"Alright, that's good Youngjae," Himchan, the skating instructor hollered as he jotted down the report in his notebook. The said ten year old boy nodded his head before he skated towards the edge of the rink. He was breathing hard and his entire face was moistened with sweats. Youngjae grabbed a water bottle, twisting the cap opened and eagerly gulped down half of its content. He let out a relieved sigh once he got the so much needed fluid in his body. Youngjae capped the bottle before tossing it on the bench, ignoring the fact that the bottle rolled on the bench's surface and fell to the floor. He leaned against the railing, his damp hair plastered on the glass part of the railing. 

Just then a boy approached him. The former mimicked Youngjae's posture, leaning against the railing right beside Youngjae. An opened bottle was held in his hand.

"You did great back then," Jinyoung said, his Busan accent is still prominent in his speech. Youngjae uttered a soft 'thanks'; a small smile stretched on his face. Jinyoung didn't say anything after that. He opted to stare at the other boy; his eyes were meticulously assessing Youngjae, making the latter fidgety from the intense staring. 

"How did you do such smooth gliding? Your body seems to curve in a perfect angle when you skate," Jinyoung curiously asked. 

"I don't know. I guess the ballet training my mom forced me into actually served its purpose...?" Youngjae shrugged. He pulled the hair band he had around his thin wrist and tied his black hair into a ponytail. His hair was getting longer but it's a pity to cut them off so he let them grow. 

Jinyoung nodded his head in understanding and he took a sip from his bottle. As they were engulfed in the brief silence, a crowd suddenly formed around their instructor and the buzzing sounds of excited whispers bounced across the skating rink. Youngjae turned to look at the crowd and his cat-like eyes fell on an unfamiliar figure next to the grinning instructor. 

It was a boy, probably of teen age. Youngjae admired the boy's physiques. The latter was wearing a slim-fit black shirt, enhancing the well-defined muscles despite his young age. His slightly tan skin looks golden under the light and it complemented the ash blonde hair. Youngjae's eyes trailed from the thick ash blonde locks down to the pair of deep brown orbs. He noticed the perfectly placed mole right under the end of the boy's left eye; making the pair of beautiful eyes a thousand times more attractive than it already is. Youngjae continued admiring the boy's features, next was the latter's shapely nose and he ended up staring at the plump lips. The way the pair of lips moved as the boy was talking to Himchan was rather enticing. 

Youngjae swore his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, I didn't know Daehyun-sunbaenim will visit today!” Jinyoung uttered, his eyes were gleaming with excitement. 

"Who?"
 

"Jung Daehyun-sunbaenim! Don't you know him? He's the youngest skater who snatched gold for our country! Oh my God, I watched the videos of his routines  before and I swear to God Youngjae I thought he was like an angel gracing us with his presence on this humble Earth you should watch them Youngjae I'll send you the links--"
 

Jinyoung's incessant chatter was tuned out of Youngjae's ears. Youngjae found himself staring back at the said Jung Daehyun. How can such perfect human exist? A good-looking boy with an immense talent; how Youngjae wish he could be like that one day. 
 

Youngjae was startled when his eyes met with Daehyun's. The latter threw him a brief polite smile before resuming his chat with the instructor. 
 

"Hey, Youngjae. Why is your face all red? Are you sick? A fever?" Jinyoung asked in concern. Youngjae quickly sputtered a panic 'No! I'm good I'm good!' as a reply. Jinyoung raised an eyebrow at the sudden reaction but he shrugged it away. Youngjae can be weird at times.
 

"Alright, kids! Let's gather at the audience seats. Daehyun will show us a demo of his routine. Perhaps it'll give you some inspiration to do well in your practices," Himchan clapped his hands as he announced. He ushered the boys and girls to the audience bench. Youngjae and Jinyoung followed suit, each taking a seat next to each other and waited for the performance to start. 
 

Youngjae watched as Daehyun stood in the middle of the ice rink; the latter’s right foot was crossed atop of his left one. Daehyun had his head hanged on his shoulder; eyes were staring at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the music to start. The first note came blaring through the speakers and Daehyun slowly lifted his face and twisting his head around, matching his movement with the melody before he abruptly stopped and faced forward. His eyes were glinting with determination.
 

“He’s dancing to ‘Dark Light’,” Jinyoung whispered. 
 

“What?” Youngjae whispered back. His eyes didn’t leave Daehyun’s figure. The latter was gliding smoothly on the ice, following the mellow, dark melody. 
 

“Dark Light; it’s his self-composed song. That guy is talented in so many different areas that I can’t even bring myself get jealous of him,” Jinyoung said; his voice was filled with pure admiration. Youngjae could understand where that came from. He himself felt awed by the performance displayed by the teen skater in front of him. Youngjae found himself gaping when Daehyun effortlessly jumped and twirled in midair before landing gracefully on the ice before he went for another jump. That was a quadruple toe loop followed by a double toe loop; if Youngjae’s observant eyes weren’t mistaken. Jinyoung next to him was getting excited, clapping and shouting words of encouragements to his idol.

Youngjae watched Daehyun skated around on the slippery ice. The song had entered the second half and the music has taken a more dramatic beat. The song; from the lyrics that Youngjae managed to catch, was basically about the guy assuring the girl that he’ll be there for her when everything’s seems so bleak. He’ll be the ‘light’ in the ‘dark’ and hence the title of the song, Youngjae presumed. The melody, the beats, everything sounds so mellow and full of emotions; it was hard to believe that a15 year-old boy could dance to this song. Daehyun’s movements, his gestures and the look in his eyes; all of those perfectly conveyed the meaning of the song. 

Youngjae unknowingly clutched the fabric on his chest. His heart was beating rapidly as watched Daehyun crouched down and spun flawlessly on the spot. Daehyun slowly rose, still spinning with his right leg supporting his weight and his left leg was lifted from behind, forming a beautiful Biellmann spin. The music almost came to an end and Daehyun freed his leg, bringing his hands together into a praying gesture before detaching them from one another and spreading his fingers apart, forming a flower with his hand. And the music stopped.

Jinyoung was clapping enthusiastically from beside Youngjae. No, everyone was clapping and cheering after the fabulous performance displayed by Daehyun. People were standing and hollering Daehyun's name but Youngjae was too stunned to do anything. He just sat there doing nothing; no clapping or shouting, just sitting there in silent amazement. His rounded eyes were glued on the boy who stood proudly in the middle of the ice rink; the boy was breathing hard, bullets of sweats were running down on the tan skin but there was a proud grin etched on the handsome face. 

At that moment, Youngjae believed that he saw a pair of wings spread from Daehyun's back...

...and he wished that one day he'll be good enough to have one too.

It has been a week since Himchan brought Daehyun to his class. Himchan was standing in the rink while scanning the planned routine in the paper; the kids were practicing around him. He agreed that he’ll help Daehyun in arranging the steps and quads for the short-program thus explained the planned routine in his hand. 

"Um, Himchan-seongsangnim?"

Himchan veered his gaze from the notes in his hand; his attention was now entirely on the fidgety boy in front of him.

"Yes, Youngjae?" Himchan said, folding the papers and slipped it into his bag. There was a pause between them before Youngjae began speaking again in a whispery voice.

"Will Daehyun-sunbaenim come and watch us practice again…?" Youngjae hesitantly asked. The ten year-old boy was restlessly fiddling with the hem of his shirt, the pair of cat-like eyes was cast down, eyeing the floor as he drew a circle on the ice with the tip of the blade which attached to his skating shoe. Himchan raised an eyebrow. He noticed the pink hue dusting the young boy’s chubby cheeks. It’s rare for him to see the boy acting that way; all hesitant and bashful. What happened to the confident YooYoungjae?

“He said he’ll come again tomorrow. Perhaps he can give a one-to-one teaching to those who have trouble with their moves. You don’t need to worry though, you’re the best student here,” Himchan chuckled. He was startled when Youngjae suddenly let out a high-pitched ‘REALLY??? HE’LL COME TOMORROW???’ in which Himchan could only nod his head in response. 

“I can’t wait for tomorrow! Thanks,seongsangnim! I love you!” Youngjae shot Himchan a big heart with his arms above his head before skating away towards the other kids, leaving the instructor in bafflement. 

Youngjae was giddy, yes he was. His eyes kept glancing at the entrance as he mindlessly skated in the rink. He could feel the blood rushed through his veins, making his heart pumped fast and his body had gone restless. He was glancing at the entrance for the umpteenth times in the span of two hours he was there when he accidentally bumped into someone. He was fortunate that the other person was quick enough to pull his body or else he'll sure be getting a bruise or two on his .

"Whoa, careful there buddy. You okay?" Yongguk, another instructor asked in concern. A guilty grin stretched on Youngjae's face. He uttered a meek 'I'm okay. Eheh.Sorry, my bad.' at the older. Yongguk smiled at the boy as he released his hold on the latter. He gently patted the boy's head. 

"Keep your eyesto the front. I won't be there to save your every time kid," Yongguk grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. Youngjae giggled; playfully shoved the older's hands off his head. Yongguk is his favorite coach; well, he loves Himchan too but he favored the former a teeny tiny bit more (Himchan will sulk if he ever heard this). There's something about Yongguk that made him feel safe; something akin to a father, strict yet gentle. Youngjae especially loves the older's gummy smile. He looks thousand times better wearing that smile.

Youngjae nodded his head, watching the much older guy skated towards Himchan who was busy coaching the other kids. Yongguk teasingly poked Himchan’s side, startling the latter. Himchan yelped and threatened to hit Yongguk but all his annoyance towards the slightly older male soon melted when the latter pulled him into a hug. Yongguk whispered something into Himchan’s ear, making the latter blushed madly. Youngjae had rather not knowing the content. He chuckled as he watched Himchan struggled in Yongguk’s hold. The older of the two seemed to have fun teasing his partner. Youngjae noticed a flash of the gold tattoo engraved on Yongguk’s neck, right below the older’s right ear. It was a wing; a golden wing. 

Himchan has a matching one at the exact same spot as Yongguk did but his was on the left side. These tattoos are called as the ‘Soulmate Tattoos’. Once a person reached the age of eighteen, the tattoo will be formed on any part of the body. Initially, the tattoo will be grayish in color but it will turn gold once the person’s other half reached her/his age. Soul mates will have matching tattoos, just like how Yongguk and Himchan have. The tattoo will stay golden until one of the partners died. When that happens, it’ll turn back to gray.

Youngjae wishes for two things in his life; 1) to reach the top as a figure skater and, 2) to cherish every moment with his soul mate till death do them apart. Youngjae was brought up by his grandfather ever since the unfortunate incident befell his parents, snatching their lives in an instant. His grandfather always told him stories about how loving his parents were and how in love they are with each other and how grateful they are when Youngjae was born. 

“I remember clearly how happy your dad was when he first held you in his arms. His face was glowing and his eyes were sparkling brightly,” Youngjae’s grandfather chuckled as told the story. The four year-old Youngjae stared at his grandfather with his pair of innocent orbs.

“What about grandma? Do you love grandma?” Youngjae asked. A small smile stretched on the senior citizen’s lips. Lines of wrinkles formed on the aging face. 

was permanently etched on the dulled skin. Youngjae figured that his late grandmother probably has a matching one. The ‘Eternity’“Of course, I do love her. Even till this day, my love for her still never fades…” The grandfather said; his eyes trailed to the gray tattoo engraved on his inner right forearm. A cursive four year-old Youngjae silently watched as his grandfather getting swept away by memories. The old man’s eyes were filled but nothing but love as he stared at the tattoo. From then on, Youngjae was determined to find his soul mate and cherish the other just like how his parents and grandparents do.

The creaking sound of the door snapped Youngjae out of his reverie. He whirled his body around, froze in his spot once his eyes lay on the one person he has been restlessly waiting for. He didn’t realize that he was holding his breath. The blood in his veins surged to his cheeks; he positively sure that his face was flushed red by now. 

Daehyun walked towards the rink, bending a bit to remove the skate guards off the blades as he reached the edge of the rink. He then entered the rink, greeting the instructors and his juniors with a cheerful smile on his face. 

“Alright kids, since Daehyun is here today so why not show some of your skill to your sunbaenim?” Himchan proposed with a grin etched on his face. Daehyun, on the other hand, was blushing hard, nudging and whined for Himchan to stop addressing him with such entitlement. Himchan blatantly ignored Daehyun and proceeded to start the activity. Yongguk chuckled and offered the teen a pat on the head.

“Youngjae, come here,” Himchan called. Youngjae timidly skated towards the older. He could tell that Daehyun’s eyes were on him as he skated next to Himchan. Himchan wrapped his arm around Youngjae’s small shoulders and introduced the younger boy to the teen.

“This is our ace. I’m sure that in a few years, his skills will surpass yours,” Himchan joked, making the boy squirmed in utter embarrassment. Daehyun laughed and put his hands up in surrender. 

“Introduce yourself,” Himchan said to Youngjae. Himchan didn’t fail to notice how the ten year-old boy was fiddling with the hem of his shirt once again. 

“M-my name is Y-yooYoungjae. It’sa-an honor to meet you,sunbaenim,” Youngjae stuttered through his speech. He refused to lift his face and attempted to hide behind Himchan; his small hands were clutched tightly on Himchan's shirt. Himchan's eyes found Yongguk's, both exchanging confused gaze. But it seems that it didn't deter Daehyun as the teen had a huge smile stretched on his lips.

"Nice to meet you, Youngjae. I'm Daehyun. Just cut the sunbaenim thing and can call me hyung instead," Daehyun chuckled, scratching his non-itchy head in embarrassment for being treated formally by the younger boy. He was satisfied with a timid reply of 'Yes, hyung' from Youngjae; the smile didn't falter from his lips as he beckoned the younger boy to come near. Youngjae lifted his face; his pair of innocent brown orbs found Himchan's. He reluctantly released his hold on Himchan's shirt when the older gave him a reassuring nod. Youngjae stepped forward. His entire face was blooming red as he felt himself being exposed in front of the person who he admired. 

"Show me what you got," Daehyun said. Himchan and Yongguk ushered the other kids to the side, giving more room for Youngjae to skate. Daehyun skated a few feet away from theten year-old before stopping at one point and waited for Youngjae to start; his arms were folded on his chest. Youngjae gulped his saliva, feeling intimidated by the older male. He glanced around him; a tiny wave of relief washed over him when he saw Jinyoung mouthed an encouraging ‘fighting’ from the crowd. 

Youngjae took a deep breath before he took a hesitant first step, skating forward with his wobbly legs. He tried to suppress his nervousness by increasing his speed but it was proven a rash decision on his part when he toppled down and crashed on the ice. A collective gasps followed by hushed whispers reverberated through the rink. Youngjae picked himself back and circled around the rink; his head was muddled with the embarrassing event just now. He attempted to perform a loop but his right leg got caught by the other and it sent him crashing on the floor once again. 

Himchan reflexively took a step forward to help the poor boy but was stopped by someone tugging on his arm. He turned to see Yongguk slowly shaking his head; the older male cocked his head to somewhere behind Himchan. Himchan’s eyes followed Yongguk’s line of sight, his tensed shoulder relaxed at the sight of Daehyun swiftly skated towards the fallen boy. 

“Let the kids deal with it,” Yongguk whispered into Himchan’s ear. The younger male nodded his head. The fox-like eyes never left the pair of young boys. 

Youngjae felt immense embarrassment engulfing him whole. He felt like crying and he believed he already did—his eyes were misty with unshed tears. Youngjae refused to lift his head; his short nails were dug into the hard ice, scratching the cold surface as if to claw out the embarrassment. He wanted to hide. He wished that the cold ground he was lying on will swallow him whole. 

He really wished that; keyword: WISHED.

“Are you okay?” 
 

‘Oh no no no no no--’ Youngjae chanted in his head; he shut his eyes tight to deny the concerned-sounding voice teasing his reddened ears. At this moment, he really wished that he was born as an ostrich. As idiotic as it sounds but yeah, he wished that at that particular moment.

“Youngjae, are you hurt somewhere? Can you get up?” 

Youngjae tensed when he felt Daehyun’s gentle pat on his shoulder. Youngjae swallowed his pride and slowly get up, sitting with his head hang low on the ice. He could see Daehyun crouching in front of him through his thick bangs.

“I’m okay. I’m not hurt,” Youngjae said in a small voice. He can’t believe he showed Daehyun the pathetic side of him. 

A low gasp left his pinkish lips when the teen swept the hair covering his face, revealing his reddened face. Youngjae’s startled eyes met Daehyun’s soft ones; the older male offered him a sweet smile instead of a mocking grin.

“Can you get up? It’s cold to sit down here,” Daehyun said as he offered his hand to the young boy. Youngjae timidly accepted the warm hands, letting the older boyto pull his body up. Youngjae stood still with his hands clutched tightly on his chest as Daehyun helped his dusting the wetness away from his pants and shirts. Youngjae almost let out a squeak when he felt the teen’s fingers brushed against the skin on his forehead as the latter swept the stray hair on his face. 

Daehyun’s much bigger hands grazed along Youngjae’s thin arms before his fingers wrapped around the latter’s dainty hands. He slowly pulled Youngjae along with him and the younger boy silently followed his footsteps. Daehyun eventually released Youngjae’s hands and slowed his pace, much to the younger male confusion. Youngjae swallowed his gasp when Daehyun’s hands s around his waist. Their bodies were so near to each other that he could feel the older’s warm breath fanning his ear as the latter whispered;

“Be one with your surroundings.” 

Youngjae was pulled along with Daehyun’s moves. The hands on his waist guided him; their steps matched each other in a perfect harmony. Daehyun swiftly twirled Youngjae’s body before he caught Youngjae’s waist once again and lifted the boy. It wasn’t difficult for the teen to pull such moves as Youngjae’s stature is smaller than an averageten year-old boy. 

Youngjae panicked as he felt his body hovered in the air but all the restlessness left him once he saw Daehyun’s happy face. The teen had a huge grin on his face; the pair of big eyes turned crescents as he smiled. Youngjae admired the face. He can clearly see the beauty mark on Daehyun’s left eye from that distance. His pair of lips unwittingly pulled into a smile.

Daehyun put him down and Youngjae began to feel comfortable skating on the ice. The both of them skated side by side with their hands connected with each other. The sound of blades scraped the ice resounded through the rink as Daehyun stopped. He pulled Youngjae to orbit around him before releasing the hold. Youngjae took off, planting the toe pick in the icy ground before he jumped and twirled trice in the air. He gracefully landed on his feet; a huge grin etched on his face. 

“Beautiful, Youngjae!” 

The smile on Youngjae’s childish face grew wider at the shout of compliment from Daehyun. He glanced around to see his two instructors and his friends were cheering for him. Youngjae skated towards Daehyun; the teen had his hand up for a high five with a proud smile on his face. Youngjae clapped the hand, uttering a proud ‘I did it!’ to the teen. Daehyun playfully ruffled the boy’s silky hair.

“That’s our ace!” Daehyun proudly said. Youngjae giggled at the notion. 

“Thanks hyung,” Youngjae sincerely thanked the teen. 

“No problem. I guess you wouldn’t be needing my help next time,” Daehyun replied but was left startled by the high pitched ‘No!’ from the boy.

“I-I mean there’s so much I need to learn from you, hyung. S-so, can you help me again next time?” Youngjae stuttered. He was fidgeting on his spot. Youngjae’s eyes were glinting with hope and Daehyun thought it would be an idiot of him to refuse those pair of innocent orbs. A gentle smile formed on his lips and he once again brushed Youngjae’s hair with his hand.

“Sure.”

Youngjae couldn’t stop the smile from stretching on his face. He scored it.

“Daehyun!” 

Their conversation was interrupted by Himchan’s voice calling for Daehyun. Daehyun pat Youngjae’s shoulder with a last ‘See you later then’ before he skated towards the instructor. Once Daehyun was far enough, Youngjae whisper-shouted ‘Yes!’ with his fists balled in the air. Somehow the embarrassment he felt from falling on his before was totally worth it, and somehow he didn’t really wish for the ground to swallow him whole anymore.

End of Part One

'Childhood'

Figure skating vocabularies:
Blade     : the metal piece at the bottom of the skating shoe
Toepick : The jagged part on the blade in which it was used for jumps
Toeloop : a type of figure skating jump where the skater uses the ‘toe pick’ to vault into the air
Biellmanspin : uhh kinda hard to explain so I’ll just use a gif heheh

a/n: If you noticed, there’s a part about the ‘soulmate tattoos’ mentioned in some of the paragraphs. The soul mate tattoo will be further explained in the next chapter…uhhh…whenever this will be updated ha ha ha DON’T THROW BRICKS AT ME
till then :3