Sungmin took a deep breath, he felt like he was being pulled by an unknown depth to the man’s eyes, trying so hard to get out and pull himself together to avoid being in.

“Uh-I-“ he begin to stuttered when the door of the library opened to reveal the old man.

“Hey Sungmin, I told you were-“ the man was about to call Sungmin when he stopped at the presence of the visitor. The gaze the older placed on Jongwoon was scrutinizing and untrusting.

“Who’s your friend here?” the older man asked walking up to the counter to return Sungmin to reality.

Sungmin looked at the older and shrugged snapping out of his trance. “Ah- j-just a guest.” Sungmin stuttered returning to fixing the books to the shelves.

The old man looked at Jongwoon smiling at Sungmin’s flustered action. “I guess, no guests should be out in this beautiful storm…” he said puffing his cheeks. “Well I should go, sorry for intruding… see you again some other time…”

The man walked towards the door opening it with the usual light tinkling. Jongwoon looked back just in time to see Sungmin looking at his wake and gasping a little when their eyes met.

“See you later, Sungmin.” The stranger said before emerging to the weather.

The old man looked at Sungmin then sighed.

“I didn’t know you were attracted to men?”

Sungmin snapped up in surprise before looking incredulously at the older. “I’m not attracted to men?! What are you saying?” he asked hiding the embarrassment.

“The way you reacted right now is a good proof.” The older man snickered and Sungmin just grabbed the books with a pout and shoved it back inside the shelves.

“Grandpa…” Sungmin sighed. “The man’s just too mysterious and familiar to me that’s why I stared at him like that, don’t give unnecessary meaning.”

The older man chuckled in mocking amusement on the defensive Sungmin before he placed his grocers at the counter. The old man smiled sweetly but the happiness not exactly meeting his eyes.

“You know Sungmin, there’s really nothing wrong in liking a guy.” The older man said almost inaudibly but Sungmin caught it and stared at the older man’s retreating back with a puzzled expression.

***

“You’re embodying your human form.”

Heechul’s words echoed through Kyuhyun’s thoughts as he continued to crouch on the cold floor, he can feel his body heating up and being cold at the same time, his flesh were softening and as if on mockery his lungs almost burst out to his frozen state.

“What are you- Kyuhyun!!”

Kyuhyun heard Donghae’s familiar scream and a hand grasp him in assistance to his pathetic state.

“Kami! What are you doing?!”

He looked up to see Heechul look away. “I need to do this, Jongwoon must be stopped, he used his hourglass to ticked in Sungmin’s life and I know for sure Kyuhyun knew how long it will take for the grains to completely fill the other side, as it is now, Sungmin is in grave peril.

“But we can’t force him to be kept alive afterall he’s supposed to be de-“

“Donghae!” Kyuhyun’s stern voice  surprised the person called. It even startled Kyuhyun himself when he felt a rushing hot fluid inside him paining his heart when Donghae mentioned the hopelessness they had in Sungmin’s situation. He stared at the pale colored floor. Did Sungmin meant that much to him already?

“But Kyu- you, embodying a mortal form is beyond reason. Those villagers were ruthless, if they knew you were not a human they would kill you and Sungmin. It will all end just the same…” Donghae convinced Kyuhyun but the latter just stared at nothingness, contemplating on the things and the consequences.

But this urge to do anything for the human was strong despite the countless loop holes on this plan. He knew Heechul’s need to stop Jongwoon from taking and interacting with human fate is a reason he was doing this and is allowing Kyuhyun to interfere but he’s also had hidden motives, the worried furrowing of those brows of the god of snow hid the secret all too well.

Kyuhyun gasped one last time and the cold became bearable again, his skin turned pinkish and soft and a loud beating and the flow of something in him is all new.

He struggled to Donghae’s hold and he was surprised to see the horror on his friend’s eyes.

“Y-You’re human.” Donghae mouthed with his quivering lips backing away from Kyuhyun who regained his strength and was able to stand on his own two feet.

“What now?” Kyuhyun asked confused, feeling his own body anew.

Kyuhyun stared at him for a while with a soft smile painting on his lips. He placed his hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “There are few reminders. First…”

“You can’t tell him you’re a seppen, and you’re previously involve with him.” Heechul said in a concerned tone. “Second, you can’t reveal or make use of your powers whenever a human is present, or to alter something on that human’s state.”

“Third.” Heechul squeezed Kyuhyun’s shoulder tightly before withdrawing his hand and tucking it to the other clenching those fingers tightly into a guilty grip.

“You can’t fall in love with him.”

As if stuck on thunder the unfamiliar word dug deep into the seppen of the storm. The feeling they didn’t quite usually express, they’re used to affection, passion, dedication, care and importance but the feeling known to human’s as love, was beyond them. It was a feeling only mortals could possess, it is the feeling described as the most fleeting of all.

They’re seppens, used to experiencing things that are happy and playfull, mild and carefree for they are indeed free souls. That’s why they do not express ‘love’ because it roots to all negative feelings unknown to them.

Love branches out hatred, pain, confusion, devastation, jealousy, anger, abandonment and melancholy. Those feelings that would resemble the ‘shattering’ they experience whenever they get involve to humans.

But in rare times that some of them experience as high of a feeling as love, they will only see one thing quite confusing, that that being could smile, a smile so genuine that it eliminates all other impurities, a smile so enticing that clearly deliver a message, that thru all the malevolence the feeling brought, there is something worthy behind the uncertainties.

And Kyuhyun didn’t know why but his now mortal heart clearly made him feel disappointment for the first time in hundreds of years.

Heechul saw through it and a sad smile came with another blow of the rule he needed to impose on his now human state.

“You cannot fall in love with him Kyuhyun.”

Silence followed the rule broken by Donghae’s scoff.

“That’s easy Kyu, you’re just there to stop Woonie, you’ll never had that feeling right? That’s just silly, right Kami?”

Heechul sighed before turning his back on Kyuhyun who seemed to nod on the command forcefully.

“Come on Donghae, we need to leave so that Kyu can go where he is ought to be right now.” Heechul said in finality before disappearing through a wisp of snow.

Donghae smiled, tapped Kyuhyun and walked backwards still facing Kyuhyun.

“I’ll be watching Kyu, take good care of yourself, call me whenever you need me okay…” the seppen of the spring smiled before he too disappeared.

Kyuhyun bit his lips, run his hand through his hair which turned to a plain dark blue to almost black. He looked around with a last sigh.

Anticipation filled his heart despite the dreaded feeling, he took one last look and a step before he faded through the blow of a strong wind.

***

Sungmin pursed his lips hogging the coat to himself, the storm hasn’t dissipated and it was quite a travel before he reach his cold home at the end of the village.

He didn’t know why the storm felt rather comforting than scary, he took the steps slowly to feel the rush of the white dusts pass his eyes, it was so beautiful that he wanted to just get lost and be blown away by it.

He stopped and close his eyes for a while, he remembered it was the same weather 20 years ago, in this kind of weather he saw in vague shadows the first miracle in his life playing in a blur of bluish-gray.

He breathed hard smoke of white coming out from his mouth. He shook his head and walk with a rare smile before he encountered the raging of threaded hooves.

Surprised. He looked around and saw an out of control carriage with the man riding it in total dazed expression, the thud of the quick stallions were so fast, it was as if it was commanded to run Sungmin over, it was like he was the target.

But Sungmin couldn’t move in shock, it was too late, he stood rooted in the ground and was able to see the heavy thudded feet above him when something from his side hit his body like a soft rock and made him and the bundle of heavy coat turtle-top and rolled to the sides escaping the certain accident.

His eyes widen in shock as he realized he was just saved, he looked at the bundle towering above him and the person’s eyes caught his in a locked gaze.

Dark hair, carved features, pale, huffing words of concern asking him if his okay. Worry painted on those deep brown orbs that Sungmin could swear he saw faded from blue just a while ago. His eyes locked on the tall lanky arms protectively holding him.

Familiarity, ease and relief played all into Sungmin’s consciousness.

And for the first time in twenty years, Sungmin finally met the seppen who brought on the miracle of his life.

To Be Continued

A/N: Sorry for the looonggg time it took me to update this. Do you still remember this? Maybe you already forgot  :( anyways to those who could remember thank you and I hope you liked the update ^^

I can’t promise for fast updates since you all knew I have 3 chaptered fics pending, one of which is closing to the finale, so I will try my best to update all as fast as I can, and when I say ‘as fast as I can’ I can only estimate once per month, so I’m really sorry :((.

Tell me your say regarding this update of mine Kay? Don’t forget some cuddles for min…