Chapter Twenty Four

Both of them tried not to show it but they were terrified. None of them wanted this day to come but they couldn't control time let alone fate.
"…we can do this and this…" Jihae continued on in the background as they ate breakfast that morning but he fell silent. Winter was picking at her food, failing to even eat it. She had lost some weight over the month; the stress of moving and the end of the game taking a toll on her. She ran a hand through her hair, the dark strands lacking their usual shine. It pained Jihae to see her this way; all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. They both knew that this journey was going to be a tough one, the hardest part soon to approach.
"Winter?" Jihae spoke again, concern on his face. The woman pulled herself out of her thoughts, weakly smiling at the man next to her.
"Jihae…" she breathed, taking his hand at the table.
"We don't need to do all those things" she continued on, watching the man tense.
"But this could be our last day together…" Jihae nervously replied, doubt evidently eating at his soul. Winter defensively shook her head, not falling victim to the same problem.
"No" she shortly said, determination in her eyes. At her reaction Jihae sighed, squeezing her hand. Winter's expression softened at the action, regretting biting his head off.
"Sorry I'm… I'm just on edge. Just knowing that the game is over after today I…" Winter tried to explain but her voice failed her. Jihae understood her though, a low defeated sigh escaping him. Jihae had been struggling, constantly writing notes in the photo album in hopes of it helping him. Even with his memory loss he knew he'd look at the album, he wouldn't simply throw away something that could explain his sudden loss of memory. Jihae couldn't predict how he'd respond to reading all his notes though; all he could do was pray that he could accept moving on from his past.
"How about we just go to the lake and spend whatever time we have left together?" Jihae gently suggested after a minute or two, his heart lifting as Winter smiled.
"I… I'd like that" she honestly told him, grabbing the photo album from the table.
"We should probably finish this off too" she suggested, the man nodding in agreement with her. Jihae grabbed the nearby picnic basket, putting a few snacks and drinks inside while Winter went to another room, grabbing a large blanket for them to use. Once grabbing their items they smiled to one another, putting on their shoes as they left the house and headed to the fields.

The pair walked side by side through the field next to the house, walking down a narrow trail for several minutes until they reached their destination. A large, horse shoe lake proudly gleamed ahead of them, the morning rays shining down on the water. Areas of the lake had ripples, small fish swimming around in circles. A lone willow tree sat close by to the lake's edge, small flowers intertwined with the ankle length grass. Jihae and Winter approached the willow tree, setting the blanket across the ground as they sat themselves down.
"This place is so peaceful" Winter breathed, placing the album to one side as she closed her eyes. It was refreshing to have the summer breeze pass by her skin, cooling her down from the walk. Jihae glanced across at her, his face softening at her peaceful expression.
"Yes… yes it is" Jihae agreed. He placed the picnic basket to the right of him, leaning across to grab the album. Winter didn't open her eyes as she felt the book brush by her, she simply leaned into Jihae as he sat himself beside her. She felt his arm snake around her waist, her eyes quirking open for a moment as she watched the man open the album on his lap.

The photo album was mostly designed for containing pictures but it seemed modified, the item containing more room for writing than actual pictures. She watched the pages flip by from start to finish, weakly smiling to herself. They started from Jihae working as a model, the odd picture of Jieun and Heejung being added to the album. A lot of writing was then on the next few pages, Jihae's neat writing familiar to Winter. She had watched him write endlessly the past few days, the woman often giving him food and drinks to ensure he didn't pass out from it all. The pages soon turned into photos of Jihae holding a small black rabbit in his shoots, familiar eyes staring right back at her. Pages of writing soon followed up after the photos, dates written on the top of some of them. Winter hadn't read any of these pages, respecting that Jihae wanted some things left unread. As he flicked the pages by she could only see parts of it; the man was struggling to deal with his past and his new feelings for Winter and the woman he used to love. She found herself frowning though as several quotes were separated from his sentences, the written text easy to read. She remembered some of them, the words coming from past conversations they had with one another.

…The tales are not true about you…

…Your colouring is very unique… It's actually refreshing…

…You are too kind Jihae…

…I want you to know that you truly are someone special…

…Do you wish her to be alive again? …No…

…If anyone deserves to love then it is you…

She smiled, noticing the pages turned back to pictures. The photos were from the shoot they did at the start of this month, the emotion in both of their faces surprising her slightly. Jihae paused on a few of the photos, humming to himself as he finally decided to continue turning the pages. The album was coming to an end, the final pages holding more writing.
"Are you sure that two pages will be enough for you?" Jihae murmured, pulling the pen out of his pocket as the last few pages became blank. Winter knew that he was nearly done with it all.
"Yes it will be plenty. I'll write it when you pack later on" Winter replied. Jihae breathed something under his breath, the smile on his face falling as he started to write.
"You'll give Jiwoo a run for his money" Winter murmured in jest as she watched the man write, Jihae never pausing.
"I want to make sure I write down everything, I don't want to mess up" Jihae replied. The woman gently removed the arm that was wrapped around her waist, laying herself down on the blanket.
"You worry too much" Winter quietly said,
"It'll be ok, you'll see" she continued on in confidence but her voice was strained, the confidence forced. Jihae paused in his writing, looking down at her.
"How do you know for sure? What happens if I leave and never return? What happens if-" Jihae found himself responding, his hand starting to shake. Winter forced a smile on her face, placing her hand on his shaking one.
"Faith" Winter murmured, rubbing his hand to calm him. Jihae deeply sighed, noticing Winter's eyes start to moist. They both knew that they were clinging for dear life onto their last strands of faith, Jihae struggling more than Winter today. Jihae tried to get control of himself, his hand leaving hers as he got back to writing.
"I will find you again Winter, I promise" Jihae softly said as he heard Winter's hand return to her side, the woman closing her eyes.
"And I will wait for you" Winter found herself replying instantly.