Storyteller | JHS ✓

Chapter Seventeen; Crystal Snow

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𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚝?

𝚆𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚎𝚝𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕

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I wanted to be loved.

I wanted to love.

I wanted for someone to tell me everything was going to be okay.

And right there, as he stared at me with those caramel eyes of his, softening when they gazed upon my crying figure, I realized that someone did. There was someone who had fulfilled the three requirements I looked up--the three things I wanted most.

Hope.

I had wanted someone like Hope.

The realization made me cry harder, strengthening the sobs that already wracked my body. The sadness burned as it left trails of salt beneath my eyes, but it was the good kind of burn. It was the kind of burn that left you refreshed and made you feel like a burden was lifted up from your shoulders. The answer was crystal clear: Hope. Hope. Hope. Hope.

Hope.

"Minami," his warm voice carried over to my ears, "I don't believe you when you say you don't care about your future."

He was right. My past thoughts and dialogues were nothing more than stress-filled and pent-up anger. None of them represented how I truly felt.

I dabbed at my tears, "I do care. I care a lot, Hope. But...I'm scared. What if I can't do it? What if others judge me? What if they see nothing but just some little girl?"

"Then make them see something else. Prove those accusations to be wrong. What if they think you're funny? What if they think you're kind? Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Flaunt your power, but in the most humble way possible so that you'll win no matter what.

"If all the paths are broken, then make new ones. A wise man once told me redraw the map if you like none of the already-made paths. It's okay to cry; it's okay to have negative thoughts. But you can't let them prevent you from doing what makes you happy. You can't have them stop you from acheiving your dreams."

"...And what if I have no dreams?"

As always, he never missed a beat in replying--expression unfazed as he searched for an answer, "Then find one. Do what makes you happy and form a dream from that, then work towards it, Minami. A scholarly hyung once said that it was okay to not have a goal or an ambition. Just do what brings you joy."

"...Was it the same hyung who drank champagne?"

At that, Hope finally let his signature smile settle back onto his face where it belonged: dimple-to-dimple,ear-to-ear, and as bright as the morning sun. To this day, on nights where the winds blow especially cold, I like to think of that moment. I loved to reminiscent on that moment, and just for a few moments, think of that smile and how I was the one who caused it.