Whispers of an Eternity: Chapter 2
Title:Whispers of an Eternity
Author: chaebol
Length: (2/?)
Genre: Angst, Humor, Romance, Suspense, Slight drama, thriller
Pairing: JinSung (main), WooDong, Ricdy
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Might have some explicit sexual content later
Summary: Park Choongjae, one of the best Alchemists around the city of Seoul and dedicators in his time in the art of Alchemy. A dying practice and one of the last survivors against technology advancements and financially supportive businesses, whom wish nothing more than to use him for mass production. Seeking escape, Choongjae goes beyond his ancestors and attempts to find the legendary elixir, the sorcerer’s stone or known as the equation to life- a life that may make his much easier to comprehend.
He just didn’t expect the rocky road blocks and a beautiful man along the way.
Poster provided by Supernerd @ AFF
Previous: Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“We’re moving to Seoul?”
The only question Choongjae could raise against his father because if he were to talk inappropriately, he could potentially be grounded for a week and must recite each muscle, bone, joint, cell of the human anatomy sixty times and down to the very last detail. Apparently, that was the only thing he had been doing for the past three days, even though it wasn’t punishment, the studious activity have gone well so far.
Unless he wanted it to be doubled.
“Yes, Choongjae. We’re going to Seoul.” His father sighed. “The government has sold this property to someone and now they want us out. We can’t say here anymore.” He muttered with a low voice at the end of his sentence and Choongjae noticed the worry and disappointment- even anger, if he searched closely- written all over it. His father was terrible at hiding his feelings and much more horrendous when it came to expressing them because even Choongjae would wonder sometimes if his father had cared about him.
Carefully, his father got up and walked to his son, gesturing for Choongjae to open his arms before handing him a rather thick-looking book.
Though, his father’s actions always told Choongjae more than he could comprehend with just mere words, hence his father wasn’t good with them, he learned to read them carefully and observantly. Just like searching for a puzzle piece that was bound to match a missing gap and eventually fit in, whereas he may even find out the truth as well.
Hopefully.
“What’s this?”
Choongjae inquired, preferring to ask his father despite being able to read the title.
If he could decipher it, that was. Considering that, the title was scribbled in an unclear handwriting, very messy lines, but it made him curious nonetheless to know what the book was about.
“I’m sorry, Choongjae.” His father said, “But you’ll have to find out the answer on your own.”
And with that, his father was gone.
He opened his eyes and blinked.
The image of the dark sky greeted his vision and Choongjae could see the stars uncovering themselves from the polluted clouds. He could see them clearer, especially in the dark woods where they were long far from the city and the factories; however that didn’t stop the smoke from leaving dust everywhere. He grimaced.
It had been a long time since Choongjae had dreamt of anything and the last appearance of his father was not unusual. Even if he didn’t dream about his father, the memory would reply in his mind all the time, fresh as if though it was just yesterday when his father was uttering his last few words. It still haunted Choongjae to no end that his father had left him alone and to the prying eyes of other human beings, who want nothing more than to use his alchemy skills for themselves.
Quietly, he sat up and shook his head to wake himself up because it seemed that he was sleeping in an uncomfortable position and his neck had turned stiffed. He sighed and noticed that Dongwan and Minwoo were fast asleep while the man with the fluffy hair was curled into a ball right next to him. The bon fire had almost disappeared, but Choongjae couldn’t resist noting how radiant the man look- if one was to refer a man that way- he doesn’t care if he was perhaps the first, maybe.
Unexpectedly, the body next to him squirmed and rolled close to Choongjae’s body- a bit too close for his liking, and nearly pushed him to his sides until he actually adjusted himself on the grass. The body stopped moving and Choongjae felt a bit relief that he hasn’t accidentally woken up the other because he wasn’t exactly sure if the man would wake up grouchy, or worse, capable of beating the pulp out of him.
Just at the thought, the alchemist shivered and got up from the grass, heading to his bag.
He couldn’t sleep.
The dream of his father always kept him wide awake and it was hard to fall asleep without having the memories of his past come back again. Thus, he tended to spend most of his nights conducting the elixir or do some other research and to prevent anymore failures that can arise. It was a good precautious and he wasn’t entirely sure what the results would be once he perfected it.
If he does.
Rummaging through his bag, he brought out his equipment and decided to continue his experiment while he had the fire. Concerning that he might as well continue what he started and create the sorcerer’s stone right now.
As he was about to finish setting everything up, something grabbed his neck and then there was a knife pointed to his side, his hips precisely, and the alchemist groaned. He cursed when he realized that the person behind him was no ordinary person, but an assassin out to kill him or drag him back to the dirty old laboratory.
Either way, both weren’t very good ideas and Choongjae had absolutely no plans to go back to Seoul. He held his breath when the assassin’s dirty gloves covered his mouth and told him not to move. As much as the alchemist wanted to protest, he was absolute defenseless without his viles and weapons because unfortunately, he had placed them in his bag and forgotten to take them out.
Also, he had a knife aimed at his ribs and if he were to make one unlucky move, he might not be able to see his fingers again.
That was, if this assassin spared no mercy, even for an alchemist of value. Choongjae doesn’t want to risk it and settled for keeping quiet and hoping either Dongwan or Minwoo would wake up quickly.
Slowly, the assassin led Choongjae away from his bag and to somewhere much more secluded until there was a noise coming from the ground.
“Ow!”
The voice emitted and it wasn’t very long until the alchemist had realized that the assassin had stepped onto the, once sleeping, fluffy-haired man’s hand when he ushered Choongjae to move on quickly. It was the most surprising mistake an assassin could do and Choongjae wondered for a moment, whoever sent this assassin forgot to train him how to avoid clumsiness in the night.
He almost pitied the guy.
Almost.
Concerning the next thing he knew, the man with the fluffy hair got up and there were sparks of fire magically popping in the air and Choongjae couldn’t help but look astounded. The assassin probably had the same expression because the man had forgotten to move away from the very angry man, who was now throwing fire at them.
It seemed the man does wake up grouchy after all, Choongjae noted when the flames came raining down on them, engulfing both the assassin and Choongjae. The warmth swiftly spread to hot burns and later blustering pain once the alchemist took in the fact that he was burning and in terrible pain.
It was painful.
At least for a second because the next thing Choongjae knew, the fire had ceased from being hot to now warm. It also left him in a ball of flames, just circling around him, warming up his skin with the mixture of orange and red and he could feel his stomach welling up with butterflies instead.
The feeling was nice. As if, he had almost forgotten what was the feeling like after a good meal or when he took a nice bath. It left a very warm and cozy sense, like home, he thought.
After the moment he was basking into the warm, it had suddenly disappeared and Choongjae could smell something burnt and crisp until he notice it was coming from the assassin. The assassin, who was trying to kill him, had turned pitched black, overly steamed and blistering with melted skin.
Choongjae could feel his insides welling up again, and this time, it wasn’t a good feeling.
He turned around quickly, hoping to forget the image as soon as it came into his mind, and held his breath again. He coughed a bit and very little did he know, the man who had awakened from his slumber was eyeing him warily until Choongjae looked up.
The two stared at each other and the fluffy-haired man simply glared at him.
“Who are you?”
- ->
Hyesung.
The name of the fluffy-haired man, Choongjae learned and was now eating some stew that he had conjured up easily with a few of his ingredients and some of the grass. It wasn’t the best of materials but it will have to substitute for some of the vitamins and taste, usually potato and carrot, since they always lie deep in the dirt. He mused at the thought and took a bite himself.
“So you know alchemy?” The alchemist asked, watching the other man take seconds as his fluffy hair bounced every time he moved. It was fascinating, Choongjae admitted.
Truthfully, he had never actually met another skilled alchemist aside from his father and most of the ones in Seoul were still new to the art and had less thoughtfulness when it came to creativity.
Well, at least the ones he’s seen.
They tend to look for ways to make more money, accessible ingredients and most of all, the machines. It became really disheartening and Choongjae probably understood why they were so infatuated with his skills.
“I guess you can call it that.” He waved his hand around and a light flame followed behind the back of his hand. It seemed very natural, almost as if he had been doing this his entire life and perfectly practiced the combustion of flame until he didn’t need an actual mark to create it. And usually, most alchemists needed a mark to create elements or unobtainable materials.
Choongjae was awed.
However, creating flames were probably the hardest since they needed the exact symbols for fire; otherwise, most of them tend to end in failure. It was a sad truth in the law of Alchemy, but Choongjae couldn’t complain because he has yet to do it himself and learning from this man may be useful, he concluded.
“Where are you heading?” Minwoo asked, awake and also eating the stew along with Dongwan, who has been feeding the fire with more wood.
The question was simple, but the man didn’t look at all ready to answer because the confused look on his face looked just as radiant in Choongjae’s opinion.
Unless it was just the sparks popping over his shoulders, the air turning warm and the fire gleaming even brighter. He wasn’t sure, but didn’t seem to mind it either.
“I don’t know. I was just passing by until those guys told me I couldn’t go through and because I’ve been traveling for a long time, I wanted to find a place to rest.” He said, the sparks on one of his shoulder popped with a crackling sound. “But it’s okay. I think camping out here with you guys is fun. If you’ll let me stay.” He muttered, finishing the last of his stew and stretching once he looked satisfied.
The rest of them looked at each other, Minwoo and Dongwan specifically, because Choongjae was concentrating on finishing his food and thinking to himself or just about his experiment.
“Sure you can stay. More company the better.” Both Minwoo and Dongwan said, each smiling despite receiving the alchemist’s consent.
Hyesung smiled.
They talked more about each of their backgrounds and how to get to the Gangnam district from the woods because technically, they were still a few cities and districts away. Thankfully, Minwoo had a map or they would all be lost.
As the three continued with their conversation, Choongjae finally spoke up. “Wait.” He said, turning to face the fluffy-haired man and the others looked at him, confused about the sudden objection.
“Teach me how to make your flame. Then, you can stay.”
A/N: been quite a long time since I’ve updated this. Hope people haven’t forgotten about this if there’s still anyone reading it. :D
Author: chaebol
Length: (2/?)
Genre: Angst, Humor, Romance, Suspense, Slight drama, thriller
Pairing: JinSung (main), WooDong, Ricdy
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Might have some explicit sexual content later
Summary: Park Choongjae, one of the best Alchemists around the city of Seoul and dedicators in his time in the art of Alchemy. A dying practice and one of the last survivors against technology advancements and financially supportive businesses, whom wish nothing more than to use him for mass production. Seeking escape, Choongjae goes beyond his ancestors and attempts to find the legendary elixir, the sorcerer’s stone or known as the equation to life- a life that may make his much easier to comprehend.
He just didn’t expect the rocky road blocks and a beautiful man along the way.
Poster provided by Supernerd @ AFF
Previous: Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“We’re moving to Seoul?”
The only question Choongjae could raise against his father because if he were to talk inappropriately, he could potentially be grounded for a week and must recite each muscle, bone, joint, cell of the human anatomy sixty times and down to the very last detail. Apparently, that was the only thing he had been doing for the past three days, even though it wasn’t punishment, the studious activity have gone well so far.
Unless he wanted it to be doubled.
“Yes, Choongjae. We’re going to Seoul.” His father sighed. “The government has sold this property to someone and now they want us out. We can’t say here anymore.” He muttered with a low voice at the end of his sentence and Choongjae noticed the worry and disappointment- even anger, if he searched closely- written all over it. His father was terrible at hiding his feelings and much more horrendous when it came to expressing them because even Choongjae would wonder sometimes if his father had cared about him.
Carefully, his father got up and walked to his son, gesturing for Choongjae to open his arms before handing him a rather thick-looking book.
Though, his father’s actions always told Choongjae more than he could comprehend with just mere words, hence his father wasn’t good with them, he learned to read them carefully and observantly. Just like searching for a puzzle piece that was bound to match a missing gap and eventually fit in, whereas he may even find out the truth as well.
Hopefully.
“What’s this?”
Choongjae inquired, preferring to ask his father despite being able to read the title.
If he could decipher it, that was. Considering that, the title was scribbled in an unclear handwriting, very messy lines, but it made him curious nonetheless to know what the book was about.
“I’m sorry, Choongjae.” His father said, “But you’ll have to find out the answer on your own.”
And with that, his father was gone.
He opened his eyes and blinked.
The image of the dark sky greeted his vision and Choongjae could see the stars uncovering themselves from the polluted clouds. He could see them clearer, especially in the dark woods where they were long far from the city and the factories; however that didn’t stop the smoke from leaving dust everywhere. He grimaced.
It had been a long time since Choongjae had dreamt of anything and the last appearance of his father was not unusual. Even if he didn’t dream about his father, the memory would reply in his mind all the time, fresh as if though it was just yesterday when his father was uttering his last few words. It still haunted Choongjae to no end that his father had left him alone and to the prying eyes of other human beings, who want nothing more than to use his alchemy skills for themselves.
Quietly, he sat up and shook his head to wake himself up because it seemed that he was sleeping in an uncomfortable position and his neck had turned stiffed. He sighed and noticed that Dongwan and Minwoo were fast asleep while the man with the fluffy hair was curled into a ball right next to him. The bon fire had almost disappeared, but Choongjae couldn’t resist noting how radiant the man look- if one was to refer a man that way- he doesn’t care if he was perhaps the first, maybe.
Unexpectedly, the body next to him squirmed and rolled close to Choongjae’s body- a bit too close for his liking, and nearly pushed him to his sides until he actually adjusted himself on the grass. The body stopped moving and Choongjae felt a bit relief that he hasn’t accidentally woken up the other because he wasn’t exactly sure if the man would wake up grouchy, or worse, capable of beating the pulp out of him.
Just at the thought, the alchemist shivered and got up from the grass, heading to his bag.
He couldn’t sleep.
The dream of his father always kept him wide awake and it was hard to fall asleep without having the memories of his past come back again. Thus, he tended to spend most of his nights conducting the elixir or do some other research and to prevent anymore failures that can arise. It was a good precautious and he wasn’t entirely sure what the results would be once he perfected it.
If he does.
Rummaging through his bag, he brought out his equipment and decided to continue his experiment while he had the fire. Concerning that he might as well continue what he started and create the sorcerer’s stone right now.
As he was about to finish setting everything up, something grabbed his neck and then there was a knife pointed to his side, his hips precisely, and the alchemist groaned. He cursed when he realized that the person behind him was no ordinary person, but an assassin out to kill him or drag him back to the dirty old laboratory.
Either way, both weren’t very good ideas and Choongjae had absolutely no plans to go back to Seoul. He held his breath when the assassin’s dirty gloves covered his mouth and told him not to move. As much as the alchemist wanted to protest, he was absolute defenseless without his viles and weapons because unfortunately, he had placed them in his bag and forgotten to take them out.
Also, he had a knife aimed at his ribs and if he were to make one unlucky move, he might not be able to see his fingers again.
That was, if this assassin spared no mercy, even for an alchemist of value. Choongjae doesn’t want to risk it and settled for keeping quiet and hoping either Dongwan or Minwoo would wake up quickly.
Slowly, the assassin led Choongjae away from his bag and to somewhere much more secluded until there was a noise coming from the ground.
“Ow!”
The voice emitted and it wasn’t very long until the alchemist had realized that the assassin had stepped onto the, once sleeping, fluffy-haired man’s hand when he ushered Choongjae to move on quickly. It was the most surprising mistake an assassin could do and Choongjae wondered for a moment, whoever sent this assassin forgot to train him how to avoid clumsiness in the night.
He almost pitied the guy.
Almost.
Concerning the next thing he knew, the man with the fluffy hair got up and there were sparks of fire magically popping in the air and Choongjae couldn’t help but look astounded. The assassin probably had the same expression because the man had forgotten to move away from the very angry man, who was now throwing fire at them.
It seemed the man does wake up grouchy after all, Choongjae noted when the flames came raining down on them, engulfing both the assassin and Choongjae. The warmth swiftly spread to hot burns and later blustering pain once the alchemist took in the fact that he was burning and in terrible pain.
It was painful.
At least for a second because the next thing Choongjae knew, the fire had ceased from being hot to now warm. It also left him in a ball of flames, just circling around him, warming up his skin with the mixture of orange and red and he could feel his stomach welling up with butterflies instead.
The feeling was nice. As if, he had almost forgotten what was the feeling like after a good meal or when he took a nice bath. It left a very warm and cozy sense, like home, he thought.
After the moment he was basking into the warm, it had suddenly disappeared and Choongjae could smell something burnt and crisp until he notice it was coming from the assassin. The assassin, who was trying to kill him, had turned pitched black, overly steamed and blistering with melted skin.
Choongjae could feel his insides welling up again, and this time, it wasn’t a good feeling.
He turned around quickly, hoping to forget the image as soon as it came into his mind, and held his breath again. He coughed a bit and very little did he know, the man who had awakened from his slumber was eyeing him warily until Choongjae looked up.
The two stared at each other and the fluffy-haired man simply glared at him.
“Who are you?”
- ->
Hyesung.
The name of the fluffy-haired man, Choongjae learned and was now eating some stew that he had conjured up easily with a few of his ingredients and some of the grass. It wasn’t the best of materials but it will have to substitute for some of the vitamins and taste, usually potato and carrot, since they always lie deep in the dirt. He mused at the thought and took a bite himself.
“So you know alchemy?” The alchemist asked, watching the other man take seconds as his fluffy hair bounced every time he moved. It was fascinating, Choongjae admitted.
Truthfully, he had never actually met another skilled alchemist aside from his father and most of the ones in Seoul were still new to the art and had less thoughtfulness when it came to creativity.
Well, at least the ones he’s seen.
They tend to look for ways to make more money, accessible ingredients and most of all, the machines. It became really disheartening and Choongjae probably understood why they were so infatuated with his skills.
“I guess you can call it that.” He waved his hand around and a light flame followed behind the back of his hand. It seemed very natural, almost as if he had been doing this his entire life and perfectly practiced the combustion of flame until he didn’t need an actual mark to create it. And usually, most alchemists needed a mark to create elements or unobtainable materials.
Choongjae was awed.
However, creating flames were probably the hardest since they needed the exact symbols for fire; otherwise, most of them tend to end in failure. It was a sad truth in the law of Alchemy, but Choongjae couldn’t complain because he has yet to do it himself and learning from this man may be useful, he concluded.
“Where are you heading?” Minwoo asked, awake and also eating the stew along with Dongwan, who has been feeding the fire with more wood.
The question was simple, but the man didn’t look at all ready to answer because the confused look on his face looked just as radiant in Choongjae’s opinion.
Unless it was just the sparks popping over his shoulders, the air turning warm and the fire gleaming even brighter. He wasn’t sure, but didn’t seem to mind it either.
“I don’t know. I was just passing by until those guys told me I couldn’t go through and because I’ve been traveling for a long time, I wanted to find a place to rest.” He said, the sparks on one of his shoulder popped with a crackling sound. “But it’s okay. I think camping out here with you guys is fun. If you’ll let me stay.” He muttered, finishing the last of his stew and stretching once he looked satisfied.
The rest of them looked at each other, Minwoo and Dongwan specifically, because Choongjae was concentrating on finishing his food and thinking to himself or just about his experiment.
“Sure you can stay. More company the better.” Both Minwoo and Dongwan said, each smiling despite receiving the alchemist’s consent.
Hyesung smiled.
They talked more about each of their backgrounds and how to get to the Gangnam district from the woods because technically, they were still a few cities and districts away. Thankfully, Minwoo had a map or they would all be lost.
As the three continued with their conversation, Choongjae finally spoke up. “Wait.” He said, turning to face the fluffy-haired man and the others looked at him, confused about the sudden objection.
“Teach me how to make your flame. Then, you can stay.”
A/N: been quite a long time since I’ve updated this. Hope people haven’t forgotten about this if there’s still anyone reading it. :D