It was drizzling lightly when they stepped outside.
Jihoon had asked SHane to wait while he ran back in for an umbrella. SHane debated leaving, but he waited and wasn't quite sure why. Instead, he stood in the rain, closing her eyes as he let it fall unfettered onto her cheeks. It was cool against his skin and brought the smells of the street to him. Dirt and concrete and leaves.
"It's nice out when it rains." Jihoon's grandma stepped out the back door, wrapping her coat around her in a tight hug. She'd tied a scarf over her hair, and it protected her from the drizzle.
"Soon it'll be snow."
Shane put out her hand to catch the cold droplets.
"Big things always happen at the first snow."
Shane waited for Jihoon's halmeoni to elaborate but instead she said, "My Jihoonie, he doesn't make friends easily."
Shane glanced over, frowning in confusion. "Everyone at school really likes him." Shane didn't know why she said it. Perhaps to comfort Jihoon's halmeoni.
"I'm glad. He's kind and sweet, but he doesn't trust easily. Not after his father left."
Shane held his tongue.He knew it was rude to ask, but he wanted to know the story about this mysterious man named Park Jihoon.
"When Jihoon first came to live with me, he was such a quiet child. Sometimes he wouldn't speak for days. It worried me."
Shane pursed his lips to hold in a laugh of surprise. he'd never have thought the gabby Jihoon was ever quiet.
"I worry about how he lived in the first four years of his life. He doesn't have a mother, And I'm ashamed that I let it go on for as long as it did. I wanted to fix that for them. Him and his father . But he needed something more. And leaving was the best he could do at the time."
"How is a father leaving a child a good thing?"
"Just because something doesn't seem right to most, doesn't mean it's not right for you. You get that, don't you?"
Grandma had the same observant eyes as her grandson. It was worrisome to Shane.
"Jihoon thinks the best way to live is to keep everyone at a distance. Even with us, his aunt and uncle whom he calls his parents and his cousin. He hides it well, too well. But he sees something in you. It might not seem it, but it's a rare gift he's giving you, his friendship."
"I didn't ask for it." Shane felt as if gravity had increased, pushing down on him, a heavy weight he didn't want.
"It's not something you ask for, that's why it's a gift."
Why did these two insist on believing in him? Why couldn't they just let him be?
"I'm not worth it." Shane closed her fist and the rain in her palm slipped between his fingers.
"That's not for you to decide either."
Was there something in Halmeoni's look that implied she knew more than she let on?
The door behind them opened with a loud clang.
"Halmeoni, you shouldn't be out in the rain." Jihoon rushed forward to hold the umbrella over her, the same one Shane had given him in the playground. Somehow that made him fidget with discomfort.
"Don't fret about me." Halmeoni grinned, patting Jihoon's cheek before stepping to the door. "Walk this boy home." She captured Shane's eyes with her own. "You stay safe, young man."
"What was that about?" Jihoon asked as the door closed.
"Nothing," Shane lied. Hell save him from these two observant humans and their nosiness.
Shane started down the path without waiting for Jihoon. His shoes slapped against the damp pavement as he jogged to catch up.
Jihoon stood so close his shoulder bumped hers, and Shane tried to scoot away.
"Don't be a baby." Jihoon stepped closer again.
"The umbrella is too small."
"Which is why you should be grateful I'm sharing it," Jihoon said.
"It's my umbrella."
"I thought it was a gift." Jihoon blinked innocently, an exaggeration that made Shane want to laugh. So he frowned instead.
A breeze swept against the umbrella, pushing it back so the moon came into full view. The sight of it made Shane's stomach clench. He should be able to get Jihoon's soul by now.
His hunger was twice what it should be. A reminder that he was going to be the future king of hell soon. Shane lowered his eyes to the shining asphalt, hoping Jihoon wouldn't see his discomfort.
"You're uncomfortable."
"I always am." Shane tried to ignore the pains running through his muscles like wild horses, a reminder that something was missing inside. She shoved his hands into his jacket, tightening his fists.
"Why do you always try to run away from the good things? Today when my family was accepting you, you recoiled."
Shane was sure he had heard a tone of frustration in Jihoon's voice, something he couldn't decipher the reason for. Jihoon barely lost his calm.
"I am never anywhere long enough to adjust. But my sister says I need to get used to people around me. What better crash course in the pitfalls of humanity than public school?"
Jihoon gave a hearty laugh, his dimples deepening. The sound of it warmed him.
"Well, it's working. Hating school is as normal as you can get."
"I don't hate school."Shane sighed. "But school comes with kids, a lot of them. Teens sure as well know how to get on your nerves."
"That's good, I guess. Well, school is nothing other than adolescent hell."
SHane couldn't help but laugh at Jihoon;s statement. Sometimes he wished, he could laugh and crack jokes just as easily as Minjae or Jihoon could.
"There are a lot of things I wish for." Shane remarked, surprised at how casually it had come out.
"And what are they?" Jihoon asked, leaning forward, curiosity clear on his face.
"I don't know, maybe be a normal person. Stay at one place. Enjoy life, not just do things just for the sake of the empire or my parents.Peace I guess."
"Everyone wants peace." Jihoon shrugged. Shane was surprised as to how casually he had said it. No judgment, just truth. Patente Jihoon.
"Sometimes, I think that maybe I should start thinking for myself, but then I think. Maybe it's selfish to choose myself over so many others, but what choice would you make in my place, where no one likes you but expects everything from you?"
Jihoon frowned and shane knew he'd gotten him with that question.
"I understand I guess. I mean it's not the same for me, I'm not the heir of some business empire like you and Seojun, but I know what it's like to want peace."
Shane smiled, turning around to face him. He hadn't realized they stood so close. The umbrella left little room between them. Jihoon, being the taller one, stood hunched a bit as he held the umbrella low over them both. At this angle, with his chin tilted, their faces were exactly lined up. Eye to eye, nose to nose, mouth to mouth.
He smelled of salt and rain, with just a hint of something smooth beneath. The scent of his skin, sweet like cream. It made it hard for Shane to think.
Shane gave himself a mental pep talk. You're the future king of hell. You do not feel human emotions like love. You will not be shaken.
I didn't work.
Shane wanted to let himself give in to the warm feeling spreading through his belly. It was a sensation he'd never experienced before and all he knew was she wanted to hold on to it a bit longer.
But then something in his mind echoed.
'Your target is Park Jihoon, you are not supposed to fall for the target.'
Shane took a step back, retreating from Jihoon's unblinking gaze.
When he looked at him like that, it made him think Jihoon saw right through His soul. Down to all of the secrets even he had never explored. It terrified and thrilled him at the same time.
Shane's senses went into overdrive. he took another step back to escape the overwhelming energy. A horn blared and she blinked as headlights barreled toward him. Why was a car on the sidewalk?
Jihoon swooped his arms around Shane's body, spinning them so quickly, his head continued to turn even as they stopped. The horn blasted as the car sped by, missing them by centimeters.
Jihoon was hugged against Shane, his heart jackrabbiting against his ears,. Shane could smell laundry detergent, faint on his shirt.
"—can't believe you wouldn't look where you're stepping, idiot."
The shock of the moment blended with the realization Jihoon held Him so close that his body heat permeated Shane's skin.
Shane was able to feel his soul beneath the surface The feel of it was warmth and weight and comfort. And his hunger reached for it. he yearned to take it from him and complete his task.
But something had stopped him.
Shane jerked away, pushing Jihoon so hard he stumbled back four steps. Rain plastered his hair to his face but did nothing to cool his heated skin.
"Don't come closer," he said when Jihoon made to step toward Shane."Stay away from me."
"Okay." Jihoon held up his hands as if to prove he wasn't a threat.
Shame almost laughed at how ludicrous that was.
"Being around me puts your life at risk."
"So you say."
Shane scowled at his flippant tone. "Then why aren't you running?"
"Running takes way too much effort." He gave a cheeky grin.
Shane didn't want to feel the tight grip on her heart. The one that told him how important this boy had become to her despite his efforts to reject him. "You said you don't lie, but you're lying now."
"Maybe," he began, low and uncharacteristically serious. "I'm not running because I've had people run away from me."
"You mean like your father?" It was unnecessarily cruel, but did the job, as Jihoon's eyes darkened and he took a step away. Finally retreating. It was what he wanted, Shane told herself as he left Jihoon alone on the dark sidewalk.
Cold leached into Shane's skin. His body ached. Like the chilled rain sapped all of his energy. But that wasn't the cause of his exhaustion. It was wanting something so badly that walking away took all of his strength.