---/---/---/---

It was a night when he was almost coated with snow by the time he arrived at his complex. He tried to shake off the pesky snow on his jacket, his hair and just about anywhere it managed to stick itself. It didn’t help that he tripped and fell face flat on the floor when he was on his way to the elevator.

A stranger helped him up but his face was too hot to thank him “Having a bad day, huh.”

Sehun looked up as he tried to steady himself to find an unfamiliar face smiling down at him. He had lived long enough in that apartment to recognize some of the faces residing in the same building as him.

For Sehun, the stranger was odd and just the type to speak up to anyone. He had never been good at meeting new people. Let alone having a light conversation with relatively unfamiliar person He had never been great at maintaining conversations and he was way too embarrassed to say something so he ended up responding with a tight smile and a slight tilt of his head.

Ignoring the man was not much of a choice after their humiliating encounter when the said man rode the elevator with him. He was talkative, much to Sehun’s chagrin. He started sharing his experiences the first time he came to this town and that he just arrived last Monday evening. According to him, the place where he came from so he was kind of expecting to have a new beginning here. Sehun let him babble; silently wishing that at least one of them gets off first so he can wallow in silence because it was winter already (and because he tripped in the lobby earlier).

But fate chose to play with him.

They got off at the same floor.  For a moment there, he thought the stranger was following him. It turned out that they live just right next to each other.

“My name is Minseok, by the way.”The man said as he fumbled for his keys. “It’s nice meeting you.”

If Sehun knew that Minseok would be the most important thing in his life, he wouldn’t have shown him his indifference.

---/---/---/---

“Which one would hyung like best?” Sehun pondered over the array of cakes in front of him. He happened to pass by their favorite bakery and it sure wouldn’t hurt if he buys one of those delicious looking treats. Minseok would probably complain about him ruining his diet but Sehun would assure him that he would love him no matter his size and shape.

“This...” He leaned down to look closely at a small round mocha cake glazed with caramel and topped with walnuts. His eyes moved to another cake next to it. It was a smaller but shiny chocolate cake garnished with confectioners’ sugar and a strawberry. Now, Sehun looked at those heavenly looking desserts. He could feel his mouth water, his jaw slowly slacking with every passing second. Choosing was difficult since they have different preferences when it comes to things like this. He’s a big fan of chocolate while Minseok loves mocha more than anything.

If he was only buying for himself, he would’ve chosen the chocolate cake already. But he was choosing for them so he has to think hard. His lower lip jutted out, completely absorbed in thinking. After a while, though, he sighed. He fished his phone in the pocket of his jeans and briefly made a call. He waited, but after a second or so, he was met with Minseok’s voice message.

“Hi, this is Minseok, I can’t answer your call right now so please just leave a message after the beep...unless you’re Oh freaking Sehun who had nothing to do so you chose to pester me with your endless calls. I love you with all my life. Wait for me to come home.”

A smile made its way to Sehun’s lips. Suddenly, he just knew exactly what to do.

---/---/---/---

Sehun couldn’t sleep so he ended up doing a movie marathon. It was uncommon for him to indulge himself in such entertainment, but he didn’t know what to do. His usual self-treatment somehow lost its effectiveness. It only left him thrashing in his bed, so he abandoned the absent comforts of the mattress and went to the couch in the living room instead. He managed to get through three films so when he actually bothered to check the time, his eyes almost popped out of its socket. It was already four in the morning. He knew he was oh so royally ed. He actually considered not sleeping at all and let the caffeine work its magic on him. However, he really wanted that sleep even though it meant being in trouble. It took him a few more minutes before finally scrambling back to his bed to catch whatever sleep he could manage.

“I really shouldn’t have slept!”

The outcome he was expecting came without fail. He could feel every vein in his temple throb painfully against his skull.. His head felt heavy as he slowly lifted his body up from the bed and looked at the clock. For the second time of the day, his eyes widened with shock. Continuous curses flowed out of his mouth as he stumbled out of his bed and went to the bathroom for a really quick shower. Usually, he would take his time deciding on his dress shirt, but that proved to be impossible in this situation, so he just wore whatever his hand could reach. He didn’t bother to look for a decent breakfast. As he checked himself in the mirror, hands trying to style his unruly hair, he’s already calculating how fast his day would proceed.

He skipped through the hall as he wore his leather shoes while trying to go to the lift. How stupid of him to forget that he needed to wear them, right?

“...morning.”

“Huh, what?”

Sehun at least managed to glare at the person who spoke to him. He’s about to get late. Junmyeon would surely reprimand him from staying up late (which was partly not his fault because it was his body that didn’t want to cooperate). He clearly has no time to deal with a nosy person such as...Who was he again? He straightened himself and then proceeded to fix his tie and eventually, the scarf winding his neck.

“Quite grumpy, aren’t we?”His neighbor (well, Sehun guessed) flashed a teasing smile at him. It's supposed to light up his mood, but honestly, it only worsened his headache. Instead of returning the gesture, he grimaced and openly glowered at...Min...Min...Soo? Oh, forget it!  The elevator dinged then the door slid open. He briefly bowed, then ran straight outside and under the curse-worthy, chilly winter air.

“Who are you? You’re so late, zombie.”Junmyeon immediately teased Sehun the moment he checked in. He noticed the heavy bags underneath his employee’s eyes. “That’s what you get for staying up late.”

Sehun’s face twisted and scooted away from his boss slash self-proclaimed older brother. “It’s not as if I wanted to do that. Who wouldn’t want a full eight hours of sleep? Blame insomnia.” He trudged to his cubicle, almost wanting to bang his head on the desk when he got there.

“You do know that I need the files by twelve o’clock, right?” Junmyeon reminded him again. He held himself not to say anything stupid because headache was never a valid reason to talk back. But seriously, he hates being prompted to do something he was supposed to do. It makes the task more unbearable and so he will end up lazing around until he has to finish the job with the little he can actually give.

“Yes, hyu—I—I mean, Mr. Kim. I’m on it.”

“Good.”

Sehun waited for his superior to disappear in his office before actually showcasing his keyboard smashing skills. He typed whatever needed information he found on the vouchers. Numbers swam before his eyes but he ignored it with his perma-scowl in place. By the time he was almost through, he could still see the lines even with his eyes closed as if they’re imprinted on the back of his lids. His fingertips started to burn so he rested a bit. He leaned on the backrest while making the kinks on his shoulder pop. 

After a full minute, he worked on the balance sheet again. He kept on inputting everything without even verifying if he had done it right or not. The only thing that motivated him was the lunch break that he planned to devote in sleeping.

As expected, he completed his work and sent it to Junmyeon right away. He was about to let his head fall into his folded arms on the desk when Junmyeon came to him.

“Oh no, grab a coffee. I’m not letting you slide with this unforgivable unbalanced . ”

At last, a proper word play from Junmyeon hyung. But Sehun couldn’t celebrate. He made an involuntary sound at the back of his throat. His lips puckered and his eyebrows knitted. It was already too late before he realized how childish he must have looked.

With Sehun around, Junmyeon has learned the techniques on dealing with people’s childishness. Sehun acts like this most of the time, so this wasn’t new to him. He raised an eyebrow at the younger person on his swivel chair and made sure to tilt his glasses with his middle finger. “Come on. Get your off your seat. You have a lot of work to do. You have to fix this bull in my files.”

“Hyung...” Sehun tried to look cute. He knows Junmyeon can’t resist his aegyo ...or so he thought.

Junmyeon stared at him with a slight disgust. “That works for me sometimes but if I were to be honest with you, right now, you look like a try-hard zombie so your aegyo—if you can actually say it like that—is quite sickening.”  He pinched the ridge of his nose as if to calm himself. “Shoo before I barf my breakfast here.”

With a grunt, Sehun pushed himself off the chair and plodded to the pantry.

“Now, what?” he grumbled irritably when he saw that their godforsaken coffee maker was empty. Even the instant coffee that was supposed to be in the cupboard was not in its place. Sehun looked at the empty space (where the instant coffee should be) like he had lost his hope and the love of his life. Now, with the signature frown on his face, he arrived to the most hateful decision. He has to come out and suffer the wrath of winter (he was just overreacting).

The instant he stepped out of the building, he knew that it would be the biggest mistake of his life. He was completely wrapped up and he had his most trusted navy blue trench coat. But of course, his face wasn’t spared by the cold atmosphere thus making the tip of his nose and ears red. He managed to get through it and arrived at the nearest cafe.

The cafe was small. It could probably just cater a maximum of 20 people inside. The interior, however, was superb what with its wooden chairs, tables, and even the wall and the floor. It exuded a homey and warm atmosphere. Sehun marveled at these details as he pushed the door open. The bell attached to the door tinkled, making the person attending the counter look up to him. 

“Good afternoon sir,” the man with unbelievably doe-like eyes greeted him. Sehun did the same and briefly made his order. The man was incredibly fast so it did not take long before his order was already placed in front of him. He took it and made way to one of the tables near the wall where the picture frames and sketches were either nailed or taped to it.

He fell asleep without even noticing it.

When he woke up, he found an innocent graham muffin before him. He sat straight. His coffee was already cold but that wasn’t the worst part. Outside, it was already dark. He rubbed his eyes, hoping he was still in a daze or something. However, the color of the sky didn’t change. His phone started buzzing in his messenger bag. He didn’t pick up the call because he was pretty sure Junmyeon was angry, there’s no doubt about that.

Luckily, he was coherent enough to bring the pastry to the counter because he was sure that he didn’t order it.

“But sir,” The man who made his coffee earlier was cut off by someone who appeared from the back counter.

“Don’t worry, it’s on me. You look like you haven’t eaten anything yet.”

Sehun was about to say that he appreciated it but he can surely feed himself if he wanted to. But when he saw who spoke, he somehow forgot how to speak. By some sick fate, it was his nosy neighbor who treated him.

“Min..soo?” Sehun said, completely dumbfounded. The man standing beside his neighbor started to crack up which made him all the more confused.

“It’s Minseok.” His neighbor corrected him and as if he didn’t get it, the said guy repeated it. “It’s Minseok. Can you at least remember my name?” There was a teasing lilt there, but Sehun wasn’t so sure. He was distracted by the continuously buzzing phone in his other hand. And so he accidentally accepted the incoming call. Great, now he has no alibi when he gets back. 

“You’re so dead, Oh Sehun.” That was it. The next thing he heard was the beeping sound that came out from the speaker. Sehun just knew that Junmyeon was dead serious about killing him (with loads of work that was supposed to be for other employees in the company).

He couldn’t stop himself from face palming in front of the baristas. He weakly smiled. “Uhm...well, then ugh...thank you for this.” He held the muffin up and slightly bowed his head. He quickly disappeared, his black scarf resting on the table completely forgotten.

---/---/---/---

Sehun walked through snow tainted streets, clearly satisfied with his purchase. He lightly swung the yellow box he was holding by lace around it. A few more shops with their colorful and sometimes blinding lights have caught his attention. He was in the mood to check them all out to look for his perfect present for Minseok. He hasn’t decided on a single thing, even though he had spent most of his time thinking about this day. It’s not that he didn’t know what to give. In fact, he has memorized Minseok. He knew Minseok inside and out. But when it comes to things like this, his mind always betrays him. He kept on stressing over this fact and buying gifts for him was either a hit or a miss. Luckily, Minseok was fine either way.

---/---/---/---

Their schedule wasn’t exactly that different but their habits have made a gap between their idea of hours and minutes.

Minseok would wake up as early as five in the morning. He’d have a quick shower and dress up in a set of clothing he has laid out the night before. He wouldn’t go out of his place without having a breakfast of course. Instead of Luhan (who partly owns the shop), he’d be the one to open the cafe at eight. But surely, he’d be arriving an hour earlier to brew some coffee and sometimes formulate a new one in hopes of adding it to the menu. He’d also be the last one in the cafe to close it down at seven in the evening. By that time, he was already finished with the inventory and tidying up the rest of the things Luhan forgot to clean. Sometimes, he’d reach the complex at eight o’clock after buying some groceries. He’d go straight to his room and start cooking adequate dinner for himself. If laziness got the better of him, he’d arrive at 7:30 with a take-out box at hand. Right after eating, he’d watch an episode or two of his favorite TV series. He wouldn’t let this entertainment distract him though. By ten or maybe eleven o’clock, he’s already in his bed, fast asleep and completely oblivious to the busy people outside.

Meanwhile, Sehun would still be asleep by the time Minseok had woken up. He’d leave his bed at varying times. It really would depend on how he dealt with his insomnia the night before. At fortunate times, he’d take time showering but most of the time, when he wakes up late, ten minutes or less would suffice. Breakfast would be forgotten as he throws whatever decent dress shirt he’d find in his closet. Somehow, even with all these irregularities, he often manages to arrive on time. He’d spend most of his hours cracking numbers and balancing them. Sometimes, he’d skip lunch when he couldn’t understand why it won’t come out as he’d like until it does. Even his stay in the office would be inconsistent. He has no one waiting for him so he’d decide to take overtime. Just like what Junmyeon would say about him: he’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t rest until all is done. Most of the time, he’d leave at seven in the evening. But unlike Minseok, he’d be going somewhere else before thinking about coming home. He had never once cooked for himself. Of course, he knew how to it’s just that he sees this task as a waste of his precious time. He’d either settle for a take-out or a cup of instant noodles. By ten, he’d find himself still awake. He’d know that his insomnia has acted again. In order to tire his eyes, he’d read books, watch the television or surf the internet. These methods work most of the time. If they didn’t, it’s not until one or two in the morning that he’d find himself slowly succumbing to sleep. In worse cases, he’d never even have a shuteye.

Perhaps, Sehun’s routine was the reason why he’d always forget about the scarf he left at the cafe. At random moments, he’d suddenly jolt from his seat and remember what he has lost. He’d mentally make a note that he’d have to drop by at that cafe again but every single time he plans it, it’d be pushed at the back of his mind.

As for Minseok, he had never failed to bring the scarf at the cafe in case his neighbor somehow realizes that he left it there. Yes, they’re living next to each other but he couldn’t get a hold of Sehun. He’d wait almost every night for as long as his time would let him. But every night was a failure. He could just leave it hanging or tied on the door knob but the thought of losing it to a stranger or the wind entered his mind. And so he resulted to this: bringing it everywhere, in hopes of somehow chancing upon Sehun somewhere so he could return the scarf already.

Minseok, as usual, was busy attending to the customers when a familiar face made its reappearance at the cafe.

“Finally!” Minseok exclaimed from the counter. He quickly disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve that long piece of cloth from the rack standing behind the door. Within a second or two, he was already in front of Sehun who was lost for a moment. “I’ve been meaning to return this to you but it seems like our schedules doesn’t coincide...?” He nudged the scarf to Sehun’s chest when the latter didn’t make a move to take it.

When Sehun finally snapped out of his daze, his hand slowly reached for the scarf he had been looking for. “Thank you. You saved my life.”

Minseok laughed at that. “What?”

“I mean it. Just take a look at that.” Sehun pointed beyond the glass door of the cafe. It’s freaking freezing out there and this—” he wrapped the scarf around his neck “is pretty much a part of my salvation.”

“You sound like you hate this season.” Minseok kept the conversation going as he made the frappuccino Sehun ordered.

Sehun leaned on the counter. “Well, yeah, a lot.”

Minseok smiled at him then briefly glanced at the white flakes falling onto the ground. His smile became fond at that fleeting second.  “I think it’s beautiful. But anyway,” He put the plastic lid on the cup and handed it to Sehun. “Here you go.”

For the rest of his free time that day, Sehun just sat at the furthest table where he sat the first time he went there. He silently observed the happenings in the cafe. The people come and go. Sometimes, they’d stay to enjoy their cup of coffee and chat with their companion, catching up to one another. But, most of the customers would disappear as fast as they arrived. One thing that caught his attention, though, was how the women linger in the counter as if they didn’t want to leave. Sehun couldn’t really understand but he was guessing that it’s because the baristas were really nice and friendly. They could handle different kinds of customers, ranging from the shy ones to the overbearing ones. The smiles on their faces were permanent and engaging. Perhaps, this was their charm.

After his cup was emptied, Sehun immediately left the cafe and its warmth. This time, he forgot his file folder lying on the chair next to where he sat.

---/---/---/---

Eventually, Sehun got tired of coming in and out of the stores. So far, nothing looked interesting. The sweaters he saw didn’t please him. Same goes for the shirts. He knew about Minseok’s never-ending love with beanies but he’s not that into it like Minseok. The beanies he wears sometimes were all handpicked by Minseok. Honestly, he didn’t know which really looked better on him so Minseok would always be there to tell him. He prefers snapbacks to beanies. Snapbacks are way cooler, right? Whatever.

He pulled out his wallet from one of the pockets of his coat and opened it. On the right part of the leather wallet was where their picture was placed. Both of them were wearing a matching red sweater at the time the picture was taken. Minseok was smiling earnestly while Sehun sported his own surprising smile that had his eyes turning into crescents.

He focused on Minseok.

“Hey you, hyung, what will you like?” Sehun asked the picture as if it would answer him.

Hi guys, I know I broke my promise twice but things happened. After being my permanent companion for five years, my netbook finally decided to give up on me (but I haven’t given up on him yet).I already took him to the experts to get him fixed. They said that I should leave my baby in their hands and come back after four to five days (because they have to observe why my netbook kept misbehaving after being treated). (I hope he survives his surgery).

I’ll come back with the next part(s) (as soon as I figure how to type the story…whatever.)

It must be late but still…HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS~