Colorless

Speechless

Our world is beautiful. Lit by the sun, colored by its greenery, it amazes everyone's eyes. The warmth of the rays, the caress of the wind, the feeling of the rain against his skin... For young Taehyung, all these little things were a part of his life, the reason for his constant smile. Breathing the morning air, enjoying the freshness entering his lungs, he was walking peacefully.

"My world is so perfect," he thought as he looked out at the landscape.

The icy mountains, the green meadow... He appreciated each image for its true value. His gaze never stopped seeing the universe like a child discovering the sky for the first time. Saying hello to every passerby, he happily ran through the streets of his city. People moved away from his sudden arrival. Apologizing at every contact, he left behind a warm atmosphere thanks to his good humor and his smile. A pure and innocent smile despite his seventeen years of existence.

His bag in hand, he hurried to his bus stop. Like everyday, he was late. Observing his surroundings too passionately, he often forgot why he left his house. His brown hair a mess, his uniform put on hastily, he struggled not to step on his undone shoelaces. After a few strides, he saw his bus.

"Safe!" he says to himself.

But that was before realizing that the bus had already started leaving.

-No, wait!

Doing his best to pick up the pace, he raised his arms to signal the driver to stop. Without success. Gripping his bag to not drop it, his running became slower as he saw the vehicle moving away from him. Taehyung quickly gave up his pursuit, realizing that he wouldn't be able to catch up. The colors of his world became duller as he realized that he was going to have to make up a whole day of classes. The heat of the sun faded slightly as he sat down on the bus stop bench.

However, he did not let himself be defeated. The warmth and colors quickly returned to their peak when he thought of the free time he now had for the whole day. He admired the sky for a while, imagining himself eating his favorite dish while going to the town's bookstore to read comics.

It was during this contemplation that he saw him.

He was on the opposite sidewalk, sitting on a bus stop bench just like him. Taehyung thought he had seen the wrong thing at first. Yet no matter how hard he stared, he always saw the same thing. A boy in black and white. His eyes were closed, as if sealed by an invisible force. With a pale, grayish complexion, he seemed almost dead. The colors around him also seemed to have evaporated, as if sucked in by a strange force emanating from his being. Even the weak wind of this morning did not make his black hair quiver.

Taehyung couldn't take his eyes off him. His mother had told him that people like that hadn't existed for a long time. Society had ensured that this type of misfortune would no longer happen, according to her. He had already seen many in movies but under no circumstances would he have thought he would see one in real life.

A colorless... A person that is so sad that they can no longer feel anything.

Curious, Taehyung stood up from his seat. Carefully, he crossed the road that separated him from the boy. He must be his age, although a little younger. His face, although graceful, did not reflect any charm. It's as if he lost it along with his joy. Yet he could very well imagine how charming the boy must be if he regained his colors.

-Hello... he tried.

He received no response, not even a sign that he had been heard.

"Are colorless people also deaf?" he asked himself.

Silently, he came to face the stranger. His breathing hitched when he could barely see any color around him. This was a first for Taehyung. He had always been so happy and full of life that he had never seen a single loss of color. Everything was always explosive and bright around him. His rectangular smile kept away all the misfortunes of the world.