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The weeks flew by, one by one, with every red cross I scribbled on the calender. Autumn departed with the leaves. Winter blew in with the winds. Soon, All of Sapporo was covered in snow as if a huge fishing net of white had been cast over the town. The town became beautiful, sparkling a million reflections in the sunlight, like it did every winter. And like every winter I stayed inside the shop, protected by central heating from the chill outside, satisfied at simply gazing at Sapporo's winter through the window. But that wasnt enough for Woo Hyuk. During these winter days of dazzling beauty, Woo Hyuk never failed in coaxing me outside to experience it for myself.
The snow felt squishy and sometimes crunchy beneath my boots, and I told him so, but that wasnt enough either. He pushed me unexpectedly from behind. And I fell forward on my hands, digging them inches beneath the snow and wincing as I felt a thousand needles poke into my naked skin. But after awhile I began to get used to the pain. After awhile it began to feel kind of pleasant, giving me enough courage to scoop up clumps of snow from the inches below and throw it in Woo Hyuk's direction.
"Euwhak!! Ayumi, you killed me!" he'd exclaim in pitiful shock before deciding to come alive again in order to throw HIS snowball. I ran away, but his aims were always precise. And I would let out a surprised yelp every time I felt a chill hit me in the back of the neck. My aunt had always said I had a wild spirit, and my pride wouldnt let me rest with a defeat...without a fight anyways. I ran after him, shouting out threats at the top of my lungs in delighted anger and crazy hoots, a mega ball of snow raised in my fist.
Time seemed to halt...or fly by too fast. All I saw were confused flurries of snow. All I heard was joyful laughter. By the time we realized what we were doing, we'd both be covered head to toe in liquidy flecks of white and my hands would be swollen ripe, red tomatoes. Exhansted, we both collapsed on the the ground. We looked up at the endless expanse of sky, our hearts pounding, our breaths steaming, left over mischief written all over our faces.
"We gotta stop doin this... this aint good for my health, Woo Hyuk-san." I managed to say in between gasps. He looked at me with his eyebrow raised. An expression of unbelief I'd come to love.
"Woo Hyuk-SAN?" he pretended to sound insulted.
"Then what else do I call you?"
He leaned towards me and whispered into my ear, "Oppa." he quickly moved down from my ear and bit my neck.
"Ow!" I punched together another snowball and chased after him, "Oppa!!!!"
Woo Hyuk took me to other places too, places I had never seen before, places I'd never known existed. On Christmas Eve he took me to the ocean. The only ocean I'd seen in mmy life was the one on television when a special report on water pollution was on, and I had screwed my face in disgust at the sight of floating plastic bags and dead fish. Afterwards I had sworn to never visit such a dirty place.
But the ocean I was gazing at right now was different. I didnt see any plastic bags, just waves upon waves of white foam. I didnt see any dead fish either, just loudly sqauwking seagulls circling around the distant cliffs. The howling winds whipped up the blue waters and blew their unseen rhythms to my ears. I closed my eyes against the soothing music. It was so beautiful. The ocean was so beautiful...like everything else Woo Hyuk taught me to love. Woo Hyuk was standing beside me, and he too had closed his eyes. My heart leaped with joy at seeing how much he loved what I loved.
After about two hours of running along the sand and dipping our feet in the water, we turned our back to the ocean, and walked away. But he didnt walk me back to the store, or my house. To my surprise, he led me to HIS house, a huge Victorian mansion sitting on a hill on the outskirts of the town. I couldnt help gasping at the sheer size of it. Inside, it contained the same concept: the bigger the better. Even the frames outlining the Impressionist paintings on the walls were taller than me. I felt like I was walking in the house of a giant, and I found myself gazing uncertainly at Woo Hyuk, measuring him up and down with my eyes.
"So what do you think?" Woo Hyuk seemed so eager to please me.
"It's...enormous." I took another dramatic gasp. Woo Hyuk smiled.
"why don't you go touring while I--" he put his hand to his mouth as if he'd let loose an enormous secret. I gave him a questioning look, which he answered with a wink. I knew he was telling me it would be no use egging him for the answer, so I scampered off down a carpetted hallway.
There were so many doors down each side! And I longed to take a peek behind all of them, but I felt I would never succeed even if I lived to be a hundred. Then I came across a door that had a definite difference. It was made of the same material and looked the same, but it was half opened, and my curiosity got the better of me.
I squinted as I opened the door. When I was able to look properly, I could see why. The room was empty and clean. But on the wall hung a picture of an unfamiliar middle-aged woman, framed in the frame of death...the frame of a funeral ceremony. In front of the picture, on the floor, lay a sea of crystals, all sparkling at once from the light that poured through the open door. Most of them were the ones he'd bought from my store. They lined the floor in orderly formation: rough, uncut quartz crystals in the back; clear, small figurines in the front. They seemed to light up the room and give more life to the lifeless space.
Then the world went black as I felt two hands slip around my eyes from behind me.
"Woo Hyuk-sa.. Oppa.."
"Shhhh..this way.."
He coaxed my feet to move. All I could sense was darkness enveloping...clinging...to me, and all I could do was trust. He took his hands away. And once more I gasped. I was standing in a room illuminated only by candle light. One one side of the room was a blazing fire, roaring with a sweet scent, and on the other side was a plush couch. A cup of hot chocolate was put into my hands.
He brought me over to the couch, letting me sink into its silkiness. Then he sat next to me, wrapped his arms around my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, "how do you like your Christmas present?"
"So this is what you were up to..."
He gave me that all-knowing foreign smile he'd flashed me three months back before pulling me in closer.
"Woo Hyuk oppa, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Who is that woman in the picture?"
"She's my mother," his face fell slightly, "she died about a year ago..."
"Wasnt that when you came to Japan?"
"Yeah...we came together. When I was growing up in Korea, I wasn¡¯t blessed with a very good father. My family was rich, very rich, and that was probably the reason why he came home drunk most nights, why he threw away money at gambling, why he was always gazing up and down other women's legs, and why he would beat my mother. My mother said he wasnt always like that...the drinks put the poison in him, but I personally thought it was the money. It put him in too many temptations. I couldnt stand it anymore. I convinced my mother to run away from the bastard and come with me to Japan. And she did. But she also brought half of my father's money. Not a good choice. After just a week after arriving in Tokyo, she was gunned down by someone my father hired while she was shopping..."
"Oh...I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I actually feel better now after telling someone. Did I ever tell you how much you look like her?"
I shook my head.
"Well you do," he said smiling, "she also liked crystals too...couldnt stand diamonds"
"What happened to your father?"
"He died of some disease a few months back. About time, too."
I thought I saw a wild flash flit across his eyes, but it disappeared before I was even certain it had been there at all. His face brightened.
"Where's MY present?"
Now it was my turn to give him the all-knowing smile. It was hidden in my pocket, but I wasnt about to tell him that. I leaned in closer to him, until my lips melted into his, briefly. When I'd pulled away, Woo Hyuk froze for some time, a look of disbelief on his face. Then he moved towards me in a hungry manner and pressed his lips onto mine. And there, lost in the depth of his kiss, I felt like I was in a dream...but, alas, all dreams must be interrupted by the harshness of reality...
*****
haha vi don't read it there! read it HERE....haha
three more posts and the story is done....
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04-15-2002 03:14 PM
hahahah
