Taemin decides that Key is genuinely an overly cautious person because there was no way in hell someone would drive 50 kilometres an hour on a highway, that too in a goddamn sports car for his sake. Even the countryside that looked refreshing to Taemin when they started out was now too monotone to enjoy slowly in silence anymore.

“If you drive any slower the cow we saw trotting five minutes ago will catch up with us.”

“I don’t like driving fast. Anyway, shouldn't you be grateful, considering how worried you are for your safety being in the same car as me?”

Taemin rolls his eyes and decides to ignore the comment.

“I’m just really bored.”

Key huffs. “You can play some music if you like. We’ll probably reach Gimcheon in two more hours”

Taemin nods excitedly, eager to test out the expensive sound system in a car like this. He sees Key glance at him from the corner of his eye, but Taemin probably imagines the almost smile on his face.

He drums his fingers on his leg to the beat of the song, humming under his breath in satisfaction with how good his easy listening playlist sounded with the scenery, secretly happy that Key doesn’t seem to mind it either. With his mind now sufficiently occupied, he sits back and thinks about the week ahead. The trip to Pohang was only a six hour drive, but to extend it Key had decided to make short stops to nearby cities on its way. Taemin was kind of touched to see Key’s nervousness when he relayed this, thinking it might be repetitive to take Taemin to places he had already seen, and had only eased after Taemin reassured him that he had not been to most places outside Seoul, even if they were supposedly nearby. Only a few hours together and he is quickly learning that Key is a methodical, meticulous man, and while Taemin is generally not mindful of such things, it is reassuring to feel someone was looking out for him, even if he misses the comfort of his friends. He wouldn’t admit it to Key, but being in a car with him driving isn’t making Taemin uneasy anymore, and in fact he feels himself yawning as his body lets loose of all the tension he has been holding for a while, sinking in the plush seat and closing his eyes to the breeze.

Taemin supposes he had fallen asleep because the next thing he knows is being woken up with an insistent shake. He looks up with half lidded eyes, confusion setting in for a minute as his brain fails to register how Key looked in a soft pastel shirt with his hair down, appearing like a completely different person than Taemin is used to. He is just as taken aback now as he had been at eight in the morning when he had arrived to pick him up, and it took a sharp call of “Taemin!” to pull him back to his senses.

“Uh-” he feels like he was swallowing a ball of cotton. When was the last time he had slept this well? “Where are we?”

“We reached Jikjisa. I bought us the tickets while you slept.”

That meant they are in Gimcheon already. No wonder he feels this drowsy. He never took two hour long naps- it's not like he doesn’t like to, he just never gets to. Taemin stretches out his limbs, looking around at the parking lot of the Temple. He has wanted to come to Jikjisa for a while- he's always seen pictures and heard stories from people who said it is beautiful, and it is a nice coincidence that Key has decided that it would be a good stopover too. Taemin joins him at the entrance and takes a deep breath- he can’t remember the last time he inhaled air this clean.

“Shall we head inside?”

Taemin nods mutely at Key’s formal, almost curt tone. While they aren’t exactly super friendly with each other, Key hasn’t acted cold with him either up until this point. Taemin wonders if he is mad at him for sleeping the whole way, although it seems unlikely- maybe Taemin should offer to drive the rest of the way to Daegu in the evening. He chooses not to comment now lest he ruins the visit, a gloomy reminder that he is in fact on a vacation with a stranger and will not be able to talk or prod around as he wishes.

The gate leads to a lush forest path looking so green and untouched that Taemin is amazed at how it was only a few hours from home. They walk ahead in silence, the trail dotted with traditional pillared gates, and the temple proper coming in their line of sight- a collection of different pavilions, some large and some small. There are a few other tourists as well but thankfully not enough to disrupt the feeling of tranquility and isolation.

The click of a shutter makes Taemin pay attention to his immediate surroundings again, blinking in surprise when he sees Key with a camera, satchel discarded on the ground as he kneels down to focus a panoramic shot of the temple. He has a look of concentration on his face that Taemin almost feels bad for breaking, but curiosity takes over him.

“You like photography?”

Key nods his head in response as he stands up straight again, adjusting the satchel strap on his shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind me taking pictures, it's just that I haven’t been outside the city for a while and I wanted to bring out the camera again”

Taemin smiles at the first proper response from him today, happy to see Key a little more comfortable than they had started out.

“Of course not, I wish I had a camera too but I have a tendency to break things..my phone lens has a crack on it too. Will you send me the pictures?”

Key chuckles lightly in disbelief, a small smile on his face. “Sure. But let’s walk now, you haven’t even seen the best parts and we are only here for a few hours more”

Taemin pouts and jogs a little to catch up to Key, who starts walking quickly as soon as he finishes.

“You’ve been here already?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. I kind of thought you would plan something that would be new for both of us.”

“I’ve never been to Pohang.”

“That means you’ve been to Daegu before?”

Key purses his lips at that, eyes a little startled at Taemin’s quick deduction.

“Yes.”

Taemin hums, thinking the reply will be elaborated, but sighs quietly when it doesn’t come.

“I guess that’s nice, you’ll be able to show me around better.”

He shrugs. “Maybe.”

Taemin doesn’t stress on Key’s non-committal answer because just then they stop in front of a pavilion, its walls decorated with detailed and intricate woodwork, and inside, adorned by what looks like a thousand palm sized Buddha statues. The inner pavilion seems closed to visitors although, if the line of rope surrounding it is anything to go by.

He gasps in awe, leaning to take a closer look inside, only for his arm to be tugged back by Key when a Monk passing by looks at them disapprovingly. He turns to face Key with a pout, and for the first time, Taemin sees him laugh genuinely, a full bellied one where his eyes turn into crescents and his cheeks bunch up. He doesn’t know Key well, but he thinks he would like to see that laugh more. It makes him feel warm, even if it came at the expense of his embarrassment.

“Are you always like this?” It's probably meant to be an admonishing statement, but sounds more endearing with his voice still tinged with laughter.

“Maybe,” Taemin replies playfully, parroting his answer from earlier.

Key rolls his eyes, equally playful and pushes Taemin gently away, realising how close they were standing after he was pulled back. Taking his camera in his hands he shutters away, and Taemin leaves him be, choosing to study the painted walls while he waits for him.

Key taps on his shoulder when he zones out, the silence and the cool air putting Taemin almost in a trance like daze.

“Do you want me to take a picture of you with the statues?”

Never one to turn down an offer of being pictured, that too from what looks like a costly professional camera, he grins. “Yes please.”

Taemin smiles ear to ear and makes silly poses, pleased at how Key’s head shook in amusement at his antics. It was nice to be the centre of attention for a while, and he beams at the satisfied hum Key makes when he has gotten a few good shots.

“Okay let’s go to the next pavilion.”

Taemin agrees, but the rumbling in his stomach is hard to ignore.

“Aah can we eat something before? I’m so hungry.”

Key hums in affirmation and tilts his head in thought, probably weighing out their options. Taemin desperately hopes there is an eatery in the temple itself because there is no way he is walking back down and then take the hike up again after having a full meal.

“I remember this Temple having a tea house. I doubt it will have anything other than snacks but we can leave early and maybe get a proper dinner in Daegu?”

“Honestly anything would be good right now.”

“You’re right, it's already kind of late. Let's look around a bit more after we eat and then head back.”

The walk to the eatery, which takes around ten minutes, is spent in silence, but unlike the one they had started out with, this one felt comfortable, and more of a respite to enjoy the scenery than the product of awkwardness, or in the case of Key, a certain coldness. Taemin is glad they are talking somewhat normally, he doesn't think he would be able to take a week of mutual discomfort.

The teahouse itself is a small cozy place shaded by trees, with the kind of age old charm that many cafes in Seoul try to recreate and fail. They seat themselves in front of a rectangular soban, and Taemin slumps against the wall, more tired than he realised. Key takes his time in neatly removing the camera strap around his neck and keeping it on the floor beside him, placing his satchel next and then taking out his wallet. Taemin fiddles with his own phone, belatedly finding it at very low battery from playing music for hours, but smiles a little at the thought of using Minho’s charger for the first time.

It's been so long since Taemin had visited any restaurant that isn’t fast food that he gets startled when an elderly man, presumably the owner, comes to their table to take their order. Key orders a jasmine tea for himself and Taemin orders an iced coffee, the only kind of coffee actually available, and they both decide to get grilled garaetteok and some injeolmi. Once the man leaves, it's silent again, but this time Key tries to start a conversation.

“So….what kind of dance do you like best?”

Taemin has to hold back his tongue on teasing him for the bland starter- sounding like something out of an ice breaker manual, but with his better judgement he chooses to simply answer, appreciative of the effort at least.

“Well I like all of them best, but I am probably the best at hip hop and jazz. My friend has a background in ballet, and I’ve always wanted to learn it. I can’t be a professional of course, but I’d like to know the proper technique. I do think I am quite graceful already, but there can’t be enough learning right?”

Taemin feels he has gone on a rant too passionate for a simple question, but it has been so long since he talked about dance- so long since he has felt like a dancer. He rarely talks much with people other than his friends, but it is hard to stay silent when Key looks so attentive. He realises with a start that he never really had a problem with talking to him, in fact they were here in this situation because Taemin had spent an hour telling him about his problems.

“That’s true. If you don’t have a ballet background, what do you have a background in? For some reason I thought most dancers who study it academically come from ballet”

“A lot do learn ballet, but these days not all of them do. I was self taught.”

Key looks surprised. “That's… that's impressive. Isn’t your college one of the best in the country for fine arts?”

Oh, how Taemin loves being complimented.

He smiles proudly, “It is! I also got on a partial scholarship and paid the rest with my own work money.”

“Did your parents not support you?” Key frowns.

Taemin shakes his head. “They are not exactly wealthy, and would rather have me study something that would actually pay. When they learnt I wanted to do dance, they did not want to waste money on a career like this.”

Key nods sympathetically, mouth open to reply but gets cut off as their food is served. It's evident how starving they are when they immediately pause conversation and proceed to sip on their drinks and eat for ten minutes. They quickly finish the two plates of rice cakes between them and Taemin sighs in happiness.

Key leans back with his tea in hand, slowly sipping on it as he speaks again.

“That’s very admirable of you, to go after what you love.”

Taemin shrugs, when he had decided to study independently, he was not thinking that much- he just did what he had to.

“Not really. I did disappoint my parents though, which I regret. I am good at math, and they expected me to do something efficient like engineering. Sometimes, with my current situation, I do think if it would have been better if I listened to them- I could be one injury away from my career ending before it even starts”

“Well, you’d end up regretting something either way. Would you be happy if you took up engineering?”

Taemin sighs. “No. I guess which is why I just chose the path that would make me regret less. What about you? Did you go to college?”

Key nods, placing his now empty cup on the table. Taemin tries to quickly finish the rest of his own drink, not wanting to delay them if he decides to leave soon.

“I studied management to have a better understanding of the family business.”

“You wanted to study it?”

He grimaces. “No. I wanted to study fashion.”

Taemin chokes a little on his coffee, not at all expecting the honest answer. This heart to heart talk was strange enough as it was, but maybe it is the placidity of the place that lends their conversation it's earnestness.

“You...you dress well. You would be good,” he replies before he can think too hard about it.

Key flashes him a small pleased smile at that, and in his casual clothes and his wind ruffled hair, Taemin thinks he can be friends with him- even after this was done. Sure, it would be odd, but it wouldn’t be too bad.

“I’ll pay while you finish. Then we can leave?”

“Okay.”

Taemin waits for him at the entrance while Key chats a little with the owner. He is all smiles and polite nods, a jarring image from the one Taemin has made up of him in his head. Taemin tries hard to reconcile the person who he had met and the person in front of him now, but as with most things, he tries not to think too hard, choosing to see how everything pans out for their six more days together.

“So I talked with the owner and found out that most of the halls are closed right now for maintenance. We would be able to spend time in the garden though, and if it's as pretty as I remember, it should be fine”

Taemin nods and holds out his satchel to him, which Key accepts with a muttered thanks. He isn’t really bummed about not being able to enter the pavilions, it really is the scenery he is enjoying more.

“How long ago did you come here?”

Key glances back at Taemin at his question, pausing in his quick strides. He looks conflicted, as if remembering it was painful.

“A long time back,” he ultimately says. “But places like these don’t change much”

Once again, Taemin waits for some elaboration, but doesn’t receive any. He wonders if it will always be like this with Key, a gamble of an answer with every question asked- sometimes you hit the jackpot, sometimes you lose.

The central garden is as pretty as Key had said it would be, dotted with beautiful sculptures and fountains- making Taemin feel like he was in another century altogether. Key had mentioned a temple stay program on their drive here, which sounded boring to Taemin, as that would mean spending two days in the same place, but he wonders how it would feel to wear simple robes and just exist with nature- Minho would probably love something like this.

“Are you alright?”

Taemin blinks. “Sorry I just spaced out”

“You seem to do that a lot.” Key mentions in amusement.

He chuckles in reply. “It’s all the quiet, it makes my thoughts louder”

Key hums in agreement, whipping out his camera again and getting to work. Taemin feels too tired to follow him around and sits beside a cute fountain with a sculpture of two turtles drinking from it. A click goes off and Taemin pouts when he sees Key in front of him.

“Not fair! I wasn’t prepared.”

“I wouldn’t have taken it if you didn’t look good.”

Taemin blushes a little at the compliment, placated easily.

“Shouldn’t you take pictures of yourself as well?”

Key shrugs. “The settings of the camera are a bit complicated for you to handle.”

Taemin rolls his eyes. “Ever heard of a selca?”

“I forgot about that,” he admits.

“My front camera works perfectly fine so here-” Taemin stands up and takes out his phone, angling it perfectly so that he can get them both and the turtle fountain in at the same time.

“Don’t stand so stiff, I won’t bite you,” he says frowning, glancing at Key still rooted in surprise.

“Yeah, sorry,” he mutters and smiles at the camera, and Taemin follows suit. Both of them, to be very honest- are more than above average when it comes to looks, making the photo turn out so good he immediately sends it to the group chat, knowing his friends would ooh and aah over his vacation mate. It will especially shut up Jonghyun who keeps teasing him about spending a week with an ugly guy who just wants to get in his pants.

Key peeks over his shoulder. “Did you just send a picture of us to your friends?”

“Oh-” Taemin should have asked first. “I’m sorry? We were looking good and I thought I should brag.”

Key stares at him blankly but eventually smiles, surprising him again. “Yeah we do. Send it to me too.”

Taemin complies, a sort of satisfaction at the picture being the first semblance of a normal conversation in their texts.

They spend a few more minutes walking around before ultimately deciding they were bored and it is better to start early for Daegu in time for dinner. Despite looking indignant to talk about it, Key seems like he was looking forward to their two day stay in the city before continuing onto Pohang, and Taemin is excited to experience an actual, hopefully luxurious hotel and nice long days of worrying about nothing.