A soft voice slid through the night air. It seemed to fly the wind and dance with the leaves.  It wasn’t loud, but it was captivating. As it flew by, it seemed to captivate an invisible audience. No one was in sight on this warm night, yet the area was relaxed and attentive. It was empty. Or so it seemed.

A young boy was walking down the dimly lit path of the park. He walked down this way towards his apartment every day for the last three weeks. He used to go another way, closer towards the street, but he changed his routine one night.

The boy worked in a daycare during the day and volunteered at the local children’s club. He taught dance and self-defense alternatively, so he was always exhausted at the end of the day, but he was always satisfied. He never really complained, and just smiled his days away. He would also always take the bus home, for he never really liked bothering his friends for a ride. It was one particular night that he missed the bus.

It must have been a different bus driver this night as well, for the one that usually drives waits for him. Usually, it would not matter because there is always another that passes, but he worked until late at night, so would always just be able to catch the last bus. The next one didn’t pass until four in the morning. He had to wait for three hours, call a taxi and spend $50 to get home, or walk. He weighed his options, but decided to just walk home.

He wasn’t scared. He knew how to defend himself, but he was worried that he would get lost. He knew how to get home on foot, but there was always a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. So he adjusted his bag and started forward. At the rate he walked, he would make it home in about an hour.

The boy arrived to the spot where the bus usually turns at. He has seen the map many times. It was a large park in the middle of the city, and the bus always had to go around. He contemplated on whether he should go around or cut through. It was safer to go around, but it would be faster to just cut through. It was nothing to be scared of anyway. There were illuminated paths everywhere and a map at the entrance.

He proceeded forward. It was a quiet walk. There was nothing except a crunch every now and again.

He slowed down and stopped when he heard the strum of a guitar. He stood there for a moment in confusion before he heard a soft voice sing.

“All night, I wait for the sun to rise out the window.” The boy stills and looks in the direction of the voice, but he does not move. He just listens. “Because when morning comes, I can meet that person.” He continues to listen as he has become entranced at the soft voice. “Thank you for holding my hand, thank you for looking into my eyes. Thank you, my prince that I’ve dreamed of, for appearing before me.” He sat for a moment to just listen to the voice and the melody.  He swayed unconsciously and closed his eyes to the music.

“All day, I wait for the moon to rise in the sky because when night comes, I can talk to you. Don’t forget our promise; don’t forget our secrets. Don’t forget how my heart raced when you looked at me.” The voice faded out and only the strum of the guitar was heard. The boy believed that this meant that the song was over, so he stood once more and made his way out of the park.

The rest of the way home, he could not get the voice out of his head. He hummed what he could remember of the song and as he neared his apartment, he could not help but to want to hear it again. He hummed the song into his sleep.

The next day, he missed the bus again. Whether or not it was on purpose is still unknown to him as well. He wasn’t sure if he was going slowly on his paperwork or if he had a lot to take care of, but what he did know was that he had to walk home again. When he reached the park, he also realized that he came about the same time he did last time: 1:30. He walked in, and even though he tried not to, he hoped to hear the voice again.

It was silent for a while, and his shoulders started to deflate.

The sound of a guitar flew through the air. The boy’s head perked up towards the source of the guitar before he sat in his place.

 “All night, I wait for the sun to rise out the window.”  He sighed in contentment as he heard the voice once more. “Because when morning comes, I can meet that person. Thank you for holding my hand, thank you for looking into my eyes. Thank you, my prince that I’ve dreamed of, for appearing before me.” He closed his eyes as he listened, and started to softly hum along. He listened to try and memorize the words.

“All day, I wait for the moon to rise in the sky. Because when night comes, I can talk to you. Don’t forget our promise; don’t forget our secrets. Don’t forget how my heart raced when you looked at me.”

After that day, he would make it a habit of always walking down the path. His friends would offer him rides, but he would always decline. He didn’t want to miss the voice, but he always wondered why it always sang the same song. He learned the words and melody, and ended up singing it all the time. He never noticed until someone asked him what he was singing.

“I don’t know,” he would say. They would always just give him a funny look before shrugging. It is true that he did not know, but it added to his excitement.  His friends also asked him why he was always smiling. Why was he always so laid back recently? And the boy would always answer, “I don’t know.”

It was at the second week, that he decided to do something different. As he sat facing the direction of the voice, he started to whistle. He whistled at the end of the words, but almost immediately, the strumming stopped. He panicked for a moment, thinking that he must have scared the person away, but he kept whistling. After a moment, the strumming continued again.

He smiled.

After a few more days, he decided to sing along with the voice. The other has already become used to the whistle, so he it seemed as if he was not surprised by the sudden voice. As the days flew by, the voice and his seemed to blend into one.

He was walking down the path again, but this time, he felt a little more curious. As the strumming started, he diverged from his usual route and took a different path. He sang along with the voice and followed it. He could hear it becoming stronger, and he knew that the owner of the voice could tell that he was coming. Both kept singing until they whistled.

The boy came to a jungle gym. He heard the guitar and whistle from above, so he looked op to see a boy sitting at the top with his guitar in his lap and his lips toward the sky.  He kept whistling as he studied the boy. He observed how his hair was brown, but visibly dyed. He saw how his lips were thick, how his eyes seem like a feline, and how he looked to be glowing under the moonlight.

They finished the song as usual, and they both just stayed in their place. Both just let the night wind fly past them. They let the silence engulf them.

“I was wondering when you would come.” The boy snapped out of his trance and tilted his head to the boy in confusion. “You’ve been coming for weeks, but you never came over.” The boy understood now, and he flushed as he smiled.

“I guess I have.” He chuckled before he straightened himself. “Why didn’t you say anything?” The thin boy shrugged. They let a silence pass through them, and both boys could hear their own heartbeats. The thinner boy jumped down from the jungle gym before going over to the other.

“Want to come to my place? It’s just at the end here.” The other nodded with a smile. They walked out of the park in silence, but both with silent anticipation. They came to a small apartment and made their way into the kitchen. The thin boy made some hot chocolate, and they both sat in silence.

“You have a nice voice,” said the young boy. The thin boy smiled in thanks as he continued to drink. “What is that song?” The thin boy sat for a moment, almost as if in contemplation.

“I don’t know. I just wrote it.” The younger sighed. It must mean that he has someone, right? “It’s more of a wish.”

They sat in silence, but they were comfortable. They drank in peace, and the thin boy offered him a bed. When the younger went to get in, he saw how the other was laying out his things on the ground. He just pulled the boy up and made him sleep with him. He didn’t protest, so he just laid in silence.

“Can I ask your name?” Asked the younger. The boy looked at him with a smile.

“Daniel.” The younger nodded before laying his head on Daniel’s chest.

“Mine’s Jonghyun.” Daniel nodded before threading his fingers through Jonghyun’s hair. They stayed in the same position until their eyes fluttered closed. They both found the identity to the voice and the whistle.