Chanyeol sighed, holding a small card-sized calendar which he carried with him almost everywhere in his wallet. He had gotten it earlier in the year from some supermarket as a freebie that came with his groceries purchase. It was now October 1st and Chanyeol out the month of September on the calendar card with a black pen. 

On the last day of October, Chanyeol’s rental agreement in Kyungsoo’s house would end and on that same day, he already had a flight booked from Mokpo and back to Seoul. Even before he moved to Jindo Island, he had already planned on how long he would be staying.

It would be Halloween and Chanyeol was certain that he wouldn’t be attending SM Entertainment’s annual Halloween party. Not because he would be too busy unpacking after returning home in over three months and not because he didn't have anything to wear but also because he didn’t want to face all the people he knew just so soon.

He had thought that the time he spent hiding here on the island would help clear his mind and give him some allowance to accept that he would have to do something about his problems back home but that didn’t seem like the case yet.

Chanyeol wasn’t ready for that yet and frankly, he didn’t even know if he ever would at this point. If he were honest, Chanyeol actually didn’t look forward to going back to Seoul. Living on the island permanently seemed like a better idea as the days passed but he knew that wasn’t plausible.

However, Chanyeol had no skills that would be useful at all on the island, he believed. He didn't have a boat to fish with and no land to farm on. Even the cultural center on the island which had a music department wouldn’t suit him as they were focused entirely on folk and traditional songs, which Chanyeol couldn’t say he was a fan of at all.

Still seated on the chair in front of his desk, Chanyeol browsed through the folders on his computer, looking for the song samples and drafts he had been working on.

For now, Chanyeol was rather satisfied with what he had managed to produce while he was on the island. With some time left and not feeling any pressure to make new songs, Chanyeol was only reworking and editing the four songs he had composed, leaving him ample time to write the school song for the island’s only high school and have Jongin submit it to the school committee.

Clicking away at the mouse with his right hand while his left hand was supporting his chin up, Chanyeol also came across the four songs he had finished recording while he had been on the island.

The first song, tentatively titled “Hero” with a short traditional sample, had been initially rejected but Chanyeol hadn’t given up on it yet. The second, third and fourth songs were untitled as of now but Chanyeol was rather fond of the fourth song’s lyrics because it touched on the topic of appreciation and gratefulness.

Chanyeol smiled to himself, clicking on the audio file and hearing the song play over the headphones he was wearing. The song reminded him very much of Kyungsoo because when Chanyeol had been writing it, all he thought about was Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo had been a rather useful and inspirational muse to Chanyeol.

While Chanyeol wasn’t so ready to deal with his problems and the people he had hurt through his actions just yet, he was more than ready to show off these songs to the executive producers and finally prove to them that he hadn’t lost his touch.

That he hadn’t been reduced to just being a plagiarizer. That he was still LOEY, a talented and famed music producer in South Korea known for chart-topping hits. The general public perception and reception on his soon to be released songs were what really mattered to Chanyeol.

Right now and for the past few months, that was all Chanyeol could really care for.

When it occurred to Chanyeol that he hadn’t really let anyone else listen to his songs just yet, Chanyeol sought the opinion of someone else so he could properly gauge what others thought of his new songs.

As a creator and a veteran in making music, Chanyeol knew that he might have a cognitive bias towards his own works and might think that it was way better or worse than it really was.

It was a Tuesday and Kyungsoo had taken the day off. Chanyeol knew this because Kyungsoo had said so the previous evening.

Since Chanyeol had been sulking over Kyungsoo being away at sea for days without him knowing of it, Kyungsoo had promised that he’d now keep Chanyeol informed of his plans as much as he could.

Chanyeol himself wasn’t sure of what their relationship was with each other now but he thought it was something between friends and boyfriends, hovering in the middle of being more than friends but not enough to call each other boyfriends just yet.

Chanyeol got up from his desk and left the room, entering the living room where he saw Kyungsoo, who was sitting on the floor in front of the low table. The television was to keep him company but Kyungsoo wasn’t really watching the 10 am soap dramas that were a favorite among housewives.

Kyungsoo was servicing his fishing reels which were laid out on the table. On the floor beside him was an open toolbox with items such as oil, clothes, and screwdrivers of various sizes.

“Hello~,” Kyungsoo sang as soon as he saw Chanyeol walking out the room.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said in return, standing near the table with his hands on his hips, watching Kyungsoo doing maintenance on his beloved fishing reels.

“How’s the songwriting?” Kyungsoo beamed, tilting his head up to look at Chanyeol hovering above him.

“It’s good, I haven’t done much today but I need to ask a favor from you,” Chanyeol requested, getting straight to the point.

“Yeah? Do you need help with anything?” Kyungsoo pondered, spinning the recently oiled fishing reel to test out its rotations.

“Can you come into my room for a while?” Chanyeol gestured, “I wanted you to have a listen to the songs I made. Then, you can tell me if you like it or not, or just what you think about it.”

“Oh, really, can I?” Kyungsoo perked up, “I don’t know much about the songs you write though. I think Jongin is better for this, don’t you think?”

“Of course you can. It’s alright and your opinion really matters a lot to me,” Chanyeol assured, pulling Kyungsoo by the hand, “Come.”

“Okay then,” Kyungsoo complied, putting the reel and equipment down on the table, letting Chanyeol gently pull him away.

Once they entered Chanyeol’s room, he pulled out the chair from his desk and patted on the empty seat, beckoning Kyungsoo to sit down in front of the computer.

Kyungsoo did so and sat down as Chanyeol scurried to adjust the headphones so it would fit Kyungsoo nicely; helping to put it over the latter’s ears.

Chanyeol leaned over from behind the chair and over Kyungsoo sitting down on it, essentially caging Kyungsoo with his own body and two arms where one hand was navigating the cursor on the screen with the mouse and another hand was firmly holding onto the table for balance.

Kyungsoo felt Chanyeol’s front brushing against his back slightly and it did make him feel a bit tingled and giddy, getting excited over small gestures and just being close to each other like this. Kyungsoo had a grin on his face, no doubt.

“Okay, here we go,” Chanyeol announced, double-clicking onto the song file on the computer. Within a few seconds, the audio player was launching and playing the song for Kyungsoo to hear. Chanyeol also made sure to adjust the volume so Kyungsoo could hear it clearly but also not too loud to hurt his ears.

Kyungsoo bobbed his head a little to the songs playing over the headphones, nodding along as he occasionally glanced up at Chanyeol who smiled back and made hand gestures to tell Kyungsoo to just keep on listening to all the four songs he had written so far on the island.

Each song was at least three and a half minutes long and with four songs to be heard, Chanyeol ended up leaning against the desk and going on his phone for a bit, while waiting until Kyungsoo had finished listening to all the songs.

Once the songs were over, Chanyeol put his phone down and helped Kyungsoo to take off the headphones.

Then Chanyeol began asking, “Did you like the songs? What do you think of it? How was it?”

“The first one had some traditional music in the background. Is that the one from when we went to the cultural center?” Kyungsoo asked, recalling.

“Yup, that’s the one,” Chanyeol confirmed.

“Well, I thought that song was nice but it kind of felt a bit…loud, I guess?” Kyungsoo commented, “Your voice kind of felt drowned out when compared to the music. I would have liked to hear your voice clearer, I think.”

“That’s a good opinion,” Chanyeol pressed some fingers to his chin as he thought of it, “When I get back to Seoul, I will re-master and record the vocals again better with a professional demo singer. I don’t have really good voice recording facilities here but it can be improved at a proper studio. My voice is just for the sample but you’re right, I need to work on that. So, what about the other songs?”

“The second one sounded quite…fun,” Kyungsoo’s face lit up as he remembered the song, “I felt happy and bubbly to listen to it. It’s quite catchy too since the lyrics were repetitive.”

Chanyeol nodded, agreeing, “Yeah, that’s the standard cute concept for younger idol groups. Easy to remember, easy to dance along and can be memorable too. It’s “safe” but it’s really a cookie cutter tough. Then again, I’m not trying to be different and revolutionary. I just want to be acknowledged by my peers and the public again. Go on; tell me about the other two songs too.”

“The third song was very soothing,” Kyungsoo continued, “I felt like I was on the sea and fishing when I listened to it. I thought it was going to be a slow song but the background music and beats made it feel a bit more upbeat than a ballad. What genre was it?”

“It was RnB, its short for rhythm and blues,” Chanyeol explained, “It’s quite popular in bars and coffee houses in Seoul these days. Those kinds of songs I write usually go to soloists or duets.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo expressed, “Then, that was my favorite one among all the four.”

“You like it?” Chanyeol smiled.

“I do,” Kyungsoo mentioned, “It’s even better because you wrote it. I don’t listen to songs very often but sometimes when I’m home and I leave the television on, there are some songs being performed on those weekly chart shows. But if I knew that you wrote the song, I’d listen to it anytime just for you.”  

“I’m glad you like my songs,” Chanyeol heaved a sigh of relief, sitting on the edge of the bed, just a few feet away from the chair and desk.

“What’s wrong with them,” Kyungsoo was slightly perplexed, “I thought they were very good.”

“Yeah, I know. I trust you,” Chanyeol folded his arms over his chest, “-but I’m just afraid my bosses at Seoul won’t like it. It’s a tough market, you know. Even if gets past my bosses, the public reception can either make or break me so I’m really worried about that. I need to make something impactful.”

Kyungsoo remained silent as he let Chanyeol talk, sitting sideways on the chair so Kyungsoo could properly face him.

Moving his arms from over his chest and towards his head, pushing his hair back, feeling quite stressed, Chanyeol said, “I still have one month left here and I think I have enough songs. I have time to improve the songs I have now but I just feel so uninspired right now.”

Chanyeol continued complaining, “It’s a bit hard to work here alone because I’ve been so used to all the facilities and getting help from other professionals in this industry. I’ve been signed to SM Entertainment, a very big company if you didn’t know, right after I’ve graduated and I have had the privilege of a wide platform to make my music. And now I just-,” Chanyeol shrugged, ending his rant there.

“I’m sorry, that must have been hard on you,” Kyungsoo sympathized, stretching an arm out to close the gap between them, resting his hand on Chanyeol’s knee as an act of reassurance, “I can’t help you with making music because I don’t know much about it but I will support you with whatever decision you make.”

“Well, you can help by taking me around the area to see new places and help me find inspiration,” Chanyeol grinned, wiggling his eyebrow.

“We can go somewhere next week on my day off!” Kyungsoo suggested, “-but I really don’t know where else to take you. I feel like you’ve seen and visited every place interesting on this island.”

“Yeah, I really don’t have a place in mind either,” Chanyeol grunted.

Kyungsoo hummed in thought while Chanyeol looked up towards the ceiling, trying to think of something too even though that he would come up with nothing. Chanyeol was really expecting on Kyungsoo to be making the decision here.

Kyungsoo then snapped his fingers, “Aha! I know where we should go next week.”

“Nice, so where should we go?” Chanyeol smiled with his mouth open, eager to hear what Kyungsoo had come up with.

“We’ll go to Gwanmaedo. It’s a smaller island south of here but also within the Jindo jurisdiction. We can take my boat there and go to visit the place. We can even stay for the night on the camping site. Didn’t you say that you were on a television show once where you had to go camping but you were disappointed that the whole thing was scripted?” Kyungsoo brought up.

“You remember that!?” Chanyeol exclaimed, “I didn’t even remember about it until you brought it up. I’m impressed that you remembered it.”

“I think my memory is quite alright,” Kyungsoo replied, “So, do you want to go? If you do, I’ll arrange the trip there. It’s about 2.5 hours away with my fishing vessel. We don’t have to take the ferry in that case.”

“Hold on,” Chanyeol grabbed his phone and started searching up the island online, “Let me see what we can do there.”

“Oh, people mostly go there for the national park on the island. There are a few shops but that’s it. Only 500 or so people live on the island. They didn’t even have enough people to keep operating the elementary and middle school on the island,” Kyungsoo informed, “-the children who need to study live here on Jindo during the school year and only go back to Gwanmaedo during the holidays.”

“The pictures online look pretty though,” Chanyeol stated, scrolling through the vacation pictures taken on the island and posted online, “Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, I went a few years ago in the summer with the family. We went along with some of my father’s friends who lived in Seoul and had