Donghae wanted to pat a horse.

Not like something in particular made him wanting to do that, more like Donghae was a man of unpredictable wishes. He could get random cravings and stuff like that all of a sudden.

And so, while he was walking around that small town once again, the photographer thought he wanted to pat a horse. There were no horses though. Only cows and goats, and as much as Donghae loved pretty much every animal he was scared of cows.

They were so unpredictable, you know.

So the guy could only sigh and continue his walk. It was his fifth day in that place, and his mood kept… Well, changing.

Are you familiar with that feeling when everything seems okay and you’re supposed to have a nice time, but you just… don’t? That was happening to him. Troubles he left in his hometown weren’t that major – he wouldn’t dare to leave if it was too bad – and he was having a really good time here, getting rest he deserved, but…

He just wasn’t happy. Donghae wasn’t happy. He wasn’t a fan of self-diagnosis, so the man didn’t dare to call that depression or something, and he just decided he was tired. Tired of living in particular.

Everything was fine. It’s just that, apart from his parents and photography, there was nothing holding him in this world. What was the point? He didn’t feel the same while doing even his most favorite thing – taking pics – so what was the point of him being here? Despite being famous, he rarely made people happy. He wasn’t an idol whose fans say he puts smile on their faces. Wasn’t the best child his parents wished for. Wasn’t the best friend. And even if he was, people do feel like they’re not worthy sometimes, and the man felt like that too.

Donghae just wasn’t those things he desperately wanted to be. He tried to be funny, but those looks people gave him when the guy joked told him he embarrassed himself once more. He wanted to be kind, and he was, it’s just that… he didn’t feel like he was kind enough.

Everything was just so, so complicated. Even things with that stranger – Hyukjae was his name – were complicated. Why did he lie about not being Korean? Well, technically Donghae didn’t lie, but still…

The photographer sighed. It didn’t matter anyway. Not like they were going to see each other again. At least he didn’t believe they will. Yet, he kept coming to that forest every day. Donghae didn’t dare to go too far, too deep in the woods, he just kept coming to that place to see… see what? See whom?

There was just one thing you needed to know about Donghae. He was a dreamer. But not that kind of dreamer who was lost in his thoughts and imagined other worlds and different galaxies, he was that kind of dreamer who started imagining what his relationship with another person could be. Even if he saw them only once. Same happened with Hyukjae.

Donghae thought about so many ‘what ifs’. What if he followed the guy on Instagram that day? What if he found out who Donghae really was? What if they started talking and hanging out while both are here? What if they became friends? What if they continued talking even in Korea? What if they could be more than friends?..

The last thought was too dangerous. ‘You’re too love deprived,’ Donghae thought, and he was right. Somehow he was always surrounded by people who wanted to date him. He was surrounded by people whom he wanted to date as well. But somehow it didn’t work. Either because first and second were different people and because… because of something else.

As for a famous man in his 30s, his love experience was just too poor. That wasn’t bad as love wasn’t his main focus. That wasn’t good either as loneliness wasn’t what he looked for.

So he kept thinking about Hyukjae. That was entertaining, but a bit too much. He managed to dream of him once, which was quite creepy considering they’ve met just once and their conversation was rather peculiar. He kept mistaking other people with him, thinking that a random man or one of those guys he saw from time to time could be Hyukjae, but that never was a thing.

“Oh, hello, forest guy!” great, now he was hearing the guy’s voice. Even that chuckling sounded just like Hyukjae’s. How the hell he knew what the man’s chuckling has to sound? “Oh, right. Hello! Nice to meet you again!”

Donghae looked at the one who spoke to him and literally dropped his jaw once he saw the same guy from the forest. That was Hyukjae indeed, handsome as always. Neat black hair, unlike Donghae’s messy one, leather jacket that fit him oh so perfectly and denim pants. A model indeed. So fashionable. So good-looking.

Donghae wanted to take a picture of him but didn’t know whether the man would allow. Not like he could post it either, otherwise his little secret will be revealed.

“Aren’t you going to great me back?” Hyukjae chuckled once he came closer, and the photographer understood he didn’t expect any reply, as he thought Donghae can’t speak English, only when he wondered, “What are you doing here? Forest alone – no. Promise?”

Oh, right. Donghae promised him no forest anymore.

“No forest,” he said and smiled widely. What was he smiling for? For Hyukjae being the only one who spoke more than two words after greeting him?

“Good,” the raven head mouthed with a smile. “I was a bit worried about you. Kept thinking whether you went to that forest again and whether you’re okay if you did…”

Donghae held his breath. Hyukjae was thinking about him?

‘No, brain, stop,’ he ordered once pictures of them living happily in a nice comfortable flat somewhere in Seoul appeared. ‘We are not going to think about that.’

“Alone? You here. Alone?” Hyukjae obviously was struggling with English, but kept trying to have a conversation nonetheless. Donghae nodded. “Want to walk together?”

The photographer nodded again, making the man offer him a smile.

“Good,” he said. “I’m not that good at English, but something tells me we’ll have a great time together.”

Donghae could only follow him, listening to the guy without knowing how he’s supposed to react to all those stories he heard. Was Hyukjae aware the man wouldn’t understand a thing if he wasn’t Korean for real? Donghae doubted he’d be able to understand that the raven head came here because it was a gift from his friends. He wouldn’t be able to get the man wasn’t that happy to come here as he preferred big city life to these small towns. Wouldn’t be able to understand Hyukjae’s story about how he didn’t like to stay alone either and literally started talking to a cat on his first day here, and apparently that wasn’t a wild cat as its owner came out of the house and screamed at Hyukjae, probably thinking he was bizarre.

But Donghae understood. Understood all those stories so well and couldn’t help but smiled. But oh well, he kept smiling whenever Hyukjae smiled no matter w