Past and Future
Paramortis: A Divine Tragedy
21:02
YongHwa paced his apartment. It was dark, and the flimsy walls seemed to the winter cold inside from every direction. With nothing but his computer set-up for light, a blueish glow cast lurking shadows. His initial intention was to ignore the thumping bass shaking the foundations, just like he did every night but even after a few months of living there, he still couldn’t get used to the obnoxious schedules of the other tenants.
If someone had told him last year that he would be in his current predicament, then he would have called them crazy. However, it wasn’t until he moved into ChuSeong Block that he even understood what crazy truly meant. He liked to think he wasn’t a judgemental person, but his upbringing and the way he’d handled his recent dilemma’s were a testament against that. Still, it was one of the few things that angered him; someone instantly passing judgement on somebody else without knowing anything about them. It really got to him.
Snapped back to the present when a slam bolstered into his front door, the tenant froze. A rash of hysterical laughter and then a man’s gleeful shouting caused YongHwa to exhale a bated breath. Sneaking towards the door, the home owner peeked through the spy-hole to see a group of four staggering as they followed the direction of the most prominent set of music.
Resting his back on the wall of the foyer, the home owner let his head drop back. Eyes drifting shut, he ran a hand over his face. Heaving a breath to try and get his heartbeat to slow down, the brunette pushed himself up with a grumble. “More coffee...” Pushing his bangs off of his damp forehead, YongHwa promptly made for the kitchen. “I need more coffee.”
21:39
Bassline kicking and knock-off disco lights twinkling in time with the heavy hip-hop tune, the small apartment on Wing C throbbed with bodies. More than forty people crammed into the mostly open-plan space. Light-hearted chatter and stoned philosophical talk merged into the heavy fumes. Lazers pinned up at either end of the apartment cut through the thick, grey smoke clouds and jittering figures as bodies swayed. One of the home owners crawled up onto the kitchen counter lined with cans and bottles of booze before throwing his arms up. Holding his hands up, the man on his knees waved madly as he yelled. “HanBin-Ah!”
Catching his name, barely, the young brunette’s head snapped to attention. Holding his hand up in apology, the addressed inclined his head to the group of three girls he was talking to. Holding his plastic glass up above his head as not to spill its contents, the brunette squeezed through the party-goers taking advantage of the atmosphere.
Making it to the kitchen counter island, he was immediately slapped atop of his right shoulder. “Ki Noona hasn’t got back to me yet. Will you call her?” The man on the counter yelled, but despite the volume he put out, HanBin could just about hear him.
“I’ll call around now.” HanBin patted the speaker back on the forearm just as his friend was dragged down flat upon the worktop like Gulliver, and a couple of girls were calling out for body shots with Absinth. “You just…Have fun.” He smirked as his friend’s shirt was pulled up to reveal a set of perfectly defined abdominal muscles.
Downing the drink in the crappy party cup, HanBin plucked up a bottle of Jack Daniels from the side as he went. Holding his prize close to his chest with one hand, he fished his phone out of his jeans pocket with the other as he made for the front door. Bashed by bodies surrounding him, thrashing to the music, he tried not to accidentally press the call button.
21:43
Dressed to the point of only needing to put he corset on, KiSe stood at her fridge. Half of a smoked sausage hanging out of as she scrunched her hair with wax, the redhead hummed to the tune she knew was blasting from the next apartment along.
Two raps met her front door and she side-stepped to peek through the peep-hole. Seeing it wasn’t anyone out to kill her or any delayed trick-or-treaters, she pulled open the barrier. Crimson push-up bra causing some serious cleavage and long fishtail skirt with a dangerous split reaching the top of her thigh, she beckoned her hand without a word.
“Bobby was wondering if you forgot.” The brunette told as he entered the sweet smelling abode. Closing the door behind him, HanBin turned around to see two glass tumblers on the island. “Did you have to work?”
Quickly finishing pouring out two double shots of her pre-made cocktail, the redhead choked down the food in . “Don’t ask me about my work.” Picking up her drink, she shoved the spare glass along before downing her own.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be in half an hour.” Saying that, she picked up the extravagant corset of the other end of the counter. Slipping it over her head, she pulled at the black ties outwards to tighten the torture device.
“Do you need a hand?”
“I would ask if you had much experience in tightening corsets but…” The cord was already taken out of her grip and being pulled.
“Why do you always insist on these when every year, you end up calling me to help you get out of it?”
“I can’t undo your ed up knots.” She scoffed over her shoulder.
“You could at least keep your bottom half on until I’ve loosened it and left.” Giving one last tug, the man tied the end at her waist.
“Do you think if I didn’t share baths with you way back when, then things would be different?” Grinning, she turned around. the bottle of Jack towards her, KiSe poured out another set of double shots with a smirk and a panorama full of s.
“As I remember, you didn’t have a body like that back then.”
“I knew you looked.” Unfazed by his remark or her own taunting, the home owner necked the drink before her guest had even got a sniff of his own. “We should go. It’s nearly midnight.”
Placing the glass in the sink, the redhead meandered around the space. Taking her the article off the hanger clipped to the side of the cupboard, she slid one arm through the silk cropped jacket.
21:50
Stood shivering his bollocks off, a stocky brunette paced a few steps from his motorbike. Phone held up to his ear, he waited as the dial-tone rang on.
“Yello?”
“Bo-” Feminine chatter in the background cut him off.
“Hold up.” The recipicant told and the cluttering shut of his bathroom door closing sounded. Muffled club tunes still blasted, but at least the line was as clear as could be.
“My bike gave out.” His tone was gritty and full of disbelieving rage.
“Again?” JiWon – or better known as Bobby – squarked with equal shock. “What’s this, five years on the run?”
“What can I say, she hate’s Halloween.” The brunette on the other end of the line kicked the side of his bike only to flop onto it when it threatened to topple.
“Maybe it’s trying to tell you something.”
“Yeah, that I need a new starter.”
“I’ll call you a ride. Where are you?”
“I can walk, but I don’t wanna leave her here. Can you get hold of SeKyung?”
“She doesn’t believe in Halloween, so she should do it.” Giving a hum and an ah as he rubbed away the lipstick marks from his face in the tiny bathroom mirror, JiWon waved his hand as if the other man could see him. “Start walking down.”
21:52
Entering the packed room, HanBin rested his hand on the redhead’s lower back. Nudging the wasted party goers out of the way, he directed her into the slim kitchen space. “What do you want to dri-”
A body flopped onto the counter. “Can I sell you my soul?” A wasted college student slurred, presumably in an attempt to make a joke about the woman’s devilish costume.
Attention shooting to the speaker, KiSe took the half drank beverage from his loose grasp. “You’re not worth the time it takes to sign.” With a slight shove with her left hand, she pushed he lush off the side, causing the rabble to heckle when he flailed and dropped to the cluttered floor on the other side. Turning around she sniffed the plastic cup before handing off to another stranger. “I want a cherry mix.”
Face dropping into something between sadness and confusion, HanBin stepped back with a deep breath. Ready to try and worm his way out of the past, he quirked his brow with upheld hands.
“Ki Noona!” A cry carried across the thud, and the sea of bodies parted. Shirtless and covered in lipstick marks, JiWon flopped onto the counter separating him from his newest guest. “I thought you might have been too busy killing peo-” Ragged forward by his hair, the side of the host’s face was slammed into the chipped, sticky counter.
Fist full of her victim’s hair, the redhead leaned forward with a biting snarl. Teeth brushing his ear and jaw, KiSe hissed. “The next time you mention my business in front of people, you’ll be the next body the police don’t find.”
A split second passed before JiWow frowned in confusion before that dopey- smile brightened his features. “But that doesn’t even make sense.” He almost chuckled as his cheek was squished into a foreign liquid coating the platform.
Catching the prior remark, the snappy tone, and the atmosphere radiating off the female, HanBin yanked the woman back by her strings and then smacked his foolish house-mate up the side of his head as soon as he began to sit up. “Why would you do that?” Straightening his female friend up, he growled as his roomie. “Why the would you say that in front of everyone? If you’re tuning into such an idiot already, take a nap.” He pointed off, his expression contorted enough to make anyone run a mile.
Catching a passing pitcher, the redhead curled her left arm around the man spinning out. Turning him away from his problem, the redhead forced a smile.
The song changed in that instance and the redhead merely shrugged, both of them knowing that the man didn’t mean to antagonize anyone by his joking.
'Cause I really hate being safe
The normal's, they make me afraid
The crazies, they make me feel sane
I'm nuts, baby, I'm mad,
The craziest friend that you've ever had
You think I'm psycho, you think I'm gone..’
Giving in, HanBin exhaled his irritation out. It was supposed to be a party; it had been a long standing tradition. And although some of the friends they started said tradition off with weren’t there at that very moment, it didn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy it all the same.
Picking up a plastic cup, he lobbed it at JiWon. First splashed by whatever the funky green liquid was, and then smacked on the forehead by the container, the assaulted stood there for a second, horrified. HanBin just stared at him. It was the same stare he gave whenever JiWon mixed up the laundry, or forgot the noodles when they were planning to eat ramyeon. And even though JiWon was ninety percent sure he could take the younger male if it came down to a brawl, that crazy look which sharpened HanBin’s eyes put the fear of God into him.
Slowly raising his hand, the taller brunette pointed eerily. Not being able to handle it, JiWon broke. “What? What do you want?” Eyes wide, he shouted above the music. “Jesus in’ Christ, stop!”
Cracking up, HanBin nudged the woman beside him with a mischevious grin. “It gets him every time.”
Hearing what was just said JiWon huffed in a tantrum. “You’re a rotten person. I don’t even know why I’m your friend.”
“Because I’m the only one who would share a place with your messy and deal with those awful puns.”
Holding her hand up, KiSe interjected. “I could deal with the puns.”
“But not my ?” JiWon shot a wink as he patted his own rear.
Shaking her head while laughing at the easy change in the atmosphere, the redhead threw another paper cup at the idiot. “Just make me a drink, already.”
The front door opening caused the trio to pause their joking to see who was joining them. Noticing the familiar face, KiSe threw her hand up to get his attention. “MinHo!”
Squeezing through the crowd, the angry looking male pushed a drunken student out of the way before getting within a significant distance of the group.
Updated: 21st Dec 2015 - 19:49
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