⇢ ˗ˏˋ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 ࿐ྂ ʰʸᵘⁿˡⁱˣ

| 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱

(I REALLY RECOMMEND LISTENING TO THE SONG PLSSSSS)

Felix knows he is in love with Hyunjin...but Hyunjin is still very confused. That day when Cecily and Felix spoke, they made a mistake. It was a public space and such things could've been heard...and it was not an accepting society. Even the mention of same sex love put a blister on the people's tongues. But one person..had caught the conversation in full, a hooded figure with their back to the alleyway wall adjacent to the water fountain. A green and red flame burning in the container of their irises.

"Elio, where are you heading? The depths of the night are here."

"My dear, I'm going for a stroll, rest cannot come to my mind until I cleanse the dirt around us."

"The dirt? Dear, what dirt? How is your mind?"

"Rest your head and let go of your arbitrary worries, my love. It won't be long."

Elio lifted his pitch-black hood over his head, as soon as it landed, the same dark aura radiated off of him that even his wife shivered at the sight of his eyes, often looking away when they spoke. The hood cast a concealing shadow just above his mouth, which sported a chesire-cat grin, menacing. With each step, a clink was to be heard though his footsteps were soft, light and almost silent that juxtaposed his heavy pockets.

When it fell silent, when the wind was still and everything felt like it was on pause, Elio had reached the dirt. Hwang Art Studio. It loomed above his tall physique, the grin he once had was now a frown. An angered frown, looking at this beautifully wretched building brought hatred to his heart. That damn homosexual Frenchman lived here, and he wanted him out. And what other way to get him out other than making his love interest despise him?

And so, Elio chose to hurt both of them. Earlier in the day, Elio had heard Hyunjin was going to see his parents who lived out of Crema, and so Felix was alone. But on the way, he saw the Frenchman at a tavern, downing drinks. This just bettered Elio's plan, as so it began. Sneakily approaching the bush where he had hid a couple of bucket-sized barrels full of gasoline, which he had placed these the day Felix had conversed with Cecily, not a single consideration of the damage possible entered his mind. They would lose the art supplies, their clothes and prized possessions, their work and home. The clear, oil like liquid left a trail on the wooden porch, a slimy trail of pure hatred. To get to the wooden flooring in the locked house, Elio used his clothed elbow to break the glass it was silent though physically impossible, he poured the gasoline through the broken window. After emptying all of the gasoline around and in the studio, out of his heavy pockets, came one of those fancy lighters, Elio rapidly plucked a nearby rose and had set it aflame, tossing it onto a patch of gasoline and then throwing his intricate lighter into the now fiery patch of grass. He immediately fled the scene after dragging a blacked-out drunk Felix nearby the scene. Everyone was asleep, apart from the people working in the tavern.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ timeskip ࿐ྂ

It was a fresh summer morning, and when you have the blaring sun, you'd expect to be gleeful, no. Felix was on his knees, hyperventilating, mind you, he was definitely feeling a hangover, and potential alcohol poisoning. When his blurred eyes made out the blackened wood and stone, he just wishes that this was a nightmare, people surrounding the scene, when yells of 'My studio!' in Hyunjin's voice get closer and closer, the sailor wanted to die right there, when he saw the utter disbelief and pain in his sharp eyes, oh his heart shattered, and his stomach dropped. He felt guilty...what if he did it?! He didn't remember what he did last night after he arrived at the tavern.

"Felix, what on earth have you done?!"

"Hy..Hyunjin! Listen...listen.."

"Listen..?! My..whole life is burnt down! And you want me to listen?! You damn devil!"

"...Hyunjin..please.."

"You..You probably wanted me to hire you to do this! You're probably some mentally unfit person that tricked me into thinking that you were trustworthy."

"Hyunjin!"

"You will never belong here. You are an insane man, who deserves the worst. You should've stayed in France, maybe everyone wouldn't hate you then..because you're a devil!"

These words broke his heart, but he didn't dare bite back, he probably caused this and is now drowning in his own guilt, even if Hyunjin listened to him, no words could be said, because neither of them knew how this happened. Felix wanted to leave, he was a mess and everywhere he went, he would leave a stain of his existence.

Felix had pulled out his purse of valuables including family hierlooms, and put it in Hyunjin's clenched fist to which he opened.

"It should be enough for art supplies and a rebuild of the studio.."

This infuriated Hyunjin even more, he picked up the nearest clay plant pot and threw it at the floor, gripping onto the purse. Felix found himself in a similar situation to when he was back in France on his wedding day. He was that same useless boy, the one that just took what he was given. The same reminiscent drops of ruby fell down his cheek, on his knees surrounded by shards of the clay pot.

"You dare offer me valuables..do you think it will be the same..? Huh?!"

At this point, Felix gave up. Nowhere was his home, and maybe it was time to go back to his parents and plead..and beg..and be that same old doll to them. The sailor stood up among the fragments of the broken pot, to which surprised Hyunjin in the slightest, as he witnessed Felix run to the harbour. He was leaving for France and although he should hate him...his heart dropped, and his mood fell even deeper than how it originally was. The dark-haired man was sobbing the whole time, getting hateful eyes as well as those fiery eyes of Elio which froze Felix in place before continuing to prepare his boat.

He had no clothes...no money, no food and no drink. A long journey, and a hangover...he was definitely at risk of death by neglection of his own health or a potential boat crash.

And Hyunjin would never know.