Prologue: White
Paint Me A RainbowJinyoung felt the sunlight fell on his skin, warming his face up despite the high wind blowing through the opened large windows against him. He saw the image of the empty corridor surrounding him through his closed eyes, and took a few careful steps until it faded away. He stood still as he opened his eyes, letting them being exposed bare to the sun, squinting to welcome the flood of blinding white washing over his sight.
If Jinyoung was to pick a color to depict himself with, he would say white. Not only because it was one of the few colors he knew of, but because white was void of any colors. It was empty, monotonous, and lonely. He felt like he was in a love-hate relationship with the color, as he was with the sun. He found the color endearing because it was similar to him and despised it at the same time because it hurt him.
He closed his eyes again so he could see. He cursed under his breath as he took a few steps again. Why must they put so many big windows there? Why did it have to be opened that wind could burst in and bring dust to his eyes, causing him to reflexively rub his eyes so hard his contacts fell out? And why, of all days, he had to forget bringing his sunglasses that day? What an unlucky day. Now he needed to do this annoying blinking and squinting for a while until he found some shade so he could at least see a little bit to call Jackson for help. It was impossible to find his contact lenses on this patterned floor in this condition.
“Hey? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Jinyoung jolted in surprise. He was too focused on finding his way that he didn’t notice another presence approaching him until he talked. He turned around to the source of the deep voice, blinking only to get the imagery of a blurry face.
“Can’t you see me?” the stranger asked again.
Jinyoung nodded, slightly hesitant to explain his situation since he wasn’t the kind of person who trusted people easily. But he did need help, and the stranger was kind enough to notice that, so what choice did he have? “My contacts fell, and now I can’t see because of the sunlight.”
“The sunlight?” the stranger repeated, confused. For people who didn’t know of his condition, of course it would sound weird. Jinyoung could only hoped the stranger believed him as he nodded again. Suddenly he felt a bucket hat being pushed down his head, and he could see the dark colored baggy t-shirt the stranger was wearing. He still couldn’t see his face though, since the hat limited his vision upward, and if he tried to look up the sunlight would get into his eyes again it would be in vain.
“Is it better?”
“Yeah,” Jinyoung answered, relieved that he could see a little bit better. “Thank you.”
“I’ll help you look for your contacts. Are they colored?”
“Yes, they're red.”
“Red?” his savior repeated again, now sounded surprised. Jinyoung only nodded. He must’ve thought he was a weirdo, but he couldn’t do anything about it anyway. He kind of worried the stranger would ask him, or even worse, mock him. He could’ve told him his condition, but he didn’t want to too much of himself to someone he didn’t know yet.
To his surprise he saw the stranger crouched down and start searching without saying anything. His hair was pitch dark, and it swirled counter-clockwise, which was quite rare. His eyes kept following the whorl like he was hypnotized, and he jumped in surprise when the other suddenly stood up.
“Here, I found them!” he yelled, making a v-sign with his fingers. “Give me your hand.”
Jinyoung held out his hand. The stranger hold it with his own and lightly slid those two fingers on his palm, leaving two see-through circular objects. Now he didn’t have to replace it, and only need to find a restroom to clean them before he could use it again. He was so happy he looked up to face his savior without thinking, forgetting the sun. Well, he was squinting because he smiled so wide anyway, so it didn’t really matter
“Thank you so much,” he said, “You really save me a big time.”
“It’s nothing, I’m glad I could help. Well then, see you around.”
“Yeah.”
The stranger turned and walked away. Jinyoung only stared at the broad back as it got further away. Only after it disappeared from his sight he remembered that he was still wearing the other’s bucket hat.
“Wait!” he shouted, reaching the hat with his hand, “You forget your hat!”
He waited for the owner to turn up again, hoping he could still hear him, yet he didn’t. He sighed as he walked carefully not to bump into anything, searching for a restroom. Well, he did feel grateful for the hat since it helped him to see easier since he didn’t have to keep blinking. But it was something being lent to him, and he felt responsible to return it back to his owner. If he was someone rude he wouldn’t feel too bad for taking it, but the stranger was so kind to him. He regretted not asking for his savior’s name before he left. Now, how was he supposed to look for someone whose name, or even face, he didn’t know?
Only God knew how.
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