Out of all of the four seasons that existed, winter was the one you hated the most.

While Seungkwan had corrected you (“Hate is a strong word,” the younger boy had said), you stood by your use of the word. You hated winter.

You hated how cold it was, the snow, the cold, how there was nothing fun to do, and the cold. To help you withstand the freezing temperatures, you strategically bundled up in layers to keep you warm and to peel off whenever it was too hot.

That particular day was no different as you trudge along to your anatomy lecture. The lecture theatre it was held in had terrible heating that was pretty much nonexistent and you were bundled up in your armor: a big gray checked scarf that also served as a blanket (one of the many you owned), an oversized dark blue button-down shirt, a black knit cardigan that was larger than you by two sizes, your trusty black leggings, and a warm pair of dark brown lace-up boots. A navy double-ed coat topped off your cozy look, which you deemed to be practical and cute.

The walk from your apartment to campus is short, fortunately enough, and you get to the lecture with ten minutes to spare. As expected, your best friend, Choi Seungcheol, is already seated at the seats you both usually occupy, with his backpack reserving your spot and two takeaway cups in his hands.

Seungcheol was your best friend and whom you fondly referred to as Cheol. You’ve known each other since your daycare years, maybe even before but your earliest memory didn’t go that far. You were thick as thieves while growing up, getting tangled into all sorts of mischief together. Seungcheol was your confidant, he knew all of your secrets and fears and worries, and you knew his. He was also a supportive figure in your life, having been with you every step of the way to adulthood, and someone you can always lean on.

So when the two of you got your acceptances into the same university, no one was really surprised that you were still going to be glued together as adults. While you were studying nutrition and Seungcheol was aiming to be a physical therapist, you had some required classes and electives that overlapped with one another’s – such as your 8:30 anatomy class.

Seungcheol notices your approaching figure and he flashes a grin to your direction while you waddle past his knees to get to your seat and place his bag on the ground. “Good morning,” he chirps in greeting, a little too happily for an (ungodly) 8:30 lecture.

“Morning,” you answer, shrugging off your coat and hanging it up against your seat and unravelling your blanket scarf to wrap around your shoulders.

Seungcheol watches you unpack your clipboard and pen from your backpack, the corners of his lips twitching a little bit. “Are you really that cold?” He asks. “It’s not that bad out.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Can it, Mr. Radiator. Not all of us have high body temperatures like you.”

He laughs in response, handing you one of the cups in his hands. “Here’s your usual, sweet pea.”

You can smell the aroma of coffee from within the cup; there’s a PM scribbled on the side and you immediately decipher that to stand for peppermint mocha, your usual winter drink (its availability during winter was the only redeeming factor about the season). “Thanks, Cheol. I knew I could count on you.” You smile.

Seungcheol gives you another grin, his eyes curving into half moons as he extends a hand to ruffle the top of your head. You protest, mourning your once carefully brushed hair, and glare at him in response.

Ten minutes into the lecture and you huddle into your scarf. The heating was pretty much nonexistent in the lecture hall again and you make a mental note to ask the prof to send a word in to get the system fixed. While you were wearing layers, it was still frigid and made your writing hand stiff despite busily writing notes. Beside you, Seungcheol doesn’t seem to mind the lack of warmth in the hall, and you internally curse him for having a naturally high body temperature. In contrast to your layers, Seungcheol wore a simple hoodie, dark jeans, and a black coat with buttons was hung on his seat. Ever since you were children, Seungcheol never wore elaborate layers of clothing and he rarely got sick.

Meanwhile, you were the opposite and again, you curse his naturally high body temperature while shooting him a grumpy look.

Seungcheol notices you glaring at him and he scrunches up his nose playfully, which you ignore by returning your attention back to the prof’s presentation slides. You’re about to take a sip of your drink when Seungcheol leans over to drape his coat over your lap with a gentle smile on his face.

You adjust the coat so you feel snug and you turn to him, mouthing the word thanks.

Seungcheol responds by extending his left hand, pinching your right cheek affectionately, still smiling gently.

 

–

 

Weekends meant that you were free to roll into your blanket burrito and stay in it for as long as you wanted and that particular weekend was no exception. With your work finished early, you were free to catch up on the dramas you had been saving during the busy week. And so you were in bed, rolled up in your favorite lavender comforter with your laptop, intently watching an episode of a weekly mystery drama you were a fan of.

The detectives in the drama are inching closer to catching the culprit when your phone rings, taking your attention away from the show. You grumble, pausing the episode and proceed to tap on the screen of your phone to take the incoming call.

“Hello?” You ask, tapping the screen again to activate its speaker phone mode.

“Hi sweet pea,” Seungcheol’s velvety voice greets from the other side of the line. “Are you busy?”

“Busy watching my mystery drama, yes. I’m about to find out if Detective Han and Detective Jeon are going to catch the culprit from last week’s episode of On The Run.”

He laughs. “I’ll take that as a no. Do you want to go out shopping with me?”

You prop yourself up on your elbows to glance out the window. As usual, it was gray and miserable out – nothing out of the ordinary for the season. “You’re asking me in this weather?”

A whine comes from his end and you can practically see him sticking his lower lip out, one of his usual tricks in his book whenever he wanted you to go outside with him. “Come onnnnn. Please?”

“Why don’t you go ask Soonyoung or Mingyu or something?”

“Everyone’s studying or they’re out.”

“Oh. Well. That’s too bad, I guess.”

Seungcheol whines again and you’re pretty sure that he’s making puppy eyes as he’s on the phone with you at that moment. “I’ll buy you whatever food you want to eat.” He offers.

You want to hold your ground and say no. But the promise of free food lures you in and you curse yourself for being weak towards the offer. Such is the weakness of a university student, really, especially one who was studying nutrition. “Fine. Give me thirty minutes to get ready.”

Seungcheol’s obviously grinning into the phone in victory as he replies. “Okay! Let me know when you’re finished and I’ll come get you.”

The phone call ends and you groan, unrolling yourself out of your cozy blanket burrito. Seungcheol owed you, big time. You wonder if he would be able to buy you meat for dinner.

 

Seungcheol pulls up in his cherished black car at the sidewalk by your apartment building and you make a beeline for the vehicle door once you spot it, immediately opening and closing it shut once you were seated at the front passenger seat. You’re bundled up in your warmest layers again, hat and scarf and all, and you grumble while buckling your seatbelt.

“Nice to see you too,” he starts and you scrunch your nose.

“I can’t believe you got me to come out in this ungodly weather,” you answer and Seungcheol laughs while he shifts the car from park to drive, continuing on the journey.

“You’re always cold. Maybe you should start bringing a portable heater with you wherever you go.” Seungcheol suggests.

“I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or not but I really think that’s a good idea, to be honest. Now where are we going shopping? Please tell me it’s indoors.”

He grins mischievously. “We’re going to our usual place. There’s something I want to check out.”

You groan at his response. Your “usual place” was an outdoor shopping district with brick-and-mortar branches of various retailers and several large shopping malls. It was a nice place for shopping – when it was warm and sunny out. There were many attractions on the street, such as food vendors and purveyors of handmade, local items that tourists and locals alike examined intently.

In this chilly and gray day, you weren’t quite looking forward to being exposed to the elements while wandering around with Seungcheol.

The drive to downtown goes surprisingly smoothly, despite it being the weekend and the roads being busy since everyone was out enjoying their free time. Seungcheol manages to find an empty spot at a side street that was already mostly full with parked cars, forcing him to parallel park, and you thank the stars that you weren’t the one driving.

It takes two tries for the car to successfully fit with plenty of space and he lets out an accomplished “whoop!” upon placing the car back into park.

“Only two tries,” you remark, impressed, as you unbuckle your seatbelt. “That’s pretty good.”

Seungcheol pretends to look offended. “I hope you’re not downplaying my successful parallel parking.”

You reach over to pinch his cheek fondly. “Of course not. It would’ve probably taken me four tries.”

The side street Seungcheol had parked at was a short walk to the street where the stores were located. You stuff your hands into the pockets of your coat, following after your friend as he leads the way to the first store he was interested in. You reach the intersection, waiting for the crossing lights to activate and you shudder into your scarf.

“Damn it, it’s freezing,” you grumble beside Seungcheol.

He chuckles, looping an arm around your shoulders to pull you closer to him. As usual, Seungcheol radiates warmth and smells like his favorite cologne; he smelled fresh yet woodsy, and it was so comforting. “Still cold?” He asks softly, looking down at you.

You lean your head on his shoulder. “A bit.” The crossing light turns on and the both of you follow after the people ahead of you and you feel Seungcheol giving your shoulder a warm, comforting squeeze as he keeps you close to him.

 

–

 

A string of curses formulate in your head as you grumpily cross the school grounds, snow crunching beneath your boots. It had snowed overnight and it was cold enough that it stayed on the ground, rendering the paths slippery. You still had quite a bit of a walk to go; you had planned to go a nearby coffee shop outside of campus to get some work done – but you kind of regret your decision a bit due to the state of the roads and pathways.

Your initially fast pace slows down after feeling unsteady and you cautiously walk on the snow-covered quad that used to be vivid green with grass. With your focus directed to the ground, you don’t notice a figure sneaking up behind you, pulling you into a familiar one-armed hug. You let out a yell, almost losing your balance as your right foot nearly slides forward on the snow from the surprising additional weight. The figure manages to keep you upright, laughing cheerily at your side.

You whip your head around angrily, glaring at Seungcheol. “What the hell, Choi Seungcheol!”

Seungcheol’s eyes are curving into their usual half-moons as he grins at you. “Hi sweet pea!”

You wriggle out of his grip before unleashing a barrage of angry hits on his arms, making him yelp in pain. “Ugh! You’re a big meanie! I can’t believe you!”

“Ow! What are you – ow!”

“You know what you did!” You huff, crossing your arms on your chest. You give him another glare before whirling around, stomping away from him.

Seungcheol jogs after you with another robust laugh, arm looping with yours. “Aw, don’t be mad!”

“Leave me alone, you big meanie.”

“You know I love you!” That was Seungcheol’s classic trick in the book whenever he got into trouble with you and you weren’t going to fall for it. “You say that all the time, you liar.”

Seungcheol takes hold of you by your shoulders, whirling you around to face him. His hands move to your cheeks and he pulls on them, making you yell in protest. “Because it’s the truth!” He announces, smiling.

You stick your tongue out. You’ve heard that too many times over the past few years and he used it as a way to get you to warm up to him again. “Sure, man.”

Seungcheol pulls you into another one-armed hug; arm around your shoulders as you both resume walking across the quad. “What are you up to today?” He asks. “Can I come along?”

“I’m going to Pinwheel and no, you can’t come.” You answer, the last bit with feigned annoyance.

“Aww…pleaaaaaase?”

You sigh, your cold façade already cracking. You never really won against him and he truly knew that – the whines and the puppy eyes always made you give in. You turn to him, making a face. “Fine.”

His expression lights up as he grins and you can’t help but smile back. “Yay! I’ll buy you whatever you want when we get there.”

“Really? I want a latte and a cake.”

“Sounds good to me!” Seungcheol imitates a famous hand gesture. “After all, I’m genie for your wish!”

Your face contorts into a disgusted expression and he laughs vigorously.

 

The coffee shop close to campus is called Pinwheel Coffee + Tea, a rustic but modern establishment that occupied two floors to accommodate the many students that made up its clientele. Its interior is mainly wood and the colors muted neutrals to create a chic yet calming ambience. It’s a bit busy considering it’s slightly past one in the afternoon but there’s an empty table with two chairs beside the wide windows and an outlet for electronics (Thank goodness, you think). Seungcheol sends you off to sit down while he lines up with both orders and you speed walk to the vacant window-side table.

After you set up your laptop, Seungcheol returns to sit at the seat across yours, shrugging off his pea coat and scarf. “They’re bringing our orders over,” he announces and you give him a thumbs-up of approval.

“Good job, Cheolie.” You praise, ruffling the top of his head and eliciting a grin from him.

The once-empty table gets covered with your laptops, texts, and notes as you and Seungcheol get started on your respective assignments. The orders arrive shortly after to join the spread on the wooden surface and the both of you are deep in concentration while eating pastries and drinking specialty coffee drinks.

Two hours later, the once-full cups and plates become empty and pushed to the side, just as fresh snow starts to drift past the windows. You glance out momentarily to take a break from working and you groan. “Oh man, it’s snowing again.”

Seungcheol looks up from his laptop. “Oh. I had a feeling.”

You make a face, returning your attention back to your computer. “Ugh, it’s gonna be a pain to walk home in this weather.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Seungcheol answers. “No need to worry about that.”

“Really?”

“Of course. There’s no way I’m letting my beloved best friend walk home in that weather.”

You grin, reaching out to pinch Seungcheol’s cheek fondly. “Thanks, Cheol!”

He ruffles the top of your hair and for once you don’t mind. “Any time, sweet pea.” Seungcheol answers warmly, a smile on his lips.

 

–

 

Your beloved slow cooker on your small dining table has been working hard for the last 3 hours while you sit on your bed, cross-legged with your anatomy textbook balanced on your lap. Another cold day called for one of your favorite recipes you learned from your cooking lab: beef stew. There was still another fifteen or so minutes left until your stew was ready and since you had run out of chores after a productive day, you decided to get ahead on your textbook chapters while waiting for your meal to finish cooking.

The sound of your ringtone interrupts your reading and you grab your phone, placed on your desk, before tapping the screen to answer the call in speaker phone. “Hi Cheol.”

“Hi sweet pea,” Seungcheol greets. “Are you at home right now? Jun’s friend returned that cookbook you wanted to borrow from him.”

“Yeah, I am! Are you coming over?”

“Yup. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

“Okie, I’ll see you then!”

He hangs up and you toss your phone back on the desk, returning your attention back to your textbook. Ten minutes later, your apartment’s buzzer goes off and you shove your book off your lap to hop off the bed and open the door. Seungcheol grins at you when the door swings open, dressed in a big jacket and his usual pair of ripped jeans (you and his mom both had once jokingly threatened to throw them into the garbage once). There’s a hardbound book under his arm and he holds it up as he enters your tiny apartment.

“Oh, something smells good,” he comments, sniffing the air while closing the door behind him. “What’s for dinner?”

“Beef stew!” You chirp. “Is that the cookbook I asked from Jun?”

Seungcheol hands over the book and you flip through the pages. Jun was one of Seungcheol’s roommates at the boarding house they lived in. He owned several Chinese cuisine cookbooks and he had promised to lend you one of them that focused on the basics of Chinese cooking, which was now in your hands. You were pretty excited to read through it; the photos were absolutely high quality and just glancing at them made you hungry.

You smile at Seungcheol. “Thanks for bringing this over. Do you want to stay over for dinner? The stew should be done soon.”

He beams at the offer. “You know I can’t say no to your cooking.”

Seungcheol proceeds to take off his shoes and his coat as the two of you head to your small dining room consisting of a table and matching two chairs as part of a dining set. He drapes his coat over the chair he usually occupies whenever he visits before turning to you. “Do you need me to set the table?”

You nod and Seungcheol makes his way to your kitchen automatically, already familiar with the layout of your kitchen and where you stored your kitchenware after visiting your place numerous times. While he’s busily setting up the table, the built-in timer of your slow cooker buzzes to announce that the beef stew was finished cooking. Once you open the lid, steam wafts out of the pot and its aroma was absolutely mouth-watering.

You head to your kitchen counter where your rice cooker warms up your rice, scooping out enough for two rice bowls before bringing them to the table. The initially bare table now has chopsticks, two bowls, spoons, and glasses of water to accompany dinner and you sit down, handing Seungcheol his own bowl.

“Beef stew and rice?” He asks and you raise a brow at him while you ladle contents of the stew into two empty bowls.

“Why, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing!”

It’s silent while you dig into the hearty meal, except for the sounds of your chopsticks and spoons making contact with the ceramic bowls. You look up just as Seungcheol takes a sip of his water.

“How is it?” You ask, your staple question whenever he tried out something you made.

He cracks a smile, giving you a thumbs-up of approval. “Great as always.”

 

“Thanks for dinner,” Seungcheol says appreciatively, adjusting the hood on his jacket. It was slightly past seven in the evening by the time you had finished cleaning the remnants of dinner. You had insisted for Seungcheol to bring home some leftovers since there was quite a lot left in the slow cooker but he declined, saying that there was plenty of food at home and it was your dinner to begin with.

You smile. “No worries. If there’s anything you want to eat that Mingyu and Seokmin can’t make, let me know and I’ll make it for you.”

He pauses to think. “Well,” Seungcheol starts. “There is something I want.”

“Oh? What is it? Maybe I know how to make it.”

“I want your love!” He sings, his thumb and index finger forming a heart.

You roll your eyes, lightly pushing him to the direction of the door. “Ohkay, it’s time for you to go home now,” you answer and Seungcheol laughs heartily. He opens up his arms for your customary departure hug and you wrap your arms around him before giving him a squeeze. You both pull away at the same time and you step back with a smile.

“Bye Cheol, careful on your way back.”

Seungcheol reaches out to pinch your cheek affectionately. “See you tomorrow, sweet pea.”

He leaves shortly after your exchange and as you walk back into the main room, the tiny apartment returns to feeling larger and emptier than it actually was.

 

–

 

You glare at Seungcheol as you’re at the front passenger seat, watching him cheerily hum a song with his attention on the road in front of him. From the back seat, Jihoon notices the turn of your head and he laughs.

“Give it up, you’re stuck with us now,” the engineering student says.

You slump in your seat, sulking. “I hate you guys. Jihoon, you’re getting coal if I get your name for the gift exchange this year.”

Jihoon sounds offended. “What? Why me? It should be Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol shoots Jihoon a surprised look through the rearview mirror. “Me? What did I do?”

Chan shakes his head, not quite buying the older boy’s reaction. “You’re done for by the time we get out of this car.”

You nod in agreement. “You are exactly right that someone is done for once we get to our destination.”

Jihoon, Chan, and Wonwoo snicker from the back at the emphasis and Seungcheol sends a pout to your direction, which you ignore. “Eyes on the road, please.” You order, snapping your fingers.

“Okayyyyyyy.”

The four of you were crammed into Seungcheol’s car while the other boys from their boarding house were divided into other vehicles. Seungcheol and Jihoon had showed up at your door early in the morning while you were half-asleep after a long mystery drama marathon from the day before and had told you (more like ordered, really) to get dressed to go out with them – with breakfast provided courtesy of Jihoon’s new paycheck as a grader for the engineering department.

What they didn’t tell you was that you were going ice skating outside until you were all on a speaker phone call with Mingyu, who had spilled the beans by accident, as the car sped down the highway to your destination. This outdoor ice skating venue was big (a quick online search said that it apparently it occupied 1,900 square meters) and popular – it was an hour drive from where you lived and had hundreds of people visiting daily, hence the early departure in the morning. The venue also had various food stalls and displays and events to help encourage people to go outside and enjoy the winter-themed festivities.

The boys all knew that you hated going outside during the season. Yet this was their attempt to help you get some activity and “exposure to the outside world”, as Jeonghan called it, instead of letting you stay in your blanket burrito at home.

(You firmly believe that Jeonghan has no right to tell you that when he and Wonwoo sleep half the day away.)

When Seungcheol’s car pulls up to the parking lot, the vicinity is still relatively bare and he manages to find a vacant space between Mingyu’s and Jeonghan’s vehicles. Once the car was safely parked, all passengers and drivers from all vehicles pile out at once. You shiver into your red plaid blanket scarf as everyone makes their way to the entrance of the venue.

“Aww, you made it!” Seokmin, who was with Mingyu’s group, chirps upon seeing you and he extends a hand to pat your head.

“Well, I was forced to go,” you correct. “I was promised breakfast and here I am, out in the cold.”

Seungcheol immediately finds his way to your side, linking his arm with yours. “Don’t be so negative, ice skating will be fun.”

“Until I break my neck.”

“You won’t!” Seungcheol assures, smiling down at you. “I’ll be with you the whole time, I promise.”

You find his words a bit reassuring but you poke his cheek with your finger. “You better or else I’ll tell your mom that you’re being mean to me.”

“Hey!”

There’s an 8,000 won entrance fee that covers skate rental and shoe lockers, which Seungcheol covers for you since he was partially responsible for getting you out of your apartment. After everyone changes into their skates and stores their shoes away, the group makes their way to the relatively empty skating rink. The boys split up, leaving you and Seungcheol to form a pair and he leads the way near the solid barricades of the rink.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” he begins. “We’ll stay close to here until you feel more comfortable, okay? I’ll help you out.”

You nod; you had confidence in Seungcheol guiding you since he’d done this numerous times. He turns around to face you, holding his arms out. You place your hands on his arms and you begin to take your first wobbly steps on the ice.

Seungcheol places his hands on your elbows as he slowly skates backwards to pull you along with him. You stare down at the ground intently, pushing your legs to glide on the ice. You don’t know how long the two of you skate like so until Seungcheol speaks up.

“Look up,” he suggests. You do as you’re told and find him beaming. “Look where we are now.”

You turn your head around and blink. You had been so intent on looking down at the ground that you didn’t notice your progress with Seungcheol. From starting at the beginning, you had (miraculously) made it almost halfway around the rink. You look up and stare at Seungcheol with wide eyes and he smiles at you with his crescent-curved eyes.

“What do you think? It’s not that bad, isn’t it?”

“Well…” you start. You haven’t fallen down or broken any body parts yet so maybe that was a good sign. “I guess not.”

“Here, try it on your own.” Seungcheol offers. He loosens his hold on your elbows and you yelp in panic, your grip on his arms tightening.

“Seungcheol!” Your voice rises almost to a wail and he laughs.

“It’s okay! I’m kidding, see, look I’m holding on to you again.” Seungcheol’s hands are on your elbows again and you muster up a glare at him.

“You are definitely getting coal for the exchange gift if I get your name,” you huff.

He lets out another laugh at that statement. “Are you rea – whoa!”

Seungcheol’s eyes widen in panic as he wobbles and you gasp, your hands immediately moving on their own to grab him in an attempt to help stabilize him on his feet. The distance between the two of you grows smaller and you blink at the suddenly close his face was.

 

In the 19 years you’ve known Seungcheol, you never really noticed how handsome he was.

 

Maybe it was because you always saw him practically every day that you never realized how well defined his features were and how smooth his skin looked. He looks down at you with dark eyes, framed with long lashes, and his lips slightly parted in surprise. It sinks in to you that the chubby little boy from your childhood had grown up to be someone undeniably attractive –

“Gotcha,” Seungcheol breathes and you gape at him.

“W-what?”

“I going to test you for part two of our skating lesson.”

You cast him a confused look. “Which is…?”

The corners of his lips twitch upwards. “Learning how to fall.”

 

–

 

Unfortunately for you, end-of-semester work and finals occupy most of your time. Or maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, since the “incident” kept returning to mind unless you were busy doing something else. You didn’t know why your mind kept replaying how close Seungcheol’s face was to yours and you didn’t know why it flustered you. Your heart would pound whenever the memories resurfaced and heat would rush to your cheeks. It was unusual and you wanted to know why you were reacting that way.

Maybe it was because your best friend was actually handsome and charming and you never really realized it throughout these years.

Or maybe this was all an effect of the constant exposure to the winter weather.

 

(You vow to never leave your blanket burrito ever.)

 

The last final exam you have scheduled is anatomy, which is unfortunately held on the last day of the exam period. As much as you’re unhappy, your exam schedule is fortunately spread out this year, which is the price you have to pay. You’re hunched over your desk when your phone vibrates and you absentmindedly pick up the incoming call without reading the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hi, sweet pea! How’s the studying for anatomy going?”

You almost drop your phone upon hearing Seungcheol’s voice. It’s been two weeks since you’ve seen him in person upon the end of the last class for anatomy. Since it was exam period, you didn’t really have time to go out other than to go for quick grocery runs. You still communicated with him through messages but hearing his voice again was different.

“Oh! Um…it’s okay. I think I’m prepared for the final.”

“Really? That’s good,” he comments. “Do you want to study for the final together?”

Your eyes grow wide. “Uh…right now?”

“Yeah, if you’re free? Everyone else here is pretty much done so it’s pretty lively and it’s getting hard to stu –” He pauses as a loud EDM tune grows louder in the back and you can hear him yell. “Kwon Soonyoung, turn it down! Not all of us are done exams, you know!”

You giggle before pausing – the memory of his face being close to yours flashes again and you feel your heart pound in your chest. But before you realize it, you blurt out a, “sure!”

Seungcheol’s voice is cheery on the other side of the line. “Great! I’ll see you in a bit.”

The call ends and you toss your phone on your bed, a flush on your cheeks upon realizing what was about to happen. You begin to relocate your laptop, textbooks, and stacks of notes for the anatomy exam to the dining table. In an attempt to occupy yourself, you quiz yourself with flashcards with various terminologies but it’s difficult to concentrate when your stomach’s doing flips while you wait for the doorbell to signal Seungcheol’s arrival.

It’s fifteen minutes since the phone call when you finally hear the ring and you hurry over to the door to open it. Seungcheol greets you with his trademark grin as he enters your apartment, backpack swung over his shoulder. “Hi sweet pea. Long time no see.”

“Hi,” you manage a smile. “Long time no see.”

He takes his shoes off and hangs his coat by the entranceway of your bedroom slash living room before making his way to the dining area. He unloads his backpack and places his own textbook and notes for the final exam on the table across yours before taking a seat. “So,” Seungcheol prompts. “Where are you in terms of the revision?”

“Um…I’m reviewing the material for mature development now. What about you?”

“Really? Me too!” He starts searching through his textbook for the corresponding chapter. “Hm…should we do the practice quiz at the end of the chapter first and then work backwards?”

“That’s fine with me.” You answer, trying to calm your heartbeat back to normal. You chide yourself to concentrate; you had a final exam to pass in a few days and that was more important. Fortunately for you, there’s distance between you and Seungcheol and he’s busily reading the words of the first practice question.

 

The next two hours are quiet, the only sounds coming from your pen and highlighters on paper and the sound of pages turning. From across the table, Seungcheol lets out a loud sigh as he stretches in his seat from sitting down for so long. You look up, watching him run his fingers through his hair to move the strands out of his eyes.

“Let’s take a break,” you suggest, closing your textbook before pushing your chair back to get up. “Do you want to have a snack?”

He brightens up at the idea. “You got me at the mention of snack. What do you have?”

You open the fridge and locate the mostly-untouched box of assorted cheesecake slices. “There’s cheesecake, we can eat that. I’ll make hot chocolate too.”

In less than ten minutes, you make your staple hot chocolate recipe for two and set up the table for your short snack time. Seungcheol chooses the regular strawberry cheesecake while you choose the chocolate peanut butter slice. You slowly start to dig into the slice, your fork delicately separating small pieces.

Your hand reaches for your mug of hot chocolate and take a sip of your drink, your gaze rising to watch Seungcheol. His head’s turned to the left; one hand holding onto the fork while the other is on his phone, typing away. Your eyes watch him under the cover of drinking your hot chocolate; observing the way he gazes down at his phone with gentle eyes, the way the corners of his lips twitch upwards in amusement, the way he puckers up in concentration as he types a message with one hand.

Instead of returning to studying for your anatomy exam, you find yourself studying him.

Something’s different and you can’t seem to pinpoint it. You’re not sure if it’s the lighting in your apartment playing tricks on your sight or maybe you needed a stronger prescription for your reading glasses but it seemed as though your eyes could only focus on him and everything else was a blur. Something’s changed since you last saw Seungcheol; something was now rendering your heart to race a little faster, a warm and tingly feeling to bloom in your chest –

“You know I don’t charge if you stare at me like that, right?” Seungcheol says, his voice cutting into your thoughts. He gives you a slight tilt of his head, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Heat rises to your cheeks (how long have you been staring at him?) and you immediately stare down at your cheesecake, intently focused as you pry a piece from the slice with your fork. As the two of you return to preparing for the anatomy exam, you find yourself studying him more than you should and that warm feeling in your chest returns.

 

–

 

You finish your anatomy final at 2:50 in the afternoon, ten minutes until the invigilators and the professor declared the end of the exam. It was surprisingly easy, maybe even too easy. Your pencil was unstoppable as you answered the questions with great clarity and you were confident that you were going to ace the exam. You close the door of the exam hall behind you quietly as to not disturb the students finishing up their exams and find yourself facing Seungcheol.

He finished his exam a little bit earlier than you and he’s leaning against the wall, hands stuffed in the pockets of his gray wool coat. Seungcheol straightens up when he sees you emerge from the exam and he holds out his arm for a high-five. Your hand makes contact with his and he grins brightly. “We did it! It’s over!”

You nod, smiling back. “That went surprisingly better than I thought.”

“Really? I thought it was tricky in some parts but yeah, I guess it could’ve been worse.”

“Well we’re finally done,” he affirms. “Now let’s go have fun!”

“Hm?”

Seungcheol explains. “The Christmas Market is finally open at five o’clock. Why don’t we go get some food and then go shopping to celebrate our freedom?”

“Ah,” you pause to think. You didn’t have plans, other than to roll up in your blanket burrito and watch the dramas you’ve been saving for the break. But you feel the urge and need to spend time with him, and you look up at Seungcheol, that heart-racing feeling returning as you smile. “Sure. Let’s go.”

 

The Christmas Market is located by the park in the river and was one of the popular winter-related events. There were various food stalls, vendors, displays, and street performers in the area every year. To top off the festivities in the area was a giant Christmas tree by the water fountains, elaborately decorated with lights and baubles and an enormous gold star at its top. The tree always lit up at six in the evening, making it an anticipated event.

You’ve only been there once; it was usually too cold for your liking to go so you usually did your Christmas shopping online. Today was no exception; while the winds were calmer today, it was slightly chilly and you shiver into your blanket scarf as you and Seungcheol step out of his parked car and into the vicinity of the Christmas Market. While it had been warmer and bearable earlier in the day, the temperature dropped a bit since then and you curse yourself for leaving your mitts at home.

Seungcheol notices you trying to shove your hands into the pockets of your coat and he extends his hand out to you. You gaze up at him in curiosity, not quite sure what he was trying to convey. “Cheol?”

“Your hand,” was all he says and you blink. You slowly place your right hand on top of his, not anticipating what was going to happen next. Seungcheol turns over his hand and links his fingers with yours, tugging you closer to him. You blush at the sudden actions, feeling him give your hand a squeeze before tucking your intertwined hands into the pocket of his coat.

“Cheol?!” You squeak, cheeks burning red. “What are you –“

“Whoa, your hand’s cold!” Seungcheol comments lightheartedly. “C’mon, let’s go get something to eat first! That exam made me hungry.”

Seungcheol leads the way, humming cheerily and you follow beside him, eyes still on him. Your cheeks are red, your heart’s racing, and there’s a tingly feeling in your stomach. Seungcheol had always been affectionate while the two of you were growing up; he was always linking arms with you, ruffling your hair, and pulling you into one-armed hugs while walking beside one another. Skinship was practically second nature in your friendship, something you’ve grown accustomed to. Yet the sensation of your hand in his big, warm one elicited a foreign feeling, similar to nervousness but excitement at the same time.

 

Dinner is spent at a cozy café near the river and you enjoy a hearty burger with a generous serving of fries to reward yourself after the exam. Shopping follows after once your stomachs are full and you and Seungcheol walk through the paths lined with various vendors selling their wares and stopping now and then to examine what they were selling.

However everything feels like a blur and you can only focus on Seungcheol and how close he was. Your hand somehow returns in his coat pocket, your fingers intertwined once more. You don’t recall how and when your hands make contact after leaving the café but you find yourself growing accustomed to the warm sensation.

Since there was still ten minutes till the Christmas tree was scheduled to light up, you and Seungcheol decide to grab hot chocolates from the nearby coffee shop giving them away for free. The warm drinks come in medium-sized cups with whipped cream and chocolate shavings at the top. Your hands wrap around the cup, feeling the heat seep through as you and Seungcheol find an empty bench near the dim Christmas tree.

“How long till this thing lights up?” You ask.

“In about five minutes,” Seungcheol answers. “Pretty soon!”

“Huh.” You stare down at your hot chocolate, trying to figure out the best way to drink it without getting whipped cream all over yourself. However, you decide to forego a strategy and just drink from the cup how you usually do, getting some of the whipped topping on your lips. “This drink is so messy, jeez. They should’ve given us lids.” You comment, running your tongue over your upper lip to clean up the excess.

“Hey, they gave it out for free, so…” he points out.

“I know, but this is a bad idea for a drink with whipped cream.” You half-consider wiping your mouth on the sleeve of your coat but it would be a pain to run it through the wash if you do so. You’re about to set down your backpack on the ground to search for tissues in its depths when Seungcheol extends his free hand to cup and turn your face to his direction.

You stare at him. He’s suddenly close – closer than you’d expect that you can see your reflection in his dark eyes and you feel a warm press of his lips on yours.

It’s soft and warm and sweet all at once, leaving you stunned and breathless. Seungcheol pulls away, your lips still tingling from the contact and you finally remember to breathe as he gives you his familiar grin.

“I like you,” he says, his voice soft but serious.

 

Oh.

 

With those three words, everything finally makes sense, the puzzle pieces finally falling into place.

It finally makes sense why something felt different during the past few weeks. It finally makes sense why you felt warm and tingly and nervous whenever he was around. It finally makes sense why it was only him that you could see, even with so much people around.

It finally makes sense to you, that somewhere along the way of knowing him for 19 years, you stopped seeing him as a friend.

You had fallen for him. That’s how special he was to you and it finally makes sense after all this time.

Seungcheol’s looking into your eyes, hopeful and waiting for your response. You feel his hand still on your cheek and you place your free hand on top of his. “Well…I like you too,” you answer, shyly. “I think.”

He chuckles at the addition. “You think?”

“Mmm.” “Then…” Seungcheol leans in a little bit closer that your noses are touching. “What do you think about going out with me?”

You smile, feeling shy and tingly and warm and thrilled all at once. “I think it’s a yes from me.”

 

You don’t notice the Christmas tree lighting up in front of you as you feel his lips on yours once again.

 

–

 

You cautiously cross the snow-filled quad, cursing in your mind at the never-ending winter. For the past few days, there had been a continuous streak of warm weather that you encouraged you to abandon your additional warm layers. Yet last night betrayed you; the temperatures dropped and it even snowed. You find yourself back in your usual layers, shivering at how cold the air was. You urge yourself to walk faster to reach your destination so you can warm up with a cup of hot chocolate.

An arm wraps around your shoulders and you cry out in surprise at the weight, whirling around. Seungcheol grins down at you in greeting. “Hi, sweet pea!”

“Cheol!” You hiss, smacking his arm with both of your hands. “This is the second time!”

Seungcheol laughs, pulling you to his chest for a hug. He smelled fresh and citrusy but not too overpowering, warm and comforting as usual. However, he pulls away briefly and you suddenly miss how snug he was. Seungcheol’s eyes examine you in your warm layers: hat, and scarf, and all. “Cold?” He prompts.

You huff. “As usual.”

Seungcheol proceeds to hug you tightly and tucks your head under his chin. You can practically feel the warmth radiating from him as he asks, “how about now?”

A smile tugs on your lips and you wrap your arms around him. “Better.”

 

It was a cold season but it was warmer with Seungcheol by your side. Maybe you didn’t hate winter that much after all.