hongbin loved the way the beach smelled. it was calming and it helped take his mind off of his everyday, hectic life. taking two weeks to go down to the ocean front was always perfect. he was always welcomed back by the people who lived there, who recognized him from his yearly, and on occasion, monthly visits.

it was raining (drizzling, to be exact) that morning when hongbin wandered onto the wet sand. he enjoyed when it rained on the beach, especially during the morning hours of the day. his eyes caught sight of something--someone--who was sitting on the beach, not even with a towel under them. they were facing the waves which crashed down harder then usual. hongbin watched the man for a bit, who hardly moved except to scratch his nose every once in a while.

"it's pretty, isn't it?" the man asked, suddenly, catching hongbin off-guard.

"very," whispered hongbin back after a pause, his face wet from the freezing rain.