Chanyeol," you whispered, pointing at the white flower that pierced the snow. The two of you crouched, staring at its proud white mantle rising above the frozen ground when all other flowers were dead. "It's a snowdrop," you explained. "Mom had them imported. It's usually the first flower to grow. In french, they call them perce neige since they pierce the snow."

    "Whoa!" exclaimed your friend. "It's really pretty. And the fact that the cold doesn't bother it is really cool."

    "I know! It's my favourite flower."

    "Because it's like you?" he looked at you raising his eyebrows. You nodded.

    "Yes. Ah, Chanyeol, your ears are really red. We should go in." You stood up and dusted your pants. "Your mother would be upset if you got sick while you were here."

    "You don't mind?" he asked with a shiver. "I don't want to ruin the fun." You shook your head and smiled.

    "Of course not. Let's go." You took him hand and you both dragged each other through the snow, seeing who could run the fastest.

There was something really nostalgic about winter to you. It reminded you of days where you played in the snow with friends. It reminded you of lighter, happier, days. Now, winter was a worry. You had to make sure you had enough clothes on before leaving the house, and you had to remember to turn the heating on when you got back. Things you never used to think of.

    "Y/N, I swear you're doing this on purpose." Your friend Jian said, sitting by you. You had come from a lengthy lecture on the psychology of children and funnily enough, felt brain dead.

    "I'm sorry, I really can't go," you apologised and pushed the food away from you, full.

    "Why though," she whined, grabbing onto you shoulder. "You even said you wanted to see that movie!"

    "I do. I just can't. Not this week. I have some family stuff to do," you said and she sighed.

    "You always sound so cryptic. Fine, fine. Go, go. I forgive you this once."

    "I'm touched," you joked, pushing her lightly and taking a sip of you drink. "I love the holidays. I'm glad the lectures are over for now. It's a relief."

    "Agreed. Though it's only temporary relief."

    "Yup. Well, we better hurry and get our diplomas. Then we'll be free!" You said and she let out a short excited cry.

    "Yes!" She grinned and finished her meal. The two of you were studying completely different things. You were aiming for a degree in psychiatry and she was getting a degree in genetics to become a pharmacologist. You had thought about going in that direction too, but in the end, psychology was much more interesting to you.

    "Ah, I actually have to go, Jian," you said, looking at your watch. You mother would already be waiting and you didn't want to test her patience. "We'll catch up after the winter holidays, yeah?"

    "Hmph," she grumbled, wiping her lips with a napkin. "Fine, but next time you owe me a cinema outing. Just us, I won't invite the others."

    "All right, I accept that." You gave her a hug and put your bag over your shoulder. "See you, Jian."

    "Bye, Y/N!"

You mother was waiting under a dead tree in the parking lot. She looked cold so you hurried up to join her.

    "Ah, mom," you waved as you approached her. She gave you a smile, but it immediately dropped.

    "Y/N!" she yelled, sounding angry. "What on earth are you wearing? Are you trying to get sick?"

    "I checked the temperature and dressed accordingly," you reassured her. I used the booklet you gave me. I'm fine." She still looked shocked and zipped your jacket up.

    "Seriously, don't be afraid to over dress, okay?"

    "Yeah, yeah. Hi mom." You wrapped an arm around her shoulder and steered her towards the car. "How was work?"

    "It was fine. There were no customers during the final hours so it wasn't an issue to leave early. Why are you late?"

    "I was having lunch with a friend," you explained and you both got into the car.

    "Jian?"

    "Yes."

    "Make sure you greet her for me next time. She's a good girl."

The plans you had mentioned to Jian were simply to go back to your hometown in the country side and spend time with relatives. It was also because your father had passed away ten years ago and you wanted to do something with loved ones during that time.

    "Welcome home!" you mother grinned as you opened the door before her. You'd missed the place. It was still as pretty and homely as before. You hadn't been back home for over a year now, and only saw your mother when she came to visit you once or so a month. You removed your shoes and placed them on the shoe rack. You replaced them at your feet with a pair of fluffy slippers.

    "It's nice to be back," you whispered, breathing in sharply. "Aaah, yes. I missed the fresh air here."

    "It's cold, don't take your jacket off until the heater is on okay?" your mother ordered and you nodded. You let her tend to her things and took your suitcase upstairs. You unpacked your clothes for the week and made your bed. Your room was dusty and needed to be aired, but you figured you'd do it when it was sunny.

    "Mom? Can I remove my jacket now?" you yelled down the stairs and waited for a response.

    "Hmm, wait a bit more. Why don't you take a walk?" she suggested. "You remember Mrs. Cha down the street? She recently had her thigh operated and would love to see you again. She's been nagging me about you." You sighed and adjusted your jacket. You weren't really interested in visiting the elderly woman, but you didn't have much else to do while you were there. You went back downstairs and put your shoes on again.

    "All right, I'll go."

    "Say hi for me!"

The ground was frozen cold beneath you as you made your way towards Mrs. Cha's home. You arrived before the little gate and peered into the garden. The lights in the house were on, so you let yourself in, going up the little stone path. You wiped your feet on the door mat and was about to knock when the door swung open and Mrs. Cha and a tall man stood in the entrance.

    "Get home safely, my boy," said Mrs. Cha cheerfully before she noticed you. Her eyes brightened immediately. "Y/N! What a pleasant surprise!" She pushed passed the young man and hobbled to you, leaning on her cane. "I didn't know you were coming," she shook your hand and you bowed deeply.

    "I'm sorry my mother didn't warn you," you apologised before lifting your eyes to meet those of the young man. You recognised him almost immediately. It's not like you hadn't seen his face being paraded around on busses or on billboards. "Chan...Yeol?" you stuttered, locking eyes with him, mouth open in surprise.

    "Y/N?" He covered his mouth in slight shock and stared at you with googly eyes.

    "What are you doing around here?" You asked. His ears reddened and he pulled his hat over them.

    "I was on vacation and visiting the area," he explained.

    "You're letting all the heat out, kids," chided Mrs. Cha. "Why don't you come back in?"

    "I really can't make my driver wait any longer..." said Chanyeol, not detaching his eyes from you. "I-"

    "I-I'll accompany you back," you offered, not sure what to fully do with yourself. You hadn't seen your childhood friend in over a decade. At least not face to face.

    "I would like that." He nodded slowly. This meeting was so unexpected. Mrs. Cha grumbled.

    "But Y/N, you just got here."

    "I'll come back," you promised, looking away from him to reassure her.

    "Fine, I'm an old woman anyway. You kids go have fun." She pushed Chanyeol out with her cane and waved at you before closing the door. You both stood in the frozen air, still quite surprised to be face to face after all that time.

"Congratulations... on your career! It's very impressive," you said and he fiddled nervously.

    "Oh, you saw that?"

    "It's hard to ignore you face on half the products I see in the stores," you exaggerated and he laughed loudly, making you jump a bit. At least his laugh hadn't changed much. "You... grew up well." Seeing him like that really made you feel nostalgic, and a bit proud.

    "I... can't say the same for you." Indeed, he was towering over you. You used to be close to the same size. You were tall for a kid, but then stopped growing really early, much to your dismay. You laughed and shoved his shoulder reflexively, immediately regretting the perhaps excessive familiarity. After all, you barely knew each other now. You knew what he did but it was vague as it wasn't really your scene. The thought made your chest tighten a bit. He looked down and you avoided each other's gazes. "We should go."

    "Let's," you agreed and the two of you began walking down the street. He adjusted his strides to suit your much smaller ones and you tried to walk a bit faster to match his pace.

    "What do you do now?" he asked, looking down at you.

    "I study psychology. What about you?" You already knew, but maybe he'd have things to add.

    "I'm part of a boy group now. It's fun. The members are really nice," Chanyeol said, sounding enthusiastic. "But you knew that."

    "I don't know much about what you do. I was surprised to hear your name on TV a few years ago," you confessed. "I wasn't sure it really was you, but when you appeared, it was undeniably you."

    "Was it the ears?" he laughed and you joined him, nodding. But it hadn't been just that. That face was still Chanyeol's.

    "You've changed. I'm proud!" you exclaimed and it was entirely true. You hadn't really stopped to think about it, but the fact that Chan had grown into a well rounded and successful man did make you feel proud of him. He had always been passionate, so it finally paid off. He didn't say anything in response and you peeked at him to see his ears turning red again. You wanted to laugh. Fame really hadn't changed him.

    "What about your condition?" he asked after clearing his throat. "Still can't feel temperature?"

    "No," you said and shrugged. "But I've gotten better at not getting sick because of it. Remember when I used to use you as an example for what to wear when it was cold?"

    "I do! Aaah, you were really bad at it back then. Your lips would always turn blue in winter since you never dressed enough."

    "I remember," you nodded, savouring the memories. They had been fun times. "Wait, Chanyeol, where are we going?" you asked, realising you had been walking by him without thinking of the destination.

    "A car is waiting for me at the village square. I'm only holiday and wanted to visit a few places alone," he explained.

    "Oh, right," you said, half disappointed. "I hope we'll be able to talk again soon!" You didn't really want this walk to end. You'd missed him a lot, especially now that you were with him. But it was natural he had a busy schedule.

    "Yes! Of course!" I'm actually glad we met, I wanted to go and see your mother, maybe ask her where you were now, maybe ask her to give you my number..."

    "Do you want me to give it to you?" you asked tentatively. He pulled his mouth mask up a bit more, he nodded and thumbled for his phone. You pulled yours out and you exchanged, quickly calling to confirm that you did indeed have the right one. You saved it under his name and nodded. "Thanks. I promise I won't bother you."

    "You can! You can text me whenever. I'm happy to find my old friend."

    "Me too. I've missed you." You smiled at each other, eyes locking again. It took a second for the two of you to get a bit self conscious. You cleared your throat. "Let's keep walking."

You arrived to the village square without exchanging much more. The silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it was clear neither of your knew how to act around the other yet. A car flashed its lights and Chanyeol raised a hand up to signal he'd noticed them.

    "That's my ride."

    "Okay. Have a safe journey back," you said and extended a hand to shake his. You didn't really know what you were doing, or it was an appropriate goodbye. He took it and shook it gently.

    "I will. Say hi to your mom for me. Tell her I miss her baking!" he said cheerfully with a nod. You nodded back.

    "I will. Yes. It was great seeing you again. I hope we can stay in contact."

    "Me too." Your hand was still trapped in his.

    The car beeped and Chanyeol let go, turning away and jogging towards the vehicle cautiously. He got there without slipping and turned back to wave at you. "Bye Y/N!" he called. "Let's arrange something next time!"

    "Let's!" you called back and he gave you a thumbs up before getting in and shutting the door. You watched him drive away and leave the parking lot.