“You should give him a chance.  He seems like a cool dude.” Kangjoon suggests soon after we have agreed to call truce on tattling on each other to Taeyeon.

Really mature, I know.  I admit that ever since Park Chanyeol shows up, I’ve been restless.  Just as I’ve begun to set my heart and mind to start over, I waver yet again despite of his insincerity.  

I shake my head.  “What chance is there to give?  If we were to happen, then we would have happened a long time ago.”

“Tsk, tsk, little girl…” He waves his finger disapprovingly.  “Shouldn’t you know that life works in a mysterious way by now?”

I look at him, confused.

“Timing.”  He continues, “Everything has to do with timing.”

~*~

Ah…so it has to do with timing.

Like the falling snow flakes are the most natural phenomenon during this frosty winter, timing is the most natural explanation for my heart’s restlessnesss.

But wait, why do I hope to believe this kind of nonsense?  This is merely Kangjoon’s lame excuse for himself with regards to his own situation that involves a particular waitress.  It doesn’t apply to me.

Yet, the muscles around my lips cannot help but curve upward in a gleam of hope.

Oh, why do I still hope after all this time?

Of course, words from fairy tales such as timing do not apply to me.

My body freezes helplessly at the scene of a woman caressing his face.

I hold in a fist and force my voice out.  “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

Wah!  What are you doing, Song Gayeon?!  Think! 

Then, I see my water bottle by the desk lamp.  “I just need to grab something and I’ll be on my way.” I explain as swiftly as I can.

I try to look as natural as possible, walk to my side of the room, quickly grab the water bottle, and dash out of the room.

Why do my fingers shake?  Why do tears keep falling and my heart clenches in pain?  We’ve never been together anyways…and he certainly does not belong to me.

Song Gayeon, it’s time to wake up from all these delusions.

And so, I try.

As the night sky rolls in, the host of the camping trip gathers us around the camp fire.  Despite of the frosty cold, the camping spirit is not dampening in the least.  We clap along to the upbeat rhythm when the host starts playing on his guitar and singing.  Then, inadvertently my eyes meet with his.  A peculiar warm chill runs down my spines.

He smiles, oblivious as he has always been.

I look down, finding my mittens interesting all of a sudden.

“Hey, he’s keep looking this way at you.” Kangjoon whispers.

“No, he’s not.” I deny. 

I get up quietly when the crowd finally get engrossed with the campfire atmosphere.  Even he seems to be enjoying himself.

Maybe a walk would put my mind at ease.

I pick up a tree branch off the fluffy snow topped ground and glide the sharp tip along the snow as I walk along the camp trail.  It has finally stopped snowing a couple of hours ago and so, the sky is clear with stars.

“Hey, you’re Song Gayeon, right?”

I turn around.  It is the woman with him today.