“Don’t call me danny….”

Lee byung silently stared at his phone’s wallpaper. It was neil, on the mini stage with a new band, singing his heart out. It was the only picture he honestly felt closest to the vocal of the band, because at that moment when the he snapped it, neil had noticed and flashed the elder lad a naughty smirk.

No one noticed but lee byung felt like it was too obvious, he even fluttered.

Smiling like a fool, byung’s eyes started to dwell in tears. No more, that seductive smirk, that enticing touch when niel grazes his hand over ljoe’s and that sweet smooth voice that lingers so clear within his mind. There was no more Ahn Daniel, so the world became silent. It was dead silent.

“ Lee byung ssi, are you awake? Come and join me for breakfast”

“yy..yes. a minute”

Wondering if he had woken the guest too early, chanhee went ahead to the kitchen by himself. The trees were rustling and the wind was hitting wind chime subtly making a sweet melody on that sunny morning. Feeling the wind and its melody, chunji started to hum a song he only knew of. A song Neil had made specifically for him….

“The wind blows slightly shiver cold…..”

“That when I saw your pretty face, smiling across the street”

“hmmm hmmmm”

His sweet smooth voice gently echoes throughout the house. Lee Byung who was mindlessly washing his face froze. The voice had made his heart crumble, bursting out from his chest. It was the first time he had heard such good vocal ever since he became a producer except for Niel’s.

It was just as deep, somewhat tragic. That sweet voice has woken up countless emotions within ljoe that he ran and stumbled out to the kitchen.

“He’s even better at singing than I am. Breath taking each time that voice lingers”

Ljoe ran as fast as he could and when he saw the person singing. That fateful moment when he finally laid his eyes on the owner of that almost haunting voice, his heart felt like it had dropped and crash to ground. So much that he can feel his own veins pulsing.

There were no words for byung to say at the sight of chunji singing. It was a view he unconsciously had wanted to cherish. So silently he watched the pretty boy sang, leaning against the wall smiling to himself like a fool. Whispering a sentence to the late Niel,

“Niel’ah, he is really good. Just like you said…”

“uh… lee byung-ssi! You’re awake! Come sit down and have your breakfast”

“ forgive my singing just now, it’s a little hobby that I have”

Yes lee byung was curious. Why a singer as good as chanhee would do pottery as a career? He could have all the opportunity in the singing industry given his perfect package. Hesitantly the blonde haired lad asked chanhee of why he had not taken singing seriously.

It was a trade. A dream for a life.           

Apparently chanhee loved music just as much but he loved ahn Daniel more. A little promise he made to his parents who were running the pottery business. He would continue the family’s legacy but give up on his musical dream for a chance to live happily with the boy he loved. Like the cruel reality, he swallowed the bitter fact and moved on from his own shiny dreams. Running something he could do just as good but with less passion.

However the pottery business made good money. Enough for him to buy the huge mansion he has now and even had some extra to fund some of niel’s gigs.

“ this house…. Danny..”

“ he chose it. It wasn’t as expensive as it looks. The location of the house made this place a bit cheaper

Than normal houses of its size”

Danny…

A name Ahn Daniel had restricted lee byung from calling. A name ljoe had tried calling for years but never had the chance, he knows now. Why it was so wrong for him to call the boy a simple name. ahn Daniel could give byung parts of his love, concerns and even his body….

But that name was exclusive. Kept perfectly untainted for chanhee to keep, maybe it was niel’s gift for chanhee. Maybe rather than this huge expensive hollow world chanhee was living in it was his name. a memento kept perfectly one of a kind for lee chanhee….

“danny…”

“uh, im sorry. I meant niel. Haha it’s little name I kept for niel. Our little secret”

“im the only one who calls him that u see…”

Lee byung smiled in front of chanhee but it pains him. Unknowingly a drop of fresh tear dropped from the brim his eyes, ljoe was overwhelmed. It hurt to know that the boy he tried so hard to snatch away had put his life and effort to stay beside chanhee.

And the sincere smile chanhee had shone kindly over byung made it worst. Guilt had never been so bitter.