The Longing Sea

Chapter II

 Gong Jun had a dream.

In that dream, he had returned to the day of his childhood once more, lost within the labyrinth that was pillars and walls of transparent glasses filled with bluish seawater.

Perhaps somewhere, deep within his consciousness, he was aware by now of the recurrence of this dream, for his young self no longer felt too much fear and panic despite having been separated from his parents.

Just like in the nights before, Gong Jun found himself wandering into that strange place full of unknown machinations and empty water tanks. Once again, he came across that massive aquarium, as large as an entire room.

But the scenes following that discovery soon became a blur. Gong Jun could not recall what he saw or heard, what he did or said to whatever entity was trapped behind the glass wall.

In the end, all he remembered was a streak of red gliding in the blue water, two startling dark eyes that reflected his presence like a pair of mirrors...and a smile more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen in his life.

***

The mysterious person from yesterday returned to Gong Jun's place. He stood in the same spot as before, gazing at the multitude of colorful flowers inside the shop through the large window. When he saw Gong Jun emerging from the store, that person flinched and looked as if he wanted to run away again, but this time he didn't do so.

"...G...ood...morning..."

His voice was soft and nearly broken. At that moment, Gong Jun realized this person might be having difficulty speaking. The way he talked was slow and his speech sounded "fractured" in every word and syllable. It looked like he needed to exert a great force simply to form those two simple words of greeting and the person himself seemed to be aware of his abnormality. Right after he finished expressing this short greeting, the pair of dark eyes that was previously looking at Gong Jun was immediately cast down.

Gong Jun did find him strange, especially after the man ran off all of a sudden yesterday. But seeing him like this, he didn't have the heart to scold or interrogate the person.

"Good morning," he smiled kindly, "Can I help you?"

The person looked at him and opened his mouth, but he appeared to have no idea what to say. Gong Jun noticed that for some reason, this person was shaking like a leaf. Today was not particularly cold and this man was sufficiently dressed, as well. Yet both of his legs were trembling so much he might crumble to his knees anytime soon. In fact, when Gong Jun took a closer look at him, the man's warm complexion seemed to have paled somewhat.

Afraid that he would faint at his door, Gong Jun led him inside and had him sit on the small couch near the cashier's counter. The mysterious person was taken aback upon receiving the offer, more so when Gong Jun willingly took his arm and carefully brought him into the shop. Even after he sat down, his entire person was brimming with so much confusion and anxiety that it was pitiful to see.

"Would you like something to drink?" Gong Jun asked him, as gently as he could.

The man's first response was to shake his head, but he stopped midway then started nodding a few times. So Gong Jun went ahead and poured him a cup of tea. Even his hands trembled when receiving the teacup from Gong Jun. Only after he managed to swallow a few gulps of the warm liquid did the man finally calm down somewhat, even though his eyes looked a bit restless still.

Gong Jun squatted in front of him and gazed up at that beautiful, bewildered face.

"So... Is there something I can help you with?" he asked again, "You're not from around here, are you? Did you get lost?"