Trembling, sweaty hands hastily entwined with each other, secretly seeking wisdom and comfort from one another. They shuddered as if dancing to the mysteries of the light, gentle breeze that mischievously ruffled Travis's hair, slightly blowing away aghast and those piercing evil thoughts that brought him nothing but hopelessness. He was breathing heavily as he watched cars whisk past him whilst he nervously paced on the small pavement, next to a bus stop. His narrowed eyes were running from one street to the other, searching intensely for someone — someone other than David. Sweat was dangling and shimmering relentlessly across his forehead. "Where is he?" Travis spat through his clenched, quivering teeth soon after he began taking deep breaths into his lungs which he felt were becoming dry. His lips shuddered involuntarily a second after he received a lustful kiss from the wind, right on the floor of his cheeks. "There…you are!" Travis blurted quietly and released deep, loud air t
"You…! This isn't the…same bicycle you rode on that day!" An unsteady whisper stealthily flowed out of Travis's lips that parted with uncertainty as he looked at the wheels of a bicycle that David carefully held with nourishment. According to him, the words he has just spat are not supposed to reach anyone's ears — it was just an examination he loudly had to present. Twas unbeknownst to him that each letter did reach David's ears. Slowly, David felt his legs becoming numb. There was an electronic communication within the strings of his system, tangling with his heart that instantly began throbbing. With each word being registered in his head, David's eyes swiftly dilated with flabbergast — not just flabbergast but a piercing emotion that encouraged sweat to overwhelm the cracking floor of his forehead. His hands were suddenly shaking — each grip on the bicycle was awkwardly wobbling. His heart dared skip a beat. He heaved a silenced sigh as his head slowly turned to Travis whose ey
Footsteps delicately, almost carefully throbbed on the pavement that was romantically cluttered by a wave of dead leaves — each cracking pitifully as feet stepped on them. …With each cracking sound that cooly mingled with the sweet bitterness of the night and the sorrows of the wind as it whispered foreign words in the ears of both David and Travis. Happily with hearts that gently beat in a slow tempo, the two boys shuffled towards a destination only known by David. "Where…are we going?" An adequately curious and confused Travis questioned but all that he received was a wave of mischievous giggles from David, his best friend. High above the sky, the moon mightily stood up whilst it gently blew its blinding light down on the narrowed street the two boys were walking upon — smoothly increasing the volume of romance. "And-d-d-d…we are finally here!" With eyes that sparkled, David blurted just when they were approaching a lonely, white food truck. Its doors were lazily opened — inside
The wind suddenly whispered a song in the depths of Travis's ears — Travis who had just come out of the taxi. He gnashed his teeth as soon as he shuffled inside of the gigantic gate that had just opened with a loud clang. For some incomprehensible reason, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat — his hands were shivering without control. A good second the boy took five steps towards the luxurious, huge house, his feet there began to shake — not just shake but become terribly numb that all his movements were hindered. Travis swiftly transported a series of deep breaths into his lungs, hoping helplessly to calm his heart that was abruptly palpitating and wildly shaking wildly in the cages of his chest that was awfully burning bitterly. Out of the blue, Travis could feel his calves intensely bathing in warmth that made the rest of his body shiver. His vision had suddenly become blurry — nothing seemed to make sense at this point. The boy groaned with pain as he continued to limp
Up there in the sky, the blazing sun boldly hid behind a family of fluffy clouds that were lazily drifting in the gentle breeze. Nothing — the birds of different kinds chirped in harmony whilst fluttering their wings in the air. A beautiful moment indeed — Travis cooly smiled at the sight of what was happening in the sky albeit his dewy, sparkling eyes followed the beautiful dance moves made by the flowers, in the garden a few minutes away from him. There, he sat quietly on the balcony, freely permitting the light breeze to paste its kisses everywhere on his skin. Blowing so gently, the air ruffled his hair, exposing his bruise that had finally healed without anyone noticing that it was ever there. This was another day — Monday, a day that many hated, especially those who got to go to school, like Travis himself. Well, fortunately, today he did not go to school — definitely not because it was his decision but it was the doctor's orders. At least David had no reason to worry this tim
Nervous, trembling hands slowly entwined with each other. There, Martha uncomfortably sat around a big table cluttered by books strongly built by many ancient pages. Under the table, the girl's legs shivered as if they had just been removed from cold water — terrible!Her teary eyes nervously darted from one place to the other, intensely searching for someone. "Why do I always…have to be the one to go…through this? Hanna was…right-t-t, I shouldn't have…done it!" The girl anxiously whispered through her quivering teeth — her lips quivered albeit she continued her search. Her eyes slowly widened when they landed on the figure of someone she had been looking for — David and for that moment her eyes were laid on him, Martha had stopped breathing. She terrifyingly watched as David shuffled in the library, as quiet as he could be — in the direction of Martha whom he saw fidgeting and looking down whenever his eyes landed on hers. It was hell easy to spot Martha for she was the only one who
[STARS IN MY MIND!]The world stopped to him a gentle tone of ecstasy right in the chambers of David's ears — David whose cheeks were painted by glistening pink and red whilst his hands were involuntarily shaking as they clasped the dangling edges of his blazer. Heart! The tiny feet of his heart were stomping on his chest, making demands that were surly heavy for David to meet — so unruly. One; two — the suddenly hyperventilating boy quickly stopped a second away from the doorway of his classroom, there, where he knew that an "Angel" was waiting for him. Not just waiting but expecting his presence anytime soon. So loud like the explosives in a deadly war, his heart throbbed right in the doorway of his ear chambers, making it clear to him that it could not take any more pressure from his inner voice hidden in the depths of his head. The boy could feel both of his legs terribly wobbling in his trousers. He could feel a chilling trail of sweat covering his forehead and the nape of his
[Presentation Day!]——Boisterous! — The whole classroom was buzzing with muffled whispers. Everyone was up from their chairs, and seated on top of their desks while reciting words they had written in their books. There wasn't anxiety but suspense on their faces — everyone knew that soon or later, this day would come. Everyone, including Travis and David, was quietly staring at their books, waiting patiently for the teacher to arrive. "Ready?" Travis suddenly aired shortly after releasing a loud sigh while stretching his arms. David's eyes slowly removed themselves from the book as he silently pressed his lips together while nodding at Travis's question. For some reason, Travis could quickly spotted an unusual emotion wrapped across David's face — it was a worry. The boy frowned upon this encounter for he knew that his neighbour, David, was the top learner in their class and he was good in almost everything — after all, why would he be worried? This was totally new to Travis because
——The golden rays of the rising sun slowly floated into the room and landed on Travis’s face whose sleep was quickly chased away. With a frown across his forehead, Travis unhurriedly opened his eyes and let out a groan. He got up and stood straight on the bed before reaching for his phone. “Nine? I’m late for breakfast!” Travis growled as he sprinted to the bathroom. He quickly washed his face, brushed his teeth, and raced downstairs when he was done. He found his grandmother and cousin, Arthur, already seated for breakfast. Jiyeon was absent from the table, something Travis quickly understood. “Sorry…for being late.” He apologised as he sat down on his chair. His grandmother only nodded, while Arthur smiled. “How did you sleep?” Arthur investigated and smiled widely as he sipped his apple juice. “Well, I…slept like a baby,” Travis replied shortly after clearing his throat. He instantly began to recall last night — his hand’s job and then a conversation with Jiyeon. His heart slo
——Lips painted by a red gloss carefully pressed against each other immediately after withdrawing from the white cup. “How are you feeling now, dear?” Mrs Park investigated shortly after placing the empty cup on the table. Her eyes gently fell on Jiyeon who had been nervously staring at the plaster cast around her arm. She bit her lower lip and nodded, “I am…fine.” Jiyeon replied in a voice that had dropped to a whisper. She slowly raised her head and turned her eyes to her left, where Travis was sitting. The boy had been quiet as he asked himself questions as to how Jiyeon got the big bruise on her face. The bruise decorated itself across the left side of Jiyeon’s face like a big wing of a butterfly. Travis wanted to let his eyes linger on Jiyeon’s face, but he couldn’t, he averted his eyes away from her face to his grandmother who seemed to have a lot to say. “It is late, you guys go to sleep, and we will have a talk tomorrow.” Mrs Park suggested instantly after getting up. The t
Silence — it was absolutely hushed. The wind released a soft cry that left a hole of embarrassment in the two boys' hearts. Their eyes nervously darted from one place to the other. Travis shifted from foot to foot, wearing a glowing, sparkling smile that magnificently decorated his face. David silently fought with his heart, urging to gain control over it, but he continued to fail over and over again. No words could describe the amount of jingling in the depths of Travis’s heart as he was fishing for words to spew, but none came forth. “One, two, three...” He counted as he tried to wipe his smile, but he had no control over it. His eyes gently landed on David’s pale face for a brief while and then they quickly flew away from his face to the dusty nightstand. “S-so…how are —!?” “I need to use the bathroom,” David whispered with a hiss when Travis was speaking. The boy quietly nodded and carefully watched David as he hurried into his bathroom. “Calm down, breathe!” Immediately after
•••The rays of the rising sun flooded into the space, gently landing on the black island table that separated the two individuals — one wearing a smirk that was carefully spreading across his face and the other with eyes that were dilated with shock. It was very quiet — so hushed, making it easy for Sean to hear how loud and demanding David’s heart was throbbing. “Remember it, David. Remember well how you tightly clenched the sheets, endlessly moaning my name. I did not force you; you were the one who jumped on me even when I was asking you to stop. You were not drunk; we both know that.” Sean murmured, leaning forward and allowing the sunbeams to expose his green gleaming eyes. The man ensured that his gaze strictly fell on David’s face, studying its movements and the change of colour — from pale to red. David closed his eyes and gritted his teeth so hard that an unbearable pain kept his gums hostage for a short period. He did not want to react to Sean’s words, but his body diso
–“Falling deep into blue…! I wish I did not, but I ended up doing it. It is painful and it hurts so much.” A boy who whispered through his clenched teeth lay on a king-sized bed whose sheets were wrinkled. The beams of the rising sun floated into the huge room through the naked window and landed kisses on his pale, nude body. His eyelids trembled when he felt every warm touch from the sun. A smile faintly spread across his dry, chapped lips immediately when his eyes slowly opened and collided with a white, vaulted ceiling. He bit his lip and closed his eyes again. “How many times have I been looking at you? It is still the same and I hate it. Maybe he should change the design…!” David breathed instantly after clearing his throat and never dared himself to move his body, not even an inch. “Maybe we should do it somewhere else. In another room so that I don’t always look at the ceiling. I had to look at it all night.” The boy added with a loud, rough sigh, ignoring the sun’s beams th
DAVID CHWE’S POV CONTINUED…[ I REMEMBER…ALL OF IT!] WARNING: AGE GAP! “Are you willing to do anything, boy?” An unfamiliar deep, slightly husky voice investigated. I vigorously nodded, breathing heavily as I stared at the green eyes that were shamelessly following every movement I made. I stood in the same spot and listened to footsteps walk out of the dark towards me. My hands were shaking but I did not intend to run away because I needed a job. I helplessly narrowed my eyes to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice that made my heart tighten with fear. A step and another, I saw a tall, pale-skinned man in a very black suit looking down at me. His eyes were mysteriously gleaming with glee as they hovered over my trembling, slim figure.I unconsciously took a careful step back, my eyes still glued onto his, as if under a spell. The unknown man scowled at me with amusement and for some reason, I felt like he was looking directly into my soul — I felt all my secrets, fears, and
[ A PAST AND IMAGES ENGRAVED IN MY HEART; NEVER WILL THEY LEAVE!]DAVID CHWE’S POV: I REMEMBER….“There we go! It started again! The fucken unruly thing!” A dry hiss made a rough escape through my shrivelled lips that I had been trying so hard to keep wet with my tongue until I had no patience anymore. My eyes hastily flew up at the vivid blue sky that was covered by clouds that I instantly caught retiring into an intimate dance with the gentle breeze. I released an oppressed sigh quickly when I felt the sun lay its warm kisses on my red skin. “Another torture,” I whispered to myself, my forehead frowning deeper than it already had. During that moment, I had averted my gaze from the sky to two girls that I shamelessly witnessed as they were burying their heads into an idle talk. Something bothered me or rather, influenced a feeling of envy within me. I know many boys would have widened their eyes with admiration at the sight of the girls, but instead, my eyes widened with envy as I
A clap of thunder rumbled immediately when his now veiny eyes collided with those harvested by treachery — poison and cold darkness. David felt his chest tightening and he could not breathe. The papers in his hands trembled, some falling on the floor with a silenced, pitiful whine. “This…!” “Your new job!”Mr M intruded on David who could not release words from his quivering, dry mouth. The man’s voice rumbled throughout the dining room, making David’s muscles tighten with fear — afraid to even land his eyes on the one speaking. “New job? W-what…why are Travis’s…pictures…?”David calculated and investigated quietly, his trembling voice dropping into a whisper. He was paralyzed to the spot and could not move his body — he felt cold air bite into his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. His tear-filled eyes darted around, landing on anything possible — from his shaking hands to Mr Sok whose face showed no emotions. Confused, David felt his world start to shake — he felt like he
[CHAINS AROUND MY NECK; DELIVER ME FROM HELL]The wind firmly cried as David stood there, his eyes filled with burning fear while he stared at the gigantic house that was covered by pulsating, crimson-red lights — each blinking as if warning him to go back where he came from and if he were to enter, he’d not come out alive. “RUN!” A sonorous voice in the chambers of his head whispered but he could not move an inch of his body. He stood still as he continuously exhaled deeply. His hands were shuddering deep in his pockets — he was now counting past 51. “RUN!” The same voice advised but once again, David dared not to move — he felt his hands heavy and could not lift any of them. He did want to turn around and leave, and never come back but the longer he looked at the lights blinking in his direction, the sweeter the spell became as it travelled through his head and to the back of his skull. He could take a step back and walk away but he knew the consequences that would come with tha