Lady Spring

The sky darkened as if it was about to snow. If it did, it would be the first snow of the year. Saeun was studying the sky quietly when she saw a man with black hat and sunglasses enter the cafe. He sat across from her.

“I didn’t know you would really show up,” Saeun murmured. 

The man took off his sunglasses and frowned. He looked like he was asking why she called if she didn’t think he was going to come. Saeun grinned and explained, 

“Well, this is the truth, isn’t it? I mean, I’m the ex-girlfriend of a member of the famous group. So it must be weird for you to be coming to see me.”

Sehyun only looked at her quietly. The waitress came to leave the menu and walked away. The waitress didn’t even look at Sehyun twice. Saeun lowered her voice and asked, 

“Don’t the waitresses ask for your signature when you go to a restaurant or cafe?”

“There are many celebs in this neighborhood, so the people around here are used to it.”

Sehyun looked around calmly and replied. Saeun nodded in agreement. It really seemed like no one in this neighborhood was interested in Sehyun. They would look at him as if he looked familiar, and once they recognized him, they would just nod and walk away. It was so strange, because to Saeun, him and the rest of the Strawberry Fields still seem so surreal. 

After Sehyun ordered coffee, they sat in silence. After a long moment, Saeun finally glanced up at him and asked, 

“Is Wooyoung doing well?”

“He’s a mess.”

When Saeun blinked in shock, Sehyun gave her a faint smile and added,

“I’m not kidding.”

“But… a lot of time has passed. He should be okay by now…”

Sehyun tilted his head and studied her carefully. Feeling anxious, Saeun looked away and watched the sky through the window. Yes, she thought there was a good chance it might snow today. It was rare to have a lot of snow in December, but this year might be different. 

Sehyun asked, 

“Did you want to hear that he’s doing fine? That he’s dating many other girls?”

Saeun blinked again and turned toward him. She couldn’t tell if Sehyun was joking or not. When the waitress brought him his coffee, he took a sip and remained quiet. Saeun finally replied, 

“I don’t know.”

She looked down and watched her now-cold coffee. Saeun didn’t even know why she called Sehyun. Perhaps she was just curious. When she found the crumpled business card in her coat pocket, she called Sehyun without even knowing why. 

When Sehyun answered, he didn’t even say hello or who was calling him. To her shock, he simply asked her where she was as if he knew she would be calling. When she stammered where she was, he told her he would be there in a short while. 

And now, here they were in a cafe. 

Sehyun asked, 

“How about you? How have you been?”

“Me? I’m doing well, of course. Can’t you see? I’ve even gained some weight.”

Saeun replied with a smile, but Sehyun didn’t even blink. Her smile disappeared awkwardly, and trying to change the subject, Saeun asked, 

“Umm, do you have any siblings?”

Sehyun only nodded without answering her, so Saeun asked her next question.

“An older brother maybe?”

“No, an older sister.”

“Really? I’m surprised. I thought you might be an only child. You kinda feel like one.”

When Sehyun raised his eyebrows, Saeun laughed awkwardly and explained, 

“It’s just because you look like you’re very independent. Like you can take care of everything yourself. Normally, people with siblings tend to be a little more dependent on others.”

“Is your brother still making trouble?”

When Sehyun asked in a quiet voice, she smiled again and pleaded, 

“Please forget what you heard about my family. It’s just better to forget about bad memories like that.”

Her lips trembled. Her voice shook too. Even her fingers shook as they held her coffee cup. Hiding her hands under the table, she stared at her black coffee. She needed to say something, anything, but her voice froze. But Sehyun didn’t prod her. He just sipped on his coffee and enjoyed the view outside. Tiny flakes of snow began to fall slowly. Maybe they were really going to have a good snow today. 

“Life isn’t very easy, is it?”

When Saeun finally opened her mouth, Sehyun turned towards her again. Saeun continued to stare at her coffee as she continued, 

“You don’t always get what you want, I suppose.”

Most of the things in life needed to be earned. Saeun believed nothing was free in life. And there were things one could never get even if she tried. She knew life wasn’t fair because there were plenty of people in the world who were lucky or rich to get everything they wanted. Unfortunately,  she was definitely not one of them. 

But when she finally gave up on everything, it seemed that God had finally decided to give her a reward. Saeun looked up at Sehyun and smiled as she explained, 

“It was alcohol poisoning. He drank so much that I never expected something like that to happen to him. But I guess it did.”

Sehyun placed his cup on the table and looked at her. With another sad smile, Saeun announced,

“My brother. He died last monday.”