Spring

He meets her again in spring, when the cherry blossoms are still waiting to bloom, when winter still lingered over their skin - but at least the sun was shining today. He spots her amidst a sea of people, same long black hair he loved running his fingers through, same doe eyes he fell in love with and with the same laugh that gave him butterflies in his stomach. Even so, Ara looks more mature and graceful than she did four springs ago when they met. Time has been good on her, he thinks.

She hasn’t spotted him yet, and Myungsoo’s about to make a quick escape when the voice he hasn’t missed that much at all calls out to him. “Myungsoo-yah!” her heavy Busan accent was unmistakable. Of course, how could he forget, it was her engagement party he was at. “Kim Myungsoo! You made it! You really made it you-terrible-person-you!”

He takes a quick glance at sea of people whose eyes were turning towards him, hers included. He looks back down at the ground and the dirt beneath his shoes anything to avoid her gaze. “How long has it been? Four years?” she braces him tightly

“Well you know, I’m really having fun at my studio in Japan” he mumbles nervously. “I can’t believe Seunghyun finally decided to pop the question” Myungsoo teases – it’s a terrible habit that being around Lizzy brings out in him. Had it been four springs ago Lizzy would’ve bitten back, but now she’s older, much more mature, and like the cherry blossoms, she was beginning to bloom.

“How are you? How have you been? Come! Meet the girls!” Lizzy drags him back over to the circle, Lizzy pulls him back towards Ara.

“Everyone this is Myungsoo” Lizzy grins “Myungsoo this is Jinah, Gaeun, Eyoung and well…” Her hand lingers in front of Ara as if waiting for Myungsoo to initiate the conversation.

“Ara” he extends his arm to her, finally. “Good to see you again”

“And you too,” she finally says

“She’s going to be my maid of honour” Lizzy announces to Myungsoo “Myungsoo is the best man”

Ara’s eyes widened, and he can’t tell entirely if she’s pleased at the news. He knows he isn’t.

Summer

He’s been alone for two summers now, despite seemingly having an array of relationships over the past four years since. Two were summer flings that fell apart as the colder seasons came, and everyone was already with someone for winter – it was simply no time for a lonely person.

“This is my friend, Lim Hyunsik” she introduces to Myungsoo (well to everyone that is) who is sitting at the table. He’s not sure why he’s here, but ever since Lizzy and Seunghyun begged him to be the best man, he was forced to stay in Seoul. There were dress fittings to attend, wine tasting, food tasting, cake tasting, and Myungsoo wonders if he’s the one getting married. There were also compulsory group outings that he was forced to attend to – for the sake of the bridal party.

They all glance over, some of the girls nudge and tug Ara towards them. “When did this happen?” he hears Lizzy, sitting beside him whisper to Ara.

“When did what happen?” Ara asks, apparently oblivious to the interest surrounding her love life.

“So how did you two meet?” Myungsoo glances across the table, listening in on the conversation between Hyunsik and Seunghyun

“A few months ago when we were in China together…” Hyunsik smiles “We were a part of the same tour group”

“What are you doing in Seoul?”

“Visiting family?”

“How long are you staying?” Myungsoo asks

“Uhmm – Not sure yet” he says finally after a quick glance over at Ara

Autumn

Autumns aren’t like what they used to be, it’s been a month and it’s not cold, not just yet, but Myungsoo knows better than that. He’s bracing himself for the colder seasons with packets of hot cocoa, lots of waterbags and making sure his heater is working this time around. Living alone had taught him to always prepare for the worst – because at the end of the day it’s just you, yourself.

Like how he sat here, all alone at Lizzy’s wedding reception as the crowd heated up the floor with their dance moves. Seunghyun was really happy as the other groomsmen lifted him up into the air, as Lizzy cackled watching Seunghyun scream from fear and joy from the sidelines.

“What are you doing here alone?” she nudges him slightly on his arm, and he jumps - slightly at her touch “Why aren’t you dancing?”

“Where’s Hyunsik? Why aren’t you dancing with him?” He’s not sure why that’s the first question that comes to his mind, and he hopes that she doesn’t think much of it.

“I sent him home, I left him alone with the boys, and well they got him a little intoxicated” Ara says, a mix of annoyance, and anger in her voice. “I mean, how hard is it to say no?” she utters beneath her breath, cursing the jerk for leaving her alone at the reception – she hadn’t even begun to discuss how she was going to get home later.

Myungsoo nods, “I’ll take you home later, so don’t worry”. He takes a seat at the emptied tables and makes himself comfortable.

“What are you doing?” Ara grabs his hand and pulls him out of the chair. “Come dance with me”

“I’m old now, I can’t keep up,” says the twenty six year old with a frown on his face that makes his forehead wrinkle and makes her laugh.

She gives him an ‘are you kidding me look?’ accompanied with arms crossed, judging eyes, and tapping foot before she breaks into a laugh “Come on, we all know how you never gave up an opportunity to dance when you could”

She was right though, sometime, a few years ago, Myungsoo loved to dance, he was shameless – but he was different now, everything was different now. That is until he finds himself whisked onto the dance floor by Ara. His feet move subconsciously to the rhythm, and Myungsoo, old Myungsoo is back. He taps his feet, and shakes his booty, he waves his arms in the air and his whole body bounces to the rhythm. Ara doesn’t leave his side, she’s doing the exact same, they’re cheering, screaming and it’s like the old times “Now that’s the Myungsoo I used to know” she shouts above the music, above his wildly beating heart.

It’s not hot packets of cocoa that’s keeping Myungsoo warm this autumn, it’s the heat, and the flow of blood around his body as his heart beats loudly and rapidly in time with the rhythm, it’s the touch of her skin against his that lights a fire in his body and Myungsoo’s certain that he hasn’t felt this way in the longest of times.

Winter

Winter comes around again, and Myungsoo isn’t afraid, because this time there’s nothing to be afraid about. It’s cold, but he embraces the cold, wrapped in his blanket as he lazily spends his days indoors. It’s like an old friend loneliness, you were born alone and so you die alone and whoever said that was right – but he was probably also some bitter old guy scorned by life or someone he loved.

There’s a knock at the door that makes him leap out of his seat from sheer joy. He doesn’t do well with solitude unless it’s voluntary. She’s standing at the door, eyes puffy and nose red, hair covered in snow. “Are you free?” she sniffs and raises two bottles of wine in the air.

“I am if that’s for me,” he reaches for the bottle of wine which she pulls away quickly from him.

“I can share” she smiles, inviting herself into the house.

“What’s wrong?” he hands her over a cup which she refuses. She pops the lid off the liquor and delves straight into it. Her lips wrap around the bottle and she consumes what seems like the entire bottle in one breath.

“Hey, you were meant to share,” Myungsoo says jokingly, reaching for the bottle in her hand which she reluctantly lets go. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here?” he takes a swig of his own.

She turns her head to him, rests them on her palm and smiles. Never mind her puffy eyes, or husky voice and stuff nose, “We broke up,” she says in a tone too casual “Hyunsik, he’s gone back to China, and well I really just wanted to stay in Seoul.” Ara shrugs her shoulders and falls back onto the couch, pulling her knees closer to her body, and kissing them.

Myungsoo frowns and takes another swig of the wine bottle before handing it to her. She smiles when she takes it, and watches as she shuffles over closer to her. She reaches for his arms, and puts it around her shoulders comfortably for her to fall into him. They sit on the couch and she tells him how they’ve been fighting since the wedding. She had been angry at him for leaving her alone to which he argues that it was her annoying friends that forced the drinks down on him. Myungsoo laughs. “Yeah, your friends are annoying…”

She punches his chest, “Our friends,” she corrects him. There’s something bittersweet when Ara says that, Myungsoo thinks. That she’d choose them, over him. Afterall, from what Myungsoo’s heard, Lizzy has been the first person who has kept her promise to keep in touch after Ara left and although he can’t say the same for himself, for so many reasons, he’s glad that she still considers him to be a friend.

There’s a silence that falls between them, as they watch the snow fall from the rooftop past the window which was obscured by the condensation, they both breathe deep breaths in unison with each other. He smiles at the crown of her head and the smell of her hair tickles his nose.

“What’s so funny?” she finally breaks away.

“Us, four winters ago,” he says and he gives her a knowing looking. Ara smirks, she nods, falling back into his chest.

“What can I say, there’s something scary about winter…” Ara sighs “Always has been.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Myungsoo whispers

“I know,” she turns her face and buries her head into his chest. He holds her closely to his body that was seemingly radiating with heat, making his cheeks flushed and heart race wildly.

No one blames it on the alcohol coursing through their veins, pumping adrenaline into their system and making them feel intoxicated. Myungsoo swears that as he laces his fingers with hers that he’d hold onto it forever. However, only time will tell.