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The sunlight warms his back like the lick of the sparkling flames of a fireplace and the moss under his unlaced boots is still damp from the rain that fell upon the small village all morning.
The greenery of the forest splash in front of his eyes as he ascends into its umbrous fathomage.
There is a furor waiting to bloom out of his chest and anticipation tastes like cherries on his tongue,reminiscent of a pair of sweet lips.If his steps become more rushed it's only to be in tandem with the beating of his own heart that seems like a tumult into the secrecy of the forest.
A few more steps and the branches are moving out of his way like a dissipating crowd and he is able to reach the river,with its serpentine form and glittering surface.He can see his figure as clear as he can see himself in a mirror.His shadow falls close to him as if to rest from their hurried walk.
Another figure emerges from behind the trees and joins his side.Hyungwon turns his head to look at the apparition and his vision is filled with gobs of stardust like fireflies and a golden glow as if the person had bathed into the sunshine and took all of its beauty into his essence.
The aura of gold,the luminescence of his brown honey eyes,the saffron tint of his hair,his body of wonder,all of him, just like a piece of heaven materialised into a single divine person.
Kihyun,this celestial man that has appeared from the stars and who is standing now right in front of him, smiling like he took a bite from the sun and contained its light in his teeth.
"You were late today,I was starting to worry"Kihyun tells him as he comes closer to brush a few leaves out of Hyungwon's hair.He's shorter than him so he has to rise to his tiptoes in order to reach the top of his head and Hyungwon find this occurrence extremely endearing.
Hyungwon takes Kihyun's face into his palms,warm cheeks against calloused skin and brings it closer to plant a kiss on his nose.He then parts his bangs to place one on his forehead, right on the star shaped mark adorning it's centre.It glows when the night has its pitch black veil draped upon the sky.Hyungwon knows that he would always be able to find him in the dark,his own Polaris,his guiding star.
"I am sorry,I had to head into the town and the roads were slippery because of the rain so it took me longer to arrive,"Hyungwon explains,his voice low and smooth as it reverberates through Kihyun's skin, goosebumps appearing on the silky surface.
"You should have stayed home, it's dangerous leaving with such weather outside"Kihyun brows furrow and he grimaces at Hyungwon being his usual reckless self.It's however his sense of wonder and adventure that has brought them together.
"I am a good driver and this was really important"Hyungwon tries to mollify him,kisses the pleats between his eyebrows and takes his small hands in his larger ones and intertwines their fingers.He drags Kihyun till they can sit on the stones by the river as the sun sets above their heads, varnishing the sky in a soft hued luster.
Kihyun follows him, inquisitive at what had made Hyungwon appear as if he had discovered some outstanding treasure.There is a novel happiness overflowing from his eyes, dripping on his rose blush dusted cheeks and it looks splendid on him.
"What was so important that you had to risk your life?"Kihyun asks and Hyungwon laughs at such a dramatic interpretation of a trifling and quotidian human predicament.
"I wasn't risking my life"Hyungwon tells him as he moves his hand to ruffle Kihyun's hair."The publishing house has accepted my manuscript,they want to publish my book"
"That's wonderful!"Kihyun exclaims passionately as he rises onto his feet to leap into Hyungwon's unexpecting arms, making them fall onto the damp grass. Hyungwon splayed on his back with Kihyun landing on his chest.A haphazard of limbs and boisterous laughter etched into the scenery.
Kihyun,in all of his seraphic splendor,stops his laughter to gaze at Hyungwon,as if he is mulling over something that wakes a profound wonder through the yarns of his mind.
"Would you go away?If they ask you would you leave this place?"Kihyun finally asks and his frown deepens as if those very words saddens him just being spoken out loud.A jinx being put out in the world.
Hyungwon hates when gloominess immerses itself into Kihyun's visage so he hooks his arms around Kihyun's torso and turns them around to reverse their earlier positions.He's larger than Kihyun so he doesn't put too much pressure on his body as he wants his lover to be comfortable in his embrace.
"Of course I will not go anywhere where I can't see you,why the sudden worry?"Hyungwon asks him as he plants a kiss on his chin where his dimple rests like a line on the horizon.
"You're humans,you move along the passages of times changed in different perspectives and ways, stagnation is boredom for your kind"Kihyun answers and Hyungwon's gaze softens.
"Stagnation can be a blessing sometimes.We humans crave to remain in places where we feel like we have found something worthy of keeping us there. Something that makes us belong in that certain space"Hyungwon explains to him as he plays with the curls carelessly tousled around Kihyun's forehead.
"And did you found it?that something?"Kihyun asks all innocently as if he is not already aware of what Hyungwon might answer.Deep into his heart he understands it.He himself has traveled from the skies to find something meaningful to his existence,to understand the earthlings he has gazed upon for a long time, yearning to be among them.
"Of course"Hyungwon answers him without hesitation."But I think that someone had found me instead"
Kihyun's constellation mapped cheeks become aflame with carmine heat and Hyungwon moves his lips to see if they are burning in the same way he is flaming on the inside, yearning to always have Kihyun so close to him, palpable and heavenly inside of his arms.
Hyungwon leans his head on the side so their lips are centimetres apart but he doesn't kiss Kihyun yet.He takes another moment to explore the contours of his face,the little lines along his cheeks and forehead,the deep-seated dimples into his akin,the sprinkled golden brown freckles and little moles, Hyungwon takes all of it into the space of his mind designed for Kihyun only.He anticipates the smell of ink and yellowing dusted paper as he strings the adjectives that paint Kihyun alive between the pages of his journal.
Nothing that he would write would do Kihyun justice but he still wants to keep a memorandum of this fleeting ebullience.
Perhaps there will come a time when he won't be able to hold Kihyun in his arms like that anymore.
Hyungwon feels Kihyun's fingers dancing along his spine and he is awaken into the moment by Kihyun's lips pushing against his own.It feels akin to the caress of a petal against his mouth and as he parts his lips in expectation,the sweet aroma of nectar overflows his senses.He feels captured into his desire to taste more so he pulls Kihyun closer and lets Kihyun take the lead into the kiss.
It's a suave persuasion in the way that Kihyun glides his tongue against the roof of Hyungwon's mouth, probing at the space it has to slither till it collides with Hyungwon's eager one.It's a fermentation of their desires, diffusing into their bodies slowly and frenetic all at once, messy but oh so tender.
Kihyun's elongated leashes flutter and tickle Hyungwon's cheeks like the brush of a dandelion and it makes Hyungwon smile into their kiss,pearly teeth against lips that still aim for a continuation of their earlier preoccupation.
Hyungwon can't find it in himself to deny the both of them such pleasure.He had been defeated long ago by this tremendous desire,ever since he had gazed into Kihyun's phosphorescent eyes the first night they met. He had known then that there was no salvation to pray for.
All that Hyungwon knew was how to hide from the difficulties of life.Be into his own mind,or between the scribbled pages of his journal.Sometimes he would disappear along the shores,the sea, always his faithful companion on his journey under the blistering sun.The coastal air,a refreshing sensation on his flushed skin,smelt like salt,like his own tears falling like a summer rain down onto the roundness of his cheeks as his footsteps left prints into the golden sand.
There were times when he would disappear into the woods, unafraid of their darkness and mystery, taking delight in their countenance and spirit.
He would sit there with his back against a tree till the moon would cast out the sun from her place in the sky and he would write,till his ink smeared fingertips would ache against the silver expanse of the fountain pen.
It came without surprise his elopement to a small countryside cottage.He had left no address behind,no way to contact him as he had just fled into the night, leaving behind him a small piece of paper as a note and most of his belongings.
Hyungwon had space in his suitcase only for a few clothes,his beloved journal and some writing paraphernalia he had purchased with money earned from writing in the obituary section of the local newspaper.
When he had arrived at the cottage he was aghast to find out that he felt no sorrow at leaving things behind to turn to dust.Life is nothing but a mere presence into the infinity of time and he wanted to fill it with purpose.
Hyungwon would often spend his nights fretting over his lack of sleep,the shadows on the walls following his every move,the melody of the night a tumult in his ears.He would give up his pursuit of slumber and sit down at his desk to write.Despair would soon find him as he realised that his words were just empty scrawls on a yellowing paper,a soulless waste of time.He would have to search for an essence to pour onto those words otherwise his journey would be meaningless.
A few days later he is following the path towards the forest he often spots on his evening walks around the small village.As he enters into its depths the smell of fresh foliage fills his senses but the mollifying melody of flowing water catches his attention so he pursues that sound through the green decorated branches, delighted at such a discovery.
When he reaches the clearing,a long serpentine river is revealed before his eyes so Hyungwon wastes no time to unlatch his boots and take them off to dip his toes into the crystalline water.The spring it's on its last breath so the water is lukewarm on his skin but it feels refreshing.A pleasant feeling takes place in his core so he gets out of the water to sit down on the river's brim and to take his journal from his bag.It has been a while since he had felt so exhilarated to write something.It had seemed that his journey would turn up to be a fruitful one.
From somewhere near ,a sound similar to the one of footsteps approaching made Hyungwon jump in his skin and stop from scribbling the first sentence.The footsteps come to a halt seemingly close to where he is seated but he doesn't see anyone around.No shape of human or animal can be perceived among the trees.It must have been the wind swaying through the leaves.
He sits there for a while listening closely but nothing else happens so he goes back to his rows of words and the little occurrence flies out from his mind for the time being.It's only when he is seated in front of his freshly cooked dinner that he realises that he had felt a gaze upon him the entire afternoon while he was in the forest.For the first time in his life he finds the thought of such a thing happening daunting and the food suddenly, loses all of its allure so he pushes the plate further away from himself.He decided that he should stay away from the time being just to be safe.
Hyungwon in all of his curiosity for the unknown was always prone to repeat mistakes in taking the right measures for his own safety.The self warnings from a few nights ago were just a fading echo as he was once again following the path towards the forest in his quest to probe if he had stumbled upon some frightful mystery.
He was still terror-stricken by what he could find in the forest but there was the part of him that still thirsted for adventure.He was unwilling to give up the newfound place that provided him with inspiration for his writing,that filled his heart with bliss.He had searched too long for something so elating.
It was a really warm day,the sun was scorching mercilessly above his head so he took solace into the tepid river as he stripped from his shirt and slipped off from his boots to bathe into its shallow waters.Hyungwon purposely tried not to cause too much noise as he listened to the sounds around him.It had felt too calm and it was not the time of the day for the birds to stop their sweetly song and leave towards their lairs.There was an alarming sense that he was, however, being watched once again, that he wasn't alone in that silence.
He splashed around the water a few times to see if he would spook some forest animal but nothing moved, except from his heart that seemed to fret around in his chest in alarm.Hyungwon got out of the water to get his clothes and look around but as he had shoved his foot into one of the boots the sound of retreating footsteps made him chase after the noise through the forest,half barefoot.As he ran trying to avoid the grown roots and the branches he thought he had saw a luminous glint of golden dust but as he blinked it had disappeared.Around him there was nothing else than the sound of singing birds as if it was swallowed by the forest and then spit back to life once again.Something had made the birds quiet and the speculation of the reason why had kept Hyungwon awake the whole night.
He had kept going back there for a few days but there was no sign or feeling of someone watching him but he had knew that it wasn't just his imagination,he had seen something magnificent and eerie that time and he was hoping he would have the chance to discover what might have been one day.Or else he might have to consider the implications that his mind was in a great danger of decaying.Maybe the loneliness or his circumstances played a role in this happening, maybe he was simply beginning to get delusions about whimsical worlds and creatures that he had longed to write of since he had first held a pen between his fingers.
Deep inside he had always wanted to discover something spectacular and worthy to write about.He would welcome it,even with its horrors or pleasures, whatever it might bring along with it into his life.
A week later he was sitting on his spot by the river, laying in the grass and fighting the urgency of his body to fall asleep.The luring summer breeze and the sound of cicadas made the heaviness of his eyelids unbearable so he gave up consciousness.
Hyungwon was caught up in a dream as if in a spell and he saw himself floating above the stars and through little rings of multicolored stones till he landed back on the surface of the moon,saw the Earth appearing so remarkably small as if he could hold it in his palm and squeeze it as if it was made entirely of clay, reshape it in the way he would have wanted to,as if he was just a spiritless god blessed with the power of creation.
Small spheres of light start to dance around him and as he elongates his arm to catch one of them he jolts awake suddenly.A pair of phosphorescent eyes is staring at him in wonder and Hyungwon realises that the magnificent creature in front of him cannot be human.He finds himself unable to find his words at such an apparition.He thinks that he might still be captured into his dream.
The manifestation in front of him has the appearance of a young man, dressed in human clothes,a silk blouse and dust brown pants.He is barefoot in the grass but a golden ringlet is coiling around his ankles as some sort of jewelry.His hair has a saffron tint and is glowing into the night like a halo of heavenly light.His ears are adorned with earrings in the shape of the blazing sun and Hyungwon observes that right in the centre of his forehead there is a star shaped symbol carved into the skin, hidden behind the curtain of his bangs as if someone had caught a falling star and engraved its memory into this person.
"Are you an angel?"Hyungwon suddenly finds himself inquiring, alarming both himself and the apparition who in turn puts some space between them, ready to sprint back into the shadows of the forest.
"I won't harm you, please,don't run away"Hyungwon tries to soothe the apparition as he puts his palms in front of him as he would do to a terrified animal.
"I haven't seen you before,you are trespassing into my home"The creature suddenly speaks,his voice a melodious ruckus that awakens a flaming fascination into Hyungwon's beating heart.
"I was not aware that someone was living here, forgive me"Hyungwon apologies still starstruck at this happenstance.
The creature doesn't speak further but gazes into Hyungwon's eyes,amber radiance into darkened fascination and he moves around Hyungwon, probing at his promises of safety, looking as if through him, deeply into his very soul and Hyungwon allows him inside,invites him to make a place for himself to remain there for as long as he would desire to.
"Have you not heard the villagers talk about how the forest is haunted?You might be foolish to wander in here by yourself"The creature speaks as he approaches Hyungwon, stops a breath away from him to stare him once again into the eyes.
"I am afraid I am not flocking around with the villagers.I am merely a stranger to them."Hyungwon explains as he remembers the cold and sour faces of the villagers as he took his usual walks around the area.They weren't very fond of strangers."Are you a ghost then?"
"I am not something so dreadful"The creature petulantly exclaims,his voice raising a few octaves as his cheeks become redder in embarrassment at such an outburst.Hyungwon finds himself unable to contain his smile at such an endearing sight.
"Would you tell me what you are then?"Hyungwon inquired once more hoping that the apparition would reveal his mythical secrets.
"In my realm I am known as the Evening Star and I am a star god,a bringer of light.Here in your mortal world I have taken the name Kihyun"The celestial apparition speaks and Hyungwon has to inhale some air in his lungs or least he would forget how to breath in the face of such a marvelling revelation.
Hyungwon,a mere mortal, has stumbled into the sphere of a god.Even in his most fatuous dreams he wasn't able to envision such an otherworldly collision,two intersecting worlds in the most improbable of places and he is the only witness that this has the potential to be a veritable circumstance.His fingers ache for his pen.
The creature, Kihyun steps forward and touches Hyungwon's shoulder,glides his hand down his arm and up again to touch his bare neck.At the taction of skin on skin, Hyungwon senses the warmth emanating from Kihyun's palm as if he is once again basking under the summer sun.He wonders if the star god had ever felt the cold before.
Kihyun moves his hand lower and rests it against the space above where Hyungwon's heart is crooning in a riotous rhythm against his ribcage.The star god's fingers match that cadence as his fingers dance along his chest and Hyungwon suffers with the knowledge that something has shifted inside of himself,an incipient voracity for this intimacy between them to never cease has manifested inside of his soul.
It's as if Kihyun had melted that perennial winter Hyungwon had been encapsulated into for as long as he remembers,the need of that self imposed seclusion for other living things.The frost has melted under the warmth of Kihyun's fingertips and the darkness dissipated in awe of his divine light.
Hyungwon has never believed in soul bounds but maybe his soul and Kihyun's were meant to encounter one another.
"What are you thinking of?"Kihyun asks after he ends the kiss,hands playing with the curls of Hyungwon's long raven hair.
"I was reminiscent of the first night you have revealed yourself to me"Hyungwon admits as he takes Kihyun's hand to kiss the surface of his palm,the space between his fingers, along till he reached his fingertips."We have come a long way to this day,to this moment"
Kihyun heats up at those words,tries to maneuver swiftly his body so he is concealed from Hyungwon's adoring gaze but the human is well versed into Kihyun's tendency of becoming timid in such circumstances so he catches him back into and embrace, providing an opportunity for Kihyun to bury his aflame visage into Hyungwon's chest.
"I was afraid the first time I saw you coming into the forest,I thought someone wanted to cause me harm but then I kept looking at you,at how much you were gleaming with happiness and I was fascinated.Humans tend to stay away from that forest when they feel another presence watching them but you came back!"Kihyun speaks mellowy and Hyungwon listens with intentness.His lover's voice is one of the most breathtaking sounds he had the delight of hearing during his mortal life.
"There was this strange ebullience in me when I saw that you were back.I had always gazed upon humans, yearning to talk to such a being so I wandered down here from the skies but I had to live in solitude awaiting the day I would reveal myself to someone.I had hoped so much in my heart that you would accept someone of my kind"
Kihyun continues his story and Hyungwon understands how both of them were enclosed into this wasteland of solitude, enduring it while seeking for a culmination to their yearning.Hyungwon had always wondered along the places that moved his heart,that filled his mind with fantastical words he could bring alive into his writing but he was missing a muse, someone that brought a soul into his creations.
Kihyun had gazed upon earth from his place in the skies and yearned to understand the essence of a human life,to live among them for as long as he would be allowed to.They both possessed something that the other had desired and in a bizarre twist of fate they collided into each other's arms as if they had belonged there since long ago.
Hyungwon kisses the top of Kihyun's head and Kihyun raises his gaze to Hyungwon's visage,a luminous smile etched on his face and his beaming eyes filled with candescent love.
"I love you"Hyungwon bursts the unspoken words between them and cradles Kihyun's face in his trembling palms.
"I love you.Please stay with me and if you ever decide to leave take me along with you"Kihyun pleads as he leans into Hyungwon's hand, brushing his lips against his wrist.Hyungwon finds the notion of ever leaving Kihyun behind extremely absurd and distressing.He longs to be with him only.
"It's a promise"Hyungwon affirms, throwing away all the incertitude that could settle between them and endeavors them back into an enduring kiss.
Hyungwon thinks that their story is worth being written between the pages of their memoir.It's an everlasting testament of their love,a gift meant for Kihyun to keep when he would remain only a reminiscent phantom of the past, engraved into Kihyun's heart and mind.