winter falls ━ hyunsung. ✓

ii › i wonder how much time has passed.

a pair of hands ripped into the empty box, opening it cautiously. there was, of course, nothing inside.

his wide, doe-like brown eyes met hyunjin's then, wordlessly asking millions of questions.

and hyunjin laughed, going to stand up. in just a pair of newly-gifted reindeer socks, he slid over to the bedroom, opening the door.

his curious, hurried footsteps followed after.

hyunjin signaled and whistled into the room, feeling triumphant as the black and white bundle of joy and fur trotted out, coming to a stop in front of him.

"a puppy!!" he squealed and dropped to his knees, his entire face lighting up with joy. "oh, hyun! you're such a thoughtful person."

"it's what you wanted, right?" hyunjin also squatted beside them. "what should we name him?"

"sammy?"

hyunjin shook his head. "i'm sorry, were you talking? i kinda spaced out."

"oh, it's alright. i've gotta go anyway; my music theory class is about to start," chris dismissed. "we'll talk later, ok?"

"sure," hyunjin answered, and then the call ended without another word. chris hated saying goodbye over the phone, or in general; he said it felt like they were never going to see each other again.

he sat up and stared at the kettle on the portable stove. it probably wasn't even close to boiling.

his eyes trailed over to the window then, looking over the murky, gray sky. winter. how could anyone like it?

the more time he spent alone, cramped up in that tiny apartment, the more hyunjin felt like he didn't belong.

this place had been the only thing he could afford in such little time, after their sudden breakup. as a college student, it wasn't like he had much to choose from, either.

but, in retrospect, hyunjin wished he had gone for a bigger space.

the entire place could be seen from the doorway; there wasn't much to explore. just from a single glance, you could tell the importance hyunjin gave to things in his life.

a mattress pushed up against a back corner, piled sadly with balled up quilts and a single pillow sans pillowcase. scraps of paper littered the floor, some empty and some with scrawled on pencil sketches or swatches of paint.

canvases leaned against the back wall, most of them unfinished works of art given up halfway. there was a single easel set up in the middle of the room, usually showcasing whatever art piece he was currently obsessing over.

racks upon racks of paint cans, cases of broken pastel chips, stiff and worn brushes, charcoal stubs, and paint-spattered smocks.

even on the countertop you'd find palettes stacked on top of each other, paint dried and stuck to their surfaces. in the sink, there were different-sized, damp brushes and several cups with varying levels of colorful water mixed with paint.

beside his lovely little portable stove, a hairdryer was discarded, the cord wrapped around its handle. an exacto knife with its cover on (thankfully) was also on the ground, along with spools of string and his charging digital camera.

on that camera were pictures of his subjects; hyunjin often took pictures of people and scenery for inspiration.

he hummed to himself as the kettle caught his attention again.

it was whistling.

was that supposed to be important?

sitting there in confusion, hyunjin attempted to remember why the kettle was whistling.

oh. that meant it was boiling.

he padded over to the little stove, turning it off. grabbing a mug and tea bag from the cupboard, he set them on a small area of the countertop that wasn't littered with his art supplies and filled the mug with the hot water, dropping the tea bag in.

in order to let it steep for a bit, hyunjin picked up the stool that had been knocked over on its side and sat down in front of the easel.

he was going to finish this piece.

yes, he would.

hyunjin's torso shivered slightly, and he sent an accusatory glare at the scenery outside his closed window.

i don't know how often i should update this </3