With the minutes counting down, Midnight Swallow has turned from a quaint relaxing bar, to a stage for an underground concert. Crowds of people amble around as they wait for the opening band. Leather jackets, wild hair, multiple piercings. Alcohol, adrenaline, anticipation. An atmosphere Ha Yoon is all too familiar with. Even though he is alone here, he doesn’t feel out of place.

Unfortunately, Ki Tae has only given him one entry ticket and even when Ha Yoon offers to ask for more, Dae Won is happy to house-sit and catch up on some work. Ha Yoon feels slightly guilty for having a night out by himself but Dae Won has reassured him that he has work to do. Thinking about it now, this routine seems to be happening too many times.

When was the last time we’ve gone on a date?

Sure they have enjoyed a lot of movies at home, but finding time to go out together is quite impossible. Overtime work, video conference, not feeling well. So many reasons.

The churning ball returns to the pit of his stomach. Just as friends. The words remain in the back of his mind. Ha Yoon bites the bottom of his lips to distract himself.

No, stop thinking like that. We’ve worked so hard to achieve this life. Don’t be greedy.

But he can’t deny the emptiness inside him.

He wants more.

He wants the thrill.

He wants the blood-pumping excitement that reminded him of the many fights they were involved in and the devil-may-care lives they run with while believing that the world was in their hands.

The remaining lights dim into the darkness. Silence drowns the sea of hushed whispers. And then the stage flashes in bright red and gold lights, revealing the four silhouettes of the band members. Three strikes of the drumsticks and an explosion of passion and energy rushes through the air, vibrating the floors and walls. The crowd goes wild.

Looking up from the dance floor, Ha Yoon can’t take his eyes off Ki Tae.

The Ki Tae he knew was a sullen boy who found comfort in trashy grunge music. A boy who tagged along quietly because even if he preferred to keep to himself, he still liked their company. Ki Tae was the last person to want to stand out. Ki Tae was a boy who was easily forgotten as he sat in the shadows.

But here, flooded by the stage lights, is a charismatic young man who holds himself with pride and confidence. His black hair and clothes frame his pale face perfectly, accentuating the piercings and his sharp gaze. He stands tall, firm, in control of the strums of his electric guitar. His rough voice backs the main vocals and even though he is on the right side of the band, he stands center stage in Ha Yoon’s eyes.

Waves of energy crash around him. Loud voices. Arms in the air. Heat rises and envelops the crowd, coursing through Ha Yoon’s body. The years have gone by where he pushes aside his teenage lifestyle to become an upstanding adult of society and standing here in the midst of the music, Ha Yoon is transported back to a time he has longed for.

Ki Tae’s dark eyes shine in the light. And when they lock gazes, in that moment, the world surrounding them disappears, leaving only the two of them in a space of their own. No one but them.

Clang

Sparkle

Snap

A feeling he has buried. A feeling he tells himself he shouldn’t have.

The days when he pined over Dae Won and the nights he cried out of loneliness. In the solemn darkness, Ki Tae knocked on his door. Ki Tae held him. Ki Tae whispered sweet words of love.

The music ends with a grand finale. From the stage, Ki Tae keeps his eyes on Ha Yoon, a boyish smirk on his lips. As the band exits, Ki Tae winks at Ha Yoon and the single gesture takes his breath away.

Ha Yoon struggles to keep himself together. Without thinking, he goes against the waves of crowds as the next band comes up. He rushes off to the bar and follows the direction the bartender indicates. Ha Yoon enters through the staff only door and finds Ki Tae at the end of the hallway.

“I’ve still got it, right?” Ki Tae grins.

“You sure do!” Ha Yoon walks up to him with a bounce in his steps.

In the short distance between them and the small space of the hallway, their body heat mingles. Ha Yoon can’t look away from Ki Tae’s deep gaze. His mind tells him that he should turn away, to walk off, to go home, but his heart drums so loud that he can’t hear the words in his head and before he can stop himself, Ha Yoon stands on tip-toes and presses his lips against Ki Tae’s.

A chaste kiss.

Simply a soft touch.

He inches away, shy gaze glancing from underneath eyelashes.

Ki Tae places his warm hands on Ha Yoon’s hips for a moment, holding, as if grounding them to make sure that this is real. Then he closes their distance and tilts his head to kiss Ha Yoon full on the lips.

The music and cheering become an echo behind thin walls. Ha Yoon hesitates to wrap his arms around Ki Tae but when their tongues meet, he melts their bodies together. A sensation he doesn’t know he has been craving. Smooches, sucklings, a smack of the lips.

They part with a string of saliva between their reddened lips.

“Let me pack up my guitar,” Ki Tae whispers in a husky voice. “Wait here.”

Ha Yoon leans against the wall. His body shivers at the heat rushing from his cheeks to his stomach to between his legs. Oh, he knows. Once Ki Tae bids his friends farewell, they are going somewhere together alone.