METANOIA // hyunlix

chapter 1

＊°*•̩̩͙•̩̩͙*˚༶•┈┈ ❊ ┈┈•༶˚*•̩̩͙•̩̩͙*°＊

The pale skin of a small, delicate hand touches a patch of soft moss growing on the surface of an old tree.
The nerve endings send pulses from the slightly reddish fingertips to the brain, making the creature's pointed ears flutter at the connection.

He can feel the tree breathing, soaking up water from the ground below his feet, stretching its branches higher towards the sky.

He can hear the words it exchanges though its roots, tangled with those of its surrounding siblings.

His eyes are closed and he lets all his other senses take lead, relaxing his muscles and taking deep breaths that invite the scent of the old forest into his lungs.

Once he's completely relaxed, he allows his eyes to open and a small smile to emerge on his lips.
Then he jumps, his bare feet pushing off of the ground, his hands reaching for the strong branch above his head.

"Ey, daro! Felix!"                      (=stop)
A voice yells after him from among the younger trees on his left.

"Can't hear you!"
He replies, his laugh resembling the cheerful chime of a thousand little bells, swinging himself on top of the branch.

"Come back here!" The approaching voice of his friend calls to him again, but he's already jumped onto the next tree.

•̩̩͙˚༶•┈ ❊ ┈•༶˚•̩̩͙

The view from the water-stained window of an old, light blue bus was more beautiful than Hyunjin had anticipated. He watched the sun rise up higher over the countless trees and fields of blooming flowers it drove by.

Although it was his first time on that bus, he could tell that the interior was the same it had always been, the seats a faded shade of grey and the stop buttons pressed so many times the letters had worn off.

He pressed the nearest one a while before his stop, throwing his bag over his shoulder and getting ready to stand up in the shaky bus.

Then he got off, waving a thank you to the driver, the doors opening for him with a mournful screech.
The now empty bus drove away and left him standing alone in the fine dust that rose from the ground in its tracks.

Hyunjin started walking along the side of the road, his impulsively purchased house as a destination. He'd visited it once before, immediately falling in love not only with its appearance, but with the way it made him feel. It had been almost like the house had a soul, old and wise, and it spoke to him.

He knew that the moving truck with all of his stuff would arrive at the house way after him, so he wasn't too concerned. He'd have time to look around again properly before getting to work.

His old apartment had been a suffocating studio near a busy intersection. Noisy neighbours and the lively city had made it hard for him to focus on his art, all his works coming out unsatisfying and meaningless. And the job he worked at a library for extra money had begun feeling the same.

He knew that the decision to move here, in the middle of nothing, to an old house with windows that opened up a view to a large forest instead of a bustling city, was a risk. But it was one he was willing to take.

Not like there was anyone back in the city who would miss him anyway.

The dust settled, Hyunjin's light blue mom jeans fluttering at his feet as he followed the edge of the road, little weeds and flowers under his shoes making it unclear where the asphalt ended and the soil began.

Like many other art forms, Hyunjin was obsessed with music, more than the average person probably considered to be normal, he thought.
But this time his silver headphones were hanging around his neck almost forgotten about.
The long walk didn't feel like one at all when he let his eyes and his mind wander.

A slight, warm blow of wind made some individual blonde hair strands float around Hyunjin's head, tickling his ears that seemed to catch sounds he was unfamiliar with;
Not traffic or the sound of cars speeding by, not muffled yelling through walls, not the clatter of paint cans that he knocked over in frustration, no;

The wind was almost like a flute playing in the distance, blowing out high and heartfelt notes that blended well with the faint rustle of leaves everywhere.
Adding to the soft harmony were birds, out of sight but still making themselves known, competing amongst each other with their unique, skillful compositions.

He might dare to argue it was better than any of the music he'd listened to.

And when he looked around, the green was everywhere.

At his feet, above his head, covering the meadows spotted with flowers on his right.
The trees curving over the meandering road made it patchy with light shadows, their leaves radiating bright green as the sunlight forced its way through them.

Moss covered some of the older trees and all of the bigger rocks on the left side of the road, having spread and and prospered in peace for an eternity. Hyunjin admired it, envying the patience and strength it must possess to achieve this kind of quiet, flourishing life.
He stopped walking for a moment to feel it, attached to jagged tree bark, soft and thick under his gentle touch.

In no time the old wooden house and it's long outgrown garden appeared in the distance. Hyunjin took a turn off the road and followed a path made up of flat stones leading up to a door that he had the keys to in his pocket.

The house wasn't big or modern, but all the more charming; Hyunjin couldn't help wondering what kind of people decided to build it here and live on the terms that it set for them.

Despite the immensely tall forest behind it making it look small, it was a two-storey house; the second floor just an attic, but still.

The exterior was easy on your eyes, wooden planks and paint with earthy shades making it blend well into its surroundings.
Wild flowers and weeds on ground level hugged its outer walls tightly, leaning onto them for support to grow. The whole yard was just one big garden shaped by its own desires - much prettier than the ones tamed and forced to comply to perfection.
Another path of flat rocks parted from the bigger one to take you on a walk around it if you wanted.

Vines crawled up the house's sides, curved around its windowpanes and tickled under its roof with their leaves.
The v-shaped roof, like many other things Hyunjin had already seen that day, was covered in moss. A small chimney pushed through it proudly.

Hyunjin twisted the key in the lock until he heard a small 'click' and the front door creaked open.

It was surprisingly warm inside; it was like a small welcome home gift from the sun.

Hyunjin could see to the forest right through the house from where he was standing; the living room on the opposite side of the house had a huge, curved window covering almost the whole back wall. It was almost like the nature was flooding inside of the house, and Hyunjin didn't mind it one bit.

Small particles of dust floated in the still air, making the warm mid-day sun's rays visible. The shiny wooden floor yet for Hyunjin to walk on was spotted with the light.

To his right there was a tiny kitchen, to his left a dressing room with storage and stairs to the attic, and a bathroom with a working shower (most of the time).

Most of the old furniture was already there - Hyunjin liked the original decor much better than the stuff he had in his old house - just his art supplies and beloved house plants were missing, he thought.

Well, maybe his bed too.

He slowly walked around, touching every surface he could reach and eyeing every little detail he could find.
Warm wood and imperfect lines.

Finally, he halted in front of the huge window through which the sunlight invaded his new house.

And right there in his backyard the forest was, in all it's tall, dark glory.

He would be taking his first walk amongst those trees tonight.

~