SPILL THE COFFEE | jeongsung ✔️

MORE TO IT

   The weather outside was cooling down by the second, days went by and lights and snowmen started decorating the streets of town. Daegu shone in a way it had never before, the sky sparkling with stars as the earth was glowing with its beautiful colours. Jeongin couldn't wish for anything else, or maybe he could but just didn't want to.

   The year was 2023 and ever since '22 he had been feeling lost, 'cause how could he not be? Yet it was okay, after all, it's okay not to be okay.

   The passing of his friend was truly saddening, he couldn't believe how he had lost him but that's what's life all about. Sometimes you just have to move on, learn to keep living and smile all over again—even if something, or someone is missing.

   The ravenette walked out of his and his boyfriend's coffee shop, book in hand and bag on his shoulders. "Finally some free time," He groaned out, letting his fingertips freeze in the air, his sleeves not long enough to cover them as the sign of their café faded into the background. "Clouded coffee", it had meaning to it.

   The boy's lover softly took hold of his cooled-off fingers, intertwining their hands in a warm and loving way as they made their way home from work. "I think you're forgetting we're not in college anymore, we got work tomorrow, too,"

   Jisung chuckled, finding it funny how his lover had thought he could stay home tomorrow, though frankly speaking he could, he was his own boss after all, but that would be unfair.

   "You know, Minho and Chan have been getting along pretty well," His voice was quiet, drowned out by the loudness of the wind, but his lover clearly heard him. After some thinking done, he thought it would be best to change the topic to something more fun, he didn't want to be stuck on the thought of work—though he did enjoy it quite the bit.

   Jisung let his mind wander back in time, the two really have been getting along quite well, always sitting together when they're at the café at the same time—even though they don't even have each other's number. They really were hitting it off.

   Yet thinking just a bit differently, it felt like history was repeating itself. As if life had already given you a carved way to go and any other way was just. . . impossible, you couldn't change your fate, and Minho and Chan seemed to have gotten the same, coffee-spilled way that he and Jeongin had.

   A smile carved its way into his lips, "They're cute together."

★

   Sunday, 24th of December and the group of friends was quiet, a happy day yet sad people. Why so? Something was missing.

   It wasn't someone, as in some way Seungmin was there with the other five—they just didn't exactly know, that he actually was—still, it wasn't someone that was missing. It was something, not Seungmin, not any gifts, not a nice dinner or a delicious coffee, they had everything of that. . . 

   so what was it, that was not yet here with them?

   "Let's build a snowman!" "Heck yeah!"

   Not exchanging any further words, the group of six ran outside, no gloves, no scarves; just joy and. . . Shoes. They weren't keen on catching a cold, so shoes it was!

   The process was slow, Aaliyah, Aki and Felix had teamed up, going against the other three that were left. Both Hyunjin and Felix were third wheeling in their group but with the small, meaningful glances shared, they did in fact not care.

   What was a snowman contest turned into a fight, snow flying through the air in different shapes—that somehow didn't look anywhere near balls—and a few broken snowmen scattered around. Felix and the girls kept starting a-new, their previous tries always collapsing, either due to their unsteady hands or the other team that kept hitting it in just the right spots.

   Just as the group settled down a bit, seeming more calm, it happened. It was bound to happen, Hyunjin grabbed a handful of snow, forming a (more or less) snowball and threw it onto the other side of his yard, hitting Aaliyah right in the face with a soft "thud".

   The six fell silent, as the white powder slipped from the girl's face onto the ground, while she stood frozen in place. The tall boy threw a hand over his mouth, partially feeling sorry but trying to keep his laughter in. "Oh you're on," The girl said, and right after the freezing white hit Hyunjin's shoulder. He shrieked before getting down to form another ball, the rest just watched as the two fought, not keeping their laughter quiet.

   Perhaps, this was what was missing. A meaningless, carefree afternoon out in the snow.

   Yet was there truly no meaning? Were the broken-down snowmen really just. . . there? Was there really nothing more to it?

   It couldn't be, all these years everything had a meaning, every small mix-up and every name given, everything came together perfectly; so what did the snowmen mean? The team's failed attempts? Perhaps, their life was being represented.

   Hyunjin and the boys' snowman stood tall, a few bits, nooks and crannies unfinished yet it didn't fall apart. It stood there, proud as ever—seemingly dodging the other team's throws. Yet theirs, the other team's, oh it was going miserably.

   All their failed tries decorated the white grass and muddy grounds, it covered the messed up yet beautiful world with its misfortune. You could easily see how it all matched up, 

  Aki truly loved her passed, fake boyfriend. She loved the boy with all her heart, in a platonic way. She loved his little self-talk, sassy remarks, his smile, all of him. Yet, no matter how much she tried to make his life better, help him out, she failed.

   And ultimately, he died. She knew it wasn't her fault, she just missed him a lot—or now, her. 

   Aaliyah's life was one hell of a ride, even with all the happy memories she had made throughout her life, ever since last year things were different. She acted different, felt different and overall just was different. She changed a lot and she wasn't sure how it had happened or if it had changed for the better, yet right now, she couldn't care less.

   After all, she was having fun.

   Felix was happy. He was happy with his boyfriend, his loving way and amazing personality; their relationship was going well, almost too well it worried him but nothing would happen, they'd make the best of everything, now and any other day.

   But he was sad. Oh, he was so sad. How had he let Seungmin slip out of his grasp so quickly? The two were so close, best friends, and suddenly his long-time crush became distant, so distant he is now six feet under, hanging in the clouded sky, letting his iced-up tears fall to the ground.

   The snow decorated the sky, "Look, it's snowing!" Jeongin screamed, happy as ever. His life couldn't be any better, no matter how many misunderstandings or troubles came his way, he always pushed through, and with Jisung by his side—who made him smile day and night— he made it. He made it in life, because of him.

   Hyunjin adored the snow falling down, a single flake landing on his nose before a snowball hit his forehead. "Hey!"

   His life was great, now that he had found his lover. Before, it was. . . tough, to say the least. His parents left him quite early, leaving him in the hands of his loving grandfather—who passed down the café to him, which he couldn't be any happier about. His life was tiring and exhausting but seeing the customers so happy and loving, always brightened his day and just, made him think differently.

   He could still remember the day Felix first talked to him, ordered his hot chocolate because he disliked the bitterness of coffee and the way he was so flustered by his flirty remarks, how could he ever forget. . . He remembered clear as day when Jeongin first visited, how he spilled the coffee all over his future boyfriend and how he kept apologizing.

   It didn't leave any of the boys mentioned either, it was iconic and embarrassing all at the same time.

   Yet now, whenever Jisung would think about their first meeting he would think of the regulars at his own coffee shop, who reminded him oh so much of his younger self and Jeongin.

Perhaps life is a never-ending cycle of living and loving, 

and living all over again.