Chapter 12 First Snow

“Eomma?”

An eight-year old Chanwoo tugged his mother’s gloved hand, his eyes peering curiously on his mother’s own. Her face was gazing upward with her eyes closed and his lips with a hint of small smile like she was having a good dream. He squeezed his mother’s warm hand, but his mother wouldn’t budge. Chanwoo huffed childishly and scrunched his face for being ignored. He looked above and something wet and cold fell on his eyes. He blinked it off and rubbed his eyes.

“Hold your hand out Chanwoo-ya,” his mother told him. He was confused for a second but do what he has been told. He held out his free hand, stared at it, waiting for something to happen. After a moment of nothing happening, Chanwoo was about to whine but then something white landed on his hand. It was only one at first, then came another and another. He looked around him and they were falling around them.

It was beautiful.

He glanced at his mother with the largest grin at his face. She smiled at him, “Make a wish, son,” she said.

“Why?”

She went down to his level, fixed his scarf and ruffled his already messy hair.

“Because it’s the first snow.”

***

“So… how was the date?”

Chanwoo had been expecting this. He was so sure that this question will inevitably be asked by Yunhyeong after his ‘so-called’ date with Mina yesterday. It was just a matter of when. He was surprised that his hyung waited out the whole day before he interrogated him. He almost believed that he had forgotten but the notion was too good to be true.

Sighing tiredly, “It was awkward, of course,” he pouted recalling last night’s events.

“Sounds like a delightful evening.”

Chanwoo rolled his eyes at his hyung sarcasm. His dinner with Mina was not totally awkward, at first, maybe. He accounted it to them being not really close enough. Apart from being classmate and being in the same group for their project, they haven’t talked that much and did not really know anything about each other, so it was a slightly uncomfortable not knowing what to talk about. Fortunately, Mina weathered quite easily over their tensed silence, initiating small talks and asking him harmless questions. The night was uneventful for the most part and Chanwoo ought to think that it somehow turned out as pleasant as it can be with him escorting Mina to her dorm at the end despite of the polite refusal from the other party. He knew he had to do that at least.

“No second date then?”

“Hyung!” Chanwoo groaned. “Why won’t you let this go?”

“Because it’s my job as your hyung to know about this and to annoy you,” Yunhyeong snickered when Chanwoo swatted his hand when he reached out to his hair. “You’re worse than Hanbin.”

A flash of concern instantly crossed Chanwoo’s face, hearing Hanbin’s name.

“What?” Yunhyeong asked after a moment, staring at him imploringly. When he heard no response, he sighed and put his hand at Chanwoo’s shoulder. “If this is about yesterday, I already told you its fine. Hanbin and I… we’re… we’re okay now.”

Although his expression remained doubtful, Chanwoo found himself nodding. They stared at each other for a while before his hyung started to laugh softly, making him scrunched his face in confusion.

“Chanwoo-ya, why are you so worried about me?”

At length, Chanwoo averted his eyes and bit his lips at the thought. It was a simple question, so he wondered why does he feel so nervous suddenly. It was not like Chanwoo could not think of any answer, it was the opposite. He was nervous because his mind was swamped with so many reasons to answer that question. So many reasons that he chose not to put into words because something was telling him that it will change everything, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

“Well… you’re my friend and…” Chanwoo started cautiously as he fidgeted on his position, “I mean you’re really nice to me and treated me well even from the start. I’m just returning… the favor... and—”

“—And you’re not really good at this kind of thing,” Yunhyeong finished for him with a chuckle, making his face heat up. “But, so does everyone else.”

Chanwoo felt his shoulder relaxed a bit when Yunhyeong let him off the hook. He was not sure what other embarrassing things he would spout out if his hyung decided not to intervene. He peered under his lashes and saw his hyung staring at him sincerely as if he was telling him that he understood all the things he left unsaid.

“And despite being this awkward and annoying for most of the time,” Yunhyeong continued quietly, “You’re a good guy Jung Chanwoo. Thank you for worrying for me.”

Slowly, Chanwoo found the courage to raise his head and locked gaze with his hyung, only to see a smiling reflection of himself on Yunhyeong’s eyes.

***

“So, what did you wish for?” He heard his mother asked him as they walk back to their house.

Chanwoo stopped bouncing on his step and look at his mother thoughtfully. He blinked at her for a second before he grinned, “I wish I can watch a baseball game,” he paused and think over it for a moment, “but not on TV.”

Her mother chuckled and pinched his cheeks. “Go, tell your appa that.”

“I will! I will!” Chanwoo jumped enthusiastically and twirled around as the light snow continuously descended upon them. On his second spin, he suddenly halted and glanced at his mother inquisitively. “What about you, eomma? What’s your wish?”

His mother approached him and grabbed his plump cheeks with both of her hands and stared at him with her amused eyes.

“My wish is for your wish come true.”

***

Friday came with flurry of December winds and mixed feelings to Chanwoo. He glanced at Yunhyeong who was walking beside him, talking about something he was not listening into because he was too focused on his thoughts. Thoughts that has been bothering him for quite a while now. Thoughts about his hyung.

The talking stopped suddenly that popped Chanwoo out of his musings and he paused, only to meet Yunhyeong’s scrutinizing eyes.

“You’ve been quiet for a while now. What’s wrong?”

Caught off-guard, Chanwoo could only let out a dumb-sounding, “Huh?”

“You’re not listening to me,” Yunhyeong cocked his head, “You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. What are you thinking?”

Chanwoo might be exaggerating but the words came to him with a weight of accusation. He gulped inaudibly, not exactly sure why he felt like he was suddenly so exposed and needed to take cover.

“Perhaps,” Yunhyeong’s eyes narrowing on every passing second, “are you thinking of...”

A moment of heavy tension washed over them before his hyung’s lips curled into a smirk and a spark of mischief lit up his face.

“No!” Chanwoo immediately interjected, knowing exactly the direction Yunhyeong was about to take. “I’m not thinking of her!”

Yunhyeong laughed. “Wow. Aren’t you defensive?”

Even though he was never fond of the topic, Chanwoo was relieved that they stirred to this course of conversation yet again. He could take Yunhyeong annoying him anytime more than inspecting and dissecting him because Chanwoo doesn’t want hyung getting a wisp of what he was bothered about.

“I was about to say, ‘you’re thinking about the baseball game’ but that works too.”

Chanwoo only glared as Yunhyeong chuckled.

“Fine. Fine,” Yunhyeong exhaled shaking his head, “I was wondering, now that you don’t have anything on, on Sunday, want to come with me?”

Chanwoo casted a doubtful look at Yunhyeong for a second, thinking that the offer was trap. “Where?” He huffed, still irritated.

Instead of answering him, Chanwoo watched his hyung fish his phone out of his pocket. He went over his phone, his fingers expertly maneuvering on the screen. As soon as he tucked his phone back to his pocket, he beamed at him and said, “Check your email.”

Chanwoo hesitantly took out his phone as his face scrunched in confusion. He opened the email application and, sure eno