la mémoire | pjm

01

"다시 겨울 날이 올 때까지"

...January 2017...

It was cold that day. The weather forecaster said that the temperature was nearly -15 degree Celsius. But Ji Min barely endured it. The bench which he sat on was frosted completely. He rubbed his hands against each other to warm himself. Even when the snow started to fall down, Ji Min didn't budge from his place.

It's winter again. I hope I can pass this through without you like the other past years.

"Hyung." Someone called him. Ji Min turned his head toward the direction where the voice had come from.

It was Jung Kook. He stood up there, steps away from Ji Min, with a grey scarf around his neck. Ji Min nearly couldn't recognize who was him because the boy was wearing his scarf until it covered half of his face.

"You've arrived?" Ji Min stood up. His smile bloomed; welcoming the boy. But instead of replying the question, Jung Kook jerked his head, motioned Ji Min to follow him. "Let's go to the warmer place."

Ji Min did follow Jung Kook though.

"Where will we go?" asked JI Min to Jung Kook who led him somewhere. "Somewhere warm. Not as cold as here. Hyung, do you want me to freezing out?" asked Jung Kook annoyed. He continued walking to somewhere while grumbling, protested about the cold weather.

Jung Kook led him to some café away from the downtown. He pushed open the door. The clinking bell broke the serenity atmosphere. The familiar warm feeling embraced them as soon as they entered the cafe.

"Give me one Cookies-and-Cream Hot Chocolate, please. How about you, Hyung?" Jung Kook asked as he observed the menu closely. "Hyung?" Nobody answered. Jung Kook shifted his gaze from the menu to the man beside him. His interlocutor was spacing out.

"Hyung!" Jung Kook snapped his fingers, pulled Ji Min back to his consciousness. "Oh, did you say something?" Ji Min looked at Jung Kook clueless.

"Nothing. Would you like something to drink?" Jung Kook pointed at the menu. Ji Min put an 'oh' expression before ordering a Mint White Hot Chocolate for himself without looking at the menu.

Jung Kook chose a window seats for them. None of them was willing to speak up first. They let the silence floating on the air. Judging from the attitude of both, you could tell clearly that they're still awkward around each other. Not to mention that they had been friends for years. The tense was palpable at the point of you could cut the air with a knife.

The waitress delivered their order. With a hum of thank you, the waitress retreated from the scene; leaving them in the same tensed atmosphere as before.

"So... How are you, Hyung?" Jung Kook ventured himself to open the conversation; breaking the tense atmosphere as he sipped his hot chocolate. Ji Min flashed a smile and replied shortly, "I'm fine."

"It's been a while. 3 years, right?" Jung Kook put his mug back on the table. Ji Min sniffed and looked down on his own mug, stared at the white marshmallows floating on the surface of his steaming hot chocolate.

"Yeah, and none of the days elapsed without the fact that I still miss her so bad."

^_^