01
„OH MY GOD,” Taerae squealed after a moment, realizing he’d bumped into the object of his affections at his favorite coffee shop.
Everything would have been fine, except for the shake he’d just bought. To cool off, he was currently on the clothes of the one he could only dream of chatting up. His friend Hanbin stood completely stunned, his mouth wide open, only waiting for a fly to get in.
The Hwarang’s friends had the same expression, standing there dumbfounded. A silence fell over the coffee shop, one you could cut with a knife. Even the saleswoman who took orders stood still. Unsure of what to do, as she knew the boy well and it was best to stay out of his way.
It was no wonder, then, that it was only a matter of moments before a brawl broke out. She’d already felt sorry for Taerae as she entered, though he wasn’t aware of it at the moment. His precious strawberry milkshake. Currently, it was running down the shirt of none other than the Hwarang himself, who was looking confusedly, from his shirt to the culprit of this incident.
Unaware of what poor Taerae was mentally going through. And the more he looked at him, the blood in his veins accelerated dangerously. Which meant his heart was starting to leap into his throat, and at any moment he could transform into a rabbit, something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Considering that the damn cold milkshake had briefly allowed Taerae to see his shirt clinging to his body, making his heart palpitate even more. He didn’t need to touch his face to know he was turning beet red, and there was nothing he could do about it at that moment.
However, since morning, he’d felt it in his bones that it would be better to reschedule this meeting with Hanbin. If he had, he probably wouldn’t be the center of attention now, and people wouldn’t be watching with bated breath to see what would happen next. Because, honestly, no one had the slightest idea how the other would react.
„What the fuck have you done?,” Hwarang finally roared, just after his brain finally delivered the information that his favorite blouse was covered in something cold and pink and white.
„S-sorry, that wasn’t intentional!,” Taerae’s high-pitched voice, which he couldn’t stop, rose again.
With each word he uttered, his tone grew increasingly shrill. And you could see the unfeigned fear in his eyes. And that was because he hadn’t intended to approach him this way, of that he was one hundred percent certain. His rabbit nature was starting to show even more, and he felt like running away and getting the hell out of there.
He felt that if he stayed here any longer, his life would be in danger. Especially since, in Taerae’s eyes, Hwarang was a carnivore and he was a herbivore. That’s why he felt so lousy at that moment, let alone if she discovered his damn secret. Just the thought made him feel cold.
„Yeah, I can see it! You’ll pay for ruining my clothes!,” Hwarang growled after a moment, ignoring the boy’s words.
And with that, he began to approach him, dangerously close. By that time, Taerae’s heart was practically pounding out of his chest, and his legs were starting to feel like jelly. And the day had started so beautifully, and there was no indication he’d have to run for his life!
As Hwarang took steps forward, Taerae took just as many steps back. He knew he had to do something or he’d get a beating. He had no idea that the whole scene had been orchestrated by his crush, who wasn’t quite sure how to ask him out.
Considering that Hwarang had only recently discovered he was gay. And the culprit was none other than Taerae, who grew sweeter in his eyes with each meeting. He didn’t even know when she’d started calling him a sweet bunny, and he had to be careful not to say it out loud.
He didn’t want to talk to him that way, but he couldn’t destroy his image as a „bad boy” who hated everything cute, whether it was alive or not. It was eating away at him, and it was eating away at him deeply, making him walk around irritated and angry. He longed to finally let it out and be who he truly was.
It was no surprise, then, when Hwarang approached him and wanted to hit him. He dodged his swing, only to have his hands rest briefly on his chest, only then, with all the strength he possessed, push him. Regardless of whether he fell or not, Taerae brushed past him and, without a backward glance, left the café in a bunny-like motion.
Leaving behind a shocked Hanbin, who was already opening his mouth to say something, but as he knew, he couldn’t. All that was left of Taerae was an empty strawberry milkshake container. Not forgetting Hwarang, whose buttocks touched the cold floor of the room.
Because he hadn’t expected the boy to have the strength to tackle him. It was no wonder, then, that he lowered his head. Only to then run his hand through his hair and burst into uncontrollable, hysterical laughter. A laughter that hadn’t graced his lips in a long time, until that moment.
That’s why he sounded so awful, but he didn’t realize it. Meanwhile, the cafe had become empty, as if the other customers were afraid he was about to kill them. If it weren’t for Hanbin’s nerves of steel, he probably would have left the place in a heartbeat.
„Jesus, Hwarang, what was that?,” LEW finally stammered, simultaneously trying to help Hwarang pick himself up from the floor, but he couldn’t because Hanbin had already beaten him to it.
„I’m sorry about my friend, I don’t know what got into him,” Hanbin turned to him after a moment, trying to placate Hwarang somehow.
„It’s my fault. If only I hadn’t glared at him with murder in my eyes, he wouldn’t have run away in such a hurry!,” Hwarang replied after a moment, completely forgetting about the stain on the shirt Taerae had presented him, before turning to LEW, because, as everyone knows, he couldn’t be more divided, „What do you think that was?!”
„What are you saying?! And how much do you think I’ll help you? You ruin almost every plan I make, and you’re thinking about being with my best friend? This is getting tiring!,” Hanbin hissed after a moment, who a moment later picked up the empty package and threw it in the trash can.
„I realize that...,” Hwarang didn’t finish his sentence, as Hanbin interrupted him.
„If you realize that, then what are you still doing here?,” Hanbin asked after a moment, having no idea why he was still here instead of chasing after a terrified Taerae to clear up the misunderstanding.
„Even if I leave the cafe, I still don’t know where to find him!,” Hwarang remarked after a moment, because he didn’t really know where Taerae could have gone and didn’t want to search haphazardly.
“If I’m not mistaken, he went to the nearby playground, where he always hides when something happens,” Hanbin said after a long moment of thought, secretly hoping he wasn’t mistaken on that score.
„Are you sure?,” Hwarang asked after a moment, wanting to make sure this was a good lead.
„It wouldn’t hurt to check, would it?,” Hyuk asked after a moment, joining the conversation.
Hwarang fell silent for a moment, as if wondering if it was a good idea after all. That was because he wasn’t convinced he’d find him there. On the other hand, he had no other option, because he couldn’t run around the entire city to find him. No matter how much he wanted to, it was impossible no matter how he looked at it. Finally, he closed his eyes for a moment and counted to 10 before opening them again. That was the only way he could decide to go there. He didn’t really lose anything, and he could only gain something.
„Why not? It wouldn’t hurt to check! I don’t want anything to happen to him by accident, right?,” Hwarang announced after a moment, realizing that that was likely to happen.
„Then what are you waiting for?,” LEW remarked after a moment, not quite understanding why Hwarang was still here, chatting with them, instead of rushing after him and catching up.
„Then it’s time for me to go! I’ll let you know when I find him and find out why he ran off in such a hurry!,” Hwarang announced after a moment, quickly brushing past his friends to leave the café.
He didn’t even wait to hear what they would say, his mind was already completely elsewhere. No matter how hard he tried to think of something, nothing seemed to fit. He pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket, having completely forgotten about them and only remembered them when he stepped out into the sun.
The sun blinded him for a moment, forcing him to stop for a moment, as he had no other choice. He sighed quietly and put on his sunglasses so he could continue. With each step he took, his heart began to pound harder. He wanted to find him as quickly as possible, but he knew that if he hid, finding him wouldn’t be easy.
„Well, that’s your fate!,” Hwarang muttered under his breath, right after finally reaching the playground his friends had told him about.
He stood before it and began to wonder what to do next. This was because the playground was enormous, and there was no way he could find it quickly. On the other hand, he wasn’t about to give up now; he was one hundred percent sure of that. He sighed again quietly and clenched his fists slightly.
He knew perfectly well that there was no turning back, and if he just returned without finding Taerae, it would have looked like he was chickening out, but he finally pulled himself together and adjusted his glasses. Once he did, he could cross the playground in peace and finally look for him. He didn’t know why, but he had a rather strange feeling that this wasn’t a good idea.
„Why do I feel so strange, like I don’t know what I’m doing?,” Hwarang thought after a moment, unable to shake the strange feeling that had gripped him since they’d entered the playground.
