(for everyone) Sona

[seulpeo]

For: everyone

Title: Sona
Pairing: Jongin/Taemin
Word Count: ~9,000 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: off-screen domestic abuse, [Spoiler (click to open)]character death
Summary: This summer, Taemin brought Jongin to tread a path of myth, magic and dreamscapes. Bridge to Terabithia!AU
Author's Note: Dear recipient, I’m sorry if it’s unlike what you wanted. I took the liberty to translate your prompt into summertime and sun. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll enjoy what I wrote for you.
Sona means ‘Happiness’ in Old Irish/Scottish Gaelic. Inspiration and title were from a Secret Garden’s song.


Jongin woke up to the sound of his father’s old truck, its machine coughing and shuddering violently upon ignition, and yet the old vehicle refused to give in. It was still morning, not yet seven in the morning, he could tell, since his father was just leaving for work at the town’s mill. But the sun that peeked through the gap of the shabby old curtain already felt hot on his skin. The air was humid too, Jongin noticed, as he dragged himself out of bed to the breakfast table.

“Wash your face first, and get ready to milk the cows,” his mother told him as she passed by with a pile of dirty laundry. Jongin ignored the instruction and ate the corn bread that his mom left for him instead.

His sisters were nowhere to be found. They were in their peak of puberty, his father told him before, when Jongin complained the lack of helping hands with the daily chores. By puberty Jongin understood that all they cared about were dressing nicely and chasing after boys at high school. Or, in the rare occasion that they stayed at home, playing boybands’ song on their old stereos at maximum volume.

Jongin sighed. With his sisters gone, it only meant extra chores for him. A moment later, Jongin could only swallow his bitterness of being the only son (a gullible one, he painfully admitted). His mother who had just returned from the well, carrying the clean smell of detergent inside, told him that he should go to the barn and milk the cow.

“But mom, that’s not my chore! Father said I could go to the woods this morning,” he tried to talk himself out of it.

His mother sighed tiredly. “Your sisters aren’t here, Jongin, and the poor cow has been begging for hours to be milked. Be a good boy and help your mother.”

Jongin hated it when his mother put on that sad look on her. Jongin hated his conscience; his inability to just rebel like his sisters did, and just did what he wanted to do. But he wasn’t like his sisters. And though they mocked him for always being a weak-minded kid, Jongin would rather be stuck with chores than seeing his mother stared at him forlornly like that.

“Alright,” he sighed dejectedly.

“You’re an angel, Jongin,” his mother smiled. “I knew I struck luck the first time I held you in my arms after you were born.”

Jongin rolled his eyes, but secretly took pleasure from his mother’s praise.

“I’ll be out in a moment. There’s a new neighbor moving in to the Old Ahn’s house, and I’ll be there to help them. Help yourself with lunch, okay? I’ve prepared some tofu stew for you.”

Jongin nodded, and silently exited the house while carrying his rubber boots with him.

“What are you doing?”

Jongin almost knocked the pail of milk when he heard the unfamiliar voice. It was by sheer luck that he managed to grab its iron handle before it toppled. Still, some spilled onto the floor. Jongin looked up angrily and found himself glaring at a boy.

…or was it a girl?

“Who are you?”

Forgetting his rage over the spilled milk, he stood up and met the stranger’s curious eyes. Even when he looked closely, Jongin couldn’t determine if the stranger was a boy or a girl. He wore his soft, straight hair that was longer than any boy Jongin knew, styled in a bowl cut that Jongin had seen on some girls back in elementary school. Like Jongin’s, his voice had not yet broken, and the way he talked softly didn’t help either. Jongin dared to glance at his chest, which was flat, but it was common for girls their age to not yet grow breasts. His skin was so fair, too fair-like milk in a glass bottle, as if he had never spent time under the sun.

“I’m Taemin-your new neighbor,” hereplied in amusement despite Jongin’s hostility. “And you were being rude, because I asked you first.”

Jongin rolled his eyes. He was relieved though to tell that the person was indeed a boy, since the name was definitely boy’s name. “I’m milking the cow. I thought it was obvious enough.”

“Milking the-” Taemin’s eyes grew larger as he jumped down from the haystack and plopped beside Jongin, “You mean…milk really came out of this cow?”

“Well, yeah?”

“Oh wow!” Taemin grinned widely. “This is wicked! I mean…of course I was told that milk is produced by cows but I’ve never actually seen it myself!”

It was the first time in Jongin’s life that he met someone this excited over such thing. Having born and raised in a small agricultural town, Jongin never knew such lifestyle outside the one he lived.

“Do you...want to try?” He meekly offered.

“Can I? Really?” Taemin’s eyes sparked, excitement overflowed in his voice.

For the first timer, Jongin felt a certain kind of pride for knowing something so trivial as milking the cow. It made him feel good, confident even. Smilingly, he scooted to his side, sparing the tiny wooden stool for Taemin.

“Sure. I’ll show you how.”

When Jongin returned to the house, it was already dusk. His shirt was drenched in sweat and his body ached all over, but his chores were all finished albeit taking several hours longer than usual due to Taemin’s intrusions. Glancing at the garage, he saw his father’s old truck. Jongin sighed, imagining the series of questions his father would ask him about why it took him so long to finish his routines.

His father, however, practically ignored him when he walked into the kitchen. He was in the middle of a shouting contest with Jongin’s sisters, not allowing them to go with the boys to the fair while ‘looking like wenches’ with their lips painted blood red and skirts barely covering their thighs.

At the corner of the room, his mother-who had developed the knack of tuning out the fight between her husband and daughters-was folding the clean laundry in silence. It was supposed to be his sisters’ task and Jongin hated how they so conveniently dumped the responsibility on their mother. He came to her, and she looked up to him smilingly.

“Shall I help you?” He pointed at the pile of fabric on his mother’s lap.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. It’s just bed sheets and linens so there’s no ironing needed. Are you hungry? We received some rice cakes from the new neighbor.”

Jongin mumbled a yes but remained next to his mother, taking a seat on the large wooden bench that was her usual workstation. “I met their son earlier. The new neighbors’, I mean.”

“Really?” His mother asked. “No wonder he wasn’t around during the moving. I heard he’s around your age.”

Jongin nodded. “He’s going to attend my school. Weird boy, I tell you,” he began. His mother occasionally laughed as Jongin told her what happened earlier.

“Be kind to him. It must be shocking to move in to such a strange neighborhood.”

“He’s probably gonna have a problem with other kids from school,” Jongin shrugged.

His mother put down the bed sheet that she was yet to fold and placed her hand on her son’s lap. “Just stick with him, okay? God helps the kid. He’s been through a lot.”

His mother’s words piqued his interest. Surely she implied something by making such statement but there was finality in her words that Jongin didn’t dare to trespass.

The town’s school that Jongin attended was a small one. It accommodated a kindergarten, grade school and junior high, all in the same compound right across the town hall and farmer’s association building. There were less than a hundred students in all levels. A small number of high school students from the village-including Jongin’s sisters-went to the nearest town, which was thirty minutes ride on bus.

True to Jongin’s prediction, Taemin had a hard time fitting in. The entire school singled him out as soon as he was seen arriving in a small electric-fueled city car among the trucks of other parents. The girls whispered when he walked past them in his strange city clothes, his fair skin stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of tan-skinned children that spent the majority of their time out in the field.

When Taemin waved at him, his friends gave him a weird look and Jongin felt like running away. Recalling his promise to his mother, however, Jongin offered his new neighbor a subdued smile. They walked together to the faculty lounge, since Taemin had to report to their homeroom teacher about his transfer.

“I guess you rarely get transfer students here,” Taemin looked around in excitement. But even when he tried to keep up his chipper, Jongin could tell that the look people gave was slowly getting him.

“Well,” Jongin shrugged, unable to convey the truth in fear because that might agitate Taemin more. “It’s a small village. People rarely come and go. Most of us here have lived for three generations or more.”

Taemin nodded. “I guess I’ll just get used to the staring. I’m sure it’s just temporary.”

Jongin wanted to say that the villagers weren’t likely to forget for at least a decade the fact that Taemin’s family was a newcomer, and thus strangers. But he decided against it. They arrived to their classroom, and Jongin waved his new friend goodbye. Taemin was assigned to a seat at the opposite end from Jongin’s, and they didn’t have much chance to talk until the class ended.

Only Jongin gave Taemin a chance, and he did because it was what Mrs. Kim told him. The slightly older boy was actually a pleasant companion. Behind his pretty face, he was so mischievous that sometimes Jongin couldn’t believe naughty ideas would come out of him. At the same time, Taemin was so curious and daring, such traits that were contagious that Jongin felt like he could do anything whenever they were together.

One day, Taemin showed up at the barn. He danced his way between empty piles for milking, and demanded Jongin to follow him as soon as he was done milking the cow. Taemin dragged him into the woods, into the denser area right across the creek which water was fresh and cold. They spent some time dipping their feet, sucking on popsicles that Taemin stole from his mother’s fridge. They were actually saved for the charity bazaar at the farmer’s association hall; Taemin knew that his mother wouldn’t be pleased to find that some of them were missing. But then he saw how Jongin’s eyes sparkle at the mention of sweet, cold, cherry-tasted popsicles, and figured that her mother’s lecture was worth the risk.

“So,” Jongin said finally, as soon as he threw away the stick from his popsicle sadly. “What are we doing here?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Taemin said, his words came out almost as an incoherent mumble since he was still sucking on the wooden stick that still had a little taste of cherry.

“You were the one who dragged me all the way here though,” Jongin rolled his eyes.

“Well,” his friend insisted. “Only because you said that this is the place where you spent most of your time!”

“That was five years ago,” Jongin sighed. “I was still in grade school. My sister and I used to come here, and we would make believe that the huge tree over there was our castle. I played a knight with formidable sword, while she was a queen that commanded an army of ten thousand fairies. Together, we slayed dragons and giants that destroyed our kingdom.”

At the end of the story, Jongin looked away in embarrassment, for almost sounding that he was lonely. Perhaps he was, but he didn’t wish for Taemin to find out. However, if Taemin did, he concealed it well. The only thing that Jongin noticed when their eyes met was the usual spark of mischief.

“That actually sounds good! Let’s make a kingdom here!”

Jongin scoffed, “You’re kidding right? It’s a child play.”

“Well, according to our parents we’re still children anyway.” He shrugged, “Besides, it’s almost like RPG game and RPG definitely isn’t a child play!”

“What’s RPG?” Jongin felt embarrassed to admit that he knew less than his friends.

“It’s a game where you play the role of the character of your choice-everything is exactly as you said! It has knights, sorcerers, thieves, giants!”

Taemin began to ramble about kingdoms and missions, potions, swords and jewels. He pointed at some trees, saying things such as ‘those young trees could be the windmills, and that dead trunk over there is the clock tower.’ Jongin couldn’t make out half of the things he said, but somehow, he began to see what Taemin saw on the objects he pointed at.

In the end, Jongin thought that it wasn’t so bad to let his imagination roam free after years of being kept in restrain. He remembered how happy he was as a child, swinging on the lower branches of the trees. When he told Taemin, the slightly older kid quickly ran back home, leaving Jongin in confusion, only to return again with a wad of rope in his arms. They took no time in tying them on the sturdiest tree branches that hung above the creek, using their somewhat meager knowledge about knots they learned from their boy scout days.

It was nearly sunset when they finished. Their bodies ached, clothes sticking to their skin from sweat, and their palms felt raw from excessive friction with the rope. And yet, nothing could beat their sense of accomplishment upon seeing a pair of perfectly tied, twin rope swings that hung above the creek.

They made it a habit to stick together, even at school where everybody was hostile. There was no denying that they were close friends, after all, since they always arrived and left together everyday. Especially, since they always brought perfectly similar lunchbox, the ones that Mrs. Lee made as soon as it was revealed to her that Jongin’s mother was often too busy with chores to make her children lunch.

At first, all the teasing made Jongin went berserk. He was sent to the principal’s office after he gave an upperclassman fractured nose for calling them ‘faggots’ in the toilet during lunch break. It was Mr. Lee whom he called; while his mother probably wouldn’t mind to settle the matter, he wasn’t sure if he could walk freely without any beating if his father found out. Luckily, Mr. Lee understood, especially after he heard the entire story. He pulled them from school earlier, but instead of driving straight home, he took them to the newly opened ice cream parlor and treated them the biggest bowl of ice cream with three flavors for each of them.

“Listen boys,” He told them, while watching them wolfing down the ice cream like there was no tomorrow. “I don’t mind knowing any of you involved in fights. You will slowly learn that some things actually worth to be defended by your fists. As long as it’s for the right reason, then a fight will remain honorable.”

Jongin slowly took in Mr. Lee’s words and when its meaning finally sunk in, he felt his eyes hot from tears. He quickly looked away, refusing to be caught crying by Taemin, but not before he nodded gratefully.

Since the incident, the two of them preferred to spend their break away from the other kids. They took their lunchbox and went behind the gardener’s shed, and didn’t return before the school bell rang. Sometimes, they would be too lazy to join the afternoon classes and instead skipped school for the rest of the day. Taemin however, did a good damage prevention by insisting that they finished their homework and supplements before they got to play. That was why, even with their attendance record getting worse, they faced no complaints since their grades were higher than the school’s average.

On the days that they stayed at school, they were still the ones who would leave class as soon as the bell rang. They would race against each other along the hard asphalt road until they reach the gravel path where they should be more careful not to slip and fall. They said goodbye at the bend where their family’s lands connected, only to meet again by the creek several hours later, as soon as Jongin finished his chores.

There, on the patch of clearing surrounded by old trees right across the creek, they stood in awe as they watched their magic worked, and their kingdom began to flourish. Jongin, the knight who commanded the strength of The God’s Sword, and Taemin, the sorcerer who ruled a nation of rainbow-winged fairies.

“I can’t believe we forgot the most important thing!”

Jongin fell from his branch, taken by surprise when Taemin suddenly jumped down and shouted.

“W-what happened?”

“We made the biggest mistake, Jongin!” Taemin said dramatically, “We haven’t baptized our kingdom with a noble name!”

Jongin snorted, amused that such trivial matter managed to agitate his friend by much. “Is a name even necessary?”

“Jongin, you don’t understand!” Taemin stood up in mock anger, his arms flailing. “Every great kingdom from legends had a name. Come on, you never actually read a story that begins with ‘Once upon a time, there was a legendary kingdom which name was unknown’, don’t you?”

Although for Jongin name was not important, he found no flaw in Taemin’s logic. If there be a chance where they talked about their kingdom around strangers, wouldn’t it be weird to call it just ‘our kingdom’?

“Do you know any good name?” Jongin asked, realizing that naming thing was only one among Taemin’s forte.

Taemin spent a minute to think, his forehead scrunched, and in the end came up with a question for his friend. “What’s your favorite RPG type of character?”

Jongin had no doubt; it was a simple question. “A knight.”

Taemin grinned widely, and flopped down by Jongin’s side. Such gesture only meant one thing: Taemin was ready to tell one of the magnificent things he had read in books. Jongin always found Taemin’s story magical and he secretly coveted to hear more although he wouldn’t be caught admitting it to his friend.

“Well,” Taemin spoke quaintly, in a tone that only him could master. “I know a story about a ranger who was actually a king, but he was robbed of his throne due to a mistake his ancestor made. The story also happen to involve one of my favorite sorcerers.”

Taemin was, once again, right.

Giving a name to their kingdom made the entire fantasy seem to grow significantly realer. When previously Jongin could only guess if the raspberry bushes were a herd of sheep or a castle ruin, he could now memorize every detail of the kingdom. It was when he came up with an idea to draw a map of their kingdom, which Taemin supported wholeheartedly. In their next meeting, Taemin brought along a scrap of wallpaper which texture and color resembled that of a parchment, and a set of watercolor stolen from his mother’s studio. The first thing that Jongin drew, with thick black ink on the middle top of the map, was their kingdom’s name.

Gondor.

Even mentioning the name seemed to evoke the reticent, dormant ancient magic inside the forest. It was probably just the season, but since Gondor became official, the trees seem to grow thicker, denser, flowers bloomed more beautifully, and wild berries began to ripen. During the days when Jongin’s fingers were already numb from squeezing cow’s udder for hours, they would ravage the berry shrubs and spend hours throwing berries into each other’s mouth. Taemin missed his mark more than he scored, which somehow amused Jongin, because he found another thing that he could do better than his best friend.

Once their stomachs were full, their fingertips bluish red and wrinkled from the juice of the overly ripened berries, they spent the remaining sunlight lying down under the canopy of tree, and talked. Lulled by the blithe wind, the earth soft and cool beneath them, the boys began to strip themselves off their fear and worries, and for once, became honest with themselves.

Jongin spoke of his fear that he would turn into a taciturn man his father was, unconcerned about how his family felt as long as he brought something on the diner table. He was scared that he would ended up buried in the village for the rest of his life, because while Jongin loved and was good at being a farmer, he still had so many things he wanted to see or do. He told his best friend about his anxiety that he would grow into an insubstantial man with nothing but menial labor works.

“You won’t,” Taemin whispered. “I promise. One day you will stand on a grand stage, be seen by so many people who would recognize you for who you are and what you’re capable of.”

“How-how can you be so sure?” Jongin asked, his voice thick of emotion.

Taemin smiled, “Because I’m the great sorcerer of Gondor, and I will put my strongest spell on you so your dreams will comes true, even if I have to put my life on the line.”

July came and they were officially in summer break. Jongin was busier than ever; not only did he work on his daily chores but he also worked part time at his neighbor’s greenhouses, weeding out the plants. Taemin complained on how Jongin didn’t make enough progress on the Map of Gondor, and asked him what it was that Jongin wanted so much to buy that he worked so hard. On the question, Jongin simply laughed and shrugged him off.

The truth was, Jongin managed to sneak a look inside the students’ file on their homeroom teacher’s desk when he was called in for an errand. From the file, he discovered important information about his best friend-Taemin’s birthday was in mid-July. Since then, his mind was busy thinking of giving his friend a birthday present. Something impressive-not necessarily expensive or fancy, but something that would leave a mark-that Taemin would like. Jongin began to investigate.

“Something that I want?” Taemin asked absently, too focused into painting the details of the moor at the northwest territory of Gondor’s. “I don’t know. Why?”

Jongin shrugged, trying to act casual. “It’s nothing. I was just wondering, since you seem to have everything, most of which I haven’t even heard before.”

He was working alongside Taemin on the map, writing down names of places since Taemin said he was better at penmanship. At the moment, he just finished writing ‘Moria’ over the picture of a mountain. Taemin just told him the tale of a dwarf kingdom buried deeply inside the mountain, where they mined for precious metals and jewels. Jongin was fascinated by the dwarves and insisted to insert Moria into the map even when Taemin told him that in the actual tale, Moria would be too far from Gondor. In the end, Taemin relented, as soon as Jongin told him ‘This is our kingdom, not someone else’s story’.

“You have things that I don’t have, too,” Taemin said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he looked up. “Like siblings.”

Jongin rolled his eyes. He could never say that having such sisters were a blessing. They weren’t that close to begin with. I only they didn’t spend so much of their parents’ money, Jongin would perhaps have more of the things he needed or wanted.

“You’re joking, right? They’re disaster.”

“Well,” Taemin’s eyes met Jongin’s, and gave the other boy a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s better than not having any, right? Anyway,” he sat up and stretched his back. “A horse. That’s what I want right now.”

Jongin raised his eyebrows. “A…horse?”

“Yeah,” Taemin nodded. “I told you that the great white wizard had a horse that ran faster than the wind, right? I want a horse like that.”

Jongin sighed. No matter how hard he would work, he couldn’t possibly earn enough money to buy a stallion. He sadly put the matter to rest, realizing that his current investigation wouldn’t be fruitful. Picking Taemin’s birthday present seemed harder than he thought.

“Hey, Jongin?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s make a dam.”

Jongin sat up and saw that Taemin already on his way to the creek. He was digging up rocks from its bottom and piled them together.

“A dam?” As much as he adored Taemin’s ideas, making a dam sounded ridiculous and impossible. “Why?”

“Why not?” Taemin splashed him some water and laughed. “Imagine if we can create some kind of pool. Won’t it be nice to be soaked up to our chin in cold water during hot day?”

The gear inside Jongin’s head began to turn and he started to see the appeal of Taemin’s idea. The days indeed had grown unbearably hot and he had been complaining that the creek was too shallow to swim in. But if it were a dam…

Constructing the dam was easier than Jongin thought. The next time they met, Taemin brought a book about construction and adeptly drew a plan that was the simplified version of the one he saw. Jongin could only stare at him in awe, admiring how quick he worked in calculating the amount of rocks, rubbles, earth and planks that they would need. Taemin told his friend that the dam should be sturdy enough to hold the water, but easy enough to dismantle.

“Why would we break the dam, though?” Jongin asked. “Can’t we keep it?” The thought of having the dam available all year round was overwhelmingly fun.

“We can’t keep it.” Taemin explained. “Imagine if the rainy season comes. The dam will cause flood.”

Jongin hadn’t thought about it and felt embarrassed for only thinking about his liking. They set up a schedule for the dismantling day, which was a week before they were supposed to be back at school. It would give them enough building time and few weeks worth of enjoying their hard work.

They spent some days away from the wood to gather materials. Jongin took some old planks from behind the barn, while Taemin stole his father’s toolbox. They went to gather rocks at the stream near the school and brought them in an old, rusty cart they borrowed from the greenhouse where Jongin worked.

They finished the dam in the second week of their summer vacation. As soon as they placed the last rock, they shouted in excitement and rolled on the ground together. They spent the rest of the day watching the water slowly pool into a small pond that would perfectly fit them both.

“Last night, I came up with a name of this dam,” Taemin said, smiling as he stared at the water flowing out of the tiny gaps they purposely made to avoid overflow.

Exhausted, Jongin mumbled. “Hmm…what is it?”

“Helm’s Deep.” Taemin glanced at him, and Jongin was alerted that it would be yet another session of Taemin’s wonderful tales. “You know, Gondor wasn’t the only kingdom in Middle Earth. There was also this clan on mighty horse rider, Rohan, who lived in valleys...”

As the exact date of Taemin’s birthday, eighteenth of July, was approaching, Jongin panicked more. He hadn’t come up with an idea on what present to get. In his desperation, he tried to ask his immediate sister but her answer was even more nonsensical than the idea of buying a horse.

“A boy, huh?” she thought for a while, twirling some loose strands of her hair. “A kiss, I guess? My boyfriend was delighted when I kissed him on his birthday.”

Jongin gave him a deadpanned look. “A kiss… For real? You’re telling me, your younger brother that is still a junior high student, filthy things you do with your boyfriend?”

“Oh shut up!” Jongin dodged a pillow that his sister threw at him. “I haven’t even told you half of the thing I did to make my boyfriend the happiest man on earth!’”

Jongin blushed. He didn’t know the details of what his sister implied but he got the gist of it. “You’re lucky you’re poor. Otherwise I would have blackmailed you with these information.”

“Yah!” His sister stood up and chased him out. “Don’t you dare!”

Frustrated, he stormed out of the house and ran toward the town center. He knew that there were no stores in his fifty miles radius that sold something Taemin would like but it was still better than staying at the house doing nothing. Especially, since there was a possibility that his sister would beat him up with a pan after the threat he made.

In a corner before he reached the shopping street, Jongin heard a ruckus. There was a loud argument from one of the houses, between two people amidst loud barking noises of several dogs. Jongin stopped and-shamingly admitted-eavesdropped. He heard one of the voices said something that lit the idea bulb in his head. He remembered a story Taemin told him, about a strong, kind, witch named Serafina Pekalla, and her familiar.

He waited outside the fence of the house until the argument died down and braved himself to call out.

“Excuse me, I happened to hear that you have some pups to sell.”

Taemin’s birthday was a bright, humid summer day. Jongin stared proudly at the mix breed pup on his lap, and felt proud. He had bathed the pup with special shampoo for dogs the day before, and now it looked no less handsome than the dogs he saw in the TV animal shows. Its fur was thick and long, its eyes kind and droopy, tiny paws clawing at Jongin’s hand harmlessly.

“How come you’re just eight months old but you look older than me?” Jongin poked its nose and it shook its head in amusement. “I wonder what Taemin will name you.”

Jongin had no doubt that his best friend would love the dog. Taemin had been constantly showing affection toward the Kim family dog, Monggu, allowing the old oaf to tackle him down and slobber him with kisses whenever he came. Tying up a ribbon around the pup’s neck and placing him inside an old rattan basket that he repainted, Jongin smiled.

“Let’s meet your new master. You’re lucky. He is such a powerful sorcerer. Who knows, maybe he can turn you into a handsome man one day,” Jongin laughed at his own joke, and blithely strode out his house toward the wood.

Taemin, however, didn’t show up.

Jongin waited for a couple of hours, swinging by himself on the trees, and picked some berries to eat when he felt thirsty, but Taemin never came. In the end, he went to the Lee family house, and knocked on the door. Just as how it was in the woods, Taemin didn’t come out to open the door for him. Nor did his parents.

Jongin wondered if they went somewhere. Taemin didn’t tell him anything about going somewhere. It was true that Jongin didn’t come to the wood the day before. But he left a note inside Lee family’s mailbox yesterday morning before he went to the greenhouse to work. After all, the reason why he missed their daily meeting was to prepare the dog.

That night, after keeping the dog safe inside the barn, Jongin went straight to his room. He ignored his mother’s order to shower and eat, and buried himself under the blanket despite the heat.

Jongin saw the Lee family car drive into their yard late at night after Taemin’s birthday. He watched the smallest silhouette he recognized as Taemin transported some items from the car trunk, and wondered where the Lees could have gone. Their visit was too short for a vacation, and they didn’t bring much luggage either. It annoyed him how he felt so…calm. He would have liked to stay angry with Taemin for disappearing. Then again, maybe such thing didn’t apply to friends as good as they were.

Walking toward the woods the next day, all he wanted to know was why Taemin disappeared without telling him anything. He took the pup with him, save for the basket and ribbon because bringing them didn’t feel quite anymore. The slightly older boy was waiting for him, bolting up as soon as Jongin approached, waving cheerfully.

The lack of anger didn’t mean that Jongin’s annoyance had completely dissipated. He insisted on giving Taemin cold shoulder, and intentionally avoided his designated swinging rope to cross the creek.

“Where were you the day before?” He asked.

“Hmm…to Seoul.” Taemin replied, absent-mindedly throwing pebbles into the pool. The lack of proper response annoyed Jongin.

“I waited, you know, for hours. I thought you were coming since you didn’t say anything about going off someplace.”

It was clear how Taemin grew weary of Jongin’s accusation. In the end, he replied with his voice raised. “It’s not like I have to tell you everything I do! Mind your own business!”

The statement took Jongin by surprise. It was the first time that Taemin actually snapped at him. The other boy seemed to noticed it too because he quickly stepped forward, trying to reach out for his friend’s shoulder. But Jongin pushed his hand away.

Taemin stopped. “Jongin, I-”

“So that’s it? Suddenly you want me to mind my own business?” The evident pain in his voice betrayed his desire to remain calm. “I guess I shouldn’t have bothered at all. I feel so dumb...”

Taemin frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What do you think?” Jongin yelled, “July 18, your birthday, I waited here with a present. Something I thought you’re going to like. Although I couldn’t afford a horse, at least a dog can be your…your…familiar because you said every great wizard-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence, because Taemin already rushed toward him and tackled him into a bear hug.

“I’m sorry.”

As soon as Taemin apologized, Jongin regretted everything he just told. The embrace was so tight it hurt him slightly, but the boy didn’t say anything else.

“Taemin, I-” Jongin paused when he noticed how his best friend’s body quivered. Taemin was crying. He called for his friend once again, in a softer voice. “Taemin, why are you crying?”

Jongin didn’t receive his reply immediately. He waited, unmoving, because he didn’t know what to do. It took a moment until Taemin stopped crying. His tears had already wetted the shoulder of Jongin’s shirt.

“It was my brother,” Taemin whispered hoarsely.

“Your brother?” Jongin asked, “I thought you were the only child.”

“I am right now. But I was born the second child. My hyung, he…he died a year ago. Yesterday was his first death anniversary. That’s why no one in my family actually remembered about my birthday-not even me.”

He let go of his embrace and stepped away in embarrassment. “I didn’t tell you because it’s such a depressing trip for my family.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Jongin apologizedl. “I didn’t know.”

“Of course you don’t,” Taemin smiled, patting Jongin’s cheek. “I never told you about it, did I? We’ll talk about it later, but now if I recall correctly, you said something about a birthday present?”

Jongin felt his cheeks flush and he quickly looked away. “It’s not like I spent an entire fortune on it.”

He held out his hand, offering the dog’s leash to Taemin. The pup barked and jumped merrily between their legs. The birthday boy’s eyes widened, his eyes glancing at both Jongin and the dog repeatedly.

“You mean…this monster here is my present?”

Jongin fidgeted, his fingertips cold, and nodded nervously. “I thought you might want a pet since you always pamper Monggu,” he mumbled and quickly added. “But if you want something else, it’s okay. I can keep it myself-”

“Jongin,” Taemin cut him mid sentence, squeezing his friend’s shoulder reassuringly, and smiled. “I love it. I’ve always wanted a pet since I was a kid. But back in Seoul, it was impossible to keep one. There were reasons-so this is perfect. Thank you!”

Jongin didn’t realize until then, that he had been holding his breath. In the end, however, he exhaled in relief. Scooping the dog into his arms, cradling it carefully like a newborn baby, he smiled.

“Isn’t he handsome?”

Taemin snorted; he held up the pup tummy-up and showed Jongin its butt. “She is beautiful. I’ve decided. She’s Eve, the Fairy Queen-The Holy Guardian of Gondor.”

“My brother was always sickly,” Taemin started.

They were up on a tree, sitting on the lowest branches and leaned against the trunk, chewing on grass stalks. Eve was down below, curiously sniffing plants and chasing butterflies.

“He was born premature with abnormally small heart. There was no cure for his condition since it wasn’t a disease. Our parents put him on the donor list, but the replacement heart for my brother never came.”

It was such a bright day; not a speck of cloud was seen on the sky, and it was barely windy. But the woods seemed darker than usual The air was chilly against Jongin’s skin.

“Taesun couldn’t go to school even though he was so smart. My mom taught him at home, and he got his General Education Development certificate when he was fifteen. He was also very kind. Everybody loved him…” Taemin’s words trailed into whisper. He paused for a second before continuing. “I loved him.”

Jongin swallowed. He wanted to say something to console his best friend, but such circumstance was new for his fourteen-year old self. Before he knew, he was asking Taemin how his brother died.

“Pneumonia. He was hospitalized for two weeks before he passed away. Everything went downhill since then. My mom and dad were constantly fighting, blaming each other for Taesun’s sickness. They stopped talking.”

Taemin stopped talking. He suddenly jumped down and stretched his back, looking up at Jongin with a smile. “That’s why we moved here, actually. Their marriage counselor suggested them to take some time off and try living in a new environment. My dad took a sabbatical leave and we packed our bags.”

Jongin climbed down the tree slowly. He wasn’t as agile as Taemin. When he reached the ground, Taemin was rolling on the ground with Eve. Jongin sat beside him, his hand idly stroking the pup’s fur.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asked cautiously, worried that he might have trespassed into a dangerous territory.

Taemin nodded. “Moving here was the best thing that happened after Taesun passed away. My parents started talking again. They no longer sleep in different rooms and we can sit together on dinner without them trying to claw each other’s eyes out. Also, of course, I got to meet you…”

Jongin didn’t know what happened. It was the first time in his life that he actually felt such surge of emotions. His face flushed, his eyes burned with brimming tears, and his chest felt like bursting from how hard his heart was beating.

“You-” he choked, because no matter how emotional they both were, he still insisted never to be caught crying by Taemin, and ended up not finishing his sentence. Taemin laughed at him, sat up, and took Jongin into an embrace once again.

“Stupid Jongin! I’m the one who should be crying, not you!”

Oblivious to what happened to her masters, Eve barked happily around them, demanding for their attention. Afternoon gale swept into the woods, stroking the trees, creating whisper-like sound when the leaves came in contact with each other. It gave the impression that the entire Gondor was praying for their fragile little leaders.

Came August and it rained almost everyday. Jongin and Taemin didn’t get to visit the woods as often as they did before. Most of the time, they were stuck inside the Lee family house or the Kim family barn. They used the opportunity to work on their summer homework and finish The Map of Gondor. The school would begin in a couple of weeks and they must finish everything by then.

With still enough time to spare, Jongin also managed to read some of Taemin’s books that he borrowed. His parents were never the academic type. They never demanded Jongin and his sisters to perform well at school, let alone provided their children with reading materials. That was why Jongin devoured the books that Taemin gave him, returning them only to borrow more.

It was a rainy evening. Taemin was reading one of the books his father just bought him when he heard a knock on the door. He was surprised to find Jongin, soaked in water and shivering from cold, because they didn’t plan to meet.

“Jongin, come in!”

“Can I stay here? A couple hours, at least,” Jongin stepped in and gladly took the towel Taemin offered.

“Pssh! You can stay over if you want! I’ll ask my mom to ring your home. You better shower first or you’ll get sick”

Jongin nodded gratefully and allowed himself to be taken to the bathroom. When he finished, he found a stack of dry clothes that was probably left by his friend. They fitted him well since Taemin’s and his build were similar. Outside, Taemin and Eve waited for him with a cup of hot chocolate. They went to Taemin’s room afterward.

“Mom made the call, and your mom said it’s okay for you to spend the night here. It’s still a couple hours before dinner. Why did you run away from home?”

Jongin shrugged. “I’m just…tired. My father and my sisters are always fighting. Their fight earlier was the worst of all. He hit my sister, and dragged her to her room, yanking her hair. She screamed and kicked around, and my mom cried.”

Taemin scooted closer and patted his back sympathetically. “What did they fight about?”

“Apparently my father caught her doing things. He was on his way home, and my sister was in a car with an older man. She was sitting on his lap, and had the button of her blouse undone. When he got home, father raided her room and found a box of condom. He confronted her, and she retaliated. It snapped my father, I guess…”

Taemin didn’t say anything but his hand remained on Jongin’s back. The room was silent as soon as Jongin finished his story but none of them felt like breaking the comfortable stillness.

“You know,” Jongin spoke after a while. “I wonder what’s the big deal about…umm, sex,” Jongin blushed. It was the first time raised the subject to anyone. He hadn’t even thought much about it before.

“Well…how am I supposed to know?” Taemin laughed awkwardly. “But…I’m curious too. Some of my friends in Seoul had tried things you know…”

“Have you,” Jongin coughed. “Have you tried it too? Kissing a girl?”

Taemin shook his head, looking away and smiled in embarrassment. “Nah, back in Seoul I didn’t really have much chance. You know, with my brother being sick, I stayed at home most of the time. How about you?”

Jongin snorted. “You know the girls in our schools. They like to group together and talk in whisper. I don’t know how to get close to any of them. Besides, none of them look good. Hell, you’re prettier than them!”

“Yah!” Taemin sulked, “Am I supposed to be happy about that?”

He hit Jongin’s head, playfully, but managed to cause his friend pain. Jongin yelped in exaggeration and caught Taemin’s wrists. In the midst of everything, Jongin put too much strength into his grab and Taemin lost his balance. He toppled forward, taking his friend with him, and they ended up lying on the floor on top of each other.

For the first time, Taemin noticed Jongin’s eyes. They were the warmest shade of brown. Their faces were so close, he could almost taste the chocolate in Jongin’s breath.

“Shall we try it?” He whispered instinctively.

“Try what?” Jongin felt numb. The hardwood floor was cold against his back, a huge contrast to the warmth that radiated from Taemin’s body.

“Kissing.”

Jongin gulped. “Isn’t it supposed to be done with a girl?” He replied breathlessly. Taemin smelled like crushed leaves, clean laundry and sunshine; the concoction of his favorite things.

“I’ve seen a film where it was done between two boys. Besides,” Taemin smiled, “You said I’m prettier than any girls anyway.”

Jongin didn’t know what drove him. He didn’t know where it came from but he nodded, and slightly raised his head to meet Taemin halfway. Their lips pressed together-Taemin’s was slightly parted-and he suddenly remembered a scene in a film he saw where a man captured a girl’s lower lip sucked it.

So Jongin did.

Taemin whimpered restlessly above him. For a split second Jongin wondered if he did anything wrong, but then Taemin returned the action. It was when he knew exactly why Taemin was making such sound. They parted their lips more, searching, gauging each other’s responses of what felt good and what felt better. Jongin shifted so they lied on their sides and pulled Taemin’s head closer, tilting his head. He licked his friend’s bottom lips. Taemin moaned, tugging Jongin’s shirt, their legs entangled, and-

There was a knock on the door.

It was like a wake up call for their senses. The magic was gone as soon as they ended the contact of their lips.

“Taemin, Jongin,” Mrs. Lee called. “Dinner is ready.”

“In a while, mom!” Taemin shouted back.

Jongin’s agitated heartbeat refused to calm down even though Mrs. Lee’s footsteps were no longer heard. He glanced at his friends, saw how flushed and messy-how swollen Taemin’s lips were-and wondered if it was the same with him. For a while, he didn’t know what he should do or say, until Taemin took his hand and squeezed his fingers gently.

“Hey, I thought it was nice.” Taemin whispered.

The way Taemin calmly handled the situation put him slightly at ease. He nodded, embarrassed at how he really enjoyed kissing his best friend, and smiled back.

“Same here.”

Jongin woke up when the first ray of sunshine slipped through the flimsy curtain of Taemin’s room. Something wrong had happened.

Last night, he dreamt about the kiss. Only, in his dream, Taemin’s mother hadn’t knocked they weren’t interrupted. He dreamt that Taemin tugged his shirt, Taemin’s own was riding up, and their chest were pressed together without anything in between. The Taemin in his dream looked even more beautiful; the mischief in his eyes were replaced by gentle stare, his cheek and neck were flushed red, and his lips-

Jongin shook his head, shooing the image away. He carefully sat up so he wouldn’t wake his best friend, and noticed-with horror-that his pants were wet. It wasn’t the first time Jongin had had a wet dream. He was, after all, a teenage boy that was hitting puberty. But he had never, ever, experienced a dream so vivid he could almost swear it really happened. He never had a sensual dream that involved another people, lest his own best friend.

He crawled out of the bed and crept out of Taemin’s room. Outside, Mrs. Lee was making a pot of coffee in the kitchen, and the middle-aged lady smiled upon seeing him.

“Awake so early, Jongin? I wish my son is more like you.”

Jongin nodded awkwardly. “I-I have to go home and help my mom with the chores. Could you tell Taemin I left early?”

They met again in the afternoon at the woods, after Jongin finished his chores.. It was the first time in a week that the sun shone brightly, the temperature high, not the faintest trace of cloud in the sky, and. They worked on the Map of Gondor for a little more than an hour before calling it off, because their sweat kept dripping on the map and it ruined the watercolor painting. They decided that rather than drawing on maps, soaking inside the pool they made sounded exponentially appealing.

Despite what happened between them, their dynamics didn’t change. Glitches did exist. They took form in Jongin’s embarrassment whenever he remembered the dream, and every time it happened, he would do something stupid like tripping over his own foot or stuttering. Taemin would give him a weird look but he wasn’t too concerned about it.

“By the way,” Taemin said as soon as he got out of the pool, lying down on a patch of grass where the sun shone down unobstructed. , “I think it’s time for us to break the dam.”

“Already?” Jongin asked. He was still dipping in the pool and the soothing cold water was a good contrast to the sweltering summer heat. It felt like a waste to not use the pool anytime longer.

“I noticed that the water is getting higher. It already overflowed even before we went in. If the rain keeps coming and we don’t break the dam, it will flood.”

Jongin found no flaw in his friend’s logic and reluctantly assented. “Okay. When do you think is the best time?”

“How about this Sunday?” Taemin suggested. “We need to dump the rocks and planks somewhere safe. Sunday will give us enough time to work. Maybe even for one final dip.” He winked, with complete understanding about Jongin’s schedule. In Sundays-and only in Sundays-Jongin’s parents spared him from any chores. Apart from a visit to the church in the morning and a brunch at home afterward, he would be free for the rest of the day.

Jongin nodded. The thought of having another go into the pool relieved him. He climbed up of the pool and joined his friends to sunbathe in contentment.

When Sunday came, however, Jongin had completely lost his willingness to go to the woods. First of all, it had been raining since dawn. Even taking a short walk from the house into the car on their way to the church had gotten him drenched. His socks were wet and after a couple of hours he started to sneeze. It didn’t help that his father and older sister were acting hostile toward each other. The twenty-minute ride felt like hours instead, and Jongin felt bored out of his mind.

But the main reason why Jongin felt reluctant to go to the wood-or meeting Taemin, to be precise-was something that the minister said during the sermon. The old man who visited from the neighboring town was speaking about biblical cities in the Old Testament, called Sodom and Gomorrah, whose resident was condemned by God for their desire toward the member of the same sexes.

Upon the telling of the story, Jongin’s mind flew back to that evening he spent in Taemin’s room, where they experimented on their first kiss. Jongin remembered his dream-his recurring dream-in which he saw the two of them doingunmentionable things that made him waking up aroused. The minister’s voice echoed inside his head, his chest squeezing painfully as if he was having the sermon branded on him. He felt breathless and nauseated that he had to excuse himself out of the building.

When his mother asked him if he felt okay, as soon as they got home, Jongin nodded weakly. But his mother didn’t buy it. She came to check him up.

“You’re not feverish, but you’re so green!” She said, pushing her son down on the bed. “Lay down. I will bring your food.”

In all honesty, Jongin didn’t feel halfway as bad as how his mother made it out to be. But he didn’t say anything to correct her, lest he had an excuse not to meet Taemin. He eyed the food that his mother brought gratefully, and asked her. “Mother, do you mind to give a call to the Lees? I’m supposed to go out with Taemin in a while but since I can’t make it, can you tell him that I’m sick?”

“Of course,” his mother smiled and stroked her son’s hair. “Finish your food and get some sleep. Leave the tray on the floor next to your bed. I will call your friend as soon as we finish brunch.”

When Jongin woke up, it was already dark outside but the rain was still pouring. The clock showed that it was a little past eleven but it didn’t feel like it since there were still light and noises from outside his room. Outside the house. Jongin climbed down the bed, gingerly made his way out of the room.

The first thing he saw as soon as he opened the door were strangers in the living room. Uniforms-police officer, local ranger, and even his homeroom teacher. The next thing he knew, his mother was scooping him into an embrace, tears running out of her eyes.

“Jongin, oh…Jongin. Why did you wake up? I wished to wait until morning to tell you.”

He just stood there, confused. Everyone’s eyes were trained on him. “Is-is everything okay?” He almost felt too scared to ask.

“Jongin,” his father came to his side. “It’s your friend. They found Taemin. The flooded creek drowned him.”

“What?” Jongin asked, and laughed nervously. “It can’t be…I mean...he couldn’t have gone there alone!”

“He must have gone there after he came to see you. You were sleeping when he came,” his father shook his head.

“No!” Jongin forcefully pulled himself away from his mother’s arms. “It can’t be true!”

He saw the strangers give him pitiful look, some of them shook their head dejectedly. In his refusal to acknowledge the truth of what happened he ran out of the house, despite the rain and being barefooted, toward Taemin’s house. His mother was calling him from behind but he kept on running.

The usually peaceful and quiet home of Lee family was even more crowded than his home that night. People gathered at the house-police, medics, neighbors and friends. All of them were staring at him when he arrived still in his pajamas, soaked and dirty. Jongin ignored them and went inside, to the TV room where he saw Taemin’s parents. Mrs. Lee acknowledged his arrival and waved at him, smiling despite her obvious grief and took Jongin in her arms.

“Mrs. Lee, I…” Jongin’s voice trembled and he was sure it wasn’t because of the cold rain. “I’m sorry…I should have been there. I-Taemin-I was supposed to be with him…”

Mrs. Lee shook her head, tears rolled down her cheek. “It’s not your fault. I was glad you didn’t come with him or it could have been the two of you.”

“But I-” Jongin insisted, “I ditched him…”

The guilt over bailing out of the promise he made with Taemin was overwhelming. Everything was his own fault, not Taemin’s. They did kiss-Taemin and him-but it was him who had the weird dreams. It was him who was intimidated by the minister’s sermon. He was the one who lied about being sick, when in truth he just didn’t want to meet Taemin. He was the one who slept through the entire happening. He was the one who caused Taemin to go alone despite the weather, because he was afraid that if he looked at Taemin in the eyes, he would see someone who was dearer than just a friend.

“It’s all my fault… I should have died with him...”

In the end, he lost what remaining strength in him, and collapsed on the floor in a sobbing mess. His father, who followed him behind, quickly lifted him up and carried him home after apologizing to the ruckus his son made. For the first time ever, Jongin cried endlessly in his father’s arms.

All the while, he kept whispering I’m sorry

It was oddly sunny in the morning of Taemin’s funeral. Jongin absentmindedly buttoned up the suit that his mother bought him the days before especially for the occasion. The entire Kim family drove solemnly to the town’s funeral house. He met some of his classmates there; the ones whose houses were nearby, and came to the funeral out of courtesy. Jongin watched them whispering when he arrived, and held back the urge to hurl himself at them.

They went inside and exchanged handshake with Taemin’s parents. Jongin’s family went to the guests’ section, but Mrs. Lee asked Jongin to stay with her, since he was going to deliver the eulogy for Taemin.

“How are you?” Mrs. Lee asked.

He forced a smile and told her he was okay. “How did it happened? M...may I know?”

Mrs. Lee nodded. “He told me he was going to see you. So when he hadn’t return before dinnertime, I called your mom. But your mom said he wasn’t there. I began to panic because he had never stayed out late without telling me first, so I called the town ranger to help me find him. They did-at the wood-but he was already…” the middle age lady cried quietly, her husband tightening his arm around her shoulder. “It seemed like he fell down and hit his head. That’s why he drowned.”

Jongin thought he was ready. Few days had passed, days which he spent in the midst of haze and tears and the sorrow of losing the only person Jongin could ever truly call a friend. His chest tightened painfully, and he looked down to hide his emerging tears. But Mrs. Lee was saw them after all.

“Jongin, I wish you would stop blaming yourself. Taemin would hate seeing you like this.”

“H...how could you not blame me?” he asked, “I was supposed to go there with him. If I were there, I could probably have done something.”

“No Jongin, you couldn’t have done anything. Instead, you might be...drowned with him.” Mrs. Lee took his hand. She seemed to understand the confusion inside the boy’s mind. “Had you not know Taemin enough? Once he set his mind on a something, he wouldn’t get swayed?”

Jongin nodded, the movement caused his tears to fall upon the back of Mrs. Lee’s hand. “I just-I should have been there with him.”

“You’ve been there with him enough, son,” Mr. Lee joined them. “I’ve seen how cheerful he was when you’re around. It was the first time in years that I actually saw him so happy and full of life. He used to be constantly worried of his brother. But with you, he was living a life of his own. A life that we-his parents-took from him. You gave it back.”

Jongin stood up and went to the casket’s side. He stared at his friend’s sleeping face, and almost swore that Taemin was just pulling a massive, colossal prank. He looked no different compared to when he was lying down sunbathing. His lips was slightly tugged at the corner, like he was holding back a mischievous smile, as red as they were when Taemin just finished a cherry popsicle. His face was the usual pale, unconquerable by the summer sun.

Tightening his grip on the casket’s edge, Jongin felt a newfound strength. He wouldn’t let Taemin depart without letting people know just how wonderful he was. He thought of the fond memories he spent with his best friend, the recollection of the best days of his adolescent life, and his chest grew warm as he felt the words formed inside his head. Returning to his seat, Jongin was determined to tell the world the tale of a brave, kind-hearted, Great White Wizard of Gondor.

Summer had not ended yet, but Taemin was gone. It was unfathomable how despite it was only less than three months, Jongin felt like he had spent an entire lifetime with Taemin. in such short period, it felt like he had achieved more than he did by himself. It was like they were destined to meet, a misfit and a restless, to change each other’s lives.

The Lees decided to move out at the end of summer. While they were packing, they invited Jongin and asked if Jongin wanted to take anything from Taemin’s room for keepsake. He asked nothing but The Map of Gondor, which they had not manage to finish, Taemin’s watercolor set, and two action figures: the exiled king and the sorcerer, because the two should remain together.

Taemin’s parents insisted that he also keep Taemin’s entire book collection. They heard how fascinated Jongin was with Taemin’s stories and wanted him to find the joy from the books like Taemin was. However, when Jongin asked if he could keep Eve, they refused.

“She’s all we got left,” Mr. Lee said casually accompanied by mirth. Jongin’s heart clenched upon realization that the statement held more truth than he intended.

The Kim bid their summertime next-door neighbor farewell on a windy day of early autumn. Mrs. Kim made them lunch boxes full of the region’s special autumn dishes. The ladies of the two families held each other and made a tearful promise to keep in contact-a promise they both know they wouldn’t keep, because it would be too painful. Eve poked her head out of the window, barking at Jongin, obviously wondering why her master-her commander, The Great White Wizard of Gondor-wasn’t coming with them.

That afternoon, Jongin went to the wood, and saw that Taemin’s prediction was true. The dam Taemin hadn’t manage to demolish it completely did cause flood on the clearing. Gone was the kingdom-Gondor-that they had so keenly built from pieces of their imaginations. However, he didn’t come to sulk but to finish the mission Taemin had entrusted him.

It took him a day and a half to completely destroy the whole dam from the creek. He pulled the planks off, leveled the bottom, stacked the rock somewhere safe, and dumped the earth to his family’s farm. In the end, he didn’t get to enjoy the final dip that Taemin promised. Dipping in the creek didn’t feel the same without Taemin, after all.

As did Gondor with only its King, without a Sorcerer.

Jongin remembered the occasion when his friend spoke. He said he would see to it that Jongin would become a successful person, even if Taemin had to put his life on it. Jongin wondered, was Taemin actually casting a spell? Now that Taemin’s deed was done, would Jongin be the person he wanted to be?

One thing Jongin knew, he wouldn’t let Taemin down.

When he went to the woods again, Jongin carried along a book from Taemin’s shelves. It wasn’t the story of Gondor, but something else different. Sitting on his usual tree bark, leaning against his trunk, Jongin began to delve into another realm. Slowly, he began to materialize a new kingdom, a kingdom of magic and myth, similar to where Taemin had taken him, but not quite the same. Taemin was no longer a Great White Wizard. Instead, he was now an omnipresent guardian that took the shape of a lion-gentle, yet strong.

The kingdom was called Narnia.