“Omo.. Eunji-ah. Where have you been? We were soooo worried about you.” Seohyun cried as she saw Eunji coming inside. She held onto Eunji’s shoulder and let her sit at the couch. “Taeyeon and I stayed at the hotel last night. I fell asleep in her car so she just decided to bring me to the hotel.”

“Does it really need to be at the hotel? She should’ve just brought you home.” Seohyun stood up and went to the kitchen. She stayed at the counter while on a talk with Eunji. She poured a hot coffee into the cup and brought it to her. “Thank you.” Eunji muttered as Seohyun handed her the cup.  She remembered Chanyeol. She regrets letting Taeyeon get her phone yesterday. She could’ve reached Chanyeol and tell him not to worry. She knew Chanyeol would worry a lot if she never gives him notice. Grabbing the phone on her bag, she pressed Chanyeol’s name on the speed dial and waited until he answers.

“Chanyeol-ah… I’m sorry about yesterday if I---”

She didn’t hear Chanyeol’s voice, and what’s worse is that he dropped the call after a few seconds. Maybe he’s upset. He’s been worried for almost a day; he didn’t get a chance to keep contact with his girlfriend for a day. That fact sounded bad to him.

“Eottokhe? He ended the call. Could he be mad at me?” Eunji cried; she’s worried.

“Don’t think that way, I’m sure there’s another reason why.”

--

“I should remind you that your job is not yet over. You’re in charged of me, not of my sister.” Kyungsoo said, sitting on the couch with a serious face. The atmosphere is strange. Eunji feels this is another thing she has to worry about. “I-I was… I just can’t refuse.” Eunji replied. She was still standing there, heads down, and a bit shaking. Kyungsoo stood from the couch, glared at her. “Wait there. You’re going with me.”

Her nerves suddenly calmed down and sat on the couch as Kyungsoo left upstairs. She’s still thinking about Chanyeol who dropped her call this morning. She called him again, but his phone is out of reach. She called his home number, only the answering machine spoke in behalf of Chanyeol. Now’s the only way to find out what happened to Chanyeol is to ask his father, Mr. Park. Her eyes traveled around, looking for a figure of Mr. Park. But he wasn’t there. She walked a bit into the garage, but he’s not there too. Now, Kyungsoo finally walked down the stairs only finding Eunji wandering and looks like looking for something. “What’s wrong?” He asked, loudly that made Eunji startled and stopped what she’s into earlier.

“Ah… I just wanted to ask where Mr. Park has gone.” Kyungsoo took the one last step of the stair, turned the key on his forefinger, and walked pass by her going to the car. “I’ll drive. He’s not here.”

Kyungsoo fixed the rearview mirror and started the engine. The cold weather hasn’t gone back to normal. Eunji still has two months before she can go out of the winter world. “Let’s go to grocery first.” Kyungsoo muttered and focused on his driving. He opened the music player and the car started to fill a melody that he has been playing ever since he met you. That one song that was partly giving him heartache yet a memory of love he couldn’t forget. Eunji was sitting with him at the front seat.

“What do you think of the song?” He asked softly, just to change the silent atmosphere between them.

“It’s….”

A sudden flashback striked his mind. That was the first time he asked you the same question back then, when you can still remember everything. “What do you think of the song.” He asked as he put off the earphones from her ear. “It’s… It’s calm… I like it.” She smiled…………..

He then realized he was lost in a moment. “It’s what?” He wasn’t expecting anything from your answer, now that he knew your reaction to the song might have changed too. Unless, he would hear you say it exactly the same, he wouldn’t know.

“It’s calm. I like it..”

Kyungsoo’s world paused, she never changed, and it was the exact words she said that day. His heart pricked, eyes turned away from her and focused on driving until they reached the grocery store.

They only bought cup noodles and some drinks. “Where are we actually going?” Eunji asked as they’re already twenty kilometers away from the grocery store.

“You’ll find out soon.”

“But first, I have to let Chanyeol know about this.”

She then called him, but the same thing happened.

“He’s not answering?” Kyungsoo asked. Eunji felt sad, for Chanyeol turning his phone off. Seohyun couldn’t even call him, no one could reach him. She still nodded. The truth is, Kyungsoo overheard the voicemail saying Chanyeol’s number is turned off. He felt a bit of grudge into Chanyeol for making Eunji feel like this, worried. And soon as they kept farther from Seoul, Eunji fell asleep again until they reached the place. She is awaken by the stopping of the engine. Kyungsoo took her to the pond where they usually meet before, during their high school days, and before she lost her memory. They did accidentally meet here a few months ago when their paths crossed again. (refer to Chapter 8)

“Oh. It’s the pond! We bumped into each other here before, right? This is the place where you accepted me to work for you.” Eunji grinned,

“This pond… is where my first love started, and a place where I cried all my tears when it ended.” Kyungsoo said. The pond was all covered with snow, and no doubt the fishes might have all died from the cold weather.

“That was… so sad to hear.”

“You know what she told me?” He stared at her, eyeballs are in a serious shape, lashes stood straight not covering any part of his eyeballs. “She promised she wouldn’t leave, and cursed the fishes turn to pink and all die.”

Eunji chuckled. “That’s so silly.” She played the snow where her shoeprint sunk and recreated its layer again.  “You think so?” Kyungsoo raised a brow. You think it’s silly but it was you behind that promise. He thought.

“I wish I had memories like that too. All I had with me was books, and the orphanage, and mom, and the kids and my friends, and Chanyeol. Mom never let me meet any boys during my junior highschool.” She puffed her cheeks. “The first time I had encountered a boy with me was when Chanyeol became my friend when I reached college.”

At the middle of their conversation, a man came, covered with his scarf and handwoven thick sweater, hardly can’t he walk, only with the help of his wooden cane. He looks someone at his 50s. The man neared them, trying to see their faces. He then pointed to Kyungsoo, “Aren’t you the boy before? You were crying hopeless. Was that you?” He asked. Kyungsoo cleared his throat, he knew the man. That man saved him and Eunji back then. He nodded to the man.

“And then this girl, your girlfriend, the reason for your tears? Huh?” He then turned to Eunji that left a big question mark on her thought. Of course she would think that’s not her. But the two with her, know it’s her. She couldn’t remember. Kyungsoo denied that the girl with him isn’t the girl back then. “No haraboji, she’s not that girl.” The man’s brows furrowed, clearly trying to hear Kyungsoo’s explanation. Kyungsoo’s voice suddenly changed into a lower tone, “She’s gone. We broke up before I moved to Seoul. I’m sure she has forgotten about me.”

“Oh, you’re sure that not’s her? She looks a lot like her. I just couldn’t recall her name. Aigoo, It must be because of aging. But… you young man, you’re Do Kyung Soo. I wouldn’t forget the day I made you the swing for your girl back then. You were so happy and I saw how you loved that young lady. That was a long time ago.” He walked, his cane leaving traces on the snow ground, other hand on his back. Kyungsoo didn’t realize himself smiling back to what the man said. The man stopped, and looked at Eunji. Eyes are seriously trying to recognize the lady’s features. “Young man, it must’ve been hard for you.” He then turned back his eyes to Kyungsoo. The man cleared his throat. “Young man, if it’s love that existed between the two of you, What time could steal wasn’t the memory you both had. What you’ve lost could be that someone whom you shared that memory with. And… that… on purpose… is a challenge of love. If that young lady comes back, meet me here, I want to talk to you both.” He said and left before Kyungsoo could say anything. His mood became paler, his head drawn to the ground. Eunji was just there listening to the man and Kyungsoo. “That man… he looks like…” Eunji muttered her first phrase, making Kyungsoo look at her, holding his breath. “He looks like he has no one with him.” Eunji continued. Kyungsoo sighed as he thought Eunji somehow remembers the man, but what she said was too far from that. Eunji walked nearer to the pond and slipped, almost falling down there, her heart stopped, more than a mini heart attack. But then she felt her hand grabbed by the other end, a soft hand, bigger than hers, and she was pulled upwards. Kyungsoo’s bended figure, arm stretched out to grab her hand. Eunji almost hit her face through him, but then, inches where parting their faces into few spaces, nose nearly bumping and both pair of eyes locked on each other’s. There were few seconds before they came back to reality and straightened themselves up. “That was almost.” Kyungsoo uttered, putting his hands on his pocket. Eunji puffed and sighed a relief that she’s safe, thanks to Kyungsoo. “You must feel really cold. Let’s go back in the car.” He gestured her to the car.

They ate the noodles they bought from the grocery st