𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗥 || o. sangwoo

36: A Genuine Smile

❝He loves her as certain dark things are to be loved, 

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.❞

The Ski Resort isn't the best place for Ari, she doesn't even find the place fun. She doesn't get why people enjoy doing this kind of thing when she had lost count of how many times she had fallen and lost her balance as she fell on her knees for the nth time.

"Can't I just go back to the room?" Ari asked as she stood up and look behind at Sangwoo who started to laugh.

"Damn Ari, you're so bad at this," he said and Ari just looked at him. He sure is having fun watching her fall so many times, he isn't even helping her up. Not that Ari expects anything.

Suddenly Sangwoo came up to her and stood behind her before holding her arms.

"Here, you should do this," he started instructing Ari as she half-listen to Sangwoo and the noise in the background.

Most of the noise were coming from children nearby who are being taught how to ski. Their laughter echoed around and Ari closed her eyes. She's never heard of the sound in a long time. And for a second she was pulled in a reverie back to the times she spent in the Orphanage with kids running around. Or what little left of that memory Ari doesn't want to think about it any longer as she opened her eyes when Sangwoo finished talking.

He led her up before they stopped a few meters away from where they were standing earlier.

"Alright, I'll go down first. I'll wait for you there," he said, pointing to the direction ahead and Ari nodded.

Sangwoo let go of her arm before he bend down slightly.

"Wait, Sangwoo how do I.." Ari trailed off when Sangwoo already left, she doubt if he even heard her. "Stop.."

She looked down before shrugging her shoulders and looked up at Sangwoo who is way ahead, stopping on the same spot as he turned around to face her and waved at her. Ari sighed inaudibly before skiing down, the breeze against her face was cold and the feeling was foreign to her.

She still doesn't know how to stop as she kept on going towards Sangwoo. She kept speeding down until Sangwoo outstretched his hand when he realized she was going down too fast and caught her, holding her waist as they span around before they fell. Sangwoo hit the snow covered ground as Ari fell on top of him. He put the goggles up and grunted.

"Fuck, Ari that hu–" he stopped momentarily when he saw a very rare sight in front of him.

The pain of the impact earlier suddenly vanished as Sangwoo looked at Ari. The first thing he saw was her smile before a second later it registered to him that she was laughing. The sound was so foreign to him, he's never heard her laugh before. And the sound of her laughter completely invaded him that any other noises around seem insignificant.

Sangwoo seem spellbound for a moment, he doesn't even know how long he's been staring at her but he couldn't bring himself to say anything as Ari's laughter sounded so surreal. For a second he thought he was hallucinating, he did hit his head a bit earlier when they fell.

But after a while Sangwoo was sure of it, it was the first time Ari laughed.

"Sangwoo, I want to do it again. It felt great," she said, standing up as Sangwoo nodded.

He doesn't know if skiing down so fast was fun or the part where she fell right on top of him. But Sangwoo still couldn't bring himself to talk as they went up again.

He thought she wouldn't enjoy skiing. She wanted to go back earlier but now Ari seem like a different person. She's smiling and laughing more than she ever did before.

They continued to ski for hours until the sun was almost setting and the night slowly approaches.

"Let's eat, Ari," Sangwoo said as Ari went up to him.

She sat on a bench inside the store and Sangwoo bend down to take her gear off before they headed to eat dinner. The barbecue house is almost full of people, the chatters could be heard everywhere and yet Ari doesn't seem to mind as she continued to eat.

She doesn't talk much when she eats and she doesn't seem to notice Sangwoo staring at her. After a while they went up to their room.

"Ari, do you enjoy this or the amusement park?" Sangwoo asked as they lie on the bed.

Ari was silent for a second, thinking deeply before she answered.

"I enjoyed this," she said and snuggled closer to Sangwoo.

"Then, how about we spend another day here?" Sangwoo asked slowly, as if he's threading carefully on the question.

Ari looked up at Sangwoo, her face from earlier, those smile and laughter was completely gone and her eyes lost its gleam. Once again she became the same emotionless doll as she looked at Sangwoo.

"Sangwoo, tomorrow is New Year. I thought we agreed to spend New Year back at your house. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

She turned around, her back facing Sangwoo as she pulled the sheet closer. Sangwoo lie on his back as he stared up the ceiling before he sat up.

He stood from the bed and headed to the fridge, taking a can of beer he bought earlier before he proceeded to the balcony as he leaned there, looking at the darkness ahead. The lampposts were on yet they don't provide as much light farther up the mountain. There are still a few people outside as Sangwoo looked ahead.

He was hoping to see that smiling face of hers before she sleep but Sangwoo had to bring that up and Ari's emotionless face return.

"At least she smiled today," he said before gulping down the liquor, stinging in his throat as he closed his eyes. Perhaps it would really be inevitable.

"A real genuine smile," Sangwoo repeated, the words he told her before.