——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
——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
“Come out, I am outside.” David whispered over the phone, making Travis’s heart jump, this time with fear. He flinched from the bed and rushed towards his window where he began searching for David. “Where are you? I can’t see you.” Hardly holding his breath, Travis whispered, standing on the balcony, intensely searching for his boyfriend. It was as if he had lost his mind. Travis did not notice the tall walls that prevented him from seeing the world outside the huge gates. “Fuck…!” He said silently to himself when it had finally dawned on him that he had to sneak out of the house and meet his boyfriend. His blood was running warm as his heart uncontrollably jingled in the chamber of his chest. The longing to see David had become an all-consuming force, a restless hunger that gnawed at his very soul. As he stood there, his fingers instinctively curled around the curtain, his nails digging deep into the fabric like talons grasping for an anchor.His breathing grew ragged, a slow, to
Night descended like a velvet cloak, softly enveloping the world in an inky blackness that seemed to have a texture all its own. The stars twinkled like diamonds scattered across the fabric of the sky, their gentle sparkle casting an ethereal glow over the landscape.The moon, a silver crescent, hung low on the horizon, casting long, sinuous shadows that stretched and twisted like living things. “Thank you.” David who had just come out of the taxi, said as he bowed and watched the taxi drive off. An oppressed sigh found its way out of his lips as he stood in the same spot for a while. His mind was set alight by a fountain of thoughts that made it hard for him to breathe or concentrate on anything else. “A sin? How is it a sin? And why would you find the pleasure in continuing this sin?” Travis’s words rang in the back of his head, poisoning his heart into a temporary melancholy. “Find the pleasure in continuing this sin? What does he mean? He doesn’t view this as a sin. He does n
JIYEON CHOI“Are you sure you want to go?” Mrs Park investigated shortly after placing her hand on Jiyeon’s trembling hands. “You don’t have to, I will ask a person to get them for you. Don’t force it!” The old lady assured the girl whose eyes were tightly shut; feeling ashamed to let Mrs Park see her weakness. Jiyeon bit her lower lip and silently counted to three before she could open her eyes. “It is okay. I want to go…and get them myself.” Squeezing Mrs Park’s hand with her free, uninjured hand, Jiyeon whispered soon after taking a deep breath. Mrs Park stared at the girl for a while and never said a word. She nodded at her driver and the engine of the car they were in growled as it began moving. The car roared out of the Park mansion to a destination where Mrs Park was not so sure they should go to. Jiyeon quietly watched the tall, luxurious buildings pass as the car drove by. Her heart was jingling in the embrace of her ribs, as an unidentified number of emotions collided i
The air became cold. Eyes bulged with unspoken fear as they mysteriously glided over the figure of Jiyeon. The girl had tilted her head to her right, her eyes slyly following every jumpy movement that her mother made. Her smile widened just when she noticed confusion covering the red, wet face of her mother. “You bastard! How could you do that to your own mother!?” Mrs Choi hissed through her trembling lips that were now dry as a hard bone. Her mouth felt like a desert, parched and craving moisture as words played hide and seek in the back of her throat. Beads of sweat lined up across her forehead as her breath became shallow. “Oh dear, I am my mother’s daughter. One bastard gave birth to another bastard.” Jiyeon released an annoyed sigh and chuckled when she caught her mother’s lips trembling. “Did you know, father always thought that I looked nothing like him. He made sure to remind me every time we went on an ice cream date, when I was only five. It became a song and you said
MEMORIES: BITTER AND SWEET! "Only six years…that's what we agreed on! Six years! Or were they too much for you to handle?" A husky, booming voice that, belonging to Travis reverberated across the spacious room with a query that sent chills to paste themselves onto the figure of a man who was standing five minutes away from him. "You failed to keep your promise…!" Travis blurted with a voice that was cracking up with emotions. He aired the words with great difficulty whilst his dewy eyes carefully watched the face of the man in front of him harden with coldness. "What did I do to receive this kind of treatment from you? Does it not matter how long I waited?" Travis questioned in a brittle voice as soon as he took timid steps towards the man's direction— a man who did not dare to soften his face, rather he put on a face that lacked emotions and warmness. Slowly but surely, the man turned his features, together with his figure away from the saddened Travis that was already weeping.
Who are you? [8 January 2018]Number of days drifted off in just a blink of an eye since the terrible incident that evidently made Travis to welcome a new year with a heart that was sunk by a load of gloomy emotions. After almost two years, he found himself sitting behind a school desk, where a bunch of books were looking at him with nothing but mockery. School— according to him, it was a place that was going to make his life a living hell. He knew that it did not matter how hard he had to rough it in— eventually, he'd have to live a lie and entangle himself to the outside world— which was something he was against. He knew that he had a choice to get up and walk away but his 'cruel' heart had always reminded him, on many occasions, that he had once imprinted a promise into his grandmother's 'weak' heart— a promise he dared not to break. It was the second Monday of 2018 and the morning was not different from the other mornings. Leaning his head on the palm of his hand, Travis's e
The air became cold. Eyes bulged with unspoken fear as they mysteriously glided over the figure of Jiyeon. The girl had tilted her head to her right, her eyes slyly following every jumpy movement that her mother made. Her smile widened just when she noticed confusion covering the red, wet face of her mother. “You bastard! How could you do that to your own mother!?” Mrs Choi hissed through her trembling lips that were now dry as a hard bone. Her mouth felt like a desert, parched and craving moisture as words played hide and seek in the back of her throat. Beads of sweat lined up across her forehead as her breath became shallow. “Oh dear, I am my mother’s daughter. One bastard gave birth to another bastard.” Jiyeon released an annoyed sigh and chuckled when she caught her mother’s lips trembling. “Did you know, father always thought that I looked nothing like him. He made sure to remind me every time we went on an ice cream date, when I was only five. It became a song and you said
JIYEON CHOI“Are you sure you want to go?” Mrs Park investigated shortly after placing her hand on Jiyeon’s trembling hands. “You don’t have to, I will ask a person to get them for you. Don’t force it!” The old lady assured the girl whose eyes were tightly shut; feeling ashamed to let Mrs Park see her weakness. Jiyeon bit her lower lip and silently counted to three before she could open her eyes. “It is okay. I want to go…and get them myself.” Squeezing Mrs Park’s hand with her free, uninjured hand, Jiyeon whispered soon after taking a deep breath. Mrs Park stared at the girl for a while and never said a word. She nodded at her driver and the engine of the car they were in growled as it began moving. The car roared out of the Park mansion to a destination where Mrs Park was not so sure they should go to. Jiyeon quietly watched the tall, luxurious buildings pass as the car drove by. Her heart was jingling in the embrace of her ribs, as an unidentified number of emotions collided i
Night descended like a velvet cloak, softly enveloping the world in an inky blackness that seemed to have a texture all its own. The stars twinkled like diamonds scattered across the fabric of the sky, their gentle sparkle casting an ethereal glow over the landscape.The moon, a silver crescent, hung low on the horizon, casting long, sinuous shadows that stretched and twisted like living things. “Thank you.” David who had just come out of the taxi, said as he bowed and watched the taxi drive off. An oppressed sigh found its way out of his lips as he stood in the same spot for a while. His mind was set alight by a fountain of thoughts that made it hard for him to breathe or concentrate on anything else. “A sin? How is it a sin? And why would you find the pleasure in continuing this sin?” Travis’s words rang in the back of his head, poisoning his heart into a temporary melancholy. “Find the pleasure in continuing this sin? What does he mean? He doesn’t view this as a sin. He does n
“Come out, I am outside.” David whispered over the phone, making Travis’s heart jump, this time with fear. He flinched from the bed and rushed towards his window where he began searching for David. “Where are you? I can’t see you.” Hardly holding his breath, Travis whispered, standing on the balcony, intensely searching for his boyfriend. It was as if he had lost his mind. Travis did not notice the tall walls that prevented him from seeing the world outside the huge gates. “Fuck…!” He said silently to himself when it had finally dawned on him that he had to sneak out of the house and meet his boyfriend. His blood was running warm as his heart uncontrollably jingled in the chamber of his chest. The longing to see David had become an all-consuming force, a restless hunger that gnawed at his very soul. As he stood there, his fingers instinctively curled around the curtain, his nails digging deep into the fabric like talons grasping for an anchor.His breathing grew ragged, a slow, to
——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