Jar Of Hearts

Chapter 4 : Disquietude

     As anticipated, his photos revolved majorly around landscapes and scenery. They ranged from angled photos of lush, flourishing plants to gradients of luminous sky’s. His images captured the most vivid and powerful aspects of the places, seemingly effortlessly. Even without editing, Beomgyu was fascinated.

     “These look so good, Taehyun,” Beomgyu praised, solely concentrated on the photographs. There were reoccurring copies of each area, only from varied perspectives. It would’ve been monotonous but each of them were unique in ways Beomgyu wouldn’t have considered.

     He didn’t know much about photography— nothing at all, really— yet these had him enthralled.

     The tiny aspects of Taehyun had him enthralled.

     “Thank you,” Taehyun beamed widely, a dimple making its way onto his right cheek. Another charming feature.

     He leaned closer to Beomgyu in an attempt to see the screen, their shoulders practically touching at the proximity. Beomgyu shivered subtly at the feathering contact despite the midday sun, the closeness alarming him. He turned his head only slightly to glance at the younger boy, surprised with how close his face was.

     His heart was unwillingly beating a little faster at that.

     Why was he reacting that way?

     Meanwhile, Taehyun appeared to give it no mind, pointing at the screen. “Most of these are for class projects,” he pouted, and Beomgyu noticed how plush his lips were.

     How has he never gotten heartbroken? How has someone so entrancing and genuinely attractive never been victim to the curse? To submit to temptations? It was beyond Beomgyu and a balance shifted in his head. He felt it was unfair, even though the single heart on his wrist was his own fault.

     Would it really be possible to dim one of those hearts?

     All too suddenly, a figure bumped into them.

     No, that was too modest.

     A towering man quite literally shoved past them, resulting in the contents in their hands dropping out of grasp. Books, papers, and, most importantly, Taehyun’s camera.

     It hit the ground with a heart-dropping crack.

     The engagement promptly got a response out of Taehyun. He ran a panicked line of curses under his breath, hastily crouching down to check on the camera. Beomgyu could read the distress on his face from the crease of his eyebrows to the downwards tilt of his lips.

     He looked back at the man who caused the raucous who was already walking away, unimpressed by his action.

     “Dude, what is your problem?” Beomgyu cried out after him, voice trickling with resentment. “Watch where you’re fucking going!”

     That seemed to strike a nerve. The man halted his track, hands buried deep in his pockets. He turned to face him.

     Beomgyu was taken aback by how deadly emotionless he looked. It was like a bullet injected with shock had hit him square in his heart, the venom pumping throughout the length of his body and rooting him to the core. His angered expressed dropped, lips parting only slightly.

     The man looked straight at Beomgyu with hooded eyes, empty. His irises were two pools of jet black, void of emotion or sentiment. They gawked at him down to his core and awakening something inside of him. He had hazy, distinguishable bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t rested for days and was riding on pure instinct.