EDEN | Yoonmin

four

He laid him back against the mattress, kissing down the column of his neck. "-for him who thence could solace bring / to his dark imagining-"

_____ 🌿 _____

"WHOSE WILD'RING THOUGHT COULD EVEN MAKE / AN EDEN OF THAT DIM LAKE-"

Jimin's eyes fluttered open as the lights turned back on, illuminating the class with a soft yellow haze. He sat up in his chair. He must have dozed off listening, and now Professor Kim was done, standing in front of the class with expect an eyes, hands clasped together in front of him.

Professor Kim didn't look like he belonged in Collins Port. He was well put together, much like Mr. Jung, and while he was likeable amongst everyone, there was something about him that made him stand out. He was tall, broad shouldered, but not in the way that Jin was. He was tan, and when he smiled, you could see his dimples. He was simple, never tried to over complicate things, and could often be found around the campus library - or even the town library - when he was teaching, reading up on local history, or reciting poetry. Jimin figured with the amount of history he knew about the area - for only having moved her a few years ago - he could teach the history course on Local History.

Not much was known about Professor Kim, except from people's observations. He didn't talk about his personal life very much the way other professors did. They knew he was married - he wore a wedding band - but he rarely spoke about his partner. They knew that before he started teaching, he had been an army medic. Jimin always found it odd that he would leave medicine to teach literature, but then again, he knew a lot about it. He was multilingual. He spoke French, Spanish, Latin, English, and Japanese. Often times he would teach poems in different languages, wanting to share the beauty of other cultures with his students. They knew he moved here almost five years ago, with his spouse and younger brother. Jimin had seen Kim Taehyung around. He was a looker, but a bit of a player as well. It seemed as if Taehyung didn't care for most, only himself, and was arrogant and cocky. Jimin didn't know him personally, but Jungkook did. Jungkook hated him, and that was putting it lightly. Jimin was quite positive that if given the chance, Jungkook would rip his throat out.

All in all, Professor Kim was a bit of a mystery, but even if the locals knew everything about you, there was always some shocking secret still buried deep, yet to be uncovered.

"Written in 1827, Edgar Allen Poe's The Lake is supposedly written about what lake? Can anybody tell me?" he asked, bringing the attention of everyone to him.

A slew of hands flew into the air, and Professor Kim called on a girl Jimin didn't know.

"Lake Drummond," she stated.

"That's correct. Can anyone tell me the legend about that lake? What makes it so popular?"

Jimin raised his hand in the air.

"Yes Mr. Park?"

"It's said to be haunted by a Native American couple. The girl drowned on their wedding day and the man was driven mad by visions of her paddling out on the lake. He drowned trying to reach her,"

"Very good, Mr. Park. Now, I'm sure that you're all wondering why I'm asking you this. What makes this lake so special that I should feel the need to bring it up? Well, it's very common for authors to find inspiration in the same thing. The Irish poet, Thomas Moore wrote about it in 1803. His poem was titled, "The Lake of Dismal Swamp," Many people will take folklore or myth, and will write their own version of it. Poe's version is certainly different than Moore's is, but it's the idea, which leads into your assignment - ah I know, I know, first week back and I'm already handing out homework, but I promise this will be fun. You'll be getting in touch with your creative sides." Professor Kim stated. He then paused, and moved to the front of the room, and perched himself on the edge of his desk. He lifted his eyes to look at the class, that familiar smirk playing on his lips. Almost subconsciously, half of the class lent forward in their seats. This was the look that he gave when he wanted to tell them something important - something no one else had heard, and it made them feel like they were part of a secret club, telling things they shouldn't be. "Did you know that Collins Port has its own Lake Drummond?"