“Joy-ah!” Sungjae called out to Joy’s bedroom window on the second floor of her house. She went to the window and saw Sungjae standing outside in the front yard. She opened the window and smiled happily at him.

“What do you think you’re doing here? Did you finish your schedule early today?”

“Yeah I did. Did you miss me?”

“Hold on. I’ll be down there in a sec.” Joy ignored his question and disappeared from the window.

It was just a few more hours until midnight, but a dark cloud have already fell across the entire city. The fall season has passed and winter had just begun. The weather became chilly and the night was darker than usual. The street of the alleyway was empty when Joy came outside of her house.

“What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re drunk and came here because you missed me so much.”

“Hmm, I did. Not the drunk part. Aish, I’m not even old enough to drink.” Sungjae shook his head. “Joy-ah, let’s run away!”

“Huh?!”

“Come on!”

Sungjae intertwined his hand with hers and led her down the alleyway. They took the local bus, and after half an hour they got off at a bus stop under the Han River.

“This is what you meant by running away? Lame!”

“This is just a practice run. Next time, we’ll run away to the sea.”

“For winter vacation?”

“Yup!”

The two walked along the side of the river and finally came toward a bench. They sat down and enjoying the night view of the river.

“I submitted my application for the writing contest a few days ago.”

“Oh really? Congratulation!”

“For what? I haven’t even won yet.”

“Still! Good job on finishing it. I knew you had it in you.”

“Pshh!..........Mmmm, by the way, you did you wanted to be? If you weren’t an actor I mean.”

“Me? Hmmmm, if I wasn’t an actor I wanted to be a fisherman.”

“Really? How come?”

“Don’t know. I just like the water.”

“Do you ever regret being an actor then?”

“…....No, I don’t. I am really lucky to get a good manager who looks and take care of me. I even met you, and also a lot of good people. I really won’t forget that day when you smacked me on the head in the narrow alleyway.” Sungjae chuckled at the memories.

“Sheesh, you deserved it. Hmm, but actually I can imagines you going out all day to fish, and ignoring your wife and kids if you were a fisherman.”

Sungjae chuckled. He wanted to protest but decided against it. Instead, he pulled a portable music player and an earphone out of his pocket, and handed it to Joy. She placed the earphone into her ears and Sungjae the player.

            ~You must be doing well, you must be comfortable now

            ~The season when you met me has come again

            ~And it has passed one day again

            ~You must be doing well, the girl who foolishly smiled even in pain

            ~The girl who only knew me is a 21-years old woman now

Joy instantly pulled the earphone out of her ears halfway through the song.

“Yah! What is this?”

“Sooyoung-ah, you heard the lyrics right? You better not be too comfortable with another man in the future.”

“Aish, I know! Geez, you’re not romantic at all!”

Sungjae sneered after he got the confirmation he wanted out of Joy. “Good! We can’t let this song apply to us. Oh, but there is something I’m curious about though.”

“What?”

“About that key necklace you’re always wearing around your neck. Is there a meaning to it?”

 “Oh, this!” Joy placed her hand over the necklace. “Someone special gave it to me a long time ago.”

“Oh. Minhyuk?”

“Nope!”

“What?!”

“I said no. You didn’t hear me?”

“Joy, you’re writing a teen comic book now? Is that why you were still up so late when I knocked on your window? Let me guess, the person that gave you that necklace also promised to marry you when the two of you grew up right? Oh, you really have a sense of humor.”

“……..……..”

“Okay then, tell me. Exactly how many guys were there before me?”

“Well, during middle school, I used to live in Canada for two years. There was this guy that was really good at…”

“Aish, forget it! Past is just past. What matters is the present.” Sungjae convinced himself.

Upon seeing Sungjae’s denial, Joy just shook her head and burst into laughter.

***

It was almost midnight when Joy and Sungjae left the Han River. As they walked to Joy’s house, they noticed that a small restaurant in the neighborhood was still open and decided to go in. The place was an old-style family owned restaurant with just the owner inside. She was an elder lady that seem to be over her fifty and been living in the area for as long as Joy could remember.

The two both ordered spicy noodle soup to help keep them warm during the chilly night. After they finished their meal, they saw that the elder woman was trying to move some coals outside to her backyard.

“Ajumma, do you need any help?” The two offered.

“Yes, could you help me move these to the backdoor and heat up the fireplace for me? It get really cold in this house during winter nights.”

They both carried as much coals as they could and brought it outside, then went back to get more. They repeated the process a couple more times until all the coal were moved. Sungjae then lit a wooden stick on fire using the matches that the older lady have given him, and tossed the stick inside the fireplace. The flame from the stick slowly spreads and eventually lit up the entire place.

“Ajumma, we’re done. It’s getting really late. You should close down the restaurant for the night soon.” Joy said.

“I can’t, there’s still a lot of stuff left for me to do. With the holiday coming up and all, I need to prepare presents for my children and grandchildren for when I go and visit them later. Ahhh, seeing you two reminds me of my kids when they were young. The years has gone by so fast, and they’re all grown up now. And even after all these years, I still need to prepare fermented kimchi and other side dishes whenever I go see them. They can be so absorbs in their life to take care of themselves sometimes.”

“Do you lived here alone?” Sungjae asked.

“Yes, my husband passed away when the kids were still young. I raised them as a single mother. But even now as an adult, they still have their fair share of problems. And all I can do for them is prepared fermented kimchi and radish.”

“Even if they might not expressed it, I think they will appreciates it. At the very least, it is the taste of their childhood.”

The older woman giggled. “You two really knows how to flatter a lady don’t you? I’ll be going back to my work now. You can stay as long as you like.”

“Thank you. Let us know if you need anything.” Joy replied as the woman returned back inside the restaurant.

Even though the temperature outside was dropping, Joy and Sungjae remain seated in front of the fireplace to receive some of its warmth.

“Is there anything you wish for next year?” Joy asked.

“Hmmm. I want to go back to school after the filming is over. Hopefully I can be a better student as a senior and don’t miss as many days. There’s only one year left for me to enjoy my high school life.”

“Alright, we will do everything as a senior then. Ditching class and going to arcade room. I also want to try and boss the lower-classmen around. It will be fun.”

“Um, that wasn’t the initial idea but alright. Let’s become a pair of dangerous delinquents. We can spend spring and summer together, and there’s still a lot of other things left for us to do.”

“Alright! Let’s do it all. Let’s overcome every seasons together. I still have a lot of youth left in me.”

“Alright…....Joy-ah, I don’t think I seen you cry before.”

“Yeah, how come? You’re thinking of bullying me now right?”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t remember where I heard it, but they said that girls are most pretty when they cry. I wonder how beautiful you’ll be when you do.”

“Of course. I’ll be so pretty, you’ll head-over-heels for me. You know, there’s still a lot you don’t know about me. I’m only going to get better from here. ”

Sungjae laughed at Joy’s boasting and squeezed her two cheeks together. “I know, there’s still a long way for us to go to reach our best. We both haven’t reach that level yet. But really though, I haven’t even showed you half of my attractive side.”

“What?! Geez, you’re still a prankster like the day we first met….…….…..Hey, it’s snowing. It’s the first snow of the year.”

Joy placed her hand out and let the snow fell into her palm. The moment it landed on her soft milky skin, it dissolved into liquid and absorbs away.

“It’s pretty…...” Sungjae claimed as he gazed at Joy.

“Isn’t it?”

Joy was too focused with the snow to realize that Sungjae was actually looking at her the entire times. The image of Joy in the falling snow was too mesmerizing for Sungjae to forget. He wanted to hold on to all of the previous memories he had with her. He was afraid that happiness would slipped away from him the moment he received it. Joy turned around to Sungjae.

Suddenly, she felt his soft lips pressed against hers. She freeze, surprised that Sungjae would actually take the initiative. Butterflies filled her stomach and she felt her heart beating faster. However, at the same time, she was glad that they both understood their feelings for each other. Joy too won’t forget this day. The snow gentle sprinkles around them, but their bodies were warm for the moment. Joy closed her eyes and returns his kiss.

If anyone is curious, the song that Sungjae let Joy listened to is You’ll Be Alright by BTOB.

Guys, the story is coming to an end. There’s still a lot for me to write but I will save it for another time. Please stay with me for the last couple of chapters.