The wind bit its way through Hwayoung’s clothes and nipped at her skin as she worked in the field. However, in the beating sun, the women in the fields dabbed their damp brows and shed layer upon layer of their furs and cloaks. Although Hwayoung shivered in the cold, her cloak laid upon the ground was a vibrant red against the washed-out brown of the cut grass of the field. Hwayoung’s own brow was beaded with droplets of sweat from exertion. The wheat for the most part had survived the previous night’s snow, and it was important for as much as possible to be brought back to be stored for winter.

              She waded deeper into the brown stalks, reaching down with her scythe to hack at the base of the stem. With deft movements, the twisted the stem around the stalks to bind the wheat together and continued pushing forward into the grass. She lost herself in the repetitive movements of bend, cut, twist, bend, cut, twist.

              However, one faulty move and Hwayoung gasped from shock and pain as red burst form her palm and onto the wheat stalks. Her scythe, the blade gleaming wet with her blood, fell to the ground. Hwayoung cursed to herself at her clumsiness.

              A warm hand gently grasped her wrist and pulled her deeper into the grass until the stalks were well above her head and shielded her from view. Following the arm the hand belonged to, Hwayoung smiled in surprise to see Jongin. His hair was tussled from the wind and speckled with bits of grass, but he appeared more carefree than Hwayoung had ever seen him before.

              “What are you doing here?” Hwayoung exclaimed, unable to keep the smile off her face. “The villagers- “

              She stopped in surprise when she saw the intense expression on Jongin’s face. His strange eyes met hers with a force that was physical, and it pushed hard against the dark-haired girl’s chest. She felt it push the breath from her chest with a hard huff, and Hwayoung was left gasping for air.

              “You should really be more careful,” his hand traced gently over Hwayoung’s bleeding palm with a serene expression. “Does it hurt?”

              Hwayoung shrugged. She could not care less about her hand at that moment. “Some.”

              Keeping his eyes firmly on hers, Jongin drew her palm to his mouth to quell the bleeding. Something in the pit of Hwayoung’s stomach swooped low, and she felt for a moment as though her feet did not touch the ground. When Jongin’s lips left her palm, he did not release her hand from his grasp.

              When Hwayoung was young, she and Minji found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. It was so small and delicate, she remembered. Minji told her that it was important for the mother bird to be able to find her chick, and so the older girl had scooped up this small thing into her two cupped hands. Minji held it as though it were something precious that would fall to pieces at the slightest wind.

Looking at Jongin holding her palm, Hwayoung could not keep that brief memory from flashing through her thoughts. She smiled. The boy in front of her looked soft, vulnerable even.

              “About what you said in the woods,” Jongin started with uncertainty on his tongue. He paused as though unsure of how to continue.

              Hwayoung felt her cheeks flame on her normally ghostly complexion. “Oh, that. Don’t-”

              “I think about you, too,” Jongin cut her off. His expression was carefully controlled, neutral. “I think about you so much it scares me.”

              Hwayoung turned her head slightly, unsure of what she was hearing. Her heartbeat raced in her chest, and felt dry. She couldn’t stop herself from taking a heavy step forward.

              “Jongin, what are you saying?”

              The boy shut his eyes to take a deep breath like he was trying to hold his next words back, but they came tumbling out of his mouth the next moment.

              “I am saying I am tired of fighting you,” Hwayoung frowned in confusion, but Jongin continued. “I am not strong enough to keep my distance.”