scintilla
(n.) a tiny, brilliant flash or spark;
a small thing; a barely-visible trace

he walks in the midst of the heavy snow. underneath the wool that is encasing his hands, the tip of his fingers freezes at the deteriorating temperature. taehyun likes it, occasionally heating up with a single puff to his hands.

it is freezing; and taehyun is outside.

blow, wind, blow. words, like a hymn singing, echoing loud in his head. the cold seeps into his skin to the bone. but he continues his journey. he promised this to himself. embrace the things that are hated by everyone. enjoy the suffering and soon you can feel a little joy when life gets harder. he walks and walks, feet shuffling through the snow. contentment fills his lungs as he breathes in the thick air.

the thrill he is experiencing stops for a moment. a hand slips in between the spaces of his fingers and he looks up. perfect nose, thick eyebrows and a flashy white teeth. taehyun almost convinced that he ate the snow to get such a pearly teeth; like how he drinks his coffee every morning and has been staining his teeth ever since.

the man pulls him to the nearest shop. taehyun blinks. the man stares intently. taehyun understands his actions and he wanted to tell him but his eyes stop him. he knows exactly how it feels to be under the water without oxygen. the unbearable pain in the chest, as if the lack of air constricts his every blood cell from moving. his heart squeezes tighter and his vision almost fade to black. but taehyun is not in the water trying to drown himself, or maybe experimenting how it feels like to die, when the soul almost reaches the surface of the sky. he is standing still, in front of a man that is taking his breath away.

taehyun stares back. his eyes so captivating. he never felt this pain, different kind of pain. where it gnaws at the edge of your sanity, pushes your limits and patience wearing thin. his heart starts to palpitates.

“what are you doing outside in this weather?”

the man questions him. taehyun keeps on blinking, staring and feeling the heart beats faster than his brain in comprehending the words he said. the temperature is sinking but taehyun’s palms are sweating. heat rushes to his cheeks and he blushes before the man.

“it’s getting warmer isn’t it?” taehyun speaks, finally.

the man gives him a quizzical look. he looks out into the white blank space outside and wonders if the weather is getting better.

“nam taehyun.”

taehyun reaches out his hand. the man turns to him. he can see the creases when taehyun smiles. the bunny tooth that seems a little too crooked to be perfect but he finds it attractive anyway. and when the eyebrows that droops drastically; a sense of familiarity resides in his heart.

“song minho.”
 

//

sipping the coffee bit by bit, he watches two grown men speaking animatedly to each other. the smaller one looks fragile but he has guts. the guy with a broader shoulder seems to be enjoying his soon-to-be companion. he sees the light ignites above their heads. traces of love emitting from their body and he sees it.

he takes his pen and starts to scribble on the notebook that has been on the table.

“inspiration to write came too quickly, mister kwon?”

a waiter stands beside him.

“you know, they say something cliché like love is everywhere?”