Sunlight filtered through the blinds of Hwayoung's apartment, creating golden patterns on her exposed skin as she lounged on her couch. A mild breeze filtered in from the open window through her living room. The crisp spring air was tinged with the first inklings of summer, and she contentedly settled herself in between the two seasons. It was not yet too hot to be sweating, but it was also not so cold that she needed a thick jacket every time she had to go out.

Jungwoo was nestled in a bean bag on the floor below her. He had just gotten out of class at the local university and was eager to see her. The both of them rarely had any free time anymore. They were both so busy with their studies and part-time jobs, so it was hard for them to be together often. Throughout their schedules they had to settle for quick I-love-you texts and sweet phone calls snuck in between classes.

But a brief reading period for finals left them with a little more free time, and even though they should have been studying, both decided to just bask in each other's presence, even for a little bit.

A little ping! sounded from Jungwoo's phone. Hwayoung watched, perched on her spot on the sofa, hiding a smile behind her hand as he unlocked his phone and checked the notification.

"A strawberry milk recipe?" Jungwoo questioned, his head tilting in confusion. "Why'd you send this when you're sitting right next to me?"

"Just watch the video!" Hwayoung whined.

He complied without protest, quietly watching the little cooking video. Hwayoung bounced up and down excitedly.

"Doesn't it look delicious?"

"It does. But I think what really makes it look delicious is the glass it's in," Jungwoo said thoughtfully, rewinding the video to see the finished strawberry milk being poured into a very aesthetically-pleasing jug with a satisfied plop, plop, plop!

A sudden idea popped into Hwayoung's head. She jumped up from the couch and exclaimed, "Let's go strawberry picking!"

"Well, it is strawberry season, isn't it?" Jungwoo recalled, smiling at her enthusiasm.

Hwayoung jumped up from her spot on the couch and plopped next to him on the bean bag, intertwining their legs. She swiped through her phone, tapping away at the screen.

"A-ha! I just found the cutest little farm. And they've got strawberries to pick!"

Jungwoo rested his head on her shoulder, squinting his eyes to peer at her phone screen.

"They've got strawberries to pick...and they're an hour away from here," he finished.

"Does that really matter to you?" she asked, pouting.

"There's a grocery store 10 minutes away from here that also has strawberries, Hwayoung."

"We're not just going for the strawberries, Jungwoo!" she said indignantly, lightly tapping the back of his head as if to berate him. "It's about the experience, too. And the weather is so nice today!"

"I'll go, but you're driving," Jungwoo relented, smiling softly. He hadn't actually planned on putting up a fight, but the way she pouted at him was cute. And her enthusiasm for the endeavor was infectious; he was just as excited to go as she was.

The two of them peeled themselves off of the bean bag and changed out of their loungewear into something better-suited for the upcoming task. Hwayoung tucked two water bottles into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, while Jungwoo slipped two granola bars into its front pocket without her noticing. (He always needed something to munch on, wherever he was going and whatever he was doing.)

Soon enough, they were seated comfortably in Hwayoung's sedan. She revved up the engine and rolled down the windows.

Then they hit the road.

There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining bright, and the open windows whipped their hair around their heads. Perhaps it would have bothered anyone else, but their hair flying in the wind just made them feel free. A sense of calm that only found itself present in a long car ride such as this settled over them. Jungwoo was the self-proclaimed DJ for this particular ride, and he was almost vibrating with excitement once he plugged in the aux cord to his phone. The soft timbre of Sufjan Stevens' voice echoed throughout the car as the two rode in a peaceful silence.

As Hwayoung drove further upstate, the familiar urban landscape of the city fell away to reveal a vast expanse of green. The sunlight that filtered through the passing trees created dancing patterns of gold across their faces. She wouldn't give up this moment for the world.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination.

Somewhere along the way, Jungwoo had fallen asleep. The bumpiness of the ride had actually lulled him to sleep, and his head lolled to the side, his seat belt the only thing keeping him from falling to the side. Hwayoung felt horrible for waking him up - he looked so peaceful and pure, like a cherub - but she had pulled up into the dirt parking lot ten minutes ago and was starting to feel creepy for staring at him sleep for so long. At first, it was cute to watch the tiny rise and fall of his chest as he took slow, even breaths, but now that some time had passed she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Come on, Snoopy, let's go," she said softly, his hair.

Jungwoo blinked his eyes drowsily, taking in his surroundings with a dazed look on his face.

"Oh, we're here," he finally mumbled, unbuckling his seat belt and clumsily making his way out of the car.

"Let's go!" she beckoned, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the entrance.

Jungwoo's nap-induced stupor quickly dissolved once they gathered their strawberry picking gear, and by the time the rows and rows of green and red were in sight, he zoomed towards the plants with his bucket in hand.

They spent a good amount of time trying to fit as many strawberries as they could into their bulky buckets. The sight of such ripe and juicy berries sent them into a frenzy. Eventually their hands became sticky with strawberry juice, and their shoes became scuffed with dirt. But it had never felt so good to get dirty. As their buckets filled, they both relished in the literal fruits of their labor.

Hwayoung kept on scolding Jungwoo for eating the strawberries.

"We'll never fill up our buckets if you keep on eating them," she whined, grabbing his hands.

He merely responded by grinning wildly at her, which was already foul play because he knew just how much his smile made her weak. Then he'd take his sticky strawberry juice hands and smear them all over her cheeks, and before she could yell at him any more, he'd kiss her sticky strawberry juice cheeks and she would blush a bright red, the same color as the strawberries inside their buckets. Then she'd playfully chase him around the strawberry fields, and they'd run around until they got tired, munching on the berries they just picked and going out again to collect what they had eaten.

When both their buckets and tummies were eventually full of strawberries, they washed their hands and paid for what they had picked. They felt very content, full of fruit and satisfaction, happy to have spent such a nice day outside. The two loaded their spoils into the trunk of Hwayoung's sedan, feeling extremely satisfied. They had picked several pounds of strawberries, far more than they needed for one strawberry milk recipe, but it was so much fun and they excitedly planned to give them away to their friends and family.

"Let's buy a nice glass container for our strawberry milk before we go home," Hwayoung suggested.

Jungwoo smiled widely and replied, "Let's buy two, so we can drink it together!"