Hoseok shivered in his sleep. The temperature in Seoul had continued to drop for the past week and the cloudy weather was no help. Nights were the worst; there never seemed to be enough blankets when they needed them. Even with windows shut tight, a cold air settled into the dorm. It seemed like the chill would take refuge with them all winter. The cold was enough to wake Hoseok from his slumber. He sat up; the blankets weighed down on him heavily but even they had grown icy in the night. A shiver shot down his spine as the air hit his ; it probably would have been a good idea to wear a shirt to bed with temperatures as low as they were – maybe even two shirts.

Falling back asleep seemed impossible at the moment. Unwillingly, Hoseok crawled out of bed, and threw a blanket over his shoulders. The wood floors were like ice as he slowly crept to the door. He noticed an empty bunk as he left – it was Taehyung’s. Hoseok didn’t make much of it, figuring he had probably just gotten up to use the bathroom. As quietly as he could, Hoseok opened the door, closed it carefully behind him, and continued into the kitchen.

He grabbed a kettle, filled it with water, and put it on the stovetop to boil. Maybe a cup of tea would warm him up a little. With the water heating up, Hoseok sat down with his blanket and stared at the clock. It was almost 5a.m but the darkness made it seem much earlier. He let his mind wander as the sound of water heating up played in the background; he listened to the water rage and begin to bubble ferociously. Just before the pot let out any steam, Hoseok turned the heat off. The screeching of a kettle probably would have woken someone up. He poured the water into a cup and mixed a packet of ginseng tea into it. Steam rose from cup, brushing against Hoseok’s face as he blew on it. Warmth seeped from it and into his hands. It felt nice.

With warm tea in hand and the blanket draped over him, Hoseok walked to the window ledge and stared outside. He looked up at the sky. Small snowflakes floated down from grey clouds. As he sipped his tea, he wondered how something so white and pure could fall from something so dark. By the looks of it, it had been snowing for quite a while. The ground appeared to be coated in a thin layer of white. Hoseok’s eyes scanned the ground below, stopping at a figure. His brows furrowed; he didn’t expect to see anyone outside at this time of night, especially not in this weather. He squinted to get a better look the person and opened his eyes wide with a sudden realization. That wasn’t just some person, it was Taehyung.

Hoseok set his tea down, grabbed a coat and a scarf, put on his shoes, and headed downstairs. What was Taehyung doing outside in this weather? When did he go outside? How long had he been out there? All those questions rushed through Hoseok’s head as he hurried down the stairs and out the door.

“Taehyung-ah, what are you doing up?” Hoseok said, walking up to him. He stood looking up at the sky with both hands out to catch the falling snow. He had put his shoes on, but otherwise, he was in his pajamas. It was a good think he didn’t sleep shirtless like Hoseok.

“Oh, hyung,” Taehyung turned around. He smiled; his cheeks were a bright pink. “I couldn’t sleep. I saw it was snowing so I came outside.”

“Aren’t you cold?”

“A little, I don’t know. I can’t really tell.”

“Why would you come out here when it’s this cold?” Hoseok took Taehyung’s hands. They were red and as cold as the snow. Luckily, Hoseok’s hands still carried some warmth from the tea.

“But isn’t it pretty?” Hoseok nodded, causing Taehyung to smile. “I wish I could be a bird and fly up right under the clouds so I could catch snowflakes before anyone else.”

Hoseok stared at Taehyung quizzically. This child was the strangest person he had ever met. Sometimes he said things that made no sense and other times he said things that Hoseok was sure no one else in the world had ever thought about. It was charming in a sense that he was a unique character but it was impossible to really get into his head and understand him. The things he said made Hoseok think and he always tried to make sense of whatever words escaped Taehyung’s mouth, but sometimes he was at a loss. Maybe that was what attracted Hoseok to Taehyung; in the end, he was a thoughtful and loving kid – even when he was being weird.

“That’s a strange wish,” Hoseok laughed, “why would you want to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Hoseok paused. His lips shut tight; he really didn’t know. He couldn’t answer either question which only made him wonder if Taehyung had one. Hoseok shook the thought, “anyway, we should go inside. I think you’ve caught plenty of snowflakes for now. If you stay out any longer, you’re going to get frostbite.”

“But hyung,” Taehyung argued.

“Come on,” Hoseok got behind him and pushed him gently towards the door. He laughed. “What would I do if you froze to death?”

“You would rap at my funeral. Then everyone would find it in bad taste and shun you,” they both laughed.

“We don’t want that, so go inside.”

“Carry me,” Taehyung insisted. Hoseok couldn’t argue and picked the boy up in his arms.

He carried him all the way upstairs and to their dorm where he had to set him down to unlock and open the door. They walked inside. It was much warmer than Hoseok remembered it being. He stripped back down to his pajamas and grabbed the tea he had set down from earlier – it was still hot. Hoseok handed it to Taehyung, “drink it. It’ll warm you up.”

“Thanks hyung.”

“It’s nothing. I’m going back to bed now. Finish that up and get some sleep, okay?”

“Alright,” he sipped the tea, “thanks. Sleep well.”

Hoseok crept quietly back into the bedroom and snuck into bed. He shut his eyes but one thing kept him from sleeping: that thing about the bird and catching snow. It still didn’t make sense to him. He analyzed the thought in his mind over and over again but he couldn’t think of a logical reason to wish for that. What was so special about catching snow before anyone else? Was it really any different?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sinking in his bed followed by a feeling of warmth radiating under the covers. He opened his eyes to find Taehyung curling up next to him. A thin arm wrapped around his waist as Taehyung inched closer to Hoseok. It wasn’t common for anyone to crawl into his bed; it shocked him at first but when he looked at his dongsaeng’s innocent face he relaxed and put an arm around him, pulling him closer.

Taehyung was warm and he still smelt of shampoo. That set Hoseok’s mind at ease. He realized that it didn’t matter if there was no logical reason for that wish, or that even if there was he couldn’t find it. There was no use in trying to make sense of Kim Taehyung. He wanted to catch the snow before anyone else, and that was fine because that was what he wanted.