After Winter had said goodbye to Shin Ah in the morning, she had dedicated the rest of the afternoon and evening to practice. It was all dull and physically taxing, since she had to train all by herself, with the third performance being an individual task and because she had no one to consult with as Jin Jin was overseas. When the clock struck ten o’clock in the evening, Winter declared that she was utterly screwed; she had barely managed to finish learning the entire choreography. She doubt she would be able to remember the entire sequence by the time the sun rose tomorrow.

With a dispirited heart she let her feet lead her back home. They stopped right in front of a familiar door, and when Winter looked up, her eyes scanned the number ‘249’ in gold lettering. Winter jumped backwards in surprise. How did she end up back at the apartment that she and Moon Bin once shared? You stupid, dim-witted twit! She chided inwardly, you’re supposed to go to Yu Ri’s house! What are you doing here? Her feet turned to leave, walking three steps before they stopped abruptly. If Jin Jin is still overseas, then Moon Bin must not be home! I’ll just take a quick look at the house—she stuffed the key into the keyhole none too patiently, pushing the door wide open—just a quick look—

Moon Bin stood in front of his bedroom door with his back facing Winter, his right hand gripping a tiny, red luggage. He turned at the sound of the soft click of the door closing behind Winter, his eyes growing large at the sight of her.

“Winter?” he said in surprise, and Winter felt her heart skip a beat; she missed his voice, dammit—

“Moon Bin!” she greeted in what she hoped was a natural voice, though inside she was chanting, . “ASTRO… Japan… no?” she said foolishly.

Moon Bin arced an eyebrow. “Japan? The plane landed earlier than we thought and I was just about to unpack my luggage…” his voice trailed off as he scanned Winter with concerned pupils. “Are you alright, Winter? You look pretty ill.” He stepped forward with his hand reached out.

“I’m fine!” she said frantically, stopping him in his tracks. “I-It’s a good thing you’re here anyway. I was about to tell you that I’m moving out.” She paused, meeting Moon Bin’s eyes. He said nothing, but his gaze was laced with hurt. Winter carried on like a train without stopping, “I figured it’s about time I leave. We weren’t supposed to stay together anyway; if someone found out, both you and I would be in trouble. I-I can’t let that happen. So I’ll be removing my things and returning this apartment to you. Give me ten minutes to pack, then I’ll be gone.”

“Winter,” Moon Bin’s voice came out ragged, “if you feel uncomfortable around me, I can leave instead. You can stay. This wasn’t my apartment to start with; Hye Rim only allowed me to live here because of my situation. Now that she passed her keys on to you, you are the rightful owner of the house.”

“It’s alright,” Winter said firmly. “I’ve already told Yu Ri I would be staying with her. Just give me a few minutes.” She turned away from him and walked into her bedroom, telling herself to not look back.

Much to Winter’s surprise, she had only taken ten minutes to throw her belongings into her luggage, though she had so many winter clothes that it took Winter a lot of effort to zip it closed. When she was done, she opened her bedroom door and almost bumped into Moon Bin. He had thrown on a black, padded jacket and was leaning against the wall.

“Let me take you there,” he said, his expression stiff. “Tell me where Yu Ri’s house is. I will walk you there.”

“I can walk there myself,” Winter said obstinately, biting her lower lip.

“Alone, this late at night?” He eyed her luggage. “Your luggage looks heavy, it will be tiring pulling this all by yourself. Come on, let me do this for you.” Before she could reject him, Moon Bin already had his hand on her lug