❝Chapitre 01

jour mélancolique❞

The rose

Minseok is at the café, fingers wrapped delicately at the attached metal of the cup- still blowing with trails of smoke, watching the rain become the beats of the day. The rain seems like watering the once dry, hot asphalt ground of the road that Minseok once detests because when the sun is blaring hot, the asphalt ground of the road, unfortunately, is very hot like a burning hell.

Now, how does he know? Is he bare-footed? By chance, Minseok wanted to do that, but, unfortunately again, he can’t because he might look stupid and that’s really not a good idea. He knows because he feels the heat that the asphalt road gives out. He knows how hot the ground has become or how cold it becomes when winter comes to sprinkle the day with cold snow.

Minseok is like any ordinary person out there, a normal civilian person who knows half of the world yet doesn’t know the other half. He’s a cheerful one, with no doubt, but, yet again, he is not. No, he has no alter ego or split personality. It’s just really, he knows how to react, to show his expression or how to use his personality in situations quite neatly and organized, if you’ll take a look at him and people tends to say so, also.

For starters, he likes literature very much, that’s why he became a literature teacher to begin with. He fascinated it when he was young, eyes sparkling with delight and awe when his mother or father would tell him stories and poets. It just started with a like, followed by a fond then it ended up with love. He loves literature much, that he’ll throw away other schedules out of the widow, just to have a settled peace between the literature book and him in a nice comfy room of his. It’ll take hours but that’s not important, because he’s sure that being in love with literature too much is still not an obsession because he does other things also, and doesn’t spend 24/7 in literature books.

If you’ll ask him, he loves the story of roses. There’s a lot of it, from where it came from or by imagination or by theory. He simply doesn’t care, but cares for the beauty of the roses that became the cause of his likeness to literature. Yes, the rose is the one who lured him to literature because of its lovely and enchanting poets. Stories are loved, but Minseok prefers poets of roses more, because it’s lovely and seems so close to reality itself.

Now, seemingly done with literature, poets with roses and such, let’s talk about his life, shall we? Minseok, as I have said already, is like any person out there who has the potential of being smart or dumb, but he has the former, alright? Minseok likes to describe things…a bit too deep and detailed and a bit vague for the person who hears his simple notch of sentence that shows the true beauty of art and so. He likes to say deep things that often people would blink at him with a confused and blank expression because they don’t know what the hell he is talking about.

Good thing? I think so.

Other than being a deep, sentimental, poetic guy he is, Minseok, I assure you, is really a normal guy out there who knows practically what’s good for him and what’s not. Minseok doesn’t take risks so easily, he calculates, formulates first before even considering what his decision is going to be. He’s the type of person who observes first, eyes sharp like a hawk and wise like a dragon itself.

Minseok doesn’t easily fall in the category of love because he thinks that it’s a bit troublesome, a bit hard to reach out in due course time and Minseok knows that falling in love is risky, many sacrifices is to be made and in the end, who is weak will breakdown because he’s torn into two and his heart is no longer one but shattered into a million of pieces.

For some time, Minseok didn’t really fall in the category of love, but only ends up with the doorway to love. He’s just that careful because he’s afraid that his heart won’t take it in the end and he needs his heart so that he could still feel something in the world where only nature and art understand him unlike the same beings like him who doesn’t even understand a single thing about him.

He just careful of his well-being and I assume you are, too?

He picks his friends well, with half dumb or to be neat; naïve and the other half, just plain smart . Consisting of Chanyeol, Suho, Sehun, Jongdae and Kris, and you pretty quite know who are the half dumb, oh scratch that, naïve, I mean, and the other half of smart asses. If not, then the pretty naïve friends of Minseok are Chanyeol, Suho and Jongdae and the other half, you probably know and oh, the other one is him. Really.

They are the type of friends that brings out the half good and half bad out of you and Minseok thinks he pretty made a nice choice pick of people as his friends. Don’t you think so? No? Okay then. He probably knows what their good and bad natures are and as I have said awhile ago, he practically knows what’s good for him and what’s not. So making his choice of friends is really that easy because simply, he knows how to pick with his observant skills, eyes like hawk and the wise decision like a dragon.

That’s how basically he ends up with friends like them and he doesn’t mind at all.

Minseok takes a sip of hot chocolate (the small bell rings as the door is pushed inside), simply taking in the sweet scent of chocolate that is decorated with frost on top and a bit sprinkles (a young boy comes in, a bit drenched, but still dry enough, walking in with wobbly legs towards the empty counter where a young male awaits him with his tired smile-it’s evening already, by the way-and he makes his order) and Minseok feels a bit rejuvenated with the sip of chocolate feeling it’s quite bitter original and sweet liquid when grinded and melted after how many mixings and such.

He retreats the cup back in mid-air, taking his time to inhale the sweet aroma of the chocolate. The rain shifts its direction and Minseok takes notice of it as his eyes narrows, trying to get what it’s trying to say. Everything has its own soul and everything talks, not the same like human, but still talks in a different way, he once said to his circle of friends. The naïve friends understood what he meant and the other two didn’t and Minseok thinks that day, roles seems to reverse. He watches the wind passes by, dropping some clues and hints of what’s going to happen, but Minseok doesn’t get it as the sweet aroma of chocolate and the warm cozy café blocks his way of connection with nature itself.

A boy approaches him, the one who is drenched a bit by the rain, holding his small tray of foods that he ordered awhile ago. He halts in front Minseok’s table and the sudden appearance of silhouette and presence make Minseok shifts his gaze towards the young boy that is in front of his usual dining in the café. His eyebrow rise a bit, judging the man in front of him, wondering what he needs from him. He takes note of the boy’s appearance, wearing a red knitted scarf that somehow oddly matches the white loose down shirt with tight white jeans paired with white sneakers with silver streaks and how oddly the young boy’s eyes seems light violet that seems like dark green hue in shine and Minseok take notes of his current condition. The boy is shivering a bit (and Minseok has a pretty good guess what is the cause of it), quite fragile, delicate and weak and look so innocent and pure.

One word defines in his first impression: Vulnerable.

Yes, he takes the first impression for the young boy quite vulnerable after judging him from head to toe and Minseok hears the back of his mind nagging him about something that he doesn’t quite understand. So he pushed it further back, ignoring it completely and also ignoring the signs outside.

After inspecting the boy (and Minseok hopes that the young boy doesn’t get creeped out from his observing stare), the boy softly smiles to him, opening his mouth to tell him something and that’s where Minseok feels the unsettling feeling in his stomach once he heard the young boy’s voice, he knew the future is going to change.

“May I share a sit with you?”

Minseok theorizes the young boy like a rose.

A fresh, rose that had just bloomed in the world to show its beauty to the world.

So beautiful, delicate, tempting yet full of dark desires and secrets.

That was his theory about the young boy that he met in the café that day.

“May I share a sit with you?” The soft fluid of voice passes his ears and if Minseok would strain his ears, he could definitely hear the melancholic tone deep inside the soft fluid of voice. Still holding the hot cup of chocolate in mid-air, Minseok takes a brief moment first, to decide whether to accept it or not.

The boy blinks a bit, quite holding up with his wobbly legs as he sees that the boy he approached still had his doubts of giving him a seat with his table. He looks around, trying to look if there is any vacant dine, but there is none and the boy that he approached seems so kind and he felt attracted to him that he decided to ask if he could share a seat with him. And being under his gaze for a few minute makes him uncomfortable and quite embarrassed, wondering if he has something that makes the other boy look at him, scrutinizing. His lips quiver, eyes blinking fast, his heart races deep and hard and he could almost hear it.

“Um, am I not allowed?” The boy his head to the side, showing his confusion and questioning. Minseok blinks for awhile, hiding his observing stare and replacing it with his usual brown hue soft eyes. He smiles tenderly at the young boy in front of him, his smile showing apology and comfort.

“Ah, sorry about that. Yes, you may share a sit with me, I don’t mind at all,” he says with his gentle smile. The young boy beams him a smile, appreciating his answer, as if expecting it with delight. He takes the seat and settled on it comfortably before putting the silver small tray on the rectangular table that fitted for the two of their foods. A cup of chocolate for Minseok while the young boy has a cup of mocha and a plate of chocolate marble as his pabulum.

“Thank you…” the young boy trails off with a shy smile and Minseok finds him oddly cute. He replies back with a gentle smile, before nodding his head and taking a sip of his hot chocolate before placing it back to the saucer.

Silence enveloped them and the conversation seems to stop as the young boy starts to take a bite on his chocolate marble cake and Minseok shifts his gaze back to the outside world. The rain hasn’t stopped yet and Minseok wonders why. The rain seems to tell him something, but he can’t seem to understand it when his mind resurfaces the image of the young’s boy smile.

Minseok snaps his head to the young boy, blinking his eyes as he didn’t quite get what the young male told him due to the fact that he’s trying to figure out what the rain and wind trying to tell him.

“Pardon?” he questions again. The young male bit his bottom lip, eyes looking down in embarrassment and shyness. The soft aroma of mocha and chocolate blends well together and somehow the cozy feeling of the café makes Minseok totally disconnect with the other world.

“I-um, may I know your name?” he asks again, repeating his words and Minseok’s lips tugs a bit upwards, amused at his stuttered voice.

“And why is that? Why would I give my name to a complete stranger that I don’t even know or haven’t met before?” Minseok asks challengingly, trying to know if the young male in front of him is worth to give his name. If the boy gives him a reasonable answer, then he’ll give, but if not, it’s still okay, though. He just wanted to know if it’s really worth it or not.

The boy’s cheeks paints up with pink and it almost misses Minseok’s hawk eyes, and he’s proud to have such sharp eyes because he’s already chuckling inside and really find the young male in front of him, amusing and intriguing.

“I-err, um, I-I-I just wanted to know because…” he trails off as his eyes locked with Minseok’s defined brown orbs that shined with sincerity and beauty that he feels slightly compelled for a moment before continuing his words, “…because I at least wanted to know the person who gladly shares his sit with me!” he lowly yells and quickly shut his mouth after he realized what he said and he scolded himself mentally, finding his reason completely unreasonable, making his cheeks burn into dark hue shade of pink.

Minseok smiles, amused at his answer and reaction after. He nods his head, approving his reason, even though it’s quite silly, but Minseok thinks it’s not harmful at all, so he complies with a simple sentence.

“Isn’t it a bit rude for the person who is asking the person’s name, doesn’t introduce himself at all?” Minseok takes his cup of chocolate, sipping it as he eyes focuses again at the outside world that seems trying so hard to tell him something that he still doesn’t quite understand it.

The boy’s cheeks redden more and Minseok could see it in the corner of his eyes as he hid his smile while sipping his cup of chocolate.

The young boy sputtered a bit, “I’m Lu Han. 21 years old. Chinese.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, placing his cup back on the saucer before letting out a light chuckle, showing his amusement for the younger more.

“I didn’t ask for your age and citizenship, you know,” Minseok teased a bit, seeing Luhan’s eyes widen a bit and the tip of his ears grew red due to major embarrassment. Minseok lets out a sigh of content, ending his torture to the poor young boy.

He takes the abandoned fork of the younger’s and takes a portion of the cake that made the younger look at him in surprise and in quite disbelief at his action. He cheekily grins in response, taking a bite on the cake, letting the soft foam and frosted cream of chocolate and light thin square chocolate melt in his tongue, loving the taste of chocolate.

“Minseok. Kim Minseok. 22 years old, so call me hyung. I need some respect for some while now,” he says before taking another bite of the younger’s cake and Luhan could feel his heart swell at his name and surprised by his actions. Their eyes locked, meeting each other with comfort and understanding silence.

They share a smile, eyes turning into crescents, welcoming each other through their silent communication that everybody thinks it’s nothing but means a lot for them.

“It’s nice meeting you, Minseok hyung,” Luhan says, holding out his hand for a handshake. Minseok takes a brief moments before taking his hand and both shaked, sealing their own future together, unknown to them what the future lays ahead for them in the future and how it will affect them so much.

“It’s nice meeting you, too, Luhan.”

The rain grew harsher, louder and stronger and the wind envelopes it, but soon fades out into a simple rain, simply nothing but a plain rain and wind. The message that was not fulfilled to be delivered to Minseok, telling him how dangerous that boy is and how he will affect his peaceful life that will soon crumble into ashes.

Minseok thinks that Luhan is like a rose.

A rose that shows a lot of his beauty, innocence and art.

Hiding its dark secrets and desires very well, not being able to see through its barrier of lies even with a pair of eyes that is like a hawk. Because no matter what, the rose is after all, a beautiful work of art.

So beautiful, yet so deceptive.

jour mélancolique-Melancholic Day

A/N: Finally, I updated Part One! Part Two will be up soon. Comments are appreciated ^^