Once outside, Hongki went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to drink water. This day is too much. He never thought it is possible to time travel but Jonghun is the proof that it is.

"Excuse me," Jonghun called.

Hongki turned to look at Jonghun who looks very uncomfortable in modern clothes although it suits him. He is still wearing his samo, a hat worn by officials for everyday use.

"What?" he asked while stepping forward to remove the hat from Jonghun's head. He threw it on the sofa. "Your hair is long. We must go to a barber shop."

"Barber shop?" Jonghun raised his eyebrows.

“It’s a place where you cut your hair.”

Jonghun’s eyes widened. “Cut… my h-hair?”

Nodding, Hongki said yes.

“There is no way I would cut my hair. It is—“

“Unfashionable,” Hongki continued his sentence. He ruffled his own hair. “Short hair is in fashion now. Your hair,” he pointed at Jonghun’s braided hair, “is totally unacceptable.”

Jonghun gulped. He wants to argue with this man, but decided against it. He’s not sure yet if this boy is not really a wizard. "Anyway," he continued, "these . . . these . . .” he tugged at the pants he’s wearing.

“Jeans.”

“Yes, these jeans. They bind a man’s legs so that I cannot bend. And these,” he said as he put his hands in his pockets. “They are so small that I can carry nothing. And this,” He pulled back the fly to show the zipper. “This can hurt a man.”

Hongki closed his eyes and tapped his forehead. He forgot about the underwear. 

“Ya! Follow me.”

The long-haired boy followed Hongki into his room. Inside, Hongki grabbed some clean underwears from his drawers. He threw one to Jonghun who caught it. The latter stared at it.

“What is this thing?” Jonghun asked, wonder apparent in his voice. He stretched the piece of cloth in his hands and was surprised to see it stretching and returning back to its form.

“That,” Hongki said, “is an underwear. You wear it before wearing the pants. And… you should zip the fly.”

“Fly?”

Hongki pointed at his crotch. “The zipper, the one, as you said, that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Zipper?” Jonghun looked down, following Hongki’s pointing finger. “This?”

“Yep,” Hongki walked towards Jonghun and zipped the zipper. “See? Zip, that’s what it’s called.”

“Amazing,” Jonghun pulled the zipper up and down and back.

“Don’t play with it, idiot,” Hongki swatted Jonghun’s hand. “And wear the briefs, the term for that underwear.”

He glanced at his watch.

"Hey, it's still early, let's go shopping," he suggested.

Jonghun's eyebrows shot up. "Shopping?"

"It means to buy something. Let's buy you clothes."

“But I am wearing clothes.”

“Yes, but look at you, my clothes are obviously small for your size..”

"Ah, yes, I must see a tailor."

“It’s not a tailor, just ready-made clothes.”

Jonghun's eyebrows knitted. "Ready-made?"

"You'll see,” Hongki said, smiling, sure that the man would be surprised. “Now, wear that thing. I’ll wait outside. Oops,” he remembered the man’s shoes. “Remove that footwear. We don’t wear those anymore. Anyway, I have a pair of rubber shoes outside. I’ll lend them to you. After you wear the briefs, get outside and I’ll teach you how to wear modern shoes.”

***

When they were inside the little shop, Jonghun stood still, gaping at the shirts and pants hanging from the racks. “These clothes have been made,” he said, his eyes wide.

Hongki nodded. "Yep. They are already made. You just have to choose and then buy it and you can wear them. No need for tailors," he said then turned to the clerk who’d come forward to greet them. The woman was small, thin, and had to be at least twenty years old.

"“We need clothes for him," he said to the clerk. 

"Of course," the woman said, and then looked at Jonghun. She lead him to racks of clothing.

Hongki sat on the chair inside the store. He grabbed magazines and started reading them. After a while, Jonghun appeared before him, wearing new sets of clothes.

“Modern clothes suit you,” Hongki commented.

Jonghun bowed. “Thank you.”

Hongki turned to the sales lady. “Give him five sets of clothes please, and shoes too.”

“Yes, sir.”

***

“These are heavy,” Jonghun shook the paper bags he held in both hands. The kind sales lady chose the clothes with proper care so Jonghun’s clothes suit him. After purchasing the clothes, the two thanked the sales lady.

“Stop complaining. Whenever I am with my mother, she makes me carry thrice the weight of what you are carrying,” Hongki said, looking around for barber shops.

Jonghun stopped walking. “Where is your mother?” he asked.

“At home,” the one being asked replied while continuously walking. “She lives in Busan. I wanted to study in Seoul so I rented an apartment in the city. It’s not easy, being away from her, but I do what I can.” Hongki stopped and turned to look at Jonghun. “Ya, don’t stop walking. We must find a barber shop.”

Jonghun nodded his head and started walking again. “You are a good person, if I must say.”

Hongki glanced at Jonghun. “Not that good.”

The latter shook his head. “No. You are kind-hearted. If it’s any other person, they wouldn’t have helped me.”

Deep inside, Hongki felt happiness. Many people have said that he’s a good person, although some says otherwise, but he felt especially warm when the man walking beside him said it.

“Thank you,” he said, stopping at the same time and pointed at the sign that says BARBER SHOP. “There, see that?

That’s a barber shop. Let’s go.”

Jonghun followed Hongki inside the small shop.

***

“Don’t look so sad. You have to do it, or else people will think you’re weird.”

Song Jonghun ignored Hongki’s words and continued staring sadly at his newly cut hair. He’s still trying to adjust to the weightlessness of his head and the same time at the emptiness that seems to creep inside him. He feels so lonely. He’s at home and at the same time, he’s not. Korea is too different from the Korea he had known since his life began. People wear different clothes, some are wearing too little of them and many speak other languages too. He’s too confused. It’s like being in another planet. Even though he’s being accused of a crime he didn’t commit during his time, he’d still choose to remain there and even die there than being here. He looked at Hongki’s face, reflected by the mirror, and is smiling cheerfully. If not for this boy, he would no longer hope of being able to return to his time. Then he remembered something.

“Hongki,” he called consciously, not accustomed to calling the man’s name. “You called me here—“

Hongki’s eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead. “No, I didn’t,” he cut Jonghun’s words.

“No, no. Really, you did. You were saying things like ‘Come to me’… which is a bit...”

For a moment, Hongki was about to get angry at Jonghun but remembered the things he was saying-- and thinking-- before Jonghun appeared before him: Hey, soul mate, are you there? Come to me soon, I want you here now…

I said... those words? And if I did, how the hell did this guy heard it? 

A/N

Hey lovely readers!~

I haven't made progress with their romance, gosh I .

Anyway, I'll make this story sweeter next time :)

Saranghae!~