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"Honey," Sunhi starts. "I know you love swimming, but I need you to stay home today and help me in the garden." She pouts, hoping her son would give in and help her out. Thankfully, Donghyuck agrees after he makes a deal that she would let him go to the rocks the next day. Sunhi sighs but nods and leads him back to the garden where the tomatoes and cabbages were growing, along with Donghyuck's herb garden.

"What do we need to do?"

"Well," Sunhi puts on some garden gloves and hands her son the second pair. "You need to take care of your herbs; they've been neglected all week. I need to water the tomatoes and un-weed the flower beds. Plus, I think it's time for those roses to go."

Donghyuck pouts. "Really? But I like them." He exclaims in protest.

"I don't find that they fit the garden anymore, and the color isn't really what I want right now." Mrs. Lee says. "Anyways, can you grab the basket and watering can from the shed and I'll start on the weeds."

"Yes ma'am," Donghyuck says playfully as he makes his way to the shed. He opens the door and flicks on the light as he searches for the basket that held the gardening tools. After a few more seconds in which he spent looking around for the watering can, Donghyuck heads back to the garden and sets the tool basket in the middle; he fills up the can with water and puts it next to his mother who thanks him softly.

"You should weed the box around the parsley as well; I saw some roots growing in."

"Aish." The tanned boy scratches the back of his head. "Ok, thanks for telling me."

"Those plants won't take care of themselves."

"Yes, yes! I'm on it." Donghyuck puts his hands up in surrender and his mother just laughs. They spend the rest of the day in the garden, only going inside to have some lemonade and sandwiches. Donghyuck found it nice to just be outside with his mother, laughing and teasing each other. It was warming, calm, and quaint; all things which the boy needed from time to time. Of course, he loved being crazy and running around town, but he was still his mother's son, and just like her- he was a bit of an introvert. Sure, he liked to have fun and he enjoyed his time talking with the street vendors, but he didn't really have any friends. The one friend he did have moved away to the mainland years ago and Donghyuck was left alone. Sure, he didn't hate it, but it did get to him every once in awhile.

But then, as if the gods had heard his plea, Mark Lee flew into Jeju (and his heart uwu) and made his life just that much brighter. He respected Donghyuck's boundaries and needs and was always thoughtful. Of course, he was awkward and a bit jumpy but that was just another one of Mark Lee's many charms. His ability to make Donghyuck laugh or smile at any little thing was something the younger boy knew he would always treasure and love. It was something Donghyuck didn't know he needed, and that's just how it started. Mark came into his life, proving to him that he was that missing piece Donghyuck didn't know he lost [yOu'Re mY miSSinG puZzLe pieCe].

Donghyuck just hoped that Mark loved him just as deeply as Donghyuck loved Mark.

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Mark strums his guitar and basks in the warmth of the evening sun while Donghyuck's angelic voice echoes around the cliffs. He was singing some made-up tune in which Mark did not recognize but just assumed that Donghyuck was going along with the guitar notes. Heck, the boy could be reciting the encyclopedia dramatica and Mark would still listen. That sounded a bit weird, but he honestly couldn't give a frickling frickle frackle so boo you whore.

As the song comes to a close and Mark holds out the final note, Donghyuck sighs in content. "The whipper wills should be coming out soon."

Mark checks his watch and raises his brows. "I didn't know we were out here that long. But yeah, it's almost 9."

"And yet the sun still hasn't set." Donghyuck laughs and leans back on his arms. "Summer nights are some of the best all year. You can stay up as late as you want and it's always perfectly warm." He smiles at Mark who just returns the gesture.

"Yeah, back in Canada, they weren't always super warm." He pauses. "But it was still nice to watch the sunset." He chuckles. "My grandmother used to paint the sunrises and sunsets all the time; every weekend we would get a new canvas full of her works. It was honestly kinda funny. My parents always kept the paintings, and most of them are in my room now."

"That's nice. I never got to meet my grandparents. After finding out that my dad married my mom, he was kicked out of the house."

"Why?"

"My dad and his family were part of the rich Korean class. My mom, on the other hand, comes from a family of farmers and local owners. But they fell in love, which my dad's family hated so they shunned him. He and mom moved here, and I was born a few years later." Donghyuck lets out a breath of air. "But when I was 6, my dad died. It was genetics actually, his family has a long history of heart and lung disease. It was the latter that took him. That and the fact that he smoked." Donghyuck shakes his head, scolding his father for the stupid habit.

Mark frowns and pulls Donghyuck into his lap. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The younger boy smiles. "It was long ago, and I and my mother have gotten past the grieving. Sure I miss him but I don't really remember him that much." he waves his hand dismissively. 

"I know, but still." Mark furrows his brows in discontent.

"Don't start getting sappy now Mark Lee," Donghyuck warns, a soft peck on the lips coming right after. "I didn't sign up for that."

"Good thing I never gave you a contract to sign Lee Donghyuck." Mark chuckles and kisses the boy again, this one lasting much longer than before. And soon enough, Mark was leaving kisses all along Donghyuck's neck and collarbone.

The sunset was pretty, but Mark found the boy beneath him so much prettier.

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