As the Snow Falls

The Things Tteokbokki Can Do (and the Things it Can't)

"Tell me again why we're doing an excavation during the last week of October?" Jimin huffed, two hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

"That's hyung to you," Jin said as he slapped the back of his head. "And because I said so, that's why," he mumbled under his breath, looking around the tent for his clipboard.

The team had just set-up a tent for their laboratory just earlier this morning at a safe distance away from the trees and its roots. Everything was still finding its way to its proper places, plastic chairs were still stacked on the corner, and only one out of three lightbulbs were installed. The beads were in the center plastic folding table, illuminated above by the single lightbulb installed there.

Jin spotted his things along with the boxes of records and documents they brought on-site and walked towards it. Ignoring the other two, he opened his clipboard to look at his notes.

Taehyung trailed behind, closely following him in his steps. "But hyung, the soil's going to be harder during this time of year. Especially once November rolls around," the younger man argued.

"Hyung it's going to take us twice as long to find anything," Jimin added

Jin slammed his clipboard close with more force than necessary, surprising the two men who jumped to the sound. He turned around and shot them a thin smile with narrowed eyes. "Then we're going to be paid twice as long. Great. Now get out of here and get to making quadrants."

Before the two could argue again, he pushed past them so that he could stand in front of the center table. Meanwhile, he heard the two trudged out the tent with pouted lips and without another word. The moment that they left, Jin let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.

They'd finally found something after weeks and weeks of searching. And he didn't want to stop now.

There were 13 beads in total. Byulyi and his initial theory was that they were beads from the same gatkkeun. Their sizes, colors, and shapes all resemble gatkkeuns dating back from the early Joseon period after all so it wasn't that far of a reach.

While it was not the treasure that they found, at the very least, they found confirmation that a man—a noble or possibly even royal—was here.

The team would have a meeting after everything has settled to further talk about what it could possibly be and how it could possibly serve them in their research. But Jin was confident that they'd all agree on what it was.

He was about to scribble more observations about the beads when a familiar scent fluttered in the air and tickled his nose.

"I have to agree with them on this one. Why do we have to dig now?" Byulyi asked as she walked inside the tent and towards the other side of the table to look at Jin.

Ever since that day when she let him borrow—though he still hadn't returned it—her scarf, her scent had permanently imprinted itself on his brain.

'Because the sooner we're finished, the sooner I can get rid of you.' He wanted to say. But even in his mind, it lacked the venom he knew it should have.

"It makes me restless. Not knowing," was what he said instead.

She took slow steps around the table. Jin pretended to not notice by noting that the beads they numbered 4 and 9 were the only ones that are seemingly not damaged.

"Do you think we're in the right place?"

Her footsteps crunched and Jin's heart pounded with the sound. "We can only hope so."

"But what about your personal speculation?"

Jin looked up from his clipboard to meet her gaze. "I think we are."