Weird. She looked completely weird and strange in Eunmi’s eyes. Eunmi had never seen Yoonmi act that way ever since they were children. Eunmi had noticed that when Yoonmi arrived home yesterday evening. She looked confused, she was blushing, and sometimes she even smiled alone and lightly slapped and pinched at her cheeks as if she was trying to wake herself up from some kind of dream or hallucination. When Eunmi asked what had happened to her, Yoonmi looked at her with no expression. Her short conversation with Yoonmi last night automatically played in her mind.

“Tell me, has anything odd happened to you recently?”

“Uh… What do you mean odd?”

“Unusual. Deviating from the customary. Something outside the usual parameters of normalcy. An occurrence of unprecedented weird.”

Eunmi knew that something must have had happened to Yoonmi but her twin was just not ready to share it. Yoonmi’s anxious expression showed it all. There was nothing that she could do unless she waited for it patiently even though the curiosity ikilled her softly.

That day, Eunmi didn’t really have any classes to attend. In fact, she got quite plenty of free time to spend to herself but she still ended up heading towards the university. She already had something in her mind. Just like before; with a camera in her hand, Eunmi wandered along the way to the university and captured the mesmerizing snowy scenery around her. She was only 100 meters away from her university when her light steps suddenly stopped. She froze, and gazed towards a lifeless tree at the side of the road where the branches were covered with snow. Even so, Eunmi saw that a bird was chirping on the top of the tree; as if it was trying to give the tree a life even though it was impossible.

She directed the camera lens towards the happily chirping bird  and took a few snaps before she grinned. Eunmi examinedthe pictures one by one thoroughly before she was suddenly pushed hard from behind and the force caused her to fall onto the snowy ground. She groaned in pain as she looked up and tried to see just who in the world  pushed her.

“Uh… Noo-noona, are you a-alright?”

Right in front of her, there were two little boys standing with an uneasy expression with snowballs in their hands. When she realised that, Eunmi's stern expression lossened and she tried to smile even though she felt a pain in her elbow.

“Ah... I’m completely fine! Don’t worry…” Eunmi replied with a big smile on her face.

“We’re truly sorry! We should’ve looked where were we running to just now, we didn’t mean to make you fall.”

“No, It’s alright, I’m good! I know both of you didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Really? Noona, you’re so nice! Thank you so much for not getting angry at us!” The boys said before they slightly bowed before they started to run away and left Eunmi who was still on the ground. Eunmi shook her head as she smiled. She couldn’t even bring herself to get angry at the boys for making her fell because she realized if she did that, she might kill their excitement to play with the snowballs. In fact, seeing them running and playing around with the snowballs reminded her of Yoonmi and her childhood. The period when both she and Yoonmi enjoyed the winter just like the other kids did.  

Thank goodness for the first snow. It was a reminder that no matter how old she had became and how much she had seen, things could still be new if she was willing to believe that they still brought such a significant meaning to herself and Yoonmi. Even though it has been more than ten times since winter had come to their life, they still brought such different meaning every single year, especially this year; a year filled with new light and hope.

“Hey, you…”

Eunmi looked up as she get up. She stood still when her eyes met the voice of the owner.

“Are you okay?” He asked and picked up Eunmi’s camera that was still on the ground and handing it toward her.

“Oh God, my camera! Please don’t tell me it’s broken already!” Eunmi exclaimed as she frantically grabbed the camera and checked it thoroughly before she let out a heavy sigh. She felt extremely relieved that there was nothing wrong with her camera. It was a gift from Yoonmi; of course she would treasure it more than everything else.

“By the way, here! Take this.” He smiled and handed her a handkerchief but Eunmi eyed him from head to toe suspiciously.

“Your elbow. There’s a small cut on it. You must have gotten hurt when you fell earlier.” He added and showed his sympathy when he coincidently saw that Eunmi fell just now. He was walking behind her all that time when Eunmi suddenly stopped and looked up to  the dead tree near the sidewalk. He was curious. What had caught her attention all of sudden? But his curiosity wasn’t strong enough to make him stay and wait for an answer and he chose to keep walking toward his destination which wasn't far, but a sudden sound of something falling on the ground had made him stop. She already fell on the ground with two little boys around her. Just then, Eunmi eventually took the handkerchief away but she was still in a frozen state.

 “Uh, you can walk, right? Since you can still get up by yourself, I’ll just consider it as a ‘yes’. So, I’ll be leaving first!” He said and caught a glimpse at his watch before he walked away without waiting for Eunmi to reply.

“Uh, hey… Thank you…” Eunmi finally said, dumbfounded, more like a whisper because he was already far away to hear her gratitude. Her eyes were fixed to his retreating figure even though he could barely be seen. Eunmi directed her camera toward him and zoomed in on his back as she quickly took a few snaps before his silhouette was completely gone from her sight. Her mind was free from any thought. All she did was stand there in a daze while she examined the blurry pictures and the handkerchief repeatedly before she realized that she was already late. In the speed of light, Eunmi ran as fast as she could to the university and frantically looked for a room with the ‘Photography Club’ sign on it.

She grinned as her eyes caught the sign; the sign that she had been looking for.

“Photography Club, here I am…” Eunmi mumbled as she panted heavily. She had been running hard to make sure that she wasn’t too late to meet the club’s president. She hoped that she would be accepted as a new member even though the club didn’t seem to be accepting any new members. Well, that wouldn't make her give up; she needed to try her luck at least. With determination, Eunmi knocked the door.

“Hello!” Eunmi said cheerfully and bowed slightly after a deep voice was heard; asking her to come in.

“Oh, yes miss? How may I help you?” A guy with big round eyes and stern expression appeared out of nowhere, and  Eunmi was taken aback.

“Hi, this is Photography Club right?”

“No. You’ve come to the wrong place. This is ography Club, not Photography Club!” Another guy appeared and moved from the corner of the room towards Eunmi he a lollipop.

“Por-ography C-Clu-Club?” Eunmi’s face reddened as she stuttered. She was pretty sure she didn’t read the sign wrong. It was obviously written as ‘Photography Club’! That was what the sign said. It couldn’t be wrong. Her mind was busy trying to imaginewhat kind of activity that this club was doing if the club’s name is already controversial enough when the guy from earlier grinned widely.

“Just kidding! Welcome to Photography Club! I’m Byun Baekhyun, and this is Do Kyungsoo.” He replied and pointed his finger toward the round eyed guy who was standing still in front of Eunmi with a poker face. Baekhyun laughed when he spotted a paniced expression on Eunmi’s face but he immediately stopped when he realized the deadly glare that Kyungsoo directed at him. Baekhyun pouted and rolled his eyes before he backed off.

“My name’s Jung Eunmi and I came to meet your club’s president or maybe someone who has an authorative position in this club. So, may I?” Eunmi said calmly as her eyes secretly explored every single corner of the room. But only Baekhyun and Kyungsoo could be seen in the club room; no one else. The room was quite messy and dusty; photo albums, files, paperwork, newspapers and even snack packets were all over the place.  Eunmi was doubtful. Was this how the photography club's room normally looked like? 

“I’m sorry but our club president isn’t here yet. May I know what brought you here, maybe Baekhyun or I can help you?” Kyungsoo asked and showed his well mannered attitude by asking her to sit on an empty chair in front of him. Eunmi sat before she answered.

“Actually, I was wondering if your club is still accepting a new club members. I’m interested in joining this club. I know that all of the clubs are not accepting any new members anymore since the registration for a new members are closed. But I’m still hoping for a positive answer from your club.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun glanced at each other before back to Eunmi.

“Well… Suho hyung didn’t say anything about accepting any new members though and we can’t even make a decision by ourselves either.” Kyungsoo replied.

“There’s a male student came last week to join this club and he wasn't accepted by Suho hyung...” Baekhyun added.

‘Suho…hyung? Is that what this club president’s name?’ Eunmi mumbled but only in her mind.

“Ah… I see…” Eunmi eventually replied in disappointment.

“Let just wait for him. He’ll be here in no time.” Kyungsoo said and Eunmi nodded before she looked down. Frankly speaking, her determination had dropped down to the floor. Eunmi could feel that she wouldn’t be accepted into the club and she was already considering to join another club instead. A sudden noise could be heard from outside the room and Eunmi, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo just waited for the voices' owners to show up in the room but all that they could hear was a noisy voice that was filled with dissatisfaction and anger.

“How you can just stand there, calmly eating muffins when I’m in this trouble. I can’t understand. You seem to be perfectly heartless to me.” A voice was heard shouting in front of the door.

“Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them.” Another voice was heard in  an annoying tone.

“I say it’s perfectly heartless that you’re eating muffins at all, under these circumstances.” At that time, the door opened widely and Jongin entered the room with his mouth was covered with food while Suho just entered the room right after that, frowning.

Upon seeing Suho, Eunmi’s eyes automatically widened. At that moment, only one word appeared in her blank mind; the handkerchief!

Without even looking at the annoying Jongin, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and even Eunmi who was still sitting in front of Kyungsoo, Suho just went straight to his desk as he picked up some books and his other stuff before he headed out of the room and stompped his feet in dissatisfaction.

“Hyung! We’re still accepting new club members right?” Baekhyun shouted when Suho was already half way out of the room and without even looking back.

Suho shouted back. “Do as you wish!”

Upon hearing that, Baekhyun automatically clapped and jumped enthusiastically.“Congratulations! You’re accepted!” He said and grabbed Eunmi’s hand before he shook it excitedly.

“Huh? Just like that?” Eunmi exclaimed in disbelief while Baekhyun nodded a few times. Eunmi smiled awkwardly and Kyungsoo just shook his head and sighed. His gaze was fixed to Jongin who was sitting on Suho’s table with his muffins.

“What have you done to Suho hyung again this time, Kim Jongin?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, he asked for a dating advice from me and when I give him some tips, he got angry.” Jongin explained innocently as his eyes met Eunmi who was also looking at him. Jongin winked mischievously before Eunmi rolled her eyes and lookedaway.

“There must be something wrong with your tip, that’s what made Suho hyung angry.” Baekhyun added.

“Uh… I’m just giving him a few… Hot tips… For a ‘first timer’ like him.” Jongin grinned as he finished talking.

“I knew it! This dirty little fella! You just made this club sound like a ography Club for real!” Kyungsoo muttered and shot Jongin a poisonous glare. Jongin didn’t seem to be bothered by Kyungsoo's words at all even if he heard it often.

“Yah, aren’t you going to welcome our new club member?” Baekhyun poked Kyungsoo’s cheeks and ignored Jongin.

“Welcome to the club…” Kyungsoo said eventually and shook Eunmi’s hand and gave Eunmi a slight smile. It was just plain awkward for both of them.

 

 

“I've bruised my knees with praying to have her back. None of my prayers were answered. I tried to send them up to heaven but they’re trapped here on earth, like bobwhites beneath the snow. I try to sleep and it's like I'm suffocating. There were moments when I wished I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well... And you came into this room and brought all of those memories of her back to life…” Xiumin whispered with glittery eyes.

He reached into Yoonmi’s chest with his words. When Xuimin spoke, her heart was thumping without any specific rhythm. Yoonmi wondered; what kind of feeling was she having at that moment. Was it nervousness? Heartbreak? Disappointment? Or... Maybe a sense of sympathy? Yoonmi couldn't really decide. The only thing that she knew was she could fully understand his feelings; the feelings of being regretful, the feelings of guilt. She felt all of those painful things. Somehow, Yoonmi felt an invisible connection that bonded them together.

“What had happened to her?” Yoonmi asked, narrowing her gaze towards Xiumin.

“A car accident and the worst part is... I was the driver.” He answered, and looked down instead of looking at her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought about her up in the first place... And, I understand how you feel because-” Yoonmi replied, She stood up and distanced herself a few steps away from Xiumin. As for Xiumin, he only chuckled helplessly and tried to show that the dark memories brought him no harm. He already moved on, he believed that. He needed to make himself believe that.

“No. Don’t be sorry, because if you did I’d look more pathetic. That’s not how I’m supposed to look like in front of you. I’m the one who is supposed to be sorry for making you listen to all these uncomforatable stories; I’m not trying to gain your sympathy... It just...” Xiumin interrupted before he paused, and lost his words.. Even he himself didn’t know why it’ was easy for him to bring out the memories in front of Yoonmi. Was it because she looked like his little sister a lot? Was that what had made him open his heart quite easily to accept her sudden presence in that tiny, lone room?

His pupils were shaking; Xiumin couldn’t help but looked straight into her anxious eyes. The look in Yoonmi’s eyes - That's what had attracted his attention the most when he met Yoonmi for the first time. There was no camera could ever capture the look in her eyes and the feeling in his heart when he looked at her. It’s like she had a soul that was too big for her. It filled her to the brim until there was no more space, so it flowed out through her eyes. And through her lovely eyes, Xiumin could see a vision of his late, little sister. Yoonmi eyes really resembled his sister a lot. He couldn’t deny it at all.

“I-I... Uhm... I think I should leave now.” Yoonmi stammered, feeling slightly uncomfortable with Xiumin’s solemn gaze.

“Did I make you feel uncomfortable?”

“Uh? Oh, no...That’s not it. It just...I just feel like going home all of sudden.”

“It is because of what I’ve said?” Xiumin asked, sensing a sudden change in Yoonmi’s expression.

“No. You didn’t say anything wrong.” Yoonmi hesitated as she looked down. Was she being too obvious? Yoonmi eventually smiled and tried to hide her inner thoughts.

“Can we walk together then? Until the front gate at least?” Xiumin raised his eyebrows and changed his tone to a brighter and cheerful one.

“Su-Sure!”

Upon hearing that, Xiumin smiled even wider. He looked like an innocent baby with that smile on his face. He acted like he never talked about something that had changed his life, something that had turned his life upside down and that's what made Yoonmi confused. How can he change so fast? Sometimes, he looked cold… With the solemn look in his eyes and other times, he looked like a child who easily got happy because of small things. Was he possibly… Bipolar? Yoonmi really couldn’t help it but feel extremely curious about his true self. Xiumin was too mysterious for her to understand.

After Xiumin had finished collecting his stuff, they began to walk out of the Music Room and headed toward the main gate. They walked without saying a word. Xiumin seemed to be enjoying the snowy scenery while Yoonmi seemed completely awkward by his side. When he realised Yoonmi didn’t say a word, Xiumin turned to face Yoonmi with a bright face.

“So, you’re going to keep learning how to play piano from me, aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid that I can’t…”

“Why?”

“I’m not talented in playing any musical instrument. I might turn out to be a burden if I keep learning.”

“No one is talented from the moment they were born. Myself inlcuded; we need to learn in order to be talented. Talent needs effort. The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes… Ah, that is where the art resides. You know what, if…While at the piano, you attempt to form little melodies, that is very well; but if they come into your mind of themselves, when you are not practicing, you may be still more pleased; for the internal organ of music is then roused in you. Your fingers must do what the heart desires; not the contrary.” Xiumin said,which only added to the confusion in Yoonmi’s mind. Yoonmi just blinked in confusion while Xiumin chuckled at her expression.

“You’ll understand soon, that’s why you need to keep learning. Who knows, maybe one day you can play the piano especially for your beloved one. Just like what I used to do.”

The special one, for Yoonmi that would be Jung Eunmi,  she was the only loved one that she had in this world. Only her. After a few seconds later, they arrived in front of the main gate. Yoonmi was about to bid Xiumin farewell when a car suddenly stopped right in front of them.

Yoonmi looked up to see who the driver was when Suho suddenly appeared. He got out of his car and walked towards Yoonmi and Xiumin in an instant.

“Hi!” Suho greeted cheerfully before his bright expression slowly faded away as his eyes were fiercely fixed onto Xiumin who stood right next to Yoonmi and calmly looked back at Suho.

“What are you doing here?” Yoonmi asked. She was obviously surprised with Suho's sudden appearance. When she thought back, Suho always had appeared all of sudden, when she least expect him to be in front of her eyes.

“Aren’t you going to introduce this guy to me?”Suho asked back, not even answering Yoonmi’s question.

“Uh… Uhm…” Yoonmi was a bit hesitant to introduce Xiumin to Suho but she eventually did when she noticed Suho eyed Xiumin from head to toe the moment he realized Xiumin presence.

“Suho-sshi, this is Xiumin Sunbaenim….and Xiumin Sunbae, this is Su-”

Yoonmi couldn’t even finish her words when Suho cut in.

“Suho; Jung Yoonmi's boyfriend… Jung Yoonmi’s lover to be precise!” Suho said; already reaching out his hand to greet Xiumin. Xiumin welcomed Suho’s great with a gentle smile before he replied calmly.

“A lover? Yoonmi didn’t drop the honorific when she mentioned your name just now, I wondered how long have both of you knew each other.” Xiumin didn’t seem to be bothered with Suho’s boldness at all. In fact, he still looked calm and cold as he always is. Xiumin could sense the displeasure in Suho’s eyes when he looked at him, but Xiumin preferred to act like he didn’t noticed that rather than make it obvious just like what Suho did.

Only Yoonmi’s expression clearly changed; she was a bit taken aback with Suho’s words. He just confessed to her and she didn’t say a ‘no’ to his confession, but theys already counted as lovers? Just like that? Yoonmi glanced toward Suho and Xiumin nervously; both of them were still grabbing at each other’s hands but it only lasted for a while when Yoonmi’s question made Suho’s eyes back to Yoonmi.

“What are you doing in front of our university?”

“Oh, almost forgot about that! I’m here to fetch you, of course.”

“Fetch me? What for?”

“Why don’t you guess?” Suho teased, as his eyes sneakily glared at Xiumin.

Silence.

“Er… I don’t know?”

“To our first date!” Suho said, already smiling from ear to ear while Yoonmi’s eyes were widened as she heard that phrase.

“A... A... Da-Date?!”