the digits of the clock on wen junhui's nightstand showed it was only five minutes past eight am, yet the room wasn't bathing in a gracious orange glow like how it should mid summer. ash grey clouds covered the horizon as monsoon rain dripped down the large window of his room.
junhui hadn't taken the effort to close his curtains the night before, which now gave him the depressing sight of today's weather. yet still, it did not manage to bring down his characteristic optimism. especially not once he thought back to his goal, which was getting minghao to talk without forcing him to like how the doctor's did.
in a swift motion junhui pushed the duvets away and got up from his bed, crouching down next to his travelers bag in a search of clothes. the boy still had to unpack his luggage and store them in the pine wooden closet. he decided to just go for a brown knitted sweater with a pair of black trousers and white nike socks, as it gave of a rather comfy vibe and essentially kept him warm from the coldish weather outside.
he adjusted the collar of his sweater in the tall mirror before he left his room, on his way downstairs to grab some breakfast.
once he got down the twirling stairs, he noticed a boy sitting at the large maroon table. he was visibly engulfed in an article of the news paper, giving off this friendly fatherly appearance with his hot coffee he occasionally sipped from. even when he could hardly be any older than junhui himself.
"good morning!" junhui interrupted him with a shining laugh plastered to his face, wanting to approach him more lively than how he'd spoken to minghao the day before.
the tall silver haired boy glanced up, visibly trying to match the unfamiliar voice with an even more unfamiliar face. "good morning? do i know you?" the boy in question was seemingly confused by the strange boy who came down the stairs, looking him up and down to find a trace of recognition.
"i know what you're thinking right now, no we haven't met before. i'm new here." junhui laughed a bit awkwardly at this still stranger, taking the seat on the opposite side of him. "my name is junhui, wen junhui."
a sudden bright smile appeared on the boy's face, pleasantly surprising junhui in the process. "you're also chinese then, i suppose?" he called out junhui's home country, rising the boy's level of enthusiasm.
"yes i am! how'd you know?"
"it's the name! wen isn't a common family name here in korea. wait, how unmannered of me, i didn't even introduce myself. my name is yan an, but everyone here just calls me yanan." yanan's hair was a faded shade of grey with a faint tint of blue mixed into it, which junhui found certainly cool. beside the fact that they shared the same mother tongue.
"nice to meet you yanan! we should definitely practice on our language here any time soon!" junhui decided, as the two boys totally revel in each other's company. after junhui's first meeting with minghao, he was truly glad he'd made a friend this soon. it was far beyond his expectations to find anyone who matched his energy.
"why don't we just continue in our native language already?" yanan made an easy switch to his mother tongue, which junhui easily caught up to. "anyways, what are you in here for?"
"the doctors concluded me with some rare disease." junhui chuckled cynically, yet still nothing was able to bring his heartwarming signature smile down. "they don't even know what it is yet since the test results were unclear or something. it's a new disease they still have to discover, that's why i'm here because i can't walk free in society. i think it's because they are scared it might worsen my health."
yanan looked shocked and was quick to pay more interest to junhui's mysterious disease. "damn, that's pretty messed up.. so you aren't in pain or anything?"
junhui shook his head in denial. "nope, i don't feel a single thing. but what are you in here for?"
"i had a pretty unhealthy addiction to several things, which i have cured of pretty soon after i received professional help. i prefer not to go into too many details, it's a bit miserable if i may say so myself. but i came here after my time spent in a special revalidation centre. i've only been here for a few weeks, but my mind has really found peace."
the boy indeed looked peaceful, with his calm way of speaking and his overall serene appearance. even the lighthearted smile he wore was able to tell him that. "i'm sorry for what you've been through, but i'm happy to hear you're doing better now. you've done a really great job, yanan."
the boy in front of junhui felt encouraged by his inspiring words. even when he had already passed his goal, junhui certainly managed to make him want to stay on the right path. "thank you man, that's really nice of you to say."
"so, are we going to keep speaking chinese or can i also join in?"
both junhui and yanan looked up to who accompanied them. "good morning doc! i love your sweater today!" yanan switched back without any effort, offering the bald doctor the chair next to him which he gladly took.
"you look pretty nice yourself too, if i may say so. oh and junhui, good to see you making friends already! can i offer you a cup of coffee? i was actually just about to make one for myself. do you have a regular?" the doctor shot up from his seat again as he made his way to the kitchen, leaving the two chinese boys behind laughing about his energy in the early morning.
"surprise me, i guess!" junhui answered his question as he watched the doctor disappear.
even with the gloomy weather outside, today didn't seem far as bad as he thought it would be.
