Translation of Love

48

Frost

소희: Can we meet?

I type the message on the bus ride back to the university. Taeyoung responds quickly, saying we should meet at the coffee place where he used to teach me Korean.

Once I get to my room and put my things away I head out and go to Koko's room to kill time before leaving. She soon opens the door after I knock, looking half asleep despite it being 10 AM now.

"Why are you back so early?" Her groggy voice asks me.

"It's not that early."

She waves me into the messy room. There are clothes tossed very ungracefully all over the place. Makeup brushes litter the desk and night table, with random makeup pencils scattered mindlessly on the floor. The room used to be clean when we first met, but five months later, she's clearly given up on keeping up with it.

I try to find a place to sit on the unruly bed and settle for the corner.

"How was your mini-vacation?" She crawls back under the covers.

"Good, exactly what I needed."

"That's good. So are you going to meet up with Taeyoung?"

"Yeah about that."

She sits up more, intrigued by my change in demeanour.

"I am, but I'm leaving."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm going to go back home, to Canada to see my mom. I need to go back and close things properly."

She nods her head in understandingly before looking back at me in panic. "Wait, are you going to come back?"

I chuckle at her expressiveness. "Probably, yeah. I just don't know when."

"When are you leaving?"

"Next Tuesday," I reply. My father and I had bought the ticket together online. He wasn't going to be able to come with me, but he helped get everything set up. I'll be staying with my aunt while I'm there.

"Wow, that's so soon. So you'll be back for the second semester, right? Or no."

"I'm not sure. I don't know how long I need."

***

After my visit with Koko, I head to that familiar place—the place where I began to grow feelings for Taeyoung. It feels strange walking into the building now, and I don't know why. I take a seat at a somewhat secluded table by the windows and wait anxiously. I don't want to leave him while being on bad terms, and I know he's going to think I'm leaving because of him. But I'm not. I hope he understands.

After I get a drink, I stare out the window and watch as snow falls from the sky. I frantically play with my nails as I wait for him. I came much too early because of how nervous I was, and now the waiting is killing me from the inside out. But eventually I see the doors open and a familiar figure walk through them. Just like that, I feel all the air in my lungs suspend and my heart jumps at a rapid pace. He looks around for a bit before his eyes catch mine.

I can't help but look down immediately, feeling just as nervous as our first encounter.

"Sohee," he softly says before sitting down and loosening his scarf. I look up at him again and take a big gulp.

"Taeyoung."

There's a moment of silence as we get lost in our blazing thoughts. Where to begin?