Spring Beyond the Window
By geunsim
At the end of March, spring was quietly coloring the city. Cherry blossoms were in full bloom along the streets, and warm breezes began to linger on people’s clothes. However, it was still winter in Ji-hoon’s room.
His room was always covered with curtains. The window, tightly shut so that not a single ray of sunlight could enter, was like a wall separating him from the world. On the desk were dusty notebooks and pens, and the clock’s battery had long since died, and the calendar still pointed to March of last year.
That day, the day Soo-yeon, whom he loved, passed away. Soo-yeon was the first person to give Ji-hoon "warmth" in his life. She didn't want to be like other people. She was lonely, so she was the one who silently held his hand. Ji-hoon could live a creaky life like no one else, so Soo-yeon was the one who strangely filled in that strangeness.
That Soo-yeon, as if it were the last text he sent.
"Ji-hoon, you're really, really charming tonight. Let's watch it together next week."
And the next day, news of the accident came. She was hit by a drunk driver and died at the scene. I didn't even hear the sound of the world being torn apart. I just stared blankly at my phone screen. The last thing I saw was a picture of cherry blossoms and a text message with emoticons.
After that, Ji-hoon closed off the world. He took a leave of absence from college and stopped contacting his friends. There was only one reason he could endure each day. Dreams.
In his dreams, Soo-yeon was still smiling. On a park bench covered in cherry blossoms, warmly like before.
“Why do you keep running away?”
When Ji-hoon asked, Soo-yeon answered.
“I’m here. You can see me if you open the window.”
Those words never left his mind. Several months passed like that, and spring returned again.
That night, Ji-hoon carefully got out of bed. His hands trembled as he pulled back the curtains.
A few seconds later, what streamed in through the window was very faint moonlight and pink fluttering in the wind. It was cherry blossoms. They were really in bloom.
At that moment, tears flowed silently from Ji-hoon’s eyes. Silently, the emotions he had held back for a very long time burst out.
He whispered.
“I’m sorry, I opened it too late…”
The window was letting in spring.
Through that window, he was finally reconnected with the world.
Su-yeon would not return, but the warmth she had left behind was still waiting for Ji-hoon somewhere beyond that window.
Story Content
At the end of March, spring was quietly coloring the city.
Cherry blossoms were in full bloom along the streets, and warm breezes began to linger on people’s clothes.
However, it was still winter in Ji-hoon’s room.
His room was always covered with curtains.
The window, tightly shut so that not a single ray of sunlight could enter, was like a wall separating him from the world.
On the desk were dusty notebooks and pens, and the clock’s battery had long since died, and the calendar still pointed to March of last year.
That day, the day Soo-yeon, whom he loved, passed away.
Soo-yeon was the first person to give Ji-hoon "warmth" in his life.
She didn't want to be like other people.
She was lonely, so she was the one who silently held his hand.
Ji-hoon could live a creaky life like no one else, so Soo-yeon was the one who strangely filled in that strangeness.
That Soo-yeon, as if it were the last text he sent.
"Ji-hoon, you're really, really charming tonight.
Let's watch it together next week."
And the next day, news of the accident came.
She was hit by a drunk driver and died at the scene.
I didn't even hear the sound of the world being torn apart.
I just stared blankly at my phone screen.
The last thing I saw was a picture of cherry blossoms and a text message with emoticons.
After that, Ji-hoon closed off the world.
He took a leave of absence from college and stopped contacting his friends.
There was only one reason he could endure each day.
Dreams.
In his dreams, Soo-yeon was still smiling.
On a park bench covered in cherry blossoms, warmly like before.
“Why do you keep running away?”
When Ji-hoon asked, Soo-yeon answered.
“I’m here.
You can see me if you open the window.”
Those words never left his mind.
Several months passed like that, and spring returned again.
That night, Ji-hoon carefully got out of bed.
His hands trembled as he pulled back the curtains.
A few seconds later, what streamed in through the window was very faint moonlight and pink fluttering in the wind.
It was cherry blossoms.
They were really in bloom.
At that moment, tears flowed silently from Ji-hoon’s eyes.
Silently, the emotions he had held back for a very long time burst out.
He whispered.
“I’m sorry, I opened it too late…”
The window was letting in spring.
Through that window, he was finally reconnected with the world.
Su-yeon would not return, but the warmth she had left behind was still waiting for Ji-hoon somewhere beyond that window.
