Bae Suzy was there again, sitting at her favourite spot in the middle of the frozen garden. Morning dew became tiny icicles that decorated the carpet grass and the trees, now void of leaves, stood unmoving in the chilly winter breeze.

But none of these mattered to her. Clad in a thin t-shirt and track pants, with only a single wool cardigan to shield her from the cold, Suzy rocked methodically back and forth, her slim arms wrapped around her knees.

Her eyes were unfocused as she gazed into the distance, beyond the neat white fence that told of her boundaries – a necessity to keep her from contact with the society that existed beyond.

The doorbell rang, interrupting the silence that shrouded the house. Sighing, Mrs Bae stepped back from the window. Passing the bottom of the stairs, she called out, “Sungjong! Your friend is here I think.”

She hurried to the door, pausing to glance out of the window at the boy who stood in front of the gate. It was a habit that she had acquired for a long time now – twelve years to be exact.

With a smile, she flicked the switch that commanded the automatic gates, inviting the boy into the front yard.

Seventeen. He stopped, seeing the engraved numbers on the stone wall. Lifting his hand out of the warmth of his pocket, he pressed the doorbell once before stepping back to wait for an answer.

A movement caught his eye. Peering closer, he noticed a girl in the middle of the garden, rocking herself gently. Judging by her movements, she didn’t seem to mind the cold, but her red ears told otherwise.

The gate slid open and he stepped in, bowing down with a smile when he spotted a lady who he assumes is Mrs Bae. He couldn’t hold her gaze, his eyes constantly shifting to the young girl. There was something intriguing about her, the way she seemed so distant and oblivious.

“That’s Suzy.” Mrs Bae broke the silence. There was no response from the girl. “She’s like that most of the time,” Mrs Bae continued with a sad smile. “You might not understand, but she’s different.”

“How so?” Myungsoo asked, unable to contain his curiosity. Mrs Bae kept quiet for a moment as he stepped closer to Suzy. Crouching down beside her, he could see that she was flawlessly beautiful. Slipping off his ear mufflers, he tucked her long dark hair gently behind her ear and placed it on for her.

“So you won’t get frostbites,” he murmured softly.

“She can’t understand you, dear.” Mrs Bae tugged at his arm gently. “She’s… what many will call a feral child.”

But even as he was being ushered towards the front door where Sungjong was waiting, he thought he saw a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

And that moment, was when the first snow fell.

Strange people always wanted to see her, stare at her, and speak to her in a language she didn’t fully understand. They forced her to look at them, forced her to follow the noises they made while waving large flat objects with some drawings on them. She didn’t like it one bit.

She felt someone gently pushing her hair back and putting on something warm and furry on her ears. Almost instantly, the biting cold melted away. He murmured something that was muffled by the thing over her ears. Not that she’d understand either way.

He didn’t make her look his way and let her carry on with her rocking. He didn’t talk loudly and make her open to utter those weird sounds that she only vaguely remembered uttering before. He didn’t ask her anything but gave her exactly what she needed.

Suzy felt her lips curling up slightly at the corners as comfortable warmth radiated from within. She had learnt this while observing her family – the expression her daddy gave when he played with her amidst the crisp amber leaves in autumn, the expression her mummy made when she received the bunch of flowers daddy handpicked for her in summer, the expression Sungjong had when he brought home a golden cup looking like how she looked when she rolled around the muddy banks of a river in early spring.

So this was how it felt, she thought. Releasing one hand and stretching it out, she unintentionally caught a snowflake that instantly melted in the warmness of her palm.

So this, was when the first snow fell.

So here's the first chapter.

A little action can go a long way. As cliche as it sounds, I always believe in this. Because you'll never know when it might just let someone feel understood, for once in their lives.