"Han-Bit! Han-Bit! Slow down and wait for me!" Han-ul shouted, chasing after Han-bit.
"Han-ul! Hurry! You're going to miss it!" Han-bit called back as he ran through the wind like a free-spirited bird. After several minutes of running, Han-bit finally came to a stop.
"Hah! Hah! You... How can you run so fast!? Are you a criminal!?" Han-ul panted, catching up with him. Han-bit turned to Han-ul and burst into a fit of laughter.
"Haha! Haha!" The sound of the rushing waves, the beating of water against rocks, and the calls of the seagulls blended harmoniously with Han-bit's melodious laughter, creating a tranquil and heartwarming presence that washed over Han-ul completely.
Standing before the vast, fathomless sea was a very handsome boy, about 6 feet tall, with beautiful, short blonde hair and teal eyes that shimmered with ocean-blue sparks. Standing beneath the waking sun, he seemed like the embodiment of sunlight itself. Spreading his arms wide like a seagull soaring freely, high and low, its wings brushing against the sunlit expanse of the sea, Han-bit let the wind carry him, his feet gently kissed by the waves as they slowly drifted him away. Han-ul stood, mesmerized by his brother, who was as breathtaking as the hues of heaven itself.
"Kai, do you know that our names, Han-bit and Han-ul, have deep meanings? And I believe those meanings resonate with who we are. It's the only thing I truly cherish about our family—they gave us names full of meaning," Han-bit said suddenly.
"Han-bit—one and light. Han-ul—one and universe," Han-ul responded, his gaze fixed on the rising sun.
"Yes, Kai. I am your one and only light, and you are my one and only universe," Han-bit added, turning to look at Han-ul, his eyes filled with tenderness and love.
****
"Pitter, patter, pitter patter," the rain echoed through the speaker, as heavy footsteps splashed through the water, fast and relentless, like a horse racing down the track.
"Kai! I want to come home! I don't want to be here anymore!" Han-bit cried hysterically over the phone, his voice trembling as he moved through a dark alley with barely any light. With every step, he whipped his head around, constantly checking over his shoulder, fearing someone was following him.
"Knox, calm down and tell me what's going on. What's happening?" an anxious voice responded from the other end of the line.
"They're all crazy, Kai! I want to come home! Please, come take me home!" Han-bit cried out hysterically as he sprinted through the crowded street, heading for a dark alley.
"Okay, I'll set out right now. Stay in a safe place and wait for me, alright? Han-bit! Han-bit are—" Han-ul shouted, but the noise around Han-bit suddenly drowned out his next words.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!? We haven't even started partying yet!" A voice from behind Han-bit exclaimed menacingly, the sound of a baseball bat tapping against the ground.
"Haha! I told you he wasn't a fit! He would never last! We don't need such a p****y here!" Another voice laughed maniacally, scooting down by the others' feet.
"Haha! Well, it can't be helped. It's either he's in or out. And the only way out is...death," the menacing voice from earlier added, trailing off ominously.
As his pursuers closed in, Han-bit's mind began to unravel. Panic surged through him, and everything around him blurred. He felt himself slipping into delirium, his senses overwhelmed by fear.
"Han-bit! What's wrong? Who's that!? What's going on!? Answer me!" Han-ul's voice cracked with worry as he shouted through the phone, but Han-bit, too frightened and delirious to respond, could only hear his brother's frantic calls in the background.
"You are all crazy! All of this needs to stop! I'll report it all! All of you! You are all crazy! Let's see how the law deals with you!" Han-bit shouted desperately, his words wild as he sprinted forward, his body trembling, and his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.
"Catch him!" The voices behind him yelled, their footsteps quick and determined, closing in as they chased Han-bit through the narrow, dark alley. With his phone still clutched in his hand, Han-bit felt the weight of inevitability settling over him. He knew his end was near. He knew that once they caught him, it would be better to die than face whatever horrors they had planned.
"Kai, do you remember when we were five years old, playing at the park? I fell so hard that I passed out, and you cried for three days and three nights while I was unconscious in the hospital? You didn't sleep at all. Your eyes were so puffy when I first regained consciousness and saw you..." Han-bit's voice softened with nostalgia, though his breaths were sharp and labored.
"Knox, what are you talking about all of a sudden? What's happening? Why are you suddenly nostalgic!? Don't do anything stupid and wait for me, I'm coming. Just—just get to a safe place until I'm there! Please!" Han-ul's voice trembled through the phone, desperation in every word. He could feel something was terribly wrong. Han-bit had never, ever spoken like this, never recalled past memories in such a way. Something was slipping away, and it terrified him.
"At that time, when I heard mom and dad saying that you had been crying for the past three days, I beamed, because I was the happiest big brother in the world. From then on, I knew that you would always be there for me—to protect me, love me, and be there for me. But then I decided to go," Han-bit's voice was shaky, full of emotion as he spoke, his words tinged with regret.
"I left for a school so far away, but you never once showed any displeasure or disapproval. You even kept encouraging me, making the time to call me every day, making sure I was okay, that I didn't lack anything in that school of the rich. For that, I was so grateful," he continued, his breath catching as memories rushed to the surface.
"You don't know how happy it made me. Every day, I would anticipate our next FaceTime, even if it was just for a second. Han-ul, I would hate to see you cry and wallow in self-blame and self-loathing if anything were to happen to me. So I want you to make me a promise—live your life and love yourself. And while you're at it, please forgive me. Salanghaeyo nae, nae... (I love you, my—).
Han-bit's words were suddenly cut short as a car sped down the lane to his right, slamming into him at top speed.
In that moment, everything seemed to freeze. Time slowed as Han-bit stood still, his life flashing before his eyes. His body, unable to process the impact, seemed to hang in the air for a brief moment. He knew there was no way he would survive this.
With the car coming at him fast, Han-bit held the phone close to his mouth and whispered, "I'm sorry." The words barely left his lips before everything went dark.
'Screech! Bang! Rrrrrrrrrr!' The horrible screeching of the car tires echoed through the speaker. The dreadful silence stretched on for minutes, before Han-ul could utter a word.
"K-Knox? H-Han-bit? Han-bit! Han-bit! What's happening! Han-bit! What's wrong!?" Han-ul screamed hysterically through the phone, his voice cracking with panic, but he heard no response. Everything was as silent as the sheeted dead, the stillness suffocating.