dim²

you and your friends just got off the rollercoaster you just rode and are now heading to your next ride. however, the ride that your friend suggested is the one that you have always avoided. gyro drop. the first and last time you rode it was 6 years ago and it is definitely a memorable embarassing experience. from feeling as if your soul was about to leave you and vomitting right after the ride, you promised yourself you won't step a foot near there.

"y/n, hey are you okay?" your friend waved her hand in front of your face which caused you to snap out of your thoughts.

"i'm sorry. what were you saying?" you looked at your friends and they started to laugh.

"you really don't like this, do you?" your other friend looked at you, concerned.

"yeah, you know my history with this ride?" you said which caused you and your friends to laugh. "you guys can go ahead, though. i'll just find something to eat."

with that, your friends ran to join the line. you read the waiting time and saw that you had 1 hour to occupy yourself.

you started to wander around the amusement park and passed through different food stands. after a few minutes of walking, you found a cotton candy stand which you immediately rushed to.

you made your order and the worker behind the stand did his "magic" and handed the sweet over to you. however, before you even took the stick from his hand, you laughed receiving a weird look from the worker.

"what are you laughing at?" he laughed nervously.

you took the candy from his hand and paid. "it's not a big deal. your hair is just the same color as the floss." you said while trying to stifle your laughter.

"hey, i like my hair!" he ruffled his hair and laughed again. once he took his hands away, his hair is all messed up. you couldn't help but reach over and fix it. when you realized how close you are, you immediately pulled away.

"thanks. i didn't get your name, by the way." he said.

"oh, my name's y/n. you?"

"riki, but most of my friends call me ni-ki." he extends his arm to shake your hand. he's actually cute. you thought to yourself.

"so what are you doing here alone?" he asked after you let go of each other's hand.

"oh well, i'm here with my friends, but i'm scared of heights so i told them that they could go on without me and here i am."

"why are you at an amusement park if you don't like rollercoasters?" ni-ki laughed again, making you look weird.

"i didn't want to miss an opportunity to see my friends especially that school is starting in a few weeks." ni-ki smiles at your comment.

"that's sweet. trust me, i wouldn't be here if i had a choice. i just need the money at the moment. if i had it my way, i would be an idol right now." he looks at you as if he's committed to something when he told you about his plans.

"i know this is sudden and i just met you but is it alright if i get your number? i'd love to hang out with you soon." he exited the stall he was in and walked to you, phone in hand.

"oh, sure." you reached for your phone and gave him your number.

"thanks." he said while hugging you. "well, i better get back to work. it was nice meeting you, y/n. remember to ring me, i'll be waiting."

your words were stuck to your throat. who knew a boy you just met an hour ago could have so much impact towards you.

you made your way back to the ride where your friends were getting off. from afar, you could already see your friends running up to you to hug you.

"that was the best i've ever been on! you would have loved it, y/n! anyway, what did you do while we were gone?" your friend's face was lit with excitement.

"oh, you know, i just bought cotton candy. we'll have to go back there later." you smiled to yourself.

your friends nodded in agreement and you know that you'll be seeing ni-ki much sooner than you expected.

write me a letter

and read me your poem

send all that's loving

keep me warm

heeseung loves how you convey your feelings. the way every word moves freely out of your mouth as if everything you say has been rehearsed. he loves your voice. whether you're singing or talking, he will never get tired of hearing it. but all he can do now is wishful thinking of hearing you again. the voice that made him feel loved like every letter you read him. the voice that made him feel warm like every single hug you shared.

you were his inspiration in every song that he wrote. yet after you left him, his love for music is gone as well. every note that he played only reminded him of you. you, who once brought him joy for every piece that he wrote, is now the reason why he feels stone cold.

my mind is spiral

and disarrayed and violent

it's true

i am lost

the sounds of people rushing to each end of the tunnel trying not to miss their bus, vendors selling whatever they had in store, the flickering lights on the walls, and more might seem like chaos to some people. but for you and heeseung, this underground tunnel was something you cherished as this was the place where you first met. yet here is heeseung standing in the middle of the tunnel, wondering where all your memories have gone. the tunnel that was once filled with bright colors and loud noises that bounced through the walls is now replaced with broken food stalls and graffiti on the walls.

if people still passed through this tunnel, some might have already called the police on him. he looks disarrayed and violent. he looks lost. and his only escape is by shouting lyrics that no one would understand. not even you, even though the song was about you. how will you understand it if you were the one who left him?

this is your verse

i'll miss you forever

our song is ending

my voice, please remember

he's not mad at you. he can't be. he's just disappointed that you left him without even saying goodbye. but what can he do? neither of you knew that your last phone call with each other before you went to sleep would be your last. but you'll always remember his voice, right? his voice that sang you to sleep that night.

time, please be kind

time, please rewind

time, I would buy

but it's time for goodbye

and after all this, he still holds onto you and pleading time to bring you back. but time will never be kind. time will never rewind for anyone. time cannot be bribed. time moves on its own, not caring for anyone's grievances. but time will always be there. time will give you chances to fix yourself. time will never stop moving and will always remind you that there will be tomorrow. even if it hurts to say goodbye, heeseung does so and finally lets you go.

“i know.” you grinned at him, fishing for the last plate of delicacy from the basket. “but i wanted to. today’s your day, it has to be special.”

“you came,” sunoo emerged from the trees with a surprised look on his face. his sweet smile widened, and his wings spread out in delight at seeing you. you let out a soft laugh, slightly shaking your head, “well, i wouldn’t miss your birthday. it’s clearly the most important date of the month!”  

sunoo’s eyebrows scrunched together when he noticed the slightest bit of a picnic basket you’re trying so hard to hide the moment he stepped foot out of the woods. “what you got there?” he tipped his head behind to surprise you. 

“oh, this?” you gestured to the feast behind you. “it’s the second part of my gift, sunshine.” you moved to sit down on the blanket and opened the basket, taking out the desserts one by one. sunoo sat beside you, pouting as he said, “you didn’t have to do this, y/n.” 

sunoo looked at the starless sky with a sour look on his face. “it always rains on my birthday.” you turned back to him, “yeah, too bad. i was actually expecting to have a look at the stars with you tonight.” 

“well, we could change that.” sunoo stood up and wiped the dirt off his pants. he looked down at you with a knowing smile, “did you know that the sun is also a star?”

sunoo sighed, nervously wringing his hand back and forth. “look, i know it’s my birthday today but i would love to give something back for all the things you’ve done for me.”

you gave him a confused look as he started moving his hands in a circular motion. your confusion soon turned into amusement as sparks of light flickered through his fingertips. the tiny sparks transformed into balls of light, rotating around him as if he was the sun. 

golden light reflected on his face, giving him a soft glow. his eyes weren’t able to hold every star, so they spilled onto his face and are disguised as freckles. he looked beautiful.  no other sight could ever compare to the one in front of you. the flickering glitter of the light from his fingertips danced around his cheeks, highlighting his freckles. sunoo is the epitome of the sun itself, but in this case, he looked even brighter and more radiant as he shimmered under the coat of darkness surrounding the both of you.

sunoo raised his hands with a new-found determination to impress you. just then, the orbs of light followed the direction of his hands towards the sky. the flashes of light floated upwards with shattering speed. the glittering lights found their places in the sky, illuminating the once blank canvas with a grand spark of flickering light. the show ended as sunoo put his hands down with a sigh, satisfied with his work. you sat still in your position, mouth agape in bewilderment. 

“woah...” your eyes glittered, similar to the ones on sunoo’s fingertips. you’ve seen him do this countless times before, each time gaining the same reactions. no matter how many times he did this, you will always be in awe. “that was beautiful.”

sunoo laughed, sitting down on the blanket beside you, knees touching yours. “you always say that.” you turned back to look at the sky to notice the clouds parting. you tapped sunoo on the shoulder, pointing at the stars above your heads, “sunoo, look! the stars.” sunoo tutted, looking at where you’re pointing at and saw the shining stars. you were already laid back on the soft blanket, sunoo followed suit as his arms wound around your frame. immediately, he felt your head on his chest, and your eyes fluttered shut. “goodnight, y/n”

1:11 am

that’s the time where you live off the best moments of your life. a time where you dance under the stars, surrounded by trees as the wind howled around you. it is a time where you look into the dark lake while the moon shines above in a glistening white glow. the air would always feel light and warm whenever you’re there. but no matter how beautiful the night looked, there is always one sight you couldn’t get enough of.

the son of hades.

every night, once the clock strikes 1:11, there he stands in the middle of the forest, waiting for you. his dark eyes were searching for love, his hands aching to welcome you, lips waiting for you to capture, and his heart longing to meet yours. and he looks undeniably beautiful in the sheet of darkness. he carries himself well, and he is fully aware of how it makes you feel. you look at him as if he was the world, and he can’t help but feel the same way, maybe even more.

more than what the gods and goddesses could ever know.

“gods, i’m aching," chaerin whined from beside you as she plopped down on the wooden bench. you immediately took notice of the forming bruises on her body when you looked away from the book in your hands. worry washed over your body.

“what did i say about taking it easy, chae?” your hand naturally reached for hers, thumb caressing her skin.

she instantly relaxed under your touch, her shoulders loosen from its tension, but the raging flame in her eyes remained. you could almost see smoke coming out of her ears. “you already know how rough those ares kids get. they won’t back down without a fight.”

you rolled your eyes at this. “yes, i know. but could you please, please, take care of yourself? you’re making me worry every time you go training.” with a huff, you turned back around to reach for something in your bag. “here, drink this,” you handed the bottle to chaerin, who eyed the weird substance suspiciously. “it’s a cure for your bruises. i taught myself to make one with the herbs in our cabin because you get hurt way too many times.”

“oh please, you love me.” chaerin came close and hugged you tight. “thank you for the medicine, y/n. i’ll meet you at dinner time.” then, she stands up without the burning rage in her eyes as she skips in the direction of the arena, possibly to train more with the aid of your bottled cure.

and with that, you turned your attention back to the forgotten book on the table. unbeknownst to you were the loving eyes of the boy who has your heart, looking over at you in pure admiration. jungwon shook his head and resumed his own task of polishing his dagger as his friends teased him.

jungwon stood inside his cabin, with his hands tucked in his pockets. his eyes trailed over to the flowers on his bedside table. the vase gleamed with a variety of colors and kinds of flora. he insisted you enchant them so that the plants may live longer as a symbol of love.

the love you both shared.

his feet dragged him to the flowers. a sweet smile graced his lips as he took in the scent of nature, its magic practically flowing through each stem.

“you’re doing it again,” ni-ki's voice greeted the silence.

jungwon slightly jumped from surprise. he turned back, raising his eyebrow at the younger boy, and said, “doing what?”

ni-ki gave jungwon a look as if to indicate it was so obvious. “uh, being so in love.” ni-ki took a short glance at the vase with flowers. the sarcastic stare in his orbs softened as he gazed at the different variety of flowers. “it's a nice gift tho, y/n’s very sweet,” ni-ki cleared his throat.

“yes, they are.”

“the boys are waiting for you, said they’d be hanging out by the lake,” ni-ki started walking over to the door, waiting for jungwon to follow suit.

“i’ll be there.”

it’s almost time.

you lay in your bed after bidding your demigod siblings goodnight. your hands clutched the blanket in eagerness, but you needed to wait a few more minutes. after a couple of minutes of waiting later, the clock on your nightstand finally ticks to the time of 1:11.

nerves rushed all over you as you slowly pulled the blanket away from your body. you carefully stood up to the plant-covered wall. you let your feet take you through the wall, entering it. this was an ability you learned from training, teleporting through plants. it always came in handy in times like this.

as you walk further into the portal, you finally feel the wind of the forest whip your face. once you fully stepped into the woods, your eyes darted around the open space, looking for him.

“looking for me, flower?”

you flinched from shock. with heavy breaths, you placed your hand on your chest, calming your heart. jungwon slipped away from the shadows, shadow traveling. similar to your ability to teleport through plants, but with the use of shadows. “i don’t think i could ever get used to that,” you nodded at him. jungwon chuckled and stepped closer to you, slipping away from the darkness, quite literally.

“well, get used to it cuz you’re stuck with me,” he reached for your hand, proceeding to pull you towards the lake. jungwon excitedly sat down beside you, “how was your day, love?” his hand still intertwined with yours, his thumb softly caressing the skin. “it was fine, just a bit tiring. oh, i also trained with sunoo today in the archery field,” you answered.

jungwon’s brows furrowed as he thought about what you said, a pout soon appearing on his lips. “why didn’t you ask me to train with you? i could’ve been your partner in archery today.”

“won, i don’t think that’s a good idea. remember the time where y-” you were cut off by jungwon’s hand over your mouth, effectively silencing you. “don’t even continue that sentence,” jungwon begged you with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. of course, you being you, ignored the pleads pouring out his mouth. “the arrow didn’t even graze the target. the target was so near, like what- three meters away!” your laughs echoed in the forest, bouncing off the trees. flustered, jungwon groaned beside you as he slightly rolled away from your side, curling into a ball.

your laughs died down as you stared at the boy at your side. the laughter in your chest was now gone, instead replaced with the familiar fluttering warmth. “hey, that doesn’t change how I feel towards you.”

jungwon raised his head, eyes locked with yours. “i know, but that was so embarrassing!” he turned on his side again, rocking from side to side as he recounted the events. you chuckled at his actions, finding it endearing that the prince of the underworld could act like this.

and it would only be you to witness.

your silence must have been loud that jungwon picked up on the way your eyes lovingly gazed at him.

“you’re staring, my flower.” jungwon grinned from under you. he sat up, bringing his body close to you, leaving almost no space between your bodies. a deep blush ran over your body, warming you up. you opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out, making you look like a fish out of water.

jungwon found it quite adorable, so he leaned closer to your face. in a flushed state, you turned to look the other way, refusing to meet his keen eyes. jungwon’s hand gently cupped your jaw, softly turning your face to him. his hand tucked the loose hair away from your face. your eyes locked, but you quickly averted your gaze at the trees behind him.

a deep chuckle erupted from jungwon’s chest. he watched you struggle to keep your composure from his teasing. “flower, please look at me,” jungwon sported a pout. now, this made you look back at him with warm cheeks and an even warmer heart.

your eyes locked for a moment before he broke it to look at something on the top of your head. then, you felt his hand reach for something in your hair. soon enough, loud laughs left jungwon’s lips. his chest heaved up and down in uncontrollable laughter.

you gave the boy in front of you a look of confusion. his answer came in the form of a freshly bloomed primrose, beautifully sitting on the palm of his hand. and before you could ask about it, jungwon clutched the flower to his chest

“y-you just popped a flower out of nowhere!” jungwon said in between laughter. the primrose sat close to where his heart was. “were you that flustered?” he teased.

“i didn’t know i could do that," was the only thing you could say at the moment. you were confused and stunned at this new information. “this is embarrassing, won! i literally popped a flower!” you repeated his words. jungwon came close again, this time with an even lesser gap between your bodies. whenever he talked, his lips would lightly graze yours.

“it’s alright, y/n. this doesn’t change how I feel for you.” he teased yet again, using your words from before. you hand raised and jokingly slapped him on the shoulder. jungwon’s laughs followed, “now we’re even.” you soon joined him in the laughs.

the rest of the night was filled with the usual banter you two shared and some occasional kisses just to make the other flustered. mainly jungwon teasing you, hoping to see another flower bloom in your hair.

jungwon stood in front of the vase with a variety of flowers, but with a new addition. he excitedly added the primrose from the night before, settling it in the middle of the bunch. a smile graced his lips again as he recalled your bashful expression when he locked eyes with you under the moonlight. and jungwon’s smile only seemed to go brighter once he learned about about the flower’s meaning.

eternal love.

Weeks of planning to hangout with your friends yet you're here stuck inside a cinema with Park Sunghoon only. How? Your friends suddenly said they had urgent family plans that they couldn't come. You were in the same friend group as Sunghoon but you and him aren't really close so there's still an awk between you two – plus, you might have a little not so little crush over him.

Unbeknownst to the both of you though, your friends who are supposedly to be at their "family event" are at the very back of the cinema watching not the movie but you two – waiting for one of you to make a move. Yes, this was planned and Sunoo calls it "operation-make-y/n-and-sunghoon-realize-they-like-each-other-so-that-they-can-finally- date-each-other." However, the movie is already coming to an end yet there was still no progress. What frustated them the most was that your hands didn't even touch because you bought separate popcorns.

"I am this close to bumping their heads together," Cass, your bestfriend, said quietly. "Maybe we won't be feeling this way if your friend only made a move," Sunoo whisper shouted. "Why don't your friend make the move?" Cass retorts. "Be quiet, they might hear us. And also, we're all in the same friend group so they're both our friends." As soon as your other friend, Zayla, spoke, they all turned their heads to the screen and see the ending credits rolling and saw the both of you preparing to exit the cinema.

They all quickly hid behind the chairs so you won't see them and started following you both out of the cinema a few minutes after.

It's been more than half an hour since your friends have been following you and Sunghoon around the mall and each minute that passes frustates them little by little.

"I might just push them towards each other," "Why are they so awkward," "Can they atleast brush their fingers accidentally," "Atleast hold y/n's bag," "They're a hopeless case," "It's freezing cold in here, why aren't you lending them your jacket?" are exchanged between your friends as they walk behind you. It's honestly a miracle that neither you or Sunghoon heard any of them despite them being loud.

After what seemed like forever, Sunghoon said that you should now eat dinner and because you are now actually hungry, you just agreed. And as usual, your friends followed you both, taking a seat a bit farther from where you are.

When your meals arrived, your friends are now discussing about their plan Bs, Cs and so forth until they heard you laughing which caused all of them to look where you both are sitting. "Why did you pour water on your rice?" You said in between laughs. "I thought it was soup." He said while looking at you. He didn't even know he was looking at you until you asked him which he replied with "Your laugh is pretty."

After your friends hear this, their jaw dropped – surprised with Sunghoon's reply. You on the other hand stopped laughing and just stared at him with a surprised look. It took him a few seconds to realize what he said until he started saying sorrys.

His nervousness got the best of him though because he suddenly said, "I'm really sorry, it's just true plus that's one of the reasons why I like you." He said which caused him to cover his mouth. And if it's still possible for your eyes to get any bigger, then it did.

"I like you too," you don't know where you got the courage to say those words but you did and not even a few seconds later, you saw all your other friends in front of you, silently squeling.

"You finally confessed to each other!!" Cass said excitedly. "I told you my plan would work." Sunoo said which made you and Sunghoon look at them confused. This didn't go unnoticed by them and so they sat down on your table and told them about the plan and what happened today until their food arrived.

After you all finished eating, Sunoo asked, "So is operation-make-y/n-and-sunghoon-realize-they-like-each-other-so-that-they-can-finally-date-each-other a success?"

"Operation what?" Sunghoon asked. "Operation confession in short," Cass said. "And date!" Sunoo added. "They just confessed to each other so I guess it's half a success?" Zayla spoke.

"Who said we aren't dating?" You said which caused all of them to look at you with shocked looks, including Sunghoon. As you gave them a 'what' look, Cass responded with "Y/N's getting brave. Too brave." which caused all of you to break into fits of laughter.

Sunghoon offered to walk you home since his and your house are not too far each other. When you reached your house, you said your goodbyes to each other but before you could even open your door, Sunghoon suddenly spoke. "Y/N, about what you said earlier, the one where you said we're dating. Did you actually mean it?" He asked seriously.

You were honestly shocked by what he said. When you finally faced him you said, "I mean I was just joking earlier but why not, right?" Sunghoon smiled with what you said. "Should I pick you up tomorrow then? Second date but this time without anyone following us." You laughed at what he said and nodded as a response.

3, 2, 1...

"Aislyn, wake up!!!" There goes my sister, waking me up just like every morning. She jumps on top of me as part of her daily routine of waking me up. "Hey, you're gonna be late for school if you don't wake up now!!"

I pushed her off of me and sat on my bed to gain my consciousness.

"So have you met him yet?" My sister, Lili, asked me.

I just shook my head and stood up to start preparing for school.

It's almost been two months since I last saw him. I don't even know why I feel so sad not seeing him when he's only from my dream. It's not like he actually exists. Then again, I've made so many memories with him and I guess I have considered him as one of my friends.

"Hey!"

"Who are you?"

It's been 3 years when I first saw you in my dreams, not expecting that I would be so attached to you.

"So why can't you tell me your name? I told you mine."

"To be fair, I never asked for your name because I know I won't tell you mine."

Until now I still don't know your name. And I never found out the reason as to why you didn't want to tell me.

"The moon looks beautiful, right?"

"You're more beautiful"

"Stop that!"

"You're blushing! Aislyn, do you like me?"

"I'm not blushing, it's just cold."

"You didn't answer my question. I'll take it as a yes"

I'd be lying if I say I don't like you. It's probably not even a crush anymore. You became my safe place and haven. You are everything any girl would want, including me. But I didn't tell you how I feel because I was afraid that I'll fall deeper when you're just a figment of my imagination.

"Congratulations! I told you that you'd win that competition."

You were always there to congratulate me in all of my achievements and you'd always hug me after. Your hugs. Why did it always feel so real? I miss it.

"You won't leave me, right?"

"Of course. Why would I?"

It was a random question I asked you. Seeing you everyday in my dreams made me scared that you will suddenly leave without any goodbyes.

That is until you told me to meet you on the place we first met.

"Will you wait for me?"

"What?"

"I'll be gone for a while."

"You said you won't leave me."

"I'll be back. I promise."

2 months ago, you did leave. Since then, I would always sit by the water talking to the moon, wishing for you to come back. You promised that you will come back, but when will that be? Or will you ever come back?

As soon as I entered my classroom, I noticed the commotion happening. Did someone get into a fight again? But it's too early, right?

I approached my friend, Alvie, and asked her on what was happening.

"There's a new student and everyone's going crazy on how good-looking he is. By the way, do I look okay?"

"Why? Are you planning to seduce the new student?"

"Probably. You can join me if you want to." I just chuckled at her response, facing to the front when our homeroom teacher entered the room.

"Okay class, most of you probably know by now that we have a new student in our class. Please come in."

All eyes were on the new student and as soon as I fully saw his face, I couldn't help but let out a small gasp.

"Hello everyone, my name is Park Jongseong but you can call me Jay for short."

"Thank you, Jay. You may sit on the vacant seat near the window."

As he went to his seat, Alvie immediately told me, "I told you he's good-looking." I just gave her a small nod as a response.

Classes continued as usual, nothing much happened except for our classmates trying to befriend Jay and some girls trying to flirt with him.

In my case, I couldn't even approach him. Too shocked at the fact on how similar Jay and the guy from my dream are. From their looks, voice, mannerisms, and movements, it scared me. But I don't know if they are actually the same person especially that I don't even know the name of the guy from my dream, so I convinced myself that this is all just a coincidence.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Alvie waves as she says her goodbye. She walked towards her other group of friends who live in the same neighborhood as her. On the other hand, I live in a small neighborhood so I don't walk with anyone going home, but I was fine with it since our school and my house is just a 5 minute walk.

My walk home was filled with questions on who Jay really is and how they look so similar. However, my train of questions stopped when I felt someone following me.

I turned around to see who it is and saw Jay who also stopped walking.

"Are you following me?"

He scoffs in disbelief and says, "I know not a lot of people live here but you do realize that this is a still a neighborhood therefore you're not the only one who lives here."

"Sorry," was the only thing I could say before continuing to walk towards my house.

Not even a few seconds later, Jay rushes to my side. I didn't question him anymore as I am already embarrassed enough of the incident earlier.

"Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed. We're now classmates and for sure we will be walking home together everyday."

I just stayed silent until he asked , "I heard that you've been waiting for that guy in your dream for almost two months."

"Yeah." I stopped at my tracks after realizing what he said. "Who are you?"

Jay chuckles at my response, "You know that's the first thing you said to me 3 years ago."

Confusion evident on my face, Jay walks towards my as he says, "I told you I'll come back." At this point, I don't even know whether I'm frozen on my spot because of what Jay told me or because of the proximity between our faces.

"So you're the guy from my dreams?" I asked as soon as I composed myself. Jay nodded as a response.

Let's just say that them meeting again was the reason why they became the talk of their school, Alvie interviewing Aislyn over everything that happened and the beginning of a love story.