The night was being accompanied by a gentle drizzle. Eunwoo would say the skies were crying, but now the water falling down just seemed too gentle to be associated with such things as tears. She just goes with it under the barn roof top, petting Caramel's snout while she looks outside, watching as puddles slowly form on green grass she remembers have taken care of herself, using her father's old lawnmower.

 

The mare neighed, demanding attention, which Eunwoo was quick to give her, gently running her fingers through her mane.

 

"What is it, girl? Another one of your predictions?" Eunwoo enquired in a babying voice, looking at her like she was one of the most precious things in her life. It might as well have been true.

 

Caramel neighed again, scratching her muzzle on Eunwoo's shoulder, as if she was answering the girl affirmatively.

 

"Really? What could be the strangest thing to ever happen in this ranch? A lightning strike? Unless our batteries burn out, that wouldn't be so bad. Y'know, a little bit of rockin' in that big house."

 

Once again, the mare brayed, this time shaking her snout negatively. Her eyes were really focused on the far road ahead, the one with no pavement whatsoever.

 

"Huh," Eunwoo muttered, looking ahead as well. She didn't see anything particularly interesting for a second; there was only the crickets to hear and the bright moon to look at.

 

And then, a loud noise. It was a horn; a sound Eunwoo knew well from her father's pickup truck, and the lessons she received while learning how to drive it. Not the nicest car, but it was better than nothing and carried a lot of carrots when they finally finished their growing process.

 

Eunwoo's eyes widened as she observed the approaching bright lights; a pair of white hues bright enough to blind her for a second. She covered her eyes and encouraged Caramel to look away, trying to see through the blinking.

 

The pair of white circles finally cleared out, and she had a moment to see the vehicle approaching the fenced gate, the sound of a motor dying out being as familiar as the horn. The person driving really had no luck with that car.

 

"Eunwoo! Did you turn on the pickup?" She heard her father call out, heard the sliding of the front door.

 

Eunwoo didn't answer, instead letting her father's eyes find the dead vehicle outside their fences. He approached the gate as people started leaving the car; one girl and one guy. She couldn't see their faces, but was almost one hundred percent sure the guy was the girl's dad.

 

"Hello. Are you the owner of this place?" The guy asked Eunwoo's father as he opened the gate and went out.

 

"I sure am. Problems with the car there?"

 

"Pretty much, yes. I have no idea of what happened, the mechanic back in town said it was fine for trips." The guy's eyes continuously eyed the car and he looked really disappointed.

 

"Well, buddy, I think he fooled ya good. If you want me to check it, we can push it inside the shop." Her father suggested. 

 

Eunwoo was not surprised. Her dad might be a little rough, but he never let go of the kindness in his heart. Eunwoo's mother said that his kindness rekindled when she was born. Her mother said that a lot when she was alive.

 

While they conversed, Eunwoo stopped for a bit to pay attention to the girl. She seemed young, probably the same age as her. Her eyes, unlike her father's, were steady on the ground. Her arms, crossed.

 

"Sounds great. Uh, sorry to be so intrusive. My daughter and I wanted to take a few days out from the city. I definitely did not plan this."

 

"It's alright, no cityfolk plans for their ride to fail on 'em. You can come inside while I see what's wrong. Did you guys eat yet?"

 

"Actually not, we planned to get dinner after arriving."

 

"Well, my daughter made some. Hope you folks like porridge. Eunwoo! Come over here and show our guests around."

 

Eunwoo snapped out of it hearing her name. She couldn't help but feel shy under the suddenly scrutinizing eyes of that girl. Approaching them slowly, she waved.

 

"Please." She muttered, not brave enough to raise her voice, while pointing out to the house.

 

--

 

After what seemed like torturous hours of silence after they ate, Eunwoo's father finally came back inside.

 

"Sorry to have taken so long. I'm afraid your car is not gonna go anywhere, bud. Battery's dead and the wiring's all burned up. To fix it you'll need some parts, and there's none of that kind 'round here."

 

"I should've known. That guy seemed shady as hell from the start." The girl's dad shook his head, huffing out in frustration.

 

"Where were ya planning to stay?"

 

"Uh, a couple more miles ahead. A few houses for rent." The guy pulled out a paper from his pocket, getting up to show it to Eunwoo's father.

 

"Oh, yeah. I think your car breaking down was for the better then. That estate is a real trouble findin', and even so, not a really nice place."

 

Eunwoo had to agree with her dad. Estates like those were probably more bait than actual good. Real expensive too.

 

"Well, Kyulkyung, I think our little vacation has been ruined." He smiled nervously.

 

"If you really wanna little getaway, I have some rooms vacant. All you would have to do is help out on the chores. Y'know, doesn't ruin your vacation and your daughter can help mine out too."

 

"Are you sure, man? We wouldn't be a burden?"

 

"Not at all. I would appreciate the company, and Eunwoo would too, I'm sure. Plus, like I said, ya car's not goin' anywhere." Eunwoo almost laughed at her dad's smug, knowing smile.

 

"Yeah bud, I think you're right."

 

They shook hands; a small deal done.

 

"I'll make some calls to my guys to see if I can get your parts sooner than later. Eunwoo, show his daughter her room, will ya?"

 

"Sure, father." Eunwoo nodded, still a little tensed up because even now, the girl did not stop staring, and this time, it wasn't the floor her point of interest.

 

She kept staring at her.

 

Eunwoo motioned for the girl to follow her, and was glad she said nothing until they went upstairs, inside the vacant room.

 

"Well, here we are." She said simply, thinking if the atmosphere was more awkward than right now, she would be able to grip it firmly in her hands. Eunwoo sighed still, not sure of what to say next. "You sure are quiet."

 

"You would be quiet too if you were forced to spend an entire week in ing nowhere." Eunwoo heard the girl mutter, not being able to fight the surprise in her face. She noticed the girl's fists were closed tight.

 

Eunwoo almost responded, but the girl continued.

 

"I'm sorry." And her fists gently opened, a sigh coming out from her usually quiet mouth. "I'm just- I hate being away from home. The city lights, my mother… it isn't the same. I'm not used to this." Her eyes went back down, and there they stayed for a while.

 

"Hey, I get it. I'm sure I would feel the same way if I was in the city. Frankly, dad never let me leave. And there's nowhere that pickup can get without wheezing and running weirdly." She laughed, and the girl laughed back. Eunwoo could finally feel the air around them lighten.

 

"I think you would like it. I'm sorry again." Her eyes, now apologetic, looked up, right at Eunwoo.

 

"It's ok. We'll need to get along too, y'know. You're spending an entire week here after all."

 

The girl gave her a jokingly serious look, then dropped it, laughing. She placed two fingers on a temple, closing her eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me." And she smiled.

 

Eunwoo thought that was her best look yet. The fancy clothes, she could do without. But her smile… her smile had to stay. Needed to.

 

She was determined to make it never leave, anyway.

 

"I'm Eunwoo, by the way." And she stuck out her hand.

 

"Yeah, I've heard your father say it. I'm Kyulkyung."

 

Kyulkyung shook her hand lightly, keeping her eyes on her again. However, there was no tension in them anymore, something Eunwoo appreciated very much, given how she felt under that examining stare.

 

Eunwoo heard her father's steps up the stairs; not heavy, yet very certain every single time. The door was open, but he still knocked, anyway.

 

"You girls gettin' along fine?" He asked, putting down what seemed to be Kyulkyung's suitcase down on the ground.

 

"Sure, sir."

 

Eunwoo was amazed at how smart Kyulkyung was already proving to be. Her courteousness was a move she did not predict, and one her father would surely like.

 

"Yeah, father."

 

"Yeah?" He laughed at Eunwoo's tone. "Okay then. I'm just here to drop her bags, swear I won't be interruptin' again. You ladies can continue the no-dads-allowed chat." And he left, after doing a slightly exaggerated curtsy.

 

"Your father. He's cool." Kyulkyung laughed again, waving at him.

 

"Yeah, I'm sure he thinks that way." Eunwoo shook her head in a reproving manner, but laughed too.

 

"And..." Kyulkyung, for the first time, seemed shy. Anxious, even. Eunwoo waited patiently for her to be sure of her words inside her head. "I noticed you… your mother. The pictures around the house…?"

 

"Yeah. She died a couple years ago." Eunwoo looked down.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"It's ok, really. She wouldn't want me to cry again, not the way I did when she got sick."

 

Eunwoo froze for a second after feeling Kyulkyung's arms wrap around her, but relaxed right after. She could feel her heart beating slowly, and her mother's words circling inside her head.

 

You shouldn't ever have to justify your feelings to people who won't care about them, Eunwoo. You're special, and whoever tries to change you is a fool.

 

Skies kept on crying, and Eunwoo let herself do the same, just this once. Just a little more. Because she understood that, to heal completely, she had to let herself rain down the pain.

 

--

 

Waking up with dry, itchy eyes was never easy for Eunwoo. She looked at herself in the mirror, washing eyes filled with reddened, small veins. She heard her father calling her name.

 

"Eunwoo! Come eat ya breakfast!"

 

Her eyebrows knitted together. Usually, she was the one responsible for breakfast. And then it dawned on her: they still had guests.

 

"Coming!" Eunwoo answered, blinking repeatedly to see if her sight would better itself with time. Hopefully so.

 

She went down the stairs, smelling eggs and coffee. There was also something sweet she couldn't identify.

 

"There you are. Sit down. Did you know Kyulkyung here knows how to make hotteok?"

 

The girl smiled. "It's nothing, sir. I kinda had to - I have a friend back in the city who loves eating it."

 

"Wow. Guess you'll adopt her then?" Eunwoo joked while sitting down, poking fun at her father, and at Kyulkyung herself, who just playfully put her tongue out, still smiling.

 

"Not so fast, bud. She's my daughter, and her mother would kill me if I ever even thought of giving her up." Kyulkyung's dad took a sip of his coffee, and she nodded, agreeing. It seemed like they had a good family going on.

 

"Naw, I'm settled with this girl here. Could not ever ask fo' more." Eunwoo's father patted her head after putting two pieces of hotteok and some scrambled eggs on her plate.

 

She just smiled in response, eyes almost watering, but not quite. She looked down on her plate, focusing on the food instead. Looking forward to it, Eunwoo cut a piece of hotteok and bit into it, instantly falling in love with the way the filling melted on , sweet, warm, cinnamon-y.

 

"Is it good?" She heard Kyulkyung asking, but her voice was almost distant, with the way Eunwoo was mesmerized by the food. "Eunwoo?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"I think that was a yes." Eunwoo's dad joked. "A girl who can cook always has points in our book."

 

Finally tuning in with the conversation, Eunwoo saw an opportunity to get rid of some trouble she had.

 

"Oh yeah, dad. Much better than guys who can manage some crops, right?" 

 

"Eunwoo, honey. Jiho is a nice boy. He just don't know what he's doing most times." Her dad answered, and she did not expect him to diss the boy who kept bothering her with shameless advances.

 

"Finally I agree with you. Except for the nice boy part." She muttered the last part.

 

Kyulkyung watched this exchange curiously throughout, and even after they finished breakfast. She was amused at how in love Eunwoo seemed with the hotteok, reminding herself to make it more frequently.

 

She was in the middle of taking off her PJ's when Eunwoo knocked.

 

"It's me! Can I come in?"

 

"You can!" She answered, sliding off her pants.

 

"Oh my- why did you tell me to come in?" Kyulkyung could only laugh as Eunwoo covered her eyes.

 

"Newsflash: we're both girls." She smiled, putting her feet inside the dress and sliding it up her body. "You can look, Eunwoo. I swear I'm dressed."

 

Kyulkyung watched as hands dropped and half-crescent eyes opened slowly. "Oh." 

 

"See?" Kyulkyung turned around. "Now can you close it for me? I can't reach the back." She tried to, but really couldn't.

 

Now, Kyulkyung did not see it since she was facing the other way, but Eunwoo was too absorbed watching her to move.

 

"Eunwoo?" 

 

"Uh, yeah. Coming." She finally snapped out of it.

 

Eunwoo walked ahead, approaching the girl. She gently grabbed the zipper with her fingers, closing it slowly and trying to keep her hands from trembling. Eunwoo did not understand why was suddenly dry; why her hands hesitated to come closer as the zipper went up.

 

Heaving a deep breath, Eunwoo was finished.

 

"Done?" Kyulkyung asked, turning back around.

 

"Yeah." She answered, nodding. She tried to not run away as Kyulkyung's eyes seemed to scan her.

 

"Eunwoo."

 

"What?" 

 

"Your cheeks are red." 

 

"What? I- uh- I- uh, bye!" And she ran off, leaving Kyulkyung in a daze. All she did was point out the color of her cheeks.

 

It made her even more curious of the girl. And Kyulkyung would not be able to stay curious for too long.

 

--

 

"Eunwoo, you and Kyulkyung can go check the crops and bring whatever's grown. Don't take too long to come back, her father and I are gonna cook some fish for dinner."

 

"Okay, father. The pickup?"

 

"Yes, the pickup." He fished out the car keys from his pocket and almost handed them to Eunwoo. "But be careful. Check the battery first and take the spare." And finally, handed her the keys.

 

She smiled, keys in hand, nodding. Then, she rushed upstairs and knocked on Kyulkyung's door.

 

"Hey."

 

"Hey. Uh, looks like we gotta go." She motioned toward the stairs.

 

"Go? Go where?" The girl seemed confused.

 

"Go to work."

 

Kyulkyung started pouting. "This surely doesn't feel like a vacation..."

 

"Come on, we'll have fun. Trust me. Plus, you'll get to witness my nifty driving skills." Eunwoo had almost the same smug smile as her father's.

 

"You're gonna drive? Oh dear god, help us all." Kyulkyung made a fainting motion, making fun of the girl.

 

"Shut up Kyulkyung."

 

"Ouch, sassy Eunwoo. That's new."

 

"Well, you're gonna have a lot of sassy Eunwoo if ya don't shut up." Eunwoo got sick of making empty threats, impulsive enough to place her hand on Kyulkyung's mouth.

 

Kyulkyung, not being able to communicate nor remove the girl's hand from , kept looking at Eunwoo's eyes while holding onto her arm.

 

For a moment they stopped fighting, and Eunwoo calmly removed her hand. She was still looking at her, thoroughly so. She didn't even realize she was closer to the girl, closer than two seconds ago.

 

"Sorry. I- I didn't mean to." Eunwoo looked down, finally noticing she didn't have to keep taking in the girl's face so meticulously. Especially those eyes, those lips.

 

And Kyulkyung withdrew her grip on Eunwoo's arm.

 

"Let's go." Kyulkyung went ahead, leaving Eunwoo standing on the threshold, overthinking everything on the past two minutes.

 

Then she followed; still unsure of what exactly happened, but followed anyway.

 

--

 

They climbed on the pickup after Eunwoo made sure it wouldn't fail on them, and after she put the tools they would need on the back.

 

Kyulkyung, on the passenger seat, wouldn't spare a glance at her. It kinda upset Eunwoo, since she thought they were getting along so well. She wanted to apologise, but had no idea how to.

 

Turning on the now roaring engine, she backed out of the garage through the driveway, and started for the dirt road, being more careful than ever.

 

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, changing gears. "I didn't mean to do that."

 

Kyulkyung seemed to listen, changing her stiff pose on the shotgun seat to look out the window, sighing.

 

"It's ok, Eunwoo. I overreacted."

 

"You didn't. I made the wrong move." She gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles changing color.

 

"Let's put it past us." Kyulkyung responded. "No need to rewind the tape."

 

Eunwoo didn't answer, instead focusing on the road ahead. She did not think they were still on bad terms, however, Eunwoo wasn't completely confident on the idea that they were fine.

 

After a little while, Kyulkyung seemed willing to break the silence.

 

"Eunwoo, can I ask a dumb question?" She was back to looking at her.

 

"Uh, sure."

 

"Apart from your dad, you seem a lot more… educated?"

 

Eunwoo laughed at her wording, brushing back hair and formulating a response.

 

"Yeah, mother made sure of that. She used to be a librarian, but after marrying my father, she quit the job and they moved to our house. She brought a lot of books though. So when I was born, I had quite the material." 

 

"Oh, that's so sweet." Kyulkyung smiled.

 

"Yeah. Dad learned a lot with her too, even though he isn't much of a book fan. Now he sometimes looks at them, you know, to remember her."

 

"I'm sure she was a great woman."

 

Eunwoo nodded, agreeing. "She was."

 

The comfortable silence came back once again. They finally