Chapter Text
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes.”
Hebrews 4:13
Pride
Greed
Lust
Envy
Gluttony
Wrath
Sloth
Also known as the seven deadly sins.
Also known as the weakness of the human kind.
Everywhere at everyplace there is someone who’s committed a sin. There’s no ‘perfect’ human. Well, Han Jisung believes he can come close. He has to come close.
Cheonguk Eonyak Academy, a multi-grade males private Christian boarding school in the rural mountains of Gyeongsang Province. Surrounded by nothing but absolute isolation and wilderness.
Thats where Jisung attended school ever since he was a toddler.
His father works as the Damim Moksa—the Senior Paster—of the school. His mother was once a helper there aswell, well until she wasn’t.
She had passed away once Jisung turned 10. From what Jisung could remember, she was the most amazing woman. She was strong, caring, and loving. A devoted Christian who gave support to everyone at the academy. Especially Jisung.
She’d always promise him they’d meet at every end. Every final destination, even the finalist: Heaven.
When she passed away, Jisung knew one thing and one thing only—He needed to devote himself the way she did. He needed to reconnect with her in Heaven one day. Make his mother proud and end up there with each other.
And that’s what he did.
Jisung was a top student. He stuck to his studies, his faith, and helping out with any church event. He’d pray in the hall on a daily. Never has he needed to be in the confessions booth due to how committed he was. Every year never disappointing.
It was Jisung’s senior year at the academy. This was a very important year as his plans afterwards is to fully devote himself to the Church.
Everything had a purpose. His prayers, every lesson he’s sat through, every silence in between. A path he already set and written for himself. He only needed to follow it through.
The loud ear piercing church bells started ringing at exactly 5:30 in the morning. The time every student needed to start rising for classes.
The upper-level students all shared a dorm room. Around 10 bunkbeds were scattered around the huge room.
Everyone was groaning due to the familiar annoying noise.
Jisung arose from the bed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes to wake himself up. He exhaled before actually standing up on the cold concrete floors.
“You look like shit—“
A person yelled out from the right, throwing a dirtied up sneaker at a classmate who was trying to get up from his sleep.
“Ouch! Jackass i’ll beat your ass!”
Jisung grabbed his plastic basket that contained a soap bar, shampoo, conditioner, and a rag, heading into the shared bathroom space.
The bathroom was steamy and getting flooded into already. There were a bunch of shower heads connected to the walls, not very far in space from each other.
Jisung got to an empty shower head and set his stuff down, undressed. He stripped off his clothes and set it aside on the shower bench. They had assigned lockers he’d put those clothes in after finishing.
”Jisung-ah”
Jisung heard a voice appear next to him startling him a bit, until he noticed it was just his friend, Felix.
Felix was a sweet guy. Often given the name Sunshine. He was too nice for his own good.
”Lix”
Jisung replied with a small wave before starting the shower and turning the water on.
”It’s our senior year, aren’t you excited? We’ll be free soon!”
”You'll be free soon”
Jisung corrected, making Felix laugh.
”Right, I forgot you wanna be a priest or something,” Felix turned on his own water before continuing, “You don’t get bored of it?”
“I never get bored of praising the lord, he’s the reason we’re here…”
After showering and changing via the locker room, Jisung headed towards the grand halls to where his lecture was. It was all familiar. It had to be after spending almost all his 18 years of living here.
He went to his assigned seat, all the way to the right of the middle section.
Once everyone flooded in and got seated in their places aswell, the professor came in shortly after—Jaeyun—most just called him professor though.
“Settle down, settle down.”
He said out in a way that was trying to get the talkative students to stop talking.
“We have a new face showing up, all the way from Seoul…isn’t that something?”
There were whispers throughout the class, mainly just confused upon the new arrival because the people at that academy have been there most of their lives. It’s not somewhere people just go to.
Jisung payed attention to the front, his eyes then fixed on the door that opened up. A tall male walked through. He was…handsome. Sharp features, small pink cupids bow lips, soft bunny like front teeth, and parted black hair.
He didn’t seem as nice as he looked though. His face screamed he wanted to break out of there and didn’t want to be in the room.
Jisung’s gaze stayed on his glaring eyes. He seemed different.
What broke Jisung out of his head was the low voice that came out of him.
“I’m Lee Minho.”
Minho said without another word. The professor gave him a nod and a hand gesture to an empty seat in the back left corner. Which, Minho walked over to and slumped down.
And, the lecture began like that.
After the class, everyone started packing up and walking out for lunch at the dining area.
Jisung grabbed his bag and stuffed all his books and pens in there somewhat neatly. His head then turned to the back of the room where Minho was.
Minho’s head was lying ontop of his arms, sleeping so peacefully.
Jisung smiled for a second before putting his bag on one shoulder and heading up to Minho’s desk.
He knocked on the dark wood next to Minho’s arms, making the other startle. Minho’s head moved upwards to look at Jisung.
“Morning. Or..Afternoon actually.”
Minho blinked in confusion.
“It’s time to eat, aren’t you hungry?”
Thats when Minho finally whipped his head up all the way from his arms. He sat up with a small yawn.
“I’m always hungry.” He responded lowly.
”Good. Because the food here is amazing.”
“Is it—?”
“You’ll have to find out yourself.”
Jisung laughed, holding his bag tighter and making a hand gesture for Minho to get up and follow him out.
“What’s your name?” Minho asked as he rose up and grabbed his own bag.
“Jisung, Han Jisung.”
”Jisungie”
Jisung cringed, his nose scrunching as he shook his head. ”No..Just Jisung.”
“I’ll call you Jisungie.”
“Okay…”
They both headed out of the classroom and towards the smell of food.
The dining hall was packed with students from all grades. There were 4 different lines forming towards the food counters. That was a normal thing for Jisung, but Minho groaned beside him.
”Is this an amusement park line?”
”To us, basically.” Jisung shrugged as they both walked to the shortest looking line. “Why did you choose to come here? If i’m allowed to ask.”
“You’re not allowed.”
Minho responded coldly which made Jisung’s smile drop, turning his head away with a nod.
”I’m kidding. I was forced here by my parents so I don’t have a real answer for you.”
Jisung looked back up with a tiny ‘hm’ sound. “Maybe they just wanted the best for you.”
”The best for me would be them leaving me alone.”
They moved up in line as it got shorter and shorter until their turn was up. Jisung grabbed two of the plates and handed one to Minho.
”You’ll grow to learn that it is the best for you.”