Poppin' Star

⭐chapter five⭐

taehyun realized after coming out on the GRAY's things wont change miraculously. his mother will still put him on arranged marriage with a girl, its unbearable.. he is still kang taehyun from the dark city in their eyes but to him? kai introduced him more and he liked that a lot.

after so many weeks of escaping GRAY's with kai to the wormhole there are some things that changed in him beautifully. the way he see's kai now, the world, the colors and oh so many more its like they all popped out and slowly their colors are bursting and taehyun wanted more.

he felt his skin ache the same way the bracelet feels when it flicks it off his skin but this time it hurts ten times more, his mother held his arm tightly as they enter the GRAY's. taehyun didnt mind the pain though and he lets it but this will be the last time because he have a plan.

as they arrived the main room, they sat on black chairs. his mother whispering."you know what you'll do and say out there taehyun tell them you changed." his mom tells him like as if she just know exactly what is happening or wht's wrong with him.

taehyun ignored her, his eyes scattering around looking for someone. the main room is a gray room full of clouds with 1000 exact chairs and 500 per side, the other painted in white and other in black. perfectly separated and if only they also put names on every chair, taehyun might lose his mind but he believes this will be the last time anyway. he's excited to see kai and leave these all behind, his eyes searching for the bright yellow hoodie boy he so love being with, taehyun even stood up to search.

and there he is, kai is wearing a black shirt but taehyun didn't even thought of that first. he felt himself smile seeing kai with his bracelet. taehyun looked at his mom, "i'll just go for a bit.." leaving and going to kai who's searching for a seat distractedly.

taehyun walked closer and grabs his arm making the boy look at him in shock "t-taehyun?"

"lets go," he said before grabbing him to exit the main and kai held his hand, leaving with him to the backroom without getting noticed as they got inside they were alone the place is full of things. its where props and things are left behind.

taehyun held kai's hand and looked at his eyes smiling at him widely, he feels like they're in w secret meeting. "your  necklace did you put them on me? they're beautiful."

kai blushes at him, nodding his head scratching his arm nervously "i did." and taehyun beams at him.

"i saw stars last night," taehyun pulls closer, the gray room slowly shades them a little cloud from the window. "it was the only star that appeared and it might be for me,"

"a star?"

"yes! isn't that amazing? dark city.... we never had light but i saw one! its probably a sign for me to run away."

"y-you're going to run away?"

"i want to be free kai...i want to be more than darkness, i want colors i want explosion too." and the cloud has completely darken the room, taehyun's necklace started glowing and kai looks at his eyes so deeply like as if kai wants to swim in this emotion that taehyun is showing for the first time the excitement, hope and happiness.

kai laughs awkwardly trying to not believe "b-but we have something to do yet in here... give it a time?" he asks. taehyun stared at him and think that maybe kai thought he will leave him "i mean the papers yesterday! it says we have to say something about ourselves and i've thought maybe we should play music instead? like the band we wanted to do!" kai smiles persuasively holding his hand tightly not wanting to let go. 

"i haven't heard your voice yet,"

"o-oh" taehyun melts at the way the other is desperately wanting him to stay, even for a bit and the way kai is looking at him and the way he held. "sure i'll sing."

"yes!" kai cheered suddenly hugging him tightly "i'll play piano and you'll sing!"

"yes, we'll make this day memorable."

"we will."

 

taehyun held the mic again for the last time and kai was beside him with a piano. unlike last time, taehyun could almost feel everything, like he's on a sky about to hit the ground and no he isn't nervous but he sure as heck will hit everybody with his voice.

kai started to play melody, the brightest cheerful and light melody a piano could make created by kai who had always envisioned to play such in a crowd like a firework he wants to be and he is glowing and the best thing is that people was so entranced by it that they forgot who kai was, they started to see the new him. kai is wearing black wearing dark bracelet.

no one stopped them though, they let it unfold in front of them. not knowing that someone will actually take a microphone to speak truthfully, and this time taehyun isn't just being real he will show them by his voice.

he sings,
"why cant we just embrace every single thing?
why cant we be sad just because most people know us that we usually smile?
why cant i make mistake just because everybody wants everything to be perfectly aligned?
why cant we break through light and dark?"   

taehyun realized that he lives in a world where people limit themselves, where people are afraid of meeting something unfamiliar, they want it the way they know it but the stars are indefinite, its the only thing people wouldn't be able to know and taehyun could be one of them.

the people reacted differently as kai ended the song, the advisors were clapping at them and taehyun smiled fondly, of course some people started shouting and some people started arguing.

taehyun looked at kai who was smiling at him "we did it!" kai screams and he is so cute taehyun could almost kiss him. he stood up and walked closer, its time to say goodbye and for the last time taehyun and kai escaped the GRAY'S.

the forest turned colorful as they stepped the grass holding hands and their hearts beating rapidly. they found the wormhole and stopped inside, they both looked at each other with a blush and a smile, taehyun couldn't help but started laughing remembering what they did to the GRAY'S.

"that was weirdly awesome," kai expressed with a wide smile.

"it is," taehyun calms down, he sighs looking around. "i think this is the only place that i'll miss.."

kai squeezed his palm "are you sure you'll go?"

"dont you want to come?" taehyun asked.

"isn't dangerous?" they both looked at the tunnel, thinking where it could go.

"well... how else would i live?" kai's smile disappears looking down at their hands and into taehyun's eyes who's staring at his worriedly.

kai gulps and tears started to flow down and taehyun notices it, he wrapped his arms around kai and stares at his eyes, it was the first time kai let himself cry.

taehyun leans closer to kiss his lips, it taste just like the popping candy. like an explosion of fruits, burst of so many feelings they never knew they could have. its like an electricity that sparked in your finger, it hurt and lasted a memory. its the first time the knew what they wanted, its the first time they found out more than light and dark.

taehyun pulls away with a smile and kai inhales, "i decided," he says "i want to live too." and that night a star explodes creating glitters on the dark sky.