Kyungsoo just arrived at the resort that Chanyeol had booked. There had only been a few fans at the airport to greet them, so their trip would be uneventful. The snack he had in the plane wasn’t filling enough. He was so ready to try the local food.

 

‘I’m hungry, we should eat something.’ said Kyungsoo.

‘Me too! I’m starving. I booked up a place for dinner near this cute lake, by the way.’ said Chanyeol.

‘Do you know anywhere we could have lunch?’

‘I saw this place with fresh mackerel. Wanna try it?’

‘At this point I’ll have anything.’

'You can have me, then.' Chanyeol brought his hands to his face, forming a V. It brought him a glare from the smaller man. ‘Let me change my clothes though. I’ll be back in a sec.’

‘How much did you pack anyway?’

‘Enough for five days.’

‘So, how many pairs of slippers is that?’

‘You wound me sometimes, Kyungsoo.’

‘Can you take my bag up, too?’

‘Anything for my best friend.’

Kyungsoo smiled.

 

 He started to look around. The resort wasn’t as run down as Baekhyun had thought – it definitely needed a paint job, though. And some new furniture. Not that it was unusable, but the bright brown mixed with the lime walls reminded Kyungsoo of avocado, and it made him extra hungry. They had a jukebox in the reception area. He examined the song list. His parents would definitely enjoy it.

 

‘Soo! I’m back!’

Chanyeol ran over and slapped his back.

‘Ouch, Yeol.’

‘Sorry, sometimes I don’t know how strong I am.’ Kyungsoo glared.

‘So, you changed from shorts and slippers to a different pair of shorts and slippers?’

‘It’s fashion. I need to look good for when people see me.’

‘I don’t know if people in this area know us. Where did you find this place?’

‘Online. I wanted somewhere closer to the lake.’

‘Why?’

‘I wanted to take nature in.’ Chanyeol put his arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders. ‘Let’s get that sushi.’

 

The boys left the resort. They made a right, and then another. Half an hour later they were nowhere near the sushi place. Kyungsoo felt like Chanyeol didn’t really know where to go.

 

‘I swear it was around here.’

‘Are you sure? We’ve been walking in circles for a while now.’

‘Look, that sign-‘

‘Don’t pretend like you know how to read Japanese.’

 

Kyungsoo opened Maps on his phone. ‘What was the name of the place?’

‘Mackerel… Heaven?’

‘Chanyeol…’

‘I’m telling you, it’s around here. Let’s keep walking.’

 

By the time they found Mackerel Heaven, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were starving. Kyungsoo, in particular, was angry. He didn’t appreciate this lack of planning. Mackerel Heaven was not what Kyungsoo expected. It was old, a little run down, but homely. Another place he didn’t expect Chanyeol to go to. They sat at a table in a corner. While Kyungsoo was struggling to read the menu, Chanyeol approached a photo of an old man hanging on the wall.

'Is this your relative?’ said Chanyeol to the owner, a friendly looking, middleaged gentleman.

‘My great grandfather.’

‘Oh, is he the one who started it? I read some stories about the original owner - that he ran away and returned with sacks of gold.'

‘My great grandfather was abducted as a child. He had been missing the entire day when my family found his shoes under a persimmon tree. By the third day, they started thinking he had died, drowned in the lake, or worse. They started to prepare for the funeral. In the middle of the night, my great great grandmother heard a thud on the roof. She was so scared, she called her husband to check. When they went to check, they found my great grandfather, alive. As for the money, I don’t know for certain. Every year a small bag of coins would appear on the roof, or that’s what he said. He also spoke about some creature who took him under the lake, but he was also known as an idiot.’

‘A creature?’

‘Yes, a kappa. Have you not heard of them?’

‘Kappas aren’t real.’ said Kyungsoo.

‘That’s why everyone called him an idiot.’ said the owner. ‘What would you like to order?