The wind shuffled Hye-jin's hair, eliciting a click of her tongue as she swiped it off her face. "I told you to bring something to tie your hair back and you didn't listen," Rin said from beside her. She turned to him to find his dark hair—one which refused to stay still—off his forehead for once. He looked like a cow licked him on the face with how the wind tousled it.

She stuck her bottom lip out. "I didn't know Jeongsan was going to be this windy."

Rin rolled his eyes. "I told you before we left," he said. "You just chose not to listen."

"Yeah, yeah. It's my fault," she sidled close to him and let him throw his arm around her shoulders.

"Thankfully, I'm a guy who likes to be prepared," he said, whipping out a hair tie from his pocket. Was it sitting there the whole time? Did he predict she would deliberately leave hers because she hated getting a crease on her straight-as-a-ruler hair? "Where would you be without me?"

She scoffed. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

She quickened her steps but he caught up to her just as easily. His fingers wrapped around her wrist, halting her in her steps. The sand made a way for her shoes as they skidded against the particles. Before she could complain, soft fingers threaded down her hair, gathering it into one bunch. Within seconds, her vision was free of needle-like strands poking her eyes. Huh. The difference that made.

Rin edged away from her only to step in front of her. Just the sight of his hair being tossed here and there by the wild wind and the rays of the setting sun forming some sort of a luminous layer around him made her want to kiss him. And never stop doing so. For all eternity.

"Better, yeah?" he said, admiring his own handiwork. "Learned that from Mom."

A snort blasted through her nose. "Should you be saying that in front of your girlfriend?"

He shrugged, fixing the strap of their bags slung against one shoulder. His other hand found hers and stayed there. "That's better than saying some shit like learning from my female friends, right?"

She could only chuckle in reply. Because it's true.

She balanced the vase on her opposite arm. It wasn't the prettiest, but the hours she and Rin spent on traveling on the back of a creaky jeep climbing the bumpiest incline she had ever set foot on made it all worth it.

The day went by so fast too. They arrived in Jeongsan at early dawn after catching the latest flight to the island yesterday. After checking in their booked hotel room and getting a little bit of sleep, they started the trek towards one of the hidden treasures of Jeongsan—the porcelain village.

There, the locals taught them how to make vases and they could take their own creations home. She and Rin spent the whole while smearing clay on each other. When they managed to mold a tall vase with an uneven shape, they were shuffled into the decorating part where they splashed whatever dye they could find, followed by a crude imitation of the ancient patterns she vaguely came across in museums and pictures on the internet.

Then, they had to wait for a long while, leaving the vase in there for a few days. They spent those days touring the rest of Jeongsan. For an island, it sure was huge. She had never seen so much nature and water around her. Rin had been right. She fell in love with the island too. If she could, she would sell everything she owned to move here.

And tomorrow's going to be their last day here. They've overstayed their welcome and she's starting to miss the comfort and familiarity of home. Besides, if she stayed here any longer, she might never want to leave.

She glanced at the vase on her arms. They had picked it up when the village brought it down to the tourist souvenir shop. It's heavy but not as the bags Rin had on his shoulder. "Give one to me," she attempted to unsling one but he swiveled out of her reach.

"It's fine," he said. "We're almost there."

He's right. The only towering building in the island loomed over them. The gardens and the spacious landscapes of topiaries and fountains greeted them on their way towards the lobby. She sighed in relief. At least they're somewhere that has a bed. She missed the thick quilts in their room.

Soon, after they took turns using the warm shower, they sat inside their room, eating dinner which they got from room service. "So, how about a walk in the gardens?" Rin prompted, finishing his meal and closing the box the same way he found it. "This is our last night after all."

She thought about it. The gardens sounded cool. She might be able to finally get a decent picture there, without sand on her face and hair or mud on her arms. "Yeah, sure," she said. "Let me just change from my pajamas."

"I think it looks cool," Rin said. "I'm certainly going like this. Just gotta throw a coat on. I hear it's going to snow soon. Might be later or early tomorrow."

She glared at him. "Surely not in that army green shirt?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "It's a nice shirt," he defended.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and rummaged around her suitcase for something presentable to wear. She picked out a tank top and a short skirt. "Don't blame me when you look like one of the topiaries in the pictures."

"Hey, we're just taking a walk," Rin said, stalking after her as she locked herself in the bathroom. After a few seconds, she re-emerged. She smiled at him and jerked her head towards the door.

"Come on, then," she said. "Let's take a walk."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Rin called after her as he locked the door to their room. "It's going to snow."

Hye-jin rolled her shoulders and frowned. "We'd be in and out," she said. "I won't get cold."

But the moment they went out of the lobby, a freezing draft blew over her, making her immediately regret her decision. Rin smirked at her, tucking his hands into the pocket of his coat. "Told you," he said.

Before she could pester him to come back up, he strode forward with his goal in mind. The lights littering the walls of the hotel brightened. They walked under the shade of a roofed pathwalk, their soles thudding against thick wooden planks painted with wax until they gleamed. They passed other tourists who were either young couples like them or older ones chasing their kids around. A small smile crept into Hye-jin's lips. Must be nice, having a family like that.

They came across a bridge curving over a gentle man-made stream. The water was dark against the night, reflecting only the fairy lights lining the awnings of the pathwalks' roofs. Rin stopped walking and leaned against the bridge's balustrade. Hye-jin was about to follow when a shiver made her teeth chatter and the skin on her legs prickle.

Rin sighed and shed off his coat. Without a word, he threw it around her shoulders. "That's the second time you chose to not listen to me," he said. "When will you learn?"

"Until such time you listen to me about that shirt," she quipped. Still, she tucked it in her mind to take Rin seriously whenever he was telling her something. The number of times he had been right was frighteningly rising.

"For the last time," he said. "It's a nice shirt."

He craned his neck up to the sky. Unlike the nights in the city full of artificial lights and purring cars driving into the dark, Jeongsan's evenings were magical at best. "The stars are amazing in here," he exhaled through his nose, keeping his eyes on the sky. "Believe it or not, I went into an astronomy phase when I was a teen."

Hye-jin sidled next to him to share a little warmth his jacket brought her. It's cold out. He needed it too. "I bet you're good at it," she said. "Scarily good. Could have topped the quiz bees at highschool too."

Rin chuckled. "Nah," he threw an arm around her shoulder. "I spent my days clacking away at Solarlume. I finished the quests in three months."

Sometimes, Hye-jin forgot how much of a nerd her boyfriend was. "That fast?" she said. "How about the side quests and the special events?"

He thought about it. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "I just grew tired of them eventually."

"Want to restart?" she asked. "I didn't finish mine in highschool. I sure would want to."

"Sure," he said. "I'll teach you where and how to get the Book of Darkness. It's the biggest leveler in the whole game."

She cocked her eyebrows. "How much are we talking about?"

He looked at her with a smirk. "Instant unlocking of all skills."

"No way," her eyes widened. "Combine that with the Key of Goran, then—"

"It's a treat, yeah," Rin confirmed. "You just unlocked my ultimate recipe for success in Solarlume. Come on, thank me."

Hye-jin backhanded him lightly on the chest. "Thank you," she said. "Are you happy now?"

"More than happy," he replied. Something whished in her periphery but she paid it no mind. Probably just Rin not knowing what to do with his hands like always. "Especially if you say yes."

She whirled to him. "What?"

She followed the direction he was looking at and her heart stopped, as if the wind managed to freeze it over. Staring back at her, propped on the bridge's balustrade, was a velvet box with its lid pulled open. Inside the velvet cushion...

Was a ring.

Could it be...?

Rin was smiling when Hye-jin locked eyes with him. "So?" he said. "Will you restart more than Solarlume with me?"

Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth but she forced it to thaw. There was really no other answer than the one already flying out of her mouth. "Yes," she said. "I will."

Unlike the movies she had grown up watching, there was no swelling music as Rin slid the ring on her finger. No fireworks suddenly went off. No choir singing like angels in heaven. It was just them. And she preferred it that way. It was perfect.

More than perfect, in fact.

"Was this whole trip just for this?" she melted into his arms then and there. She rested her chin on his chest to look at his face. "You sneaky chip. I never saw it coming."

Rin pressed his forehead against hers. "That's one point for me, I guess."

"Against what? A thousand for me?" Hye-jin smirked.

"If that's what you know, why not?" Rin said. "I'll be here for a long time. Might just even the odds."

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a small peck on his lips. "I'll look forward to that," she said. "I'll be here to witness all that anyway."

"We're always going to be here for each other, right?" Rin tightened his hold on her like he was scared she'd vanish if he let go. She wouldn't.

She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his shirt. His heartbeat was erratic despite how calm he was on the outside. "Always," she said, listening to how it evened out the moment she whispered the word. She closed her eyes and exhaled through her mouth. Her breath formed crystals in the air. It's cold.

But the warmth in her heart and from Rin's arms were enough to drive it away. Then, she felt it. The kiss of snow on her skin, the sudden shift in the wind bringing it about. It's...

"We better get inside," she said, tugging Rin towards the lobby's direction. "Say, how about we celebrate with a quick match? I saw a console in the room earlier. Haven't gotten around to trying it yet."

"We're in Jeongsan and you want to game?" Rin asked, an incredulous tone creeping into his voice. "Wow. You're amazing, Joon Hye-jin."

She laughed. It's the most natural thing to do at this exact moment. "What do you say?"

Rin allowed himself to be pulled into the hotel's lobby and up the hotel's stairs. "Sure."