You and Taemin continued to drive to various attractions and finding no luck whatsoever. You stopped once for gas at a station and bought snacks to share in the car. You had to leave in a hurry since the young woman at the cash register was beginning to recognize Taemin. He played music in the car on the way to the fashionable part of town, and he laughed when he checked your iPod only to find more podcasts than music. But after relenting and deciding to listen to one, he found himself intrigued by your “How Stuff Works” podcasts.

Taemin finally arrived at the town and parked his car at a meter. It would be easier to spot people while on foot. You both walked around, keeping both eyes open for the couple in question. But when the sun got too hot, Taemin dragged you both into a department store. The air conditioning was heavenly. You walked through the store, again looking for anyone who might be the Jang couple. When you stepped back outside, you both decided to check the arcade across the street. The Jangs struck you as a young couple, and maybe they were the types who liked gaming together. It was worth a shot.

“But we have to stay focused,” you said, walking a few paces ahead of him as you walked into the arcade. Chiptune songs were beeping on both sides of you and the yelps and shouts of other kids and teens in the arcade was drowning out your voice. “It doesn’t look like a lot of young adults hang out here, so let’s take a quick spin around the place and then we’ll try someplace else, like all the romantic restaurants in town. Okay?”

You asked him again, louder this time since you had to speak over all the other noises. “Okay, Taemin?” you said. When he didn’t respond, you turned around to face him, only to see that he was gone.

“Taemin?” you asked aloud again. Turning just a little bit frantic, you started walking around the different gaming stations. Teenaged boys sat in games designed to look like drivers seats while others shot at their screens with plastic guns. Idol or not, Taemin was still a boy and there were so many in this arcade to begin with; he could be anywhere.

“Taemin,” you said again, sighing in frustration. You started circling the arcade. The flashing lights were annoying, as were all the chiptune songs and kids who’d had too much sugar. You finally found him playing a free-throw game. Angry that he had deserted you once again, you stomped up to him and stood in his way before he could make another shot.

“Yah, Lee Taemin!” you said sternly, and he lowered the basketball with a nervous laugh.

“I haven’t been in one of these in forever,” he said. “Plus, I’m about to beat the high score!”

“No!” you said. “We’re supposed to be looking for someone, right? Why aren’t you helping me?”

“I don’t think they’re in here,” he said. You crossed your arms.

“Well, why didn’t you say so? We could have gone somewhere else to look for them!”

Taemin pushed his hair back in such a way that the action made you swoon inwardly. “Okay, fine,” he said, finally relenting, but he smiled and didn’t let go of the basketball. “But one last shot!”

“Taemin!” you said, trying to get the basketball from him.

“Alright,” he said, and he passed the big orange ball to you. “You make the last shot. Do it good, though! I got a high score, and if I make this one, too, I’ll beat the current record!”

“What?” you said, trying to put the basketball back where it came from. “No, I can’t shoot basketballs. But come on, we have errands to run and things to do, so just leave it – ”

You started to walk back to the exit, but Taemin quickly grabbed your arm and spun you face the basketball game again. “Wait!” he said. “Just one shot! Come on. You can do it!”

“No, I can’t,” you said. “Why is this so important to you?”

“Because you can’t just leave the game unfinished like that!” he said. He took the basketball and placed back in your hands. Then he put both hands on your shoulders and led you to stand in front of the hoop. “Okay,” he said. “Now, shoot!”

You furrowed your brows looking down at Taemin’s current score. He really was close to winning. But what mattered now was finding your passports and getting them switched back to the right people. There was no time for this! You groaned. As soon as you could get this free throw over with, the sooner you could get back to business. Yet at the same time, you were scared to let him down. You turned and pushed the ball back into his hands.

“I don’t know how,” you said. “I at free throws and basketball.”

You were about to walk away but Taemin pulled you back yet again. “Taemin!” you protested, but he took your hands and arranged them a certain way on the basketball.

“When you hold it,” he explained. “Make sure your thumbs are perpendicular to each other. And bend your elbow so that it’s in an L shape. Your left hand just holds the ball in place on the side. You use your arms strength to push the ball up and flick your wrist to make it go forward.”

He moved around so that he was behind you. You blushed deeply, feeling your back pressing against his chest. But he arranged your hands on the ball properly a second time. Then, he pointed at the hoop.

“All yours,” he said into your ear and backed away. The hoop looked tall and daunting to you. So you said a quick prayer for luck and hoped that Taemin’s instructions would work. With an exhale, you launched the ball up and forward. It sailed through the air, bounced against the backboard, hit the rim, and fell through the hoop.

Rather than jump up and down and rejoice at your free-throw actually going in the hoop, you stood there and tilted your head just feeling quietly amazed at your own feat. Looks like Taemin’s instructions were effective after all. Taemin walked over and elbowed you lightly.

“Pretending you don’t know how to shoot a free-throw,” he said and then laughed. “Admit it, you just wanted me to teach you.”

You scoffed at first but ended up laughing. “Me?” you said. “I just wanted to get it over with.”

“NEW HIGH SCORE!” the loud, automated voice on the machine started blaring, and the noise surprised you so much that you jumped up, bringing yourself closer to Taemin. When you looked up at his face, his clear eyes took up most of your sight. You could feel his breathing on the tip of your nose. Suddenly struck by the proximity, you laughed nervously and stepped backward.

“So,” you said, looking away and brushing a stray hair behind your ear. “On to looking for our passports?”

Taemin smiled as he nodded. You started to walk ahead of him, but he fell into step beside you. His knuckles started to hit against yours, so you crossed your arms. It might have been your imagination, but you thought you saw him stiffen when you did so.

It was only when sunset came around that you really saw how much time you had both dedicated to this mission, and it was at sunset that your hopes of ever finding the Jangs were starting to dwindle. You checked your phone and saw that you had over 30 messages from your friends back at the hotel, and Miss Hong was sure to send you home as soon as you returned to the hotel.

You leaned back against the car seat and closed your eyes for a bit. Taemin looked over in your direction and saw the beaten brochures in your hands. He’d driven all over Jeju that day. From one end to another, stopping in places like waterfalls, botanical gardens, museums, amusement parks, malls, anywhere that would be considered a prime location for honeymooners. Nothing worked out. Still, he smiled a little too himself. Despite not having much luck with the Jangs, he was still having a good day: he was able to buy souvenirs for his hyungs, go parasailing, shoot some hoops, learned how McCarthyism worked through a podcast… and he got to spend time with someone special.

“Last place for today,” you said, your eyes still closed.

“Hmm?” Taemin asked. You sat up and pointed at the beach. It was getting darker by the minute, but the beach was lit up by hundreds of lights and rides and stores. There were people walking up and down a pier at the beach.

“That’s the last place we’ll look,” you said. “Then let’s just go back to the hotel and try their suite again.”

Taemin nodded. “Okay,” you said quietly.

You sighed in your seat. The last stop. This would be the very last place you looked, the last stretch in your little adventure with Taemin. On one hand, you were happy that this was ending; now you could go back and rest and unwind after a stressful, tiring day. At the same time, the thought of just parting ways after such an adventure was depressing. Granted, you didn’t know Taemin very well. But still… you had bonded over this little bump in the road. And the thought of just getting out of the car and never seeing him again felt wrong. Where was the sense of closure? What would you do without each other when all this ended? Where did this leave you?

“We’re here,” Taemin announced, pulling into a parking space. It was nighttime by then. You both walked out of the car and walked side-by-side once more toward the pier. Once on it, you were surrounded again by noise, but it was different. This time it sounded like a muffled orchestra; the sound of light laughter and children, the creak of trusty old carnival rides, of vendors calling out their prices and live music. Everything supported by the underlying sound of the waves against the shore and the turning of the earth.

“This is really cool,” Taemin said, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of a party of the pier at night. The moon over the sea was beautiful, as well. You were almost lost in it as well until you felt the corners of the passports in your pocket. You took them out and showed them to him.

“No straying this time,” you said, and you handed the one for the husband to him. “Let’s g around to the maître of each restaurant and ask if they’ve seen these people. I’ll do the ones on the right and you do the left; we can cut the time in half if we split up.”

Taemin took the passport into his hands, and he frowned feeling how heavy it suddenly was. “You sure about that?” he said, not quite ready to let go of the night yet.

You bit the inside of your lip. “I’m sure,” you said. “Let’s meet again here in fifteen minutes.” You walked up to each maitre that stood at the podiums in front of every restaurant door. You showed them the pictures in the passport and asked if they had passed through the doors. You looked through the windows and searched the restaurants. You stared at everyone who walked past you. Pretty soon, everything just turned into a blur. Asking for the Jangs was turning into a mechanic routine that you were drowning in. And every time, you began to expect the same negative answer.

When the fifteen minutes were up, you walked back to the meeting place. Your feet took you there slowly but your mind was blank. Your mind was up in the stars, thinking about what you planned do from now on. Halfway to the meeting place, you spied Taemin on the opposite side, making his way over as well. You watched him for a little while until he finally caught your eye through the crowd of people. All the noise drowned out while you both stood and just stared blankly at each other.

It was at that moment that it dawned on you that you were just a simple girl whose passport got lost along with that of a famous male idol and now you were both standing on a pier staring at each other, and still with the wrong passports. The humor of it struck you and you couldn’t help but stand there and just laugh. There would be quite a story to tell once you got back to the hotel. But, no, you couldn’t tell anyone about this; it had to stay a secret in order to keep Taemin safe.

Taemin began laughing almost at the same time you did. Then, he looked to his left and you followed his gaze. He was looking at the crowd of dancers at the further end of the pier. They were gathered around the live band, some couples, some groups, and even a few who were dancing on their own. It was a musical mess of bodies and arms and legs and pure fun. With a quick glance at the dance floor, Taemin turned back to you with a question in his gaze.

“Dance?” he mouthed to you. You would have refused if you were still in business mode. But you figured that it was the last chance you’d have to spend time with Taemin before heading back to the hotel, this was the last shot. It didn’t seem like you were going to find the Jangs anytime soon. So, what the hell.

You ran ahead and so did Taemin; the two of you met up halfway to the dance floor. Taemin, with a surge of courage, reached down and held your hand as you both pushed your way onto the floor. Once in the middle of the action, the music was louder. Taemin started to move first, his dancing reflecting his skill while maintaining the free flow of someone who was just moving to the music and having fun. You followed his lead, taking both his hands and letting him lead you in the dance. A cheerful laughed bubble dup your throat as the music got faster and people’s dancing became goofier.

Taemin held your arm out for a turn and then you did the same. You both fell into a rhythm, swaying with the beat and feeding off each other’s energy. You both sang along with the song lyrics and laughed and mumbled whenever it passed a part that neither of you knew. Taemin placed a hand on your waist and you put one on his shoulder as you both attempted to do a swing step. When it didn’t work out, you both laughed it off and went back to your ridiculous dancing.

While your mind was still in the stars, you looked down at yourself, dancing at the pier with Taemin. It seemed that while the whole world was stopped and quiet, there you were with him and nothing else really mattered much. There was only you, Taemin, the music, and the Jangs’ passports in your pockets. Taemin put his hands on your waist again and held you while you both danced. That’s when you decided to look at his face and your caught each other again. Only this time, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. It was familiar and it was intense and it was mutual. It was a Kodak moment; it was a small sliver of time that you wished could remain that way forever and ever.

It was exhilarating and comforting, thrilling yet soothing at the same time, and all these contradictions turned into goosebumps along your arms. Was this how the Jangs felt when they danced together? Did they dance during their honeymoon?

The music finished with a flourish at the end and the dancers turned into a roar of applause. Taemin let go of your waist, a red blush coming over cheeks as he did. You both applauded the band.

“It’s getting hot,” Taemin yelled over the crowd and you nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” you said. “Can we just sit down somewhere?”

Taemin nodded and this time, he had no problems taking your hand again. He led you away from the dance floor and toward an empty bench further away, one that overlooked the sea. Out here, it was quieter; the noise from the pier party was like a neighbor’s party. You sat by yourself for a bit, watching the sea move under the moon’s glow. When Taemin returned, he handed you a water bottle, and you drank from it while he fanned himself.

“You alright?” he asked with a bit of a shaky voice. You looked up and nodded with a smile. Taemin responded with a grin of his own before he sat down beside you.

“I can’t even remember the last time I danced something that wasn’t choreographed for me,” he said.

“I can’t remember the last time I danced at all,” you answered. You considered yourself a shy girl when it came to doing anything in public. You were never much of a dancer either and you’d only ever gone to dance parties with your closest friends. You and Taemin were practically strangers in comparison. But dancing with him felt so easy and natural like you were meant to dance together.

“It’s just a shame the Jangs weren’t here,” Taemin said sadly, but you weren’t ready to talk about the Jangs again so soon.

“Yeah,” you said. “It’s a shame; they would have had fun.”

“So you did have fun today, huh?” Taemin said, elbowing you lightly again. “Aren’t you glad you came along?”

“Actually,” you said softly. “Yeah, I am.”

Taemin played with the water bottle for a bit and you watched his still form. His hair was blown lightly by the chilly breeze and his face was illuminated by the moon. The only times you’d ever seen him look quite as handsome were on TV or in pictures on the internet. But you felt electrified by the thought that no one had seen him quite like this: perspiration lining his hair line, his chest moving as he caught his breath, his brow slightly bent as he thought about what had transpired between the two of you. It was just a dance, but it was more than that, too: it was you two letting go of the fact that he was an idol and you were a regular girl and just enjoying being a boy and a girl, respectively, and dancing over the sea. It was realizing and letting go of the tensions that stood in your way. It was opening up to the fact that something shifted in your relationship today, and you could never walk away from Taemin the same girl that you were before.

He looked up from the water bottle and caught your eye for the nth time that day. You’d worn the flower clip he bought you at the botanical gardens in your hair. You were sure that you still smelled like saltwater from parasailing, and you were sure that he was thinking about the way you pulled your hands away from him at the arcade.

Feeling yourself shrinking under his gaze, you tried to smile. “Tae – ”

Before the next syllable of his name could slip out, you noticed him leaning forward. You swallowed up your words and listened to your drumming heartbeat instead. Your eyes closed as he finally closed in, and he laid his lips over yours. His lips grazed the skin on yours for just a second, testing to see if you would react. But when you stood still, he kissed you more fully. Your mind was doing somersaults, butterflies flapped madly in your stomach, fireworks were going off in your heads, and you felt like you were going in every single direction all at once and all because he kissed you.

His mouth moved, slowly and thoughtfully, and all you could think about was how you really should not be kissing Taemin. It was dangerous; anyone with a camera phone could snap a photo of this moment and ruin him. Plus, you barely knew Taemin at all. All you really knew was that you really really wanted to kiss him and now he was.

When you both pulled away from the kiss, Taemin looked at you again and you blushed. He opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes darted away from you and to something further in the distance. His eyes widened and his jaw clenched.

“It’s the Jangs,” he said, pointing to something behind you. When you turned, you spied some distance away a young couple seated on a further bench, sharing a funnel cake. Mr. and Mrs. Jang.

Author's Note: Writing the bench scene really reminded me of my other story, "Sleepless" with Kris. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this. Next chapter will be the final!