Title: Seoul Boy
Author: Lolcat/Syn2554
Pairing: Duseung, Tiny bit of Junseob (WAAAAY later)
Rating: PG - 13
Warning: The rating is for much later - the content is PG for most of this and it's a long story :)
Summary: Hyunseung gets sent to the remote island of Jeju and has to come up with a way of surviving as a city boy in the country :D
Author's Notes: This is my pride and Joy of all fanfics I've written, so please enjoy. It's long and a little rushed, but I hope you like it :D
COMMENT!
Chapter 1 -
http://beastattack.livejournal.com/1369024.htmlChapter 2 -
http://beastattack.livejournal.com/1370715.htmlcos IDEK how to link propperly on HTML mode.
I was right. I spent the whole evening talking with Yoseob and Junhyung - making friends like I hoped, though doubted, I would. Yoseob was funny and bright, making cheeky jokes and constantly smiling. Junhyung was less energetic, though he was nice enough, if not a little distant. I also learnt that Yoseob was a year younger than I, and Junhyung was the same year, though a few months younger.
Who intrigued me the most, though, was Dujun. He watched us for the whole meal, like he wanted to join in on the conversation, but he was too superior. Either that or he was just as happy not joining in and laughing when we made a joke. Once again, he seemed reserved - more adult than us, but not enough to sit with the adults. Yoseob and Junhyung seemed to idolise him, however, and almost showed off to him. It made me wonder what their relationship with him was.
When it was getting late, I noticed how tired I was and tried to hide it, but I didn’t think I could for long. The food had been cleaned up and Sinwu and Jinri were chatting happily about horses and money - this and that. I felt myself drifting off - I simply couldn’t hold my eyes open anymore.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the gentle birdsong of an unfamiliar species. I blinked a few times, trying to wake myself and thinking hard about how I got into bed last night. I was so tired that I didn’t remember walking myself here at all. Also, I felt awfully grungy, remembering I hadn’t had another shower or brushed my teeth.
“Guuhhh...” I groaned and rolled out of bed. I still had my skinnies on. I blinked a few more times as I walked out to the bathroom.
After freshening up, I went out to the stables. I knew Jinri would be there. On my way down, I heard a small whinny and followed the source of the sound with my eyes. It was Cheondung.
“You again,” I said, still hugging myself, and was rewarded with another small whinny. Cheondung came closer and walked with me at a distance. If he got any closer, I would have worried, but he stayed a good five meters away, just walking. I made it to the stables and poked my head inside.
“Morning, Hyunseung-ah.” I smiled at Jinri.
“Good morning.”
“You went out like a light last night,” she said, closing the door to a stall she was cleaning and walking towards me with a shovel. “Help me clean these stalls, will you?” I didn’t complain, solely because I was raised better than that. It was so tempting to just say ‘pfft, no.’
I took the shovel, trying to concentrate on the conversation. “I know - I was so tired.” I followed her until she pointed to a stall for me to clean. I almost groaned when I realised I would be shovelling horse poo. Lovely, I thought and sighed.
“Luckily Dujun was there to carry you to bed or you would have slept in the living room all night.” I froze.
“Dujun hyung carried me to bed?”
“Don’t get all humble on me now - it was a very sweet thing for him to do.” I felt a little odd thinking that a guy I just met, a hyung at that, carried me while I was sleeping. I turned back to my shovelling to take my mind off it.
“Remind me to thank him,” I said, not really meaning it, but not wanting to seem rude. When I turned to tip my full shovel into the wheelbarrow, I jumped at the sight of Cheondung. He had his head over the stall door and was watching me curiously. I frowned at him.
“What’s your problem?” I asked quietly, making sure Jinri didn’t hear. The horse’s golden ear twitched and he turned his head a little.
“You know,” Jinri said. I couldn’t see her, but she wasn’t far away. “... he’s never taken to anyone like he has to you.”
“Waeyo me?!” Jinri laughed.
“Maybe he’s amused that you’re afraid,” she giggled.
“Not afraid,” I said grumpily, though it was a lie.
We had lunch together up at the house after I helped clean out two more stalls. I was rewarded with a very delicious meal. Over lunch I was told about my new school.
“You can start tomorrow if you think you’re settled, otherwise the next day is fine. No hurry.” I nodded. I didn’t like the idea of a new school, but after meeting Yoseob-shi and Junhyung-shi, I was excited to see who else I might meet. “At least you’ve met Junhyung and Yoseob. It’s a small school, so you will be in classes together a lot.” That got me even more excited. I definitely wanted to start straight away.
I cleaned up after lunch and then went to my room to sit on my bed while I messaged some of my friends back home, and my umma. I hadn’t spoken to her much since I arrived and I was beginning to miss her.
My friends all messaged back straight away, excited about my messages and all asking heaps of questions. They wanted photos of the horses and the land. I decided Umma would want the same, even though she hadn’t messaged me back yet, so I decided to go for another walk.
As soon as I was outside, Cheondung trotted over, nickering. I sighed.
“I just can’t get a break, can I?” I said and kept walking. Jinri said I was in no hurry today, so I had as long as I wanted. I didn't think I’d be long. I went down the same track as the day before and Cheondung braved closer to me than usual. I frowned. I stopped suddenly and he did the same. I turned around and looked at him while frowning.
“If I take a photo of you, will you leave me alone?” I got my iPhone out. “If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone in Seoul you’re a stalker.” I snapped a photo of his golden face, making sure to get more of the side with the lightning strike. His bright blue eyes were clear in the picture. “You can go now - it turned out all right... for a horse.” I turned and began walking again. I knew he would follow me, so I just ignored him. I sent the photo of him to all of my friends, naming it ‘My Shadow.’
I got further down the track than I had the day before and when I noticed the scenery changing, I began taking photos. I knew there were some things that my friends had never seen before, like huge forests and miles and miles of green. I got to a point where I really had no idea where I was, but I wasn’t worried. I’d followed a path the whole way, and I had a GPS in my phone. We were so high up on the ranges that I had to get some good photos of the view.
It was relatively peaceful until I heard Cheondung snort behind me. I looked back at him. He was frozen to the spot with his head high in the air, higher than his tail which was flagging in the breeze as well.
“What, boy?” I asked, looking in the direction he was facing. He seemed very concentrated.
He was looking towards a low fence about ten metres from us. We stood at the top of a steep hill which I couldn’t really see down, so I wondered if he could hear something coming towards us from below. “Cheondung-ah?” He snorted again and tossed his head. I backed away quickly as he reared up on his back legs, though it was brief. He was certainly upset about something.
I watched from a distance as he trotted away and then looked back at me, whinnying.
“Oh god, horse, please don’t scare me like this - what are you running from?” I heard it then - I was sure it was the sound of hooves. It was coming from the hill where he was looking, so I was sure I was safe with the fence in the way. I took a few steps back towards the golden horse anyway.
Finally, when the sound of hooves was loud enough to be unmistakable, the horse appeared at the top of the hill. It was black and tall, and galloping right towards the fence. Then I saw, behind the long neck, a rider. My eyes widened. So it wasn’t just some wild beast - I was safe. I sighed with relief.
“Cheondung-yo,” I said, looking at him and then back at the horse and rider, “it’s okay.” Then I realised who it was and my face fell. Dammit, it’s Dujun.
I watched him, though, a little impressed by his skill. I expected him to stop when he noticed me, but he kept riding at the same speed. He was at the fence in a second, and in another, over it, his horse’s speed and grace carrying it neatly over - as light as the breeze. It landed about seven meters from me and then he began to slow it down.
“Well hello there,” Dujun called, puffing a little. The horse pawed at the ground. Cheondung reared and bucked behind me.
“Good afternoon,” I said back.
“Taking your pony for a walk, I see,” he said, walking his giant black horse closer. It was much larger than Cheondung. Its back was so high that Dujun sat almost above my head. “This is Beast,” he said, stroking the silky black mane. I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t come any closer. He didn’t. Five meters away was close enough. “What are you doing all the way out here?”
“My friends from Seoul wanted photos of stuff, so I went for a walk to get some.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place. I think this is the prettiest spot on all of Jeju-do. If you look over there, through the mountains,” he said, pointing almost behind him, “you can see the ocean.” I looked hard and he was right.
“Wow,” I said, though I was a bit disappointed that it was so far away. I knew my iPhone would never be able to get a good photo from so far away.
“Pyoseon Beach is actually a lot closer than it looks, but those mountains are in the way, so it looks miles away. You can even ride there from here.” I laughed at the idea of him suggesting I would ever get on a horse. He seemed to notice. “If you learn to ride, I’ll take you down to the beach some time.” I shook my head.
“I’m not an animal person,” I said, getting used to saying it by then.
“Cheondung disagrees,” Dujun said, nodding at the golden horse. He was stomping and shaking his head.
“What is he doing?”
“He’s trying to scare Beast and me off, but he knows we’re bigger.” I narrowed my eyes. “He’s trying to protect you.” My eyes did the opposite then and I looked back at Dujun.
“Waeyo?”
“Moleukesseoyo; all I know is, you’re the first person he’s not hated.” Dujun looked thoughtful.
“Maybe he likes the love/hate relationship.” Dujun laughed then, surprising his giant horse a little and making it skip from foot to foot. I scuttled backwards a few steps out of habit.
“Cheondung’s left a permanent mark on me and I still can’t hate him. He loves you; how can you hate him?”
“What did he do?” I asked, avoiding the question.
“He bit me,” Dujun said, smiling and lifting his shirt. I couldn’t see from the distance and I precariously stepped a little closer. From about three meters away, I could finally see the marks on his side - big marks. I winced.
“I thought you were trying to improve my relationship with this horse,” I said, backing away from Beast. Dujun shrugged and wiped his sweaty forehead on his sleeve.
“I don’t think, from the way he’s acting now, that he’d ever hurt you.” I looked at him.
“Hear that Cheondung-ah? You have expectations now.” Dujun smiled again. He had a warm, happy smile - genuine was a good word. “Hey, Hyung...” I said then, feeling like I had to. He looked at me, his smile gone. “Komawoyo for last night...” I didn’t look at him until after I said it - it felt too awkward. His smile came back then, but that time it was different, bolder.
“No problem.” I knew he was amused by the situation and I hated it, so I had to change the subject, but he beat me to it. “Let me teach you to ride,” he almost begged, turning the horse with barely a movement of his foot.
“I don’t want to learn,” I said as politely as possible.
“You’re just afraid.”
“Why does everyone think that?” I asked, wondering.
“Because you’re that transparent when it comes to animals.” I was so shocked he’d just called me transparent that I didn’t notice Cheondung right behind me. I was so terrified when I felt his breath in my hair that I screamed, and it was awful. So... so embarrassing... I wanted to die. I stood a few meters from the gold horse and a few more from the black, covering my face in shame. It was worse that Dujun was in a fit of laughter, as loud as he liked. In a huff, I dropped my hands and began walking back the way I came.
“Hyunseungie,” Dujun called after me with a fairly apologetic tone. I ignored him. “Mianhamnida! Jebal meomchwo.” I swallowed and slowed. “Mianhae,” he said again. I turned and looked at him, or more like glared. “Mianhae,” he said a third time and dismounted Beast.
“It’s fine,” I said, just so he would stop apologising. He left his horse to graze and walked closer. His white shirt was rather sweaty and clung to him in places. He looked a lot like a farmer at that time.
“Jebal?” he said, his face lighting up with hope. I frowned again.
“I don’t want to learn-”
“Have you ever faced your fears before, Hyunseung?” I swallowed, wondering why he was suddenly talking more formally. Maybe he wanted me to realise how serious he was. I thought, but I knew I hadn’t. I always ran from everything. Everything that crawled, hopped, flew or slithered, that was for sure, and definitely everything bigger than I am. I bit my cheek and shook my head. “This might be the most exciting thing you ever do, Seung-ah.” He smiled a little when he said that, but he dropped the formality by about a thousand percent just by the way he said my name. My best friend in the world only ever called me that when I was crying or being mocked.
“Fine.”
The next chapter (m/n_n\m) kkkkk you guys will love. I'm so mean, making you wait. Oh well.
Tomorrow. This is about 5 hours late but I was in the city with my Kpop buddies - first time hanging out since graduation kkk.
(WE SAW A KPOP FLASH MOB IN BRISBANE! THEY DANCED TO LUCIFER, SORRY SORRY, SOME GIRLBAND SONG AND WEDDING DRESS!! IT WAS SO NUTS!!! OMFG I'M SO JOINING IT!!!)
Yeah, okay. I was excited. I'll go now.
Komawoyo, saranghaeyo.
Lolcat.