Chapter 20: first snow

The winter is right around the corner, the first snow of the year is one of the moment that is worth waiting for especially to the people who wish to confess their feelings to the person they love. They said that if you confessed to the person you love on the day of the first snow, the two of you will be together forever and your love will never brake. There is still no news when will this first snow will happen, every individual who want their love to be realized is always sitting beside the window waiting for the perfect moment.

There is a story that one of the most popular couple in this generation who just got married a week ago start dating after one of them confessed their love during the first snow in the tall tower in the town. Their relationship last for three years until they got married. Their love story became an inspiration to all who want also to be with their love ones and that is also the legend of the first snow become more believable.

"Did someone already invited you for the first snow?" "Will you invite me too? I already got enough", Kazumi said in a tired tone of voice while leaning his head to the backrest of the chair. "What about you? I hear your quit popular to the guys", he continued lifting his head. "Hmmm… I also asked and invited, however, I don't like any of them" "Oooh this is interesting, so Fuyumi Nagisa has an ideal type" "Of course I do! Who don't" "Orr you already have someone you like" Fuyumi bow hiding her cheeks that is blushing. "Uh…uhmmm… I do like someone", she said in a shy tone of voice yet cute while squeezing her skirt. "Oooohhh so who is this unlucky guy. Do I know him" Fuyumi looked up and lean forward to Kazumi. "W…what do you mean unlucky!!" "Oh it is my mistake, I thought he is unlucky because you like him, he is lucky indeed" "K…Kazumi…you stupid!!", she said in a loud voice then run out of the room. "It looks like the two of you have a hobby of arguing with each other, why don't you just ask her out" "Then why don't you do that Hitoshi, you do like interfering with us. Tell me, do you like Fuyumi?" "Are you!!— I already have someone I like" "Ohhh so Hitoshi also like someone. Are you going to ask her in the first day of the snow?" "I don't think so, she's not her" "Oh maybe she's from your home town" "Yes she is, we grew up together and I like her since we were kids" "So you two are childhood sweethearts, sweet" "I don't think so, she already like someone else when the last time we met" "Waaahhhh!!! Why am I talking with you with such things, it is creeping me out" "You're the one started it" "It will not happen if you just didn't interfere with Fuyumi and I" "Did I disturbed your lovers quarrel?", said Hitoshi with a fooling smile. "Lovers quarrel your face!! Well, what is the point explaining to you, you don't have a brain to begin with" "Well, who is clueless in the two of us that is really brainless" "What do you mean clueless?" "Noooothingggg"

It is sure getting cold a lot lately, people wear their thickest jackets hidden for months in their closets and their hands are kept in their pockets. Kazumi came from market to buy ingredients for dinner when a unfamiliar person came to him. "Ah…uhm…may I ask where is the nearest hotel here" "You must be a foreigner?" "Uhmm… yes, I just came here this morning because I heard that this country is beautiful and amazing so I want to try it myself" "Thank you for visiting our country", said Kazumi while taking his bow as a respect. "I can lead you to the nearest hotel ma'am" "Oh thank you what a gentleman" As the two of them walk together. "By the way I'm Choi Chung-Ae, and you are?" "Kazumi, Yano Kazumi" "Oh what a beautiful name, I'm sorry to ask but may I know your age?" "I'm sixteen, why?" "Ah… nothing I thought we're on the same age, I'm twenty-two" After a twenty minutes or less of walk, they arrived to the nearest hotel. "Thank you so much for your help", said Choi Chung-Ae while taking her bow also. "I'm' sorry for the inconvenience, my phone shut down when the plane landed so I can't use it for direction" "It is okay, I'm glad I helped", said Kazumi while smiling. He wait for her to enter to the hotel before leaving. He take one step when he heard his name from the back. He turned around and saw her running towards him. "I'm sorry again to ask but can you come visit me next time? I am not familiar with the place yet and I don't have someone here so if it is okay with you—" "Okay Miss Choi Chung-Ae. I will come again next time" "Thank you, thank you so much. I promised I will pay for your time" "There is no need, I am just doing my job as a citizen" Then he leave her. Choi Chung-Ae watched him walked away until he is out of sight before she entered again.

The next weekend as planned, Kazumi is waiting in front of the hotel where Choi Chung-Ae is staying. As for today, he will act as her tourist guide even he is also not bit used in the city. After twenty minutes, Choi Chung-Ae came down. They first visited the temples and roam around. At lunch, they ate on one of the restaurants that is famous in their especial dishes that is also aired on televisions. "So you came here alone because you are curious of our country? Is that it?" 'That is a part of it. Honestly, I came here to refresh my mind, I just broke up with my boyfriend. I think you already have an experience" "Experience with what?!" "Being in a relationship" "No, I never have" "Really! Even you are that handsome!" "I just don't like the idea of dating" "Okay, I should not be asking this to a sixteen year old guy but what is your idea about it?" "What? Dating? I think it is just a two stupid individuals declaring their love to each other but in the end of the day, they become strangers" "That is sooo bitter. Maybe, you're right, when two people used to love each other so much and they suddenly broke up, they will become strangers again. My boyfriend break up with me recently after dating for two years. It really make me sad and cried all night thinking that I already found someone I will spend the rest of my life with but I am wrong. He said that he fall out of love for me and he want to get back together with his ex-girlfriend" "Going here is not the solution and it will never be if you keep on thinking about him and all the memories you had together. It is not the place that makes you forget, it is your choice if you want to forget. Yes, those times are happy and fun but those times need to be forgotten especially if the person you spent with those memories are not thinking about you anymore" "You talked like an old man, are you really sure you don't have an experience?" "It is just my mind that statement has no heart on it" "You look like my little brother. I think I found someone to tell my problems on. Thank you Kazumi" "So how many days are you planning on staying here?" "Until… I ran out of money?" "Huh?!" "You know I also want to experience the feeling of confessing at first snow" "It is just a saying, I don't believe on it" "Why not? They said it is true, some couples can prove it" "You know you can confess to anyone whenever you like it even it is not snowing. It is not the weather will declare on how long will your love will last, it is you. The weather has nothing to do with your love, even you confessed on summer or fall. If love is not really there then there is nothing you can do and if you really love that person, then it will last even you didn't do it on first snow. Sayings are there for you to believe it or not, but all things are up to you to make it work" "Are you sure you are not thirty years old? You really are something else" "I'm the top of my class since elementary" "I knew it, you really is a genius" After eating lunch, they continue on site seeing until the sun sets and they waved goodbye to each other.

"Kazumi, did you already heard?", asked Fuyumi the moment Kazumi entered into the room. He did noticed that the eyes of the students are staring at him differently while on his way to the room. "What", he asked in a low tone of voice without looking at her while hanging his bag. "Is it true?", Fuyumi followed. This time, Kazumi stand straight and face her while hands on his pocket. "Can you already go to the point" Fuyumi brought out her phone and show Kazumi the picture. Upon seeing it, Kazumi's eyes went bulge, shocked is written all over his face. "Where did you get that?!" "Someone caught you last Saturday and take this picture, so tell me Kazumi is it true? Is this girl your girlfriend?" "No!! she's a friend and I am just touring her around" "She looks like a foreigner and older" "If you don't believe then fine, why would I even explaining to you" Fuyumi can't hide the feeling of being lonely, what is she really to him? Did he even look at her as a friend?

"Yow Kazumi, I heard, so you are into older girls now huh and a foreigner" "No!! She's not my girlfriend alright! Whoever take that photo, it is not what you think! She is just a friend!", he said to the whole class. All of them is in silence for a while and then they go back on gossiping. These rumors are getting on his nerves and he can't believe that they think he is dating a girl who is four years older than him, she's not even his ideal type.

Even there are false spreading about Kazumi and Choi Chung-Ae, he still continue to do his work as her tour guide. Most of the weekends, they spend it together. Fuyumi even saw it with her own two eyes from outside she saw them through the glass of one of the restaurants. They seem so very close to each other like they are couple in their past lives. Kazumi is just being friendly and that is all, Choi Chung- Ae also treat him like his younger brother, for the two of them they look at each other like that and nothing more.

"Kazumi, can I come to your place after class? I want us two to eat dinner together" "Why?! Is there an occasion or anything to be celebrated about?" "Nothing, I just missed going to your place" "I'm sorry Fuyumi, can we do that next time, I'm busy" riiiinngggg Kazumi turn his back to answer the phone. Fuyumi watched him talking to the person on the other line, she saw him smile for the first time and even laugh. After a while, Kazumi get his bag while saying to her that he is sorry and he have to go first. She watched him vanish into her sight then let out a deep breath.

"We are classmates in our college, when the first time I saw him I found him handsome yet I don't care a lot about him. One our classmates has a crush on him. At first I want him and his best friend to be my friend because I found them cool. I will tease and bully them and they don't even get back at me even once. When they have a food, I steal it and they let me have it. When we need to pay a contribution in class, I tell them to pay mine also. For me, they are just my laughing stuff until the topic in our Physical Education class changed. We need to dance by partner, everyone got theirs already and I left shouting who don't have a partner. Suddenly, someone hold my hand and said that we are partners. I still don't like him that time even we spend most of our time practicing. When the performance day came, I am really nervous, my hands are shaking and my eyes are teary. I told him countless time that I can't, I can't do it. My eyes are going around and staring at the other partners dancing. He hold my hand and tell me that don't stare at the others, I should concentrate on him. I tried but I still can't so I watched our feet moving instead then he told me again to look at him. He mentioned my name countless times, how come that he is just relaxed and I can't feel a little nervousness coming from him. I was about to give up that time yet he was there, he thought and guide me in every step until we finished. For the second time, he was again my partner, some girls are already getting angry and jealous of me that come to the point that they bully me. I swear to him that I will be better this time, nothing really happened after that. After our second dance, it is time to change partner again. This time, he don't chose me anymore. Everyone is asking if we broke up or did something happen to the two of us, I even don't know how to answer those questions. When the finals came, I just heard that the girl used to flirt with him the whole time is now his girlfriend. But you know, when I heard that I didn't cry, I just got pissed that I want to drag the two of them in hell. I am also thankful to my friends that they comforted me that time. After a year, I heard that they broke up because the girl is too flirty, she flirt with the guys she found handsome even she's with him. For me, he doesn't deserve a girl like that, he is too good to be cheated on. That kind of man should be treasured, it is hard to find a guy like that nowadays"

"Oh sorry, I was too occupied to my story and I didn't notice that it is too late already" "What if he will come back to you, will you still accept him?" "Honestly, I already had a thought of that and until now I still don't know the answer" "You can have a dinner here tonight before going home. I'm sorry that I called you on such a busy day", she said while standing to prepare for dinner. "How about you?", she asked while placing the plates on the table, "Huh" "What is your story?" "I have a girlfriend back then, she was my first and I think she would be the last. We are still dating when she died " "Oh I am sorry" "It's okay, I already got over it"

It is been a week since Choi Chung-Ae came and become Kazumi's older sister. Even she older than him, it was like Kazumi is the one older, he keep on giving her advices when she have a rant in her life and rebuking her when she act like a young girl while taking tours. You can already create a whole photo album with the photos they take. Even Kazumi discover new things and the same as her.

"Hey Kazumi, tell me how can I pay you for everything you did. Well you see, my flight is next week and I at least want to pay you back before leaving" "I told you, it is okay. I am glad that I can be a help" "That is not enough" Choi Chung-Ae motion like she is thinking something. "Aha, I know it", she said raising her pointing finger like there was a light bulb on top of her head. "Do you see that?", she asked pointing the tower in the center of the city. "The tower? Why?" "I want you to meet me there at seven in the evening during the first snow" "Why? I already told yo—" "Just go there, I will be waiting for you" After that, Kazumi didn't receive any call or text from her while the two of them quietly staring out the window every night waiting for that snow.

Finally, the day that everyone is waiting for has came. Every individual who wish their love to be realized is waiting for this moment to confess their feelings to the person they admire. Choi Chung-Ae went to the place one hour earlier as planned. She is wearing a thick and long pink jacket matching with her white mittens and bonnet and her hair is half curled and her brown winter boots that matches her fitted jeans, it looks good on her. There are already lots of people there and mostly are lovers putting a love lock on the fence. People come and go and she's still standing there rubbing her two hands and breathing a white smoke from her mouth. Time check, it is already fifteen minutes before seven. Any time Kazumi will be there. "Chung-Ae" She got excited a bit when someone called her from the back but this excitement fade when she realized that it is not Kazumi's voice yet it seems familiar. "You, you are here finally. I thought you're not coming. I thought someone else is calling me", she said while smiling until her eyes. They look like in a romantic drama movie that two lovers met again after a long time with just the two of them left in the place. The guy walked towards him slowly and suddenly throttle her. She was fighting and struggling holding his two hands holding her neck She want to fight back but she lost all her energy, even she's hard to breath she still manage to call his name until the man push her to the edge that makes her fall from that height and died immediately.

Fifteen minutes before seven and Kazumi is still stock on the traffic. This time of the year is really full of people and if you will not go out of your house early, you will really be stock on traffic. Five minutes before seven, he ran to his way at the top. Exactly seven when he reached the place yet no one is in there, he looked around and didn't saw even her shadow. He tried calling and texting him yet there is no answer, he wait there for a few minutes thinking that maybe she is also stock on a traffic like him. After a minute, he heard a sound of an ambulance, looking from the top it looks like someone fall from this height and died. While looking at the people gathering around the dead body he feels an electric shock from his body, he feels uneasy about this. He went down immediately to see the said dead person. Two men carrying her body putting inside the ambulance when he got there and stop them while catching his breath holding his two knees. He slowly remove the white cloth covering the body. Seeing who is the dead person weaken his knees as the men bring her inside. Staring at the crime scene that is full of her blood and her head almost got cracked from falling on the height. Kazumi spent the first snow on a morgue and every first snow of the year, he will remember this incident and once he knew a girl named Choi Chung-Ae.