They spent their second night on the outskirts of Busan, sleeping over at one of Baekhyun’s friends. After walking all day long, sleeping on a cramped up couch wasn’t exactly what they had hoped for, but it was better than spending money on a hotel.

Dae had gotten the better hand of the deal, having been able to sleep on an air mattress, which was better than sleeping curled up on the too small couch in many ways. For one, her knees wouldn’t hurt, and although it wasn’t as comfortable as the softness of a couch, at least it was easier to roll over in her sleep.

When she woke up in the morning, still feeling just as tired as she had felt the night before when she went to bed, she saw Baekhyun was already up too. He was leaning back on the couch, staring at his phone screen like some sort of zombie, not having noticed Dae waking up.

He looked like hell, his eyes dark and small, and when she told him good morning and he didn’t smile at her the way he usually would, Dae chuckled and told him, “wow, you look like .” It earned her a grumpy glare, one that only told her that Baekhyun was very much aware of it too, and then he went back to his phone screen.

Dae rolled herself out of bed, or rather off her mattress, and rummaged through her suitcase, looking for a washcloth. She took it with her to the kitchen where she wet it, letting the cool water run past her hands, and then she returned to a still-cranky looking Baekhyun.

She sat down on the couch, forcing herself to keep her emotions at bay as she reached out to tilt his chin her way. Baekhyun moved his head away from his phone without protesting, instead staring at her tiredly up so close to him, and as Dae first pressed the cold towel to his forehead he heaved a sigh and grumbled, “I hardly slept, I think. I woke up so often.”

Dae kept the towel pressed to Baekhyun’s forehead for a little while before she retreated slightly, folding it with the hand that wasn’t on his face before pressing the fresh part of it to the skin below his eyes, “I’m sorry.” She sent him a soft smile and lied a little to make him feel better, “I didn’t sleep too well either.”

Baekhyun huffed, the puff of breath could be felt against Dae’s cheek, and he closed his eyes so she could reach more of his skin. “You were asleep every time I woke up, though,” his voice was softer this time, as if aware of the fact that she was right in front of him, and it sent shivers down Dae’s spine because of how nice it sounded.

To hear him talk that way, so softly, as if the words were only meant for her, it made her so weak. Baekhyun whispering was a whole different sensation compared to hearing him scream and laugh, and she smiled sweetly in return as she pressed the towel to his other eye, “just my luck.”

When Baekhyun opened his eyes again their faces were only inches apart and Dae was reluctant to pull back, even though she knew she should. Up close she could look at his eyes that much better, and as much as she loved doing so, it was also what was most dangerous. Because when she was watching him like that, she was sure that the love she felt for him was clear as day in her own eyes. How he hadn’t managed to see it yet baffled her.

Then again, Baekhyun wasn’t exactly a tactful person, which he proved again as he opened his mouth, successfully ruining whatever moment they had had, “you drool in your sleep, by the way.” He didn’t sound like he cared for it much, but it managed to make Dae shy away from him, feeling embarrassed to the tip of her crown and she was sure she was beet red as she got up.

“Too bad we’ll be sharing a bunk on the ferry tonight then, now I’m for sure going to drool all over you,” she threw back, turning it into a joke even if she was cursing herself internally. God, how could she ever think she had a chance with him? How could she sometimes think there was more to Baekhyun’s actions, that maybe he wouldn’t be as opposed to being with her as she had thought? Clearly she was wrong to think such a thing. Stupid, hopeful heart.

She shook her head lightly, getting rid of all the thoughts that had popped up there, and walked over to her suitcase. In the back, Baekhyun was saying something in reply to her threat, but she completely missed it. She was too focused on getting out her outfit for the day, making sure her bag of toiletries was zipped up this time, and then she turned in the direction of where she knew the bathroom was, “I’ll get dressed first.”

When she was done, light layer of make-up on her face and her hair up in a high ponytail, she found Baekhyun had already changed somehow. Like Dae, he had opted for their new hoodies, even if his had a smudge of brown in the sleeve already, and they stared at each other for a moment before they burst into laughter.

Dae was glad for it too, because it broke whatever tension she had let build between them, and Baekhyun was back to his happy self. “Thank you for washing my face, I totally feel like a new person now,” he said as he slapped his cheeks lightly, “although I’ll probably still collapse halfway through the day.”

“That’s okay,” Dae grinned brightly as she started putting away her stuff and zipping up her suitcase. When she was done she stretched, turning to Baekhyun who was now fiddling with his camera, “so what exactly are we seeing in Busan today?”

Both of them had been to Busan before. Baekhyun had family and friends living there and Dae had been on a short holiday trip to the beach with her parents when she ad been fifteen. They had seen some of the city, but definitely not all, and so they would focus on those tourist attractions that neither of them had been to.

“We’re going on a tour of Gamcheon culture village, and then we’re going to Gukje market to buy some souvenirs and some food for the road,” Baekhyun explained, “after that we can roam around until we should head to the ferry. Our boat leaves at seven.”

Dae nodded, pouting her lips slightly at the idea of taking the ferry. It wasn’t the preferred way of travelling, and to say she was looking forward to being stuck on a boat for twelve hours was a lie. “It will take so long to get to Jeju islands,” she whined, “I wish we could just go by plane instead.”

“I’ve been to Jeju islands by plane already, I want a different experience,” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, “Besides, we have the car, remember? If we fly we will have to continue our drive from Busan later and that will take much longer. It’s easier this way. Embrace the change.” He put his hands together and bowed slightly, as if he had bestowed her with wisdom, and Dae only rolled her eyes at him.

After they joined Jongin, Baekhyun’s friend, at the table for breakfast, they all set off into town together. Jongin had joined them because he needed to be somewhere else in town and this way he’d be faster, and so he and Baekhyun sat in the back together, talking about the trip.

“It’s such a cool idea, honestly. There’s a lot up north I haven’t seen either and we have such beautiful nature, it’s almost sad,” Jongin said, “besides, I bet it’s very romantic to see everything together, just the two of you.”

His comment made Dae grip the steering wheel a little tighter, her attention almost slipping, but she looked back at the road and the navigation system in silence, half an ear on Baekhyun as he was the one left to set things straight.

“It is, yes. I mean, we’re not… dating, Dae and I, but I can really see how with some adjustments made, it could be very romantic,” Baekhyun paused in the middle of his sentence and Dae tried not to think anything of it, “like sharing a room and stuff, you know? But sure, if you got yourself someone and want to copy our trip, just give me a call and I’ll send you all the files needed.”

Dae couldn’t help the way the corners of quirked up at the joking tone in Baekhyun’s voice. She briefly wondered what he would say now if she were to mention that for the second half of this trip they’d be sharing beds, starting tonight. Because bunk bed or not, they were sharing a bed on the ferry.

“Ah, I see, sorry for assuming,” Jongin replied, laughing sheepishly as he scratched himself behind his ear. Dae thought it was cute, watching him push his hair out of his face. Jongin was very handsome, this tanned beauty with the most gorgeous lips, she couldn’t imagine he was single. Then again she couldn’t understand why Baekhyun was single either and he was, had been for a while now too.

“Someone as handsome as you can’t possibly be single, right?” Dae voiced her thoughts from behind the wheel, turning another corner as she did which left her unable to see the guy’s reaction, but she could hear the loud chuckle from the backseat, which said enough.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Jongin replied, “but I’m not seeing anyone currently.” Dae watched him smile shyly through her mirror, felt a matching smile of her own pop up as their eyes locked for a second.

She watched him wink at her, his eyes piercing hers, as if he was trying to tell her something with his gaze. Was he flirting with her? Dae didn’t know. “Well,” she said, clearing a little as the spell broke with her needing to look back at the road again, “I don’t think you have to worry about being alone for long.”

Her comment, along with the way Jongin’s smile grew, made Baekhyun in with an annoyed sounding, “can we stop the whole flirting, please? It’s making me feel like a third wheel over here while it is our trip.” He seemed to be talking to Dae, who cocked an eyebrow at him in surprise.

“What? I was only-“ she was about to argue, but Jongin cut her off by placing a hand on her shoulder before sending his smile Baekhyun’s way, “sure thing, hyung. I won’t steal her away from you and make you finish this trip on your own.”

Dae was about to argue once again, needing to tell them both that they were taking this far too seriously, but she didn’t dare disturb whatever was going on in the back. From her mirror she could briefly see how the two boys were staring at each other intently while Jongin got out a card from his wallet in the meantime.

“You can park on the side of the road here, Dae. I’ll walk the last block because parking is over there,” he told her, and Dae did as she was asked. As the car came to a stop, Jongin pushed himself between the two front seats while Baekhyun had already thrown open his door and climbed out so he could get back into the passenger seat.

“This is my business card,” Jongin explained just as Baekhyun sat down next to him, ready to buckle up, “but if you call that number they can get you my private one. Hope to see you again sometime, beautiful."

He leaned in to kiss Dae’s cheek before he made quick work of getting out of the car, as if he knew that Baekhyun was about to explode and he had wanted to get out of there before he did. Dae stared at the card in her hand as Baekhyun groaned, throwing his head back against his seat, “honestly, who the does he think he is?!”

“Huh?” Dae asked, still staring at the name and number on her card, after which her eyes moved up to follow Jongin’s disappearing figure. He walked with a sway in his step, which she was sure would make plenty of girls and guys swoon for him, and she realised that she was way out of his league. He couldn’t have possibly been sincere in his flirting.

“He knows you’re with me, that we’re on this trip together, yet he comes in and thinks it’s okay to just- ugh,” Baekhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest, “it just annoys me, the way he kept pretending like I wasn’t even there. The disrespect, honestly.”

Dae turned her head to look at her best friend, who was fuming in his seat by now, and she couldn’t understand why. Why would he care someone was leaving her their number? He had never cared back home, why would he be doing so now they were on their trip? Unless…

“Are you jealous?” she asked, the question spilling out before she could stop herself.

What a ridiculous thing to assume. As if he would be, when he had no reason to. Why would Byun Baekhyun be jealous of someone flirting with his best friend? “What? No!” He replied, as Dae had already expected, and she looked away from him as he laughed at her.

“I mean…” he paused then, as if he realised he had been thoughtless in his answer, “I get why he would, but, you don’t even live here and- and it’s our trip,” Baekhyun repeated, as if that was supposed to mean more than the literal sense of the word.

Dae stared at the card in her hand once more, feeling her heart pick up speed at the idea that maybe, just maybe, she had been a tiny bit right about Baekhyun being jealous. Which meant that, if she had even the tiniest shot at being right, Jongin had to go. Completely.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked once he heard her rip the card in half, his head snapping so he could look at her as she put the two halves together before ripping them in half again. She held the four pieces between her thumb and index finger in answer to his question while her other hand got the window to roll down.

Baekhyun was still gaping at her when she sent the pieces flying, falling down to the pavement right next to the car. Then she closed the window, got her hands on the wheel, and drove off without looking back once, “you’re right. It’s our trip.”

~

Gamcheon wasn’t as bright as the over-edited pictures on most websites made it look like, but it was still as beautiful. A mountain of pastel-coloured houses arose before them, looking like they had been layered all over each other. Windows were placed haphazardly, the next house completely different from the one before it, but somehow it all came together.

Streets were covered with art, graffiti and painted pieces of wood lining the walls. There were more tourists out there than locals, most of them taking selfies in front of all the coloured art, others reading through their guides about the neighbourhood

“Stay close to me,” Baekhyun ordered as he grabbed a hold of Dae’s arm. She had already started to stray, captivated by the beautiful colours around her. Almost tripping as she stepped closer to him, Baekhyun snorted at her clumsiness, as if she was proving his point exactly, “this place is supposedly like a labyrinth, which means that knowing you, you’ll lose me.”

Dae huffed and was about to defend herself and tell him how he wasn’t much better than her in that department, but then Baekhyun smiled at her over his shoulder and suggested, “just hold onto my backpack as we walk,” and well, she wasn’t going to pass up such an opportunity.

She nodded before shyly getting behind him, taking a hold of the lower part of the straps of Baekhyun’s backpack, her hands brushing against his hoodie occasionally, and like that they started roaming the small alleyways together.

Dae quickly understood why Baekhyun had ordered her to hold on to him, because there were truly too many possible ways to go. With each alley they turned into there seemed to be more choices waiting at the end. She didn’t get how Baekhyun knew where to go at all, especially because he hardly looked at the map in his hands, being busier taking pictures than anything.

“Baek,” Dae asked eventually, halting him by pressing her palm to his back, and she waited for him to turn around, “where are we even going? Are you sure we’re not lost? You’re not even looking at the map,” she pointed out, worried about it because she knew how Baekhyun was. She had taken control of the map at Gyeonju National Park for a reason.

His mouth slightly agape, Baekhyun turned to look at her, noticing the nervousness in her eyes, and then he chuckled and raised a hand so he could point at the walls. “I’m following the fish,” he said, referring to all the fish made of pieces of wood, painted in all the colours of the rainbow.

“Following the fish?” Dae repeated, the sentence not making any sense to her, but then Baekhyun smiled his ‘you idiot’ smile at her, making her feel indeed like an idiot. His outstretched hand moved, pointing at her face now, and he booped her nose with his index finger before he dropped his hand.

“Yes, the fish will lead us. They put them up here because idiots like us would get lost without it,” he explained as he stuffed his hands into his pockets instead, as if he felt stupid for having touched her nose like that, “just wait and see, okay? I prepared all of this, remember, I wouldn’t claim to know this otherwise.”

Dae sighed, pursing out her lips in a pout, and she looked down where they had come from, to where she could see a small piece of the harbour, “I trust you, just- let’s make sure we won’t miss our boat, okay?” she asked, which made Baekhyun huff at her.

“The faith you have in me. Honestly… our boat doesn’t leave for another eight hours, so relax,” he looked like he wanted to lean in and touch her again, but he brought up his hands above himself to stretch at the last second, having the hoodie ride up some.

Dae’s eyes immediately went to the small sliver of skin that was exposed, before she forced them back up to his face. He had caught her staring, she could tell from the way his mouth quivered as he tried to hold back a smile, but he didn’t say anything about it and Dae surely wasn’t going to let him.

She surprised herself by not turning away in order to get away from the situation, to stop her cheeks from turning red. She stood her guard, feeling somehow that maybe this road trip could change things between them. Because if Baekhyun wasn’t freaking out about her stare, if he was acting the tiniest bit jealous because of Jongin, and he still showed affection towards her, then couldn’t she try?

Maybe, if she would start preparing for it now, maybe she could save up enough courage to actually confess to him before they’d arrive back in Seoul. This idea of course came with a lot of ‘buts’, her mind going against her as she thought of everything that could go wrong, but she kept repeating to herself how the stars were on her side right now.

“Come on,” Baekhyun pulled her out of her thoughts, having continued walking already without her noticing it. She hurried to catch up with him, her hands finding his backpack again, even though there was no real reason now that she knew to just follow the fish.

‘See’ her brain told itself, ‘maybe this means something. Maybe he just wanted you to hold on so you’d be close to him’. It was shot down immediately with the counterargument of ‘you drool in your sleep!’ said in an annoying tone, reminding her of Baekhyun’s comment. She sighed, her shoulders dropping as she waged a war with herself.

“We’re here,” Baekhyun eventually stopped, making Dae bump into him as she was still lost in thought by the time he did. He helped her steady herself before he stepped aside, allowing her to see where they had stopped and why.

Spotting the statue in front of her Dae whispered, “the little prince.” The little prince and his fox, they were right in front of her, sitting slightly apart and looking out over Gamcheon. “That’s one of my favourite books.”

Dae had read the book when she was younger and she had fallen in love with it. She especially remembered the drawing of a hat which was actually a boa constrictor who had swallowed a tiny elephant, a weird representation of how sometimes what people saw wasn’t reality.

“I know,” Baekhyun replied, lifting his camera up in the air, “it’s part of the reason why we came here.” He said it so casually, his eyes on his camera as he played with it, but Dae felt her heart skip a beat. He had remembered her mentioning it, even though it hadn’t been that significant. God, why did he have to go and be so perfect?

“Well go on then,” her best friend said as Dae just stood there, staring at the statue, “sit with him so I can take some pictures. We’re lucky it’s not the holiday season yet, there would probably be a queue then.”

As Baekhyun talked, Dae walked up to the prince, taking in his appearance. “Hey,” she interrupted Baekhyun’s rambling, “he kind of looks like you. If, you know, you were to wear a green coat with a pink scarf.”

Her best friend stopped in the middle of his sentence, staring at her as if she had just offended him, and Dae shrugged and made her way over to the pillar, listening to Baekhyun’s disagreeing, “then why do I look like him? You can’t even see his face from here? Is it only because of the hair?”

Dae touched the blonde curls of the statue, let her hand trail down its back before she climbed onto the pillar next to it. “No,” she replied, “you’re small too, just like him.” She carefully lowered her head to the prince’s shoulder, leaning against his hard form, and waited for Baekhyun to bite.

“You’re being mean again,” Baekhyun threw at her, but he left it at that and he started taking pictures instead of arguing with her. Dae could hear the camera’s flashes behind her, and she gave him a few poses to work with.

She pretended to kiss the prince, wrapped her arms around him, and eventually ended up sideways so she could look back at Baekhyun. He was half kneeling, clearly acting like he was a real photographer, and as Dae watched him she couldn’t hold back her smile. She knew her heart would be on display if Baekhyun were to snap a picture of her now, but so far he had been blind to it which made her sure he wouldn’t notice it even if he got to stare at it for longer than a few seconds.

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important,” She uttered, a quote from the book that she knew Baekhyun wouldn’t get, but she did. It was about how all they had been through together, all they had done, were what had made Baekhyun so important to her.

The little prince reminded her of how she had been in love with him for so long, for as long as she could remember. The seed had been planted at the very start, and she had been the one to care for it, to make it grow and blossom into the most beautiful rose she had ever laid eyes on. One she hoped would never wither, but as she looked at him, with pride in her heart, she was sure it never would.

~

The ferry was somehow not as big as they had imagined it to be. It was cramped too, they realised as they came to what was supposed to be a cabin for four people and saw there were another four making their beds on the floor. Baekhyun and Dae looked at each other for a second and then collectively decided it was best to stay away from the cabin as long as possible, only going there once it was time to sleep.

“God, I’m so glad we’re sleeping in a hotel tomorrow,” Baekhyun groaned as he flopped down in a chair, hanging in it limply as he pulled a face, and Dae hit him on his forehead before sitting herself down next to him.

“Really?” she asked, “’cause we’re sharing a bed there. I’ll have a better chance drooling over you then than I do now, with these bunk beds and all.” She poked his side playfully, making him jump a little before he grumbled again, looking away from her.

Dae stretched, stifling a yawn as she did, and then she slid down in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, “you should send Jongin a text to thank him for his glorious couch, you’ll certainly think it was the most luxurious place to sleep once you’ll wake up tomorrow.”

“Shut up about Jongin, would you,” Baekhyun huffed as he followed her example and slid down as well, staring straight ahead now, “if I didn’t know better I’d think you really like him. Shouldn’t have ripped up his card then, you could have texted him yourself.”

Dae frowned, the words entering her brain a little late because she was tired, but when they did, she blinked dazedly and wondered out loud, “if you didn’t know better? What do you mean with that?” did he know about her crush? Was that it? If it wasn’t for the fact that he knew…

She broke out in cold sweat all of a sudden, trying not to move and show Baekhyun how stressed his words had made her. She didn’t dare look at him either, afraid she’d start apologising when she didn’t actually know what he was talking about. Not for certain at least.

Baekhyun sighed and tipped his head back so it would fall back over the edge of his chair, “I’m not sure you want to me to tell you.” He was being so vague, not making Dae relax at all. In fact it only made her panic more. Did he mean she wouldn’t want him to admit how he already knew about her crush?

“I mean, it might not even be true, not now I saw you two flirt,” he went on, and Dae was about ready to throw up. She held back her body from moving, even though she wanted nothing more than to get up and run away from the confrontation. Because he knew, clearly he knew. He was talking about her crush, wasn’t he? Oh god. Oh ing god.

Why now? Why couldn’t he have waited? Why had Jongin needed to tease Baekhyun so much with it? Clearly it had turned his attention to the neon light that had already been on her forehead for far too long anyway, but this time Jongin had pointed at it so Baekhyun could open his eyes and see it too.

“Baek… I-,“  she stuttered, not sure whether she should apologise for her feelings or not. He hadn’t said anything yet, nothing to share if he was upset with how she thought of him or if possibly… no. She should not be thinking such things. There was no way she wouldn’t have noticed if he had feelings for her too. It could only be one thing.

Baekhyun took over from where Dae had stopped talking, as if she hadn’t said anything at all, and Dae watched him shrug at the ceiling, “I mean, in all the time I’ve known him I’ve only ever seen Jongin with a girl once. He- I thought he tended to lean towards guys more, which was also why I thought he was a good option to spend the night at.”

And, well, what? Dae blinked at her best friend, eyes wide as she took in the information. This wasn’t about her crush? It was about Jongin’s uality and not about the fact that she was in love with her best friend?

“Holy ing ,” she let out the breath she had been holding, feeling such relief that she didn’t realise that Baekhyun was staring at her for her strange reaction. Dae cleared , trying to save herself by setting up a shocked expression, “he’s into guys as well? Well, are boys lucky or what?” She laughed and even went as far as to flick Baekhyun’s arm and joke with, “ever had a crush on him then?”

Baekhyun blinked at her, stuttering in defense as she surprised him with the comment. It was no secret that Baekhyun wasn’t straight, Dae had spotted from the start how sometimes his eyes would linger on a guy passing by, but usually she wouldn’t comment on it. Especially not because she didn’t want to know about Baekhyun’s crushes in any way, no matter their gender.

“Actually, no,” Baekhyun looked at his hands and furrowed his brows together, “when I first met him I was dating someone, and well, I-“ he paused and seemed to consider whether to say more or not. It was almost as if he felt pained by it, but then he added a quietly mumbled, “I kind of have my eye on someone else.”

Dae’s heart did the funniest thing. She had to close to stop it from leaping out of her chest, but the fact that she had managed to hold it down wasn’t enough to calm her down. Because Baekhyun had just admitted he liked someone, and the chances of that being anyone but Dae were remarkably high. She hadn’t wanted to know, yet now she did, and it was already crushing her.

She couldn’t make herself suspicious now, couldn’t let her disappointment and sadness overrule, because he was watching her to gauge her response. As if he wanted to know what she thought of that, and honestly, Dae felt like she deserved some sort of award for how calm she managed to stay. Or, pretend to be.

“I’m sure that they’ll have their eye on you too,” she brought out, wanting to support him even though it was killing her inside. Part of her wanted to know so badly who it was, wanted to know if she had to exclude herself from the list of options, but the idea of him confirming it while on this trip, knowing they had another four days together, she couldn’t. And so she had to come with a distraction, and quickly too.

“Anyway,” Dae bent over, opening her backpack, glad for the moment alone it gave her. She got to bite back her tears of frustration, got a moment to hide her scarlet coloured face, and she took her time ‘finding’ her second present. When she sat back up and held it out towards him, she didn’t look at his face, scared it would actually make her burst into tears.

Baekhyun hesitantly took the tube-shaped present from her and held it up, “what’s this?” he asked, easily letting the subject change to something else, and Dae was thankful that he was so easily swayed. “Don’t tell me this is another present,” he said warningly, cocking his head in such a way that he came in her line of sight.

Dae smiled weakly, shrugging her shoulders as she desperately tried to get herself out of the sour mood she was in. “Expect a few more,” she commented, “a present a day keeps Baekhyun’s frown away.” It was a lame joke, but Baekhyun laughed at her anyway.

This time he didn’t argue with her about how she shouldn’t have gotten him anything, probably because he knew that just like him, Dae could be stubborn too. Instead, he got the lid off the tube and tilted it so that his actual present would come out.

As Baekhyun unrolled the poster that came out, Dae started explaining what it was so he wouldn’t have to ask. “It’s not just a map, it’s a scratch map. A map of South Korea where you can scratch all the places we’ve been to now and keep adding to it whenever you go somewhere new,” she said, “there are also heart-shaped pins to go with it so you can mark some places you’d really like to go.”

Baekhyun looked at the map, which was now still golden, but when fully coloured it would have all the colours of the rainbow. She had thought it was pretty cool, another way for him to keep track of their travels and to plan further ahead. Maybe, if things would go well, she’d be part of another one of his trips in the future.

“Wow,” Baekhyun gasped, his mouth slowly curling up into a grin, and when he looked up at Dae his eyes were sparkling, “this is so cool! I’ve only ever seen these of the whole world, but Korea is so small on those. Can’t believe you went through the trouble to find this.”

Dae shrugged, “it’s really no trouble. I only wanted to get you a present as nice as the ones you always give me. I’m not the best at that, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would be good, and this was one of the things I found. Not a lot of them are expensive or worth a lot, but I put thought into it all and I hope you like that just as much.”

Baekhyun’s smile was breath-taking, his eyes warm as they looked into hers, and she felt full of pride with the crush-issue long forgotten, as he told her, “I do. I like it a lot, thank you.”

~

When they returned to the cabin, Baekhyun claimed the top bunk while Dae claimed the bottom one. Not that she minded, because there was no way in hell she’d get up there. Baekhyun waved from where he was lying, but Dae only rolled her eyes at him and started making her own bed.

She sat reading a book for a while, or trying to, considering how Baekhyun kept bothering her from his spot above her. He hung over the edge, his face turning red rather quickly and his hair falling around his face like that. “These beds are actually not too bad,” he admitted, waiting for her to recognise his comment.

Dae hummed, knowing it would be enough to satisfy him, and went back to her book. They spent the next half an hour like that, with Baekhyun occasionally throwing himself half out of his bed to look at her and share another pointless comment, and then he’d disappear again.

Until their cabin slowly started to fill.

The family of four that had made their beds on the floor consisted out of a mother, a father, their daughter, and her grandma. Dae politely nodded in greeting as they assigned themselves a spot on the floor, deciding who should sleep near the door and who closest to the window.

She watched the grandma try to get to her knees, bending over with great difficulty and a hand on her hip to support her. Had they not had enough money to get her a proper bed? It didn’t look like she would be able to get up easily if something were to happen during the night and that was slightly worrying.

Baekhyun, who had been watching as well, seemed to have been thinking the same, because Dae heard him clear his throat as he climbed out of his bed, “excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but, I- I just wanted to say I wouldn’t mind giving up my bed for halmoni.”

The father seemed shocked by Baekhyun’s sudden interruption, the way he bowed to show he really only meant to be kind, but once the man realised what they were being offered, he took a hold of Baekhyun’s hands and bowed gratefully in return, “ah, you would? Really, it’s not too much trouble? Thank you so much. How kind of you, bless you.”

Baekhyun then, knowing Dae was in no way going to get up those stairs to sleep in the upper bunk instead, made the deal with the other two guests that they would take the upper bunks, leaving the second lower bunk for the man’s mother.

She thanked Baekhyun herself too, smiling as if she was proud to see he had been raised so well, and Dae couldn’t help but agree. As the woman sat herself down on the mattress, smiling from ear to ear, Dae herself felt guilty for still being in her own bed. She was about to offer it to Baekhyun too, but he waved her off before she could say anything, knowing what she was about to suggest. “I’ll be fine, stay there,” he ordered.

Baekhyun took the spot next to her bed, staying close to her, and made himself comfortable. Once he had settled down he looked at Dae, who smiled at him softly and told him, “that was very kind of you, you know. Not everyone would have done that.”

Her friend shrugged, turning on his side with a timid smile on his face. Even in a situation like this he couldn’t stop joking, and as he closed his eyes he told her, “you see, I’m not always an . I can be thoughtful sometimes.” Dae thought he was never really an , but she didn’t say as much.

“Sleep,” Baekhyun ordered her, the same way he had done the night before, when they had been staying with Jongin. It had been easy then, because they had been alone and exhausted from a day of walking. Not that they weren’t exhausted now, but with half the cabin still awake, sleeping would be a bit difficult.

In the end, though, however long after she first closed her eyes, she did fall asleep. It was a restless sleep, one without dreams and full of moments where she’d drift close to consciousness, but sleep nevertheless. The sad thing was that it didn’t last very long.

When she woke up again, sometime in the middle of the night, the boat was swaying softly and almost lulled her to sleep again. However, she heard the soft whimper Baekhyun made as he turned over, followed by a sigh as he tried to get comfortable, and she was suddenly wide awake.

She hesitated for a bit, thinking maybe this would be one step too far too soon, but when her eyes got used to the darkness and she saw Baekhyun throw one arm over his face in what was likely uneasiness, she knew she had to offer.

Slowly she rolled over a little more, her hand outstretched as she reached forward in the darkness, until she could place her palm on top of Baekhyun’s hand. Baekhyun jolted from the touch, pulling his hand away in surprise, but she had drawn his attention and that was what mattered.

“Hey,” Dae whispered into the pitch-black room, receiving a quiet, “hey…” in return, to which she smiled. She could tell Baekhyun had his head turned towards her, that he was giving her his attention, and Dae swallowed hard as she asked him, “can’t sleep?”

“No,” Baekhyun admitted softly, “Jongin’s couch was bad enough and now this too-thin mattress is killing my back.” It was clear he didn’t really want to complain, but she knew he wished he could have been in the bed above hers. He had wanted to be polite and now he lay on the floor regretting it. Dae understood, and she had a solution, albeit a dangerous one.

She knew he could laugh at her, could turn her down harshly, but she wanted to be kind towards him the way he had been to others. And maybe she was a little selfish too, grabbing whatever she could take now it was likely Baekhyun wouldn’t be single for much longer. She could always say that it was okay for best friends to be that close and that he didn’t have to worry about her telling the one he liked.

She had to try, to help him out of course, not herself.

“Come on then, I’ll scoot over, you can fit in with me,” she uttered, trying to sound as if the idea alone didn’t make her flush bright red. Her heart had already jumped into the second she had opened , expectant of his answer even though she knew he would protest. She knew it wouldn’t be because he detested the idea of sharing a bed, or so she hoped, but because he didn’t want to be a burden to her.

“What? No, I’m fine,” he lied, going against what he had just admitted to, “just go back to sleep, it will be day before we know it.” He tried to wave it off, but Dae wasn’t going to give up that easily. She knew which cards to play, and now that she could, she would use them too. All for the sake of her friend’s back of course, not because she wanted him close to her.

“Then let’s switch,” she whispered, “I’ll take the floor so you can take the bed.” As expected, he let out a disagreeing sound as he didn’t want her to be in the same pain he was in. So thoughtful he was, another thing that made him so perfect, but right now Dae wished he could stop being stubborn.

“Byun Baekhyun,” she sighed then, warning him with her voice, “you get in here now or I will scream as loud as I can to wake up the whole cabin to tell them all about how much you . Don’t test me either, you know I will do it.” Baekhyun had to know she was most likely only bluffing, he had to know she wouldn’t do such a thing, but he took it seriously anyway. That or he just saw it as the extra push he needed to convince himself it was okay to share the bunk.

“Fine,” Baekhyun huffed as he got up on his knees, picking up his pillow to get it in bed with him, “I’ll face the wall, move over then.” He stood there, slightly bent at his knees, using his hands to show what he meant, and Dae just raised her eyebrows at the spectacle.

God, her face was so warm and she could barely speak, and the only reason she managed to talk at all was because what Baekhyun was suggesting was, in fact, an impossible way to share the bed. She had to explain the only possible way they would fit, there was no other way for them to do this, and she was once again thankful that it was dark in the cabin so he couldn’t see her face, “that won’t work, Baek. Haven’t you ever heard of the big spoon?”

Baekhyun went quit at that, as if he had been frozen, and Dae wanted to take back her words and forget about it all, but she had to be courageous now. She turned over, facing the wall so she didn’t have to look at him anymore, which left her unable to speculate about why he had gone so quiet. She didn’t want to think about it anyway.

It took a while, it felt like eternity, but then the covers were lifted and Baekhyun slowly climbed into bed with her. He tried not to touch her, that much was clear, but Dae wouldn’t force him to if he didn’t want to. She could feel the heat radiating off him even without his touch, and it made her stomach do somersaults and her heart jump around in her chest.

Every nerve in her body was aware of the fact that he was so close to her that if she pressed herself back, just a little, their bodies would mould together. Honestly, she didn’t know what happened to her to give her the courage to joke, but it must have been the adrenaline that got her past the nerves, “have you never done this before?” she chuckled.

Baekhyun huffed again, his breath tickling the shell of Dae’s ear, and the question made him bolder. So much bolder that a hand landed on her waist and he came even closer, yet they still weren’t touching anywhere else. It was torturous, her whole body was yearning to be pulled against his, and she squeezed her eyes shut against it before she would actually move.

“Of course I have, I’ve dated before, remember?” Baekhyun replied, his whisper that much louder now that he was near her. Dae took in a shaky breath as she heard the ‘before’. It was as if he was saying they were dating, and the idea alone was enough to get her off track for a moment.

Then Baekhyun ordered, soft but persuasive, “lift your head.” Dae did as she was asked, lifting herself after which Baekhyun got his arm underneath her. She could feel his skin against her neck as she lowered her head into the pillow again, yet it wasn’t uncomfortable.

The hand on her waist slid as Baekhyun finally, ing finally, made the decision to close the smallest of gaps that had still been between them. His chest pressed against her back, his hips against her and knees against her thighs. Lastly, the hand that had rested on her waist draped over her, encaging her in his arms, but it was a prison she welcomed.

She swore he would be able to hear her heartbeat as he pressed his nose into her hair, getting impossibly closer, and Dae stopped breathing as she felt it. She was certain it had to be a dream, that she must have fallen asleep again after Baekhyun got into bed with her, because a minute ago he had still been reluctant and now...

And now, now she was in his arms, actually living one of her most pleasant reoccurring dreams, and the feeling was surreal. To replace the dream with an actual memory, to know now what it really felt like, was a blessing. As if for each present she gave him, he gave her one in return.

She wanted so badly to snuggle even closer, to kiss his arm and hold on to his hand, but those were things reserved for lovers. Not that this was as innocent as Baekhyun would probably make it seem in the morning, but still. It was far from how actual lovers would cuddle up together.

She knew that in the morning they would arrive at Jeju Island. They would take the car and get to the hotel, where they’d have breakfast before heading to the Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival. All those things had potential, as did they, but it was exactly like Baekhyun had said to Jongin: ‘we’re not… dating, Dae and I, but I can really see how with some adjustments made, it could be very romantic.’