driver.

 

Finally, my holiday starts now. He smiled widely, already imagining the activities he was going to do over the next month. He took one step toward the building when suddenly a deep voice called his name. “Jeongguk-ssi!”

 

Jeongguk turned around to find the guy he’d just met before in front of him. Kim Taehyung. “Taehyung-ssi? What–”

 

“You’re staying here too?” he asked, face lightening up after seeing a familiar face.

 

“Hm, yes?” His smile only widened at Jeongguk’s answer.

 

Taehyung started running to catch up to Jeongguk, and then he tried to walk at same pace as him. He nodded, eyes glowing, showing how happy he was. “I’m really glad I found someone I know at least,” Taehyung said.

 

Jeongguk didn’t respond to him and kept walking instead. They arrived at the lobby not long after and waited for their room keys. “Is it your first time in Jeju or—?” Taehyung asked, breaking the silence between them.

 

“It’s not my first time but I don’t come here that often either.” Jeongguk gave a short answer.

 

“Oh, I can be your tour guide then!” he said excitedly. “I come here pretty often. I even have vacation house here. So you can ask me whatever you want to know.”

 

“Hm, sure, thanks.” Jeongguk quickly walked away from Taehyung right after the staff member gave him his key. It wasn’t that he hated Taehyung - no, he didn’t hate him. Jeongguk was just uncomfortable being around someone new. All he wanted to do was enjoy his holiday alone, without being uncomfortable or disturbed by a stranger he’d just met on the airplane.

 

“I’ll come to your room later!” He could hear Taehyung’s voice behind him. Don’t come to my room for goodness sake. He walked faster until he couldn’t hear Taehyung’s voice anymore. He was relieved when he finally arrived at his room. He tapped his room key and swiftly walked into his room and locked the door before anyone could disturb him.

 

He put down all of his bags and then his phone suddenly started to ring. Namjoon. “Yes, hyung?”

 

“Have you arrived at your hotel?” Namjoon asked.

 

“Hm, just arrived,” Jeongguk responded as he walked onto his balcony, checking the scenery from his room. “The hotel is really nice, hyung. Thanks,” he said sincerely.

 

“Well, it’s nothing,” Namjoon replied. “I had to give you the best place to stay because it will affect your writing.”

 

“Ah.” It’s always about work. “Yeah.”

 

“Don’t forget, kid. I’m giving you a holiday so you still have to bring back your best work once it’s over,” he reminded him. Jeongguk really wanted to curse at him. If only he wasn’t his editor. If only he wasn’t older than him. If only he wasn’t his hyung’s boyfriend. If only— “Kid? Do you hear me?”

 

you, Kim Namjoon. He cursed inside his head instead. “Yeah, got it, hyung.”

 

“Good. Enjoy your holiday, kid,” he said before hanging up. Jeongguk threw his phone on the bed and then, he threw himself on it too. He laid down, staring at the wood-paneled ceiling above him.

 

He sighed. Yeah, you’re not only here for a holiday, Jeon Jeongguk. Get a grip and finish your job quickly.

It had been more than five hours since Jeongguk opened his laptop and Microsoft Word. But the word count was still less than a hundred and the pointer didn’t move at all. Jeongguk tousled his hair in frustration. Nothing came to his mind.

 

Nothing.

 

“Oh, c’mon, brain. Why can’t you cooperate with me?” he blamed himself. It was really frustrating. He didn’t know why this was happening to him. People said that it was just writer's block and it would go away after a while. Jeongguk looked at the clock in the corner of his laptop. It’s 10 PM already.

 

He sighed and got up from his chair. “Maybe a cigarette would help.” He walked out of his room and went to the hotel’s smoking area. There were only a few people there. He reached into his pocket and took out his menthol-flavored cigarette from its box. He put the cigarette between his lips then lit the other side. He breathed in, letting the menthol-aromatic white smoke fill his lungs and then breathed it out. Hah, that’s better.

 

Besides alcohol, smoking had always helped him ease his mind. Yugyeom—his best friend—always told him to smoke less because it was bad for him but he never listened to him. Well, smoking’s better than drinking, right?

 

“Oh? You finally came out,” a familiar voice said. Jeongguk turned around and found Taehyung standing behind him.

 

He quickly stubbed his cigarette and responded, “Ah, yeah.”

 

Taehyung smiled at him thinly. “Work?” he asked. Jeongguk answered with a nod. “So did you come here for work? Or for a vacation?” he teased Jeongguk as he approached and stood next to him, leaning on the rails.

 

Jeongguk let out a sigh. “Well, both?” he scoffed. “, right?”

 

Taehyung chuckled. “Yeah,” he agreed. “What’s your job?”

 

“Author.” Taehyung choked when he heard Jeongguk’s answer. Well, Jeongguk wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Almost everyone who’d heard about his job gave the exact same reaction.

 

“What?” he asked again in disbelief. Jeongguk nodded, as usual. “But—”

 

“I don’t look like one? Yeah, I know that,” he admitted. “Everyone who hears about my job always reacts like that.” Jeongguk took out another cigarette from its box and slipped it between his lips. “Well, maybe it is weird for a guy like me to be writing a romance novel.” He took out his lighter again and just when he was about to light up his cigarette, Taehyung’s words stopped him.

 

“Amazing,” he said.

 

“Hah?”

 

Taehyung turned to Jeongguk, eyes sparkling in amusement. “Amazing, I said,” he repeated.

 

Jeongguk put both his lighter and his cigarette down. “Why?”

 

“Well, first of all, you don’t look like one.” Jeongguk scoffed at Taehyung words. But then Taehyung continued. “And secondly, I love romance novels – especially the ones with tragedy and angst in them. And thirdly—”

 

“Thirdly?”

 

“I always thought that an author would be a cool job because you can pour your imagination onto the page and play around with words to arrange them into a beautiful story,” he explained with enthusiasm.

 

Jeongguk laughed out loud at Taehyung. “Cool? Being author isn’t cool at all!”

 

“Well, it’s cool for me. Everyone’s preferences are different, you know?” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, you came here to finish your novel?” he asked.

 

Jeongguk nodded. “I’m kinda messed up these days so, yeah.”

 

“And you came out here to smoke because you haven’t made any progress, right?” He guessed correctly on the spot. Jeongguk hummed a response. “Then how about going out with me?” he suggested.

 

Jeongguk choked, surprised by Taehyung’s sudden question. “W-what? Go out with you? But we just met.”

 

“No, no, no. I mean, going somewhere together,” Taehyung clarified.

 

Jeongguk mouthed ‘ah’. “But, where?”

 

“To see how beautiful Jeju-do is,” he said confidently. Jeongguk still hesitated to say yes. “You won’t regret it! I promise! Maybe you can find some inspiration for your novel.” His fingers shaped into V sign, a grin glued on his face.

 

Well, it won’t hurt to go. “Fine, I’ll go with you,” he agreed.

 

In an instant, Taehyung’s eyes widened, lips curving into a wide smile. “Really?” Jeongguk hummed. “Then, I’ll pick you up at 4 AM tomorrow morning.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Give me your number so I can call you when I’m outside your room,” he said as he handed his phone over.

 

“Got it.” Jeongguk typed in his number then gave the phone back. “Just send me a message so I know it’s you,” he added.

 

Taehyung nodded. “Roger.”

 

“Well, I should go back to my room now,” Jeongguk said.

 

“Ok, see ya!” Taehyung waved his hands as Jeongguk turned around and walked away.

      +82-31-1295-****

      ill pick u up at 4am. see ya jeongguk c;

      tae

Jeongguk checked the message once again. He didn’t read it wrong. It was already 15 minutes past the designated time and Taehyung was nowhere to be seen. He dialed Taehyung’s number once more but there was still no answer. Don’t tell me he slept in. Jeongguk sighed. He knew it. He shouldn’t have agreed to a stranger’s suggestion. He dialed the number once again.

 

“Hm?” Jeongguk could hear Taehyung mumbling, still half-asleep. Jeongguk sighed. “Gosh, you—”

 

“Oh .” Taehyung finally woke up from his sleep. “Sorry, I slept in. I’ll be down in 10 minutes. Sorry!” He hung up and he stayed true to his word.  Only ten minutes later, he was standing in front of Jeongguk with hair sticking up in all directions and an oversized sweater. A wide grin stretched across his face as he apologized, “I’m so sorry. My phone alarm didn’t wake me up.”

 

Jeongguk rolled his eyes and sighed. “It’s okay.”

 

“Let’s go.” Taehyung grasped Jeongguk’s wrist and pulled him in the opposite direction.

 

“Where are we going?” Jeongguk asked. He still didn’t know where they were going because Taehyung hadn’t told him a thing.

 

“Secret.” He put on his mischievous smile. Minutes later, they arrived at parking lot and stood in front of a red car. Taehyung took out the key out of his pocket and unlocked the car doors. “Let’s go.” He tilted his head a little and then, he got into the car.

 

Once they were both buckled in, Taehyung turned his head to Jeongguk. “How do you feel about hiking?” he asked as he stepped on the pedal and began to drive away.

 

“It’s alright,” Jeongguk replied. “But I prefer soccer, why?” Jeongguk asked. Taehyung didn’t answer and replied with a smirk instead, leaving Jeongguk with a big question mark above his head.

Jeongguk didn’t realize that when Taehyung asked about exercise that it would mean climbing hundreds of stairs for 30 minutes. It wasn’t hard for him by any means but it was unexpected. He wasn’t in the mood for exercise and he definitely wasn’t used to working out at this time of the day. It was far too early for that.

 

“You should’ve told me that we were going on a hike beforehand!” he complained as he climbed up the steps.

 

Taehyung let out a mischievous giggle. “Look behind you,” he said. Jeongguk did what he was told. He turned around then—

 

“Wow.” He couldn’t believe what laid in front of his eyes. Thousands of lights were blinking so beautifully behind him. His jaw dropped instantly, too amazed by the view. “It’s so—”

 

“Beautiful, right?” Taehyung finished Jungkook’s sentence.

 

Jungkook agreed with nod. “Very,” he added.

 

“I told you that you wouldn’t regret it.” Taehyung grinned as he showed his peace sign. He slowly took his camera out of his bag, quietly capturing the man who was still in awe by the view. He smiled thinly before putting his camera away. “Let’s go. We don’t want to miss the sunrise,” he said, making Jeongguk finally look away from the beautiful view.

 

“Hm.” He nodded.

 

They continued to walk to the peak. In only 10 minutes, they finally reached the top. “We’ve arrived!” Taehyung said loudly, arms spread out as he turned around. Taehyung softly giggled as the soft amber glow of the sunrise kissed his skin. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?” he asked as he turned away from Jeongguk and stared at the sky in front of him.

 

Right by Taehyung’s side, Jeongguk turned to face his new friend. The scenery around Taehyung was bright and mesmerising—not only the glimmers of the sun that had barely risen to fill the sky with its red and orange colors but more importantly, the man next to him. His smile, which was already bright, only became brighter with the unforgettable view around him. He was glowing. If he could, Jeongguk would stare at him all day.

 

“Hm, it’s really pretty,” he smiled, eyes still on the man next to him. He quickly looked away when Taehyung turned to face him.

 

Taehyung gave Jeongguk another smile and an unexpected warmth rushed through Jeongguk’s body “Let’s take a photo!” Taehyung took out his phone and opened the camera app. “Quickly! Sunrise only lasts for a few minutes.” Taehyung pulled Jeongguk closer, making the distance between them disappear in an instant.

 

In the first picture, they were standing next to each other awkwardly, fingers both shaped in a V. The second o