The love that called me without fear
SEONGHWA SHUFFLED FORWARDS stepping over a couple of flowery logs for fear of crunching them.
Rays of light cut through the dense canopy of trees, remnants of the afternoon sun going down peacefully.
Spring day was coming to an end, soon to be replaced with the hot summer weather.
As he walked in the woods he heard the repetitive drumming of woodpeckers in the trees and the familiar shuffling of creatures in the bushes going about their lives. Seonghwa was soon to realise that walking in the woods was never a lonely activity. He was among a multitude of other creatures. He stopped for a moment to admire vivid wild flowers circling the truck of an oak tree like an idyllic frame. The scent of flowers and fresh earth wafted through the air and Seonghwa felt at peace in this environment full of life.
Hongjoong had been right, it wasn't always barren and cold, ghastly and frozen.
This place was enchanting, dragging him in its embrace and coaxing his inner energy.
It had been five years since he'd been gone. Five years that he had left him here, alone.
He hadn't forgotten his time here, no. But he had stored it away in a corner of his mind and had not considered it again since. It was a chapter in his life that he had lived through and passed. His time here was like a love letter he couldn't read again yet refused to throw away. However, he had returned after many years, nostalgia suddenly taking hold of him. He couldn't help but come back to it one last time.
Seonghwa's eyes suddenly widened and he quickened his steps before kneeling down in front of a familiar tree stump. It was covered in moss and grass but it had held up all these years. Seonghwa could only express his gratitude. He stroked the top of the tree stump, removing the dirt and moss covering the wood. His lower lip trembled slightly when he saw the inscriptions carved into it. It had been so long...
The echoes of their winter days remained as snowflakes immune to the hot rays of the summer sunshine. The happy memories came surging through his mind as strangers and he welcomed them in.
This wood was a sanctuary of memories, where his inner self could rest. He felt at ease, he felt at home.
He sat on the tree stump and he hummed contentedly closing his eyes.
He stayed like that for hours, sitting still, letting his mind rest. It was only the rustling of bushes that made him open his eyes. He looked up at the noise and his heart froze in his chest, a lump forming in his throat.
Out from behind high bushes and trees a blond man appeared carrying in one hand a bunch of wildflowers and ferns.
Surely sensing a presence not far away, he looked up from the ground. His eyes widened, he dropped his flowers and let out a gasp of shock.
Seconds passed, Seonghwa's eyes took him in, struggling to comprehend that the man standing right in front of him wasn't one of the numerous memories he had kept safely locked up in his mind, and that he was real. His brain couldn't formulate any thoughts, he was lost, he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
He slowly stepped forward, scared that if he stayed still one more moment the other would disappear. He tried to speak but his voice faltered into unintelligible croaks, he wanted to call out his name, he wanted to tell him how much he had missed him but he was scared the other wouldn't believe him and would think he's lying.
Maybe he'd forgotten about him, maybe he'd given up on waiting for him, maybe he had given up on hoping he might return one day.
Seonghwa was clueless as to what to do.
He moved again now close enough to touch him. His eyes were the same as when he'd first met him, - a warm golden brown with a slight mischievous glint to them. He looked like the young man he met five years ago. The blond man then raised his hand silently, trembling slightly before gripping Seonghwa's shirt.
"I know you're not coming back, I know you won't return, and I'm trying my hardest to be okay with that but- his voice cracked and he shook Seonghwa's shirt in his hands.
It is then that Seonghwa felt himself snap inside like brittle glass and felt the shards puncturing his heart. He couldn't utter a single word, his eyes were burning, his throat was knotted and he gripped at the other man's shirt.
"Hongjoong," he whispered.
He was right here. He was right in front of him, couldn't he see? He was real, he'd returned, he was home.
Tears welled up in his eyes and ran down his cheeks, his mouth opening and closing desperately to say something yet incapable at the same time.
The blond watched him break right before his eyes. His face remained pained, his movements nearly robotic as he held onto the shirt, but something shifted in his gaze.
"Why...why did you leave me?" his voice broke.
A sick, hollow ache formed inside Seonghwa and he stayed there shaking as tears poured out of him.
"I thought...I thought you had forgotten me..."continued the man.
He began to hiccup while his tears fell continuously like a steady rain.
"Seonghwa...please don't do this to me...come back...come back to me..."
Seonghwa let out a strangled sob, his shoulders shaking."I'm right here...I'm right here, aren't I?"
"Seonghwa..., the other whimpered. Seonghwa...what do I do...? I don't know what to do..."
His knees buckled and he fell to the ground.
One moment they were apart and the other Seonghwa held the blond in an embrace. An embrace that told him everything would be alright.
"Don't go, not again." croaked Hongjoong sobbing heartbreakingly and clinging to him.
Seonghwa had lost him once. He had no intention to lose him again.
"I won't..., he choked out feebly. Not if you still want me..."
Hongjoong lifted his head and stared into Seonghwa's eyes, a new spark ignited them.
"Oh, how I've missed you..., he whispered gently stroking the other's hair. But now you're here..."
It was all Seonghwa needed to hear.
"I've missed you too..."
Hongjoong had made himself part of Seonghwa's life and so, in a way, he would always be.
After so many years apart they both had a new chance to create new memories, and wasting time was not part of their plans.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
*.✩ 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖾:
It's finished...it's done, completed...and now I'm sad xD. It's a bit cheesy and corny though loll sorry.
The term is starting tomorrow so I'm thankful I've finished it on time but damn...I'm going to miss it so much :') I'm crying loll.
I thought I was bad at romance but Yo I'm quite proud of my work! Especially like I don't really read 100% romance stories. There's always action in anything I read.
What did you think about the whole story? Leave your opinions I'll gladly read them xD!!
...I'm still lamenting the fact that it's over. I've been writing it nearly everyday and now that it's finished what am I supposed to do? I'm lost, help xD!! I suppose I'll go back to writing "Vengeful Past", I haven't updated it in AGES!
Anyway, I hope you liked it as I did writing it!
ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Hug me (cover by Yeosang) ¸♩·¯·♬¸¸ •᎑•¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸
- Seraphine -'ღ'-