bruise « huang renjun

bruise

kaleidoscopes of colour danced across his knees and body, predominate shades of blues and purples gracing his skin. they didn't hurt, he was used to it. as the music flowed through the speakers of the empty studio, his eyes landed on the harmony of colour on his skin. his hands delicately chased the sporadic patches on his legs, his mind blank. He threw his body back, now lying on the scratched floors he poured his passion into. time felt like it stopped, his eyes fluttering closed as the sound of smooth ballads filled his ears. the curtains lay open, showcasing the high rises and sunrises of the early korean mornings. the golden, glowing rays slowly seeped in, making the boy painfully aware of the time. he slowly got up, grabbing his phone that was still playing whatever it wanted to, and his bag, walking to the closest change room to freshen up.

pelting, warm water flowed strangely comfortably against his tired muscles, his hand running through his hair, strands clumping together and drifting back on his forehead. the water turned his skin a deep red, soothing the bursts of colour that engulfed his body. reluctantly turning the water off, he grabbed a towel and heading to the mirror. his eyes stared at the person in the mirror. the towel hung precariously on his hips. his body was slightly toned, muscle barely covering his bones, dark and puffy eyes stared back at him, harsh bruises covered his body. renjun stared at the boy in the mirror much longer than he anticipated. he didn't know the boy staring back at him anymore. when he looked at himself, the colours graced his skin in perfect harmony, beautifully captivating sad stories. when he looked in the mirror, ugly colours of brown and blue attacked his skin, aggressively taunting him with intense malice. he tore his eyes from the mirror, rubbing his exhausted eyes and quickly putting on a loose tracksuit.

the time now read 6:30am. with a slight sigh, he lugged the bag on his shoulder, stopping by a convenience store on the way back to his dorm. he leant against the deteriorating plastic chairs of the makeshift restaurant in the store as he waited for his ramen to cook. the bell at the front of the store quietly rung over the sound of the microwave, causing him to look up out of interest. a girl around his age walked in, rubbing her eyes with the sleeves of her oversized jumper that covered he pyjama shorts. renjun's eyes followed her as she walked to the instant food section, grabbing a packet of rice and heading over in his direction. A polite smile crossed her face as she bowed, slightly waving, causing the sleeves to fall down slightly. they revealed harmony of colour that danced across her thin wrists. the boy smiled politely, returning the same gesture as he turned back to the microwave that was now beeping profusely.

he pulled up his sleeves of his own jumper, the girls arm floating in his thoughts as he slowly ate. he studied the girl, crafting intricate and insane stories to explain the bruises. his thoughts drifted with no destination as he quietly ate his food. he had a feeling of someone beside him. his brain began to race with thoughts. after a few minutes and a few plastic spoon clashes later, he mustered up his courage to glimpse beside him. the girl from earlier coincidentally glanced at him too, meeting his gaze and smiling widely as she returned to eat her rice. her smile held scattered pieces of rice which bought a passing smile to renjun's lips. the two looked out at the slowly busying streets, respectively eating in silence, renjun too afraid to talk. the girl intrigued him, her smile lighting up the dim store. his curiosity got the best of him and he looked at the girl again who now moved her bowl to the side and had bought out a marker. Her hands traced a circular kaleidoscope on her arm, delicately placing the pen against her skin and slowly turning the strange colours into a piece of art, a small fragment of space now on her arm. a satisfied yet soft grin graced her lips, causing renjun to break out into a small smile as well.

"do you mind?"

her voice was soft as she gestured between the pen in her hand, her arm, and finally his arm. his head tilted slightly, slowly nodding and giving her his arm. the girl bit her lip from trying to hide the growing smile on her lips. her pen lightly touched his skin as if to make sure she wasn't hurting him. he let out a soft laugh, reassuring her that it was okay. her ears turned a light shade of crimson, her smile widening. She drew a small circle around the bruise, creating saturn on his arms. messy hangul surrounded the drawing.

"turn your mess into messages"

she spoke softly. with a slight nod of satisfaction, she placed the cap on her pen and picked up her rubbish. with one final smile, the girl collected her belongings and left the store leaving renjun in shock. his chest felt warm, her contagious smile etched into his brain as he read and reread the note on his arm. still in awe, he collected the ramen that was now cold and his bag, continuing his journey to the dorm, the girl never leaving his mind for even a second.