The Haven

6. Eternal Darkness (2) Pleasure

"Did you find Sun-woo?"

"No."

"You haven't given up, have you?"

Do-hyeon asked again.

"No. Actually, a lot has happened in the past few days. There's this couple, my closest seniors, one of them suddenly died. The other one left for the South Sea. I'm trying not to fall apart. Someone has started following me recently. Maybe because I've been using the teleporter. But still... Sun-woo... I'll keep looking for him."

I elaborated on what Do-hyeon was curious about. Even in moments of pause between sentences, choosing what to say next, Do-hyeon waited for me calmly.

I reached out and touched Do-hyeon's arm. The crinkly texture of his thin jacket brushed against my fingertips. Tracing down his sleeve, I finally held his long fingers. It was a signal that I had finished saying everything I wanted to. Do-hyeon pulled me closer by my hand. I went to him and embraced him. At that moment, I wanted to live in the now more than ever. I wanted to be completely honest, no longer hiding too much, even if it meant Do-hyeon might step back from me.

I once heard about his hometown at the swimming pool. Beyond the red and dry land, there were long green trees forming a forest like a massive castle, where living and inanimate things freely intermingled. At night, the navy sky hung with stars like chandeliers, and during the day, the light ivory sky floated with pink clouds.

"It sounds like a story from another world."

"Our home was by the sea. The coast sparkled with each wave, as if stars were shattering. I only realized how beautiful and special that sight was after I left my hometown. I spent more time in the sea than on land. On land, I had to stick to the ground, but the sea allowed movement in any direction. It was freeing and happy. So, honestly, all my fond memories of my hometown are in the sea."

Do-hyeon smiled softly. I remembered a documentary about Celuabay in the Indian Ocean, where the sea glittered with bioluminescent plankton at night. The scene of tiny, blue lights twinkling on the night beach might have resembled his hometown.

"It must have been beautiful."

"It was. The purple sea... My father said our hometown's seabed was like the Jacaranda forests in November, similar in color and scent. And he was right."

When I fell asleep next to Do-hyeon, I dreamed of swimming in his sea. Like most dreams, vivid scenes flew away, but the feeling of him being by my side as we swam through that sea remained unforgettable.

We didn't want to leave any regrets in what felt like our last moments together. We forgot how fast a day could pass. The mix of longing, desperation, and the loneliness felt even when together intertwined. Thus, we didn't delay experiencing any pleasure that could be shared. There were no regrets, no reproaches.

In the meantime, more explosions were heard. Sometimes, when the sirens stopped, gunfire as if in an exchange of attacks could be heard. The ground vibrated with tremors, and looking outside, the quiet neighborhood's narrow streets were occasionally traversed by modern tanks shining bright lights in a line.

What exactly was happening? Every time I tried to connect to the internet on my phone, Do-hyeon would stop me with words like, "Stay a little longer." or "Stay another day." He seemed afraid of our time together ending.