riki.nishimura → twelve weeks

EPILOGUE

TWO YEARS LATER

"Come on, quick, put this on!! It's gonna be so cold." Niki threw a beanie onto my head, pulling it so far down that it covered my whole face.

I chuckled, fixing the beanie and putting my coat on as he rushed to do the same.

"Why are you rushing so much? It's so dark." I waited, it was the peak nights of winter, very cold, very icy and in general just a rather chilly season.

A knock on the door didn't allow Niki to reply to my comment. I opened the door, since I was already stood before it.

It was Gayoung, or formally known as Miss Hwang. I wasn't surprised at her arrival, after all, we had arranged for her to babysit while me and Niki were gone.

"Here she is." Niki grabbed the hand of our daughter, Yumi. He had a huge grin on his face, slowly leading her towards Miss Hwang.

"Oh! My beautiful child!" Miss Hwang crouched down, arms wide open with a radiant smile as she engulfed Yumi into a huge, gentle hug.

She lift her up as Yumi giggled. I just stared at the two, an irresistible smile written all over my face.

"Alright, alright, take care, goodbye, bye now!" Niki hurriedly rushed Miss Hwang away, slowly shutting the door. I was so confused to why he was rushing so much, and even being so rude.

"Seriously, what is going on." I turned to look at him, he gave no reply, checking the time briefly on his phone and then intertwining his fingers with mine.

We walked out, the cold air greeting us. After every breath, a faint cloud of warm vapour dissipated into the night sky, dotted with families of stars.

I looked at Niki, his cheeks were slightly blushed with a subtle tint of red, he was looking around Jeju. Two years is a while, I suppose. Jeju has changed massively.

Most stores have now a more modern look to them, less of the classic, oriental architecture I fell in love with. Though - majority of them still remain just how I remembered.

The people were still the same, the smiles, the laughter, the stalls with people selling fish. And of course, couldn't forget the haenyeos which I came here originally for. During the winter season, it's too cold to dive, so usually they farm fruit from trees then and there.

It was a prospering community.

As for Saeron? She's long gone. Passing by her house, a light illuminating through the windows, then a few silhouettes, and you could even hear the faint laughter of a family inside.

She'd moved out, left Jeju for probably a good while, right after I announced my pregnancy with Yumi. I suppose it was only for the benefit of her own mental health.

I found it a little funny, how people could turn so evil over a single person, as if many others don't exist too.

I gave a small smile, looking around as Niki dug both of our hands into his pockets, slowly but shortly walking around. It was a peaceful night, quiet and tranquil.

The sky was free from any pollution, only glittered with passionate stars. Even though it was in the minuses too, temperature wise, it felt relaxing. The aroma of baking food from nearby bakeries interlocking with the crisp atmosphere of the wintry winds was a very satisfying combination.

Niki suddenly changed directions, causing us to walk uphill somewhere. It wasn't a tough walk, well, maybe a little, but despite that, we made it to the top. And as we moved closer, I realised this was the abandoned ship that we used to always go to, back when I was only a temporary resident.