Everything was just perfect. From the warmth of the summer’s breeze to the cool blanket of shadows beneath the clouds. From the soft scent of baked pavement to the vivid odor of cherry blossoms. From the clear blue of endless skies to the mud caking every boot and slipper that trod upon it. The very sun that shone against the mask of clouds lit up the dew sprinkling the freshly cut grass like diamonds.

    His wide brown eyes peeked out from behind the corner to scan the corridor before him. A tiny smirk flitted across his pale face as he slipped his snapback on his head once more. Glancing behind him, he silently stole down the hallway  and out through the door. A wave of fresh air greeted him as he lept down the polished, marble steps. Just as he reached the pearly white wall surrounding his home, a voice shattered the perfection of the atmosphere.

    “Mr. Jeon!” the dreaded woman’s voice called from the window above him, “Mr. Jeon, get back here this instant or I’ll-”

    Grinning at her horrified expression, he scaled the wall as he had done yesterday, and the day previous to that, and the day previous to that. He marveled at his ability to continue his same actions, and though there was much talk on changing them, no one ever did anything more than scold him. He stared up at the woman innocently as he sat perched atop the wall, “I’ll be back for dinner!” he shouted his last response before leaping down to the world on the other side. Brushing off his ripped jeans he continued to wear despite his father’s wishes, he took off down the weather bitten street.

    Unlike the life he knew on his own side of the wall, dozens of people crowded inside the various shops and apartments stacked on top and against one another without any free space in between. There was rarely a car seen on the crammed roads, and when one happened to spotted, it was almost always on strict government “business.” He passed by a small shop window revealing mountains of bread and cakes of any kind. Baguettes, croissants, cinnamon buns, sweet rolls, tarts, flat cakes, sponge cakes, cakes to fit in a cup- he shook his head. It was all too much. Just a little farther sat a small vegetable cart on the side of the street that sprouted the feathery green leaves of produce from every wooden box attempting to contain them, and all the while a business behind it sold flowers. The overwhelming rush of color and scents wrapped it fingers around his mind as he pushed on.

    “Ah, Mr. Jeon!” an old man bowed from inside the flower shop.

    He smiled and stopped, “Hello, Mr. Bowman!” he bowed back, “Do you have those white daisies?”

    Mr. Bowman chuckled, “Gave your tutor the slip again?” he drew out a bunch of daisies with withered, shaky fingers and handed them out the open window.

    He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck, “You know me too well,” digging into his pocket, he drew out a small coin pouch while accepting the flowers.

    “What am I going to do with you,” the elderly man shook his balding head as a smile formed across his creased face.

    “Have a nice day, Mr. Bowman!” he bowed once more before taking off down the street again.

    It seemed as if he knew everyone in town, and everyone in town knew him. Though the minutes continued to tick against the small wooden clocks in every household, he continued to stop and greet almost every single person he happened to run into. Every shop owner that paused to say hello gave him at least one gift, and yet he still insisted on paying for it. As he neared his destination, his arms were full and pockets considerably lighter.

    Reaching a small tea shop at the edge of the town, he sighed in relief and exhaustion. He pushed the glass door ajar and stumbled inside as the faint tinkling of a bell tickled the quiet atmosphere. The corners of his mouth quirked up a bit as a slight shuffling entered the room, “Hey, Taehyung!” he exclaimed sharply as he dumped the mountain of packages on the counter.

    A tall, gangly boy shot him a look of disgust, “Oh, so now you show up.”

    “Hey, hey!” he laughed, tossing his friend a small bag of brightly colored candies, “I’m here now!”

    A wide grin split across the boy, Tae’s mouth as he caught the bag, “Mom, I’m going out with Kookie!” he stuck his head through the back door.

The door burst open to reveal a stout woman with greying hair and wrinkles decorating her face, “Jeon Jungkook!” she hurried over to pinch his cheeks, “What a surprise!”

“He comes everyday, Mom,” Tae sighed, setting the bag of sweets back on the counter.

The woman shot her son a glare before acknowledging the stacks of packages on the counter, “Oh, what would we do without you,” she smiled at Jungkook, “Be home before dark, boys,” her eyes narrowed as she watched the two turn towards the door, “Got it?”

“Okay, okay,” Tae waved her off as he exited the tea shop.

Jungkook bowed hastily, “Bye, Mrs. Kim!” Smiling, he slipped out the door and back down the street.

“Aish, I’m so sore,” Tae groaned, rubbing his stiff shoulder irritably.

“From what, moving boxes of tea around?” Jungkook smirked.

“The boxes happened to be really heavy,” he sniffed indignantly.

“Of course they were,” Kookie glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as a smile threatened to make a reappearance across his lips.

Tae rolled his brown eyes, sighing in defeat, “Whatever. So what are we doing today?”

Jungkook’s face lit up as mischief flickered behind his innocent eyes, “So the big oak tree by the coffee shop-”

“The one we’re not supposed to climb?” Tae interrupted.

“Let’s climb it.”

Tae smirked and stuffed his hands in his pockets as they strolled down the street. “Sounds good to me,” he paused before a realization struck him in the back of the neck, “What if she’s there?”

Jungkook’s eyebrows creased slightly, “What?”

“You know, Delilah. The girl who moved here last year from France. Not that France exists anymore…” he trailed off, then shook his head, “She usually goes to the coffee shop at this time of day!”

“So you’re using this precious time with me to stare at her.”

“Yes! I mean no… I mean-”

“So you’re a ert.”

Tae’s mouth dropped in protest, “No! I just think she’s really pretty and makes good food.”

“So you like her because of her food.”

“No! I mean, well yes, but-”

“Deep.”

“Hey, it’s not like you would understand anyway,” Tae smirked.

Kookie stared at him blankly, “I’ve liked girls.”

“Oh, sure,” he rolled his eyes, “Like your Mom.”

Jungkook shook his head, smiling slightly as they reached the massive oak tree behind the coffee shop. Stooping low behind the crooked picket fence surrounding the busy shop, the two boys shuffled hastily to the great oak just outside the fence’s boundaries. He peered through the cracks in the sloppily built fence, “Coast clear!” he whispered, pushing Tae around to the other side of the oak. Kookie continued to watch the bubble of customers entering and exiting the coffee shop as Tae hoisted himself onto the closest branch. His eyes narrowed, “No one’s come outside to sit yet…” he bit his lip as he too leaped up to swing himself onto the same branch.

Tae’s fingers suddenly curled around his friend’s arm, trapping and suffocating the limb, “Someone’s coming out!”

Jungkook nudged him urgently, “Up! Go up!” he scrambled up the roughly bent limbs of the oak tree after his friend just as the squeaking of a door opening tickled their ears. He held a finger to his lips as Tae looked down at him expectantly.

Nodding, Tae shuffled up a few more feet before finding a suitable branch to rest on with the comfort and concealment of the tree’s leaves. He shifted over slightly as Jungkook sat on a branch opposite of his own, “I wonder who’s sitting down there…” he craned his neck slightly.

“-I can’t believe she said that!” a voice sounded directly below them.

“It just doesn’t make sense!” a second voice complained.

Tae’s mouth parted slightly as Jungkook’s eyebrows rose slightly. “It’s Delilah!” he mouthed excitedly.

Kookie stared at him, “So?”

His friend peered over the leafy branches blocking his path of sight, “Should I say hello? Would that be too forward?” he grinned, looking back Jungkook, “She’s just sitting there with another girl!” he sighed and leaned back into the safety of the oak’s trunk, “She’s so pretty…”

“Hey!” Kookiw frowned at him, “Snap out of it! You’ll get us caught if you-”

Tae sat up suddenly, scrambling forward to peek through the small gaps between the tree’s limbs and leaves, “She’s leaving!”

“Good-”

“The friend, I mean!” he scooted down the branch a little more, “I’m going to do it! I’m going to say hello!"

Kookie let out a small huff of air through his parted lips, "This isn't going to end well..." he muttered to himself, closely surveying his friend slowly inching into the open.

Tae leaned forward as he reached a stop not too far from the branch’s end, yet not too close either. “Delilah!” he whispered harshly.

A tall, slender girl frowned, glancing around the whole coffee shop in confusement. Biting her lip slightly, she tossed a pale lock of blonde hair over her shoulder.

“Delilah!” he called once more, only his voice carried farther this time, “Up here! In the tree!”

Alarmed, she spun around to stare up at him. Her brown eyes widened, “What?” parted in pure confusion, “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

“Taehyung,” Tae grinned, “But you can call me Tae,” he smirked slightly, then frowned as his smile slid off his face, “You don’t know who I am?”

She shook her head, “No! You’re being creepy! How do you know who I am?! I’ve never talked to you-”

His mouth opened in protest, “I work at the Tea Shop, remember? You always get the rose tea!”

Her eyes narrowed, “Are you sure? I don’t think… Oh!” her eyes lit up suddenly, “That’s right! Taehyung… Tae… You’re the one that everyone’s talking about! Girls, I mean!” she exclaimed hastily.

His smirk returned to his face, “That’s the one.”

She looked down as a blush crept to her face, “I- I mean not that it really matters… but um… why are you talking to me? I’m not anyone-”

He cut her off, “Well, Delilah, I find you very pretty and I was wondering if-”

The door of the coffee shop swung open just as the tray of mugs and sweets crashed to the ground. Delilah’s friend, a stout, round faced girl stood in the doorway with open. “People!” she shouted as the shop’s owner rushed to her side, “People in the tree!”

Jungkook cursed, yanking his gaping friend out of the eye’s view, “Go! Quickly!” he leaped down from his branch and landed on the sodden grass with a soft thud.

Tae landed next to him, cursing under his breath and sent one last glance at Delilah before sprinting down the road after his friend.

“T-two of them?” the round faced girl’s eyes widen to the size of a small orange, “Hey, wasn’t that Tae and Kookie?” dropped in horror, “Oh no… I’m sorry!” she called after them, biting her nails as Delilah shot her a look of disgust.

Tae sniffed indignantly as the two rounded a street corner to safety, “Sorry my-”

Jungkook laughed, breathing heavily, “Well that was rather unfortunate.”

“I was doing well!” Tae sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration, “You were watching, right? She was totally into me!”

“Or your image,” Kookie smiled half-heartedly.

He shook his head, “Whatever…” he yawned, resting his hands behind his head, “Oh well… it’s not like it would have mattered anyways…” his eyes softened a little as his mouth twisted into a sad, little smile.

“It’s next week, right?” Jungkook asked quietly, “Your birthday?”

He nodded, “The big nineteen… I never thought that day would come…” he laughed bitterly.

Jungkook stared at his feet, “Are you… worried?”

“Worried? About what, being tested for a stupid gene that I might have and then spend the rest of my life in a prison cell? I’m just peachy.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he strolled the afternoon streets with and slumped over Tae, “You’ll be fine. Most people don’t test positive anyways.”

“That’s easy for you to say…”

“Tae, it’s going to be fine-”

“No, it’s not!” Tae stopped suddenly, “What if I do test positive? What’s going to happen then? What will you do then?”

“It’s not like I won’t get tested either!” Jungkook shot back, brows creasing together in a fine line.

“That’s not the same!” he huffed, scratching the back of his neck in frustration, “The most you have to do is send in donations once a month if you test positive. Me? I’ll lose everything!” he stared at Jungkook bitterly, “Not that you would understand since you’ll have that.”

Jungkook stared at him in disbelief as he disappeared through the door of the tea shop without looking back. He kicked the stone wall of the shop with sudden anger and frustration. ‘Why?’ he let out a shout of fury laced with pain as he stormed down the town’s streets back the wall, ‘Why Tae? Why now?’

***

    The thin, laced curtains rustled lightly against the delicate fingers of the soft wind toying with the open entrance of the glass window. The sweet golden light stretched across the white walls, the white carpet, the white tablecloth of the white breakfast table. Just as any day, life was bright on this side of the wall. Too bright. There were no shadows, no darkness, no black of night to slip into sleep in. This very illusion shone so very brightly in a mask of white, there was no need to see the black of the shadows or the contrast of pain against comfort. This very illusion was all he was shown, all he needed to know. Yet even with the comfort of his pillow, and the satisfaction of endless food, and the ease of freedom and knowledge, why did he feel such… emptiness?

    Jungkook sighed, fiddling with the rice in his bowl. He couldn’t understand, comprehend why such events took place last afternoon. A tiny frown crossed his lips as he placed his chopsticks upon the white tablecloth and leaned back in his chair. He stared at the man sitting at his left, chewing his lip uncertainly, “Father?”

    The man flipped the page of the freshly creased newspaper without lifting either eye, “Yes?”

    “Can I… can I ask you something?” Jungkook’s gaze continued nonchalantly as his finger tapped the table impatiently.

Clearing his throat suddenly, the man folded the newspaper to its original state and placed it back on the table, “What is it?” his face was smooth, clear of any lines from worry or stress, and a pair of perfect spectacles sat just below his eyes, resting on the bridge of his nose.

Jungkook hesitated for a second, debating whether or not he should open his mouth and ask his long anticipated question or give it up completely, “What’s the deal with the… the government and the gene thing?” he cringed inwardly at his choice of words.

His father chuckled softly, “The gene thing? Do you mean the law about testing for the breeding gene?”

Jungkook nodded curtly.

“What about it?” turning to his own bowl, his father scooped a lump of rice carefully into his mouth.

“Why… why is it that if the-commoners,” he cringed at the use of the word, “If they have the gene, why do they get forced into prisons and we don’t?”

“The breeding camps?” his father swallowed and looked up, “They’re better living conditions. It’s all to produce enough people to keep the population rising.”

“But why not us too? Isn’t that unjust to force someone out of their home?” he burned holes in the glass of his father’s spectacles as his eyes held the gaze.

“It’s perfectly just.”

“How?” his mouth twitched, “What makes them so different from us that we don’t have to leave the comfort of our home too?”

Folding his hands and setting them on the white tablecloth, his father answered remarkably simply, “They’re commoners. We’re aristocrats.”

“They’re still human. Does wealth really matter at this point?”

“We’re rewarded for our hard work. That’s why we’re able to live in our own homes rather than villages or camps. We’ve worked hard to earn this position-”

“Our ancestors worked hard,” Jungkook corrected, pushing the bitterness lumping at the base of his throat, “We just live off of it.”

“No matter,” his father returned to his rice bowl, “If that is all you wish to ask me, you are excused to go study.”

Exhaling softly, he rose out of his chair, “Yes, father,” he bowed slightly before turning to exit the room.

“Jem?” his father called once more, “One more thing.”

Jungkook paused without looking back, “Yes?”

“That commoner friend of yours, Tae was it?” swallowing down the rice he had just previously placed in his mouth, his voice darkened several tones, “Don’t see him again.”

Jem’s mouth twisted in bitter disgust, yet he said nothing as he left.

***

The streets were bare and saturated with water from the rain pelting the gravel tossed aside in every way upon the heavy soil. He watched the small ripples in the tiny lakes seeping from one crack in the road to the next. His bowed head hung a sodden mop of dark hair as he strolled down the silent streets of the town. Sighing, he turned the corner. All was well and peaceful. Not a sound could be heard over the gentle pitter pattering of the rain. Pitter patter.

He stopped suddenly as a frown masked his face. Though he knew this street so well, and every square inch of this tea shop had etched itself so clearly in his mind, something was off. Different. He frowned at the sleek, black car parked just outside the shop. The cold fingers of worry pinched the back of his neck as the hairs on his arms rose in realization. Leaping up the concrete steps, he burst into the shop . “Tae?” he called frantically, “Tae, are you still here?”

A familiar, tall, gangly figure entered the room closely followed by a man and woman in white. “Kookie?” Tae’s mouth opened in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

Jungkook stared at the two government officials behind him, “What are they doing here?”

“That’s none of your concern,” the woman answered coldly.

Jungkook glared at her, “He’s not nineteen until next week.”

“Which would give him plenty of time to escape,” the man replied callously.

“Why would he have to escape? He’s not leaving-”

“Kookie,” Tae shook his head.

His mouth parted in panic, “Y-you didn’t test positive, right?”

“Kookie-” Tae glanced nervously at the two officials.

“You’re not leaving, right?”

The woman pursed her lips, checking her heavy watch wrapped around her thin wrist, “Look, we’re on a tight schedule-”

Jungkook stood in front of the doorway, “You’re not leaving, right?” he repeated.

“Look kid,” the man stepped forward, “If you just move out of the way now, we’ll let this slide.”

Jungkook’s expression hardened, “You’re not taking him.”

“The law’s the law,” the woman’s mouth curled slightly.

“Kookie… just move out of the way,” Tae stared at his feet sadly.

Jungkook glared at him, “And never see you again?”

The woman glanced at the man anxiously, “We’re running late.”

Giving a curt nod, the man turned to Jungkook once more, “Look, if you don’t move out of the way right now, we’re going to have to-”

“I’m not moving,” Jungkook answered flatly.

The woman sighed exasperatedly, “Now we’re definitely late.”

“Look, kid,” the man rested a hand on Jem’s shoulder, “I know this is hard but it’s for the best-”

Jungkook snapped. His fist collided with the man’s face as he squirmed out of his grip.

The man cursed under his breath, hand covering his eye in pain, “Okay… Plan B.”

“Kookie-” Tae’s mouth dropped in horror.

A sharp pain shot up through the back of his neck as Jungkook sunk to his knees. He blinked, shaking his head, “Tae…” he muttered, staring up at his friend rushing to his side as the whole tea shop swam out of focus.

He had lived his whole life in pure light. There was no shadow to be seen, and there was no misery to be felt. All he saw now was the darkness sinking into the numbing pain.