The winter morning was calm, almost too calm. The kind of day where the air feels crisp enough to bite your cheeks, yet the sun, shy and pale, tries its best to pour warmth on the world.
Ahmad was in the kitchen, humming quietly as he stirred a pot of hot chocolate. Hyunwoo, still wrapped in a blanket like a cocoon, peeked his head out from the living room.
"Is this your secret plan to make me love you even more?" Hyunwoo teased, his voice still thick from sleep.
"You already love me too much," Ahmad replied without turning, his tone playful but with that hint of blush Hyunwoo adored. "This is just to keep you alive in the cold."
Hyunwoo padded over barefoot, leaning his chin on Ahmad's shoulder. "Mmm… smells sweet. Just like you."
"Hyunwoo," Ahmad groaned softly, trying to keep from smiling. "If you keep talking like that, I'll spill this on purpose."
They shared their morning in a way only they could — no grand gestures, just laughter between sips of hot chocolate, the quiet warmth of being together in a small apartment far from the world's judgments.
By midday, they decided to take a walk to the nearby park. The snow was fresh, crunching under their boots with every step. Hyunwoo kept pretending to throw snowballs at Ahmad, but his aim was so bad they never even hit the ground near him. Ahmad retaliated with a perfect throw, hitting Hyunwoo square in the chest.
"Ya Allah, you're so competitive!" Hyunwoo laughed, clutching his chest dramatically as if the snowball had been fatal. Ahmad shook his head, but inside, he was grateful for moments like this — light and uncomplicated.
They wandered into a small street market, where Ahmad insisted on buying roasted chestnuts. Hyunwoo hated the taste but didn't say anything, chewing with a forced smile just to keep Ahmad happy.
The afternoon sun dipped lower, and they began walking back. The streets were quieter than usual — the kind of quiet that makes every sound sharper. A dog barking in the distance. The hum of a motor somewhere behind them.
Hyunwoo was talking about a new café opening near the mosque when Ahmad slowed down. "Do you hear that?"
"What?" Hyunwoo tilted his head.
The sound grew louder — the roar of an engine, too fast for the narrow street they were on. Ahmad's eyes flicked to the side, and before Hyunwoo could react, a large truck came barreling around the corner.
Time seemed to slow. The driver was trying to brake, tires screeching against ice, but the truck was skidding. Ahmad's instincts kicked in before thought could catch up — he shoved Hyunwoo hard, sending him sprawling to the sidewalk.
There was a horrible, metallic crash, followed by silence.
Hyunwoo scrambled up, heart pounding so hard it drowned out the world. His breath came in broken gasps as his eyes landed on Ahmad lying still in the street, the snow beneath him already melting from the heat of chaos.
"No… no, no, no!" Hyunwoo's voice cracked as he stumbled toward him, slipping on ice but not caring. "Ahmad! Ahmad, look at me!"
Ahmad's eyes fluttered open, his breaths shallow. "Hyunwoo… you're safe…" he whispered, a faint smile pulling at his lips.
"Don't you dare talk like that," Hyunwoo's tears fell freely now, hot against the freezing air. "You're going to be fine. You'll be fine. I'm calling an ambulance—"
"Promise me…" Ahmad's voice was barely audible, yet somehow it cut through Hyunwoo's panic. "You'll… stay strong. No matter what."
"Stop it!" Hyunwoo shook his head violently, refusing to hear the finality in his tone. "You're not leaving me. We still have a lifetime—"
Sirens wailed in the distance, but to Hyunwoo, they felt too far away.
Ahmad's hand reached up weakly, brushing Hyunwoo's cheek. "Alhamdulillah… I met you…" His eyes began to close, and Hyunwoo's grip on him tightened like he could anchor him to life by sheer will.
The medics finally arrived, pulling Hyunwoo back as they worked on Ahmad. Hyunwoo's voice broke into desperate pleas in both Korean and broken Urdu, begging Allah, begging anyone, to let him stay.
They loaded Ahmad into the ambulance, and Hyunwoo climbed in beside him, refusing to let go of his hand. Outside, snow began to fall again, erasing the scene from the street — but not from Hyunwoo's heart.
The warmth of the morning felt like a memory from another life.
The ride to the hospital was long, cold, and filled with the steady beeping of machines. Hyunwoo didn't look away from Ahmad's face once, afraid that if he blinked, he'd lose him.
As the ambulance doors closed behind them, the street was left empty, the only evidence of what had happened being the faint smell of roasted chestnuts lingering in the frozen air.