This fanfiction was written for 'Four Seasons of Love' fanbook which should be released on 1st September 2019, hence, I only make this fanfic public here a few days after.

Summer Rain

It was a too hot day where being outside burns the skin to a crisp but staying inside made it felt as if his insides were being baked.

Summer had been getting harsher as it got into the final week of June, and despite the beautiful flowers blooming and juicy fruits making everyone drool, Hyukjae never thought it would ever be his favourite season. He could not wait for the summer rain to come to soothe him.

Rolling in bed – his ideal choice of activity – was not an option because he kept sweating and he had changed his bed cover for the third time in under a week. It was getting close to 12 pm and he had already received two calls from his clients, asking about the progress of the book jackets he was working on. It’s the time of the year where he questioned his decision of becoming a freelance graphic designer because any creative juices in his brain were dried up and he blamed the sun.

Not to mention people were much more stressed out these days - it’s the damn blistering weather! - and because most humans have no clue on a healthy way to release their tensions, they tended to spread the stress to other people – Let’s make it a Stress Fest! Like how the two publishing companies were pestering him, checking on his progress every couple of days when the deadlines were two weeks away.

And Hyukjae had never missed a deadline in his seven-year-long career. Ever. And that made the calls felt even more annoying.

Hyukjae dropped the manuscript he was going through onto his chest, hugging it tightly, and turned his face into the mini stand fan he had plugged in because the ceiling fan was just not enough. And, of course, his air conditioner was broke and leaking water. Lying there on the maple wood floor in a thin white shirt and black short was the best position he could be in.

Still, he was hot, sweaty, uninspired and miserable.

Hyukjae sang into the fan, entertaining himself with the vibrated rebound, not that his boredom dissipated.

Not until an imaginary light bulb in his head.

In a blink, Hyukjae sat up straight, remembering his favourite go-to when on these days. With a grin blossoming on his face, he placed the manuscript on his bed and stood.

He walked over to the kitchen with purpose and hope, his mouth watering at the anticipation. It would not solve his problems but at least, it would give him a temporary refuge from the heat. It always did.

Hyukjae opened the freezer, still smiling as he could imagine the sweetness and cold as it entered his mouth, the cream so soft, and it would travel down his throat, giving him the sort of comforting chills. A smile which promptly faded. His eyes searched through the shelves, hands pushing aside packs of frozen food. He checked the chiller as well and yet, he could not find his refuge.

The disappointment was palpable and with one last forlorn glance, he slammed the refrigerator shut. His frustration flared inside him for a moment, eyebrows knitting and lips in a pout. It felt as if he was robbed off his favourite candy – which was not exactly wrong.

Then, Hyukjae remembered when exactly he had finished his tub of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream - and who he did it with - and his shoulders sagged and Hyukjae leaned against the refrigerator’s door, a high-pitched whine coming from between his still pouting lips.

He was now hot, sweaty, uninspired and miserable with no ice cream.

“Well... at least that ice cream had done something good.”

And by something he meant it made Donghae come over to Hyukjae’s house – instead of them meeting out – and even stayed the night where they watched Netflix and shared a little less than half a gallon of ice cream.

They’ve been meeting every weekend now since this year’s summer began – the one good thing the hot weather had done for Hyukjae. And every meeting had always been at their first meet up spot – a Baskin Robbin parlour.

Hyukjae opened the freezer once again and leaned his head against the top shelf. A new, somewhat longing smile stretching along his lips as he remembered that first meeting.

It was last summer and Hyukjae was walking back from a meeting with an author, a deep frown on his face. Walking because his car was still getting repaired and the frown marring his look because the author had rejected all four of Hyukjae’s designs. Designs which met all the initial requests of the author. But now the author had other better visions for how he wanted the book jacket to look like and it just happened that his vision included none of the previous requests. Which meant Hyukjae needed to start from scratch again and he only had a week or so before he would have to present to the author again.

“I will try my best,” Hyukjae had said as he shook hand with the author, though it was a ‘ you’ that bounced in his head.

Thus, it had not been a good day, especially when he began to sweat even with his short-sleeve shirt, and the sun burning his scalp. He knew he should have brought along an umbrella, but his umbrella was in his car which was at the workshop. Thinking about it just made Hyukjae’s blood boiled even more.

Just then, a glass door was open, and four young girls walked out, two holding cones and the other two holding cups of ice cream. It made Hyukjae stopped on the sidewalk. He looked to his right and his eyes met a bright pink store and that view made him feel better already.

With almost a childlike enthusiasm, he walked into the Baskin Robbin parlour. The tables were empty as most people simply grabbed the ice cream and headed out, which was Hyukjae’s plan as well.

His eyes comically sparkled at the variety of ice creams at the counter with his hands playing with his backpack straps and he decided one scoop would just not be enough.

“Good afternoon, sir!” a cheerful ice cream scooper greeted him.

Hyukjae smiled, though his lips were tight as he felt embarrassed at how he must have looked.

Clearing his throat, Hyukjae said, “A double regular please.”

“Alright!” the server grinned, her exuberance starting to make Hyukjae feel just slightly perturbed, even more, when she held the cup and looked at him expectantly.

“Err… Green Tea and Very Berry Strawberry, please.”

Hyukjae waited by the cashier, turning a moment when the doorbell chimed. Two small boys who looked extremely alike and a woman walked in. He turned back to the cashier, taking out his wallet.

When he looked up and was about to hand over his card, there were two cups of double scoops ice cream waiting for him, each an exact copy of the other.

“Hi,” he greeted the cashier, “I think there has been a mistake. I only ordered one cup.”

“Oh!” Hyukjae blenched at the similar brand of jolly the cashier shared with the server, “It’s not a mistake. It’s a buy-one-get-one-free day!”

Hyukjae forced a laugh, “I think I’ll just take one, you can have the other.”

“I can’t, mister! It’s in the policy. You will have to take both. Now, you can tap your card here.”

Feeling out of options, and uncomfortable with the mother and her two kids waiting behind him, Hyukjae paid up and took the two cups. He could not believe that even going to get his favourite treat could go awry.

Hyukjae sighed and sat a table furthest from the cashier. He took off his backpack and for a moment just stared at the two cups on the table. If he was at home and in his PJs, he felt a bit surer that he could finish them. But not right after he had just had a Frappuccino at his meeting with the author.

With one last sigh, Hyukjae sat up straight and dragged a cup closer, taking a spoon of the strawberry ice cream. The creaminess and chill made him feel better, and for a moment he forgot about every little thing that was amiss in that day and just savoured the taste. Hyukjae his lips before scooping again.

As he fed himself a fourth spoon, he felt as if he was being watched and looked to his left. Indeed, a few tables away sat the two boys who were behind him at the cashier, though their mother was nowhere in sight.

The two boys each had what seemed to be a junior scoop of ice cream on their cones and Hyukjae figured that could be the reason behind their intense stares at his two cups. At first, Hyukjae wanted to pay them no mind. He never actually felt awkwar