Intermission I: Joonmyun

Drip Drip Drip

-

Joonmyun's story began in the winter of 1988 and involved a moonlit escape, two young boys and a girl on the brink of adulthood. The old house breathed with the quiet snores and silent cries of ninety-eight children head to toe across endless mildew and clinging dust. Their hair stood on end with electricity and the dogs howled in a mournful cacophony which rang and faded with the hoarse shouts of the gatekeeper, a thud and a muted whimper.

It was the kick which had sealed his fate; the foot to Joonmyun's right shifting and contacting sharply with his brow. He had woken abruptly with his hand pressed against his face and his eyes scrunched up, already grimacing with the beginnings of a wail until a cold palm grabbed his wrist harshly and pulled it away. Joonmyun stared up in shock, the cry dying at his lips.

It was one of the older boys; the ones with voices that stuttered to trebled squeaks at odd times. The boys who were always served before Joonmyun during mealtimes but were ignored during the rare visits at the orphanage.

He pressed a finger to his lip and glared with impossibly wide eyes, as though daring Joonmyun to utter a sound. The latter shook his head a fraction and pressed himself further into the thin mattress with dread. They weren't supposed to be awake this late. Joonmyun's eyes flickered towards the door. If the Housemistress were to check on them at this moment…

The grip on his wrist twisted sharply and Joonmyun opened his mouth in a silent wrenching cry, peering through tears at the boy's large eyes.

"Shut up." He hissed under his breath, "Don't you dare say anything that'll give us away."

The boy released Joonmyun and scrambled off the mattress, steadying himself on the tips of his fingers and toes in a position reminiscent of a cat. His wide eyes gleamed with the moonlight streaming through the window and there was a spark in them; a strange flowing energy which Joonmyun had never seen before in the faces of anyone within the establishment. Everyone's eyes hung dull and grey with repetition and constant hunger and fear, but this boy thrummed with a plethora of emotions. Anticipation, curiosity, fear, excitement and hatred. Joonmyun's chest throbbed with a nervousness he could not explain and his breath came in short visible puffs of condensation. The boy turned away-

"Wait!" Without thinking, Joonmyun reached out and grabbed the boy's pant leg, almost sending him hurtling to the ground. The realisation of what he had done came just as lightning quick and he smacked his hand over his mouth and backed away, "I'm sorry-"

The boy whipped around and snatched up a handful of Joonmyun's hair, dragging him closer with a maddening fury dancing in his eyes, "Are you trying to get us killed?" He snarled under his breath.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Joonmyun clutched at the boy's hand in an effort to lessen the tearing pain on his scalp, "Take me with you." he begged.

The boy gaped. "You've got to be joking."

"Where are you going? You're not allowed to be up-"

"No. Go back to sleep."

"But-"

"Shut up," was hissed with underlying venom and the pair froze at the sound of creaking footsteps down the hall.

Joonmyun sniffed quietly and absently flicked a tongue out at the tear dribbling towards his lips. The footsteps paused in front of the door.

"Seungsoo!" The girl's eyes widened at the sight of Joonmyun with his face scrunched up in a silent bawl and both hands clinging to the vice on his hair, "Why's he awake?"

"I don't know, Noona!" Seungsoo's voice wavered and cracked