{KOREAN-ENGLISH}
The workday passed in a quiet blur for Joon So Min, her hands busy but her mind distant. By evening, she had almost forgotten the appointment at the police station until her phone rang.
•Hye Sua•
"Where are you? Let's go to the station together."
"Oh right. I'm on my way."
She quickly hailed a taxi, mentally kicking herself for forgetting the day's importance.
By the time she arrived, Hye Sua was already waiting outside the station gates, arms folded and face unreadable.
"Let's go," So Min said quietly.
They walked in side by side.
—
Inside the station, the two girls sat across from a solemn-faced officer. A man,shifty-eyed and sweating sat under the harsh lights with a uniformed officer standing beside him.
"Are you sure this man molested you?" the officer asked.
"Yes," So Min answered calmly but firmly. "If not for our friend, it could've been worse."
"The same friend who called the police that night?" the officer clarified.
Both girls nodded.
"I'll see that he's charged. Molestation is a serious offense. It's a violation not just of the law but of basic human dignity. He'll be dealt with," the officer concluded.
Relief loosened the tension in their shoulders.
"You can go now," he added gently.
—
Outside the station, the chill wind brushed over their cheeks like an old wound reopening.
"You okay?" So Min asked.
"I will be," Hye Sua replied with a small nod.
"Dinner?"
"Absolutely."
—
Later, back in Hye Sua's small but cozy apartment, the scent of spices filled the kitchen as the two friends stirred pots and laughed.
"So..." Hye Sua smirked over her shoulder. "You and Lee Seo Jun... nothing happened last night?"
So Min frowned. "Is that why you kicked me out and locked the door?"
"Yes!" Hye Sua confessed with no shame. "I expected more from you."
"You're obsessed with my love life, yet you're still single."
"Not for long," Hye Sua retorted, flipping a pancake. "I'll get a boyfriend before winter ends."
Just then, So Min's phone lit up.
•Jung Hyun•
Her smile faded.
She hesitated then picked up. "Hello?"
"So Min... where are you?"
"What is it?"
"Can we meet? I have something I want to talk about."
She sighed. "Fine. Where?"
—
By nightfall, So Min arrived at a quaint restaurant lit with soft lights. Snow had begun to fall lightly over the sidewalks. She spotted Jung Hyun through the window wearing an apron, already waiting.
"So Min," he said with too much cheer.
She walked in with an uneasy smile.
"Have a seat. I want you to try something,my new menu. I just crafted it today."
She raised a brow. "That's why you called me?"
"No... well, kind of..."
"Jung Hyun."
He sat opposite her and scratched his head, avoiding her eyes.
"I got invited to a chef's gala next weekend. It's a big event,only the best get in. But I don't have a date. I was wondering..."
"You want me to go as your date?"
"I don't know anyone else who—"
"Jung Hyun." She cut him off with a cold chuckle. "You really think you can walk back into my life like nothing happened?"
Her chair scraped against the floor as she stood.
"It's not going to work. I'm not your safety net."
She walked out into the snow without looking back.
—
The night air was bitter, but it wasn't the weather that stung.
How dare he? After all he did? After how she cried when he left?
So Min's eyes stung now but she refused to let the tears fall. She kept walking, coat wrapped tightly around her, boots crunching on the white-covered path.
A sleek black car slowed down beside her. The window rolled down.
"So Min?"
She froze.
Lee Seo Jun.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"I could ask you the same. Why do you look like you're falling apart?"
She couldn't help it. Her legs moved before her mind caught up. She rushed to him, buried her face into his chest, and finally,finally,let herself cry.
"Why does he still have that effect on me?" she sobbed. "Why do I still feel this way?"
Seo Jun didn't speak. He simply held her.
And sometimes, that's all a broken girl needs.
—
"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked quietly after her sobs softened.
"Yes."
She got into the car without hesitation.
Inside, the warmth and soft jazz did little to stop the sting in her chest. Seo Jun passed her a folded handkerchief.
"Thanks," she whispered.
—
They stood now by the Han River, the moonlight dancing on the gentle current. The breeze carried the scent of winter and a thousand memories.
"I used to come here with my parents," she said softly. "When I was younger. Whenever I feel lost, I come here... to feel closer to them."
Seo Jun watched her in silence.
"Do you still love him?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
She looked away. "No. But he was my first love. I think... I still carry the pieces he left behind."
"I understand," he murmured. "I had a first love too. Back in school. She never loved me back. She only dated me for my family's money. My parents found out and paid her to stay, just to keep me happy. It was pathetic."
There was silence between them, heavy and understanding.
"I hated how weak it made me feel," he added, his jaw clenched.
"I hate that he still lingers," So Min said, tears drying into the cold air. "But maybe... maybe some scars just take longer to fade."
They stood like that, side by side,two people haunted by love and trying to breathe again.
And for the first time in a long while, it didn't feel so lonely.