if not this lifetime
if not this lifetime
faded_citylites. 585w. minor angst? lmfao, idk.
barelythere!yadong.
Howon wakes up one morning and is suddenly aware that the end is near.
It's an average morning, really. The sun is hidden, but the clouds are their usual, dull gray color. No streaks of violet or violent clashes of scarlet and indigo. Only the dreary skies looking down on him. And yet, there's this feeling of emptiness - a sensation of falling into a deep pit. That, and the loud buzzing of the television in the background - news anchors hurriedly sending out their warnings about the world's end, panic and fear apparent on their faces.
Howon thinks, reflectively, What's the rush? (His hands tremble just slightly as he stands there.)
It's around noon when he receives a call from his mother. Her voice is shaky over the phone and he listens as she cries and cries and - "Howon, the kids! What am I going to do about the kids?!" Howon vaguely remembers a family get together taking place at his parents' home (he was busy enough to miss it) and thinks of all his cousins and nephews and nieces who must be huddled in groups right now, hugging each other and hoping for something.
He finds he has nothing to say. Instead, he makes an excuse about having to be somewhere and says bye, sneaking in a quiet I love you mom.
After he sets the phone down, he walks to the balcony. Even now, he is uncertain whether this is all really happening. He's so convinced that someone out there must be playing the biggest joke on the world. But when he sees the small cracks slowly forming at the side of the pavement, he knows that this is something he can't escape.
Howon spends his last hour at the arcade, because if he's going anyway, he might as well cheer himself up a little before he goes. The entire arcade is fairly empty, meaning really, there's only Howon and one other guy. He watches the other boy (he can't be much older than Howon himself) beat furiously away at the buttons on the machine he's occupying. When the boy finishes, he looks up and catches Howon staring at him. "Hey, I'm Dongwoo," he introduces himself with a smile, shaky at the corners but just barely.
To be accurate then, they spend their last hour together. Dongwoo challenges Howon to everything and Howon finds himself just a little more accepting of his fate.
"Hey," Dongwoo suddenly calls out as the two shoot away at the zombies on the screen.
"Hmm," Howon replies half-heartedly. He's absolutely determined to get a high score before this lifetime ends. To his horror, he finds the words "GAME OVER" flashing in bright red across the screen as he notes that the lifebar he could have sworn was full is suddenly depeleted.
Dongwoo chuckles at the face Howon pulls which Howon imagines must look pretty silly. "Hey, like I was going to say; at least it isn't a zombie apocalypse," Dongwoo smiles wryly. Howon nods silently and turns to face the window.
Howon thinks he's finally beginning to see it - the end. He swears, in the distance, he sees some sort of flame starting to engulf the sky and it hits him - it won't be long. Beside him, Dongwoo begins to tremble.
"Hey," Dongwoo voices.
"Yeah."
"We're- we're going to be okay, right?"
"... -yeah."
As their fingers gently loop around each other's, Howon decides that the moment is sort of beautiful in its entirety.
faded_citylites. 585w. minor angst? lmfao, idk.
barelythere!yadong.
Howon wakes up one morning and is suddenly aware that the end is near.
It's an average morning, really. The sun is hidden, but the clouds are their usual, dull gray color. No streaks of violet or violent clashes of scarlet and indigo. Only the dreary skies looking down on him. And yet, there's this feeling of emptiness - a sensation of falling into a deep pit. That, and the loud buzzing of the television in the background - news anchors hurriedly sending out their warnings about the world's end, panic and fear apparent on their faces.
Howon thinks, reflectively, What's the rush? (His hands tremble just slightly as he stands there.)
It's around noon when he receives a call from his mother. Her voice is shaky over the phone and he listens as she cries and cries and - "Howon, the kids! What am I going to do about the kids?!" Howon vaguely remembers a family get together taking place at his parents' home (he was busy enough to miss it) and thinks of all his cousins and nephews and nieces who must be huddled in groups right now, hugging each other and hoping for something.
He finds he has nothing to say. Instead, he makes an excuse about having to be somewhere and says bye, sneaking in a quiet I love you mom.
After he sets the phone down, he walks to the balcony. Even now, he is uncertain whether this is all really happening. He's so convinced that someone out there must be playing the biggest joke on the world. But when he sees the small cracks slowly forming at the side of the pavement, he knows that this is something he can't escape.
Howon spends his last hour at the arcade, because if he's going anyway, he might as well cheer himself up a little before he goes. The entire arcade is fairly empty, meaning really, there's only Howon and one other guy. He watches the other boy (he can't be much older than Howon himself) beat furiously away at the buttons on the machine he's occupying. When the boy finishes, he looks up and catches Howon staring at him. "Hey, I'm Dongwoo," he introduces himself with a smile, shaky at the corners but just barely.
To be accurate then, they spend their last hour together. Dongwoo challenges Howon to everything and Howon finds himself just a little more accepting of his fate.
"Hey," Dongwoo suddenly calls out as the two shoot away at the zombies on the screen.
"Hmm," Howon replies half-heartedly. He's absolutely determined to get a high score before this lifetime ends. To his horror, he finds the words "GAME OVER" flashing in bright red across the screen as he notes that the lifebar he could have sworn was full is suddenly depeleted.
Dongwoo chuckles at the face Howon pulls which Howon imagines must look pretty silly. "Hey, like I was going to say; at least it isn't a zombie apocalypse," Dongwoo smiles wryly. Howon nods silently and turns to face the window.
Howon thinks he's finally beginning to see it - the end. He swears, in the distance, he sees some sort of flame starting to engulf the sky and it hits him - it won't be long. Beside him, Dongwoo begins to tremble.
"Hey," Dongwoo voices.
"Yeah."
"We're- we're going to be okay, right?"
"... -yeah."
As their fingers gently loop around each other's, Howon decides that the moment is sort of beautiful in its entirety.