under the moonlight » minsung

luna.

The bridge near Jisung’s campus has been his comfort zone for about two years. There’s just something in the way the exquisite view of nature feeds his mind with rich ideas to pen. The bridge is deserted most of the time and looks lonely and scary at night, but it offers the best view of the lush foliage of the forests and the wide sea that kisses the horizon in the town’s outskirts, so it’s a win for him. No one really dared to stay there unlike he does—not after the speculations of Spirits roaming around their town.

Ah, yes. Spirits.

Well, Spirits in Jisung's place have always been unconventional contrary to what most story books in other countries say. Unlike these, their Spirits are real and tangible just like humans. They're like humans with flesh, dark blue eyes, and real feelings, except they're cold and dead and can't remember their past save for the way they died. They also can't get past their designated areas.

Basically, Spirits are kind of prisoners in their places. Aside from that, rumor has it that they bring misfortune and sadness to anyone who talks to them, so no one dares to pick up a conversation with them. They're sad souls trapped in a human body, desiring nothing but the truth of their past life and acceptance.

They’re pretty much everywhere—you may meet one in the local market or the pedestrian, honestly—but they’re more frequent in secluded areas. Jisung’s bridge isn’t an exemption to this.

Well, back to Han Jisung.

Han Jisung is on his last year in college. Just a few months left and he’ll finish taking up Biology. He never really loved the course; he just can’t get himself to love learning the way organisms move in their habitat no matter how hard he tries to. Music and writing has his heart since day one, but because his parents never allowed him to pursue his desires (thinking that taking up something in the Arts is not ‘practicable’), he’s stuck into this mess for about four years, barely passing and living off of all-nighters.

So he studied like an empty robot for two years, his mind always filled with scientific names of every plant and animal his professor required him and writing countless papers instead of lyrics. Truly, things get a thousand times harder when your heart isn’t into it. He wanted to see the once bubbly and loud Jisung he used to know, but no matter how hard he looked into his foggy bathroom mirror, he saw nothing but tired eyes. It was completely foreign and empty.
Was he miserable? For a bit, yes. Thanks to some of his friends though, he got to do what he loves when he has spare time. Thanks to his friend Chan—a Behavioral Sciences major and part time producer—he learns a lot more about music production and his lyrics get decent criticisms. His love for writing was a dying ember, and he has to kindle it and bring it back to life, roaring loud and crackling under the dark.

That’s where he got himself to right now. Balancing this life and his (awful) academics, he barely gets enough rest. He took every opportunity he has; at the back of his notebooks, he poured his soul out into words and ink. It’s tough, he doesn’t deny it, but it’s worth it.

And so here he is, trying to find inspiration in the thickness greenery of the forest and the glimmering night sky. There's something in the way the night wind blew against his shirt that brings him in the mood to write. He's written a lot of songs in his old leather-bound notebook and, being the genius that he is, the lyrics were written intricately, with words carefully woven like a mat that exudes an amazingly beautiful and smart picture.

However, here's the thing: he doesn't know that.

Jisung's shoes crunch against the dead leaves in the pavement. Just a few more steps, and he's back to his bridge, the said cemented structure standing still against storms and winters.