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“Talk to me, Hyunjin. Don’t shut me out.”
“Leave me alone.”
“No can do. Look, I’ve been here long enough to know that you have more feelings towards this one – we can all see it –“
“Seungmin, leave.” Hyunjin’s tone leaves no room for discussion.
“As you wish, master.” Seungmin mocks salute.
Hyunjin wonders where it all started.
Perhaps it began on one sunny day, where a body of unconscious being was left vulnerable on the edge of the beach.
Hyunjin was only going for a stroll that morning, so to find a body on the deserted beach brought quite a shock to him. His eyes scanned the perimeter, looking for a certain merman. As if on cue, two soft red eyes peeked from the water, looking cautiously back at him.
He sighed. “What did you do this time, Innie?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Jeongin panicked, his hands flailing on the water to prove his point. “That man single handedly row a boat towards the island! What was I supposed to do?”
“You could’ve let Seungmin know, for example?”
“And risking him skinning me alive? No thanks.” Jeongin huffed. “Figured it’s easier for you to deal with the human. I even saved him from that pathetic little boat and brought him to the beach. So, give me some credit, will you?” He pouted.
“Okay, okay, I believe you.” Hyunjin coos. “Can you do me a favour though? Tell Seungmin that I need help on the beach?”
“You’re not mad at me?”
Hyunjin smiled. “Why would I be? Without you, I doubt he’ll survive. So, thank you, Innie, for saving him.”
That pleases Jeongin, as the merman giggled and swam to the other side of the island happily.
With Jeongin gone, Hyunjin went back observing the unconscious lithe guy. He is cute, he thought to himself, and he couldn’t help to gaze a little longer than he should have. He quickly shook his head, realizing that this poor man needs saving first, not being ogled at.
He closed his eyes, feeling the pulsing beat of the land, steadying his breath, and putting his hands out, placing it on top of the stranger’s body. A warm green light oozed out from the tip of his fingers, covering the man’s whole body. Hyunjin focused on healing all the internal organs, patching it up cell by cell, until the body can heal by themselves again.
Once finished, he felt a little bit dizzy, his body swayed a little bit before he felt a pair of strong hands hold him steady by the shoulders.
“You shouldn’t push yourself too much.” A new voice started.
“He’s hurt pretty badly, even before coming to this island, Seungminnie.” Hyunjin opened his eyes wide, finding his best friend holding him steady.
Seungmin hummed. “It’s a good thing that I called Minho, then.” He propped the blonde guy up, patting him on the shoulder. “You can go back to the castle. Minho and I will take care of him.” He gently pushed Hyunjin in the castle’s direction.
Hyunjin began to walk reluctantly, before stopping at his tracks. His body turned to Seungmin, eyes gazing at the younger man, as he whispered softly, so soft that Seungmin almost missed it. “I don’t know if I can handle another one so soon, Seungmin-ah. The last one still hurts.”
Seungmin only looks at him, full of understanding and sympathy. “You’ll be okay, Jinnie. We are all here for you.” He turned towards the stranger. “Plus, I have a feeling that this one will be different from the rest.”
The moment he woke up, Jisung was met with a pair of deep brown eyes looking at him curiously, as if he’s a test subject. He jerked off quickly, putting a distance in between them, and wincing a little bit when he felt his back hit the headrest.
“Whoa there, take it easy. I’m not here to hurt you, I’m here to help.”
“What the fuck did you do to me? Where am I?”
“Wow, such a dirty mouth for a pretty face. Aren’t you a feisty one.” The man chuckled.
Jisung rolled his eyes. His first response seeing the unfamiliar sight was to fight, he’s not the type of person who stays still when there’s danger. The moment he wanted to punch the strange man in front of him, his face suddenly contorted to confusion. He can’t move his hands – or his legs, for that matter- at all.
“Look, if you let us explain, it will all make sense. Let me introduce myself. I’m Minho, and I’m here to change your bandages. Someone will come in shortly to heal you further; you’ve been unconscious for days. Now if you punched me, not only we are going to aggravate the wounds, but I might accidentally obliterate you into nothingness, so let me patch you up and I’ll leave you alone, okay?” Minho smiled, eyes never leaving Jisung, but his hands were busy with bunch of ointments, gel and wrapped bandages that Jisung never recognized before.
Realising that he had no chance of winning, Jisung exhaled exasperatedly, his body slumped down to the bed.
“Okay that’s better. There you go, all set. I just need to apply this last bit of ointment and I’ll leave you to it, if you need any help, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?”
Jisung nodded, and Minho proceeded to do just that. He was finally left by himself in the room to take in his surroundings. The room itself was clean and tidy, quite simple but lack of personal touch. Beside the bed, there are various scrolls, ointments, potions, cauldron and test tubes. He gathered as much that this room is someone’s working space, a laboratory of some sort, owned by the strange man earlier – Minho. For what purpose, Jisung didn’t want to indulge in thinking about it. There are a large bookcase filled with ancient texts on the side of his bed, a wooden desk and an antique chair. Although the room felt more modern, Jisung can’t help but to think that the objects in this room are at least a hundred years old, judging from the ancient language that Jisung knows already a dead language.
His train of thoughts was interrupted by the presence of yet another man in the room.
This time, Jisung didn’t even realise that the door was opened or closed. ‘How the hell this person walked to the room undetected?’
This man – tall, blonde, with warm brown eyes – cleared his throat, looking nervous to greet Jisung. “Hi there. I am Hyunjin, what’s your name?”
Jisung eyed him skeptically. “What is it for you? Are you going to take a hostage out of me and use it as leverage?”
The man – Hyunjin – tilted his head, his eyebrow furrowed, looking utterly confused. “Wait, wha- No, who said anything about hostages? Look we found you unconscious on the beach few days ago, and I want to make sure that you’re not losing memory or anything. I figured checking whether you remember your own name or not will suffice at this stage.”
Jisung was a little hesitant, to trust the pretty stranger. ‘Did I just call him pretty? What is wrong with me –‘
Noticing the discomfort of the other guy, Hyunjin walked closer to the edge of the bed. “You know what, never mind. If you don’t want to tell me your name, that’s fine. I’m just going to continue healing your wounds, until you trust me enough with your name. I need you to lay down, and stay still.”
Hyunjin’s eyes glowed emerald green as the warm glow emanating from his hands towards Jisung’s body. He still could not move his hands nor his feet, but he lay down as per instructions as Hyunjin put his arms out, hovering on top of his chest. Jisung could almost taste the warmth, the passion, and the purity flowing in to his body, he wanted more, wanted to touch a bit more, and as soon as he thought he could reach it, the feeling was gone.
“There. Try to get some rest, okay? It’s going to take a couple more days for you to properly heal.” Hyunjin smiled, as he patted Jisung’s head softly. The taller man got up and walked to the door, thinking of leaving the man by himself. He stopped his movement, however, as the other whisper slowly, directed at him.
“Jisung.”
“I’m sorry?” Hyunjin looked back to the other being in the room.
“My name is Han Jisung. I don’t remember much how did I get here– but I’m guessing you guys save my life, so I owe it to you this much. Thank you. For saving me.” Jisung didn’t know what came after him, he learned to never hand in his name to any stranger, particularly a pretty one at that. He quickly thought to himself, if this man wanted to kill him or taking advantage of him, he could’ve done it already when he was unconscious, so he figured to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Hyunjin’s eye smile melted even the coldest part of Jisung’s heart.
On the other room…
“How long do you think they are going to last, Hyungs?”
“I bet it’s going to take a month for them to do the deed.”
“Oh my gosh, Minho, there’s a literal child in here, you can’t possibly say that – “
“Because there’s a child in here precisely why I said what I said, Seungmin. You know I can do so much worse than that.”
“Hyungs, don’t fight please. I’m sure I’ll win the bet anyway in the end. I’m guessing two months!”
“Okay everyone, places your bet!”
To say Hyunjin is beautiful is a complete understatement. Not only he is physically heavenly and out of the world, the tall blond was kind, funny, warm and soft. Jisung tried his hardest to dislike the guy – but in the end, he knows he’s just fooling himself.
They spent a lot of time together in the island – Jisung found he felt relieved when Hyunjin broke the news to him that he cannot physically leave the island. He could tell that this surprised Hyunjin, it’s a reaction that he is not expected, but he was grateful that Hyunjin didn’t push him to say anything.
They spent every waking hour together as much as possible, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in between, except when at times Hyunjin had to do some “business” as he called it, and when Jisung decided to help out Minho in the kitchen or Seungmin in the garden.
Getting to know Hyunjin felt like home, like he finally found the missing piece that he’s been looking for. They had spent countless nights stargazing at the night sky, on top of the hill near the castle.
Hyunjin excitedly pointed out different constellations, telling him stories about each and every one of them. He shared his favourite, a lone star called Polaris, or North Star. When he asked him why he had chosen that one as his favourite, Hyunjin replied,“I like it because even if it’s alone, it shines so brightly in the night sky. Polaris guides people who are lost to found direction, and it’s constantly there for us, for the world. It reminded me of… home.”
Jisung didn’t comment on the forlorn look that Hyunjin sported, thinking to himself whether Hyunjin realized or not that he is the embodiment of Northern Star himself. So beautiful, and yet so far to reach.
Other times, they spent their days quietly in the library. When Hyunjin shyly admitted that he loves reading books, it took him a short while to bring Jisung in his private library. Rows and rows of books are filling the room up to the ceiling. Jisung wonders how Hyunjin can get the books on top of the shelves, considering that the height of the bookcase itself was at least ten times higher than his height.
Pulling his vision back to Hyunjin, who looked at him expectantly, he finally released a soft “Wow.”He saw Hyunjin smiled brightly. “This is amazing, Hyunjin! There are so many books! Do you organize them by theme?”
Hyunjin giggled. “I ordered them based on when I got them. So the newest books are right here.” He pointed at the small section on the bottom of the shelves.
“What’s your favourite book?”
Hyunjin pondered about the question for a bit, before flicking his hand. A leather book showed up instantly in his hand. “This is the one. This is the first book my father gave me.” He has a faraway look in his eyes, as his hand caressed the crevices on the cover.
“Can I read it?” Jisung asked.
Hyunjin just smiles, one that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe some other time.”He flicked back the book, and gestured to Jisung to follow him. “Let’s go over to the fireplace. You can pick any other book you want to read.”
Jisung didn’t push it; instead he plucked one random book from the bottom shelves, and settled himself next to Hyunjin.
The taller man put his hand over and scooted closer, as he translated the book to Jisung. “Is this okay?” Jisung nodded.
Jisung can’t tell whether the warmth he felt in his chest was caused by the fireplace or the pretty young man next to him.
Hyunjin never really understands Jisung.
When he broke the news to Jisung that he might get stuck forever in the island indefinitely, he didn’t look surprised. As if he expected Hyunjin to say that and it bothers Hyunjin more than he wants to admit.
Of all people who got stuck in his island, Jisung’s acceptance of his fate was a first.
Most of the men and women that got caught in here panicked, got angry or even tried to blame Hyunjin for their own misfortune. They always looked for ways to get out of the island. No one stayed in the end, despite their beautiful promises of coming back and visit often. Hyunjin hated it that he falls for it, every single time. He believed them, every single time. And he learned it the hard way, of broken promises and being left alone for as long as he can remember.
Jisung is different. Hyunjin is not sure what to make of it.
He is the enigma, the anomaly. He never questioned why Hyunjin has powers, or how he has Jeongin, the merman, as his best friend. He didn’t even bat an eye when Minho magically cleaning the house with broomsticks, chucks and all cleaning products all were flying around as if some ghosts were cleaning the house. He didn’t even raise a question why Seungmin is always gone when the moonlight is up, or when he growled possessively over Jeongin.
Sometimes, he wonders; whether Jisung pretends to not notice these things, or was it simply because he knows what’s going on but choose to not say anything.
One day, Hyunjin asked where did Jisung come from before stranded on his island.
Jisung was quiet before murmuring, “Somewhere where I was not wanted by everyone around me.”
“Is that why it was hard to trust me at first?”
“Anyone, really.” He fiddled with his fingers before continued. “If I tell you who I am, would that change anyting?”
“Never.” Hyunjin’s expression was firm.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“You don’t trust me?” Hyunjin fake gasped dramatically. Jisung pushed his shoulder playfully. “But seriously though, I am trapped in an island, in case you didn’t notice, so I can’t really tell anyone else beside Kkami. Even then, I wouldn’t. I guess you just have to put your trust and faith in me.”
“Who’s Kkami?”
“Wait, you haven’t seen him? The red dragon flying around the castle, occasionally burnt Seungmins’butt when he tried to bath him?”
“No, I didn’t even know you have a dragon pet in the first place!”
“Okay, I’ll take you to him later then.” Hyunjin smiled. “But seriously, you can trust me. Whatever you say would never change the way I see you.”
Jisung exhaled slowly, and smiled self-deprecatingly. “My father is a king in the North. The Queen couldn’t give birth to a son, so my father did any sane person would do, like cheating on the Queen with my mom, the servant, for example.” Jisung chuckled darkly. “My mom was made to a concubine, but everyone hated us. Because me, the illegitimate kid, was made to a Crown Prince.”
Jisung didn’t realize that Hyunjin already placing his hands on top of his, stroking it softly, silently encouraging him. He continued, “The Queen hated my mere existence. She tried to kill me so many times. The only reason why I’m still alive right now was because of my best –friend and guardian, Changbin.” A lone tear made its way to Jisung’s cheek.
“He was always the strong one, you know? A father figure, my true brother. The one that’s always been there for me. I rarely meet my father, and my mom spent all her life fawning over the unrequited love she has to the King. And here I am, trying to survive every single day. But one day, they went too far.”
Tears were spilling out of his eyes by now, and Jisung hated the way his heart constricts under the invisible grip of the memories. He could sense Hyunjin’s presence around him, his arms was put around Jisung protectively, supporting him. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Jisung.”
“No, I want to.” Jisung steadied himself. “They burned my room, Hyunjin, in the middle of the night. I was sleeping – I didn’t notice anything different when I went to bed that night. Changbin realized it first – he woke me up, telling me that I should go and don’t ever come back. He prepared everything, he knows one day they are going to go too far, but…” He took a deep breath, trying to get the words out of his mouth. The truth always hurts. “He didn’t make it out of the castle that night. There were so many souldiers, the fire was too hot, I just – I just –“ Jisung sobbed, “I just cant forgive myself. I left him behind. I should’ve been stronger, to protect him, to save him. But –“
“Oh, Jisung…” Hyunjin hugged the younger boy close. His heart broke from hearing how small Jisung sounded. “It’s not your fault, please don’t blame yourself.”
“I can’t, Hyunjin. I just –“
It took awhile for Jisung to calm himself, his small frame shaking uncontrollably from the amount of crying he is pouring out. He continued. “After that I run. I took the horse and took off. But people know my name and they heard about what happened in the castle. One day I made a mistake. I stopped at a bar, and I accidentally slipped my name to one of the patron and they kidnapped me.” Jisung curled even more to Hyunjin’s side, crying unabashedly. “Thank God Changbin’s friends, Chan and Felix saved me. They were worried that I didn’t show up in the safe house, so they started looking for me. Changbin already prepared everything, down to the clothes, money, and safe house, which are Chan’s and Felix’s. They took me in and heal me, they are good guys.”
“Wait, Chan and Felix as in Bang Chan and Lee Felix?” Hyunjin intercepted for the first time.
“Yeah.” Jisung sniffled. “Why?”
“You didn’t hear about this island from them, did you?”
Jisung tensed. He felt like going in an uncharted territory and not knowing what he’s supposed to do.
“So you know about me.” Hyunjin still held him close, eyes boring to Jisungs’intensely.
“Not really… Chan only told me a story… about a prince who is trapped in an island. Every decade or so, there are people coming into the island, trapped in there, until they broke the curse. So far, they only managed to break the curse for themselves, not for the prince…”Jisung paused. “But you’re not really a prince, are you?”
Hyunjin sighed. “Let’s talk about this another time, okay?” He wiped Jisung’s tears stricken cheek tenderly. “Thank you for sharing this with me, and for trusting me with this, Jisung. You’re very brave, strong and courageous, do you know that? I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through just in the span of a month alone. Please never blame yourselves for what happened in the past. You can always make a choice to move forward, to honour your best friend and live your life to the fullest.” Hyunjin hesitated, before continuing. “In the end, Jisung, everyone had to make a decision. Once you think you are ready to make one, I’ll tell you everything.”
Hyunjin pretended that his heart didn’t break the second time that night, seeing the confused boy in front of him, not understanding the true meaning behind his cryptic words. He told himself to be ready, for the boy in front of him means more than thousand years caged within the hold of the curse in this island.
Jisung made use of one of those days Hyunjin had to do his “business”. After accompanying Seungmin giving a bath to Kkami, who he learnt was a 20 foot tall giant baby red dragon who has a thing with snuggling with smaller people like Jisung, they made their way to the edge of the beach where Minho already placed himself comfortably, accompanied by Jeongin peeking from the part where the sea meets the rocky part of the cliff. It was situated within a small cave near the back of the castle, tucked in under the bottom part of the cliff.
This is the spot where they can all be in one place together, considering Innie is too young to shift on the land.
“Guys, I have to ask something.” Jisung starts.
“Shoot.”
“What are you all, really?”
Minho chokes on his drink, while Seungmin’s eyes bulge out. Innie is the only that keeps his cool. He starts, “Well, as you can see here, I’m a merman.” Jeongin pulls up his body to the one of the flat smooth stone. The place where his legs should be was replaced by black-scale tail.
“That’s pretty cool. Why are you here by yourself though? I thought you guys travel in groups?”
Jeongin smile’s falters. “I was separated from my family when I was born. Hyunjin found me in this cave and saved me. I’ve been here ever since.” Noticing the somber mood, Seungmin scooted over and hug the merman by the side.
An apology was on the tip of Jisung’s mouth, before Seungmin interjects. “I’ll go next. My story is also tragic, unfortunately.” He rubs his hand to Jeongin’s side, comforting the young merman. “I’m a werewolf, in case you haven’t noticed yet. And since I don’t have a pack or mate or an alpha, it’s really hard for me to control myself during Moonlight phase. That’s why Hyunjin and Minho built the bunker for me.”
Seungmin’s gaze drops down. “My family tossed me out to the ocean when I was a pup. They thought I was too weak to be in the family. My dad didn’t have the heart to twist and break my neck, so he did the next best thing that he could think of – put me in a boat and direct it to this island. He figured that I was too small to even survive the waves. Thankfully that night Hyunjin was in one of his late night strolls near the beach, so he noticed when I was almost drowned because the boat flipped. He asked Innie to bring me to the beach. I’ve been here ever since, and everyday I’m grateful to be here.”Seungmin smiles to his little family, hugging Jeongin closer to him.
Jisung holds Seungmin’s and Jeongin’s hands. “Thank you for telling me these, guys. I really appreciate your honesty and I can’t imagine how hard it must be.”He pauses. “I’m glad that you are all here, no matter how arduous your past is. I’m glad you made it here.”Jisung smiles as they both nod in understanding.
Minho speaks up after a beat of silence. “I guess I’m next. I’m a Warlock, and before you ask Jisung, no, it’s not the same as magician, okay. I do magic on daily basis though. My story is a bit boring compared to the others; sadly, it’s less dramatic and less painful. Hyunjin is my best friend, and I stood up for him after everything that had happened – I had followed him here voluntarily to accompany him. It was not his fault – Ow ---“Seungmin elbows him hard on the chest.
“What do you mean by that?” Jisung cocks his head in confusion.
“Ah, that’s not my story to tell. You should ask Hyunjin directly about it.”
“I did, but he was always cryptic about who he is…”
Minho smiled sympathetically, “He’s complicated. Give him time, he’ll tell you when he’s ready.”
Jisung huffs. “I don’t understand why Hyunjin is trapped here though. How a person that kind and warm like him is cursed? What did he do in the past to deserve such a fate…?”Jisung missed the knowing look that the other three shared.
It’s another day on the island, and it feels like another dream for Jisung. He doesn’t have to watch his back all the time, he can truly be himself and people like him for who he is. Jisung has another date planned out by the ever sweet Hyunjin, who is getting more confusing by day. Some days, he’s very affectionate, gentle and clingy – other days, he’s cold and distant. Jisung doesn’t know what to make of it. He had made up his mind that today is the day to ask Hyunjin about the elephant in the room.
Another thing that Jisung couldn’t quite figure out was why the older boy’s presence means so much to him now. He can’t get over how Hyunjin’s eyes turn into crescent when he genuinely laughs, or how soft his hand is when they intertwine their fingers together. Now, he would notice every little small thing about Hyunjin that he never paid attention before. He was swooned by the fact that Hyunjin made and brought his breakfast to his room the other day, and he always made him feel like he matters. Hyunjin never fails to encourage Jisung, pamper him with genuine compliments and constructive criticism. He still remembers the way they cuddle up when it’s raining heavily outside, and how much time they had spent together huddled against each other inside the chamber of the castle.
But he needed to know, despite how heavy it feels in his heart.
So after their romantic friendly date ended, in which Jisung thought was yet another sweet thing that Hyunjin did, Jisung speaks up. They had finished eating on the candle-lit dining table, and now they are back in the secluded part of the hill near the castle where they usually stargaze.
Jisung cleared out his throat. Hyunjin turns his head around, eyebrows rose up in question. The moonlight shines brightly in the sky; the soft light caresses Hyunjin’s cheek, highlighting his beauty even more. Jisung forgets everything he’s supposed to say. Instead, he said, “I have something for you. Open your hands.” Hyunjin does so, and a small wooden pendant made its way to Hyunjin’s open palm. “I made this for you. Minho and Seungmin taught me how to carve from this particular wood.”
“It’s beautiful Jisung, thank you.”Hyunjin cups the other’s cheek softly. “Would you put this on for me, please?”
Jisung nods. He does just that, tracing the curving patterns on the pendant.
“Can I know what this pattern means?” Hyunjin looks up to him.
“It’s a compass. On top of this is a Polaris, the North Star. Your favourite.” Jisung smiles. “I need you to know Hyunjin, that you are my compass. My home, my own Northern star. You guide my lost soul, heal it and mend it back, and my gosh you shine so bright…” Jisung puts his hand on Hyunjin’s wet cheek. He’s been sobbing for awhile, hearing the mortal’s confession. “I love you, Hyunjin. It hurts me to see you trapped in here. Please tell me what’s going on. Why are we trapped here? If you’ll let me, I can help us both to free ourselves. We can go anywhere in the world! We can even settle in the country next door – I don’t care, Jinnie, as long as I’m with you. Please let me help you.”
Hyunjin presses their foreheads together. They stay still for the longest time, Jisung waiting for the other patiently.
He stands up abruptly, before making his way to the castle. “Come, Jisungie, it’s time for you to make the choice.”
They arrive in the library minutes later. The large room was silent, the only sound they can hear was the fire crackling brightly on the left side of the library.
Hyunjin flicks his wrist, and the leather book – his favourite book from his father, Jisung notices – perches comfortably on one of the wooden desk in the center of the room. He chants in an ancient language that Jisung doesn’t recognize, and the book opens so loudly, pictures and motion frames projected out of the old leather book and they spin in slow motion, creating an illusion on the air. Jisung feels like his body get sucked in to the motion of the ghost-like movements of the fabric of Hyunjin’s memories. He can feel all the magic in the air – he supposes this is his true power, the one that Hyunjin always made sure to keep at bay, never to be shown at anyone.
“I was the only child – we lived in the poor village down the South. My father was a carpenter by the day, and a writer by the night. He always told the most magical stories.” Jisung looks up and realizes that Hyunjin’s eyes were glowing blue, he wonders whether it’s related to state of emotion or not. Before he can contemplate it even further, he can hear Hyunjin’s velvety voice back on.
“Mom left us when I was young, so it was just me and my dad. We were happy, we didn’t have much, but those days were the happiest days of my life.” Then his eyes turn blood red.
“When I started coming of age, people noticed the changes – physically. I’ve always hated the attention, so I continued working with my dad. One day, one of the Gods came to visit me – I was nineteen, still naïve, and I never thought those mere compliments meant something else. He is the most powerful Gods, you might know him by his Greek name – Zeus.”
Jisung shivers. People in his town worship the Lightning God – he was indeed the most powerful one out there.
“I didn’t know anything – I thought he was just like Minho, a warlock from the outskirt of town. I was fooled, but before I realized what was really happening, Hera was already so angry that her husband was so taken by a boy like me.” His eyes are glowing red. “She cursed me to this island. You see, this island is protected by a special barrier that only allows humans and magical beings to stay – no Gods allowed.”
“By the time Zeus realized what happened, I was already here. Apparently, the nature doesn’t like it when a curse this big is placed, as it defies the natural order of things. So, to counter the course, conditions must be put in place. That wicked Goddess put in place a curse that binds me to this island, and continuously sending humans to be trapped with me. Every single time, I would fall in love with these people, as they are with me, and when they do, they were given a choice. Either to stay in this island with me or to leave me rots in here by myself.”
‘ You need to experience the endless pain of heartbreak. No one will stay and love you for who you are. ’ Hera sneered. ‘ Foolish boy, thinking that you can have him for yourself? You are nobody, no one will ever love you sincerely until the end of time! ’
He snickers. “So much for the Goddess of Marriage… In exchange, I don’t age, nor the people who are in here with me. I have these powers, and I can communicate to the outside world only to the purest part of the land which is coincidentally is the land where Chan and Felix live. Their land is so pure due to Felix’s fairy magic. So on those days where I have ‘business’, it’s just getting some supplies from them, really.”
By this time, Hyunjin’s eyes are not glowing anymore – it’s back to its usual brown colour, somber and dull, lack of its usual glint.
“Now, Jisungie, you have to make a choice.” Tears well up in his eyes. “ A boat will come up in the morning, and if you take that boat, you will be free.” He chokes on his tears, but still soldiers on. “You can come back to the real world, restart your life and build a new life for yourself, which I can only hope for you, Sungie, you deserve the world. However, you won’t be able to find this island anymore.”He whispers silently, “And I will be nothing but a memory.”
“This is a joke right? Hyunjin, please tell me that this is a joke!” Jisung reaches forward, cradle the other’s head carefully, pressing the palm of his hands to the others’ cheeks frantically, eyes searching for the truth in Hyunjin’s lifeless eyes. “There must be another way!”
Hyunjin slowly shakes his head, kissing Jisung’s hand before gently letting it go. “I hope you made the right decision, my love. I will always remember you. You’re different from the rest – you’re so special, so full of life. It’d be wrong to keep you from the world.” Hyunjin presses his lips to Jisung’s, tenderly. “I love you Jisung, more than you know. If it is freedom that you chose, I’d understand.” That was his last words, before he disappears to the darkness.
Jisung never felt so broken in his entire life.
“Talk to me, Hyunjin. Don’t shut me out.”
“Leave me alone.”
“No can do. Look, I’ve been here long enough to know that you have more feelings towards this one – we can all see it –“
“Seungmin, leave.” Hyunjin’s tone leaves no room for discussion.
“As you wish, master.” Seungmin mocks salute.
Hyunjin thinks that it’s unfair. If only he met Jisung in a different circumstances, in a different timeline, he wouldn’t hesitate to ask Jisung to stay and be with him. But he knew that he didn’t have the heart to do it, not when Jisung means so much to him, it would be selfish of him to ask him to stay. Jisung would probably be better off without him anyways, he thinks to himself. He looked up, cursing at the dark sky – of the cruelty of it all. He didn’t ask to be immortal, or to be stuck in an island for so long, people coming in and out as they please, bringing one heartbreak after the other. Hera was very specific in her curse – the humans that come in to his island are always the most charming, good looking, kind, compassionate and full of life – how can he not fall in love with them? With him?
He’s seen it all, from boys to girls, soldiers to hunters, fishermen to farmers – all promised him to come back and free him, forcing themselves to fall in love with him, and in the end, they all left. For the first time in so many years, he wants Jisung to leave, not because he doesn’t love him, rather, because he does.
Like the old saying goes, if you truly love someone, you’d let them go. If they truly love you back, they’ll find a way back to you.
Hyunjin finds himself praying to the Gods for the first time in forever – for Jisung, and for the strength to keep it together, if his loved one does leave the island.
“Hyungs, we have to do something!” Jeongin’s high pitch voice echoes through the cave. “If Jisung really leaves, it’s going to crush him! He won’t recover from him for sure!”
“But you know that we can’t interfere with the curse – it’s placed by the Goddess herself. Plus, if Jisung truly loves Hyunjin, he’ll stay.” Minho chimes in.
“I think Inne is right though, I haven’t seen Jinnie feeling down like that for so long. But what you said was right too, Minho, we cannot interfere with their affairs.” Seungmin ponders for awhile, hands on his chin.
“We have to leave the decision to Han, unfortunately.” A new voice came in from the depths of the cave.
The three of them whip their heads so fast to the source of the voice. “Chan! I miss you!” Jeongin was the first to swim closer to the vampire. Chan pats the raven softly. “Hey, Innie. Long time no see. I miss you too.”
Seungmin is next to hug Chan, leaving the oldest breathlessly.
Lastly, Minho takes his time to walk closer to Chan. “Hey, welcome back.” He hugs the older warmly. Chan smiles in return. “Hey, yourself. It’s good to be back.”
“Anyways, as I said earlier, we can only wait for Han to decide. We cannot do anything to help, even if we want to. Otherwise, the curse will back-fire.” Chan finishes. He then smirks. “But, I’ve got a plan. We’ll just wait for Felix and he should be ready.”
“He? Who do you mean –“Seungmin eyes’ bulge. “No way, you don’t mean-“
“Yes way, I mean exactly who you think he is.” Chan giggles. “Hopefully it goes down smoothly; otherwise this can go very bad quickly.”
Minho gives Chan a glance, hand quickly find its way to Chan’s shoulder, hold it firmly to give silent support. Chan smiles at the gesture appreciatively. “Let’s get some rest. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.” Chan leads the group of four to the castle.
Jisung couldn’t sleep at all. In his head all thoughts were swimming endlessly, he was so restless after the last encounter with Hyunjin. He wonders whether this is all just a bad dream and when he woke up everything would be normal again.
Blinking too many times, he realized that this is the harsh and painful reality, and he still has to make a choice.
He thought about staying on the island forever with Hyunjin – no one from the outside world misses him anyway. In here, he can be himself – he doesn’t have to watch his back all the time. Titles, names, and ranks don’t matter at all – it’s just him, Hyunjin, and their three good friends.
But he couldn’t help to have the tiniest doubt in his heart – the thought of seeing the real world again. He can’t help but to think of having dates with Hyunjin in the Southern cities, or to have their home together. Jisung even thinks of what pets that they should get, and a small smile made its way to his lips.
He forces himself to get up and get ready; he figures it’s better for him to check whether the other boy was saying the truth or not about the boat. It was early in the morning, the sun is peeking out through the horizon, and its soft glow reaches the inner part of the beach.
True to Hyunjin’s words, there was a small wooden boat docked carefully in the outer skirt of the beach. The small waves rock the boat softly, as if waiting for Jisung to hop in and sail back to the real world. He sits down on top of the smooth surface of a rock nearby the boat, thinking carefully about his decision.
To be completely honest, he doesn’t know what to do. His heart is screaming for him to stay on the island, but his mind can’t get rid of the possibilities of ‘what ifs’.
A chuckle broke Jisung’s train of thoughts. A glowing man, dressed in all white, is standing in front of him, holding a bow and arrows. “Good morning.” The stranger smiles blindingly.
Jisung looks around to make sure that there’s no one near the vicinity. “Are you talking to me?”
“Of course, silly. Who else?”The man giggles. “You’re an interesting one. No wonder Hyunjin is quite taken with you.”
“You know Hyunjin?”
“Oh yes, we go way back.” His eyes seem to be reminiscing the past, looking somehow sorrowful. “And I am partly to blame, for what happened with him.”
“What do you mean? Who are you?”
The stranger smiles forlornly. “I’m Younghyun. Your kind calls me by other names: Cupid, Eros. My grandfather, whom you already know who, thinks it’s fun to screw around people’s lives by seducing them. And of course grandma will be mad.” Younghyun shakes his head.
“Nevermind that. I don’t need to indulge you in any more of the family drama. Chan and Felix didn’t spend lots of time to magically weaken the barrier for me to tell you about my chaotic family. My point is, back then, I didn’t stand up for what’s right. But now, I will.” Younghyun holds Jisung’s hands tightly.
“Remember, the key is for the both of you to accept that you are deserving of love. I’ve watched what my grandma did to Hyunjin decades ago and back then, I couldn’t do anything, I wasn’t strong enough. Here, take this.” Younghyun rummages his robe, and produces a silver pendant. “When the time is right, unite them together, as you proclaim your feelings. It will break the curse.” He smiles before handing Jisung the pendant. “Good luck, Jisung. I only hope of happiness to the both of you.”
And in a blink of an eye, Jisung was standing at the edge of the shore by himself, staring at the morning glow of the sunrise by the ocean, holding the silver chained pendant in his palm. He knows what he needs to do. He starts running towards the castle, and doesn’t even spare a glance to the wooden boat perched on the shore.
Hyunjin saw Jisung walking down to the edge of the beach, tracking behind the boat. He blinked down the tears, muffling his agony in silence. ‘This is it,’he thinks to himself,’He’s leaving, just like the rest.’ He wipes off the streams of tears. ‘I hope he’s happy. That’s the only wish I have for him, dear Gods, please take care of him. He deserves nothing but the best.’
He closes the window, and walking to his bed slowly. He curls himself under the blanket, letting go the tears that he’s been holding.
This time, it’s different. It’s more painful than any of the heartache he has experienced. His heart feels hollow, like someone yanks it from his body and holds it out in the open, crushing it blindly with bleeding arms, squeezing the last drop of whatever left in the shell of his heart. He thought he’d be used to it by now, with all the men and women who broke his heart in the past. This time, he doesn’t know how to stop the pain, it’s just hurts so much and he wants it to end. He lets out a silent scream, clutching his robe tightly, pouring out all his anguish to the world. Suddenly, a small pair of hands made its way to cup his cheeks.
“Hyunjin, breathe, please. Stop crying, my love.”
“Wha- Why are you here, Jisung? You were-“
Jisung cuts him. “I’m here Jinnie, I’m not going anywhere.”
“But what about your kingdom? Your family?”
Jisung presses light kiss to the other’s lips. “Hyunjin, as much as I miss the outer world, there’s nowhere I’d rather be other than here, with you. Gods, I love you so much, do you know that? I love all your perfections and imperfections, the way you laugh when Kkami licks your face, the way you fiercely love, how selfless you are, how you save basically everyone in here, and most importantly,”he paused, thumbs wiping off Hyunjin’s steady streams of tears,”How you saved me. You deserve to be loved, Jinnie. You are worthy of love. And if you’d let me, I promise to love you as long as you’ll have me, even when at times you don’t love yourself. I’ll be here, reminding you of how beautiful you are, remind you that you are enough, as you are.” Jisung puts the necklace around Hyunjin’s neck, holding both of the silver pendants close. He looks at Hyunjin softly and tenderly, trying to convey the sincerity of his feelings through his eyes.
“I love you, Hyunjin. Please be mine.”
Hyunjin chortles, pressing his lips impossibly close to Jisung before whispering, “I love you too, Sungie. Let’s be together, as time would allow us to be.”
Their lips meet together, and Hyunjin can feel Jisung is smiling through the kiss. It was soft, tender, and full of warmth. They’ve gone through a whirlwind of emotions in less than twenty four hours, and the peacefulness that they get during these moments was precious. Jisung tasted sweet, and Hyunjin wants nothing but to indulge in it.
He feels Jisung pressing their pendants together, a clicking sound before the ground starts rumbling.
So much for peacefulness.
They reluctantly separate, only to find Seungmin’s voice in the hall. “What the hell is happening?”
The grounds continue shifting, and Hyunjin can clearly see Kkami starts to get anxious, the dragon hovers around the castle dangerously close. When his eyes find Jisung, he is still sitting breathlessly, as clueless as Hyunjin was. They got out of the room hand in hand, finding out that the island have been broken off to four equal parts.
He doesn’t want to get his hopes up, but when Jisung is running towards Jeongin, who was loitering around at the end of the beach, he holds his breath, expecting the worse. But whatever it was that he imagined never comes.
Jisung throws himself to Innie’s direction, laughing and giggling, when Innie was struggling to hold the squirrel in place.
“What are you waiting for?” Chan holds Hyunjin by the shoulder, his eye smiles never leaving the taller.
“Chan? How did you –“
“Come on Jinnie, let’s jump!” Felix suddenly appears, dragging Hyunjin by the hand, jumping straight to the water. He closes his eyes, braced himself for the impact of the invisible barrier, but he’s surprised that only water welcoming him towards the end of the sea.
A pair of hands wraps itself along Hyunjin’s waist, and Hyunjin swears he can see Jisung glow under the reflection of the sun.
Jeongin makes a screeching noise when the couple closes their distance and kisses each other breathlessly. He leaps for Felix, bringing him to the beach, before the Fae drown himself. He can see Chan smiling, alongside Minho and Seungmin.
They will be okay, Hyunjin thinks to himself.
He gets the most beautiful boy by his side and a family that loves him for who he is.
He silently prays to the Gods and Goddesses, specifically to one God in particular, expressing his endless gratitude, and pray just a little more for him to watch over them, from now on till the end of time.