“Mary!” Donghae shouted, trying to catch his niece’s arm before she was able to take off. She dodged him with great practice and darted away. “I told you I was sorry, come on!” He cried to deaf ears, “Mary!”

His voice carried until the wind picked it off and it floated away, never touching Mary who ran until she was out of Donghae’s sight. It was the fourth time that week, and Donghae found himself at a total loss. Everything was so difficult lately that he felt his mind spiraling out of control.

Everything had changed two years ago. So suddenly, and their lives went crumpling down before they had any time to catch it. The death of her parents had changed Mary. Donghae saw another piece of light in her fade every day and he was desperate to stay afloat, keep Mary… well, Mary. She was all he had left.

He was only 32, an orphan at birth alongside his twin sister, single and, as an up-and-coming writer, virtually jobless, barely able to take care of himself, and desperately afraid of losing his niece whom he had no idea how to care for alone. Mary was 18 already, nearly an adult, but she wasn’t ready to live on her own yet, not after what happened.

And frankly, Donghae wasn’t ready to let her.

Frustrated, Donghae messed his hair with an angry rub and hurried back up to their apartment, taking two steps at at time. A speed he hadn’t known he possessed overwhelmed him as he located and laced his sneakers, flew down the building’s stairs, and gave chase after Mary at a dead sprint. Remembering his high school days on the track team, Donghae rapid breaths in through his nose and pushed them back out from his mouth as he scurried onward, hardly looking at the buildings he passed by, because Mary was predictable. It was the one thing he loved about her the most.

Even though she ran away at full speed, took all the odd turns she could so she could lose him, he always knew he’d find her at one of a few places. And every time, he relaxed a little inside.

Donghae checked the local library first, not very far from their apartment complex. Mary loved getting lost in books and volunteering her time as a book-shelver or youth event coordinator. Everyone loved her amicable personality in the small town, and Donghae knew he could ask almost anyone around if they’d seen her. Turns out, she never showed and Donghae checked the library off his list. Next, he hurried over to Mr. Daewha whose hot dogs were always exceptionally juicy and conveniently half-price for the Lee siblings, even while knowing she wouldn’t be hiding in plain sight… but it didn’t hurt to check. Sure enough, Mr. Daewha insisted that he hadn’t seen her.

That leaves… Donghae thought, and hurried to the movie theater. He wanted to slap himself by the time he got there, though, because he remembered, Mary has no money! He groaned as he slowed himself to a stop outside of the flashy place screaming that the newest Spiderman movie was “NOW PLAYING!”

Heart ramming against his chest, Donghae caught himself as he stumbled, the heels of his palms digging into his knees. A minute rattled by as he in air and pushed out heavy breaths, all the while thinking, Now where the hell could she be?!

Fear began its slow descent on his heart and mentality, and Donghae immediately felt it taking him whole. New beads of sweat formed between his furrowed eyebrows and he couldn’t stop his lower lip from trembling. What if she’s gone? He worried. I should have gone after her faster! This wouldn’t be happening. This can’t be happening…

Tears pricked under his eyelids and the air left his lungs in one fell swoop--

Before a dreadful thought crossed his mind and Donghae stood rigid. Hopeful, but reluctant. It can’t be… He slipped forward into a slow jog that progressed in increments to a mad dash. Donghae panted as he ran, forgetting his technique and form, and ignoring what he must have looked like sprinting with grotesque lurches down the street--only stopping until he reached old man Kangin’s cafe.

He stood, heaving, at the cafe’s glass door, staring in, but so reluctant to take any steps forward. He didn’t want to touch the door handle, pull it open, or step past the door frame; but his heart pulled him inside before his mind could force him out. Stiff-necked and with shaky eyes, he searched the interior.

Sure enough, Mary was sitting at a corner table near the back wall across from a man who looked to be no older than 23, sipping what he guessed was hot chocolate, with a polite smile on her face that failed to veil the sadness in her eyes.

Donghae sighed and began a long trudge forward into the place he tried to avoid at all costs. Their light laughter lingered here, in the aroma and ambience. In the old-time jukebox tucked into the corner across from the counter, playing soft tunes they never failed to dance to. His sister and brother-in-law had been his only friends, and family, until Mary came along.

It was hard being here. He hated it.

“Hey.” He said, a bit more curtly than he’d intended to.

Mary looked up from her drink and met him with eyes that told him the hot chocolate hadn’t caused her a sudden memory lapse. She still remembered what he’d told her before she took off running as she did so often, though faster this time. And farther.

Donghae feared that next time she’d never stop and he swallowed his frustrations, proceeding with more caution. “Look, I’m sorry.” He said, “I---I didn’t mean it.” He didn’t. “I just… don’t know what came over me. It’s like--” My head was gonna explode from all the guilt and sadness and I couldn’t take having you around anymore. But just for a second, I swear. Only a second. I should’ve never bought those cruise tickets...

But I can’t say that now, can I?

He took a deep breath, and was about to start again when the stranger sitting across from his niece spoke as he stood up, his voice smooth as a glazed gem: “I don’t think I should be here right now, huh?” The man wore a sheepish yet charming grin when Donghae looked at him, and he almost stuttered an awkward apology when his heart sprang against his chest and the air grew stingy with its oxygen.

Instead, he stuttered out, “Wh-What’s your name?” Then backtracked with, “Forgive my rude behavior. I’m Donghae, Mary’s niece.” He offered his right hand which the man took in a firm grip.

The man’s right eyebrow perked up just as his lips curled into an amused smile. His face was symmetrical, with big brown eyes that made his button nose look cuter than a button nose has ever looked to Donghae before. And his lips, plump and a natural shade of peach pink, were so distracting that Donghae swallowed, astonished by the man’s allure. That is, until the stranger spoke, “Niece? Well, can’t say I find that normal, but hello, Donghae. I’m Hyukjae. Nice to meet you.”

Donghae felt slapped from his mesmerized state with a wet fish at Hyukjae’s playful tone, and he blushed down to his toes, hurriedly dropping his eyes. “Ha,” he breathed, air running out of him faster than he could handle. He felt light-headed, “Ha! Haha! Oh my gosh, did I really just ing say that oh-my-ing--!” He cried, falling into a hysterical whisper yell as he berated himself, wishing that slapping yourself in public wouldn’t get you locked up in an asylum ASAP.

in an embarrassing deep breath, Donghae raised his eyes to be level with the man before him. “Sorry, I’m--”

“Not used to human contact.” Mary offered and flinched back with a squeak as Donghae swatted at her.

“Mary’s uncle,” he corrected himself, and decided to change the subject before the amused twinkle in this Hyukjae’s eyes could get any brighter. He fake-coughed into his fist and gestured at Mary. “Thanks for entertaining her, but I’m sure you’re busy…” he loosely gestured at Hyukjae’s fashionable black joggers, black-and-gray Adidas sneakers, gray Underarmor t-shirt, and youthful looks, “...studying,” he guessed, “and I’d hate to waste anymore of your time, so...” He trailed off as the glint in Hyukjae’s eyes sparked and high-pitched laughing burst forward from the man.

“What’s so funny…?” He asked, caution filling his voice. He had to wait several seconds for the stranger to calm down, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry, it’s just-- I’m not a college student.” The man waved his hand across his face several times, like one pushed away unwanted memories, and finished with, “I’m 33 today.”

Donghae’s mouth flung open with such force his jaw cracked. At his side, Mary wailed, “You’re what?!” and downed the hot chocolate to hide the furious blush that crossed over her nose and cheeks as Hyukjae smiled down at her.

A gummy smile that showed all his teeth, white and aligned in a perfect row. Like the tooth fairy had smiled on him from birth to ensure he was damned handsome when he grew older, breaking hearts and like he just broke Mary’s and Donghae’s at the same time.

33 and a looker… Donghae mused, a sigh escaping before he could stop himself. Hyukjae popped his eyebrow up yet again, though this time, he appeared a bit troubled at Donghae’s reaction. Prompt and hurried, Donghae his sigh back in, tugged Mary’s shirt collar with trembling fingers, and mumbled, “S-Sorry, I think we should head out now.”

He pivoted on his right foot and sped across to the other side of the cafe in less than ten seconds with no looks back. As he opened the cafe door, he in such a deep breath he once again felt light-headed, finally free from the cafe of his worst dreams, and he thought:

His girlfriend must be a lucky woman. No way’s a guy like that single.

*** *** ***

Hyukjae watched as the slightly smaller, but more athletically built man rushed out of the cafe like the ceiling was caving in. With a quick glance at the girl before him, busily cleaning up her hot chocolate and unnecessarily used napkins, he noted that the guy had left his niece behind.

He searched her face, at once aware of her embarrassment. Even before she glanced up though her eyelashes, shy now, and said, “Sorry about him, he’s a bit…”

“Antisocial?” Hyukjae tried, and Mary nodded. “I was gonna say awkward, but yeah.” She said, and turned to walk away with a weak smile.

She tossed her empty container as she passed by a trashcan, but spun around her heel suddenly to shout, “Oh! And, Happy Birthday. And thanks again for the hot chocolate. It was delish.” Her smile was full now as she turned away once more, and Hyukjae felt a magnetic urge to say something before she could leave the cafe.

He didn’t want to say thank you for the birthday wish, although he thought maybe he should. Instead…

“Hey!” He called, “Mary!” He padded over to her with five heavy steps, gesticulating with his chin towards Donghae, waiting with his back to the glass outside of the cafe, when Mary turned to face him. He asked, “What’s he got going on tonight?”

Mary made a face, “Huh? Even after that…?”

“I mean… it’s my birthday, I only turn 33 once, and I think I wanna make a new friend.” Hyukjae smiled as he thought about what he wanted to say next, “I wanna invite him out to celebrate tonight with me and a few friends. Think he’ll come?”

“No. Absolutely not.” Well, damn! Hyukjae thought, utterly rejected. “What I mean is, he never goes out. A loner, y’know?”

Oh. Hyukjae nodded, “Well… guess I’ll never know unless I ask.” He gave Mary a short wink and didn’t miss the way her cheeks flushed once again before he pushed the cafe doors that opened with a ding diing diiing!

Outside, Donghae straightened up when he saw the door opening and promptly stiffened when he noticed it was Hyukjae approaching him and not his niece. Hyukjae bit down on his lower lip to keep from breaking out into another amused smile. He gathered from what he’d seen that Donghae was a sensitive man.

Who tried to scurry away as he approached him.

“Hey, hey!” Hyukjae called with a chuckle, speeding up to catch Donghae’s shoulder with a gentle hand. He turned the man to face him and was damned proud to see that blush from before back on his face. This one’s super cute, isn’t he? Hyukjae thought and got straight to the point, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“S-S-S-Something??” Donghae squeaked and Hyukjae couldn’t help laughing a little this time. Donghae lowered his voice to a whisper the next time he spoke, asking, “Like what?”

Hyukjae didn’t know what it was about this guy that made him so giddy and tempted to mess with him. Make him blush and tremble a little more. He was never like this. Hyukjae liked to think of himself as coolheaded. Kind, reliable, and respectful. He had been told multiple times that these were his traits, not to mention likeable and easygoing. Hyukjae prided himself in his fun and gentle personality.

But this Donghae guy… He brought out a different side in him that he found he couldn’t very well control.

And he liked it.

“So, it’s my birthday today.” He started, and he inched closer to Donghae who took a step back. He stumbled against the cafe’s window and Hyukjae couldn’t force the smirk off his face as he said, his voice dropping lower than it should have. “Just wanted to ask if you would go out with me.”

Some type of squeak erupted from Donghae while another sprouted up from behind Hyukjae somewhere. As Hyukjae had wished, Donghae’s entire face went a deep red that reached down to his neck. His wide, dark brown eyes darted from Hyukjae’s playful pair to a pair just over his shoulder and back again three times.

Hyukjae chanced a glance backward where he saw Mary crazily nodding her head in encouragement of her uncle’s answer before she grew rigid realizing that Hyukjae had seen her. He forced down the guffaw he felt coming up and turned back around to face Donghae.

And his eyes widened by the look on the other man’s face.

He looked touched. Like, almost too touched. Tears welled up in his eyes like he’d never been asked a question in his life that wasn’t ‘What are you doing here?’ or ‘Who are you?’. His lower lip quivered like no one’s ever looked at him that way -- Hyukjae didn’t know what his own face looked like right now -- in his entire life.

Like he’d never had a friend.

Hyukjae frowned and moved a bit out of Donghae’s comfort zone. His lips parted, but he didn’t know what to say. Or rather, he didn’t know how to say it--because he understood the look on Donghae’s face, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen that face in the mirror.

The self-pity was as hard to destroy as the mirrors in his house were to get rid of. Whenever he got caught removing the full-length mirror from his bedroom as a teenager, Hyukjae got smacked on the back of his head and his mother would yell, ‘What do you think you’re doing? Put that back, now!’ But it was in his room, and it bothered him to see his own reflection. The dull eyes that stared back at him, sullen because he was friendless and had always been. Lonely, because at school he sat on his own every lunch and the teacher would beg other students to play with him or bribe them with citizenship points.

He saw that past in Donghae’s eyes now and he found his hand automatically reaching up to swipe a tear from Donghae’s eye before it fell. To his surprise, Donghae didn’t flinch away but instead leaned into him, and Hyukjae’s heart flooded with something he’d never felt it have before. A feeling stronger than simple interest and a shuddering sigh escaped his lips.

As he stared this man he’d just met today in the eyes, Hyukjae asked, “Would you?” And he was no longer sure whether he was asking about his birthday or for Donghae’s time. For several hours of his time - tonight, and maybe tomorrow night, too.

His heart hammered in his chest as he waiting for Donghae’s reply. Quite some time had passed since Hyukjae was last rejected and he’d gotten over it completely, by now. But it hurt like nothing he’d felt before, finally gaining some attachment to someone and not being able to hold on. So that’s why, right now, he needed…

“C’mon…” he said, uneasy and trying to to show it, as he watched Donghae’s breaths grow deeper, more strained. He’s on the verge of saying no. I can feel it, Hyukjae worried. He continued, “Not gonna leave me hanging on my b-day, will you?”

Slow as a desert turtle, Donghae nodded his head and Hyukjae’s heart dropped to his toes, anchored to the ground from where even he couldn’t move it. His breath came out short and shaky, full of the rebounded air his lungs refused to draw in.

This is why, he thought, I was never supposed to forget being rejected or throw out my past. Times like this, I just--

“I-I’ll go out with you.”

Hyukjae in a sharp breath like he’d never let one in before. What did he just say? His heart once again picked up its fast pace and butterflies flitted around in his stomach.

“Tonight.” Donghae added, and the butterflies died. Run over, trampled, and blown away.

“W-What? Just tonight?” Hyukjae gasped, breathtaken for all the wrong reasons.

“Well… yeah?” Donghae mumbled, shooting Hyukjae a confused look. “You’re asking about your birthday… right?” His red face grew a bit more ruddy and Hyukjae could feel his concern bleeding through the confused look.

Relaxing, Hyukjae smiled at Donghae and fished out his phone. He keyed in the password and turned it towards Donghae, “Mind putting your number in here?”

“Oh! I--uh… I--”

“Goodness, just take the phone, Uncle Hae!” Mary shouted from behind and Hyukjae had to silently thank her with a conspicuous thumbs up behind his back since Donghae seemed to jolt to action, swiping the phone from Hyukjae’s hand and typing in his number before he could change his mind.

Gratefully, Hyukjae accepted his phone and, giddy once again like a mesmerized high school idiot, Hyukjae turned his back to Donghae, clicked the man’s name, and typed in a quick message that arrived to Donghae’s phone with a short ping seconds later.

“What the-- did you just send me a message?” Donghae asked, a small pout forming on his face, and Hyukjae chuckled, but hurried over to Donghae’s side.

He deftly grabbed Donghae’s hand reaching for his back pocket and said, “Read that later. For now, let me buy you a drink.”

Momentary shock crossed over Donghae’s face, his eyes widening in such a way that made him look like a cute and confused puppy to Hyukjae, but it passed and in a serious tone Donghae replied, shaking his head, “No, let me... Happy birthday, by the way.”

A shy smile colored even his ears a dark red, and Donghae tugged at Hyukjae’s hand, pulling him back inside the cafe for a coffee before he could see the amused glitter return to Hyukjae’s eyes.

Hyukjae was happy, damn happy--and he was glad he’d come all the way to the other side of town for Mary. About a year ago, he’d run into a girl running away with all her might and with nowhere to go. They talked, and her name was Mary who had a guilt-ridden uncle named Donghae who had nowhere to hide aside from his computer screen.

*** *** ***

To Donghae:

Tomorrow night, 6:00, same cafe. We’ll celebrate my bday for 2 days ^^

Hyukjae <3