“This road doesn’t get much traffic, and there aren’t many people around, so it’s dangerous. This is the driver’s contact information—if anything happens or you can’t catch a taxi, call him.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as they paid and got out of the taxi, Han Jun stared blankly at the mountain ahead, as if he were planning to climb it—trees and vines wrapped thickly around it, overflowing with fresh green leaves.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Up there.”
“Up there? The mountain? You’re saying we’re climbing that? In this heat? It looks really steep.”
“It’s different from how it looks. And if you go up just a bit, there are stairs.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Of course. Do you think I’d bring you somewhere I haven’t been?”
As if to say he wouldn’t bring Yi-hyeon somewhere dangerous and unfamiliar, Han Jun held out his hand.
“Your hand… you want to hold hands?”
Yi-hyeon asked hesitantly.
“It’s probably not well maintained, so you’ll need to step where I step and follow my path up.”
Staring blankly at Han Jun’s outstretched hand, Yi-hyeon brushed the sweat pooled on his palm against the back of his thigh. Then, biting his lip tightly, he cautiously took Han Jun’s hand.
“Give me your bag.”
“It’s okay, it’s not that heavy.”
“The path’s kind of muddy—if you slip, you’ll get hurt.”
When Han Jun kept insisting, Yi-hyeon reluctantly nodded and handed over his bag. Then he tightened his grip on Han Jun’s hand just a little.
They say you don’t really understand anything until you experience it yourself. From below, it had looked like a dangerous mountain, tangled with rough vines and steep slopes—but as they climbed, the sea glimpsed through the gaps between branches turned out to be breathtakingly beautiful.
And just like Han Jun had said, it wasn’t steep at all.
It felt as light and easy as taking a walk up the hill behind the orphanage.
“Are you tired?”
Han Jun asked.
“No, not at all. You were right—it’s not hard at all. And wow, the view here is really beautiful.”
“Right?”
Han Jun replied as he squeezed Yi-hyeon’s hand more tightly.
After climbing a bit more, a single detached house stood alone halfway up the mountain. Its exterior was pretty enough that Yi-hyeon first thought it might be a pension, but it was completely unmaintained, the lights were off, and it gave off an eerie feeling.
Not long after, the two reached the summit. Below the sheer cliff were countless jagged rocks blocking the waves crashing violently against them. Among them, one rock that jutted out prominently caught Yi-hyeon’s eye.
Though it was his first time there, it felt familiar. It was the place from the photograph of Actress Joo Mi-yeon he’d seen recently at Han Jun’s house.
Ah…
Now understanding why Han Jun’s expression had been dark all the way here, Yi-hyeon looked at him in silence. Han Jun held Yi-hyeon’s hand tightly and headed toward the cliff.
Yi-hyeon was a little afraid of heights, and when his body trembled slightly, Han Jun seemed to notice and let go of his hand after walking a certain distance. But as a signal that he wanted to be brave, Yi-hyeon grabbed Han Jun’s hand again—and together, they walked toward the edge of the cliff.
“Mom, I’m here.”
At Han Jun’s softly murmured words, Yi-hyeon calmly looked out at the sea and greeted her silently in his heart.
Hello. It’s nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Yoon Yi-hyeon, Jun’s friend.
“Thank you for the birthday gift. When I saw it, I finally felt like I had the courage to face you. That’s why I came here with someone precious to me.”
Han Jun looked at Yi-hyeon.
“You said that, right, Mom? That you were sorry for making it so I couldn’t invite friends over because of you. You don’t have to feel sorry to me anymore. I brought him here on my own.”
At last, a smile formed at the corner of Han Jun’s lips.
The two sat at the edge of a hill with the best view of the sea, sharing the sound of waves slapping against the rocks. Then, as the wind blew in gently, cradling his cheeks, Han Jun squinted.
“What’s wrong? Did something get in your eye?”
“Yeah.”
Yi-hyeon immediately turned to look at Han Jun’s face.
“Where? Which side? Want me to blow it out?”
Even as Yi-hyeon asked, Han Jun didn’t answer—he just stared at Yi-hyeon’s face. He said something had gotten in his eye, but he wasn’t blinking at all, just looking straight at him…
Yi-hyeon wondered if he had hamburger sauce left on his face from the train and wiped around his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
“I think you’re really kind. Maybe that’s why, whenever I see you, I feel good.”
The white, fluffy dandelion seeds that had been softly taking root in Yi-hyeon’s heart went whoosh, carried away by the wind.
For Yi-hyeon, who knew he would never hear a proper confession from Han Jun in his lifetime, those words were as good as the greatest confession imaginable.
Han Jun leaned closer to Yi-hyeon and asked,
“Can I… hug you once?”
As if the drifting seeds’ feathery tips were tickling his insides, Yi-hyeon’s body twitched.
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’m just a little cold.”
“Ah… okay…”
When Han Jun leaned against his shoulder, Yi-hyeon wrapped both arms tightly around his broad shoulders, as if pulled in by a magnet. Yi-hyeon hated himself for using Han Jun’s loneliness as an excuse to satisfy his own desires. But if he didn’t do it like this, he’d never get the chance to hold Han Jun at all. Thump. Han Jun’s back pressed against Yi-hyeon’s chest, swelling and settling with each breath.
“This is nice. It’s warm.”
To Yi-hyeon, Han Jun was like a solid, towering tree—someone who lived by his own will, unshaken by any storm. Seeing that Han Jun tremble slightly in his arms made Yi-hyeon feel even more ashamed of the selfish thoughts that had filled his mind just moments ago.
***
“You’re saying it’s already checked in? No—I’m the family of the person who made the reservation. Then who exactly checked in? Did another version of me from a parallel universe get summoned or something?”
It seemed there’d been a reservation error on the pension’s end. Since the later reservation belonged to Mi-jin and the earlier reservation had already completed check-in, Han Jun and Yi-hyeon—after receiving a refund—had no choice but to look for another place.
Because it was peak season, nearly all accommodations were already fully booked, leaving them at a loss. Walking out to the front of the pension, Han Jun let out a long sigh and irritably rubbed the back of his neck.
As the two walked along the road, scrolling through their phones to search for somewhere to stay, they came across a beautiful sandy beach. Seeing how upset Han Jun looked, Yi-hyeon pointed toward it and said,
“Want to cool off a bit and look at the sea for a while?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? The mistake was the pension owner’s.”
Yi-hyeon grabbed Han Jun’s arm and pulled him toward the beach.
Han Jun followed reluctantly. At first he looked indifferent, but when Yi-hyeon splashed seawater onto his face, Han Jun finally broke into a bright smile and ran into the incoming tide.
The two soaked their feet in the water, splashed each other, and laughed loudly. When Yi-hyeon got tired first, he came back up to shore and plopped down onto the sand.
Staring blankly at the waves rolling in, Yi-hyeon picked up a small fallen branch from the ground. He sat down right where the waves barely reached and looked at Han Jun walking toward him.
“There’s something I’ve always wanted to try when I came to the sea.”
[YOON YI-HYEON]
After carefully writing his name, Yi-hyeon pulled out his phone. Standing there blankly, he watched the screen and waited for the waves to wash over it—when Han Jun sat down beside him.
“You’re being cold. You’re only writing your own name?”
When their damp hips touched, Yi-hyeon flinched—but he didn’t move away. With long, straight fingers, Han Jun wrote his own name next to Yi-hyeon’s. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he drew a heart between them.
[YOON YI-HYEON ♡ HAN JUN]
“What’s with the heart? Someone might think we’re a couple.”
Yi-hyeon, whose nape had turned reddish despite not being in the sun much, rubbed his skin with his hand and stood up. Standing there awkwardly, he sniffed at the subtle scent carried on the sea breeze.
