𝟵: 𝗔𝗡 𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧
𝙅𝙐𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙀 𝙈𝙊𝙊𝙉
The atmosphere hung heavy and still. Birds were silent, insects hidden, and the air stagnated and silenced. The sun was shrouded by hazy clouds and the sky itself turned a sullen grey. I could even already smell the earth's aroma seeping into the air, creating a sweet smell of the approaching rain. Yes, this was a predication of the weather.
Of course... The weather had to act so stereotypical while I was here in the cemetery.
I clutched my arms close to my body to draw myself inward in an attempt to generate some form of heat. My lungs stung with each breath, as though the cold air was piercing my flesh and turning my organs into icicles. It was definitely getting colder day by day as seasons shifted.
I stared at the grave before me, the final resting place of Jaehyun, seeking out something, anything, that would allow me to escape the overwhelming grief I had felt since his death. Even now, when I felt the cold permeating my body, his absence gripped me like a vice.
It was a routine for me and Mark. - To visit Jaehyun at least once a week.
The routine wasn't always something we would success in, especially since nowadays we had busy schedules, but we always tried.
My eyes then wandered to the bouquet of roses I held in my hands.
I approached the grave and kneeled down, my knees sinking into the damp grass. I stared at the letters spelling out his words. Despite the cold morning air, my body felt hot with emotion, as though my entire being was trying to resist the urge to cry. I reached out to the place the flowers on top of the headstone, gently adjusting them so that they lie parallel with the words on the stone.
"I can't believe it..." I mumbled lowly. "Jaehyun and I actually interacted before... How could I forget that?"
Venom: It was a 10 second interaction, there were barely any eye contact nor verbal communication... Remembering that would've been impossible.
"You're right, it would've been impossible... But I also just can't believe that he had known me for a year prior our actual encounter, and that he actually.... That he..."
Venom: Liked you?
"Yeah..."
Venom: I told you already about this, but I presume you didn't think I was being genuine and sincere when I said that he was deeply into you. Jaehyun liked you, like a lot. When we found out that you apparently didn't have a "boyfriend" as Donghyuck claimed, he still kept his distance.
Venom: I quite always hated him for never shooting his shot. And uhh... No offense or anything, but when we found out you and Mark had a thing, I still rooted for Jaehyun and encouraged him to steal you.
"Ah- What? Are you serious?"
Venom: Haha, I'm sorry. I was more familiar with his history with you than with Mark. Though, having you as my host now, I realised you two idiots are meant to be for each other.
Venom: But say, Juliane... If Jaehyun shot his shot way back then, do you think things would have been different?
"You mean with me and Mark?"
Venom: Yeah, with you and Mark.
I paused and pondered.
I always wished to be wanted.
I surmised it was normal to feel like this when you've been single your entire life. You just craved that affection and bond. Even the simplest love and care were absent from my parents during my childhood. The only time I truly felt loved was because of Taeil. And of course Donghyuck and Naomi. Other than that, there was nothing else.
So you would imagine that if someone were to give their heart to me, I'd accept immediately.
But no. I would end up refusing it.
I wouldn't want it. Because I wanted this love to come from a certain person, and that was obviously Mark.
It had always been Mark. Always.
I was never tired of waiting.
It was obvious that I'm flattered and touched by the fact that Jaehyun managed to develop feelings for me, despite not truly knowing each other much. I never knew I could be capable of making somebody feel like that. But I appreciated him as a friend, and only a friend.
"I... I don't think anything would've changed." I revealed.
It was the shortest explanation ever, but I figured Venom had already read my mind, so he already got an elaborated explanation.
And as predicted, it commenced to rain.
A solitary raindrop hit the ground, then gradually increased in frequency. A sign of the impending rain. The once serene surroundings was now a dull shade of grey. The ground saturated with water and rivulets pooling around me, as I stayed unmoving in front of Jaehyun's grave.
And it proceeded.
Drip drop.
Drip drip drop.
But suddenly, it stopped.
When the rain halted, a feeling of relief washed over me, but it was soon replaced by a sense of confusion and disorientation.
I looked up, my eyes instantly drawn to the umbrella being held above my head, a strange but comforting sight. And as I looked to the side, I saw a mysterious guy standing, the one whom had a grip on the umbrella. I had no idea who it was. I couldn't even see who it was because the umbrella covered his upper body, like a barrier between us.
Curious, I tilted my head further down to take a peak.
It was a stranger. A guy to be exact.
Although he was somebody I had never seen before, something about him looked strangely familiar. He had dark hair that cascaded down his face, the gentle breeze causing it to sway. His eyes shined like silver, penetrating the very depths of a person's soul with his arresting gaze, a look of pure intensity. His lips full and lush. His shoulders however, were broad and muscular, providing contrast to the softness of his features which created a striking combination of masculine strength and feminine beauty. As expected, he was a bit drenched from the rain. He was sheltering me instead of himself.
He looked familiar. Very familiar.
The stranger cocked an eyebrow. He shifted his gaze from the gravestone, then to me. "Who are you?"
"Uh, I'm..." I muttered, my eyes shifting from the gravestone then to him. "A friend of Jaehyun."
He paused for a moment and studied my face even harder. Eventually, his lips cracked into a small and subtle smile. "Oh... I didn't know my brother had friends."
The pupils of my eyes enlarged in the wake of hearing his words. I was silent for a moment, the words of him slowly sinking in. Jaehyun had a brother? I was certain he had absent parents, but never a brother. "Jaehyun's... brother?" I whispered, barely audible as my breath catching in my throat. Shock set in as I processed this new information.
He nodded his head. He slowly crouched down next to me, now both of us protected by his umbrella from the heavy rain.
The proximity between two strangers would usually give a sense of discomfort and uncertainty, however, knowing that he was Jaehyun's brother, it felt rather comforting. He looked at me with those soft and sympathetic eyes before forming his lips into a gentle smile, and because of that, I automatically grinned back.
"I'm Jaemin. Jaemin Jung'"
"Juliane. Juliane Moon."