[M] Reeling (1/1)

The boat bobbed up and down as it sat on the water and the two men aboard lounged as they waited for bites on their lines.  The sun was finally rising over the horizon and the reflection of light from the water as blinding.  Leeteuk couldn’t remember a more beautiful morning in recent memory.            “When did you get out of the military then?”            “Just last week.”            “That is very recent!” Leeteuk realized, glancing over at him.  “And what was the deal with your sister’s situation again?”            “Well, I found out that she’s been basically living in this little shack that really should be condemned altogether and basically worked her tail off just to stay there, working for the people that rented it to her.  Place was infested and leaked.  If she’d told me about this before I returned, I would have given her the money for a better place myself.  Of course, I made her quit and we moved her stuff out of there immediately.  But since neither of us have a job, no one will rent us an apartment, so we had to come here for a while.”            “Why did Boa agree to live like that?” he wondered.            “I think she didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.  She doesn’t understand that we, both Kyuhyun and I, would bend over backwards to make sure she was happy.  But, now that I’ve left the military, I’ll at least be able to watch over her.”            Leeteuk shook his head.  “I don’t have a sister myself but I’ve long considered Ahra like one to me and I worry about her happiness and safety just as much.  She’s been travelling a good deal lately—personally, I think, to escape—so it makes me happy to see her back here at the family summer house.”            Kangin merely smiled his silent understanding and reeled his line in to make sure there was still bait on it.  They’d yet to have much more than a nibble.            “How is business going?”            “Well,” Leeteuk admitted.  “We just acquired another radio station and that will keep me busy.  I’ve already been emailing and making calls to work for a couple hours each morning.  I want to spend time with my cousins but it’s hard to walk away.”            “Do you like what you’re doing then?  I remember you having some reservations about that back in the day,” Kangin said, seeming to recall their conversations from ages ago.            “I do love my job…but I feel like I’m married to it.  I have so little free time and I’m afraid the next thirty years will fly by in much the same manner and I’ll look back feeling disappointed because all I did was work my whole life.”            “That’s why I decided to quit the military.  I once enjoyed travelling but now I feel I’m too far away from the people I care about,” he admitted, casting out his line again.            “It’s funny how what you wanted to do or be in your youth you don’t care half as much about once you’ve lived in the world a while and you realize that nothing is perfect.  It’s a bit disappointing.”            When Kangin didn’t immediately say something, Leeteuk glanced over at him and found Kangin looking back his direction, deep in thought.  “It’s only disappointing if you realize the truth and still do nothing to change it.”            How could he argue with that rationale?  That was just what Kangin had done and although he was having a hard time right now, without a home or a job, it would not last forever.  And Leeteuk would not need to do something so drastic just to change his life.  There was nothing wrong with his choice of occupations, he just needed to step back from it a little more and then fill up the time he gained with something meaningful.  Or someone.            “Well, I may have to take up fishing again, at least.  I forgot how much I enjoyed it, even when I’m not catching anything,” Leeteuk said, smiling sincerely.            “I think we’re just in a shitty spot,” Kangin said, reeling in his line.  “I knew I should have asked Shindong where the hot spots are.  Let’s keep looking around.  There’s got to be fish in here somewhere.”            Leeteuk reeled in his line and set the pole down in the boat before Kangin started up the motor and they hollered over the noise to discuss where to try next.  Leeteuk decided then that he ought to stay a little longer than planned, as it had been a very long time since he’d fished last and he really did enjoy it.  And it had been a long time since he’d last hung out with Kangin and he enjoyed that even more.              Kyuhyun was still awake in the morning playing the game when Donghae wheeled in his breakfast.  His heart fell at not seeing Ryeowook instead but he tried not to let it show.  Instead, he acted excited to finally have food and set his laptop down in the table.  When Donghae set down his plate, he looked back up at him with confusion.            “What’s this?”            “Strawberry crêpes, a croissant with apricot jam, some yogurt with raspberry puree on top, and café au lait,” Donghae tried to answer seriously without cracking up but was failing miserably.             “French cuisine?”            “Your sister and cousins were in heaven,” Donghae informed him.  “It’s really quite good.”            Kyuhyun picked up the plate and began to sniff the food.            “Did you do something to make him mad?”            “It’s not impossible.  Why?” Kyuhyun asked.            “Because he says we’re going to be eating a lot of French food from now on, so I just thought that maybe he wasn’t as interested in catering to your taste at the moment,” Donghae pointed out, still giggling to himself.            “I’m assuming you two are back on speaking terms,” Kyuhyun said, testing out the food in little bites.             “Wookie and I?  Of course, don’t be silly.  It was all my fault,” Donghae insisted.            That was a new one.  Usually Donghae was too stubborn to admit when he was wrong.            “In fact, Ryeowook has started teaching me how to play the piano,” Donghae informed him.            Kyuhyun cringed at the idea of Donghae practicing on the piano downstairs but didn’t voice his opinions, partly because teaching Donghae to play would probably improve what his music sounded like and also because he wasn’t about to forbid Ryeowook from doing it.  He wasn’t about to forbid Ryeowook from doing just about anything at the moment after what happened the night before.  Clearly Ryeowook didn’t like stopping when he was already turned on and Kyuhyun wasn’t a big fan either but he still wasn’t sure about letting Ryeowook see his scars yet.  And he really did need to get his work done too.  But that was only a close secondary reason.  At least he was going to be ready for his meeting with Changmin and Yuhno this afternoon.            “What are my cousins up to today that they’re up so early?”

“Kangin and Teuk left early to go fishing and Heechul took the girls into town.”            “No one’s home?”            Donghae shook his head.  “Not anymore.  And Yesung’s at Minnie’s house and today is Hyuk’s day off too, so he’s sleeping in.  It’s just me, you and Wookie.”            “What do you have to do today?”            “I’m dusting and vacuuming the guest rooms, cleaning the bathrooms, and washing the windows.”            “On the second floor?”            Donghae nodded.             “Might as well get on that while everyone’s gone and aren’t making weird demands of you,” Kyuhyun said, biting into the questionable food.  “I’ll bring the cart back down when I’m finished.  I need a break from playing this.”            “Thanks, Mr. Cho,” Donghae said, now eager to leave after Kyuhyun’s comment about weird demands and likely recalling some of Heechul’s scary requests o