After looking at the mirror with sharp eyes, she opened the door and stepped out.
‘Tap, tap, tap, tap.’
The sound of high heels woke her up early in the morning.
She didn’t wear them often because walking with them felt so uncomfortable.
As she carefully came down the stairs, she heard a familiar voice.
“Good morning.”
A strapping Gyeonhui was standing at the doorway, waiting for her to greet him back.
However, Sun was so embarrassed by him that she missed a step and collapsed.
“No, no, no!”
Her upper body went forward with a scream in an instant.
She would have almost rolled down the hill. However, he quickly approached and embraced her.
“Hah…”
After heaving a sigh of relief, she realized what had just happened. She panicked and hurriedly raised herself from his arms and pushed him away.
“Why are you so skinny? Are you eating properly?”
He was complaining, but she could see that he was actually worried about her.
“Don’t worry. I’m eating well.”
She walked past him and tried to leave the gate. He quickly grabbed her arms and blocked her.
“What are you doing?”
“Let’s go. Get in the car. I’ll drive you to work.”
“Hey, Gyeonhui.”
“… It’s our last day.”
He said calmly with a sinking expression.
His sour face made her speechless.
Still watching her silently, he quickly led her to his car parked in front of her house.
***
After they passed through the intersection, the Consencio building caught her eyes.
There wasn’t a lot of conversation between the two of them until they arrived at Consencio.
“Did you see my message?” He asked.
Instead of answering, Sun nodded slowly.
“It’s just a day. That’s it.”
He spoke in a calm tone like he had promised himself not to overstay his welcome.
“I could have given you a day off at work to take a break, but I’m sure you don’t want that. So, I’ll wait for you.”
‘I’ll wait.’
His words remained in her heart.
Waiting for him was always her job. Now he’s saying that he will wait for her.
Her eyes shook.
Meanwhile, his car stopped in front of the Consencio building.
When she unfastened her seatbelt and tried to get out of the car, he started speaking.
“… Can I ask you just one thing?”
Hearing his voice, she stopped.
“You said when you planted those coffee trees that there was a hidden meaning behind it. Can you tell me what it was?”
His question was simple, but her expression began to get complicated.
“… Sorry. I don’t remember either.”
She left the car after answering as if she were running away from his gaze.
He watched her back as she went away from him.
“… Another lie.” He mumbled to himself in a calm voice.
It was just a short moment, but her hardened expression indicated that she still remembered what it was.
“What is the hidden meaning…”
His troubled mind reminded him of his old memory in the past.
***
It was a trip that they had been waiting for for a long time.
Their destination was in such a small city in the countryside called Jeongsun in Gangwon-province, where they had to go deep into the mountain wilderness.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know the road would be rugged and bumpy like this…” After driving more than five kilometers of unpaved mountain trails, Sun said, seemingly sorry to Gyeonhui.
While driving for a while, Gyeonhui furrowed his brow and asked her, “Where are we going exactly? For what?”
The scenery under the mountain was beautiful, but he wondered if he really had to come all the way here.
“… I would like to make some special memories.”
Her expression was clearly full of excitement.
“Oh, by the way, how will you water the coffee tree in your office?”
“… I’ve asked Ojae to water it. It’s fine. He’ll take care of it.” He responded in a careless tone.
She appreciated him for taking care of the tree and carefully held his arm as she leaned her head over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, she noticed a sign that read ‘Jeongsun Time Capsule Park’ in the distance.
“We’ve arrived.” She excitedly said.
“Hah.”
However, Gyeonhui was already exhausted after driving and pulled the car over with a long sigh.
“Just a minute,” Sun said.
She pulled out a small box in the back seat of the car.
After parking, they started climbing a wooden staircase.
After a while, the panoramic view of the park unfolded in front of them.
“Wow… It’s gorgeous.”
Admiring the magnificent view, she suddenly headed to the visitor’s office next to the park.
Gyeonhui, who was left alone, looked up at a large, tall tree in the center of the park.
He noticed a sign that said that it was a place where a famous film was recorded, but he wasn’t really impressed with it.
“Gyeonhui.”
After a while, she returned with a large barrel.
“What is that?”
“A time capsule.”
She smiled like a child and put a small crocodile doll into the barrel.
“I just put my stuff in it. What stuff are you going to put in the barrel?”
She looked at him with excitement, but he only shook his head slowly without saying anything.
He didn’t care at all because he thought that he was not this foolish to join in on such childish play.
“Chi.” Pouting her lips, she put the barrel onto the ground. “It’s done.”
“What did you just put in there?”
“The hidden meaning that I mentioned last time.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a secret.”
She quickly held his arm with a cute expression. With her head resting on his shoulders, she started speaking again.
“When the coffee tree flower blooms soon, let’s come back here again.”
With a happy smile, she held his hand tightly.
As she stretched her hand again, she placed a small key in his hand.
***
He calmly looked at his hand.
A small key that was hanging recklessly in his key holder caught his eyes.
“The hidden meaning…”
He wanted to know what it was. He clenched his fists once he was lost in thought for a moment.
It was early morning, and he would be able to get back from Jeongsun before she was done at work.
With a firm expression, he hurriedly turned the steering wheel.