Butterfly [j.jk]

이십육

첫 눈

"so your telling me," the boy starts, "you know every type of flower," to which the girl in braids replies, "yep,"

the boy cocks a brow, "and their meanings?" she answers with a hum "mhm," lips pursed into a thin smile.

he stays wide-eyed, "and every kind of butterfly?" he asks, mouth agape in surprise, "it's all in here." the girl said, holding up the familiar leather bound notebook, covered in stickers of butterflies. he remains in a state of shock, speechless, and she found the boy's look amusing. a face that gave her the tickles and giggles as she gazed at him in awe.

the piercing cold that had seemed mild at first was now growing fiercely. and in the center of the bleak winter were two flowers, guk and nari, sitting by their rusted bench encased by shivering mahonias and pansies.

they sat side by side, gripping their padded jackets tight in the shuddering winter. with every gush of icy wind, the two would shake, then chuckle afterwards. goosebumps spiking their skin, and their red noses growing brighter. though they shivered, it seemed that the frosty cold wasn't enough to keep them from stepping outside, as the two remained in the garden.

as they shared laughs in the cold, what seemed like tiny angels started to softly fall from the sky. tiny specks of white danced along the air, flowing seamlessly as if it  were doing a waltz lead by the wind. these white puffs powder on the two. their chuckles coming to a halt as it softly perches on their faces, a feeling cold to the touch.

in chorus, they gaze upon the cotton sky and excitement grows.

it was snow.

it was the first snowfall.

the clouds sprinkled snow, covering the trees, covering the leaves, covering every surface in sight. soon enough, everything around them seemed to have a touch of white. as nari watched, her eyes grew a tiny bit wider, her gaze gleamed a different kind of sparkle. he saw twinkles that resembled the snowfall itself.

jeongguk looks away and sees the garden decorated in cottoned snow. he watched them fall from the sky and softly perch itself on his hand. the flowers that used to be vibrant colors were now painted in white.

the lone bed of roses in the far corner of the garden caught the boy's attention. the roses too, were covered in shivering snow. and as cold as the chilling winter, a pit settles in his chest. his heart remains frozen.

"do flowers get cold?" the boy asks, his tone blunt. the girl hums in response, averting her sight from the snow to the boy.

the girl follows his gaze, seeing his eyes fixed on the bed of roses as he stared at them blankly, watching each speck of white dust fall upon every petal.

it was as if these roses had him in a daze. and looking at him made her sigh, as she saw the emptiness in his eyes.

"you know," she starts, "even the prettiest of flowers can get cold." her honey voice spoke, "they blossom in the spring then wilt in the winter. but a new spring comes around and they'll bloom again." her words had the boy snap out of his daze. his eyes now fixed upon the girl as she spoke.

"so jeongguk-ah, dont be afraid when your winter comes. your spring will come and ill be here waiting for you."