Work Text:
The stacks of paper made a rustling noise as I flopped them unceremoniously onto my desk.
Yeah, surely I was a very tidy person; but getting up too early to be true just to travel hours in a stuffed train wasn't exactly refreshing. I plopped down on my new bed, slightly bouncing on the soft mattress. With a sigh I turned to look out of the window. Gone were the skyscrapers I used to see when looking out of my room's window.
Instead, I could see a neighboring building and even the street, being on the first floor. Actually most buildings around here didn't surpass the two, very rarely three, floors.
As I lazily watched the streets where people walked by occasionally, I sighed in contempt.
This would be my home for the next 7 and a half months.
I heard my grandmothers' voice echo to my room.
"Darling, let's eat your welcoming dinner!"
"Yes, Grandma. I'm coming.", I called back as I shuffled to my feet, righting my clothing. My grandmother was a lovable person, but also strict, raised with traditional values and mannerism. Still, we loved each other. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was more well-mannered than most people my age. Well, at least when I knew I had to be.
Dutifully I took my paper work with me so my grandmother could sign the last bits.
In about six weeks I would be starting my internship at the local orphanage. I was pretty lucky for my school to be offering things like that and I've studied really hard to achieve the grades necessary. Since I still had to keep track with the school stuff, it would all come down to even more work. But I figured having some real working experience before my graduation would be more than valuable.
The local orphanage was surprisingly big, serving as the main house for all the surrounding villages and small cities.
It would be a 40 minutes bus ride, but I'd be a fool not to take the opportunity to live with my grandmother for the time being.
When I stepped into the homey kitchen, there was already an elderly man sitting by the table, who jumped to his feet upon my entrance.
"Hello and nice to meet you.", he said in a raspy voice. Immediately I bowed deeply, showing my respect to the elder.
"Oh what a polite young fellow, I expected nothing less from your grandson, Minjung.", he stated with a side glance at my grandmother.
"I'm the villages' mayor, Kim Joongun. I hope you had a nice trip."
"Do Kyungsoo, and yes, Sunbaenim, thank you."
As we sat down at the dinner table I was silently wondering. Yes, this was a pretty small and conservative village, but was it really necessary to be formally greeted by the mayor?
The man seemed friendly enough, though kind of nervous. My grandmother on the other side, had her polite 'guest'-face on, not giving away anything.
After a few minutes of awkward smalltalk he seemed to finally get to the point.
"So, there is something I would like to propose to you. A small part-time job, so to say."
"Oh, if I can help you with anything-"
"-It's not for me.", he almost hastily fell in, "It's more like... Yes, let's call it community service."
I had no idea what he was talking about so I figured I should keep silent until enlightened.
"You know we live close to the sea, right? Down to the east side there is... There is a certain blue deposit box, kind of like a locker."
I could clearly see my grandmothers' eyes narrow at her guest, a form of impoliteness and displeasure I rarely saw on her face. Still, she remained silent.
"On top of this box is some sort of mailbox. Inside you will find a list of stuff. If you could buy those things and place them into the blue deposit box beyond... That would be of great help."
Okay. So he stopped talking and looked at me with hopeful eyes... And still I was as clueless as from the start.
"Uhm... Right now you mean?"
"Oh. No. No, once a week, every Sunday. You don't need to hurry too much, though. When exactly you bring the items, be it Wednesday or the next Sunday... It's not all that important."
Letting aside the oddity, I considered it. My internship wouldn't start for the time being. Still, I didn't know whether I would have time for things like that later on.
The mayor quickly caught on to my doubts and hurriedly reassured me.
"As I said, there's no need to hurry. Of course you will get compensated accordingly."
Then everyone got quiet as I thought about it. It was really weird. But I've also always been a curious person. Before I could open my mouth, though, my grandmother spoke up.
"If my boy doesn't want to do it, he won't.", she said in a surprisingly cold manner.
Little did she know that her reluctance only fueled my curiosity the more.
"You cannot force him into-"
"I'll do it."
It was almost comical to see the mayor's face light up as my grandma's darkened.
"Fantastic. I can only repeat myself - you're being of great help. Let me give you this.", he said, putting a black credit card onto the table.
"Whatever you buy, you can pay with this credit card. I'm sure Minjung here will be able to give you the directions. Well then, I don't want to disturb your dinner any longer-", he hurriedly said as he stood up.
He seemed aware of my grandmother's unhappiness and quickly made his exit, assuring me that I could always talk to him whether there should be any questions. Judging after his voice he would prefer never to talk about this again, though. Oh, well?
As soon as he had left my grandma huffed in annoyance.
"This man. Unbelievable! To burden him when he hasn't even unpacked his belongings! And especially forcing him into this."
She shuffled around to place the food onto the table, still fuming.
I was smart enough not to ask anything in that moment. She'd probably try to talk me out of it. And there was no way I'd change my mind, I thought as I absentmindedly played with the shiny black credit card. "Kim Hye Ri", it stated in bold silver letters. Yes, I was definitely curious.
The next day I had gotten ready quietly and on my way out, I casually asked my grandma for the exact location. Still not too happy, she told me the way and asked whether she should accompany me. Since I wasn't in for the nagging and wanted to explore everything myself, I politely declined. Besides that she seemed a little reluctant to go there in the first place.
I had been to this village occasionally as a kid, back when my grandfather had still been around. Therefore I dare say I knew my way around. Yet I didn't know every corner and I had definitely never been here before. It was a lonely road, leading into some kind of forest. Didn't they all say it was close to the sea?
As I followed the way, I suddenly stepped on wooden planks. Unlike everything about this village, the planks looked rather new and were at least a foot higher than the ground below. There seemed to be something else grounding them, as well. Along the way, the trees lessened and soon the floor besides the planks turned from soil to sand. Since his grandma had been adamant about not straying from this special path, I decided to listen to her. For now.
It hadn't been a long walk, maybe about 5 minutes long, when I saw this infamous deposit box. It was placed to the right side, exactly two steps before the wooden path suddenly ended.
It looked a little worn out, the painted blue metal already flaking off around the area where it was opened. On top of it stood a small, quaint-looking mailbox. For a few seconds I looked around, basking in the feeling of excitement just a little longer. There were only very few trees and the combination with the sand and the blue sky above
was beautiful.
Then I took a deep breath and opened the mailbox. Inside was indeed a folded piece of paper.
Tilting my head, I unfolded it. Neat handwriting announced a list of things.
Shampoo(fruity)
Ballpens (2xblack)
Sprouts
Mushrooms(Shiitake)
Eggs(6)
Milk(1L)
Soy Sauce
Glass noodles
Jelly(Cherry)
Tea(Green)
Coffee(3xVanilla)
A funny Comicbook
Yes, definitely neat handwriting. Still, especially the top seemed as if done throughout the week. As if someone had written something as soon as it was being missed. Puzzled, I took a look around, but I was still the only living being in sight.
All the way back I kept thinking about the person that might have written this list.
Against all the more pressing questions, I also thought about what would be regarded as a 'funny Comicbook'.
I took the fulfilling of the list as an opportunity to get familiar with the city I would be working in. Looking for the convenience stores, for supermarkets... And for a book store.
As I was pacing the shelves up and down, I tried to think about a proper book to buy.
Sure, I knew quite some Comics. But how would I know whether he or she shared my humor? It could be a girl, for all I knew, and I wouldn't even start on the possible age.
It took me about an hour to finally decide on one book to buy before I made my way home, not forgetting to buy some fruits for my grandma as a present.
The next day I was dutifully carrying the bags over to the blue box. When I had placed everything in the box, I hesitated a little at the Comicbook. It was a boldly colored Manga with the title "School Rumble" plastered across it. I had put a yellow sticky note above it, though.
It might be a little girly, but I think it's funny.
I hope you like it.
I didn't know what kind of polite form to use, and writing 'Yours Sincerely' seemed so awkward, which is why I had settled with this.
Again, everything seemed peaceful and vacant.
As I was walking home, I couldn't help but further think about this mystery person. Why was I buying this stuff? Was he or she maybe disabled in any way? Still, something seemed off about this.
When I returned to the mailbox the following Sunday, I couldn't help but feel anticipation. I was 90% sure that nothing was going to happen, but the other 10% bugged me into feeling excitement.
Again, I found a list of groceries. At the bottom of the list it read:
School Rumble Vol. 2
An interesting Movie
I liked the book. Thanks.
P.S.: You're new, aren't you?
Nice to meet you.
It wasn't anything spectacular, but I still felt giddy at receiving a response.
And I just had the feeling that an interesting time lay ahead of me.
Even though my grandmother disliked this new-found hobby of mine, I kept spending a lot of thoughts on what to buy for this mysterious person. And the request kept becoming more and more playful, as if this person was testing me. Seeing how far I would go as well as getting to know something about me.
After the movie it read 'Company'. I bought a cute stuffed dog the following week.
So the person was lonely?
Then it read 'Something handmade'. Using my gift of earth, I created a simple stone bracelet, hoping it would fit.
It's stunning! My first piece of accessory.
You're awesome if you can make stuff like that.
The writing style also seemed to change. While it was rather polite and neutral, it got more and more youthful over the time. I couldn't even deny how much I looked forward to reading the next message, eager for information myself. There was only so much I could interpret.
The following Sunday, the list included the wish for a "Secret".
This made me think. What was something I had never told anyone?
After hesitating back and forth, I put a scribbled note into the locker a few days later that read:
Sometimes I'm afraid I'm too cold-hearted.
Your turn.
I had no idea why I was being so personal and truthful. Although it had always been easier for me to build relationships through written communication. Actually my number of friends back at school had been close to zero with me favoring the presence of bookshelves over actual company.
In any way, the next Sunday I was a little more anxious than before. Revealing things about myself would always make me nervous.
So this time I took the sheet home before I finally dared to look at it in the confines of my room.
I've been skipping my exercises the last two days,
because I was waiting for your answer.
The message brought a smile on my face. What a stupid person. But having someone wait for me, expecting me, was a nice feeling after all.
This time the list read 'Freedom'.
The following week I brought a bottle of soap bubbles, hoping he or she wouldn't think of me being cheesy or clicheé. As always, I added a note.
Don't be silly.
I've always been here on Tuesday.
And as I went home the next Sunday, with the new list safely tucked away in my pocket, I couldn't help but to feel watched, in a way.
Now that I had written my exact arriving day, I was wondering whether I would be able to meet this mystery person. I offered the information - it was up to him or her to act on it. Though I had been pretty sure I hadn't been alone the last time.
I hummed in thought as I watched on the list, absentmindedly making my way back across the wooden path.
Your favourite song.
Hm. That wasn't too easy.
The next Tuesday I placed the grocery bag in the locker and closed it. I didn't leave, though. Instead I took a look around, analyzing my surroundings. It would be a long way until I had the skills to fully use all aspects of my gift, but sensing life around me was kind of possible.
I cleared my throat.
"Uhm... Hello!", I called out hesitantly. No reply.
"Ah... I'm pretty sure you're here!" Silence. I felt a little stupid, but went on, anyway.
"I'm coming to bring my favorite song. It's a song a colleague wrote for the band I was once part of. But it hasn't ever been officially recorded, so..."
I sank to the floor, making myself comfortable.
"...I'm only doing this once, so you better listen."
I could swear I heard some leafs rustling suspiciously, but overall it remained silent. So I nervously cleared my throat one more time, before I began to sing.
There was no reason to be ashamed of my voice, I was confident enough about that. But singing without any background sounds was kind of awkward.
It had been quite some time, but the words in the foreign language rolled off my tongue rather well. And as I sang, the familiar feeling of happiness began to take over.
I'll remember where the sun set
I'll remember every word you said
Tell me how to get back to Summer Paradise with you
And I'll be there in a heartbeat~
I had my eyes closed, concentrating on all the fond memories I had about this song. Performing it during summer at the far too-hot deserted practice rooms. Buying ice cream with my bandmembers afterwards. Singing it on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience. All the smiles and laughs that summer I would forever treasure.
Even though I hadn't actually planned it I sang the full song, even ending with a short improvised harmony.
As the last note echoed through the forest, I opened my eyes.
And looked into a pair of bright, shining eyes that grew wide at the realization of being caught. For a second, we both looked like deers caught in the headlight, neither of us moving due to shock. It must have been a comical sight.
Unconsciously, I took the person's appearance before me in. About 2 meters away stood a boy about my age, maybe even my height, with a normal to well-build body, slightly tousled brown hair(was that a leaf sticking out?) and expressive facial features with a striking jawline, cat-like lips... And those eyes that were still trained on me. Somehow, no one dared to make a move, as if the spell would be broken by then.
Very slowly I stood up, and the boy took a step away from me.
Then, without further warning, he whirled around to run away. I didn't even think before leaping after him. Who knows which one of us would have outrun the other on normal circumstances. Now, however, it was only a very short distance, and even though I might not have looked like it, I was a gifted one after all, with excellent reflexes. Before I knew it, I had jumped down from the wooden path into the sand and grabbed the boy's shoulder. A loud cracking sound was heard and I was sure I had seen a flash, just for a moment.
Almost violently, the boy shook me off and looked at me, as he took some steps backwards, lifting his hands as if unsure whether to approach me or run even faster.
"Oh God. Are you - Are you alright? Shit, I... I'm sorry!", he uttered, an expression of pure horror on his face.
I blinked at him, temporary confused about what had happened in the first place.
"What are you talking about?", I asked, looking at my tingling fingers.
"Just... Don't come close! G-Go back. And don't leave the wooden path-", with this he ran away, and this time I let him.
That evening I made my way home, even more confused than before.
I had bugged my grandmother as much as I dared the next day. But she wouldn't want to tell me anything about this mysterious boy. I kept asking however.
"Why can't he buy the stuff himself?"
"What's his name?"
"Is he maybe a gifted one, then?"
Finally she snapped.
"Do Kyungsoo.", she began in that quiet-before-a-storm kind of voice, "This kid is not like you. You have a free will about those... 'Powers' of yours. You can humbly use it for the greater good, and I am very proud of you. This kid, however, harbors a power only able to destroy, to break, to kill. I do not want you near him. Do you understand?"
Slightly taken aback by her harsh voice, I nodded and looked to the floor.
"Yes, grandmother."
Yes, I understood.
...But I disagreed.
What? I might be well-behaved, giving off the typical 'subdued obedience'-kind of feeling, but I never said I had a thing for rules. At least not as long as I saw no sense behind them.
And this boy didn't seem particularly dangerous.
So I found myself the following day in the early morning, with a bag of groceries at the locker again. As expected, he wasn't there. It was still early enough for there to be a thin layer of mist in the air and dew on the few blades of grass I saw on my way.
That was fine with me. I sat down, leaning against the locker and enjoyed the silence. After a while, I reached for the book I had wisely brought along. When I got bored and the sun was already soaring above me, I took the chance for a small nap.
And the hours passed. Still, another thing to know about me would be my incredible amount of stubbornness. And I was determined not to leave before I had met him again, even if I had to stay until the next day. Okay, maybe I'd go home around midnight to avoid being grounded by my grandma. But I'd be back at six.
Somewhere along the way, I had fallen asleep again. Truthfully, I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, having spent the better time of the night with (mostly fruitless) research.
When I woke up the next time, the sun was already hanging low, casting huge shadows with it's golden light. I blinked sleepily. Then I noticed the neatly folded hoodie that lay a few feet away at the edge of the wooden planks. Now that I thought about it, it had gotten rather cold. Maybe I shouldn't have ventured out in a T-Shirt. My arms felt a little chilly now that I was mostly sitting in the shadows.
Slowly, I took two steps to sit at the edge of the wood, letting my feet dangle above the ground(Yeah, I was short like that).
I turned the garment in my hand, feeling the warm fabric, before I called out a clear: "Thank you!", and pulled it over my head. It was rather loose and therefore comfortable. Not to mention it had a foreign, but nice smell to it.
"So...", I began, swinging my legs back and forth, "You're here again."
I could just tell. Maybe it was my gift, maybe my hearing was better than I thought, maybe it was something completely different.
This time, the rustling of leafs was clearly audible.
"Wait. Don't run away again.", I began, trying not to sound too desperate.
The voice answering from somewhere between the leafage was cautious.
"Only if you promise not to come after me."
I hummed.
"Promise."
Slowly, the boy left his hiding and stepped into my vision with slow and careful steps, stopping in a safe distance.
He gave me an unsure look, as if to say 'What now?', as he stood there, looking fidgety.
I made a calm gesture for him to sit down, and he did.
His eyes were still wary and attentive, as if fearing I might bolt after him again.
"Don't look at me like that.", I began with a hopefully reassuring smile, "If you don't want me to come close, I'll stay right here."
My words seemed to calm him, for he gave a slight nod and relaxed his posture lightly.
"Are you really alright?", he suddenly burst out, biting on the inside of his cheek with a meek look.
I lifted my hands, presenting my white palms.
"Not even a scratch."
When he exhaled, he seemed genuinely relieved.
"Okay. Again, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off. But..."
"It's alright."
I didn't feel very awkward about the following silence, which was kind of strange. However, the handsome boy spoke up again shortly after.
"You know... I'm very thankful for those notes. Seriously, I don't think anyone has ever been so... Thoughtful. I was really looking forward to those."
"As I was looking forward to your replies."
A smile flashed over his face and I didn't even have time to process it before it was gone again. But I was pretty positive it was a gorgeous one.
Carefully, I went on to the next topic.
"I haven't actually been living here before..."
Bright eyes gave me their undivided attention.
"-And no one wanted to tell me anything about you."
A slight tension returned.
"So I researched quite a bit. And I thought about what happened the other day. Please correct me if I'm wrong... But do you have a gift linked to electricity?"
Now he looked ready to bolt again. But I didn't move, and so he didn't, either.
"I... Why would you think that?", he cautiously asked.
"Well, there was this short flash. And after staring at those wooden planks the whole day, I'm pretty sure they are hiding a rather thick layer of rubber, which would - if my assumption was correct - work as a rod. Well, and my grandmother gave me a hint."
No need to mention her choice of words.
The boy looked defeated, his shoulders slumping.
"Yeah... Well, you're right. I'm... Dangerous. So, uhm, I don't want to hurt you or drive you away, so-"
"Actually it's a funny thing.", I intervened, as he gave me a puzzled look.
"I don't think you could hurt me, even if you tried."
"Huh? Are you sure you know what you're talking about?", he asked, obviously mentally questioning my sanity.
Casually, I nodded.
"Oh yeah. Pretty sure. I can even remember sticking my finger into a power outlet when I was a kid, just to scare my mom. Boy, did it work. Never did it again."
Now he was probably trying to estimate the risk of me being the dangerous one.
"Let me prove it.", I said, and with a smile I jumped down the planks and towards him.
Hastily, he tried to scramble away, but I was prepared and in the blink of an eye a small wall of stone had risen up behind him. And before anything else could happen, my hand was patting his shoulder. The boy looked like a petrified rabbit, not daring to move a single muscle as he stared up at me.
I gave him a grin.
"You can relax, you know?" Then I held my other hand in a greeting manner.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Do Kyungsoo. Actually I'm a gifted one with the power of earth. Therefore I'm some kind of human lightning rod, I guess."
Again, he didn't react immediately, as if waiting for my words to suddenly prove themselves as a false assumption. When nothing happened, though, he hesitantly shook my hand with his own trembling fingers.
"I'm Chen. Nice to meet you."
I couldn't help smiling.
"Finally I know your name!"
I stepped back and Chen let out the breath he had obviously kept in.
"So... We could be friends, don't you think?", I asked.
My cousin would probably give me a weird look now, considering I didn't appear that straight-forward very often. But I could be very zealous when my interest was sparked.
And this boy was by far the most intriguing person I had ever met.
Said boy stood up to be on my eye-level, but kept his distance.
"Sure. I'd love that!", he said almost eagerly, though obviously still torn about the close proximity between us.
"So... Uh... Wanna hang out or something?", he questioned, looking me straight in the eye.
He seemed careful, but not necessarily shy.
"I have no idea what you bought there, but we might get some dinner out of it?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's pretty late already, I think I should really head back for now. It's getting dark already - My grandma will kill me."
Disappointment flashed over his features, before it turned into a hesitant smile, with hopefully shining eyes.
"I understand. Sure, then... Maybe tomorrow?"
"Definitely tomorrow.", I answered, smiling brightly, "How about 3 P.M?"
"Fine with me. I'm not exactly busy."
"Alright, then see you tomorrow?"
I was already stuffing the things into my bag as he hurriedly came after me, stopping again in a reasonable distance.
"But don't tell people about me, please?"
"Are you crazy? My grandma would raise hell if she found out I disobeyed. I'm not stupid!", I laughed.
As we parted and I threw one last glance over my shoulder, I almost laughed at how ironically starstruck Chen looked as he stared after me.
I was beyond nervous as I paced around in the small kitchen. Actually, scratch that. I was a wreck. The incredibly cute boy would come to visit me. Visit me. Like in, enter this house.
In the last 9 years no one had ever entered this house. Oh God. What to do.
I re-checked the meal I had prepared as well as I could. Okay. I checked the other rooms. All squeaky-clean. Good.
Lastly, I checked myself in the mirror.
Ugh, why had I never bothered to order some more presentable clothes? Ah, right, because no living soul ever saw you, the sarcastic voice in my head answered. The fashion aspect of my clothing had never been an issue. Until today. Oh well. It was just a 'meeting with a friend', I had seen about those in my dramas plenty of times. People were almost expected to dress sloppily, drink beer and whatnot. Well, I had no beer, but I didn't figure Kyungsoo to be the type to drink beer. Okay, you're drifting off. And by the way, you should stop talking to yourself. Can't be healthy. A little skeptical I tugged at my hair. I also had no such thing as hair products so I just settled on a simple and clean image. As long as I didn't look like the desolated Tarzan I felt like, everything would be fine. And I wore the bracelet, as a lucky charm.
As I was waiting for him at the blue deposit box, I experienced that fiddling with the bracelet prevented me from hyperventilating.
It was really pretty. The solid anthracite-colored stone was flawlessly polished and smooth to the touch. As a detail there were three lines engraved with the middle being in a darker shade. It was just perfect.
Oh, who was I kidding. Kyungsoo was perfect.
Well, I hardly even knew him. And he also didn't know me. But still he made an effort to approach me. And not only that, he also didn't seem to be affected by my... Powers. I didn't dare to fully believe it, it seemed just too surreal. Maybe it's the Matrix. Or Inception. Yes, you should probably try to spin something-
"Hello Chen."
Kyungsoo's voice was so pleasant, it easily drowned out all of my annoying inner voices.
"Hi!"
I flinched as he pat my shoulder casually. Then I caught him smiling a little mischievously. Tss, he was playing with my uncomfortableness.
"So, yeah. Uhm. I live in this direction."
"Lead the way."
As we were walking along the sandy path, I felt light-headed. In my head was no room for considering the atmosphere, our appearance or anything, really. It felt surreal, walking next to someone just like that.
Stop grinning like an idiot, say something!
Shush, I'm having a moment here.
What are you doing, arguing with yourself while there's an actual person you could talk to?
Good point.
"So, uhm... I don't really know where to start, since we don't exactly know each other...", I trailed off quietly.
Great, Chen. Just great.
But Kyungsoo only smiled.
"That's ok. I'm horrible at making small talk so I wouldn't know whether our conversation would be weird or natural."
"That was blunt. I'm pretty sure that's not a natural thing to say. On the other hand, how would I of all people know?"
Kyungsoo gave me a curious look that made me facepalm internally. Way to be a moodkiller. Damn my sarcasm.
"Uhm... Can I ask you something personal?"
I looked up at the question. Maybe he'd ask whether I was nuts or just plain weird.
Silently I nodded.
"I don't wanna seem nosy. But I thought about it and kept wondering. You don't seem to be allowed to leave this place. Is that true?"
I made an agreeing hum. No point in denying it, obviously.
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
This guy was so smart, yet he asked the weirdest questions.
"Maybe you're not affected, but I'm... Dangerous.", I carefully said.
"If my control slips only a little it's game over."
"Hm...", Kyungsoo murmured thoughtfully.
I was afraid I had killed the mood after all, but he just brushed the topic off and began telling me about himself. That he was here for an internship and lived with his grandmother.
Unfortunately I couldn't truthfully say I remembered her.
As we walked I relaxed a little more. Until my house came in sight.
"Wow. You're literally living at the beach side."
"No joke. A few years ago the sea rose so high I had to clean the walls."
His dark eyes grew even bigger as he took in my little shelter. The house wasn't too big, but neat and kind of European. At least it looked like some house drawn in one of my fairytale books. I used to be very excited about this when I was a kid. It had simply not occurred to me that the house was built on the sand so it was easy to ground it.
"It looks dreamy. And it's at the beach, how awesome is that?"
"Well, If I gotta be Rapunzel a beachhouse should be the least, shouldn't it?"
"You're kind of open about all this...?", he looked at me unsurely as I opened the door.
"Well, it's not like I hadn't had enough time to come to terms with this whole situation."
As Kyungsoo took off his shoes I began to relax. I was home. This home was built with me in mind. Everything was kind of built on solid rubber. There was no way I could hurt anyone in here. Even though Kyungsoo claimed I couldn't hurt him... I hadn't had contact to any living person in years. Many years. I felt my insecurity was justified in every way.
Kyungsoo was rather silent as he took in his surroundings.
"It's a very pretty house. Are you living here on your own?"
"Yes."
"You must be a rather neat person.", he said as we made our way to the kitchen, passing bookshelves with neatly assorted novels.
"Well, along the way I realized I had to clean up my mess. I also used to live with my grandmother, you know. She drilled me to clean up and stuff."
I moved to the stove and turned it on, as Kyungsoo marveled at the homey kitchen. My grandma had always deemed the kitchen to be the most important room in the house and there were loads of different utensils and small pots hanging from diverse locations.
His eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight.
"You like to cook?", I asked with a light chuckle.
He smiled happily. So far he had given off a reserved and controlled vibe, but when he smiled... I wanted to hug him and pinch his cheeks. So cute.
"Yes. Cooking, baking... I enjoy it greatly."
"Oh damn.", groaned because I could stop myself, "Then why would I even try? I can't be a match for your dishes."
"You worry too much. But I can cook for you next time."
Next time. I did like the sound of that.
That day, Kyungsoo didn't ask any of the obvious questions. Instead we enjoyed our food and lazed around in my living room, just talking. Kyungsoo was delighted to see all the bookshelves in my room. Again, his eyes had that excited sparkle and he seemed more youthful.
Well, what was I supposed to say? Books were one of my very few sources of entertainment and I had gathered a rather impressive amount of them over the years. Sure, Drama series and all that were great, but they only told easy and superficial stories. You couldn't just produce a series about a thoughtful person that sat around all day. I felt like books actually went further, delving into the mind. Fantasy, romance, thriller, nonfiction - I read them all.
That's why it came to no ones surprise that I knew some of the books he liked and we had our sweet time discussing the happenings of some books, exchanging our opinions and views.
It was so easy to talk to Kyungsoo. All the worries I had(about the food, my appearance, what to talk about) just vanished.
"Ok, then,", he suddenly said, leaning forwards with a serious expression,
"A serious question now. I can't promise we'll stay friends if you answer that wrong."
I gulped visibly.
"Who's your favorite Harry Potter character?"
"Huh?", I asked, taken aback, "That's difficult, though! ...Fred and George, I think? They're very funny yet reliable when they need to be.... Oh, or maybe Luna Lovegood? Since she's kind of weird but at the same time very witty. I guess I like them because they're doing their own thing?"
Kyungsoo nodded seriously, before smiling. Just then I realized he was just playing with me. Again.
"Okay, accepted. I can deal with a Luna Lovegood-fan.", he said teasingly.
"So who's yours?", I asked defensively.
"What a question! Hermione! She's awesome. Without her, Harry would have died in the fifth chapter or so."
This time, I nodded. "True."
And so it went on with us disagreeing and at the same time agreeing. I hadn't expected us to have some common ground, but while we went back and forth between various books I felt like we got to know a lot about each other. Not through blunt questions, but rather while we explored each others' way of thinking, our perspective on things.
And so far, I liked his perspective.
That day, Kyungsoo had a lot of questions burning on his tongue. Everything about Chen was so intriguing. Still, he didn't dare to ask anything too personal just then. Chen seemed too tense and nervous and he wouldn't have wanted to add to it. And admittedly, he kind of got carried away talking about all those books.
The next day he returned to Chen he finally took the courage, though, to ask at least one of those many questions as they both strolled along the beach.
"So... How long has it been since... Since your grandmother left?"
'Left.' Kyungsoo couldn't bring himself to say 'pass away'.
But Chen only hesitated for a second before he answered, his gaze kept on the ground where his bare feet were digging into cool but soft sand.
"Ah, it has been over ten years ago. I had just turned ten back then."
"TEN? That's an awfully young age!", Kyungsoo fell in disbelievingly.
"No one can live alone at the age of ten, that's ridiculous."
"Ah, don't worry, I'm awesome like that.", Chen brushed him off light-heartedly.
"It's not funny.", the other insisted, throwing him a worried gaze.
"You could have easily killed yourself! What if you had set something on fire, what if you had gotten sick, what if-"
"Haha, stop worrying!", Chen interrupted him with a smile, "I'm alive now, am I not?"
Kyungsoo bit his lips, still overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Not knowing how to express himself, he offered Chen his hand. The bright eyes flitted from the offered hand to meet his eyes and back down to his outstretched fingers. Slowly he reached for the hand, lightly brushing his fingers against Kyungsoo's whiter ones. His movements were incredibly careful and fleeting. And Kyungsoo knew it wasn't anything purposeful - at least not that kind of purposeful - still he couldn't help the fluttering feeling in his stomach.
Then Chen interlaced their fingers and didn't do anything for a few seconds, silently looking down at their hands. Finally he broke out into a wide smile he vainly tried to hold back by biting the inside of his cheek. And it made Kyungsoo smile as well.
"Yeah, I'm indeed alive.", he quietly said.
Chen's fingers were wonderfully warm as he firmly held his hand, refusing to let go.
Kyungsoo couldn't stop himself from visiting Chen as often as he could. Besides his job nothing was exactly stopping him. Yes, his sort-of internship had begun and Kyungsoo was glad to be able to call his work enjoyable. Though he was kind of socially awkward, he had a knack for handling kids - especially the kind of kids that lived in facilities like that. And whenever he came home after work, he would pay Chen a visit.
Problem was, his grandma wasn't too happy about him rarely being home. She probably had a very strong (and reasonable)suspicion, but didn't mention anything yet.
On the other hand Kyungsoo, as well, found his grandmothers' behavior kind of suspicious.
Well, even if she were to say anything, they both knew it would be a vain attempt.
Kyungsoo wouldn't stop visiting him.
Chen was just too interesting. And maybe also a little too handsome.
Ever since they had begun to hang out, Chen had changed his demeanour so rapidly, he could literally observe his change over the span of days. You didn't need any knowledge of psychology or educational theories(which Kyungsoo still had, how else would he be able to work at an orphanage?) to understand what was going on.
Chen wasn't a crazy guy, really. Sure, he had developed the habit of talking to himself, but wasn't it obvious that he was lonely?
Actually Kyungsoo thought it was a miracle the boy hadn't developed any sociopathic tendencies.
Maybe it was due to the fact that he possessed tons of books and movies to keep in touch with reality. Or maybe it was the thought of his grandmother that kept him grounded. Grounded. Bad pun. Actually it was him who could now keep him grounded(quite literally), and cause his world to grow by experiencing actual human contact.
And for some reason Kyungsoo liked that it was him.
So as the days passed by, Chen turned more and more in the person he was probably destined to be if ever given the chance - Kyungsoo had already gotten a glimpse of his sarcasm, but he wasn't prepared for the playful bundle of energy Chen turned out to be.
After overcoming his fear of touches, he also got amazingly clingy really fast - Whether Kyungsoo was prepared or not, Chen would latch onto him whenever he saw the chance. He would intertwine their fingers as they walked around, lean onto his shoulder while he cooked or snuggle up to him in front of the TV.
Kyungsoo was pretty sure he was just striving for any form of human contact. Still, it was kind of unfair, since those touches made him feel all weird and fuzzy inside while Chen was not thinking anything into it. But how could he ever reject him?
"Chen, would you hand me the powder sugar?", Kyungsoo softly asked as he poured the milk into the dough he was mixing. He got an approving hum in return and shortly after he felt a tap on his left shoulder. When he looked over, however, he found no one as Chen was already leaning onto his right shoulder, giggling mischievously.
Slightly rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo took the offered powder sugar with a smile.
"That joke is sooo old, you know."
"You still fell for it."
Shaking his head at the other boy's childishness, he poured the powder into a sieve, carefully tapping it.
"Woah, what's that?!", Chen suddenly exclaimed, pointing upwards. Instinctively, the other boy looked up.
"What do you m- Umpf!"
With a quick movement, the boy had hit the sieve from beyond, effectively causing a huge cloud of white sugar to muffle Kyungsoo's complains.
His coughing was drowned out by the melodious laughter of the younger one.
"You're - Such a kid!", he said between the coughs. Suddenly feeling sympathy after all, he patted his back.
"Don't die, Hyung~ I was merely trying to sugar-coat you, though on a second thought you're so sweet already~!"
Suddenly Kyungsoo was glad the white sugar covered his burning cheeks.
Then he felt a peck on one of those cheeks and flinched.
"What are you doing!"
He got an innocent look in return.
"I like sweet things! And now you have one spot clean already!"
You wanna 'clean' the rest as well?
Rapidly Kyungsoo shook his head to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts as he hastily wiped his face clean(though his hair would need a proper washing later).
"L-let's finish those cookies. You wanted cookies, didn't you?!"
"Yes Umma~"
"Don't call me that. Bring me the milk now, and don't try anything funny."
"Sir! Yes Sir!"
"..."
An hour of waiting and cleaning, they both sighed happily as they munched on some hot and delicious chocolate chip cookies.
"Ah, you're a genius, Kyungsoo. Seriously. How can you be so perfect?", Chen sighed as he snatched another cookie to dip into milk before propping it into his mouth.
"Yah, flattery's not gonna bring you more cookies."
"Aww."
"...At least not for today."
They both smiled and managed to eat exactly one more cookie in peaceful silence, before...
...Chen jumped up.
"Okay, what now? Wanna play some video games?"
Kyungsoo sighed, but couldn't help smiling at the same time.
"Why so eager?"
"Ah, you don't wanna lose again, huh? I understand. Wanna go out instead?" He was already tugging at his arm as he went on.
"We can play a little badminton if you want, there's almost no wind today and-"
"Chen." The serious tone made him stop midway, giving the older one a meek look.
"Chen... I don't mind having fun, not at all.", he carefully said as he grasped his hand.
"But you seem kind of hasty and fidgety. You don't need to think of a 24/7 schedule, we can also as well just relax a little. Besides, to be honest, I'm a little tired from work today..."
"Oh." A rare and unreadable expression flashed over his features, fading into realization and worry.
"...Oh. I see. I'm sorry. Of course we can also just rest, I didn't mean to tire you out, god I hope you don't get tired of me - Did I just say this out loud? Ugh, I should keep my inner monologues to myself-" He met Kyungsoo's slightly judging stare and immediately straightened his posture, inhaling deeply to calm himself down.
"...Right. Relax. Let's move onto the couch, I'll put on some music."
Only much later, when Kyungsoo had almost thought the other one to be asleep, his head firmly resting on his shoulder(really, he was so obviously exhausted yet made a fuss - such a kid) did he suddenly speak up. His voice was rather quiet and almost anxious, his words obviously mind-rehearsed.
"I'm sorry Kyungsoo. It's just... I never encountered someone like you. I was eager to make the most of our time, but I was exhausting you. I'll tone it down, just don't get tired of me... Please?"
And the timid undertone almost broke Kyungsoo's heart all over again.
"I won't.", he quietly replied as he carded his hands through the soft brown strands in a calming manner.
He could have said so much more, but that evening, he didn't say anything else as they both fell asleep. And even though the position on the couch was highly uncomfortable, none of them dared to move away, shyly hanging onto the moment.
It was a Friday evening when Kyungsoo returned from work surprisingly early. Actually they hadn't arranged a meeting that day and of course Chen had no mobile phone(who would he be texting to, anyway?), so he had no way to contact him. Kyungsoo tapped his chin in thought as he looked outside. It was pouring outside, though the sky was still kind of bright. Should he just visit him anyway?
The weather made him kind of gloomy and to be honest he just craved the warm company of that crazy boy. Maybe he could make a hot chocolate for both of them and they could stay huddled together under a blanket, enjoying the rain sounds... God, so cheesy. Kyungsoo internally facepalmed. He was so hopelessly gone. But oh well, who was stopping him?
If he hadn't had his earphones plugged in already, he might have noticed his grandmother's failed attempts at doing so. But as it was, he just reached for the little bag with ingredients he had packed, opened up his vibrant yellow umbrella and padded out into the early evening.
In seconds his feet were drenched. As he got closer, the scent of rain mixed heavily with the smell of the equally drenched nature. The pitter-patter of the rain was more of a static noise that drowned out everything around him.
When he saw the lights being on in that fairytale-like house, his heart immediately skipped a beat and he quickened his steps.
Politely he knocked on the door. No answer. Probably he hadn't heard him. He just opened the door quietly(why would he ever lock his door?) and took of his soaked shoes. Yes, indeed - Even though muffled, the rain was still audibly hitting everything it could reach violently.
The umbrella was neatly tucked away and he made his way towards the living room. Before he could reach it, however, he heard a noise over the rain. It was a... Sobbing sound? Carefully he peeked around the corner and into the living room, where Chen stood, oblivious to his arrival. He saw his profile with red eyes and a tear-stained face. He wanted to call out to him but as soon as he opened his mouth, the other one suddenly lashed out and wiped everything from the nearby shelve, including a remote control and a glass that hit a wall and was smashed to thousands of glittering glass shards with a violent clash that cut through the static rain sound.
Chen didn't seem hurt, but also not satisfied by the action. Instead he desperately teared at his hair, ruffling it in the process and shaking his head as if in pain.
"Why, why, why...", he kept mumbling, "Why... Just... FUCK it!", he suddenly swore and in that moment he looked up to meet the huge dark eyes of Kyungsoo who was too paralyzed to move.
In a way, it was a deja-vû-like moment. The way they both stared at each other in shock.
Chen seemed almost as horrified as on the first day he had met him.
He blinked rapidly, and opened his mouth several times, but no sound escaped him, as he hastily tried to fix his hair as well as wiping the obvious tears at the same time.
All the while his eyes were frantically flitting between Kyungsoo's and the floor.
When Kyungsoo couldn't stand the sight anymore, he took a careful step towards him, but in a split-second Chen had turned around and ran out of the room. Even as Kyungsoo followed after him, he could hear the bathroom door being slammed shut. Too late he reached the door.
"Chen... Hey, open the door."
He softly knocked but there was no reaction at all.
"Chen? What happened? Tell me..."
"I won't be a jerk about it, open the door."
"...I'm sorry for intruding like that. I shouldn't have, don't be angry, please?"
But whatever he said, there was no answer, and the only thing he could hear was the faint sound of ragged breathing. God, he was beginning to worry.
Losing it for just a second, he slammed his open palm against the door.
"Damnit, Chen! Don't lock me out!", he called out desperately.
"Don't lock me out...", he whispered weakly, leaning his forehead against the wood.
A few seconds of complete silence followed, with the rain being the only audible sound.
Then the bathroom door was opened and Kyungsoo looked up coming face-to face with Chen, who remained in the bathroom, unsurely holding onto the door handle.
There were still remnants of tears on his face; his hair was a mess and his eyes red and already slightly puffy. His frame was trembling and he had a look of wariness in his shimmering eyes. Then that gaze fell to the floor as he bit his lip.
The message was clear: 'I opened up. What now?'
Well, Kyungsoo didn't know exactly. Slowly and carefully he reached for the other's forearm as not to startle him. But Chen showed no signs of resistance whatsoever as Kyungsoo motioned him into the living room where they both sat on the spacious couch. Unsure of how to handle the situation, he just reached for the nearby blanket and covered both of them. Finally he asked the overdue question.
"What's wrong, Chen?"
Again he witnessed those pretty curled lips open, just to close again. Kyungsoo waited patiently, his hands absentmindedly running up and down his tense arms in a calming manner.
"I'm sorry."
When the quiet and raspy voice broke the silence, he looked at Chen in a questioning manner.
Again, the bright eyes averted his gaze as he was obviously thinking about the right choice of words.
"I didn't want you to see me like this. Not ever. It... Just happens. Sometimes.", he tried to brush it off, but his smile looked forced and pained. Something the elder wouldn't ever want to see again.
"Why?"
He hesitated and fidgeted, but finally he seemed to come to a conclusion.
"It's... Because of you. Don't give me that look, I don't mean it like that-", he intervened with another half-forced smile as he covered the pale hands with his own, more calloused and tanned ones.
"Look, I've been living alone in this house, at this beach, for more than ten years now. Even when I was a kid, I hardly ever set foot beyond this area.", he began, all the while playing with Kyungsoo's delicate fingers to distract himself.
"The villagers, or rather people in general weren't too fond of me. What a surprise, eh?"
His voice was bitter, but also somewhat distant at the same time. As if those stories weren't relevant anymore.
"The only person that was willing to put up with me was my grandmother. She didn't just shoo me away, because she could see that I was as scared as the people around me. Instead she informed herself and worked hard to make it work. She searched for help and constructed this house, in which I couldn't hurt anyone. Everyday she would spent her time on me. She would teach me, scold me and play with me. I would often ask her... 'Grandma, are there people like me?', 'Do they have to stay at home as well?', 'Can I go to school one day?' - all kinds of questions, I guess she never had a break.
But she stayed patient. When I was old enough, at the age of 9, she confessed that I would not be able to live like those other kids with powers. Because other powers are controllable and benefitial to the world. Whereas I... I held a very great power, but it was too dangerous to overlook. It was something that could kill in the blink of an eye, due to a slip of my temper. And if I were to ever kill any living being, I would not be able to forgive myself; those were her words. Back then I didn't understand them as much as I did today. Still, I kept to her words because she was that one person who only had my well-being in mind."
He weakly grinned.
"You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this."
Kyungsoo just looked at him, not showing anything but patience, but his fingers kept caressing the other's hands.
"I want you to know that I am truly stuck in here. Of course I considered running away. But I'm not that stupid, you know? What was I supposed to do? Run away with no money to end up homeless on the street somewhere? Get caught by the police as an unregistered gifted one? Running around with absolutely no knowledge of the world but those stories I saw on television? With a gift that could probably go berserk at any moment? Even in my loneliest moments I never ran far enough not to turn back. Because I couldn't turn my back on the only person that had ever supported me. 'What would my grandmother think of me?', I used to ask myself."
Chen paused for a moment to keep his composure. Kyungsoo seized the opportunity to pull him against his chest in a warm embrace. The hug was neither too tight nor forced. It was just a warm and reassuring touch that may have been the final trigger to the younger one, who leaned his mop of brown hair against Kyungsoo's collarbones, inhaling deeply, yet shakily. He talked very slowly, every sentence, every confession, obviously taking a huge amount of courage.
"That day... When my grandmother died... It was the worst day of my life. Seeing her body turn lifeless, I panicked terribly. I was screaming and screaming for help, and I ran towards the village, calling for help. It was too late, though. And the people in the village... When they found her..."
His voice rose in pitch ever so slightly, and Kyungsoo could feel his tears hot and wet against his skin.
"They... They claimed I had finally... Killed her. There were no wounds. So they... Ran off.
Today I know for sure she suffered from a heart attack. It wasn't me. ...I know that.
Back then I already knew. It couldn't have been me. So why did they all run away? ...'A monster' was what they called me.
A monster, can you believe it? Haha-", his weak laugh was cut short by a choked hick-up.
"It should have been laughable, shouldn't it? But that time I was very young. That day I began to keep a diary. I was scared that one day I would actually believe them. At times I almost did." He tried to wipe his tears but only accomplished to smear them across his hot skin.
"...I-I'm sorry.", he muttered, "I've long gotten over it, really. But... Today I've just been overly emotional and it's somehow different to actually tell the story. I have no idea where this is all coming from. It's probably crazy, I never thought I would break down like this-"
"Shh, I don't want to hear any apologies-"
"This is still not what I wanted to tell you, though. You're probably bored to death by my admittedly short life story, but I need you to understand. I want you to understand.", Chen mumbled and shakily but determined he pushed himself off to look at Kyungsoo.
"You are the second person to approach me. Without knowing about me, you came over to me, and even after finding out, you only took another step towards me. The time I'm spending with you has become my greatest treasure. It's so exciting and fun, but also relaxing... It's everything. And... And it's killing me so much. So much. You have no idea."
Even though Chen should draw back following this statement he didn't. And even though Kyungsoo should be offended, neither did he.
"Just when I thought I had finally come to terms with my life, just when I stopped caring... You stepped into my life. And all of this is only some sort of holiday for you. You live in a world totally different from mine. A world that's ridiculously foreign to me. And of course you'll return-" Even though Kyungsoo opened his mouth, the younger didn't give him a chance, "-I wouldn't hold a grudge against you, honestly. And maybe you would come to visit me again if you're around or something. But I just know that I simply cannot return to my old life now that I know what it could be like. I'm always so pushy because I can't help but fearing the moment I'm alone again. I'm just so frustrated with everything. Mostly about myself. I-"
"That's enough for now, come here.", Kyungsoo clumsily interrupted him.
And again he pulled the younger towards him. And again he didn't resist.
"Now you listen to me.", he said, trying to sound calm when in truth his heart and mind were racing.
"I'm not just here because I'm bored, you know? All of this... You... Are no joke to me. And I'm not going to disappear. It's not only you, you know? I as well... I don't know whether I could just return to my old life. I can't make you any promises, but believe me when I tell you that you are important to me."
With a sigh the younger one nuzzled his face into Kyungsoo's warm neck, grasping the fabric of his shirt tightly.
Softly he carded his fingers through the brown strands, re-arranging them just to slightly mess them up again right after. They didn't say anything else, after that.
Exhausted from his emotional outburst, Chen quickly drifted off into sleep, with his hands still tangled in the elder's shirt.
"I can't promise you anything.", Kyungsoo repeated in a whisper as he took in the peacefully sleeping features of the boy that wouldn't leave his mind even if he tried his best to blank him out.
"...but give me some more time. I'll figure something out."
The next day, they both didn't mention that night again. Still, Chen obviously tried to tone it down a little (with mixed results but Kyungsoo appreciated the effort).
It was on an early Saturday evening in mid-August when Chen timidly asked him whether he could show him something.
Kyungsoo being the curious little thing he very much was, agreed without a second thought.
So they found themselves sitting in the soft but slightly moist sand of the beach on their spread-out jackets. The ever-touchy Chen was leaning against the elder's shoulder as they were watching the small but insistent waves hitting the shore. It wasn't actually a sight you would find printed in a magazine - The sky was gloomy and grey, darkening by the minute as if going from day to night without any sign of a sunset. Still, both boys felt comfortable enough.
Even though Kyungsoo was kind of suspicious towards Chen's unusual silence.
Surely this wasn't all he wanted to show him.
The minutes passed by as they listened to the waves.
"You know...", Chen suddenly began.
It took a while before he continued, though.
"There's hardly any blue sky here. The weather is almost always gloomy. They used to say that's my fault. Well, they probably still think so."
Kyungsoo didn't reply. He wasn't sure whether this was even possible. And if so, what was there for him to say?
But Chen just lifted his head and playfully tilted it to intrude his field of vision.
"Still, the weather's perfect. I was wondering... Or rather, I have been practicing even harder lately, and therefore... Could I maybe show you a few results?"
Oh, he was talking about his gift, wasn't he? Though Chen was still restraining himself from actively naming it. Kyungsoo was more than excited; ever since they had known each other, the younger one had kept any trace of his gift perfectly concealed.
And he knew how much this meant for him - after all, he was always taught that the things he could do were some kind of deadly curse, something to feel constrained and ashamed of.
Trying not to look too eager, Kyungsoo smiled and nodded.
"Okay..."
His voice was slightly anxious, but he got up and shook the sand off of his clothes as he took a few steps towards his house. There was a lonely lightening rod sticking out of the sand.
"I-I'll try not to make it too bright okay?"
Sensing the light quiver in his voice, he comfortingly lay a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.
The brunette calmed down slightly and took a deep breath. Somehow, the surrounding air seemed to change rapidly.
When he opened his eyes, all wariness was replaced with serious concentration. And then the rod got struck by lightning. Pure, white energy, almost blindingly bright. It was a rather small bolt, yet the close proximity had Kyungsoo staring in a mix of fascination and shock. He knew Chen had the gift of electricity, but lightning was probably the purest and highest form. And enjoying the view of lightning was one thing, but to have a bolt of lightning no more than 10 feet away was a different story.
Still, Kyungsoo didn't feel any fear. And so he didn't turn his eyes away from the following bolts hitting the metal rod. Somehow he thought...
"...they're beautiful.", he whispered quietly, but Chen had clearly heard him.
He remained concentrated, however, and absentmindedly took Kyungsoo's hand in his.
The quietly rumbling thunder seemed to grow louder by the second. Only now did he realize how dark the sky had become.
Calmly, he took a few slow steps back, pulling Kyungsoo along with him.
Another low rumble of the sky was the only warning. The lightning bolt that followed was tremendous and Kyungsoo slightly jumped. As if the sky had parted to bestow some form of judgement. It didn't vanish in the blink of an eye, either. Instead it seemed to freeze, to linger for almost two full seconds, before it vanished into thin air.
Chen's breathing had become a little more strained, but otherwise he seemed composed.
"Are you... Alright?", he asked unsurely as he threw a glance at Kyungsoo's face.
He hadn't realized how tightly he had squeezed the brunette's hand.
"Y-yes!", he hurried to say before Chen took it all the wrong way.
"It was just... Wow. It was so amazing. Stunning. I'm... Wow."
Chen involuntarily laughed at his incoherent stammering. Still, he looked cautiously into his eyes as he bit his lip.
"So... One last thing?"
This time Kyungsoo didn't even bother to conceal his eagerness, nodding hurriedly.
The other one smiled, even though he seemed nervous.
"Uhm... Ok. Can you maye stretch out your palm?"
"Huh? Sure?"
Kyungsoo lifted his right hand, opening it as if he was expecting to receive something. Instead, Chen stepped to his side and from below he softly cupped his hand. Kyungsoo held his breath at the close proximity and tried not to blush at the feeling of those slightly rougher fingers that touched him so gently.
Then his attention was diverted to the tiny lightning that struck his palm. Of course it didn't hurt at all. His eyes widened in wonder as another tiny lightning bolt in the color of a pale blue followed the first.
"It's blue... And it's on my hand...", he whispered as if he was afraid to disrupt the moment.
Chen only chuckled lightly as his fingers reached around to rub circles into his palm.
"Did you know...", he began quietly as the colorful little lightning bolts were reflecting in their shining eyes, "...That lightning does not actually come from the sky? It origins from the ground. It's just so fast that people are misguided."
"Really? I didn't know that...", Kyungsoo answered equally quietly, his eyes fixed on a beautiful green flash of light.
"If you think of it that way,", Chen continued, "It's not that lightning and earth are as far away from each other as people make them out to be. Actually lightning couldn't even exist without a ground to stabilize it."
Kyungsoo smiled.
"You're right."
As he looked over his right shoulder, he could see Chen's eyes trained on him.
"Kyungsoo."
"Yeah?"
Again, anxiety was flickering across his eyes, along with the colorful lights.
"If I... Would you kill me if I k-kissed you now?"
A little startled, Kyungsoo blinked. Then he gave him a small grin.
"If you laugh it off afterwards, I definitely will.", he stated firmly.
He could see those bright eyes flitting down to his lips and back. The action made him kind of nervous, but in a good way.
The hand that had been caressing his, lowered and pulled Kyungsoo's hand down with it, while his other hand reached out to cup his cheek carefully.
Kyungsoo hadn't felt a single thing during this supernatural presentation, but when their lips met he could swear he felt sparks. Sure, Chen had no idea what he was doing whatsoever. Still, the warm feeling of their lips connected sent shudders through his body. Curiously, the younger one began to move his lips against his. He was kissing him rather hard and clumsily and Kyungsoo couldn't hold back a smile. With a hand pressing against his shoulder, he detached himself to look at a terribly sheepish-looking Chen.
Before he could say anything, however, Kyungsoo pecked him shortly, still smiling.
"You're just as rushed as you live your everyday-life. You need to relax a little."
With a tug he dragged him down into the sand so they could sit comfortably.
Then he looked him into the eyes again, rubbing his shoulders slowly.
"Let me guide you a little for now.", he softly said as he leaned forwards to whisper into his ear over the sound of the waves.
"Now just relax...", he whispered lowly.
He could almost feel Chen shudder under his hands which also affected him quite a bit. Still, he gave his best to carefully guide him on how to kiss and their lips met for several times, always lingering a little longer than before. The younger one sighed and naturally slid his hands over his leg to rest on his waist.
Chen was a fast learner though, Kyungsoo couldn't deny that. And he very soon found out that Chen was a rather hard kisser by nature. As soon as he felt secure, his movements became more firm again. It wasn't rushed, though - his kisses were hard, but languid and passionate, which Kyungsoo returned with pleasure. And embarrassingly enough it was also him who let a moan slip past his lips first at a particular nibble at his lower lip. Chen's hand that had somewhere along the line found it's way into his hair, grasped it a little tighter as he, too, got more aroused. Not wanting to fall back behind someone who was kissing for the first time, Kyungsoo decided to step it up a notch and licked over the cat-like lips, earning a surprised moan.
Very, very carefully a warm tongue sneaked out to search his'. And it was that moment that Kyungsoo couldn't think of anything but how he wouldn't want to kiss any other person ever again.
They were both panting and aroused when they finally managed to part after what felt like a much too short eternity. Even though his pupils were slightly blown, Chen's eyes sparkled brightly as he looked at Kyungsoo in amazement, blinking hazily for a few times.
"Woah. That was amazing."
Kyungsoo smiled in return and tried very hard not to attach their lips again.
"Yeah...", he replied, a little short of breath on his own.
When he regained his composure a bit, he looked at the boy before him intensely.
"Chen." The bright eyes returned his gaze firmly.
"Yes?"
"Come with me to Seoul?"
"W-what?!" His eyes grew big as he instantly sobered from his previous daze.
Yet Kyungsoo didn't turn back on his words.
"Come with me. We'll let you get examined properly. I guess you're around level 1, possibly S. Still, you'll be able to properly learn to control it."
"B-but... I could hurt people-"
"I have researched quite a bit. There are some kind of devices that suppress your gift. They're kind of expensive, but after a proper examination you'll get a huge part paid from the government for the time being and I'm going in for the rest, I've saved up enough."
Chen blinked disbelievingly as he tried to process the information.
"Won't they... Won't they put me in an asylum or something?"
"Nonsense. That's just stuff they tell kids to scare them. The more dangerous a gift is, the more delicately it's being handled, especially if you're in the capital city - The government wouldn't want to get into trouble. Look, I know you're scared. We'll go there together, I won't leave your side for even one minute. We'll safely arrive in Seoul because I'm gonna take your hand and not ever let go. Okay?"
He could see the conflicting thoughts rushing through him. It was too good to be true, right? Desperately searching for the catch, Chen kept rambling.
"But, but your internship-"
"There are plenty of orphanages in Seoul. I already contacted the main branch and asked them to transfer me."
"But where should I live?"
"You could stay at my home, but I guess you'd be more comfortable on the campus, there are specific rooms for gifted ones."
"C-campus?"
"Yeah, you should finally attend school, don't you think?"
He looked like he was about to cry.
"...Is that actually possible?", he whispered.
Kyungsoo smiled and offered his hand.
"Of course it is, Silly. Now what do you say? Will you come with me?"
He looked at the outstretched palm. It wasn't hesitation that led him to wait for a few seconds, though. He was simply stunned. Finally he intertwined their fingers and broke into a wide smile.
"Don't let go."
"I won't."
Chen nervously bit the inside of his cheek as Kyungsoo gave him a final look-over.
He had insisted on this.
'You won't silently sneak out, I'm not having it. You will leave with your head held high.
You will not flinch away for what you are. You got that?'
He had also brought some of his nicer clothes along since Chen didn't own anything that was suitable for a trip to Seoul; his wardrobe consisted of old T-shirts and rugged jeans only. Suitable for the beach, maybe, but Kyungsoo wanted to boost his confidence a little. His hair was discreetly styled, the white dress shirt neatly ironed and the outfit topped off by a stylish pair of black ripped jeans and a brand new pair of sneakers.
"Alright.", Kyungsoo said, clapping his hands once. "Let's go?"
He smiled at Chen's forced confidence and quickly pecked the side of his lips, making him jump a little.
"Come on. And remember: Chin up, be confident." He got a nod in response and they made their way to the train station, each with small baggage and their hands intertwined.
Chen was shaking terribly, but he forced himself to keep a straight face when they walked along the streets. He desperately wanted to stare at the ground, but kept his head held high as promised and let his eyes explore the surroundings. This was the village that had decided to keep him locked away. This was the world outside he had so often dreamed about. Well, now he would be leaving for an even greater world than this. Which (hopefully) included people that were willing to become close to him.
People were staring. Like, really staring. They put down whatever they were doing, stopped walking midway and stared at him. He felt like a cornered animal. Yet the tight grip on his hand assured him that he wasn't. So he met every single gaze with confidence. Not with anger, not with fear. Just a firm signal that he wouldn't back down.
And although they all whispered and backed off hastily, no one dared to talk to them.
When they reached the train station, though...
"Do Kyungsoo, where do you think you're going?!"
They stopped in their tracks as Kyungsoo's grandma blocked their path with anger written all over her face.
"I saw your things were packed. Did you actually want to leave without saying goodbye at all?"
He seemed a little sad but determined when he replied.
"You wouldn't have approved of me spending time with Chen. That's why we're leaving."
His grandma looked at Chen with a weird mix of emotions. She seemed angry, yes. There was also the certain tinge of aversion the other people had had as well. Still, there was something else.
Finally she sighed heavily.
"I couldn't have prevented it anyway. Leave. Take him with you. So be it. Hye Ri would have been happy."
"Y-you knew my grandmother?!", Chen broke out. "...Uhm, Ma'am.", he sheepishly added.
"I did, very well. She was my dearest friend once."
After a few seconds of silence, Chen looked her in the eye firmly.
"I did not kill her."
She lowered her gaze.
"I will try to believe you.", she murmured.
Suddenly, the brunette bowed deeply.
"Also, I want to thank you for your guidance."
"W-what are you talking about?!", she threw in, obviously flustered.
"It was you, wasn't it? The notes on how to live on my own when I was ten. All those helpful reminders and advises..."
Kyungsoo looked at him with wide eyes. He hadn't known of those notes.
Reluctantly she shrugged it off. "I was the only one in here who had a close relative with a gift, and a young one at that...", she lovingly looked at Kyungsoo before her eyes found Chen again.
"I wouldn't know where I'd be today without those. So please accept my thanks."
She looked almost pained as she quietly spoke.
"How can you say that after no one ever came for you? How can you even think of thanking me? You've grown up quite a bit. My grandson is precious for me, but let me tell you this:
You two are like two puzzle pieces made for each other.
So off with you.", she shooed them away, obviously fighting her emotions.
"Kyungsoo, Dear!"
Kyungsoo turned with a questioning gaze.
"You should visit me again. And maybe... You could bring along your friend, I mean... Chen. Maybe."
'Yeah, maybe', Chen thought as he sat down next to Kyungsoo in the train, looking out of the window as the remnants of his caged youth were fading into the distance.
'If I'll learn to forgive one day.'
For now he leaned into the comforting warmth of his so-called second puzzle piece and for once didn't feel the need to do anything at all.