An average afternoon was all Felix expected of this gloomy day in Seoul. His daily routine was a repetitive cycle in which he had been executing for the past three years, never once strayed from it. The pink-haired male ambled through busy streets and swerved between cars to reach his destination as soon as possible. The seventeen-year-old wasn't the type to be distracted from habitual conduct, nor was he easily disturbed by the constant change of his surroundings; his ability to quickly adapt to different atmospheres is quite surprising.
As he made his way down a foul looking footpath, a curious sight caught his eye. What he saw was a small store with dark tinted windows, and by the display window were illuminated lights that read 'SWEET THOUGHTS'. Felix stared at the unfamiliar appearance, wondering as to how he hadn't seen it before. After a short debate with himself, it was like the curiosity switch inside his enigmatic mind had been flipped to the max, and he entered the shop, the shopkeepers bell chime resonating throughout the small-scaled place.
The high schooler gazed around like a child lost in a large shopping centre, taking in everything that was before his eyes. All the furniture was made out of dark mahogany, the tables and shelves, but those were not the objects that caught Felix's attention. Jars, some miniature, some huge, were filled with vibrant fog such as canary yellow and cerulean blue, and they were luminous. Behind the counter was a young boy who looked to be around Felix's age, perhaps a little older, beaming brightly as he watched him. Soon enough, the employee strode up to the boy, who still seemed to be in a daze.
"Good afternoon sir, welcome to Sweet Thoughts! May I help you with anything?" The boy asked politely.
Felix, still in a headspace of bewilderment questioned in his deep voice, "what is this place?"
"This is a place where you can buy your desired dreams. We have happy dreams, sad dreams, funny dreams, and if you're looking for something more thrilling, we've got a special selection of nightmares as well! All prices are below 40,000 won, so all is affordable."
Buy your desired dreams? This all sounds impossible!
Felix was shocked at the worker's dialogue; he had never heard of such a bizarre thing.
"If you need any assistance, just give me a shout and I'll be with you right away!"
The employee then walked back to his previous post, leaving Felix to wander around as he pleased. When the boy was nearly finished with looking around at the many displays of different dreams, Felix finally came to look at the very last case, although this case in particular only had one small glass jar that held a light rouge fog, sealed with a cork stopper. The plaque of this display wasn't gold but silver and written in script font was 'AFFECTION!'. The description underneath read, 'come. let's get lost in each other. deeply. drown me altogether and until our hearts beat slowly as one.'
Felix stared at the jar, wondering what mystery it held; he had to unveil its concealment, "Excuse me!"
As soon as those words left the boys mouth, the employee came rushing to the boy's service.
"Have you found something that has perked your interest, sir?"
"Yes, this one," Felix pointed towards the object in which he desired to be in his possession.
The other grinned, "Wise choice, sir! This is a very special dream and will grant the user immense euphoria. Let me get you a dream clutch to go along with your purchase."
After buying a dream in a jar, Felix finally made his way back home. When entering the house, a sickening smell entered his nose, through his nostrils and sent this brain into a frenzy. The sound of metal coming into contact, an ambulance siren wailing, the sight of mangled bodies covered in blood, and the undeniable smell of smoke.
Breaths turned into shallow gasps as the pink-haired male fell to his knees wheezing, tears spilling over his brightened cheeks. His mother, Jisong, and his younger sister, Cassie, came rushing into the room covering the lower halves of their faces with their sleeves.
"Felix! It's okay, calm down," Jisong cried as she gripped her son's shoulders, "it's over. You aren't there anymore. Just breathe."
Felix's coughing slowed down to a stop, his sobs quieting down to sniffles, "Mum, I saw dad and Henry."
Cassie gave him a look of pity, "It's okay, Felix. It's all in the past, there isn't anything we can do about it. Father and Henry would've wanted you to move on."
The boy set his gaze down to the floor and nodded, "I'm going to go and get some rest."
Moving his way towards his bedroom, Felix wiped away his tears while holding onto the dream clutch and the jar. When he had entered his safe place, he hurriedly showered, changed into his pyjamas and sat down on his mattress. On his nightstand was the jar and the dream clutch; he grabbed them both, using the dream clutch to capture a portion of the substance inside the hollow glass. The dream clutch looked very much like a mesh infuser tong, except it has a tube connected to the mesh ball. He inhaled the vapour through the tube, then exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. He slowly made his way under the balmy covers, resting his head on the soft pillow. For a few moments, the Australian stared blankly at nothing, thinking of what awaits him in his dream. He then switched off the lamp on his bedside table, his eyelids fluttering shut as he fell into a peaceful slumber.
Felix's eyes opened in a snap. Standing in the middle of a white blanket of daisies, the sun shining brightly down on the scenery, the boy wondered where he was. Ah, it's the dream, he realised as he looked around. Then suddenly, a mellifluous voice spoke, "Hello."
Felix turned to see a raven-haired boy looking straight at him; his wide eyes a deep brown, his jaw sharp and angular, and his cheeks round and plump. In a way, he reminded Felix of a small rabbit.
"The flowers are beautiful, don't you think?" The unknown boy asked.
The pink-haired male replied, "Yes, it is beautiful, one of the most glorious sights I've ever seen."
The other smiled a toothy smile, and Felix couldn't help but unconsciously smile back.
"Who are you?"
The question flew out of the Australian's mouth before he could stop them, but the newcomer composedly answered, "My name is Changbin; Seo Changbin."
It was strange, the two were strangers but they already felt comfort within each other. It was like having a reunion with an old friend except finding someone completely new blossoming inside, and perhaps a little more. Felix felt his heart skip a beat as they gazed at each other, just enjoying the other's presence. Soon enough, the older stranger cleared his throat and asked, "What is your name?"
The two sat in the field and talked for who knows how long, but to them, it felt like an eternity of bliss. Each exchanged word was filled with sincerity and honesty, and a sweet bond was formed between the two teenagers; it felt as if they had known each other long before they had actually met. Laughter was thrown into the open air, smiles spread across pale faces and light blush tinted their cheeks. Then Felix began to feel drowsy, his eyelids growing heavy and vision slowly fading to black. He was gently guided by Changbin's hands to the bed of grass below them, laying his back on the soft surface. Before sleep consumed him, he heard the other boy whisper, "I'll wait for you. See you again soon."
Felix's eyes reopened to sunlight shining through his bedroom window. His heart thumped rapidly as he remembers his dream, his face getting heated. The seventeen-year-old got ready for school hastily, wanting to tell his friends everything that had happened. As he grabbed a muesli bar from the pantry, Cassie poked her head into the room, "Hey Felix, are you alright now?"
The boy gave his younger sister a warm smile, "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Good, then I don't have to worry. Enjoy your day at school."
She waved her brother goodbye and left, and shortly after so did Felix.
The bell for the first period rang, echoing through the large hallways and bouncing off the walls of J.Y.P High. The pink-haired male walked into the classroom to find his two friends, Seungmin and Hyunjin already seated at the back of the room. He strode over to his desk, sat down and turned towards the other two, "Guys, there's something really important I need to talk about."
The boys stopped the conversation they were having, paying attention to what Felix had to say, Hyunjin said, "We're all ears, go on."
For the next couple of minutes, Felix confesses and explains the events of the night before. With each word, the other boys were astonished; how was all of this even possible? By the time the Australian was finished talking, Hyunjin's jaw was hanging and Seungmin's eyes were doubled in size.
"You aren't playing with us, are you Felix? This all sounds like a part of a child's imagination," Seungmin said, still dumbfounded by the boy's story.
"No, I'm being serious."
"So, you dreamt of a guy, and you felt something?" Seungmin asked, wanting to know every detail.
A blush tinted Felix's cheeks, his ears turning crimson, "I-I don't know. In the dream, when I was with him, I just felt really happy."
"Ah, there it is. That feeling, my friend, is the feeling you experience when you're in love," Hyunjin said positively.
"Love?"
"Yeah, the kind that Hyunjin and I have," Seungmin nonchalantly replied, swinging his arm over his boyfriend's shoulder.
Now it was Hyunjin's turn to blush. He looked down at his lap, his face bright red. Felix laughed at the sight. Then he thought about what Hyunjin said. Love? Is that what it was? The seventeen-year-old hadn't had a romantic relationship in his life, nor did he experience small crushes when he was younger, especially with boys. He grew up thinking he was heterosexual due to small admirations for females, but now he knew that's all it was; admirations.
Over the next couple of months, the jar filled with the pink fog became emptier with each dose Felix took, and with those doses came beautiful memories. Every time he had a dream, his feelings for Changbin grew fonder and his heart opened wider. When the older boy smiled, he could feel his heartbeat accelerate and would feel a warm sensation inside.
One day as Felix picked up the dream-filled jar and prepared to consume another portion, the clear sound of constant beeping echoed through the house, then the smell. Smoke. He stood frozen, moments from his past were repeating in his mind as the pollution made its way into his room, up his nose and into his lungs. Felix started to cough, and then his oxygen gave out. His hands flew to his throat as he was inhaling sharply for air, dropping the glass object he was holding. It shattered into small shards, scattered among the tie floor, its contents gone. The boy was still gasping for air, soot covering his clothes and face. He collapsed onto the ground beneath him and laid unmoving.
Much time has passed since the day of the fire and since then, Felix couldn't remember anything about the few months prior to what happened, including the dreams and Changbin. All that happened was erased from his memories as if they never existed in the first place. From time to time, he was asked by Hyunjin and Seungmin if he remembered any of the things he told them, and he would always reply with, "What are you guys talking about?"
Felix strode into his favourite plushie store, looking around at the mundane space; the bright pastel colours were always comforting. He made his way to the back of the store, where all of the small stuffed animals were. As he browsed the aisles, he came across a section filled with black-furred rabbits. The pink-haired boy selected one and stared at it intently. Why does it look, more so feel, so familiar? Suddenly, a voice next to him whispered, "How cute."
That voice, the voice that dripped with honey and was so harmonic that it could melt even the coldest of hearts. The Australian looked up to see a boy with raven hair, looking up at the rabbit plushies. Felix could feel his heart racing, almost jumping out of his chest. He didn't know why he felt like this, this sudden longing, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Who are you?"
The other turned around, and when seeing Felix's face, he smiled, "My name is Changbin; Seo Changbin."
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word count : 2,173 words
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