Races Of Truth
Impossible Sun
O9
Races Of Truth
If Taehyung was to be honest, he was freezing. He hugged himself with his Pikachu pillow and hid himself inside his blue jacket, his body was shivering silently. The sky was about to rain again as clouds were slowly gathering to cover the half moon.
He forced his words, not wanting to stutter before Hyemi or he would get caught cold and she would start panicking. “You need love, Hyemi. That’s the thing missing in your life; people live to love to learn while you only live to learn and that’s why you’re sad.”
“I’m sad?” She said it as though she was offended.
“Aren't you? Are you happy right now? Are you satisfie-?”
“I am satisfied with my life; I am happy with how it is,” she told him, firmly. “I don't get why you’re talking to me as though you are trying to help me fix-!”
“I am trying to help you.” He was almost shouting at her.
“What is there to help? What is there to fix?” She cried, her eyes watery. “There’s nothing wrong with my life; I am allowed to do anything that I love like staying inside and make art.”
“Then, why are you crying?”
It was already clear to the both of them that she was crying. He just couldn't understand why she lied to him. Everyone needs help. Not everything in life is perfect.
But then, he figured to himself something he knew was very dangerous.
If everything in life is never perfect, then, would it be worth it to help her? In the end, nothing is going to be perfect.
She gaped at him, red-faced. “I-I don't know why I’m crying.”
He shook his head, knowing better. “You do know. You just act like you don't. Don't wear that mask.”
Of course, she didn't understand him so he explained, “Those who lie wears a mask. The more they lie, the more their body gets conquered by it and when it reaches the heart, they won't be able to understand their own feelings causing them to feel unsure, uncomfortable and ill.”
“Hyemi, you must try to figure out your feelings, your thoughts… Don't lie about them,” he continued. “Because if you wear the mask for too long, the mask will wear you.”
It felt nice for him to speak out about the mask; he felt like he understands himself better unlike before. “I’ll ask you again; why are you crying?”
He was serious as he gazed into her dark brown eyes which seemed to him of a chocolate ocean that you’d stuck in once you jumped into it. The urge of wanting to brush her cheeks, and wipe her tears were all in him. And more, he wanted to kiss her pink plump lips and be the reason to why they would curve into a smile.
To his shock, she planted her hand on the glass, and, slowly, she balled it into a fist. “I… don't trust myself and that hurts. I don't trust myself that I wouldn't hurt you and that hurts.”
With sniffles, she averted her gaze away from him and instead, her eyes downcast to her feet as she continued, “I-I don't love myself so how can I expect to be loved by someone else? By you? I don't deserve you.”
This scarred him and he shouted at her, “Don't say that!”
“Why shouldn't I? It's-it’s the truth. This is not a lie! I don't deserve you. No, that’s not it… I don't deserve love.”
“Everyone deserves to be loved,” he told. It was somewhat surprising, even to himself, that he’d be this serious — he was the type to always joke around. He didn't even care what people from other rooms think of him. The scaffold he was on – that was attached with the lifter – rocked backwards when he moved forcefully towards the glass to observe her closely. They were both standing, almost touching. “Everyone, including you.”
After a few seconds of staring at each other, Hyemi wiped her wet cheeks, looking away. It took her a while to speak again, “My brother... Died.”
She turned to him, her voice was squeaky. “He died because of me. He loved me. He told me to continue living… to find hope. But I’m hurt. I don't want to go out there, having to meet people who would blame me for his death — and yes, I am to blame for. It was my fault. But it is enough that I blame myself. They shouldn't– they shouldn't… No, I figured they should judge me but it hurts… I would then judge myself and that hurts.”
He listened, his heart clenched. How complicated her thoughts were to him — and probably to herself too. She hated herself for judging herself, he concluded. “Look at me,” he asked her. She did just so and he observed the ocean in her eyes. “Don't think about what others think of you; if you decided to give, then give, and if you decided to take, then take. Don't let the thought of other people judging you bring you down to the soles of your feet.”
The soft breeze became stronger but he fought with it, still holding onto the rails while looking straight at the girl before him. “Come out of there and I’ll be with you… As your ‘Knight in Shining Armor’.”
Under the night sky, there were two people being separated by a glass wall, and they were close — so close that their lips matched with each other's on the window that was in between them. They have kissed — at least that was what they thought despite, by fact, they were actually kissing the glass. Their eyes closed as they imagined the taste of each other's lips and when they opened them, they gazed at each other and Hyemi voiced first, “I love you.”
It was everything he ever wanted to hear from her. He have been trying to get her to say it. Although he didn't want to be conceited, he felt like he knew she likes him that way but was finding it hard to express it. All she needed was just a push from behind and a rope to pull her upwards.
That was the moment, he said to himself, when he should say…
“Finally!” A smug on his face, Hyemi rolled her eyes with a soft titter then she pouted. “Just kidding. I love you too.”
Not until the wind began blowing harshly did they not stop smiling at each other. The lifter to the scaffold was old and rusty and Taehyung came to remember what the janitor man had told him which was that the lifter might not be able to withstand strong winds of up to 45 km/h — and the wind right now felt like it could blow the lifter to parts.
With knitted brows, he turned to Hyemi who was yet to know a thing as she said, “Promise me that you’ll be there when I step outside of my castle.”
He was trembling for her words have struck him. His heart tightened and he felt like he was out of air.
“Taehyung?”
He could not fake his facial expression as good as he did before but that didn't stop his yearning to continue wiping off clues of death that was hiding under his spine. He planted both of his hands onto the transparent wall before him, and his eyes peered into Hyemi’s as he told her, “Only if you promise me to continue life, love yourself and trust that you’ll have a happily ever after even when I’m not physically there for you.”
The platform rocked for the wind and Taehyung could feel the rain coming heavily upon him. Hyemi was intently staring at him, eyes filled with worry.
“Hyemi, please, promise me,” he said it as though he was begging.
And it rained.
“Hyemi!” He shouted, fighting against the sounds of the sudden pouring.
“I promise,” she replied, her voice cracking.
“Then, I promise. I will always be your ‘Knight in Shining Armor’.”
It was cold, and the rain heavily poured onto him whilst the wind was blowing strongly. He put on his hoodie and shivered under it. The moon was nowhere to be seen but only the dark clouds that hovered above him in which lightnings brightened it up for once in every few minutes. Moreover, the sounds of thunder never failed to shock him and Hyemi.
“You should go!” She told him many times and Taehyung have already pulled the lever more than five times now.
Even the janitor came to the place in a hurry, wearing a blue raincoat, calling out for the young man and giving instructions, “Try pushing it first then pull it quickly afterwards!”
His wife was also here on the scene, her hands blocking her from screaming. The old man tried his best to shout out loud as he was on ground level of five floors — and the two couples were on the fourth floor. When he remembered Taehyung had given him the young man’s number, he cursed himself and immediately used his phone to tell instructions to the young man in danger.
Taehyung picked up the call and the elder told him what to do. “If that doesn't work, then, I want you to hold on and wait for the firefighters to arrive.”
After trying to push and pull the lever for the third time and the scaffold failed to pursue downwards, he turned to look at Hyemi who was still there, wearing her white bathrobe, teary-eyed and pale-faced. She wasn't smiling.
She wasn't smiling and he was the cause of it.
He ended the call by saying, “It’s not working; call the firefighters.
And the ambulance — call them too.”
I have to make this chapter short or else I might lack of scripts to put in the next chapter. XD
I want to take this opportunity to thank
Do you think Taehyung will survive?
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