“Where are you taking me?”

“To paradise.”

 

Kyungsoo thinks that the dew on his skin was rather sweat, the fog in his mind were rather clouds up and above, shining bright with the morning sun; and a little unexpected hint of fresh flowers with the wind.

The faint music that he’s hearing is probably coming from Chanyeol’s laptop Windows default audio, and the noise was from the busy life outside their dorm. But actually, there wasn’t any noise.

“God,” The first thing he lines as he quickly flopped out of the bed. “I’m late!”

“No, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol held his friend by the wrist before he could even run out. “I have asked for your day off and besides, you have no tours for today.”

“But─” Kyungsoo looks out of the window, checking out if the place was busy. He really wouldn’t want to leave his responsibilities just because he’s sick. He sniffs the air, and saw a bouquet sitting by the window pane. He grabs, not having any clue why there is a batch of fresh flowers in an African heat, or who it came from.

“What is this, Chanyeol?”

“See, it’s your free day.”

“But─”

“The only but I permit is your , so sit down here.” Chanyeol hands over a reservation card, and as he flips it over his name was written on it.

“You know all of this?”

“I guess so.” Chanyeol smirks. “Now get on the shower and dress up like those Paris pups. You’ve got a date. And you’ll surely die if you won’t go there.” He hysterically laughs after.

“But─”

“This is what you wanted right? I assure you this and that. Now, move!”

Kyungsoo sighs, and surely he has no power to turn back anymore. He sluggishly walks in to the shower, got prepared and followed the restaurant card wherever it brings him to.

♑

Kyungsoo walks in, a surprisingly cold air welcomed him to wood, leather and orange ceiling lamps. It has been his first time in a restaurant around, because he never had a chance to ever since he came to the country. Everything was work, work and work and he stupidly sounds whenever he longs for love and freedom. He has been the one locking himself away from opportunities all this time.

He wanders his sight around, not much of people he expected. There were about fifteen tables and seven were just occupied. A waitress approached him and he handed out his reservation card. The waitress escorted him to an empty, and by relief he was the first one to arrive than his blind date.

He wanders his sight around again, and he saw Jongin by the farthest table. He was thanking the heavens for not making him his date, though he never expected that anyway. He just think that it is a small world, and things might happen less than accordingly.

But then it felt like hell when Jongin started walking closer to him, like he had confusion between tables after tables. As he reaches a close distance to Kyungsoo, he approaches a staff and asked something. The staff nodded and escorted him to Kyungsoo’s table. And everything started feeling weird.

“Hey.” Jongin greets, finding comfort in his new seat. “I guess I went on the wrong table.”

“What the heck?”

“You’re my date. I just had a guess lately that you almost thanked the heavens for me not being your date. But hey, thank them again. I am your date.”

Kyungsoo lets out an airy cough and habitually rolled his eyes. “How much did you bribe Chanyeol to do this?”

“Stop right there.” Jongin raises both of his arms. “We were friends.”

“For how long?”

“Just yesterday.” Jongin clicks his tongue. “Let’s just… enjoy this. I already ordered.”

Kyungsoo examines Jongin in the most unobvious way because he was scanning all of him, and pointing things that were out of his initial idea. Jongin was tall, Jongin was dark, and Jongin was undeniably handsome. And Kyungsoo was all about feeling funny.

“So you’re thinking about me right now?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?” Jongin leans closer and supports his chin with his two locked hands, looking like a little child about to hear a bedtime story.

“You’re rude, unattractive and probably my worst first date.”

“You don’t get any first dates after this.”

“I know.” Kyungsoo laughs, looking away with the most evil smile. “Trauma.”

The food comes after and changes both of their perspectives; it wasn’t them who are dating this time, it’s their food and their selves.

“What do you do?” Kyungsoo asks, despite of how he thinks he just need to be occupied by his lunch and finish the day. “Like do you work or just literally take every tour guides to lunch?”

“Don’t think of me for that kind of person. I’m actually just a student. And I’m single.”

“What? How old are you?” Kyungsoo threw it in confusion, somehow mistaking Jongin to be older than him.

“I’m turning twenty.” Jongin laughs, Kyungsoo retreats. “Why do you work here? It’s far from home.”

“This has been my passion.” Kyungsoo answers, saying it as how he does whenever someone asks; anyone, everyone. “Is it really weird to see a Korean here?”

“You left them?” Jongin adds, seemed to have ignored Kyungsoo’s talking.

“What?”

“You left your parents?”

“I─uh.” Kyungsoo stutters, getting cut by the edge of Jongin’s sudden question. He never intended to, and obviously it wasn’t out of bad intention. Even though his parents were against his decision, what he did wasn’t a run away, it was rather an escape. He dreamed for it, and he always wanted it; that’s why he’s here. But someday, when he’s tired, he’ll comeback as he promised them. No one is ever going to be left out.

“How many years have you been here?”

“Three? Four? I can’t count it exactly, I’ve been really busy since day one.”

“Well.” Jongin sips his iced tea. “I’m glad I gave you a break.”

“Not really.” Kyungsoo sips his cola. “I have lunch breaks too. Seven times a week.”

“Really? So can I be a part of those?”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo gasps, turning down his view and hiding his reddening face away.

“Nothing. You’re just really adorable.”

There were more heartbeats than the fingers to count; Kyungsoo couldn’t save himself from having unusual emotions from that very moment.  His legs were trembling, his hands were sweating, and his heart was roaring like a wild lion. He feels numb and all of the romance and dreaming feels really uneasy.

“We should go out.” Jongin invites him after eating. “To the wild. Your thing, right?”

“If it’s your thing too.” Kyungsoo nods and asked, giving the arrogant cat a try.

♑

Jongin threw Kyungsoo in to an ATV, which to Kyungsoo wonders that it seemed very familiar. Jongin confirms that he borrowed it from Chanyeol.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To paradise.”

“Wait, wha─” Before even Kyungsoo could argue, his words turns half in to a loud scream; his hair, his face and his mouth taking in all of the air gushing through.

“You’re not used to fast rides?” Jongin asks and looks at him, the sunset shine framing his perfect face. Almost too perfect for Kyungsoo to bear with.

“I never let anyone drive too fast.” Kyungsoo informs the driver, eyes tight and mad.

“Then stop me.”

“I─I don’t care.”

Jongin laughs, Kyungsoo blushes. He didn’t know the reason why he feels so heavy yet so light; he’s like a bucket of water filled all the way up to the mouth, were it spills and there’s no way he can’t stop it.

He distracts himself to the side of his door, eyes on sand and trees, small animals and big ones, the sky, the clouds, the setting sun; anything but Jongin.

The car stopped beside the foot of a cliff, just between a river and the wide land.  Rock mosaic, showers of gleaming waters, aerial displays and majestic views; for the long time Kyungsoo was present in this region, he has never been in this place. It was so beautiful and that made him ask Jongin.

“How did you find this place.” He grins. “I’ve never been here before. Was this from Chanyeol too?”

“Not really.” Jongin slightly giggles. “I found this place yesterday.”

“Why? I mean─nothing.”

“For you.”

Kyungsoo freezes, his heartbeat dividing in to thousand individuals. He looked down and played with his feet; there was nothing else better to do to hide his red face.

“Let’s soak.” Jongin invites, smiling as the sun does the same behind him.

Kyungsoo looks up, offers his hand and went to the river with Jongin. The water was surprisingly cold, their toes almost dancing in to tight hugs at each other. The pressure from below, and the relaxing friction between their skin and the waters, with smile and laughs and pushing hands, Kyungsoo never felt this happy before. And he feels happier to have this moment with someone else.

They then laid out a blanket and sat under a tree, as Jongin pulled out candles and fruit snacks from the truck, placing each stick between two rocks to make it stand and lighting it up before the very stars. They ate and enjoyed a talk between each other, deeper and more personal. The tip of the sun sinks down to the darkness, and they were left with two cans of beer as they finished of the last minutes of their date.

“This has been great.” Kyungsoo admits; eyes fluttering as he stares at his drink. “Unexpectedly.”

“But that’s not it yet.”

“What? Where are you going to take me now?”

“To paradise.”

“Isn’t this the paradise yet?”

“Nope.” Jongin starts up the engine. “Come with me, I’d take you there.”

The next thing Kyungsoo knew was he was being dragged by a person he just knew in the hotel corridor, in to his room and in to his bed. Far from imagining this day would come; it was an opportunity, a drive wherein he was defenseless, weaponless and weak to handle his own emotions.

Jongin kisses him, hands from the man cupping the spaces between his jaw and his heating neck. Excessive pleasure running down his vocal throat, swallowing intimacy and void desire; through open shirts and searching fingers, tongue on skin and lips on hair. Though Kyungsoo thought it was all of those that composed the night.

Jongin slid down his ped pants, and Kyungsoo reacts to a gasp. He pulls a pillow to his face and bites it, scared. Jongin laughs and leans closer to Kyungsoo’s face. “You’d be okay. I’ve never done this before too, but I think I watched enough to learn it myself.”

“Jong─in.”

Jongin laughs again, though this time it fades in to Kyungsoo’s ear. He felt the guidance of the other’s hands, slowly stretching and adjusting his position for him to pass clearly. Kyungsoo couldn’t count it; it was in a tremendous amount of entrance before he thought that everything was inside him. It was painful, and it makes him scream. But Jongin keeps whispering “It’s alright”, and “I’m here for you”. It makes him end up dumb-founded, confused, severely pained, severely desiring.

“I─it hurts so much, Jo─Jongin.” Kyungsoo stutters under the moonlight, tears in his eyes and fingers wrapped around Jongin’s wrists. He listened to the other’s heavy breathings; they were music, they were sound, they were things that made Kyungsoo deny his own.

“J─Jongin.”

“Yeah?”

“I─Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because─” Jongin groans. “Because I love you.”

“But you just met─”

“I’m not giving you time, K─Kyungsoo. Love, I’m giving you love.”

Kyungsoo’s tears fell, little where they but what they were for was the world. The whispering wind sifted through the window panes, the curtains and the sheets. It was silent, and the thumps of their hearts were loud and clear.

“J─Jongin.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I love you too.”

Right at that moment, Jongin gave away inside of Kyungsoo. The silence shattered in to loud moans and groans, screams and tears. He quickly falls beside Kyungsoo, hugging him and planting his face to his chest. There were no words that came out of their mouths, just the desperate breathing they held as they were already tired.

But Jongin tried hard, under the sheets and Kyungsoo all around his arms. “Kyungsoo. I have something important to tell you.”

“Kyungsoo.” He calls again.

Jongin looks to the other’s face, and it was already sleeping. He sighs but he smiled, and kissed Kyungsoo in the forehead. He relaxed himself and let his body flow, there was no more choice but to close his eyes and end the night.

♑

“How is my best friend?” Chanyeol greets Kyungsoo as he came back from the hotel, immediately storming in to the office.

“Have you seen, Jongin?”

Chanyeol wasn’t shocked as Kyungsoo was, instead he handed over an envelope.

“What is this?” Kyungsoo reaches for it, trembling.

“Letter for Do Kyungsoo, one hundred and eight, savanna.”

Kyungsoo opens it; completely clueless and innocent, eager yet afraid.

♑

The small debris flowing with the wind hits Kyungsoo in the skin, he could almost feel everything with his sensitivity; it was rough, and nothing else. He stands with his two feet on the jagged ground, below the sunset and between a raging river and a tall rock formation. He could see a familiar tree by his standing, and also the wax that was left unmanned with treasured memories.

The reason why he was here again wasn’t clear to him, and he knew that this time he should be working. Throwing papers at the table that swings a full degree atop glass covers, handing out white porcelain mugs to co-workers that has his self brewed coffee, whistling in front of the window and writing a tourism report. Maybe he’ll be at the fields petting lions, bathing baby hippopotamuses, feeding giraffes, observing monkeys. But he wasn’t in any of those things he should be doing, because the district wasn’t busy anymore.

 

The day after the night he had with a man was the last of the tour day, and Kyungsoo should have calculated it, but he fell asleep. He missed the tourists’ goodbyes, where he should be there to shake hands with them and give souvenirs, but still, he fell asleep. And when he woke up, the room he was in was empty. It was silent, and his breathing was the only thing that was present.

He rushed to the airport, desperately holding onto faint hope and crossed fingers; but only to find out that the plane already took off for about ten minutes earlier. That ten minute delay of which was such a close time he could have apprehended, where he could have just simply said goodbye.

 

His phone rings which woke him up from losing himself. It was a text from Chanyeol that says, “Where are you? The boss is here and he’s treating us out.”

“Leave without me, I’m expecting someone today. Say I’m sorry.” He replied.

He pockets his phone and looked at the sky again, the same day, the same month and a year that had passed in the same destined place.

Kyungsoo wasn't really sad. He was instead troubled because there were certain points that were spinning around in nervous motions that sits close and would explode by any minute. He was troubled because something was about to hook by his fingers; something he was waiting for a year now and finally it has come. He then draws out something from his pocket in a single, heavy breath; pap and textured small piece of paper, white was the base but the folded edges were stained in bronze, gleaming in tenuity and longing slashes of broken ink. He uncurls it open, wiped it flat on his lap and read it even though it was the nth time he did.

"Hi, Kyungsoo. I'm sorry if all I left is a stupid note. I had to catch my flight and I won't be able to drag my baggage all the way to the airport if I'll be writing you a novel. I wish I could. But, I promise to return. We will meet again. 0108, SVN. See you soon."​

He believes that Jongin will come back for him, just like what his mother, Chanyeol and his father did. It was today; as he turns around to look at where the sound was coming from; of what was nothing and what meant his everything.

♑