The Winter of 97’

I walked out of my professor's office holding my graded paper in hand. I almost let out a squeal in relief that I had gotten a 2:2 this time and not the failure I had the displeasure of facing a few weeks ago. Although it was capped meaning that I could have gotten higher, I didn't fuss as my chances of graduating had just gone back up.

As soon as I stepped outside the harsh chill of the winter breeze hit me all at once and it wasn’t until a few seconds later did my face adjust to it with the sharp tingling of my nose and the tearing of my eyes. I stuffed the paper inside my bag, using my hands to hold myself as I prepared to make my way into the nearest indoor facility. I couldn't go back into the office though, that would be too awkward to face the receptionist again especially after bidding her such a cheery goodbye.

Making my way through campus, I contemplated stopping by the library, but I couldn’t decide on whether to just leave and stay within the comforts of my dorm to study. I couldn’t stop walking to make my decision because it was way too cold for that, so I continued to approach the cross section where the right path led to the library and the left led to my building.

When I thought back to what I had to go through this past few weeks in terms of studying to make up for my poor grade in addition to my normal schedule it was almost as if a force was pulling me towards the library. The very idea of failure sure had its nasty s around me.

The sun had long set and the night sky had already graced the University with its darkness. One wouldn’t have thought that it was only 7pm. Just before I got to the stairs I noticed a very familiar figure walking out. Seung-Ho jogged down the library stairs, fixing his knitted beany as he did so. His eyes were fixed on the ground as he walked, and I noticed that he was dressed ridiculously light for the kind of weather we were having. I almost felt the need to call out to him for his poor fashion decision.

But I didn’t.

Although it was for a mere second the look on his face just before he turned the direct left of the building didn’t look warming at all. In fact it matched the weather completely, chilling and enough to bring me down with a fever.

Like instinct, instead of walking up those stairs like I should have done, I found myself walking in the same direction that he did. With each step I felt like I could hear the sound of my professor judging me for this. I didn’t pay him too much attention though, the man in front of me with hands in his pockets and head down had my attention completely and begrudgingly.

I held back my teeth from chattering and my body from shivering. I was wearing a padded coat with a faux-fur lined hood and I still couldn’t combat the cold, just how was he coping! I watched the way his backpack shifted with each step he took. He never used the two straps of his backpacks and I would always scold him because it defeated the whole purpose of the design.

I wasn’t sure how long we had been walking for, but it felt like a long time. Before there had been students busying themselves about, but as we walked on there were fewer people. I should have probably let him know that I was behind him by now, but I didn’t. Following him quietly sounded like a better plan.

Albeit a stupid and possibly illegal one, but a plan nonetheless.

We reached a main street where more people had appeared again, street lights adorned the whole road and it struck me that I’d never been around here before. Then again Seoul was a big place, it wasn’t much of a surprise.

Like lighting Seung-Ho cut a right on a corner of a street I didn’t know the name of and because I had fallen behind a little too distracted by the street cats around I had to speed up. As I turned right, I felt a tug on my hand as I was swivelled around my back hitting a wall with a gentle touch. I squinted my eyes waiting for the rough impact on my head, but there was none as he used his free hand to cushion my head.

“It’s dangerous for you to be around here at this time.”

I was taken aback both by the sudden tug and the words he said. “What’s that got to do with you?” I returned. Besides, it wasn’t late it was only dark. “It’s dangerous for you too.”

He searched my eyes for a second and added. “You’re a girl.”

I lifted up my lips in displeasure at the statement. “And you’re a guy. You’re not exempt from danger either.” At my words, his focus on me didn’t waver.

“Why are you following me?” He breathed, his eyes narrowing at me, but the corner of his lips tugged upwards slightly. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly became dry aware of the proximity. My eyes darted around trying to take in where we were, and it looked like nothing but an empty alleyway to me.

“What are you doing here?” Really? A question to answer his question.

“You were following me, I should be asking you that.”

He had a point.

“Okay fine, yes. I followed you.” I confessed, shifting my body so that his hand let go of my head and there was actually more than a centimetre between us now. “You looked a little weird when I saw you earlier, so I wanted to come and… ask what was wrong.” I wasn’t meeting his eyes anymore; my cheeks had warmed under his stare and I felt a little stupid for my previous actions. I was acting like he was a stranger when he was my friend.

I should have just gone to the library now I can hear Professor Nutty telling me ‘I told you so.’

I could hear a few snickering sounds and at first, I really thought my imagination of Professor Nutty had become too real until I looked up to find Seung-Ho laughing, or almost laughing anyways. He had his lips pressed in a line as if he was trying to stop himself from dropping on the floor and I glared at him. It didn’t take a lot for me to figure out that I was the source of his amusement.

Maybe I saw wrong earlier, he seemed to be in a good mood this evening.

“Anyways you seem fine, so I’ll be on my way.” I moved to make my departure, but his voice pulled me back.

“Do you even know where you’re going?”

No. No I did not, but that was nothing a payphone and a taxi couldn’t fix. I flashed him a smile and turned back around making sure it disappeared just as quick as it came.

“Aren’t you curious anymore?” He called out to me again, causing me to turn around once more. “What am I doing here?”

I hated to admit it, but yeah, I was still curious. I just didn’t appreciate the way he was speaking to me like he had caught me in a trap.

I stood there staring at him with what I hoped was the same intensity as he was staring at me. The leather jacket and knitted scarf he sported really wasn’t doing this weather any justice, but he didn’t seem to be sensitive to the cold. He dug his hands into his jeans pocket and brushed past me without another word. He was telling me to follow him silently and even though in my head I didn’t want to my feet traced his every step all the way to a set of bright lights and rusty metal cages. The big white sign barely caught my attention if it wasn’t for how old it looked.

I stared at the batting cage quite underwhelmed. This was where he was going?

“You don’t even like sports.” I reminded, following him through the side gates and taking my seat under the shelter. It wasn’t warmer there like I had imagined when watching games on TV, but at least it was out of harms way of the fast-coming balls.

He shrugged as he picked up a random bat from the storage and searched his pockets for some loose change.

The first ball came hurling towards him and he swung his bat only to miss it. I bit back a laugh.

Now I remember why he claimed to not like sports, he pretty much at most of them.

“I’ve known you for over ten years, yet you still baffle me.” I said to myself, but he must have overheard because it was silent for a while, but I knew he was taking in the information I had just thrown. 

The second ball flew out and his bat merely skimmed it with a ‘ting’ sound. “What do you want to know?”

It wasn’t more of a desire to know something, but more of a want to figure him and all the criss-crosses he’s left me to deal with out, but since he was asking the question I guess there were a few things I wanted to know about him. Like, what does he really feel and not just the general ‘okay’. How often does he come to the batting cages and why does he even come here?

Do you bring So-Hee here too?

I knew I couldn’t bring myself to ask such explicit questions and so I went for the most generic answer I could think of. “Everything.” I whispered, turning my eyes away from his bent form. It wasn’t a lie, everything was inclusive of my own personal curiosities about him.

“That’ll take a long time don’t you think?” I wasn’t sure if it was sarcasm or not, but I knew that the thought of me practically knowing everything about everyone in the group did cross his mind. 

But it wasn’t the same thing.

It intrigued me how I knew everything yet nothing about the guy.

“I can wait.” I returned.

He swung for the last bat and I still wasn’t looking at him as my leather boots were of sudden interest, but I could hear the impact of the ball on the metal stick. He’d actually hit one.

“Oh yeah? How long for?” He let out a large breath, letting me know he was pleased with the last hit.

“How long do you need?” I asked, lift