100
* * *
Doun sat in the passenger seat of Samin’s car, looking out the window. Yesterday, all members of the top floor conquest team had acquired movement skills. This was a holiday they had earned based on the judgment that frequent tower conquests conducted in a short period without sufficient rest was a shortcut to harming mental health.
When Doun asked what he wanted to do on the holiday, Samin said this:
‘I want to go back to that beach we went to before, but during the day this time. What do you think, hyung?’
Doun hesitated for a moment. The sea was a place Doun had sought out to die, and where he had to force himself to hold back tears while receiving Samin’s comfort, completely soaked in self-pity without being able to overcome even one bit of depression.
‘It was dark that day so we couldn’t even properly see the waves. I find it healing and nice to watch the waves when I’m resting. Ah, do you hate the sea by any chance, hyung?’
When Samin belatedly showed concern, Doun shook his head and said let’s go. He didn’t want to have a selfish relationship that could only be maintained if Samin adjusted everything to him and endured discomfort.
What was so bad about the sea? Now he didn’t feel like dying, and his pathetic, suffocating self-pity had decreased a lot. It seemed like it would be a good opportunity to overlay the place that only brought up bad memories with happy ones.
“Samin.”
“Yes?”
“I know a place near this beach that has good food.”
“Oh, what kind of place is it?”
“Seafood knife-cut noodles.”
“…It’s not spicy, right?”
Doun searched his memory. That day when he had sought out the winter sea to die and was discovered by a stranger whose face he didn’t even know. Unable to die like that, he had sat blankly on the stairs near the beach waiting for his clothes to dry so he could take a taxi home, when he suddenly got hungry and found that restaurant.
It definitely wasn’t spicy. He only remembered that after finishing one bowl, he had the energy to go home. Maybe it wasn’t even a good restaurant.
“It was really spicy there. Let’s just look for somewhere else.”
Doun said this while staring blankly at his knees. What good memories did he have there to bring someone precious? He was going to the beach because Samin said he wanted to go, but this was different.
“What? Then since I’m driving, could hyung search for me?”
“Yeah.”
Doun smiled slightly while touching his phone. When he searched for restaurants near the beach, there were several places suitable to eat with Samin, who couldn’t handle spicy food well. While checking the restaurant locations, Doun glanced at Samin.
Samin, wearing sunglasses properly and dressed in a bright-colored t-shirt, clearly had an excited face about going to see the sea.
“Do you like the sea that much?”
“Summer is definitely for the sea. Valleys are nice too, but there are lots of bugs there so I personally don’t like them much. And not many people come here, so it’s good for looking at the sea with hyung. Do you not like the sea, hyung?”
“…Just so-so. I don’t really think about it.”
He didn’t specifically say he disliked it. If he said he disliked it, Samin might turn the car around now when they were almost at the beach.
* * *
Following Samin to the summer sea they had visited again, there were scattered visitors seeking to escape the heat. Since it wasn’t counted as a representative resort destination, it was good for Doun, who was overly conscious of people’s gazes.
‘…It’s pretty.’
The sea that had seemed to ripple only with pitch-black darkness was, upon seeing it again, exquisite with sunlight shimmering on the waves. It was a dazzling sparkle that seemed like it would blind you if you stared at it.
“How is it? Aren’t the waves pretty?”
Samin stood next to Doun, who was staring blankly at the sea, and asked. He often sought out the beach alone when his thoughts became complicated. Looking at a part of the vast sea that couldn’t be captured in one glance strangely calmed his mind.
Waves crash against the sand and disappear many times, but they constantly surge. Samin used to think that if he kept doing something tirelessly like waves, he could leave some trace.
Though they seem to break and disappear at first glance, waves thoroughly wet the white sandy beach and move the sand. It’s not a tremendous achievement or anything interesting enough to draw everyone’s attention. But it was definitely a trace left by the waves.
‘A face that looks like he’s thinking a lot…’
Samin looked at Doun, who was watching the ripples sparkling in the sunlight without even blinking.
“It’s pretty. The waves. It feels completely different from when I saw them at night, so it’s fascinating.”
Doun muttered while grinning. Then he slowly closed and opened his eyes and turned around. It meant let’s walk a bit. Samin tactfully followed one step behind Doun, admiring his jet-black hair fluttering in the sea breeze.
“Doun hyung.”
“…Yeah?”
At his name called in a low voice, Doun looked back. Their eyes met, and to Doun who was waiting for his answer, Samin said this:
“Now that I think about it, hyung, you’re not wearing a hat.”
Doun always used to fidget with his hat and mask before getting out of the car. But now he had neither the black hat that was jokingly called Magnetic’s alter ego, nor a mask. Lee Doun as he was stood before him.
“…That’s right.”
Doun just smiled slightly. Then he turned around and was about to take a few more steps forward.
“Hyung, look here.”
He heard Samin calling from behind. Doun turned around with a gentle smile on his lips, wondering what it was now.
*1.jpg*
Click, a sound was heard. Samin was holding his phone and taking Doun’s picture.
“Why are you taking my picture?”
“Because hyung’s face right now is too precious to just see with my eyes?”
“If you’re going to take it, pay a million won first. Hey.”
When Doun casually threw out the joke, Samin quickly pressed the capture button while muttering.
“A million won per shot? Isn’t that too cheap? I have a lot of money. I want to take a thousand shots.”
“How much would a thousand shots be? A billion?”
“Having a thousand Lee Doun photos in my personal collection for a billion won would be a complete steal.”
“Stop spouting weird nonsense again. Don’t you ever get tired?”
Having built up immunity, Doun giggled as she walked along the beach. Samin, having taken enough photos, put his phone in his pocket and walked side by side next to Doun.
“Tomorrow we’re going to floor 54.”
“That’s right.”
“After conquering floor 54, we’ll have to study by watching the first conquest video of floor 55, so thinking about that time, I don’t think we’ll be able to come to the sea again for a while.”
“You have to come occasionally for it to look pretty. If you come often, you lose all the excitement.”
Even though his body swayed strangely due to the sand being stepped on under his shoes, Doun didn’t try to maintain his balance on purpose. He now knew that if he seemed about to fall, there was someone next to him who would quickly run over and catch him.
“Ah, there’s an ice cream shop over there. Want to buy one?”
“Sounds good. Should I go and buy them?”
“No. Let’s go together and choose.”
“Okay.”
Samin slightly distanced himself from Doun, who was walking beside him, not caring about the glances from passersby who stared because of his unusual eye color. He was worried they might get caught up in unwanted rumors if they walked too close together.
However, despite Samin’s efforts, a white but firm hand quietly approached. Doun lightly grabbed the hem of Samin’s t-shirt and pulled him toward himself.
“There’s a car coming from behind.”
“…Yes.”
Even if he got hit hard by a speeding car, probably only his ribs would crack a little. Doun cared for and looked after Samin more than expected. His gentle, soft, and kind nature showed in such small places. Even though he had received an indelible major wound from people, he ended up trusting people again.
Samin wanted to make him happy by any means necessary so that he wouldn’t become a new wound for Doun.
The two stopped by the ice cream shop, chose their preferred flavors, and sat in a secluded spot where no one’s gaze could reach. Samin, who pretended to look around casually, leaned forward and whispered in Doun’s ear.
“I feel so good dating with hyung.”
It was a voice that even Doun, sitting closest to him, had to concentrate to barely hear. It was quite a different attitude from his usual behavior of ignoring people’s gazes while spouting all sorts of nonsense.
‘Is he worried people might hear?’
Doun nodded as if responding to Samin’s consideration and gave his answer back with lip movements. Samin, who had been quietly watching Doun’s lips, squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Fucking crazy. Lee Doun, this tempting soft tofu is openly bewitching people…’
A creaking sound rang out as he bit his molars hard trying to suppress his surging emotions.
“Did you understand what I said?”
“…Yes.”
“Write what I said.”
Samin was struggling to suppress his desire to kiss right here and now, but Doun went one step further and held out his palm. Then Samin let out a long breath and wrote characters stroke by stroke on the soft palm with his index finger.
‘I like you too.’
After writing the last stroke, Samin ate his ice cream like it was soup. There was absolutely no way to cool the heat spreading through his entire body.
He thought he should prepare in case such a day came again. He should probably contact Kim Siwon and ask where to get skills that create ice chunks.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Sweet