[10] Moyo wa Jua: Heart of the Sun
Booya! Sorry for the long wait, I've been MOST uninspired.
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10
The next few months saw Jiyong and Dongwook take up residence in a small house on the edge of a forested national park. Each day was spent in rigorous training to learn more about Jiyong's new identity. Dongwook turned out to be a kind but strict teacher, at every juncture ensuring that Jiyong understood why shapeshifters lived the way they did. In moments of respite, Jiyong found himself thankful to have him as a mentor. If his schoolteachers had been anything like Dongwook, he ruminated, he might have been a better student.
They rarely saw any of the other members of the pride except during Sunday dinners, which were surly affairs that Jiyong began to dread. He much preferred the long runs through the forested area behind the house he and Dongwook had been given. At those times, much as they had to be careful to keep from being seen in their cat forms, he felt free and as happy as he could remember since leaving Taiwan. Beyond that, he was beginning to feel stifled, with Dongwook monitoring his every movement and hardly anyone he could call a friend.
Still, there were perks to being a shapeshifter, Jiyong found. The physical training he received with Dongwook gave his body a definition he'd never been able to boast of. He was stronger and faster than before, and the training merely served to bring it out. His perception of things and people grew sharper - he soon learned to identify the smells of emotions, detect minute changes in body language and trust his instincts about people. All these changes proved valuable at his job - his popularity at Club Ciel climbed steadily in testament. He was still "the new boy" but his schedule was filling up fast. While he had always interacted with many people on a daily basis at the betel nut stand, he began to perceive things about people he'd never seen or smelled before. He couldn't always make sense of what he saw, but if he couldn't shake it from his mind, Dongwook served as a competent mentor.
The only one who eluded his understanding entirely was Seunghyun. The Mfalme no longer asked for him at the club, nor was Jiyong aware if he was still visiting at all. If there was one thing Seunghyun managed to do, it was mask his scent so well and utterly that even with his enhanced olfactory abilities, Jiyong could never detect a scent that pointed him out. When he asked Dongwook about it, the only answer he received was "keep practising". Yet, Dongwook himself never masked his own scent. As far as he could tell, none of the other pride members did either.
Of course, Jiyong didn't spend all his time puzzling about such things. By this time, he had saved enough money to buy himself a modest guitar. Seeing as his mentor never let him out of 'nose-shot', as it were, he decided to speak to him about the purchase.
"Buy a guitar?" Dongwook had turned to him with a look of genuine surprise. "Can you play?"
Jiyong nodded.
"Well, then... let's go guitar-shopping on your day off and we'll see what we can find."
His day off couldn't come sooner that week, and Dongwook was as good as his word. Dongwook took him to a shop run by a female werewolf named Nami, a pretty lady with rust-coloured hair and grey eyes. Nami made him try out a few different models before finally recommending a sleek, honey-hued beauty that cost more than Jiyong could afford.
Dongwook insisted on buying the one Nami recommended, along with a package of expensive strings, signing the purchase away despite Jiyong's protests.
"You'll earn it back," Dongwook simply said, dismissing all his objections. "Besides, Mfalme says to spend whatever is necessary. Now pick it up and let's go."
Jiyong wasn't sure whether to ask if, how or when Seunghyun knew about the purchase. He decided that holding his tongue might be wiser - not that Dongwook was likely to give him a straight answer.
They stopped by a stationery store to get notebooks and pencils before heading back to the house, Jiyong intent on replacing the music journal he'd lost in Mokpo. Since then, he'd been scribbling his compositions on scraps of paper that he stashed in a drawer.
Between working, playing his guitar and daily lessons, Sunday rolled around much faster than usual. As Jiyong dressed for dinner at the den, Dongwook stopped by his room and casually remarked, "Bring the guitar."
"The what?"
"You heard me."
Dinner was business as usual, Seunghyun silent at the head of the table while everyone tiptoed around him - well, almost everyone. Minzy seemed to be the exception. Jiyong couldn't really understand why they bothered to have dinner together when hardly anyone spoke. Being at the bottom of the pecking order discouraged him from voicing his query, however, and he didn't want to appear rude or ungrateful.
When the formalities of dinner were over, however, Seunghyun cleared his throat and looked directly at him.
"We'd like to hear you play, dragon who has descended from the clouds."
It was a command, not so much a request. Jiyong flushed with embarrassment at hearing his own tagline from the imposing leader's mouth. The ladies at the table smiled, while he could swear Hongki sniggered. He'd played in front of audiences before, in school during class concerts or among his friends. Somehow this was different. He'd been told he was good, but he didn't know how he was going to be judged among these... animals? He felt distinctly uncomfortable as soon as the thought crossed his mind. If they were animals,what was he?
He moved to retrieve the guitar from its place in the corner. Keeping his eyes down, he unsheathed the instrument from its case and brought it onto his lap. For once, he felt glad of the little cover the body of the guitar provided him from the heat of the pride's stares. It didn't conceal him entirely, of course, but it was better than nothing.
"What would you like to hear?" Jiyong's voice betrayed him a little as it cracked on the last word.
"Dongwook said you compose. Play one of your original pieces." Seunghyun leaned back in his chair, looking more relaxed than anybody else. Jiyong couldn't help but notice that Hongki, who had never given Jiyong the time of day, was suddenly all eyes. A quick scan round the table confirmed that everyone's attention was on him now. Minzy clapped her hands and smiled encouragingly. That seemed to help a little. He bit his lip and began to play his latest composition, singing and rapping as he went.
When it ended, he looked up, uncertain of what he would see. To his surprise, everyone except Hongki began to applaud him, unmistakably impressed. Hongki merely looked uncomfortable. Dongwook, who had already heard Jiyong play before, merely beamed and nodded his approval. The corners of Seunghyun's lips were lifted in the beginning of a smile, although his hands were clasped instead of joining the applause.
"Well done," he finally intoned, warmth in his voice. "We may have a star in our pride yet."
He then rose from his chair and took his leave silently, smiling one last time at Jiyong before exiting the room entirely. Chaerin followed suit. As soon as they left the room, the remaining ladies descended on him excitably and began to chatter, asking for this song or that. It seemed the ice had been broken, and he willingly entertained them with song after song, accompanying one after another of them as they sang. Jiyeon in particular had a wonderful voice that reminded him of plum wine in the winter - sweet but full-bodied with an edge. With her encouragement, Yesung brought his own gleaming black guitar out. He was beyond merely good - his fingers seemed to all work independently of each other, and yet together in a most harmonious way. Only Hongki hung back, seemingly content to watch his sister and aunts play without joining in.
At the end of the evening, Jiyong was almost sorry to leave. It was the first evening since he had come to Korea that he had felt what it might be like to have a family.