Happy Lunar New Year to everyone who celebrates it! Unfortunately I didn't come with a fluffy update about them being lovesick fools with their feet in the sand.

Here's the final pre-Mokpo Vacation chapter though, and in this we delve deeper into soldier!Donghae's character. In Chinese we call this 先苦后甜, which, when loosely translated, means to suffer before you get to the good things. 

The car ride to Seoul Station is mostly silent.

The driver contemplates introducing himself but doesn’t want to come across as a bootlicker and so even as he keeps his eyes on the road his mind is still vigorously darting from topic to topic.

It’s not every day the President’s son sits in your cab, which is why he isn’t prepared to hold a conversation. But it’s also precisely because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he doesn’t want to let it slip this easily.

The car slows to a stop at a traffic light, and the driver musters up all his courage to start a conversation as nonchalantly as possible. “Nice weather, huh?”

The boys at the back turn to look at him yet don’t respond, and an air of awkwardness is settling in the atmosphere and so he opens his mouth again and says, “You boys going on a vacation?”

Then he realises how it sounds so much like he’s trying to pry into the goddamn President’s son’s personal life and how he’ll sell this information to some publishing house for quick cash, which is why he tries to clarify. “I’m just asking, y’know. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

The duo exchanges brief glances at the back and he pretends not to see it through the mirror.

The traffic light flashes green again and he steps on the pedal.

Just as he’s about to apologise for disturbing the peace and for making them uncomfortable, Eunhyuk responds. “Yeah, we’re going on a vacation.”

He turns to look at the person sitting next to him and there’s something about the look in his eyes that the driver can’t quite place. Like staring at someone and realising that you’ve come home, maybe.

“Must be nice taking some time off with a friend!” he chimes in, and hopes he doesn’t come off as someone trying too hard to sustain a conversation.

A beat of silence passes, and the soft look in Eunhyuk’s eyes is replaced by one of alarm before he says, “Right. Friends.”

The driver notices how Eunhyuk is seemingly unsettled by the conversation though he doesn’t understand why.

It’s not like the President’s son owes him an explanation, though, and so he turns his attention back onto the road and hums non-committedly occasionally to fill the silence.

Neither of the boys speaks up again and the driver thinks it’s probably best he keeps his mouth shut, and so the rest of the ride goes by in silence with Eunhyuk staring out the window pensively as his friend scrolls through his phone.

Strange, but who is he to say anything?

--

Thankfully the drive is over in less than 10 minutes.

Eunhyuk’s friend alights to retrieve their bags from the boot, and Eunhyuk stays and digs through his wallet to pay for the cab fare.

The driver doesn’t pretend not to see the stack of notes in his wallet and he can’t help but think about how dangerous it is for Eunhyuk to carry so much cash with him wherever he went. But then again he probably has bodyguards near him everywhere he goes, and people in the right mind would probably never choose the President’s son as the first target to rob.

He contemplates whether or not to speak up but Eunhyuk is taking quite some time doing the math to pay him the exact fare – he doesn’t dare call the President’s son stingy but he definitely isn’t the generous type – and so he decides he has nothing to lose and says, “Eunhyuk-ssi, can I get your autograph?”

Eunhyuk looks up from his hands and his brows furrow in a way that reminds the driver of the fresh-faced child he was when his father was first entered the political scene. Eunhyuk must have been 8 or 9 then, and the driver still remembers how the Mayor of Gangwon-do had carried his son onto the podium with him and the son, with an adorable bowl-cut and bright gummy smile, had waved into the cameras and won the hearts of many, many adults.

“What for?” he asks cautiously. 

The driver didn’t expect such a response, so he takes some time to come up with a coherent reply that will not land him in jail.

In the meantime, Eunhyuk is done counting the notes and is placing his wallet back into his bag.

“It’s just… I know you’re not a celebrity and all that, but my daughter really likes you and she’s having this phase where she’s just into good-looking guys so I thought it’d be nice if I could surprise her with it,” he says hesitantly.

Internally he’s wincing at himself for how stupid he is. Goddamnit, Eunhyuk is not a Kpop star. Why would he agree to it?

Eunhyuk seems to be considering it though, and just then his friend comes over with their luggage and a loud ‘Hyuk, what’s taking you so long?’ jolts both of them back to reality.

“It’s okay, Eunhyuk-ssi. I don’t want to make things difficult for you,” he adds.

He watches as Eunhyuk exchange a glance with his friend and the way his friend breaks into a small smile when Eunhyuk gestures for the driver to hand him a pen and a piece of paper.

The tips of his ears are red as his signature fills the small piece of paper and Eunhyuk, uncharacteristically, stammers, “Tell your daughter I say thanks.”

He hands it over with the exact cab fare and the two boys head towards the station after a quick wave.

The driver is left with their back views and the afterthought that the President’s son might just be too sweet and shy for someone with this amount of clout and good looks.

It’s been a charming encounter, nevertheless.

No wonder his father always pulls the Eunhyuk card every now and then; that boy is way too easy to love.

--

The boarding of the train feels normal. Well, as normal as it can be when you have the President’s son right next to you, anyway.

The officers check them in without taking a look at their passports, and the two walk into a carriage that they realise is empty.

The officer next to them watches Eunhyuk place their luggage on a few seats in the middle and gesture for his friend to take a seat across him, but he sees the confusion in his friend’s eyes and he offers an explanation. “You have the whole carriage to yourselves, sir. President’s orders.”

His friend’s brows raise for a quick second before he turns to thank the officer and take his seat.

The officer looks in Eunhyuk’s direction one last time to try and offer a quick smile – you never know, this could be all he needs for a raise or promotion – but the President’s son is too busy uncovering the cups of yoghurt and pushing one of them towards his friend to catch his eye.

Maybe this is a sign from heaven to quit and change his job.

--

The train takes off when the two are almost done eating the food Leeteuk handed over to them.

Hyukjae clears the trash and places them in a plastic bag, while Donghae settles on his arms on the table and watches his very neat and tidy boyfriend adoringly.

Hyukjae feels his glance and knows for sure the tips of his ears are heating up because he’s always so goddamned weak when it comes to Donghae. “What are you looking at?” Hyukjae says as he reaches for the plastic wrapper on Donghae’