It was the beginning of Chanyeol's summer vacation, and he did not have much to do to rest and spend his time in Seoul. The apartment he lived in was small, and he did not have any company to share, so the most recommended thing for himself was to travel. In addition, he had promised Baekhyun, a friend of years, that he would acompanny on his next trip to a beach in the South, where the older man always went when he had the chance, and that was the perfect opportunity for Chanyeol to fulfill his promise.

This time, besides Chanyeol, Baekhyun had invited Jongdae, one of the friends they had in common, to accompany them. And the invitation was gladly accepted, just as Chanyeol had done it a few months earlier.

Early on the first weekend, the three of them had already packed their things and took the road to the small house that Baekhyun owned. It was a small house, however, cozy enough for the three of them, and had a beautiful view of the sea and the rocks close to the sand of the beach, only a few meters away.

“I still don’t know how you managed to find a house on a beautiful beach like this, Baekhyun-ah.” Jongdae had commented soon after unpacking and returning to the living room, keeping company with Chanyeol, since Baekhyun seemed amused with the decoration of the house that had not seen since last year.

“I’m always amazed at how beautiful it is here.” Byun replied, smiling. “But I don’t think we have anything to eat later. I have to go out and buy something.”

The two friends agreed with him. But Baekhyun just frowned, adding in words that he was lazy and would leave later, which made Chanyeol laugh. In the end, the eldest among them only decided to lie on his bed for a while and assured him with laughter that he really would leave later.

Jongdae eventually went to bed too. He said he was a little tired from the trip of a few hours they did. And Chanyeol just nodded, not missing an opportunity to play with the two friends' moodiness.

It was still early, shortly after three in the afternoon, and Chanyeol had decided to go outside, after all, his company was momentarily limited to himself. After passing a sunscreen so he wouldn’t burn his skin, he walked through the warm sand and sat down on one of the stones where the water touched and cooled the surface heat.

He squinted at the light, but soon he became accustomed to each cascade of sunlight, and he began to watch the great waves breaking in the distance, as well as the small ones that were breaking by. He then looked at the horizon, seeing that the waves had turned it silver, contrasting with the blue of the sky and the white of the Sun, which was the most beautiful clearing in that landscape.

He could not tell how long he had been there, watching every detail of that beautiful sight he had and feeling the soft breeze brought by the waves. He knew only that he had heard Baekhyun's voice calling him, closer to the house.

“Jongdae wanted to come with me. Do you want to come too?” He asked loudly, wondering if Chanyeol would come or stay.

“No, it's all right here, I think I'll stay a little longer.” He said, glancing at him over his shoulders and watching Jongdae walk out with Baekhyun.

“Don’t stay here too long or you'll burn yourself." Jongdae laughed, but also wanted to alert. “The sun is very hot.”

“It's all right.” He laughed, enjoying his friend's advice. “Thank you for caring.”

He watched them both walk to the small town, probably to a nearby grocery store. And he himself had only turned his attention to the beach once again. He stood there for countless minutes. Minutes these that made hours. And these hours soon indicated that the sun would set in a short time.

The sky now had orange tones, reflecting the somewhat precarious rays coming from the Sun. Chanyeol smiled, contemplating that moment and the divine event. But his attention had been taken by an unknown movement in the water, close to the stone in which he sat. He looked down there, not understanding very well, and the sight he had had was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen.

A man was swimming there, calm, as if he bathed his own body in the salty water. His body had defined muscles, with slightly dark skin compared to Chanyeol’s. His black hair was all wet with water, and his face was calm, and the golden complexion reflected the light, making it so beautiful that it resembled the Orient Star itself. And Chanyeol was astonished, impressed with such beauty. The way he found himself attached to that man could even be mistaken as magic.

He came down from the stone he was in and went to the lower part where the other man was. He did not know what to say, but he wanted to see him closer. That man was undoubtedly the most handsome man he had ever seen, and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t stop looking at him.

Chanyeol had been so caught up in that admiration that he had not even realized that now he was being watched. The dark-haired man looked back, smiling small at him. And Chanyeol approached, just enough so that he did not wet his clothes. They exchanged complacent glances, simple and light flirts that would go unnoticed by anyone who walked on them.

“I...” Chanyeol began to speak. “I did not know there was anyone else around here. I thought it was just me and my friends.”

“Apparently, you were wrong.” The other smiled at him without getting out of the water.

“Where did you came from? I mean... I didn’t see you coming.”

“I've always been here, you just did not had realized it yet.” He answered in a playful tone. “What's your name, daydreaming stranger?”

“Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.” He laughed lightly at the nickname. “And yours?”

“Just call me Kai.” And they smiled lightly at each other.

The sun set slowly on the horizon ahead, and in a few minutes everything would be dark.

“I have to go now.” Kai said, as if apologizing. “It will soon be nightfall. I need to get back.”

“It's all right.” Chanyeol smiled, not understanding very well, but knowing that he could not ask him to stay, after all, the other was just a stranger. “See you someday.”

Kai just laughed, without a verbal response. And even before Chanyeol realized, he was alone on the edge of the beach, with his feet sinking in the sand that was dragged by the water and his sight fixed in the sky in the distance. He smiled, shaking his head, and decided to go back into the house.

He lied down on the couch and waited for his friends to come back. It didn’t took more than half an hour and they were both there, talking about how Baekhyun had found the walk tiring. Jongdae laughed at him, pointing out that Baekhyun had low resistance and that it was not that tiring. And Chanyeol just laughed at them, not really knowing what to say.

During dinner, everything went well, in a calm and relaxed rhythm as it had been since they arrived. Chanyeol even took the opportunity to ask if Baekhyun knew about this Kai, but he just denied it.

“I think we're the only ones within a mile or two. I do not remember anyone living close.”

“That's weird.” Chanyeol just discarded those thoughts, resting on that trip he had wanted so long to do.

—————X—————

The next morning had passed quickly, after all, the three friends were acting like three kids running down the beach and throwing water at each other. And so they stayed long enough for the hours to pass and the Sun to indicate n