HEART
Palau

In the first ten minutes since dinner began it was filled only by the sound of forks and plates clashing together.

Psyche had no idea that Adam could cook. But he hated the tomatoes that seemed to fill the man's every dish. He set aside pieces of object—which is either included in vegetables or fruits—it to the edge of the plate. He only bribed pieces of meat that could unexpectedly be cooked perfectly by Adam.

"You don't like it?"

"What?"

"The tomatoes" Adam glanced at Psyche's plate. "You put everything away."

"I can eat a piece or two, but you put too much in as a garnish."

"Well, it's not a decoration. Why do you think you should put something on a plate if it's not for eating?"

Payche shook his head, "You can't put it on my plate with a serving like this. Something you like doesn't necessarily like anyone else."

Adam had looked at him for quite a while before the man sliced back the piece of flesh. "Yes, I think you can appreciate my little effort for having prepared dinner."

Psyche pees, "Of course I appreciate it. But I guess you didn't think of me when you made this dish," He glanced at the man and continued, "As if you made it for yourself."

So they argue over food? Yep. Psyche can still feel the ego so high in the man's cooking. Adam only focused on what he liked even though he knew Psyche was sitting at the same dining table.

"If you don't like it you can spit out the food." The man gulped down his drink rudely, "Next time I won't cook for you anymore nor do this kind of romance."

Hearing the word romantic actually makes Psyche chuckle. He knew Adam was upset with him, but he didn't care. "So you're trying to be romantic?"

"Forget over. I don't want to talk about it."

"Am I a little bit too much?"

"Slightly said?" Adam laughed discordantly, "I did all this for you—to please you. But see? Your reaction is worse than I imagined." The man didn't hold back his frustration anymore, "If you don't like all this we can go back to London tonight."

Psyche hid her smile as she wiped her lips with the napkin. "Hey, you're still angry."

Adam snorted, "And you always whipped me."

Psyche raised her eyebrows, "I just gave you a little advice, so you know that I can't like tomatoes like you."

He couldn't like something Adam liked just for the man to be happy about it. He better be himself and make Adam understand that a relationship is not just forcing into what one party wants. The outline is—if Adam understands it.

"Yes, yes, yes, speak as you please."

Adam got up from the chair to return to his room, but the hand first restrained his arm.

Psyche smiled sinlessly, "We don't need to go back tonight. I still want to see the sunset."

They looked at him for a long time, and then Adam looked away and sighed. There was always something that drew his heart to follow every single thing that the woman said. Although he felt what Psyche did had scratched his pride.

Psyche took Adam's residence as an agreement, so she tightened her grip on the man's arm. Hugging her as she looked up, "I want to take a walk around the beach tonight, you're willing to accompany me, aren't you?"

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They join together along a street filled with stalls sellers once knickknacks and seafood snacks.

Although it feels strange for Adam, but the attitude of Psyche who somehow looks enthusiastic makes his heart warm enough. It was her first experience, a summer vacation with a non-family person, cooking dinner, wandering the waterfront in sandals, everything felt foreign but on the other hand did not mind her.

They occasionally argue for something unimportant, but upon realizing that their hands are always tightly knit, Adam understands that he may have gotten used to it. That maybe he began not to question further about something that could offend his pride.

He sank deeper and deeper without ever knowing it.

"Eh?" Their steps came to a halt in front of an accessories kiosk. More precisely Psyche who stops when her eyes catch something that attracts attention.

Adam followed Psyche's gaze with a frowning frown, "You want that?" His speech refers to an object that continues to be noticed by Psyche with sparkling eyes.

But as he expected, the woman simply shook her head slowly while returning to carry their steps away from there.

"You sure?" Adam asks again and Psyche knows that the man can buy anything for her.

"It just looks pretty, doesn't mean I want to have it." Psyche replied without hesitation. "I don't really like accessories either."

"Oh yeah?" Adam grinned, "You just blatantly praised him and your eyes sparkled as you stared at that thing." The man turned his face away and chuckled, "The hypocritical basis."

Psyche was not offended or angry because of Adam's more sincere rarity without any intention of insinuating. "You have to rectify it—we are both hypocrites."

And the reaction he got was the same. Adam just glanced at her to come back grinning, "Well, it fits right? Maybe we're a match," he said.

Psyche smiled bitterly, she stared at her pair of legs and Adam's walking on the sand. Their tracks are formed along the way, but will be erased because the sand never leaves a permanent mark. Like that Psyche wants to get rid of all the bad things she's been through. No. gabe. The former left behind by the past is what he wants to lose.

He wanted to hold the big hand for longer. Without hate, without debate, without any past trauma, perhaps.

Even if Adam is someone who does not deserve love from him.

"Hmm? You daydreaming?"

Psyche looked up, "I? No."

"seen? You're a complete hypocrite." Adam straightened his gaze forward, then turned his head to the sky, again they were trapped in silence. "So we're just gonna keep going like this?" Said later.

"Why? Your legs ache?"

"You're mocking me?"

Psyche's eyebrows shot up, her eyes then unintentionally glanced at one of the food stalls not far from where they stood.

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"Whoah!" Psyche's eyes sparkled brightly after biting a piece of grilled squid that was still steaming. While beside him Adam seemed to blow his kiss with a frown.

"It's really delicious,"

Adam glanced at Psyche who looked ravenous even though the woman had finished her dinner. They decided to walk around the beach after buying grilled squid. Actually Adam was not too familiar with seafood, but after trying one bite, he felt the smell was not too bad. Just like ramyeon from a simple shop he had visited with Psyche.

As no seats were provided, Psyche invited him to sit on the sand with sandals as the base. He protested, but the woman ignored him. Adam could only sigh and sit beside Psyche who was again busy with her food. Just for information, the woman bought two servings of grilled squid for herself.

"I have to go to the toilet, you don't go anywhere, okay?"

Psyche glanced at the man for a while and nodded briefly. Adam was gone from sight.

"Hey, sweet..."

The heavy sound and the pungent smell of alcohol made Psyche look up, staring at a man who looked staggeringly walking towards her.

Bad feeling.

"You're alone? Want me to get company?" The man laughed strangely as he again gulped down the drink in the bottle he was holding.

Psyche quickly stood up, taking as far distance as possible from the pierced man. He thought about what Adam had done so that the man had not returned. Handling drunk people will be very troublesome, even in the middle of a crowd though.

"Hey, hey..Where are you going?"

Sy*alan. Although drunk, but the man was quite nimble. His arm was tightly gripped, forcing Psyche to turn back and throw her hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Wow you're so fierce~"

As fast as lightning the man moved towards her and almost kissed her cheek if Psyche did not immediately dodge. Just then Adam comes, running hastily to see Psyche with a stranger with suspicious gelagat.

"What the fuck are you!"

In this situation, Psyche was very grateful to see Adam come and stand in front of her body upright. It was as if preparing to protect him from any harm that the drunk man could do at any time.

"uh? You're the shit! Move aside! I have no business with you..."

"B*this son of a bitch." Adam growled softly while pushing the man to the ground on the sand. "Get out of here before I break your neck." Threaten him without playing around.

Psyche grabbed the man's arm quickly, timidly Adam would make a fuss. They don't want to be the center of attention of people around them. "Already, Adam, he's just a drunk guy. We better get back to the inn."

Adam blurted slowly. He pointed his middle finger at the man before turning his body.

"S*dance you!"

What happened next was something that was never expected. The drunk man got up and swung his bottle towards Adam.

Both of them turned their heads, Psyche's eyes a second faster aware of the movement.

Then everything was dark.

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"The psyche?"

That.someone's voice. Psyche opened her eyes, staring at the familiar surroundings.

"The psyche?"

That.sound...

"Mother?"

The woman smiled at him while waving her hand. With the white dress reaching the ankle she sat on the edge of the bed. Her beautiful face was still the same as the last time she saw her mother. And he remembered, that place was his childhood room.

"Mother is alive?"

The woman just smiled.

"Live happily, Psyche."

His head shook quickly.

"No! How could I be happy if Mom wasn't there?!"

His mother's figure slowly faded away, her body as if it were a splinter blown away by the wind.

"Mother!"

"Mother, don't leave me!"

"Mother—"

"—Psyche?"

Everything turned into a white ceiling when he re-opened his eyes. His breath was still hunting, while his face was covered in sweat.

"You're sober? Did you just have a bad dream?"

Psyche glanced at the black-haired man sitting next to her with a face?

"What happened to me?"

Adam sighed, "You better drink first." The man took the glass from the top of the nightstand and pointed it at Psyche, but the woman turned away.

"Psyche, though,"

Ah, he remembered. Adam went to the toilet. Drunk guy. And bottles of liquor.

He touched the bandage on his head and grimaced softly. The wound was not playful, it was fitting that his head felt very dizzy.

"How many stitches?"

Adam looked reluctant, but he replied, "Fifteen." Then a rude snort, "You shouldn't have prevented me from killing that man."

Psyche glanced at the man with the tail of her eyes. "I think the man has now got his reward."

"certain. He'll rot in jail forever." Doubtful, Adam looked at Payche. What made him go that far? He could still see the hatred from his eyes.

Adam is not stupid. Although all this time he acted a little soft, it did not mean he was not vigilant. How could he believe it when Psyche took it back when the woman had desperately scolded her?

It has never been so easy to tear down his defenses. Adam knew there was something Psyche was hiding,

—and also his mother.

"Adam?" It felt strange for Psyche to see Adam speechless while staring at the wooden floor under her feet.

The man blinked. "Ah—are you hungry?

Psyche nodded slowly. He had glanced at a bowl of porridge on the nightstand. "But I don't want to eat that."

Adam understands. The man sighed softly before getting up from the chair. "I'll order another meal then."

"thank you. Sorry to bother you."

The man's steps came to a halt before opening the door.

Did Psyche just apologize?

Adam bit his lips, closing his eyes the man said, "No. I should've apologized and thanked you."

Really, is it true that all this is just a play that Psyche did? Even for his life that was threatened really all this is just a trick?

Without another glance at the woman, Adam came out from inside the room and again sighed—this time heavier than before.

His body then turned back to sculpt when he realized someone who was already standing in the living room and squandered into his arms.

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Psyche felt that her mother's presence was very real. That smile and the words that were still clear in his ears were not a dream.

And the woman asked him to be happy.

But it's not as easy as it seems, how could his mother have said all that after she committed suicide because of her father's unrequited one-sided love?

But he made sure, he would never end up like his mother. Whether he is happy or not, he will never die for the same reason. And in fact he had tried to sacrifice his life for the man he loved last night.

As Adam said, hypocrite. Yep. Very hypocritical. In his heart, he was laughing at himself right now.

Psyche painstakingly sat her body on the bed. The sunlight slipped into the room from behind the half-opened white curtain. Right about the blanket covering his lower body.

Then he frowned, feeling something strange down there. Exposed by the blanket quickly, then the object that was coiled under his feet also glistened under the sunlight.

Psyche. He remembered the anklets were objects that stole his attention while walking around the knick-knacks and accessories stall.

Could it be that last night Adam didn't actually go to the toilet and just made an excuse to buy that thing?

"You must be happy, Psyche..."

May it?

Can he try to take everything and end all this?

"Adam..." The anklets were touched slowly. With a little restrained, Psyche walked up to the door. Intend to find Adam and explain everything that has not been conveyed to the man.

He wanted to live happily as his mother had said..

He wanted to be with Adam and only loved the man sincerely...

He did not want to be vengeful and end up like his mother..

He wanted...

Steps ceased.

The sight of the two people kissing again shattered his hopes of having just returned to growth.

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"You are the sky and I am the sea, though it seems to be side by side, there is always a distance between the two."