Chapter Seventeen.

Winter sighed in content as she finished the meal, looking up at the darkening sky. She was thankful the weather was good otherwise Jihae's secret plan would have gone down the pan. Speaking of Jihae he was quiet throughout the meal, his brain going into overtime as he thought things through.
"Jihae you've been awfully quiet tonight" Winter spoke aloud, setting her empty plate and glass to one side out of the way.
"Is something troubling you?" she asked him, her eyes falling onto his form as she tried to make sense of the situation. He had been talkative and cheerful hours ago when looking at the house and talking in the office but as the day got longer he seemed to fall quieter and quieter.

Winter watched as the rabbit before her bowed his head down in a defeated manner, a long shaky breath escaping his lips. He looked lost and confused, something Winter was not familiar seeing on his face.
"Even though times were tough I always had a plan, had a reason…" Jihae started off, his voice low as he set his eyes on his own hands in his laps. He twiddled his fingers together, something Winter knew he did when he was unsure of things or worried.
"When I signed up for this I wanted to ensure Jieun had a good chance of winning the game, of being happy. Another part of me wanted to win too, to bring her back but after getting close to you I didn't feel the need to succeed… A part of me is sad that I'll never see her face again or tell her that I'm sorry… but I-I… I feel like I've failed him, failed Jieun" Jihae told Winter making her softly smile in understanding.
"You can't always do everything for him, this was something he had to do himself and didn't succeed in. It's ok to fail, it makes us wiser and stronger in the long run. At least he's living life and is happy… sometimes that's enough. I know he wanted his wish granted but… y'know…" Winter quietly said but she found herself lost for words, not really knowing what to say to comfort him. Jihae smiled slightly at her attempt but his smile fell, his head lifting to look ahead. Winter couldn't help but wonder why he avoided her eyes.
"At least we'll still be in the same world" Jihae offhandedly noted, some hope being put into his heart.
"But I don't feel that is my largest fear" Jihae added after a second making Winter tilt her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" she responded, curious to what he meant and Jihae froze for a second, battling with his thoughts.
"Jihae?" Winter almost whispered when noticing his reaction. Slowly she placed her hand onto his, the pair of them no longer twiddling together. Jihae's eyes flickered onto their hands, a pained expression falling onto his face.
"I…" he breathed, closing his eyes for a moment to collect himself,
"I'm worried about losing you" he blankly said making Winter frown.
"It'll be May tomorrow, one more month until… until…" Jihae quietly said, not finishing his sentence but Winter knew what he wanted to say.
"I've been trying to figure out a way around it, to remember the year here but I can't find a way without breaking the rules" Jihae honestly told her and Winter softly sighed.
"You still want to remember everything?" she asked but there was no surprise in her voice, she already knew the answer.
"Yes I want to remember… especially why I lost the game…" Jihae responded immediately. Winter couldn't help but now feel surprised at his response, it was as if he'd been thinking about his choice since having the discussion in the music room months ago.
"Isn't that going to distress you though?" she softly asked, referring to when he'd lose his memory. Jihae deeply breathed in, his eyes finally rising to meet with hers. Slowly he moved one of his hands away from hers, placing it onto her cheek.
"It will… but I want to remember I was given another chance if… if you feel the same way I do…" he said. His voice was so low and quiet it made Winter's heart melt.
"Wha-…" Winter breathed but she fell silent as Jihae's face inched closer to hers, their noses nearly touching. Instinctively Winter's eyes flickered onto his lips, returning to his eyes to watch hidden barriers fall from his eyes.
"These last few months have been hard, us both working long hours showed me how much I love spending time with you, being in your company. There are still many things I have to learn about you but I don't want to rush it… I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Not only as a friend but as… as a…" Jihae whispered, falling silent before he spoke the final word. Winter knew he was waiting for some kind of response from her, to confirm if she felt the same way towards him.

As a young rabbit Winter found it hard to understand what love and companionship truly was. She was the rut in her family, often made the laughing stock of the town. Now and again she had found kindness in rare rabbits in Grass but she had never reached out to find anything more from them. Since coming to this world she had found companionship in the animals and even Heejung. This world was so surreal, so new that Winter had let down her barriers. She had learnt to feel again, to live a life she wanted. At first she wanted to cage away her developing feelings towards Jihae, her job the perfect distraction for it and with the final day slowly approaching she had wondered how that would influence her feelings for him. She never imagined that she would be in this situation, the male rabbit declaring he had feelings for her.
"Winter…" Jihae whispered, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"Are… are you willing to try?" he asked. The question seemed simple but in reality she knew it wasn't. She knew what he asked of her, was she willing to accept his love? Winter knew if she declined it would be the end of their friendship and they'd both be left with broken hearts but if she accepted… she'd have a blissful month with him, something she had longed for a while but then it would happen. He'd lose his memory and she'd be left with a man who didn't even know her name. Was she willing to go through all that pain, that heartache for the slim chance of him slowly accepting her as his, as someone he fell in love with? Winter pulled away from him slightly, closing her eyes as a pained expression fell on her face. She had let her mother go, something she believed would be for the best but it was one of her biggest regrets. She could have tried to be a part of her life again, if not as a daughter then as a friend. Could she let Jihae go? He had cared for her, supported her and even accepted her after telling him of her past. No… no that they got this close.
"Yes" Winter breathed. A small smile fell on Jihae's lips as they both leaned in closer, sharing their first kiss together.

Jihae understood this was a hard choice for her, he didn't know what the answer would be but he knew he had to ask, had to try. If he was destined to remain in this world then there was a reason behind it, even if he couldn't see it he knew that there was a path he must walk along. He was thrilled that Winter was willing to try something that might end in chaos, something that none of them knew the result to. Their lips parted, the man wrapping his arms around her as he embraced Winter.
"Promise me something" he murmured,
"Promise me you'll never give up" he continued on. He felt as Winter's arms around him got stronger.
"I promise."