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Yeonjun was so fucked. He had been walking along the trail, his poetry book open to his favourite piece, sunlight filtering through the branches in a rather picturesque way. It was a familiar trail, one that he walked many times. It was his favourite trail, he had completed many poetry books while walking it, had shared more than a few romantic encounters along it, and had certainly never gotten lost on it.
But if Yeonjun was going to be honest with himself, he was definitely lost this time. He must’ve wandered off the beaten path while absorbed in his reading. But then again, he didn’t really remember what he had been reading.
It’s like he lifted his head and he was suddenly in a very unfamiliar part of the forest, not recognising any of the trees or foliage around him. He slowly put down his book, furrowing his brow as he carefully manoeuvred over a few fallen logs and one small creek. There was no creek on his trail and the fallen logs had long since been removed by the groundskeepers.
He wound up in a small clearing, and it was quite beautiful. He was sure he’d appreciate it more if he knew where the hell he was. He didn’t have his phone on him, he never took it with him on his little walks, but now he wished he had. He was starting to get a little nervous. If he didn’t find his way back before nightfall, he’d be in real trouble.
The sunlight gave him a small solace though, for as far as he could tell, there were no spots where someone could be hiding. Is it possible he was being tracked by someone? Surely not, the trail wasn’t open to the public, he only had access because his old family friend owned the land.
As Yeonjun looked at his surroundings, he tried to figure out how he had gotten lost in the first place. His recollections felt a little skewed, a little blurry, as if someone had taken a chunk of his memory and deleted it. It was jarring, and he suddenly found himself feeling dizzy. He lifted a hand to his press against his forehead and he winced, his world spinning momentarily. He felt his eyes slide shut as the vertigo hit and what the hell?
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The voice rang out like a chorus of bells, the most beautiful symphony Yeonjun had ever heard, and his eyes popped open. He whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the voice, but he was still alone.
Then, there was a flash of white and yellow, and Yeonjun was assaulted with another dizzy spell that sent him to his knees, his poetry book toppling out of his hand. What was happening?
“This place isn’t safe for humans. You need to leave.” The same voice surrounded Yeonjun, its’ soft melody almost sending him into a trance. His brain felt fuzzy, the tips of his fingers tingling, and his heart racing in his chest.
“Who are you?” he called, despite the fogginess in his head. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, but it only made the sunshine glow brighter around him. He thought he saw movement, the same flashes of white and yellow, and he whipped his head around trying to follow it.
And then, there was a soft woosh of air, and a boy was knelt in front of him. Yeonjun’s vision and brain cleared and he was immediately assaulted with renewed feelings of nerves and also fresh feelings of disbelief and…was that attraction he felt?
Perhaps so, for the boy in front of him could be anything but. He had soft blonde hair piled neatly on top of his head, his skin a milky, smooth cream. It was with a hot jolt up his spine that Yeonjun realised the boy (angel?) was shirtless under the soft shawl he wore. There were several necklaces resting against his bare chest, adorned with jewels that Yeonjun didn’t recognise. They almost appeared to glow and twinkle, some sort of liquid swirling inside of them. Aside from that he wore basic black pants and no shoes.
When he lifted his eyes to look at his face again, the boy was staring at him intensely. His eyes were piercing, a gaze sharper than Yeonjun had ever seen before. He was strikingly beautiful, so beautiful that Yeonjun wanted to touch him, feel his skin, see if his lips were as soft as they appeared.
“Who I am is of no concern to you, human. You need to leave, you are not safe here,” the angel spoke. Yeonjun blinked, some of his senses coming back to him, along with his critical thinking skills. “Why do you keep calling me human?” he asked, leaning forward a little to get a closer look at whoever this person was in front of him.
The boy stared at him unblinkingly, before he suddenly moved, faster than Yeonjun could process. Before he could turn around, he felt a warm pair of hands press against his temples, long fingers covering his eyes. “You have wandered off your path, ignorant human boy, and you are not safe here,” he said, his voice much closer now. It was such a soothing voice, one that made Yeonjun’s shoulders slump and his brain go hazy again.
“You walk your path many times as you read your strange book of words, and I have kept watch over you each time, but I fear that I cannot anymore.”
“You…you keep watch over me? But…but I don’t…know you,” Yeonjun managed to whisper, speech slurred. The hands on either side of his head pressed a little harder against his skin.
“You are a stubborn soul, Choi Yeonjun,” the boy continued, his voice somehow even more melodic. Yeonjun felt on the verge of falling into the most peaceful slumber of his life. “There are many things you do not know, and that is why you must return to your home and never walk this path again,” the voice continued.
But, what? Yeonjun had been walking his trail for years and hadn’t so much as gotten a scratch once. So why was this mysterious person telling him it wasn’t safe? Who was he? Though, Yeonjun was starting to realise that perhaps the better question was what was he?
With those uncertainties in mind, he fought through the fogginess and pulled away from the boy’s grasp, leaning away and turning his head to face him. When they met eyes, he saw an expression of stark surprise and confusion on the boy’s face. This close, Yeonjun could see that his eyes weren’t brown like he originally assumed. They were a soft gold, with specks of…was that purple?
His pupils dilated in front of Yeonjun, but in a way that wasn’t…that wasn’t human. The realisation sent a jolt of fear through Yeonjun, but it was quickly replaced with a burning curiosity. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in a little, despite knowing that he should be afraid. He should be running for the hills, heeding this strange creature’s warning and never returning.
Before Yeonjun could speak, the boy’s gaze shifted to less surprise and more intrigue, his own eyes narrowing in confusion. Yeonjun felt his words die on his tongue as a hand was suddenly placed on his cheek, long fingers feeling around the backs of his ears.
“How did you do that?” he suddenly asked, voice not as melodic as before. Yeonjun scrunched his brow, trying not to enjoy the feeling of the boy’s hand against his cheek. “Do what?” he replied.
The boy seemed to have a brief internal debate with himself before he slid his hand to Yeonjun’s temple. “Break my trance. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to do that,” he explained, as if it was the most reasonable explanation.
Yeonjun nearly balked. “Trance? You were putting me under a trance?” he cried, trying to pull away from the boy. “Who are you? What are you? Why am I here? Are you trying to kill me?” He was shaking slightly, the fear finally getting to him, because what the fuck? Was this real? Did he accidentally drink some mushroom tea and this was all one giant hallucination?
“This is not a hallucination and I am not trying to kill you,” the boy answered, standing up. Yeonjun’s eyes widened as he saw how tall he was. Taller than himself, who was already rather tall. Despite the confusion and the fear, Yeonjun couldn’t ignore how beautiful the mystery figure in front of him was. He was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
“Please don’t be frightened of me,” said boy called. “I only want to keep you safe. I did not anticipate you being my—.”
“No more talking until you answer my fucking question,” Yeonjun interrupted, tired of all the talking in circles and confusion. The boy fell silent obediently, watching Yeonjun with a slight wonder in his strange eyes. Yeonjun took a deep breath, rubbing at his eyes. “What are you?” he asked, for hopefully the final time.
The boy across from him stared at him, the sunlight falling over him in a way that made him look more akin to a Renaissance painting than a person. Yeonjun was resolving to just running away for good if he didn’t get his answer, but he felt like something was compelling him to stay, and compelling the boy to answer the question.
“My given name is Soobin,” the boy—Soobin—whispered quietly. Uncertainly, as if he was revealing some deep secret. When their eyes met again, Yeonjun swore he saw them flash a bright green.
“I am not human, as I am sure you have put together,” he continued with a deep breath. Yeonjun felt his world stop as Soobin spoke his next words.
“I am of fae blood. In human vernacular, I believe you refer to my kind as forest fairies.”