Chapter Text
When Taehyun was thirteen years old, his mother disappeared. His brother didn’t recall that their mom had been wearing a headband that day, but Taehyun did. It made him curious not knowing what color it was. The only colors he could see were the ones embedded in black, white, and grey so even if someone told him, he wouldn’t be able to tell what it looked like.
“Mom!” he called out. “The headband! What color is it?”
Taehyun could see his mother mouthing the word, but he still couldn’t make out what she was saying. Her face slowly became blurry. Taehyun tried to focus on her face, her lips, her eyes. Suddenly, he couldn’t see her anymore and he felt himself being submerged underwater. He struggled to breathe as he reached out for his mother’s shadow.
“No!”
Taehyun jerked awake. His skin was clammy with sweat. He was in his room, safely in bed. Taehyun glanced at his hand, as if it would change the grey he had so gotten used to. Once he was calm, he threw off his blanket and walked downstairs.
His older brother was asleep on the couch, exhausted from his day at work. Taehyun sat down near the end of the couch and turned on the TV. The news anchor was speaking about a recent murder case. Taehyun listened carefully as he set the remote on the table.
“A Probe in her early thirties was kidnapped by a Mono in his late forties.”
People with monochromatic vision, those who see the world in only shades of grey, were called Monos. They’re different from those who have total color blindness. The cells in their eyes are in perfect condition, but their brains can’t distinguish the colors. They’re able to see colors if they look at the face of a certain person. And that person, who opens up a world of colors, is known as a Probe.
It’s rare for a Mono and a Probe to meet. Some Monos never even get the chance to meet their Probe.
Taehyun had heard so many rumors about Monos seeing color and how they become obsessed with their Probes, terrified of losing their ability to see colors.
It was for the best that Monos and Probes never met one another.
Taehyun watched as there were clips of the crime scene and the Mono crying as he was realizing what he had done. There were pictures shown of his victim-- his Probe.
Suddenly, the TV was turned off. Yeonjun was awake.
“You shouldn’t watch that,” he said.
As the older went to grab a bottle of water, Taehyun noticed a file on the coffee table and read the paper inside it.
Application for High School Transfer Admission.
“I’m transferring again?”
Yeonjun nodded.
Taehyun sighed. He had gotten into a fight at his old school because he had been made fun of for being a Mono, so he was transferring schools… again. He hurriedly put the file away and went to the kitchen to cook some ramen, something he did with his brother if they were both awake late at night. The two ate and talked together for a while longer.
“You should go back to bed,” Yeonjun said, yawning as he brushed back his hair. “We’ll be busy for a little while getting you settled at school.”
Taehyun nodded, said goodnight, and returned to his room. Ever since their dad passed away, Yeonjun had done his best to take care of him, even if they were only half-brothers.
Taehyun stared at the ceiling, his mind floating back to his mother’s headband.
What color was it?
That was the last thing he thought before drifting off to sleep.
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A few days later, Yeonjun was driving Taehyun to school. He was talking to the younger about a case involving a Mono and their missing Probe. Since he had graduated a year early from college with a criminal justice major two years ago, he’d been working hard to get a job at a police station. He had been recruited as a detective shortly after graduating, thanks to a paper he had written in college.
“Someone threatened to kill me if I keep looking into the case again,” he admitted.
“Hyung, you have to be more careful.”
Yeonjun worked so hard trying to figure out what had happened to their mother, but sometimes he could act rashly.
“I can’t stop. Not now,” the older insisted.
Four years ago, after their mother disappeared, Yeonjun started looking through cases to try and find her. Now that he worked at the police station, he worked even harder.
Their mother was a Mono, just like Taehyun.
She had been at a cafe with a group of friends who were all Monos the day she went missing. That day was the last day anyone saw any of them.
Taehyun stared out the window with a sigh.
White. Snowy white. Silver gray. Silver. Moon gray. Cement gray. Gray. Mouse gray. Charcoal gray. Black.
Those were the ten colors his mother taught him, all the colors from the gray color palette. Even in a world of gray, different colors could exist.
Yeonjun parked the car in front of the school and watched as Taehyun got out, the younger boy straightening the collar of his uniform and slinging his bag over his shoulder.
“Be careful, okay? Try to make some friends,” Yeonjun encouraged. Taehyun shrugged with a faint smile on his lips and waved before walking onto campus. After walking around for a few minutes, he saw a man come up to him.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Kang Taehyun. I was told my class was in Building 3, Room 4.”
“So you’re the new student,” the man said, nodding in understandment. “My name is Mr. Park. Follow me.”
Taehyun did as he was told and followed the man. He went into one of the buildings and was lead down the hall and into a classroom.The students were talking loudly to each other. They immediately quieted when they saw the teacher.
“Attention! We have a new student joining our class.”
The teacher nodded to Taehyun.
Taehyun faced the room, not making eye contact with anyone.
Mr. Park then gestured to one of the boys sitting in the back. “See that empty seat back there? That’ll be your seat.”
Taehyun gave the teacher a small bow and walked over to his seat. As he did, the teacher began counting heads for attendance.
“Hi,” the boy next to Taehyun said kindly.
Taehyun acknowledged him awkwardly.
“Hi.”
He wasn’t a very sociable person, especially since he was a Mono. People usually turned their backs on him once they found out.
“Class leader,” Mr. Park called out. The boy next to Taehyun faced the front.
“Yes, sir?”
“There’s one missing.”
The boy chuckled and leaned to the side, revealing the sleeping boy behind him. Taehyun hadn’t even noticed him.
“Choi Beomgyu!” Mr. Park called.
The boy was either ignoring the teacher, or was truly asleep.
“Why even bother coming to class when you can’t stay awake?” Mr. Park muttered, not commenting any further. He seemed too used to the sleeping boy’s behavior. “You all seem to be here, so I’ll skip the roll call. Listen to your teachers and don’t talk in class. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” the class chorused.
The moment the teacher left the room, the class leader turned back to face Taehyun.
“Choi Soobin. Class leader.” He stuck his hand out as he smiled, the dimples in his cheeks. Taehyun nodded in acknowledgment and shook the boy’s hand. The boy behind Taehyun leaned over Taehyun’s shoulder.
“I’m Huening Kai,” he said, grinning brightly.
“Kang Taehyun. It’s nice to meet you guys.”
The sleeping boy’s head suddenly shot up. He wore a black mask on his face. Taehyun could only see his almond shaped eyes.
“Is he gone?” he asked, his voice husky.
“He’s gone,” Soobin assured. “You need to stop sleeping in class, Beomgyu.”
Beomgyu ignored him and his eyes drifted to look at Taehyun. His eyes narrowed for a moment.
“You’re quite the visual,” Beomgyu complimented. He tilted his head to look at Taehyun’s face at a better angle.
“It’s not like you can see his face,” Soobin answered.
“I can still feel his vibe. He’s a pretty boy for sure.”
Taehyun felt his cheeks heat up, practically hearing the smirk in Beomgyu’s voice, and immediately focused on getting his things out of his bag.
Huening Kai rolled his eyes. “Stop flirting, hyung. It’s gross.”
“You’re just a child,” Beomgyu replied.
Taehyun felt chills go up his spine. Beomgyu’s voice was deep, but sounded as smooth as silk.
The bell suddenly rang and Taehyun faced the front once more.
Beomgyu immediately laid back onto his desk. Taehyun resisted the urge to look back at him. Something about Choi Beomgyu that made him so captivating. It bothered Taehyun that he couldn’t figure out what it was.
__
The day went by quickly. Eventually, the teacher gave them free time for the last hour of class. As Soobin and Huening Kai chatted with each other, Taehyun decided to look around the classroom. A poster caught his eye. It had artwork surrounding the edges of the poster.
“Be colored by your friend," a voice read.
Taehyun turned to see Beomgyu standing next to him.
Without his mask.
Taehyun’s eyes widened and he gasped.
The grey he had gotten so used to for the past seventeen years suddenly bled into color.
Real color. Pigments of different shades seemed to come to life.
His head felt dizzy and he was overwhelmed. Taehyun looked into Beomgyu’s eyes before he felt himself falling, deeper and deeper until he felt himself sinking into an endless ocean of black.