Ever After

Still

It was quiet inside the car. Seri couldn't help but think about the rest of the troop. If Chi-su were here, he'd be piping up from the backseat, poking fun at them. Ju-mok would be filling the silence by comparing them to some outlandish K-drama plot. Eun-dong would be pressed up against the window, wondering at the scenery they were passing by.

Maybe she should have turned on the radio. Did Jeong-hyeok only listen to classical music? She couldn't picture him bopping his head along to pop music. The image was almost enough to make her smile.

In the midst of these thoughts, her stomach suddenly let out a growl. It was a ladylike one, for sure, but still audible. Definitely should have turned the radio on. If she did that now it would seem too obvious. She wondered if she should say something quickly. Or maybe he hadn't even heard it. She risked a side glance at him only to find Jeong-hyeok watching her with raised eyebrows.

"Shall we stop for food?" he asked, casually.

"Oh, are you hungry? I don't mind," she said, just as casually. "If you're not in a hurry."

"No." Despite that, he glanced at his watch (still his brother's watch, that was one thing which hadn't changed.)

She took them to a restaurant in Grindelwald that she had frequented over the years, one feted for its panoramic mountain views and refined Swiss food. The maître d' recognized her and immediately led the way to her usual table by the window. "Miss Yoon, glad to see you again. And with a friend this time," he gave Jeong-hyeok a curious smile, which the man didn't return. In fact, Jeong-hyeok seemed to be examining the maître d' with suspicion. Seri had to press her lips together to hold her laughter in.

They sat down and ordered. It turned out that Seri and Jeong-hyeok had both been in Switzerland for four days, him stationed at Sigriswil and her city-hopping. It was selfish, but a sharp disappointment rose in her when she found out that he was still based in North Korea.

"I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow," she said, looking down at her water glass for fear that looking at his face would bring on a wave of sadness.

"That's soon," was all he said.

They moved on to safer but stilted conversation about the beauty of Swiss scenery. How was Jeong-hyeok's family? Fine. And yours? Fine also. Seri's company was doing as well as ever, it kept her busy, it kept her sane. Jeong-hyeok was still finding his feet as a pianist instead of a soldier. Seri had just moved to another apartment, something that felt more cosy.

He was more talkative than she remembered, but it was the kind of polite, shallow conversation that strangers made. Her stomach turned and she put her fork down.

"Three bites," he noted with a wistful smile, glancing at her barely eaten steak. His own plate was clean, fork and knife neatly arranged.

"I'm not hungry after all." Seri's paragliding suit suddenly felt suffocating. She turned to wave at a server. "Let's go. If you don't mind, I have to quickly change out of this."

It was late afternoon, plenty of time still for her to drive him back to Sigriswil. Seri took him to the Airbnb she had rented nearby, a quaint cottage that looked untouched inside, given that she was only staying for the night.

"Make yourself at home, please," she said, closing the door behind him.

It seemed like he was taking his time to remove his shoes and slip out of his trench coat. Jeong-hyeok carefully arranged them by the door before turning fully towards her. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were downcast and... were the tips of his ears turning red?