The first time Niel saw him, it was only for a fleeting second. Still, the man caught his attention. His brown hair flopped down into his eyes, which twinkled with childlike curiosity. His neck was enveloped in a thick wool scarf and he was swaddled warmly in his coat. The road was icy but still he ran. He hurried past him, all smiles and excitement.

Niel was taken aback by his presence and almost tripped over his own feet. He tried not to stare at the shorter male as he whipped out his camera and made noises of astonishment and wonder while he snapped pictures of everything around him. He was alone, but he didn't seem lonely. He smiled to himself as he lowered his camera and scrolled through the pictures. He let go of it once he was done and hummed as he unfolded his map. His eyes lit up as they scanned the page and he dashed off, already on his way to his next location.

Niel realized with a jolt that he had stopped in the middle of the road, and passerbys were shooting him odd looks. He blushed at his own distraction and turned, hurrying away.

 

Niel sighed blissfully as he collapsed on his couch.

"What are you doing?"

His roommate, Minsoo, stared down at him. His head had landed in his lap.

"I just saw this amazing guy."

Minsoo scoffed and pushed him away.

"I don't care. Let me watch TV."

"Oh, but he was so cute. He must have been into photography or a tourist or something, because he was taking pictures all excited. And his smile was so adorable…" Niel recounted dreamily.

"You didn't happen to get his tattoo, did you?"

"No."

"Good. That would have been terrible if he actually was a tourist."

Niel paused and realized with disappointment that he might have just been a visitor.

"You're right. I might never see him again," he deflated.

"Well, at least you got his name, right?"

Minsoo side-eyed him when he stayed silent.

"Seriously? Not even a name?"

"Well, he didn't exactly give me a chance to start a conversation. He dashed off really fast," he said defensively.

Minsoo rolled his eyes.

"Okay, thank god you didn't get his tattoo then," he pushed Niel off the couch and off his lap, "Now let me watch TV."

 

The second time Niel saw him, it came as a quite a surprise. It had been a few days since he first spotted him and he was starting to forget him, although the image of his smile was still lingering in the back of his mind.

He'd gotten bored at home, so he pulled on his coat and headed outside to take a walk. He wandered around aimlessly. He finally arrived at the river and sat down on a bench, his hands in his pockets. He leaned back, just enjoying the distant sound of wind and conversation. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

He opened one eye and shot up, startled. He had recognized that familiar scarf and smile and oh my god. It was him. He gaped.

"You're... You're-"

The man smiled uncertainly. He mentally slapped himself. He rubbed his face, composing himself.

"Um... yes?"

"I was wondering if you could help me. I'm trying to find this place, but I might have taken a wrong turn."

The man sat down next to him, surprising him. He stilled, shocked. He sat, fascinated by their closeness and the fact that he could see the white mist swirling out of his mouth when he breathed.

"Um... hello?" a hand waved in front of his face.

He drew back, blushing at his own silence.

"Ha, sorry. Where do you want to go?"

"Here," he pointed to a spot on his map, which by now had been folded and refolded many times, the creases white with wear.

"That's fairly easy to get to. You're going in the right direction at least."

Niel pointed behind him and listed a few directions.

"And then turn left and it should be right in front of you."

"Thank you so much! It's my first time traveling alone, I've been getting lost way too much," he laughed.

Niel was so mesmerized by his laugh that he barely noticed him getting up and starting to walk away.

"Anyway, thanks again!" he waved.

Niel was still dazed after he left. He trudged home. It seemed like the man's very smile brought warmth, and now that it was gone, he felt cold.

Niel grimaced at his own corny thoughts. Then he sighed. He forgot to get his name.

 

Their third meeting was bittersweet.

Niel was sitting with his coffee and book in hand. Minsoo had friends over, so Niel headed out. Now he was at his favorite coffee shop, warm and toasty by the fake fire.

He'd just gotten to chapter three when someone interrupted his quiet time.

"Excuse me?"

He looked up and almost dropped his novel.

"All the tables are full, do you mind if I sit here?"

It was him again. That stranger with the pretty smile. He was standing in front of him again, this time with a cup of coffee in hand and snowflakes in his hair.

"Oh! Sure," Niel squeaked out, "Have a seat."

Okay. Maybe he did have a little crush.

The man sat down and unraveled his scarf before looking up and making eye contact.

"Oh, hey, it's you," he smiled, "You're the one who gave me directions the other day, right?"

Niel nodded.

"Ah, thanks again."

"No problem," Niel took a sip from his coffee, "So, um, you're a tourist?"

"Yeah," he grinned, "I just needed a break, you know? One of my friends suggested I come here."

"How do you like it so far?"

"It's really beautiful," he gushed, "I’ve had so much fun. I got so many nice shots, too. Here, look."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out his camera. He flicked it on and turned the screen towards Niel. He leaned in.

"The snow that day was falling pretty heavily, but it made such a nice setting, don't you think?"

He scrolled through every picture quickly, running constant commentary and occasionally letting out gasps of wonder at his own photography. Niel found it endearing.

He was really close. Almost too close. Niel turned his head and startled at the lack of distance between them. From here, he could see every detail of the other's face. His cheeks rosy from the cold, the crinkle of his eyes when he smiled, the upward curve of his lip as he gushed about his visits.

He was even more beautiful than before.

"Uh-oh," he thought, his eyes widening.

His wrist was warming. He tried not to let his panic show on his face. He clutched his wrist and prayed it was from the warmth of the coffee cup in his hand, even though he could almost feel the inky lines drawing themselves.

"It's a shame it's my last day though," he said thoughtfully.

Niel blanched.

"Really?" he tried to not let his disappointment show.

"Yup. It's time for me to go back home."

"Well," Niel felt sad, "I hope you had a nice time."

"I did. I met some nice people and saw some really beautiful things."

He suddenly lifted his camera to his eye and snapped a picture of Niel. He lurched back, startled.

"Including you."

Niel blushed.

"What am I then? A nice person or a beautiful thing?" he stuttered out, hiding his embarrassment behind his coffee cup.

"Not saying," the stranger answered back cheekily.

His wrist was on fire. Niel could barely speak, his heart was beating so fast.

"It's a nice picture, I think I'll keep it."

He was looking down at his camera.

"A picture of me?"

"Yeah," he looked up, "I mean, if that's okay with you?"

His heartbeat was thundering now.

"Yeah, sure. Totally cool. Fine," he blabbered.

"Well, if I never see him again, at least he'll still remember me," he hoped.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your reading time, by the way," he apologized, putting his camera away.

"Ah, it’s all right."

Niel had long forgotten about his book.

"Don't worry, it wasn't any good."

"Oh? What's it about?"

The man leaned against table, his chin in his hands.

"Do you really want to know?" Niel raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. I mean I've been talking your ear off about my pictures," he laughed.

He hesitated, but the other had genuine curiosity drawn on his face. So he launched into a whole tirade about the author and his franchise, and how the whole series took a dive after they got popular.

"I honestly don't even know why I'm reading this. Guess I want to find out just how bad it can get."

The man laughed. He'd listened to his whole rant with rapt curiosity and mild amusement on his face. Niel had sneaked in a few looks, making sure he wasn't boring him, but he always looked interested.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"Well it can't get any worse than the author randomly bringing back into action a character that died tragically two books prior."

He laughed again. Niel decided that he really loved his laugh.

They talked well into the evening. Customers came and went, but still they stayed. Niel bought them some cookies and waved away the other’s insistence on paying his half.

“It’s your last day. Let me treat you.’

Niel didn’t actually know the reason behind him wanting to pay. Maybe he just wanted it to feel more like a date. But that was ridiculous.

They started to leave when the cafe eventually started to empty out. The man went up to the counter to buy himself a tea, so Niel waited for him outside. It's not like he had to, he just... wanted to.

He sighed as he pushed up his sleeve to reveal the completed tattoo. It was small yet detailed, and it somehow matched the young man perfectly.

"Just my luck. He's leaving tomorrow," he thought bitterly.

The door chimes jingled behind him. He released his sleeve, hiding the tattoo, and turned around.

"Well, I had a nice time today."

"Yeah," Niel rubbed the back of his neck.

What was he supposed to say? I love you? Please don't go? I'll miss you? They all seemed wrong.

"My flight leaves early tomorrow morning. I should get going."

Niel tried to smile.

"Have a safe trip back then."

Goodbye was too sad to say. He settled on waving instead. The man smiled and waved back, shouldering his backpack and starting to walk away.

"Wait!"

He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"What's your name?" he called out.

"Byunghun," he cupped his hands over his mouth.

"I'm Niel."

"It was nice meeting you, Niel."

Byunghun turned and walked away. He shot one last look over his shoulder and gave a small smile. Niel watched his retreating figure until it disappeared. He honestly didn't know how to feel. After a few minutes of standing alone, he finally found the strength to turn away and head home himself.

"Well, it could have been worse," he attempted to convince himself.

He couldn't exactly describe what he was feeling as heartbreak, nor love. Just a deep kind of melancholy.

He never saw Byunghun again. All he had left was a distant memory and his ink swirled on his wrist.