MIRA'S POV:

I kept rubbing my palms together and blew onto them while desperately trying to protect myself from the freezing winter breeze. Although these were the mountains that I grew up climbing and the woods that I recalled running around for almost my whole life, today, somehow, the touch of that familiar subzero degree zephyr felt colder than usual. As though welcoming an anonymous stranger and not the ardent child it nurtured for so long, my beautiful birth place emancipated with an extremely odd and ominous aura.

"Wae geurae...?" I gently placed my palm on the snowy bark of the nearest tree as the chillness summoned an alien sense of jolt in my nerves.

"Mira-yah, the locals just told me that there is too much snow on the road that led to the top and it is dangerous to drive up in that state, especially after sunset. I guess, we can't climb up to the temple today... eottoke?" His information felt like fuel to the portentous fire that was burning in my bothered heart.

First, we had to stop at various spots on the way to Gangwon-do because of the inconsistent snow fall. Then, the familiar breeze of my village felt like needles piercing through my skin instead of its usual comforting caress. And now when we have finally reached, we're being held back from going to the sacred Samhwasa temple I grew up in. A slight sensation of pain began throbbing in my temples as I contemplated the odds over.

"Choi Mira! Do you hear me?" He softly touched my tensed shoulder as I turned around.

"This doesn't feel right, Won-ah. This place is colder than usual..." I expressed my frustration as he hurriedly took off his gloves and put them on my icy hands.

"Yah! Why are you not wearing any gloves?" He rubbed his palms together and blew on them before caressing my pale face as his comfy warmth eased my concern a little.

"It is the peak time of the season, Mira-yah. Plus, this place has always been colder than anywhere during winter."

However, his reasons didn't get to me at all. Unlike my eyes and other senses, my instincts could never be deceived and right now what I felt was far more disturbing than I could ever describe. This trip was supposed to be a romantic reminiscent of our good old times but it felt like everything except what we expected.

It felt more like a wary warning than a warm welcome.

"Gaja... let's go to the nearest home stay for tonight and I promise to take you to the temple tomorrow." He began to walk but I instantly held onto his forearm, halting his steps.

"Won-ah... let's just return to Seoul tomorrow. We can visit another time when you have debuted. I don't feel..."

"Mira-yah..." He held both my shoulders with care. "Gwenchana... don't be bothered by the climate please. It'll be better tomorrow. Plus, I won't risk promising to bring you back after the debut because you know how things will be after that. Come on now... you know how much I had to beg Jyani hyung to lend me his father's old jeep without even a proper license..." His objection gave rise to another ominous hint in my calamitous head. Perhaps that is the reason.

Perhaps this illegal trip was already a mistake to begin with.

"That is it! That exactly is it. Maybe we should just go back and visit again when either of us have a legal driver's license... isn't this dangerous?"

"Choi Mira...Choi Mira..." I was pulled into an emergency hug as he patted my back softly. "Please don't get sentimental now... You don't have to worry this much because I have all of this sorted out. You know what... let's stop by Dutasan Fortress before going to Samhwasa tomorrow. I know how much you love the view from the peak." He proposed another equally dangerous offer in attempt of calming me.

"Aniya Won-ah, listen..."

"Gwenchana, Choi Mira! Just trust me and let me handle this, okay? I'll protect you! Now, I'm seriously starving... ppalli gaja!"

★

RAVI'S POV:

I was deeply contemplating whether or not to wake her up for a while now as I tried to suspend the alarming sense of déjà vu that's been sickening me since arrival. Everything felt awfully similar. Every single detail did. Even the unpleasant frown on her forehead resembled the similar frustration she portrayed the last time we came to Gangwon-do.

Only if I'd acknowledged her fear back then.
Only if I was more matured to have considered all odds.
Only if it wasn't because of my negligence.

Both of us would have lived a far more pleasant life than we do right now. I sighed a silent scream when her phone suddenly began ringing and I was taken aback by the sound of my own voice blaring from the device. At first I smiled learning that her ringtone was my music but the joy died as soon as it dawned when I realized the sardonic song selection.

"Yeah I need need need memories...
Yeah I need need need memories..."

How ironic...

Yeah, I need the memories of the times I laughed and cried with her. Yeah, I need the memories of her face that looked at me. I know I can't forget it like that because I loved her too much to forget and I can't easily let go of her. Only I knew how much I'd rather go back to the past to hold her when she was leaving and say that I loved her. And I couldn't. When I should've shaken off reality and flipped our fate. But I didn't.

And now, as a result of my immaturity, here we are once again and this time, I hope my determination to flip our fates pays off without any cornering obstacles.

"Yeoboseyo... Choi Mira here..." Her sleepy voice dragged me back to reality.

She was laying lazily on the passenger seat that was leaned backwards. It was actually adorable to see her answering the call in half consciousness without even opening her eyes while her phone was carelessly kept on her ear. I couldn't help but grin a little as I caught the sight of another one of her appearances that I missed a lot. However, it lasted only for a few seconds, as her eyes shot wide open in shock and she hastily sat up straight with the device pressed close to her ear this time. Clearly affected by whatever was spoken from the other line.

"Aniya... I meant...ehm..." she bit her lower lip in tension as her eyes roamed around searching for something when they suddenly lit up. "Yah! I meant to ask if it was Choi Mira. I was expecting a call from her you see but I babbled because I was sleeping..." She visibly exhaled a huge sigh of relief as her now relaxed figure laid back in the seat.

"Yah... dang-yeonhaji! I am Kang Gia-yah! Why would I say my own name wrong, right!" She tried to sound as convincible as she could and that's exactly when I comprehended the entire scene.

Suddenly, I felt a huge surge of guilt wash over me as I realized her helpless state, where she had to lie about her own name and my sanity drowned right there when I recalled how it was all because of me. I got down from the vehicle immediately and headed towards the home stay but I heard her call after me.

She was anxiously holding up my cap and face mask that I forgot to wear. It was actually funny to see her gesturing at me using all her eyes and eyebrows with the phone still pressed to her ear. For one brief moment, I forgot about every worry and began beaming like a bear as I rushed back to the jeep to put on my covers. "Mian..." I whispered before wearing the black face mask as she nodded while putting the cap on my head with a half-hearted smile.

By the time I returned with the keys, she was already done with the call and was silently contemplating something rather serious. As soon as she saw me, her serious expression switched to skittish as she hurried to my side with the heavy bags hanging onto her shoulders.

"Yah! Ppalli ppalli! Let's go in before someone spots you. PPALLI!" She dragged me along with all her might until we reached inside our room.

"Phew... your idol life is indeed more than what meets the eye..." Her voice felt faint as she walked towards the huge window that overlooked the bewitching scenery of the mountain range. The earlier frown was once again visible on her forehead and I couldn't hold myself back from asking.

"What is it?" I settled on the bed, facing her back as she remained silent for a few solid seconds before finally deciding to speak.

"It feels almost alike..." She trailed off and I could only wait for her to continue.

"Sneaking you in disguise like that... It was almost alike with the fret and fear I felt when we arrived here years ago. The very same ominous unease, like I'm doing the wrong thing. Again..." Her soft gaze remained secured on the mount peak at a far distance. And the tenebrous tension sat square on her stiff shoulders.

"Did you... you dreamed of it earlier, didn't you?" She nodded without another word. Silence settled in the air for longer than it should while neither of us attempted to break it. I exhaled a deep sigh and aligned every single one of my next choice of words attentively.

"Mira-yah..." My voice echoed softer than I intended to. Her gorgeous gaze finally met mine as she turned to my call slowly. "Come here..." I slightly patted the space beside me.

Her dreamy eyes drifted back to the view beyond the window for one more time before she turned away from it completely. I could literally feel the weight of her steps just from the time they took to reach my side. She seemed so close, yet so far and I was fighting with everything I had to keep myself together without giving away the gnawing pain.

"Weren't you initially excited about this trip?" She nodded with her head hung low. Her fingers were thoughtlessly fidgeting with the hem of her jean jacket.

"Then, let's carry on with the same excitement throughout this trip, shall we? Look around..." I tenderly wrapped my arm around her shoulder as her tensed posture relaxed a little.

"Listen, Mira-yah. Everything has changed from the last time. Even the seasons have changed and this time I'll make sure to do everything in order to protect you properly. Do you trust me?" She leaned in to my embrace and nodded at last.

"Of course I'll trust you, Won-ah. Ehm..." Her tender arms wrapped around my torso firmly as her original goofy mode returned. "I don't know why... but this is all so overwhelming. Just breathing the mountain breeze feels so nostalgic that it makes me all teary..."

"Then cry..." Her head whipped up from the crook of my collarbone as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Cry as much as you want, Mira-yah. Cry to your heart's content because when we leave this place, there'll be no tears left for you to shed."

Her divine face instantly lit up as she pressed an enthusiastic kiss on my cheek and cuddled even closer.

★★★

Flashback ~
Gangwon Province, 2011.

"Don't wait for a special miracle
There's a rough road in front of us
With unknowable future and obstacles, I won't change
I can't give up

Protect me with an unchanged love
Also my wounded heart
Looking in your eyes, no words are needed
Time has stopped..."

"It stopped, huh?" I spent at least five seconds with every step that I took. Savoring the moment in my heart as the girl whipped around at the sound of my voice, with her starry eyes sparkling under the dim sunlight of the early dawn sky.

"It has now." She sneaked a secret smile while intentionally strolling farther from me.

"Now? Why is that so?" Like a lost child, I found myself following her. I walked along the trails of her footprints on the sand while imprinting mine beside hers perfectly. Unlike