Chapter 31 Chapter 11.1
On our second day in South Korea, we went to Nami Island because it was one of the places on my list. When we arrived, I couldn't help but pout. Why did I forget it's winter? The trees didn't have a single leaf. The surroundings were full of snow, as were the branches of the trees.
"This isn't what you expected to see?" Desmond asked me. It only has leaves during the summer. "If you want, we can come back in the summer," Desmond added. I just gave him a tight smile. There's no guarantee we'll be back here. We don't even know how long we'll be together.
I just walked around so our trip wouldn't be a waste. Desmond follows all the places I want to go, so I'm the one who's mostly enjoying ourselves. Will I ever be able to return to this place? I wanted to see the leaves falling from the trees. I also wanted to go see their cherry blossoms, but it looks like I won't be seeing any flowers either.
I sat down on the bench I saw. Desmond followed me.
"Do you want to go skiing instead?" Desmond suggested.
"I can't do that, I'm pregnant," I replied.
"Who said I'd let you do it alone? I just want you to try it, you don't have to push your poles too fast. You won't see anything else here anyway, the whole of Korea is covered in snow. We'll just come back to this place in the summer if you want," he said, then stood up and took my hand. I just went with him until we reached the place he was talking about.
I noticed a lot of guests. They were all holding helmets, poles, and other equipment for skiing. Desmond and I went in to rent what we needed. I just waited for him.
I put my hands in my pockets because I forgot to wear my gloves earlier. Even though I was wearing a jacket, my hands were still cold. I looked around for a place to buy gloves, but then I remembered I didn't bring any money. I guess I'll just have to bear the cold.
When Desmond came back, he was carrying a lot of things. He put them down and then pulled something out of his pocket. I saw women's gloves.
"Next time, don't forget to wear gloves. It's too cold here. I don't want to take you home sick," he said, then took my hand and put on the gloves he bought for me.
"I can put them on myself." I was about to take the gloves from him when he moved them slightly away.
"I'll put them on, hide one hand in your pocket first so it doesn't get cold." I swallowed. I watched him as he did it. He carefully put the gloves on me. When he was done, he did the same to the other hand. He held my hands after putting on the gloves.
"Is it okay now? Are you not cold anymore?" he asked me. I shook my head. I took a step back when he touched my scarf. "I'm just going to fix your scarf so it doesn't fall off later," he added, then he came closer to me. I stared at him, his eyebrows weren't furrowed like they had been in the past few weeks. His expression wasn't always angry either. He looks so handsome to me now.
When he looked at me, I quickly looked away. When he was done fixing my scarf, I was the one who moved away from him.
"Let's go, so you can enjoy skiing." We both walked into the skiing area. He sat me down to put on the equipment on my feet. He also put on my gear. I just watched him as he put on my gear. Does he treat Macie like this too? Is he this sweet to the woman he loves?
I held my chest. Why is my heart beating so fast? This can't be. I can't fall in love. Remember this, Heaven. You're only together because of the child. He brought you here because he and Macie broke up. He had no choice because there's no refund.
When he was done with me, he put on his own gear. He stood up and then held out his hand to me.
"Don't worry, I'll support you." He said with a smile. Why is he always smiling at me? I accepted his hand and then stood up. I'm still scared because I might lose my balance. Desmond started walking, but I couldn't take a step because I was scared.
I gripped my ski poles tightly when Desmond let go of my hand. I couldn't move because I might fall.
"Try to take a step, we're going up." He pointed to a slightly uphill area a few meters away from us. “Angle your skis outward, like this." He showed me how to do it. I followed his instructions. "Try to take a step," he ordered. I did. I smiled when I was able to do what he said.
I'm still holding my ski poles tightly because I might lose my balance. We continued walking even though it wasn't fast. What's important is that we're both moving forward. We only went up to the low part because I'm not good at it yet.
I looked down, and even though we were only in the low part, I felt dizzy. What if I can't stop my skis? Desmond also taught me how to properly use my skis and ski poles. I nodded. I think I followed what he said.
"Try it, don't be scared. I'm here to support you," he said. I tried to take a step. I could almost hear my heart beating so loudly. Desmond was following me. I smiled when I was able to do what he was saying.
"See? I told you it's easy to do." He said happily to me. "Give me your hand." I transferred one of my ski poles to one hand so I could hold Desmond. I took a deep breath. "Now, we're going to try a gentle glide. Keep your knees bent, your weight centered," he explained, then he used his ski poles to push us both.
I felt like my heart was going to burst from nervousness. We were moving slowly, but steadily. I smiled when I looked at him. He was still holding my hand. When we got to the bottom, I was overjoyed. I want to do it again.