Eight
AwayLuhan dug in his backpack and found a scrap of paper that read:
Fujiyoshida can be reached by taking the JR Chuo line to Otsuki and changing to the Fujikyu line. The Fujikyu line passes through Fujiyoshida to Kawaguchiko, from where hourly buses (50 minutes, ¥1700) shuttle to the 5th Station. If you are planning to walk from the foot of the mountain, Fujiyoshida is, also, the starting point of the Yoshida route. You will be able to visit Fujiyoshida Sengenjinja (shrine) on the way to the summit. “We need to take the JR Chuo line,” replied Luhan, as he looked around the station. “Platform 9 & 10. Over there!”
The two boarded quickly, looking around for a private place to sit. They found an empty spot near the back, free of other passengers. Luhan took the seat beside the window, placing his backpack at his feet. Sehun sat next to him, reaching his bandaged arm around the older boy’s slight shoulders.
“How long before our next stop, hyung?”
Luhan looked down at the schedule. “About an hour until we switch trains at the Otsuki Station.”
“How do you know all this? Have you been here before?”
Luhan stared out of the window at the unfamiliar landscape. “I think so, but I don’t remember. I’ve been getting ready for this trip for weeks. I made all these preparations in advance. I guess I wasn’t expecting to be chased down by the police. Other than that, the trip has gone according to plan.”
“You never told me how you escaped. How'd you get through those police officers that were banging on the hotel room door?”
Luhan ripped his eyes away from the window and turned to look at Sehun. “I don’t know how to explain it to you, Sehun-ah.”
“It’s okay, hyung. You can tell me anything. I’ve trusted you so far, haven’t I? Even with my life. I'll always trust you.”
Luhan’s eyes filled with tears. “You’ve already done so much for me Sehun-ah, without any hesitation. How can I ever repay you?”
“You don’t have to repay me. Just tell me what's going on! How did we manage to escape from the hotel?”
Luhan took a deep breath, knowing he had postponed this conversation long enough. “Have you ever wondered why I never talk to my parents, Sehun-ah? Why, even when I go home, fans see me wandering around Beijing, alone on the streets?”
Sehun wrinkled his eyebrows in concern. “Of course I have. I just never had the courage to ask. You never seemed to want to talk about it, so I assumed you had some kind of falling out with your family.”
“I don’t have a family, Sehun-ah. Not that I know of anyways. I was raised in an orphanage in Beijing. When I joined SM, they wanted to erase that past, so they made up a story about my parents living there with me. They even made me sign a contract promising I would never mention it to anyone. That’s why I never told you about it.”
Sehun was at a loss for words. “I’m so sorry, hyung.”
“No! You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I grew up with kids who had it far worse than I ever did. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into good schools, even at a young age. And I did well enough to become a foreign exchange student in Korea, hoping to become a singer someday. My dreams came true, when I joined EXO. I even found a family, our members. That’s why I’m so close to every single one of you. You're the only family I’ve ever had.”
“I don’t understand, hyung. How is any of this related?”
Luhan gave his dongsaeng a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t make any sense. I wanted to start at the beginning. You’re the first person I'm telling all this, so I’m not so good at explaining it.”
“It’s okay. Just keep going.”
“When I was a teenager, before I left for Korea, I asked the orphanage to give me my birth records. I wanted to find my parents. I wanted to know where I really came from. But there were no records. The orphanage didn’t even know if I was born in China. One of the employees in the building, a kind old woman that had always looked out for me, told me that she remembered the day I was brought there. I was only a baby at the time, not even a month old. It was early in the morning, at the break of dawn. A car had pulled up to the entrance and left me at the front door. The driver had not given any explanation. She said when she found me, I reminded her of a baby deer, so she named me Luhan. Deer at dawn. Even after I joined EXO, I wondered about my past, but I decided to give up the search. I wanted to leave all the uncertainty behind, because I had finally found a family. I had found you. I didn’t need anything else. Then, one day, about 6 months ago, on my birthday, I got a letter in the mail, an anonymous one. At first I thought it was just a fan playing a joke, but soon after, I realized, everything it said was coming true.”
Luhan dug in his backpack and pulled out a black envelope. On the front, in shining white calligraphy, was Luhan’s name and EXO-M’s address. Luhan opened the envelope and pulled out a matching black letter, written with the same ink, in the same beautiful script.
Luhan. Born to the fourth month. Of Aries and Taurus. At twenty-two, the powers will find him. First, in dreams. Then, in waking. With his mind, he shall conquer matter. Gravity shall surrender, bend to his will. Beware! For the one he cannot control. Himself. Deer at dawn. Taken from the stars to the Empire of the Sun. There, he must return, with the others. To the white-topped mountain. For the journey home.
Sehun stared at the note, reading it over and over. “What does it mean?”
Luhan raised the palm of his hand.
Sehun’s eyes widened into circles as the black paper floated out of his light grip and up into the air. Luhan redirected his gaze towards Sehun, and the letter fell into Sehun's lap.
“It’s how I saved you Sehun-ah. It’s how you and that table reached the 34th floor. It’s how I escaped from those police officers.”
“You mean, you can do it to people too?”
“Not all the time. I’m usually not strong enough. But when I’m in trouble, when I’m afraid, when someone I love is in danger, I find the power in me. It takes focus and energy. That letter in your lap, it’s so light. It doesn’t take much effort. But heavier, more important things. I can’t always control them.”
“When did you find out?” gasped Sehun, struggling to steady his voice.
“Just like the letter says. After my 22nd birthday. I woke up from a dream one night after hearing a crash. Lay woke up too. When we tried to turn the light on, we realized that our table lamp was on the ground, broken. We couldn’t figure out what had happened. Soon after, odd things started to happen during the day. Anytime I would be slightly upset, a wave of my hand would send objects flying. Eventually, I learned to control it. I read the letter over and over, trying to figure out what it meant. Then, several weeks ago, I had a dream. A dream about a snow-capped mountain. It looked so familiar. Then I remembered the line, ‘Empire of the Sun.’ It’s what they used to call Japan. That mountain, Sehun-ah. It was Mount Fuji. It all made sense. That’s where the letter told me to go. As soon as I realized it, I started to plan this trip.”
“What do you mean?! Where are you going? What's all this about a 'journey home'?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what’s gonna happen when I get there. I just know that can’t do it alone. I had to bring you with me, Sehun-ah. Something inside of me knew I would need you."
Sehun wrapped his bandaged arms around his hyung, pulling him deep into his chest. “I’ll go with you. To your home. Wherever it might be. My home is with you.”
---
Power
Kyungsoo hung up the phone in frustration. The words of the secretary at the law firm replayed in his mind. “We have contacted the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Unfortunately, the investigation has reached an international level, involving Korea, China, and Japan. It is beyond our scope at this time. We will not be able to help until the case is brought to a Korean court, which may take several weeks, even months, depending on when the missing persons are found.”
D.O. had run out of ideas. Neither his company nor the legal system was willing to help him fight the police. Four of s were being unfairly imprisoned for an indefinite period of time and two were still missing. He felt utterly alone. Even the helpful nurse had not visited for hours, now that she was busy tending to patients that had been injured in the earthquake.
“I have to leave this place,” thought the small boy to himself. But it wasn’t so easy. He couldn’t even sit up without that familiar tearing sensation along his skin as it stretched against the tightness of his stiches. As the emotional and physical pain became unbearable, Kyungsoo felt the ground begin t
Comments