“So these are your grades?”

“Daddy—“

“These are unacceptable!”

“Daddy—“

“What were you doing this whole time?” Your mother sonorously cuts in, your sensitive eardrums pulsing noticeably at the high level.

“They’re all above ninety-six—“

“Do you expect to go far with these? Your grades used to be so much better!”

“Mom—“

“We didn’t raise you to be like this!”

“Guys—“

You desperately fight for a chance to explain, but to no avail. They won’t have any of it.

“When did you become so lazy, huh?! Are you spending too much time on the internet?”

“No—“

“We’re too entirely disappointed right now. How could you fail us? Do you really expect to get into med school with these grades?!”

“Look—“

“Your work ethic apparently isn’t effective. Look at your sister. She’s in pharmacy school and has a wonderful boyfriend. People like her and all the families dote on her.”

“Stop—“

“Why can’t you be more like her? I didn’t ask for such a despicable child,” your mother bitterly scoffs.

“STOP COMPARING ME TO HER!” you uncharacteristically scream. The thing you hate the most is being compared to your sister. That’s all your parents ever do. She’s good at this and that and just ing perfect at everything and you’re the child that nobody really talks about. “I’M NOT MY SISTER AND NEVER WILL BE!”

A rough, calloused hand sends you flying to the floor, the stinging pain never leaving your left cheek. You’re sure the red print is going to stay for a while.

“How dare you speak to us like that?” Your father menacingly asks. You quickly push yourself onto your feet and head for the door, simply not caring if you don’t have shoes on. Your parents are unceasingly screaming at you to get back, but the tears prick as you run down the concrete, bits of shards cutting across your skin like small knives. You can barely register the sensation as you fly to your secret spot in the woods nearby, forgetting about the branches that you fail to dodge in your escape. A tree root unexpectedly catches your scraped foot and you fall face-first the misty ground, the dirt digging beneath your nails.

Your sobbing increases in intensity as your tears unwillingly mix with the forest floor, the blades of the grass bending and crumpling under the weight. The trees around you block the sunshine, scattered rays away from your figure.

The sound of footsteps comes closer to you and you scramble to get on your feet in case it belongs to your parents. You hiss at the stinging below the skin of your feet and push past the pain to delve deeper into the woods. They’re gaining on you and in a last attempt to avoid any more pain, you capriciously whip yourself behind a thick tree trunk and shakily hold your breath with closed eyes. Minutes later, the steps have faded and you slowly open your eyelids, fluttering to adjust to the sudden intake of light. There isn’t much because someone is standing in front of you.

You’re about to scream when a gentle finger lands on your lips before arms slowly pull you into a hug. The scent wafts around you and you immediately calm, arms bending to hang onto his shoulders as your tears quickly soak his favorite t-shirt.

“I take it you’ve had an argument with your parents again?” he murmurs into your ear after a few moments of soothingly rubbing your back.

His hands sneak to your waist and push you back to see your head down and nodding.

“Hey,” he gently calls for attention before raising his right land to lightly lift your head. “What have I told you? You’re always better than what they say you are.”

“But Tae, they’re so disappointed in me,” you susurrate chokingly, ignoring his head shakes and gentle shushes.

“Don’t believe them. You are always the best to me,” he smiles and you force a small curve of your lips.

“Thank you. What would I do without you?” You continue to say below your breath, eyes expressing your utmost gratitude for having him in your life.

“Well,” he teasingly begins. “You wouldn’t really have a life—“

“Yah,” your throat bubbles through your choked sobs.

“I’m kidding.”

“I know.”

It’s just you and him, best friends, alone in the woods with everything behind you. Both face disapproval from parents, are shunned from society, never-mentioned children, and mostly…broken on the inside.

“Can we stay like this forever?” He supplies, his eyes gentle yet eagerly searching yours.

“I wish—“

“______ ____________!” A deep voice resonates angrily through the woods, the sound echoing off the rugged barks.

“Let’s go!” he urgently ushers and tugs your hand. You nod. This is bad, your parents can’t see him—

“Go!” you urgently push his chest and spin him around before quickly whipping your head back to see if your father is coming. “He can’t see you—“

“Why—“

“This isn’t the time for explanations!” You nearly scream. “Just go!” You brokenly urge him.

Your eyes watch his strong back disappear in a flash behind the ferns and trees as you exhale, letting out a breath of relief.

“Who was he?” Your father’s voice pops out from behind you.

“Who?” You innocently ask.

“You were with that boy again, weren’t you?”

“Daddy—“

“He’s bad business! How many times have I and your mother told you that?!”

“He’s not bad business!”

“He’s with that kind of people. You know how they are, involved in nasty things and—“

“Why are you guys so narrow-minded?!”

“How dare—“

“Just because one Korean family got involved in gangs doesn’t mean that all the Koreans are community are!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s a good child and wouldn’t harm a fly for the world!”

“He wants your body, just like all the other Korean boys out there! He will never love you for you!”

“We’re just good friends, not lovers!”
“He wants to be more!”

“This isn’t about , Dad! He’s always been there for me when you guys haven’t and I’ve been there for him!”

“If I catch you with that boy one more time, I will put a restraining order on him,” your father threatens. “We could use all these scratches as evidence of ual harassment.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me. Now let’s go home.” He spins on his heels and heads towards home. You daringly look back to see where he had disappeared and a flash of red clashes with the tree before it disappears and footsteps are out of time with your father’s up ahead.

As you walk backwards for a few steps, the tears freely flow yet again.

‘I never wanted you to find out this way, Taemin,’ you regret in your mind, hoping that he understands.

-

-

That was a week ago. You haven’t heard or seen from him since. Luckily, your parents didn’t confiscate your laptop due to your argument that you needed it for homework assignments. You log on to your online texting number for the nth time today, hoping that Taemin’s texted you.

He has, but it’s not something you’re expecting.

“The woods. 3 AM. Tonight.”

Your teeth habitually worry your bottom lip as it usually does in times of decision-making.

“Okay.” You hesitantly reply.

-

-

Frankly, sneaking out your window has never been your forte and certainly isn’t this time go round. You stealthily avoid all the security cameras and sensors (life with paranoid parents) and break off into a sprint towards the woods.

Even though the world on your side is scarily pitch black, the moonlight guides you through the blackened mess of twigs and roots and plants before coming to a stopping point when arms suddenly catch you around the waist.

The breath is knocked out of you and you playfully struggle to turn and smack your capturer on his shoulder. He pouts while rubbing the area where you supposedly harmed him, whining in mock pain and frowning upon your actions.

But then the act is over and seriousness immediately replaces the sparkle in his eyes.

“Why did you never tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was necessary,” you guiltily mumble.

“This whole time, I thought you were embarrassed of me or something, but then I stayed behind yesterday and…do your parents really think that?”

“I know it’s really stupid but I know you’re not what they think you are—“

“If you did, we wouldn’t be in this state right now, now would we?”

“Look, I’m sorry—“

“Shh, don’t apologize for your parents’ narrow-mindedness,” he hushes, his fingers as light as a feather on your lips. Over the past few years, he’s had the tendency to do that, but you haven’t really minded.

“When is your birthday?”

“In a few days.”

“And you turn eighteen?”

“Yeah…oh my god.”

He knowingly grins.

“That means I can—“

“Escape and run away without getting in trouble, yes.”

“Can they still put a restraining order on you?”

“It doesn’t matter if they can. I got the video of that day last week.”

“You what—“

“Mhmm. So technically, all the evidence would go on them.”

The knowledge of your own freedom completely grasps your mind as it sends your heart racing. You’re finally able to be free and be away from their restraining holds and—

“_______, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Tae,” you casually throw out, still wrapped up in your adrenaline rush.

“_______, I love you.”
“I heard you the first time.”

“I mean it. I love you.”

“Tae, I love you, too, but what is—“

His lips halt your words as they land on yours, at first stationary but tentatively sliding against yours. They’re soft and you can almost feel the chapstick coating his lips. The movement of his lips sends your mind reeling as your eyes flutter closed, your own instinctively moving with his.

Kissing Taemin sends your heart past cloud nine and into a world of different dimensions collaborating with one another. It’s light and innocent; no hurriedness in the gesture, but it’s almost bittersweet, too, as his lips slightly onto your bottom lip and you quickly gasp before holding onto his collar to stop yourself from buckling. His arms sneakily wound around your waist before lifting you up a bit, causing you to stand on the tips of your toes, eventually placing your own feet on his Converse.

You don’t bother to remember keep track of time, because now it’s just you and Taemin, broken children fixing each other beneath the moonlight in a timeless world.