IGNITE | Stray Kids

оиє

⚖︎

Ever since Jisung was young, he felt different. Now when he would think that, he felt the word didn't do his situation justice. It was a term used so loosely by the cliche rebellious teenager. It wasn't that he felt weird or quirky. No. He felt different. Other worldly.

Growing up, this was something Jisung had difficulty understanding. His parents even told him he was different. Just in the simpler term "special". As a five year old kid, being told you were different could be confusing. So, he grew up believing what ever was wrong with him was just special.

His average body temperature was significantly higher than the other kids. He remembered being able to play in the snow in his summer attire, making all the other kids jealous. That was how the neighbourhood children ended up with hypothermia. Jisung always disliked summer, due to the hotter weather. Summer was usually when Jisung would come down with unspeakably high fevers. So high, his parents thought surely he was dying.

He was just special.

When Jisung was 9, he caught his father smoking. He was old enough to know how bad the habit was for you, so he rushed to his fathers side and demanded the old man stopped. That was when he saw the little orange flame that ignited from the small cylindrical lighter. That started his little obsession with fire. It was something Jisung carried through out all of his childhood.

Well, there he stood. 19, cigarette hanging off the corner of his lips, lighter lit up in his hand.

"Jesus, you stare at that thing so much I am surprised you aren't going cross eyed," his friend, Hwang Hyunjin joked scrolling through his phone.

Jisung snapped out of his trance and pulled his eyes away from the flame.

"It's pretty," Jisung simply said, taking the last drag of his cigarette.

He threw the bud to the ground, it landing in a puddle a few feet away. The red outline of the burning paper slowly extinguished, Jisung frowning.

"You know, smoking is-"

"Bad for me, I know," Jisung interrupted and sat down on the bench beside Hyunjin. "Tell that to my old man."

Hyunjin looked up from his phone for a second with a small frown, "I'm sorry, Sung."

Jisung scoffed and smiled halfheartedly, "don't be."

Today was the fifth anniversary of his fathers death. It was of natural causes, and would have happened no matter what. But Jisung still felt it was unfair. He was age 14 at the time and only just begun to build a stable relationship with his father. Man to man.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go see him? We've been sitting in front of the cemetery for twenty minutes now," Hyunjin chuckled lightly. Jisung new he was trying to lift the atmosphere, he was good at that after all.

"Nah. I'll stay here a while," He muttered, turning to look at his friend, "you can dip if you want to, I don't wanna keep you too long."

Hyunjin tilted his head to the side as if he was trying to decipher something.

"Well...I guess I'll get going then," He sighed.

Jisung watched as his friend stood off the bench, and began to unzip his jacket.

"It's cold," he stated, handing over the jacket to Jisung. "Put it on. You don't need to get sick."

Jisung snorted and tossed the jacket back to Hyunjin. "You and I both know I'm fine."

"I know, but can you at least pretend you aren't superhuman for once?" Hyunjin joked, slipping the jacket back on.

"You are the only one who pretends I am superhuman."

After the two boys shared another laugh, Hyunjin began his venture back home. Jisung watched his friend walk away until he turned the corner, and let out a long sigh.

Pulling his lighter out from his pocket, he pressed down on the side and watched the flame ignite. It stood still for a few seconds, before the wind began to pick up. The flame flapped around in the wind, causing Jisung's lips to curve into a smile. It was gorgeous.

The small moment of joy was short lived as suddenly, the flame went out. His eyes trailed upward to the entrance of the cemetery. He felt eyes on him.

Taking a discreet look around, Jisung furrowed his eye brows and lit the lighter again. Just like that, the flame quickly went out. Jisung could feel this deep calling in his gut. It was like his whole being was being yanked forward as he stood off of the bench.

Taking a few curious steps forward, Jisung was now in front of the cemetery. The area was strangely eerie which caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. Jisung was rarely ever cold, although a paralyzing chill ran down his spine. All his senses were on alert as he slowly made his way into the cemetery.

The autumn leaves crunched under his sneakers and he gripped his lighter tighter in his hands. As much as Jisung disliked admitting, he had no idea how to defend himself. After his mother forbid him to use his alternative way of self defence, he had been left with nothing.

Anxiety was rising within Jisung every second that went by. The rustling in the trees that he was hearing did not help. The area was blocked off with a barrier of trees and forestry. The only place without it being the entrance. Maybe that's what contributed to the immense fear Jisung was suddenly feeling. Although, he refused to show it. If he was going to face any threat he wasn't going to look like a pussy doing it.

A howl interrupted Jisung's train of thought, causing a surge of panic to rush through his veins. That howl was followed by a few others and loud rustling from every direction. Jisung froze as he looked around. It wasn't too dark out to not be able to make out the figures emerging from the tree line.

The first animal he thought it could be was a bear. Although he was sure that bears wouldn't dare go so close to the city line. That was until he saw how many were coming out. At full speed.

Jisung's eyes widened upon the many figures darting toward him.

Giant....Wolves?!