Prompt: 'Genki' by Jin Akanishi

Dance rehearsals had just finished, he slowly prepared to shower, bathing just as slow, as if he didn’t want to leave that place; but more than not wanting to leave the emptying building, he did not want to go ‘home’. He walked out the building and looked up to the sky, watching the clear blue disappearing behind thick clouds. It’s gonna rain.

People —seeing the quickly obscuring sky— started to walk faster, nobody caring nor paying attention to the youth standing still, watching at the sky with a blank face. Not until the rain actually started to pour, it was then that people that walked by his side would make sharp comment of him obstructing their way.

Probably an hour has gone since he left the school academy and got to his home, his empty home. He heard once before that ‘home’ is where the persons you love are at, and not forcefully a concrete structure; but right now the only place he could call home was this empty house. Tears started to soak his eyes; no one would have noticed he was crying if they saw him, not when he’s dripping wet.

“If only you could be in here” the words rolled out of his lips in a broken whisper.

The sky you see above won't always be blue
People won't always be kind to you
On stormy nights you'll be near tears
If only you could be there
 

..::..::..::..::..::..

He had catch a cold, of course he had, standing in the door way until he couldn’t cry no more, still soaked from the rain was not a good idea after all. He walked through the streets, the sun heating his pale skin. The appearance of the route he always walked had changed a lot, he couldn’t help thinking that the only unchanging thing in this town was him. Lee Chansung has remained the same since that day, the day he left him.

It wasn’t often that he would cry his heart out, but when he did he would notice that, just like the rain brings a clearer sky next day, he would be able to see thing under a new light after letting his pain out. He looked at his surrounding, seeing the thousands of unknown faces. Even if he happened to have met one of those faces before, his numb senses wouldn’t remember who they are… so they are still completely strangers.

Joon started to feel impatience consuming him. Right now, in this town, he is completely alone. He swallowed hard, willing his non sense thinking to stop. Yes, he is alone, but he had been for a while now, why should it start bothering him so suddenly?

“So if only you could be in here…” his throat went dry just remembering him.

“If only you could be in here…”

Even if you're no longer in this changing town
It will keep on revolving with completely unknown faces
You alone will stop, and swallow up only your impatience
So if only you could be there
If you could be there
 

..::..::..::..::..::..

He felt bad, terribly bad. No matter what, he has always been capable of perform, of exteriorizing his feelings while dancing, amazing all his co-workers, students and people that just happened to be walking by. But he couldn’t bring himself to do even a single step right, he even looked like a new student instead of one of the professors of one of the most prestigious dance academy in Korea. Ah, he felt like he had lost the only part of himself he didn’t took with him when he left.

He felt disheartened; he leaned against the mirror and slipped to the floor. One of his co-workers, professor Seungho, kneeled beside him.

“Are you alright?” he asked with concern on his eyes. “You seem pretty stressed. It’s not like you to mess up…” Seungho trailed off when meeting his devastated eyes. “Come on, cheer up” he said extending his hand to help him up from the floor.

“Cheer up” Joon heard someone’s sing-song voice behind him; he turned around a saw a slightly shorter man smiling up to him. Chansung raised an eyebrow at him; he is one of the students, one that signed in three days ago.

“If you never made any mistake” the new student continued talking with that cute smile “The world would be yours” he stated widening his smile. Joon stared at him with doubt, was this guy crazy?

“Today class is over, everybody can go now” Joon said trying to ignore the strange teenager. Still when the student passed beside him, he could hear him mumble something, the only recognizable words were ‘yours alone’. Joon raised his eyebrow again, slightly intrigued by the shorter man.

Ah, you'll feel like you're about to lose
You'll be about to lose heart
Cheer up, come on
Cheer up, sing out with your voice
This world is yours
Yours alone

..::..::..::..::..::..

He had been thinking a lot, during the last three weeks he had been analyzing all his life, or more precisely what his life become after his ex-boyfriend left him. Joon was sitting at the river bend, holding in his hand an old wallet. The same wallet he had given as a present to his ex-boyfriend before even knowing he had been cheating on him. That day, when he left, Joon tried to stop him, but he didn’t even budge a little with his pleadings, not even noticing he dropped his wallet. When Joon noticed the wallet lying forgotten on the pavement, he picked it up. He had kept it, packed away on his night table… though, he had never opened it. Joon closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath and threw it into the river.

He opened his eyes just in time to see it drown into the water. He nearly drove after it, feeling as if he had just broken the only thing he had left of him… actually, he did broke the last bond.

The twilight painted the sky a deep red, tears came to his eyes, knowing that the pain he was feeling right now would be hard to get rid of, a lot more harder than just throwing an old wallet into the river. He blinked quickly, willing the tears to subside.

“If only you were here…”

“If you were here…”

When you threw a wallet you picked up on the street, untouched, into the river
Something seemed about to break
The sky at twilight will almost bring you to tears
If only you could be there
If you could be there

..::..::..::..::..::..

“Ah, you can’t forgive, can you?” Mir said with a heavy sigh. “I had no idea you hated anise so much!” he defended himself. “But this time I assure you, this cookies has no anise!” he smiled at Joon, hoping he would finally accept the gift.

“You can’t withdraw, can you?” Joon glared at him. Mir shakes his head vigorously, during the last week he had been trying all kind of ways to cheer him up.

“Cheer up, come on!” Mir pouted at Joon.

“Cheer up? I would need to cheer up if I were sad and, since I’m not sad, it’s useless you tell me ‘cheer up’!” Joon insisted.

“I saw you yesterday” Joon’s heart skipped a beat; he had been going to the river bend every day after he threw his wallet. “At the river bend, you looked really sad, are you sure you don’t need me to cheer you up?” He waited for an answer, but Joon just stared at him with a shocked face. “Sing out with your voice at top volume! That always helps me” Mir said that, standing from the floor.

“This world is yours” Joon said, calling Mir’s attention. “You have told me that each day since you came to the academy. At first, that day when I wasn’t feeling right and… you came and told that if I didn’t made any mistake, the world would be mine; I thought you were joking to make me feel better. But you keep repeating it, like an affirmation. Why?”

“Because it yours. Yours alone.” Mir said simply before leaving the dancing room. The class has ended a while ago, and just like the day after he noticed Mir for the first time, the two had stayed behind, talking to each other…

Ah, you can't forgive, can you?
You can't withdraw, can you?
Cheer up, come on
Cheer up, sing out with your voice
This world is yours
Yours alone

..::..::..::..::..::..

“Adults won’t do anything for you!” Joon screamed at Mir, he had finally crossed the line with his constant ‘world is yours’, one month ago when he asked him why he kept on repeating it, Mir had just repeated him it belonged to him. But Joon never though Mir referred to this…

“They won’t teach you any kindness!” Joon couldn’t understand really why he was reacting this way, is it really natural to be so mad when an 18 years old teenage confessed he is in love with you?

“Stop searching for me and open your eyes! Kids like you really need to see the world as it is and stop thinking everything is beautiful and that you can trust others!” Joon stormed out the room, leaving behind a teary Mir that hadn’t even said a word since the words ‘I love you’ left his lips…

Adults won't do anything for you
They won't teach you anything
All there is to do now is to see this world with your own eyes

..::..::..::..::..::..

He slammed the door of his apartment, still mad from Mir’s confession. Why was he so mad? Because he saw himself in Mir. Yes, he had been a teenager that fell in love with someone older than he, and had been blind to the fact that, sooner or later, he would get bored of dating a brat and leave him alone. The price he paid for his naïve behavior were his eyes, ever since he left him, everything looked colorless, lifeless. He refused to have affection for someone else.

He closed his eyes tightly while sitting on the sofa, sleep slowly claiming him. He listened carefully to all the sounds, only hearing the ticking of the wall clock until his ear started to sharpen to more sounds.

A bird, probably sitting on the tree outside the building ­—whose branches covers his bedroom window— started to chirp happily. ‘Sing out with your voice at top volume! That always helps me’ Mir’s voice resounded on his ears.

He opened his eyes abruptly. The bird flew away, leaving behind only the rustling of the tree.

“Why would you invade my mind now?” Joon asked to the emptiness of his apartment, for the first time in six years he wasn’t asking it while hearing the sound of his car fading while he leaves him behind.

The roaring of the wind blowing between the tall buildings woke him up of his reverie, screaming at him he is alive. Yes, he is alive. He took advantage of his young age, and made him loose the light upon his eyes. But it’s also his fault, in that time he let himself get blinded by his sweet words, and until now he noticed that, even if he got hurt by the one he loved, he still can keep on living and love again…

If those eyes break down
Listen carefully
To the chirping of the birds
The rustling of the trees
The noise of the cars and the subway
The sound of the wind blowing between the tall buildings

..::..::..::..::..::..

Joon fidgeted with his hand, feeling nervous of finally getting to the academy. He yelled at Mir yesterday, and now he wants to apologize, he needs to apologize. He entered through the crystal double doors and went straight for his classroom, knowing Mir will be in there. He is always fifteen minutes before the class begins. But he isn’t, Joon let it slip, probably Mir doesn’t want to be completely alone in the same room as him. But after the two hour of classes he hadn’t come. Feeling restless, Joon goes to the reception and asks for him. Mir had left fifteen minutes before, when the unsubscribe paperwork was finished. All sounds seemed to vanish, Mir had left…

“I’m feeling sick. Tell the rest of my students they have the day off” Joon told the receptionist after hearing the notice. He went outside and felt the cold wind caressing his skin. Fifteen minutes… he had been fifteen minutes late. He placed his hand to his chest, feeling the erratic beating of his heart.

He closed his fist over his chest, realizing that, as long as he can feel something… he won’t renounce to this world.

“No, I don’t need the world” he started running as fast as he could. ‘Did you followed me?’Joon had asked him three days ago, while sitting at the river bend he had heard footsteps behind him. ‘No, I live that way’.

If those ears are taken away
You still have the palms of your hands
Feel the world with your palms
No, you don't need the world

..::..::..::..::..::..

“If you could be here” Mir sighed. He had been rejected in the worst way possible, he was sure Joon would never want to see him again. Ironically he went to the same river Joon went to think. “Maybe I should have at least gone to class one last time… that way I would have been able to see him just one more time”.

“That would be enough?” Mir turned at hearing Joon’s voice, finding him bending over trying to regain his breath. “Seeing me just one more time would be enough?” Joon repeated his question.

“What are you doing here?” he asked surprised, never would he have imagined Joon would search for him, not after how he yelled at him when he confessed he was in love with him. Joon felt his palms start to sweat, the tips of his fingers tingling slightly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he started to walk towards him, raising his hand lightly to touch his cheek. Maybe Joon can’t tell that he loves Mir, but he can recognize the affection he has acquired for him runs deep. After all, Mir has taken over the place that for so long he had occupied.

If you alone could be there
That would be enough
With my palms, with the tips of my fingers
I want to touch your cheek

..::..::..::..::..::..

“Ah, I want to see you!” Mir wined into the phone, Joon just chuckled at the other end, replying he would return from the US in two days and be patient.

“Even if only on a dream…” Mir whispered.

It had been already three months since they became boyfriends, and even if Joon was a considerate boyfriend, Mir still felt that he had to gain Joons heart, after all, he hadn’t told him not even an ‘I like you’. He wished more than anything that his feelings…

Would be believed… and corresponded…

Ah, I want to see you
If only in a dream
Your wish is that those feelings, over any words,
Be believed

..::..::..::..::..::..

The two days had gone by, Joon was feeling anxious to finally see his boyfriend. He got down the plane and hurried to fetch his luggage to go search for Mir, he had told him he would pick him at the airport. He finally spotted him in the crowd, Mir hadn’t seen him so Joon ran to get behind him and scare him. Once behind him, Joon was readying himself for his little prank when Mir turned around and scared him instead.

“You saw me?”

“Oh, no! That is why I didn’t notice you and you scared me!” Joon stayed thinking, taking a few seconds to catch the sarcasm on Mir’s voice. When he finally understood Mir was already laughing loudly.

“Hehe! Let’s go home!” Joon took Mir’s hand, feeling he already was home when Mir finger’s closed around his. Three months ago he would have hated saying ‘I’m going home’ knowing he meant his empty apartment.

“… finally complete…” Joon heard Mir whispering something, understanding only two words.

“What did you said?”

“Eh?” Mir blushed.

“You said something. Finally complete? What?”

“The world” Mir said avoiding Joon’s stare.

“You never explained that of ‘the world is yours’, you will explain now?”

“My world… since the first day I saw you two years ago… it’s yours. And yours alone.”

“I love you” the word slipped through his lips before he knew they were coming. Mir turned to look at him with wide eyes, for a second Joon though he would cry, but he cracked a smile before pushing him playfully.

“You look as if I were about to yell at you!”

“Aish! You can’t forget, can you?”

“No, I can’t” he answered dramatically.

“Oh… wait… two years?” Joon looked confused.

“Two years ago, my best friend Park Sanghyun, asked me if I could accompany him to deliver a gift for his boyfriend; a professor in the same dance academy you work at… I saw you and… well… long story?” Mir was red to the ears

“Yours alone” This time it was Joon the one to say those words. “From now on, my world it’s yours alone.”

So so corny! Huhuhu, in case no-one noticed, during the fic all the paragraphs are related to the song; paragraph per verse. With the exception of the last part that broke completely with the previous scheme and it’s completely free of the restrictions of having to ve related to what the song says. Of course I had to change a little bit of the idea of some of the verses, but I tried to keep them the closest possible to the original lyrics.

Hope you like it! I really love this pair and have no idea why I hadn’t written of them until now XD!