It has been a meaningful year. I spent a year finding myself and built an identity. No longer tied with the Bae family, I took on Mother’s surname and lived for myself. I searched for my passion and strove towards it. With my newfound interest in embroidery, I dedicated all my time on building a brand for myself. I was no longer entangled with other emotional commitments and hence, had nothing holding me back from doing what I love.

         I had everything I wanted. I manage a small team with employees who felt strongly towards embroidery and the arts, and nurtured a small group of loyal consumers. They were exceptionally supportive of me and celebrated the brand’s every milestone. I also made sure to produce a conducive, family-like working environment. They never have to cower in fear and get carped on unnecessarily for their mistakes. Instead, I guaranteed positive growth through optimistic perspectives.

         Funny enough, these were lessons learnt from what I had experienced a year ago.

         “Ms. Jung!” My liaison employee, Eunbi, came rushing towards me with an exclaim. “You wouldn’t believe an email I just received. It’s breaking news! We are finally going to expand beyond just our online brand!”

         I raised an eyebrow, chuckling at Eunbi’s exaggeration. Putting a capsule in the coffee machine, I pressed the button and placed my glass cup on the machine. “And what is this marvellous news?” I asked, humming nonchalantly as I dribbled my fingers on the tabletop.

         “Yeah Eunbi, what’s the email about?” My other employee, Mirae, chimed in eagerly.

         Eunbi grinned, her eyes glistening in enthusiasm. “Oh Couture sent me an email proposing a collaboration for their upcoming Summer collection!” She cried. “Is this not the best news ever? Oh Couture is such a huge company, I can’t believe they recognized us!”

         My heart dropped at the mention of Oh Couture, dropping the cup of coffee that I was holding. A wave of mixed feelings surged through my insides. My heart squeezed in discomfort. There was only one person who came to my mind.

         Oh Sehun.

         “Ms. Jung, what’s wrong?” Mirae asked, puzzled at my stiff reaction. I watched wordlessly as Eunbi pick up the shattered pieces of my glass cup and wiped the floor. Seeing that I was not responding, she waved before my eyes. “Earth to Ms. Jung?”

         I blinked, taking in a deep breath as I returned to reality. “Sorry,” I uttered weakly, still in a state of disbelief.

         Eunbi chuckled at my response. “What’s with you? Your face is so pale you look like you’ve encountered something spiritual.”

         “Nothing like that,” I threw her a look. Pacing my heart and collecting my composure, I gave them both a solemn expression. “Has it been early spring already?”

         I stood before Koishikawa Korakeun, the plum blossom garden I visited precisely a year ago. I closed my eyes and inhaled. It was the same fragrance of plums that touched my heart deeply. I scrutinized around me, the beam of rays through the spring air shone softly onto the flowery landscape. The view looked celestial.

         Out of a sudden, I felt a nudge on my knee which broke me out of my nostalgic reverie. I peered downwards, noticing that a child was staring back at me with his beady eyes. He smiled brightly at me with eyes shaped like a crescent, reminding me of a person who holds a significant place in my heart.

         “Little one,” I crouched down before him and glanced at him gently. “Are you here to also admire the plum blossoms?”

         He nodded firmly, holding out his hand to have a petal land on his tiny palms. “They’re so beautiful, like you!” he told me, smiling so wide that I could see tiny gaps between his baby teeth.

         Warmth bloomed in my heart at his compliment. “Thank you,” I expressed, ruffling his soft hair. “Where are your parents?”

         “Oh Minhyuk!”

         I turned towards the source of the voice only to have my breath hitch at the sight. I stood