SHINee Shorts 2013: minhosims (1/2)
Title: The Fourth World
Author: minhosims
Pairing: Minho/Taemin and Onew/Jonghyun
Rating: G
Word Count: 12,490
The world where witches are the queens,
The world where spells are traded,
The world where we exist…
This story started just like how any story out there began. There lived a man, named Minho. He was handsome, tall, and strong. He lived in the North Side of this world, where houses were nice, where playing on the street was considered as safe, and where a wicked witch with her obsession with cute boys lived. Then there was Taemin, a cute boy who originally lived next door, with his-brighter-than-the-sun smile, golden silky hair, kissable pink lips, and those pinch-able chubby cheeks.
As long as everyone could remember, Minho and Taemin were best friends. But best friend might be an understatement. They were more than best friends, where there be Minho then Taemin must also be there. They were inseparable. They didn’t have any other close friends besides each other. They didn’t need them anyway, they were fine like that. They weren’t well-known either. Perhaps, the ones who knew them were their neighbors that lived next doors or in front of them. In this region, being famous was the last thing people wanted. They preferred to be known by as few people as possible. That way, they wished for peace. That way, they wished the witch would never hear their names or taken any interest on them.
“Come on, Tae! You can do it.” Minho encouraged the younger one to lift the stone that probably weighed more than Minho. They had been practicing this for a few days and Taemin had shown a wonderful progress with each passing day. In this kind of world, you used your muscles, not brain. In this kind of world, you did rough and dirty jobs like collecting stones from the river, helping the citizens build their houses and some others jobs that only required your power. That’s what was left for people like them, the kind of people that chose not to be involved in the magic world.
Minho could hear Taemin grunt in the process. His face scrunched in deep concentration as he tried to lift the stone slowly but surely. When he succeeded in doing so, Minho asked him to bring it to the nearest tree which was only seven steps away from them. With all his might, Taemin took seven shaking steps to the tree and dropped the stone on the ground with the heavy sound of ‘thud’.
“I did it!” he attempted to yell yet it turned out as a whisper due to his hard panting.
Minho clapped his hands a little to congratulate his friend’s accomplishment. Taemin smiled with the warm reaction he received and marched toward his friend.
“Good job, Taeminnie!” Minho patted his head tenderly.
“So tomorrow I could start working, right?” he asked enthusiastically.
Minho nodded a little, smile never leaving his face.
“Good! Finally I can do something useful for us. Mom and Dad will be proud of me when I bring home some cash.” Taemin exclaimed happily. “I want to use -“ Taemin kept babbling about what he would do with his share as they walked home. Minho only listened to him and kept a smile plastered on his face. Deep inside, Minho was thinking about what kind of job Taemin could handle. The twenty years old Taemin had always dreamt of working and earning money for both Minho and his parents. He never stopped begging Minho to take him to his workplace so he could talk to his boss. It wasn’t that Minho didn’t want to help but Taemin’s lack of physical build worried him to no end. The work was harsh and the pay wasn’t that good. He was afraid Taemin would get hurt.
“Minho!” Taemin’s voice snapped him back to reality. “You aren’t listening, are you?” he sounded upset.
“I was!”
“What? What did I say?” Taemin challenged.
“That you wanted to buy something for your mom and help me with the living fees.”
A smile formed on the younger’s lips. He was satisfied with the answer. His friend actually paid attention to his babble, he thought. He wasn’t aware that, in fact, Minho did not listen to him at all because when it came to this, Taemin would always say the exact same thing over and over again. That was why Minho got the right answer just now.
After what seemed like fifteen minutes of walking, their small square house finally came into their sight. Yeah, their house. It was only a small house built in between their parents’ houses. They had been friends since they could remember and as they grew up they became more inseparable till they decided to live together. The land had originally belonged to Minho’s parents. His mom had the thought of having a small garden beside their house, but, looking at Minho, she couldn’t help but give it to her son to do what he wished. So Minho built a house there. He collected the materials and used up all his savings on building the house. His parents and Taemin’s parents did help him on the funding. After all, it was for their children.
The house they lived consisted of a living room with no furniture at all, one bathroom, one bedroom, and one kitchen. The bathroom was very simple, a tub of water, toilet, a mirror, and a small wooden box used as a table and to keep their toiletries. The bedroom had two single beds on each side and one nightstand in the middle. A small cupboard placed right beside the door was shared for their few clothes. The kitchen was the only part of the house that was proper enough for them to be proud of. They had it all, a table and two wooden chairs. A furnace and all the cooking utensils were there. They also had an adequate stock of groceries for two. Overall, it might be a stretch referring to it as a nice house like the others had, but they were perfectly happy with it.
When they entered their house, Taemin hurried himself to the bathroom. Minho automatically went to the kitchen, washing his hands clean before cooked rice for their dinner. Taemin joined him just when the rice was ready. When Minho looked at Taemin’s fresh face, he couldn’t help but smile. He liked it when they were at home at nighttime because at times like this, he could see the younger boy without ashes that covered his face in the form of a disguise. Taemin had been hiding his cute and adorable face as long as he could remember just so the witches lost interest in him.
“I’ll continue making the soup. You can go take a bath.”
That night, they ate their dinner quickly so they could go to bed earlier. However, Minho had a hard time tucking Taemin in to bed due to his excitement about the following day.
The next day, they both went to the riverside to work. Today’s work was collecting sand from the riverbank. Taemin was very bouncy all the way there and didn’t feel nervous at all. He was just so eager to work with Minho. When they reached the spot, Minho talked to his boss and he agreed to employ Taemin almost right away. Minho was his favourite because he was such a hard worker and one of the strongest ones he had. Minho also requested light work for the younger boy and his boss granted it just like that. Satisfied with his persuading skill, Minho went to Taemin and told him what he had to do. Taemin was in charge of moving the sacks of sand to the cart. Minho put bandages on Taemin’s hands beforehe enveloped them in the gloves, for safety reason he said. He made sure Taemin’s hands wouldn’t get hurt from the job.
So that day, Taemin stayed close to Minho who was filling the sack with sand and once it was full, Taemin would take it to the cart to be sent to those who demanded them. Their boss paid them on adaily basis. On his first day, Taemin earned six silver coins which he held so dearly on their way home. Despite the fact that it was only enough to buy proper meals for two,Taemin was very grateful for his money. Minho earned much more, he even had gold coins. At home, they divided their money for living fees and for personal savings, plus for mom and dad in Taemin’s case.
“If it’s too hard, you can quit. Don’t push yourself, okay?” Minho warned Taemin that night.
“Not at all,” Taemin smiled. “I’m sure it’s the best job available. Aren’t you saying that this kind of job is the best? I don’t want to work in the market, Minho. It’s a dangerous place, you say.”
Minho nodded. “The Market is dangerous place for you.”
“That’s why I better be with you doing harsh work. I don’t want to be involved in selling those bad potions. And I’m afraidof being caught by the witch.”
The mention of the witch sent shivers down their bodies. Taemin instinctively moved closer to Minho and clutched his arms.
“As long as we don’t attract unnecessary attention, we will be fine. I’ll protect you.” Minho assured the younger boy. It had never crossed Minho’s mind to ever lose Taemin to the witch. He would do his best protecting him.
“Let’s go to bed. You must be tired.” That night, before he collapsed on his bed, Minho sat on Taemin’s bed and asked the younger to lie on his stomach. That night, Minho gave a massage to Taemin, with the first-day-of-work-fatigue excuse. But deep inside his heart, he was afraid Taemin would wake up feeling sore from the work.
It went on smoothly for the first three days. Taemin had yet to complain of the harsh work. He enjoyed it at all cost. On the fourth day, things didn’t go well for either of them. It was raining by the end of their work. Taemin cast a worried glance to Minho who understood it almost immediately. Rain could wash Taemin’s disguise away. In order to hide his face in front of others, they excused themselves right after their shift ended. They raced to their home as fast as their feet could bring them, hoping no one on the street paid attention on them. The ash that covered Taemin’s face was almost gone when a voice called out to them, making them stop in their tracks. Minho was the first to turn around to see whoever it was and his eyes met with a woman with a cat in her hand, walking casually towards them.
“Tsk tsk, look at what we have here, Silvia” the lady stroked her cat’s fur. Rain didn’t reach them; they remained dry while everybody was already drenched in rain. On the first look, Minho was one hundred percent sure she was the witch. Taemin sensed Minho tensing up beside him. At that, Taemin knew he wouldn’t be going home today.
*****
If we put aside the story of Minho and Taemin for a while and took a look at what happened on the South Side of this world, we would meet two boys named Jinki and Jonghyun who happened to be happy lovers and had been successfully hiding their relationship for seven months and seventeen days. The South Side was completely different with the North Side where Minho and Taemin lived. Here, you wouldn’t think of wandering off the street with no reason. Here, you weren’t scared of witches. Here, you were more afraid of the society. The dark society who didn’t accept boy and boy relationships. The kind of society that would punish you if you did a single thing against the norm. There were only two kinds of punishment; getting whipped or hanged to death.
There weren’t many differences in the beginning of the story between Jinki and Jonghyun with Minho and Taemin. They were originally neighbors and worked at the same shop. Jinki was the cashier, due to his good looks and Jonghyun was responsible for the repository, just because he looked tougher than Jinki. They had been friends since they were kids. How could they not when their parents were friends with each other and they lived just by next door?
It started off with Jinki humming a random melody on their lunch break and Jonghyun joining in and somehow they created a better sound together. When their tune ended, they stared at each other for a good minute before breaking into smiles for the fact that they just created a song on their own. It was indeed spontaneous but they managed to repeat almost the exact same sound the next day and the day after and they ended up carving the sound in their memory, labeled it as their very first song, and called it Revelation. From there, they began to make more and more songs on their own. No instruments needed, just the natural tunes slipping out their lips.
One day, Jonghyun came by Jinki’s doorstep and knocked softly; hoping Jinki would be the one opening the door for him. And his wish was granted. When the older boy appeared in front of him, he grinned and shown off the old item, called a harmonica, he bought from the merchant that crossed their village. He demonstrated to Jinki how the item could create beautiful sounds and that day, they spent their night finding a way to sing Revelation with the instrument.
It was by their sixth song when Jinki confessed his odd feeling towards to younger. He expected Jonghyun to be hysterical and quit being his friend because in their world, man was supposed to be with woman. There was no such thing as a boy liking a boy, or a girl liking a girl. They didn’t know that that kind of love existed; neither had they known how the society would react to it if they found out. The confession was as simple as ‘I think the feeling I have for you isn’t as simple as the feeling we have for a friend. You mean more than a friend to me.’ Jonghyun was caught off guard by his friend’s words before replying ‘Is it love?’ From that, they named their sixth song Rainbow.
Knowing well that society would punish them for being a couple, they did nothing more than usual in public; they acted just like friends would. Once they reached home, Jonghyun would love to lay his head on Jinki’s lap while the older would stroke his hair affectionately. Their first kiss was on Jonghyun’s birthday. On the same day, Jinki slept over and played his own composed song for his love as another birthday present. It was called Lullaby, though sometimes dubbed as Jonghyun’s most favourite tune ever. After that day, Jonghyun had difficulty falling asleep without listening to Lullaby which caused them to sleep over at one another’s place every single day.
They got caught by the cruel society by their tenth song. It was Jinki’s turn to sleep at Jonghyun’s so he did. The mistake was that Jonghyun didn’t close his room’s window properly so that passerbys coincidentally saw Jonghyun kiss Jinki and decided to peek at them the whole night, watching them kiss and cuddle up to sleep which could not be referred as normal.
The next day, Jonghyun was dragged out of his bed by the so called ‘Elders’ and led to the heart of the town where many people had gathered to see him getting punished for a reason they didn’t even know yet. The half-awake Jonghyun was confused as to why they suddenly took him by force to this place until he was faced with the rope that would hang him to death. That was when he realized that they had found out. Jonghyun was sentenced to death for seducing his neighbor and friend and did something unusual to him. They saved the details because they didn’t know how to explain it to the people that it was possible for two boys to kiss and cuddle like a boy and a girl would do.
At that moment, all Jonghyun could think of was his Jinki. Would he be alright after his death? Would people in town leave him alone after he received the punishment? Jonghyun was afraid that they would do something to harm his Jinki after he died. Jonghyun was sad, because he didn’t have the chance to give his last words to Jinki. Yet he was happy, because the last thing he did before he died was sleep in Jinki’s arms.
“Wait,” a voice grabbed everyone’s attention and it turned out to be Jinki’s. He stood there, fully dressed. “I’m sorry for interrupting such an important ritual but I have to say that you caught the wrong person,” He said, voice composed. “I’m very surprised to see you make a rush decision like this. Where are the Elders that are famous with their carefulness and wisdom?”
“What do you mean, Jinki?” the Elder questioned, clearly annoyed.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth, that I was the one who seduced you first?” Jinki faced Jonghyun. “Punishing the wrong being only brings disaster to our town, right? As much as I love seducing young male boys, I’d rather die in punishment than have to face whatever curse that would attack this town for taking the life of the innocent. It’s better than suffering from the plague and dying in a long and painful way.” He smirkedwhen he succeeded in shaking the Elder’s stance. Jinki knew very well that the only thing the elder was afraid of was the curse. That was why they never made a move if it was only a rumour. The Elder wanted strong proof before deciding the punishment. Never once had they made a mistake. They were awfully careful.
“What makes you think we would trust your words?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I was caught in his room, not the other way around.” He said nonchalantly. Then he made his way to Jonghyun and met his eyes. “Don’t you ever think I’m doing this out of love. There never was love between us. I’m here to save myself, not you.”
In a brief moment, Jonghyun was released and Jinki replaced his position. Jonghyun was too shaken to say anything back. It was when he saw the rope tightened around his lover’s neck that he screamed, he screamed with all his might for Jinki to be freed. But it was too late.
He came back to his room the following day, after clutching Jinki’s dead body for the entire day; he had to let him go. He had to see the body of the one he loves eaten up by the red flames. His parents and Jinki’s parents said nothing about it. They didn’t blame him, either. When he was in his room, he saw his - their - harmonica laid on the table, above a folded paper. His instinct told him to take the paper and read the note written on it.
We got caught.
I know we would, sooner or later.
Being with you is the most beautiful thing that ever happened in my life.
I hope you will not forget that I love you so much.
I’m sorry I won’t be there to finish the 10th song,
I’m sure you’ll do well without me.
Love you, Jinki
And there was a saying in this world that if you were really meant to be, then you were meant to be, either in this world or another. That was what led the two to seek a way to prove the old saying.
*****
When Minho arrived at the old loft, it was already four months since the witch took away Taemin from him. He had tried everything to take him back but to no avail. One day, the witch seemed to get tired of him so she let him in her castle. He saw Taemin there, among many other boys that got caught. They were all kept inside ice coffin that didn’t melt. He didn’t know if Taemin was still alive or not but the witch made it clear that there was no way he could get Taemin’sdeadbody back.
Minho knocked on the door and it flung open on the first try. Minho entered the house and wasgreeted by an old lady sitting on a chair, having her tea time. She smiled to him and pointed to the seat in front of her. Cautiously, Minho entered the house and sat down on said chair, eyeing the old lady for the sign that it was okay for him to start talking.
“I know how my guests are always in ahurry but this time, I’m afraid you have to wait. It won’t be long, he will have arrived by the time you finish your tea.” Minho looked down and found three cups of tea he hadn’tnoticed earlierserved on the table. “Don’t worry it isn’t poisoned.” She winked. Minho unwillingly took the cup and brought it to his lips, sipping a little for safety. It tasted nice. He ended up wanting more and when he finished the last drop of tea, he grunted on the loss of the heavenly drink running down his throat. That was when a knock was heard on the door and it swung open just like what it did for Minho.
There stood Jonghyun with his hard look and determined eyes, waiting for the lady to let him in.
“I’m beyond happy that you two came on the same day and almost at the same time, saving me from the obligation of explaining the same thing twice.” She started after Jonghyun finished off his cup of tea. “The saying you hear is not completely right, to be honest. It’s true that you’ll still be together with the one that is meant to be with you in the other world, but not in every world. There is just one other world where you would be with yourdestined one. Travelling across the worlds doesn’t guarantee you that the world you come to is the world where you and your loved one happen to be together. No one can decide which world to visit, it is always accidental. If you’re lucky enough, you might stumble upon the world where you and your loved ones are meant to be together. If you’re not, then you need to try to accept the reality.”
“You mean there is a possibility we won’t meet the one we desire even though we take this path?” Jonghyun was the first to raise an objection. He came all the way here to find a definite way to meet Jinki, not to try out his luck.
“Calm down, young man. To be able to do a journey across the worlds requires compensation. It’s a big deal to get in and out of someone else’s world so it doesn’t come free. For example, there was this lady coming to me with the interest of finding another world. She gave up her precious hair, because it was all she had, as payment to get the charm that would bring her to the other worlds. The shape of the charm differs from one person to another and depends on the payment. The woman got a flat square stone as her charm. Based on long experiences and research, we witches found out that the chance of you to visit other worlds is the same as the number of angles on your charm. That woman only had four chances, four worlds to visit. We also found out that the shape of your charm depends on the thing you give up. The more precious it is, the more angles you get, the more worlds you can visit -“
“What if I get the same as that woman and the fourth world I come to is not the world where I am meant to be with the one I love?” Jonghyun cut off.
The lady smiled, “There is always someone like me in every world. You just need to find us and make a new deal. So, what about thinking what you would give up as payment?”
That day, Minho who was strong and was his boss’ favourite lost his strength for a cube shaped wood. He eyed his small charm and prayed to God that on these eight visits he had, the one would turn out as the place where he and Taemin could be together. Forever.
In Jonghyun’s hand, there was a yellow marble. Its size fit perfectly in his fist. He was happy. Yellow was Jinki’sfavouritecolour. It gave him the assurance that he would meet his Jinki again somewhere, in this universe, where the both of them could live happily ever after.
The instruction was clear enough.Throw the charm in the air three times and it would bring you to another world. The possibility of going back to this world was indefinite. Yet, they didn’t mind. The world without their loved ones was just plain and meaningless. And this world didn’t have their loved ones anymore.
Jonghyun turned to see Minho, giving the other man a sincere smile. Even though they didn’t know each other, deep inside their heart, they wished each other to be able to reunite with the one they yearned for. “Good luck.”
With one last look, they both disappeared from this world.
The world where witches are the queens,
The world where spells are traded,
The world where we lose each other…
*****
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The first other world I come to find you…
Minho opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of green field. He squinted his eyes. Later it became clear that he was in the middle of rice field.It was green as far as he could see which caused him to be a little nervous. Where should he go? How could he break away from this unending green field?
“Hello,” a voice called out. Minho turned to the source of the sound. “Are you lost?” The familiar voice asked him, with those same eyes, with the very same smile, yet with a different face. This one wasn’t covered with ashes. This one was bright and smooth and just like how his Taemin looked at night. “Excuse me?” he waved his hand in front of Minho’s face. “You must be a traveler. Don’t worry; I’ll guide you out of here. Many travelers get lost in this field, that’s why they need to stop wandering in places like this alone. My name is Taemin, by the way. Where are you staying?”
“I… it’s… I don’t r-really have place to stay,” Minho stammered. He didn’t know that Taemin wouldn’t recognize him.
“So it’s your first day here? I can bring you to the town and recommend some nice places to stay but it’s getting late. What about staying at my house for the night and I’ll help you find a motel tomorrow morning? My place isn’t far from here.” He offered.
“S-sure.”
“You haven’t told me your name,” Taemin said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Minho.”
Minho tailed behind Taemin while the younger boy actively talked about how travelers always refuse the help of the citizens. Minho paid no attention to his words; he was busy examining Taemin, the boy he had missed so much. He really wanted to shut him up and hug him tight but he couldn’t. To this Taemin, he was nothing but a stranger he met in the middle of the field. But hey, it didn’t matter to him if he had to start over from zero again. As long as he could be together with Taemin, it was worth a try.
Taemin wasn’t lying when he said that his house wasn’t far. It was right there, at the end of the field. Taemin told Minho that the town was still a long walk ahead. Taemin’s house was small and simple, and reminded Minho of their house. Minho couldn’t help but grinat the thought of living with Taemin again.
“I’m home,” Taemin announced when he entered the house which made Minho wonder if Taemin didn’t live alone. “Honey, come out and see who’s came with me today.” He turned to Minho and flashed a smile. Before Minho could react, a girl came out with a toddler in her arms. “Aww, how’s my little girl doing?” he cooed as he took the baby from her. “Minho, this is my wife, Jihye. Jihye, this is Minho. A traveler I met in the field. It’s his first day here and he’s staying over tonight.”
It was beyond comprehension how Minho could keep his face stoic upon the sight of his Taemin having a lovey dovey moment with his family, his wife, and their daughter. Taeyeon was such a lovely baby. Minho would fall for her easily if it wasn’t for the fact that she was the fruit of love between his Taemin and this woman. Taeyeon kept nudging, poking, tugging on Minho to get his attention. It turned out that she liked him. But Minho didn’t like her, at all.
“What brings you here?” Taemin asked. Jihye and Taeyeon had gone to sleep, leaving the men in the living room, trying to get to know each other. At least, that was what was going on Taemin’s side.
“Private matter.” Minho replied. Short.
“Oh,” Taemin responded. Shorter. “You’re different, I guess.” He added later. “I mean, people always come here for the field. We have the best rice field. Many of them want to take it over from us but no one has succeeded so far.” Minho could sense the pride in Taemin’s voice. “May I know what exactly you’re looking for here?” Taemin was curious, that was it!
“It doesn’t matter anymore. It ends here.” Minho trailed, ignoring the mixed up look Taemin gave him. “If you don’t mind, I want to get some sleep. It’s been a tiring day.” He laid down on the floor and pulled the blanket over his body. “Your house is nice. Thanks for letting me stay for the night. Good night.”
“Good night,” Taemin muttered hesitantly. He unwillingly got up from his seat and headed toward his bedroom. What a strange man, he thought.
Minho didn’t sleep that night. He waited until midnight before sneaking out of the house. The cold night wind brushed past him as he walked out. The street was dark and empty. He knew that if he followed the road, it would lead him to the main town. He knew that there would be many motels and vendors, selling foods, handcrafts, and many other things there. He knew that it was quite peaceful in this town. Friendly merchants, welcoming villagers, curious travelers.He was slightly surprised by his own knowledge of this world. But he didn’t want to think of it right now. This world surely wasn’t the world he was looking for. His Taemin was already happy with his little family. He didn’t need him or want him. Minho didn’t have any reason for staying any longer here. With one last look to the house he had stayed for past few hours, he left.
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The world where you don’t need me
*****
When Jonghyun opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed. He took a good minute to inspect his surroundings. Somehow, he understood that it was a room he had rented to stay in while he was in this world. But he didn’t know how this happened. He put a hand on his pocket and was surprised to find some money in it. He left the bed and went out, greeted by… the owner of the motel.
“Hey, Jjong. You’re up early. Ready to seek that friend of yours?”
He was too surprised to react properly so he just gave him a smile and headed out. It was strange how he recognized the town. A thought came to his mind that probably, when he teleported to the other world, he would get this given knowledge about the world. He shrugged it off and walked aimlessly. He was passing a bakery when his stomach growled. He decided that getting some bread would do no harm. The still warm bread tasted amazing, much better than in his world. He strolled down the main road, letting his instinct lead him. He remembered the vendors he had visited in the past days and according to his newfound memory, Jinki wasn’t there. He kept on walking until the sight of a small gallery caught his attention. Mindlessly, he entered the gallery. Just for a moment, he said inwardly. The inside of the gallery was as simple as it looked from the outside. Paintings arranged neatly on the whole wall. Tables placed here and there to display stones, sculptures, and old stuff.
“Welcome to our gallery,” a girl greeted him with a bright smile. Jonghyun smiled back and invited himself to take a look around.
“Those were collected by a traveler on his journey around the world. They’re very unique, aren’t they?” she commented when Jonghyun’s eyes landed on the various stones on the table.
“They are.” Jonghyun smiled again. “Do you workhere?” he asked.
“Papa owns this place and I’m helping him here. I like it here.” She answered with eagerness that caused Jonghyun’s smile to grow larger. She was such a nice young girl.
“I see… why don’t you show me around? It seems like this gallery has many interesting things.” The girl nodded almost immediately. In no time, she began to explain the stuff on the tables. Jonghyun learned that they were either made by the artists in this town or bought from the travelers. After she finished with them, they moved to the paintings. The paintings here had more stories than the stuff presented on those tables. It turned out that the paintings were about the society itself; their beloved rice field, their leaders of time to time, the people in the markets, the memorable travelers. Jonghyun was busy admiring them when his eyes settled on one painting at the end of the wall.
It was his Jinki and a rabbit.
He quickly strode over to examine it closer, leaving the girl confused by his action. No matter how he looked at it, it was his Jinki. It really was his Jinki, with a smile gracing his lips, his crescent eyes, and messy hair. In the picture, Jinki was holding a rabbit close to his chest. He looked happy.
Jonghyun turned to see the girl, who had caught up, beside him. Before he could form a question, she narrated the painting for him. “That’s Jinki, the son of our previous leader. He was a very nice person. He loved to help people in town. There’s no one in this town that didn’t like him. Everyone loved him. That’s his rabbit that he loved so much. It’s a very cute and lovely bunny. Jinki always let me play with it.” Sadness was clear in her voice, Jonghyun wondered why. “He died a year ago due to anincurable disease. The whole town mourned over his death. The atmosphere here was dull for a week upon losing their beloved boy. No one opened their shops on the day he died. Some refused to go back to work even days after he was gone. He meant a lot to us, really. Our best painter decided to paint him and his bunny and donated it to us here. Once a year, the whole town will come here to look at this painting, to relive the old memories where Jinki was here for us.” Tears escaped her eyes when she ended her storytelling but as for Jonghyun, he cried a river hearing that. He stayed there for a long time, just crying like that. He didn’t care. He didn’t feel embarrassed. The girl cried along with him.
He looked at the white bundle in the corner of the street through his blurry eyes. Jinki’s bunny was still there. It lived on the street and was being looked after by the citizens. They fed it regularly and took turns taking it home at night. It was their beloved boy’s darling. The only thing left from Jinki so they cherished it with all their hearts.Jonghyun was happy to meet it, watching it eating the carrot he brought.
He was sad yet happy. He was glad to know that even in this world, his Jinki was such a nice person and loved by many people. He was indeed an angel.
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The world in which I ‘lose’ you again…
*****
The world of two kingdoms
The world that has long forgotten about peace
The world where you’re the power…
Minho’s luck may have been bad as he came to the world that was in the middle of a never-ending war. Minho who had given up his strength in exchange for the charm had a difficult time in battle. He was part of the swordsmen squad of Fengaris. Fengaris was in a state of war with the Ilios. From his new memory, the kingdom of Fengaris was once a peaceful kingdom, led by the wisest kings. The Fengarian was famous for their generosity. There was barely any crime in the kingdom. They were never one to provoke the other kingdom. Unlike the serene Fengaris, Ilios was well-known for their impatience and their greed over Fengaris’ prosperity. Being such a considerate kingdom as it was, the King of Fengaris offered to share their supplies with Ilios in a fair agreement. The old kings had settled a concord that brought advantages to both of the kingdoms and it was being followed well from both sides. And then came one certain king from Ilios that was just too greedy to be satisfied with the old agreement between them and started using dirty tricks to steal things from Fengaris. It started off with food supplies, water, firewood, and by the time they began to take mining, they went just too far and got caught by the Fengarian.
The King of Fengaris was mad upon hearing the news that Ilios broke their old arrangement and demanded apologies and fair compensation for what they had taken yet the King of Ilios disregarded the request and declared war. The Fengarian had tried their best to avoid warfare, however, in the end, war had to occur. And it had gone from generation to generation, changing the nature of both of the kingdoms. They had forgotten the reason they were in the state of war. They had forgotten what they aimed for. They were no longer battling for resources; they were battling because that was what they were born for. Every child was taught about the war and the hatred and the rage to destroy their enemy. And much to Minho’s dislike, the current king of Ilios was no other than Taemin.
But life was that cruel. Minho’s camp was the one on the upper hill. A perfect place where he could see the enemy’s base. That way, he could sometimes see Taemin practicing his swords skill. Taemin was a tough boy. His cutesy didn’t show up at all in this world. He had hard facial line, maybe from being in battle at such young age. He really wanted to fight alongside with him so he could protect him. He may be a Fengarian, but Taemin was the reason why he was here in the first place. So tomorrow he wanted to try his luck. There would be an attack the following day. Minho wanted to try and see if he could get far through the front line and fight near Taemin. He knew it would be dangerous, remembering he had no strength left but worth a try.
next
Author: minhosims
Pairing: Minho/Taemin and Onew/Jonghyun
Rating: G
Word Count: 12,490
The world where witches are the queens,
The world where spells are traded,
The world where we exist…
This story started just like how any story out there began. There lived a man, named Minho. He was handsome, tall, and strong. He lived in the North Side of this world, where houses were nice, where playing on the street was considered as safe, and where a wicked witch with her obsession with cute boys lived. Then there was Taemin, a cute boy who originally lived next door, with his-brighter-than-the-sun smile, golden silky hair, kissable pink lips, and those pinch-able chubby cheeks.
As long as everyone could remember, Minho and Taemin were best friends. But best friend might be an understatement. They were more than best friends, where there be Minho then Taemin must also be there. They were inseparable. They didn’t have any other close friends besides each other. They didn’t need them anyway, they were fine like that. They weren’t well-known either. Perhaps, the ones who knew them were their neighbors that lived next doors or in front of them. In this region, being famous was the last thing people wanted. They preferred to be known by as few people as possible. That way, they wished for peace. That way, they wished the witch would never hear their names or taken any interest on them.
“Come on, Tae! You can do it.” Minho encouraged the younger one to lift the stone that probably weighed more than Minho. They had been practicing this for a few days and Taemin had shown a wonderful progress with each passing day. In this kind of world, you used your muscles, not brain. In this kind of world, you did rough and dirty jobs like collecting stones from the river, helping the citizens build their houses and some others jobs that only required your power. That’s what was left for people like them, the kind of people that chose not to be involved in the magic world.
Minho could hear Taemin grunt in the process. His face scrunched in deep concentration as he tried to lift the stone slowly but surely. When he succeeded in doing so, Minho asked him to bring it to the nearest tree which was only seven steps away from them. With all his might, Taemin took seven shaking steps to the tree and dropped the stone on the ground with the heavy sound of ‘thud’.
“I did it!” he attempted to yell yet it turned out as a whisper due to his hard panting.
Minho clapped his hands a little to congratulate his friend’s accomplishment. Taemin smiled with the warm reaction he received and marched toward his friend.
“Good job, Taeminnie!” Minho patted his head tenderly.
“So tomorrow I could start working, right?” he asked enthusiastically.
Minho nodded a little, smile never leaving his face.
“Good! Finally I can do something useful for us. Mom and Dad will be proud of me when I bring home some cash.” Taemin exclaimed happily. “I want to use -“ Taemin kept babbling about what he would do with his share as they walked home. Minho only listened to him and kept a smile plastered on his face. Deep inside, Minho was thinking about what kind of job Taemin could handle. The twenty years old Taemin had always dreamt of working and earning money for both Minho and his parents. He never stopped begging Minho to take him to his workplace so he could talk to his boss. It wasn’t that Minho didn’t want to help but Taemin’s lack of physical build worried him to no end. The work was harsh and the pay wasn’t that good. He was afraid Taemin would get hurt.
“Minho!” Taemin’s voice snapped him back to reality. “You aren’t listening, are you?” he sounded upset.
“I was!”
“What? What did I say?” Taemin challenged.
“That you wanted to buy something for your mom and help me with the living fees.”
A smile formed on the younger’s lips. He was satisfied with the answer. His friend actually paid attention to his babble, he thought. He wasn’t aware that, in fact, Minho did not listen to him at all because when it came to this, Taemin would always say the exact same thing over and over again. That was why Minho got the right answer just now.
After what seemed like fifteen minutes of walking, their small square house finally came into their sight. Yeah, their house. It was only a small house built in between their parents’ houses. They had been friends since they could remember and as they grew up they became more inseparable till they decided to live together. The land had originally belonged to Minho’s parents. His mom had the thought of having a small garden beside their house, but, looking at Minho, she couldn’t help but give it to her son to do what he wished. So Minho built a house there. He collected the materials and used up all his savings on building the house. His parents and Taemin’s parents did help him on the funding. After all, it was for their children.
The house they lived consisted of a living room with no furniture at all, one bathroom, one bedroom, and one kitchen. The bathroom was very simple, a tub of water, toilet, a mirror, and a small wooden box used as a table and to keep their toiletries. The bedroom had two single beds on each side and one nightstand in the middle. A small cupboard placed right beside the door was shared for their few clothes. The kitchen was the only part of the house that was proper enough for them to be proud of. They had it all, a table and two wooden chairs. A furnace and all the cooking utensils were there. They also had an adequate stock of groceries for two. Overall, it might be a stretch referring to it as a nice house like the others had, but they were perfectly happy with it.
When they entered their house, Taemin hurried himself to the bathroom. Minho automatically went to the kitchen, washing his hands clean before cooked rice for their dinner. Taemin joined him just when the rice was ready. When Minho looked at Taemin’s fresh face, he couldn’t help but smile. He liked it when they were at home at nighttime because at times like this, he could see the younger boy without ashes that covered his face in the form of a disguise. Taemin had been hiding his cute and adorable face as long as he could remember just so the witches lost interest in him.
“I’ll continue making the soup. You can go take a bath.”
That night, they ate their dinner quickly so they could go to bed earlier. However, Minho had a hard time tucking Taemin in to bed due to his excitement about the following day.
The next day, they both went to the riverside to work. Today’s work was collecting sand from the riverbank. Taemin was very bouncy all the way there and didn’t feel nervous at all. He was just so eager to work with Minho. When they reached the spot, Minho talked to his boss and he agreed to employ Taemin almost right away. Minho was his favourite because he was such a hard worker and one of the strongest ones he had. Minho also requested light work for the younger boy and his boss granted it just like that. Satisfied with his persuading skill, Minho went to Taemin and told him what he had to do. Taemin was in charge of moving the sacks of sand to the cart. Minho put bandages on Taemin’s hands beforehe enveloped them in the gloves, for safety reason he said. He made sure Taemin’s hands wouldn’t get hurt from the job.
So that day, Taemin stayed close to Minho who was filling the sack with sand and once it was full, Taemin would take it to the cart to be sent to those who demanded them. Their boss paid them on adaily basis. On his first day, Taemin earned six silver coins which he held so dearly on their way home. Despite the fact that it was only enough to buy proper meals for two,Taemin was very grateful for his money. Minho earned much more, he even had gold coins. At home, they divided their money for living fees and for personal savings, plus for mom and dad in Taemin’s case.
“If it’s too hard, you can quit. Don’t push yourself, okay?” Minho warned Taemin that night.
“Not at all,” Taemin smiled. “I’m sure it’s the best job available. Aren’t you saying that this kind of job is the best? I don’t want to work in the market, Minho. It’s a dangerous place, you say.”
Minho nodded. “The Market is dangerous place for you.”
“That’s why I better be with you doing harsh work. I don’t want to be involved in selling those bad potions. And I’m afraidof being caught by the witch.”
The mention of the witch sent shivers down their bodies. Taemin instinctively moved closer to Minho and clutched his arms.
“As long as we don’t attract unnecessary attention, we will be fine. I’ll protect you.” Minho assured the younger boy. It had never crossed Minho’s mind to ever lose Taemin to the witch. He would do his best protecting him.
“Let’s go to bed. You must be tired.” That night, before he collapsed on his bed, Minho sat on Taemin’s bed and asked the younger to lie on his stomach. That night, Minho gave a massage to Taemin, with the first-day-of-work-fatigue excuse. But deep inside his heart, he was afraid Taemin would wake up feeling sore from the work.
It went on smoothly for the first three days. Taemin had yet to complain of the harsh work. He enjoyed it at all cost. On the fourth day, things didn’t go well for either of them. It was raining by the end of their work. Taemin cast a worried glance to Minho who understood it almost immediately. Rain could wash Taemin’s disguise away. In order to hide his face in front of others, they excused themselves right after their shift ended. They raced to their home as fast as their feet could bring them, hoping no one on the street paid attention on them. The ash that covered Taemin’s face was almost gone when a voice called out to them, making them stop in their tracks. Minho was the first to turn around to see whoever it was and his eyes met with a woman with a cat in her hand, walking casually towards them.
“Tsk tsk, look at what we have here, Silvia” the lady stroked her cat’s fur. Rain didn’t reach them; they remained dry while everybody was already drenched in rain. On the first look, Minho was one hundred percent sure she was the witch. Taemin sensed Minho tensing up beside him. At that, Taemin knew he wouldn’t be going home today.
*****
If we put aside the story of Minho and Taemin for a while and took a look at what happened on the South Side of this world, we would meet two boys named Jinki and Jonghyun who happened to be happy lovers and had been successfully hiding their relationship for seven months and seventeen days. The South Side was completely different with the North Side where Minho and Taemin lived. Here, you wouldn’t think of wandering off the street with no reason. Here, you weren’t scared of witches. Here, you were more afraid of the society. The dark society who didn’t accept boy and boy relationships. The kind of society that would punish you if you did a single thing against the norm. There were only two kinds of punishment; getting whipped or hanged to death.
There weren’t many differences in the beginning of the story between Jinki and Jonghyun with Minho and Taemin. They were originally neighbors and worked at the same shop. Jinki was the cashier, due to his good looks and Jonghyun was responsible for the repository, just because he looked tougher than Jinki. They had been friends since they were kids. How could they not when their parents were friends with each other and they lived just by next door?
It started off with Jinki humming a random melody on their lunch break and Jonghyun joining in and somehow they created a better sound together. When their tune ended, they stared at each other for a good minute before breaking into smiles for the fact that they just created a song on their own. It was indeed spontaneous but they managed to repeat almost the exact same sound the next day and the day after and they ended up carving the sound in their memory, labeled it as their very first song, and called it Revelation. From there, they began to make more and more songs on their own. No instruments needed, just the natural tunes slipping out their lips.
One day, Jonghyun came by Jinki’s doorstep and knocked softly; hoping Jinki would be the one opening the door for him. And his wish was granted. When the older boy appeared in front of him, he grinned and shown off the old item, called a harmonica, he bought from the merchant that crossed their village. He demonstrated to Jinki how the item could create beautiful sounds and that day, they spent their night finding a way to sing Revelation with the instrument.
It was by their sixth song when Jinki confessed his odd feeling towards to younger. He expected Jonghyun to be hysterical and quit being his friend because in their world, man was supposed to be with woman. There was no such thing as a boy liking a boy, or a girl liking a girl. They didn’t know that that kind of love existed; neither had they known how the society would react to it if they found out. The confession was as simple as ‘I think the feeling I have for you isn’t as simple as the feeling we have for a friend. You mean more than a friend to me.’ Jonghyun was caught off guard by his friend’s words before replying ‘Is it love?’ From that, they named their sixth song Rainbow.
Knowing well that society would punish them for being a couple, they did nothing more than usual in public; they acted just like friends would. Once they reached home, Jonghyun would love to lay his head on Jinki’s lap while the older would stroke his hair affectionately. Their first kiss was on Jonghyun’s birthday. On the same day, Jinki slept over and played his own composed song for his love as another birthday present. It was called Lullaby, though sometimes dubbed as Jonghyun’s most favourite tune ever. After that day, Jonghyun had difficulty falling asleep without listening to Lullaby which caused them to sleep over at one another’s place every single day.
They got caught by the cruel society by their tenth song. It was Jinki’s turn to sleep at Jonghyun’s so he did. The mistake was that Jonghyun didn’t close his room’s window properly so that passerbys coincidentally saw Jonghyun kiss Jinki and decided to peek at them the whole night, watching them kiss and cuddle up to sleep which could not be referred as normal.
The next day, Jonghyun was dragged out of his bed by the so called ‘Elders’ and led to the heart of the town where many people had gathered to see him getting punished for a reason they didn’t even know yet. The half-awake Jonghyun was confused as to why they suddenly took him by force to this place until he was faced with the rope that would hang him to death. That was when he realized that they had found out. Jonghyun was sentenced to death for seducing his neighbor and friend and did something unusual to him. They saved the details because they didn’t know how to explain it to the people that it was possible for two boys to kiss and cuddle like a boy and a girl would do.
At that moment, all Jonghyun could think of was his Jinki. Would he be alright after his death? Would people in town leave him alone after he received the punishment? Jonghyun was afraid that they would do something to harm his Jinki after he died. Jonghyun was sad, because he didn’t have the chance to give his last words to Jinki. Yet he was happy, because the last thing he did before he died was sleep in Jinki’s arms.
“Wait,” a voice grabbed everyone’s attention and it turned out to be Jinki’s. He stood there, fully dressed. “I’m sorry for interrupting such an important ritual but I have to say that you caught the wrong person,” He said, voice composed. “I’m very surprised to see you make a rush decision like this. Where are the Elders that are famous with their carefulness and wisdom?”
“What do you mean, Jinki?” the Elder questioned, clearly annoyed.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth, that I was the one who seduced you first?” Jinki faced Jonghyun. “Punishing the wrong being only brings disaster to our town, right? As much as I love seducing young male boys, I’d rather die in punishment than have to face whatever curse that would attack this town for taking the life of the innocent. It’s better than suffering from the plague and dying in a long and painful way.” He smirkedwhen he succeeded in shaking the Elder’s stance. Jinki knew very well that the only thing the elder was afraid of was the curse. That was why they never made a move if it was only a rumour. The Elder wanted strong proof before deciding the punishment. Never once had they made a mistake. They were awfully careful.
“What makes you think we would trust your words?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I was caught in his room, not the other way around.” He said nonchalantly. Then he made his way to Jonghyun and met his eyes. “Don’t you ever think I’m doing this out of love. There never was love between us. I’m here to save myself, not you.”
In a brief moment, Jonghyun was released and Jinki replaced his position. Jonghyun was too shaken to say anything back. It was when he saw the rope tightened around his lover’s neck that he screamed, he screamed with all his might for Jinki to be freed. But it was too late.
He came back to his room the following day, after clutching Jinki’s dead body for the entire day; he had to let him go. He had to see the body of the one he loves eaten up by the red flames. His parents and Jinki’s parents said nothing about it. They didn’t blame him, either. When he was in his room, he saw his - their - harmonica laid on the table, above a folded paper. His instinct told him to take the paper and read the note written on it.
We got caught.
I know we would, sooner or later.
Being with you is the most beautiful thing that ever happened in my life.
I hope you will not forget that I love you so much.
I’m sorry I won’t be there to finish the 10th song,
I’m sure you’ll do well without me.
Love you, Jinki
And there was a saying in this world that if you were really meant to be, then you were meant to be, either in this world or another. That was what led the two to seek a way to prove the old saying.
*****
When Minho arrived at the old loft, it was already four months since the witch took away Taemin from him. He had tried everything to take him back but to no avail. One day, the witch seemed to get tired of him so she let him in her castle. He saw Taemin there, among many other boys that got caught. They were all kept inside ice coffin that didn’t melt. He didn’t know if Taemin was still alive or not but the witch made it clear that there was no way he could get Taemin’sdeadbody back.
Minho knocked on the door and it flung open on the first try. Minho entered the house and wasgreeted by an old lady sitting on a chair, having her tea time. She smiled to him and pointed to the seat in front of her. Cautiously, Minho entered the house and sat down on said chair, eyeing the old lady for the sign that it was okay for him to start talking.
“I know how my guests are always in ahurry but this time, I’m afraid you have to wait. It won’t be long, he will have arrived by the time you finish your tea.” Minho looked down and found three cups of tea he hadn’tnoticed earlierserved on the table. “Don’t worry it isn’t poisoned.” She winked. Minho unwillingly took the cup and brought it to his lips, sipping a little for safety. It tasted nice. He ended up wanting more and when he finished the last drop of tea, he grunted on the loss of the heavenly drink running down his throat. That was when a knock was heard on the door and it swung open just like what it did for Minho.
There stood Jonghyun with his hard look and determined eyes, waiting for the lady to let him in.
“I’m beyond happy that you two came on the same day and almost at the same time, saving me from the obligation of explaining the same thing twice.” She started after Jonghyun finished off his cup of tea. “The saying you hear is not completely right, to be honest. It’s true that you’ll still be together with the one that is meant to be with you in the other world, but not in every world. There is just one other world where you would be with yourdestined one. Travelling across the worlds doesn’t guarantee you that the world you come to is the world where you and your loved one happen to be together. No one can decide which world to visit, it is always accidental. If you’re lucky enough, you might stumble upon the world where you and your loved ones are meant to be together. If you’re not, then you need to try to accept the reality.”
“You mean there is a possibility we won’t meet the one we desire even though we take this path?” Jonghyun was the first to raise an objection. He came all the way here to find a definite way to meet Jinki, not to try out his luck.
“Calm down, young man. To be able to do a journey across the worlds requires compensation. It’s a big deal to get in and out of someone else’s world so it doesn’t come free. For example, there was this lady coming to me with the interest of finding another world. She gave up her precious hair, because it was all she had, as payment to get the charm that would bring her to the other worlds. The shape of the charm differs from one person to another and depends on the payment. The woman got a flat square stone as her charm. Based on long experiences and research, we witches found out that the chance of you to visit other worlds is the same as the number of angles on your charm. That woman only had four chances, four worlds to visit. We also found out that the shape of your charm depends on the thing you give up. The more precious it is, the more angles you get, the more worlds you can visit -“
“What if I get the same as that woman and the fourth world I come to is not the world where I am meant to be with the one I love?” Jonghyun cut off.
The lady smiled, “There is always someone like me in every world. You just need to find us and make a new deal. So, what about thinking what you would give up as payment?”
That day, Minho who was strong and was his boss’ favourite lost his strength for a cube shaped wood. He eyed his small charm and prayed to God that on these eight visits he had, the one would turn out as the place where he and Taemin could be together. Forever.
In Jonghyun’s hand, there was a yellow marble. Its size fit perfectly in his fist. He was happy. Yellow was Jinki’sfavouritecolour. It gave him the assurance that he would meet his Jinki again somewhere, in this universe, where the both of them could live happily ever after.
The instruction was clear enough.Throw the charm in the air three times and it would bring you to another world. The possibility of going back to this world was indefinite. Yet, they didn’t mind. The world without their loved ones was just plain and meaningless. And this world didn’t have their loved ones anymore.
Jonghyun turned to see Minho, giving the other man a sincere smile. Even though they didn’t know each other, deep inside their heart, they wished each other to be able to reunite with the one they yearned for. “Good luck.”
With one last look, they both disappeared from this world.
The world where witches are the queens,
The world where spells are traded,
The world where we lose each other…
*****
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The first other world I come to find you…
Minho opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of green field. He squinted his eyes. Later it became clear that he was in the middle of rice field.It was green as far as he could see which caused him to be a little nervous. Where should he go? How could he break away from this unending green field?
“Hello,” a voice called out. Minho turned to the source of the sound. “Are you lost?” The familiar voice asked him, with those same eyes, with the very same smile, yet with a different face. This one wasn’t covered with ashes. This one was bright and smooth and just like how his Taemin looked at night. “Excuse me?” he waved his hand in front of Minho’s face. “You must be a traveler. Don’t worry; I’ll guide you out of here. Many travelers get lost in this field, that’s why they need to stop wandering in places like this alone. My name is Taemin, by the way. Where are you staying?”
“I… it’s… I don’t r-really have place to stay,” Minho stammered. He didn’t know that Taemin wouldn’t recognize him.
“So it’s your first day here? I can bring you to the town and recommend some nice places to stay but it’s getting late. What about staying at my house for the night and I’ll help you find a motel tomorrow morning? My place isn’t far from here.” He offered.
“S-sure.”
“You haven’t told me your name,” Taemin said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Minho.”
Minho tailed behind Taemin while the younger boy actively talked about how travelers always refuse the help of the citizens. Minho paid no attention to his words; he was busy examining Taemin, the boy he had missed so much. He really wanted to shut him up and hug him tight but he couldn’t. To this Taemin, he was nothing but a stranger he met in the middle of the field. But hey, it didn’t matter to him if he had to start over from zero again. As long as he could be together with Taemin, it was worth a try.
Taemin wasn’t lying when he said that his house wasn’t far. It was right there, at the end of the field. Taemin told Minho that the town was still a long walk ahead. Taemin’s house was small and simple, and reminded Minho of their house. Minho couldn’t help but grinat the thought of living with Taemin again.
“I’m home,” Taemin announced when he entered the house which made Minho wonder if Taemin didn’t live alone. “Honey, come out and see who’s came with me today.” He turned to Minho and flashed a smile. Before Minho could react, a girl came out with a toddler in her arms. “Aww, how’s my little girl doing?” he cooed as he took the baby from her. “Minho, this is my wife, Jihye. Jihye, this is Minho. A traveler I met in the field. It’s his first day here and he’s staying over tonight.”
It was beyond comprehension how Minho could keep his face stoic upon the sight of his Taemin having a lovey dovey moment with his family, his wife, and their daughter. Taeyeon was such a lovely baby. Minho would fall for her easily if it wasn’t for the fact that she was the fruit of love between his Taemin and this woman. Taeyeon kept nudging, poking, tugging on Minho to get his attention. It turned out that she liked him. But Minho didn’t like her, at all.
“What brings you here?” Taemin asked. Jihye and Taeyeon had gone to sleep, leaving the men in the living room, trying to get to know each other. At least, that was what was going on Taemin’s side.
“Private matter.” Minho replied. Short.
“Oh,” Taemin responded. Shorter. “You’re different, I guess.” He added later. “I mean, people always come here for the field. We have the best rice field. Many of them want to take it over from us but no one has succeeded so far.” Minho could sense the pride in Taemin’s voice. “May I know what exactly you’re looking for here?” Taemin was curious, that was it!
“It doesn’t matter anymore. It ends here.” Minho trailed, ignoring the mixed up look Taemin gave him. “If you don’t mind, I want to get some sleep. It’s been a tiring day.” He laid down on the floor and pulled the blanket over his body. “Your house is nice. Thanks for letting me stay for the night. Good night.”
“Good night,” Taemin muttered hesitantly. He unwillingly got up from his seat and headed toward his bedroom. What a strange man, he thought.
Minho didn’t sleep that night. He waited until midnight before sneaking out of the house. The cold night wind brushed past him as he walked out. The street was dark and empty. He knew that if he followed the road, it would lead him to the main town. He knew that there would be many motels and vendors, selling foods, handcrafts, and many other things there. He knew that it was quite peaceful in this town. Friendly merchants, welcoming villagers, curious travelers.He was slightly surprised by his own knowledge of this world. But he didn’t want to think of it right now. This world surely wasn’t the world he was looking for. His Taemin was already happy with his little family. He didn’t need him or want him. Minho didn’t have any reason for staying any longer here. With one last look to the house he had stayed for past few hours, he left.
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The world where you don’t need me
*****
When Jonghyun opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed. He took a good minute to inspect his surroundings. Somehow, he understood that it was a room he had rented to stay in while he was in this world. But he didn’t know how this happened. He put a hand on his pocket and was surprised to find some money in it. He left the bed and went out, greeted by… the owner of the motel.
“Hey, Jjong. You’re up early. Ready to seek that friend of yours?”
He was too surprised to react properly so he just gave him a smile and headed out. It was strange how he recognized the town. A thought came to his mind that probably, when he teleported to the other world, he would get this given knowledge about the world. He shrugged it off and walked aimlessly. He was passing a bakery when his stomach growled. He decided that getting some bread would do no harm. The still warm bread tasted amazing, much better than in his world. He strolled down the main road, letting his instinct lead him. He remembered the vendors he had visited in the past days and according to his newfound memory, Jinki wasn’t there. He kept on walking until the sight of a small gallery caught his attention. Mindlessly, he entered the gallery. Just for a moment, he said inwardly. The inside of the gallery was as simple as it looked from the outside. Paintings arranged neatly on the whole wall. Tables placed here and there to display stones, sculptures, and old stuff.
“Welcome to our gallery,” a girl greeted him with a bright smile. Jonghyun smiled back and invited himself to take a look around.
“Those were collected by a traveler on his journey around the world. They’re very unique, aren’t they?” she commented when Jonghyun’s eyes landed on the various stones on the table.
“They are.” Jonghyun smiled again. “Do you workhere?” he asked.
“Papa owns this place and I’m helping him here. I like it here.” She answered with eagerness that caused Jonghyun’s smile to grow larger. She was such a nice young girl.
“I see… why don’t you show me around? It seems like this gallery has many interesting things.” The girl nodded almost immediately. In no time, she began to explain the stuff on the tables. Jonghyun learned that they were either made by the artists in this town or bought from the travelers. After she finished with them, they moved to the paintings. The paintings here had more stories than the stuff presented on those tables. It turned out that the paintings were about the society itself; their beloved rice field, their leaders of time to time, the people in the markets, the memorable travelers. Jonghyun was busy admiring them when his eyes settled on one painting at the end of the wall.
It was his Jinki and a rabbit.
He quickly strode over to examine it closer, leaving the girl confused by his action. No matter how he looked at it, it was his Jinki. It really was his Jinki, with a smile gracing his lips, his crescent eyes, and messy hair. In the picture, Jinki was holding a rabbit close to his chest. He looked happy.
Jonghyun turned to see the girl, who had caught up, beside him. Before he could form a question, she narrated the painting for him. “That’s Jinki, the son of our previous leader. He was a very nice person. He loved to help people in town. There’s no one in this town that didn’t like him. Everyone loved him. That’s his rabbit that he loved so much. It’s a very cute and lovely bunny. Jinki always let me play with it.” Sadness was clear in her voice, Jonghyun wondered why. “He died a year ago due to anincurable disease. The whole town mourned over his death. The atmosphere here was dull for a week upon losing their beloved boy. No one opened their shops on the day he died. Some refused to go back to work even days after he was gone. He meant a lot to us, really. Our best painter decided to paint him and his bunny and donated it to us here. Once a year, the whole town will come here to look at this painting, to relive the old memories where Jinki was here for us.” Tears escaped her eyes when she ended her storytelling but as for Jonghyun, he cried a river hearing that. He stayed there for a long time, just crying like that. He didn’t care. He didn’t feel embarrassed. The girl cried along with him.
He looked at the white bundle in the corner of the street through his blurry eyes. Jinki’s bunny was still there. It lived on the street and was being looked after by the citizens. They fed it regularly and took turns taking it home at night. It was their beloved boy’s darling. The only thing left from Jinki so they cherished it with all their hearts.Jonghyun was happy to meet it, watching it eating the carrot he brought.
He was sad yet happy. He was glad to know that even in this world, his Jinki was such a nice person and loved by many people. He was indeed an angel.
This is the world where… normal is the best word to describe
The world where people have farms, cattle, and handcrafted goods to live off
The world in which I ‘lose’ you again…
*****
The world of two kingdoms
The world that has long forgotten about peace
The world where you’re the power…
Minho’s luck may have been bad as he came to the world that was in the middle of a never-ending war. Minho who had given up his strength in exchange for the charm had a difficult time in battle. He was part of the swordsmen squad of Fengaris. Fengaris was in a state of war with the Ilios. From his new memory, the kingdom of Fengaris was once a peaceful kingdom, led by the wisest kings. The Fengarian was famous for their generosity. There was barely any crime in the kingdom. They were never one to provoke the other kingdom. Unlike the serene Fengaris, Ilios was well-known for their impatience and their greed over Fengaris’ prosperity. Being such a considerate kingdom as it was, the King of Fengaris offered to share their supplies with Ilios in a fair agreement. The old kings had settled a concord that brought advantages to both of the kingdoms and it was being followed well from both sides. And then came one certain king from Ilios that was just too greedy to be satisfied with the old agreement between them and started using dirty tricks to steal things from Fengaris. It started off with food supplies, water, firewood, and by the time they began to take mining, they went just too far and got caught by the Fengarian.
The King of Fengaris was mad upon hearing the news that Ilios broke their old arrangement and demanded apologies and fair compensation for what they had taken yet the King of Ilios disregarded the request and declared war. The Fengarian had tried their best to avoid warfare, however, in the end, war had to occur. And it had gone from generation to generation, changing the nature of both of the kingdoms. They had forgotten the reason they were in the state of war. They had forgotten what they aimed for. They were no longer battling for resources; they were battling because that was what they were born for. Every child was taught about the war and the hatred and the rage to destroy their enemy. And much to Minho’s dislike, the current king of Ilios was no other than Taemin.
But life was that cruel. Minho’s camp was the one on the upper hill. A perfect place where he could see the enemy’s base. That way, he could sometimes see Taemin practicing his swords skill. Taemin was a tough boy. His cutesy didn’t show up at all in this world. He had hard facial line, maybe from being in battle at such young age. He really wanted to fight alongside with him so he could protect him. He may be a Fengarian, but Taemin was the reason why he was here in the first place. So tomorrow he wanted to try his luck. There would be an attack the following day. Minho wanted to try and see if he could get far through the front line and fight near Taemin. He knew it would be dangerous, remembering he had no strength left but worth a try.
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