Paper Hearts | Winrina

At Last

Yunjin vividly recalled herself rushing to the park as soon as she saw the headlines that the alarming rate of autumn wildfire had reached the city. She prayed and prayed that winter wouldn't be there as her long legs took her to the location she dreaded, two steps at a time.

Yunjin hoped her intentions were wrong and the brunette had just been at home showering. She had never had to run as fast in her life, the cold air bursting in her face as her nose began to become bright red.

She could barely catch her breaths when she finally halted to a stop, holding onto a street light pole to steady herself.

The only thing she saw was red. Red filled her vision. Red was reflected in the panicked gaze of her eyes. Red, angry as it rapidly consumed everything it touched, spreading like a pool of venomous blood. It painted everything crimson—the trees, the grass, the playground tanbark she saw from afar, the clock tower—as piles of thick, black smoke pummeled into the sky.

Pedestrians were yelling, scattered about as they tried to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the burning park. Yunjin was the only person doing the complete opposite.

Yunjin had let go of the pole, scanning the whole park that had been completely ruined. She scanned, walking closer to a gate, her immediately heart stopping once she saw a figure under the bench. She watched the police officers and doctors gather people one by one but none of them seemed to notice the body underneath the burning bench, laying flatly still.

Maybe she should've been helping but she was on her day off, she had planned a date at this park. A date with Winter in fact.

Yet, in the next second, all thoughts were wiped clean in her head when she cleared her sight, squinting her eyes seeing a familiar brunette female, laying exactly where Yunjin wished she wouldn't be.

There, Winter laid, phone in hand as she stared at Yunjin's last call going straight to voicemail. How long has the voicemail been going on? This was not quite a good time to keep track of the endless numbers.

The only thing Winter remembered was coming to the park, deciding to come a bit early than the regular time Yunjin had planned. She noticed the familiar bench as she walked along the sidewalk in the park, the people scattered around with joy. She captured the memory, walking up to the bench to find herself sitting down.

The date was September 4th. Winter vividly remembering crying on this exact same date in Karina's arms after knowing it was Autumn's death anniversary. She had missed the cat and her past lover, feeling a bit gloomy than usual.

She opened her phone, she meant to call Yunjin but she found herself looking at a photo of Karina, wearing a hoodie with a black cat on it. The female hadn't noticed the smell of smoke, the wildfire spreading across the park pretty quickly.

She didn't once look up from her phone—too focused in the dark haired woman's face; remembering every single detail about the older one. The smoke smell suffocated her nose, finally coming back to her senses as she snapped her head up, immediately perked up in alarm.

It was a race between her and the fire. It spread so quickly, going from the furthest corners of her periphery to blasting right in her face, just by the time she stood up. In the distance, she watched in shock as it consumed the tan bark —what was once normal brown bark was now glowing in Mother Nature's signature orange. She was only able to take a few steps when the fire had already reached the clock tower, riling up along the antique concrete walls.

The bench underneath her had turned hot completely, stupidly allowing her body to fall underneath the burning hot bench.

She had dialed the number of Yunjin's expecting a quick answer but the phone ringed and ringed which went to soon voicemail.

It took her a second to finally see the irony. Then, instead of breaking out into paranoia; the female lightly chuckled in the thin air. She could now see eye to eye with the scene playing out in front of her. She wondered if it was karma.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to Winter that death would knock at her door just when she'd least expect it.

When the time comes. Distantly, a weak voice echoed through her head. Oddly, Winter's tense shoulders relaxed. 

She let the voice message play, the sounds of the burning fire filling her ears. She let herself relax, the grass in front of her flowing with orange.

She had noticed the ringing phone next to her; her weak eyes looking at the contact yunjin. But oddly enough she didn't move an inch, her body stood still even though she might've had a chance to run out of the park out a pathway.

It was like she wasn't afraid of anything in the world, the female let herself lay in the burning fire—and closing her eyes to see to only person she'd ever longed for. When the time comes, a muffled voice echoed in her head. It rang clearer now, and Winter distinctly recognised who it belonged to.

On the other side of the gate Yunjin found the tears soonly bursting out her eyes, only could watch from a far while her phone dropped to the floor, the screen cracked in a million peace's. It was the most devastating thing she ever had to witness, her breaths knocked out of her lungs, heart shattering on the floor. Seeing the only female Winter ever felt anything akin to affection for, watching Winter's grip fall off of the phone like it was goodbye—it truly was the most unfair, heartbreaking sight.

Yet, to Winter, it was the most breathtaking thing she could ever hope for. Nothing has ever felt more just. "Are you finally here to pick me up, angel?" She spoke with enthusiasm in her voice in the light of the darkness, the tall figure looking down at her with a small grin.

Karina only gave her an amused chuckle. "I didn't get to set this up, okay."

The two walked away from the light of earth, only into the bursting bright white light, only Winter walking into death while Karina did it for the second time in her life—this time with Winter by her side.

Yet what felt like salvation to Winter, was a freefall of descent into despair for Yunjin.

She was twenty six. What a poetic way to die.