there was a wooden bench placed outside the flower shop, painted and decorated by jieun and her sister. irene's mother, the original owner of the flower shop, had often allowed them to frolic around her store, ever since they were elementary school. she recalled the prickling scent of paint, a myriad of colours, her sister's warmth.

ah, the days when they were younger were colourful and warm, before her sister left, taking away the eternal spring with her. it became winter eventually, snow falling into her hair and clothes, chilblains and frozen fingers stinging.

jieun felt bile rise up her throat as she woke, shaking, visions of yellow and blue daisies, laughter and the shining sun glitching through her mind. she pressed her shaking hand to her temples and sighed outwardly, cradling her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. she must have looked so pathetic.

the rain was as unforgiving as ever, the sounds of the roaring sky thundering through her house. the darkness of the night resembled the darkness in her heart, but she soon grew to accept it. accept the fact that things have changed and perhaps she might never be all right again. the pounding in jieun's heart resided, she unfolded her legs and peeked through the curtain into the raining midnight.

"go back to bed, jieun," she told herself, and after minutes of steady breathing and drying tears, the poor girl with the watery eyes fell asleep once again.
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it was a saturday morning the next day, the rain from the night had ceased and left the earth soggy and the asphalt roads damp. jieun had applied layers of thick, beige concealer to her eyebags to cover up any evidence that the nightmare might have left under her eyes.

she washed up, dressed up and left for the flower shop. she realised she forgot her coat, but the cold never bothered her anyway(the cold really bothered her).

jieun saw the colourful bench from far away, its painted amber and periwinkle flowers still bright in the january fog. she gulped, recalling the trauma that the nightmare had brought. on the bench sat a person, wrapped in a brown coat. he wore a black hood over his head.

she walked past him, but stopped when a hand gripped her wrist. "good morning!"

her eyes widened as she noticed the familiar boy that sat on the bench. black hair and obsidian eyes, and a smile that was brighter than her future. "it's you."

"it's me! i figured you haven't had breakfast, so i got you some red bean pastries," he lifted up a plastic bag. a sweet scent drifted in the air. the corner of jieun's cherry tinted lips lifted.

she never thought that it could be warm again in winter.