結伴創將來 多麼的美
你的路 我的途 再也不分己與彼
有浪有風來 不捨不棄
每一明天也贈你

未懂占卦 也不懂命理
卻可先知我們 同步注定了不起
令我不普通 變得堅毅無忌
幕後有一個最大原因 因為你

The cold was everywhere, creeping and leaving a trail of goosebumps along his skin and settling a sort of heavy numbness on his limbs. If it weren’t for the mountain of blankets his boyfriend had very kindly piled on him, he’s pretty sure the raw coldness would have seeped into his bones and blood vessels, chilling his heart faster than the snap of Elsa’s fingers.

Seated on the couch on the other side of the bedroom, his boyfriend seems perfectly at ease with the wintry torture of the current season. Snow pelts against the windows, the door and the ground -hungry whiteness devouring all it sees- but the other’s constant presence is a comfort, with his tanned skin providing contrast to the unhealthy pale appearance of the world outside.

Song Mino is the epitome of warmth; skin that is very much sun-kissed and muscles lining his body make him the walking heater. Kang Seungyoon, on the other hand, is pale, slender and often has his pride on the line as he struggles with his craving to have the other near him, especially when the coldness is too much that the blankets and comforters are not enough to keep it away.

As if reading his mind, Mino pads to the bed and lifts the cover of the blankets before sliding in and pulling Seungyoon into the added cocoon of his arms, tucking the younger’s head under his chin and laughing when his lover sighs contentedly, puffs of air seeping into his skin.

“Let’s go on a trip together.” Mino’s words echo in the room softly, freezing in the air before thawing and falling gently around them.

“Hmm okay, when it gets warmer.” A sleepy smile spreads on Seungyoon’s face at the idea of their first ever couple trip in warm days with sun, sand and sea. That is, until he spies Mino’s eyebrows lifting up in the way the older does whenever he has a plan cooking up in his head, a plan that usually does not end well.

“Wait... We’re so not going now, not in the dead of winter, you fool.” He hisses because everybody knows that winter and Kang Seungyoon aren’t exactly the best of friends so he has absolute no idea why his loving boyfriend is suggesting a trip out in the middle of winter.

“Come on, it’ll be fun! We can go to a ski resort where they’ll make sure that we’re warm enough. I’ll pay, don’t worry. It’ll be your birthday present!” Mino actually looks delighted, his eyes gleam with excitement like a kid who has been promised a camping trip and Seungyoon feels his resolve shaking just a little.

But he shakes his head, refusing to let himself be affected by the infectious excitement (because the thought of their first ever couple trip in winter wonderland does sound romantic and tempting to him and he knows that the longer they remain in this topic of conversation, the more his resolve will be shaken).

The older one is still annoyingly cheerful, a grin already in place as he thinks of more ways to convince his younger lover; the grin that stretches his lips a little too much, showcasing his perfect white teeth and the tiny dimple right at the corner of his lips.

This is when he is most dangerous.

Because when he grins like that, Seungyoon is always unable to say no.






If there is anything to be learned about Mino now in the sixth month of their relationship, it is that he is ty in planning trips and too idealistic for their own good. Not even his enthusiasm and brilliant boyish grins can make up for the million and one things that could very well go wrong under their noses.

Like for instance the outdated maps and most importantly, the lack of a working GPS navigation device in their rental car, causing them to be lost in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees surrounding them.

“I specifically told you to check the navigation device and load the directions in it before we leave the parking lot.” Seungyoon isn’t mad (or at least that’s what he tells himself silently) but he is getting to that boiling point fast.

“I thought it will be fun to use physical maps, you know, in the spirit of travelling and roadtrips…” At least Mino has the decency to sound apologetic as he stares quizzically at the assortment of maps stretched out in front of him.

Seungyoon feels a little of his frustration melting away because he knows the older is trying his best here but he still can’t help grumbling. “Yes, why not pull out a picnic-mat and a basket full of sandwiches and juice so that we can have a charming picnic in the middle of the highway huh?”

“Well… I did pack a picnic-mat. And we have kimbap and rice soju! I guess that can substitute sandwiches and juice. We should probably get out of the car, stretch our legs and take a break before moving on.”

“Incredible!” Seungyoon throws his hands up in the air, hardly believing that he’s about to turn into a human popsicle and all his boyfriend can think about is having a picnic.






They did have a mini-picnic at a little grass patch that overlooked the coastline, the soothing swish of the icy water hitting against the cliffs accompanying them. Even though Seungyoon was still too mad to admit it, he did feel better with his legs outstretched before him, the delicious kimbap filling his stomach and the rice soju warming him up.

He is soon lulled to sleep when they continue on the drive up to the ski resort and he wakes up just as the rental car pulls to a stop in front of a white house, surrounded by pine trees and nothing else. Pushing away the blanket that Mino tucked around him, he groggily looks up at the older’s smiling face, full of tenderness and amusement.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

“How did you manage to find the way without me?”

“I have Lady Luck on my side.”

“You mean you asked innocent young women along the way, while batting your eyelashes and smiling your winsome smile at them.”

“So you admit that my smile is winsome.”

“Your smile is disgustingly greasy.”

“You still fell in love with it.”

“My biggest mistake.”






The ski resort Mino has booked them into isn’t a big, branded one that he was expecting but there was a certain charm in the quietness of the surrounding and loveliness in the cosy white two-storey that housed the registration counter, main living and dining room. The lounge is probably his favourite room in the house, where huge armchairs and sofas are placed near the fireplace with a real fire going and logs roasting, filling the room with a homely smell of pine and mint.

The log cabin they are staying at has no fireplace installed but the moment they entered the cabin, the comforting warmth was enough for them to strip off the parkas and scarves. Seungyoon laid himself on the wide bed in the middle of the attic and he was already dozing off on the fluffy nestled piece of heaven when he was rudely awakened by the one and only Song Mino, who laughed and wrapped a scarf around his neck before dragging him out into the snow.

“Sleep is for the weak.” Mino had the audacity to say. (This of course earned him a snowball thrown in his face by the disgruntled Seungyoon.)






There was no one around on the tiny slope where their miserable attempts of skiing – if that was the right word to describe their flailing of limbs and tumbling headfirst into the biting iciness of the snow – took place, and so Seungyoon felt slightly less embarrassed by their inability to go five feet without losing their balance.

In the end, their skiing gear were set aside and the remaining afternoon was spent letting their inner child run wild; screaming and chasing each other with snowballs and making indiscernible snow-figures.

(“I’ll build you a snow castle, just like the one in Frozen.”

“Kay I’m not stopping you, go ahead.”

“Oh you will love my castle, princess.”

“You’re dead to me, Song Mino.”)

When they got too tired to move, they laid on the snow in the middle of the wings of their snow angels, struggling to get their breath back but huge grins were visible on their faces and their fingers tangled together. This was a moment of genuine happiness that transcended all words and physical intimacy and Seungyoon wished that they could go on like this, basking in the splendid light of their bliss that can only be felt when they are together.






They met each other at the opening of an art gallery just down the road from Mino’s apartment. Mino, an actual art enthusiast, was there to support a friend who had a painting on exhibition then, while Seungyoon, on the other hand was cajoled into going by Jinwoo, with the promise of “free champagne and tiny little desserts we don’t even know the names to”.

When Seungyoon’s “best friend forever” quickly abandoned him for some Chinese painter named Luhan or Luhwa or something similar, he sure didn’t expect himself to be spending a rather enjoyable night with Mino, scarfing down cheap hotdogs a block away and discussing fervently about the baseball game they both coincidentally went to last Saturday.

He also didn’t think much when they exchanged numbers (even though he did went home with a flutter of cheerfulness in his heart and a smile that stayed on his lips all night as he dozed off to sleep). But life continued to surprise him because a week later, he found himself shyly accepting an invitation from the older stranger to watch a baseball game together and the rest is history, plain to say.

He has grown too cynical to believe in ridiculous notions such as soulmates and love at first sight but there was something serendipitous in the way they met and fell in love. Sure, a simple conversation and a few hot-dogs are no makings of a great romance but he definitely wouldn’t have it any other way. For in what other situations would he be able to notice the way Mino’s eyes light up at the simplest things like the mention of his favourite baseball team? How else would he be able to feel the love and child-like wonder the older has towards life and the magic working behind every ticking of the clock, every beating of the heart?

A struggling musician and composer at the age of twenty-six, Kang Seungyoon was already jaded and world-weary, no longer the bright-eyed youth who was content with the company of his guitar and who could go for days without sleeping, the pencil in his left hand leaving a trail of musical notes on his composition pad.

He used to hum under his breath with his fingers and feet constantly tapping any surface to the beat of the melody that was riding on the gentle waves of his blood. But these stopped; his plump lips muttering curse words whenever he was late in paying the rent and the bills and his body throbbed with exhaustion every night as he laid his tired body on the cold and thin mattress.

He exchanged his faithful companion for a grand piano at the jazz club, whose owner was kind enough to have him come in thrice a week. The tears he never once shed were instead poured out through his fingers lying heavy on the black and white piano keys and the soulful tunes he played, night after night, were cries of his struggles and heartaches.

All three hundred and sixty five days of the years were wintry to him, his passion and life drained away by the heavy snowflakes and harsh winds of the winter in his heart.

An office worker in a huge international trading company at the age of twenty-seven, Song Mino was anything but mundane and boring – the stereotype attached to the group of white-collared workers who spent their whole lives chasing after the next step on the corporate ladders. (Seungyoon had enough of such people; ex-classmates who secretly took immense pride in their ability to afford their dream house and cars and who tried to mask their smugness and disdain with sympathetic smiles whenever they bumped into him on the streets.)

But Mino wasn’t like anybody he knew.

When Seungyoon answered in a small voice that he “makes music for a living”, followed by a hollow derisive laugh, he expected to see the same smugness and disdain in the other’s eyes and the same condescending questions thrown at him “just for the sake of being polite” but there was none. Mino was genuinely interested in what he did, asking him about the songs he had composed and finally confessing that he used to run around with the “hip-hop kids” during high school too. (It was with much laughter and cheeks tinted red with embarrassment that he also confessed to giving himself the stage name “Hugeboymino” because he thought it would go really well with his “hip-hop rapper” image. It did not.) For once in a long while, Seungyoon felt a sense of belonging because there was finally someone who listened and understood the cries of his heart.

Through the underside of a glass bottle, that was how Mino looked at the world, always fascinated and marvelled by the people and the things around him. It was not that he sailed through life without a storm; he had his own fair share of failures and disappointments. But like a sailor finding his own place in the unfathomable waters of the ocean, he learned to withstand the rocking waves with an unbeatable spirit that simply refuses to be pulled down by whatever life has chosen to throw at him.

At 11:58 pm on the starless night of June 17th, the two couldn’t be even more different from each other and yet fate had drawn them together, linking their hearts and minds together right from the first meeting. From the first time Mino made him laugh, the sweetness of pure, adulterated joy filled Seungyoon’s lungs so deeply like the fresh breezy winds of the new season. After the years of harsh winters and biting cold, spring has finally arrived. The glow and spirit of life returns to him, manifested by the flushed cheeks every time Mino pulls him closer for a kiss and the trails of blooming flowers in his veins left by the older one’s breath on his skin.

No matter where he goes, no matter what happens, blue skies will always abound. Because there’s Mino with him now.

(All through the walk back to their cabin, Seungyoon was silent with his musings of their relationship but the older one knew that it was better to leave him in his thoughts.

As for Mino, he was happy just to be able to wind his long arm around his boyfriend’s waist and bending down slightly to sneak a kiss on the dumpling cheek whenever he felt like it; contended to make two hot cocoa drink, with two marshmallows on top of Seungyoon’s, and hugging the younger tightly when he whines about the cold during the night.)







The next morning saw them getting snowed in and Seungyoon was convinced that this was God’s great idea of a prank but at that point, things weren’t that bad (yet) since they could while their time away with the ancient board games they found at the back of the storeroom.

Their first mistake was playing Risk. The game didn’t end very well.

“How is it that you won?! You practically started from godforsaken Australia!”

“Please don’t use God’s name in vain.”

“ off.”

Monopoly was pure torture for the next few hours.

“And it’s a three! A-ha, you have landed on my hotel-sprawling property, so you have to pay me three thousand dollars.”

“I only have three hundred dollars, take it or leave.”

“I’ll take the three hundred dollars and a kiss.”

Scrabbles was slightly better.

“I’m pretty sure “perception” doesn’t have the letter ‘z’ in it.”

“Are we talking about British or American spelling here?”

By the time they got to Cluedo, all logic and sanity were thrown out of the window.

“He was killed by Mr. Potato Head with a frozen banana in the jacuzzi!”

“No! It was Miss One-Eyed Betty with a tea-bag in the laundry room!”

At which point, they collapsed on the floor in fits of giggles, presumably gone mad from being cooped up all day. Seungyoon’s stomach hurt from laughing too hard so he lies on his side, feeling hard to breathe through the laughter choking his throat. Mino crawls over him, their chests barely touching but they can still feel the rumblings in each other’s chests spread to their own. Mino’s deep guffaws intertwine with the chortles of Seungyoon, ringing out loud in the room before the walls throw back the echoes of their laughter softly unto them and they are enveloped in the radiance of their delight.

The long sunrays from the setting sun wash over them through the windows and gold taints their skin but Seungyoon’s cheeks flush red when Mino dips down and captures his lips in a sweet slow kiss. When the older one’s hands travel down his body sensually, a kaleidoscope of colours explode behind his closed eyelids and he wraps his arms around Mino’s neck, pulling the other closer so that he can plunge deeper into the intoxicating sweetness that is everything Song Mino.

When their bodies remind them of a need to breathe, Mino breaks the kiss and Seungyoon giggles, dazed and breathless from the kiss but tilts his head to the side quizzically at the other’s intense gaze on him. “A penny for your thoughts?”

“I love you.”

The air stills around them, time stops moving and the sun sits just above the line of horizon when the three words tumble out of Mino’s mouth and all Seungyoon can do is stare right back at the older one, his teeth worrying his lower lip in bewilderment.

This is no fleeting moment of confession, he knows, even though he can detect a certain sense of urgency when those words were spoken. Through the six months they have been together, he knows that Mino’s love for him has always been shown in the little touches and kisses, in the times the older one has made him laugh and even the tears they shed together while watching Frozen. Simply put, the other’s love has penetrated his whole being, through sinews and bones, till the walls of his heart has been covered with nothing but the language of Mino’s love.

But this was different. Mino’s love has always been quiet but the three simple words, once spoken out loud, hangs heavily in the air like a decree that can never be revoked. No, perhaps this is a declaration of vulnerability, a moment of clarity where he knows for sure that he loves Seungyoon with a crushing defeat.

All these Seungyoon glimpses in the black irises staring right back at him but it still feels like the air has been out of his lungs because he’s drowning in the murky waters of his own hesitations, like moonshine trapped in the surface of the dark lake. He’s in love with Mino but he’s still not sure of his feelings and he’s afraid to say the same heavy words flippantly, especially when the other looks at him with nothing but the most genuine love and sincerity.

So he nods his head, saying “I know” and pretends that he doesn’t see the disappointment ghosting his boyfriend’s face, pretends that his heart doesn’t hurt when Mino nods and kisses him again.

He just needs time, he tells himself and maybe the older already understands this because long arms wind tenderly around him again, as if telling him that it’s okay.






Later in the evening, one of Seungyoon’s guitar strings breaks ominously when he was playing it and the next moment, the electricity cuts, plunging them into darkness.

If he wasn’t frustrated by the lack of warmth and running hot water from the shower, he would have cooed at the fact that Mino had actually packed half a luggage of extra jackets, scarves and mittens.

“You see, I do make preparations just in case of emergencies!” The other had claimed victoriously and Seungyoon was too busy keeping himself warm to give a proper reply.

What he did appreciate was that Mino thought to bring a mini gas-stove and that was how they managed to share a piping pot of ramyum, warming their stomach and rejuvenating their muscles that had turned sore and rigid from the cold.






Piled under layers and layers of thick comforters and fluffy blankets, Seungyoon shivers from the chilly air that still manages to seep in and grumbles against Mino’s collarbones. “This is really all your fault.”

Mino laughs, hot breath puffed out against his cheek and it is of second nature to him to snuggle even deeper into the warm embrace of the other’s arms. “Quit complaining. I’m the one keeping you warm and alive right now.”

It is a valid point and there is nothing he can say in refutation so he keeps quiet, his body relaxing and getting ready for sleep but Mino broke the silence, soft words and sighs breathed out against his hair.

“But you’re right, this is really my fault. I’m sorry that your birthday was ruined. We couldn’t even get you a birthday cake.”

Seungyoon looks up in surprise and his body shakes with laughter at the realization that he has pretty much forgotten about his birthday amidst everything that has happened today. Shifting his body on the bed so that he can lay his head beside Mino’s on the pillow, he smiles as his fingers cup the other’s cheek and he goes closer to leave a quick kiss on it. The tanned skin is warm and tempting and he wants more, his plump lips dangerously close to Mino’s jaw as he murmurs in a low whisper.

“It’s okay, you can be my cake.”

He starts peppering butterfly kisses down Mino’s neck, stopping at a spot just above the shoulder where he knows the other is extremely sensitive and he smirks when the older whines, one arm pushing him away but the other arm winding around him and pulling him closer again.

Luckily for Mino, Seungyoon isn’t invincible and he uses his familiarity with the younger’s body to his full advantage. His attacks come in the form of tickles that causes the younger to gasp and double over with involuntary laughter and he immediately grabs the opportunity to pin his lover down.

“Hmm you’re so warm.”

“Oh so you’re really using me as your personal heater.”

“Personal heater, lover; I see no difference there.”

“Terrible.”

“But you love me so~” Seungyoon sing-songs but immediately freezes when the memory of the afternoon’s confession comes back to him, emotions so overwhelming assaulting him that he can’t help choking up and he throws his arms around Mino so that the other will not be able to see his face and tears.

“That I have to agree.” Not knowing anything, Mino’s laughter is genuine and it rings out loud in amusement at his lover’s sudden shyness.

Through his tears, Seungyoon bottles this laugher up, for it represents the generosity of Mino’s love, and carefully places it on a shelf in an intimate corner of his heart where he stores the sights and sounds he loves; a corner that is fast filling up with the presence of a certain tall, tanned and warm person.

(He stays awake late into the night, watching as Mino slips into sleep and the way the soft glow of the moonlight streaming in through the window illuminates the beautiful face of the sleeping man. He used to do this every night when he just moved into Mino’s apartment, wondering how is it possible that such a wonderful person loves everything about him, even the parts of him that are the most difficult to love.

When he speaks, his voice is soft and slow, deliberate and lingering, like the snow slowly drifting outside.

“This is actually the best birthday I’ve ever had. Because there is you this year.”)






March is the month of changes; the harsh cold wind of the winter finally slowing down to breezes that play with hair and linger on skin, growing warm on sunny days. Trees are still bare but the air is alive with the anticipation of flowers, buzzing bees and colours.

On this particular morning in last week of March, the sun is hidden by the dark clouds threatening to spill rain over the city. Seungyoon pulls the cover off the sleeping man on the bed, jumping in and sitting on his poor unsuspecting boyfriend.

Muffled groans can be heard but they are somewhat muffled because Mino turned to bury his face against his pillow. “Yoon, it’s a Saturday. Let me sleep in.”

Seungyoon can hardly contain his excitement and he shakes the sleepy man awake. “No! We’re going on a roadtrip, surprise!”

“I’m going to ing kill you.” With his voice imbued with sleepiness and grogginess, Mino’s threat loses its severity and the younger just chuckles. But it soon grew too quiet and he peek one of his eye open to see Seungyoon grinning mischievously at him.

“How about we get a move on and we’ll have some fun at the back of the rental car later.”

Not even the pillow can hide his wide (creepy) grin.






Learning from the mistakes of their previous trip, Seungyoon took extra effort into being a better planner, refusing to let anything deviate from the itinerary that included every possible emergency plans and change of routes that he could think of.

However, he still remains the same; his ultimate weakness still lies in boyish smiles and the excited glint in Mino’s eyes and they tug so hard at his heartstrings (like they were the strings on his guitar) till he relents to stopping at an ice-cream parlour.

Their next unplanned pit-stop was the beach where the glorious golden rays of the setting sun enticed them out of the car, splashing its dying splendidness over the waves and the sand. The air is still chilly from the end of winter but Seungyoon never feels cold with Mino around, arms tightly around him as he rests against the strong chest of the older till the sun has drowned itself deep under the horizon and the stars come out in all of their twinkling delight, suitable companions for the lonely moon.

He can’t even begin to argue when Mino pulls him not in the direction of their rental car, but the little amusement park near the beach.

They’re a few hours behind schedule but he finds himself not caring anymore.






The amusement park is nothing like the ones they have in the city; all that occupies it is a merry-go-round, bumper car, a few games and food stalls and of course, the Ferris wheel that stands tall and mighty, strategically placed so that the sea can be seen on one side and the citylights of the nearby city can be seen on the other side.

After playing a few games (Seungyoon was the one who won them a huge Moomin plushie, making a show of presenting it to Mino who pretended to be a squealing high-school girl) and stuffing themselves full with hot dogs and candy floss, Mino pulls Seungyoon to join the short line of people queuing for the Ferris wheel.

“I didn’t peg you as the kind who would want to go on the Ferris wheel.”

“I’ve never been on one before. I just want to take it since we’re here and my birthday is tomorrow so you can’t say no.” Mino says with a casual shrug and a grin, causing Seungyoon to shake his head at how childish his boyfriend is.

(But truth be told, this is also his first time going on one and he’s always hoping that his first time will be with someone special.

He wonders whether Mino has the same wish as him.)

The first thing he does when they enter the passenger capsule is to wind his hand around Mino’s hand and they both smile as if there is nothing in the world that can go wrong. As they rise slowly into the night sky, Mino looks out of the glass with wonder and fascination glazing his eyes, the black irises widening at the city nightscape laid out below them. Seungyoon is once again reminded of their first meeting, their first date, their first night together and the first time “I love you” were whispered to him in the log cabin with Mino meaning every single word.

They have been through ups and downs in their relationship, arguments that happened because he is way too stubborn for his own good and Mino can be impulsive and rash at times. But they always work through the issues, learning more about each other with each quarrel till they are able to fit each other perfectly with no sharp edges between them.

Just a few more seconds and they will be right at the top. Seungyoon grips the front of Mino’s shirt and the older turns to look at him with surprise and curiosity.

He doesn’t know why he has taken this long to realize, why he keeps pushing this moment off but now it doesn’t matter because they’re finally here, at the top of the Ferris wheel and he has enough courage pushing him forward till the gap between their faces disappears. The words spill out of his mouth urgently, like waves rushing to the shore and he’s not even sure whether Mino can understand him but he needs to say them, needs Mino to know.

“I love you. I really do.”

There’s nothing better than seeing joy and relief flood Mino’s eyes and for a moment they sit staring at each other with tears welling up in their eyes, the lights from the amusement park below a dim aftertone of the world they left behind because right now, at the top, there’s only the two of them and nothing else matters.

“I know.” Mino finally breaks the silence, repeating what Seungyoon had said to him two months ago in the log cabin. “Of course I know but I’m still so happy to hear it from you. … I love you too.”

There are so much more Seungyoon wants to say but he doesn’t need to because Mino closes the gap between them and all the words that are just at the tip on his tongue melt when their lips meet and he is more than willing to express his love through the kiss.

Mino’s hand finds his through the darkness and he thinks that maybe they already have infinity written on the palm of their hands.