Sunlight coming from the far left window flooded the foreigner’s room. The stream of light bounced off the wooden floorboards and lit up the entire quarter. The brightness interrupted the blonde from his dreaming, earning a few grunts and groans from him. He tossed and turned in the sheets and blankets, trying to block out the sun from his eyes. After a few minutes, he finally gave up, sitting upright and kicking the pillows like it was their fault. He rubbed his eyes and looked round. The room looked splendid, and the window gave him a breathtaking view of the cliffside. He smiled at his luck. He was able to find a place to stay, and the company was quite friendly.

Speaking of company…

The blonde looked left and right. He scanned the room as if it was totally unfamiliar to him. Something was off.

I fell asleep on the couch last night… With him…

Either he was wrong and he fell asleep in his room, or he was right, and someone had carried him there. And he was never wrong. His family and friends didn’t nickname him ‘Almighty Key’ for nothing. It was an inside joke. He would always be able to know what everyone was doing at that exact moment, or know where one of his family members were, or even what someone was thinking. It wasn’t a psychic thing, he was just very observant. Nothing could slip past him.

Kibum managed to get out of bed after battling the urge to fall back and sleep again. He figured he needed to force himself to wake up if he wanted to get rid of his jetlag. He dragged his legs across the hallway and stopped to stare at a clock hanging at the end.

11:30 am. Great. So much for getting rid of jetlag.

It felt pretty early to him. Besides, he was only able to get five hours of sleep. Shaking that thought aside, he saw the lodge owner outside, arranging and rearranging the plants and decorations that adorned the cabin. He smiled to himself, pondering about how the sunlight gently lit up the short man’s face. Kibum suddenly shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts he was having. He went back to his room and proceeded to take a bath.

-----------------------

The lodge owner was poking the ground with his trowel. He didn’t know what to do while waiting for his only customer to wake up.

I don’t even remember what time he fell asleep.

Jonghyun had to assume that Kibum fell asleep after him, since the foreigner was still snoozing at this hour. All he knew was that he woke up around seven in the morning, and was startled to discover that he was sleeping on Kibum’s shoulder the entire time. The foreigner looked so angelic and innocent as he slept that Jonghyun couldn’t help but smile to himself. He carried Kibum to his room, shocked that he was lighter than he thought. Or maybe the time he spent working out was finally paying off. He laid Kibum to rest on his bed, and tucked him in.

Jonghyun was thinking about him too much. And it wasn’t right. He had a girlfriend, and he intended to keep it that way. But he couldn’t explain the feelings he was having around the foreigner. Everytime he saw Kibum, it was like something was pulling his chest up to the sky. He felt like he would float if gravity (or his hair) wasn’t holding him down. It was something he hasn’t felt before. It couldn’t be love, since he has never felt the strange emotions he was having for Kibum, with his girlfriend.

Maybe I’m just nervous. I’ve never had a customer in months.

The lodge owner dropped his trowel in frustration. He gave up on weeding and feeding the plants, and proceeded to move the potted plants around. They were beginning to crawl on the walls, and he didn’t have enough money to repaint them if the plants ruined them.

As Jonghyun was carrying the plants around the front door opened, with Kibum stepping out on the pebbled pathway.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Jonghyun exclaimed in surprise, the sudden heaviness of the plant pulling his upper body down to the ground.

Kibum smiled. He was able to catch a glimpse of the shorter man’s muscular arms. They were covered with sweat, and the sunlight hit the thin sheet of water that was over his skin, making it glisten. Kibum cleared the thoughts that were forming in his mind and searched for words to reply.

“Good morning. I’m, going out. Job search.” Kibum tried his best to explain to Jonghyun that he needed to go out and apply for a job. Sure, he had money, but it would just last him a few weeks before he went completely bankrupt.

Jonghyun understood. “Ah. Okay. Take care.” The shorter man said in a funny accent that made the blonde giggle. Kibum was about to leave when a hand stopped him. “Ah, map. You need this. You know, get lost? Byebye Kibum. Friend eobseo.” Jonghyun knew he sounded as idiotic as ever, but he didn’t want the foreigner getting carried away on his sight-seeing trip.

Kibum chuckled at the lodge owner’s effort. He took the map and opened it in front of him, trying to use the sun like a lamp. He studied how the streets curved and flowed across the land. He tried reading the hangul that named the important landmarks that he would be sure to pass by later. The blonde folded the paper guide and placed it inside his postman-type sling bag. He smiled at the shorter man that had been watching him the whole time like Kibum was the most interesting thing on earth.

“Kamsahamnida.” As Kibum walked farther away from the lodge, Jonghyun couldn’t erase the angelic smile that had just strewn across the taller man’s face.

--------------------------------

It was already four o’clock in the afternoon, and Kibum was getting tired. At this pace, he was willing to take any decent job that opened up to him. It had been four hours since he searched for any store that needed help. He was able to pass by a lot of chic shops and boutiques and even tried on some clothes. The ladies inside were more than happy to assist him in picking jackets and shirts. After a while, he realized that if he spent too much, he’d need the job faster than he already did. The foreigner ended up buying one jacket – an expensive one at that; Kibum didn’t know what was and was not expensive yet – out of the stacks of clothing the salesladies suggested looked good on him.

He walked along one of the busy streets in the city and was lucky enough to see a small store needing help. A piece of paper was stuck on the glass window asking for a cashier. It was in hangul, but the foreigner was able to read it without much difficulty.

A bell from above the door jingled, announcing the blonde’s presence. There were just a few people inside the store, yet all of them stared at the foreigner as he entered. A tall man with dark brown hair (or was it black? The lighting was confusing him) and big eyes stood up from under the cash register counter. The man smiled and bowed slightly before welcoming the foreigner with a friendly ‘Annyeonghaseyo’.

Kibum sauntered over to the man and explained his purpose as best as he could. After a while, the man, who he learned was named Minho, realized that the blonde was a foreigner, since Kibum’s korean was pretty rusty and the accent instantly gave him away.

“I understand. Many tourists come in here. I learn from them.” Although his english was tainted with an accent here and there, Minho assured the applicant that there was nothing to worry about. This relieved Kibum so much. At least he wouldn’t have such a hard time communicating anymore. He had enough of it back at where he stayed; He was thankful that he could finally speak english comfortably.

Minho showed him around and oriented him immediately. The owner explained that he needed someone to man the register badly. There was so much to do and he was so behind in everything already. Kibum was thankful for Minho’s hospitality. As the tall man oriented him on how things ran, the foreigner noticed that Minho was good-looking, kind-hearted, but very competitive. The tall man’s confidence was overflowing, and it helped in his tiny business.

“Here’s the register, Kibum. There’s no people, so check it out a while. I’ll be back.” Minho instructed Kibum, and the foreigner managed to understand, so he followed gladly.

Five minutes had barely passed when an equally tall kid entered the shop. This kid had red hair, brown eyes, slightly muscular arms, and a sleek haircut. He was thin, but not ‘unhealthy’ thin. The kid entered the store like it was home, since he walked around the place quickly, grabbing food and supplies like the store’s blueprints were installed in his brain. He plopped chips, soda, and a few other things on the counter, right in front of Kibum, freaking the foreigner out. He had barely discovered how the register worked, and now he was having his first customer.

“Uhm, sorry, but I’m new.” The blonde stated to the redhead in apology. The redhead kid smiled and waved back. “Oh, it’s okay, I’m not paying for these.” The kid responded. He slightly understood, but that confused Kibum a bit. His only hope was for Minho to come back and save him from the charismatic kid that was about to steal food from right under his nose. When Minho came back, the blonde released a huge sigh of relief and stepped as far from the counter as possible. The redhead, however, sprinted to Minho and hugged him tight.

“Hyung!” The kid shouted and slammed his body onto Minho, hugging the taller one tightly. Minho just smiled at the kid and hugged him back. Kibum was touched by the little sight in front of him. He thought it was safe to assume that his new boss and the kid were brothers, until the redhead kissed the older one squarely on the lips. It wasn’t a make-out session, it was like a long smack; The kid just pressed himself on Minho and parted after a few seconds. The blonde, of course, was not a stranger to those kinds of relationships anymore. He was gay himself, but they weren’t that expressive in the States. He rarely saw straight guys who accepted homouals and treated them equally. Nobody just dared to mess with him, because despite the fact that he was gay, he could definitely kick like a man. And they’d fall in love before they could make fun of Key anyway.

Minho ruffled the boy’s hair and asked so many questions in Korean, it lost Kibum a little. The redhead was asking questions as well, but he was pointing at the blonde from time to time. Kibum guessed the kid was wondering about him. After an answer and a warm smile from his boss, the kid walked over to him, bowed ninety degrees, put his elbows on the counter, and put his chin in his hands.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Kibum-hyung! I’m Taemin,” The kid said in such a happy manner. Kibum smiled and bowed back, a bit shy. Minho was quick to explain about the kiss a while a ago; and while Kibum listened intently, Taemin rolled his eyes, smirked and chuckled. After that, Taemin was quicker to teach his new friend some new Korean words that the foreigner would be able to use. The store owner would nudge the redhead at every other word, suddenly explaining to the foreigner that the word would either be a curse, an insult, or a dirty one. Taemin would just laugh and go on to the next word, while Minho went to check the aisles.

The blonde and the redhead were having a great time together. Kibum was lucky enough that no one went in to buy anything during their little chat. As Taemin ran out of words to teach, he switched the spotlight to the foreigner.

“Where are you staying, Kibum-hyung?” The kid asked. The blonde understood and described the mountain lodge in all the Korean words he knew. Taemin was laughing, and so was Minho, since Kibum sounded so much like a tourist to the both of them.

“Oh, and you can call me Key. It’s a nickname,” Key stated. The kid was quite amused at the name. He exclaimed that Key was a cool nickname, and that he’d start calling his new friend ‘Key-hyung’ from now on. The store owner disagreed. He thought ‘Kibum’ sounded a lot better. And normal. The redhead, however, didn’t care, and even said that his boyfriend was old-fashioned. That earned a giggle from the new employee.

As dinner time neared, Kibum realized he had to go back while the streets were still full of people he could ask directions from. Minho thanked his presence, informed him of the working hours, and sent him on his way. Taemin was less pleased, but enjoyed the time anyway. The foreigner exited the store and glanced at the pair from the outside. His boss took over the cashier and the kid opened a bag of unpaid chips – earning a look from Minho. Kibum walked all the way back to the lodge, and saw that the lights in the kitchen were all switched on. Smoke sifted through the windows and the scent of food wafted in the air.

Mmm. I could use some food.

The blonde saw a small figure cooking in the kitchen, dancing to music he couldn’t quite make out. He giggled to himself, and entered the cabin.

-> a kyuyunjaemin original.

A/N: How'd you think my story's going? BTW, His Whisper is the Lucifer~! is in its last several chapters. I'm at the as of now, though, so readers of that story don't have to worry.

Comments are definitely candy and chocolate to my heart. :">

2min picture: credits to whoever owns this! I just googled it! TT_TT