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❝I am smiling, everyday, I'm smiling.

Everyday he goes through the same routine.

The sound of a shrill alarm clock wakes him, he automatically rubs the sleep out of his eyes. Water cascades down the contours of his body, cleansing the thoughts that invade his mind in the night, erasing the memories that penetrate the emptiness under the shroud of his subconscious. He's vaguely aware of shoveling food into his mouth, but its tasteless on his tongue, a thoughtless habit that keeps the pain at bay.

Because he can feel pain, and he doesn't want to feel.

He responds when he is spoken to, nods on cue, in all the right places, the hollowness within him masked with this facade of normalcy. He's a puppet, devoid of independent thought, content to be led by a faceless master who pulls all the strings and puts on the show.

This is the life of Song Seunghyun.

He's not sure when things began to change. Winter fades into spring, the bitter cold and frigid winds calmed by an unseen force, morphing into budding flowers and the soft caress of a light breeze. Delicate pink petals lay underfoot and form pastel clouds above him as he walks, his movements jerky, as if he's learning how for the first time.

He never liked change.

He was seated when he felt those eyes upon him for the first time. The scalding sensation of coffee sliding down his throat was a simple distraction, and even so, he was unable to forget the feeling of that gaze, boring into his very soul. He glanced up, into the youthful face of a stranger, into warm eyes that were overflowing with emotion.

Seunghyun was the first to look away.

The bustle and chatter of customers faded into background noise as a dull ringing resounded in his ears, accompanying the confusion that had arisen within him. It was as if the beautiful male had read his very thoughts, peered into the blankness of his mind, and he was unnerved by the desire that had briefly flooded him, subsequently. The desire to keep that gaze trained upon him.

The desire to finally be understood.

Proceeding that fateful glimpse, he became a regular face amongst the sea of customers, wasting away the insignifant hours of his life. He didn't dare hope his eyes might fall upon the boy once more; destiny was a cruel entity who cackled mercilessly in the face of his pathetic wishes. And yet... Yet...

It was raining, the second time he felt those eyes upon him.

The soft tattoo of water droplets upon the windowpane had lulled him into a tantalizing reverie. Seunghyun slipped in and out of consciousness, only the disheveled mop of hair atop his head revealed, his arms acting as a pillow. He sensed the presence of another before the strange sensation of being watched overtook him, jerking him out of the stupor he'd sunk into within mere moments.

Those eyes, the eyes of the stranger, had not changed.

It was as though he were losing himself once again within the warm glow of those orbs, the ability to speak cruelly deserting him. The unfamiliar male only smiled knowingly, his expression soft as his voice formed a perfect harmony with the steady patter of rain. "It's okay." Seunghyun found his head tilting to the side, the beginnings of a question mark upon his face, lips attempting to wrap themselves around the words his mind was overflowing with.

No sound escaped his throat.

"It's okay." The words were a gentle echo, swept away by the idle gossip of the surrounding patrons. Seunghyun found his eyeslids fluttering closed, though he was vaguely aware the stranger had continued speaking. He allowed the sound of that dulcet voice to wash over him, as he fell further and further into the oblivion of his subconscious.

His dreams were filled with whispered melodies.

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That was... much shorter than I was hoping for it to be. >____<
There will be a second chapter; I thought this would be a good place to stop~
Let me know what you guys think of it so far. ^^
HB's attempt at making something pretty, take two!