Once, a long time ago, there was a brown haired boy characterized with tanned skin and a million dollar smile, who climbed these rocky paths over and over again. Passing by boulders with no fear of them collapsing even though people are warned to stay away; drifting off trail into the forest without thinking even if there are people that had disappeared in there; reaching the end of the cliff and sitting at the edge, ignoring the cracks that the rocky surface presents him with…

You could say that this boy was either brave or just plain stupid. But that was only because they didn’t know the reason of his actions…

He passed by the boulders because he might get lucky and that one crushes him, he drifts away because he might get lost and die without anyone knowing, he sits at the damaged edge of a cliff because you never know, it might collapse and make him fall...

He had thought about killing himself more than once, but he promised him that he would never hurt himself, in anyway, no matter what. So, all he can hope for is for something or someone to kill him.

But that is not the only reason he goes through this path every single week. He as a very special reason that just pulls him towards the edge… It’s the only place where he feels connected to the other; the only place that as a view that can be used to compare the other’s beauty; it’s the only place he thinks he will be heard…

The boy who passed through these steps is Jung Daehyun, a boy who talks to his forever lover, Youngjae, through powerful songs that would just take away someone’s voice… But the boy isn’t afraid of that, he just wants to sing until he can’t anymore, until his lungs dry out, his throat shatters and his heartfelt message is delivered… He’ll take the disappearance of his voice as a sign that his message went through. That he finally told his lover one last time that he loved him. But that day never came…

Every Sunday, for the past four years, Daehyun has traveled near the boulders, passed through the forest and standed at the edge of the cliff… For four years, he as sang his heart out, only to get empty on feelings and having no response. People say it’s a miracle he can even talk, not that he does it much, much less sing loud enough to be heard in the small mountain village two miles away…

On a certain Sunday, a boulder fell… It passed right in front of Daehyun and he just sighed; that same day, he got lost in the forest, not recognizing any of the trees he already knew so well. He wandered for some time and got out of the forest, letting out another sigh… The only thing left was the cliff’s edge. It would either collapse before he got there or after he left…

He stepped onto the damaged rocky platform and sat at the very edge, itching to scoot a little more to the front and fall to the water, to the answer to his desperation… But a promise is a promise, and he would never break a promise made to such a special and precious person…

Daehyun spread his legs a little and looked down at the ocean, its’ waves crashing onto the cliff’s base, degrading it bit by bit as time passes by… The force seeming so overwhelming, so big that it would be impossible to fight; the rocks too slippery and too smooth to be able to hold on to, having no way of salvation…

He sighed and coughed… His voice was getting tired and his throat hurt, but there was no way he would stop… It might not have been a promise he made to Youngjae, but it was one he made to himself.  He would convey his feeling for the other one last time and he would wait and stand strong for as long as that took.

He coughed a few more times and his eyes widened when he was presented with blood. He was afraid that he had strained his voice too much for too long and that he would not be able to sing anymore… He was more scared of losing the only thing that meant anything to him than he was of dying.

Tears started to flow out of Daehyun’s eyes and just fall down his cheek and into the big ocean, where his added tear wouldn’t make the slightest change… He lured his tears away with pure will power, cleaning the remains in his cheek with the back of his hand. He breathed deeply for a few times, preparing himself to sing his heart out and most probably lose his voice.

He was scared but there was nothing he could do… There was no way he would stop singing, there was no way he would leave that place without singing, there was no way he would let this day pass without him conveying his feelings towards the sky…

He stood up and looked at the sun which was just starting to set, and he was mind blown…

The light of the setting sun was of a color he had never seen… A pure and beautiful mixture of red, orange and purple… The ocean water forming waved, transporting the light towards the coast…

He had only once seen this kind of scenario… It was when he first stepped on that cliff, the first time he felt special, the first time he saw the sunset with Youngjae…

A star shined above the sun, many other making their appearance and Daehyun couldn’t help but cry just like before… His message was conveyed, he knew it, he was sure of it!

Even through his tears, he smiled… He smiled for the first time in four years…

This time, the song was different… The same, but different… It was the same melody, the same made up lyrics, but there was another feeling to it. The frustration and sadness of the previous love was now replaced with a harmonious, calm and serene love… And it was said to be the most beautiful song ever heard.

People from the village said that it was heard even further than usual, reaching the surroundings of the village… The whole village stopped… And smiled. The boy had finally found peace. It is said that the boy sang all night, while the full moon appeared shining bright above, illuminating the boy.

The villagers were lulled to sleep, but only for this night… The song was never again sung. The boy had gone missing. People liked to think that he found true happiness and went on living; others say he finally got to his lover completely, freeing himself of the restrains given to humanity…

*~ * ~*

The legend of the ‘Cliff Hanger and the Sunset Prince’…

It says that when the sunset like that happens, a figure of a young boy is seen walking over the edge of the cliff. He sits there and reaches out his hand, starting to sing that melodious song which is accompanied by the ocean’s waves and the high winds, which carry it to the farthest lands… It is said that the boy’s out stretched hand is hold by yet another young boy, who just smiles down at him, receiving tears of joy and one of the happiest and sweetest smiles ever seen…

At the end of the song, the ‘Sunset Prince’ shines and illuminates the stairs that appear in that night, as the sun finished setting… And the ‘Cliff Hanger’, you ask? Well, let’s just say he hangs around, waiting for the next opportunity to lull you with a sweet and loving song and smile…

And that finishes the story of the lovely pair, Daehyun and Youngjae, who even torn apart by death, made it to be together once again, breaking every boundary set down on humanity… It just shows that not every rule was meant to be followed, the most important thing is to follow your belief, be you supported or not…

Thank you for reading this story and I hope you also follow your dreams…

~ Daehyun and Youngjae