petrichor » yoonkook

epilogue; explanation

soooo hello, thanks for reading this short story & I hope it was enjoyable~
the symbolism was heavy and very important to be understood, since I got inspired to write it based on a personal experience and there's a lot of meaning behind it.

• yoongi's halo of clouds;

this burdening constant rainstorm symbolizes the self loathing and introversion that tortures yoongi, the halo is floating above his head (and the distress is in it 24/7) and he can't escape it. the clouds (his own mind) rain down continuously the stress and insecurity, the halo is a part of him and there's no way out of his self hate.

• yoongi living 'locked up';

that is a metaphor for yoongi's asocial nature and need to stay away from crowds. locking all the doors emphasises on the necessity of avoiding social interactions, his fear of them (which could explain why he lives in such a small village). he tends to appear outside at night for this very reason.

• keeping the sunlight out;

yoongi hates the sun, the brightness in general. it reminds him of how happy he could be if it wasn't for his issues, how showered in sunlight he could be if it wasn't for the stormy cloud to make everything dark under its shadows. so he keeps it away.

• hopelessness;

yoongi has lost hope in his martyrdom. he believes he will never get rid of the halo, which is why he never tries to find a way that might work.

• the thirst;

no matter how much of a filthy perverted fangirl I am, this has nothing to do with sexual frustration. in actuality both yoongi's and jeongguk's thirst is spiritual. yoongi seeks for the worthwhile water in hope that it will end his anxiety and fear.

• the fountain and its water;

here the water symbolizes the salvation from this spiritual thirst, acceptance and release. yoongi will be free of his self hatred and emotional mess, but the rain (his own hopeless self) falling inside each time he attempts to drink sets the level too low and blocks him. he needs to change and cease being apathetic in order to taste freedom of these burdens.

• jeongguk's halo of sun;

yoongi on his way to find hapiness (the fountain) meets jeongguk, who also seeks salvation. jeongguk suffers from his own personal issues too. in my mind these were repulsion (why he would kiss yoongi so easily) & self harm (his parched and peeling off wrists) which cause him to dry out and live under constant tornment. of course this is an alternate universe so questions like why didn't any villager noticed the halos or how didn't any of them die without water are no use, lol. he too can't drink water, he can't save himself and the one responsible for that is also himself. each halo (self loathing) prevents from drinking the water of the fountain (reaching the ultimate happiness).

• the kiss;

once the two boys kissed, some of the excessive water on yoongi evaporated and some of it moisturized jeongguk's worn out skin. sometimes finding someone who suffers like you is beneficial, maybe observing their struggle and experiencing the existence of their battle can help you feel less alone, make you relate. in this case they both got comforted, just by a kiss that took away a small part of their affliction.

• yoongi in love;

yoongi is amazed, he has found somebody to make him forget his problem and help him push it to the side when he's with them. he's attached to jeongguk as long as they're together cause he has never let anyone in, he has never felt relief from his self loathing. this is why he's so passionate about meeting his lover every night, and eventually forgets the reason that he used to go to the fountain for – he focuses on the temporary relief (being made to feel nice about hinself by somene else) and lets go of the real, important reason, his true happiness.