So Eun and Soo Hyuk quietly ambled along the stretch of the beach, but this time the silence was not awkward. It was comfortable and safe. Occasionally, they stopped to look and listen to the gentle waves. Despite the cold weather, there were some avid beach-goers who still dared to take a dip in the winter sea. So Eun giggled as she watched them. Soo Hyuk turned to look at her, watching how the breeze blew her locks of hair. She had tied her hair up in a neat bun, with two locks of hair draping her face. He felt an itch to reach his hand out to tuck the loose locks of hair behind her ears, but he restrained himself.

“Are you hungry, So Eun-sshi? It’s almost lunch time,” he asked her.

“I wasn’t really hungry, but now that you’ve asked me, I do feel a bit hungry. Especially when I remember the bento sets that we gave out this morning. They looked so yummy I wished I could have tried one of them,” she admitted shyly.

“Really? That’s great! You’re in luck,” he smiled and gave her a subtle wink.

He gestured to her to follow him and soon they reached a spot with a good view of the whole beach. He settled his leather duffel bag on the fallen log nearby and took out a mat. The plaid mat sat nicely on the flat ground. So Eun watched as he pulled out two neatly packed bento sets from the bag, but the packaging was different from the ones they gave out this morning. These were more compact, and the contents were different too. They were more detailed and fun. Her eyes widened. Seeing her shocked, Soo Hyuk chuckled and offered his hand for her to take. He gently pulled her down to sit opposite him. He looked for a small woollen blanket inside his bag and placed it over her lap. So Eun was impressed by his meticulousness.

“Did you…prepare all this? I mean….when did you prepare this? ….Daebak,” she mouthed, her eyes fixed on the bento set in front of her.

“Yes I did. I thought you might want to try my bento so I prepared one for you. In case you didn’t realise, yours is special. Besides what can be better for lunch than home-cooked food?” he answered, then jested, “I mean, considering the restaurant is my second home, this one is considered home-cooked too okay.” He laughed. 

So Eun laughed too. “I really wanted to try it. I can’t believe this, it’s gorgeous,” she continued, her eyes meeting his.

Soo Hyuk smiled. “Then what are you waiting for? Dig in!” he piped.

So Eun was still busy admiring her bento set. Soo Hyuk had made the rice in the shape of a bear’s face, with seaweed strips for its eyes and mouth. An azuki bean made up its nose. The side dishes were arranged neatly in the shape of a mountain. He also added egg rolls and sliced carrots that looked like skis and ski poles in the corner. How am I going to eat this bento when it looks so pretty, she thought and sighed. Soo Hyuk picked up an egg roll from his set with his chopsticks and brought it towards her lips.

“Come on, try it. The food won’t walk itself to your tummy even if you keep looking at it like that. I’ll be sad if you don’t finish the food, you know,” he teased. He gestured for her to bite the egg roll off his chopsticks.

He was so sincere that she couldn’t deny him and slowly moved closer to savour the piece of egg roll that he offered. As she chewed it, she nodded in approval. It was delicious. So Eun took out her phone to snap a picture of her bento before she happily ate her food.

*******
 

After lunch, So Eun suggested that they go ice skating to warm up their bodies. They walked back to the car and headed off to an ice rink that was about thirty minutes away. During lunch they had decided that they would stop using “-sshi” when they called each other’s names. One reason is because they were in Canada and the other being that they are now friends.

“Are you good at ice skating, So Eun?” asked Soo Hyuk once they were about to reach their destination.

She smirked. “What do you think?”

“Well, you said you were a professional skier. But I don’t suppose you’re a master at ice skating too?” he quipped.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” she replied with a shy laugh then continued, “I’ve been skating with my best friend Ha Neul since we were young so I got pretty good at it.”

Soo Hyuk flinched when he heard Ha Neul’s name. “Ha Neul? Oh, then you guys must be close.” His voice became a little cold. He didn’t know why he felt a bit disappointed.

“We are. He’s my best friend of almost 13 years. Even though we’re both busy in our own ways, we tell each other everything,” she replied, unaware of the change in his tone. She began to wonder if Ha Neul did take the tablets and herbal drinks like she had forced him to. I’ll check on him later, she made a mental note.

There were lots of people at the ice rink as it was Sunday, but there was still plenty of room to skate. Both of them got their skates from the rental shack and wasted no time to get on the rink. So Eun naturally displayed her skills and looked like she was dancing gracefully on the ice. On the other hand, Soo Hyuk struggled to find his balance, awkwardly moving his skates along the ice. He could not seem to be able to coordinate his arms and legs even though he has skated a few times before. He held on to the wall on the side while he watched So Eun glide, completely mesmerized. He was feeling embarrassed and thought he should just sit at the side and watch her. However, he suddenly felt a tug on his elbow. So Eun smiled and pulled him away from the wall. He began to panic, but he could feel her holding on to his arms to keep him steady.

“It’s okay. You just need to find your balance. Put your arms out in a flying position to keep yourself steady and bend your knees a little. At the count of 3, I’ll release my hands and you’ll try to move forward slowly, step by step. Okay, 1, 2, 3…” So Eun instructed, releasing her hands from his arms.

Soo Hyuk was a little unstable at first but kept his arms out. Once he found his balance, he glided his foot one by one, still shaky with each step but So Eun kept herself near to help. After a few rounds of practice, his muscle memory began to kick in and he was able to skate more smoothly. Soo Hyuk challenged himself to skate to the other end of the rink while So Eun did some graceful stunts with her skates. She looked up once in a while to check on him. His determined face looked so adorable. So Eun chuckled to herself at the thought. She had always enjoyed skating with her best friend Ha Neul, but today with Soo Hyuk, the feeling was different. It felt more exciting. Does this even make sense? she thought.

After dismissing her thoughts, her eyes searched for him again. This time, the sight of a skater in the distance who was heading straight towards Soo Hyuk at a fast speed sent alarms ringing in her head. The skater had plugged in his earphones and seemed to be in his own world. So Eun screamed to warn Soo Hyuk of the danger but he didn’t hear her. She had to do something.

Her athletic instincts made her race off towards Soo Hyuk in her skates. She adeptly avoided the other skaters and made her way closer. She couldn’t let him collide with the dangerous skater. Faster So Eun, faster. Adrenaline began to run through her veins, like she was reaching the finishing line in a ski race.

“Soo Hyuk, look out!” she shouted once more.

This time, Soo Hyuk’s ears perked up at the cry of his name and he turned to search for her. He finally noticed that an oncoming skater was about to crash into him but the shock immobilized his limbs. Thankfully, So Eun made it just in time between them and grabbed Soo Hyuk in her arms. They both spun as a result of the force and momentum. So Eun tried to slow their movements down and she managed to bring them to a complete stop just before they banged into the wall at the side. Her eyes were tightly shut and her arms were still wrapped tightly around his waist as she caught her breath. Soo Hyuk was also recovering from the shock and barely moved. He could feel her breathing against his chest.

So Eun finally realised their close proximity and pulled herself away.

“Are you okay?” she mouthed.

His back now rested against the wall while he regulated his breathing. He nodded even though his head disagreed. She suggested that they stepped out to take a break. They sat at a nearby café and removed their skates.

“Thank you So Eun. If it weren’t for you, I would probably have had a nosebleed or a broken bone. I’m sorry I put you in danger too; you could have had an accident yourself. I wouldn’t forgive myself if that happened,” he apologised.

“I’m glad nothing serious happened. I was so worried when I saw that crazy skater coming straight towards you,” she replied, her thoughts going back to the moment she had wrapped her arms around him. A rush of heat filled her cheeks. 

“I know. This is only the third time we meet, but you have saved me twice already! Previously you saved me at the restaurant and now here. I think you must be my secret guardian angel,” he tried to make a joke to calm their nerves.

So Eun laughed and playfully hit him in the arm. Soo Hyuk feigned a pained expression and rubbed his arm at the spot where she had hit him. She shook her head at his unexpected jest.

“Alright, let’s return the skates. It’s already 5 p.m. We have one last place to go to,” he continued.

“Where are we going?” she asked in anticipation.

“A place fit for an angel,” he teased and walked off to the rental shack to return their skates. He left her flustered in her seat.

*******

After a short drive, they arrived at Capilano.  The temperature had gone down to 7 degrees. The moment they stepped out of the car, it felt like the wind was shooting daggers on their faces. So Eun reached into her bag for her gloves and scarf. As she put her gloves on, she realised that she had forgotten to pack her scarf. She tried to pull the ends of her collar to cover her neck from the cold. Noticing this, Soo Hyuk took out a scarf from inside the pull-out drawer of his dashboard. It was the exact same scarf that he was wearing.

“Come here,” he said, tugging at her arm when she didn’t respond. He turned her shoulders towards him and gently wrapped the scarf around her neck. 

Her brown orbs looked at him intently as he did so. He looked so focused, yet his grey eyes were not cold. They were gentle. Sensing her gaze upon him, he looked up and smiled. He tucked a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ears, taking a moment to admire how her eyes sparkled under the moonlight.

It was early December, so the park was decorated with bright, festive lights. The pine trees were illuminated in green, red, blue and orange. But the highlight was the Capilano suspension bridge that was lined with white fairy lights. It dazzled brilliantly in the dark. The whole park looked so enchanted; it was truly a winter wonderland. He was right, angels must love it here, So Eun thought. They made their way up the stairs to reach the suspension bridge. So Eun stopped every now and then to snap photos along the bridge, and Soo Hyuk offered to help take her pictures too. The view of the river beneath the bridge was breath-taking.

Once they reached the pavilion, Soo Hyuk bought some hot red velvet cocoa to warm them down. They walked around to see the different stalls and cabins that had been set up as part of the festivities. There were artsy shops selling gifts and Christmas trinkets, others selling Christmas-themed snacks and drinks. They passed by a photobooth and were stopped by the owner.

“You guys look so cute in the matching scarfs. Would you like to take a picture inside? It’s only $2 for three shots and you’ll each receive a printed photo set,” she persuaded them.

Hearing the comment, they both looked at each other and laughed.

“Sure, we’ll do it,” Soo Hyuk agreed and So Eun nodded.

They stood in front of the camera holding some props but there was an awkward gap between them.

“I think you guys need to stand a little bit closer,” the owner said as she looked through the camera viewfinder.

They cautiously closed the gap between them and smiled for the camera.  After three snaps, the owner went to develop the photos.

“Aww, this is perfect,” she cooed as she handed them the photos. She added, “I also have another gift. Here’s a pair of charms for you; one’s a star and the other a crescent moon. I only have this pair and I was saving it for the most creative couple at the photobooth, but because you two looked so adorable I thought you deserved it.” She winked.

So Eun and Soo Hyuk smiled awkwardly before going on their way. Soon, they headed back to the car as Soo Hyuk didn’t want to send her home late. He knew she had skiing training early the next day.

As they sat in the car, another awkward silence befell them.

Soo Hyuk coughed. “So um, which charm do you want? ...The star or the crescent moon?”

“I uh…don’t really mind either,” she responded.

He thought for a while and said, “Then I think you should have the crescent moon, because that’s how your eyes look like when you smile. Pretty, little crescent moons.” He placed the charm in the palm of her hand.

“Thank you for spending your Sunday with me, So Eun. Hope you enjoyed it,” he remarked.

“I sure did. I had fun going to so many places. Happy birthday again Soo Hyuk, and may all your wishes come true.” She added, “By the way I was wondering, how come you have two of the same scarf?”

His eyebrow twitched and his face turned serious at the question. “Because….it belongs to my brother.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a brother,” she continued.

Soo Hyuk took a deep breath.

“I used to have one. Not anymore,” he revealed.

So Eun noticed his eyes becoming teary but he shifted his gaze away from her. He drove off, eyes focused on the road as he tried to fight the painful memories that began to cloud his mind.

A/N: Let me know what you think! Next update will probably be in the next week. Have a great week, guys.