Min Yoongi hops off the boat with a grunt. He thanks the driver a little more sincere this time. He takes a step and pauses, inhaling sea mist which brings a serene smile behind his mask. His shoulders drop from extreme lethargy, the warmth of the beach's comfort bringing peace to his turbulent and ardent thoughts. He trudges along the long walkway to the beach and marvels at the simplicity of it all.
He then wonders fleetingly if his life would be as simple as Keunmuri had he not been an idol.
But it is merely fleeting, for he would not exchange his life for anything.
He would not allow himself thoughts of a life otherwise. The pain wrought to shape him like a sword, sharp and offensive, is enough to stop the hurricane of hurt in his heart.
Yoongi reaches a small homely cabin surrounded by a small variety of succulents. And like flipping a switch, an ecstatic smile lights up his whole face, entering without thought and much less manner. A robust woman hunched over a chopping board cries out in surprise as she spots his darkly clad form.
"Halmeoni!" He laughs, dropping his bag and moving to embrace the woman with whites in her hair.
"Aigoo," she hisses, gums of her false teeth peeking through. She slaps his arms away instead, waving her knife at him with a firm frown on her forehead, "I am not grandma! How many times will I tell namja?"
"Halmeoni, you're already over seventy," he announces slowly for her to understand, then repeats in accented English, "Over seventy. Seventy!"
He giggles when the old woman screams in frustration and tries to pinch his armpits.
"You bring nothing but sakit ng ulo! What you want, huh?" Yoongi dropped by often enough to know it meant headache and it made him prouder every time he hears it. The smugness fades as soon as he notices the unease building behind her eyes far more exhausted than his. He gulps.
"Yoongi, anak," he reels back at the endearment, one that does not escape the scrutiny of the woman. Trepidation crawls up his spine at her next words. He knows it is unavoidable, yet he has shoved, and pushed, and buried it at the back of his mind in fear that he will fall apart if he ever hears it. "You have to stop coming here."
There is a beat—a heart-stopping, mind-numbing, sickening beat.
"Ah, Halmeoni, what are you talking about," If she notices the tremor in his voice, she does not say anything yet the glistening gloss her eyes say more than he could hope for. "You love it when I visit you."
Yoongi avoids her gaze when the silence goes on for too long.
"Go," she relents, spinning on her heel with surprising speed for her age. His heart clenches tight, his feet toeing the concrete floor. "It's not like Halmeoni can stop you."
Indignation and anguish bubbles up his chest, twisting his face into an ugly sneer. His mouth clamps close, eyebrows clashing at the center of his milky forehead. Horrid, horrid words cling to the tip of his tongue, ready to lash out and rip their already strained relationship. But all that comes out is—
"I've been well, Halmeoni, if you want to ask," he mumbles, feet moving mindlessly backwards. A wan smile almost erases his sneer because he could feel her disapproving glance at his back.
"Don't lie to me, boy," she rasps, as sharp as a knife and voice too loud for the small shack, "I know a liar when I hear one."
Act I, scene III
Nara Sam enters.
Lights on.
Min Yoongi enters.
(Set: Dock; Sea bg; SFX: waves.mp3)
The sky whispers little bits of the sun to him; the sea below coaxing him to play with its gentle waves. The sand engulfs the bottoms of his feet, a little tickling feeling that he grew to love despite complaining everytime. The shore is bare, with a few families wandering about, and it removes the deep bone anxiety at the back of his brain.
He picks little seashells along the way (and in no way will his friends ever know), feet aimless and mind too far away. He may or may not have skipped a little, but only a little boy and his dog saw. Here, by the sea, he is free, with only seagulls and the deep ocean as his companions.
He spots a figure at the edge of a viewing dock, sitting on the wooden panels with their back to him. Yoongi palms the repackaged album compiled in his phone beneath the pocket of his coat, a little smile tugging the corner of his lips. His feet moves faster, almost running, and he is breathless when he reaches the small panel. His heartbeat soars, a strong 'thud, thud, thud' ringing in his ears.
"They say that the sea," she speaks as if sensing he is there without turning, "once it casts its spell, holds one in its net forever."
The hair on his skin rises at the sound of her rich, husky voice. His eyes well with tears he is not willing to shed, the heaviness in his heart washing away in an instant. He lets out a breathless laugh, his legs suddenly too weak to carry his body. But he stands, rolling the edges of his pants up to his knees before plopping down beside her.
"That's why you should be careful," he chides her lightly, then adds with a somber note, "Don't let the sea take you."
She finally faces him, and he is, once more, floored with how beautiful she is. He swallows, musing briefly at how dry his throat seemed to be so suddenly. He takes in her features with fervor and greed, so besotted with how her eyelashes go on and on until it brushes against her bronzy skin, and the way they frame her copper gaze. Her cropped, inky hair twists into the nape of her neck in light curls, with thin strands of chestnut brown sprayed between the dark tresses.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" She regards him with a condescending look. "I thought my mom told you not to go here anymore."
Halmeoni's words flashes in his mind, quick as lightning, but leaves an impression so harsh it chips away the diamond dam he built around his heart.
"What are you, twelve?" He scoffs in turn, a smirk on his pale lips, and no absolute trace of animosity in his expression. "And besides, Halmeoni can't resist my beautiful face anyway."
Yoongi bursts out in laughter at the sheer disgust on her face.
"Aish—I don't know why I bother with you, really," she grumbles, kicking water at him. Yoongi splutters at the sudden assault of salted water at his eyes and tongue.
"Yah, stop it or else—"
"Or else what?" She taunts, a devilish grin on her visage. Yoongi forgets to speak for a moment, realizing the short distance amid their faces. There is a pleasant tightness in his chest, an elation that awakens every single sensor in his body. Time slows and the world around him disappears. His breaths falls into rythm with hers as his eyes shifts from her eyes to her lips.
"Or I'll kiss you." He utters lowly, leaning dangerously close. She chuckles; little puffs of air hits his cheeks, sending shivers down his spine.
"Who's the real winner here, then?" She responds in equal, never breaking her gaze from him. They both stare for a while longer, before simultaneously doubling up in laughter.
"But seriosuly, why are you here?" She asks, regaining her composure, flickers of giggles staining her words. Yoongi pulls out his phone, placing it by her tanned hands. Her eyes follow his movements, a piqued frown on her brows.
"You should really get internet, y'know," he nags mindlessly, scrolling through his phone and tapping the screen. A catchy melody soon fills the air, the voices of his band flowing effortlessly with each other. A brilliant smile lights up her façade, shining even on the dark recesses of his soul.
He anticipates her reaction, amusement coloring his face.
"Oh my god, it's Kookie! I hear Kookie!" She exclaims, hands on , as if attempting to hide the brightness of her joy.
"Oh my god, it's you! You're rapping! The lyrics! Oh, my heart,"
and,
"This is too beautiful, I can't—oh no, I'm crying!" She replays the song again, and again, and again, too many times than he could recall. And everytime she would mouth along the words to his parts, her smile turns bittersweet, tears making tracks on her cheeks.
Yoongi could only watch, helpless, as her whole body trembles, his words on ,
"Yeah I hate you,
You left me,
But I never stopped thinking about you, not even a day,
Honestly, I miss you,
But now I’ll erase you,
Because it hurts less than to resent you."
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