“Oh, Yoonmi-ah! You’re home.” Eunmi greeted Yoonmi brightly when she saw that her lovely twin was home. In a flash, she put a bowl of hot chicken soup on the table before she approached Yoonmi who was standing in a daze not far away from the dining table.

“Eun-Eunmi…”

“Come! Have a seat,.I’ve cooked your favorite food.” Eunmi pulled Yoonmi closer to the dining table as she forced her to sit down. Having no choice, Yoonmi sat silently as her gaze fixed on the various kinds of food served on the table in a beautiful fashion by Eunmi. She wondered if something special had happened? If something special had happened, what could it be? Moreover, Eunmi looked much more excited and happier than usual. Yoonmi furrowed her brows slightly. Her gaze then moved to Eunmi who was busy filling the empty plate in front of her.

“Why? Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?” Eunmi asked as she touched her face curiously, thinking that there was something on her face.

“Eunmi-ah... Why are you doing all these things?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to?” Eunmi questioned, examining Yoonmi’s facial expression. Yoonmi didn’t seem particularly happy with her plan.

“I’ve told you, you’re not supposed to be doing this. It’s my duty. Seeing you work hard to please me, it just makes me feel guiltier…” Yoonmi spoke in a lower tone.

“See? That’s your biggest problem! Move on, Yoonmi! Move on! It's been three years already! You’re not my maid or anything like that, so why must you do everything by yourself? We’re siblings, siblings that are bonded by the same blood. ” Eunmi retorted, almost bursting into anger. She inhaled deeply before forcing a smile on her pretty face. “Let’s forget about that. Now, eat!”

“But-”

“No! No buts. Just eat. I know that you’ve been so busy lately that you couldn’t even eat properly these days. That's why I made this soup especially for you.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the current atmosphere, Yoonmi picked up her spoon and started eating. Eunmi smiled even wider when she noticed that Yoonmi had finally stopped being stubborn and started eating even though she didn’t seem to enjoy the meal at all. Eunmi was slightly disappointed at that; she didn’t really get why it was so hard for Yoonmi to forget the tragedy and stop blaming herself for everything. Even Eunmi herself has already forgotten about everything and moved on. But, why can’t Yoonmi?

“Yoonmi-ah… Can I say something?”

Yoonmi raised her head and nodded instantly in response to Eunmi’s question.

“You see... Urmm… It’s been three years since we have celebrated Christmas so I was thinking that we should celebrate it this year. There’s still a week left before Christmas… I don’t know why, but I feel like this winter is going to be much more special than before! There is a kind of privacy about winter that no other season gives... In Spring, Summer and Fall, it feels more like an open season that you spend with people but it is only in Winter that we can have longer, quieter stretches of time which we can savor for ourselves. Spring, summer, and fall fill us with hope while winter alone reminds us of human emotions… Summer is the time for squabbles and in Winter, we must protect one another and keep each other warm, sharing our strength!” Eunmi said excitedly, hoping that Yoonmi would understand her feelings.

When Eunmi woke up and saw the feathery frost on her windowpane that morning, she had smiled. Finally, it was cold enough to wear long coats and tights. It was even cold enough for scarves and shirts to be worn in layers, like a form of camouflage. It was cold enough for her lucky red cardigan, which she swore had magical powers of its own. She loved this time of year. Summer was tedious with the light dresses that she had to pretend to be comfortable in while secretly, she was sure that she looked like nothing more than a loaf of white bread wearing a belt. The cold brought such relief.

But unfortunately, no expression or emotion showed on Yoonmi face. Nature always looks dead in winter because her life was gathered and well-hidden inside her heart.

In Yoonmi’s eyes, winter had no heat, no light, no noon, evening touches the morning, there was fog and mist, the windows are frosted and she can't see clearly. The sky resembled the bare mouth of a cave. The entire day is basically like the cave.... What a frightful season! Winter has changed the heart of a girl.

 

 

Suho woke up from his nap when a loud knock on his front door from what he considered as an uninvited guest, alerted him. He knew immediately who was standing in front of his front door. After a few minutes had passed, he finally opened the door and a male figure rushed into his house hurriedly.

“Aish… Hyung! What took you so long? I was freezing to death out there!” Jongin raised his voice while Suho merely glanced at him before he moved away, heading to the kitchen and leaving Jongin alone in the living room.

“What brings you here all of a sudden? I haven’t seen you at the university recently. Sehun said that you practically went missing without telling him anything!” Suho yelled from the kitchen. He returned to the living room with a tray and a pot of hot tea on it.

He had brewed the tea in a blue china pot and he pours the tea into a chipped white cup decorated with forget-me-nots on the handle. He then dropped in a dollop of honey and cream into the cup of tea. He sat by the window, warm cup of tea in hand, and watched the snow fall.

“Oh, I was busy with my dance practice. I represented my club by participating in a dance competition. Hyung, you have to come and see the competition with the rest. You have to!” Jongin said as he grabbed a cup of tea and took a sip of it. Suho turned to him and nodded his head in response.

“So, what brought you here?” Suho repeated and patiently waited for his answer. Jongin isn't someone who would come to his house for no reason. There must be a motive behind Jongin's visit.

“Oh, I almost forgot about it! There’s something that I want to tell you actually.”

“Is it-”

“No! It’s not something bad. You don’t have to worry about that!” Jongin cut in; he knew what Suho was thinking about just by looking at his anxious expression. Suho smiled bitterly, feeling slightly embarrassed because he had just got caught for being prejudiced and always thinking negatively about Jongin. Well, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Jongin usually came only if he needed help after he had caused trouble and Suho was always the one who resolved everything for him.

“I’m taking back the notebook. I’ll return the book to that girl, as you wished… I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“Wha- what made you change your mind? This is unusual of you. You must have caught a cold.” Suho replied in astonishment. He never thought that Jongin would ever change his mind. He definitely wasn't expecting for this to happen and he already had his own plans for the notebook.

“Hyung… You’re supposed to hand the notebook over gladly, not mock me!”

“It’s true, isn’t it… You only love to create ruckus, not solve it.”

“Well, when I think about it… That girl I bumped into is quite pretty and cute.” Jongin grinned as his mischievous mind imagined the lovely but sorrowful face that he bumped into a few days ago. Yes, the lovely silhouette of hers was what had made him change his mind. So, he had made up his mind to be responsible this time.

“No! I won’t give it to you. I know what you are thinking, Kim Jongin.” Suho retorted sternly. Jongin must be planning something bad. Suho knew the real Kim Jongin really well. Besides his love for dancing and eating, there’s one more thing that Jongin loves the most. Beautiful girls.

“Ah, Hyung, seems like you have just figured out what’s on my mind. So, I think I don’t have to explain it any further.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I won’t give it back to you. I’ll take responsibility for the notebook.”

“So, I guess this is the end of my incredible plan. That girl was lucky because she has you to protect her even though you know nothing about her. But, I wonder, hyung, besides being a gentleman and having a kind nature - do you have something else on your mind?” Jongin tried to dig into Suho’s thoughts. Suho must have his own reason for refusing him.

“Something on my mind? What are you trying to say?”

“Aish, hyung, are you thinking what I’m thinking that I think that you're thinking about what I’m thinking because if you think that I think what I think I’m thinking then we're thinking about the same thing.” Jongin blinked his eyes while Suho glared at him in disbelief. Suho was too confused with what he had just heard.

“Yah, what the heck are you talking about? You just made me more confused! Let’s stop all these nonsense. Look, I know what you're thinking, but I have no bad intentions towards that girl. I just want to return this book and clear things up so that everything can go back to normal.” He bit his lower lip right after that. That’s it, he admits that he does have another intention besides returning the book to her but it’s not a bad intention. He could only bear to admit that in his heart. There was still something else that he needed to find out.

“Alright, alright! If you say so. I think it’s better for me to make a move now.” Jongin pouted and sighed in frustration. 

Seeing Jongin was about to leave his house, Suho stood up immediately and tried to stop him. “Wait? You want to leave already? Just like that?”

“What? I don’t have any other reason to stay unless you change your mind. Plus I still need to practice for the upcoming competition.” Jongin said before he left. He had come just to ask about the notebook but since Suho had refused to give it to him, he just left with no thoughts about begging or pleading to Suho for it. The notebook wasn't worth it.

After Jongin left, Suho immediately went to his room, taking out the notebook before returning to sit on the couch in the living room alone.

“It’s time for you to go back to your rightful owner…” He mumbled with his eyes fixed on the notebook as though the notebook was a living thing which could have heard his words and responded back to him. He flipped to the last page of the notebook where the picture was attached. Slowly, he took a long look at the picture, examining the girl with long black hair and frowning. Automatically, the words written in the notebook replayed in his mind.

'Yes, winter is dead. Eunmi, winter is dead... A lot of people like snow. While I view it as some nothing more than frozen water since then. Every time I see white snow falling over my head, it’s not pure white anymore... It's just bloody red, tainted snow. December's wintery breath is already clouding the ponds, frosting the panes, obscuring summer's memory...'

“You have such lovely eyes just like the summer sunshine in the morning, a beautiful face like a snow angel… But such a sorrowful expression fills your face and that makes me wonder, why do you hate Winter the most?” Suho whispered to the picture, just like what he had done to the notebook earlier. This time, he secretly really hoped that the picture could talk to him, to give him the response that he is seeking and so that all the questions in his mind would be answered.