title : another world
genre : fluff, slight angst
warnings : none
word count : 7003
start / end : 23 October 2023
NOT PROOFREAD
Han Jisung, rapper and songwriter of 3RACHA, a group that consists of Bang Chan and Seo Changbin. He was known for his talent in the music industry, along with his personality. He had a cute yet hot appearance and many fans were impressed by his duality. Jisung was the type of person who would make you happy even if he himself was feeling down. He keeps everything to himself and no one really knows him except for his two buddies, Chan and Changbin.
Love was something Jisung thought he would have never experienced. He spent his life focusing on his music career, already happy with what he had. Having a partner or being in a relationship was the last thing Jisung thought about— he just didn't have a reason to date someone when everything he needed was right there with him.
Everything sat right with him and he was satisfied with how things were, except for some things. Not many people know but Jisung suffers from a horrible amount of anxiety. He was always very nervous before concerts and would not know how to calm himself down if it weren't for his two friends. Despite being extremely close to the two of them, Jisung rarely opens up about his problems and it makes his friends worried for him.
Just because he looked fine on the outside, it doesn't necessarily mean that he was okay from the inside. He was like a positive looking artwork with a negative story behind it.
In another world, there was a boy called Lee Minho. He was from another, supposedly, universe and had the ability to communicate with people from Earth through their dreams. He had explored and experienced many different types of lives of many different people and their hardships but things for him had become exceptionally boring.
Minho's world was... interesting. Just like earth, many of their people were assigned to certain countries and were born with the ability to speak that country's language, even the different dialects if included, and english. Everyone had their own things to do, living their lives in the clouds and hanging out with each other whenever they wanted.
It was indeed a world of freedom.
Minho's family was apart of the council of Korea. Those who were part of this community had the power to view people's lives and meet them in their dreams. About 25% of the people assigned to Korea had the ability to do this and it varies from each country.
One evening, Minho was sat on a soft and fluffy cloud, staring into different mirrors of how people would conduct their day. "This is boring... I haven't come across anyone interesting at all today." The boy mumbled to himself as he looked around his surroundings, using his mind to control the movements of each mirror, moving them away and watched as the different people shown on each smooth surface moved about.
"No... next, next.. too confusing... too simple.. next— Ooo, this looks interesting! Who is this?" Minho excitedly talked to himself and went through an information sheet given when he touched the frame of the mirror. "Minho?" The boy looked behind him and saw his mother standing on the cloud he previously sat on, gazing softly at him. "Yes, mother?"
Mrs Lee smiled and walked gracefully towards her son, each of her gestures from the tilt of her head to the movement of her arms, was executed with elegant finesse. "Have you come across a boy called Han Jisung yet? He's 20 years old and is a rapper from a group called 3RACHA, I suppose."
Minho looked back at the sheet of information of the person he was looking at a few seconds ago. "I assume it's that boy right there, right?" He looked at the mirror and back to his mother, meeting her eyes and received a nod. "Your father and I, along with the seniors of the council, had agreed that you could maybe help this boy through what he's going through right now." The boy gave his mother a contorted look that suggested confusion.
"May I know why? He looks like he's enjoying his life to me. It looks pretty interesting!" Mrs Lee smiled at her child's innocence and continued her statement with a brief explanation, "Dear, this boy is suffering quietly when no one is around. He hides behind a locked door and cries himself to sleep, not knowing how to heal himself from the pain he suffers daily. No one knows about his situation so no help is offered and—"
"And only we, or in this situation I, can help him get through what he's dealing with." Minho continued his mothers' speech with a sigh. "Mother, with all due respect, you do know that I can't help someone without knowing what their problem is, right?"
Mrs Lee nodded, "Right, so we want you to discover his problem since we don't particularly have a lead on why he's suffering in silence. You can do that, right? Or do you think it's too much? I can always ask someone else if you want."
Minho thought about it for a while. He figured that he had nothing better to do and he had the most experience in helping others through their problems in his world so why not? "It will be no problem, mother. When will I see him?" Minho asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. Mrs Lee was over the moon that her son had accepted the offer, her eyes softening and her muscles relaxing. "You may see him tonight if you wish, honey. May you have a wonderful day, I will be taking my leave now." Minho nodded and gave his mother a hug before she walked away, disappearing into the clouds.
The boy wondered about who this Han Jisung was. He was definitely an interesting lad and Minho was already engrossed in this man's life with just a brief description. He didn't know why or how, it just happened but he was not complaining. "Let's see what he does on a daily basis." Is this considered stalking in their world? Minho thought to himself and shrugged his shoulders, not thinking much about it.
That was how the male spent the rest of his previously boring evening. He was fascinated by how this Han Jisung 'worked' and eventually forgot about dinner with his parents. "Minho? You need to eat dinner, darling." Mrs Lee said as she rested a hand on her son's shoulder. This made Minho snap out of his observation of Jisung, his stomach growling softly as if on cue.
"Looks like your stomach agrees with me. C'mon, you need to eat before going into the boy's dreams." Minho perked up at the mention of the boy he was assigned to help.
"Okay!"
Jisung was currently in the studio, wrecking his already drained brain trying to think of lyrics for 3RACHA's new single. He had gotten some ideas from Chan but his brain didn't seem like it wanted to work with him anymore. Changbin tried helping him out by giving him a few references he had found online similar to the topic of their new song but like before, his brain did not want to cooperate with him.
Oh how he wished a random angel would pop up in his life and give him advice and comfort for the rest of his life— not that his friends don't already do that but it was only until a certain extent. He was still scared of opening up to them, no matter how many times they convinced him that it was fine to tell them what was wrong.
He needed someone he could really talk to. Someone who would listen to his problems and understand his situation, making an effort to help him along his journey in life. Managing the hate and verbal violence from haters and solo stans was enough to make him think negatively. Imagine that and more problems being thrown at him by his family.
Suddenly, the male had gotten a call from his oh-so-wonderful mother.
His parents were not really supportive of his choice of career and would always try to get him to move back to England, where they were currently staying at, whenever they had the chance to. It sucked. Jisung was devastated that his sweet and loving parents could be so cruel. However, that was only one part of the family's behaviour towards the poor male.
Jisung had an older brother studying in the medical field and a younger brother studying engineering. Knowing that their middle child wanted to pursue the fine arts of music, Jisung's parents were not the brightest.
"Jisung, honey, I have something important to tell you." Jisung's mother spoke through the phone when Jisung picked up. The boy grimaced at the sickening sweet and innocent voice his mother used. She was definitely the polar opposite of honey. "Mom, why are you still contacting me when you're the one that told me to stay away from you in the first place." Jisung said while rolling his eyes.
Mrs Han gasped dramatically into the phone and said in a strict tone, "Han Jisung, that is no way to speak to your birth mother." The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Mother? If you were my mother, then why did you leave me in Korea and moved to England? Why won't you support me in my career choice? Why the fuck can't you just be proud of me for once in my life and stop comparing me to Jihwan and Jiho?!" Jisung ranted his heart out, rendering his so-called mother speechless. "Han Jis—"
"Do not Han Jisung me. I am sick and tired of you making me feel like shit, forcing me to quit my current job and work as something else which I probably won't enjoy." Jisung took a breath before continuing, "All my life you said you wanted the best for me but now that I think about it, you were just acting straight up selfish. Have you ever thought of how I felt when you talked to me about becoming a lawyer in the future? No. All you thought about was the money that came with it. Have you ever thought about my happiness if I eventually take up the job? Have you ever had a single thought of letting me live my life as myself, without you being such a controlling bitch about my future all the fucking time? I have always thought to look up to you but now, I don't even want to consider you as my mother."
"Look, Jisung—" Mrs Han was again being interrupted by Jisung. "It was always 'be like Jihwan and earn good money, marry a nice woman and treat her well.' or 'even Jiho, your younger brother, is going to have a brighter future than you.' I'm successful right now, aren't I? To you, I'm not. You always compare me to my siblings as if I'm an object and you don't even treat me like a proper human, let alone you son! 'Oh, you're successful now but you don't earn as much as your brothers and I can guarantee that you'll just fall back down to square one next time.' I don't fucking care! At least I'm happy unlike Jihwan. Have you seen him?! He's spent so much time studying, before he became a doctor, that he couldn't sleep for days— weeks even! You forced him into a career he didn't want to be in in the first place, as well as Jiho."
"Jisung, if you will just let me speak—" Jisung's voice was strained and tears were coming out of his eyes. "No! All you do is care how much your children make and show off to your stupid little friends like we're some prizes to be shown on display and—"
"Jiho is in the hospital you dipshit!" That one sentence made Jisung's heart crumble into bits and pieces of cookie crumbs. "W-What?" Jisung gritted his teeth and stared in disbelief into the sky. "Jiho caught a really bad cold and is in the hospital. Your brother is on fucking vacation and I can't contact him because he wants to spend some quality time with his goddamn wife. Me and your father don't have enough money and we wanted you to send us some to pay for your stupid brother's hospital bills."
Jisung felt his heart rate increase at this sudden news. How? Why? When? Why now of all moments? "H-How much is it?" As much as Jisung hated his parents, he still loved his siblings very much. "About 1,540,00 won."
"Is it really that bad?" His voice cracked when he talked and the tears eventually became flowing waterfalls. Mrs Han sighed into the phone and said a small yes, to which Jisung replied with a question, "W-When do you need it?" His mother took a while to reply, muting herself before answering. "Before the end of this week."
With that, the call had ended.
Jisung could not believe the amount of money his mother had needed from him. How was he supposed to get at least 1 million won before the end of the week? He still needed some money for himself and 1 million was a lot to take out from his wallet if he were to withdraw it right then. His next paycheck was probably not that soon so he needed some money from his friends. However, Jisung didn't want to burden them financially since they already had to take care of him because of his anxiety.
"I'll just pay them today and hope I'll survive with the amount of money I have left until my next paycheck..." Jisung murmured to himself and dialed the number of his mother again. He told her that he could send the money now and would want to have a photo of his brother's medical bill before sending the money over. He got a photo of the bill and his brother in the hospital bed and sighed before sending over the 1,540,000 won to his mother.
Without a thanks or goodbye, the phone went silent and the line had been disconnected. Jisung buried his face into his palms and sighed, checking his bank account to see how much money he had left.
About 100,000 won left. That's not too bad if he gets his pay before next month. Truth be told, Jisung regularly donates money to a local animal shelter near his old house, hence why he has very less money compared to his pay. A low groan escaped from the boy's lips and he buried his head into his arms, hoping that his little brother would be okay.
"Jisung? You there, bro?" A voice could be heard from the studio door, knocking thrice before opening it. "Hey, you've been in here for a while now. You okay?" The gentleness in Chan's voice made Jisung relax a little, his shoulders slumping against the chair he was currently sitting on. "Yeah, I'm great. No, what do you think, Chan? I can't seem to think of any god darn lyrics." Well, it wasn't exactly a complete lie for Jisung to say that. He was seriously struggling with the lyrics.
Chan patted Jisung on the shoulder and said, "You can go home and clear your mind for the rest of the day, okay? Stop stressing yourself out too much, it's not very good for you." Jisung nodded and thanked the older, packing his things up and tidying the table before getting up from the chair and walking out of the studio with Chan by his side.
"Minho, dear. Since you're going to be helping the boy, we figured that by only seeing him at night, specifically in his dreams, it wouldn't be enough." Mrs Lee started, "So maybe you could meet him during the day as well?" Minho shot his mother a confused look and asked how he would see the boy without going into his dreams.
Mrs Lee giggled and energetically explained, "Only the people with authority can have and use a special power to meet humans on earth by teleportation." Minho slowly took in the new information from his mother and nodded slowly. "So I can see him whenever I want?" Mrs Lee nodded and smiled softly, melting when she saw her son's eyes light up as bright as the stars.
The boy happily finished his food and asked his mother another question, "So I can go right now if I want to?" Another nod came from Mrs Lee as she told Minho how to teleport his way to earth. "Only Jisung can see you so don't worry about your appearance and all that. Have a safe trip, darling."
Minho closed his eyes and touched the mirror frame that portrayed Jisung's life. He felt his feet being lifted from the ground and his weight like a feather. When he opened his eyes again, he was at a different location. He figured that he was in Jisung's house since he had touched his mirror frame before going to Earth.
The boy looked around, curious about the things around him and wondered where that Jisung boy was. As Minho was roaming around the unfamiliar household, he heard a click come from behind him and he whipped his head around as quickly as possible.
Jisung unlocked the door to his house with a sigh. He was trying to think of suitable lyrics for the song again but to no avail. As he pushed the door open, he saw a male standing in his living room. The boy was confused and flabbergasted when he met eyes with the unknown person. "Who are you?" Minho blinked once and then twice, looking Jisung up and down before cautiously moving towards him. "Are you Han Jisung?"
Now, Jisung was scared. How did this random intruder know his name— yet knew where he lived? When he observed Minho for a while more, he realised that he was quite different from him. Sure, he had the aspects of a human being but the male had small stars on his face, followed by crystal blue eyes. "Hello?"
Jisung snapped out of his trance and slowly nodded, backing away from Minho as he was still cautious about the male. "Oh okay, well, that's good. I thought I was at the wrong place for a second... then again, only you can see me while everybody else can't." Minho stopped his tiny rant and slowly looked back up at Jisung. He saw the boy's confused expression and held back a laugh.
"Hi, I'm Minho. I'm from another world where some of our people have the ability to see you people on earth through your dreams. We're basically like you all except that we live in the clouds." Jisung furrowed his eyebrows and mouthed a 'what' to Minho. "Well, I'm here to see you because my mother told me to help you in whatever situation you're in, which I need to figure out on my own. I got here by teleportation, that's why you're not seeing me in your dreams right now. Only I am visible to you and no one else can see me."
Jisung stared blankly at the boy and stood still like a statue, not knowing what to do at that moment. Minho walked closer towards Jisung and poked his cheek, giggling softly at how chubby the other was. Jisung was taken aback by the sudden action and jerked backwards, scaring Minho as well. "So you're just going to stay here... and go back whenever you want?" Jisung asked Minho with slight confusion etched into his voice. Minho nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah, basically."
"Ok, well, what are you supposed to do now...?" Minho kept quiet, thinking of a way to help the other without knowing what his problem was. Maybe he could bring Jisung somewhere to have fun and get his mind off of things. "C'mon, I'll bring you somewhere to clear your mind!"
Minho knew a place that contained the most breathtaking species of nature. He had known this place for a while now and it was because he saw an elderly woman going there before she passed away. Jisung felt Minho's cold touch against his warm hand and shivered at the feeling, letting himself relax into the cooling sensation of the older's hand.
He was intrigued by how his world works and all he had in mind was Minho and about his life, forgetting that he had to come up with a verse of lyrics in the first place. Maybe having Minho by his side would actually help him.
Minho led Jisung to an unknown place filled with different species of plants and animals. The enchanted forest was what Minho called it.
In this enchanting forest, chaos and beauty dance hand in hand, balancing each other out just well. The forest floor was a jigsaw puzzle of fallen leaves and tangled vines, making every step a new discovery. Mossy boulders, cloaked in emerald green dotted the landscape, offering cozy nooks for woodland creatures to hide. Above, the branches of ancient trees tangle and twist, their leaves a riotous display of every possible shade of green, the details sharper than the tip of a knife.
Shafts of dappled sunlight pierced through the dense foliage, casting enchanting patterns on the forest floor. Amidst the seeming disorder, a symphony of life thrives. Birds sing in a chorus of melodies, their vibrant plumage a fleeting glimpse among the leaves. Fungi of all shapes and sizes burst forth from decaying logs, adding bursts of colour to the woodland tapestry.
This messy but beautiful forest is a testament to nature's creativity, an untamed masterpiece where every detail, no matter how disheveled, contributes to its wild, captivating allure.
However, deep within the forest was a clear lake with a beautiful view of a majestic waterfall. Jisung gawked at the sight and let out a ragged breath, "Wow." Minho smiled brightly and looked at Jisung. His eyes were shining and they held a type of happiness no words could describe.
He walked towards the mesmerising lake, observing the waters in awe as he spotted some fish swimming in the lake. Jisung, at that moment, had forgotten all his problems and focused on the cute and beautiful fishes in the water. They were of different colours and it amazed Jisung to see such beautiful species of different fishes in a lake so small.
"C'mon! Do you want to go into the water? It's shallow so I don't really think someone could drown in there." Jisung let out a small chuckle and nodded, happy to have someone hanging out with him. The two of them took off their shoes and slowly walked into the sapphire blue waters, Jisung shivering from the cold temperatures of the lake. He carefully stepped into the lake and bent down to observe the fishes a bit closer, like a curious child observing the world around him.
Minho smiled and put his hand under the water, not even a few seconds later and three fishes were already swimming towards him. "Awh! Hi Yuyu, you still remember me! I haven't been here in so long." Minho said as he gently touched the scales of a patterned fish. Jisung looked at the interaction with big doe eyes, a cute expression residing on his face.
The boy felt something nibbling at his feet so he looked down to see what it was. To his surprise, a white goldfish was what was nibbling at his feet. He has never seen a white goldfish before so it made him wonder if they actually existed or if that was the only one of its species.
"That's Opal, he's the only white goldfish in the world but no one has ever found him yet." Jisung let out a sound of astonishment and wiggled his finger on Opal's scales, "He's cute like you." Minho froze in his spot, the tip of his ears becoming red as he tried to process what the younger had just said. Jisung whistled a soft tune as if he hadn't said anything and continued observing and playing with the fishes but deep inside he was panicking.
'Oh my god, why did I say that. He might think I'm weird now and probably won't want to see me ever again— what am I even thinking right now?' Jisung frantically thought as he tried to brush off what just happened by interacting with the fishes in the lake. Minho covered his burning ruby face and inhaled sharply, still flustered from what Jisung had said.
He didn't know how to respond to the boy's words so he just kept quiet, swishing his fingers in the water as he touched the various fishes around him. They were sitting in awkward silence and Minho couldn't take it anymore. "So, how are you now?" "I'm feeling better now, thanks for this." Minho smiled at Jisung and replied with a no problem before getting out of the water. Jisung saw Minho getting out so of course he followed.
They sat on the green patch of grass, the flowers waving in the wind as if they were greeting the two boys, and admired their surroundings once again. However, Jisung caught himself staring at the other instead. He was taken away by Minho's beauty and wondered if all the people in his world had eyes as pretty as his.
Minho had his fringe down, partially covering his face as he blew them away while his skin was practically glowing. His eyes were shining like deep pools of glistening sapphire crystals, holding an enchanting power that seemed to draw Jisung in, capturing his gaze with an irresistible magnetism. The way they sparkle with an inner light, reflecting the world's beauty and secrets, is nothing short of mesmerising and breathtaking, leaving the younger lost in the depths, unable to look away.
Jisung was spacing out and Minho caught his gaze on his face, ears heating up once more when he noticed Jisung licking his dry lips. Minho waved a hand in front of Jisung and he snapped out of his trance, embarrassed of himself for staring at Minho for so long until he had to get out of his thoughts because of him.
The boy cleared his throat awkwardly, mumbling "sorry," under his breath. Minho chuckled softly and forgave Jisung nonchalantly, smiling at how cute the younger one was. 'Is this the feeling of gaining feelings for someone? If so, then I'd want Minho to be by my side for as long as possible. He makes me feel happy and safe, makes me forget about all of my problems and can definitely cure my anxiety in the future.
It's funny how the phrase 'love at first sight' actually applies to real life situations, maybe we were meant to be together. Like soulmates.' Jisung thought as he smiled to himself, his heart fluttering at the thought of being with Minho forever.
Minho continued to meet Jisung every day, looking forward to seeing the younger every single time. The boy would go see Jisung in the day till afternoon and see him again in his dreams. Minho was barely home anymore and his parents found his behaviour extremely weird, not knowing why he went to see Jisung so often.
They always assumed that the boy's situation was worse than they expected and they brushed it off. The two of them find happiness in being together, seeking comfort and love whenever they hang out. When in the presence of Minho, Jisung radiates a contagious joy that's truly heartwarming. His eyes would sparke with affection, an infectious smile graces his face as if he had found his source of happiness, and when they lock their eyes in a loving gaze, they convey a deep connection that words could never capture— their relationship was truly one of a kind.
Together, they were a living testament to the sheer bliss of companionship, their happiness painting a canvas with strokes of warmth and love, creating a beautiful art piece to be cherished deep within their hearts.
Jisung had been much more cheerful and active in his life, especially during concerts. He was more lively and had more energy when the group was performing and playing around with fans, jumping and running around like a reckless child who was enjoying their childhood to the fullest.
Although because of this reckless behaviour he was much more clumsy on stage, he would laugh it off and stay on the floor for a few minutes, messing around with the other two males, before getting up instead of pulling himself back to his feet immediately and run off to hide behind Chan and Changbin out of embarrassment. His body language spoke volume and everyone was happy about Jisung's much more fun and child-like behaviour.
This new side of the latter was because of Minho, helping him get through the hate and his mother's constant nagging, and negative words. Minho was extra careful and patient with Jisung, treating him like the most precious and fragile thing ever. To Minho, Jisung was like a damaged gem stone in need of fixing and was scared about it breaking even from the slightest touch. Whenever Jisung complained or talked about his problems to the older, he would listen attentively and talk to him when he needed it, comforting and taking care of him in order to keep him happy and positive for the remainder of the day.
These small things which Minho did made Jisung feel like he didn't deserve to have met such a kind soul. The male was like Jisung's reason to keep living, other than Chan and Changbin, and he felt like Minho was a vital organ for him to survive.
Minho helped Jisung with his parents, observing to see what they did with the money the boy had transferred over to them a few days ago and reported back to Jisung whenever he found out something new.
The boy had figured out that his parents were indeed lying about his younger brother being in the hospital and had asked a professional editor to photoshop Jiho on a hospital bed and his fake bill. Jisung was obviously pissed at this and confronted his mother, threatening to sue her if she doesn't pay him his money back. However, despite Jisung giving his mother one last chance to return the money, the male had no choice but to call the police on her. In the end, the boy had gotten his money back. He used that money to donate to the animal shelter he had always been helping out with and they were extremely grateful for it, finally accepting the large sum of cash after much persuasion. Jisung was happy that he could help the animals in the small shelter and hoped they would find amazing homes to be in.
Minho also helped Jisung deal with the hate and negativity being thrown onto his shoulders. It was all starting to get pretty serious and the older had to step in before it got into Jisung's head and affected his mentality. Minho would reassure the male whenever he sees or hears a negative comment about him, his music or his group; deletes and reports most of all the mean and hurtful comments from every post and video as much as he could. He didn't want a repeat of what happened last time to Jisung when the hate had gotten to him and scarred him deeply.
There was one day when Jisung was scrolling through a social media platform, he had came across a video about 3RACHA and watched it with curiosity in his eyes. It turned out that the video was a hate edit about the three males and when he opened the comments, expecting to see people defending them or replying to the video with positivity, he saw comments that were asking Jisung and the others to kill themselves, that they did not deserve the awards and fame they had earned and worked so hardly for. He knew he should not scroll any further but he did it anyways, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to stop himself from reading all the hurtful and threatening replies.
When Minho had met Jisung that day, he had found the younger hugging his knees on the floor, sobbing his heart out as he struggled to breathe properly. It was heartbreaking to see the boy crying so hard and he wondered what had happened when he was gone. Minho, in the end, managed to help Jisung by telling him how he was perfect just the way he was, claiming that he didn't deserve all the hate as it was not true at all.
Minho hugged and cuddled Jisung all day, feeding and taking care of him like he was his own child. Jisung feared of the idea of Minho leaving, he was not sure if he could survive without the boy if he suddenly walked out of his life. He was happy to have Minho by his side.
"How is the boy you're taking care of, Minho?" Mrs Lee asked her son when he returned back to his own word. "He's doing well now, mom. Why are you asking?" Mrs Lee cleared her throat and patted Minho's shoulder before harshly squeezing the flesh, her nails ever so slightly digging into her son's neck. "Son, you do know that you will have to leave the boy after he is coping well with his life, right?" Minho nodded, "Isn't it time for you to leave him alone now? Surely, you haven't fallen in love with him, right?"
Minho's eyes widened at his mother's last sentence. He didn't know that it would be a problem to his mother that he liked Jisung, she knew that he was gay. All the male knew was that his mother was being extremely weird right at that moment. "And what if I told you that I did? What would you say if I happened to love Jisung? You already know about me being gay so why is me loving Jisung such a crime now?"
Mrs Lee felt her blood boil at her son's sudden change in attitude, "You do not speak like that to your own mother, Minho!" Minho rolled his eyes and told his mother to answer his questions, not knowing what had happened to his sweet and loving parent. Mrs Lee clenched her jaw and glared furiously at her son, clearly pissed. "You cannot love someone that is not a part of this world, Minho. I forbid you to do so. Never mix us beings together with those stupid, problematic humans, they are not good for you if you decide to date one."
Minho scoffed and yelled back with pure anger lacing his voice, "Since when were you the one to decide my feelings?! When were you the one who decides who I should date?! When the heck were you the one who decided my future?! Mom, not being able to accept me for liking jisung is the same as not accepting me from being gay."
Mrs Lee gasped as she raised her hand to slap Minho, "so you do like that rascal! Minho, if you do not stop seeing this boy, I will take matters into my own hands." The boy was speechless at his mother's attitude. At the start, before Minho had to go to earth to help Jisung, Mrs Lee was so elegant, sweet and kind.
Now, it was like as if a whole new person was in front and talking to him right then. Standing in front of Minho was a person he did not know growing up as a child, not the mother he knew all his life. It was as if Mrs Lee had been possessed by a demon or some other spirit because right then, he was very sure that the person in front of him was not his mother.
"Mom? What happened to you?" Mrs Lee remained quiet and glared at her son, a mix of anger and confusion written all over her face as she tried to understand what Minho meant. "W-What do you mean..?" her voice cracked as she spoke, her brain not processing what her son had asked.
Minho sighed and buried his face into his hands, saying, "What happened to you? You were so calm and had an elegant demeanour back then but now you're just acting stubborn. So what if I like Jisung? Didn't you tell me that you would be happy if I am?"
Mrs Lee froze as she tried processing everything all at once. Minho scoffed and walked away from his mother, about to go meet Jisung again when his mother stopped him. Minho looked at his mother with resentment in his eyes and tried to get her hand off his wrist but to no avail. "Lee Minho, that is no way to speak to your mother. You will stop seeing this boy as I said so. I do not want the council finding out you like this boy, they will do much worse to you than forbidding you to see Jisung."
Minho looked at his mother when she mentioned the council. What did the council have to do with his personal love life? He didn't want some stupid elderly people to control his love life and relationships, it's his choice— his life!
"How does the council have a say in what I do with my life? They don't get to control it like i'm some fucking toy, mom!" Minho's mother flinched at the harsh tone but kept her head up high nonetheless, not buying any of her son's bullshit, as she would call it. "Minho, it is forbidden here to like someone that isn't from our world. You better cut ties with that boy before I disable his mirror."
Minho looked horrified and his face was full of anger, his eyes slowly getting moist as he held back his tears. Why can't he just stay with Jisung forever? How is he going to tell him that he can't see him anymore? It's hard for him to say goodbye to someone he loved so much, heck, probably even stop seeing him for the rest of his life.
He didn't want that, not at all. But what choice did he have? The only thing he could do is agree with his mother and inform Jisung about this sudden information that would probably break him as well. All he could do was to ask Jisung to wait for him until he found a way to see him again.
The night was as beautiful as it could get. The moon hung low in the dark azurite sky, the air refreshingly cool as the scent of dew-kissed grass and wildflowers carried with it. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves as it created a soft and soothing melody, leaving anyone's mind blank and empty, their worries slowly disappearing. Stars, like tiny diamonds dancing in the sky, scattered across the celestial canvas and twinkled merrily as if sharing secrets of the universe. Constellations formed, bright and beautiful as it filled the empty spaces in the sky.
Minho made his way into Jisung's house, closing the door quietly as he walked into the male's room. To his surprise, Jisung was still awake and was currently listening to a track he made a few days ago. He was looking into the computer screen so he could see Minho's reflection and he turned around.
"Hey, what are you doing here so late?" a soft chuckle came out of the younger one after he asked. Jisung's arms were open and Minho reluctantly walked towards him, situating himself on his lap as he melted into the warm embrace.
"I needed to tell you something..." Jisung hummed and rubbed Minho's back, encouraging him to continue as they shared a long hug. Minho bit his lip and twiddled his thumbs, hesitating to tell the younger as he feared breaking his heart. But what choice did he have?
He needed to tell him, it was important.
"I— have bad news," Minho started as he checked to see Jisung's reaction, "I... can't meet you anymore. I-I tried convincing my mom but she told m-me that I h-have to cut ties with y-you or I actually won't be able to see you. F-Forever."
Jisung paused and looked at Minho, disbelief being shown in his eyes as he blinked once, then twice. His mouth hung open, words that wanted to come out being silenced and thrown into a void as he just stayed there like a statue. Minho won't be able to see Jisung? It, surely, was a joke, right? He didn't mean what he said. He was just imagining things, it's all a dream. He couldn't believe it.
"W-What? Why? Can't we stay here together, forever?" Jisung's voice cracked as he spoke, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes as he tried his best to hold it in. Minho sniffled and shook his head, explaining to Jisung that it was because of the stupid rules the council had made.
Jisung nearly broke down in tears when the realisation of not being able to see Minho anymore hit him. The male was devastated as his comfort person, his love, his soulmate, was being taken away from him. Why was life so unfair? "Don't worry, Sungie. I'll f-find a way to come back... I m-must, if not then I d-don't think I'll be able to live without seeing you."
"Promise me, you'll come back..." Minho smiled softly and held out his pinky, "One day, I promise."