Chapter Text
Like the first snow of the year, Donghyuck’s arrival to the first class of the week was a little later than forecasted. His boots had left snow tracks all over the red carpet of the class and the sound of his crinkly coat being removed filled up the room.
Last year, the professor would have said something along the lines of 'Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Donghyuck.' with a snarky tone and arms crossed as the class watched with amusement but they were past that. It was the second year now, Donghyuck was no longer an entertaining goofy freshman, he was just someone his classmates glanced at once when the classroom doors opened 20 minutes late and someone his professor doesn't even spare a sigh to anymore.
In his defense, he had a legitimate reason for being late this time. He had to go to the office and register his major. Donghyuck had decided to take the long route there. Instead of crossing the two school blocks with the bridge that connected them, he chose to cross the vast field in between. This gave him time to think. He really had no clue what to major in. He took the same classes every first year was required to take but that year had flew in a blink of an eye and he had yet found something he was interested in. Sure, he liked History and Cinema Studies but he couldn't imagine dedicating his life to it.
Donghyuck paused. Snow was falling and it kissed the ground white. He was a boy of the summer and the snow dazed him. As it fell on his red hair, he decides there was magic in the way everything looked beautiful covered in the snow. He was a boy made of the summer heat and salty air and there he stays as the world around him frosted over. At the office he ticks Media Production under major and returns outside. The snow fell and it blanketed the thoughts of majors, doubts and being on time to English Literature.
As the professor’s voice fills the room with something about required reading, Donghyuck sighs into the hand he rested his head on. He thought back to this morning and how that felt so far away. As if he entered a pocket in time where all stilled and there was only him and the snow.
‘Dude, wake up.’ said a voice from his left which snapped him back to reality. When had he fallen asleep?
‘Good morning.’ The boy chuckled as Donghyuck looked at his surroundings in sleepy confusion. 'You're Lee Donghyuck, right? We got assigned to write this topic's paper together.'
'Yeah I am.' Donghyuck says as he slings his backpack over his shoulders. 'What's it about?'
'If you weren't too busy drooling you would know it's about rhythm in poetry. We have to pick a poem and write about why it's rhythm is interesting.' The boy says as the two of them exited the classroom together.
‘I do not drool.' Donghyuck rolls his eyes but swipes at his cheeks for good measure. The boy laughs at this.
‘Well, I’ll get evidence next time. I’m Jaemin by the way.’ he says as they reach the entrance of the library.
‘Over my dead body, Jaemin.’ Donghyuck replies with a smile.
‘I have a group study right now but if you're free we can meet up here tomorrow afternoon? Let's say around 4-ish?’ Jaemin asks.
Donghyuck pretends to think hard on this as if he ever had any plans at all. 'Sure. 4 sounds good.'
Jaemin grins and taps his ID which allowed him to enter the library. 'Alright, that's settled then. See you later!'
'See you.'
Donghyuck watched as he joined a table at the back full of dark haired boys with matching overcoats and thick books. One of them smiles at Jaemin and points to something on his book. Donghyuck felt a bit odd. He doesn't know when the last time he had joked around with another person. A weird sensation washes over him. Aching? No, it was longing. Donghyuck looks away and sighs as he realizes he was now late to his History class.
-
After first seeing them in the library , Donghyuck spots the boys everywhere. He thinks it’s a coincidence but he never really believed in those. There were 6 boys in total. He of course knew Jaemin, with perfect hair and charm that radiated off him which pulled people in like a magnet. Despite seeming to know the entire school, he was almost always just with two other boys. One was also tall, with a bright smile and seemed the most quiet. He knows this was Lee Jeno, a History major who could memorize facts instantly and never seemed to forget anything. He was also joined at the hip to Jaemin. The other boy in their trio was Huang Renjun, an Art major with a concentration in sculpture and also the one who had an abundance of fond smiles for Jeno.
The next day, Donghyuck spots more of them. He usually eats in empty hallways but decided that since it was snowing he wanted to enjoy his breakfast sandwich accompanied by a good view from the second floor balcony which looked out at the field between the two school blocks. He then spots 5 of them crossing the thick snow. Jaemin was walking backwards as he reenacted something to which Renjun rolled his eyes and Jeno laughed at. Behind them, two first year boys were having what seemed like a heated argument. The taller one being Park Jisung, a studious boy from the dance department and the one throwing a snowball in his direction being Zhong Chenle who was the first ever first year to be a part of the school’s orchestra line up.
Just as Donghyuck had scrunched up his sandwich wrapper and was about to head to class (he would be early, finally), a sixth figure joined the group. He was the only one who wore glasses full time, they were round, thin wire framed glasses that Donghyuck was sure his great grandfather owned. He had run to catch up with the group and Donghyuck held his breath to what he knew was bound to happen. Before he knew it, laughter erupted from the group below him as Mark Lee huffed and picked himself up from the snow he had just slipped and fell on. His arrival caused the whole group to walk closer as Jaemin says something which made the boys laugh harder and for Mark to shake his head. Donghyuck knew who Mark Lee was because his Latin professor continuously complimented him. But from what Donghyuck knew, Mark wasn't the quiet boy in class who wrote beautiful poetry in Latin, he just always seemed to trip in hallways. That information was concluded from his amazing observational skills.
And once Donghyuck became aware of their existence, they showed up everywhere. Jaemin and Jeno whispering by the water fountain. Mark and Renjun crossing the field, going the opposite way of Donghyuck. Chenle and Jisung at the office battling about who should use the printer first. They were all such different people, each of them a stark contrast to each other but there was one thing that connected them and that was the fact they were the only 6 students in the entire school who took the Philosophy of Dreams class. They were inseparable. Their friendship was so tightly knitted and interconnected that most of the time it was like the world they existed in only consisted of them.
It was 4pm. 4.15pm to be exact because Donghyuck got nervous and hid out in the bathroom before washing his face and heading to the library. He knew he had nothing to worry about. It wasn't like this was the first time he worked with another person. He wasn't a master of socializing but he could handle an hour or two with one boy. He taps his ID and enters, looking out for Jaemin and finds him at a table in the back accompanied by the usual 5 boys. The table was all hushed whispers and stacks of paper scattered. Donghyuck takes his time walking to the table and when he does reach it, he sees how concentrated they all look that he's almost scared to disrupt them.
'That doesn't even make sense. Do you know what you're suggesting? You're telling us that-' Jisung says in a sharp whisper before Mark elbows him. The whole table looks up at Donghyuck. Jaemin's face lights up. 'Donghyuck! Hi!'
Donghyuck waves and awkwardly stands by the table. 'Duty calls. Don't miss me too much.' Jaemin says as he stands up and leads him to another table nearby. They sit facing each other and Donghyuck starts a word document on his laptop.
'Not to sound like I'm mad or being petty but you guys seemed busy. We can always reschedule if you want.' Donghyuck looks at his keyboard.
'Oh, sorry about that. Don't worry about it, we're just goofing around. Let's work on the paper.' Jaemin pulls out a book of poems. Donghyuck looks up and meets his eyes. There was something comforting in the way Jaemin smiled at him that calmed his insecurities. 'I was thinking about our old man Poe. The Raven is pretty interesting. What about you?'
Donghyuck smiles as he pulls out his own copy of the poetry book with The Raven already tabbed. As eerie as the poem was, he resonated with it and it became one of his favourites. 'Glad to know we're on the same wavelength.'
-
It took them three hours but they finally have all 1,500 words typed out and ready to be handed in. Jaemin stretches and yawns. Donghyuck saves the document and shuts his laptop.
'Nana, Renjun lost a bet, so he's buying us dinner. We're eating good tonight.' Mark Lee says as he reaches their table and takes a seat next to Jaemin.
Jaemin pumps his fist in the air and makes an excited sound. 'What was the bet?'
'If you were going to finish the paper before the library closes. He was the only one who said you couldn't.'
Jaemin beams. 'You guys believe in me that much? Aww, you're so sweet.' He says while pinching Mark's cheek, or at least attempting to.
The tips of Mark's ears go red and Donghyuck feels so out of place. This was probably his cue to leave. He clears his throat. 'I should go.'
'Oh, alright. This was really fun. We make a good team, I'm glad we got paired up.' Jaemin shakes his hand. 'Thank you for your work, Donghyuck.'
Donghyuck gulps. 'Yeah, it was. You're a great partner. See you in class.' He stands with his laptop tucked to his chest and nods to Mark then exits the library. Outside he leans against the wall and lets out a loud breath. Longing. For jokes and losing dumb bets. He shakes the word out of his head and makes his way back to the dorms. There was a time where Donghyuck had friend who were as loud as his red hair. They pulled silly pranks and called each other by nicknames formed from inside jokes. There isn't a dramatic story of how Donghyuck lost it all. They just went to different colleges and two texts a day became none and soon the only notifications he got on his phone were from his mobile provider. He wasn't bitter or sad, just a tiny bit lonely. He opens his eyes and didn't realise he had closed them in the first place or that he had stopped walking.
He turns around and Donghyuck finds that there is magic in the way his footsteps get covered up by the snow as if he was never really there. The feeling of longing returns and that's how he knows he still exists. A boy of the summer in the freezing winter of December.