Drone buzzes, helicar propellers and a large industrial scenery is a staple of life in Surdebgaeth. It is the industrial district of Calon City where anything from the most expensive luxurious helicars to the toothbrushes you brushed your teeth with this morning were manufactured.
Walking around titanium alloyed bridges and hearing some loud helibus flying the next shipment of flip-flops to Natico in the background is to be expected. The employment rates were lower than the possibility of finding an unemployed person.
Full of suffocation and disillusionment was Evan, always coming home to the same empty house that only had movement at night, although never pleasant. Always coming home to sit in his room studying over the sounds of fighting in the dark hole where you should abandon hope if you were to enter.
On occasion, the malice and foul odor from that place would come into his sacred temple in order to disrupt the peace. Sometimes it was shouting, sometimes just the smell of ash and vodka. All that studying he was engaging in was for the mere possibility of never having to deal with this again.
It was the best year of high school for Evan, the year where all you had to do was show up until you got that job or got that scholarship so you'd never have to look into the faces of those who only wished you well ever again. He wouldn't have to talk to the teens trying to simulate adult life in a misguided, amateur way were spending their weekends dodging the cops and getting into trouble, gaining a lot of problems that would follow them well into their adult lives, Evan was sure that standing beside them would be meaningless.
Afterall, Evan struggled to understand what was so appealing about socializing during school. After all, your social life in high school only mattered while you were there; after that it meant nothing. Still, today of all days his parents insisted on him going to a festival his elitely-named, nameless high school was organizing.
He didn't see the point, as all he would do was go there to stand and pretend to be entertained by the idiots around him wearing moron party masks. But the path of least resistance was the path that led to the least immediate mental pain, besides, they really needed to get rid of him for the whole day for another superfluous, meaningless reason. Evan caved in to his parents' demands.
An Athrobry-themed festival by one of the most elite schools in Surdebgaeth. It was almost as if they were begging them to visit Athrobry in order to figure out how to move the city away from their star after they'd fizzled it out of all its energy. Nevertheless, Evan begrudgingly attended this festival.
He was sitting down with his sketchbook, trying to let whatever image was in his head come onto paper. But they always ended up being pictures of cats with no legs massacring each other no matter how hard he tried to imagine something that could be turned into a genuine illustration, like as if he wanted some complete stranger to find his sketchbook and question him about its contents so he could seem knowledgeable and deeper than he actually was.
After all, Evan was nothing but a big slag. To call him a slag was an insult to the bog that spawned this gelatinous human-shaped piece of slime.
"Man that drawing sucks ass, " a female voice spoke.
Evan sat there as if somebody grabbed a lighter and just set his entire wardrobe on fire. Confusion and anger rose inside him for having his train of thought disrupted. He looked up only to see a strangely dressed girl. She was strikingly attractive to him, but he knew he could only ever be with this kind of girl in dreams, so he didn't attribute that much meaning to what she said. Still, he shot back.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong place. Depressed women club is two blocks down. If you pass your wrist over a cash register that bitch will beep. "
"Oh boo-fucking-hoo. I'm just trying to help you with your drawing, you didn't have to be an asshole about it. "
What did she mean by trying to help? The only times somebody ever paid attention to what he was doing was to just say how sickly in the head he was. No, this made no sense. He just needed to figure out a way to get her to engage so he could scare her off.
"Ok, sorry. I might've been a bit of an asshole there, what do you want exactly? "
"This festival fucking blows, there's nothing fun to do in here. It feels like an insult to my home district being here. So I figured I shouldn't spend my time reading gay second millennium philosophy and came to pick on a nerd. "
"Why did it have to be me of all people? "
"Because you look way too gloomy. It's like you've been listening to 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' on repeat for a week straight."
Evan had convulsions in his chest that he tried to hide. He almost laughed at how bad her music taste was. He could use this.
"Oh please, could you have picked a WORSE band than The Smashing Pumpkins? Like seriously, they have the most cringe, physically discomforting lyrics ever."
Evan frowned with the most generic furrowed brow imaginable.
"You look like somebody who'd listen to that."
She giggled. It sounded like a thousand angels praising God to Evan.
"No I wouldn't."
"Oh yeah? What kind of stuff do you listen to, tough guy? Hawthorne Heights? We The Kings? The All-American Rejects?"
"What kind of shit do you listen to? Don't insult me with this type of assault to the ears. I only listen to real men's shit, like Converge. 'The Dusk in Us' is my favorite album."
"Ok I guess that's cool. I only liked 'Concubine' and 'I Can Tell You About Pain, ' didn't listen to the rest."
She. .. how could she know about it? Less than a million people knew about Converge in all of Calon. Their shows barely filled a small ballroom. Evan was taken aback by this spark of ember that just came out of his heart. But he had to keep her talking.
"Yeah, I'm also a huge fan of Nirvana."
He wasn't. She was just wearing a Nirvana t-shirt.
"Oh, well, I only listen to them on the weekends, if I'm honest. I only have the t-shirt because I thought it looked cool. Bands I'm really obsessed with are Deftones, Korn, and a bit of Surf Curse."
Three bands Evan was deeply in love with like a Victorian maiden longing for her knight. The music in the background shifted from ambient electronica to some obnoxious hyperpop beat, pounding against their ears. They strolled through the cracked cement paths of the festival, walking past food stalls and minimalist art exhibits wrapped in too much meaning while still bantering a lot.
They paused in front of a booth wrapped in shifting holographic sheets. The sign above flickered: "Dreamscape Reflection, See Yourself in the second Millennium."
Inside the booth, students were strapping on headsets and floating in midair via thin magnetic harnesses. The simulation made them soar through surrealist interpretations of Calon City's future, rivers of light, endless skyscrapers, imploding suns. Every teen exiting came out dazed, like they'd just come back from seeing God with bad taste. Myung-Hee tilted her head.
"This looks stupid as hell."
"Peak Athrobry, Everything's gotta be metaphysical or make you nauseous."
She grinned.
"I dare you to try it."
Evan scoffed.
"Only if you go first."
"Fine. But if I come out blind, I'm suing you."
She handed her boots to the assistant and slipped into the harness with practiced grace. The moment the headset slid on, her body tensed. Her hands twitched slightly in midair. She floated there like a ghost caught in a trance.
One minute passed.
Two.
Then, without warning, she jerked upright as the headset lifted. She landed on her feet, blinking. Stumbling a little.
"I just saw myself giving a TED Talk while being devoured by flowers."
"What."
"I think they were violets. And my mom was in the audience holding a leash."
"Okay that's… horrifying."
"My turn to laugh at you, now go."
"I really don't like being dizzy."
"Live a little, Surdebi boy."
He relented, stepped in, and let the VR tech click him into the harness. The headset hummed, and he was yanked into a kaleidoscopic void. Time folded. He saw visions, him walking alone through a version of Central Calon where every building was a mirror. No one looked at him. Not even Myung-Hee. All he had was a dagger in hand and demons sorrounding him, he slashed and stabbed, dodged out of the way of claws, fire and brimstone, ultimately he was defeated by a demon who looked exactly like him.
He came out blinking like he'd swallowed a dream whole.
"Well? Did you see your future?"
"I saw a therapy bill."
They both laughed. It echoed just slightly too loudly in the open space. They were close now. Shoulders brushing. A small charge passed between them, and for once, Evan didn't recoil from it.
Myung-Hee looked at him differently now.
"You're not like the others, you're kind of... real. That's weird for me."
He didn't know what to say, so he smiled instead. That's when she said it:
"Okay, mystery boy. You've got good taste, you made me laugh, and I just hallucinated a violet apocalypse with you. What's next?"
Evan swallowed.
"I know a place. Listen, my parents aren't picking me up. They just make me take the helibus home. How about we ditch this emotional mock-a-coaster of a festival for someplace actually fun. Someplace I actually enjoy."
He was going to take her to his secret hideout, an abandoned factory a block away from the school. All he needed was a yes. Luckily, she tilted her head sideways, letting her body language speak.
"It's sort of a hideout I go to when I don't want to be home. I brought some stuff. Power still works there. .. somehow. You can walk from here."
"I'm down. I literally have nothing else to do. I don't know anybody here and you seem kind of cool for a nerd."
"Alright, it's a date."
Oh no, why did he say that-
"Yeah sure."
Huh.
"Hold my hand the whole way then, gentleman."
She extended her arm. Evan took her hand, and she started pulling him along like their interlocked fingers were now a leash. Every phrase from her was affirmation. Every strange sign on the way was a chance for a joke. Evan's ordinary escape route now felt warm and alive, just because she was there. As they neared the factory, the reality of the moment ending crept in.
"Oh, we're here."
The building was cracked, tagged, a mess. But it was his, or, at least he's squatting in it.
"Oh uh, I like what you did with the place. Really gives off a 'I'm totally going to get murdered in here' vibe."
"Oh come on, we're not even inside yet."
"At least ask the name of your victim before you dismember her into 18 parts."
Right. He didn't know her name.
"Ok, what's your name?" "My name is Myung-Hee."
Athrobryan name. Meanwhile, he was Evan Brown. Too Surdebi.
"Well, my name is Brown- err, Evan Brown."
"Ok, I know what to put in the police report. Anyways, are we going in for you to show me your gay little secret corner?"
"It's a little something I built over the years with lunch and helibus money. Come with me."
He extended his hand. She took it, interlocking her fingers with his. Inside, graffiti gave way to clarity as they walked down the corridor. They reached a door. He pulled out a key with a keychan that had a small illustration of what seemed like a silhouette of a little native man running with a soccer ball next to it, as if it was playing with it, sorrounded by palm trees and surf boards with a little name engraved called 'Natico'.
Click.
It was a room decorated with a suspended strobe light, a desk with a computer in the far corner, and a plastic chair. Christmas lights hung from the ceiling. At the center stood a camping tent filled with cushions, comic books, regular books and some textbooks. More lights dangled inside it. A small TV and CD player sat underneath, stacked with teen drama season box sets right in front of the tent. A ladder led to a roof hatch. A neon sign above the computer read "home." A table with a mini fridge under it and microwave on top of it and two bean bags in random positions.
"W-wow."
"It's not much but it's homely."
"I really like the decor. The ancient lights really remind me how every end-of-year in Natico they worship an ancient god."
Natico is known as the pleasure district, but not the kind you might think. Hedonistic, sexual, and psychedelic pleasures are more reserved for liberal districts like Athrobry. While Athrobry focuses on pleasures of the body, Natico revolves around pleasures of the soul. It was engineered to be a tropical paradise: artificial islands, pool-like seas with little to major waves depends on where you're staying, sunsets, open-air cafés. Emotional, poetic, immersive pleasures, through peace, music, love, and intimacy.
"I don't know. There's something about Natico that really speaks to me."
"Do you perchance like smoking chamalucha on the peace pipe in here or something like them?"
"I think you should know firsthand that Athrobry has higher substance abuse stats than Natico."
"Yeah, for sure."
Myung-Hee flopped onto one of the beanbags, stretching her arms before looking up at the ceiling lights.
"This place is weirdly cozy. You've got, like, divorced dad energy, but in a good way."
Evan smirked, nervous but oddly flattered.
"There's a roof too. It's the best part."
"Oh? You're really trying to impress me now."
He pointed to the ladder, and she climbed up first. Evan followed. The hatch creaked open, revealing the rooftop with a two chairs, an end-table fastened into a arm-rest staring out into the endless horizon of grey buildings and a parasol in the middle, bathed in dim city glow, Surdebgaeth's amber lights casting shadows over endless smokestacks and conveyor bridges.
The drone buzz and industrial humming was quieter here, dulled by distance. Above them, a completely dark empty void peeked through the thick air, just really let them know that outside the City there is nothing, just empty space. Myung-Hee sat down on one of the chairs and leaned against the railing, arms crossed while laying her chin on top of them. Her sarcasm fell away for a bit.
"Man, this place is so weirdly beautiful, it's so different than back home, it's. .. refreshing almost, I just came here to try to be a model student, 'Oh, I'm Athrobryan I should go to the Athrobryan festival in Surdebgaeth my school is hosting, it's going to be fun' right?"
Evan looked at her. It's almost as if she's letting her guard down a little around him.
"Yeah, don't get too attached though, this place is incredibly dull and it just never changes, I lived here for 18 years and it's still the same, boring, grey, depressing place it's always was."
She nodded, still staring out.
"The lights in Athrobry just hurt your eyes after a while, like as if they're trying really hard to say, 'yeah we're the cool guys, we're so different than all the other districts come live here' when it's actually just terrible."
Evan sat down beside her. The air was cooler up here. It made it easier to speak.
"What do you mean terrible? I thought there was the second best place to live other than Central Calon"
"It is, only the wealthy and famous live there and that is exactly the problem, when I graduate I'm expected to just take over after my dad who is so busy I had maybe 3 conversations with him in my lifetime while my mom wants to marry me off to some weird richer guy in Amaethgwaith just because he owns a bunch of farms there and she wants to expand their business into agriculture, I have no friends my own age, everybody at school just treats me like a walking encyclopedia or a quick lay and at my house it's just servants that my family hired who are 30 years older than me, it's just terrible and I'm so glad I came here in hindsight, I get to be away from it all even if just for a week, it's like I have the slightest bit of control over my own life."
"Sometimes I also wish that I could just run away."
Myung-hee turned her head towards him, laying sideways on her arms intrigued by what this total nerd has to say.
"My parents neglect me in a different kind of way, while yours just see you as an object to be bought and sold mine just kind of forgot that all the partying and drinking stops making you cool after college and because I was the result of a thousand bad decisions I'm supposed to suffer for it."
"Oh..."
"I almost got killed by my own mother twice, for no particular reason, she was just so drunk she didn't even know what she was doing, she probably doesn't even remember. She gives me all of the things that I need sure but it doesn't feel like love, she just feels like she's obligated, she legitimately told me she can not wait till I'm out of home and she can start 'living again', it's so... sad. "
"Oh man, I'm so sorry."
"And my dad just loves his cocaine a little too much, so much so he got fired because the cameras inside his helitruck caught him in the act, meaning now we just have a financial burden inside our house stealing our money to go burn it on some more nose candy. Not spending any time with me and even if he wanted to there's nothing we could possibly say to each other. I begged him to divorce my mom more times than you might think but it's just always 'No, no, I can fix this, we can fix this, we love each other' so that he won't have to get an actual job and not have us take care of him, he's a child in the body of a man in his late 40s, I don't know what they have because it sure as hell isn't love."
For a few seconds, silence. Not awkward, just necessary.
"What I've been doing to survive and not kill myself because I was the result of a broken condom I just decided to dedicate myself the most to just focusing on studying so I can get away from everything. I don't really like hanging around other people but I know there's somebody out there worthy of my time."
"I guess that's why you built this place, huh? So you'd have a spot where it's quiet. Where you could matter."
"It's not much but it's the place that is entirely my own and the only place where I get to be happy."
They had a slight pause while staring into the city-scape
"And what are your plans for the future? What are you studying for?"
"Well I managed to get a scholarship in Central Calon but I'm still struggling on choosing my major, it's everything from medicine to computer science, I was studying for like 6 whole months to get max grade"
"What did you WANT to be when you were growing up?"
"I wanted to be an airforce pilot. Go to Gwnffer, serve in the United Cities Army"
"And you can't do that right now because?"
"My degree of Myopia is too high and I'm not 23 just yet."
"Oh... that really sucks."
"It's fine though, I don't want to fight for the other cities, my heart is only for Calon. Afterall we have places like Natico. I always dreamt about going there."
"Right now, I'm just preparing myself for the worst, this is perhaps my last year of 'freedom' before the marriage. Ugh. He's disgusting too. He doesn't brush his teeth it's disgusting."
"Why don't you just run away like me."
"I would but I'd probably just be chased to the ends of the earth by my parents."
"I would just steal all of their money, hop on a Wormbus and I'd live in Natico till I died."
"Didn't you want to go to Center Calon."
"Yeah, for me to raise capital and then move to Natico. "
"Hmm..."
She grabbed her seat and nudged it right next to his and laid on his shoulder. For the first time she had found somebody who had a dysfunctional life like hers but instead of just accepting it he is fighting against it, and she finds that in him admirable.
"You sound like you have everything figured out. "
"I've... Never had somebody to talk about my problems with before. "
She looked over to his bag laying on the ground next to the end-table with the sketchbock peeking out of it.
"That's a lie. You talk to your sketchbook all the time."
That made him laugh, quiet, breathy. She smiled again. For real this time.
"You want to know something stupid?"
"Always."
"I think I finally met someone who had a little less bullshit to deal with than I do."
Evan paused.
"I think I met someone who can relate to mine."
They sat together for a long while. The factory hum in the background. The empty void looming overhead. Her shoulder rested gently against his. And for the first time in a long time, neither of them felt alone. She quickly fell asleep on top of his arm and he carried her down the ladder by doing a dificult maneuver of holding her entire body over his shoulder and balancing her down, he laid her on the cushions inside the tent and he laid next to her. Myung-Hee woke up only a few short minutes after that.
"Hey Evan..."
"What is it Myung?"
"Come here for a second."
When Evan leaned closer, Myung-Hee wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, and whispered something into his ear.
"If I'm going to be shipped out to a farm with a gross man I never met, I want to at least have the dignity of choosing my first time."
Not even the wisest could have understood what was happening in that moment. There was something mysteriously right about it, even though barely a word was spoken or none at all. Her smile arrived slowly, unhurried, like someone who already knew the end of the story before the first page was turned.
It was a quiet smile, almost shy, but charged with intention. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and crushed leaves. The dim room wrapped them in shadows, blurring the line between light and dark, just as fragile as the boundary between longing and surrender. They didn't need to speak, her silence said more than any whispered confession could.
He caught the subtle gesture, the way she lowered her eyes, as if trying to hide something pride, fear, or perhaps vulnerability itself. But it was too late for hiding. Desire had already become inevitable, as certain as a rose opening in bloom, as sweet as honey on the tongue. When they touched, it was like music being born.
Their movements weren't rushed, nor hesitant they flowed like soft notes in a deep, private harmony. Every sigh, every shiver, every sound their bodies made became part of a song composed just for that afternoon. It was love, yes but it was also want. It was silence, yet a symphony. And as their bodies met in a slow, deliberate rhythm, the world outside ceased to exist. There was only this moment. Only what they were building together, a space where reason had no place, because what unfolded between them was beyond explanation.
After they were finished, Evan woke up and turned toward his partner covered in a blanket and wearing his shirt. He hurried to get up and collect their clothes that were thrown around the place. Her phone was buzzing with a call from somebody called Jiseok, and Evan's phone didn't have a single important notification on it other than messages from online friends.
He buttoned his shirt back on and grabbed a drink from his mini-fridge, sitting down inside the tent next to Myung-Hee. He grabbed two just in case she randomly woke up, which is what happened. She nudged her face against his stomach and sat up.
"Uugh man my back hurts."
"It was a bad idea to do this on a concrete floor."
She threw a cushion at his head.
"Shut up... Where is my bra. "
"Right here."
"You pervert grabbing a girl's bra..."
"Here, also have this."
He handed her a can of lemon soda.
"Huh... never had any of these."
"Not even regular soda?"
"Is this some kind of peasant joke I'm too rich to understand."
"Try me. Also, somebody is calling you on your phone."
"Who was it... if it's a non-Athrobryan name it probably doesn't matter. I don't want to go back to the hotel."
"Oh it was somebody called Jiseok."
"Fucking great. It's my cousin."
"Sounds like a real charmer."
"If I don't go he'll probably tell my mom to block my card... well, it was nice coming here with you."
"I'll helitaxi you back to your hotel if you want."
"We can just walk there, it's the one right next to the school."
"Huh. They have an all-you-can-eat buffet, can I eat there with you? I always wanted to!"
"You're lucky I'm hungry. Let's go."
They both got completely dressed, packed their things and walked back to the hotel. Myung-Hee constantly held to Evan's arm as a way to show off. It was as if tiny hearts floated off of her as she held onto him.
They arrived at the hotel's entrance and a man who looked no older than 25 was sat down in the entrance, he looked at both of them and stood up. His expression quickly turned sour as he power walked in their direction.
"YU MYUNG-HEE!"
He shouted as he reached their location. His face was full of concern and indignation, eyes darting between her and Evan like he was scanning for damage.
"Do you have ANY idea how worried I was? You weren't answering your phone! I called NINETY THREE times and even messaged your school rep!"
"Jiseok, calm down. I'm fine. I was with some random stray I caught off the street the whole time."
Jiseok looked Evan up and down, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Who's this guy? You're out all day and show up arm-in-arm with a Surdebi dude who's assaulting our fashion choises. What the hell is going on here?"
Before Evan could answer, Jiseok gasped melodramatically, then broke into a wide grin.
"Wait a second. .. don't tell me this is your rebel phase. Oh my god, did my little cousin finally find herself a brooding industrial boy? I'm so proud."
Jiseok's arm was waving like a noodle in front of Myung-Hee but she slapped it away.
"Shut up, idiot."
"Name's Yu Jiseok. Proud cousin-slash-babysitter of this horrendous pain in the ass. And you must be the boy who somehow managed to impress her. I gotta say, man, that's not easy."
Evan awkwardly extended his hand.
"Uh… Evan. Evan Brown."
Jiseok shook it up and down with gusto.
"Nice to meet you, Evan. Seriously, thanks for making sure she's safe. You have no idea what it's like trying to manage her when she's on one of her 'screw the world' streaks."
"I'm right in front of you yknow."
He stared into her for the slightest second with a side eye and playful expression, though he kept talking with Evan
"Don't let the grumpy face fool you. She's one of the good ones."
"I know."
Jiseok looked between them again, his usual energy quieting for a brief second.
"You going to come inside for dinner?"
Myung-Hee glanced at Evan.
"That is literally the only reason why I came here."
"Alright then, let's feed the Rottweiller!"
"I will skin you alive." - Myung-Hee said with an even grumpier expression.
The three of them entered the hotel, the doors hissing open as warmth and light welcomed them inside, TV screens of the latest news and the sound of people talking in the background and mechanical clicks from mouses and keyboards asserting new guests into their rooms. This hotel seems to be filled with Athrobryans because of the school festival. As they arrived in the Buffet Restaurant Jiseok said:
"Oh you two find us a seat while I'll be right back, I forgot my wallet in our room, take care of the Rottweiler while I'm gone aight Evan?"
"Oh my fucking Go" -Myung-Hee's face turns red but she gets interrupted by Evan
"You got it Jiji."
Myung-Hee and Evan sat down in a table that had sofas instead of chairs, they sat together and after a moment of silence that wasn't awkward at all and more like a moment of intimate resting, Evan spoke up.
"Myung, I have a question."
"Spit it."
"So… your cousin doesn't sound terrible. What's the rest of your family like?"
"Well, I've got two older brothers and a ton of uncles and aunts. The extended family's actually the nicer part, but my parents and siblings? They're kind of. .. terrible. I wish my brothers were just cringy like Jiseok. Instead, they act like I'm not even human. Jiseok's the exception, not the rule."
"Good lord. What do they do to you?"
"Less about what they do, more what they don't. I'd love it if they took care of me, spent time with me, supported me in becoming my own person, like Jiseok does in a way. But it's like free will is a luxury only the men in this family have. I'm just expected to accept the marriage, get shipped off to some random villa in Amaethgwaith, and rot while at the same time basically being the COO for my dad's company there."
Myung-Hee nudges her head backwards into Evan's shoulder.
"It sucks, really. But at least it's not completely hopeless. With you, I got to choose something for the first time in my life."
"Hmm… You don't say. You got to choose something because you were with me, right?"
"Uh, yeah. I think so. I mean… I still feel the same. Nothing magically fixed. Still me. Still the same, post-hymen."
"Christ, don't say that…"
Evan covers his face, cheeks turning red.
"What are you trying to imply, Evan?"
"Look, I'm not trying to force anything, but…"
"Go on."
"Let's say… hypothetically, when I move to Central Calon, I get a two-person apartment. You can crash with me. If you want."
"Hmmm. You didn't chop me into seventeen pieces, so that's a good start. But seriously, are you asking a girl you just met to move in with you~?"
"I-I know how crazy it sounds, but… there's just something about you. Like, after you showed up, suddenly life makes sense."
"Damn. Didn't know I was that important to you, mister newly-wed."
"Look, both our lives suck. Both of us want to run away. You see where I'm coming from?... Plus, that was my first time too."
"I could tell."
"Wait-what do you mean you could tell?!"
"Hmm, I don't know. Just a vibe. But hey, hard proposition to turn down. I'd get all the freedom I want and a cute guy to look at all day, and free food? Sign me up!"
She grabs his nose and shakes his head around like she's playing with a puppy. Evan starts sneezing wildly like a man with rhinitis in a dust storm. When he stops, he looks, weirdly aroused.
"Tell you what, if I manage to get a scholarship in Central Calon, I'll give you a call."
"But… I thought you were getting married?"
"I haven't signed anything yet. If I can pull off some stealthy study moves, I could just vanish and run off with you, since you want it so bad."
"I'll work while you stay inside doing nothing. I'll buy you food. I'll buy you plushies. I'll buy you makeup and all the Yami Kawaii clothes you want. I'll take you traveling to Natico!!"
"Slow down, turbo. You're moving too fast, next you'll be buying me a diamond ring."
"I already picked the names of our children!"
"Christ."
She pinches both his cheeks and stretches them outward. Evan lets out a dramatic moan like a lazy toddler. Their moment of intimacy and play is suddenly interrupted by loud, exaggerated footsteps from the foyer.
"I am back, bitches! I finally found my wallet!"
"Ji, we're at the table!"
The buffet at the Five star hotel was ridiculous. Golden chandeliers, silver-laced tongs, and food so shiny it could be used as a mirror. Tables of seafood towers, exotic fruits carved into animals, and desserts layered like architecture projects from an overachieving art student. Evan stared at a wiggling jelly pyramid topped with gold flakes.
"Is that thing… breathing?"
"No." Jiseok said "But if it starts talking, I'm roleplaying Hannibal Lecter."
They all sat with overloaded plates, Evan's stacked high with whatever he could identify, Myung-Hee's carefully arranged with aesthetic precision, and Jiseok's looking like someone let a raccoon loose in a luxury picnic.
"So Evan" Jiseok said, speaking through a mouthful of beef that absolutely wasn't designed to be eaten in three bites "what are your intentions with my emotionally unstable cousin? "
Myung-Hee kicked his shin under the table.
"HEY!"
"Don't interrogate him."
"I'm bonding, not interrogating. There's a difference. Besides, if you two are going to run away together in a motorhome and travel the Cities, I should probably know what this guy's deal is."
"We are not running away in a motorhome."
Evan muttered, chewing on something suspiciously spicy.
"Well now I'm disappointed."
Myung-Hee picked at her ramen bowl with her chopsticks.
"We talked about him getting a job and paying for me to lie around and look pretty."
Jiseok gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.
"She admits it! She finally admits it! My heart is full!"
Evan grinned.
"Honestly, the plan's not bad."
"Evan. I know she's cute and tragic, but you do realize this is the same girl who once got kicked out of a debate club for throwing a chair at a moderator, right?"
"That guy was asking for it, you weren't there, he told me that pedophiles are just missunderstood mentally ill people who need help and I felt the necessity to change his mind via folding chair."
"She gets violent when she's passionate, just wait until she debates you on fish pizza."
Evan raised an eyebrow.
"You don't like fish on pizza?"
"Oh no, not this conversation. Evan, don't do it."
"I mean... it's not my favorite, but I respect it."
She slumped in her seat. With a face of somebody who feels like the only smart person in a conference room of idiots.
"God, I've let a disgrace into my heart."
"He's perfect, You're both disasters with taste buds. It's meant to be."
They all laughed, and for a few moments, the weight of reality lifted. It was just them, three mismatched young adults at a shiny table, trading sarcasm and bites of overpriced meat. As dessert started to be served, which Jiseok dramatically announced as 'THE FINAL ROUND'
"Hey… whatever you two end up doing, whether it's running off, crashing and burning, or starting a black market bakery, I'm here. Seriously. I got your back."
Myung-Hee looked like she was about to throw her spoon at him again, but she didn't.
"I know."
Evan nodded.
"Thanks, man."
"Alright," Jiseok said, already halfway through a mochi the size of his fist. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to destroy this marshmallow monstrosity before it regains concious."
Jiseok was halfway through building a mountain of whipped cream and rainbow jellies on his plate, a creation he had proudly dubbed The Great Sugar Gaol, when a loud clang echoed from another table. A tiny child had knocked over a glass of blue juice that promptly spilled all over a woman's elegant white dress. Chaos ensued.
"Oh no, collateral damage in the buffet zone."
Jiseok leaned in with mock seriousness.
"You two ever see food-related warfare? That's how it starts. One juice spill, and next thing you know, someone's got a dumpling lodged in their eye socket."
"I believe you, you're the kind of person who would weaponize a breadstick."
"Have weaponized a breadstick, once, at summer camp. Not proud. Actually, no, very proud."
Evan snorted. Myung-Hee leaned over her dessert.
"Hey, Evan, serious question now."
"Hit me."
"If we did run away… how would we do it? Like, logistically. You'd be working?"
"Probably. I mean, I already got into the University, if I pick something like engineering I'll be interning right away. The hours are big, but so is the paycheck. And I'll get stipend for qualifing to the scholarship. Enough to cover an apartment."
"You'd support me?"
"If it meant getting you out of that life? Hell yeah."
Jiseok, now chewing thoughtfully on a gummy koi fish, spoke up.
"You two are actually serious about this."
They both went quiet.
"I mean… We're just talking."
"For now."
Jiseok looked between the two of them. Then smiled.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yeah. You've never talked this way about anyone before. And I've known you since you were a gremlin who cried when your kimchi didn't have enough spice."
"YOU PROMISED TO NEVER SPEAK OF THAT."
"I lied."
She threw a sugar cube at him. It bounced off his forehead and landed directly in his glass of soda, which fizzed like a volcano.
"I ship it."
Jiseok said casually. Evan blinked twice trying to decode the words he said.
"Wait, what?"
"You and her. I ship it. You're like one of those weird romcom couples. Sad boy and feral rich girl. It works."
"Feral?"
"Absolutely feral."
"I have very refined manners."
"You bit me once."
"YOU HAD ME IN A CHOKEHOLD YOU JERK."
Evan just leaned back, smiling as he watched them bicker like it was their second language. He didn't know what the future held. Maybe she'd disappear the next day. Maybe they'd never see each other again. But for now, there was food, banter, a strange cousin, and a girl leaning against his side like it was the most natural thing in the world. It wasn't the life he was planning just yet but it was the first taste of it, for the first time being around people made him happy and as if he was enjoying life again. Even if the moment was fake and ephemeral. Even though his gloomy thoughts were being loud, he snapped back to reality just as Jiseok finished The Great Sugar Gaol.
"Christ I can feel my sugar crashing already..."
"How bad is your cholesterol levels right now Jiji."
"Enough to overthrow a small government."
Jiseok bends over holding his stomach with both his hands.
"Uuuuuugggghhhhhh God somebody take me to our room."
"I got you bro."
Evan holds him up over his shoulder like how he carried Myung-Hee down the ladder that one time but that only made his stomach acid start swinging from side to side, carrying a drowsy young lady isn't the same as carrying a man whose gluttony proved greater than himself.
The elevator ride up, Jiseok could barely stand, as soon as the door opened he sprinted with the velocity of a world-class greyhound who had just heard the race's starting gunshot, as soon as he opened the door to the bathroom he loomed over the toilet, and a streak of rainbow came out of his mouth for a good half a minute.
With the calories and cholesterol forcibly evicted, he could rest easy knowing his dashing young looks were safe, at least for now. He passed out face-first on the bed moments later. Myung-Hee sat down on her bed and signaled smacking her hands on her thighs Evan to come over.
"He's going to be out for a while, why don't you come here for a moment with me."
He laid his head on her thighs and stared up at the ceiling, his forearm draped across his forehead. The air was warm, still. He wondered how much longer this blissful moment would last. He wanted this moment to last forever. He would be completely fine if these moments lasted forever. He hoped this moment lasted forever. But deep down, he knew better. Soon, everything would slip back into the same grey rhythm. Even in Central Calon, nothing would really change. He would still be the same person, trapped behind the same walls he'd built himself. A loneliness born not just from neglect, but from arrogance, the belief that no one could understand him, or worse, that they weren't worth the effort of trying.
"Something on your mind big guy?"
"I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"I would be fine if this moment lasted forever. I wish it did, but I know everything will just go back to normal the moment I get back home."
"You could see it that way, or you could see it that you've made me see that maybe it's not so hopeless after all, that I can rebel and get out of this rut, that I can live a life I want."
"Maybe, yes. You're right"
Their eyes met. No words, just a slow exhale between them. His hand moved gently to her cheek, and she leaned into it, her gaze softer now, less guarded
"I want to make sure you never forget me when you're back in Athrobry, no scratch that, I don't want to forget this."
He said in a faint whisper as if he didn't want to wake up Jiseok who was clearly staring at them under the pillow he's stuffed his face in while he is fake sleeping.
"You won't, Neither will I."
She tilted her head down, and he lifted his slightly, their lips meeting in the middle, tentative at first, slow and searching. But then it deepened. Not desperate, but sure. Like two people finally finding something they weren't sure they deserved. It was a meaningless kiss that only served the purpose of them feeling the taste of the food they had just eaten, but at the same time, a kiss to make sure they'd never forget that taste when they moved on with their lives.
They proceeded to cuddle for the next few minutes, their breaths coming out in synch as if their souls were intertwined, not saying a single word cause there's nothing more that needs to be said. Eventually, the light in the room started to dim, shifting from the orange glow of late afternoon into the soft hues of evening.
Outside, the distant hum of traffic and the occasional whistle of a passing helibus reminded them that time hadn't stopped after all. Myung-Hee gave a long, quiet sigh and nudged him gently with her knee.
"You should probably get going, your folks are probably blowing up your phone at a time like this."
"Not really."
Evan pulled out his phone and showed that even though it was 9pm now there was still no missed call and no message for him to hurry back home, not a single worry and not a single sign of love for him.
"Wait let me do something."
She grabbed Evan's phone and added her phone number into it. She also messaged him through her own phone to make sure they could hope to stay in touch.
"I want to stay in touch with you cause, I mean I want to at least have the illusion that I could just run way with my Suderbi boyfriend."
"Aw so you're going to refer to him as your boyfriend now?"
Jiseok's remark was muffled under his pillow though it was met with another well aimed pillow to the head by Myung-Hee.
"Hey Jiji can you give me a ride back home."
"Depends, do you live too far away. I seriously can't spend any money on battery!"
"That's a lie I know how rich Myung's family is."
"Wha-"
"Just take one look at this hotel, she literally couldn't tell what a soda can was earlier today."
Myung-Hee hits Evan with her elbow right on his throat to get him to shut up, he gags for a second but he's able to breathe in again.
"Talk shit again and I will cut you."
"Okay okay, settle down now newly-weds, I can take him home just fine, just tell me where it is and I'll take him on my car."
"It's not too far, it's on 19994th street, Number 630"
"Ok, follow me to the car."
"Wait."
Myung-Hee holds onto Evan's jacket just for one moment and he immediatly turns around and kisses her on the mouth, she lets go and her hand just hangs there stunned even though she's grown used to his warm by now, he holds her hand and after he's done she's out of breath, she doesn't even say anything afterwards.
"I'll never forget you."
"I. .. will always remember you."
Evan puts his Natico keycharm inside of Myung-Hee's hand, she holds it close to her chest as tears form on her eyes, she didn't want to say goodbye but it's unfortunately the reality of the situation. It's too naive and idealistic to imagine that their crazy plan from dinner could work, unless, Both of them took the plunge, both of them put int the work, then they could live their perfect life alongside each other. But this was enough for now, at least she won't give her dignity away to that man and she's capable of contacting Evan. So, she could make it work, hopefully.
Evan and Jiseok walked to the parking lot, there is a heavy and eerie quiet broken only by the sound of their steps towards their destination, each step hammering in how this was probably the best moment of his life and how it's coming to an end. They made their way to a slick, luxury helicar with blades that looked made out of platinum and a coating made out of the finest amethyst.
"Get in."
Jiseok spoke as if he was colder now and much more distant. The car door shut with a soft thud. Evan buckled in, and Jiseok started the engine without saying a word. The hum of the road filled the silence between them for a while. Neon signs passed by like quiet thoughts, flickering, fading, replaced. Eventually, Jiseok spoke, eyes fixed on the road.
"You two are moving way too fast."
Evan looked out the window.
"Yeah. I guess we are."
Jiseok let out a quiet scoff, not mocking just resigned.
"You kissed her like you were going off to war. And she let you."
There was no accusation in his voice, just the weight of someone who'd seen this kind of story before.
"She's different. She gets it. I don't know how to explain it."
"You don't have to, I've been young too. Back when I was your age I had a girl like that, moments that felt eternal, a lover that I had a burning passion for and imagined my whole life with her, but let me tell you something."
Evan turned to him, curious.
"Just because something feels big doesn't mean it's going to actually last. You two are just each other's first love and trust me love is not enough, it has never been enough and never will be."
Evan didn't reply right away. He let those words settle.
"You think we're stupid, don't you?"
"I don't think you're stupid, I think you're kids, and kids are allowed to be stupid. That's part of the deal."
Evan nodded slowly, taking that in.
"I'm not judging you, I'm just saying... don't let a beautiful moment trick you into making promises the rest of your life has to pay for. You need to understand a million things before you dive into something this serious. In 1967, John Lennon wrote a song called 'All You Need Is Love.' He also beat both of his wives, abandoned one of his children, constantly harassed his gay jewish lawyer with homophobic and anti-semitic slurs I won't even repeat, and once had a film crew record his family lying in bed for a whole day just to prove a point."
"Woah. That's… dark. So what are you trying to tell me?"
Jiseok didn't look at him. Just exhaled slowly and kept his eyes on the road.
"Thirty-five years later, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails wrote a song called 'Love Is Not Enough.' This guy made a career out of screaming into microphones, bleeding on stage and recording disturbing music videos. But you know what else? He got clean of all drugs and alcohol. Married one woman. Had kids. Cancelled whole albums and tours just to stay home and be a good husband and father."
"...I see."
"One of these men had a clear, grounded view of love. The other didn't. One of them thought love was the answer to everything. The other knew it wasn't. One of them was probably a narcissistic asshole."
"And one of them... wasn't... Yeah. Okay. I think I get it now."
"See? You're a pretty smart guy. So here's what I want you to understand, In our culture, we idealize love. We make it the big, shiny answer to all of life's problems. Movies, books, songs, they all push this idea that love is the final prize. And because of that, we overestimate it. When we believe love is all we need, like Lennon did, we start to overlook the stuff that actually makes relationships work, things like respect, humility, patience, and sacrifice. We think the feelings are enough. That the fireworks will carry us through the storms."
The car turned a corner, lights from a streetlamp sweeping across Evan's face.
"But if, like Reznor, you believe love isn't enough, you begin to realize that real relationships take more than just emotion. That the hard stuff, being dependable, being kind when it's inconvenient, holding your tongue, showing up even when you're tired, that's what makes love last. That, to me, is the best relationship advice no one ever tells you, feelings come and go. The work? That's what stays."
"Ok I'll take all of those things into account when I message her later today."
"Please do, trust me there's nothing I want to see more than Myung living a life that she chose alongside somebody who actually cares about her, that respects her, that isn't just marrying her cause he just bought a brand new asset to make his company bigger. I want it to be real and I want you to give her something real cause you're a good guy Brown, I mean all of those things I said in the dinner table believe it or not. Please don't mess this up."
He paused. Looked over.
"Or else…"
He leaned in ever so slightly, deadpan.
"I will come for you. I will find you…"
A beat.
"And I will kill you."
Evan blinked, unsure if he should laugh or be terrified. Jiseok turned back to the road, eyes twinkling just a little.
"That was a Liam Neeson reference, by the way."
"I got that part, yeah."
They turned the corner and pulled up to Evan's apartment. The streetlights cast long shadows over the curb. Jiseok shifted the car into park.
"Be good now son. I am counting on you."
He patted Evan in the shoulder, with a hopeful but cynical look nonetheless
"Yeah..."
He stepped out and shut the door behind him, leaving Jiseok with the hum of the engine and a quiet street.
The rest of the year passed without any dramatic turns, but for Evan, it was anything but uneventful. The real highlights came in the form of hours-long calls with Myung-Hee. Night after night, they'd talk about everything and nothing, favorite foods, obscure holoshows, childhood regrets, strange dreams. They connected deeply, slowly, over shared values and tastes, aligning their morals, their fears, and their hopes for the future. Evan remembered everything Jiseok had told him.
He listened more than he spoke. He respected her space, stayed humble, offered comfort when she vented, and never tried to fix her pain, just held space for it. For the first time in his life, he was actually loving, he was showing up for it like a true partner in a holy union should.
Eventually, he made up his mind on chosing his major, Computer Engineering, at the university in Central Calon he kept talking about, made possible by his scholarship. When he broke the news to Myung-Hee, she was ecstatic. It meant freedom was no longer just a dream, it was a destination.
She could run if she wanted to. And she did. Evan loved the subject, and it promised a lucrative career, but the transition wasn't easy. Moving districts in Calon City was a bureaucratic nightmare. The Wormbus, while nearly instantaneous, came with constant fear, a tear in the wormhole field could drop you in the wrong district, or worse, in deep space.
And now he was alone for the first time in his life, the stipend barely covering the essentials, lost in a city that moved too fast and never slept. Meanwhile, Myung-Hee waged a silent war on her side. Her family's pressure hadn't eased. They still paraded her future husband-to-be like a trophy, forcing dinners and ambush meetings, handing her marriage contracts with fine print in blood. But every time they cornered her, she vanished, slipping out of rooms like smoke, disappearing into the Wormbus and reappearing in Central Calon, just to lie next to Evan for a few stolen hours.
He was her breath of air. Her glimpse of what life could be, of what it was going to be. And though their moments were fleeting, they were pure. They were hers. But the clock was always ticking.
They both knew she couldn't live like this forever sneaking through wormholes to kiss freedom on the mouth, only to return to a house that felt like a love penitentiary. She needed a way out. She had to make it real. And one evening, lying beside him in the cramped warmth of his dorm, the neon from Central Calon's rainbows on their skin, she turned to him suddenly, voice barely a whisper:
"Marry me."
"... What?"
"I'm serious, let's get eloped. You and me. No big ceremony. No one needs to know until it's done."
He sat up slightly, heart pounding.
"Where is this coming from?"
She sat up too, pulling the blanket around her shoulders.
"I can't keep going back there, Evan. I can't keep pretending. Every time I wormbus back it feels like I'm being buried alive again. My father just keeps silently ignoring me. My mother only wants to see me in a wedding dress for someone else. I have no control over anything except... you."
He stared at her, the words settling heavy in his chest.
"I know it's reckless, I know it's stupid. But so is everything else they're doing. They want to marry me off to some empty suit who sees me as nothing but leverage. I'd rather make a mistake that's mine than live a life that isn't."
Evan didn't answer right away. He looked at her really looked and saw how tired she was. How cornered. But also how determined. She meant it.
"This isn't going to fix everything, it won't make it easier."
"No, but it'll make it ours. For once."
He looked down, rubbed the back of his neck.
"…We've only been together a year and a half."
"I know."
"I'm broke."
"I know."
"We don't know what the hell we're doing."
"I know."
She leaned in, brushing her nose against his.
"But I love you. And if I have to live a lie, I want the lie to be us. Not them."
He closed his eyes, forehead resting against hers. It was crazy. It was reckless. But it was exactly the kind of plan two young people in love would come up with. It was almost as if Jiseok's words never existed, washed away in the flood of warmth between them replaced by the idea that this one decision could carve a permanent space for them in a world that didn't want them to fit.
They had only been together for a year and a half. But that was fine. They could do it together. They were going to do it together. They could fix it. They loved each other enough to fix anything. They didn't need a plan. They just needed each other. And for a while, that felt true.
Make no mistake, though. This is not a love story. This is the story of a man who ruined his own life.