Toro Nagashi [Part 1]
Title: 灯籠流し: Toro Nagashi
Author: tvfxq
Betas: muramatsu_aoi, little_passions
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG 13
Genre: AU, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Historical
Length: One-Shot
Disclaimer: Any similarities to other fics, stories, movies, events, and anything else of the like are purely coincidental.
Summary: Yun Ho promised himself he would find the boy who had taken his heart, and he would do whatever it would take - even if it meant finding him again in another life.
a/n.: this is the fic that I promised ouji
灯籠流し: Toro Nagashi
Vocabulary:
Chochin - A paper lantern participants of Toro Nagashi float down rivers/seas.
Furisode - A style of kimono distinguishable among others by its long sleeves. Also the most formal style of kimono worn by unmarried women in Japan, and commonly rented, borrowed, or bought by parents for their daughters to wear when celebrating the year they turn 20.
Hachigatsu Bon - (Bon in August) The most commonly celebrated time of Obon.
Obon - (Also known as ‘Bon Festival’) A Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors. Nowadays, Obon is mostly a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors’ graves.
Toro Nagashi - (Lantern offerings to the water) A widely celebrated Japanese ceremony in which participants float paper lanterns down a sea or river. Primarily done on the last evening of Obon.
灯籠流し。
August, 1868 - Hachigatsu Bon.
He hated Obon.
Yun Ho’s gaze was fixated on his family and on the multitude of relatives that had arrived from the different prefectures of Japan when he rested his arm on his knee and released a loud sigh. He leaned his head back against the large tree he’d been sitting under and watched absently as his entire family busied themselves with the task of cleaning the graves of their ancestors.
He had nothing against the dead, nor did he have anything against honoring the dead; it was just that he had no one to really pay respects to.
His family, although he loved them, was not really his family. The holiday was more than enough to be a constant reminder of that fact - the fact that no matter what anybody said, no matter how anybody felt, he was not a part of the Harada family by blood. He never would be.
“I do not understand why the Korean boy has to tag along each year. He obviously knows that he is not truly a part of this family.” One of his mother’s sisters remarked snidely, glancing briefly in Yun Ho’s direction. Her words were meant to be hushed and low in volume, but the wind somehow carried them; and Yun Ho heard each and every syllable that spilled out of her mouth.
Yun Ho’s lips pursed into a taut frown, and he saw his mother cast a glance at him before turning to her sister, “Yumi, Yun Ho may not be my son by blood, but he still is my son. Akihiko and I love him dearly, and so does Haruna. What kind of mother would I be if I told him to stay home while all of us celebrate Obon?”
“A good one, in my opinion.” Yumi replied; her voice dripping with acridity, “He is out of place here and he knows it. We all know it.”
Yun Ho sighed heavily and could only bitterly agree as he averted his gaze elsewhere. To his left and to his right were a myriad of different families occupied with the graves of their own ancestors. However, amongst the sea of many families, someone managed to catch his eye.
Isolated from everything and everyone else was a boy.
Yun Ho did not know what was it about that seemingly aloof boy, but he found himself wanting to draw closer to him.
At first he hesitated, a little afraid of being seen as disrespectful in the eyes of his family’s relatives; but then he realized that they’d probably want him gone rather than sitting under a tree idly until they’d finish. So with that in mind, Yun Ho stood up from his position under the tree and meandered over to the boy as casually as he deemed possible.
When he was about a stone’s throw away, Yun Ho stopped in his tracks. He began to watch the boy’s every action and, despite the limited view he had, noted how interesting and delicate the other’s movements seemed to be. They were almost entrancing.
He lost track of how long he’d been watching, but eventually the boy turned his back to the grave he’d just been visiting; and that was when their eyes met for the first time. For a moment they just stared at each other, and Yun Ho could not help but notice the beautiful features the boy possessed. He looked almost ethereal to him, and it was a little perplexing - for never in his life had he come across such a person.
At length, the boy broke eye contact and silently walked past Yun Ho, as if he hadn’t seen a thing; as if Yun Ho was not even there.
It only made Yun Ho even more curious and eager to know more about him.
灯籠流し。
It was the last night of the bon festival, and in spite of the fact that Yun Ho greatly disliked the holiday; he always had a soft spot for one of the festival’s last events - Toro Nagashi.
He never partook in the ceremony of lighting a chochin and floating it down the Sumida River, but he found the sight of all the chochin’s lights coming together to create a light great enough to illuminate the night breathtaking. It was one of the things in his life that he’d truly learned to appreciate, if not for its meaning then for the spectacle that it was, at the very least.
When his family neared the river to float their chochin, Yun Ho, as usual, stayed by the riverbank. It was like tradition, almost, ever since he’d gained a little independence, for his family and their relatives to partake in events during the Bon Festival while he just sat back and watched them or, occasionally, wandered off.
He sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Out of habit he looked up briefly at the night sky, illuminated by the silver light of the moon and the countless stars.
At length, he turned his head to the side. He wasn’t looking for anything or anyone in particular when he did, but by chance he’d spotted the boy from the other day, floating his lone chochin into the river. There was something about that sight that seemed to enthrall Yun Ho, for for a moment, his universe seemed to have only him and that boy in it. If his eyes saw many other sights and if his ears heard many other sounds, his heart certainly only concentrated on the boy before him.
Yun Ho then began to take long strides into the river before even thinking; wetting, in the process, the yukata he had on. He hadn’t expected to wet it, but he ignored the thought of his attire getting soaked when he neared the boy who had him enamored.
“Hi.” Yun Ho greeted with a wave of his hand as he drew closer to the boy, who had his eyes fixated on the chochin he’d just floated.
A little while passed, and he waited for a response from the boy; however he did not even turn to look at him.
Awkwardly placing his hand back down, Yun Ho felt the sides of his face begin to heat up in embarrassment. Despite it, however, he cleared his throat and spoke again, in a much louder voice this time, “I could not help but notice you here.”
“I know.” The boy then replied, eyes lingering on his chochin a little while longer before finally turning to look at Yun Ho, “I saw you looking at me.”
Yun Ho would have been flustered to know that his staring wasn’t as inconspicuous and subtle as he had hoped, but the joy that came from the mere fact that the boy had not ignored him a second time and had acknowledged his presence seemed to overpower the feeling of embarrassment.
“Pardon me, but may I ask? That did not disturb you, did it?”
“No.” said the boy whilst lightly shaking his head.
It was rather odd how it was only then that Yun Ho finally heard his voice. Not to say that he hadn’t heard him the first time, but rather, it was only then that he actually heard it for what it really was. The boy’s voice was soft, yet it had a rather husky edge to it. If one were to describe it as though the boy’s voice had taken a solid form, then perhaps his voice would be best described as an incorporation of smoke and honey. Perhaps it was an odd combination, but Yun Ho had never heard a voice quite like it; and honestly, the only thing he found more beautiful and interesting than his voice was perhaps the boy’s beauty.
It would have been wrong for Yun Ho to describe the boy as feminine, but he could not find it in him to describe him as masculine, either. His features were too soft to be like that of a man’s; yet there was something about them just a little bit too rough to be classified as that of a woman’s. His features were contrasting, but in the end, they formed something more beautiful than anyone and anything he’d seen. In the end, the boy’s beauty had no parallel.
“Do you know why people float chochin during the last night of Obon?” the boy questioned, after a long moment of gazing silently at the stars above. His voice was soft and gentle, and as he spoke, he slowly moved his eyes to look at Yun Ho. The latter silently shook his head.
A rather pensive smile crept its way to the corner of the boy’s lips, and before turning his head to have a better look at Yun Ho, he spoke, “Spirits are free to roam the earth during the days of the Bon Festival, and it is believed that by floating chochin into the water, we help guide the spirits of the departed back to the other world. Traditionally, Japanese believe that we humans come from water, so the lanterns represent their bodies returning to where they came from.”
“Do you believe in that?” Yun Ho asked, honestly curious.
“I do not know if it is true,” the boy answered truthfully, eyes finding their way back to the river, “but I’d like to believe that it is. For my mother’s sake.”
“Your mother?” Yun Ho questioned, “Is she…?”
The boy nodded slightly and forced a smile, “I am not from here. When I was young, my mother and I came to Tokyo from Korea, but four years later, she passed away. It is a bit… difficult for me to remember how she died, considering I was so little back then.” he bent his head down and his smile faltered. “After she died my neighbors… took me in.” There was something about the way that the boy said the last sentence that made Yun Ho feel the slightest bit uneasy. He watched as the boy stared at the water for a moment, before moving his hand in the river and creating little ripples. He smiled again and turned to look at Yun Ho, and when he did, the chord of uneasiness inside of him dissipated and eventually was forgotten.
“I like the Bon Festival. My host family goes all the way to Sapporo during this holiday to pay their respects to the dead, while I have a chance to pay my own respects to my mother.”
A smile found its way to Yun Ho’s lips. If at first he was shy, Yun Ho no longer was at that moment, for he somehow was bold enough to reach out and gently tuck back a strand of the boy’s raven hair that had gone astray, “You have told me much, considering we have only met.”
The boy brought his hand to the side of his face and turned away, “I… I’m sorry. I did not mean to be so loquacious. You’re right. We have only just met.”
“I did not mean it in a bad way.” Yun Ho elucidated as he gently tugged at the sleeve of the other boy’s yukata. “Don’t be so uptight.”
The boy looked down at the water again, and then at Yun Ho. There was a faint smile on his lips. “You are very easy to talk to.”
“It’s nice listening to you.”
The smile on the boy’s face grew a little bit wider and then he asked, “Why are you not with your family now, by the way?”
“I…” Yun Ho faltered. He glanced at his family, preoccupied with floating their chochin and offering silent prayers, and he looked around at the other families, busy doing the same things. He glanced back at the boy beside him and at length, began to speak, “I am adopted. Like you, I too come from Korea; though, I did not have the privilege of knowing my real parents. My family loves me, and I love them. However I feel so out of place when their relatives visit. I feel like they see me as a sort of anathema most of the time.”
By the time Yun Ho had finished speaking, his eyes had drifted from the boy to the water. So it was not a wonder why he did not notice the boy outstretching his arm to give him an ever so gentle pat on the shoulder. “At least your family now loves you, though.” The boy said with a sincere smile on his face, “At least you have people who love you. You should be grateful.”
Yun Ho smiled at the boy, “I am,” he said, “I just hate this holiday is all.”
“I guess from your perspective, I can see why.” Said the boy, as he retracted his arm and placed it back to his side, his lower arm submerging in water.
They were both silent with their words afterwards, but Yun Ho wasn’t quite as silent with his actions. He gently brushed his fingers against the other’s under the water, and smiled when the boy raised his eyes up off the river. A little while after, Haruna, Yun Ho’s older sister, came looking for him and called him back to their family.
“Can I just follow you home later?” he requested, a little irritated by how early he was being made to part with the boy he’d just met. Haruna frowned and shook her head.
“You should go.” The boy spoke, reaching out to gently tug at Yun Ho’s sleeve.
Yun Ho’s attention shifted from his sister back to the boy and he gazed at him with a rather forlorn expression, “But we do not even know each other’s names yet; and I really want to-“
“My name is Jae Joong.” The boy said, “Your sister already mentioned your name, so there is no need for you to tell me yours.”
Yun Ho smiled then and reached out to straighten the collar of Jae Joong’s yukata, “Jae Joong…” he repeated it and his grin stretched further. “I wish to see you again. Do you think I will be able to?”
“It is highly unlikely,” Jae Joong replied with a small sigh. He glanced at Yun Ho once more and reciprocated the smile that had been present on Yun Ho’s lips, “but I do wish the same.”
Yun Ho reached out to touch Jae Joong’s fingers one last time and bowed. “I look forward to the next time we meet, whenever it may be.” He murmured with a smile before he turned away and joined his sister to reunite with his family.
灯籠流し。
“Yun Ho,” Yun Ho’s father, Akihiko, called out from his room.
“You called for me, father?” Yun Ho spoke as he entered the room, kneeling opposite his father.
“Yes,” Akihiko nodded, holding up something flat wrapped in linen paper and handing it over to Yun Ho, “I need you to return this to the neighbors for me and send them my thanks. I would do it myself, but I don’t think I have the strength.”
Yun Ho nodded and accepted the package given him by his father before staring at it for a few seconds. He looked back up at his father with a look of question written all over his face, “A kimono?”
“It’s the furisode we borrowed for your sister. I wish to return it.”
“Oh, I see.” Yun Ho nodded, “I will do as you wish.”
Akihiko sent Yun Ho a smile of gratitude and slightly bowed his head, “Thank you, son.”
灯籠流し。
“What is it you need, boy?” a man in his mid forties questioned, scrutinizing Yun Ho from head to toe with what seemed to be a censorious look in his eyes.
Yun Ho squared his shoulders and replied, “My father sent me to return this to you,” he said, outstretching his arms to hand over the package he held, “It is the furisode my father borrowed on my sister’s behalf.”
“I see.” The man accepted the package and pulled the strings to open it. He eyed it for a good minute before turning his head at length a little to the side and shouting, “Boy!”
Yun Ho tilted his head slightly and watched silently as a small figure came shuffling towards him and the man before him. The man tossed the package over to the boy and did not bother to look at him when he spoke, “Take this and bring it inside.”
The boy bowed and the man took a step to the side; only then did Yun Ho get a glimpse of the servant boy, and when he did; he felt his blood run cold and the little hairs at the back of his neck stand.
The boy was Jae Joong, he was sure of it.
“Is… is that you?” Yun Ho questioned, and the boy’s eyes met with Yun Ho’s for a split second. Just as he was about to reach his hand out to touch the servant boy’s hair, the man angrily spoke.
“Do you know him?” he questioned, tone icy and noxious.
Yun Ho’s gaze shifted from Jae Joong to the man, and he retracted his arm and placed it back to his side. With his peripheral vision, he saw the boy scurry away and he shook his head, “No, I do not. I mistook him for somebody else. I apologize.” With a final bow, Yun Ho turned on his heel and headed home, leaving behind the man, who continued to eye him suspiciously.
灯籠流し。
When night fell that same day, Yun Ho snuck out.
He was not thinking straight when he came up with his plan of searching for the raven-haired beauty, in the dead of the night, but when he caught sight of Jae Joong standing just outside his neighbor’s house, looking up at the sky with eyes searching for everything and nothing, he knew he’d made the right decision to sneak out that night.
“You told me that the chances of us meeting again were highly unlikely, yet here we are.” Yun Ho spoke as he neared Jae Joong; his voice causing the latter to divert his attention from the sky to him.
“I did not know that we were neighbors.” Jae Joong replied, voice softer than usual. Yun Ho thought he heard a tint of caution in his tone, and he figured he knew why this was so.
“When you told me your neighbors took you in,” Yun Ho said, “I did not think you meant in this fashion. Though, in retrospect the way you said it made me a little bit doubtful.”
“I’m sorry.” Jae Joong sighed, looking down at his feet before he looked up to meet Yun Ho’s gaze, “I did not want you to know. Moreover, I did not think you would have to know.”
“Well it’s a little bit too late for that now, isn’t it?” Yun Ho nodded, reaching out to gently tuck back a strand of Jae Joong’s hair that was blown by the night breeze, “May I ask? …Why are you out here?”
Jae Joong looked up at the sky for a brief moment, and although he was no longer facing Yun Ho, the latter caught a glimpse of the other’s eyes. Jae Joong’s eyes seemed to be filled with a kind of sadness and melancholy he could not seem to describe. For a moment, he regretted ever asking.
“It’s one of their many ways of punishing me.” Jae Joong whispered; his words quiet and audible to only the two of them. “I seemed to have been a little distracted after you’d visited. Mr. Takahashi noticed and exiled me to sleeping outside for the night.”
“Mr. Takahashi…” Yun Ho trailed off for a moment, “That’s his name?”
Jae Joong nodded. “Yes, that’s him.”
“Oh…” he said, “I’m sorry. I feel like it’s my fault, somehow.”
“Do not be.” Jae Joong shook his head and waved a hand in the air, “He always finds a way to do something like this. Even if you had not come earlier, I would still be sentenced to sleeping outside for something else. Mr. Takahashi loves to nitpick.”
“It must be horrible living there, then. Are all of them that cruel to you?”
“Not all.” Jae Joong shook his head, “Mr. Takahashi’s youngest daughter, Naoko, is kind to me-“
“She should tell her father to treat you better.”
“-however she is only fifteen and is the youngest among seven siblings; what she says does not have much influence in that household.”
Yun Ho’s lips pursed into a tight frown, and for a moment, he kept silent. He hunkered down onto his knees before sitting down on the ground and patting the empty space beside him. Jae Joong was aware of Yun Ho’s gestures and at length, sat on top of his knees beside Yun Ho.
“What is that mark on your face?” Yun Ho questioned after a moment of keeping silent. He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward closer to Jae Joong to have a better look at the large bruise that marred the other’s face. Immediately, the latter leaned away and placed a hand to his cheek, covering the aforementioned mark.
“It’s nothing,” Jae Joong said almost instantaneously, diverting his eyes elsewhere. “I just fell.”
“You fell?” Jae Joong nodded and Yun Ho arched an eyebrow. Somehow he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe Jae Joong’s statement.
“Are you not going yet?” Jae Joong then questioned in an almost inaudible tone. He tugged slightly at the hems of the old hemp shirt he had on so as to not meet Yun Ho’s gaze.
A small smile formed on Yun Ho’s lips and in that instant, the string of doubt in him was momentarily lost; his previous thoughts gone. He asked, “Do you want me to leave already? Your tone suggests otherwise, though.”
“It was just a question.” Jae Joong replied, tugging a little harder at his shirt when he felt a blush rise to his cheeks, “…may I ask? What reason do you have to be out here during this time of the night?”
“Is the reason not obvious enough?” Yun Ho questioned, reaching out to stroke Jae Joong’s cheek. At this, Jae Joong pulled back slightly and the smile on Yun Ho’s face faltered. “It doesn’t unsettle you, does it?”
“Not in the least bit,” Jae Joong shook his head, “I just-“
“It’s fine, you don’t need to explain.” Yun Ho said, the smile on his face returning, only this time more gentle.
Jae Joong felt a fluttering in his chest and at length looked back up at the stars.
If only he could spend each moment with Yun Ho.
灯籠流し。
The next evening, Yun Ho told his parents and his sister that he’d be going out for a stroll in the night. Nobody questioned him, and so he hurried outside as casually yet quickly as he deemed possible. Right when he neared his neighbors’ house, he stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh.
No one was outside but him.
Yun Ho frowned slightly and decided to take his chances and do something bold.
“Jae Joong?”
There were a few brief seconds of quietness before a voice from behind him spoke, “I’m right here.”
Yun Ho almost too quickly spun around so that he was now facing Jae Joong. His lips immediately curved into a smile, and he took a step closer to the boy in front of him, “I almost thought I wouldn’t see you tonight.”
“I’m sorry. I got tired of standing all night, so I decided to ramble.” Jae Joong replied, taking one step forward, “I… I was actually hoping you’d come.”
Yun Ho took one last step forward, until he was only an arm’s length away from Jae Joong. “Perhaps next time you should wait for me before you decide to wander around…” He said with a small chuckle before trailing off and drowning in the depths of Jae Joong’s eyes, “I do not want you to go anywhere without me, as much as possible.”
“I’ll remember that tomorrow night, and the nights that follow. I have been made to stay outside at night until the season passes.”
Yun Ho smiled, albeit rather guiltily. “While I do not take delight in the fact that you’ve been punished again,” he said, reaching out to tuck back a strand of Jae Joong’s hair, “I am grateful for our rendezvous. We haven’t known each other for very long, but I like seeing you.”
Jae Joong held a hand to his cheek and struggled to meet Yun Ho’s gaze. He could manage when Yun Ho would speak to him, but the other’s touches were another thing. Even the lightest of gestures were always so gentle and so caring; he could hardly remember the last time he was dealt with so carefully.
“I…” Jae Joong began, his words dying in his mouth when he saw Yun Ho smile at him again so affectionately.
“Would you like to have a leisurely walk with me tonight?” Yun Ho proposed, “Just around the block.”
Jae Joong nodded slowly and silently, following Yun Ho suit when the latter began to walk. Things were initially silent after they’d began to stroll. The only sounds audible were the singing of the cicadas and the slight wheezing sound the wind made every once in a while, and it was only after a long moment that Jae Joong broke the silence and spoke.
“Is something bothering you?”
Yun Ho stopped in his tracks and blinked, quickly apologizing, “I’m sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts.” He chuckled to ease away any tension, “A lot of things crossed my mind just now.”
“Oh, I see.” The other boy replied. “If it’s all right with you, I…I have something I want to ask you.”
“Ask me anything.” Yun Ho said before they began to walk again.
“…how old are you?”
“I’m nineteen.” Yun Ho replied, “Would you mind if I asked you the same question?”
“I don’t mind.” Jae Joong shook his head, “I only wish I could answer you properly, though. I am rather unsure of my own age.”
Yun Ho frowned and arched an eyebrow, “You don’t know how old you are?”
“The last time I celebrated my birthday was the same year my mother died.” Jae Joong elucidated, eyebrows unconsciously knitting together, “It has been such a long time since then, that I’ve lost track of how old I actually am… I don’t think I am in my twenties yet, though.”
“You look to be about the same as I, honestly.” Yun Ho said, half to himself, and half to Jae Joong. After a moment, he sighed, “I am really beginning to despise Mr. Takahashi more and more.”
“Feel free to do so.” Jae Joong laughed softly, and Yun Ho just stared at him a little in awe.
“What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?” Jae Joong questioned, stiffening a little when he suddenly remembered that there had been another bruise on his face. He brought his hand to his cheek to cover as much as he could, when Yun Ho reached out and led his hand away.
“I was going to comment on something else, but now that you mention it…” Yun Ho trailed off for a moment, fingers gently grazing the other’s cheek.
“I fell again.” Jae Joong quickly stated as he took a step back.
“I don’t believe you.” Yun Ho said, taking one step closer to Jae Joong.
“You don’t have to.” Jae Joong muttered a little under his breath. A little while after, he sighed, “Just… just don’t let it bother you. I am all right.”
“I will not press the issue on for now,” Yun Ho said as he began to walk again. Jae Joong followed suit behind him and he continued, “but if I see another bruise on you, don’t expect me to let the matter go so easily.”
Jae Joong’s lips curled into a faint smile, and he nodded his head slightly, thankful for the fact that the issue had been dropped for the moment, at least.
Minutes passed, and neither boy had spoken a word. When they ended up back in front of Mr. Takahashi’s house, Yun Ho then broke the silence they shared by letting out a heavy sigh, “If it were possible, I would stay with you tonight as long as I could. But I cannot stay out too long. Not yet, at least.”
“It’s all right, I understand.” Jae Joong smiled; though the look in his eyes said that he didn’t want Yun Ho to leave him yet. “You should go.”
Yun Ho’s lips stretched into a faint smile, and he took a step closer to Jae Joong before cupping each side of his head and pressing a soft kiss atop the other’s forehead.
“I care about you.” He whispered when he pulled away, “Please take care of yourself for me when I am gone, so that by the time I see you again, I will have somebody left to protect.”
Jae Joong’s heart clenched in his chest, the affection Yun Ho showered him with touched him and he felt the overwhelming urge to cry.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he held back his tears and smiled brightly at Yun Ho, “I promise to take care of myself.” He said, “As long as you promise me that as much as you can, you will see me each night.”
Yun Ho was taken aback by the promise he was requested to make and was surprised by the fact that Jae Joong longed to see him each night. The smile that was on his lips earlier never faded and instead grew wider. He nodded his head.
“I promise.”
灯籠流し。
“Normal walks don’t last that long, Yun Ho.” Haruna said the moment Yun Ho entered his house. Her sudden presence had startled him, and it nearly caused him to skid. The huge smile that was on his face when he entered quickly faded. He hadn’t expected anybody to still be up, but clearly, she had been waiting for him.
“Haruna-“
“I saw you with the neighbor’s servant.” She said, and her words made Yun Ho’s blood run cold. “Why are you seeing him?”
“It should not matter to you whom I decide to see.” Yun Ho replied icily. Crossing his arms in front of his chest and refusing to make eye contact.
Haruna drew closer to Yun Ho until she was just an arm’s length away. “It should not matter to me, you are right; and it doesn’t. If he makes you happy, I am glad, but Yun Ho, what of mother and father’s plans of arranging a marriage for you?”
“I will simply refuse to give my consent.” Yun Ho said back, turning finally to meet his sister’s gaze.
She sighed deeply and placed a hand over his shoulder, “We both know it’s not going to be that simple-“
“I know.” Yun Ho breathed heavily, staring at his feet for a moment before looking back up at his older sister, “But I don’t want to stop seeing Jae Joong. Although I have not known him for a very long time, I… I think I am in love with him.”
Haruna regarded him with a wan smile and enveloped Yun Ho in an embrace, “I am happy you are in love. But mother and father are bound to find out later on… and when they do, they are not going to be happy. You know how they are.”
“I know,” Yun Ho said again, “I will figure something out.”
“You had better,” she nodded, “because they have already picked out a bride for you.”
灯籠流し。
It was a few weeks after the first time they decided to meet every night when Jae Joong noticed the troubled expression that marred Yun Ho’s usually calm face.
“Yun Ho, what is bothering you?” Jae Joong questioned, voice dripping with concern. He placed a hand over Yun Ho’s shoulder. “Please tell me. I don’t want to see you so troubled.”
Yun Ho turned his head to face Jae Joong and regarded him with a wan smile. He placed his and over Jae Joong’s and said, “I will be fine. Do not worry about me.”
“But Yun Ho-“
“Do you enjoy wearing this hemp shirt?” Yun Ho interrupting, quickly changing the subject, “It does not look very comfortable. Do you not have a kimono, or a yukata you would rather wear?”
“I have one kimono and one yukata; but I only wear them on special occasions.” Jae Joong replied.
“Can you wear your kimono for me tomorrow night?” Yun Ho questioned, taking Jae Joong slightly aback, “Tomorrow is special, and I’d like to take you somewhere.”
“…Okay.” Jae Joong nodded easily, “but, if I may ask… why is tomorrow special?”
“I… I cannot tell you yet.” Yun Ho answered, and was glad when Jae Joong did not insist on knowing; for he could not bear to tell Jae Joong yet that the following night would probably be the last night they’d spend in each other’s company.
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