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Lee Junho was warmth, sunshine, blooming flowers, birds chirping, cute animals, and new beginnings. He was everything that meant to be a spring.
Woo Youngwoo was cold, barren trees, ice, dark skies, blizzards, and endings. She was everything that meant to be a winter.
They didn’t mix, the two seasons. One signified the end of the other. One was applauded and welcomed, the other was dreaded and shunned. He shouldn’t want her, he shouldn’t crave being around her, but he did, he wanted her.
She was infamous on campus, always first Woo Youngwoo. She was on the path to becoming Korea’s first autistic lawyer and one of the few winters in the world to hold such a prestige title.
He had classes with her, and where he struggled to understand the material, she breezed through it with her incredible mind. There were times when the professor would call on her and she would present her reasoning in a way that no one else would have. That’s really where his intrigue first started he supposes, he was just impressed. The feeling of admiration slowly began to form into something else.
It also helped that she was so breathtakingly beautiful. Whenever she walked or sat in one place for too long, the most beautiful ice crystals would form, illuminating her face. During mock trials when she would get very passionate about her defense, beautiful icicles would form near her. It was like she was an ice princess and the fake courtroom was her throne.
He watched her a lot, tried not to make it noticeable, but he couldn’t help it. Whenever she was in the room he could sense it, the room would drop in temperature and the air became crisp. He knew it was part of her being a winter, but also he just always looked for her in the crowd.
Winters were rare amongst the population, only 3 had ever attended the university in its entire history. They only made up 1% of the total population of the world. He had never met a winter himself until Youngwoo. On the other hand, springs were abundant, the most common of the seasons after summers. He knew how society treated both, he knew springs were welcomed and popular. He knew how people treated winters, how people didn’t want to be around them, blaming them for the sadness they would feel. It was unfair, he thought, when he thought of winter he thought of sitting in front of the fire, snowball fights, warm sweaters, spending time with family, and winter wonderlands.
It was ironic because he was a spring, but winter was his favorite season of all. When he was a child he saw winters in dramas and variety shows and he wanted to meet one. They had the coolest powers. Springs had interesting powers as well, he made flowers grow and bloom every time he walked, he could warm things up with his palms, and animals were naturally drawn to him. He still thought winters were cooler, literally and figuratively.
Youngwoo was the most ethereal winter he had ever seen. He saw her on the first day, and since then he couldn’t get her out of his mind. She avoids everyone on campus. He doesn’t necessarily blame her, her having autism as well as being a winter causes people to ignore her or make fun of her.
“Imagine being a winter and being like that, gosh what terrible luck one must have.” “Winters are bad at connecting with people already but her autism makes it worse.” “No idea how she’ll be a successful attorney, I would never have a winter as an attorney.”
He would always tell people to shut up and knock it off when he heard any rumblings, but he couldn’t control everyone. He knows she’s heard what people say about her, he knows she was most likely bullied for being so different and it hurts. He wants to hurt the people that hurt her. It’s not very spring of him, but he can’t help it.
He is currently sitting in the library with his two friends, Minwoo and Suyeon. Minwoo was a fall while Suyeon was a spring just like him. At one point the school had assumed he and Suyeon would have ended up together, it seemed logical, two springs. It shocked the school when they realized it was Minwoo and Suyeon that would end up dating for a brief time before calling a quits. Junho being the popular guy that he was would get confessions all the time from all sorts of seasons, he would date on occasion but there was one season, in particular, he wanted a confession from. The one was currently sitting in the corner with her nose in a book.
He really should be studying for this exam, he was already struggling enough as it is, but he couldn’t help but look at Youngwoo every once in a while. He noticed she was reading a giant book on mammals from the ocean, and her face would light whenever she got to a section that would particularly intrigue her. He was aware of her love of whales and dolphins, Suyeon had told him all about it, or well ranted about it. It was another cute and interesting thing about her, he wanted to know more.
“God will you stop staring, you look like a stalker.” His thoughts were interrupted by Minwoo. He was eyeing him strangely, his lips pressed together in a thin line, “I have no idea what your obsession is with the winter, but stop it, you look like a bigger weirdo than her.”
“I wasn’t staring.” Minwoo scoffs at that “And she’s not a weirdo, she’s….” Junho tried to come up with an adjective that didn’t give away his fascination with her.
“She’s a weirdo.” Minwoo finishes. Suyeon smacks his arm causing him to yelp, “Stop, she’s a nice person.”
Minwoo rubbed his arm, apparently, Suyeon had much greater strength than he realized.
“And how would you know? Are you friends?”
Junho turned to Suyeon curious by this sudden defense against Youngwoo. Suyeon cleared her throat looking down embarrassed, “Kind of? She helped me out with an assignment I was struggling with. She went on and on about this Chinese river dolphin most of the time, but she helped me understand the material much better than the professor.” Junho looks at her intrigued by this new information. He filed it away in his memory.
“People have these ideas about winters because they're uncommon, but she was sweet. Although she did freeze one of my notebooks in an ice block by accident and did kill off my tulips so that sucked, poor girl apologized profusely over something she couldn’t help. She’s a really cute and sweet person. I guess I always had ideas that winters were cold-hearted, but she never really struck me as that during our meeting. She even gave me a nickname, Spring Sunshine Choi Sueyon. ” She smiled softly at the nickname.
Junho’s heart can’t help but warm at Suyeon’s story. The thought of a flustered Youngwoo apologizing over some dead tulips was adorable to him. His thoughts must have been so strong that a single daisy blooms at his side.
“I guess,” Minwoo mumbles to himself.
Suyeon turns his attention to Junho, “Minwoo has a point on one thing, you need to stop staring like a weirdo. Either go and talk to her or make your obsession less obvious.” Suyeon’s bluntness caught him off guard. He blushed at her accusation, feeling exposed by her words.
His first instinct is to deny, “I’m not obsessed with her.”
Suyeon scoffs at him, “Sure and I’m a fall. Either way, you’re lucky most people aren’t as observant as me because boy do you stare at her a lot.”
He knew Suyeon would make an excellent lawyer, she knew how to make him feel like he was in the hot seat. “Enough about me, let’s focus on studying for the test tomorrow. I already know I’m going to fail.”
Suyeon’s eyes soften, both she and Minwoo knew he was struggling through law school. They had both tried to tutor him, but he felt like he was weighing them down. It took longer for him to get the material.
She clasped her hands together and nodded, “Ok let’s study, if we put all our brains together, we can kick ass on this exam.” Minwoo grinned and nodded in agreement opening his textbook. Junho pushed Youngwoo out of his mind and concentrated on the material. He was going to kick ass on the exam.
❄️ 🌷 ❄️ 🌷 ❄️ 🌷 ❄️ 🌷 ❄️ 🌷
He did not kick ass on the exam.
He didn’t know what happened. He tried so hard, and he assumed he understood the material when he was studying with his friends, but clearly, he did not. There was a big fat D+ on his exam written in red pen, taunting him. He felt like he was going to vomit. The longer he stayed in law school, the less confidence he had about it. The material was just not clicking for him.
He was glad the professor waited until the end to pass back the exams, he just wanted to wallow in his bed for the rest of the day. Most of the class had taken off the second the professor dismissed them, which he was glad about. He didn’t want to hear about how everyone did, it’d only made him feel even worse.
He collected his things, shoving the monstrosity of an exam in his backpack before heading out. He kept his head down as he made his way to the exit, wracking his brain over what went wrong and what could he possibly do to fix it. If he didn’t do well in the next exam he would for sure fail the class.
He wasn’t looking where he was going, too consumed in self-pity that he accidentally ran into another person. He felt a rush of cold, almost like a bunch of small ice cubs were poured onto his arms. The impact causes the small figure to topple backward. Before she could fully fall, his hand grabs her wrist and his arm encircles her waist, pulling her upright. Cold
That’s his first sensation, cold, he’s glad he’s wearing his hoodie, but it doesn’t prevent him from shivering. Staring at him are the warmest eyes he’s ever seen, ironic when he recognizes who they belong to. Christ, she’s even more beautiful up close .
She stares up at him in disbelief, not processing what just happened. She extracts herself from his hold, almost like she’s been electrocuted by his touch. He tries not to take it too personally, but he can’t help the knots in his stomach.
“Are you ok?” He coughs.
She gives a tiny nod, “Yes.”
He blushes while rubbing the back of his neck, “Sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going. I had a lot on my mind.”
She avoids his eyes but nods again, “Ok”. He looks around him and notices that the collision caused a weird mixture of snow dust and pollen to be scattered everywhere. He also sees all the stuff from her bag strewn all across the floor.
“Oh let me get that for you.” He crouches down.
“Ani, that’s ok I can get it,” She protests. She crouches down to also grab her stuff. At one point they both reach out for the same piece of paper, their fingers accidentally making contact, and they both jump slightly. Her fingers are icy cold, but not unbearable. It’s just shocking, he’s used to warmth, but to feel something cold is different.
“Sorry,” She mumbles.
“It’s ok.” He assures her, he never wants to make her feel bad. Not ever.
Before she can shove the piece of paper back into her bag, he realizes it’s the exam they just got back with a big A+. His eyes widen at that, he remembers what Suyeon said about Youngwoo helping her with the course material, and an idea makes its way into his brain.
She stands up and dusts off the pollen and snow from her skirt. She grabs her things intending to leave, but Junho stops her.
“Hi. I’ve never introduced myself. I’m Lee Junho” He extends his hand to her. She eyes it wearily, then uses the tip of her fingers to shake it. Cold once again , it’s a nice feeling he thinks. “I know.” She says matter a factly. “Not only have you been in several of my classes, but you are also very popular.” Ok wow, she was very blunt.
“I’m Woo Younwoo, whether it's read straight or flipped, kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Youngwoo” As she finished introducing himself, he felt his heart explode. He also felt a flower begin to bloom in his palm, each petal forming as she listed each palindrome.
“It’s nice to meet you Woo Youngwoo.” She had no idea, but it was very nice to finally meet her. She nodded and began to towards the exit.
“Wait-” He stops her, and she slowly turns to look at him, waiting expectantly for what he had to say.
He takes a deep breath, “I couldn’t help but notice your exam score, and I was wondering if you could tutor me?”
She tilts her head slightly processing what he just said, it seems from her reaction she wasn’t expecting this. She shakes her head, “No.”
“No?” He’s taken by surprise.
“No, it would not be a good idea. Goodbye Lee Junho-ssi” She bows and starts walking towards the door. Once she’s outside, he catches up to her, cutting her off. She stares at him wide-eyed.
“Please Youngwoo, I need help.” He looked down ashamed as he confessed, “I haven’t been doing well in the class. I got a D+ even with all the studying I did, I just don’t seem to get it.” He sighed frustrated.
He looked up at her with a pleading look in his eyes, “If I don’t pass, I’ll fail the class and possibly fail law school, so please Youngwoo, tutor me.”
Youngwoo began wringing her hands together making a humming sound. “If Lee Junho-ssi doesn’t do well, does that mean you won’t be in my class anymore?” She asked curiously.
“Yes I suppose it does,” He said sheepishly. Junho was so embarrassed, his crush, the last person he wanted to know what a gigantic failure he was now knew the truth.
This time she gives a more forceful nod, “Ok I will tutor Lee Junho-ssi.” She said it with so much confidence, he felt another flower begin to bloom in his other hand.
“Really? That’s great.” He lets out a little laugh in relief.
“Meet me on Friday at the library at noon, we’ll get started.” She informed him.
“Ok yes I will meet you there thank you so much Youngwoo, you are a lifesaver.” He had to reel himself in before he embarrassed himself further by trying to hug her.
Seemingly satisfied, Youngwoo nods and leaves off to another building where he presumes her next class is located. He watches her wistfully, as she makes her way through the campus, and a few snowflakes cascade around her. She looks like an ice princess, and he’s going to spend Fridays with her. The reminder makes his smile grow bigger and a small patch of zinnias grows beside him. Oh, Youngwoo he thinks I can’t wait for Friday.
❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷
He’s pathetic, truly and utterly pathetic. He put way too much thought into his outfit but he wants to look his best. He wore a knitted cardigan remembering the slight cold he felt when she was nearby. He checked his hair on his phone’s camera before heading inside.
She was already seated at one of the tables in the far corner, hidden away from everyone else. He felt the nerves trickle in as he approached the table.
“Hi.” He made his presence known. She started up, eyes widening, almost like she was shocked he showed up.
“Hello Lee Junho-ssi, please take a seat so we can get started.” She gestured to the seat next to her which he took. He tried to scoot his chair a little closer, seeking the cold, but every time he did she would scoot away. He got the hint and stayed in his place.
Junho cleared his throat to break up the awkwardness, “So what should we get started with?”
“Yes let’s go through each one of the cases presented in the exam, and break it down in a way you can understand. The professor will not have the same cases on the final exam but the laws applied will most likely be. We can do one case a week or as long as you need. It’ll give you plenty of time to go in-depth with the law and how it’s being applied for the final.”
“That sounds good,” He nodded.
“Ok first case, a woman hits her husband with an iron after an argument sending him to the hospital. She is charged with attempted murder and pleads not guilty. She and her husband are questioned by the court” She slides over the mock manuscript of the questioning, avoiding any sort of contact with him. “After the questioning, the husband succumbs to his injuries and passes away, turning it from an attempted murder case to a murder case.”
She sets out in an organized fashion, pictures of the physical evidence, the doctor’s examinations, interviews of the wife and husband, and transcriptions of some of the questionings.
“We are representing the wife in court, we have to get her off the murder charge. The husband dying is the thing that complicates this case.”
“Yes, she looks guilty.”
“She looks guilty.” She echoes his words. “Let’s exam each piece of evidence thoroughly and see if you can find something that could help the defendant.”
So that is what they did for the rest of the afternoon, scouring through the documents given by the professor. Junho tries to put the dots together, but it seems it’s not clicking for him because whenever he brings up a defense, Youngwoo shoots it down.
“No Lee Junho-ssi, that will not work. We need to prove there was no intent to murder.” Even though he tried not to show it, he could feel his frustration in himself start to grow. Why couldn’t he get this? He felt his eyes start to water which made him feel even more pathetic.
He heard Youngwoo gasp, and he turned to where she was staring at the indoor plants near them that were beginning to wilt. “Oh Lee Junho-ssi, it’s ok. You’ll get it.”
Being a season made it difficult to hide one's feelings, the older you got the more control you had over your emotions, but when you felt something so strongly, you couldn’t help your powers showing. At this moment, the feeling of failure was one he felt strongly about.
“Youngwoo-” Great now his voice cracked.
“How about we take a break? Let’s just take a break.” Junho just nodded silently, the plants drooping further.
She began collecting all the documents to push into a neat stack when she came across a photo of the iron from the case. She was staring at it intently, eyes shining with excitement. He’s seen that face before, he saw it at the library the other day when she was reading her book on whales and other marine mammals.
“The iron kind of looks like that animal from Moby Dick, the uh……” He tried to remember the name of the animal but before he could think of it she exclaimed, “A sperm whale!”
She locked eyes with him and she smiled, the first smile she’s ever graced at him. All of a sudden the air around them got less cold. Her smile made him warm the air. He smiled back, “Yes a sperm whale.”
She giggled the cutest giggle he had ever heard and launched into an explanation about sperm whales. He didn’t think there was anything she was more passionate about than the law, but he was wrong. He knew her love of whales and dolphins but he didn’t know the extent of that love. She explained the eating patterns and migratory patterns of the whale in such detail, arms flailing dramatically as he told her every detail. Her fingers began to wiggle excitedly, and with that, the most intricate and beautiful ice crystals began to form. No crystal was the same in pattern, they were all different. It was the most mesmerizing site Junho had ever seen. Youngwoo was breathtaking.
He just smiled and continued to listen to her speak about sperm whales, perfectly content with the sound of her voice and the ice crystals surrounding them. He was glad they were in a secluded corner of the library, he didn’t want anyone interrupting this.
She let out one last breath after her info dump, looking around and noticing all the ice crystals she’s created. She blushes, cute very cute , before looking down. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about whales and I should have controlled myself better” She gestures to the ice crystals that are beginning to melt. She sighs and pulls out a rag to wipe down the table, “I apologize Lee Junho-ssi, for making you uncomfortable.”
He shakes his head vigorously, “Aniyo, you didn’t make me uncomfortable Youngwoo. I loved hearing about sperm whales.”
She looked at him with disbelief in her eyes, “Really?”
“Yes, it was really interesting. You know if you want, you can talk to me about whales.”
“When it’s me and Lee Juno-ssi, I can talk about whales?” He could detect a hint of excitement in her voice.
“Of course. We can have lunch after our study da-, I mean sessions and you can tell me all about them.”
Another crystal formed at the tip of her fingers. The knowledge that the idea of talking about whales with him made her form crystals caused flower petals to bloom from his palms. God, they were a pair. A spring causes a reaction like this from a winter and vice versa. It was almost unheard of.
“Ok whale talk at lunch.” She smiled briefly before it looked disturbed again, “I’m sorry if the ice made you uncomfortable, I know winter powers can seem terrifying. Winter is everybody's least favorite season.”
His heart broke at that, is that how she saw herself, terrifying?
“That didn’t make me uncomfortable either Youngwoo,” He reassured her. “I think your powers are wonderful.”
A rosy blush appeared on her cheeks, she looked so pretty. She nodded and bowed her head slightly in gratitude, “Thank you.”
“Also, winter is my favorite season.” He added
“It is?” She was shocked. “Most people hate it because it’s cold and it gets dark early. All the trees lose their leaves and all the animals go into hibernation. It’s a sad sight I guess.”
“Well, I love it. Yes, those things happen, but when I think of winter, I think of warm fires, cozy sweaters, snowball fights, yummy treats, and time with family. It also looks like a winter wonderland outside, it’s beautiful.”
She blushed at his description and stared at him like she was viewing him for the first time.
“Wow,” She says in English. “I’ve never heard anyone say they love winter besides my abeoji.”
“Well, your abeoji is a smart man.”
“My abeoji is a smart man.” She repeats.
She looked around before composing herself, pointing sternly at the paperwork, “We better get back to work.”
And that’s what they did. The break and hearing Youngwoo’s whale talk proved to be some help because he ended up getting to the conclusion in the end. He was so excited and proud of himself, a single tulip bloomed in his hand. He brought it to his nose, sniffing the smell of his accomplishment.
He couldn’t have done it without Youngwoo, who looked just as proud of him. Which is why he offered her the flower, “As a form of thank you.”
She reached out to grab it, avoiding his hands, but once her fingers wrap around the stem, the tulip died. The look of sadness that crossed Youngwoo’s face broke his heart.
“Oh, I’m sorry about your flower” She just mumbles. He could see her tear up a bit and Junho feels terrible, he didn’t know that would happen.
“It’s ok” He murmurs. He wants to reach out and console her, but he fears that may be too much for her. He does the only thing he knows will raise her spirits, “Let’s go get lunch, you can tell me about beluga whales next.”
That seems to work because she brightens up at the idea, only not as much as before. She puts her headphones on and proceeds to lead the way.
❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷
Fridays become his favorite day of the week, not just because it’s the start of his weekend, but because it’s the day he has his study sessions with Youngwoo. Yes, he was learning a lot with her, Suyeon was right, she made him understand better than the professor ever did. There was also the fact that he could just be near Youngwoo. After crushing on her for so long, it was just amazing to be near her, hearing her speak, watching her winter fully show. He couldn’t get enough of her.
It seemed that Youngwoo was also warming up to Junho. She began seeking him out outside of their weekly study sessions, and he wasn’t complaining. They spent most of their time together now. They would stroll across the campus together and chat. At first, it was mainly about whales, but he wanted to get to know more about her so he suggested that they keep their whale talk for their study breaks and lunch. She happily agreed, and he feared she would stop hanging around him after that, but she continued much to his delight.
It was nice just being with her, especially when she let her winter show. She was beautiful regardless, but when she was in her element, she was radiant. She would shine every time she would make it snow on herself.
They were on their way to their class, Junho would wait for her outside of her morning class and they’d spend their gap together until it was time for their afternoon class. He started noticing the stares. Every time they would walk together, his fellow students would turn to stare at them. They would have looks of surprise on their faces. It’s like they couldn’t believe a spring and a winter were hanging out together.
It went even further than that, one of his classmates who sat next to him in another class asked him if he only hung out with Youngwoo out of pity, and another asked if he was getting volunteer credits for hanging out with her. He got so angry, he lost his temper, causing poisonous plants to bloom around them as he yelled at them. They avoided him after the incident.
He didn’t let Youngwoo know about it, and thankfully the confrontation happened somewhere where no one was around. He didn’t want her to know, although he was aware she knew what people said about her, he just didn’t know if she knew what they were saying about her relationship with him.
He didn’t know if Youngwoo was oblivious or simply did not care, but she never brought up the stares or paid them any attention. It was the same today as they entered the lecture room. They walked in together and immediately all eyes were on them. Youngwoo practically skipped to her seat while Junho made his way to his seat next to Suyeon.
She was giving him a weird look as he sat down.
“What?” He asked
“After class, we need to talk.” She continued to eye him.
“Okay…….” He wasn’t sure what was up with Suyeon, and why he needed to talk to him so urgently. Throughout the class she continued to side-eye him, it was getting unnerving.
Once the class ended they walked out to a specific area where they along with Minwoo would relax in between lectures. She turns to him with a glare, “What do you think you're doing?”
Junho is taken aback by Suyeon’s hostility. He has no idea where it’s coming from.
“What do you mean?” He is genuinely so confused.
“I mean you and the winter, what are you doing with Youngwoo?”
“We’re just hanging out is all. It started with studying on Fridays, but it turned to lunch and seeing each other throughout the week.” It’s been the best time of his life if he was honest, but he didn’t think that’s what Suyeon wanted to know.
“I see that, but it’s just” She paused “Do you realize what you’re doing? What you’re getting yourself into? Really her?”
Junho didn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about him being around Youngwoo.
“What the hell do you mean by that?” He felt the anger in him start to rise. He didn’t like where this conversation was going. He didn’t want to hear his friend say terrible things about Youngwoo.
“I mean that you’re a nice guy Junho and so many girls like you.” He felt his stomach plummet. Whatever she said next would determine his friendship with her.
She sighed frustrated, “I’ve seen so many girls be swept away by your niceness, you confuse them!” Vines began to spring from the ground at her exasperation. “But you can’t do that to Youngwoo. She doesn’t deserve to be led on like that.”
Whatever it was he was expecting to come out of Suyeon’s mouth, it wasn’t that.
“Don’t act like you’re going to listen to her whale stories forever and then tell her to stop not even a year later. If you’re going to hurt her like that you shouldn’t start anything at all!” The vines grew with her growing anger, making their way toward Junho.
“Youngwoo is a kind and wonderful person who doesn’t deserve the pain and hurt she has had to deal with. She receives enough of it from the way people are cruel to her and I won’t let you be someone that inflicts pain onto her!” At this, the vines began to wrap themselves around Junho’s ankles. He was so taken aback by her fierce protectiveness over Youngwoo that he didn’t fight it.
“If you think your feelings are temporary, don’t be nice to her, don’t pretend to care about her whales, just don’t pretend!”
Junho felt defensive, he knows to Suyeon it might look like a silly crush, but to him the more time he spent with Youngwoo the more he fell for her. She was one of a kind, and he wanted to know every little thing about her. He wasn’t trying to be nice to just be nice, he genuinely liked her.
He broke through the tightening vines, “My feelings aren’t temporary!”
“Then tell her that!” She yelled back.
Silence followed, they were both left breathing heavily after their confrontation. She didn’t say anything after that, she left without another word.
He was left shaken by the encounter, but he was glad Youngwoo had another person in her life that thought the world of her.
❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷
Friday was here, and Junho was practically skipping to the library. Flowers would bloom with every step he took. He couldn’t help it, being with Youngwoo just felt so wonderful.
They were continuing their review of the exam with a case of a mother who evaded custody after being charged with assault. It seemed pretty cut and dry, but like all things regarding law Youngwoo viewed it through a lens he never would have thought of.
It turned out the woman evaded custody because she had a small child she wanted to raise until she was old enough to remember her. It was a heartbreaking case, and it seemed to touch Youngwoo very deeply. She was very passionate about this case, but there was also a sadness he could pick up on.
He didn’t know why this case affected her so, but he wanted to make her feel better. He had done some research and found primroses, flowers that survived winters. He wanted to give her something of him to raise her spirit. He just needed to find the right time to give it to her.
He found her already seated at their usual spot, reading over all the documents provided. She had a small frown on her face.
He makes his presence known, “Hello Youngwoo.”
“Ah Lee Junho-ssi, please take a seat so we can get started.” She doesn’t look up from the paper.
He peered over to see what she was so intent on reading. It was the interview with the defendant where she spoke about her daughter and her reasoning for evading custody for so long. It seemed the way the woman spoke of her little girl was affecting Youngwoo in a way because the tips of the paper were starting to freeze.
“Youngwoo, are you ok?” He asks delicately, he didn’t want to spook her.
“Ummm” She finally looked up, registering him fully. “No, not really.”
These were moments where he appreciated her bluntness, he knew exactly how she was feeling.
“What’s wrong? I’ve noticed you seem interested in this case and especially this interview with the defendant.”
She’s silent for a bit staring off into the distance. He wants to quickly apologize for asking, and is about to suggest they get back to studying when she starts speaking.
“The most common way of hunting whales is to kill the baby first. First, they throw a harpoon at the weak baby. As the baby is swimming around in agony, the mother never leaves its side, no matter what. Her baby is in pain, and she won’t leave. And then, the next harpoon impales her. The mother is the ultimate target.”
“God that’s terrible” He means it too, this was a devastating fact about whales he wasn’t aware of. He seems to understand where she would make the connection between the defendant and the mother whale.
“Whales are very intelligent. She knows if she doesn’t swim away, she will also be killed, but she never swims away.” She pauses.
“If I were a whale, would my mom not have swum away either?”
Junho is shocked by her revelation. Her mom? She never spoke of her, only of her father. He had assumed she was estranged from her, but it seemed the woman was never in her life. He didn’t want to assume something about the woman since he did not know her, but he did know Youngwoo was sad and he wanted to make her feel better.
“I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I’m sorry she couldn’t be a mother whale to you.”
She just hummed in acknowledgment.
“How about we do something else today? We can revisit this case another time. Let’s do whatever you want today. I want you to feel better. How does that sound ?”
She nodded and began gathering her things. “Uh,” He wasn’t sure what was happening.
“Come Lee Junho-ssi, I want to show you something.” He quickly began to gather his things following her outside. He assumed she would start talking about whales, he had no idea where she was taking him.
They made their way through campus, going behind buildings. They were in an area he had never been to before, he didn’t even know this place existed. It was a small park with benches and trees, and right in the middle a small lake. It was beautiful. There was no one around besides an elderly woman and her dog sitting on the bench near the lake.
“What is this place?”
“It’s a park for the students, but rarely anyone comes here. I like to come here after exams to relax.” She looked around squinting as the sun hit her face.
She made her way to the lake and stopped at the edge. Then she did something that made his jaw drop. She closed her eyes in concentration and extended her hand to the water, almost instantly the lake began to freeze. All around the perimeter of the lake, piles of fresh white snow appear.
“There that should be good for a couple of hours” She looked satisfied with herself and Junho was left speechless. She bent down and took out ice skates from her bag.
“Uhhhhhhh” He was an incoherent mess after witnessing her turn a lake into a place to skate.
“Ah Lee Junho-ssi, I didn’t bring skates for you since I didn’t think we’d do this.”
“Oh it’s ok, I’m not very good anyway.” More like he couldn’t skate at all. “ I’ll just sit over there and watch. This is all for you. I want you to feel better.”
She nodded as she began to lace up her skates. He made his way to sit next to the old woman. He greeted her and the cute dog. Naturally, as a spring the dog came to him and began to cuddle his feet.
He put his attention back to Youngwoo, she dug into her bag and pulled out her black headphones. Once she was all set she tentatively made her way onto the ice.
She skated a couple of laps, warming herself up then made her way into the center. He saw her take a deep breath before she began to move. She began to glide, doing a series of figures on the ice. She moved so delicately like she was floating on the ice. He had never seen her like this, so graceful and at peace. It was like she was born to be on the ice.
She began to twirl on her skates, then the most magical thing happened. As she twirled, it began to lightly snow around her. The snowflakes descended upon her as she made her way around the lake. She let out the sweetest laugh at the feeling of snow falling against her cheeks.
She danced on the ice, proceeding into a series of small jumps. Her jumps were smooth and as light as air. Her turns and twirls became fast and sharper, but still with elegance and beauty.
Junho was mesmorzied by it all. She looked so ethereal, she was a princess and the ice was her kingdom. She was absolutely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. As he watched her twirl around, he felt a flower begin to bloom in his left hand, a single primrose.
She made one final figure before halting at the edge of the ice. He quickly got up and met her at the edge. He needed to be near her now, everything in his body was telling him to go to her.
“Youngwoo,” He said her name with so much affection. “That was incredible, that was beautiful, that was……. I don’t have words.”
“Oh thank you” She bowed formally. Her fingers began to wiggle nervously at her side.
He knew this was the right moment to give her the flower. He extended it towards her, “Here for you.”
Youngwoo eyed the flower then looked down in sadness, “I’m a winter, I’ll end up killing it if I touch it, but thank you Lee Junho-ssi. You are very kind.”
He didn’t back down, he kept the flower extended, “Ah no I um, I did some research and this is a primrose. A primrose can survive the winter, I bloomed it just for you.”
She looked at the flower in his hand curiously, then tentatively reached out to touch it.
“A primrose can survive the winter.” She repeated. Her fingers delicately wrapped themselves around the stem. She brought it close to her chest and then looked at Junho with tears in her eyes.
“You bloomed it just for me?” She said with disbelief in her voice.
“Yes, just for you.” He whispered.
The old lady shouted from the bench, “Oh he gave you a flower how wonderful! He must have fallen in love after seeing you skate!”
Junho blushed, realizing the old woman had witnessed everything.
Youngwoo nuzzled the flower to her cheek. “Did you fall in love?” She giggled.
It hit Junho right there, Yes, I think I did.
❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷
He was in love with Youngwoo, great, fantastic, amazing even. Has he done anything about it? No. It’s been some time since the day at the lake, but he hasn’t found the courage to ask her out.
She is just so extraordinary and he just isn’t. He feels like she is way out of his league, Suyeon would most likely agree.
Speaking of Suyeon, she was sitting across from him at the current moment with her hair disheveled trying to make sense of her notes. It was time for the final exam. He had done all the prep with Youngwoo, and he felt more prepared for an exam than he ever had before. That didn’t mean he was not nervous or confident, but he felt more assured that he wouldn’t fail.
The more he studies the less he wanted to be a lawyer. He liked aspects of what he was studying but the thought of doing this next year filled him with so much sadness, it caused his plants to wilt.
He looked at his friends and at lovely Youngwoo, they had this drive for the law that he just didn’t have. The more he got into his studies the more he felt like being a lawyer was not for him. Maybe he could still find a way to work in law, but just not as a lawyer.
He was still going to try on this final exam. Not for his parents, not for his friends, not even for Youngwoo, he was going to do his best because he believed in himself.
“Aish!” Minwoo screamed at the textbook in front of him, “This is so hopeless!”
“Stop being so damn pessimistic, and focus!” Suyeon glared at him. “We can do this. We can get through this exam and then we can relax. We know this material.”
“Easy for you to say, you got help from the winter. You both did.” He glared at them like they did some injustice to him.
“First of all her name is Youngwoo, and second of all if you tried to be friends with her maybe she would have helped you too.”
“Friends? Huh, I believe you are friends with her Suyeon, but him.” He pointed at Junho. “I don’t buy it. What gives with the win- I mean Youngwoo? You two seem close.” He said the last bit like it was hard for him to admit.
Junho sighed, “We’re friends, just friends. That’s all”
“But you don’t want to be just friends with her. You’ve been a pathetic mess about her since you knew her existence and then you two started hanging out, and you grew even more pathetic. So what gives with Youngwoo? Do you like her? Do you want to be with her?”
Suyeon put her things down and stared at him, waiting for his answer. He knew he had to admit it, to admit his feelings to people that weren’t just himself.
“Yes, I do like her,” He sighed.
Minwoo puts his hands up, “And he finally admits it. This whole dance the two of you were doing was getting irritating, at least it can finally end when you date.”
“I don’t know if we’re going to date,” Junho admitted, it hurt his heart to even say that.
“Huh? Why? What’s the issue? You like her, she likes you.” Suyeon nodded seemingly agreeing.
“I don’t know if she even likes me.”
Suyeon groaned in frustration, “Junho, she likes you ok. I’ve seen the way she is with you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She likes you.”
“Weren’t you the one to give me a warning Suyeon? You didn’t think my feelings were permanent. I can’t go into this with her with the thought that it’s going to end. I have to be sure.”
“Are you not sure? Do you think it’s not going to last? Is that the problem?” Minwoo guessed.
“No, I don’t think that! What I’m not so sure about is....... if she’s sure. We can’t just date to date.”
Minwoo was silent for a bit, contemplating what he said. “If you don’t believe what Suyeon is saying then believe me. She likes you, even I can see it. She’s smart that Youngwoo, she knows what she wants, and that’s you. So now the question is, what are you going to do about it?”
Junho was taken aback by Minwoo’s words. He knew Minwoo’s competitiveness made him prickly towards Youngwoo, but even he could see it.
She likes me.
Junho’s mind was made up, “I’m going to tell her how I feel.” Before he could stand, both Minwoo and Suyeon grab his arms to stop him.
“Settle down Romeo, she is probably studying for the final exam and the last thing she needs is a distraction. You can wait until afterward, you owe her that much after she tutored you.”
Suyeon’s right, he owed her for all the help, but afterward, he was going to let Youngwoo know his true feelings.
The exam lasted 6 hours, he felt like he was going to collapse from exhaustion. If anything this exam showed him that maybe law school was not for him. The thought of doing this again next year sent a shiver down his spine, but he’d address that later, now he had to talk to Youngwoo.
He looked around the lecture hall, trying to catch a glimpse of her, and offer to walk her home, but she was nowhere to be seen.
He needed to speak to her to let his feelings known, and he had just the feeling he knew where she was. Gathering his things, he made his way to the place where he admitted to himself that he was in love with her.
Once he got there he saw her on the ice, just simply gliding, in her own little ice world. He was glad there was no one around, he needed this moment to just be about the two of them.
She seemingly noticed him and stopped. He waved her over and met her at the edge of the lake. It was a bit deja vu.
“Hello Junho-ssi, I’ve seen you have decided to join me in my post-exam relaxation. Did you bring skates?” She looked around him, trying to see if he brought skates.
“Uh no, I didn’t I just…” God why was this so difficult, why couldn’t he just say it?
“You just….” She repeated. She waited for him, his beautiful, wonderful Youngwoo.
“I like you.” He confessed. “I like you so much, it feels like I’m sick inside.” He sees her eyes widen.
Once he gets the words out, he can’t help but keep going. “I like everything about you, I love when you talk about whales, I love how passionate you are about the law, I love that you help people when they struggle, I love how kind you are, I love how honest you are, I love how you make ice crystals when you’re excited, I love that you skate with your entire heart and soul, I love how amazing you are, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”
He took a deep breath and laughed lightly, in relief. “I guess I should rephrase what I said earlier. I love you, Youngwoo. I love you so much it feels like I’m sick inside. It makes me want to bloom every flower that can survive winter just to give to you.”
Youngwoo’s mouth fell open slightly, and she began to rub her lips contemplating what he said.
“Loving me is hard, it’s not easy.” She responded.
“Yes, it appears so.” He was aware, he knew that for this to work both of them needed to try, but he wanted to take this path with her. He had never felt this way before, he wanted to be with her more than anything.
“You’re still going to then?” She asked, there was the sound of hope in her voice.
“Yes.” He replied with conviction.
Before he knew it, she planted both of her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself on the toepick of her blades to plant a kiss on his lips. His eyes widen in shock at her boldness before recovering quickly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her back. She was cold, but not in an unpleasant way, it reminded him of her. He welcomed the cold.
She pulled back, “Hmm are your teeth supposed to knock together when you kiss?”
His cheeks reddened, “Um no.”
“What do I do then?” She asked honestly, god he loved her honesty.
“You can open your mouth a little, and close your eyes.”
“Ah!” She exclaimed, before fluttering her eyes shut and parting her lips. She was so beautiful and she was his.
He leaned in and kissed her slowly. Her lips were soft and between the warmth of his lips and the coldness of hers, it was a sensation he knew he would always crave. He deepened the kiss and tightened his hold on her. He kissed her with all the love he possessed.
Woo Youngwoo owned his heart completely.
She pulled away with a gasp, “I need to learn how to do that without losing breath.”
He chuckled, “We’ll practice. That’s a promise.”
She blushed at what he was hinting at. “Lee Junho-ssi”
“Yes, Youngwoo?”
She took a deep breath, “I love you too. I love you so much it feels like I’m sick inside.” She looked up at him with the sweetest smile.
He felt tears begin to prickle in his eyes, he was so happy. The woman he loved, loved him back. He leaned in to give her two little pecks on the lips before descending multiple pecks all over her face.
She giggled, “Junho-ssi!” pulling out of his grasp.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, looking around them. They were surrounded by a ring of snow, and in the snow, multiple flowers bloomed. He inspected them until he realized what they were.
“Snowdrops,” They said in unison. They turned to look at each other realizing what they were and what this meant. He felt his heart racing as she reached down to pick one off the ground.
She brought it up to her face and sniffed the flower before extending it towards him for him to take. He took it and brought it close to his heart.
She smiled so wide, her cute dimple popped out. “Snowdrops, a flower that blooms in winter.”
❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷❄️🌷
They were celebrating the end of the year. Final exams were officially over, they were on break and he and Youngwoo were officially dating.
After their day at the lake where he confessed, he walked her home. She didn’t let him hold her hand for more than 57 seconds, but it was ok, he just loved being with her. They went on their first date that weekend, and he got to kiss her. They were getting really good at kissing, he had to stop himself from trying to kiss her all the time.
Now they were at a restaurant Youngwoo’s best friend, Geurami, worked at. They were celebrating with Suyeon and Minwoo. Youngwoo seemed very pleased Suyeon decided to join their celebration, and she felt meh about Minwoo. He assumed the feeling was mutual.
He got cornered by Geurami at one point in the night, and she threatened to burn his skin with her summer powers if he did anything to hurt her best friend. He assured her that he had no intention of doing so, he loved Youngwoo more than anything.
After the scare from Geurami the rest of the night was a blast. It was filled with eating, drinking, and exchanging stories and jokes. He made sure Youngwoo was included in the conversation, even tuning out the rest to listen to her talk about her whales, chiming in with facts that he knew.
She was more at ease now, not concerning herself if she was making ice crystals or not. His heart was full, but there was one last thing he needed to speak to Youngwoo about before he could fully be content.
Suyeon and Minwoo had taken off for the night, they wanted to go to a bar to celebrate. Geurami and her boss Mr. Hairy were in the back cleaning, so it was just him and Youngwoo.
“Youngwoo-yah. There is something really important I need to tell you.”
“Hmmm, yes?”
“I think…..I think I’m going to put in my withdrawal from law school.”
Her mouth drops open, “What? But-” She looks around the room trying to make sense of what he said.
“You want to drop out of law school? Why?” She seemed genuinely confused by this.
Junho takes a deep breath before answering, “I look at you, Minwoo, and Suyeon, and I realized that I don’t have the passion like the three of you. I love the law, and I still want to work in it, but I don’t think being a lawyer is for me. It never felt like the right fit for me, and struggling not just this year, but every year has proven it. Usually, if you love what you’re doing, the struggle is part of the process and you leave the other side feeling a sense of fulfillment, but I just don’t have that feeling. Once I get through an assignment I just feel more weighed down. I don’t want to stay doing something I’m not completely happy with.”
She’s silent, taking in what he just said.
“Youngwoo, please say something.” He’s afraid she won’t want anything to do with him anymore, she won’t want him because he’s not going to be a lawyer. It seems silly, they love each other, but insecurities are insecurities.
She tilts her head, “Hmmmmm if you didn’t want to finish law school and felt like this for a while, why did you want me to tutor you?”
“Oh!” He’s a little taken aback by her question, but he understands her curiosity. “Well, I didn’t want to fail out. If this was going to be my final year at law, I wanted to leave on a high. Also…” He blushed, scratching his neck, “I had a big crush on you for a while, I wanted to get close to you.”
She points to herself, “You had a crush on me?”
“I thought I was really obvious.” He says sheepishly. “You were so amazing, I stood no chance.”
She blushed a little before confessing, “Um I helped you because I liked having you in class. I liked seeing your face every day.”
The biggest grin slowly appeared on his, a flower blooming in his hand. They both just smiled shyly at each other after their confessions, falling into a comfortable silence.
Youngwoo breaks the silence, “I’m proud of you Lee Junho-ssi.”
“You are?” He asks in surprise.
“Yes, even if you are withdrawing from law school and I will miss seeing you in class, I’m proud that you are doing what makes you happy.”
Junho feels so much love course through his body and he feels his eyes start to water.
“Thank you Youngwoo, it means the world coming from you.”
She nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek. He reached up to touch it with his fingers, he was so in love with this woman.
“Shall we get going? I don’t think your abeoji will be happy if you’re late.”
She nodded and collected her things before making their way outside. She interlaced her arm with his, holding hands was difficult for her but this was ok.
He planted a quick kiss on her forehead, “Come on let’s go.”
They made their way to her home, leaving small piles of snow with snowdrops blooming behind.