18

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? 
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. 
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, 
Who is already sick and pale with grief, 
That thou her maid art far more fair than she: 
Be not her maid, since she is envious; 
Her vestal livery is but sick and green 
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.”

The sun rose slowly over the trees, its beams rising steadily higher. The winter winds whistled a serene song, and ruddied the cheeks of its companions.

“It is my lady, O, it is my love!

O, that she knew she were! 
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? 
Her eye discourses; I will answer it. 
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: 
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, 
Having some business, do entreat her eyes 
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.”

The rushing water of the freshly thawed stream accompanied it, bringing a crisp smell to the air. In front of the stream lay a folded blanket, and on that sat three sandwiches and a variety of fruits. A muffled snicker broke the morning’s symphony, before being quickly silenced.

“What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,

As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!

O, that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek!”

“Why does he talk like that?”

Youngjae sighed, dog-earing the book and then closing it. “It’s Shakespeare. He’s known for waxing poetic.” He gently tossed the book onto the blanket, trading it instead for his flask of tea, which had long lost its heat to the cold.

The sun had risen over the horizon only an hour ago, yet it was already making half-way toward the middle of the sky. Days like this would you usually go by slowly, and the sun would stroll it’s way through the sky, appreciating every creature of the earth wholeheartedly until nightfall.

Today, it rushed its way past without a second thought, despite all attempts to make it last as long as possible.

In the short time of some five months, Yongguk had became something like an older brother to Youngjae. Though he never went into detail, he always kept him updated with the bandits and the other Jung brothers, and making a point to talk about Daehyun the very most, even if he never admitted it.

They’d only met a handful of times, and each time was no more than fifteen minutes, yet already Youngjae knew more about Yongguk then he did about Daehyun. It was an odd situation, and he felt as if he was doing something out of order.

He only had a few months before graduation, and it was now mandatory that he went to college( “It’s too dangerous out here nowadays. You don’t need to get yourself caught up in a mess like this.” his mom had reprimanded as if he were a child). It was starting to creep up on him, the fact that this would no doubt be the last time Daehyun and he would meet for who knew how long. He’d be going to a school a long way out of town. No matter how rich the Yoo’s were, it didn’t stop it from being nearly impossible to afford the long trips back and forth. At the very most, he’d be able to visit home once a year.

“I wonder what Shakespeare saw to make him write all of this.” Daehyun’s voice broke him out of his trance. The elder was staring into the sunlight, seemingly lost in his thoughts as well. “He had to be very passionate about everything he wrote to make something so trivial sound like a masterpiece.”

“Do you think our relationship is trivial?” The question slipped from Youngjae’s mouth before he even knew what he was saying, and he was quick to backtrack with a stuttered, “O-Our friendship, I mean..”

Youngjae didn’t think he’d ever seen Daehyun blush before, or at least never seen him shocked to the point of silence. The boy was always running his mouth, no matter what. The absence of words was unnerving.

Daehyun his lips, looking down sheepishly. “Nothing about you is trivial to me. Especially not our…” ーhis mouth twisted around the wordー “ relationship .”

Youngjae nodded silently, twiddling with his fingers. As if taking pity on them, the snow from the tree above them started to melt, falling in droplets onto the makeshift picnic. The conversation quickly changed to relocating as they began to make their way through the woods.

“That tree has leaves even in the middle of the winter.” Youngjae mused aloud, his eyes catching the giant tree and the frozen spring hidden behind it. Daehyun knew exactly which tree he was talking about if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.

“I’ve been asking that same question all my life.” The country boy’s voice was colored with amusement. “I’ve realized now that some things happen, and you have to just go with it.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way, I guess.” Youngjae recited.

Without having to voice it the both began their way towards the tree, before carefully starting to unpack their things again. “Is there any fish in that spring?” Youngjae asked while unfolding the blankets. There was enough layers between him and the blankets and the snow that the cold was barely noticeable.

“Not any fish that you can eat.” Daehyun said, voice still as amused as ever.

“What exactly does that mean?” Youngjae scoffed when the other only gave a vague shrug. “If there’s something poisonous in the water, don’t you think you should tell me?” Again, the only answer was a vague smile. Giving up on trying to get an answer, he settled instead for dropping to the ground, grabbing a handful of snow, and lugging it directly at Daehyun’s chest. Daehyun stumbled backwards, shocked before realized what he’d been hit by. His eyes narrowed, and he stared at Youngjae’s taunting face. Without waiting for more moment, he too fell on his knees, quickly balling up handfuls of snow and throwing them.

It went on like this for a few minutes before suddenly Daehyun stopped as he noticed Youngjae had stopped throwing and was now staring at him in horror, a shaky finger pointing at his face.

“What’s wrong?” Daehyun asked nervously, shaking the snow out of his hair and feeling his face. This action seemed to make Youngjae even more horrified.

“Y-Your face. The rock-your eye- how are you not bleeding ?”

“What are you talking about, Youngjae-”

“The rock! I thought it was snow but it was a rock, and it hit you in the eye, and you just shook it off like it was nothing !” The younger boy’s voice had risen so high it bordered on being a screech.

Daehyun reached up to touch his eye socket, feeling the snow melt underneath his touch, and then pulled it away again.

No blood, just like Youngjae said.

He let his eyes fall closed, a feeling of dread slowly starting to come over him.

“I have to go.” he whispered, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

“You can't just leave without telling me!”

Daehyun sighed, turning to walk away, not even caring that he was leaving his things behind. “I have to go.” he repeated, this time more sure of himself. “I shouldn't’ve been so reckless.” He glanced behind him, seeing the younger’s trembling frame. “Just go home. You wouldn't understand.”

He turned back around and continued walking without turning around again.

Youngjae stared after him until he was only a dot, and then kneeling in the snow for a while afterwards.

Eventually he started folding the blankets, and then putting away whatever trinkets that were still left out. His fingers lingered on the things the other had left behind.

His mind was still reeling.

How was he able to get hit directly in the face with a stone, and not have a single scratch on him? Why did he run away? How was he being reckless?

What was Daehyun hiding from him?