The rest of the week passes like a breeze. The classes have kept me busy as I learned many new things, and they are all so interesting and enjoyable. Jiwon happens to be in three of my classes, strangely, but to have him with me is something that I am grateful of. I have mentally included him in my list for whatever group projects we have to do in the upcoming days. I don’t think he minds because he too makes it clear that he wants me to be a part of his group when he says, “You’re stuck with for the rest of the semester” as the lecturer gives us a briefing on the course outline. I nod, thinking that it would be a lot easier working with someone I have already known.

I don’t see Hanbin as much, and I think I see Jiwon more often compared to Hanbin, though I live under the same roof with him. I have come to understand that I will only go to the university with him, and return on my own because he’ll go to God-knows-where with God-knows-who after classes. I only see him in the morning, and I have even brought water into my room in case I get thirsty in the middle of the night. I am not avoiding him, and we aren’t in bad terms, but Hanbin is a mystery and I am terrible at mind games. I am doing things on his terms, and he too seems to be fine with the little interaction that we have. Besides, I don’t want to put him into a bad situation with Jennie as well.

That Friday morning, after I’m done with putting on my shoes, Mrs. Kim tugs my wrist and pulls me closer. I look at her questioningly and she has an excited expression on her face.

“Will you be free by 7 p.m. today?” she asks.

I tilt my head to the side. “Yeah, my class ends at 3 today.”

With that, her eyes beam brightly. “Today is Hanbyul’s birthday,” she whispers, not wanting the said girl to hear the conversation. “Uncle and I have planned to do a little celebration for her by having a fancy dinner. Will you make it?”

Smiling, I nod my head. “Of course I will. I will not miss it for the world.”

“That’s great. I’ll text you the address later. Don’t let it slip, okay? Hanbyul doesn’t know about this.”

After class ends, I patiently wait for the cab at the bus stop in front of the university. Apparently, the restaurant was in the same mall Hanbin brought me the other day; where we had the fried chicken. I could’ve asked Hanbin to take me there, since I believe he’d be there too, but the thought of Jennie stopped me from doing so. I look to my side and Jiwon’s face comes to my sight. I frown while he flashes me his brightest smile. If I were some other girls, I would have fallen for that smile. Even back in the days, girls couldn’t help developing crushes on him. Who wouldn’t anyway? In less than a week, he has found himself some fangirls, and due to amount of time we spend together, I am known simply as ‘the girl who’s always with him’.

“Tell me why you’re here again,” I mutter lowly.

He chuckles. “A friend of Hanbin is a friend of mine,” he playfully remarks as he punches my shoulder. “Besides, it’s been a while since I saw Hanbyul. What’s wrong with me coming anyway? The more the merrier, right?”

“Hanbin and I are not friends,” I quickly deny, my eyes widen. “We’re not friends…” I trail off. I rub my temples. Now, why is the cab taking so long? I clear my throat and fix my gaze to the road again. The street is busy as always, with all the cars and public transportations pass by. Not too long after that, a bus pulls to a stop in front of us, and before I could even gather my thought, Jiwon grabs my hand and pulls me with him before we enter the bus together. He scans his card twice—for him and myself—and he never lets go of my hand. I stare at our intertwining hands as we walk down the aisle and take a sit on the empty ones.

I take the one beside the window, and he sits near the aisle. He finally lets go of my hand and I couldn’t help sensing his warmth that’s slowly fading away as time passes by. I look outside the window and the scenery today is breathtaking. I have always loved winter—there’s something so warm about the cold, and it makes me wonder how something so cold can be so warm. The contradiction is fascinating to me because it doesn’t make sense, but it does, somehow. I love how gloomy the sky looks, greyish with the clouds so heavy as if they’re holding some sort of the greatest thunderstorm. Come to think of it, it is kind of hopeful, too, don’t you think? Because, the clouds; they can either cry out the rain with all the crazy thunderstorms, or…

“Oh, it’s the first snow of the year,” Jiwon’s fade voice causes me to look up.

Or they can cry out the most beautiful, purest white snow that it leaves you mesmerised and stupefied on your spot.

How in the world, something so cold can produce something so warm? I will never understand. And perhaps that’s the thing with arts and nature—sometimes you don’t have to understand, you just have to appreciate their beauty. If you can understand, then it’s a bonus. But, really, the beau