Chasm.| Seo Changbin

Thirty-One.

Stella watched with loving eyes as Changbin hammered the wedge deeper into the sand, finally stabilizing the hammock. The sun setting, the sound of crashing ocean waves, the light breeze, the smell of the salty humid wind, and a shirtless Changbin holding a hammer, flexing his muscles as he worked, all made Stella feel intoxicated.

Just a few hours before, she was panicking over her upcoming concert, and now, she was in a remote cottage with her boyfriend, forgetting about the concert and the hell of being an artist.

Changbin told her to pack up for two days. He never told her the destination but he made it clear she might need a swimsuit if she's a swimming lover. Stella thought they were going to a resort or something, but she found herself in the car, driving for six hours till they reached the very unique camping spot by the beach that had secluded cottages for privacy.

It was breathtaking how those very small houses were simple and minimal. They included only the basic necessities and nothing else. No electricity, Wi-Fi, or any form of modern gadgets. It was almost nothing but a roof and shelter.

From where Stella sat, she could see other farther cottages but it was nearly impossible to identify the people there. Stella learned that when Changbin disappeared before at the time they were still not together, he was actually on that beach, not in the mountains as his parents guessed. It turned out that he is used to detaching himself from his surroundings every now and then, and reconnecting with Mother Nature in one of the very many camping sites that he knows.

Although it was a long drive, Changbin didn't rest once they arrived and started assembling the grilling gear and hammock and whatever needed to be fixed for their stay there. Meanwhile, Stella strolled around and checked the place then changed her clothes to something that fit perfectly with the beach vibes.

Changbin sighed and straightened his back. He looked at the hammock with a buffed chest. It was stable and ready to be used. He dropped the hammer to the soft sand and lifted his head up. His eyes caught Stella's that were lovingly looking at him, and he immediately felt his heart leaps out and his whole body tingled. How could she be that breathtaking?

She fits the sunset. Her ash-blonde hair twinkled in a golden hue. Her creamy skin matched the sand. She wasn't wearing anything fancy. It was a short white summer dress with little strawberries embroidered here and there. Her legs were fluttering as she sat on the cottage's front porch, watching Changbin. She looked breathtakingly attractive and he wanted nothing other than to hold her in his arms right then. 

He knew that in two days she would be starting her concert rehearsals and they would have no time for themselves like that until she gets another break. Changbin never knew he might be that attached. He had always thought that he was a mature man who would be accepting his partner's line of work whatever it was since he himself was working in a tough industry. But right now, he found himself pouting because of the fact that his girlfriend wouldn't be in his arms twenty-four-seven for the upcoming months.

Changbin snapped out when he felt a soft hand caressing his arm. He looked to the left to find his girl looking at him with appreciation. He was so lost in his thoughts to notice how quietly she approached him.

"You worked hard." She talked sweetly. "You must be tired from packing, driving, and fixing everything from the moment we arrived."

Changbin's chest flared up with pride at the compliments. "It's nothing." He waved his hand.

Stella stepped closer and encircled his bare torso with her arms, giving him a lovely hug as she rested her head on his shoulder. Changbin's blood ran cold when the girl breathed in and out, tingling his now sensitive skin. "I love how things are right now." She pulled away a little to plant a playful kiss on his cheek. "And I love you." She giggled.

Changbin relaxed and let out a light chuckle. He wrapped her in his arms and looked down on her. Rubbing his nose against hers, he talked. "I love you even more." He whispered. "Want to try the hammock?"

"YESS!" She cheered loudly, earning a loud laugh from Changbin who adored her excitement.

Stella turned around and hopped in the hammock. Changbin helped her carefully as she settled on it and started swinging. She extended her arms for him. "Come here."

"Umm, I'm not sure if it will bear the two of us." He hesitated.

"Come on!" She whined. "It will be fine. My boyfriend stabilized it perfectly well!"

How could he say no?

Smiling shyly, Changbin slipped next to her. Laying on their sides opposing each other, they both stayed silent while cuddling in each other's arms with the sound of the ocean surrounding them and the orange with purple streaks sky roofing them.

It was so peaceful that Changbin almost fell asleep if it weren't for Stella stirring in his arms. The girl turned around to look at the wide vast sea. She rested her back against his chest and pulled his arms around her again.

Changbin smiled and looked ahead of them at the sea. He looked down on her back and he noticed something for the first time. Through the low back line of her dress, a scar extended across her back horizontally between her shoulder blades. A scar that seemed to be a stretched version of how it used to be. It wasn't the first scar that Changbin noticed on her body but he never asked. Felix had already told him she had a tragic accident as a kid but he never knew it was that bad.

Absentmindedly, Changbin's fingers reached out for that scar and feathery caressed it.

"Ugly, right?" Stella questioned when she felt his touch there on her back.

Changbin jolted. He didn't know he was touching it. "What? No!"

Stella chuckled. "Don't worry. Comments on my scars don't hurt me anymore. You can be honest."

"I am being honest." He shot right away. Changbin paused for a moment that seemed unexplainably long. A moment that allowed him to take in the scar. To carefully absorb it. Hesitantly, he caressed the scar again. "It's beautiful. It looks like wings." He dipped his head down to plant a kiss on the scar. "It shows how strong you are and how far you have come since you were a little kid. It shows that you are a survivor. Maybe it was tragic back then, but it's how you got your wings." He pulled her closer, hugging her tighter. "It is beautiful. You are beautiful, Ella. Every and each inch of you is."

Stella froze for a second.

It was a first.

No one had ever viewed her scars as beautiful. Her fans and her company wanted them to be removed so she could get a flawless body. Her family wanted them to be removed so she would never be reminded of the tough times from back then. Even Felix suggested she get a tattoo or something. She never felt like doing any of that. She didn't hate her scars. She didn't see them as beautiful, but she didn't hate them. Nevertheless, she always covered them to spare the drama.

Stella turned around to face Changbin again. She scooted the closest ever to Changbin till she was flush against him. She breathed in, taking his scent that was now mixed with the sand and ocean smell. She rested her face against his bare chest as she relaxed in his arms.

"It's not the accident or what I had gone through, Changbin." She mumbled. "It was you who gave me those wings."