Lonely candle

Can this world turn away from a person, completely stop perceiving him as a living being? Is there really good and evil, and how can one avoid taking that very step, crossing the line between love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal, truth and deception? Donghun always tried to live according to his conscience. Many told him that you will eat shit, my friend, if you continue to help everyone, but you won’t get over yourself, and Hun continued to try to make this world at least a little better. Already from childhood, he realized that he was different from others, but what the difference was he could not figure out to this day. He saw the world somehow differently, he had completely different values, he was never interested in what many people are interested in. Donghun was always alone, but he preferred to think that he had friends. This made it much easier to cope with the proud title “I’m not like you,” which many people dream about, but have no idea how difficult it really is. While Hun was a teenager, everything was going good. His peers were fascinated by the fact that Donghun was different from them. This was his peculiar highlight. He was very kind and open, everyone knew that if something bad happened in his life, they could always run to Donghun and cry on his shoulder. Hun will always listen and be sorry. Only that’s where it all ended, because, coming to senses, the person again went back to his old life, leaving Hun alone with himself. Hun tried to be like everyone else. He and the guys ran away from classes in the school, skipped classes at the university, smoked some cheap cigarettes for company, so as not to be a “black sheep”, and pretended that he liked to drink strong alcohol. But despite all this, he never had problems with his studies, he got away with all the sessions for reasons unknown to everyone, he never smelled of tobacco or fumes, which cannot be said about his environment. Donghun tried so hard not to stand out, but by doing so he stood out even more. He tried to go with the flow, adapting to any situation, but each time all these situations slowly took away a part of his soul. He was tired of misunderstandings from those around him, tired of sidelong glances in his direction, and constant gossip. It would seem, what else is needed? He had a job, although not the profitable one he dreamed of, but still it was there. The only remaining friend from his time at school and university. A rented apartment, which every time hinted to him that it was time to move out; you can’t afford such apartments, dear. But Hun stubbornly continued to believe in the best. It seemed to him that by doing good unselfishly it would return to him and fate would finally become favorable. But, for some reason, throughout his entire life this law never worked. Donghun rejoiced at every good little thing that made him at least a little happier. One day he met a guy on the Internet. It all happened by chance, Donghun just left some comment under a meaningless picture and that guy, Sehyoon, wrote to him first. Without hesitation, he told him directly that Hun had beautiful, kind eyes and the guy really liked them. Donghun was surprised and shocked at the same time; his new acquaintance, like a tsunami, carried him away into a new adventure of online communication. Sehyoon was sweet to his words, he constantly complimented, constantly interested in what Donghun was doing, whether he had eaten, how he was feeling. It seemed that it was not enough for Sehyoon to just chat like this in the evenings about nothing, exchange a couple of voice messages and self-talk. It seemed to Donghun that this guy could be trusted, so he told him everything: how hard it was for him, what he felt, how he saw the world around him. Probably for the first time, Hun felt exactly in his rightful place; he was sure that Sehyoon was exactly the person with whom he would be ready to go through life to the end. “Let’s meet,” Hun saw a notification on the screen one morning, “I want to see the real you.” Pleased, Donghun immediately told his friend about the news, sharing a photo of Sehyoon. Mr.Kwan, as a relationship specialist (as he called himself), immediately said that he would have to go with Donghun to this meeting. Like a true friend, Kwan immediately took Donghun shopping, helping him look like modern people. Such a long-awaited meeting took place, but in the end everything desired happened completely differently. Sehyoon and Kwan became close right in front of Hun, who was watching all this. Literally the next day, the two went for a walk without telling Donghun about it, and after Sehyoon wrote him a message saying that he was grateful and for anything for meeting Kwan. That Kwan is the one who misses Sehyoon so much in his life, that Kwan is like a breath of clean air among all the shit surrounding Sehyyon. He also thanked Hun for always taking the time to replay the messages. Thanks to him, Sehyoon could spend his time normally at his boring job. If it weren’t for such a sincere and sociable Hun, Sehyoon would have gone crazy. What can a wounded soul do, striving for the light but falling into darkness? Scream silently and continue to swallow sharp blades from those around you? Donghun couldn’t stand it anymore, but this fucking kindness, this faith in the best… Hun was never a pious person, but no matter how much he asked God to help him, to guide him on the true path, or at least to give a concise hint on what to do, God always remained silent, and Donghun once again remained unchanged. Already in fact. Depression, apathy, depression, tearfulness — all this became a constant companion of the once smiling, kind and sincere guy. Problems arose in the work due to the fact that the apartment had to be moved into a cramped one-room apartment in some kind of basement. But even in such a terrible state, he felt drawn to the light. It should still be good, right?.. The nights in the new apartment were terrible, especially in bad weather, when the wind was howling outside, and the furious rain was drumming on the small windows, flowing down like a wall of water. In the kitchen at such times, one of the walls always leaked, and Hun constantly placed a bucket and oilcloth nearby so that the water had somewhere to drain. And in such bad weather, the lights constantly went out and Hun took out thick candles, placing them around himself and imagining that he still had a true friend who would never betray him, with whom they both could go through all the hardships. On one of these nights, Hun again sat on the floor among the candles. He cut out advertisements looking for employees and carefully pasted everything into his notebook, with which he then went to the collected addresses in the hope of finding at least a part-time job. “God, help me. Please, God”. Hun whispered, flinching from the sound of thunder outside. But God was silent again, and Hun was once again convinced that, in principle, he didn’t care anymore, he didn’t have to answer, he hadn’t hoped for anything for a long time. Cutting out another advertisement, he grinned at his thoughts and, putting the newspaper aside, took the cutter, twirling it in his hands. He’s probably starting to go crazy from all this hopelessness, since such thoughts creep into his head. Shaking his head, he put the cutter aside, staring at the steady flame of the crackling candle. It hypnotized and enchanted with its light, the scarlet light serenely melted the pliable wax. Donghun melted in the same way from the fact that he constantly exchanged himself for others, constantly helping and rescuing people who, in fact, were not even his friends. And in the end, all that was left of Hun was a burnt wick and a puddle of melted wax. Biting his lip, he again took the cutter in his right hand, lifting it up his left sleeve. What the hell isn’t he joking with? The main thing is that everything is fine… Closing his eyes, he bent slightly over the candle, shuddering again at the sound of thunder. “I look like an idiot”, he probably thought, taking in more air into his lungs. Memories surfaced in my head of how they, as small children, tried to summon spirits or even the devil himself. Maybe that’s when everything went wrong? Collecting his thoughts, Hun closed his eyes, running the cutter across his palm, leaving a thin but deep cut. Wincing, he turned his hand palm down so that a few drops of blood fell directly on the candle and, gritting his teeth, uttered words from his childhood with his lips alone: “Daemon, come”. At that time it sounded so scary that he and the guys always ran away from the place where they tried to make a call it. It’s even a little funny now. The rain began to drum on the windows with renewed vigor, and a draft ran across the floor. In the kitchen, water dripped from the tap, which was supplied here with varying degrees of success, as was the light. Hun held his breath, squinting and listening to the silence. The candle flame crackled and went out because a drop of blood fell directly on the wick. The place of the cut stung terribly due to the fact that the palm was sweaty, and it also throbbed disgustingly. Exhaling, Donghun opened his eyes, bringing his palm closer to his face. Apparently, it will take a long time to heal. Smiling bitterly, he blotted the remaining blood with his sleeve and looked at one of the extinguished candles. That’s crazy, huh? And what did you hope for? Shaking his head to himself, Hun turned his head to the side and picked up the newspaper again. Leaning closer to the nearby candles, he again began to look for advertisements, but the more he did this, the more he felt someone’s gaze on him. When it became completely uncomfortable, he raised his head and immediately crawled back in horror, resting his back against the wall. A stranger was sitting at a distance from him. In the dim candlelight it was hard to tell who he was. The face was almost invisible. The stranger sat in the lotus position with his wrists clasped in a “lock.” The only thing that could be clearly seen in this light were thin fingers with long black claws and some incomprehensible markings. Donghun’s heart forgot how to beat. Something pulsed in his temples, and his breathing became labored. He tried to peer into the darkness to see the stranger’s face, but he could not do it. Who is he and how did he get here in the first place? The stranger continued to sit in this position. His posture was perfectly straight, his hands remained closed in a “lock”. Not seeing his face, Hun felt his cold gaze on him and this made him feel even more uneasy, although it seemed much more so. “You…” Donghun swallowed, trying to make his voice sound louder. “Who are you?” The stranger did not move, continuing to sit in the same position. Hun swallowed again and put his hands on the floor, carefully crawling on all fours back to the illuminated place. Maybe this is a glitch? Hun looked at stranger’s hands. The fingers looked quite real, as did the legs in black skinny jeans. “No, it’s not a glitch”, it flashed through in his head. To be happy or not? “Who are you?” Hun asked quietly again, biting his lip. Taking one of the candles in his good hand, he raised it, illuminating the stranger’s face. Once again, his face showed fear mixed with surprise. The stranger’s face was beautiful. It was perfect. Chiseled cheekbones, wide forehead. Dark hair falling over the face. The stranger’s eyes were closed and everything would have been fine if not for the color of his skin, which was dark red in places, and there were real horns on his head. Donghun froze in a daze, staring blankly at this phenomenon. Maybe this is still a glitch? The house landlord said that they recently poisoned rats here, maybe Hun inadvertently sniffed something?.. “Are you the reaper of death?” Hun said somehow hesitantly, reaching out his hand to the horns on the stranger’s head, but he suddenly opened his eyes and Donghun immediately removed his hand, swallowing convulsively. The guy’s eyes were burgundy with huge black pupils. “W-who are you…” Hun squeaked, slowly moving away to his previous place. Various thoughts danced chaotically in my head: this creature is not a person at all, is he dangerous? If he was dangerous, he would have attacked Hun by now, no? Should be afraid of him? Afraid.? “You called me yourself”. All thoughts immediately disappeared somewhere, driving Donghun into a dead end. His head became empty and quiet. Just as quiet as it was now in the room. Looking around, Hun squeezed the candle in his palm tighter. “Who called you? Me?..” He slammed his eyes somehow like a girl, looking at the stranger in disbelief. “I Vassago, ruler of thirty legions of spirits, heard your call and appeared before you”. Hun arched his eyebrows in surprise. The thought again flashed through his head that he had inhaled something after all. “In exchange for your soul, I will fulfill whatever you wish. Money, power, recognition, any men and women. Whatever you want will be yours” Donghun bit his lip, lowering his head. He immediately felt somehow sad, and he couldn’t understand why. Everything that his imagination had now listed for him (and he was beginning to believe that this was exactly it) was not needed by him. He could achieve everything on his own, but he didn’t need any of it. It may have been such an apartment, but it was. It may have been such a job, but it was there. Friends? Why do they, if they can betray so easily? Women? Women are not interested. Boys? He had alone boy and not for long, that’s all. Power? Wealth? And what to do with all this if you will always be alone? The only one. “What are your wishes, Lee Donghun?” Hun shuddered at his own name, raising his eyes to the stranger’s unusual face. It’s definitely a glitch, one hundred percent. “I can wish for everything I want?..” The so-called Vassago nodded slowly. “Then,” Donghun’s lips twitched in a slight smile, “I want you to become my friend, so that you will always be with me and never betray me. So that you become my support.” Hun said confidently. The stranger’s face was distorted in slight misunderstanding. “In return, I will become your same faithful friend and strong support in life. This is my desire, for which I am ready to give my already tired soul” Silence reigned. Even the candle flames stopped crackling. Vassago looked at Donghun carefully, peering into his exhausted face. Hun chuckled slightly, wincing from the pain in his palm, and sat down again in his previous position, taking the newspaper. “Nonsense, of course, but I haven’t caught such glitches yet”. Vassago arched a neat eyebrow and unclasped his hands, leaning forward towards Hun. Donghun was a little taken aback, leaning back a little. The stranger’s eyes gazed into the guy’s eyes, and the corners of his lips stretched into a slight smile. Up close, his skin resembled scales with some vague markings. The stranger reached out and took Donghun by the wrist of his injured hand. Hun looked down, watching the action. Vassago covered the guy’s hand with his own, continuing to look at the man’s pale face. The cut on the palm healed, leaving behind only memories of unpleasant sensations. “I accept your terms” Say Vassago. “W-what?”. Hun again looked up at the beautiful face of his glitch, only now he no longer seemed like a glitch, and this caused an unpleasant chill to run through his body. “I will be everything you want for you.” In return, you will give me your soul”. As if hypnotized, Hun nods slowly, unable to take his eyes off stranger’s burgundy, captivating eyes. “In that case, give me a name and the deal will be done.” Hun hesitated, almost blurting out the first thing that came to mind, but immediately collected himself. A lot of names popped into his head, but he always especially liked one; there was something beautiful, proud and, probably, so familiar about it. Nodding slightly, Hun carefully pulled his hand away. “I’ll call you Junhee” Lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the room with bright light, followed by thunder. Startled, Hun fixed his gaze on the small window, and when he looked at the stranger again, he saw in front of him a boy of his own age. He still had the same chiseled cheekbones and wide forehead. Beautiful chocolate-colored eyes with a cat-like squint, black hair and a devilishly beautiful smile.