March 20, 2013

A penny soars through the air, the color of its aged copper glows dimly under the sun rays that kiss it. Water embraces it, cool and comforting, as it sinks to the floor of the pool. The penny weeps for it is stuck in place, carrying a burden that no human can bear. It holds a wish, a dream, and a desire of the heart.

“This is stupid and I have no idea why I’m doing this but here goes nothing. I wish that I will meet my soul mate tomorrow,” whispers the bronze haired man, his eyes closed and his hands clasped together in prayer. When he opens his eyes again, he meets the steady gaze of the Weeping Statue, his eyes drooping in sadness tears stuck on the brim. Luhan thinks his mind is playing tricks on him when he sees the statue’s frown grow deeper and a tear trickle down its ashen cheek.

 “What? Is tomorrow too desperate? Then, just soon. I want to meet my soul mate soon,” Luhan mutters. He eyes the statue once more, waiting for a reaction of some sort. Then, he calls himself insane for asking a statue to grant him one of his heart’s greatest desires and leaves without glancing back.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. His tears fall, glowing under the pale moonlight, before melding into the pool at his feet. He has seen one half of a soul wishing for its other half and hopes it will see that wish fulfilled, carrying its weight in himself.

March 24, 2013

The gentle plink of a penny landing in water soothes the mind of the one who threw it and makes the smile touching his lips grow wider. He is squatting before the Weeping Statue and gazing up at him, asking for a favor.

“So, my birthday is in two days and I guess this wish is a little early,” Minseok starts off bashfully. He knows his cheeks are rosy with embarrassment and the mild weather nipping at them but he continues speaking. “I was just hoping you could make something special happen on my birthday, something I’ll never forget.”

Raising his chin, Minseok catches the Weeping Statue’s eyes and he feels a sort of reassurance from staring into the abysmal gray. “You’re not crying right now. Is that a good sign?” asks Minseok even though he knows he won’t get an answer.

Instead, he sits on the edge of the fountain surrounding the Weeping Statue and dips his fingers into the clear water. Through the clarity, he sees dozens of other coins, dozens of wishes, littering the floor. With all his heart he hopes that those wishes will come true because everyone deserves something that will make them smile.

“I feel sorry for you, you know. You have to sit here by yourself listening to all these wishes and never knowing if they’ve been granted. It’s lonely,” Minseok sighs. He glances back and notices how sunken the statue’s features have become, like its entire being sagged from the weight of its melancholy.

Lying on his back, Minseok rests his weary eyes because today has been a long day. He’s always found it comforting to come by here and talk to this statue, to expel all the exhausting events that went on throughout the day. He believes that the Weeping Statue listens more than people do sometimes.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. And now he has seen it, that soul’s other half. He ceases his tears momentarily and can see a future where these two halves join together.

March 26, 2013

Luhan has no idea why he came back to this place again. Namsan Park has never been on his list of most relaxing areas to go to. He wasn’t saying that the park was not relaxing; he just found other things to be more soothing like a beach with clear, fresh, salty water and sand that tickles his toes.

But, since he lives in Seoul and therefore would have to go a ways before reaching an ocean he has to settle for the fountain and the Weeping Statue which he still finds a bit creepy to look at. What kind of statue can actually look like he is crying? Luhan would like to meet the man who created this statue and ask him what exactly was going through his mind at the time.

Random thoughts aside, Luhan is still wondering why he’s sitting down in front of the statue and staring out at the plethora of trees and grass. It’s been six days since he’s made his wish and he still hasn’t met his soul mate yet. Unless he has but he would know if he has, wouldn’t he? There’s supposed to be a spark when you meet your soul mate, a slow motion moment where you catch each other’s eyes and your hearts flutter in a way they never have before. At least, that’s what Luhan has learned from the ridiculous number of dramas he’s watched on breaks because what else is a teacher supposed to do when they don’t have work?

Either way, Luhan waits for his own special moment where his heart is stuck in his throat and his blood pounds in his ears.

Of course, he never expects it to happen when he’s caught off guard by a man stumbling over his own feet and falling on him, thus causing both of them to flip over into the fountain. No, Luhan never imagines his first encounter with his soul mate to be one where his clothes are drenched and clinging to his skin with a man in between his legs apologizing profusely for being a klutz. He never pictures his soul mate to look absolutely adorable with wide dark brown eyes and his pale pink lips formed into an O.

And yet here he is, his heart thrumming erratically against his rib cage, butterflies running rampant in his stomach, and his breaths trapped in his throat. He is so surprised that he allows this man to pull him up to his feet and drag him out of the fountain like a lifeless mannequin.

“Excuse me, are you alright? Sir?” the man asks and all Luhan can notice is how cute his voice sounds. He almost forgets that the man is talking to him and stares dumbly at the man’s young face. When the man places his hand on his shoulder and gives him a gentle shake, Luhan finally snaps free of his trance.

“I-I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine,” he says. Luhan wants to slap himself because saying “I’m fine” three times is completely over the top not to mention the fact that he stuttered.

“I’m really sorry. I’m such a klutz. I can’t believe I tripped over my own feet,” the man replies abashedly. His ears are pink and he has this tiny, sheepish smile on his face that makes Luhan question how old he is.

“No, it’s alright. I was gonna take a shower tonight anyways,” Luhan jokes and realizes too late that really it’s quite a lame joke. He wonders how many times he will embarrass himself in this man’s presence.

“But it’s a little chilly out. You can’t stay like that or you’ll catch a cold.” The man gestures at Luhan’s sopping wet body and that’s when he begins to shiver because damn it really is cold.

“It’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

“No, I still feel bad. Why don’t you come over to my apartment and at least dry off? It’s only a couple minutes from here,” the man offers.

Luhan is the one blushing now because he also never expected to be invited to his soul mate’s apartment right after their first meeting. But it’s too big of an opportunity for him to say no and it’s not like he expects this to turn into something more so he agrees.

“Well, I guess I really shouldn’t walk around like this. Why not?” Luhan answers. He feels all tingly inside when the man smiles warmly at him and begins walking. Luhan follows, looking at the man’s feet to match his stride.

“So, what’s your name?”

“I don’t give my name out to strangers,” the man says and the smirk on his face is enough to drive Luhan up a wall.

Chuckling, Luhan responds, “Okay fine. My name is Luhan.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he looks at the man expectantly because he’s itching to know what he should call this beautiful creature walking beside him.

“Just because I know your name doesn’t change the fact that we’re strangers still,” the man teases. Luhan sees the way his body shivers and he remembers that he fell into the water too. Cursing himself for forgetting that fact, he walks a little too close to the man on purpose so their shoulders are brushing against one another and if Luhan moves his hand just enough he could thread his fingers through the other man’s in a feeble attempt to share his body heat.

“That may be true but I’d like to know the name of the man whose apartment I’m going to. What if you were a serial killer?” Luhan decides to play along. He thinks it’s easy to joke around with this man and it’s nice really, how simple their conversation is.

“That’s also true,” the man replies with a small chuckle. “Minseok, my name is Minseok.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Minseok,” Luhan says. He smiles extra wide when he says Minseok’s name and hopes that the smile on Minseok’s face isn’t just his imagination.

Throwing his head back for a second, Luhan can just barely make out the outline of the Weeping Statue. In his mind, he thanks the statue for granting his wish.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. He rejoices and his stone lips would smile if he had the ability to move. But, he can only feel. So, he feels happiness in watching that soul reunited.

April 20, 2013

The tick tock of Minseok’s watch is drilling a hole into his brain, he decides. The Weeping Statue grieves for him, perched behind him as he sits on the edge of the fountain. Minseok can’t keep his eyes off the annoying little watch that continues to tell him that Luhan is ten minutes late. He doesn’t understand how Luhan can be late when he asked Minseok to meet him there precisely at six.

Well, at least it gives him time to think back on almost four weeks of knowing and hanging out with Luhan. He really likes to call it “going out” rather than hanging out but he’s still unsure whether Luhan even likes him that way. He reminisces their first meeting, which just so happened to be his birthday as well. And he is reminded of the wish he made two days before his birthday.

“Thank you for granting my wish,” Minseok says to the statue. He brings his knees up to his chest, sitting with his toes peeking over the edge casting shadows over the water. If he leans back too far he’d land on his back on the concrete. If he shimmies forward too much he’d slip and be rewarded with his entire body drenched. It doesn’t bother him though for his attention is solely on the statue on the verge of crying before him.

“Are you about to cry because you’re happy? Or is there something I don’t know?” Minseok whispers under his breath. He gets no response from the statue of course but he still has his eyes locked onto his ashen face. The Weeping Statue merely frowns with his tears still stuck to the corners of his deep gray eyes.

Just as Minseok opens his mouth to say something else, he hears rapid footsteps approaching him at an alarmingly face rate so he whips around to greet the person trying to ambush him. Of course, it is Luhan. The other man skids to a stop when Minseok spots him, eyebrows arching up and a chuckle spilling from his lips. Luhan crosses his arms in a huff, glaring Minseok down with mock resentment.

“No fair. You always manage to scare me, why can’t I ever surprise you?” Luhan says.

“That’s because I’m a ninja and you’re not,” Minseok retorts.

“Tch, you know that’s not true.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Come on, the first time we met you tripped over your own feet. How can a ninja be that clumsy?” Luhan smirks because he knows he’s won and Minseok hates it. Instead of scrounging for a comeback, Minseok hops off the fountain ledge and stands in front of Luhan. His eyes graze over Luhan’s dainty features that he seems to know so well despite only meeting Luhan four weeks ago. He cherishes the time he gets to stare at that beautiful face.

“Okay, so maybe it is true. But would it have killed you to humor me?” Minseok finally admits his defeat.

“Hmm,” Luhan hums thoughtfully and taps his finger on his chin before smiling deviously and saying, “yup.”

There is nothing left for Minseok to do but laugh, so he does and it’s liberating, joyful, and light. He enjoys it a lot. Luhan grins along with him, his own laughs rumbling in his chest. After a few more seconds, Minseok manages to stop his laughter and returns his attention back on Luhan.

“So, why exactly did you want to meet me here?” he asks.

Luhan takes both of Minseok’s hands in his and just plays with them, swinging them back and forth between them. There is a playful smile dancing on his lips and a childlike twinkle in his eye. Minseok takes everything in, finding his own lips tugging up.

“Are you gonna tell me or are we just gonna stand here swinging our hands like idiots?” he teases and Luhan sticks his tongue out in response.

“Okay, fine.” And suddenly Luhan turns shy, taking an interest in their feet which are currently tip to tip from how close they happen to be standing. “Will you –“

But Minseok doesn’t catch the last part of the question because Luhan mumbles it almost inaudibly. He leans in, lips pursed in slight aggravation, and figures out Luhan’s plan too late. As he leans in, Luhan tilts his chin up in a flash and Minseok nearly presses their lips together accidentally. He freezes just in time, lips hovering just millimeters away from Luhan’s.

He finds his eyes glued to Luhan’s lips, watching them curl up deviously because this was Luhan’s plan all along.

“Will you, Kim Minseok, be my boyfriend?” Luhan whispers and his breath tickles and caresses Minseok’s lips. Minseok blushes first, faltering and flailing for words to respond. Then, he finds that he can only nod still very pink in the face and flushed. Luhan smiles wider and steals a quick, chaste kiss on Minseok’s lips before skipping off to who knows where.

Glancing up at the Weeping Statue, Minseok bows his head and then bounds after Luhan, heart light and soaring in the clouds.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. His tears no longer dance at the edge of his eyes. He has seen a soul reunite and connect with its other half and he has hope.

May 12, 2013

A rough, jagged pebble picked off the ground is flung through the air and smacks the Weeping Statue in the eye. The warm, spring Sunday is not so warm anymore as daunting footsteps approach the fountain and the statue. His bronze hair shines under the sunlight but his expression is darker, eyes narrowed, and lips tugged down.

“Stupid, Minseok is so stupid,” Luhan mutters to no one in particular. “And you’re stupid too.”

He glares up purposefully at the Weeping Statue and he returns the enraged look with his own morbid frown. Luhan scoffs at this, growing ever more aggravated at this statue’s never ending wistfulness.

“How could he think I was cheating on him? And with Sehun of all people? That brat is like a brother to me,” Luhan hisses and he plops down, exhausted.

“Do you have anything to say about this?” He stares at the statue and shakes his head. “What the hell am I saying? Statues don’t talk. They don’t feel anything. Especially not sympathy for a poor er like me.”

With nothing more to say, Luhan decides it’s a waste of time to come here and hope that Minseok will think of their first meeting place while repenting, find him here, and then they can make up passionately with tight hugs and heartwarming kisses. He doesn’t hope for that much like he realizes his foolishness in believing that meeting Minseok was the Weeping Statue’s doing.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. That hope he has recently gained begins to crumble a bit and he sees the cycle beginning again. He wants to tell that poor soul that he understands all too well and sympathizes too much.

May 13, 2013

Minseok should be at work right now but he thinks it’s better for his own well being if he got to spend some quality relaxation time at one of his favorite places. And so, he is once again perched by the Weeping Statue, trailing his hands through the cool water.

“I got in a fight with Luhan two nights ago. It was terrible. Loud, furious, blind rage. That’s all it was,” Minseok begins, “It was my fault too. I heard some stupid rumor from Jongdae about our friend Sehun being one of Luhan’s old flames and that they met up one night at a club where that fire was kindled again. Shouldn’t have believed it. It was nothing but a rumor.”

Sorrowful sighs fall endlessly from Minseok’s lips and he sprawls out on the fountain ledge to stare at the blue, cloud-free sky. He shifts his head so he can see the Weeping Statue’s morose face staring back at him. He smiles listlessly for reasons unknown. Maybe because he thinks that statue is listening to him and grieving for him.

“You think it’s stupid right? Me, that is. I guess it’s because I like Luhan more than I should right now. Maybe I’m falling a bit faster than he is,” Minseok mumbles dejectedly.

The Weeping Statue sits and cries invisible tears. Minseok nods along, agreeing with the sentiment and uses his arms to cover his face. He can’t help feeling a bit better after relieving his emotions to the mute listener.

“Thanks for sticking through my many troubles,” he chuckles, “And I probably should get back to work. I’ll apologize to Luhan afterwards. Hopefully, he’ll forgive me.”

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. He clings to his hope with a newfound fervor, grasping it tightly within him as he wishes for this reunited soul to understand.

July 24, 2013

Luhan has never felt more frustrated in his life. He doesn’t normally go out on Monday evenings for anything but today is an exception. He unconsciously wanders through Seoul and ends up back in front of the same statue that started his now rampant life.

“What is it with Minseok nowadays? Why can’t he just understand me? Am I not articulating correctly? Ever since that first fight, things just haven't felt right,” Luhan growls as he paces back and forth in front of the gray statue.

“We’ve had nearly twenty fights in the past two months and about half of them were big ones too,” Luhan continues to harshly whisper, his tone is dry.

He turns his anger on the Weeping Statue and throws a pebble he’d found at his feet. It hits the statue with a clunk and plops into the water with a tiny splash. He feels like his chest is on fire and he's burning as the flames lap at him. He remembers when he thought Minseok was his soul mate and questions why he thought so in the first place. Nothing but muddled emotions cloud his mind as he thinks back on that day and wonders if those feelings from before were imaginary, little tricks his brain came up with to make him believe in miracles like throwing a penny in a fountain and wishing on it to have it come true in the end. That's all it truly was, he realizes. It's just an illusion.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he says. “I’ve had enough.”

Minseok is alone at the park with only a few lamps on the pathways lighting his surroundings. He wonders when he started hating this place, the place where he met the man he’d once thought was his soul mate. He understands now that it was all his own delusions, his own mind playing tricks on him to make him believe that he was so close to what he’d always dreamed of.

“Did you see this happening? Did you know it was going to end like this?” he asks the Weeping Statue and there is no mistaking the tremble in his voice.

“I thought I could learn to get along with him, to see things from his point of view. I thought we were one in the same,” he says. “But, I guess I had to learn the hard way that I was wrong.”

Climbing onto the fountain, Minseok plunges his hand into the water and fishes out his penny. He knows it is his because of the little black dot on it from when Jongdae had poked it with a sharpie. Closing his fist around the penny, he grasps it with a strength he didn’t know he had, almost as if he wanted to crush it in his hand and turn it to dust. If it were dust, it could become a million wishes and maybe one of those would come true for Minseok. Maybe one of those would make this ice encasing his heart go away.

With a weighty sigh, Minseok turns his back on the Weeping Statue and goes to end a relationship.

---

The Weeping Statue perches in his place, alone. Always, always, alone. And always, always, weeping. He has heard many tales of woe from many different people and he holds them forever. He is scarred and burdened, collecting wishes in water. He knows of too many painful separations and not enough cherished embraces to believe that any two souls can stay together forever.

He was given hope one day when a soul split in two wished to make itself whole again.

But, much like the other stories he’s watched this one did not end well.

And his hope is crushed beneath the reality that people are never meant to stay together forever. They move too quickly to fully comprehend another soul, to understand another’s heart. They are not meant to stay in one place with one another because they were born to move.

It is only the Weeping Statue who is able to truly understand everyone for he is cursed to be rooted in one place alone and listen.

It is his curse to understand but to never be understood.