Pretty Things.

•° PROLOGUE °•

Noh Shinwoo has always liked pretty things.

He first took notice of this at the age of 6 when he saw his mum taking care of the flowers in their garden. After spotting her through the kitchen 's window, he rushed outside to meet her, peeking over her shoulder at her work.

"Hey, baby." She smiled, the sunlight falling over her features as she glimpsed at him. "What's up?"

Shinwoo scrunched his nose, forehead creasing.

"What are you doing, mummy?"

She scooted to the side, giving more room for Shinwoo to kneel down next to her.

"Check this out." She told him, bringing the object in her hands closer to him. "Isn't it pretty?"

In between her palms rested a yellow flower waiting to be planted. To Shinwoo's innocent eyes, the colour appeared to be the same one as the sun. It contrasted against his mum's skin, seemingly sleeping in her loving hold.
The sky was cloudless that day, with only light bathing the world, and a light breeze could be felt swooshing past him every once in a while. Surrounded by nature - by tall trees, and shaking leafs and soft grass - Shinwoo stared at her in awe. Sitting among all those things, his mother smiled at him with warmth as she showed him the yellow flower.

That day, Shinwoo only had one thought.

"Beautiful." He breathed.

Shinwoo has always liked pretty things, ever since he could remember. He liked flowers, and glitter, and puppies. He liked lakes, and beaches, and snow. He liked people's sparkling eyes against the moonlight, and the crinckles by them, and their laughs. As a quiet person, he dad learned to observe in silence and marvel, and he had learned to let himself be pulled in by anything beautiful.
It wasn't a surprise, then, that on his third day at his last year of high school, he meets the prettiest thing of all.

A quiet boy.

Someone just like himself.

Someone who looks up at him with a glinting gaze and parted lips and a mellow voice.

"I- I'm sorry." the boy stutters after accidentally bumping into him.

And Shinwoo learns another thing. He learns that being bewitched only takes seconds; it takes for beauty to face you and for your heartbeat to falter.

And for you to question everything you think you know.

And for your mind to persistently play one word on repeat.

Taekyung.