Winter Mourning

Winter Mourning

Jeongyeon walked the lonely path away from the grave as she adjusted her jacket for warmth. The grave that belonged to her fiancée. Today marks the 6th year since she passed away. Jeongyeon spent her day next to her fiancée's grave as she had done so the past six years. She chatted away, spoke about her current life, ate food that they both liked and would eat together in the past, and reminisced about the old days, when her fiancée was still around. It was somber, but lifted Jeongyeon's spirits up as if her fiancée was actually there with her. Though, as if to match her solemn mood, the clouds that were gray earlier turned to a downpour of rain. 

 

Deciding to wait for the rain to stop, she ran towards the small chapel near the cemetery. Jeongyeon has never been a big believer, but every now and then she has prayed to God just like how her fiancée has taught her. She expected it to be empty as the chapel only gets filled up on Sundays or when there are special occasions, but today she spotted a lone person sitting on the pews. Jeongyeon tried not to pay attention but she could hear the person - a young woman - crying. Deciding that maybe it wasn't a polite thing to pry into other people’s business, and that it's quite a normal thing to see in a cemetery, she decided to leave it alone and moved to the devotional area dedicated to Saint Peter. There she lit a candle, closed her eyes and prayed for the soul of her lost love and those of others who have departed as well. She was deep into her prayer until she heard sniffling near her. 

 

Jeongyeon opened her eyes, and she saw the crying woman from before standing to her right, brown eyes staring up at the statue of the saint. From this angle she could see the woman's features well. Her curly dark hair was loose down to her upper back. Eyes were puffy from crying, and her eyeliner was smudged from all the tears and wiping she must have done. Her nose was very prominent especially on the side angle Jeongyeon is seeing her from. She looked a bit pale but it might just have been a trick of the light, and her soft cheeks were stained by her tears. Her most eye-catching feature however was her red lips and a mole to the side. While Jeongyeon debated in her mind whether to ask or not, was already asking. 

 

"Who was it?" Jeongyeon asked. No reply. "I don't mean to pry, but they must have meant a lot to you." Again. Silence answered her. She stayed patient. "What's your name?" she asked again. 

This time the girl seemed to hear, she looked at Jeongyeon, then to the lone candle that was lit. "Chaeyoung." she answered simply, a somber tone in her voice. 

Jeongyeon nodded and looked towards the candle as well. "I know how you feel. I have gone through the same thing. My fiancée, she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I thought I would never fall in love, but she came crashing into my life discouraging me from that notion. We were in love, we had the best moments we shared, laughter and tears. I was supposed to marry her. But then tragedy struck and she was taken away from me. I was devastated, I had taken to alcohol as company morning, night and day. I was a shadow of my former self, an empty shell when I lost her. But in those days, I learned something. She wouldn't have wanted me to do that. In fact she would have hated me for that. She would want me to move on. Move on but never forget. That's the thought that helped me through. And I still love her even now, six years later." Jeongyeon gave off a bitter chuckle. "I'm sorry for pouring this one out on you." 

The other girl just nodded and gave her a sad smile. 

"What about you?" Jeongyeon tried again. "They must have been a great loss, whoever it is that passed." 

 

Once again as if the girl reverted back to her unresponsive state, she didn't answer. She just stared at the candle's flame silently as tears flowed through her cheeks. Jeongyeon just dropped her questions and decided that maybe that was too touchy a topic to bring up. She also noticed that the rain outside has stopped despite the permeating chill in the air. She took one last look at the girl, Chaeyoung, and patted her shoulders goodbye. As Jeongyeon moved to leave the devotion area, she heard Chaeyoung finally speak again. In a very soft voice, almost at the edge of hearing but something Jeongyeon heard very clearly. Six words that stopped her dead in her tracks...

 

"No one came to my funeral."

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twice4lyf
#1
Chapter 1: I don't know what to feel. This is sad and scary and wtf this is awesome.
njmsjmdct_9
#2
Chapter 1: That six words were surely scary but sad at the same time. Another well-written story from you. Thank you for this ☺️.
chaellax
14 streak #3
Chapter 1: i never read these kinds of fics before. they’re really interesting. thanks author nim :)
Buddygooo #4
Chapter 1: That's scary