trapped in a photograph || chenji

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕏𝕏𝕏𝕀 : 𝕎𝕙𝕠'𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕍𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕟

In the week since Chenle had arrived, things had swiftly gone from bad to worse. Jisung did his best to make him feel welcome. He even made meals just like Thomas the cook did back in the past. But the Victorian boy remained quiet and withdrawn. Things between them quickly fizzled out.

Each night, Jisung went to sleep on the couch, trying to think of how to help Chenle— how to help them. But nothing seemed to work.

A devastating setback happened on the second day back. The Korean rebel had to go to his school to register for classes for the upcoming semester, so He told Chenle that He was going to his school and would return in about 2 or 3 hours. Chenle said He was fine so then Jisung immediately left.

Feeling a bit brave and a little curious to see what the town looked like, Chenle decided to take a short walk. He put on one of the conservative attire Jisung had gotten for him and went out. He quickly found the Inn his father used to own, but other than that building, everything was different. Even the inn looked larger and different. In the old days, the inn was home. Especially when his mother would greet people at the door.

Now it was just another strange-looking pub.

Even more heartbreaking is when He walked around the pub, hoping to see his house but it was gone. Just a car park as Jisung called it. In fact, there was no sign it was ever there, nor the woods that once sat behind it. It was all just odd-looking houses and other buildings. The world He had once known had been simply erased.

Heartbroken to see his house gone, He simply moved on. A short while later, He realized He was lost. In his own home town and He had no idea where He was. It was a very unnerving experience and after some wandering around He managed to find his way back. But He was very upset and burst into tears as soon as He got home.

Jisung who arrived shortly after the Victorian girl got home, found him upset and tried to console him. But Chenle said He simply wanted to be alone and shut himself into the bedroom.

Things only seemed to get worse and soon they were more like strangers living together than lovers. They didn't even speak much to each other and the tension seemed to fill the air.

The Korean-American kept trying to help ease Chenle into the modern age, but soon found himself very depressed as his efforts all seemed to fail.

Days passed and Chenle spends most of his time either reading books from the 1800s or reviewing his old diary entries in the bedroom. He refused to read any of the ones He didn't remember writing.

He did eventually use a bit of technology as Jisung bought some classical music CD's and showed Chenle how to play them. He missed music and sometimes would listen to them. But He was too scared and homesick to do much else.

With each passing day, Jisung only grew more depressed. He would spend hours watching tv or would sit on the roof looking at the few stars He could see and get drunk.

The thing about being nostalgic for the old days, is that people tend to forget the bad times. And Chenle himself soon fell victim to that. He would read the early entries where Jun was still charming and handsome, how he would shower him with attention. Slowly He began to wonder if he really wasn't that bad.

Two weeks passed and Jisung was about to re-enter school for his second year at college. Things with his lover were distant and increasingly tense as He noticed the Victorian boy spent more and more time reading his diaries. Jisung of course never stopped taking care of Chenle. He's all up doing all the washing and fixing all the meals.

The Korean rebel dared not to ask Chenle for help, but at the same time, started to resent that Chenle never offered to help. They did eat together, but more and more those meals were eaten in silence.