The cold came without warning.
It always did.
Ha Joon and Eun Byol pressed against each other, backs to the wall, knees pulled to their chests, shoulders touching, trying to share what little warmth their bodies still held.
The cold persisted.
Grew stronger.
Their legs went numb first.
Then their feet.
Just pressure where sensation used to be.
Ha Joon's teeth stopped chattering at some point.
That was worse.
His body had stopped fighting it.
Just accepting.
The tears came quietly.
He didn't notice at first.
Just felt his face was wet.
Eun Byol turned her head.
Looked at him.
"Don't cry."
Her voice was low.
Worn thin.
"If you cry I'm going to cry."
She was already crying.
Tears ran down her cheeks without ceremony.
No sound.
No shaking.
Just tears falling like they'd been waiting.
---
Ha Joon's mind slipped.
*A street.*
*After school.*
*His shoes untied.*
*He fell.*
*Palms scraping concrete.*
*Crying before he hit the ground.*
*His mother crouching beside him.*
*Short nose. Round chin. Long black hair. Eyes full of something warm and alive.*
*"Don't cry."*
*Her voice.*
*Exactly like that.*
*"If you cry I'm going to cry."*
He'd looked up at her.
Face wet.
"I'm sorry. I'm not going to cry anymore."
She'd pulled him up.
Dusted off his knees.
Said nothing else.
---
Ha Joon wiped his face.
"I'm sorry. I'm not going to cry anymore."
The words came out before he chose them.
Old words.
Borrowed from somewhere he couldn't go back to.
Eun Byol looked at him.
Something moved across her face.
Then settled.
---
*Her father's apartment.*
*Late.*
*Again.*
*He came in sideways.*
*Coat still on.*
*Collapsed onto the couch.*
*Cans. Bottles. The smell that had become ordinary.*
*His right hand.*
*Still holding something.*
*A photograph.*
*Family.*
*Her mother. Short. Brown hair. Beautiful cheeks. Smiling.*
*Her father.*
*Younger.*
*And in the center, small.*
*A baby.*
*Her.*
*Frozen.*
*All of them frozen in that moment before everything changed.*
---
Eun Byol looked at Ha Joon.
"I feel sad all the time."
Her voice was quiet.
Not complaining.
Just stating.
"I know how it feels."
Ha Joon said nothing.
Just nodded.
They closed their eyes.
The cold pressed in.
But they were still there.
Still breathing.
Still together.
That was enough.
For now.
---
Morning came gray.
Light without warmth.
Ha Joon's eyes opened slowly.
His body was stiff.
Every joint locked from the cold.
He became aware of it gradually.
The stillness.
The weight of being watched.
He turned his head.
Chi-Long stood in front of them.
Still.
Silent.
Looking down at both of them with an expression that held nothing and said everything.
She had been there long enough that the air around her had changed.
Neither of them knew how long.
Neither of them asked.
They just looked up at her.
And waited.