The Universe Makes Mistakes Sometimes - Replay

Metaphor

Ok so I'm introducing Taeil in this chapter, but I can't remember if I'm introduced him before 😅 if I have please tell me!

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So Sicheng had lied. He hadn't driven to school. And so he should've done what a sensible person would've have done, which would be to get his ass back inside the building and go to his next class - he had a test coming up after all. But instead, he had sat on the stairs outside the school building for a good half hour, watching cars drive by, dashing behind a white stone pillar when he saw Johnny and Yukhei return from McDonalds. Like a loser.

But he felt too down to do anything. Too down to go home, to down to go back inside of school. He was in Purgatory, but there was no heaven, just hell. Home was hell, the maids would scold him for coming back early and would definitely tell him parents who would make his life a nightmare for the next week or so. School was just as bad because the lockers, the halls, the desks, the chairs were all Yuta, Yuta, Yuta. And God forbid he saw him again.

Yeah, he could leave the premises, go get some food or go shopping for those new trainers he wanted. Jump on a bus and let it drive him miles and miles away. But it was like the rest of the world was an ocean, a stretch of boring water, ready to drown him. What was the point in leaving this lonely island he had found?

"You look down," a voice said.

Sicheng rolled his eyes. Of course someone would come and ruin his moment of self pity. Couldn't he just whine and pity himself in peace?

"I'm fine," Sicheng replied curtly, but that just reminded him of the last words he said to Yuta and made him feel even worse.

The person who owned the voice - male - sat down next to him.

Sicheng felt pins of annoyance prick his skin. Who the fuck did this stranger think he was, sitting next to him? But after a while, the stranger's gentle breathing and weirdly intoxicating scent calmed his brain.

"Cigarette?" The stranger had flipped open a grey packet of orange-tipped weapons of destruction. At least, that's what Sicheng thought of them. In his opinion, those things should be illegal.

"No thank you," he replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Sicheng decided to look up and see who this strange male who had offered him a tightly rolled death sentence was.

He recognised him as Moon Taeil, singing prodigy of the school.

"You smoke?" Sicheng asked before he could quite stop himself.

Dammit, Sicheng. How can you act depressed if you're out here making friends? You're a disgrace to emo-kind.

Taeil smiled, showing pearly white teeth.

Weird, thought Sicheng, aren't smokers' teeth supposed to be...nasty as fuck?

"No, actually I don't," Taeil replied.

Sicheng found that hard to believe with a cigarette clamped firmly between Taeil's soft lips. He raised an eyebrow.

"It's a metaphor," the elder explained.

Sicheng felt a bubble of laughter rise up and overflow, making him burst into a chorus of laughter that brought tears to his eyes.

Taeil just stared at him, the right corner of his mouth flickering somewhere between a smile and a smirk, the left corner still holding onto the cigarette.

"Alright, Augustus Water," Sicheng chuckled, playfully flicking the cigarette in between Taeil's lips with his index finger.

"Taeil let Sicheng chuckle a little more before finally speaking again.

"Would you like me to explain the metaphor?"

Sicheng nodded eagerly, all thoughts of self pity blown straight out the window.

"Well I'm guessing you know that I sing? That's why you were so shocked to see that I had cigarettes, right? Ever since I was, like, a baby, I've been singing non stop. I literally live to sing. And what's the thing known for defeating singers the most? Smoking. Throat cancer, mouth cancer, lung cancer. If I took one drag on this tiny cigarette, I could ruin my whole life. I'd become addicted and I wouldn't be able to stop it and everything I've ever worked for would go down the drain. When I leave school, I want to be a singer. I've been trying to become a singer for years. But it's...it's hard, you know? And I feel like giving up pretty much all the time. One day I was so stressed and I realised that this friend of mine smoked and he was never stressed. I ran straight to an off license and bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. I lit a cigarette and I was so close to puffing on it, and then I realised. I was gonna throw away all the years of hardwork on this? Just one tiny rolled up tube of tobacco with one tiny flame at the end...I was gonna sacrifice my voice, my passion, years of hard work...on that? I was so close to ruining myself that day, but I stubbed out the cigarette and threw it away. But to this day I give myself a choice. I can power through the stress, or I can end it all. I can become one of all those other singers who have given up, another one of many who couldn't do it any more, lit a cigarette and threw their dreams away in one tiny breath. I give myself that choice. And then I make sure I never take it."

Sicheng wasn't laughing anymore. Almost unknowingly, he began to clap, as if he'd heard the most powerful TedTalk in the universe. Taeil blushed crimson as he realised that he'd got carried away in his metaphor.

"That's actually...really smart," Sicheng chuckled, this time impressed than amused.

Taeil shrugged, "You looked super down. I decided to give you a choice. I'm happy you didn't take it," he sent a dazzling smile Sicheng's way, teeth sparkling like a Disney Prince's.

Suddenly Taeil paled as he checked the time on his phone.

"Shit! I've got to go, I'm supposed to be recording in a studio in fifteen minutes."

"Good luck then! I'm sure you'll do great!" Sicheng smiles.

"Thank you...err..."

"It's Sicheng."

"Oh, well then, thank you...Sicheng."

Taeil smiled sheepishly in a way that was cutely lopsided and adorable.

"Just before I go...here," Taeil pulled the cigarette from between his lips and placed it in Sicheng's hand, "Here's your choice. You can decide what you wanna do with it."

Before Sicheng could reply, he jogged off.

Sicheng would have gone after him, but for what reason? The conversation was obviously ended and Taeil had somewhere to be. Besides, Sicheng liked the way it had finished: a mysterious stranger giving him some insightful wisdom before disappearing.

He placed the 'metaphor' between his lips. He felt dangerous and...powerful. He could ruin so much if he lit the cigarette. His parent would kill him, he'd waste his fortune on buying cigarettes, never get a boyfriend because his breath stink and his teeth were yellow, and probably die from lung cancer in the next few decades. He had the power to ruin himself, but he wasn't going to.

And somehow, that made him feel

Good.

~~~

I forgot to say that I saw Blackpink live!!! AHHHH it was so amazing! And Jisoo's voice is seriously stable, I would've thought she as singing on top of s prerecording if I hadn't heard Rosé's amazing solo (which wasn't prerecorded). Lisa dancing was AMAZING, I've wanted to see her dance Swalla live for ages and I can't believe I finally got to!!! And the outfit she wore for he solo was 🔥 and Jennie holds so much power, she could CUT me with her rapping skills and I would let her.