Reply 1988

Mittens

Jung Hwan paced nervously in front of his house, stealing glances at the door of the half-basement.

He stared at the package in his hands, back at the door, then heaved an exasperated sigh.

"It's easy, Jung Hwan," he admonished himself, "Knock, look for her, give it, Merry Christmas, goodbye."

He hopped up and down like a boxer preparing for a fight, shook his limbs, then squared his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he walked quickly down the stairs and was just about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened.

"Oh, Jung Hwan!" Deok Sun said in surprise, and Jung Hwan quickly hid the package behind his back.

"I-- I just wanted to see if you wanted to walk to school together," he stammered, and Deok Sun gave him a bright smile as she bounded up the stairs.

He stuffed the package into his coat and took the stairs two at a time as he followed her, then caught sight of her hands.

Before he could stop himself, he grabbed her by the wrist and said, "What do you think you're doing?"

She looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Jung Hwan took both of her hands in his, sighing in frustration. "How can you-- it's freezing!"

Before Deok Sun could say a word, Jung Hwan took the package from inside his coat, tore it open, then lifted a pair of mittens out of the box.

In wide-eyed silence, Deok Sun watched as Jung Hwan carefully slipped a mitten on her right hand, then on her left. Her hands instantly felt warm against the soft wool, but for some reason her cheeks felt warm too.

Jung Hwan held her mitten-clad hands and, without looking at her, asked, "Better?"

She nodded wordlessly, staring at their hands in wonder. It was just a pair of mittens, but why did it feel like more?

He finally looked up at her, and she thought his cheeks looked a little pink. They stared at each other, hand in hand, until finally it seemed like they awakened from the spell. They quickly pulled their hands apart, and Deok Sun cleared her throat and looked away.

Jung Hwan stuck his hands in his pockets, and she felt him take a long, deep breath.

Finally, he turned to her and said, "Let's go?"

She nodded, then, staring at her hands, said, "Jung Hwan?"

He looked at her expectantly.

"They're pink," she said softly.

He tried to make it seem like no big deal as he shrugged, "You said you wanted pink mittens."

She looked up at him in surprise, "But I didn't think you'd remember."

He scoffed, "Of course I remember."

They stared at each other then, and a smile tugged at the corners of their mouths, Deok Sun's shy smile, Jung Hwan's signature half-smirk.

Jung Hwan finally reached out and ruffled Deok Sun's hair affectionately, "Now let's go, we're going to be late!"

Deok Sun grinned as she skipped ahead of Jung Hwan, loving the feel of the pink mittens that warmed her hands, giddily remembering the feeling of a pair of hands that unexpectedly warmed her heart.