ATEEZ Imagines

Jongho ✦ Ornament Odyssey

Word count: 10,300

DO NOT read or interact if you're under 14

Just wanna say beforehand that I'm very proud of myself for coming up with this story
I hope you all like it ♡

A consistent gust of warm air hit your frozen fingers as you tapped them rhythmically against the steering wheel to a Christmas song playing on the radio, your mood had brightened significantly due to your job giving you a full week off for the holidays. You'd just finished your last day of work before the break began and you couldn't wait to get home to take full advantage of your free time. There was so much you could do: catch up on the shows you'd postponed starting, do some last-minute Christmas shopping, bake some delicious holiday treats, or reconnect with your inner child and do some fun festive crafts. There was always the option to do absolutely nothing too.
Your fingers extended, pleased to feel that they'd warmed up under the steady gust of heat from the vents in your vehicle, a small sigh of relief expelling from your lips.

The commute home was an enjoyable one, your tires coming to a slow rolling stop in the driveway, the engine dying out when you pulled the key from the ignition. Shouldering your bag, you stepped out of the car and walked to the mailbox, pulling open the small door to find a newspaper, junk mail, and a Christmas card from a relative. Collecting the items inside, you tucked them under your arm and started towards your house, slowing to a stop when an object on the ground caught your eye, something you didn't notice before you left for work in a rush that morning. You stepped closer to find an ornament at the edge of your yard amidst the blades of dried grass.
"Hm." You hummed, reaching down to pluck the glass sphere from the ground to examine it. Inside was a crystal snowflake that almost seemed to hover in the hollow space inside the little globe. It was mesmerizing and captured your attention for a few seconds as you tried to figure out what sort of string could've been used to create such an illusion. A sudden gust of wintry air passed, breaking your trance and making you wince. Your eyes briefly swept the area, trying to figure out who could've dropped such a stunning holiday ornament and where it came from. For all you knew, it could've fallen out of a passing car or out of a bag someone was carrying down the street, though it's a miracle it didn't break during its drop... wherever it came from.
Clutching the ornament in your free hand, you started towards the front door, unlocking it and stepping inside, shivering from the chilly outdoor air, the heat inside welcoming you like a cozy blanket.

You dropped your mail onto the coffee table along with the peculiar ornament and went to your room to hang up your bag and change into some looser, more comfortable clothes. Your feet, now donning a pair of cozy boots to wear around the house, shuffled back into the living room where you picked up the glass orb containing the crystal snowflake. You'd never seen anything like it before and felt bad for whoever had lost it. Chances of finding that person were slim, as many people drove through your town and tracking down the owner would be almost impossible. Besides, it was just an ornament.