day 3 of kbweek 2023: tattoo/spotlight

aguero has little or no sense of direction, while baam got the whole map in his hand.

of two young children having fun with each other.
__

it all began quite simply, as many things do

baam took his violet marker, and mark a dot on aguero's backhand.

"what is this for, baam?" he asked, to which baam replied.

"for when you get lost," he nonchalantly said, "people would know where to take you to if you ever was, see, violet, like viole!"

aguero's sense of direction has always been poor. even after spending two years at this kindergarten, he still manages to get lost when attempting to go to school on his own.

"baam.." he instead respond, "not many of us know that name of yours, wouldn't it be smarter if you just wrote your name on my hand?"

baam nodded, seemingly in agreement with aguero's suggestion. he took out another set of markers, this time choosing brown and yellow.

aguero felt a tingling sensation as baam drew something on his hand. he couldn't see what he was drawing, as baam made sure to keep it a secret until he was finished.

"and..done!"

when baam revealed his latest creation, aguero had to hold back his chuckle.

on his hand were two yellow marker dots as the eyes, with the original violet dot serving as the nose. brown streaks formed poorly drawn hair, and a big, genuine smile adorned the artwork, with baam's name written in the corner.

it was a drawing of baam.

"i have to say.." aguero laughed "this creature surely looks like you."

"is it?" baam holds aguero's hand in his, interlacing their tiny fingers together, "this way, you won't get lost when we go on our field trip tomorrow!"

it was like he had a tattoo on his hand, aguero marveled at the drawing while having dinner with his brother; hachuling commented on his newfound tattoo, yet he didn't make him wash it off as their mom, or their sisters would.

"why not?" hachuling casually said to maria, who was packing his back the next day, "you let me have a drawn-in mustache for three days straight before, i didn't end up in the hospital didn't i?"

aguero grabbed his yellow hat as he made his way out, not bothering to listen to his siblings arguing anymore. "i would have been fine if you did anyways!" from maria certainly did not reach him.

outside the gate of the kindergarten, children lined up, bubbling with excitement as they started their adventure to the nearby park, baam waved to aguero, who seems to still be in an argument with the black-haired boy on the line to school with him.

"i'll take care of you," baam eagerly said, his mind overclouded with joy as he held aguero hand in his, admiring his drawing that stood still on aguero's hand.

as they ventured out of the school, the children walked hand in hand, forming a colorful chain of tiny explorers: the destination was a nearby park, where they would spend most of their day there.

they reached a serene clearing, where a small pond reflected the sky like a mirror. the children were overjoyed, running around and playing games under the watchful eyes of their teachers.

as the day went on, aguero and baam were together most of the time; playing family, hide and seek, baam even teach aguero how to draw on the ground with a plain stick.

in the afternoon, as they headed back to the school, the sky began to darken with ominous clouds. the weather quickly turned, and soon, rain started to pour down.

everyone hurried to find shelter, but the storm caught them off guard. aguero's heart pounded with fear as he saw the other children dispersing in different directions. panic set in, and his sense of direction failed him once more.

the rain drowns aguero in its splashes, and the drawing on his hand started to fade, no matter what aguero did; he was lost! this time, the drawing of baam on his hand wouldn't guide him back anymore.

but there he was.

someone tugging aguero's sleeve gently from behind. "don't worry, aguero," baam said with a smile, "i've got you."

there was no drawing, but baam himself guides him back to their shelter under a tall slide, where most of his friends and teachers were. baam's clothes were cold, yet his hand was anything but that.

years later, aguero would often find himself unconsciously tracing the familiar pattern of the drawing on the back of his hand. the violet dot had long faded, but its memory remained etched in his heart. however, there was something new now - a certain golden ring adorned his finger.

this time, he won't ever get lost again.