july birthday

to be lost is to be somewhere, all the same

   Jongin prefers to see the world as a reflection.

    A reflection of himself, perhaps. A reflection of how small he is, a reflection of just how wanton a series of events really is, a reflection of just how many people are in this big world—people that Jongin wants to meet, people whose stories captivate him.

    Jongin has always been a social butterfly, his wings spreading and fluttering amongst people—people of all kinds, from an old woman who has lived in Barcelona, Spain her entire life, to a newlywed husband and wife drinking in the view of Singapore from an Infinity Pool, the wife having just beat Cancer. The people in the world make Jongin cling a little bit tighter to Kyungsoo, and warms his heart with gentle regard for just how fortunate he has been to find a love for which some people spend their entire lives searching.

    But really, Jongin prefers to see the world as a reflection in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

    Jongin can watch his entire future unfold in the dark brown of Kyungsoo’s eyes, can map out the arbitrary events and locations of their travels, can see the world, all through Kyungsoo’s eyes.

    Tonight, Jongin watches the San Antonio Riverwalk as it glimmers and bustles with life in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

    Neither of them are exactly sure as to how they ended up in San Antonio, Texas, of all places—for it’s not nearly as historically glamorous as Paris, nor as lively as Barcelona, or romantic as Vicenza—but they’ve lost themselves here, amongst a balmy Autumn breeze and the pitter-patter of footsteps along a cobblestone path that lines a green river.

    Kyungsoo had been hungry, for they had spent the entire day lost amongst the history and undiscovered beauty of San Antonio, before settling along the famed Riverwalk. The restaurant they shuffled into was nothing special—a cafe of some sort, where they picked at a light dinner.

    Because the Riverwalk is so beautiful—so calming to look at, bathed in the soft glowing yellows from the restaurants that line the water, and the blues, greens, and reds of decorative lights that hang from age-old trees and sway in the wind, Jongin and Kyungsoo had thoughtlessly decided to eat outside.

    Dinner had finished long ago, however, and they are now passing a glass of wine back and forth, Kyungsoo talking aimlessly as he watches people come and go with excited eyes.

    Jongin