9:16 AM. 13^th of December, 2012. It was snowing. You wore two shirts and a jacket on you before you went out. The city was unusually quiet, probably because of the cold weather. Winter was your favorite season, mainly because it was cold. You liked the cold.

You didn’t have a particular reason for going into the middle of the city. Most shops were still closed. You walked quietly on the streets that were starting to get covered with snow with one earphone stuck in your ear. The other one hanged on the right side of your shoulder. You exhaled, watching the mist appear in front of your eyes.

You replayed the scene you saw in your house last night. Your mom was leaning against the wall, gasping for breath between her fit of sobs, with tears trickling down her face. Your dad was standing beside the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he mumbled something. It wasn’t the first time this happened. You pretend you were unaware of it, but you knew that the both of them have been fighting a lot lately, and their probably clinging onto their marriage only because of you.

Sometimes, you were afraid. Even though you hardly show it, you were scared of the uncertainity of what was going to happen next in life. You never knew how to express yourself well enough, resulting in you being a quiet and emotionless child.

You walked into one of the convinience stores that were open. It was cold outside, but  you felt like eating ice cream anyway. You took a vanilla flavored one out and paid for it at the cashier. ‘Ice cream on a cold day like this?’ A lady in her thirties chuckled as she scanned the barcode and took your money. You merely smiled. A guy made his way behind you to queue. As you were about to walk out, you heard the woman working at the cashier speak again. ‘Another one eating an ice cream? Kids these days..’

You walked out, feeling the cold breeze on your face as you your ice cream. You heard footsteps behind you, getting closer by the second. You turned around, to see a guy wearing a grey hoodie and jeans. His hair covered his forehead, but he had pretty eyes and a high nose. The right side of his lips was stained with the chocolate ice cream in his left hand. His shoes looked worn out and his voice sounded smooth for a man as he spoke.

‘Hey! Are you here alone? Can i.. walk with you?’ He probably realized himself that it sounded weird to speak that way, so he tried to ensure you. ‘I’m not some kidnapper.. I’m just.. I..’ You cut him off, saying, ‘Sure. It’s boring to walk alone, anyway. Are you heading anywhere?’ For once in your long 17 years of life, you actually sounded sporty! You gave yourself a mental clap.

He shook his head. ‘What’s your name?’ He asked, smiling. You told him yours and asked for his. ‘Lee Changseon.’ He pronounced it clearly. You nodded softly, not knowing what to say next. It turned out you didn’t need to worry about being speechless, because he was a talkative guy. ‘You can call me Joon.’ ‘What are you doing for Christmas?’ ‘Do you like puppies?’ ‘My pet cat peed in my room yesterday.’

Joon was different. Living in this world, you could tell when people actually expect to accept more than they give. Everyone is a coward, living in the shadows of themselves. Everyone was afraid to lose, so they’d rather take than give. Hardly anyone could speak so comfortably with a total stranger, because of the stereotype stating that all strangers are dangerous, and some kidnapper is probably waiting around the corner.

You couldn’t help but ask Joon. ‘You seem like.. You can really trust someone even though it’s just the first time meeting them?’ The someone meant you. Joon smiled. ‘What’s life when you live it in fear?’ Okay. You liked this dude a lot already, and you respected him more for saying that. ‘People like you are starting to get extinct, honestly.’ You said. You half expected him to become like some normal person all of a sudden, and turn his back against you like most people have done in the past, but he didn’t. Instead, he chuckled. ‘I don’t think it’s long before a species like me gets completely extinct.’

You swore you saw something different in his eyes even though you didn’t know what it was.

‘Christmas is coming soon, huh?’ He said. You nodded, not especially looking forward to it. ‘Give me your handphone number.’ He spoke again, this time sounding like it was a command. You merely told him your number, not knowing what he was going to do with it. ‘I’ll give you a call so you can have my number too.’ He said, grinning.

After you parted ways with him to go home, you started thinking. How often can you meet people like that in the society nowadays? Everyone had a barrier in front of them, shielding people from hurting their fragile selves. How many were immune from fear like he was?

But the question that bothered you more was, why isn’t he afraid? Of anything. Why can he live life so easily, while everyone else struggled with their own feelings?