Whisper Of The Wind [ONF FF]

Chapter 9

The familiar chiming of a bell warmed Yuto's heart as he stepped foot inside his most comfortable place. He was met with a lot of customers right upon arrival, being joyfully greeted by many recognizable faces.

"Yuto?" The voice that had called was one that he was sure he would always be able to identify, it belonged to the exact person he wanted to see.

"Hi Minkyun."

The shopkeeper walked towards him, hugging him gently. The hug shocked Yuto to some extent, him having never been hugged by anyone who did not belong to his family save for the child he had read the story to. It only helped to his shock that Minkyun's arms gave him a feeling of safety and love.

"I was so worried about you! You came consistently for a while and then stopped coming, I wondered if I had done anything wrong."

Yuto smiled. Minkyun could never have done anything wrong, everything he did was, on the contrary, frustratingly right. "My apologies. Some factors kept me from having the free time to come. But I'm back."

"That you are." Minkyun smiled, stepping back to carefully look at the other. "You're wearing the hat!"

Yuto lifted his fingers to gently graze it, tipping his hat as he did the first time he had bid Minkyun farewell. Both young men chuckled at the action, the atmosphere as comfortable as if they had spent the entirety of the previous week together and not separated with no form of contact.

Yuto quickly returned to business mode, Minkyun once again thanking him for the extra help at the shop. He didn't have much time to waste but he wanted to enjoy the happiness he felt working side by side with the shopkeeper.

Time kept ticking by and along with it the more nervous Yuto became. Before he knew it he had less than an hour before Changyun barged in through those big doors and dragged him outside to get dressed.

He made up his mind and walked towards Minkyun, pulling him to a corner of the shop.

"Is there something wrong?" The older asked, concern evident as he noticed the frown on Yuto's face.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Will you watch the ceremonies?"

Mnkyun nodded. "Of course. I'm closing the shop as soon as I take care of these clients."

Yuto breathed in deeply. "I must go now. However, promise me you will meet me after the royal family presentations."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I need to be. Just promise me, please."

"I do." Minkyun reached for Yuto's hand, squeezing it softly. "But how will I know where to find you?"

"Trust me, you will know."

Yuto pulled his hand from the other's grasp, using it to take his hat from his head, laying it over Minkyun's. "This is the symbol of your promise. You must return this to me after the presentations. If not, I will report you for theft."

Minkyun wasn't sure how serious the younger one was but he did listen to everything carefully. It was odd but so was everything in his life after he had met Yuto. A pleasant kind of odd.

"I will take care of it."

Yuto smiled, leaning forward to once again break the rules. The feeling of Minkyun's soft skin lingered on his lips as he made his way out the store, walking towards where he knew his family would be waiting for him.