Chapter Twenty Three
The photo shoot was a long one, Mr Hai guiding the two through different poses and angles to get the right shots. Winter thought back to the times she had seen Jihae modelling; his moves were elegant and breath-taking. Jihae hadn't lost his touch since quitting his job, he worked as well as he used to but something was completely different this time around.
Mr Hai was the first to notice it; the experienced man had worked with many clients over his years but Jihae was the most mysterious one by far. To see a man with little to no emotion unsettled him when meeting him in his first interview but he never delved deeper, Mr Hai was happy that Jihae worked hard and well. Today shocked him though; there was so much emotion on his face as he worked with the woman beside him. Jihae had noted to Mr Hai that she was his partner; whatever Winter had done to Jihae it had changed him. Mr Hai found himself smiling as he worked; he had missed shooting for this man so to be shooting him again was an amazing experience for him. He was also pleasantly pleased with Winter; he had expected her to have little to no experience at all when it came to modelling in front of a camera but she surprised him. She followed his words effortlessly for the most part; now and again she would falter, her lack of experience evident but Jihae would often comfort her with soft words. The cameraman thought back to the last time he had seen Jihae, a small black rabbit coming to mind. He couldn't help but wonder how it was doing and if Jihae still owned it. Mr Hai shook those thoughts away, deciding to ask those questions at a later date if he remembered to.
The shoot was drawing to an end and although they did their best not to show it both Jihae and Winter were exhausted. They both wore smiles on their faces as they did their final pictures but there was sadness there, a sadness that the photographer couldn't quite understand.
"Well that's a wrap guys, man I wish I could publish some of these" Mr Hai stated, a grin on his face as he moved himself away from the camera. Jihae and Winter breathed a breath of relief, their bodies relaxing down out of their poses. Winter noticed the questionable expression on Jihae's face, the rabbit nodding to himself once before clearing his throat.
"You can if you want" Jihae clearly said, the grin on Mr Hai's face disappearing.
"Pardon?" he asked in surprise, his eyes blinking for a moment.
"You can publish some of them" Jihae repeated and the grin on Mr Hai's face returned, his eyes glittering.
"I-oh… thank you" Mr Hai responded, looking across at his camera in a longing manner.
"How much do I owe you?" Jihae asked, gaining the photographers attention again.
"I-huh? Oh! Nothing, nothing at all if I get to publish these. I'll look through these shots tonight and give you a call in a few days. I should have the pictures printed and sent to you in a week or two" Mr Hai told him, a true smile falling on his face. Jihae gave a small smile back, tilting his head in gratitude. The three of them spoke some more before Jihae and Winter returned to the dressing room, getting changed back into their casual clothing before saying their farewells. Mr Hai was a little sad that Jihae wasn't working for him again but there was some hope left in his heart… a hope that he'd have the pleasure of shooting them again one day.
Jihae and Winter left the building with their arms linked, their bodies brushing together as they walked down the street to leave the city. The sunlight was still cascading its rays over the world but the day had mostly gone by, evening soon approaching them. As they walked they noticed a familiar pair walking together; Jisoo and Heejung. Winter sadly smiled at them, nudging Jihae in their direction.
"She's going to be heartbroken when he leaves" Jihae lowly murmured, the pair pausing in their steps to watch them walk across the street. Winter closely analysed them both, a knowing expression on her face.
"They both will be, Jisoo cares for her a lot" she quietly said, turning her eyes away from them and back to Jihae.
"But there's still hope that their paths will cross again in the future" Winter added on making Jihae nod in agreement.
"We should head back, there are only a few days left until we move into the new place" Jihae noted, tugging on her arm in the opposite direction to Jisoo and Heejung. Winter walked on, knowing he was right.
"It'll be nice to have a place to call our own" Winter confessed, leaning into his touch. Jihae nodded but concern crossed his face, his heart skipping a beat as he tried to predict the future. Winter meant so much to him; he didn't want to lose her when losing his memory… He could only hope that the photos would be enough.
Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days. Jihae and Winter said farewell to Heejung and Jisoo, leaving that life behind as they entered the new house. They were both excited for the move, having a home to call their own without anyone else to disturb them was all they ever wanted. It didn't take them too long to settle into the house, the pair relieved to actually have a bed instead of a couch to sleep on. They both fell into their comfort zones as they enjoyed their time together, often walking around the nearby fields and sitting to rest by the large horse shoe lake with a lone willow tree. Time was forgotten as each day was a blur to them but one morning a box arrived, the address printed on the top of it.
"Hey we got something" Winter offhandedly mentioned that morning, carrying the box inside the house and into the kitchen. Jihae glanced up from the dining table, setting his knife and fork down onto the emptied plate in front of him.
"What is it?" he replied, curious to what she had. Winter shrugged, sitting herself next to him as she pulled loose the ribbon surrounding it, opening the box. Both of them tensed, Winter slowly pulling out a padded envelope and a heavy, empty book.
"Oh" Jihae breathed, pushing his place away to make room for the new items. They had forgotten all about the photos; they had got so comfortable living together that they had forgotten about the wizard's game completely. Winter gently sighed as she opened the envelope, pulling out the numerous printed photos.
"Well at least the photo's look good… wait, there's some old ones of you holding a black rab- holding me" Winter spoke, correcting herself as she weakly smiled at the old memories. Jihae smiled in return, opening the book to look at the blank pages.
"There's enough room to write in this too" Jihae noted, the woman looking across and humming in agreement. She looked to the wall behind them, a large calendar sitting there.
"May the 21st… we don't have long left" Winter sadly said, turning her eyes away. Jihae slung his arm over her shoulders, pulling her to his side.
"Let's make the best of it then" he murmured in her ear, kissing the top of her head. Winter nodded in response but she couldn't fully relax down; she was not looking forward to what was to come.