Predestination

[Flashback]

“Is this all you got today?” A hoarse voice asked, sounding pissed.

“Y-yes, Dad. This is all I could earn today,” a boy in his teens said, averting his father's eyes.

The older man threw the cash at the boy, making him flinch. 

“Useless bastard! This was all you could do? I'm here carrying all your shits and you can't even help me!”

“I'm sorry. I am sorry, Dad. I will do more hard work. I will earn more and give you every single won.”

The father just groaned and pushed the boy to the ground. The latter groaned at the painful thud, but he still kept apologizing. 

“Don't you fucking call me your dad! I regret marrying that whore who just produced another bloody useless creature like you and threw this load on me! She flew away with her living ATM and left you behind because she knew that you'd be nothing but just a living burden.” He shouted grumpily, which made the boy cry a little. He then crawled and started collecting the shattered money. 

"I'm forgiving you this time. But you must give me more tomorrow, or it won't take me much to kick you out of my house, Jungwoo." After collecting all the money, the man stood up and left, sipping his beer.

Jungwoo got up and dusted himself. Dusting all the dirt of his father away. His own father disgusted him. His parents disgusted him. They were literally no one but people who made him and disowned him without any valid reasons. His mother was truly just a gold digger who left him to his selfish, alcoholic father. He never cared how Jungwoo was or what he needed. All he wanted was just money from his son without even making him capable enough.

Jungwoo worked himself to pay his fees, meals, and even rent to his own father. Thankfully, he was born with God-gifted talent, graffiti. Jungwoo had a passion for creating aesthetic figures on surfaces, which led him to the world of graffiti art. It helped him earn a small amount and got him into trouble when he drew on walls publicly. But he didn't care. His life was already a mess, and he didn't mind messing it even more.

But still, he was fed up with all the buzz, stress, headache, and pain of his daily life. He didn't want to live with such a monster and his nonstop hatred toward him. He'd be kicked out anyway if he hadn't paid the monster. So, one night, Jungwoo decided to leave the hell by himself.

Well, he didn't leave his home like a vulnerable, lost kid. He stole all his father's money, or more like his own money, as a punishment to the older man.

He decided not to run at some friend since he literally had no true friends. All people he knew were just as selfish as his parents.

He found some random public apartment nearby his school and continued his work. He even got some good offers that helped him in many ways with his living. He hoped that he would finally have a stressless and carefree life.

He was wrong. It's been a few years; he studied in the art school, was almost a university student, and did have a stable job by then. Yet, he still had stress, frustration, unknown pain, and, of course, his landlady's regular rant.

Knock-knock!

Jungwoo sighed tiredly, assuming who could be the visitor. He opened the door and showed the most artificial smile he could offer. The woman in front of him didn't have it at all. 

“Mr. Kim Jungwoo, may you tell which day is this?”

“Of course, not Valentine's day, but I could be your paid boyfriend if you're feeling lonely in your life, Ms. Joy.”

“Mind your tongue. It is the day when you were supposed to be paying your rent, which is due since three freaking months!”

Jungwoo frowned, not processing the latter's rant at all. 

“Oh, my why! I'll pay soon,” he said and was about to close the door on the woman's face, but the lady crooked her sandal in between to prevent the act. 

“Not soon. You must pay it by tomorrow, otherwise you'll find yourself out of this house. And, did you drink and smoke in my apartment again? Have I not asked you to not do such things here? You got enough money to do those ridiculous things but not to pay my rent?”

Oh yes. That was the exact reason why he was running out of money even after earning enough.

“Oh… Have you? My bad! Well, I don't have any money on me right now. You can keep my champagne bottles. They are worth the same. Would you?”

The lady made a disgusted face and shook her head. 

“No, thanks. One week. The maximum time I'm giving you. And I don't want any of your bullshit by then. Especially, this mess here.” She pointed at the bottles and crumbs of cigarettes in his living room. “Good night and good luck.” 

She left then, and the man exhaled in relief while closing the door. He needed his regular jam and some fine sleep.

***

After a load of mess, it was finally the very first day of university. Jungwoo hoped that at least this time, everything would go smooth and right. But he was again proved wrong as soon as he stumbled into a stranger. He was about to speak his pretty words to the stranger, but the latter was fast enough.

“Apologies, sir. I am a fresher here and just lost my way, and I was getting late so I couldn't focus on my steps. I hope you're okay?”

Jungwoo would lie if he didn't say that the man looked like a lost and helpless toddler from kindergarten. He wanted to coo at the man, but he didn't forget that he was actually the reason for him getting late for his class.

“It's okay. I'm fine.”

The latter smiled at him as if he wasn't the reason for them almost falling to the ground. "My name is Byun Taeil. But you can also call me Moon or Moon Taeil. I'm a fresher, and today is my first day here. It's very nice to meet you!”

Jungwoo looked at the man's hand and then at his face. He raised one of his brows but moved his hand forward nonetheless. 

“Kim Jungwoo. And same.” Jungwoo ended with a not-so-impressive response. However, Byun Taeil still seemed full of glee.

“Thank you. Oh, I got you another moment late. Sorry. I think we should get going. Hope we'll see each other around, Jungwoo.”

And they did see each other. Often. So often and more often. Taeil understood him. Taeil didn't take any advantage of him. In fact, he had helped him with many things, and he was probably the best person Jungwoo had ever seen in his life. They had become somewhat inseparable. Learning many things about each other. Or, mostly and only Jungwoo learning about Taeil but never revealing much of himself.

How could he even? He had nothing positive to reveal. Taeil coming from a well-respected family with well-stable status, but what about him? It was getting even more difficult for him when he realized he was falling for Taeil. He was falling in love with someone who could never be his, and it just frustrated him. The first person he loved was out of reach. He was dreaming of catching the moon in the sky while he was just on the land.

He felt so heavy that he decided to drink all his anxiety away. But he didn't expect to find a fine car on his way home from the bar. The finest look of it was inviting him to ruin it. So, he sprung his spray out and started creating art while smoking his lungs out slowly. Did it feel right?

Hell yeah! It was always relaxing to draw on walls, but he felt even better when he ruined rich people's personal belongings.

“Yahh! You punk! What are you doing to my property?”

Jungwoo stopped and turned toward the man. He smiled in smug satisfaction after seeing the horrified expression on the latter's face. Well, not only the said man but on the other beside him, too. Probably some rich old couple date night.

The man didn't waste another second and grabbed Jungwoo's collars roughly, making him almost trip and drop his cigarette. 

“You filthy lower-class bug! What did you do to my car? Do you even know its worth? Is your fucking father going to pay the price?”

“Well, you should actually thank me because its value has increased. You better sell it. It's old-fashioned, anyways.”

The man seemed ready to launch his fist at Jungwoo, so he sprayed the colored liquid at the man's eyes, making him release his hold onto him and curse while massaging his eyes to soothe them.

“Fucking brat! What did you do to my eyes! Ahh…”

Jungwoo quickly picked up his cigarette and inhaled while bowing to the other man, who was just stunned by this scene. He straightened up, exhaled the smoke in the air, and left the couple with the mess he caused.

The amused man collected himself and got into the action as he went to the other's side. "Baek, are you okay? Here, I'll lead you.”

“That son of a bitch! These young bugs are just getting out of hands nowadays. The hell did he spray? It fucking stings!”

“I think it's just paint. You just put some ointment and sleep while I drive us home.”

“I knew! I had a feeling that today wasn't a good day to go out, but your beloved son wanted us to have a romantic time. Seriously, it was hella romantic. Right, Dae?”

“Stop generalizing him as ‘my’ son when he does something silly. And it wasn't actually bad. Don't act as if you didn't kiss me like there was no tomorrow tonight.” 

“Whatever.”

***

The crowd at the college campus was just too large to ignore. It seemed as if the entire university was gathered there. It made Taeil curious, so he went to check. However, he didn't expect to see what he saw.

There was a figure on the wall portraying a moon landing on the ground and leaving the high sky. It seemed so aesthetic. It was perfectly pictured, and Taeil was just mesmerized by its beauty. It also had similar curves to the patterns he had seen on his father's car recently.

He then turned his head to where the crowd was actually looking. He saw Jungwoo and their dean, who seemed to be scolding him.

“I don't want to create a scene here so you are required to be meeting me at my office after the session. Everyone, please continue with your schedules.”

Everyone started leaving, but Jungwoo and Taeil stayed right there, having pretty much distance in-between. They looked into each other’s eyes, and Taeil could see the unshed tears in Jungwoo’s eyes. And an expression of regression on his face. He wanted to go to him and comfort him from whatever circumstance he was suffering. But the latter just turned and left without saying a word or looking back.

***

Patterns. Various meaningless patterns soothed Jungwoo, and he kept creating more of them on a random public wall at midnight while sipping on his champagne. It was really the best way to get rid of his misery. No wonder why his father was an alcoholic.

“Woo-ah!”

The voice was precious. Too precious to be there that late at night.

Jungwoo turned, and he was met with a warm hug instantly. His small and smooth frame fitted so well in the man’s arms. He hugged back the man.

“Please, don't distance yourself away from me. Tell me what's wrong. I will listen to you. I will support you. I will appreciate you,” Taeil man said sniffling. It hurt Jungwoo's heart.

“I fell in love with someone who will never accept my love.”

The man looked at him with still a few droplets of tears in his eyes. “Did you even try telling them?” 

Jungwoo chuckled motionlessly. 

“My mom was a slut, and my father was an alcoholic monster. I'm a disowned, abandoned child. I drink, smoke, and mess things up. I have no background, and I'm just a clueless living being. Who'd love me, Taeil?”

“Me.” Jungwoo looked up and blinked, not believing what he had just heard. 

“I'm a very bad person, Taeil.”

"You're not! You're just like this because situations make you. Our love, my love will change it for good. You will feel the real you. You'll be the real you,” Taeil said slowly and realized they were just mere inches away.

“I love you, Moon Taeil,” Jungwoo confessed and crashed their lips. They both felt sparks in their stomachs that they had never felt before.

“I love you too, Kim Jungwoo,” responded Taeil, and they both smiled, blushing at each other. They kissed again with more passion.

It was just right. So right. So good and so lovely. They were in love.