IN THE NAME OF LOVE | TAEGUK

one.

with his head leaning against the glass, jeongguk sat there by the window, knees pressed against his chest and dainty fingers lazily playing with the anklet around his left ankle, eyes blinking as the raindrops slowly ran down the glass, leaving shiny trails behind.

the roofs of the car outside danced with mizzle, and he could hear the susurration of the rain through the window. it was like the phut-phut-phut that ripened nuts make when they thwack the ground. it wasn't the quaggy, sodden, swollen drops of spring; it was like ball bearings were hitting the canvas roof with force. like the glassy clinking of a champagne flute, lilting and clear.

he smiled and tried to rub the fog that formed on the glass of the window to get a clear view of the busy street, watching the people covering themselves by making hand cups over their head to save their bodies from getting wet, mothers scolding their little ones who were busy jumping into the small puddles formed, giggling, too carefree and innocent, oblivious of the cruelty outside their little world.

rain. people share different relationships with rain; sometimes, it may be soothing, or it can ruin an entire event that someone had planned. in any case, some will need words to describe rain to convey their emotions or simply to describe the state of the weather.

sometimes, it's the perfect chance to snuggle up with a loved one and watch some movies; other times, it can ruin plans and make you feel sad or depressed. the dark clouds make some feel in the arms of pain. and at the other side of sky, a rainbow takes someone to multiple color swings of past, someone's presence and absence.

those little and random ponds after heavy rain may look dirty, but you do know what that water contains- those paper boats of someone's childhood which are now blurred because of the time. they weren't just the boats! they were someone's happiness sailors. creativity used to drag the tiredness in those boats.

rain has infinities over finiteness. it has rainbow over dullness. every drop has a story, every drop has remembrance.

jeongguk sighed, watching the raindrops roll slowly down the glass, listening to the gentle taps of the water hitting the window of his room and the soft brush of the rain on the grass outside. the scene outside the window was blurred by the lines of water, but it didn't matter, he had the image ingrained in his mind from the afternoon spent staring out the same window.

lately, it often rained but who was complaining? he loves rain. the way those raindrops patter against the window of his room while the grey clouds slowly appear on the usual blue sky calms him. he finds his serenity in them.

for him, rain was the beginning of a new life. the joy. the happiness. the ecstasy. that sweet earthy smell, the tiny droplets hanging on the leaves, the thundering sound of rain, the wind in the hair- the beauty of everything increase by ten folds.

for him, rain falls like god's own poetry; each drop is a single letter in a song that takes eons to sing. it has always been music to his ears, always felt like calling to him in ways he couldn't explain. when the patter of the drops tumbles from grey skies the melody brings serenity no matter the chaos in his life. rain. blessed rain.

with a gentle smile, he slowly opened the window, extending his hand out and feeling the small droplets of water touching his warm skin. he smiled a small smile. a bitter one.

how long do you have to carry this misery?

he sighed, still immersed in his own thoughts, closing his eyes when a soft knock on his door interrupted him. he immediately sat up, straightening his posture as a lady in her mind forties, cladded in an urbanic black fishtail dress with her onyx hair tied up into a loose bun, walked in, followed by a man.

he gulped, looking up at his alpha parents who stood in front of him, reeking of strong scents and instead of relaxing like a pup would in its parents' presence, he felt his omega cowering back, distressed in their presence.

he breathed out, waiting for them to speak up, but when they just stared at him, he sighed. "are the guests already gone?" he asked in a cold tone, trying to hide his trembling hands as he bunched up his shirt in tight fists behind his back.

rolling his eyes, "they did, as well as your headache, i guess." his father mocked, provocative, as jeongguk just glared up at the man.

"anyway," he heard his stepmother's voice as his teeth gritted together, the feeling in his eyes not moving at all as he kept glaring at his father. "we have good news for you." the lady continued as jeongguk looked at her, trying hard to maintain his nonchalance as he folded his arms against his chest.

"is that so?" he asked watching the two elders nodding their heads. he sighed and waited for them to continue.

"your new butler will arrive tomorrow, and you have to welcome him and show him his tasks since your mother, and i are leaving tomorrow for a business trip." his father spoke while jeongguk's eyes widened, clearly not expecting this kind of 'good news'.

"a new butler to fire sooner or later, right father?" jeongguk snorted, watching as the man groaned, annoyed.

"jeongguk, we already discussed that-"

"no! we didn't! you fired him without asking me!" he cut him off with a louder voice.

"stop shouting, he did this for your own sake." his stepmother raised her voice at him, making his omega cower back from the alpha in front of him but his human side refused to submit, refused to be a weakling as he mockingly laughed at her comment.

"oh please, don't be ridiculous, jihyun. he doesn't give a shit about my feelings, like he always does-"

"jeongguk, watch your mouth, this isn't a way you talk to your mother!" his father hissed, but jeongguk continued scowling at them, his jaw clenched.

"she isn't my mother! she can never be!" he glared at his father, so done with them before shifting his gaze back at the lady who stormed out before slamming the door shut behind her. he looked back at his father, eyes filled with hate and hurt but the man looked unbothered.

"get ready, the byuns are visiting us." the man acquainted him in the same cold voice as his stepmother and all the young omega could do was nod. without changing his expression, the man nodded and eventually left behind the door without any other word.

jeongguk inhaled a deep breath, gritting his teeth as the tears of frustration again pricked his eyes before cascading down his cheeks as he slided down the wall until his body collapsed to the floor, trying hard not to break down.

he sniffed, bare feet softly touching the wooden floor as he pushed himself up from the ground, the soft sound of the anklet filling the room as he slowly stood up, letting his legs take him towards his bed. he grabbed his bag, searching for the fortune cookie he bought at the gas station before his former chauffer came to pick him up. he stared at the little baked thing, a small smile tugging his ruddy lips up as he removed the cute wrapper and broke the cookie in the middle and took the little note which was kept hidden in it.

the bird prefers a simple branch more than a golden cage.

the note said and a deep exhale left his mouth again as he let his body fall back into the mattress, his hands still clutching the little note which was now crumpled while he kept staring at the ceiling again, the words repeating in his mind. in that wisdom, he was clearly the bird. the problem was just that he was already captured in the golden cage.

"will we ever escape this golden cage, bun?"

"i don't know." his wolf replied, making him sigh. "but there's always hope gukie, like the bright light at the end of tunnel." this was one thing about his wolf. though his human side was brave and rebellious than his wolf side but his omega, unlike his human, was full of hope, the only thing giving him enough courage to keep going.

"i hope so."

to be continued.