fluid: haobin

32

hao looks at the clock, sighing when he sees that it's 2 am and he's still not feeling tired. the group had done a lot of sightseeing that day, and everyone looked exhausted when they returned to the hotel in the evening. however, the fatigue had worn off and was replaced by nerves.

the manager tossed and turned, but nothing felt right. he gave up and just got up, slipped on his slippers, and tip-toed to the balcony door. the summer nights are always humid in korea, but there was also a slight cool feeling from being so close to the water. hao can also smell the salt as he opens the door and steps onto the patio.

it couldn't have been more than 5 minutes of silence until a quiet voice breaks the moment.

"can't sleep?"

hanbin steps out, yawning and rubbing his hair as he blinks quickly to get himself awake. something about this whole look makes the other's heart beat a little faster while also trying not to think so much about how cute he looks.

"sorry, did i wake you up?" hao asks sheepishly. "you should go back and sleep."

"i was trying to sleep, but it wouldn't come to me. i even had my eyes closed for a while, but nothing," the korean joins him and leans against the railing. "wow, you can really smell the ocean from here."

"it's so nice, so different than back in seoul. the stars are also brighter here. look."

the older points up and motions at the small lights against the dark backdrop. they're mostly smaller dots, but the bigger ones stick out and twinkle like in animation. hanbin takes a moment to look next to him, grinning at how enamored hao looks from the view.

"i think that's polaris? it's the brightest star in the night sky," the younger points to the largest speck. "that's the first star my cousin and i pointed out together, maybe when we were 6?"

"you were really young then."

"my mom had bought me this big book on stars and constellations, so it was a mission to sit outside and try to look for them. sadly, since we were living in the city, i could barely see more than 3 stars at a time," hanbin laughs while talking about the fond memory. "my aunt's apartment had a big table that us kids would lie on, and there was one really clear night. we snuck up together with our sleeping bags and camped out."

"didn't your aunt get scared when she didn't find you guys in the morning?"

"of course she did! she was on the phone with the police when she burst onto the rooftop and immediately started scolding when seeing us sleeping. ended up getting grounded for a week, but it was totally worth it to see polaris."

hao laughs throughout the story, and he can feel his nervousness go away, little by little.

"did you always live in seoul?" he asks the dancer.

"no, i grew up in cheonan. i moved here for university and then my mom followed so she could start her second cafe. she goes back and forth between cheonan and seoul, but mostly stays in our hometown."

"i keep forgetting your mom has a cafe so close to us. all this time of me getting lattes from there, and i haven't run into you there. that's gotta be bad luck or timing."

"actually, i'm gonna confess this right now," hanbin takes a breath before talking. "i recognized you our first time meeting because i was working in the back when i saw you come in a couple of times."

"what?! really?!" hao was shocked at the revelation. "why didn't you say anything before?"

"one, it would've been awkward for me to come up to you randomly and drop the fact. and also, didn't have the opportunity to mention it until now."