February 2020; The One That Shines

Gallery Of The Fading Ones

Photographs keep the expressions alive, but videos exist to keep the moments alive. While the simplest details are barely appreciated enough in videos, photographs come in handy in capturing a change of expression. Even though Jaemin prefers pictures over videos, he will not deny the fact that he will miss seeing Renjun’s graceful moves later when time steals him away. For such reasons, he hires a professional videographer to specifically record Renjun’s special performance on his exhibition. The video is for future purposes, just in case.

He wants to keep as many memories as possible with Renjun while he still has the chance.

“Do you think I’ll do well tonight? I haven’t been performing in front of a lot of people for a few months now… I’m a little nervous.” Renjun shakes his whole body, trying to ease off the rushing adrenaline throughout his body. “I mean, what if I mess up?”

“I know you’ll do amazing, Renjun,” Jaemin pats his back. “And you won’t mess up. But even if you do, I’m sure you’ll be able to recover from it in a speed of lightning.” He says from experience. He watched how Renjun never stopped dancing to the beats, even if he landed on the wrong position. He saw the passion in Renjun’s eyes through the mirrors surrounding the practice room. He knew how great the performance Renjun would deliver, because he is Huang Renjun, Jaemin’s favourite dancer in the whole world.

“And Renjun…” Jaemin breathes. “I believe in you.” He pulls the shorter man into a friendly hug. He can hear Renjun’s fast heartbeats, loud and clear in his ears. When they pull away, Jaemin stares right into the sea of stars in Renjun’s eyes and his lips form a small smile. “You can do everything if you believe.”

There is something magical in Jaemin’s words that Renjun can’t quite point out specifically. Perhaps it’s the way he means every single word he speaks, or perhaps it’s the way he is very straightforward with his choice of words. Either way, his words ignite a spark of hope and strength in Renjun’s heart.

“Thank you.”

To Renjun, those are not two common words. There are indefinite meanings behind them, and he means each and every one of them, whichever applies. The phrase holds significant values and Renjun hopes Jaemin understands the rich meanings behind it. He hopes Jaemin feels the sincerity from his fragile heart.

And Jaemin knows.

From the soft gaze that holds the galaxy, Jaemin knows Renjun means more than a simple ‘thank you’. It is ‘thank you for letting me have this golden opportunity before I die’. It is ‘thank you for making my wish come true’. And most importantly, it is ‘thank you for believing in me’.

“Now, go show off your talents to the world.”

As Renjun makes his way towards the centre of the gallery, the lights dim. Melancholic piano notes accompany his baby steps, alerting the visitors that a breath-taking performance is about to start very soon. With all eyes on him, he takes a deep breath and stands tall, feet pointed in the new ballet shoes Jaemin bought for him. He starts with pirouette before he turns his whole body elegantly in a series of chains and jumps with a perfect 180 degrees split, arms spread like a butterfly’s wings. After he lands on the marble floor, he extends his left foot forward to perform a pique, followed by a beautiful arabesque. He repeats the steps several times. And each time, Jaemin swears a new star is painted on the galaxy. He then performs some versatile fouettés, dropping some jaws from the audience. Each turn is on beat, and Jaemin thinks it is unfair how Renjun is not listed among the wonders in the world. When the dancer ends his 7-minute routine with saut de chat, a big round of applause echoes through the four walls of the exhibition gallery.

Renjun finds Jaemin with his camera from the corner of his right eye and he turns his head, meeting the lovely gaze the photographer sends him. Jaemin shows a proud thumbs up as he mouths, “You did great.”

Renjun shines the brightest when he dances, and it shows. He outshines everything, including all Jaemin’s masterpieces hung on the walls. He stands out in the most beautiful way possible because he believes, because he has Jaemin’s unbreakable faith in him.

And that is simply why Jaemin is the Sun.

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!
BlueDiamondAngel
I would really appreciate your honest feedback! Thank you!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
Mienniepiennie
#1
Chapter 8: This is such a beautiful story, amazingly told! I read the last chapter while listening to puzzle piece by nct dream and I can’t stop crying :’) Thank you for this!