Chanyeol laid on the table. Machines beeped around him. He was fine. He was used to it.

Once a month since he was born he had been strapped to every machine you could imagine. He closed his eyes and drifted away to the happy place inside his mind. The happy place where he wasn't a freak, a medical mystery, an object to be poked and prodded and inspected.

Dr Yoo had asked if some medical students could sit in on today's examination and Chanyeol said yes. He was now regretting that consent. He tried to block out their amazed chatter, their quiet mumbles of disbelief, their queue to inspect the many machines running tests on his body. Eventually they filed out of the room and Chanyeol sat up as Dr Yoo removed tubes and attachments from his body. He looked at Dr Yoo who shook his head. "No change in your condition Chanyeol."

Chanyeol's heart still didn't beat.

It never had.

When he was born the nurses thought he was dead until he opened his eyes and screamed at them. He was a healthy colour, his lungs worked fine, but his heart was deathly silent. No beat could be detected. So Chanyeol grew, a medical marvel, an unexplained phenomenon. Once a month he would come in to Dr Yoo, be examined all over, declared fit and healthy and 'normal.' He grew well. In fact, he grew better than well. He grew tall and handsome and kind with strong hands and big feet. His heart was silent but it was kind and good. He could run and jump and play sport and was popular and smart and musically gifted. He was popular with girls and went out with a few.

But still his heart didn't beat.

He enjoyed his college years, studying and partying and socialising as any normal growing man would. He experimented with alcohol, dated girls and enjoyed a good time, and worked hard and graduated. He took a job at a small record company and soon became one of the most successful music producers in the country. He was talented and clever and personable, he had an ear for music and wrote beautiful lyrics which made those who sung them weep with emotion. He produced hits, won awards and saved his money. He bought a big house on a cliff overlooking the ocean and he loved nothing more than to swim in the morning and then sit on the deck and watch the waves as he drank coffee and played his guitar.

And still his heart didn't beat.

He met a girl. Her name was Tiffany. She was beautiful and sweet with long dark hair. They flirted and kissed and went on dates. Chanyeol took her to restaurants and cafes and museums and galleries. They held hands and waked through the park in winter and spent special occasions with their families and he made love to her in his big house that overlooked the ocean.

And still his heart didn't beat.

Chanyeol left the hospital. It was cold in the airconditioned glare of the heart clinic but outside it was warm. A gentle breeze blew and he decided to walk for a while. He was pleased with the news from Dr Yoo. No news, maintainence of the status quo, no change in his condition. It was good. It was normal.

Chanyeol's own special kind of normal.

He walked faster and his breath sped up but he didn't experience the increased rhythm in his chest that anyone else would. It felt empty. Sometimes he wondered if his heart was really there. He knew it existed, he had seen it multiple times on xrays and scans, but it seemed to be a ghost living inside him. He chuckled to himself as he imagined his heart as a freeloader, living rent free in his body like a squatter, offering him nothing but a litany of medical tests and appointments.

Even though it was warm he decided to grab a coffee. Since he had walked from the hospital he was in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. He crossed a beautiful park, trees heavy with the springtime flush of the beautiful sakura that Chanyeol treasured. He stopped and took a photo and uploaded it to his Instagram. It reminded him of something one of his favourite Instagram accounts had posted yesterday. He loved following the beautiful aesthetic Instagram accounts of designers, photographers and artists. He found inspiration in the beauty others saw in the world.

He spotted a tiny coffee shop, no more than a hole in the wall, and took a chance. He found the smallest places sometimes made the best coffee and he loved to find little hidden gems around the city. He walked in and wasn't disappointed. It was cosy, with brick walls, and a rich aroma in the air. Chanyeol ordered from the short friendly man behind the counter and took a seat while he waited. He decided to take his coffee and sit in the park. The day was to perfect to waste inside. Chanyeol wanted to drink his coffee under the pink shower of Sakura and waste the afternoon away. He scrolled through Instagram while he waited, smiling at the amount of likes his Sakura picture was gathering, enjoying the choices he had made for