Although he was wearing a slightly thicker coat than usual, Yeehyeon was without a scarf or gloves. Ever since winter had truly set in, Yeehyeon had not once worn a scarf or gloves.
No matter how much higher the average winter temperature in Paris was compared to Seoul, winter was still winter. Even Parisians, who tended to dress in thin layers, made sure to wear their winter accessories.
Liu’s face crumpled as he watched Yeehyeon’s bare hand pull the iron handle of ‘The Hands’. He felt as if his own hands were freezing.
“Are you doing this on purpose to make my heart ache?”
It was a complaint born of frustration, even though he knew that couldn’t possibly be the case.
Stopping in his tracks, Yeehyeon looked up at the sky and held out his palm, gauging the snow that landed on it. To Liu, even that looked like a scene from a movie.
“Couldn’t you at least use an umbrella?”
Contrary to Liu’s wish, Yeehyeon seemed to have decided to just let the snow fall on him instead of going back to his room to get an umbrella.
He had once tried suggesting to Yuni over the phone that Yeehyeon should wear winter accessories like a scarf or gloves, but it had been no use.
Of course, Liu hadn’t mentioned that he had seen Yeehyeon in person in Paris. He had simply steered the conversation that way naturally while asking if Yeehyeon was dressing warmly.
[He says he can’t wear them because they feel suffocating. It didn’t work even though someone gave him some as a gift.]
That was what Yuni had told him.
‘Is that so? Someone… gave him a gift, I see?’
[Yeehyeon’s very popular. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but there are a lot of people who like him as a person.]
That would be the case. Why wouldn’t it be? It was a situation he had expected and braced himself for. And yet, hearing the news, Liu had broken out in a cold sweat.
‘Could it be that… he’s getting confessions, too?’
[It’s a bit difficult for me to say more. I feel like… a spy.]
Yuni had answered hesitantly, her tone troubled. Liu had nodded in understanding.
‘Right, I see. This is more than enough. Thank you.’
He had said it calmly, but in truth, the thought of someone having feelings for Yeehyeon being near him had cost him more than a week of sleep.
It’s over now, we broke up. —Neither Liu nor Yeehyeon had used such firm expressions to describe the change in their relationship. So, the people around them couldn’t ask about it outright either.
Choi Inwoo and Shushu roughly knew the inside story. The fact that Liu was ‘Ghost,’ and what he had done to Yeehyeon. But Manager Han, Baek Yuni, and Kwon Juhan only vaguely guessed that the two were no longer in the same relationship as before, without knowing the reason at all.
They still cared for and loved each other, so why on earth had it come to this?
Frustrated, they couldn’t bring themselves to dig any deeper. They understood that romance was a far more complex and sensitive affair than it appeared to a third party, and that love was several times more complicated than romance.
Coming down the stairs, Yeehyeon began to walk toward the canal.
The temperature was low, the wind was cold, and with the snow, the roads were in bad shape. Where could he be going? Seeing him with a backpack on, it seemed his destination wasn’t nearby. Curious, Liu slowly drove his car, following him from behind.
Yeehyeon passed his regular café and the gift shop with the clock rabbit, then crossed the bridge.
The road conditions were bad, but Yeehyeon’s walking pace was also a little slower than usual as he observed the snowy scenery. However, all the cars were crawling because of the heavy snow, so it wasn’t too difficult to follow Yeehyeon slowly by car.
A faint smile touched Liu’s lips as he watched Yeehyeon’s back, his hands thrust into his coat pockets as he glanced around at the scenery. How could a person be so lovely, even from behind?
At the same time, his heart ached at the sight of the long neck and nape exposed above his collar, looking cold. If only he could be by his side, wrapping his arms around him. If only he could warm his red, frozen ears with the heat of his own hands…
A bistro* with a blue and white striped awning came into view just over the bridge. A bistro with a red awning faced it from across a single alley. Yeehyeon turned into the alley between them.
He’s going to take the Metro Line 7.
By now, it wasn’t difficult to guess Yeehyeon’s movements from his route. He sped up and drove past him, planning to get to the exit Yeehyeon used first.
As he passed Yeehyeon, he watched him through the side-view mirror.
A face that looked as if it had been meticulously drawn with ink on rice paper.
In the mirror, he quickly receded into the distance.
He imagined yanking the steering wheel, stopping the car, and revealing himself. Yeehyeon-ah, it’s Christmas. If he were to offer that excuse with an awkward smile, how would he react?
Resting his elbow on the window frame and fiddling with his lower lip, Liu gave a bitter smile. It was nothing but a useless delusion.
Merging onto the main road, Liu made a U-turn toward the exit Yeehyeon used, just as Yeehyeon was turning the corner of the alley. Liu’s car began to drive slowly toward him.
Squeak, squeak.
The wipers repeatedly cleared the snowflakes landing on the windshield. Each time, Yeehyeon’s figure drew three or four steps closer.
Yeehyeon, descending the stairs of the metro entrance, and Liu, in his sedan. The distance between them narrowed until they crossed paths. Then, they grew distant again.
Yeehyeon bumped shoulders with a man coming up from the station. He offered a brief apology and immediately continued down the stairs. But Yeehyeon didn’t notice the man’s gaze, who couldn’t seem to leave and kept looking back.
Liu, who had stopped for a moment at a traffic light with his hazard lights on, watched the entire scene in his rearview and side-view mirrors.
For a moment, he considered tailing him like a real detective or investigator. But it was too risky. He was probably going to his regular art supply store in the Marais district…
Once Yeehyeon was out, the stalker had nothing to do.
Driving around the area, Liu felt the urge for a drink. He returned to the apartment, parked the car, and walked toward the canal.
He decided to wait somewhere for Yeehyeon’s return. He knew just the right place for it. Hunching his shoulders against the increasingly chilly weather, he quickened his pace. He was worried about Yeehyeon, who had gone out so lightly dressed.
“Bonjour!”
As he entered the shop, a tall waiter recognized Liu and greeted him warmly, raising a hand.
“Bonjour.”
Liu replied simply.
It was a bistro that Yeehyeon rarely passed directly in front of, yet it was diagonally across from the entrance to the alley with Yeehyeon’s regular café and ‘The Hands’. It was the perfect location to wait for Yeehyeon without any risk of being caught. It had inevitably become Liu’s regular spot, and in the process, he and the waiter had gotten to know each other.
Luckily, there was one window seat left. Liu took off his coat and settled in.
A Christmas tree had already occupied the center of the shop since mid-November, and carols were playing. Around this time of year, a similar scene unfolded no matter where you were in the world.
“How long has it been since Paris has seen such heavy snow? Right?”
The waiter struck up a friendly conversation as he handed over the menu. He was convinced that Liu lived nearby.
Following the waiter’s gaze to the scene outside the window, Liu nodded.
“You’re right. It’s rare.”
“You won’t be in Paris for Christmas, then?”
“…”
At the confident tone, he tilted his chin up to look at the waiter.
“You speak a little French, but you’re more comfortable with English. You’re not a Parisian. People usually go back home to their families for Christmas.”
“Ah… no. I plan to be in Paris for Christmas this year.”
Liu replied, shaking his head as he opened the menu.
“Ooh. Your lover must be in Paris, then?”
The waiter said teasingly, his expression and voice sounding mischievous. Then, looking down at Liu’s face, he nodded as if confirming it himself.
“Well. No way you don’t have a lover.”
Liu, who had been smiling faintly at his good-naturedness, suddenly looked out the window again. The street Yeehyeon always walked down had, at some point, become a fond sight for Liu as well. This Christmas, he would be here. With him. By his side. Even if he didn’t know it.
“That’s right. I want to be with them, so I’m staying in Paris too.”
“I knew it.”
He wanted to feel like he and Yeehyeon were a couple, even if it was just by saying this to a stranger.
After taking the order and collecting the menu, the waiter added as if he had just remembered, just before leaving.
“Ah, one more thing.”
“…”
“I knew you were definitely not a Parisian because you always tip so generously.”
At the waiter’s playful expression as he winked, Liu let out a chuckle.
- –
- Bistro: A French term for a casual, informal restaurant.
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