Chapter Text
Two young women, distinguished by their notable height difference, were walking toward the exit of a large university campus in Seoul. Holding hands, they sought warmth from each other’s palms against the strong winds that had been forecast for that night. On one hand, the shorter woman gripped both sides of her coat at the top, trying to shield her neck from the cold. On the other hand, the taller one, wearing wine-colored gloves, squeezed her hand carefully so as not to hurt her, simply as a sign of protection after glancing at her quickly.
"Hyunju, wait!" She raised her voice to get her attention.
"Youngmi, what is it, princess? We need to get home or you’re going to get sick." She replied instantly, her brow furrowing with concern over a possible cold.
"Relax, mom, I’m fine." She said in a sarcastic tone that made her girlfriend smile faintly.
She stepped closer, removing her red scarf from her own neck to wrap it around Hyunju’s in the traditional way.
"What are you doing?"
"Keeping the coldest person I know warm."
Hyunju shook her head, trying to remove the garment, but the other woman interrupted her.
"You wear it. You know you need it more. Plus, it matches your gloves." Youngmi pointed out.
Hyunju glanced around, noticing the small number of people in the university campus and how none of them were looking their way. She then moved closer to her partner, wrapping an arm around her waist, bringing their bodies together until their breaths mingled. The tips of their noses were icy cold, something they didn’t mind before sharing a French kiss, where, in contrast to the weather, warmth and tenderness reigned between two hearts in love.
"What am I going to do with you, mh?" Hyunju brushed her nose against hers, completely lost in a world where the name Kim Youngmi reigned supreme. "You’re going to bundle up the moment we get home."
The younger woman only let out a soft laugh, placing a kiss on her cheek.
"Love, you do know we live just twenty minutes away, right?" Oh, of course she knew, but she couldn’t focus on the rest of her words when just one kept repeating in her mind, accompanied by that feeling in her chest as if her heart was about to burst with love: we live. Together. Youngmi and her. Just the two of them, no one else.
"I know, but still... I’m freezing." She murmured her last words, subtly pouting her lips, only for them to be met with a stolen kiss from the shorter one.
"Then we’d better get there faster, right?"
"Sure, but why do you say that?"
"Because I’m about to beat you in a race home right now. Three, two, one, go!"
Youngmi’s countdown was so quick that Hyunju barely realized how her presence faded little by little along the avenue. She went after her without hesitation, as she always had, even when she wasn’t running.
It was then that Hyunju began to wake up gradually, in the midst of lazy blinks and a long yawn, with a smile forming on her lips as the memories of her dream replayed as if everything had happened just the day before. When she turned her head, the main character of that scene was still resting against her chest, clinging to her waist with no intention of letting go. However, as soon as she turned her head in the opposite direction, she saw the time on her small clock, exactly eight in the morning, the hour at which Hyunju usually got up every day, even on weekends.
So she got up quietly and sat on the edge of the bed, turning her back to her girlfriend after freeing herself from her clingy embrace, then stood up silently. She walked to the kitchen, wearing warm slippers on her bare feet, stretching her body in search of relaxation and energy to prepare breakfast for two.
Back in the bedroom, a drowsy Youngmi slid her hand to the side, only to be met with the coolness of the sheets. As a result, she got up and left the bed, rubbing her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen, catching the aroma of hotdogs frying and a plate beside the stove with two pairs of eggs on it.
Hyunju, with her back turned to her girlfriend, gave a small jump in surprise when she felt arms wrap around her waist and a chaste kiss land on the bare skin of her shoulder, near her neck.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty."
"Why do you never listen to me? It’s eight in the morning and it’s Saturday, Hyunju. Go back to bed."
"I’m not sleepy anymore and I’m hungry, love, and I think you are too." She said as she heard the growl coming from her partner’s stomach.
Soon, the air was filled with the mixed scents of Hyunju’s coffee and Youngmi’s tea. It was a cozy silence in which the movements of their spoons and the steam rising from their cups stood out. Youngmi chewed slowly, leaning forward slightly with a few strands of hair falling across her cheeks. Every now and then, they exchanged glances over their cups and passed each other things without having to ask, taking the opportunity to brush their fingers together with such refinement, as if they feared that this moment might come to an end.
The young couple went for a walk after breakfast without a set destination, simply deciding to get lost among the city streets and let them dictate the path. The air, though fresh, made Youngmi zip her coat all the way up to cover half her face because of how oversized it was, courtesy of Hyunju.
"You look like a Shih Tzu." The older one said, trying not to laugh.
"What? Can’t I be a more imposing animal? A wolf, for example." The other protested, with fake annoyance directed at her girlfriend, barely jutting out her lower lip.
"Wolves don’t hide in oversized jackets."
They walked until they reached a large park they passed every day on their way to the university, known for being home to cats of various breeds. But this time, they didn’t take the side streets they usually used to go back and forth; instead, they wandered along the paved paths that bordered the park’s various green spaces.
"We should adopt one, don’t you think?" Youngmi asked.
"And what would we call it?"
"Namu."
"You want our cat to be called ‘tree’?"
"I say that because they’ve grown up alongside this whole park and its trees." She explained, walking a few steps ahead of Hyunju, who strolled at a slower pace. "Besides, we’ve grown together too, like a tree. We’re almost at five months, remember?" She turned to her to finish her statement.
Hyunju stood face-to-face with Youngmi, fixing her hair, which had been tousled by the strong morning breeze. Her eyes lingered on her, watching her with the calm of someone gazing at the love of their life, because it didn’t matter how many people might come along, even if their relationship ended right there, in those circumstances, Hyunju would always look at Youngmi as if her pupils held all the memories she needed to live the rest of her days.
"I could never forget."