T⃞ a⃞ e⃞ h⃞ y⃞ u⃞ n⃞ g⃞
The building itself was quiet as the annual entrance ceremony of the elite private school commenced. The spacious yard of green that stood by the track field contained all the staff and students crowded together. The booming voice of the director came from the speakers as he addressed the students to a new year.
Yet, there was one student that was not among the crowd.
Instead, he was in a classroom setting, on a desk with arms perched on the window sill. Vibrant brown eyes analyzing, and perked ears trying to catch every bit of noise. He mouthed every thought he had as familiar classmates crossed his eyes.
His fingers absently mindedly caressed the black and silver camera by the window sill next to him. As if reading a script, a series of information based on the student that caught his eye would leave his lips. In his eyes, he saw more than just a person before him.
His mind would let him see blots of scattered words by their image. He would acquire this personal information on his so-called adventures. When he would remember all he needed to and become tired of analyzing, he would blink. His mono-lid always covered his eyes faster than his double-lid did.
The second blink was always his favorite view. It was as if his precious camera merged with his iridescent eyes. They would soak in his surroundings with utmost sharpness, noticing the smallest details of a person. He painted an image with this view.
Yet, sometimes this view would cloud his thoughts, muddle his senses, and he would find himself behind the camera lenses.
Click. Click. Click.
Those eyes of his gave him the gift to see the beauty in everyone and everything. His soul gravitated to the beauty before his eyes. His hands would reach out to get a better touch. His feet would move to their tune to get a closer look. He desired it to be his until he realized that not everything beautiful was his.
'To hell with that. If I want it, then it's mine.'
Yet, he found a way to contain his desires. He just had to capture it and entrap it within his camera. Then it would rightfully be his. No one would ever be able to take it from him.
No one.
A small cat-like yawn danced on his lips as the crowd of students by the gate thinned into a couple of latecomers. Until eventually, it was just the sight of fallen white petals and the wind kicking the dust around.
He stretched his long limbs and broad chest that sported the academy's infamous red blazer with black trimming and cuffs.
It was an ongoing rumor among his female classmates that no one wore the plaid uniform pants better than him, but no one would say it.
He was too freakish and off standish to be accepted into the different cliques. He had no fucks to give though. He was perfectly fine in his universe.
He rubbed his eyes, cursing the nights he stayed up late developing countless piles of film that awaited his care in his makeshift darkroom.
He gently rested his head on the window pane. His fluffy, defined curls of inky black hair acting as a cushion.Then an impish giggle rang out, and in response, his eyes opened wide.
'Mhm?'
Slowly he turned his head forward, and right in the middle of where the gates were was the source of the giggle. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that what he was seeing was not a hallucination.
There stood a girl in an oversized sun hat. The protruding mixture of white frills and mesh obscured her eyes and only left the outline of her jaw and lips to gaze at. He noted how oblivious or unbothered she was to the stares she received. She just kept her eyes at him.
How can one not look when she was an enigma dressed in such eye-catching clothes. A white dress of frills and cotton, with a neckline so high it went up to her chin. Intricate embroidery followed the lining of the dress' cravat.
Such a display of outdated western fashion was rare in this area.
Seconds passed by with just the two of them staring at each other. Taehyung was amazed and in an awe-filled shock while she was kept entertained by his facial expressions. Raising her gloved hand, she gave him a coy wave. The wide double-layered cuffs of her sleeves shook.
He blinked again.
She giggled again.
Their attention subtly moved onto the pink petal that got caught onto the lace fabric of her gloves. With such gracefulness, she pricked it off and brought it under the rim of her hat.
'Is she kissing it?'
He tilted his head in piqued curiosity until the smudged tint of black lipstick on the petal confirmed his question. She outstretched her hand to him. And as if the wind obeyed her, it took the petal in its grasp and into the air.
He knew the petal wouldn't reach him. He knew it was such a childish gesture, yet, he outstretched his hand. His fingers wiggled in an attempt that only brought him nothing but, it made him awkwardly smile.
She mouthed something, but, he couldn't care, not when she smiled so brightly at him. It was infectious. It tugged the corners of his lips upwards into a smile but, the sudden burst of his dark desires cut it short.
'So beautiful. It should be mine.'
Like an instinct, he had the camera before his eyes and his fingers working around the lenses.
Click. Click. Click.
He gasped with raised brows as he eyed the LCD that showed only the fluttering ends of her dress and the decorative gold butterfly that was perched on her high heels. He looked up from the camera and felt panic overtake him as she got away.
'Wait, no! Come back.'
He was overtaken by the rushing thrill of curiosity and panic from his maddening desires. With a tight grip, he slid the door open with a bam but wasn't able to take a step forward as he knocked into someone. The impact brought him to the floor, and the other person fumbled to the side. A string of curses followed.
"Jesus fucking hell, you cunt watch- Oh, I'm sorry...Taehyung....?"
There stood tall and proud, our dearest Lalisa Manoban. Her face became sour as they stared at each other in silence.
Not that he was exactly scared of her but, he was wary after their last run-in. For a moment, during the spring of last year, he found himself enamored by the entity known as Lisa Manoban. She walked and, he followed in the shadows with his camera in hand.
For a while, all the scattered film in his darkroom had Lisa's face on it.
Though he learned to keep his footsteps quiet and his presence masked among the shadows, her sister, whom he didn't even know she had one, caught him. The Lisa he thought he knew, the one who his classmates gossiped and raved about, was no more. So vividly, he remembered that night that it made him wince internally.
"Ye-Jin! Put the cops on speed dial, now! And stay behind!"
She put a protective arm before the girl who Taehyung noticed was an exact copy of Lisa.
'Sister...? I thought she was an only child.'
"S-sis, be careful!" She spoke as tears of fear threatened to fall onto the phone that shook in her grasp.
"Alright bastard, come out!" Lisa snared her teeth as if she were a wild animal. She held her extremely high stilettos in a threatening grip. Her eyes tried to find any source of movement in the dark but, Taehyung's black hoodie and pants camouflaged him well.
He never saw her so scared and overprotective. Her usual persona was headstrong, unbothered, confident, and quite. Yet, the sight before him was the opposite. As the agonizing seconds passed, fear made her legs wobbly, and her grip on the heels slippery. Her words edged with a vulgarity that he never heard before. It contrasted her poise elegance at school.
He felt bad for once.
As if his messed up morals went through a momentary conversion that was persuaded by his guilt, he stepped out from the shadows. The beauty he sought after vanished like the wind, she was just normal now.
After he revealed himself and removed the hood from his head, a blur of black was aimed at him. It was her stilettos. Oh, did she have perfect aim as it hit his face right in the center.
"What the hell- Kim Taehyung?"
She shouted as she felt safe enough to come closer to the groaning boy who held his face in pain. Only one of his eyes looked up to her as he held his hand over the other one.
"Y-yeah, that's me."
He muttered as he checked his camera for any scratch marks or cracks. An audible sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw there was none. But he did not expect to be kicked onto his back and her bare feet on his throat. Neither he nor her minded that the angel he was in gave him a clear shot of the lingerie that hid under her black skirt.That was the least of their focus.
Her sister came by her side with relief on her face as the lines of stress slowly eased. She was temporarily blinded by how beautiful he was more than the idea that he was stalking them.
"Lala, is that the Kim Taehyung from your classroom everyone always talks about?"
Excitement clung to her words as she bent down to get a closer look, his light brown eyes slightly widened as the excitement practically rolled off her.
"Ah...hello?"
He couldn't get much out of his mouth as Lisa pressed down harder on his throat, causing him to gag.
"S-sis! You're going to choke him! Come on, maybe it's a misunderstanding? Let's hear him out."
Not a single hint of mercy came from Lisa's face.
"Ye-Jin, pat him down to make sure he doesn't have any weapons."
She spoke harshly as she glanced back to her sister, who gawked in embarrassment. Yet, the younger one knew better than to defy her.
A small squeak came from Taehyung as a pair of small hands interrogated his body.
"Don't even dare fucking move."
She snarled as she slightly removed some of the pressure on his throat. When Ye-Jin nodded in confirmation, she then removed her foot.
With a small gulp, Taehyung let out a low gasp as he took in the sweet air he was deprived of. Once again, he went to check on his camera.
"What the hell were you doing following us for? Wait, no, for how long?"
She had her arms crossed and stilettos in one hand as she stared him down.
"Lala! Maybe he wasn't following us-"
"I've been following you since September."
His honest answer earned gasps from both sisters, who glanced at him then at each other in disbelief. Ye-Jin had to wrap her arms around Lisa as she was close to swinging the shoe at him again.
"I thought the rumors were just rumors. But you are a batshit crazy weirdo."
Even though Ye-Jin was conflicted with sympathy toward Taehyung for facing her sister's wrath, terror lined her face.After a couple of seconds of silence, she resumed her interrogation.
"Why and what have you seen. Spill it now or I'll gladly drag you to the police station."
Taehyung was more amused at the fact that she didn't have the police nearby already. He understood he got caught. There was no point in lying or getting serious unless needed to, of course.
"I just found you beautiful. Like a painting." He murmured, his eyes truthful as he stared back.
Her brows furrowed, and Yejin placed a finger over her parted lips due to the confession.
"Oh, he has a crush on you!"
"Crush my ass, that's labeled as an obsession Ye-Jin. He's a stalker."
"No, no. It's neither of those. I just found you beautiful cause you were an enigma. Like a hidden painting!"
His sudden cheery tone, as he explained, caught the girls off guard.
"That's stalking. Creep. Give me the camera now."
She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she lifted the sleeves of her shirt, ready to get feisty. But she hesitated when his demeanor changed and, eyes darkened. His posture before was somewhat relaxed and unworried. When she mentioned his camera, he tensed and, his look became deranged.
"No. It's mine and mine only."
He practically growled as he held it closer to him. His eyes did not once blink as he stared daggers into her. As much as she felt fear wrap around her, her hot-headed nature fogged her logic.
As much as the idea of him knowing her job as an escort made her tremble. It was in no comparison to the endangerment of her family.
Just as the air became thick and tense, Ye-Jin stepped in the middle and held her arms out.
"Stop! Come on, let's talk this out normally. Please."
They both snapped out of it as sobs bleed through her words.
"Don't cry." Both Lisa and Taehyung blurted, their weirdly timed synchronization surprising them both.
Lisa pulled her sister into an embrace and whispered reassuring words before staring back to Taehyung.
"What do you know....? Promise, whatever is on that camera is only pictures of me and stays with you."
She spoke begrudgingly, her anger and fear mixed.
"Well... duh. You're the object of interest, not your family. I only followed you throughout school and until you got home. I only decided to go after you at this time because we crossed paths."
She rubbed her temples at his tone-deaf reply but, it did somewhat lighten the mood.
"Okay...okay. Promise then. Promise that you'll keep the pictures to yourself and that you won't tell anyone about my siblings."
"I promise. Why would I even want to share the pictures I worked hard to take?"
He could visibly tell she was conflicted about whether to believe him or not.
He noticed the ease seeping into her but, she kept on a brave front.
"Fine. You promised, keep your end of the promise and, so will I. Unless you want to end up in jail."
She revealed the recording phone in her pocket that had enough incriminating proof to have him behind bars.
"Huh, you're pretty smart. So, wait, you have more siblings? But...why keep them hidden?"
His casual reply almost made Ye-Jin burst into laughter but, Lisa challenged it with a threatening glance.
"Here, let me help you up, and then we can talk."
The sudden act of kindness made Taehyung suspicious. He should have listened to his doubts because as soon as he latched his hand onto hers, she slammed his fist into his nose.
"Fuck off and go home already, creep."
She flicked her middle finger before grabbing her sister and rushing away from him. Not once did she mind the stiletto she left behind or his loud groans of pain.
"Holy hell she's vulgar and strong."
He muttered to himself as he lifted his bloody hand against the splash of stars above. The blood continued to drip from his now broken nose, his entire body ached like hell, and he felt drained. Yet even with all that, he laughed.
It wasn't one of madness or anger. It was genuine and heartfelt.
"Well, move out the damn way, will you?"
The insistent tapping of her foot and huff of annoyance snapped him out of the memory.
"Ah!"
He yelped as he remembered what he was on his way to do.
'The girl, oh crap, she's gone now.'
Though he scrambled back up and ran out the door, he stopped and walked back to the classroom. His head slightly hung as he came to accept she was gone.
Lisa quirked an eyebrow at his actions as she sat in her chair, legs raised on the desk and head thrown back.
"How was the ceremony?"
He muttered as he sat in his seat.
"Same bullshit, same crap. Nothing new."
She lazily hummed back as he checked her phone.
"How's Ye-Jin and the rest of your siblings?"
Her eyes narrowed at him as she brought up one of her secrets so openly. He just shrugged and gestured to them being the only ones in the room.
"Fine... they're okay. Ye-Jin's a bit sad I won't associate myself with her. Now, even more that we're in the same building. Siwon and Minnie are growing up way too quickly."
He nodded in response but couldn't say more as when he opened his lips, she glared at him.
"Shut up already Tae."
It was an utmost odd relationship. After that day, the awkward days, in the beginning, opened up to the two sharing small talk when no one else was in the room. Here and there, they would exchange knowing glances. Hell, they even texted at times. But Lisa was too busy with her life and, Taehyung had long lost interest in her.
His eyes honed in on the bluish-purple mark on her neck that was no longer covered by concealer. When he was once infatuated with her, he would notice the marks from time to time but, he never knew what they were.
"Lisa, here. Your bruise is showing."
He muttered as he pulled out a bandage from the pocket of his blazer. He thought it was a bruise, but she thought he knew it was a hickey. She instantly jumped up and covered it with her hand.
Just as he outstretched his hand to give her the bandage, the roar, and chatter of students and staff echoed the hallways.
She rushed out of the room, not wanting to be seen alone with him and, he shrugged in acceptance. That was the end of that.
So they both thought.
With his head up and eyes gazing at nothing, he made his way home. Cheerful at being out of school already, his steps were giddy with joy. His necktie hanged loosely around his neck, his blazer over his shoulder, and his white-button down shirt slightly open at the top.
The flowering trees that outlined his pathway home intensified the beauty he possessed that allured eyes toward him.
'Mhm..?'
A butterfly perched on his shoulder, the one where his blazer laid on. With bated breath, he examined its deep brown wings whose edges were lined with lustrous gold-like color.
'I've never seen her type before.'
A smile crinkled his lips as he made his steps a bit slower. She accompanied him until the nature-filled pathway lead him to the noisy main streets.
'W-wait! Don't leave too.'
Like a child, he wandered before her. Her wings enticed him with its gold rim that brought him memories of the girl from this morning.
That dark desire buzzed within him. His eyes blinked until he saw a painting of a world of just the butterfly and her wings. His hands reached out, wanting to get a better touch. His feet began to move to their own accord to get a closer look. He wanted the butterfly.
'Come here!'
After tirelessly wandering behind her, he finally caught her in his grasp. He giggled as he brought his hands before his eyes, where the butterfly laid ensnared.
'Ah, finally!'
Disappointment blackened his face as he noticed the life-less twitching of the butterfly. She writhed in his grasp a bit more before dying.
"Oh..."
His eyes became downcasted as now it was just him and the butterfly corpse.
"Mhmm, oh well. I just wanted your wings."
With controlled precision and delicacy, he tore off its wings and scattered the insect's corpse to the side.
He placed a dainty kiss on the torn wings before carefully tucking them into his pockets.
'All mine!'