Trapped

chapter 29

Wu Fan closed his eyes and captured what they were seeing, saving the memory of it in his mind. No one could take what his eyes had seen. Every pout and tear and smile Kyungsoo had shown him, the memories of their every single scene and moment together, were all his.

"Hyung..." Wu Fan felt a concern touch on his arm. He patted Kyungsoo's hand soothingly, still with his eyes closed. "Shh, I'm filling up my Happy Soo vault," he shushed the boy in a deep voice, only slightly louder than a whisper.

Wu Fan slowly opened his eyes; a genuine smile twisted his lips. His tone of voice changed, became clear and light. "I haven't seen your smile for months, and so I have less of Happy Kyungsoo in my vault than I used to have before."

Kyungsoo chuckled. Wu Fan had never changed. He would always be the one Kyungsoo could lean on, to rest himself against the elder's strength. Wu Fan would always be the one who could pull out a smile from him at the lowest peak of his life.

"But again," Wu Fan continued with a grin, "Even when we're apart, I can always tell whenever you're smiling." His voice grew soft. "When I looked up to the sky and the sun was shining brightly, I thought about how broad you must be smiling that day.

"When the sun was shyly peeking through the cloudy sky, well, apparently my Kyungsoo was so happy that he could not let some mere clouds getting in his way to shine."

Wu Fan raised his sight upward, staring at the horizon. The sun was about to give up the throne, and soon the sad glimmer of moonlight would bath the earth. A smile slowly formed on Wu Fan's lips, warming his eyes. "When the sky was dark and rain poured down the land, I would assume that you were happily taking a nap, so sleepy you got tears in your eyes."

"Wu Fan hyung..."

Kyungsoo felt warmth flooded into him all the way to every edge of his body, something he always felt when Wu Fan was around, but this time it got tampered by sadness. His heart was about to bleed. Finding he was too weak to look at Wu Fan in the eye, Kyungsoo threw his gaze away.

"Promise me one more thing, Kyungsoo. Smile. Whenever you see the sun shining, smile for me. Make me believe you are out there somewhere, happy and loved."

Wu Fan wrenched his eyes from the sky and fixed his gaze on Kyungsoo, who was looking down to the ground, biting his mouth. "Smile whenever you see the sky getting dark in the middle of the day. Chase the darkness away with your smile."

Refusing to take silence as the answer, Wu Fan went on, "Can you promise me that? I don't want to force you into agreeing, but a small reminder that I would appear like a lunatic, someone who have a major delusion who clap their hands and believe the sky's mood has anything to do with a boy's happiness. Promise me so I won't become a foolish dreamer."

"You act as though you are bidding me goodbye, hyung," Kyungsoo hesitantly said, his voice dripped with dread. When he didn't get a response, Kyungsoo raised his head and his eyes searched for Wu Fan, abruptly as if he was afraid that Wu Fan would suddenly disappear from his sight. Their eyes met.

"Are you, hyung?" Kyungsoo demanded, trying to find the answer in Wu Fan's face. A sudden rush of fear filled his heart.

Wu Fan smiled thoughtfully. He stared down to Kyungsoo but his eyes were unfocused, getting lost in some kind of waking dream.

"Hyung?"

Kyungsoo tugged at Wu Fan's sleeve, his face took on some kind of firmness Wu Fan never knew the boy had in him.

Wu Fan guided Kyungsoo toward one of the drum-shaped stone stools and gently urged the boy to sit on it. He patted Kyungsoo's hand softly. "You know, Soo, it was because of fate we met," he slowly began, his voice sounded as if it were coming from far away. Wu Fan was separating himself from Kyungsoo as he spoke.