First Snow

  Winter break was dawning upon the students of South Korea. The weather grew drastically cold but everyone liked to blame it on the spirit of Christmas. A ginormous Christmas tree stood in the middle of Gwanghwamun, lighting up the bright city as people walked past with their loved ones, and some alone. Jieun walked through Gwanghwamun, feeling free that it was now Winter break. Although it meant having to run part time jobs and study, it was still better than having to go to school every weekday. 

 She stopped infront of the large tree and looked up at the big star at the top. It looked so tall that it looked as if it was part of the sky. Jieun rubbed her hands together and stuffed them inside her thin pocket. Because she spent all her pay paying for her textbooks, she was on a tight budget until her next pay and suffering coldness was one of them. Christmas songs played in the distance and she saw the sight of many couples walking side by side, and families taking their children out to dinner and buying early christmas presents. Jieun heaved a big sigh and stared blankly at the tree. 

 She missed her father, and she wished that she could be with him right now. she felt so bad knowing that while she gets to enjoy all the luxurious neccessaties of life, her father was somewhere in the cold without a place to sleep. but she didn't cry. she wasn't holding it in, no tears came out. she wasn't like the Lee Jieun who thought that tears would solve everything, because tears would only make her weaker and that's was what she needed the least. 

 "I see your wrist is better." a deep voice penetrated Jieun's ears. She flinched and looked to her right and to her surprise, there stood Myungsoo with his hands buried inside the pockets of his leather jacket. He had a thick leather jacket over his school uniform that seemed to fit just perfectly on him. Jieun noticed as a few fangirls surrounded them, secretly snapping pictures of Myungsoo. He looked up at the tree lucidly and stared at the star at the top. 

 "Yes.. thank you." Jieun diverted her eyes back to the tree also.

The two were silent for some time, but there was no awkwardness at all. "What are you doing here?" he asked with his husky voice. Jieun sighed and continued to stare at the tree because in all honesty, she really didn't know either. "I'm not sure," she chuckled. she slipped her hands out and rubbed them together for warmth. "this tree just had me thinking about my father.." her voice hummed. 

Myungsoo slipped his white finger gloves off and grabbed Jieun's hands. "You don't have to-" "A girl should have pretty hands." Myungsoo said as he slipped her fingers through the gloves and pushed them inside her pockets. Jieun smiled under her breath and thanked him silently. but Myungsoo seemed so cold, because she had never seen him smile before and his tears the other day was quite a surprise. his straight face never changed throughout the day but he looked so perfect every other way. 

 The two walked away from the tree and through the streets. every restaurant, cafe and shops were decorated with christmas decorations and were very festive. bells and jingles serenaded the streets of Gwanghwamun; the world seemed so happy. they walked for some time and soon the crowd had cleared up and the streets were slowly deserting the area. the two walked under the trees decorated with lights. 

 "Do you have any plans this Christmas..?" Jieun asked awkwardly. Myungsoo breathed lightly and his straight face smoothened a little. "I did. i guess not anymore.." he said bluntly and looked forward. the street grew darker and soon they were on the path that led them home. "If you think about it.. Christmas is just a normal day too, don't feel so bad about not having  special plans that day.." Jieun said weakly. she knew she wasn't making him feel any better but that was the only thing she could say in that situation.

 "Thanks." 

He murmured. Jieun couldn't tell what he was thinking because his face was so straight and it made her feel anxious because she could never tell if she had pissed him off or had earned a few points. "Did you learn medical skills from someone or.." Jieun asked out of curiosity. even using the first aid kit required training and it was for sure that Jieun couldn't have done what Myungsoo did for her.

 "When we were little our Aunt had to care for us because father was so busy with work and mother was overseas with her own business. while all the other kids had their reading time, we had our own paramedic time." Myungsoo shrugged. everything in his life never seemed to please him, or either he couldn't please life. but that was just Jieun's little thought and perhaps through his straight face, he couldn't be any more happier.

 "Did you miss your father..?" Jieun asked.

"I'm not sure," Myungsoo shrugged. "He was never really there, so i never really felt anything." the two walked along the path which was now completely deserted, with only cars whooshing past in the highway beside them. 

 "What about you?" Myungsoo asked. "You don't miss your father?" "I do miss my father.. i miss him terribly. at first, i blamed him for the poverty that we have but then i realize.. we can't control fate. in the end, i was only blaming him for something he couldn't control." 

 The two walked and soon enough, they reached the start of the steep hill that led to the gate. The two stopped and stared at the city scenery that was present before their eyes. the two stared, silently lost in thoughts. To Jieun, every night was beautiful at this place but this night was unusually more beautiful. Jieun breathed out and stared at the white fog that escaped off . She looked through the fog and saw Chanyeol walking toward them from the opposite direction.

  Chanyeol waved from afar and Jieun waved back. 

"What are you doing out here?" Chanyeol shuddered. he soon noticed Myungsoo and his facial expression hardened. Myungsoo sighed heavily and started walking up the big steep - that was, until Jieun grabbed his wrist. Myungsoo looked back at her miniature height and stared in silence. 

"Stay, Myungsoo." 

The three stood and stared at the scenery before their eyes. nobody dared to speak; there was no need for words. Jieun slipped her gloved hand out and noticed a small white speck on her red gloves. She looked up and saw that small specks of white snow were fluttering down, slowly landing on their head. Jieun smiled broadly and nudged Chanyeol and Myungsoo, pointing at the sky.

"First Snow." She exclaimed. the three stared up at the sky. The dips of their mouth soon carved into a smile and so did their spirits. the three stood silently and watched as the snow fell down to earth. "Let's make a wish." 

"Only stupid people make wishes." Myungsoo stammered with his arms crossed. Jieun grinned, because she knew that it was Myungsoo who needed it the most at this moment. the way she saw it, both of the brothers needed it just as much as each other. "It's your loss." Jieun shrugged as she closed her eyes and put her hands together to make a wish. Myungsoo surrendered and closed his eyes, making an unfeigned wish with all his heart.

  The three opened their eyes and made their way up the steep. "What did you wish for?" Jieun asked out of curiosity. Myungsoo shrugged and stayed silent for some time. He wasn't really sure whether his wish was really.. a wish, or whether it was just another fantasy. "I wished for-" "Actually, don't tell me. Your wish won't come true." she laughed and punched Myungsoo lightly, racing up the steep stairs to where her new family would be.

- - - - - -

 The alarm beeped heinously in Jieun's ears. She turned the alarm clock off with her toes and buried herself in her blanket. The morning was colder than usual, and Jieun definitely preferred the heat over the cold. She shuddered and looked outside the window, seeing the white snow outlining her outer window sill. Every morning was a fight between her and the bed, but she knew who always won.

 She grunted and pulled herself out of bed, shuddering at the chilliness arising from the floor. She figured because this house was cement floored, there was more coldness rising from the floor. She slipped her slippers on and dressed into her school uniform, randomly fixing her shirt and brushing all the tangles off her brunette hair. Packing all her books into her backpack, she hung it loose on her right shoulder and headed downstairs for breakfast.

 As usual, Suzy was sitting in the seat opposite the entrance - the most powerful seat at the dining table. Three chairs away sat Myungsoo, lifelessly consuming his breakfast. Everything about him was always on point with not a single error to correct. Then at the seat closest to the exit seated Chanyeol, whose existance itself was a rough mess. his dirt ravaged baseball jersey laid firmly on him as he gaggled down the food like a pig. 

 Jieun took a seat between Myungsoo and Chanyeol, receiving the breakfast from breakfast. Mornings at this dining table was so awkward for Jieun, because she was the one who always had to break the ice - and she hated it. She wasn't necessarily all that outgoing, especially at times like these. Jieun grabbed a ball of rice with her chopsticks and began nibbling on it lightly. 

 She stared at Myungsoo with the corners of her eye and the way he consumed his food without getting a single piece of food on his face. She glanced at Chanyeol who had rice beads all over his school shirt and hardly took the time to notice his shabby state. Jieun felt extremely uncomfortable on this table as time went by, and it was surprising how Chanyeol could eat without being so self-conscious.

 "I'm going to go now.." Jieun rose from her seat and bowed down to the housekeeper before slowly creeping out of the dining room. She felt so suffocated in there, and she surely couldn't survive another minute. She stuffed her new balance sneakers on her feet and walked out of the large house.

"I'll be going too-" Chanyeol and Myungsoo both stood up at the same time and rushed out of the house, with their shoes half tied. Chanyeol caught upto Jieun and the two walked down the steep stairs, with Myungsoo following behind. Myungsoo was always a step behind, always. 

"Give me a ride?" Jieun poked him jokingly and he shoved her with a snigger. Myungsoo stared at the two emotionlessly, his straight face being more straighter than usual. Chanyeol unchained his bicycle and dusted the snow off the seat, ringing the bell twice for a check-up. He rubbed his hands together for warmth and hopped on the bike, waiting for Jieun to hop on. 

"You shouldn't be spending so much time with someone else's fiancee', you know?" Suzy's voice echoed from behind as she dusted the snow off her thigh-short school skirt and hopped on the bike sideways. "People would think that Chanyeol actually likes you." Suzy said contemptuously and wrapped her arms tightly around Chanyeol's waist. Jieun was silent as she watched Suzy's demure grin and Chanyeol's sour expression.

 "Bae Suzy-" "Of course. " Jieun smiled and nodded lightly. "I shouldn't disturb a newly-wed couple." She stepped back and stared at Chanyeol's face filled with the look as if he had just been betrayed. 

"I'll take her, don't worry." Myungsoo grabbed her wrist lightly. displeased, Chanyeol sighed and was about to rise from his seat but was pushed down by Suzy's harsh grip. "Let's go, honey." Suzy tightened her grip. Chanyeol, staring at Jieun, set off with Suzy clinging behind him. Myungsoo stared at Jieun as her smile began to erode from her face, turning into a straight face. 

 He stared at her hand and felt relieved. She was wearing the gloves that he had given her.

"Don't expect too much from him," Myungsoo said unwillingly. "As naive as he may look, he's got alot of girls on his hands. Suzy wasn't his first engagement either." 'What?" Jieun's eyes widened. She was genuinly surprised that a high schooler had been engaged more than once. "What do you mean it's not his first..?" Myungsoo said lightly. A Bentz car rolled down the steep hill and the driver stepped out, passing the car key to Myungsoo with his both hands. 

 "Get in," He opened the door. "It's a long story."

"I didn't know you could drive.." Jieun chuckled awkwardly as she watched Myungsoo's flexible hands turn the steering wheel. She had to admit, it was much better than having to ride in the cold with Chanyeol. Myungsoo nodded with a straight face and made another smooth turn, entering the highway.  "It's pretty hard to get around in Italy," he replied in a dull manner. "If you don't have a car in high school, you're sort of an outcast there."

 Jieun nodded silently.

Myungsoo noticed Jieun's stolid expression through the front mirror and shrugged. "Don't expect anything from Chanyeol. He's the type to eat and run." "Eat and run..?" "He may not look that way, especially with the way he treats you." Myungsoo raised an eyebrow as he raised the speed.

 "What do you mean..? Chanyeol seems like a nice kid.." Jieun replied absent mindly. "During his whole lifespan, he put approximately half the female population of South Korea in tears," he added as if he was having fun interrogating his brother. "And still he's at it." Jieun was shocked. Chanyeol certainly didn't seem like the type to be so materialistic, especially the way he acted infront of her. 

 "I.. didn't know that.." Jieun stuttered. "But are you sure you're not just ganging up on your brother?" Jieun questioned him. Myungsoo sighed and pulled over. "Well, we're here." Myungsoo peeked up at Jieun's shabby school building and kept his straight face. Jieun slipped her gloves on and was about to slip out of the car - stopped by Myungsoo who grabbed her wrist the same way she grabbed his.

 "Chanyeol's not really who you think he is." Myungsoo eyed her intensly. Jieun stared back and broke the stare with an auspicious laugh. "Stop playing detective! you're really scaring me now.." her voice hummed. Myungsoo sighed and glanced at his watch. "If you still can't believe me, i'll show you." He opened the cabinet near the back seat and slipped out a small flyer, stuffing it inside Jieun's hand.

 "Meet me at this address no later than five. I'll show you." Myungsoo watched as Jieun rushed out the car and ran inside the school gate. Jieun was utterly confused, and she wasn't exactly sure what to believe. She stared at the flyer inside her hand blankly.

Club Mute

26, Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

A/N:

I am really sorry i did not update for a really long time.. I was going to update last week, and the week before but i had a really bad writer's block and i really couldn't find that plot that would lead into Chanyeol's double side. but now i have it!  Since Winter Break is coming up really soon, i will try my hardest to update as soon as i can before break finishes. Because when Winter Break is over, i have to take Finals and then no more breaks until spring break which really really .. Well, all i can say is.. you can expect some drama in the next few chapters! PS: Christmas is really near and i am so excited. I even have a countdown app on my mobile phone HAHA.. D-11!