forever ; hyungwonho

11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

FOR once it seemed like the universe was on shin hoseok's side.

"wake up!"

the boy's eyes jolted open, his whole body buzzed with the spirit's loud, unexpected voice, he actually had to hold onto a branch to stop himself from falling out of the tree he was previously sleeping in.

"do you ever stop talking? i was trying to sleep," he muttered.

"i have great news," hyungwon's voice sounded different, like the boy figured out every secret the world held.

"what is it?"

"i know how to get out of the maze!"

slowly, hoseok's lips stretched into a smile, looking up at the clouds.

"seriously?" he asked, amused.

"yes," hyungwon probably had a ridiculously cheesy grin on his face, too. "our promise is about to come true."

the older boy sped-walked to the destination hyungwon was guiding him to, excited that he would finally leave the maze and start a new life with the other.

the thought of being away from all the horror and death, caused hoseok to walk just a little faster, his heart to feel a little less empty. hoseok didn't care if hyungwon was merely a voice inside his mind because at least he was there, with him, and within that moment, it was the only thing that was really important to him.

in the midst of talking to the spirit, hyungwon blurted: "stop."

hoseok halted, mouth stayed parted in surprise, words fading out into the cold atmosphere.

hurt, he said, "excuse me?"

"you need to hide."

faint foot steps and leaves crunching were heard somewhere behind hoseok, and he suddenly understood what the younger boy meant. he looked ahead, then took a few hasty steps forward, crouching down behind a fallen tree, pressing his back against the rotten wood.

he could hear the guards voices getting louder.

closer.

as they neared to where hoseok was hiding, he closed his eyes, praying that the universe would just let him keep his promise. and while he was sitting there, scared, he realized a few things.

one: if he was going to die, it would be by his own hands, not by the people who killed the boy he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. two: there was no way hyungwon would even allow him being murdered right in front of his eyes, just like how hoseok witnessed his own death. three: for a spirit, floating somewhere between hoseok's thoughts and the sky, hyungwon was clever. really clever.

the dead boy averted the snipers' attention in the opposition direction of where hoseok was. they started retreating, saying he went that way, convinced that the rustling of a shrub was the run-away boy.

and finally, four: hoseok was never going to break another promise.

after hyungwon said they were gone, he stood back up, continuing to travel along the made-up path through the forest. the spirit would occasionally ask if he was alright, which hoseok could only nod in response; too afraid his lie would be obvious.

he was happy to leave, but the further he got, the more he grew terrified.

because what if the safe place didn't exist at all? hoseok would be breaking another promise. of course there had to be a way out of the area, but maybe all that there was past the maze was nothing; just more trees that looked the same, jagged rocks that were shaped by the weather, and skies filled with pollution and dim stars.

hoseok stopped in front of vines that blossomed white and pink flowers. when he looked up, it was almost as if the greenery reached all the way to space, folding over the planet.

it made him wonder if it was possible for him to climb it over, run free from all his worries.

"it's through there," hyungwon said, and hoseok tilted his head in confusion.

"i know it's through there," he furrowed his brows, "but how am i supposed to get over there?"

hyungwon giggled.

"put your hand on it." hoseok did. "okay, now push your body through."

"what?"

"you trust me, don't you?"

he could basically see the smug grin on hyungwon's face, so, he did as said, and leaned forward.

gravity seemed to have slipped away for a split second as hoseok lunged forward, falling straight past all the vines and pretty flowers, away from the treacherous town he despised, away from all the memories he and hyungwon made.

quickly, hoseok held out his hands, stopping himself from hitting the ground too hard. he squeezed his eyes shut out of instinct and fear. what surprised him the most, was when he finally felt ground beneath his body, it was soft. his mind tracked back to the way hyungwon's bed felt, how it was always softer than his own mattress. hoseok abruptly opened his eyes, letting them scan around him, realizing he was just laying on grass, not the other boy's bed.

he noticed how the grass wasn't taller than him, nor burnt by the sun. it was a vivid shade of green.

blinking his eyes several times, hoseok was questioning if this was all some strange dream- that maybe he somehow hit his head with the fall. yet, the familiar voice inside his head, told him it was real.

"we made it?"

"our promise-"

"it really happened," he finished, hearing hyungwon's giggles resonate inside his head.

the boy took his time admiring the scenery, everything seemed so surreal. it was beautiful. he could only imagine a place like that, and he was finally there. most of all, hoseok was glad he was able to keep one of his promises.

he took off his shoes, feeling the grass between his toes as he walked across the ground. hoseok talked to hyungwon, describing how the air smelt sweeter, how it didn't burn his lungs when he breathed, how the sun's warmth felt incredibly nice on his skin.

strolling around for most of the day, he soon approached a hill. the boy ended up sitting down on the earth, looking bellow at the valley. it would probably take him a week or two to find any civilization - if there was any - but he didn't want to think about that right then. because as his gaze ran across the horizon, he could see something he had never witnessed in his entire life. a sunset.

the colours seemed to twist and mix with one another, creating new hues and shades he didn't know existed.

"this is the place people could only dream of, and we're here, hyungwon," he smiled.

sitting there, staring at the art in the sky, hoseok liked to pretend hyungwon was right by his side too. if he was still alive, the younger boy would probably be ranting about how beautiful the sky looked, and hoseok would definitely be holding him in his arms, just like how he used to. if he could, he would kiss his forehead and cheeks, entwine their fingers, and tell him that he loved him so much.

although, he couldn't do that anymore, he still told hyungwon he loved him everyday. they still talked about the things they used to. life was just different now, and being at the safe place, hoseok began to believe that he could live forever.

hyungwon kept him company, as he laid down, eyes still glued on the pink and blue colours above him.

the boy oddly felt happy. invincible.

"i'm going to live forever," hoseok blurted, knowing it was lie.

"then let's live forever."