there are so many ways to train a loyal hound, and hyungsik knows them all. the unyielding leashes; sparse affection and cruel punishments โ these are the techniques of the insecure, and hyungsik is anything but.
instead, hyungsik allows his blood hounds to roam unchallenged; wild, vicious and uncurbed, canines barred. he gives guerdons aplenty, and seldom punishments.
why, hyungsik knows how to cultivate devotion, not compliance.
but in the midst of the chaotic ecosystem that is yonsei, hyungsik perches at the top of the food chain in shrewd boredom; a disenchanted vulture in pursuit of a recherchรฉ feast, but there are no beasts for the scavenging that wasย quiteย like kim hanbin.
and on nights consumed by the throes of his insomnia, hyungsik closes his eyes to commemorate โ
golden lips that used to smile so guilelessly pulling back into an unsightly snarl; revealing sharp canines, clenched fists and unyielding knuckles; thrusting repeatedly into the bloodied mess of a face again and again and again -
( no, hyungsik does not forget such a vicious weapon.
hounds shouldnโt stray too far from their masters, after all. it was time for kim hanbin to come home. )
hyungsik taps the leather coverings of the steering wheel to the echoes of the ring tone and hums thoughtfully.
โhey man.โ hyungsik grins, interrupting whatever greeting the other had planned. there was never really a need for pleasantries when it came to one kim hanbin. โcome outside.โ the blazing sun extends its harsh rays through the open sun roof, and hyungsik tilts his head up to welcome them, allowing the streams of light to catch at the highlights of his hair, bestowing upon him a golden halo.
such is the beauty of illusion.
( the devilish smirk playing at the corner of his lips belies the mirage, however. )
a deft hand parks the feisty, flaming beauty into hanbinโs driveway in one smooth movement. there, the engine purrs, all but vibrating under the caress of hyungsikโs warm palms.
he is never one for dramatics, but there is a beat of leaden silence; deliberate; calculated, before he suddenly steps on accelerator. the engine comes to life with much fanfare; its wanton whines slyly punctuating his growing smirk. the engine quivers slightly, arching its purrs into hyungsikโs touch.
unhurriedly, hyungsik exits the car languidly, long limbs stretching like a predator. there, he leans against the warmth of the engine, before reaching over to pat the glistening red belly of the car fondly. โโ iโve got something for you. sheโs pretty, this one.โ there, he shoots a knowing wink to the dark pane of hanbinโs window, almost as if he somehow knew where the younger would be.
before hanbin could splutter out a response, hyungsik hangs up and grins. he doesnโt wait for hanbinโs reply. he never does;
( because he doesnโt need to look back to see hanbin following doggedly on his heel.
what a loyal hound indeed. )
summer 2014 exists in a series of dichromatic snapshots of glittering gold and time-worn brown. in these old frames, there lies the smell of summer sweat and sex on the beach, of jello shots and technicolour pills, of regrettable firsts that know no last.
and when the curtain call comes, the teens saunter out in their sun-kissed skin and barely-there vibrant red swimsuits. but see, here, the crowdโs hollers fall into a hush, brought about by the bewilderment when one is met with a stage absent of its main protagonist.
( that is, where is our golden boy in the midst of all of this? )
why, here he sits, hidden within the confines of his room of fading glitter. his curtains are drawn in, and so the shadows sit possessively along the hard planes of his face, its dark fingers caressing the raised veins riding along the length of his forearm.
this is how hanbin spends the height of summer 2014: with a worn-out guitar and bruised fingertips.
what heโll tell you: such is the passion of a budding musician.
what he wonโt: such are the clumsy breaths of drowning lungs.
because somewhere within the chaos of yesteryearโs events is a man whoโs learnt how to breathe underwater.
( that is to say, yes, when the bonfireโs been put out and all the teens leave to rest their heads, here is our golden boy left behind in the middle of the ocean, gasping, drowning, strangelyย surviving. the golden glitters on his skin have since been stolen away by the harsh waves of the midnight ocean. )
that is also to say, many have since forgotten the incident of 2011, when this golden boy had stolen the show with his uncharacteristic snarls and bloodied fists.
( many save one. many save him. )
no, here is a man whose skin is caught on the rip of the space-time continuum, and so he relives this nightmare over, and over, and overโ
gasp, after gasp, after desperate gaspโ
( punch, after punch, after punchโ )
he hisses as the broken guitar string ricochets off his pale forearm. fingers fly towards the fresh wound, but the sudden blare of his ringtone quickly steals his attention away.
such is mother natureโs sinister mischief, that park hyungsik would be the one to call, of all people. because park hyungsik is the same knight in shining armour that had singlehandedly saved hanbinโs life following the aftermath of his animalistic anger.
that is, when kim hanbin started drowning, park hyungsik was the one who taught him how to breathe underwater.
( oh, but never to swim, because that would equip hanbin with the ability to get safely to shore. such is his game, that hanbin will always be the hare chasing after the carrot dangled from hyungsikโs own finger.
such is the beauty of illusion. )
โwhy? whatโs outside?โ
this is why hanbin jumps from his seat curiously, excitedly, marches towards his closed windows and rips the curtains apart, just in time to catch hyungsikโs new car pull up into his driveway. and this is why hanbinโs golden lips pull into a glittering smile, like a dog greeted by its master at the end of a busy dayโs work.
hanbin races down the stairs and strides out the door and towards hyungsikโs sleek car, both excitement and curiosity making its home in hanbinโs chestnut eyes.
โwhoa, nice ride,โ he comments offhandedly before pulling hyungsik into a bear hug. he pats the older on the back twice in familiar greeting.
โwhat are you doing in busan? back for the break?โ the charmingly dopey smile never once leaves his eager lips, โyou shouldโve called, hyung. i wouldโve come to you instead.โ
see? a loyal hound wagging its tail, ever so eager to please.
