The Longing Sea

Chapter IV

"Are you not bored, staying in that water tank all day long?"

Gong Jun sat in front of the large aquarium, hugging his knees on the floor. By now, it had become a habit for him to visit this place every day after school was over.

The dream was as vivid as it could be, but still, he could not recall what it was that he saw behind the transparent glass. All he knew was that his young self had been completely taken in, that he was determined to visit without fail regardless of what others would say.

"I wish I knew how to get you out of there," Gong Jun saw his young self sighing, looking somewhat regretful, "Say, if you can leave this place, won't you take me along to swim at the sea?"

The boy scratched the back of his head.

"I'm not good at swimming, so my parents only allow me to play on the beach. But you look like a very good swimmer. If I'm with you, maybe they'll allow me to swim a bit farther. What do you think?"

Little Gong Jun stared into the glass wall, as if waiting for an answer. In the next moment, the boy's face beamed in excitement.

"Then, it's a promise! One day, let's go and play together at the sea. I'm looking forward to it."

***

The next few days went by peacefully, but a storm was brewing fiercer in Gong Jun's heart.

On one hand, even though it hadn't been a full week since they knew one another, Gong Jun had gotten used to Zhehan's presence by his side, as if he had known him for a long time. It brought a smile to his face whenever he went downstairs to open the shop in the morning and saw Zhehan already standing outside, waiting for him to open the door, and it made his heart swell even more when their eyes met and Zhehan showed him a smile. Had his self-control been any lesser, he would've rushed out and pulled this beautiful man into his arms every time he saw him, but Gong Jun decided it wouldn't be a wise thing to do.

For one, the other person might not necessarily share the same feeling and Gong Jun wasn't sure how to ask.

But what ultimately stopped him from acting too rashly was the fact that despite Zhehan's repeated assurance, it was already an undeniable fact that every time that person appeared on his doorstep, he looked even more sickly than the day before.

The man who stood outside his window on the first day had a warm complexion and bright eyes. His smile was gentle yet charming; there was elegance in the way he conducted himself in spite of his broken speech. But as the days went by, his complexion gradually became blanched and those expressive eyes started to dim. Even his smiles appeared weak and exhausted.

On the fifth day, after Gong Jun opened the door for him, Zhehan suddenly stumbled and nearly collapsed at the entrance. Gong Jun brought him upstairs to his house, letting him rest in the living room while he was preparing to open the shop. By the time he returned to check on him after attending to several customers, he saw that Zhehan had fallen into a deep sleep on the sofa. The latter only woke up after Gong Jun called his name and shook him multiple times, but he behaved as though nothing was the matter. Zhehan continued to accompany him for the rest of the day, saying his goodbye when sunset was approaching with the promise to come back.

On the sixth day, when the two of them were working on a simple flower arrangement for fun, Zhehan—who was sitting next to him—suddenly leaned over and rested his head on Gong Jun's shoulder. The young florist didn't even have time to blush for he immediately realized Zhehan had fallen asleep again out of the blue. He didn't wake up when Gong Jun carried him in his arms and brought him upstairs. Only when sunset was drawing near did Zhehan finally open his eyes. He apologized for once again causing unnecessary trouble for Gong Jun, then said his goodbye and left.