molten silver ─ hyunjeong ✓

three

jeongin did not notice as he drifted deeper into the forest, trees rising proudly on either side of him. leaves murmured in his wake, trying to speak to him in their own language. but he didn't stop to listen. only followed the spirited wisp as it danced just out of his reach.

in the complete darkness of the forest, the will o' wisps seemed even brighter, shining radiantly against the darkness that threatened to close around him. he was so far into the woods now that they were his only source of light and guidance.

advancing further into the woods, he only just started to realize the risk of his choice. he hurried his steps behind the floating lights, willing this— now unsettling— game to end.

the will o' wisps had begun appearing few and far between, and jeongin stumbled over the uneven inclines of the ground in his haste to keep up. he was mentally cursing himself for this foolish pursuit, just as the light winked out.

and didn't reappear.

stunned, jeongin froze as the pitch black enveloped him. the absence of light yawned before him, the blind panic beginning to settle in again as he took a step forward.

and nearly fell flat on his face.

luckily, he managed to regain his balance before he squashed his face into a pancake, instead taking a few teetering steps forwards to assess his surroundings, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark abyss, recognizing the faint outlines of the trees around him.

he squinted into the darkness, letting out a breath of what seemed to be a mix of relief and hope as he spotted a sliver of moonlight breaking through the trees ahead of him. a clearing, he thought to himself as he wobbled towards it, letting go of the straps of his bag to hold his arms out in front of him as balance.

almost as soon as he stepped out of the thicket, moonlight flooded his surroundings, temporarily blinding him and making him look like a hobbling grandmother as he tried to keep walking forward. as soon as he adjusted to the sudden light, he beheld what lay in front of him.

a tranquil lake stretched across the clearing, the gentle light of the moon reflected off of its water, making it gleam enchantingly. the water was completely still, untouched in a way that made it seem almost like a luminous mirror.

maybe it could mirror a world that seemed better than the one he lived in, jeongin thought to himself with an inward sigh of disillusioned hope, knowing it to be impossible. he chewed his lip, and looked up from the mesmerising water.

something moved on the other side of the lake. jeongin's eyes flicked towards the movement, expecting the will o' wisps to have returned, to continue their treacherous game, but what he saw was something that was possibly even more unexpected.

a boy, a young man not seeming too much older than himself, stood on the other side.

no, not stood. danced. jeongin was so utterly taken off guard that he couldn't help the way his mouth fell open, and he stood frozen with his eyes glued to the boy.

the boy moved with graceful sweeps of his legs and arms, moving with such fluidity that jeongin wondered if the nimble movements of water had instead manifested in his body as he danced. there was no music, but it seemed that the sounds of the forest were music enough, and jeongin could see as the boy danced, his eyes closed and lithe body followed the gentle rhythmic lull of rustling leaves, of crickets chirping melodically in the underbrush.

and as jeongin watched, he forgot everything. he forgot the will o' wisps that had led him here. he forgot his house. he forgot his parents. there was only here and now as he watched in awe.

silvery moonlight dusted the boy as he danced, the shadows dancing with him, making him look as though he was glowing. as if he were the embodiment of silver. of moonlight himself. but under all that, jeongin realized, there was a lingering sadness, there was something so intimate.

only a few metres separated them, but, while he hadn't seen the boy, it was clear the boy hadn't seen either, lost in his own world. as this realization set in, jeongin realized that he was seeing something not meant for his eyes. he was intruding.

steeling himself against the captivating scene, he took a step backwards, about to leave. however, still partially hypnotized, he stumbled over a protruding rock, or tree root, he never had the time to see. all he knew was that his arms were flailing in a rather undignified manner, and he was falling. right on his... ass.

twigs and leaves cracked loudly and obnoxiously, echoing throughout the clearing and he winced. not at the mild pain in his backside, but by the fact that there was no way the other boy hadn't heard the ruckus.

jeongin grimaced as he locked gazes with the boy across the few metres. there was a split second of complete stillness, and even the sounds of nature around them seemed to hush. then the boy was moving towards him, that grace and ease still murmuring in his stead.

as he closed in on him, jeongin tilted his head up to watch him approach, frozen in his place. earlier he had thought it had been the moonlight, but as the boy came closer, it seemed that he himself had a sort of silvery glow to his skin, from underneath his skin.

jeongin wasn't sure why it startled him so when the silver boy spoke.