In Between Time | Seongjoong

01

Seonghwa walked the path he had always walked when his thoughts weighed on him. A route he had walked so much that he could blindly navigate his way to that specific spot. Straight down the street onto the trail for bikers and those on their daily stroll. A turn and another until a four way path marked with a sign to show the various locations and path options.

Seonghwa didn't need the directory for he knew exactly where he was going better than he knew himself apparently. Once he reached the bench he began to look for the small opening between the trees. It was enough to notice but if you've never been no one would ever think to go. He proceeded on cautiously moving the branches out of his way as he did so.

Once reaching the larger opening, the stressed male crossed the small rocks and onto the biggest one that sat flat in the middle of the water. Seonghwa listened to the water rush past the rock he sat on as he let the sound clear his mind.

After a couple of months of painfully trying to convince himself that he was a straight man, he had come to realize that maybe that wasn't so true. Since he had reached the fine age of being attracted to his peers he found himself staring mostly at his other male classmates. During this time he made horrible attempts to fit in with the rest and took on any girl that wanted to be with him. This often got him in trouble as he never turned down confessions in order to drown out his true self.

When Seonghwa had started highschool he joined his schools dance team. Soon he found himself constantly thinking of the boy who joined shortly after. Kang Yeosang. Yeosang was attractive anyone could admit that. Ever since he had transferred he had been the talk amongst the girls. Seonghwa wanted to believe it was because he thought of the other as a good performer but it was obviously something more. The way he would blush and go into a panic whenever he'd come in contact with Yeosang was a dead giveaway.

Seonghwa opened his eyes preparing to leave, out of his peripheral he spotted something shiny a few feet away stuck in between a cluster of rocks. Curiously he picked up the object it looked new with intricate detailing on the front and back. He ran his thump against the side finding a button making the front of it flip open. It had three analog dials on the inside with multiple buttons a large red one in the center. He pressed the button waiting for something to happen before pressing it a few more times. Just as he was about to throw the foreign object down he noticed a bird stopped mid flight.

"I must be going insane." Seonghwa whispered to himself as he did a double take. He then noticed how the water had stopped rushing and the world fell silent except for his steps against the rocks and his voice.

Seonghwa looked back down at what he held in his hand. He ran his thumb over the red button before pressing down on it again. The world resumed and the bird flew out of sight. Astonished by this discovery Seonghwa tested the button again and again watching as everything around him stopped.

A group of kids were getting louder as they came closer to Seonghwa's location. He didn't want to be seen there so of course he used the button to his advantage. He quickly crossed the rocks and through the trees before almost coming in contact with one of the boys. A little freaked out by this Seonghwa ran until he rounded the corner before unfreezing everything.