Two

Waxing Crescent

Taemin knew Minho even before they met.

In the field of law, the Choi family never failed to disappoint the people around them. They were not only respected, but also feared by everyone. There is also a silent joke that circulates in the world of Law that once you go against a case which a Choi handles, you should consider yourself defeated. In every generation of the Choi household, it is fated to have a victorious lawyer, and in Choi Minho’s case, it was his older brother.

The legacy of the family started with a mission of vengeance for the murder of Minho’s great grandmother, who was brutally and killed in a tender age of 25. His great grandfather, or Old Man Choi as they all call him, vowed to sentence the murderer as guilty no matter what happens at the age of 27, fresh out from the prestigious school of law. It pained his soul to have on his hands the first suit he will handle in his life be the case of his lovely wife.

But as petty the budding old man’s name and rich the manslayer was, the criminal was set free without any charges. But what bothered the family was not the turned eyes of the judge and justice but it was Old Man Choi’s reaction – he didn’t cry nor feel enraged. He simply stood there in the court silently as all the people, jury, attorneys and judge filed out the room. He might have stayed there longer if the guard didn’t usher him outside.

Old Man Choi buried himself in books, forcing information into his brain, squeezing knowledge he thinks he needs (or as the Old Man Choi says, lacks). He blamed his incompetence for not serving the rightful justice upon his lover, killing his life slowly. He prohibited anyone from coming into the 2^nd floor of their mansion, even his own beloved sons. Words were his companion every night and day -- he never bothered to eat nor cry from what is happening to him. The world that the books presented him became his reality, and his own life became a dream that he calls a nightmare.

But after the long 5 years of isolation, he renounced himself ready for any case. However, the only moment that the public and his family hear him talk is when he was standing and protecting his client. At every time he walks out of the room before anyone, you won’t hear anything from him then on.

And this continued for years.

Never did he lose any case of his own, building a name for himself. He was respected by everyone, his presence dominating the whole room every time he speaks. You can see the bottoms of every people in the court slowly rise in attempt to clearly hear what he is saying; his client already smiling smugly, secured that the Old Man Choi will win; and the judge completely entranced by the way he talks, swayed by the rough edges in every sentences.

But no one can ever tell what Old Man Choi did after he goes home, not even his children. He locks himself up in his room without any lights on. The way of closing himself off gave him a very mysterious aura around him that made people flock and obsess about him more.

Old Man Choi was not only intelligent, but he was also very good looking. Every woman, young or old; single or attached, flocked around him every time. But no one really came out as successful for Old Man Choi never even gave a glance to them. Rumours say that he is drowning himself on drugs, some say that he is crying every night as what they hear from observing below his room or that he is making plans with the devil so that’s why he’s winning every case. There  were many variety of speculations as to what Old Man Choi does whenever he’s alone, or what his reason is for going every day after midnight to the woods where no one dares to enter.

Alas, no one ever found out what Old Man Choi does outside the courtroom where he closes every case successfully because one day, he decided to follow his wife.

But the sad history of the family was followed by the successes and wins of Old Man Choi’s descendants, settling down the issue that once shook the District of Law. From then on, the family continued to pave their way on the top, never settling for less.

So when Taemin was doing his job as a reporter, he was shocked to hear that a man from the Choi family will be working in the same company he is in. What is a Choi doing in this line of work, he thought. Being a reporter entails the need to have the knowledge in a field that covers anything so he was aware of how powerful the family is and the legacy it stands upon. I heard the guy was not intelligent so that’s why he decided to not pursue Law… but a reporter? What?

The office was silent but everyone was feeling the air of anxiety, expectation and a little bit of revolt while waiting for the already famous Choi. But as luck would have it, Taemin called in sick that day and two days after – he only heard things and texts about the damn guy. They were all telling him while he was coughing and sneezing on his bed how handsome and dashing the man is whose name, as he learned,  is Choi Minho. Victoria even called her to shout to his ears, “Omygosh, Tae! He’s so perfect, I tell you! He even drives a Ferrari!“

Pft, in’ show-off, he thought.

Being a faithful employee in his company, he was being hinted by his boss that his goal of being the news anchor will soon be true. So he decided to use his seniority over this Minho guy and show him who the real senior is. He thought of many plans that ranged from humiliating the guy by dropping a fart bomb once Minho goes out of the restroom so the next in line will think he is nasty to something shameless like sabotaging the guy’s articles and scripts.

But when he came back to work, his plans were already forgotten when he saw Minho carrying a box full of The Office DVDs. “Hey rookie, you like The Office?”, he remembered pointing at the box when asking  Minho boldly while they were alone riding the elevator. “Yeah. It’s my favourite show,” Minho replied to him.

He grinned and realized then on that Minho would make a good friend.

___________________________

Drip, drip

The blood continues to drip

On the soil where the grass no longer grows

Drip, drip

Minho doesn’t know what actually happened, but it only took a second to understand what and why this is happening to him now. Several information about things that he cannot imagine to be true entered his mind and he knew that this was all that lunar phantom’s doing. It was as if the creature gave him a book explaining why he is being manipulated like that, but that book comes in a form of a memory and information being remembered -- the fact was already on his brain, only waiting to be opened.

Only a few seconds ago, his heart was back on his chest safely and he can’t even imagine what trick that lunar phantom pulled off. Its clothes are also ridden of blood which he saw earlier. Everything seems to be some type of a hallucination but his intuition or whatever it is keeps telling him that everything is genuine and real.

Even if he knew the answer why, he still can’t help but to ask the creature in front of him, which is now standing on the ground and not floating, the question, “Why me?”

The creature gently puts its glowing finger in its chin, as if pondering for the right words to say. Minho wasn’t even sure if it can even talk to him nor understand what he said until it opened its mouth to say,

“Won’t you ask who am I? Or based from what you believe: what I am?”

Minho felt another shock of fear enter his body. This ing thing can read my mind? He decided to go down the monkey bars when he felt his knees shake. The night was still deep and dark. He didn’t know when it suddenly turned freezing cold when it was only in early July. Slowly, he made his way on the field next to the slides but still kept a distance from the shining… thing.

“I am not a thing.” The creature’s voice spat out.

, it really can read minds?

“And yes, I can. Now, now. Don’t be afraid young boy. Come here.” It said.

“N-no…” Minho was to frozen to even think, let alone walk.

“Do not worry, son of Earth. I come here with no harm. Now, aren’t you curious as to who I am?”

There is no other choice for Minho but to ask the creature since he wanted to know its name as well. “Wha—I mean, who are you?”

“Key.”

“What?”

“My name is Key.” 

He decided not to argue and just accept the fact that the creature’s name is... Key. He really doesn’t want his heart to be ripped open again if he asks who the would name themselves after a key. His mind has so many things to ask about this… Key. But before he can boldly ask the phantom, it beat him from talking first.

“There is no need for asking me, Earthling. But you use the name Choi Minho in this world, right? Right? Okay, I can read your mind but at least have some courtesy to nod. Yes, that’s better. Now, you’ll probably understand what I am, why I did that to you and what you are soon but I guess I overestimated your kind’s ptiera, or as you call it here, your mind. Your ptiera cannot instill all the information I gave you as fast as I thought it would,” Key dramatically rubbed his temples and dusted off the white dress he is wearing while he shifted his feet. He must not be comfortable from standing – he’s probably used floating around, Minho theorised.

“Yes, you are correct,” the unexpected reply made Minho tumble a little backwards. “I identified that you are rather… a curious person. But that does not grant you answers, brand that into your mind. You saw the Lunar Rain and this happened.”

So it’s really called like that -- Lunar Rain, Minho said to himself. But apparently, he forgot that Key can hear him.

“It is what you think it is; It is what you see it is and therefore, it is what you call it as. Lunar rain only 'came' because of you.”

“Because of me,” he said it more to himself and not to Key.

“Yes. It was all a perfect timing – then Moon needed you and you needed him. I am just a messenger between the two of you. The Lunar Rain only occurs when the Moon is experiencing an unexpected death which the cause is fr—“

“Wait, the moon is dying?!” Minho didn’t realize that Key is already inching his way closer to him while he shouted the question to the glowing lunar creature.

“No. The Moon is not dying, well, at least for us. Heed me Minho. The concept of your planet from my home is very different – your death and our death are different; your concept of life and ours is different; your words and our thoughts differ, too. For an instance: you see a bird flying and I may see the same thing, too. We agree that the bird is flying; we can pretty much see that. But I believe that birds don’t have wings and in fact, they walk. I’m afraid that what you think what dying is is very different from mine. I am sorry but that is one of the things I won’t be able to explain. Mark my words: as much as your eyebrows are meeting right now out of confusion, so is my ability to explain a fact that can only be  instilled if you lived through it also pains me.”

“You know, I can’t even understand what you meant and—“

“And that gives me more reason not to explain to you. Now, let us leave that matter for it will not do us any good. The reason why I’m here is because your Lo is finally reopened. It is… what human word should I use?”

Key is starting to talk to himself, thinking about the right word to choose. His legs finally grew tired so he decided to fold his legs and sit down on the grass and without knowing it, Minho unconsciously did the same thing. He noticed it late that Key is only an arm away from him while they were sitting. He no longer felt the fear from being near him, but he can clearly sense the ethereal and unknown aura around Key.

“Ah -- it’s eyes. Imagine as Lo as the eyes. It is not necessarily accurate, but it’s the closest concept that there is. Do you remember the time being in your mother’s womb?”

“What? Of course not!” The taller guy can’t help but think that Key is crazy.

“Exactly – it’s because your Lo is open back then, up until the moment you were born. The time when you started to remember a memory is the moment when your Lo closed. Do you get me?” Key raised both of his eyebrows at Minho, face still glowing.

“So you’re saying that the time when I can’t remember anything when I was young was when my Lo is open?”

“Yes. It’s all because of what you humans accomplished to foolishly do: you locked yourself away from the universe. And that happened when you start living in this world, becoming aware and 'mature' and consequently erasing the memory that you had when your Lo was still open. Pft. It’s funny though, all of you are not even special yet you tried to create your own world – but it’s nothing to be proud of. I pity you all, but I don’t feel sorry. But don’t worry now, your Lo is open again.”

“The Lunar Rain?” Minho shortly asked without elaborating for he knew that the other would understand him.

“Yes. It’s because your Lo has been reopened that’s why you can see the Lunar Rain. It’s actually been happening for a long time – it’s only because of your closed Lo that you can’t see it. And also, me.”

“You, too?”

“Yes, Minho. Me, too. You can see me now because of your Lo.”

“I can’t understand why—“

“You don’t need to. Now that the Moon is dying, it needs you now.”

“The moon needs me... Is it because of my opened Lo?”

“Again, yes. You don’t know how hard it was for me to find a human whose Lo is open and willing! All of you are so…” Key trailed off while contemplating if he should continue what he is about to say. He plucked a grass from the ground and threw it away into the dark field.

“Anyhow, that does not matter. What the Moon needs is someone who has their eyes and who is willing to let go. He doesn’t want any intrusion, in that matter. But in return, I’m willing to give you a power; an exchange. You will have the ability to summon a person, law of space and time is not a problem. It’s pretty convenient, isn’t it? I’ve learned that your other half passed away,” Key said while looking straight into Minho’s eyes. He noticed that the celestial creature’s eyes are dark black in color, a deep trench that once you lay your eyes on, you will certainly get lost. He shook his head away from the immediate trance when the creature spoke again, “So now, let me have it.”

This confused Minho, making his eyebrows cross. What does Key want more from me? For ’s sake, he ripped my heart, placed it back again and almost killed me!

“What more do you want?”

“Your soul. And oh -- that is probably the only universal thing that we share and I’m lucky that you are already dead. I’m just informing you; I’m not asking for permission -- I already have it.”

“No, you can’t. I’m not willing to give you my soul. I won’t let you – what the are you saying? Give it back!” Minho said all of that out of surprise. He is certainly not dead. In one instance, the guy seems to be vulnerable and comfortable to be with then it went saying things about stealing his soul. He didn’t doubt Key’s abilities, though -- he was sure that anytime, the creature can do anything it wants. He thought of ways to get out of the situation.

Minho suddenly felt the fear go back again to his system. His legs which were already sitting comfortably on the soft grass suddenly shoots up, leading him away from Key. His judgment told him that it’s best to run away from the creature, away from danger. The wintry air slices through his face as he ran away from the park as fast as he can. But he realized that he didn’t go as far as he thought when he heard the faint, tinkling laugh from Key. This made his heart palpitate faster and he knew it was not the effect of running. He closed his eyes while running as fast as he can when he felt tiredness overtaking his thin body. He’s crazy, I’m crazy – I just need some sleep. None of this is real. He continued to run as far as where his feet can take him even if the pain was already signaling him to rest.

After what he thought was an endless running, he finally managed to reach the nearest bus stop in the town. For once in his life, he wished that many people should be waiting here with him. When he checked his watch, his jaw made a drop – It’s still 2:03 AM? The last time I checked was when I called Taemin and it was 2:00AM then. I’m sure that what happened lasted for almost an hour. But he thought that his watch may be faulty or broken, so he shoved the thought into the back of his mind even if he knew that this was something wrong.

He checked the information poster and discovered it would be another hour until the next bus will arrive on the stop he is currently in. Fright crept its way back to him when he realized that maybe, Key is following him and might catch him if he continues to distressingly wait for the bus. Minho kept weighing the gravity of the situation to the conscience he has for bothering his friend and call him to fetch him here while anxiously pacing around the shed.

But when Key’s face appeared on his mind, he decided that he might need to wake Taemin up the second time this midnight.

_____________________

"No, don’t go!”

Taemin didn’t expect that Minho was that scared as . When he fetched his best friend on a stop which was a town away from his, he saw that his eyes does not resemble anything like grief or depression from the recent death of her – it was completely drawn from raw fear. He didn't know what or who scared his friend to this point. But when he remembered that he forgot to lock his apartment’s door while he is lying down with Minho on his bed and about to sleep, the older boy suddenly gripped his hands. 

“Don’t leave me alone. Please please.”

The younger boy became scared from his friend’s reaction. “I’ll just lock the main door, hyung. I won’t leave.”

“Then I’ll go with you.” Minho suddenly jerked off the comforter out of his body and stood up on the carpeted floor. He looks expectantly at Taemin, waiting for him to leave the room so he can follow him.

Okay, Taemin thought, this is not normal. He’s like a 10-year old kid after watching a horror movie.

Taemin tried testing the waters and said to Minho, “No, stay here. I’ll just lock the door outside.” With that, he swiftly left the room, shut the door and heard his friend shout his name from the inside. The younger guy went back the room laughing and holding his stomach.

“Hyung… Oh my God, my stomach -- why are you so scared?”

His hyung’s eyes went around the room, as if making sure no one will hear them. “ you, I am not scared,” Minho spat out.

“Really?” Taemin mocked, “Then what grown man asks his friend to accompany him in the bathroom and holds his hand while taking a piss?” He cannot hold it and he continued to laugh louder, making one of the lodgers next to his room shout a ‘Be quiet!’.

“Shut up…” Minho admits that what he asked his friend to do was really embarrassing but who can blame him? After what happened…

So he just dejectedly went back to the comfort of Taemin’s wide bed and hid himself under the covers, trying to prove that he is not scared anymore. If there is anything the mighty Choi hates in this world, it’s being humiliated.

“Oh hyung, it’s okay.” Even though Taemin is joking, he can certainly feel that there was something terrible that happenedwhen Minho took his time alone to walk after the family gathering. I’ll have to probe on that matter tomorrow, he thought. But then, he saw the lump of figure formed by Minho shivering, he can’t help but feel bothered. I probably don’t need to close the main door – no one’s gonna bother to enter anyways, he said to himself when he decided that Minho needs him more now. He went back to his side of the bed and poked the lump that Minho was forming with his body under the blankets.

“Yah, hyung. I won’t go outside anymore. Hey, don’t be mad. It’s okay, really.” With that, Minho’s face resurfaced above the covers.

“Really?”

“Really.”

The maknae finally settled on his bed and kicked Minho’s feet under the covers. “Hyuuung,” he whined, “don’t hog all the space!” But the taller boy remained still and stiff to annoy his friend. He finally gave up when Taemin kicked his sides.

“Ow, that hurts!”

But Taemin already had his eyes close, definitely away from reality. Minho can’t help but smile at his friend -- he felt so damn lucky for having an amazing companion like him. After all the fiasco and moments he shared with the guy, he never said anything to him about how thankful he is. The older man can't help but smile as he looks at the younger's sleeping face and whispered a “Thank you” to him, finally deciding to sleep.

“I heard you, hyuuuung~ You’re welcome!” This earned Taemin whose eyes are still closed a hit with a pillow from Minho. This led to a small pillow fight and when they finally decided a truce, they both laughed and said goodnight to each other. Closing both of their eyes, they finally surrendered themselves to sleep.

“Oh human, you were the one who gave your soul to me. You have nothing left to live for – when she died, so did your life,” he heard a voice in his mind and he very well know whose voice it is.

Maybe he is right – she was my life.  Minho muttered to himself. He felt again that fear that he’s been experiencing and overpowering his body many times. But when he held Taemin’s hand for the night, the panic riding his heart was swept off. For now, he knows he is not alone.

He finally lets the sullen blanket of sleep cover his body.

Drip, drip

The Moon covers the Earth

But the Earth won’t protect the Moon

Drip, drip

And that, my dear readers, is the longest post I have ever made.

I dedicate this to all of my readers, subscribers and commenters. I hope you find this update okay -- I don't feel good about it.

To my new reader Jeszica, thank you for saying that the first chapter is awesome! Yeah, I feel sorry for Minho, too. He just experienced the death of his girlfriend and now this... Haha! Thanks for commenting! I hope to hear you comment again.  To my old and dear reader lee_xuan, I am not sure if that is an 'Oh my gosh.' of shock or an 'Oh my gosh' of saying how bad the first chapter was. Haha! But really, I went blank after reading it -- I felt nervous. Lol. Thank you for the comment!   To my forever and beloved subscriber Taeryfai, I will wait for you and your comment until you get off from the shock. Is it a good or a bad thing that you are whoah'd? I hope it's positive... Thanks for commenting and reading! :)  To my reader whose-username-kept-me-minutes-thinking-what-it-could-actually-be-syllabicated-as aflatoxin, thank you for the comment! I seriously took time on your username and I don't know why. Lol. I hope this 2nd chapter will keep you from being hooked as well. Thank you again!  To my reader MoominTroll whose name reminds me of candies (Idk why lol), I love your long comment! I know that it takes effort in making one so I want to sincerely thank you. I am not acting modest or anything but I am not that good, as oppose to what you said. I try to write anything away and it gets messy. Don't say that you're not talented! Don't think that way. Just keep writing and writing no matter bad you think it is just like what I'm doing ( btw I hope you don't mind -- I read your story Hairless and it was funny! That's real talent right there :) ). I encourage you to do the same thing too and I promise you, it will be fun.Tell me when you do! :) Honestly, your comment made me update. Thank you!

To all of my silent readers, don't hesitate to comment! I promise to reply to all of you. :) Let's be friends!