but sometimes ;; haobin

nine

Nine days remained.

Hanbin heard a knock on his bedroom door, and he groaned as he tossed to his side, quickly exclaiming 'come in' at an acceptable volume to not sound angry. The door opened, and Bitna peeked in, waving her head before bowing her head. "Good morning, Hanbinnie. Breakfast is ready. We're going with Grandpa onto his boat today. Coming with?"

"It's 6am..."

"The fish wake up early, he said," Bitna said with a giggle. "We leave at 6:30 for the latest. Are you coming?"

Hanbin nodded as he sat up, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, just... give me some time."

"No problem — see you in a bit."

•

To Hanbin's pleasant surprise, Zhang Hao was also awake at the horrid morning hours. He stood on the docks, hair still a wild mess from waking up that early, but his mood brightened when he saw the Chinese boy with an old man. He waved his hand to catch Zhang Hao's attention, and the Chinese boy paused in confusion.

"Why are you here?" Zhang Hao asked, smiling brightly as he walked over to the other and softly pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It's quite unusual to see you up this early."

"My grandpa wants me to see what it's like on the ocean," Hanbin replied, his voice still deep and groggy. "He said we'll probably be done by 11 if there's a bite early. Do you have plans today, love?"

"Well, my... friend is coming to visit," Zhang Hao began, reaching between them to hold Hanbin's hands. "He contacted me for a place to stay for three days because I'm the only person he knew here, so... he'll be staying with me for a bit."

"A friend? Everyone told me you have no friends," Hanbin frowned, causing the other to press his lips into a thin line. "Hao... who is this friend, exactly?"

"He's someone I met last year. He's the nephew of the dentist here, and just like you, he came for a short stay and left again. In that short stay, we became friends. We haven't kept much contact with each other, but he'll be back here for three days," Zhang Hao explained, letting go of Hanbin's hands.

"Why doesn't he just stay with the dentist?"

"Well, he asked me, s-so... Hanbin-ah, it's not a big deal, okay? He's just a friend, and I'm going to meet him at the airport with my mom and pick him up," Zhang Hao said with a smile.

"Is he more attractive than me? How old is he? When did you become friends?"

"I knew you'd react like this," Zhang Hao smiled, stepping forward to press a kiss to Hanbin's lips. "It's okay, love."

"Be transparent with me, though. Is he just a friend?"

Zhang Hao fell silent for a moment, his smile fading almost immediately. "Hanbin-ah, of course he's a friend."

Hanbin paused for a second before pressing out a smile. "Right, I'm probably just being paranoid. You can have fun with your friend today — I'll see you tomorrow, most likely."

"You'll see me this afternoon, silly," Zhang Hao smiled again, putting a hand to Hanbin's cheek. "I'm being transparent by telling you everything in person, okay? Jiwoong hyung and I were close back then, so we're hoping to revive our friendship."

"Tch, and he's a hyung..."

"It's okay, love," Zhang Hao laughed, putting a soft kiss against Hanbin's nose. "You're so cute sometimes."

"You're cuter."

"Hanbinnie! Let's go!"

"Good luck today, love," Zhang Hao encouraged as Hanbin walked off to his cousin and grandfather. He waved his hand, and the two separated for the morning. Zhang Hao sighed to himself as he walked over to his own grandfather. "I hope Mom doesn't tell him anything..."

•

Hanbin was quiet as he stared out at the waters, his reflection breaking due to the ripples of the water. Bitna sat beside him, resting her head on her hand. "Is something wrong, Hanbinnie?"

"What else do you know about Zhang Hao?" Hanbin asked quickly as he flicked his head to turn to the younger girl. "You said he has no friends, but he's meeting up with someone today."

Bitna's eyes began shaking, clearly panicking as she debated silently with herself. "I-I thought he would tell you..."

Hanbin's frown grew deeper, fully turning to face the young girl. "What are you talking about? Is it... Jiwoong? Is that his name?"

"There must be a reason he didn't tell you," Bitna said hurriedly with an awkward laugh. "I don't think it's my place to—"

"Tell me everything you know about this Jiwoong guy and what is he to Zhang Hao."

Bitna sighed in defeat as she hung her head. "Kim Jiwoong came here last year — he was the talk of the town because of how handsome he is. Really, everyone was talking about him. He... met up with Zhang Hao at some point, a-and..."

"And?"

"... they dated in the same way you two are dating right now."

Hanbin fell silent before letting out a scoff-like laugh. "Okay, then. Well, he's coming back today, and Zhang Hao is hosting him."

Bitna widened her eyes in shock. "His ex-boyfriend...?!"

"Apparently," Hanbin chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "He was very defensive earlier, saying that they're just friends and that there's nothing to worry about. To find out that it's his ex-boyfriend... pisses me off a little, actually."

"I thought you said that this relationship was... temporary."

"Well, turns out that I like him," Hanbin told the young girl. "Whether we're together for two days, fourteen days or ten years, he's... still my boyfriend, Bitna. I'm allowed to be upset, right? I'm allowed to be a little pissed about him meeting up with his ex-boyfriend. What if I had to talk to Matthew again?"

Bitna pouted thoughtfully. "This is grown-up stuff..."

"Right — I shouldn't be off-loading onto a 15-year-old. Sorry."

"It's okay — I'll help where I can."