Sonder

Description

Kyungsoo has a strong realization through a difficult break up, that each individual person around him has their own vivid life story. With the intent on learning about some of the everday strangers he meets, Kyungsoo fights his way through his dark cloud of ignorance, and finds his yellow brick road.

Foreword

sonder

n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

 


 

 

"I honestly don't understand how someone could be so thoughtless as you."

"People do have lives, you know. You simply don't care enough to learn."

"Everyone has their own life story, and each and every one of them is just as amazing as the next. How can you not see that?"

Do Kyungsoo had a tendency to not think of those around him. He often forgot that his life wasn't the only one he should care for, or consider. It wasn't his fault, though. Kyungsoo grew up in a home where he had to fend for himself or be damned. With two neglectful parents Kyungsoo only could think of himself. He honestly didn't care. He knew that everyone around him had a life until they were dead, quite obviously. What he didn't know was how vividly the people around him actually lived. That each person he passes by has their own likes, fears, dreams, and in their minds Kyungsoo isn't even Kyungsoo, but an extra black line in their colouring book they've been colouring in since birth. Because of Kyungsoo's nescient mind, Baekhyun broke up with him.


Kyungsoo lay in bed with the blankets up to his swollen lips, his messy morning hair facing in each direction possible as he lay on his side. Reaching for his phone beside his pillow, Kyungsoo  groans helplessly when the crisp cold air of his room hits his arm. He unlocks his phone in hopes of seeing an unread text message from his now ex lover, Baekhyun. With an ache in his heart, he sees what he suspected to appear on his screen that's too bright. Nothing. Putting his phone down, he moved his hand in front of his face, and observed his fingers, taking in the small differences that each digit had to offer. 

"Every person on this planet is like an individual finger. With its own purpose, and difference. Some fingers have been broken, amputated, dislocated, scratched, or not even harmed at all. Just like people, fingers have stories. And just like fingers, people have stories." Kyungsoo's lips stayed parted while contemplating what he just said. "That's what Baekhyun told me, anyways. It doesn't matter." Deciding it's about time to get out of bed, Kyungsoo closes his eyes tightly to ready himself for the cold that's to hit him when he pushes the blankets off of him to one side. Grimacing when the chill comes just as he knew it would, he gets out of bed and walks sluggishly to his cramped, and messy bathroom. Upon looking himself in the mirror Kyungsoo scoffed as a faint smile appeared on his previously sulky face. Hair facing each way in thick parts, he teased it with his hand slightly.

"I look like a damn palm tree. My head is a giant coconut, I guess." Shoving his boxers down, and taking off his one sock, Kyungsoo turns the water on to his shower and slips inside. Once he is finished showering and getting dressed he puts on his shoes and heads out the door. Contemplating the words Baekhyun spoke to him previously, Kyungsoo walks through the large crowds to his favourite cafe in Seoul. Thoughts of those peoples lives around him come across his mind, and along with it comes a tight chest as well as curiosity. What really is there to the people around me? He thought. Right then and there, Kyungsoo decided that he would formally meet his everyday barista whose name he cannot remember.

Upon arrival at the usual café Kyungsoo looks to the counter where the employees do their work in hopes to find No Name. Spotting No Name almost instantly, he walks to the counter and begins speaking even before No Name could open his mouth to ask what it is Kyungsoo wants to order.

"Hello, uh" looking down briefly to No Name's name tag, Kyungsoo continues talking, and stutters as he says the name he hasn't said before. "Ch-Chanyeol. I'm Kyungsoo. I'm wondering if you'd like to sit with me to, uh, talk. I guess." Chanyeol looked at Kyungsoo with rounded lips, and eyes full of surprise. Chanyeol's fringe was put down today with strands of hair hanging down in front of his eyes with one single strand sitting on the bridge of his nose. With the sun just now rising, the sun rays shone through the wall sized window to the left of Chanyeol which created the right side of his face to glow a golden tinge while the left half shadowed. It reminded Kyungsoo of a painted picture, or an ending scene in a romance drama. All that was needed now was the intense music. In conclusion, Chanyeol is pretty okay looking, Kyungsoo thought. Becoming impatient and bored, Kyungsoo spoke with an annoyed tone. 
"Well?" Chanyeol laughed as he noticed Kyungsoo's tone in voice, and nodded as an answer. 
"When would you like to talk?" 
"Now." Looking directly at Kyungsoo baffled, Chanyeol responded slowly as if he expected Kyungsoo not to understand what he was about to say.
"I can't right now. I'm working, and I can't just stop to please you. I finish work at three o'clock if you're still interested by then." pausing to give Kyungsoo time to speak, he continues when there is no answer, "is there anything I can get you, then?"  Embarrassed from the rejection, Kyungsoo turns around without a word and walks out of the door, instantly regreting the decision when his tongue yearns for the taste of his iced white chocolate mocha.


Kyungsoo didn't go back to the café that day. In fact, Kyungsoo didn't go back to the café again for three months. Kyungsoo understood his overreaction, and wished he could stop the ever growing pain in his chest. He felt as if he just wasn't cut out to truly meet those around him, and gave up. One try was enough to Kyungsoo, that's all that mattered to him. Although he couldn't get the thought out of his head that he was missing so much around him he kept pushing it to the back of his mind. As he lay on the floor in his small apartment, white light shone into the small room and onto Kyungsoo's fair skin. With his hand in front of his face, Kyungsoo once more observed his slim fingers. With an exasperated sigh, Kyungsoo abruptly sat up, and grasped his thick hair tightly in his hands in frustration. With that, Kyungsoo stood up, got a jacket, put his shoes on and left into the cold February outdoors.

Walking back into the café for the first time in three months felt kind of embarrassing for some reason to Kyungsoo, but he decided to ignore that fact and headed straight to the counter where he spotted Chanyeol immedetely. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, so Kyungsoo guessed that Chanyeol was cleaning up the messes he made throughout the day before heading off back to his home, or to wherever else. Kyungsoo stood at the counter awkwardly as he waited for Chaneyeol to notice his presence in front of him. A good minute passed before Chanyeol looked up slowly, a smile appearing on his once blank face as he recognized who was there in front of him.
"You're back just in time for our talk. Kind of. It took you just a bit longer than I thought it would." and with that, Chanyeol laughed as Kyungsoo's face became hot with embarrassment. He guessed that this was a good decision. Chanyeol spoke again, this time without waiting for Kyungsoo's response,
"Let's go to a different café. Since I work here, I'm getting pretty tired of the same surroundings." then they left. Only then did Kyungsoo truly realize how tall Chanyeol is.

At seven o'clock in the evening was when the two parted ways for the day. Since it was February it was already pitch black outside, but the city lights of Seoul made it seem like the streets were painted with different variations of blues, yellows, oranges, and reds. Kyungsoo walked home with his hands in his pockets, and fur on his jacket. The café that Chanyeol took them to was a cat café, which was fine to Kyungsoo. Maybe not his preferred taste, though. Literally. Kyungsoo more than once got cat fur in his mouth as he ate and drank. Chanyeol joked that Kyungsoo probably tasted every cats fur in the café, which rounded to about thirty. A slight smile came across Kyungsoo's lips as he recalled some of the things Chanyeol said and laughed about. He decided that he would have to see Chanyeol again sometime soon. Kyungsoo blocked out the sound of his feet crunching in the snow underneath him with his earphones while nuzzling his face into the neck of his jacket to keep his freezing nose warm.

When Kyungsoo got home he instantly undressed himself down to his boxers and took off just one sock, then climbed into his warm and inviting bed. The ache in his chest had subsided, and he thought of his day with Chanyeol before falling asleep. There was a lot of awkward moments. Kyungsoo would say something off, or would just not respond properly to the conversation that was happening. Sometimes Kyungsoo was unintentionally rude, but immediatly he would apologize. Even with these flaws of his, Chanyeol would laugh it off, or start up a different conversation. Kyungsoo encouraged Chanyeol to talk about himself, and his life. He truly wanted to know what type of life normal people around him had. As he had suspected there wasn't quite anything special about Chanyeol's life. Like any other, there were a few sad moments in Chanyeol's past, but he had overcome them. Kyungsoo learnt that Chanyeol is going to university to become a lawyer, and that he's working at the café simply because he liked the atmosphere. He also learnt that Chanyeol has only had one girlfriend, when he was seventeen, but they broke up because he thought that she was too boring. Kyungsoo discovered that Chanyeol also likes to go to bars to look at all of the good looking girls during his weekend, to which Kyungsoo responded with silence and a red face. Chanyeol laughed. Kyungsoo discovered that the sound of Chanyeol's laugh is what really made his day good. He made fun of Chanyeol's laugh a few times, saying that his laugh sounded like a caveman trying to mock a laughing bird. 

The second time the two went out together they went to a park and ate some ice cream. Kyungsoo got banana flavoured ice cream, and Chanyeol got chocolate. This time there was slightly less awkward air between the two, and it made Kyungsoo feel more relaxed even if the reason there was such an awkward aura between them was entirely his fault. That night Chanyeol walked Kyungsoo home just because he wanted to talk to Kyungsoo some more. When arriving home Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol if he would like to come in to have some noodles, to which Chanyeol responded with a full smile and an agreement. As the two ate noodles together Kyungsoo took his phone out and snapped a photo of Chanyeol as he watched the television in secret. He looked at the photo and felt embarrassed and creepy for taking it without permission, but he had his reason to. Kyungsoo took the photo of Chanyeol and put it in a message to Baekhyun. His heart ached as he wrote a message with a photo, and pressed send almost right away so that he wasn't able to go back. He then lifted his head back up to look at Chanyeol, who was already looking at him with a smile across his face. Kyungsoo's heart skipped a beat, and looked to the ceiling to avoid eye contact, repeating the message he sent to Baekhyun in his head.


 


Both fingers and people have their own rolls and stories. I think that for every important person in your life, there is a finger to count them on. I think that I can count him.

 

 

 


I may continue this. Let me know what you guys think.

Comments

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Moneylovefashionfame
#1
I'm sorry I tried to read it cause it sounded interesting but that writing was too small for me :(
LavenderDreams #2
hehe spiteful Soo is cute ;P but i liked this moment, when he quoted baek to reply to him.~
I like it, the way you portrait the characters. Chanyeol is confident and kyungsoo is a fake proud. I'm curious about kyungsoo's personal trouble with love tho...i find this interesting, so i'm waiting to read more of this story and see a passionate kyungsoo later :)
good job!