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“Do you think this would last?”
Sunghoon opens his eyes, seeing Jake looking ahead of him, looking at something far, far, away.
What made Jake think about that? Was he uncertain of the future? They were bound together since they were twelve. Now that they’re eighteen, was Jake getting tired of him?
The sky was too bright for 5pm. He gets up from Jakes lap and sat beside him. “Of course we will. What made you think that we wouldn’t?”
Jake laughed and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and lean on to Sunghoon’s shoulder. “Feel the sea breeze, Hoonie. Don’t you just love how refreshing this is?”
For a while, no one spoke a word. They shared this moment in silence and felt only each other’s presence. Sunghoon was drowsy, eyes closed and about to fall asleep when he heard Jake speak.
“Hoonie? Are you sleeping?” He didn’t answer him. He kept his eyes shut. Jake chuckled lightly. He wrapped his arms around Sunghoon and hugged him tightly.
“I think you’re asleep now. You fall asleep too fast.” Sunghoon didn’t want Jake to let go. He wanted to open his eyes, to hug him back. He wanted to, but there’s something—someone— telling him, no. Let him talk.
Jake guided Sunghoon’s head back to his lap before taking a deep breath and talk.
“I am a man of science, I don’t believe in any myth unless it has been proved by science. But this one myth, it stuck to me.” Sunghoon felt Jakes fingers brush through his hair.
“My grandma used to say that the first star you see in the sky after the sun set and the last star you see before the sun rise isn’t a star. It was the planet Venus. I thought, 'How can a planet shine that bright?’ I have forgotten about it but when you accompanied me to visit her three months ago, she reminded me about it again.”
Sunghoon can still vividly remember about what happened that time. Jake was crying so hard, he wet the front part of Sunghoons shirt. Jake keeps repeating the words, “I’m sorry”, “I love you”, and “You’re safe now”. He hugged him so tight that time, only let him go when he needed to. He was there right beside Jake comforting him. He kept telling him that “it’s okay”, “I’m here”, and “I love you too”.
“Grandma said that Venus shines so bright because she wanted her lost lover to find her. Her lover, was a mortal and was killed by Jupiter in the great Roman war. Her godly powers were too limited since she was only the Goddess of Love. She searched for Pluto, the God of the Underworld to bring her lover back, but with a price.”
Jake kissed Sunghoon’s forehead tuck the stray hair on his face behind his ear. Jake continued with his story.
“Venus, she was only allowed to see her lover from afar. All that she can do is shine brightly so her lover can see. She was always the brightest one in the sky. But Vulcan, he knew about the deal Venus made with Pluto and that made him so mad, he made billions and billions of Venuses. Vulcan thinks he can outsmart Venus but she was one step ahead. She would be the first one to shine brightly before the moon rises, and the last one to shine before the sun rise.”
Jake lifts Sunghoon’s head and replaced it with his jacket. He felt Jake sit down on the sand and leaned his head towards Sunghoon’s.
“Hoonie, I’m so sorry.” He can hear Jakes sniff. Was he crying? “That time when I was in my grandma’s room, she told me something.” Tears slowly started to fall on Jakes face.
“She said, I won’t live that long. My lifetime was cut short to three months. Today marks the end of the three months. When the sun sets and the first star appears, I’ll be gone. There will be no traces of me left.”
Sunghoon couldn’t move. He couldn’t say anything. He laid on the bench wanting to hug Jake, to comfort him. To tell him that no matter what he loves him, and would be there until the end.
He couldn’t open his eyes, to see his love before he goes.
Jake cried harder. He knelt on the sand, and faced Sunghoon. He hugged him again. This time he wont let go.
Not until the first star appear.
“My grandma, she was a witch. She knew about your sickness. She knew that you won’t live that long. She offered me a deal. I’ll give up my remaining years, for you to live.” Sunghoon wanted to tell him that he wanted Jake to live, that he deserves to live a better life than him.
“Today is supposed to be your last day, just like what she had predicted. But after I made that deal with her, it’s now my last day.” Jake kept crying, just like how he cried three months ago when his grandma died. He can feel his tears through his shirt, but this time, he couldn’t comfort him like he used to.
Jake loosened his hug. Sunghoon wanted to tell him to hug him tighter but he can’t. “The sun, its starting to set. I’ll be here.”
“Wondering why you can’t move?” Sunghoon can feel Jakes small smile on his chest. “It’s because this was my deal. The moment I start telling you about the deal, you can’t move. You can’t see. You can only hear me. You can feel me. I don’t want you to see me go.”
Jake lets go of Sunghoon for a while. “I’ll take a picture of the sky, and you too. You look so peaceful, and beautiful, and ethereal.” He wanted to tell him that he’s the most beautiful person, the most ethereal, but he can’t. “I’ll take a picture of me, too. I’ll dry my tears so I can look pretty on camera too.”
Sunghoon can hear the shutter sounds of his phone camera. He knows Jake took a lot of pictures. He once mentioned that he liked it. It makes him remember the memories that happened that time.
He felt Jake hug him again. He thinks that it’s almost time.
“Hoonie, the sky is starting to get dark. The sun is almost down.”
Jake cried harder. He hugs Sunghoon so tight and held his hand. He can feel his body getting lighter.
Sunghoon felt Jakes lips on his hand, then on his lips, then on his forehead. Jakes hug was getting lose. He was starting to feel cold.
“Sunghoon, I love you so much. I know you’ll always find me. Just look for the brightest star before the sun rise, and after the sun set. I’ll be there waiting for you.”
Jake kissed his forehead one last time and eventually fades away. Sunghoon opened his eyes, hoping to steal one last glance at Jake but all he can see is nothing. He sat down and hugged Jakes jacket and his tears begin to fall.
He looked up to the sky, seeing the only bright star for a second before other stars appeared.
“Jake, I can see Venus shine.”
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