[Oneshot] Venus (Vệ Nữ English version)

Author: Shim YuLee
Tranlator: Rùa Rô - Editor: Quinn Travi
Characters: Park Yoochun, Jung Yunho x Kim Jaejoong, Shim Changmin, Kim Junsu. Characters do not belong to author or translator, everything is purely fiction.
Genre: Homosexual/ Narrative/ Romance/ Fluff
Rating: PG-15
Warning: Story set in Vietnam (meaning our boys are Vietnamese in this). Mention of gender confusion tendency
Status: Oneshot – Completed

Summary: How far a writer would go just to get his insperasions.

VENUS

Her, an ethereal beauty amidst this trivial world.

Her, an enchanting flower bestowed upon by Mother Nature.

Oh, like great birds amidst brightly shone spring sky.

I feel darkness of hell swallowing me whole.

Belle (Notre Dame De Paris) – Vietnamese lyrics by: Thái Thịnh

[Note: This is an English translation from the Vietnamese version of the song]

Belle, is the only word I know that suits her well

When she dances oh, the stories she can tell

A free bird trying out her wings to fly away

And when I see her move I see the hell to pay

 (English version of Belle - Notre Dame De Paris)  

Recently on Tumblr people have started talking about a photo collection of a semi-professional photographer, who went by an unknown name.

Only after a while, when I paid more attention, I have realized that his name was not Unknow, but instead, it was Uknow. One would easily get confused by those two names since the guy‘s profile did not have any profile pictures, background pictures nor was there any basic information about himself.  He only signed in twice a month to post new photos.

Incipiently, this collection wasn’t anything too extraordinary, even the tittle itself was so unremarkable that it was lost among many other fancy ones. It was just simply, My Venus.

 However, what caught people’s attention were the contents of the collection and the way Venus was portrayed in the photographer’s viewfinder.

The work of art itself was something uniquely mysterious and bizarre; it was wild and confusing, while at the same time retaining the intrepid beauty. Every single photo captured the appearance of what seems to be the same model, but not once was her entire face or body revealed. For example, one of the photos captured the three-fourth angle of Venus’s eyes as she glances by, nonchalantly as if she couldn’t care less about anything. However, behind her delirious gaze laid a fierce desire to plunge onto the photographer. Venus seems to have her own way regarding make up. Her eyeliner is thick, messy, and as dark as the color of charcoal. It doesn’t seem that Venus’ make up belongs to any trend; instead, it was more like something she does naturally. Many of the photos in the collection, even though were taken at different times, all have the same focus on the eyes and her original make up style. Together they painted a rebellious, inconsistent, and uncontrollable Venus.

 Although it was obvious that Venus is a beauty, Uknow had never revealed her full face. The guy only focused on parts that seemed to be his favorites. The parts which emits the femininity that seems somewhat inappropriate.

Such as the photos which captured her legs. Her pale white, porcelain smooth, and slim legs. Venus is seen sitting on a high lounge chair by the window with one foot dangled lazily from the thigh down, hovering about ten centimeters above the floor. She was wearing a pair of loose shorts, decorated with strings of colorful beads and tiny bells of different sizes. On the red carpeted floor laid all kinds of shoes and footwear. There was another shot of Venus wearing wine-red heels but the beauty seemed to be so displeased that she forcefully yanked one shoe off with her hands.

 But the most prominent photo has to be the one that captured from half of her nose bridge down to one of her shoulder blade. It was taken from behind when Venus was scarcely turning around, sensually displaying soft-looking muscles and the outlines of her collarbone. Venus had a thin milky silk veil with flower embroiders loosely overlaid her head, along with countless of colorful beads and strings dangling freely, but they did nothing to hide the provocative outlines of her lithe figure. Venus did not wear anything underneath, revealing skin so white that it was practically blinding.

 Venus’ fashion sense was also one of a kind; she likes different bold and spicy shades of color along with complicated accessories and disarranged jewelries.

 There were pictures of her hands, showing that the beauty worn all kinds of rings and other strangely carved accessories. Venus has one untouched ear; the other one was displayed in a detailed shot showing from one corner of her eye down to her earlobe. It was the left ear, on which Venus had a total of eight earrings. Three of them were connected by a thin golden string. Another one was a dangling waterdrop-shaped sapphire. This photo was the one got people guessing that perhaps Venus came from an aristocratic family. She might even be a foreigner.

 However, there were also photos of Venus’ casual everyday life. Like the one taken from behind when she was soundly asleep on the kitchen island, showing only the top of her head and the graceful curve of her back, hidden beneath a thin dark blue cotton shirt.

 Venus sitting on the windowsill looking outside. Venus sitting at the make-up vanity. Venus doing the gardening with her bare hands. Venus jumping into a huge puddle in the backyard. Countless of pictures showing her from the most magnificent and elegant moments to the most casual and simple ones, but most of them tended to focus on Venus' eyes and lips. Her eyes were big and dark. Her lips were small, juicy, and adorably pink, together with the shallow philtrum that makes them appear even fuller.

 Initially, the collection did not get much attention until a Fabric Softener Company had carelessly used one of Venus pictures in their catalog for the upcoming advertising campaign, and got caught by the netizens. In the picture they have stolen, Venus is seen spreading out a large purple quilt with silver embroiders, bringing it to half of her face so that the only thing showing was the fiery eyes staring intensely at the photographer.

 After Uknow worked things out with the Fabric Softener Company, he took the picture off the internet, and at the same time restricted the viewers to his Tumblr page. However, the incident still caught some online reporters’ eyes and therefore, his collection became famous overnight.

 People were getting more and more curious about Venus. They wanted to see the beauty’s whole face and body. Each of her separate body parts were already that captivating, imagine them being put together as a whole, it would be extremely exquisite.

 And most of all people were burning with the same question, who is Venus to the photographer? Was she his model, colleague, sister, lover, or spouse?

 Regretfully, the question had been left unanswered. Uknow never replied to fans, nor did he put any caption for his pictures. He just simply signed in to post photos, and then disappeared until half a month later.

 He was so arrogant that he refused all offers and contracts from famous labels that were seeking to use his photos exclusively. That was the reason why although it’s been over a year, the beautiful and sassy Venus still remains a mystery.

 As a writer, I never had any interest regarding trending scandals whatsoever; therefore while people were furiously gossiping and chatting about the collection, I paid no attention. It was until the Venus fever had subsided when Junsu gave me the link, and suggested that I should take a look. It was simply because “It could help you write. Didn’t you say that you ran out of inspirations?”

 And damn right did it help me write!

 There is a strange little knot about this Venus collection. I examine it again and again then end up calling Changmin over to take a look and asking for his opinion.

 “Something is weird, isn’t it?” I ask while lighting a cigarette.

 “Vaguely so. Though I’m not sure what it is.” Changmin nods his head in agreement.

 “Venus is obviously a beauty; she’s sexy with a bit of attitude too.” Changmin nods again. “But she… she seems to be a man.”

 “That’s it! That’s the thing!” Changmin shouts on top of his lungs, his face brightens up like a thousand Watts neon light. “Beautiful, feminine, yes, but something is clearly not right!”

 “Take a look at the photos of Venus’ feet.” I say and click on the collection again, opening the shot that captured Venus furiously taking off her shoes. Although only a part of her feet and hands were shown, the beauty’s obvious irritation could be seen seeping through her action. “This shoe size is too large for average girls, but it seems Venus still couldn’t fit. Her legs maybe slim but the size of her feet doesn’t depend on it.” Then I turn to another picture. Venus is seen sitting gingerly on a high chair beside the window, various types of footwear lying around on the floor. “In this one we only focus on her legs and the shoes so it’s easy to miss her feet. Venus is unbridling her legs so we can’t see the width of her feet. On the other hand, look at the sizes of the scattered shoes on the floor, especially those sneakers. They are clearly men’s size.”

 “And Venus has short hair.” I click on another shot taken from behind when Venus was turning around to look at the camera. “The photographer always purposely took photos from angles that show when Venus’s hair was clipped or pushed to one side. She also has a habit of wearing strange attires consisting of veils and strings wrapping around her, covering significant parts of her body. It’s the photographer’s advantage, if there were parts he didn’t want to be appeared on camera, he’d just ask Venus to turn a bit.”

 Changmin listens to my analysis attentively and seems quite serious about this discovery. He grabs the mouse and keeps going through pictures after pictures of the collection.

 “It’s true that the photographer purposely capture only the feminine parts.” Changmin frowns. “Here, if you look closely you’d find that Venus actually has very wide shoulder blades!”

 I follow his gaze; it is the picture in which Venus was using a scissor to cut a large golden bronze quilt, the curtains nearby was blowing in the way, covering half of her head and showing only her shoulders. The first time looking at this picture, no one would be able to notice whether the beauty’s shoulders are wide or narrow. They would be too busy being concerned for on Venus’s uncovered cheek, laid a small red scratch and an apparent long streak of un-dried tear.

 “The photographer purposely took pictures from the most feminine angles and obviously has a close relationship with Venus. They must be living together. Even the backgrounds and outfits were not something they made up for a photoshoot. Pictures were taken randomly, like an everyday portrait. This type of photos people would only take of their relatives and loved ones.”

 “You mean they could be a gay couple?” Changmin asks straight to the point. “What if this Uknow guy turns out to be a girl? You can’t be sure about that.”

 Of course I’d thought of this possibility, so I continue to explain. “Venus is obviously spoiled rotten, I mean just look at the beauty’s expensive possessions. His attitude is strange and obstinate. His choice of clothing and the way he acts is far from normal standards but it seems that he’s never been asked to change. The photographer usually chooses to capture his most feminine side although Venus is a man, buys dozens of high heels for Venus to throw around. How many women are there have this kind of hobby and personality? Unless she’s a lesbian, then yes.”

 Changmin nods his head; it is true that the possibility of Uknow turning out to be a woman is very low. Approximately 0.0001%. But he hasn’t given up yet, continues to give out theories.

“What if Venus is a transgender?”

 “If that’s the case the photographer would have taken photos from the front. This Uknow guy always purposely avoids capturing the front torso and chest. Obviously it’s because there is nothing there to see.” I click on several more pictures and show them to Changmin. “These two can’t possibly be siblings or relatives. Venus has very intense feelings for the photographer. His gazes to the camera contain extreme infatuation; like he wants absolutely nothing more than just to eat the photographer up. This passion is not something you can miss. Perhaps that’s why Venus never shows irritation for being taken pictures of all the time, despite being easily displeased.”

“They seem like an interesting couple!” Changmin concludes.

“Very-interesting. Their fans go crazy every month because of Venus’s ethereal beauty, while at the same time wondering what is it that they feel, is so wrong about it.”

“So you plan to write a book exposing the gay love story between Venus and the Unknown photographer?”

 “No, are you nuts? Who on Earth would do such thing? I am an admirer of Venus’ beauty myself!”

 “Then what are you going to do?” Changmin lazily asks. Clearly he doesn’t get where we are going with these analyses.

Not wanting to waste any more of his precious time, I quickly answer: “I’m going to pay Venus and her husband a visit.”

---o0o---

Junsu and I follow the direction written on a carelessly ripped piece of paper, finding our way to the D400 district. Junsu’s had to pull off many tricks to get this address; honestly it wasn’t something to brag about. But as usual, everything is easily solved in this way.

 D400 district is famous for being the residents of government officials’ families, businessmen, and holiday houses for overseas Vietnamese.

 I come without informing, nor do I think it was necessary. The way this Uknow guy posts pictures and then hides every possible information about himself shows that he doesn’t like to be bothered. He only wants the whole world to know about beautiful and enchanting Venus’s existence.

 When we arrive there, Junsu and I split up; he goes into a coffee shop and waits there as planned. Being an uninvited guest, if I want to be welcomed it’s best that I go alone, lest the home owner feel threatened by the presence of many people.


 A person opens the door after the bell had rung thrice. Although I’ve already had all kinds of expectations in my head, I didn’t expect showing up would be someone this tall and handsome.

“Oh… Hello, can I help you?” The person asks as soon as he realizes I am a complete stranger.

 I smile politely, the kind of smile I’d normally give, then calmly introduce myself. “Good morning sir, I’m just a silent admirer. I’ve been following you for a long time on Tumblr. This sudden visit is the result of my wish to talk to you in person about something. I hope I’m not bothering you and your family?”

 The guy stares at me wide-eyed. Though he has single eyelids, it goes well with the shape of his face and his small straight nose. He looks his early thirty, has this aura of masculinity, is tall, well-built, and has short hair to accompany his somewhat small face.

 “I’m sorry but I don’t know you. Besides how did you-”

 “Track down your address?” I cut him off. “You can say that I have sources. But I’ll have you know that I did absolutely nothing illegal, I just used some connections. Here’s my business card.” I say as I take the card from my breast pocket. The guy takes it and carefully reads the printed information.

 “Park Yoochun. Freelance writer?” He asks.

 “Yes.”

  “What does it have to do with me?”

 “You’re Uknow on Tumblr aren’t you?” I inquire in my most friendly tone.

 The guy silently looks at me for a while before slowly replies. “Yes, that would be me.”

 “Then yes, you have something to do with it.” I tell him with a smile. “The story between you and your Venus got me really interested. So I would like to ask for your permission to interview."

 “No!” The guy immediately snaps then slams the door right in my face.

 I stand there dumbfounded for a few seconds before raising my hand to ring the bell one more time.

 “I said no!” The guy rudely opens the door again but before he could close it I quickly stick my foot in. So this time the door slam on my foot instead.

 It makes a loud noise but I keep myself from howling in pain. Instead I held onto my straight face and let out a small “Ow”.

 “Are you crazy!!” The guy shouts, clearly didn’t expect what just happened.

 “I swear I came with good intentions. Please pull the door out, it really hurts.” I smile painfully. “And I already know your Venus is a man. So no need to worry.”

 The guy is so surprised he is gaping like a goldfish. The reaction confirms my assumption. I expect him to soften up but no, he gets even angrier. “The answer is still no. Go away!”

 “I’m normally very facile but I could be extremely determined if I want to, you can tell me off now but I will surely come back tomorrow. If you’re telling me off tomorrow then I will return the day after that, and the day after that.”

 “I’m calling the police!”

 “Then my friend will come here. You can believe that I lack many things, but “friends” ain’t one of them.”

 “Moron!!” He is about to slam the door again. I am also half a second away from sticking my other good foot in.

 But it seems that God is touched by my bravery so he sends out a savior. He is even generous enough to make it the beautiful and mysterious, the one and only, Venus. His appearance is even more glorious than those godly ones in legends.

 “Kha Ngat!”

---o0o---

 And so with an awfully stung foot, I am invited in for a drink at last.

 Venus is sitting on a high armchair with round backrest. The armrest made of dark wood was engraved with round and elegant patterns. It looks like a Queen’s throne.

 “You have a very beautiful home.” I compliment while receiving a glass of water, reluctantly given by a very annoyed host. “Uknow’s taste is certainly not bad.”

 “My name is Yunho!” He snaps.

 “Oh, what a nice name!” I say the first thing appeared in my head. But the guy does not find it complimenting, instead he just coldly huffs. “You should change your name to it on Tumblr.”

 “To attract more shameless and unoccupied people?” Yunho grouchily says. So I am hated again. But it is true I was shameless, maybe even more so than a rock itself.

 “You were the one who chose to post those pictures and got people curious weren’t you?” I take a sip of water. “You yourself threw a huge question mark out there, then it’s also you who complain about people seeking the answer to it.”

 Yunho’s eyebrows furrow immediately, his hands resting on his hips. He is clearly pissed off because of my reasoning. The guy mutters to himself. “Writers!”

 I just smirk at that, then turn to look at Venus. Just as I’ve guessed, Venus is a man. The beauty is young, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old I’d say. His hair is long enough to cover his nape; the bang is swept aside and held in place with a large hairclip engraved with shiny gemstones. His face carries many feminine features mixing with masculine predominant traits. Big round eyes, small juicy lips, skin so white to the point it is pale and slightly curved nose bridge, along with an angular face frame and thick eyebrows.

 Venus does not wear any make up today, but has put on a shiny red lipstick color makes it seem like he’d just eaten something so red, so sweet. The beauty wears knee-length cotton pants, bundled at the end. On his wrists and ankles are interlacing bracelets and accessories with animals embroiders. The shirt Venus is wearing is the answer to his weird fashion style; it was made of eggplant embroidered cotton. The long sleeves cover a little more up to his elbows. The shirt overlays half of his thighs, both of its sides slit up to his hip.

 It seems that Venus isn’t Kinh*. Earlier, he’d also called Yunho in a strange dialect.

“Jaejoong, honey will you please go upstairs?”

Though Yunho has been downright hostile to me, how he is to Venus is completely the opposite. The guy leans down, whispering softly into the latter’s ear. Venus doesn’t seem to care about anything but Yunho, as soon as he hears his lover’s voice, he immediately looks up and fixedly stares at him.

”Why?” Venus wrinkles his eyebrows.

“I need to talk to our guest.” Yunho says and glances at me.

“No, I wanna stay.” Venus promptly says, clinging tighter onto his chair then turns to ask me. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before. You’re not one of Khat Ngat’s friends.”

Okay what is “Kha Ngat” anyways? I thought as I make a mental note to look up the word as soon as I get home. “I’m a fan of Venus.”

 “Venus?” Even his own nickname sounds strange to him, so the beauty tilts his head, earrings jingling along with the movement. “Who’s Venus?”

 Yunho does not answer him, he just repeats the request. “Jaejoong, please go upstairs love. I’ll be there with you as soon as we’re done talking.”

 “Don’t you know that you’re indeed Venus?” I smile. Oh how I love causing troubles.

 “Venus? Who’s Venus?”

 “Venus is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility and desire. In Greek mythology, Venus is called Aphrodite, some versions stated that she was the mischievous Cupid’s mother.”

 “That’s enough. One more word and you’re out the door!” Yunho furiously snaps, interrupting our conversation. “Jaejoong, I’m carrying you upstairs.”

 He doesn’t even give the beauty time to react before leaning down to scoop him up into his arms like a princess, and then storms out of the living room without a single word.

 And so I am left all by myself, speechless.


 Yunho comes back after a while, the spacious and luxurious living room is occupied by just two men. Needless to say it is downright awkward.

“I’m sorry, seems like I shouldn’t have said that.” I hurriedly speak up first to salvage the situation.

“Seems like? If it wasn’t for Jaejoong you wouldn’t be sitting here talking nonsense!”

“Chill. I’m just telling Venus what he needs to know.”

“His name is Jaejoong!” Yunho scolds.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I just find that name suits him better.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the name Jaejoong. Stop beating around the bush and say what the hell you need to say!"

”Please don’t get mad. Seriously. I’m really just a fan; I don’t mean to interfere with your life.”

 “Says the one who came straight here!”

 “Aish, you’re so difficult. And here I thought from the pictures that Venus is the stubborn, spoiled one.”

 “He’s not stubborn and spoiled!” Yunho snaps again. “What do you need?”

 “Oh, I just need to ask you a few questions.” I open my brownleather briefcase, taking out a small notebook and a pen.

 “To write novels about?” Yunho raises an eyebrow.

 “Sort of.” I beamed.

 “Out!!"

 Three minutes later I got kicked out of the house. It looks like Venus' hubby is even more difficult than her majesty.

---o0o---

 Like I’ve said, I am normally an affable guy but I can be very determined if I want to. So on each morning of the following week I repeatedly show up at the house in district D400.

 Yunho isn’t making this any easier for me either, he turns off the doorbell and locks the gate so I can’t get near. That is when I turned to plan B – stalking. Venus sometimes watches me from the balcony or through the window, looking just as beautiful as ever together with his slim and pale figure. About a week passes by, I realize that Venus had never gone further than the front yard area. The beauty mostly stays inside, only Yunho and their housekeeper would go out to get the things he needs. Venus still dresses strangely, looking both wild and royal-like. His make-up is messy and smudgy. He always seems spaced out, only when Yunho is near then he’d focuses completely on him.

 By the second week, instead of calling the cops on me, Yunho invites me in. Seems like my shameless efforts have paid off.

 He offers me coffee, and even let Venus join us in the living room while talking.

 Oh and by the way, after having done much research, I found out that “Kha Ngat” is the term which refers to husbands of the Giang Ethnic group, in Kinh’s language it means “hubby”. This group lives in the far West and currently has no more than a hundred households. Their traditional occupations are rice cultivation, brocade and jewelries making.

 “Thank you.” I receive the hot milk coffee from the housekeeper, and then start to quietly observe my surroundings.

 Venus is sitting alone on his Queen’s throne, but when Yunho comes in and sits down on the sofa opposite to him, the beauty suddenly finds his seat no longer satisfying. Venus is wearing dark red silk clothes, a dangling bronze colored string with thin golden pieces ties loosely around his head.

 Venus completely ignores the fact that I am nearby, he just stares intensely at Yunho while fidgeting nervously on his seat.

 “Alright, you come here sweetheart.” Yunho finally speaks up, seems like he doesn’t have the heart to leave his Venus fidgeting alone like that.

 And not a second after he’d said so, Venus in all his glorious beauty stands up, and comes swooshing towards him. The long, wide sleeves and the string on his head fly in the air, making little clinking sounds. Like a scene of a film being played in slow-motion, he runs pass me. Venus throws himself onto the couch and next to Yunho, his whole body plasters to his side, head snuggles comfortably into the latter’s shoulder.

Suddenly the scene seems to have transformed into an emperor’s harem somehow.

 As I watch the ongoing with obvious admiration, my lips unconsciously stretch into a wide smile.

 “I will answer a few questions but I won’t give you permission to bring them into your books.” Yunho says.

 Gone were the thirty percent of my intentions but it is okay, the other seventy are what’s important. “Alright. Everything’s up to you.”

 “Didn’t you want to use this interview as a reference to write books? You still agree even though it won’t be of any use?” Yunho looks at me suspiciously.

”Sometimes it’s the curiosity that makes human unstoppable more than any primitive urges in this whole world, even the strongest warnings. Do you know about the legend of the Pandora box?”

”Oh stop with the quoting. I don’t give a damn about legends and whatnots. You got five questions. So choose wisely.”

”Only five?”

“Exactly.”

“How about six?”

“No. Five.”

”Just five?”

“Yes, five.”

“How about just a half more. Like an additional question?"

"Keep on talking and it’ll be four."

 What a difficult gentleman, I thought while smiling dejectedly. Venus suddenly laughs too; his beautiful face brightens up a little. His sleek black hair looks like a dark, mysterious flow of river on Yunho’s shoulder.

 It somehow encourages me to risk pushing Yunho’s boundaries. “Okay five questions but you have to promise to answer each one thoroughly.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “You’ll have to tell me every detail and the reasons that lead to your final answers, from heads to tails. Not the three-or-four-words kind of answer.”

 “Why should I?” I knew Yunho would say that so I immediately attack. “Venus, I mean Jaejoong. Your hubby, your “Kha Ngat” posted your pictures all over the internet. And now I’ve came to bother you, it’s all his fault. Even so, I’m still an admirer deep down in my heart, I came with good intentions. Right now asking five questions is both for your and my sakes, after that I won’t bother you anymore. What do you think about that?”

 Yunho did not expect me to stoop to this level, all color drained from his face. Venus is sitting with both of his legs on the sofa, with his arms wrapped around his husband’s neck, after listening to me he thought in silence for a minute. Finally he leans in to whisper something in Yunho’s ear making the latter’s face darken.

 “Fine. Just ask.” Yunho tries to speak as calmly as he could.

 “Thanks.” This is directed at Venus. He truly is a mortal version of the goddess of beauty, everything he does is beautiful.

So I put the recorder on the coffee table, and start asking the first question.

---o0o---

That day’s interview went longer than I’d thought. When I got home, I replay the recorded conversation for Changmin and Junsu to listen to while I go and take a shower.

 “Why did you agree to let me do this interview?”

 “Because Jaejoong wanted to.”

 “Why did Jaejoong want to?”

 “Is this the second question?”

 “No. We’ve agreed that you’d answer thoroughly every single question. So you have to tell me why Jaejoong wanted you to let me do the interview.”

 “Based on his instinct. Jaejoong told me there’s some fate between us so he wanted me to give you a chance.”

 “Only because of his instinct?”

 “You got a problem with that? His mother used to be a very famous telepathist.”

“In the Giang Ethnic I suppose?”

 “… How do you know?”

 “Oh, I heard Jaejoong called you “Kha Ngat”. Told you that I’m a fan, I’m supposed to do research about you.”

 “Whatever. Jaejoong’s mother was a sorceress in the Ethnic. It’s a highly respected title. Jaejoong’s telepathy was inherited from his mother. He can’t ignore his intuitions, for once appeared they will keep prodding him until he gives in and listens to them. That’s why I let you in.”

 “Oh… Like the sixth sense? I love this topic. Anyways let’s get to the second question. Why did you take photos of Jaejoong and had them posted on a social network even though you dislike unwanted attention?”

 “I’m a photographer. I have a beautiful life partner. I don’t see why I can’t take photos of him and post them.”

 “Aish, the rule is you have to answer from heads to tails. Was it unprompted or was it planned, why did you post them on Tumblr, why did you post them knowing there will be unwanted attention? There, you have to answer all of that.”

 “Obviously you’re cheating!”

 “You made the rules first. Rules are meant to be broken. I’m just threading my way through the loopholes.”

 “You are more like a professional financial scammer than a writer, you know that right?”

 “Haha, thanks. That’s very kind of you. Please answer the question.”

 “I’m a photographer so it’s only natural if I want to capture the moments I find beautiful and touching. Jaejoong doesn’t mind me taking pictures of him. He only needs me to look at him, to put all my attention on him to feel at ease. At first I kept them to myself, but Jaejoong’s never been out of the house much. Very few people get the chance to meet and interact with him, it’s regretful isn’t it?”

 “I totally agree. If you hadn’t posted those pictures on Tumblr and I hadn’t by chance seen them it would be a huge deficiency. Like when Apollo –“

 “Would you please stop quoting? I’ve read enough Greek myths and information about the war between Troy and the Greek army to last me a life time.”

”Sorry, it’s just a habit. I’m highly fascinated by ancient myths and mystery tales.”

”I knew that. That’s why I’m forced to do this interview.”

“So you think it’s a waste of beauty if you kept those photos to yourself, that’s why you posted them on the internet?”

“I didn’t realize that so many people would be interested in the collection. Its name wasn’t even special by any means. I just wanted to show someone, that my Jaejoong is –“

“A breathtakingly beautiful Venus.”

“You can say so. He really is. There’s nothing wrong in letting people feel the same way I’ve been feeling all along.”

 “Like Esméralda from the novel – okay, I won’t start quoting again.”

 “If it wasn’t for that damned fabric softener brand I wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to lock a part of the collection just like that. It was a beautiful shot. I’ve always wanted more people to see it. Jaejoong was dancing the traditional dance of the Giang ethnic then, it was beautiful, he was extremely graceful. I took a bunch of pictures, it was the best among them. But in the end I had to have it removed and tossed in a corner. It’s freaking frustrating!”

”I think you should be proud. The picture must be extremely beautiful, incredibly voyeuristic to the point that the fabric softener company couldn’t help but include it in their advertising project.”

 “They were just exploiting Jaejoong’s beautiful eyes.”

 “Which means they’re worthy. It proves how immensely valuable Venus’ eyes are to them, if you had compromised, you could’ve sold that picture for a great deal of money.”

“I’ve never had any intention of making money from this collection since the beginning. I certainly won’t start now.”

 “That’s a nice thought. So you named the collection “My Venus”, and then took pictures using many gender-confusing angles. Was it to show the homosexuals’ perspective, your personal style, or was it just simply something you like?”

“My Venus? Kha Ngat, does it mean that I’m your Venus?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Why Venus?”

“Venus is the goddess of beauty and love. I’ve told you before sweetheart.”

“So it means Kha Ngat loves me right?”

“Beep”

 I walk out of the bathroom just to grab a towel and then come back inside, speaking loudly as I go. “I purposely paused to skip that part. You wouldn’t believe how awkward it was watching those two acted all lovey-dovey. You really should spare your ears from it.”

“Beep”

 “Okay, ehem, back to the question, can you please tell me the reason behind the name of the collection and explain its concept?”

 “Well the idea has been in my mind since Jaejoong was still in the Giang ethnic. His mother was the ethnic’s sorceress; she was respected by their people. Also her telepathic powers were very strong so she was often asked by the government to help finding graves of martyrs and war invalids. Jaejoong inherited a little bit of her ability, so he was also well-respected. Besides, the Giang Ethnic tends to be a little biased towards individuals with good looks. The fairer and prettier you are, the better you are provided with. Ever since he was a kid, Jaejoong was treated like… how do I say this, like…”

“A queen?”

 “… You can say so. Jaejoong was often chosen to participate as the main dancer in festivals, got to wear the nicest clothes, was given many jewelries. The first time I saw him I immediately thought of the word Venus.”

 “It really suits him.”

”About the concept… it’s just my personal fetish. I’m homosexual, but that doesn’t have anything to do with it. Jaejoong’s features are not perfect but together they make people stare. I like taking photos of different parts of his body because they’re something uniquely his, those are what make him so special.”

“So how did you meet your Venus?”

 “Meet?”

 “Yeah. First meet.”

“Isn’t this one a bit too personal?”

 “It’s just telling me how you met your wife. You’ll have to tell your own children about this someday anyways… Excuse me, it’s a bit off-topic. But you will if you decide to adopt, won’t you?”

 “Oh we definitely will. I want lots of children.”

 “Jaejoong, love, let’s talk about this later.”

 “Kha Ngat came to Pu Nung to take pictures. But he ended up taking my pictures without permission. I was showering at the water fall, didn’t wear any clothes. So I told everyone in the village to hunt Kha Ngat down.”

 “Jaejoong…”

 “Shush, the beauty is talking.”

 “You-“

 “When I took Kha Ngat into the altar, mother seemed to like him so I told villagers to let him go.”

 “Must you tell him that? I was soaked, so was my camera. I treasured that camera more than my own life, it was sorrowful. I even got a fever, Jaejoong had to come watch over me, it was cold so I had to hold him under the blanket to keep warm. It was innocent. But when the villagers came in the morning, they immediately went off and planned to toss me off the waterfall.”

“So what’s the big deal? You both are men.”

 “Jaejoong’s mother is a sorceress. Normally no one is allowed to touch her unless it’s her husband or close family members. Since his mother passed away, no one’s qualified for the title so the people secretly claimed that Jaejoong was her successor. The Giang Ethnic has a strange traditional way of marriage proposing. The guy has to sneak into the girl’s bedroom without getting caught by her family, share a blanket with her, and sleep together until morning. If the girl doesn’t want him she can refuse by calling her family and send the guy home. If she accepts, they will lie there together waiting to be found by her parents. Then they are considered engaged. Jaejoong was a virgin, the son of the sorceress, the most beautiful one in the village. To sum it up, me holding him and sleeping was unacceptable, it was considered contaminating his sacred body. So in the end I was left with two choices: marrying him to save my life, or getting pig-caged and thrown off the waterfall.”

 “Doesn’t your love story sound a bit forced?”

 “I had no intention of marrying anyone then. I’m gay; it’s not legal in our country. I’ve lived abroad for a while, it’s even troublesome there, let alone Asia.”

 “Yet you still married him in the end.”

 “If I didn’t I would have been drowned in a pig cage! Wow it’s been six years already. And honestly it wasn’t really forced, mind you… Jaejoong, well he’s…”

 “Life-changing?”

 “Is this the next question?”

 “No.”

 “Then I don’t have to answer.”

 “Kha Ngat is really handsome.”

 “There. The Giang ethnic tends to be biased towards individuals with good looks. I told you already.”

 “Kha Ngat also did lots of things for me, lots and lots more…”

 “You don’t have to tell him that Jaejoong-ah. Let’s stop here. And you, one question left.”

 “Can I ask Jaejoong one question? There’s paint on your wrist, are you an artist?”

 “Mmmhm.”

 “What a pleasant surprise!”

"Would you like to see?”

 “Jaejoong!”

 “I like him. Mom seems to like him too. The people around him are also very friendly.”

 “Who’s around me?”

 “… Do you really want to know who’s standing beside you right now?”

 “…”

 “…”

 “...”

 “Ha-ha, probably not. Shall we go to your art room?"

 “Beep”

---o0o---

 “Here, this is a photo of his art room.” Having finished with the shower, I dry my hair with a towel while putting my phone down on the coffee table for them to see. A pretty big workshop is seen, there were messy sketches on the walls beside the paintings on canvas. A ladder was placed in the middle of the room and there was a large painting on the ceiling though not yet finished.

 “Wait, this style… doesn’t it belong to the artist whose pen name is T.T?” Changmin squints his eyes to look closely at the phone screen, and then repeatedly taps on it to enlarge the photo. “It’s him, it’s T.T!”

 “Is he a famous one?” I sit down beside my friends.

 “He’d only been known in recent years but his works are all highly appreciated. At the art exhibition for young artists held on Tao Dan district last time, all of T.T’s works were sold out even before they are displayed. Everybody appreciates the mysterious Eastern aura that his works possesses.”

 “Seems like Venus isn’t just a pretty face eh?”

“Absolutely not. I’m not even joking. Can you please get another interview with them? I have to talk to Venus. His painting “Tam thac”* is highly sought after. The “Dong sang”* too!”

“No can do, after this one today I’ve already promised not to bother Venus and his husband again.”

 “What? Why??” Junsu and Changmin both squeal, they nearly jump all over me.

 “This is why!” I press the play button on the recorder.

 “Beep”

 “I will not use the information you gave me for any profitable or non-profitable public works. I will not reveal them to the media or any means of advertisement. You can count on that.”

 “Thank you, Yoochun.”

 “But Yunho, for the last question, I would like to ask from you a favor. I would like to have the photo I’ve taken earlier. It would possibly be framed and hung somewhere in my halls or my living room. Someone will see it and start to question but I won’t explain anything or spit out a word about its origin. So can I?”

 “That photo… But I don’t want other people to find out about us –“

 “I know, that’s why I am willing to leave my recorder, my notebook, and erase the pictures in my phone. Absolutely everything. If you’d just let me bring that one photo home.”

”Actually –“

 “Beep”

 “Eh? It’s over?” Junsu looks dazed.

 “Out of memory. Anyways, I’ve promised to never come and bother them again. I’ll continue on being a silent admirer, following the sassy and beautiful Venus. To be honest, the beauty’s only like that towards the husband. He’s spoiled like a princess.”

 “Aish, I don’t care about that! Do you know that you’ve just lost a God-given chance?” Changmin yells. “It’s T.T! Oh dear lord, I’d rather you not tell me anything!”

 “But what’s the photo you mentioned at the end? You brought back the recorder, and there’re pictures in your phone. So in the end he didn’t let you?”


 I don’t answer Junsu, just silently get up, and walk towards my room. I’d just let him deal with the distressed Changmin who’s just lost the precious chance to meet his favorite artist.

 In that afternoon, I left the art room for a while to answer phone calls from my editor. When I returned, it was almost twilight, the reddish orange glow of sunset appeared beautifully and stunningly in the darkness. I stepped back into the living room just to find Venus sitting on his usual spot on the windowsill, the string tied around his head was tangled. Yunho sat opposite of him, camera strap hung on his neck, one hand holding the equipment, the other gently fixing his lover’s hair.

 Venus lifted his eyes to look at him, with that same spellbound kind of gaze. Then slowly, Yunho leaned down, and softly pressed his lips on Venus’.

 Hypnotized, I took out the camera from my breast pocket and clicked.

 Yunho snapped out of it and looked up but I couldn’t care less. The scene had blown me away, like a lightning, it just struck straight down on me, leading me through thousands and thousands of different ideas. I knew I could lose anything except the photo I’ve just taken.

 In the end, Yunho only made me promise not to come back again, and I could do anything I want with the photo. It was a silhouette shot, unable to see the faces of the main characters, and although it was close, their lips were not touched yet. Even so, its significance, through the changes of times, through the disorder of universe, forever remains the same. It’s the longing, the desperation. The eternal infatuation. The wrong. The right.

 I held up the printed photo I’d picked up from a studio right after I left their home. It will be there, framed and hung in my hall, right where everybody can see.

Title:

Ái 

(The love)

(*) Kinh: Kinh ethnic group - Vietnam’s largest ethnic groups. Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with over fifty distinct groups (54 are recognized by the Vietnamese government), each with its own language, lifestyle, and cultural heritage. Kinh or Viet people accounts for nearly 90% of the whole population.
(*) Tam thac: Tắm thác means “Showering under the waterfall”
(*) Dong sang: Đồng sàng means “Sleeping in the same bed”

Giang ethnic and the words “Kha Ngat” or “Pu Nung” are purely fiction. They are non-existence.