Winter As We Know It
Summary: (Slice of Life AU) On the winter day of her cousin's wedding, Cha Eunbyeol is reminded of the childhood during which she met her best friend at a bakery shop which then led to a seven-year friendship before he disappeared. Only when she finally decided that it was time to let go of his ghost did he show up in front of her again. Now, Eunbyeol must choose between letting go of her past or continuing it with the very man that left her behind eight years ago.
Characters: Choi San x OC & Ateez members as side characters
Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional with fictional characters and storyline. Also, this may be a slow burn story, so bear with me.
Chapter Two
Chapter One:
Present Day - 25 years old
The silver diamond ring twinkled in the light that fell through the church windows as he slipped it on her slender finger, enveloping her hand when the symbol of their love found its rightful place. "You may now kiss the bride." The groom's hand slowly moved to the back of the bride’s neck, leaning her head gently towards him, and lingering there for a moment before they kissed, both smiling and embracing each other. Only then did the clapping erupted in the holy room.
Cha Eunbyeol wiped away the tears brimming in the corners of her eyes while grinning brightly at the bride and groom, who were too occupied exchanging tender gazes at each other. Her hand clasped around the bouquet that Chaeyoung had handed her after walking down the aisle to her betrothed. Eunbyeol then studied the face of her cousin; Seongwha was stroking the cheek of his bride just lightly with the softest gaze in his eyes.
Eunbyeol watched them attentively as if she should be able to report every detail in case someone asked her about that one time she saw the physical manifestation of happiness in the love for someone else. She would like to remember how Seongwha’s eyes crinkled a little but unfamiliarly because she had never seen him smile this way, how his hand was still placed on his bride's waist to make sure she didn't move away from him, or how Chaeyoung tiptoed so that her arms could remain around his neck.
Seongwha cast a glance at Eunbyeol, standing close behind Chaeyoung as her maid of honor. His eyes were full of hope and merriment. Eunbyeol smiled back. She couldn’t believe her one cousin was finally getting married. Their moms were twin sisters and had the two of them a year a part with Eunbyeol being the younger one.
They grew up together in the same neighborhood as their moms couldn’t be too far apart in the case that they would miss each other too much. She remembered Seongwha bullying her while they were in grade school; however, changed once they became teenagers and started to confide in each other about their romantic lives. They were inseparable since.
Chaeyoung turned around and abruptly pulled Eunbyeol into a hug, the tulle of her wedding dress nearly enclosed them completely. Eunbyeol congratulated Chaeyoung, but she didn't appear to realize it much as her thoughts seemed to be levitating somewhere else when she nodded. She accepted her bouquet back and gifted Eunbyeol with the widest grin one could give.
Together, the newlyweds descended the stairs from the altar, hand in hand. The applause reached its peak when they walked down the aisle towards the tall and heavy doors of the church, casting a smile here and waving a hand there. The doors creaked hollowly but the echo was barely perceivable from the noises. The people in the rows stood up from their places and followed the couple outside. A breeze of cold wind swayed through the now open doors, reminding those in attendance of the freezing December air outside, but no one seemed bothered by winter as they waved after the couple. Some moved to the front to congratulate the parents of the bridal couple, the others waited their turn while giving big smiles and exchanging handshakes and hugs.
Eunbyeol stood there at the top of the stairs for a while, taking it all in. The tranquility of the ceremony had completely dissolved, people now meeting acquaintances or asking each other how they would get to the wedding reception.
"What are you waiting for?" Hana stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her absent-minded friend while waving her hand vigorously in the air.
"Ah, sorry." Eunbyeol joined her in her walk towards the waiting room to gather their things. Hana was one of her very best friend growing up. She was tough while Eunbyeol timid. They met each other in Middle School during their first year. You would think their personalities wouldn't let them be friends for so long; however, the two beat the odds.
"Didn't they look absolutely lovely?" Hana sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together. "They look so happy."
"They really do," Eunbyeol confirmed with a smile.
Sarang was already in the bride room, renewing her lipstick, casting a smile at the women upon seeing their reflection in the mirror. She was another of Eunbyeol's close friend, someone she met during Middle School as well. Although, she came a little later in the year, Eunbyeol and Hana managed to make her their friend and that was how they three formed a tight-nit friendship.
"One really can't but get a little jealous," Hana mumbled more to herself as she jammed her handbag with the contents she had sprawled over the table that morning. Eunbyeol stopped listening to the girl when she began to ramble about the amount of junk she had brought when they didn't really need half of it.
"Well, at least we were prepared for everything," she concluded when Eunbyeol was standing next to Sarang by the mirror and checking her phone.
"We’re going to the reception together, right?" Eunbyeol asked while reading the messages of her sister wondering whether she and their dad should go on to the wedding reception without her.
"Yeah, that's the plan." Sarang put her lipstick away and began fixing her hair.
"Good." Eunbyeol slipped into her coat and threw a look into the mirror. The color of her lipstick had faded but she didn't feel like reapplying. With a hand, she brushed over the red fabric of her dress peeking from underneath her coat. She turned around to Hana, who was waiting for her friends to get moving, her bag clutched tightly under her arm.
"Are you ready then?" Hana was already walking toward the exit of the waiting room, once again letting in the noises that were echoing from the great hall. Eunbyeol and Sarang followed her, rushing down the aisle.
Their steps quickened even more so when they were outside and the cold air whipped against their faces, which they tried to burrow as deep into their coats as possible. Greetings with passerby were exchanged halfheartedly.
Hana jittered audibly when she unlocked the car and let out a sigh the moment she sat down inside. "Gosh, it's freezing." She commented as she quickly started the car and switched on the heater.
"It's probably going to snow soon," Sarang mumbled in the front seat, looking up at the clouds as if they could somehow hear her prediction.
Eunbyeol quietly nestled in the backseat. She hadn't felt anything before but now that she was sitting, she could sense how much her legs hurt. They had been practically standing nearly all day by walking from one area to another to get the best group photos and then practicing walking down the walkway. But she regretted nothing as today was her dear cousin’s wedding.
Hana was still for a while as if she was waiting for her limbs to defrost, but then she switched the gear to drive and drove them out of the parking lot and to the streets. It was still early in the afternoon, but all the life seemed to have vanished from the city. The clouds hung heavy and dark and endless above them, making even the pavement appear grayer than normal.
"Where is Yunho by the way?" Sarang asked after a while, less because of genuine interest and more with the intention to break the silence. She was still looking outside, clutching her phone in her hand as if it could ring at any moment.
"We will meet at the venue. He is probably there already with the guys," Hana answered, a silent smile settling on her lips, that even Eunbyeol could see from where she was sitting.
"Figures. You usually drag him everywhere you go; I was surprised not seeing him at the ceremony." It was supposed to be a joke, but the spiritless way Sarang had spoken didn't make her words sounds so.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hana cast her a quick glance.
"Isn't that what you're ought to do with a boyfriend? Spend time with him?" Sarang let out a puff of air in response
"Instead of scoffing like that, you should try to get yourself one," Hana countered and Sarang turned her head so quickly to her direction that Eunbyeol feared she might have hurt her neck.
"I don't have time for such things."
Eunbyeol sighed as the discussion continued. Even when she had embraced her role as the pacifier in her group of friends sometimes, she was tired of the duties that came with this position. She averted her head to see outside and suddenly their voices seemed to fade to somewhere very far away as they turned into a familiar street.
They drove past Eunbyeol’s old home and she looked up at the window that used to be hers. It was now decorated with colorful star and moon cutouts and framed in pink curtains. It was odd how a place could get a hold of someone even when a long time had passed since seeing it last.
Eunbyeol caught sight of the bakery that had lost all its evidence of ever being one. There were no letters on the windows anymore and it looked lonely in the way it was abandoned. Eunbyeol’s chest tightened a little and her head began to flood with memories.
15 Years ago - 10 years old
Spotting the bakery was like finding a gem, a sparkling treasure in between ordinaries. “This place is special,” she thought, “and bright,” she knew that from the first glance it winter was around her. The air was freezing, numbing her little fingers that were against the glass window. Her breath hit the window that had the word "Milk Bread" spelled in golden letters and was decorated with lights. Strings of lights, gleaming and making the glass shimmer while creating an illusion of warmth in the darkness of that December morning.
Too occupied was she trying to see past the customers blocking her view from the baked goods, like seeking for the sun in the sky the moment a cloud decided to move in front of it, that she didn't realize when the glass door of the bakery shop opening and someone stepping next to her. "Hey little one, are you lost?" A woman had kneel by her side. She had her arms wrapped around herself as if preventing herself from freezing completely.
Eunbyeol slowly turned her head towards the older woman. The lady was still much taller than her even when she tried to lower herself to the young girl's eye level. Eunbyeol’s gaze fixated on the color of the woman's eyes; her head shaking delayed because of how entranced she was by the color. She had never seen any other Korean people with such light brown eyes.
"Where are your parents?" The woman neared in a little and tilted her head. "Are you waiting for them?"
Eunbyeol shook her head once more and blinked a few times. "I'm waiting for my cousin."
"Is that so?" The woman looked around the busy street, her braid falling from her shoulder. Eunbyeol saw her breath visible in the air then. "Do you want to wait inside, instead?"
Of course she wanted to, since the first moment she had caught sight of the window that seemed to keep all the lights the winter had sucked out of the city. So, against her mother’s will to never go anywhere with strangers, she stepped toward the shop owner and followed her inside the magical shop.
Inside it was warm, and she could sense the tip of her nose, the fingers in her gloves, and the toes in her boots heating up immediately. The air smelled so rich that when Eunbyeol breathed in, she could nearly taste the delicious, sweet flavor on her tongue. It fogged her mind. The woman told her something and Eunbyeol nodded but she hadn't even listened to a word she said.
Eunbyeol stood at the door for a while and searched for things she couldn't see from the outside, like family pictures and Christmas decorations on the walls. The cushions on the chairs had motifs of cakes and cupcakes on them. The room appeared smaller now that she was inside but when she looked up to the silver garlands hanging from the dark ceiling, the blue and red ornaments that reflected the light and created a play of colors on the walls, it felt like she was standing under the stars, and the sky was endless.
There was a fair number of customers inside the bakery, but Eunbyeol stayed unseen by them as she shuffled to the counter where baked good were stored away from everyone but the owners. Golden sweetness displayed like treasures, which the glass kept her from touching. What caught her eyes the most were the cakes, which looked so lovely that the possibility of any of them tasting bad seemed ridiculous. Some were simple, only dusted with something white that looked like snow. Some had written words on them, which she was unable to read quite yet. And others were decorated with fruits or chocolate, like they were jewels placed on a crown.
The counter was warm when Eunbyeol put her ungloved hand on it, which left traces on the glass.
"What are you doing?" A boy's voice disrupted her in her admiration of the cakes. His hair was wild and unkempt, his fringe nearly poking his eyes. He examined her from head to toe, holding a plate with a piece of cake on it, which had one single strawberry on the top of a bed of whipped cream.
"What's your name?" he asked, but Eunbyeol refused to answer, instead she pressed her lips together as if she couldn't trust her mouth from giving away her name.
"My name is Choi San." The boy stated after concluding that she was not going to answer him. She continued to stare at him and watched as he began to look around the shop, at times lingering in certain corners.
"Here, come with me." The boy suggested, raising the plate higher to protect it from falling to the ground as he moved around between the legs of the customers.
Eunbyeol trailed behind him thinking how odd it was that his name only had one syllabus. Her thoughts disappeared soon quickly when she realized that the boy was getting farther away. For a moment she looked back at the pastries behind the glass as if they had an invisible hold on her and were keeping her from leaving, but then she followed the boy to an empty table by the windows.
San put the plate on the round table before he moved around to climb on a green chair. With his small figure sitting in it, the chair seemed to absorb him with its massiveness. He gestured her to sit next to him and even held his hand out to help her get on the chair. For some reason, Eunbyeol didn't doubt his good intentions. She took his hand and climbed into the chair, feeling the soft velvet of the cushions before sitting down by his side. Their legs still dangled in the air even when they slid far to the front so that they were able to reach the table. The dark wood under the plate had scratches along its texture and reflected the lights on its polished surface.
"I get to eat one piece of cake out of the week, and this is the one for this week." San announced, holding two forks he had carried in the front pocket of his pants and gave Eunbyeol one. "I'm gonna share my piece with you." He smiled proudly, exposing the gap in the bottom row of his teeth. Then he used his fork to cut the cake into two roughly same-sized pieces, not even forgetting to cut the strawberry in half.
The result was a mess, as the pinkish cream inside the cake had busted out of its place between the biscuits. The white cream from the top stuck to his fork and a little on his fingers. Eunbyeol glanced at San licking the cream off his finger then looked back at the cake, despite the overall mess. She was touched that he even wanted to share his once-a-week piece of cake with her. Somehow, this piece of pastry felt very important like he was offering the world to her, like it was the most precious thing he could give her.
Eunbyeol raised her fork and took a piece, trying to cut through all the layers. The sweet flavor of vanilla mixed with the freshness of the little pieces of strawberries melted in her mouth. Only after being ensured by her reaction that she was satisfied with the taste, San finally dug his fork into his own piece.
A comfortable silence settled between them as they watched customers come and leave the bakery shop with the little treasures in their hands. They would sometimes get gazed at, and other times smiles each time someone caught them staring.
San always stopped eating and grinned back as widely as he could. He often knew them by names, too. As soon as he started talking, he couldn't stop, and Eunbyeol wondered how San had managed to stay still until now when there was so much he wanted to say. At times he couldn't decide whether to talk or shove another piece of cake into his mouth and Eunbyeol could see the dilemma displayed on his face.
He told her that his parents were the owners of the bakery, and that they had opened the shop when he was just a baby. His father was a renowned pâtissier and San proudly pointed towards the pictures that showed his father standing next to people with tall white hats, that according to him, were quite famous too. San was just explaining how his father's cakes were the best when the front door opened, and a voice called for Eunbyeol.
"Cha Eunbyeol, why didn't you wait for me outside the house? I was running up and down the whole street." A boy with a navy-blue school uniform and a sweating forehead, even though it was extremely cold outside, stared at Eunbyeol with frantic eyes.
"Seongwha." Eunbyeol wanted to answer that he had taken too long to get ready and that she had gotten bored but the stern way her cousin was eyeing her, she didn't dare to respond.
"Let's go." Seongwha demanded when he approached their table and grabbed her hand. He helped her down from the chair, throwing glaring glances in San’s direction, who was watching the scene silently but with furrowed brows.
But when Eunbyeol looked up at San again—who was still sitting on the chair that felt far away now—he was grinning back at her.
"I know your name now, Eunbyeol," he said, without giving Seongwha any attention, as if he wouldn't be able to understand his words anyway, as if he was talking in a language only Eunbyeol would understand. "You definitely have to come back again, okay?"
Eunbyeol smiled then, and for a moment resisted her cousin’s pulling at her arm who was trying to get her to leave the place that already felt familiar to her. She nodded and let Seongwha carry her away finally. San waved at her through the shop’s windows until she disappeared from his sight.
Suddenly, the bakery shop between the quiet bookstore and the traveling agency office with pictures of beaches on its windows, just a few houses from her home, became her place of comfort. And Choi San; who only has one syllabus in his name became her best friend. Mutually and without words they understood why this place was special. And no one seemed to understand it the way they did.
But that was okay because they had each other.
Present Day – 25 Years Old
"Do you still feel sad, when you see it?" Hana asked. "The shop I mean. It's vacant again now." Eunbyeol twitched, it was as if someone had woken her from a deep sleep and the dreams she was dreaming just now vanished into thin air.
"Hana," Sarang retorted, as she thought that this topic wasn't something Hana could ask about so nonchalantly.
"I was just curious, sorry, Eunbyeol." Hana failed to sound apologetic, but Eunbyeol didn't feel like she had to.
"No, it's okay." She turned her head away from the window, the former bakery now long behind her. "The memories aren't all sad, so it's okay."
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AND THAT'S IT FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK HAPPENED BETWEEN EUNBYEOL AND SAN.
UNTIL THEN, PLEASE STAY TUNE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER.
CIAO!