Every month he received a letter. After every draining month of military training, Taemin received a letter put inside the same brown envelope each time.

It came so regularly on the same day that his comrades, of course, started asking questions.

Comments like “Your girlfriend has very pretty handwriting” weren’t unusual and the first few months he tried to explain it wasn’t a girlfriend who sent the letters. The writer of the letters being male was quite the deal breaker for most and they let it go. But as the letters kept coming, Taemin smiling while reading them each time, it became common knowledge that the sender was in fact Taemin’s boyfriend.

At first, he denied it with all his might, but he got tired of having to explain himself wherever he went. Even though most of the men in his troupe were mature enough not to care about his rumoured ual orientation too much, there were some that couldn’t help but disturb his peaceful moments as he was reading the letters Minho sent before sleeping each night. In hope of finding juicy details, they snatched the paper out of Taemin’s hand, reading it aloud to end up impressed at the incredible writing that filled the page.

It happened three times before they lost interest in the flawless description of some random guy’s everyday life which didn’t differ much from letter to letter. Sometimes he told about coffee being to hot, sometimes he was going on and on about parents fighting, and another time he filled half a page with the description of a puddle that was created from the rain that one night.

To Taemin though, these letters were so much more. It meant Minho was thinking about him while he was away and every single one ended with the same words.

Please always stay healthy and live happily.

               Choi Minho

These words were enough to get through the long days of target training surrounded by so many other men around the clock. Taemin had found friends here. That was for sure. Going through hardships like this brought them close together and he couldn’t imagine himself parting with his newly found family. The companionship he was feeling now wasn’t comparable to anything he had experienced all his life.

Once a month he was allowed to leave the barracks but there wasn’t anywhere he really wanted to go that was in a manageable distance. Therefore, that one day leave he usually spent with his comrades in a local bar.

“You know, I really would love to meet that mysterious Minho.” Woosung said, after the night had already advanced quite a bit and the short male was too drunk to properly stand up straight.

“Hmmm.” Taemin answered shortly, not wanting to dive deeper into the Minho topic.

“Will he be at your discharge?”

It was a valid question that Taemin had asked himself many times. More frequently now that the date was approaching rapidly.

“I don’t think so.” He just answered as it was the conclusion he came to by himself.

“Why though? He should come.” Woosung was visibly confused – be it because of the alcohol or the illogical answer.

“He’s not good with large groups of people…” Taemin tried to give him a reason he would understand.

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“What is with you and that guy? You never tell us anything. Like honestly why are you hiding him?” the smaller was drunk-angry. “We went through this whole together for over a year now and you won’t even tell me that guy’s age. What are you so afraid of? Is he much older? 50? Married? Is he a north Korean defector? Honestly I DO NOT CARE!”

“Why are you getting so upset about this?” Taemin asked, he wasn’t used to Woosung acting like this. The other was usually a very soft person that even though he spoke his mind, never raised his voice.

“I am not upset, I am hurt.” He said and started crying.

That night, Taemin ended up carrying his crying friend back to their base. The next morning it was resolved with nothing more than a short nod and a promise taken from Taemin that he would never go into detail about all the things Woosung had been crying about on the way through the dark streets.

“Do you want to come to Taemin’s discharge?”

Minho had been thinking of nothing but that question for a week now.

“I need to know by next Saturday because we have to get bus tickets.”

Minho didn’t have more time.

“I am sure Taemin will appreciate your attendance more than all of us combined.”

Minho had to decide.

“Let me know if you come with me until Friday and don’t worry about money. I will take care of it.”

It was Friday.

He couldn’t ask his books. He had to decide this on his own. Halmoni had been surprised that Minho got replies to his letters. Apparently, her daughter received exactly one, congratulating her for her birthday – nothing more. Minho on the other hand knew everything Taemin was going through in the military. He knew about the food that tasted awful and the menu that repeated every week, not even changing order. He was told about his new friends, mostly someone called Woosung who as of the most recent story had been hopelessly in love with a married woman for over three years now.

The hardships, the fun evenings playing card games together, the one-time Taemin was hit by a rifle another soldier was supposed to throw a little more to the left, he knew everything. 

Was it expected from him to be at the discharge ceremony?

“Are you coming with me next month?” Halmoni asked, pulling Minho out of his thoughts.

That moment, the question was too much. He left the café without answering it half an hour later.

Taemin stood there amongst his fellow soldiers, being handed a certificate while their families and friends were cheering for the men who successfully completed their mandatory military service. Finally, the day had come. He was free. No more duties to his own country.

He couldn’t help but scan the masses for familiar faces - one face in particular.

“Is he here?” Woosung whispered to him while people were applauding them.

Taemin shook his head. To say he wasn’t disappointed would be a lie, but so was if he said that he was surprised. Of course, Minho wouldn’t make it. He suddenly felt stupid for even getting his hopes up.

The rest of the day was filled with many heartfelt goodbyes that mostly came with the promise of meeting again. All around there were parents embracing their sons, siblings carrying the soldier’s flowers and girlfriends kissing their boyfriends after the long separation.

“GRANDSON!” Taemin heard his grandmother shouting through the masses before he spotted her, joined by his parents.

“Halmoni! You came!” He shouted back at her, walking a little faster only to be hugged closely as soon as he reached her.

“You got even more handsome!” She said, releasing him from her grip, taking his face in both hands.

“You did good.” His mother said while his father ruffled his short black hair.

“I am proud of you.” Those were words he didn’t hear from his father much, so hearing them now was incredibly meaningful and Taemin suddenly felt bad for not really staying in touch with his parents throughout the two years. They had only spent his birthdays together and even those days he didn’t really interact with his parents much. Their relationship wasn’t comfortable enough.

“Let’s eat something tasty. I will pay.” The old woman on his side said, already pulling him towards the exit of the ceremony ground.

“Wait!” Taemin said while looking for Woosung.

He spotted the latter amongst his family and friends and after thinking back and forth, decided not to interrupt his time but made a mental note to contact him as soon as he was back home.

“Ok let’s go!”

17:35

Minho entered the coffee shop at the same time as always. He didn’t know how things would be in the future. Everyone around him was pressuring him to get a job. Why couldn’t he just spend his time reading? It had been alright until now? What difference did it make that he finished his master’s degree?

How could he work? Everyone will just think that he was strange. No one would hire him anyway. Kang Hyojin said she could get him a job at the library. Was she saying the truth? Was she lying? He couldn’t tell.

The café latte was perfect. Almost too perfect, Minho noticed when he took the first sip. Waitress 3 never got it right. She was probably sick and someone covered the shift.

17:50

Out of nowhere a huge book was placed right next to the one he was reading, and Minho jumped from surprise, instantly shivering after being pulled out of his space.

“AYYYY” A loud, familiar voice said. “You didn’t even wonder why the café latte is so perfect?? I am hurt!!”

Minho was confused for a second. Taemin wasn’t here. Why would he be? His life was in Seoul. He had no reason to visit after finishing his military service. He should be studying at university by now.

It took a few seconds for the taller to rearrange his thoughts. But he managed to speak.

“I noticed.”

“So why in Tolstoy’s name didn’t you look up to find out why? I was standing by the counter pretending to be a flower, holding up this book to surprise you.”

“You know Tolstoy?”

A/N

Sorry for not being active. Until Christmas it is my exam period and I have so many things I have to do! I will get to writing more and answering comments, DM's and Wall messages as soon as I am done with everything.

I LOVE YOU ALL

and would love to see you in the comments anyway. They might just give me enough strengh to get through the last 1.5 weeks of exams!!

xx

R