Dreams Who Never Come True

Chapter 05: Why Did You Have to Come?

(One Month Later)

"Oh, there you are!" I hear that cruel, painful voice of my father. He embraces me as if though I was a complete stranger, as if though we have never known of each other.

For the past month, I've been avoiding that... father. Or at least I tried to. To rephrase that, for the past month, I have been trying to avoid my father, or stay away from him. The closer I was to him, the more danger I was in. His poison scared me, shook me down to the core. Every time I was near him, I would've wondered if he would poison me yet again or not.

He gives me one of his creepy smiles, as if he was trying to act like a good father around me. He looks at me in a way of which felt familiar but yet unfamiliar. I couldn't tell when though. All I could recall was rain.

He snatches my small arm, dragging me towards a clearing nearby the house.

I hear the sounds of birds chirping in the forest, chirping and singing. The scenery reflected the nature around us, one where I rarely got the chance to view. Wind swept my face, battering and lightly hitting me.

I see Ji-ho waiting patiently, besides some other guy. The other guy had the same skin color as Ji-ho and I, but his hair color and eye color were a completely unique fashion. His eyes were a yellow and a red color, as if though it were a warning sign one would see on the streets. His pupil was pure black, while the streaks of yellow and red passed turns as they carved towards the center, in a shape similar to the leaf's shape. Hints of orange darted around his eyes—they almost looked like the sunset itself. He was... strange. He... reminded me of the boy in my dream. That dream of which I had about a month ago.

His hair was bright pink, in that hairstyle of which was similar to the one of Ji-ho's. I could tell he was older than me, just by first glance. If I were to guess, he would be older than Ji-ho, meaning he was a couple years older than me. Were they friends?

"Who is that?" I ask my father, my tired and sordid eyes gleaming with the slightest bit of confusion. The boy's legs dangled off the steps, as he sat there in the sunlight. I noticed that in his left hand, there was a golden coin, shining in the sunlight. It gleamed and glimmered, like a flashlight. He ruffled his hair, of which was laidback, plopped down, on his head. The boy lifted the bangs in front of his forehead, with his right hand. He and Ji-ho were immersed in some sort of conversation. A trickle of envy washed through me, like a small breeze. I wished that I could have that type of conversation with Ji-ho, except, I simply could not.

"Go." My father commands me, leaving no space for me to ask any further questions. My father completely ignored my question, shoving me into the hands of my brother and the pink guy. For once, my father doesn't 'abuse' me. He walks away from the area, back towards our home.

My father was never a social man. He would rarely leave the house, let alone the forest. He'd mostly stay indoors, as if though he were hiding from others. I didn't understand why, and I figured I would never know why. I'm prohibited from asking such questions. My father had said it was illegal to ask those questions, of which I did not understand, but did not dare to question him.

My father--my psychopathic father-- was soon out of sight. I could no longer see him, as if he'd disappeared without a trace. As if he were never here. I hesitantly turn back around towards my brother and his friend. Something felt... off.

I could not identify the feeling, I could not detail how I felt, but I knew it was lingering there inside me.

"Oh, would you like to join the fun?" The pink-haired boy asks, flipping the coin in the air with the flick of his thumb. He smiles at me, a strange, almost dark smile. He gets up from his sitting position, and snatches the coin of which he had been flipping with his left arm. He felt... just like my father.

He swaps the coin about through his left and right hand, as if he were preparing something. He continued to walk closer towards me as he did this, keeping his smile plastered on his face. He slides the coin up his right sleeve. "Ah, I know you," He remarks, "You're Ji-ho's younger sister, Myeong-Jun, am I correct? The star of the infamous Taseraki family, are you not?"

I gulp, and nod.

I see Ji-ho staring at me, as if I were some lunatic, some hypocrite. My attention is then redirected to the boy who resembled my father.

"I've heard a lot about you from Ji-ho, but this is the first time I've ever encounter you. In this vain, alluring, and magnificent world, Myeong-Jun, all of us live something known as 'life.' However, life is nothing but a gamble, there are always steaks for every action you've done. Now, I'd like to know what kind of character you are, Myeong-Jun," The boy rambles on, halting in front of me. He holds out both of his hands, and stops his action of transporting the coin, "Choose. Which hand has the coin, right or left?"

I hear a loud sigh come from Ji-ho, "Why bother? I already told you, Reitsukin, that she's my sister who my parents favor. She wouldn't be the ideal girl."

"Rei," The pink boy apparently named Reitsukin corrects. He turns his head to Ji-ho, allowing for them to make eye contact. "I don't believe everything you say, Ji-ho. All I know so far is what you claim for her to be--I've never met her myself before. I'm just curious."

Ji-ho shrugs it off. I guessed he didn't feel like bothering with talking about me anymore. He looks away from Reitsukin and me, and towards a nearby tree. Ji-ho mutters a few words under his breath, words of which I could not hear. I couldn't even try to anyways.

"It's not in your hands," I say to Rei. I point to a leaf of which he had passed by, "The coin is on that leaf."

Rei smiles at me, this time, beaming with joy, "How observant and keen you are. You are correct, I dropped the real coin on the leaf, while sliding a decoy up my sleeve. I truly did not expect for you to notice," He put his hand under my chin, "I like people like you. I like you."

"Stop it, Rei. You're going to freak her out." Ji-ho commands, coming to my defense. He gets up, and paces towards Rei.

"Alright, alright," Rei mumbles, exasperated. He plops back down onto the ground. I stand, confused, quizzical. A matter of events from my father bringing me here has just played through my eyes, and I had no idea what was going on. Why did my father bring me here? Who is this Rei person? What am I doing here?

"Myeong." Ji-ho simply calls my name, holding a stone-like expression on his face. "Lord Gōrume, father, requested for us to train you in battle."

Last month, I recall that dream I had where my father said he had to be more rigorous on me. Harsher, stricter. Was this what he wanted? A deal and contract with his own son? Assumptions hustled and bustled through my mind--I couldn't decide on which to listen to. What was up with that 'fail' type of thing? What is.... my father doing to me?

"It's time to roll the dice." Rei proclaims, whipping out a dagger. He points the dagger at my throat, as if he were threatening to stab me in the neck. Rei's sunset-like eyes gleam with grimace. I knew he was enjoying this-as the psychopath I've seen him as. He tosses away the dagger soon after, and offers his hand, "I like you, Myeong. Would you like to be friends?"

I don't move.

"If we become friends, I will happily gamble away my life for you, Myeong, because that's just the type of friend I am. I've already reached an agreement with your brother, would you like to reach an agreement as well?" Rei continues to hold his hand out, waiting for me to take his hand and accept his offer.

I take a glance at Ji-ho, and he urges me to take Rei's hand. I do so.

"Seems like we have an agreement now," Rei remarks, letting go of my hand. He flips another coin, "Now, as both of you and Ji'ho's friend and now-teacher, I let a gamble between both of you commence. Gōrume will hear of the results; I will analyze."

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A/N: This was a fun chapter to write :D
- Contrastgaze