Even before setting foot in Sinan, love had always been a terribly vague concept to Hyukjae. He couldn’t entirely understand parental love or the love between a parent and a child, what more if it was love inclined at a romantic level?

His father once told him before that love was like a chess game. A weird analogy, right? But his old man always kept reminding him of that likeness ever since. He said that every chess piece was equally important and was truly crucial to winning the game. Each chess piece would eventually resemble a person in Hyukjae’s life and that just like how the game worked, each person would play a role to help him succeed and achieve whatever he would want and yearn.

There was of course the king; the most important piece in the game the same way it was the most important person in the monarch. His father once told him how he should protect his king at all cost and that the downfall of his king would be the downfall of him at the same time. When he was of young age, Hyukjae actually believed he was the king, but as he grew up and matured, he realized he was no king after all.

Next was the queen or the second most important piece on a chessboard. The queen was a very valuable piece that can move in several directions and ways. Just like the king, the queen must be protected as Hyukjae could use his queen to utilize his skills and improve his whole being. He thought that if he wasn’t the king then maybe he was the queen. However, once again, he was proven wrong.

Then there were the bishops. These were the pieces that were placed on either side of the king or queen. These would be the people who would always be there for him and thus, he should be there for them in exchange.

Next would be the knights. These pieces were placed beside the bishops. Despite their limited role, they were definitely of importance and could also make a change in his life.

Lastly, there were the pawns. Most players overlooked the importance of these pieces but his father always repeated how his pawns would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for him. They were considered far less important than the other pieces but they were significant and therefore, must be cared for as well.

Since he had been playing chess literally his whole life, Hyukjae already knew the importance of each chess piece.

What he wasn’t sure of was how a single person—that darn freaking pretty and adorable Lee Donghae, to be exact—could just park his boat, barge into his life, and change everything? How could a shy, gorgeous, sensitive, sometimes moody, occasionally kind-hearted angler be the game?

Donghae wasn’t a single piece...he was the entire game.

His father always told him that in his life, the game would consist of several people. Hyukjae couldn’t freaking understand how a single person could be all the chess pieces. He couldn’t really fathom how it was possible.

It just won’t add up.

“LEE DONGHAE, GET BACK HERE! STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!”

Slowly running out of breath, Hyukjae panted heavily as he sent an apologetic smile towards the villagers who shook their heads while looking at the two. They’ve been running like mad chickens around the village hall for five minutes now but Donghae looked like he had no plans of conceding.

“NO! HOW CAN I STOP AFTER THE FREAKING STUNT YOU PULLED? ARE YOU INSANE?” Donghae’s face, as red as the hibiscus flowers he had in his mini garden, looked even more adorable.

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH ANNOUNCING TO EVERYONE THAT I WANT TO COURT YOU!” Hyukjae finally stopped running as he watched the young angler from across the hall and just stood beside Ryeowook, Siwon, and Sungmin, who were all laughing their asses out. “KIM RYEOWOOK TOLD ME THAT THIS IS HOW A SINAN GUY SHOULD COURT SOMEONE! IF YOU WANT TO KILL SOMEONE, KILL RYEOWOOK, NOT ME!”

Hyukjae saw how the young angler stopped running and hid behind his best friend, Kyuhyun, who just arrived at the center. The latter seemed confused about what was going on. He couldn’t blame him though. He wasn’t there when Hyukjae dropped the bomb in front of the whole Sinan community.

What had he been thinking really when he announced that he wished to court Donghae in front of the whole village earlier? It was simple, actually. He wanted to relay to the younger that he was dead serious and that he wasn’t messing with him, unlike what Donghae was continuously accusing him of.

Actually, the two of them just arrived in the hall as they, once again, tired themselves out the whole day by hiking another trail, in fulfillment of Donghae’s promise under the sunrise. The confession and courting proposal was unplanned at all, but something unexplainable just went inside Hyukjae’s head that made him do it. Maybe it was the unsettling feeling on his chest every single time he sees Donghae with Kyuhyun. But on the other hand and at the back of his mind, he was pretty sure his limited time in the village was the greatest deciding factor.

He watched in amusement with a slight tinge of envy and jealousy as Donghae latched himself to his best friend who in return, immediately hugged the shorter guy back. The two whispered to each other like they were the only ones in the world and that didn’t settle well with him. He never really considered Cho Kyuhyun as a rival since Donghae mentioned to him how he sees the young villager as his younger brother, but the fact that the two were incredibly close couldn’t just be erased and forgotten by his mere presence.

Deep coughs suddenly were heard and almost all of them turned towards the entrance of the village hall. They watched with respect as Sinan’s village chief descended the short flight of bamboo stairs with his three grandchildren in tow.

“I heard from my wife what just happened,” The village chief warmly smiled at Hyukjae, and he was suddenly reminded of how a typical grandfather should look like. Much in contrast with his own grandfather in Seoul. “Why didn’t you wait for this old man so I could witness it, Hyukjae son?”

Hyukjae chuckled along with the other villagers as he turned to look at Donghae who slumped down beside Heemi and Eunmi.

“I guess Hyukjae dear couldn’t wait to announce the great news. Why don’t we start the night with some rice wine to celebrate?” It was Eunho who said that, giving Hyukjae playful smiles from time to time.

“UNCLE! WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE TO CELEBRATE?” Donghae whined from across the center eliciting more laughs from the people of Sinan.

“Prepare the wine for a celebration tonight,” announced the chief to his people.

The village chief suddenly motioned for the two of them to come near him and even though there was reluctance in Donghae’s steps, Hyukjae found himself standing side by side with the young angler in front of the chief.

“Now that I see you two together, you both look good together,” the chief exclaimed, slowly turning to look at Donghae. “Donghae son, do you still remember what you used to tell me during your first year of residency here?”

Donghae nodded his head, blush evident on his cheeks which confused Hyukjae even more. “Uncle, don’t. It’s embarrassing.”

“You used to ra