chapter ten,
oddly placed keys,
and a newly introduced area.
thursday morning, april eighth,
11:05 AM, 21st cen.
taehyun pulled up outside jungwon's house once mode, looking around just in case someone he'd known would cause him any trouble. sure, he'd come back after basically going missing, but he was far too busy at the moment to clear things up with the fact he was back.
he stepped out and locked his car, hazily putting his keys in his pocket as he knocked on the door. he waited for a seconds, until the door opened, revealing a weary looking ni-ki.
"...oh. hyung." he blinked, looking like he was in a daze, as if he just took a nap. "...oh, hyung!" he suddenly brightened his expression, holding his hand out as the two just quickly dapped each other up, giving a fast side hug while they were at it.
he then let the older in, smiling apologetically, "sorry about that, and sorry about earlier."
"it's fine. where's jungwon?"
"oh, he said he's going somewhere. most likely eating out with jay and jake hyung, no idea." the boy shrugged, while the older gave him a look of perplexity. "but he said he'd stay home."
"really? i don't know." ni-ki pursed his lips, crossinf his arms, "how long ago was that? he probably thought you wouldn't come over after earlier."
taehyun frowned, "i guess so."
"why? you bringing him somewhere?" the younger raised an eyebrow, while the dusky pink-haired shook his head, "no, just me."
"really? where you going? you didn't even tell the other's you're back, yet!"
"um, i'm going to a relative's house, it's quite far." he lied, while the black-haired's expression seemed unconvinced, but just brushed it off with a few blinks, "uh, okay. if it's far, you should freshen yourself up, wash your face, or something." he suggested, pointing to the bathroom.
taehyun was skeptical for a moment, before pressing his lips together and nodding, "you're right, thanks."
"no problem, hyung. have a good time!" ni-ki smiled, going over to his room as he were about to shut the door, while taehyun went over to the restroom.
he shut the door, and as he was splashing his face with the coldest water there was, he could hear ni-ki's door close from outside.
actually, he didn't actually want to wash his face or do really anything, he just thought some cold as hell water could snap him back to thinking properly, to contemplate more well on what he was just about to do.
thursday morning, april eighth,
11:12 AM, 21st cen.
taehyun stepped out of the bathroom after having a short moment of rethinking nearly everything that's happened so far in life. as he were reaching for the door knob, he dug his free hand in his pocket to grab his keys, which supposedly weren't there. he paused in place, before searching even deeper.
shit, where were his keys?
he looked around on the ground, and didn't seem to see that he dropped it anywhere, so he opened the door to look outside. although, before he could search, he found his keys just right at the bottom of the staircase leading to jungwon and ni-ki's front door.
he raised an eyebrow in perplexity. he must have dropped them while he was walking up, how clumsy.
he picked them up, before pressing the button that both locked or unlocked his jeep. yes, jeep. not that he really wanted to have one, but his older sister really seemed to like the idea of her brother owning a nice white jeep for her to nag him into driving her to work at times.
he pulled the handle of his car, which somehow didn't budge. he tried again, before realizing it was locked. didn't he just unlock it? or was it already unlocked?
he was beginning to get creeped out, but tried to ignore it. he pressed the same button again, and swung the vehicle's side door open, hopping in and shutting it.
he started his car, before silently planning out where he should be going. he should go to that same forest, follow the road next to the forest, and try to remember the directions.
although, that wouldn't be easy. he had good memory, sure, but that was all from huening kai's house to that park, and he was trying to go from the complete opposite way, not to mention, by road.
because of that, he had to give himself more of a headache by having to remember it all backwards, reverse the directions so he could follow it from end to start, instead of start to end.
he glanced at the basket of strawberries next to him, in a crate secured in the passenger seat. well, at least he was going to be able to greet kai again, and more properly this time.
he took a deep breath, before starting to drive. the place was unpopular, anyway. even if it was just a good twenty five minutes away, or however much changbin had said, not a lot of people were usually found there, according to hyunjin.
which was one of the main reasons taehyun decided to go visit with them those days ago.
thursday noon, april eighth
1:37 PM, 21st cen.
at first, taehyun was definitely unsure. he was driving through the highway that was full of cars, trying to stay nearby the forests and naturistic places he found familiar. although, after some time, the cars began to disappear the farther he went, and the more drawn he became to the feeling of the slightly conventional oxygen.
he followed that eccentric feeling, until he was left out in the middle of nowhere. the roads were already ended, yet there was a large space of green, and a wooden fence.
behind that weak, yet intimidating wooden fence was an abandoned railway for trains. it was all covered in green, and you could barely see what was beyond it, though, with just a mere glance, taehyun knew.
he wasn't anywhere near, but at the same time, he knew he was exactly where he should be.
he looked for places to park his jeep where it wouldn't be noticed, thankfully there were spaces in between the large trees.
after he could do so, he hopped out of the vehicle, grabbing the basket and hurrying to just slide through the gaps in which ivy, moss, and whatever green stuff was on the railroads had failed to completely mask away. he rushed through the forest, knowing it would take him a good two hours to at least know where he was going.
he began to slow down, thinking more carefully. if he went straight, he would go deeper into the forest, but that wouldn't exactly lead him to a place he needed to be any time soon. he tried to rely on estimation and his own gut feeling, since they were the only two things that could help him in the dire moment.
although, as he was drowning in the sea of his own wonders and ponders, he felt a gentle yet disturbing, crawling sensation from under his skin, specifically aimed at his back, like something was watching him.
he stiffened, before straightening himself and turning around, only to be met by nothing.
god, being all alone in the wilderness was one thing, but being trapped with a horrid suspicion you were being followed and under surveillance by either someone or something was another.
he shivered, before gulping and continuing to walk. he tried to watch out for any insects or animals and not disturb them, especially if they could attack.
he kept walking, and walking, and walking. he walked until he felt like he couldn't anymore, but still did. he walked as he thought over every decision he'd decided to make, and walked as he realized it was too late to go back already. this was a big risk, he knew that.
seriously, all this just to see a guy? taehyun, this must be the stupidest thing you've ever done. he scolded himself from his mind, shaking his head. after what seemed like an eternity, he sat down to rest, and after that, he got back up again and continued to go.
although, his efforts may or may not have paid off as he found himself in a familiar meadow not long later from merely going with wherever his body felt safe and comfortable to go to.
maybe he wasn't so numb in the head after all.
he ran through, looking up at the sky. it was the exact same as what he'd seen before, and the field of flowers, the exact same one he'd ran through to escape the jumping spider in the taller boy's hands.
the exact one, he was getting somewhere.
oh, but that meant he had an hour more to go. gosh, his legs felt like jelly; he was completely exhausted. despite that, he kept going with the basket in hand.
he walked through, and kept proceeding until he ended up in woodlands that felt just right, he was definitely back. the more he walked, the closer he felt. although, there were times he still felt that perilous sting from behind him, which sent shivers to rush through his entire body. he couldn't help but look behind him at times.
finally, he reached an intimate-feeling creek, one that he'd recalled jumping over. he did the same, walking down a path he most certainly knew. after all that wandering, he stumbled upon a deformed house.
thank fucking god, he was back. he didn't get lost, or even worse, killed by some crazy animal. he looked around, and things were just the same as like, a day ago.
a day ago, huh. taehyun, you really are weird. one day and you already miss him, so you come back? just imagine his reaction, he'll be flabbergasted to think you seriously just put all their efforts into getting you home once he sees you back! he thought, stupid. what am I even doing with my life at this point?
although, when he looked around, he saw no sign of huening kai. he checked the inside of his house, yet there was nobody to be seen. he checked behind his house, and there was still nothing. from his own anxiousness, taehyun began to search wherever the hell kai took him those times he wanted someone to play with. the areas full of fruits, the areas growing vegetables, the lake the two had been splashing each other in, everything.
and before he knew it, he was wandering off to places in the greenwood area he had never even been before. he went through places he himself never considered going through, which lead him further astray. and after all that searching, he found himself in front of an opening to another empty space. he lifted an eyebrow, seeming quite mystified.
he crouched through the gaps of the trees which were previously masking a large, abandoned greenhouse. and when I say large, it was most definitely large. the frames were stained, and were unfortunately white, making the soiled areas more visible to the eyes.
the glass was also scratched and filthy, some parts of it being broken off and shattered as well. there were holes, big holes from probably fallen trees. although, what really fascinated taehyun, was the climbing hydrangeas from inside, and small glimpses of honeysuckle flowers, and star-like jasmines. he gulped, stepping over and through the once imploded holes, being sure to hold the basket close to him.
it was huge, it was full of so many things, taehyun thought he'd pass out. it was beautiful, yet reeked of way too many different plants and flowers, the smell made his eyes sting.
"fuck," he mumbled, using his sleeve to cover his eyes for a split second, before proceeding to the back of the large, large greenhouse. well, that was, until he heard an unobtrusive voice in the distance. he couldn't help but freeze, stumbling closer to the hanging ivy just in case he needed to hide.
he creased his eyebrows, squinting his eyes as he tried to fathom what words were being spoken.
"-eriously, this one just can't seem to stay alive..." there was a sigh, as he'd also heard trinkling water and soft taps of a foot. "don't worry, I won't give up on you just yet."
hold on a second, taehyun seemed to recognize that voice. he blinked for a bit, before peeking his head to look. there, a slim yet tall boy was sitting in front of a flower near a statue that was surrounded by many, yet he seemed to have his attention on that specific hibiscus syriacus.
by no doubt, that was huening kai. the black-haired gazed at the flower once more, before his soft look completely vanished, like that time he'd left taehyun alone at the forest just yesterday. he raised his head, and looked over to where the pink-haired was standing.
thankfully, the boy instantly hid behind the large wall of ivy and hydrangea, which left him unnoticed.
"...huh." kai pursed his lips, before walking over to somewhere else. taehyun swore he heard some metal chair legs scrape the floor. seriously? there were chairs in greenhouses? even weirder to find those in abandoned ones, are ceremonies held there, or something?
ceremonies? greenhouses? no way that would happen, what a stupid thought.
taehyun was afraid. he wanted to go over and just hand him the strawberries, run and hide, but at the same time, he just wanted to sit there and enjoy the fact he was at least in a few meters radius within the boy. fuck, no, that's just idiotic.
come on, don't be a dumbass, just do something! taehyun furrowed his eyebrows, before having an idea come to mind. was it risky? not really, but it was probably going to end up with him accidentally being thrown or slammed onto the ground.
kai hummed, trying to think of things taehyun seemed to be like. seems cold on the outside, but kind in the inside... oh, perfect. he wrote it down, smiling at the thought of the boy.
ah, right. he wasn't coming back. kai's smile quickly faded, as his eyes looked off to the ground for a split second, continuing to write. he couldn't help but admit, he did miss the guy. he hasn't had anyone to play with that could understand him, after all, nor any human to ever speak to in five years, he missed the feeling of genuine fun.
and once he got it, of course it had to be limited, just as temporary as his happiness could be at times. sure, of course, he loved the nature, he found nothing but joy to be out doing what he'd always dreamed to do, but it was lonely, it was tiresome, it was depressing to be out all alone despite being someone who couldn't stand the feeling of being alone.
either way, even if he chose to grow up in the cities just as any normal boy, he probably would have been dead before he turned eighteen. friends existed, family existed, but it was definitely nothing easy to find yourself relatives that seriously did care about you, let alone friends.
friends... friends, classmates, people in general were just cruel. they had no sense of self remorse, they had no sense of guilt with what they'd said, they had no idea how destroying they could be at times. serenity wasn't something you could find in huening kai's previous life in the suburbs, because no matter how much some friends managed to make him smile, by the end of the day, everything was just empty to him. no amount of happiness was able to fix that.
he wanted to cry, scream, plead and beg to be taken somewhere far away. and after he'd done that, he had to face the consequences. who knew kai was someone to get attached so easily? one single person, he already missed them.
but it wasn't just for the sake of being attached, it was because taehyun was the most authentic person he'd ever met. he didn't know how to explain it, but with all the years of growing with fake friends, with people who never even cared for his own efforts, he could tell. he could tell whether someone was being ingenuous or not, he could tell if they weren't feeling well and wanted space.
taehyun was the first person who actually bothered in asking him to share things, and let stuff out. back then, kai had to keep it all in with the fear of people seeing him as less of a person, as a weakling, as someone who was just broken in the inside.
nobody really cared. he knew that, he knew that deep down. it pained him, and when he noticed that anything else could be more genuine than the comforting words kai would have gotten. they comforted for the sake of comforting, they preferred him when he was happy just because they didn't want to deal with him and his stupid problems, they didn't care about his health, they only cared about his fake little happy self.
at this point, the more he thought about it, the more he began to have second thoughts on taehyun. to think a person seriously cared about him, it seemed unreal. fourteen years, 5,110 days of him being surrounded by nothing but fake, fake fucking assholes. how would he just suddenly find someone who seriously understood him out of the blue? it was impossible, it was just impossible.
kai sighed, dropping his carved out coal he usually uses to write with onto the dirty table, trying to focus as he'd massaged his temples. hell, thinking back to his horrible life was just a nightmare. the life where all he could do was pray and wish, the life where everything could never go his way, the times where he could feel himself at rock bottom, and nobody could help. it was horrible, it was fucking horrible. he loved to talk, but couldn't, and if he spilled too much, the fact he could tell that people were getting tired and unamused seriously made him feel like a wreck.
"god, kai, pull yourself together." he whispered, taking his hands away, but the moment he'd tried to go back to writing about the bubblegum-head boy he'd met not long ago, his eyes were immediately distracted by a rolling strawberry that just appeared out of nowhere. the red fruit took him by surprise, and he put a hand to his heart, "I thought that was blood, jeez..."
he stood up, walking over to pick it up. he scanned it, and it was obvious, that wasn't just some freshly picked strawberry from the grounds he'd take care of fruits in, it was from the marketplace, it was obvious. they didn't look fresh, but at the same time were absolutely not rotten.
oh, and they were cleaned, definitely cleaned. he furrowed his eyebrows, knowing taehyun was already gone, there was no way he'd not have left. besides, even if he ended up just deciding to stay last minute, there was no way he'd get ahold of strawberries like these.
huening kai bit his lip in thought, then looked up, met with a familiar basket covered in white fabric, a bunch of strawberries inside of it. that basket, he knew it was the one he gave taehyun, so why was it there?
he walked up to it, crouching down and looking down at it, seeing a box of... whatever pepero was, it sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't recall it well enough. he looked with a confused face, before being greeted with a surprising noise on his right.
"boo."
thursday noon, april eighth.
3:22 PM, 21st cen.
hey, before you get any weird ideas, taehyun didn't really do anything. he rolled a strawberry, put down the basket and just stood there, he didn't even try and be loud, all he said was "boo" in the most disinterested, blunt tone he'd ever used.
although, somehow, that was enough to make huening kai shriek so loud, taehyun had to cover his ears before they bled. it was horrific, like an eagle mixed with a dolphin, it was mortifying to listen to. that scream faded out, and was then ended with an "oh."
"god, huening! i thought i'd go deaf!" taehyun frowned, "what are you even doing here?!"
"what am i doing here? what are you doing here?!" the black-haired shot back, his eyes clearly showing that his mental state was dunked in a pool of fifty different emotions all at once, swirling and choking him.
"hey, i asked first!" the pink-haired crossed his arms, while kai rolled his eyes, "yeah, well, i was louder! now, tell me, what the hell are you doing here?! you should be back home, not in here! how'd you even find this place, anyway? i never took you here!"
"by searching, dumbass!" taehyun lightly hit the taller's head, "i just thought i'd pay a visit, that's all! i wanted to give you that!" he then pointed to the basket sitting on the ground.
"pay a visit? this soon? gosh, it literally hasn't even been twenty four hours yet!"
"and? that's a whole night, so don't get so ahead of yourself!" he tried to defend himself, although he couldn't compress the redness rising to his ears. he looked away, while kai furrowed his eyebrows and yelled back, "ahead of myself? kang taehyun, I am literally just stating facts with complete honesty!"
"okay, god! i missed you, alright?" he finally admit, which instantly made them both fall silent, and the air around them growing uneasy. taehyun began to grow apprehensive, biting his lip to think of a response that could save him.
"...oh." huening pressed his bottom lip upwards, turning his head to look to his right, then to the other, then back to the same side, trying to pretend he was admiring the inside of the greenhouse, "um, i did too."
"uh, and-... and, i guess i missed the lively stuff here, like the flowers, um, and the animals... the animals, definitely." he reasoned, which wasn't really a lie, he couldn't stand looking at the tedious, dull places anymore without remembering this place, although, he did lie about missing the animals. the animals... were the worst part for him.
"oh, oh. yeah, i totally get it... okay." the noir-head nodded quite aggressively, and taehyun chuckled with an unbearably awkward tone, "uh-huh..."
ah, god. things were too tense, none of them knew what to say, and the pink-haired was definitely starting to regret his decisions ever coming back, "um, what's that brown journal thing for?"
"that? oh, that. it's nothing." kai smiled, taking the journal in his hands and hiding it behind him. it looked quite big, and thick, not to mention it seemed awfully decrepit; worn out.
"you sure? it looks really... loved." the shorter raised an eyebrow, weighing uncertainty mixed along with some light emphasis on the 'loved' part. well, plainly for the fact that it was shabby, kind of outmoded. "um, it's old, yeah. just a journal for me to remember stuff... like words, synonyms, definitions... vowels... yeah."
huening kai seriously was telling the truth, though. the reason he was able to speak so clearly despite being out in the wilderness by himself for five years straight was because he studied words and wrote them all down, he put reminders about grammar, punctuation, anything that involved writing, speaking, spelling, etcetera. although, that just wasn't all. he used it to write down important pieces of information, things he wanted to remember.
"oh, okay." taehyun blinked, before going over and picking the basket up, "um... i just wanted to give you this, i hope you'll like it." he said, quickly handing it to the taller, "they're probably not as good as the ones you... you know, grow yourself, but i didn't know what else to give you."
"it's fine, a gift from you is all that matters." the other answered, beaming at the basket of strawberries in his hands. "you should eat them with me, come on!" he took taehyun's hand, using his other hand to hold both his receptacle and logbook. "huh? woah-!"
he brought him to the same statue of an angel, yet carefully avoided the flowers. he sat down nearby it, and placed the strawberries down. then, he took one and brought it to taehyun's mouth, waiting patiently.
"...um, what are you doing?"
"aren't you going to eat some?"
taehyun curved his eyebrows downwards, gently tugging on the strawberry, "i'll feed myself, thanks." he said, while kai slightly pursed his lips, "alright."
the two just chewed on the strawberries in silence, each waiting for someone to say something. taehyun was expecting a remark from kai about the difference between fresh strawberries and ones you'd find in the market, while kai was waiting for taehyun to ask him about it.
although, the taller's eyes trailed down to the small snacks. "what are these?"
"oh, you don't know what they are? those are... snacks, like, sticks."
"you can eat sticks? i don't remember that being a thing." kai gave him a muddled expression, while the shorter shook his head, "no, dummy. you know pocky?"
"yeah, i think i do."
"it's like those kind of sticks, the biscuit ones, but this is cookies and cream flavoured." he snapped the string in half with his two fingers, before bringing it up, "here, try some." he said, trying to open the box.
kai stared as the shorter struggled, "i'd help you if i knew how to open that." he commented, while taehyun chuckled lightly. then, he just decided to rip it open. he pulled out the plastic containing the sticks, and put the ripped box in his pocket. "here, just lightly pull where this line is."
"um, okay." he did what he said, and eventually opened the packet. "what now?"
"you eat." taehyun grabbed a stick and poked the taller's lips, "open."
kai blinked, before sighing and opening his mouth, and taehyun stuck it in between the teeth most typically use for chewing. he pressed his thumb on it until it snapped in half, and he took the broken off part to eat. kai did the same, and his eyes visibly lit up.
"good?"
"really good, wow." he continued to munch, while taehyun took some time to admire him. he found it adorable, to see kai so curious and cheerful was something he didn't know he needed; someone knowledgable learning something new.
he waited until huening finished, and when he needed help on how he should be eating it, he'd try to act it out for him, and answered a few of his questions.
from that moment on, taehyun decided he'd buy various sorts of snacks and visit every day, eating with kai and both of them exchanging what they know about the areas in which they live.
from that moment on, he only had a little amount of time left before he'd realized he was stuck, stuck in a situation of attachment, affection, and admiration.