REWRITE
THE STARS
( part 1 )

FOR -joonkim 💘
WORD COUNT 1.9k
OVERVIEW "you know i want you, it's not a secret i try to hide, but i can't have you, we're bound to break and my hands are tied"

∆

LONDON, 1918

THE CIRCUS WAS ALIVE with sound and music. the cheering of the crowd was deafening, the smell of popcorn and greasy treats tickled the nostrils of all who entered the circus grounds, and everything inspired a sense of wonder.

tents featuring various acts of magic and excitement were spread around; there was the hall of mirrors, where you could easily lose yourself, or the magical garden, full of exotic flowers and dancing girls who produced doves from thin air. but, in the middle of it all, was the main attraction: a huge glittering blue-and-golden big top, roof raised higher than all the others.

when you entered, at first, you'd be greeted by darkness, the only light coming from a spotlight in the middle of the roof. then you were seated, and everyone turned quiet and settled down, that was when the spectacle started. it was bafflingly beautiful, full of elegance and grace, of shimmering sequins and boys that seemingly flew through the air. everyone flocked to the acrobat tent; it was the money maker of the circus.

park jimin was one of the money makers of this tent, tumbling and jumping through the air as if he weighed nothing, clad in silk and glitter and wispy things that made him resemble a spirit. he and his two brothers, taehyung and jeongguk, were the three stars; born of the ringmaster and his wife herself, they were some of the most talented people at the circus, and the popularity of the acrobat's tent showcased that. he and his brothers, along with two other boys, put on a show nearly every night, and the public ate right out of their hands.

jimin would be lying if he said he didn't love it; he loved the attention, the compliments, the rapt eyes of the audience as he tumbled through thin air like he'd been doing since he was seven. every time he performed, it was like he was high off the sheer feeling of it. just having the audience watching him was perfect. and now he was in london, and londoners loved a circus; they flocked to the field where the performers had set up, children tugging their parents towards the big tops, and money poured in.

sunday's were off days, as everyone would be at church or having a much needed day off work, so there wasn't much sense in performing. this allowed jimin and his fellow acrobat, xu minghao, to enter the lovely city and explore, using their wages to buy food and luxuries in the heart of england. both of them spoke impeccable english - you picked it up, moving around so much - and were quite comfortably sat in a little café, with petite cups of tea and plates of cake in front of them, jimin chattering to minghao in korean.

"...god, i hope father goes easy on the new routine," the blonde boy yawned, rolling his neck before tightening his burgundy scarf. "i'm aching all over thanks to that trick he added in."

minghao nodded in agreement, sipping at his tea. jimin's father, park sogguk, was one of the greatest acrobats in the world, but, as he entered his old age, strayed to the sidelines, now choreographing jimin, jeongguk, taehyung, minghao and junhui's routines, the ones that bought the money in. he expected nothing less than perfection from his sons and the two chinese acrobats, and perfection they delivered. park taught them fairly but firmly, carefully bending them until they almost broke. jimin was sure he was more flexible at ten than most people were in their whole life.

"we can't really complain, jimin," minghao shrugged, placing a delicate forkful of chocolate cake in his mouth. "it gives us decent money. what's there to complain about?"

"good point, hao." jimin sipped at his tea, eyes peering around the small tea shop. a lot of the people in there seemed to be wealthy, judging by the pearls at women's throats and the fine clothing the men wore. much more refined and wealthy than jimin and minghao, who wore nice yet simple coats, with cheap gold earrings and fake jewels made by a con artist in soho. jimin knew minghao felt shabby in comparison to these people, but jimin wouldn't allow himself to be looked down upon simply because he was circus folk, through and through. he was proud of who he was.

the door to the teashop opened quite abruptly, the bell jingling gently above it, and in walked a couple, a boy and a girl. the boy was tall, with beautifully golden skin, a smile plastered on his face, while the girl was willowy and black haired, lips painted red and her eyes sparkling as she laughed a sweet giggle. jimin looked over their clothing, admiring the finery of it all, the way the boy's clean cut coat rested perfectly on his shoulders, and how the girl's trousers hugged her slim waist perfectly.

"oh my-" minghao gasped, eyes fixed on the couple. "that's kim namjoon!"

"who?" jimin asked, not entirely sure what minghao was talking about, taking a sip of his drink. minghao kept his eyes on the couple.

"kim namjoon!" he said, quieter, maybe so they couldn't hear him. "he's rich! son of a wealthy business man. i read a newspaper article about him! he's highly desired in london, and he went to oxford, jimin, oxford! he's so attractive, look at him."

jimin had to agree with minghao on that one; the taller male was breathtakingly gorgeous, with dimples like craters in his cheeks and eyes that sparkled naturally. jimin knew there was no use in admiring him, though, as he was upperclass, noveau riche, the kind of man that was unattainable, even if there was the slightest chance he was attracted to men. so jimin allowed himself to find him pretty, but nothing more.

∆

EVERYTHING WAS ALIVE as monday night started, the stars twinkling brightly above the circus tents. smells of caramel, sawdust and something vaguely sweet drifted through the lazy night air, and kim namjoon allowed himself to be captivated in the moment.

"this is so pretty!" his sister jisoo exclaimed beside him, a thick and warm coat wrapped around her willowy frame. her black hair, dyed different from the golden brown she and namjoon shared, was tied up in a high bun, and she looked stunning. "joon, look at them!"

she pointed to the five women on a large pedestal, all piled up on top of each other in strange contorted positions, like some sort of human statue. it'd be an interesting thing to draw, namjoon mused, noticing the shimmering fabric they wore, and how they appeared to be boneless at first glance. jisoo, ever the inquisitive twin, was glancing around with amazed eyes, never having seen anything like it.

"it's amazing, jisoo," namjoon agreed, his hands deep in his pockets as he listened to the wonderful sounds of the night. "come on, which one do you want to see first?"

the korean siblings made their ways toward the first tent jisoo had found interesting. it was reminiscent of india, all floaty crimson silk and incense fogging up the air, thick and musky, with a woman sat in the center, surrounded by candles. the tent's interior was full of cushion's and rugs with exotic patterns, and namjoon and jisoo carefully took seats, the silk covered mystery woman smiling, an aura of strangeness and otherworldliness to her. she was a palm reader, a seer of the future, and she told the kim twins of what was to come; wealth, luck and happiness were in store for jisoo, and she was to steer clear of men who tried to win her with mere money. her eyes darkened when she read namjoon, looking up at him with some worry.

"i'm afraid, mr. kim, that your future is somewhat confusing," her indian accent spoke gently, but namjoon's heart leaped; even if he didn't believe in this future telling nonsense, it was worrying. "i see love in your near future, yes, but also great tragedy... you would do well to steer clear of fires."

of course, namjoon relayed this information to his twin sister afterwards as complete nonsense, even if he did sort of feel like it meant something. jisoo allowed her brother to drag her to the exotic tent, where the female twin screamed in excitement and some fear as a tiger roared from the shadows, and the male twin awed at the troupe of dancers, each in amazing garments and dancing the traditional dance of their contry; japanese geisha girls spun and sang in crystal voices, african tribal dancers stamped their feet and hummed from deep in their diaphragm, and french aristocrats from the age of luis xiv waltzed and sang beautiful far off melodies.

after exploring more tents - namjoon's favourite having been the hall of magical mirrors, where you lost yourself with every turn, running walls and endlessly walking until you got out, while jisoo favoured the magic tent, watching magicians preform impossible feats, seemingly transporting themselves to the other end of the tent, in grand puffs of smoke - it was nearly midnight when the kim twins went to their final destination, the acrobat big top.

it was completely dark as they made their way in, a single circle of moonlight in the center of the big top illuminating empty space. namjoon and jisoo seated themselves carefully, jisoo clutching at her brother's hand so she wouldn't lose him. seated in the wooden stands, it was impossible to see a foot in front of your face, and namjoon rather liked the mystery it provided.

five minutes later, and the flaps of the tent had been closed, and a figure walked into the circle. with hair the colour of liquid sunlight, the boy bowed silently to the audience, and two more boys emerged from the darkness behind him, one brunette and one silver haired. they silently and effortlessly picked the blonde boy up, him standing on their shoulders, and threw him into the air. namjoon's breath caught in his throat as it seemed the boy would fall, when he grabbed onto a trapeze that had appeared out of nowhere, swinging in a pendulum.

the brunette boy boosted the boy beside him onto his shoulders, an then the silver boy grabbed the trapezing acrobat's feet, joining the pendulum motion. the brunette ran and jumped, adding to it, and they built up momentum, one, two, three, four-

then the brunette swung off.

there were panicked gasps as it seemed he'd fly right into the audience, but he effortlessly spun through the empty air, catching himself on another trapeze using his knees, hanging above the audience with a cheeky smile. jisoo was craning her neck to see everything, and namjoon supposed he was doing the same, eyes fixed on the same blonde acrobat.

the blonde and silver boys continued their momentum, this time swinging more backwards, and the silver boy released their hands as they flew backwards, flick-flacking through the air and catching a trapeze.

the display went on for what seemed like hours, the boys flying as if they had wings, namjoon so amazed and enthralled by the spectacle that he couldn't close his eyes for even a second. the amazing way they had no fear, no hesitation at flying and jumping and tumbling through empty space, with so much danger of falling, and yet they remained perfectly airborne. namjoon couldn't quite wrap his head around it. all he knew was that he wanted to speak to these amazing acrobats, to learn their secrets and know how something so amazing could be achieved.

and so, he picked the golden haired boy as the one he wanted to talk to.

∆

it's my birthday so have this!!! i love it!!!!

this is not finished yet, expect a part two and possibly three 💘✨💘✨💘✨

- jace