By Zephyria 
“You really are asking for a beating.”
“Our Hyung really hasn’t died yet. Instead of the baldie, Hyung, you come in as the youngest.”
Then let’s hold hands every day and be a married couple of thugs. No, a married couple of scammers?
Absurd words poured out one after another, but Min-ho was too busy holding his forehead and sighing to respond. In truth, it felt bearable that he talked such nonsense simply because it was Won Gyu-oh.
“Oh! Hyung, it’s snowing.”
The guy, who had been hunching his shoulders and enduring the beating, suddenly shouted while looking at the window. Thinking it was just a lie to evade the situation, Min-ho didn’t react, but Gyu-oh shouted even louder, pointing his finger.
“I’m telling you, it’s the first snow!”
“….”
He didn’t particularly care about snow or anything, but since Gyu-oh was making such a fuss, he stole a glance. Beyond the window, white snowflakes were indeed falling. It was a fairly atmospheric scene… but the only desolate thought that came to mind was that driving in this weather would be a pain.
“So what if it’s snowing? What does that have to do with you getting hit?”
“Do you have no romance in you, no romance at all?”
The guy, who was gently rubbing Min-ho’s shoulder blades with his palm, occasionally dropped his gaze. Min-ho wondered why he kept glancing down, only to realize he was checking his own crotch. It had been quite plumply swollen until a moment ago, but it seemed to have calmed down a bit after taking a few hits.
“Does romance feed you?”
“It could. Wow, a lot of people are going to have sex here and there today.”
It seemed the guy was even more devoid of romance than he was. Min-ho also glanced at the space between Gyu-oh’s legs and stepped back a bit further. Then, Gyu-oh grabbed his hand and leaned his face in. It was a gaze that was both blatant and innocent, making Min-ho unconsciously avoid his eyes.
“You know the saying. If you experience the first snow together, your love comes true.”
“First time I’ve heard that.”
“They don’t teach you that in college?”
No use having a long academic pedigree, a small mutter followed. When Min-ho didn’t respond, Gyu-oh gripped his hand tighter.
“Let’s go experience it together.”
“…It’s cold.”
“It’s winter, so of course it’s cold, right? Get up quickly.”
Min-ho was reluctantly led by the fussing hands pulling him up.
Gyu-oh pulled out the padding he wore maybe three or four times a year, which had been hanging in the furthest corner, and quickly ripped off the dry-cleaning plastic. Since he spent most of his time at the company and used his own car for the rest, he rarely wore padding. Min-ho thought he’d go through this year without touching it, but to think he’d pull it out as soon as the first snow fell. Not stopping there, Gyu-oh wrapped a scarf around him tightly.
“Now, let’s go make love come true.”
“Ha.”
After pulling the zipper up to the chin and wrapping the scarf so much that his ears were covered, Gyu-oh himself was dressed only in a mustang jacket. Even while waiting for the elevator, a chilly wind brushed against their skin.
“Take this.”
He couldn’t afford to catch a cold. As Min-ho tried to unwind the layers of the scarf, Gyu-oh stopped him.
“It’s fine. My cock isn’t fully dead yet, so I need to be a bit cold.”
Min-ho hurriedly scanned the surroundings. Naturally, there was no one around, but he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he yanked Gyu-oh’s forearm. He pressed his lips close to the ear of the guy who leaned in following the pull.
“Watch your mouth outside.”
“Why? Are you actually sad that I’m killing it?”
Min-ho was speechless at the question asked with sparkling eyes. Seriously, he was consistent in thinking whatever he wanted and hearing whatever he wanted.
“….”
It seemed that going out to get some snow on them would be a much better choice for his mental health. Keeping his mouth shut, he stepped into the elevator that had just arrived. Fortunately, there were people inside, so Gyu-oh’s nonsense didn’t continue.
“It’s snowing a lot for the first snow.”
When he looked up, snowflakes were pouring down so heavily that he could barely keep his eyes open. While he was pulling down the padding hood that had slipped slightly, Gyu-oh darted forward.
“Don’t you think we could make a snowman with this much?”
The guy crossed the playground quickly, like a dog excited by snow. Even though snow was piling up on the crown of his head, he simply shook his head wildly to brush it off.
“…Like Jjang-a.”
Maybe he’s become just like them because he watches puppy videos all day. He looks like he’d block a path and shake someone down for money, yet he’s acting cute. Min-ho watched blankly as Gyu-oh swept the thin layer of snow on the ground with his bare hands.
“Stay seated. I’ll make one that looks amazing.”
“Go ahead.”
Min-ho had never understood people who rushed out in crowds to watch the snow for a long time, but today, he didn’t dislike this leisure. He walked slowly and sat on a swing. Gyu-oh’s broad back, as he sat with his knees bent, was being covered in snow.
“….”
He laughed quietly, holding back the sound because he didn’t want to be caught, but a long tail of white breath remained. However, since Won Gyu-oh was currently completely absorbed in gathering and clumping snow, he probably wouldn’t notice. Min-ho didn’t suppress the lingering smile on his lips and quietly watched Gyu-oh’s back.
How much time had passed? Before he knew it, the snow was falling so heavily it obscured the view. He took out his phone, took a photo of the dense snowfall, and sent it to his younger brother in a distant foreign country. Even as he wrote the message, snowflakes fell on the screen, leaving wetness.
“Ji-ho?”
When he looked up, their eyes met immediately. Though the view was entirely white, the black pupils were quite vivid through it.
“Yeah. I took a photo of the snow and sent it.”
Gyu-oh, with a red tip of his nose, suddenly held out his hand. Resting on his palm was a snowman that looked like two fists stuck together, with a long triangle attached to the head like a cone hat. It looked clumsy, yet it was put together quite firmly.
“How is it?”
“Cute.”
“Take a picture of this and send it too.”
As he said this, he held up both hands obediently, his red fingertips drenched in wetness. It was to the point where Min-ho wondered if he would get frostbite. Just as he took the photo and was about to shove the phone into his pocket, Gyu-oh stopped him.
“There’s something else to take a picture of! Come here.”
Gyu-oh held the small snowman in one hand and gripped Min-ho’s forearm with the other. Looking down at the red-stained fingertips, Min-ho put his phone in his pocket and picked up the small snowman.
“Give me that.”
Since he had been warm the whole time, the snowball felt cold, but it was bearable. Then, he tightly wrapped his hand around Gyu-oh’s frozen fingertips.
“Uh? Why are you suddenly holding my hand?”
“You’ll get frostbite. How are your hands colder than the snowball?”
Clicking his tongue, he pulled the large hand strongly. Then, he shoved the hand deep into his own pocket, which had retained warmth the entire time. The pocket stretched tight, barely covering both of their hands.
“Wow, what’s with this flirting?”
“Flirting, my ass.”
Though he replied indifferently, he meticulously massaged Gyu-oh’s freezing hand inside the pocket. Gyu-oh, who had been laughing while scattering pale white breath, wiggled his fingers. Soon, their fingers intertwined firmly.
“As I thought, the saying that love comes true if you experience the first snow together is correct.”
Min-ho didn’t respond to the words muttered loud enough for him to hear. Following Gyu-oh’s lead, he walked toward a flowerbed where snow had piled up thickly, and some writing was visible.
“Ta-da.”
Gyu-oh ♡ Min-ho
Because the snowfall was heavy, snowflakes continued to land on the engraved letters. Because of that, the letters weren’t clear and were blurry, but they were sufficiently legible.
“Take a picture. What are you doing, not taking it?”
“….”
He couldn’t possibly… because it was too cringeworthy… To hide his embarrassment, he playfully reached out, saying he was going to wipe it all away. At that, Gyu-oh lunged at him in horror. Since they were holding one hand together, Min-ho was quickly trapped in his embrace.
“If you erase it, I’ll write it again. I’ll write and write and write again and stay here all night. If my fingers don’t move because of frostbite, only Hyung loses out, you know?”
“Why do I lose out if it’s your fingers?”
Gyu-oh spread his frozen hand wide and curled the corner of his mouth into a crooked smirk. Just as Min-ho thought that meaningful smile was ominous, a sound followed that was scary to think anyone might hear.
“I need these to unravel it properly.”
“Hey, seriously. Outside!”
Gyu-oh, giggling like a prankster, hugged Min-ho again. He was just a frozen body, but because they were touching, it felt incredibly warm.
I wonder if Won Gyu-oh is feeling this warmth too. He suddenly wondered, but didn’t bother to ask. The sound of the fast-beating pulse was answer enough.
The two stayed at the playground until the snow piled up so high that the boundaries of the ground were no longer visible. Returning home, they took hot showers and rolled around, completely sprawled on the bed. He didn’t think he had ever played this leisurely even as a child. Everything was unfamiliar, but perhaps because Won Gyu-oh was by his side, he didn’t feel anxious or awkward.
On the day the first snow fell, Min-ho’s messenger profile picture changed for the first time. From a blank blue screen to a clumsy, ugly, tiny snowman.