Ethereal - TaeBin ✐

Chapter 4

The Kang family were one of the wealthiest people in the neighborhood, so it was no secret that everyone knew them and respected them.

They were of upper middle class tiers and had a decent, comfortable lifestyle. The late Jiwoo was a teacher at an all girls school, Voreios Hall Academy. Her excellent way of teaching lured more families in the academy, hoping that one day their daughter would grow into an independent, young lady and get married off to a man deserving of her.

On the other hand, Ji-Yeong was an upstanding lawyer who devoted his entire life to bringing justice and fairness into the world, he was otherwise known as Attorney Kang. He held the respect of anyone whose life he had touched, and everyone loved him.

It is quite ironic isn't it? How a man of justice and law was taking his own son's right to live as a free human, as a free mind.

Before Jiwoo brought light to his monochrome life, he was a lonely and secretive fella, doing his job in silence and not bringing attention to himself. So in other words, Jiwoo was his beacon of light, she showed him how wonderful a world he lived in.

So really, it was expected of him to not cope the right way when he lost his source of light, his will to live.

But was it really fair to his son? To the little Taehyun who just lost his mother and was forced to be something he never was and never wanted to be.

***

It was times like this when his social status would come in handy and useful for Ji-Yeong. Though it was a fact that everyone respected him, it was also not wrong that they feared him. After all, Ji-Yeong became a scary man when in court, his kind facade crumbled and he showed his true colors, his true power. There was not one single case he had lost, and that was the very reason as to why everyone in the neighborhood feared him. They couldn't stand a chance of winning an argument with him, the man was wise with his words and seemed to know everything and anything.

So it really wasn't a surprise when everyone turned a blind eye on the way he raised his son - or his daughter, really - and made him go to Voreios Hall Academy at the age of 10, where he was the only odd imposter there, a boy disguised as a girl.

All ignored it but one boy.

He made sure that Taehyun knew that he would always be by his side, even if the world seemed to do the opposite, even if he lost everything, Hueningkai would never leave him all by himself.

The two would secretly meet at a lake far away from their town, a place no one knew but them. There, they could be themselves, they would play like it was the end of the world, like their clocks were ticking and would reach the end anytime soon.

Fun was wherever the two were together, be it the lake, the library, under the big, tall, old tree at the back of Hueningkai's house, it didn't matter, as long as two best friends were by each other's side.

The world would breathe its last breath but the two would never be separated.

***

Taehyun slid his feet inside his shoes, and quickly tied the laces into a ribbon, he picked up his book bag front he ground, and patted off the dust on his dress.

The 14 years old rummaged through the inside of his bag, looking to see if he had gotten everything he needed for his secret meeting with his soulmate, Hueningkai.

"And where do you think you are going, young lady?"

Ji-Yeong put his book aside on top of the table, and turned his attention to Taehyun - Ari - and observed his son who stood awkwardly.