Date: September 9, 2018

Jisoo’s POV

                The sun was setting, its golden glow weaving in and out of trees as we drove by. With the engine humming over even pavements, any troubling thoughts were quickly set to peace. I gave my mother’s hand a squeeze, feeling comforted by its restored warmth. When our house came into view, Helen and I assisted my mother inside where she resumed her sleep on the couch.

                “Jisoo yah,” Helen whispered, careful not to wake my mother. “Can you pick up some walnut pastries for your mom? She asked me to get some earlier at the hospital but I need to start cooking now so we have something to eat for tonight.”

                I nodded and obliged. With my earphones in, I left the house and began walking towards the bakery.

                By the time I was close, the sky had turned deep blue, accentuating the moon’s alluring shine. I zipped my jacket up further and stuffed my hands into my pockets to stay snug. Ahead of me was Mrs. Kim’s bakery, its cozy incandescent light bulbs emitting a warmth that was hard to resist in such chilly weather.

                A few feet away from the door sat a figure on a bench. Quickly eyeing it to judge what kind of fool would willfully sit outside in this kind of weather, my feet suddenly brought me to a stop when I noticed the recognizable black hoodie–it was Jin. His head hung low, hands were shoved in his pockets–and like usual, most of his face was covered by his hood, only leaving the bulb of his nose and lips visible. Sitting so incredibly still, I began to question whether I was observing a human or a statue.

                Unexpectedly, he peered up with his lips curled as if ready to curse at whoever was rudely staring at him. When our eyes met, his anger immediately dissipated into some sort of desolation–it was almost as if he was ashamed to be in front of me like this.

                “H-Hey,” Jin lowered his gaze as if still embarrassed about the smoking incident from earlier. Slipping off his hood, his full face came into view. A red tie peeked out from underneath his outerwear, also bringing me to notice his new haircut–which seemed to have been slightly tousled up by his hood. “What are you doing here?”

                I looked at him funny. “What am I doing here? I think that’s a question I should be asking you. Aren’t you cold?”

                “I’m fine,” he casually replied, although I suspected he wasn’t with the perpetually tired look in his eyes. “Where are you headed to?”

                I pointed my chin towards the bakery, “Over there. You?”

                “I don’t know yet,” he blankly answered, fixing his eyes onto something far off in the distance as if hoping it’d give him a destination. Strangely, I found truth in his uncertainty.

                “Well, good luck. You’re going to catch a cold if you keep sitting here like this,” I turned my back towards him and started walking to the bakery–a part of me feeling bad for leaving him behind and another shaking off responsibility for the welfare of someone as ambiguous as him.

                “Is this an invitation for me to come with you to wherever you’re going?” his voice called out from behind me, enthusiasm recharged.

                Before I could answer, the sound of his footsteps grew louder and louder until he completely closed the distance between us, walking right beside me. Prepared to berate him for inviting himself to this one-person party, he shot me a stupid grin that made my cheeks flush in discomfort–so I shut up and picked up my pace so I could evade the cold.

                The shopkeeper bell rang loudly as we walked through the door; almost immediately, Mrs. Kim came running out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. The bakery was nearly empty–there was only a couple ahead of us. Over at the glass displays, Jin was carefully observing the plethora of cakes and pastries one-by-one–as if inspecting for defects of some sort.

                “My lovely Jisoo, what can I get for you today?” she cheerfully welcomed, although distracted by the various chores she had to keep after. I watched as she quickly wiped down the counter with a damp towel then ducked under the counter for a paper bag. Flicking it open with both hands, she gently placed the box of pastries in and sealed it with a branded sticker. The customers paid for their order and left shortly after.

                Exhaling, Mrs. Kim turned off her “OPEN” sign and tiredly smiled at me, “It’s been a long day.”

                “Come on now, you know you’re an exception,” she dismissed and jollily giggled. “What can I get for you?”

                “I’m sorry–I didn’t mean to come so late,” I meekly apologized.

 

                “Just a dozen of walnut pasties please. Oh, uh, Jin, did you want to put in an order too?” I turned around and found him standing just behind me, gaping at something before him.

                Following his overwhelmingly intense stare, I found his eyes fixated on at Mrs. Kim, who seemed to have caught on, as she returned his gaze with longingness. Her eyes began to water as she inched closer to him, as if unbelieving of something so surreal. Feeling silly that I was the only one who wasn’t aware of what was happening, I awkwardly chuckled, “Hey guys, is everything okay…?”

                The next word that escaped Jin’s lips ceased my curiosity.

                “U-Umma…?”

Jin’s POV

                Unsteady, the achingly familiar woman took another step towards me and tightly gripped onto my forearm, her touch sending shocks throughout my body. Burying her head into my chest, she sobbed and sobbed until her hot tears began seeping through my sweater and sticking onto my skin. When the initial disbelief subsided, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her in even tighter. She seemed much smaller than I had remembered; my arms used to reach as far as they possibly could to only wrap halfway around her abdomen–now, her tired back and throbbing shoulders fit right into my embrace. It pained me that so much had changed over the years–but at that minute, I was just grateful that I finally found my mother.

                After what seemed like hours, we finally pulled away. My mother dried her tears with her apron and recollected herself before she took a good look at me. Her eyes were still damp and red, but they gleamed with overwhelming joy, “My son… Oh my, you have grown so much. You are as handsome as ever. I am so sorry, you must really resent me for leaving you...” It was only when she wiped at my tears that I realized I had been crying too. Embarrassed, I dabbed the remnants away with my sleeve and cheerfully smiled.

                “No, it’s not your fault,” I promised. “I knew it wasn’t you who did it. I knew this whole time.”

                “Come and sit, I’ll fix something for you to eat. Tell me everything and–” my mother pivoted towards the kitchen before coming face-to-face with Jisoo, whom we had forgotten about this entire time. With her eyes lowered to the ground, it was hard for me to discern what she was feeling; I began to fear that I had upset her for leaving her in the dark like that, but my mind was in shambles and I couldn’t find the right words to say. Guilty that Jisoo had to witness the waterworks in confusion, my mom hysterically apologized on our behalf, “Jisoo, omo, I’m so sorry… I completely forgot–I need to get you your pastries. Give me one sec–”

                Woken up from her spell, Jisoo returned to her usual self and politely declined, “Ah no–it’s totally fine! I can come back another day. I’ll head out now. Have a good night.”

                “No, this was completely uncalled for. Let me get you your pastries,” my mom insisted and rushed into the kitchen before anyone could further object. Jisoo, on the other hand, was already making her way to the door.

                Without thinking, I ran after her and grabbed onto her arm–perhaps a little too aggressively, as she shot me a surprised look. I promptly released my grip and sheepishly rubbed at my nape, “Hey, sorry about that. And thanks for bringing me here. Really.”

                Jisoo paused for a long while, her lips slightly parted as if she had all the words to say but couldn’t say them. Adjusting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, she quietly faced the door again–her hand placed on the handle, ready to exit. Anticipating that she’d leave me with her usual apathy, I patiently waited for her departure.

                She broke the silence with a sharp inhale, sending my heart to a halt as I waited for her to say something.

                “...Congratulations,” she muttered no louder than a whisper before she took off.

                I watched as she walked off into the darkness, her hair flowing gracefully with the wind and the sleeves of her oversized jumper hanging just over the tips of her fingers.

                And I smiled.