Song Mino liked beautiful things. Call it an addiction, he wanted to preserve things in their most natural and beautiful form.

Despite his parents' many objections, he dropped out of his accounting courses and took up photography, spending his time wandering in other countries with his DSLR.

It all started when he was ten, when his uncle bought him a compact camera for his birthday. You could call it fate, Mino turned out to be a world class photographer. 

The machine mystified Mino, how it could freeze everything on it's flat screen with just a click of the shutter. It could keep things in it eternal, even if in reality memories were proven to be just in the past, and with time people change and flowers wilt. 

His mother had protested to his uncle, saying that the gift was too complex and expensive for a child, that he should've bought a toy car or roller blades instead. Mino's uncle just chuckled. 

***

For someone his age, Mino was pretty mature. Sometimes he would ponder how tiny his exsistance was in this world and how people managed to find their happiness when there were so many complications in this world.

Eleven years later and he was still wondering the same thing. His friend Jackson would chortle and clap him on the back, and proceed to remind him of his successful career. He was like a striking red rose in a field of daisies in the photography industry,  but Mino always felt that something was missing. 

***              

One summer when he was twelve, Mino's parents bought him to live with his grandmother while they went for their nth honeymoon. Grandma Song lived by the countryside, where it was more peaceful than the bustling streets of the city, where the air was fresher and more comforting to breathe in.

Grandma's house was cozy, the smell of fresh bakery always filling the air. His grandmother would tell him stories of old legends after dinner and teach him how to skip stones across ponds. 

He remembered dipping his feet in the clear water of the stream outside his grandma's hut one hot day, the hems of his trousers folded up and his precious camera dangling around his neck. The tiny fish nipping at his toes were quite ticklish. Grandma Song was preparing kimchi in the kitchen while humming along to an old song.

He recalled watching the dragonflies buzzing around, their clear wings in a blur when suddenly there was a loud yell screaming 'CANONBAAAALLL' and a huge splash appeared in front of him, soaking him from head to toe.

Rubbing his eyes clear of water, he saw another boy grinning in the stream. Glaring at the said boy, he was grateful that his camera was waterproof.

Mino was angry, he didn't want to get wet, so that's why he only dipped his feet in the first place. And gosh his camera. His precious camera. Mino turned it around to inspect it for damages. 

'Hey there.' The boy grinned at him cheerily, trying to keep himself afloat in the water. He had a loud and clear voice. Mino stared at him blankly before standing up to walk away when the boy yelled in his direction. 

'Hey bro, don't be such a grump! I'm sorry okay?' The boy called after him while paddling in the water. The tone in his voice pulled at something in Mino and he turned around, raising an eyebrow.

The boy grinned. 'My name's Jackson. What's yours?'

Mino debated for a second before answering quietly. 'Mino. Song Mino.' 

'Well Song Mino, nice to meet you. You new here?' Jackson said, shaking water out of his face while extending a hand out to him. He seemed friendly enough so Mino nodded before accepting the handshake.

The second their fingers touched, Jackson pulled at his hand and sent him splashing into the stream. Mino spluttered in the water, with Jackson's roaring laughter booming in his ears.

Jackson wrapped his arms around Mino to catch him in a headlock, dunking him into the