True Star (巨星) [DROPPED]

Vol 2 Ch 18 : Gino's Secret (1)

NOTE:

This translation belongs to the translators and proofreaders of Giraffe Corps.

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SATAN'S ALLEY

SCENE 17

EXT. OUTSIDE THE CHURCH NEAR THE SEA―DAWN

With a wooden tub beside him, Tang was washing clothes by the sea. His long fingers appeared all the paler when submerged in the dirty water. His gaze was unfocused, staring blankly at the grey suds on the dirty robes. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

It was early in the morning. The sun had yet to rise fully into the sky; there was only a smidgeon of white decorating the border that divided the sky and the sea. It was a peaceful morning, with a hint of mysterious anticipation of the day's start.

The sky gradually lit up, like a fish leaping out of the sea and exposing its white belly. The waves slapped against the seaside rocks, while a freezing wind blew over the shore. Submerged in the icy water, Tang's fingers gradually turned a bright red.

What was he thinking about?

Perhaps he was thinking of all the candles that had fallen on the ground that night. Perhaps he was thinking of Chris' bold and passionate kiss.

He had once again committed an unforgivable crime in front of God. In his shame, he had pushed Chris away and ran back to the small room that he'd been allotted. He wasn't permitted to speak, so he ran his trembling fingers over the words of the bible and repeated them silently to himself. But he couldn't help but also brush a finger over his lips; he could still feel the warmth of Chris' lips against his.

He couldn't believe that he had been defeated in the face of temptation. He couldn't stand that his heart had been sent racing just because of a single kiss.

Had he been born like this?

He didn't know, but he could feel the pain from his conflicting heart. From that day froth, he avoided Chris whenever possible. Similarly, Chris stopped sneaking glances at him. but that only made it more difficult for Tang to resist the urge to turn around and check whether the golden-haired monk was near.

The answer was unfortunate; Chris had stopped paying attention to him altogether. The memories of that night seemed like an alluring dream that a devil would use to tempt someone into wrongdoing. It was as if nothing had happened.

Was Chris playing with him? Tang's thoughts ran wild as he scrubbed the dirty clothes in a numb manner. He had already lost all feeling in his fingers due to the icy water. The cold was climbing up his hand, his arm, and all the way to his heart.

"When I'm not there behind you, are you disappointed or are you hurt?"

The voice that had appeared in his dreams countless times sounded behind him. Tang kept his head lowered and gazed at the surface of the sea. It was a hallucination. He would not reply.

"Just because you can't speak doesn't mean you can escape from everything." Chris walked toward Tang and stood behind the latter. He called out lightly, "Tang."

The pronunciation was perfect, as if coming from the other side of the world. In an instant, Tang could feel the sadness and loneliness well up in his heart.

Tang shut his eyes. He prayed that the other monk would stop coming near him. He prayed for Chris to stop tempting him.

But reality was cruelly different from what he desired. When Tang'd least expected it, Chris came up and enveloped him in a hug. For a moment, Tang was still, but he then struggled to get out of the hold. But compared to the young and strong Chris, Tang couldn't do anything.