The Snail Bride happened to be a decent restaurant, serving traditional Korean food.
The cozy atmosphere helped Yi Jeong to calm down fast and he was studying the menu, curiously.
„Pick whatever you like, it's on me, today." Woo Bin said and got a gentle kick under the table.
„Hey!" he laughed and Yi Jeong smiled at him. „Stop spoiling me. I saw the shopping bags too, you got me a present, didn't you?"
„Does it help if I say I went in with the intention to get myself a new jacket but then I saw something for you I couldn't leave behind?" Woo Bin returned the smile and Yi Jeong laughed.
He wasn't really mad at him, but Woo Bin's effort showed how much he was failing in trying to hide, that he wasn't okay recently.
Woo Bin deserved to know the truth and later, he would tell him everything.
"Did you find something for you?" Yi Jeong asked to keep his mind off the topic and Woo Bin nodded.
„Do you remember that nice leather jacket I always regretted not buying, because I never found something similar?"
„Ohhh you looked so hot in that one." Yi Jeong sighed wistfully, mourning a lost opportunity.
„Well, I found something similar." Woo Bin wiggled his eyebrows and Yi Jeong's face brightened up.
„So you bought two things for me, nice." he teased and Woo Bin laughed.
„Wrong. The sweater I got you is so soft, I couldn't let go of the fabric so that's all for selfish reasons."
Their cheerful banter got distracted by the waitress, coming to take their orders.
Both decided to try the Kimchi stew with a shared bottle of wine and the woman nodded with a friendly smile. Her eyes lasted on Yi Jeong a moment too long, before she left.
Bok Hye Ja, also known as the Snail Bride, the actual owner of the restaurant, walked away and passed a table with three other well known guests, shooting them a reproachful look.
Yi Jeong frowned and whispered: „Did she look at me in a weird way? I think she looked at me in a weird way.."
„Stop being paranoid." Woo Bin whispered back, „Do you know how often people stop and stare at you because you are so handsome?" he grinned, but Yi Jeong's eyes follwed the woman.
When she passed the table, his eyes widened.
The moment he looked at the other guests, they all hid behind their menues.
„That's her! That's the woman from the park!" Yi Jeong hissed and now Woo Bin looked over there, too.
„What's wrong with them?" he asked, „Who behaves like that?"
„How about, I ask them?" Yi Jeong said with a bitter smile and was about to jump up, but Woo Bin covered his hand with his and squeezed it softly.
„Let's just enjoy dinner... please?" he looked at Yi Jeong with huge, pleading eyes, causing him to sigh and relax. „You're right.. Hey. What if they are your fans and only use me to stalk you."
„No one knows my face. And it was you she was calling by another name." Woo Bin reminded him and Yi Jeong leaned back. He was lost in thoughts for a moment, then he frowned.
„Don't you think it's a bit weird that we had that flyer in the mail and now those weird people are in the exact same weird restaurant, acting even weirder?"
Woo Bin squinted over at the other table, than he looked at Yi Jeong and nodded, his fingers playing with a napkin.
Yi Jeong used his mobile phone to type a message. For some reason, he felt like talking wasn't safe.
‚The past few days, I thought I was going crazy... I even got my brain checked for tumors today because I had no explanation. I'll tell you everything later. Let's just pretend we're not bothered by them for now.'
Woo Bin took the mobile phone and read the text, then he laughed, like Yi Jeong had showed him a funny meme.
„Good one. Can you send me the link?" he asked and looked deep into his friend's eyes.
„Sure." Yi Jeong returned the intense look and faked a smile. He started telling Woo Bin about his day at work, until they got their food. It was quite delicious and both men enjoyed it in silence, until the door flung open and someone dramatically walked inside.
Yi Jeong almost choked at his bite and coughed. With the new stranger, a way too familiar scent entered the room.
He stared at the tall man, who looked like straight from a movie.
„Hey... what's wrong? Do you know him?" Woo Bin asked and Yi Jeong dropped his gaze, hastily turning back to face his food.
„I do... I just don't know from where.."
-
Yi Yeon walked straight to the table where his close friend and his family was acting like nothing was wrong.
The moment Yi Yeon sat down, they all flinched.
„Are you kidding me?" he asked and no one dared to make eye contact with the former mountain god.
„Shin Ju!"
„Who told you?" Shin Ju asked, his voice very thin and Yi Yeon pointed over to Bok Hye Ja.
„All of you, you need to be grounded or what am I supposed to do with you?" he took a menu from the table and hit each of them on the head.
„I wanted to see him, too.." Shin Ju whined. „Me too!" Su Ho sounded like a seven year old again and Yi Yeon worried his nose would start running any minute, though the boy was already in his early twenties.
„Okay. How much did you mess up so far.." he asked and Yu Ri flinched again, when his eyes met hers.
„He recognized me.. from the park.." she mumbled and Yi Yeon took a deep breath.
„And since then, we pretend we're not here, looking like idiots." Su Ho added with a bright smile and Yi Yeon rubbed his face with his palms.
„They talked about us, so I guess my plan to spy on them without getting noticed failed.. a little.." Shin Ju mumbled, staring into his bowl like he wanted to be absorbed by it.
„Okay.. so now you all saw him. You all see that this is freaking him out, right? We wanted to protect him, this is confusing him. All of you stay away from him for now. I'll watch him." Yi Yeon said and Yu Ri rolled her eyes. „I'll watch him." she imitated his voice in a snarky way.
„I heard that!" Yi Yeon warned and she jumped up, almost causing a plate to fall off the table. „So? Why are you making the rules? Because he's your brother? I care as much about him as you do, why do you decide about his life? Maybe he misses us too but he doesn't know without his memory. That's what confuses him!" the young, hot tempered Gumiho stomped out of the restaurant.
„Yu Ri-Ssi!" Shin Ju called and stumbled after her.
Yi Yeon exchanged a look with Su Ho, who looked at him innocently. „What?" he asked and Su Ho smiled. „I'm not paying."
Yi Yeon took a deep breath and looked over to the table where his brother was sitting with his boyfriend. They both were looking over to them, chewing slowly, but so did all the other guests.
This family was a disaster.
-
Yi Jeong and Woo Bin made it back home without any further incidences.
While Woo Bin was driving, Yi Jeong checked the internet, if anyone reported similar things recently, but he found nothing.
„Can we take a little walk?" Yi Jeong asked, because he wasn't ready to go in yet, and needed some fresh air to clear his head. Woo Bin agreed.
It was dark already and Yi Jeong picked a route that was rather empty, so he took his friend's hand and laced their fingers together. He wasn't looking at Woo Bin, when he started talking.
„I didn't know how to tell you because nothing made sense in my head and I was scared you would think I'm crazy.." he started and Woo Bin looked at him, squeezing his hand a little for support.
„No matter how crazy it sounds, you can tell me. We'll figure it out." he promised. „Hey. I witnessed snow in September, I'm already prepared for crazy."
A little smile flashed over Yi Jeong's lips and he took a deep breath before he kept talking.
„That day when you thought I was getting a heart attack.. I didn't feel sad that day.. there was no reason to be sad. I felt like... suddenly being possessed by someone else's feelings. It felt so real, but the pain wasn't mine. I never experienced anything that could cause me to feel that way. It scared me." he took a little break to give Woo Bin the chance to say something, but he just kept listening.
„There was more. I thought I saw someone on the balcony. I would say it was just my reflection but... My cigarettes are gone. I know I left them there and I know you didn't take them. I searched our entire apartment but they are gone! It was a new box! Also that weird scent I'm smelling.. It was on the balcony, on the mother of that new kid in my class, you know, the one who acted so strangely. And today, it came with the guy who looked like a model from the restaurant."
„Could it be that they all use the same fabric softener?" Woo Bin said and Yi Jeong looked at him, pain written all over his face. „Are you making fun of me?" he asked, but when Woo Bin turned his head to face him, he knew he wasn't.
„No, I'm seriously trying to make sense of what you're saying. Could it be that they all work in a place where that scent sticks to their clothes and it's close to our home so you could smell it on the balcony? Something like that?"
„It's not food or perfume or fabric softener... I can't describe it, I think I never smelled something like that before. Three more times, I thought someone was on the balcony. And I'm having those nightmares..."
„Nightmares?" Woo Bin asked and Yi Jeong nodded.
„I'm in the woods and suddenly everything around me is burning... It's so hot and I'm scared. There's no way to escape.. then I wake up. I feel like something is following me all the time.. I thought I'm hallucinating or something so I went to see a doctor but..."
The moment his voice broke, Woo Bin stopped to pull Yi Jeong into a tight embrace.
„You really thought something is seriously wrong with you, hm?" he said softly and Yi Jeong replied with a sob.
„You must have been so scared, why didn't you tell me right away? I know why but.. damn, I'm here for stuff like that, don't you understand? I don't need you to always function, I don't need you to make sense all the time.. I'm here, even if you go crazy, but I am absolutely sure, that you are not, okay? We will figure this out. From now on, I want you to tell me everything."
Woo Bin felt his friend nod against his shoulder, where he had buried his face.
Yi Jeong was clinging to him like his life was depending on it and Woo Bin let his fingers run through his hair over and over, waiting for his friend to calm down.
„I should have told you right away.. I'm so sorry.." he mumbled and Woo Bin smiled. „Yeah, you should have. But I understand, so don't worry. If you want, I won't leave your side from now on until you decide otherwise.. I can take my work with me.."
Yi Jeong made a bit space between him and Woo Bin, only enough to be able to wipe over his eyes and look at his boyfriend. „I think I would like that.." he admitted quietly and Woo Bin smiled.
„Then we'll do that and you have no reason to feel bad about it, okay? The doctor found nothing, so it's not you.. it's something else and we will find it. You absolutely don't have to deal with this alone."
„I'm still waiting for the results of my blood test.. Woo Bin.. what if something happens to me? Will you be okay?"
Woo Bin laughed, but actually his heart dropped in his chest. „What are you talking about? Nothing's gonna happen to you. I'll protect you. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out... okay?" he whispered and swiped a strand of hair out of Yi Jeong's face, then he dried the remaining traces of tears with his thumbs.
„Okay.." Yi Jeong whispered back and nodded. He let out a shaky breath and his eyes found Woo Bin's.
„Okay.." Woo Bin echoed once more and gave Yi Jeong a warm smile.
„I think... I want to see my new sweater now." Yi Jeong mumbled with a little smile and Woo Bin laughed with relief. „Let's go!"
While Woo Bin got the shopping bags from the car, Yi Jeong looked up the building, trying to find a way how anyone could easily access their balcony, but it seemed impossible. At least from where he stood.
The building had 12 levels all together, was it possible to reach the balcony from the roof?
„What are you looking at?" Woo Bin's voice came out of nowhere, but it didn't startle him.
„I'm just thinking, unless you're Spiderman, it's quite difficult to suddenly appear and disappear on our balcony."
„Hmh.. How about we check the roof tomorrow? Maybe we find a hint or something." Woo Bin suggested and Yi Jeong eyed him from the side.
„You sure? Don't you think it's a bit ridiculous?"
„Hey, don't be a bummer. We could have some fun with this. Now, we are the ones hunting those who try to scare us." Woo Bin poked him with his elbow and grinned.
With that face, Woo Bin still had this very boy-ish look and it made Yi Jeong smile.
„What if they're dangerous?"
„The people from the restaurant? Seriously?"
Now Yi Jeong laughed. It was the first time in days, that it just came out so naturally and he felt his whole body relax. No, there was no way those jerks from the restaurant would be a serious threat.
Finally back inside, the first thing Yi Jeong did was closing the curtains.
He felt so much better after telling Woo Bin everything, he wanted to punch himself for even considering his friend wouldn't take him seriously or wouldn't support him.
When he turned around, he saw his better half standing in the middle of the room, wearing his new leather jacket.
„Well, hello, handsome!" Yi Jeong smiled and walked up to him.
„Feel it. It's so smooth!" Woo Bin said excitedly and Yi Jeong let his fingers run over the soft leather.
He hummed softly and pulled his friend closer to smell the fabric.
„I like this scent on you. I feel ten times more safe already, just with you wearing this." he smiled and Woo Bin chuckled.
„Here's yours." he finally handed over the bag with the present and watched Yi Jeong pulling out the sweater.
„You want me to look like a zebra?" he asked dryly, unfolding the sweater and Woo Bin's smile faded. „You hate it."
„Nah, I love it." Yi Jeong replied with a big smile on his face and buried his face in the fabric.
„Whaa.. so soft!" he said happily and gave Woo Bin a hug. „Thank you, you're the best!" Yi Jeong kissed his cheek. „I really love it.. and you." He mumbled against his skin. While he kept kissing down his neck, he slowly shoved him to the bedroom.
Woo Bin laughed and hugged him back, slowly walking backwards.
„I know, but keep going."