Park Jihoon had brought them to the lonely forest where he had seen the grim reaper. He didn't know why he had done that, but something in his mind; something had told him to come here.
Shane too, had recognized the place when he had come here. This was the place he had taken that old man's soul, the soul which Loralie was supposed to take.
He regretted doing that ever since, he had never been able to find who it was. Also there was the plan of murdering Jihoon. He remembered Loralie asking him the other day about when he would make his move.
If he wanted, he could just have killed him right this instant. The circumstances were apt, no one would be able to see him and he could go back to hell easily.
But then something had stopped him from doing that. Jihoon had a family he cared about, even though he put up a foolish front, he could see the truth in Seojun's words. Jihoon indeed cared about the people around him.
"I'm sorry I had to drag you into this." Jihoon apologized panting as soon as they had stopped running.
Shane stood looking at him, Jihoon indeed looked handsome like he had heard many students say.
Shane blinked in surprise. Did he just admit that Jihoon was handsome?
"I think it is my fault though, I was the one asking Seojun when those boys heard us." Shane found himself explaining.
"Those were the guys that gave you that, didn't you?" Jihoon pointed to Shane's bandaged arm.
Shane widened his eyes in surprise. Jihoon just chuckled.
"I'm an observant guy."
"Well yeah." Shane confessed, not being able to hold his chuckle as well. "You're hilarious."
"I like to think so." Jihoon leaned back. He noticed a manila envelope under his folded hands. "What's that?"
"Nothing," he muttered, pulling it to his chest before shoving it into an inner pocket of his jacket.
"You shouldn't have covered for me." Shane sounded more morose than mad. he looked deflated, like a sailboat on a still lake with no air to carry it. Not the Shane he was used to.
"It's what friends do."
"Why do you insist on this? I never asked you to be my friend."
"It's not something you ask for. It's just something that is."
"I can take care of myself."
"But you shouldn't always have to."
To SHane's surprise, he began to blink continuously to hide his tears that had been threatening to come out.
"What happened?" Jihoon had never seen him distressed, let alone brought to tears. He began to wonder whether he was the reason that he had been crying.
"Nothing." Shane wiped his face, which was completely red by now.
"You don't have to tell me anything." Jihoon kept his expression neutral. "I'll just drop you home. It's getting late."
"I can't go home right now. She'll know what I did." His hands clutched at his blazer. Jihoon heard the crinkle of the envelope inside. Shane was making no sense, but he rarely did. Jihoon had learned not to try too hard to figure out the puzzle that was Shane . But he also believed he had only two choices when faced with another person's misery: ignore it or try to fix it.
"Come on."
"Where?" Shane couldn't help but hold the surprise in his voice. Jihoon just smiled, "Trust me."
"I'm not supposed to go anywhere." SHane looked down at the ground.
"Give me five minutes. If you hate it, I'll bring you right back." He held out his hand. "Call?"
Shane stared at his palm so long he wondered if he was going to decline.
"Call."
Jihoon grabbed his hand "So you've agreed, then," he said as he started the scooter.
"To what?"
"That we're friends for the night. It was in the fine print. All agreements have it."
"Wait for a moment," Jihoon said before he fled somewhere.
'Great,' Shane thought to himself, 'this guy leaves me alone in the woods.'
Before Shane could turn to leave, Jihhon had appeared with the newly fixed scooter that bore the flag of the Park restaurant.
Shane wolf whistled, "Where had you been hiding that?"
Jihoon winked as he tossed him a helmet.. "Secret."
At first, Shane sat rigid so no part of them touched. Jihoon grinned and perhaps took the next turn too sharp on purpose. His grin spread into a full-fledged smile when his arms wrapped around his waist. When Shane tried to pull away again, Jihoon placed a hand over his.
"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "You have to hold on."
He felt Shane's hesitation before she laced his fingers together. His arms tightened as a truck passed a little too close, horn blaring.
"Ease up on the superhuman choke holds," he called back.
"Oh, sorry." Shane's raspy baritone breathed into his ear, sending a spike of energy down his spine.
Their closeness hit Jihoon. Not that he didn't know he was flush against him before. But it was all he could think about now. How his chin rested lightly against his shoulder. Shane's hands splayed across his belly. Shane's torso leaning on his back.
In his distracted state he almost missed the turn and took it so fast the wheels of the scooter skidded, kicking up dust and smoke that smelled of burnt rubber. But he made it onto the road leading up a steep mountainside.
As the roads climbed higher, Shane couldn't help but ask again,, "Where are we going, Park?"
"You ask too many questions, Kensington."
Jihoon drove until the city lights below dimmed and the stars took over. Stopping at a curve in the road, he parked along the thick shoulder that created an overlook to the city.
Shane pulled the helmet off, shaking his hair free. Jihoon was mesmerized by the snaking movement of raven tendrils as they fell Across his perfect face."
Where are we?" shane asked.
"Huh?" He blinked and realized he'd been staring. "It's where I come whenever the city is too loud or I just need to think." Jihoon worked on releasing the tension from his body, willing it to sift away with the wind that pulled at his jacket.
The city lay before them, the buildings scattered toward the horizon. Skyscrapers reached toward the heavens, built so high they looked as tall as the mountains beyond. "Ten minutes up here and you'll forget what was bothering you."
"I doubt it," Shane said, but he took in the view. It was indeed amazing. "How did you find this place?"
"My father brought me here once." One of the only good memories Jihoon shared with the man.
"Jaegil said he had left you."
The words weren't said with judgment but they still made Jihoon tense.
"He's one to talk. His father isn't a gem either. Everyone knows he works as muscle for one of the local gangs."
"Explains why Jaegil's such a bully." Shane sighed at the vicious cycle of violence passed down from parent to child. "When did your father leave?"
The question surprised him. Usually people skirted the topic of his father's abandonment.
"When I was four.My mother passed away giving birth to me. My dad hated the life of a poor man so he left me under the care of my mother's sister. Minjae is my cousin. Always thinking of himself no matter the consequences." He let out a sigh, rubbing at the knots in his stomach.
"Parents suck." Shane made no effort to hide the bitterness in his voice.
"Does it bother you? Like it bothers me? I know I haven't asked about your parents, bur since you've moved with your sister, there must be some pretty hardcore shit between you guys."
Shame looked out toward the city; his silence seemed to indicate the topic upset her. But then she spoke.
"My parents hate me. They never wanted a child like me apparently. They might have perhaps killed me at a young age had I not been the eligible heir to their empire."
Jihoon frowned. He didn't know Shane was a rich child like Seojun. Also SHane had never revealed about his family. Miyoung walked to the ledge, his toes peeking precariously over.
"Careful," Jihoon said.
He shot him a dismissive look. "I don't need anyone to keep me safe."
"You're gonna fall down and as far as I know humans don't fly. Unless you're a different species altogether.
"It's hard for me to take you seriously when you make a joke out of everything."
"Looking at life with humor doesn't mean I don't take it seriously. You need to be able to laugh at things, even the sad scary stuff sometimes."
"I don't get you."
"You say that like it's a problem for you." Jihoon joined him at the edge, staring out toward the lights that marked the city.
"It's not," Shane said, so forcefully he thought he was mad at him. "Or it wouldn't be if you left me alone."
"Does it really bother you that much? That I want to be friends?"
"I don't need friends. I belong alone."
"I don't believe you. No one belongs alone."
"I don't care about people's concerns. Like being wanted or having friends."
"For a hot and a smug asshole, you're a pretty good liar."
Shane shoved his hands into his pockets. "Lying is how I survive."
"Well, good thing we're up here all alone. So no one can hear if you accidentally tell the truth." His words were light, but even as he spoke he realized how much he wanted to know the real Shane.He held so many secrets.. Jihoon wondered if that was all that held him together.
"I'll go first," he said. "I don't think you're pretty."
A frown planted itself firmly on Shane's face. "I thought you were going to tell the truth."
"I am. Your face is beautiful, and you're fucking hot; but you're empty. You never let anyone see past the surface, because you think that's all they want to see. You're fake and that's not pretty."
"If people saw what I really am, they'd hate me."
"That's not true. I saw you." And you were beautiful, he wanted to add, but didn't. He had a feeling physical compliments didn't go far with Shane.
"Not all of me," he whispered. If only this boy knew how much Shane wanted to kill him.
"I see more than you think," Jihoon insisted. "Do you realize you recoil from people in the hallway? It makes the other kids think you're disgusted by them, so they react to that, not to you as a person. How could they when that's all you let them see?"
SHane opened his mouth, as if ready to rain a storm of fury on him. Instead, he turned away. Jihoon wondered if he'd gone too far. Usually, he didn't worry about saying the exact thing on his mind. This time, he felt regret when he saw the hurt flash underneath Shane's anger.
"I think there's more to you," Jihoon tried to clarify. "I heard you helped Seojun this afternoon."
"Because I hate bullies."
"See? You're a better person than you give yourself credit for." Shane rolled her eyes. "Stopping bad people doesn't make me a good one."
Jihoon winced, but held his ground. He couldn't be wrong about him. He knew she wasn't evil and he refused to treat her like a monster.
"I knew it," Jihoon said.
"Knew what?" Shane frowned.
"It's because you care," Jihoon said.
"Can we talk about something else?" Shane interrupted him.
"You promised coming up here would make me feel better."
"Oh, sure," Jihoon said, cursing himself for pushing things. He glanced out toward the city. "Sometimes when I come up here, I pretend to stick a pin into a place I want to go. Kind of like a 3-D map."
"Okay," Miyoung said with a hum, considering the landscape, then pointed. "There. The Han River."
"The whole Han River?" Jihoon asked.
"Well, not all of it. But I've always wanted to walk along one of those paths by the river, maybe ride a bike, and sit by the water. It must feel good during the summertime."
Jihoon noted the longing in his voice. "You like the water?"
"No. I'm actually terrified."
"Really?" Jihoon asked.
"Yeah, I always have been. My sister once enrolled me in swimming lessons when I was five but I wouldn't even go into the pool.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You said I'm empty. I'm filling in the void."
Jihoon nodded. "I guess we all have our phobias."
"What's yours?"
"Frogs," he answered immediately.
"Frogs?" Shane gave him an incredulous look.
"They're slimy and their back legs are disproportionately strong. It's creepy." He shuddered.
That got a laugh out of Shane and softened the mood. Exactly what Jihoon intended. His nose scrunched, and his eyes became half-moons that sparkled with humor.
"There it is," he murmured. "That's pretty."
Shane's mouth dropped open, then snapped closed, as if he meant to reply but thought better of it. His eyes stayed on Jihoon's, taking his measure. Jihoon could almost see the wheels turning in Shane's head, trying to figure him out.
"We should get back," Shane said, starting back toward the scooter.
Jihoon sighed. If only Shane knew.