winter falls ━ hyunsung. ✓

xiv › purer than anything.

"jisung. . ."

"what were you doing on the ground?" jisung clasped one of his mittened hands to his chest.

hyunjin brushed the snow off of his sweatpants, answering sheepishly, "i, uh... fell."

"oh." jisung appeared uncomfortable. kkami strained against the leash, sticking his little nose out as far as it could go.

hyunjin leaned over and allowed the dog to sniff him for a long while, keeping his eyes trained on jisung, who sheepishly looked away.

once kkami decided that hyunjin was allowed to pet him, he did so immediately; bittersweet memories flashed violently through his mind as he recalled the short time he had spent with the dog.

jisung spoke then, slowly and unsurely. "i didn't... you... but... um... you're back?"

"i came to visit my parents." hyunjin stood up as kkami suddenly lurched away from him, having had enough love.

jisung nodded thoughtfully.

"and... to see you."

the brunette opened his mouth to speak, a horrified expression on his face. but he was taken by surprise, so no words came out.

hyunjin hurriedly explained, "i just wanted to talk. actually, i went to your place yesterday, but the guy, minho? said you weren't home."

"y-yeah, minho said. . . well, he told me you stopped by," jisung nervously played with the buttons on his coat. "but, hyun-" he caught himself on the nickname, shaking his head and correcting, "hyunjin. what did you want to talk about?"

hyunjin angled his head. he answered, "you know. i just wanted to catch up."

"but. we're not, you know, together. not anymore."

"i know," hyunjin huffed, a spark of annoyance igniting in him, but it quickly fizzled out. he said softly, "i know, we didn't work out. but i really care about you. and i just want to know..."

his voice trailed off. jisung's eyes were bright, brimming with tears.

wondering what he had said that was so wrong, hyunjin started to reach out to jisung, but kkami immediately began barking and yapping at him crazily.

and jisung sniffled, shaking his head. "i can't do this, hyunjin. seeing you here... don't you know how long it took for me to-?! . . . .i don't want to relive it all again. i can't."

and, with that, jisung quickly turned around and walked briskly away, shoulders shaking.

hyunjin was rooted to his spot, unable to move.

how could he have been so selfish?

he never once thought about what him showing up here again could do to jisung.

it had somehow never occurred to him that jisung would be really hurt.

hyunjin didn't know how long he watched jisung walk away, taking with him all of hyunjin's hopes and desires.

what was he going to do now?

"hi, my name is jisung; what can i get for you today?"

hyunjin woke up every saturday morning with the expectation of getting to hear that friendly voice, and to see jisung again.

he'd developed quite the crush on him ever since they'd bumped into each other in the hallway once in school. of course, being in a small town, hyunjin had always noticed jisung from afar, but his feelings had never actually started developing until that fateful and cliché encounter.

after they had graduated, he had managed to muster up the courage to befriend jisung and get to know him. but it quickly became apparent to hyunjin that friendship wasn't enough for him.

and so, he visited jisung every saturday morning at the diner he worked at, simply just to get to see him.

but that day in particular, had been special, because hyunjin was planning to actually ask jisung out.

he planned everything, step by step, and had even prepared what to say to jisung should the brunette turn him down.

what he hadn't been expecting, however, was for jisung to practically shout, "you like me?!"

the small boy had grasped onto his poofy head of hair and gasped dramatically, jaw hanging open. and hyunjin had known immediately, in that second of jisung's reaction, that he had found his soulmate.

if only he could have held onto him for a little longer.