"I was never that much into guys, let alone posers or vamps.
But he was the real thing and a force to be reckoned with.
And I surrendered without a fight."
Smut, language, sexual themes, mature themes, mild violence, mentions of blood, mentions of...
A/N: This is a snippet not used in Hyunjin's back story. 😌 Think of it like a post-credits scene in a movie. 😉
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Hyunjin steps out of the tree line.
It has been too long since the time he crossed into the dense ancient forest, haunted by his own actions. Since then, spring had come and gone, bringing with it the hope of new beginnings. Then summer came, painting the fields with gold, before yielding to autumn, leaving the land covered in copper and brown. And now, autumn has fallen into the silent pressure of frost.
Chan follows and stands beside him. Hyunjin looks straight ahead, letting his gaze linger in the quiet expanse of the desolate fields.
The sky hangs low and heavy, swollen with snow that has not yet begun to fall. Winter has stripped the fields bare, turning the soil black and hard. The small village lies quiet in the distance, its thatched roofs dusted with early morning frost.
They both wear dark winter cloaks, the kind expected of minor nobles traveling through the countryside. Their faces are hidden behind thick veils, their footsteps muffled by the frozen earth as they continue their way towards the small cemetery.
Chan stops at the edge of the burial ground. He does not ask if Hyunjin is certain. He does not offer empty words of comfort. Some grief has to be walked through alone.
Hyunjin crosses the narrow path until he stands before the simple mound of earth. Time has weathered it. The wooden offerings are gone, carried away by rain and wind. Only the small grey stone remains, its surface rough beneath his fingertips as he traces her name.
He kneels.
From within his cloak, he draws a small bouquet of snow lilies, their white petals startling against the dark soil. He places them carefully at the foot of the stone. His long fingers rest there for a long time.
"Forgive me," he whispers.
His eyes glow softly beneath the veil - not crimson, but the muted burgundy of banked embers. He does not cry. The tears have ended months ago. But the grief has not. It has settled in his chest like a stone at the bottom of a lake - no longer disturbing the surface, but always there.
The wind stirs the lilies.
Hyunjin bows his head.
"You said I was not a monster," his voice is almost lost beneath the gathering snow. "I have been trying to deserve your kindness ever since."
Behind him, Chan waits in silence, his gaze lowered.
When Hyunjin finally rises, neither of them speaks. They turn together and walk back toward the forest, leaving the white flowers behind, already wilting in the cold wind and the silence.
