THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE

“How did it go?” the low boom of the old man’s voice echoed around her. “Your encounter yesterday.”

“Don’t get me started on that,” she rolled her eyes, calling in all directions to the old man’s omnipresence. “What was his existence supposed to mean, anyway? Wonshik said he was the key to my lock. Whatever that means.”

“Ahh, that boy’s getting better at using big words,” the voice sighed. She waited as the Wise One finally materialised in front of her. “Taekwoon, my dear, has indeed an integral role to play.”

“Oh my god, don’t kill him yet!”

Ravi rolled his eyes and reached for the bedroom door, slamming it closed. Shut up, he snapped internally at the men in the neighbouring room. Plopping himself onto the bed, he reopened his book.

“Were we…in love? Once upon a time?” she found it hard to say those words. It triggered a weird sensation in her chest, and she felt mildly uncomfortable.

The Wise One stared at her with a hollow look in his aged eyes.

“Setting fire to the library of archives cannot ever eliminate the influence of knowledge it once offered,” he said, ”for even the very ashes carry with them the documentation of tragedy and everything before it.”

She rolled his eyes, as he had expected.

“The imprint of any event lies not in conscious memory, but the subconscious spirit, my dear.”

She sighed. The old man had reverted back to his old way of talking. Despite so, she made a mental note to remember every word. Wonshik would be able to explain this, like he always did, and hopefully, she would be able to meet him afterwards.

“NOOO! What the !”

“Trust me on this,” Hakyeon retorted. “I have a strategy in mind, okay? Shush!”

Ravi clenched his teeth and exhaled slowly. “Would you guys shut the up!” he yelled across the house.

Ever since they met, Hakyeon had been coming over every afternoon to play video games with Hongbin. Ravi appreciated the fact that the two men hit it off well, but was simultaneously growing intolerant of the noise they made.

“Sorry!” Hakyeon yelled back, knowing very well how infuriating it was to be disturbed by the slightest noise when reading. Nevertheless, he had to admit that playing with Hongbin was fun, and he found himself becoming less able to contain his excitement during their sessions.

“Did you just LET HIM KILL ME?” Hongbin screamed, ignoring the existence of his twin.

Ravi took a deep breath and threw the book onto the bed, leaving the room to fetch a glass of water. It was impossible to read in such an environment.

“I’ll go somewhere else tomorrow,” he muttered under his breath. “Somewhere else with peace and quiet.”

He jumped and almost swallowed too much water as the loud ringing of the younger twin’s phone (he had left it on the kitchen counter) pierced through the air. Glancing down at the screen, he noticed the strange caller ID.

“StupidSpoiltBratDon’tingAnswer,” Ravi read to himself, scoffing. Despite so, he figured that Hongbin needed to take a break from his games for once. He reached for the phone and answered the call.

“Hello?”

There was no answer, but soft music played in the background.

“Hello? Anyone there?” he repeated.

“Oh, senorita, SAVE MEEE- wait, is this Dumbbin???” screamed a low voice. Ravi noticed it carried a foreign accent.

He chuckled to himself. What kind of friends had Hongbin made overseas?

“Would you hold on for a minute,” he answered, stifling his laughter. He walked over to Hongbin’s room and ripped off his headphones from his head, which startled both Hakyeon and Hongbin. Ravi did not wait for any reaction before he shoved the phone against Hongbin’s ear.

“Wha-who’s this?” the younger one asked, looking up at Ravi.

Ravi shrugged as Hakyeon quickly paused the game, the two men eyeing Hongbin interestingly as he listened to the person on the other end of the line.

Hongbin narrowed his eyes, his brows knitted tightly together.

“Oh my god...Why. Can’t. I. Seem. To. Block. You,” he muttered between clenched teeth. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he ended the call swiftly and quickly put on his headphones, as if nothing had happened. He turned to Hakyeon, signalling him to continue with their session.

“Who was that,” Ravi questioned.

“Who else,” Hongbin muttered. He unpaused his game. “Do me a favour and never ever answer his calls again,” he added quietly. “I promise to be less noisy in return.”

Ravi frowned. It seemed as if the caller liked to harass Hongbin. He figured it was most likely Hyuk, since his twin had not mentioned anyone else who came close to being his sworn enemy. From the corner of his eye, Ravi noticed that Hakyeon was still disturbed by what had just happened as well.

“Dude’s the bane of my existence,” Hongbin finally added, directing his words at Hakyeon. “If that addresses any queries. Now, can we please continue with the game? Show me exactly what your ing strategy is.”

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“The dude’s no fun,” Hyuk whined as he sank back in his chair. He looked up at his friend. “Do you think he’s angry?”

“What, since when have you bothered about his feelings?”

Hyuk’s eyes widened a little. “Maybe I brought it too far?”

The man gave Hyuk an acknowledging smile. “Oh my god, has Han Sanghyuk finally wisened up,” he chuckled. “Really, if you kept at your childishness, you’re not gonna ever get yourself a girl.”

He paused for a moment, then looked up at Hyuk with a sly smile. “Or boy?”

“What are you driving at,” Hyuk rolled his eyes.

“The Hongbin dude. Do you think you secretly like him?”

“Lee. Jae. Hwan,” Hyuk leaned forward, his gaze piercing through Jaehwan’s soul. “I’m not up for any gay .”

“Okay,” Jaehwan sat back, unconvinced. He had known Hyuk for years. Although he still partied day and night, and never really showed much care about college, Jaehwan knew Hyuk was gradually maturing. He had never really approved of his casual lifestyle, and the endless pranks he pulled on his unlucky classmates, but Jaehwan could not help but feel a small sense of disappointment as he slowly realised that the only person who brought out the craziness in him – even if they were three years apart in terms of age – was slowly transforming into a more down-to-earth individual.

He had seen it in the way Hyuk had started to spend more time on his schoolwork, albeit half-heartedly. He had also seen it in the way the boy had started to show interest in singing; he had pleaded, with an unprecedented level of seriousness, that Jaehwan be his vocal instructor for the short two months that he would spend on vacation back in Korea. Jaehwan had agreed, but he knew that it also meant he would only become busier.

“On a side note,” Hyuk added, with a playful gleam in his eye. “I might have, don’t know, accidentally packed away some of the dude’s underwear before I left the dormitory.”

Jaehwan stared at the younger one and let out a hollow laugh. Maybe he had overestimated the extent of change in Hyuk.

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Ravi found himself back at the airport. It’s within a ten-minute drive from home, he had told himself. Despite Hongbin’s promise, the duo had never been noisier; in fact, just that morning, Hakyeon had brought over more games from his collection. Ravi had realised that there was no end to the household cacophony – at least, until Hongbin completed his vacation.

He had comfortably camped himself in the café. It was a familiar hunt, particularly if it was raining and the park was out of bounds. However, spending time in the café had used to be a two-people thing. Over time, though, even the staff here had stopped asking about the change, and he was glad they did.

He positioned the book across his lap as he sipped warm coffee from the cup. Something about the weather and the environment felt right to Ravi. He stared absentmindedly at the text in the book, where the word Taekwoon seemed to glow and drift around in its place. The name had caught his attention ever since its first appearance, and Ravi could not brush off the feeling of having seen it somewhere before.

There’s no way, he thought. Taekwoon looked so foreign – it was definitely not an English word. It was unlikely that he had ever encountered such a strange word in his life.

He shrugged off the icy feeling in his chest. Blinking twice, he concentrated on engaging with the story from where he had left off.

“Fire? Library?” Wonshik looked at her. “And ashes?”

“That’s what he said,” she sighed. “Care to explain?”

“I don’t know how you got the idea that I could decipher his riddles for you,” he frowned. “Frankly, I have no idea what any of this means. Your existence, my existence, Taekwoon’s…and the old man’s.”

“I’m as confused as you are,” he added.

“I’m starting to think that Taekwoon might really have something to do with my past.”

He looked up with an eyebrow raised. “Oh?”

“I have zero recollection of knowing anyone like him,” she continued. “But the past few days with him – from listening to him sing and noticing how he’s more easily flustered than I’d expect – it has kind of roused a sense of familiarity in me. It feels like déjà vu, but accompanied by more burning questions than answers. I really, really want to know what happened between us, but I just can’t remember anything to save my life.”

Wonshik listened quietly.

“Maybe I’m finally being released from the all pain the old man claimed I was suffering,” she added. “With Taekwoon’s existence and company, I mean. Imma admit that I really enjoy being with him.”

“More than with me?” Wonshik inquired with a playful tone. He had a slight pout to his small lips.

“I-“

“Just kidding,” he cut her off. He stopped in his tracks and turned to her, and she noticed that his face had grown serious. “Don’t mind me, but I have a different opinion.”

“I think that this Taekwoon dude is the very bane of your existence,” he continued.

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