The Reason? - Yoon Jeonghan

Chapter 13

     "Yeah, I'm all in for a walk." Joshua was a great help in the group, he helped her a lot with being more open and interacting with the others, to get to know them too. It also wasn't like Ophely wanted to be closed off, she simply wasn't very open to people she had just met. She didn't know the unwritten rules of interaction with them and was also quite shy of nature. But she was making an enormous effort to discover the thing that surrounded her, and Joshua was helping her through all of that.

     Woozi and Seungcheol were waiting by the door with their masks ready, their coats in their arms. Joshua went to get his belongings, ones that would keep him warm during the white winters of Korea. Ophely smiled at the boys and went to get ready, dropping her bag with the younger members as they were leaving for the dorms. She was happy that the little outing was going to be calm, the members that were waiting for her would be going too, and they made her feel more welcome with them, they allowed her to be herself with them and interacting was easier. Calmness was a nice feature they bore.

     "Don't forget the mask and a cap." Joshua reminded her when she got to the wardrobe.

     "Don't worry, I think I got the hang of that." She smiled, shining like an angel, her hair a light pink adding to those angelic features. "Never be seen outside."

-

     It was beautiful. White. Serene. Silent. Peaceful. All of the things Ophely needed to clear her head up. The boys were walking ahead of her; Seungcheol, Jihoon, Wonwoo and Joshua, chatting quietly between each other from time to time. They checked up on her during calmer moments, making sure that she was following them. The boys weren't forcing her to partake in the conversations, nor were they making sure to always walk close to her, they seemed to understand her need of space. You might need some when living in a single apartment with twelve other young and energetic males. A staff member had also accompanied them on their trek; the man walked closer to Jeonghan, wearing a black padded jacket similar to Jeonghan's. The two of them looked like Pledis crew members. No attention would be thrown to her if the four adults in front of her were to be undisguised.

     Ophely liked the calmness of the cold winter breeze, she pulled her scarf tighter around her throat and pulled her beanie down over her ears when a little cold seeped into the back of her neck. Her hands were encased in warm fluffy gloves, she wasn't cold. Just the tip of her nose.

     She didn't realise that she had stopped at the top of the mountain to look over at the open view, the city of Seoul was beautiful from up there. A thin white veil covered the darker parts of the city away from eyesight. It looked like they were in a fantasy book, a white sky, covered in light clouds reflecting the white from the snow. It was cold but bright. It was empty but full of life. Ophely couldn't see the Han river because of the mist, but she could easily guess where it was situated, no tall building penetrating through the white veil that littered the ground below.

     In the fifteen minutes that she had passed standing in front of the empty landscape, the sun had started to set, falling down below the cloud ceiling, letting its gold light glow upon the snow. It was suddenly alive. The ground was fire and the mist was lava. The city was empty, it was alive and thriving at that moment. The boys didn't disturb her as they stood a few meters away from her, observing the same landscape in front of her.

     The cold breeze ruffled the stray strands of pink hair that had escaped the hat. Ophely didn't move to push them back under the knitted headwear, instead she let the flop around her face. It felt nice to feel the wind on her face, to feel the cold as well as the familiar ache in her legs after trekking up a mountain for over an hour. She enjoyed the silence the boys left her in, she appreciated the calmness of their outing.

     She felt warm inside, finally feeling like she was welcome into their group of friends for who she was. She knew that because one of the boys had once said, or on multiple occasions, that Jeonghan didn't like walking, or even doing sports. He was lazy in many ways, so he never went forth to do any physical activities. Having the boys ask her, and her specifically, had made her feel involved and seen.

     She turned to face the four boys that had decided to joy her at the open space, gazing at the mystical city landscape below them too.

     "여기로 데려와 주셔서 감사합니다." She smiled, her entire demeanour oozing calmness and appreciation. The boys smiled back at her, feeling good of their action.("Thank you for bringing me here.")

     "아름다워." ("It's beautiful.")