“I just want a break, a relief.” After Jimbae had finally expressed to Joe what actually made him go to places like that, Joe didn't know how to respond anymore. Not that it was a bad thing but because he suddenly was reminded of himself again. When he had started going to bars was when he began to miss Fah and her existence in his life but it was too late.

Maybe it was the same for Jimbae. Just like Joe, he was probably missing his recent breakup, Carrot. But what Joe didn't know was that he was missing Carrot but not in the way Joe thought he was.

In a while of total silence between them, Joe turned to look at Jimbae for a second, a little smile lit up his face as he took a turn towards a road. It took Jimbae a while to realize that the turn Joe took was unfamiliar to Jimbae, it was not the way to his house nor the way to Joe's dorm.

“Phi Joe! Where are you taking me?” Jimbae shouted out, almost panicking but the same innocent small smile was evident in Joe's lips as he blinked rapidly, he could easily be identified as genuinely happy.

“Let's go on a walk,” Joe answered, his eyes fixed on the road as the smile and his teeth still brightened to make the world shine.

Jimbae shook his head, denying slowly and looking around his seat. “We're in a car, phi!” He exclaimed.

“Just come with me,” Joe continued as he headed towards a road totally unknown to Jimbae.

Finally arriving at his beloved destination, Joe pulled over. Parking his car in a parking space gently, they both got out. “Where are we?” Jimbae asked as he followed him to wherever he wanted to take him.

Joe began walking towards a light brown tiled sidewalk beside the street. Following him there, Jimbae struggled just a bit to catch up. “On a beach,” Joe replied, taking a deep breath to inhale the fresh oxygen from the area surrounded by plants and trees.

Confused yet amazed, a bright smile formed on Jimbae's lips. He looked around the area. He could see the beach a bit far away and even the sidewalk he was walking on, beside the sidewalk were only large trees and bushes. “Beach? At night though?” Jimbae asked teasingly. “There's not much to see here at night. We can't even watch the sunset,” he complained.

Joe stopped walking as he found himself right in front of the beach's entrance. “Really? Can you look at that?” Joe walked inside and said as he pointed to the water of the ocean which was glowing gorgeously in the dim moonlight. “The moon and its light is beautiful, you know?” Joe continued to walk inside as he stepped off of the sidewalk.

“Stars are more beautiful,” Jimbae debated on purpose, following Joe to the place.

“You bet?” Joe asked, giggling lightly. Jimbae laughed back shaking his head as they both headed towards the sand around the ocean. “I actually took you here so you could have some fresh air. Nature helps you heal more than alcohol and bars,” Joe explained, behaving like he was the smartest person in the world.

Jimbae suddenly felt so refreshed that he actually wanted to take a nap there. After taking in a deep breath, he found himself seated on the cold sand. Landing his hands against the sand while leaning his body weight on it, he watched as Joe followed after and did the same.

It kind of pleased Jimbae to know that Joe already cared about him so much. He might always act cool and not say that but his actions showed otherwise. When Jimbae accidentally told Joe about the main part of the problem, he really didn't expect Joe to help him get better with it. Jimbae shook his head, smiling. “What a hypocrite! A bartender doesn't get to say that to anyone.”

The wind blew strongly upon Jimbae and Joe's bodies on the sand. The sand and the sound of waves along with the strong wind was so relaxing that they couldn't help but lie down there. “Yeah?” Joe asked as he leaned back, slightly digging a space for his head on the sand. “Nor does a minor who lies about his age to be allowed into bars,” he dug at Jimbae.

The sentence suddenly felt like a personal attack to Jimbae, perching through him. “I’m not the one who was trying to be Albert Einstein,” he teased. “Besides, I didn't lie about my age. I really am 18.”

Joe shrugged while laughing out loud. “No, you're not.” Jimbae didn't laugh. Instead, he began to stare down at Joe beside him, smiling just a bit. “Wait, you're serious?” Joe asked. Even though he really hadn't expected Jimbae to actually pass the ‘minor’ barrier, there was a part of him that was really happy knowing that.

“But- how?” Joe looked up, leaning his head on the palm of his hand above the sand. “Did you start school late?”

“I had to take a year off because of physical illness,” Jimbae replied, his expression quite relaxed.

“Physical illness? You're sick?” Joe asked, turning to look at Jimbae who was still staring up at the sky.

“I was. I used to have a lung tumor,” Jimbae explained. “It was a long time ago. I was like 9 or 10 back then.”

“Poor you,” Joe replied, turning to look back at the sky. The sky was full of stars that day and the full moon just made their night better. “Life is hard, right?” Joe suddenly asked out.

After a deep, disappointed sigh from Jimbae, he nodded slowly. “I wish I could just stop time. And forget about everything else,” he expressed.

“Right,” Joe began. “But you know, we can do that if we want though,” he continued. Jimbae turned to look at him in confusion, his little smile already showing the trust he had in Joe. “Tomorrow is the weekend. Do you want to care about nothing else and spend the day with me?”

Jimbae's smile widened. He really didn't expect Joe to offer something like that. But it'd be a total pleasure for him to spend time with someone he was beginning to like. Though Jimbae was very unsure about Joe's feelings, he trusted his own. It was an opportunity probably provided by god for him to figure himself out before getting closer to Joe.

Looking directly into Joe's eyes, Jimbae nodded excitedly. Extending his arms, Joe gave space to Jimbae before Jimbae himself leaned his head on Joe's arm.

To Be Continued…..

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A/n: A cute short chapter, basically how they're both starting to like each other's companies.

Please vore and comment if you liked this chapter. It encourages me to continue on ❤️