The snow had returned.
Ji-Woo walked slowly through the courtyard after school, boots crunching against the fresh layer of white. The world around him felt muted, like the winter had swallowed every sound except his own breathing.
He didn't expect Min-Ho to follow.
But he felt him anyway.
Always one step behind. Always close enough to catch him, never close enough to touch.
Ji-Woo stopped by the old bench at the far end of the schoolyard, brushing the snow from the seat before sitting. He didn't look back, but he didn't need to.
A moment later, Min-Ho sat beside him.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
---
The silence stretched, not heavy, but warm. Ji-Woo glanced at Min-Ho from the corner of his eye.
His face looked softer in the snowlight, his usual guarded expression replaced by something quieter. Sadder. Kinder.
"You keep following me," Ji-Woo said finally, his breath forming pale clouds in the cold air.
Min-Ho's answer was simple.
"And you keep stopping where I can find you."
Ji-Woo didn't reply.
But something in his chest loosened, just a little.
---
Before leaving, Min-Ho placed something on the bench between them — a small folded note.
No explanations. No words.
By the time Ji-Woo opened it, Min-Ho was already gone.
It read:
"You don't have to walk through this winter alone."
Ji-Woo folded the note back carefully, holding it like something fragile.
Like something alive.