⟢ park.

@✧ shin segye Dongwoo was not one to admit he actually enjoyed people watching, considering that someone would take it creepily if they didn’t know him. It was just a habit, but his watching and silent gazing was never confined to people. It was everything surrounding him. With his current salary, he could easily pay for a gym membership and his job allowed him enough sunlight, yet he still preferred jogging in the park during his free days because deep down, his interest in music was still alive. He still wrote songs about everything he would see and a few people he’d meet. Strangers and new acquaintances were not exempt, but that never meant he would write anything malicious. They’re strangers, so any private and well-hidden songs he’d compose would carry the feeling of sonder. The feeling that everyone had their own vibrant life that nobody else can access fully, only getting as close as they can if they became a friend or a lover.

This feeling, along with the feeling of mild curiosity, was ignited when she mentioned that her father was a Gohyang native. Perhaps it was just Dongwoo being a bit more naturally social, something he can’t help. Or it was his quiet desire to write a song about a quieter person. There were many characters in this town, many loud, a few shy, and some even with a bite to them, but rarely does he meet Quiet. “Really?” He paused, biting back his instinct of asking for her father’s name. Dongwoo probably knew his face, or more likely his own father did. He pivoted, not wanting to be too invasive on a first meeting. “That’s cool, I’m just a Gohyang native. Grew up here and well, still here. I’m surprised I didn’t see you much, but we were kids.”

They were probably too young to remember the other, even if they looked about the same age and would have at least seen each other in kindergarten. To Dongwoo, she was a brand new person and that was strangely okay. A tiny droplet of guilt crept up inside him, but he shoved the thought and feeling away.

His hand met hers halfway to take the offered business card, “Segye. Like world, right?” he mumbled mindlessly, reading her name and the rest of the card. Wow, she was an architect and a vice president of an architecture firm. He could only infer that she was from Seoul or another big South Korean city if she had this position. She must have gone out and done so many amazing things, he thought. A stinging contrast to Dongwoo feeling like he hadn’t done much, or done what he had wanted to do.

Picking up her farewell bow, Dongwoo mirrored Segye. He could tell she was less of a people person than she was but was polite and accommodating anyways. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll see you soon, Ms. Shin.” he spoke somewhat formally. He’ll ask for her age next time, she may be younger or older than him. But he was sure there wasn’t much of a gap, so they could still be friends or something.

He watched her back briefly as her feet took her farther away from him, and Dongwoo settled back into the bench. A sigh left him, his relaxed energy returning as the tree’s leafless cold-season branches cast a picturesque web of shadows over him. The early afternoon sun barely provided warmth in January, but Dongwoo had finally felt warmer after months. Maybe it was because he had met a brand new person, knowing mostly everyone else in town like the back of his hand.

Fiddling with her business card for a few moments, he tucked it into his jacket pocket and continued eating his sandwich in silence.

( FIN. )

@✧ na dongwoo Segye nodded as Dongwoo asked for confirmation. "I will be here. . .for quite a while so I will be sure to give it to you personally." While he had seemed to revised his question, Segye answered still. Perhaps it was the kind features and gestures he's been giving her that had finally starting to dawn on her, but she began to warm up, even absentmindedly dropping a TMI as she waited for him. "My father's a Gohyang native, I've also spent my childhood here."

She still would not dare to drop the fact that she had seen him indirectly, though.

"Na Dongwoo. . ." Segye read in a hushed tone, once she received his details, no surprise given to his preferred location of address. She caught herself only after a minute, realising she should probably offer her own name. The architect reached out for her wallet in her pocket and pulled out a business card.

The card, she noted, needed a few updates, namely her position as a vice president of her small, architect firm. She was merely a freelance architect now, bound to the firm simply because they felt this. . .this phase would pass and eventually, she'd come back to the position she rightfully achieved. Segye remain doubtful she'd return as of now but she appreciated the loyal backing of her colleagues and friends.

With a strained smile, she offered the card, "My. . .my name's Segye." Most would wonder if her name was fitting for someone like her; granted, she had doubted herself. A woman of her size carrying the name that literally means the "world". A few, like her late husband found the name fitting as she truly was his "world".

Segye fidgeted as silence began to form between the two. "I will come by then. . .to the fire station," she promised before giving a farewell bow. "I'll best be off now. Oh, I- I apologise for bothering your meal time."

@✧ shin segye It was common for Dongwoo to be more of an active listener even in just his body language, but that vision multiplied whenever he was in a good mood. The photo itself had him looking great and his mood being even greater. He couldn’t claim to be the most humble man on the planet, but he was far from the narcissist. Half the time, he never really appreciated … himself. At least not in the way this person – he would need to ask for her name at some point – did. Other than her, the last person who thought of him in such a kind and positive way was his deceased wife.

He listened intently, his eyes gently lifting up the rest of his face into a smile as the stranger considered herself a mere hobbyist. She was still good, even if taking photos was a need for her job. Meanwhile, she knew nothing about him. Dongwoo would need to fill in the gaps since she would need to be able to contact him once this meeting was over.

“Oh, that sounds perfect. You’d be around town for a while, right?” His immediate assumption was that she was just visiting Gohyang for the scenery, a lot of people do unless they’re planning to move in permanently. The former was more likely, but he immediately took it back. She could very well be a returning citizen or something, a bad first impression for Dongwoo who was technically a public servant and a known face around the city.

“I mean – you’d be able to give it to me personally, right? Here, you can have the address.” It slipped his mind that he could just easily share his number and just eventually text her the location. His hand moved around and in the crevices of his jogging pants, he pulled out an old receipt from the local convenience store and a pen that was lodged in the zipped stomach pocket of his running jacket. He quietly scribbled down just his name and the address, eventually scribbling out his position because it technically wasn’t necessary. After some hesitation, he even included the fire department’s non-emergency hotline.

The back of the receipt reads.

‘Na Dongwoo.
Gohyang Fire Department,
100 Daecho Street
̶F̶i̶r̶e̶ ̶C̶a̶p̶t̶a̶i̶n̶
02-96XX-XXXX’

He handed the stranger the used receipt with the address scribbled on the back. “Dongwoo, that’s my name. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. But it’s there just in case I’m not at the building when you visit. Just say my name to anyone there and they’ll know what to do! You can just put a digital copy on a flash drive, so I get both at once.”

@✧ na dongwoo The man's attempt to soothe her tensed shoulders and screaming veins. When he relayed that he had forgiven her, Segye muttered a, "thank you", all the while holding back saying that it could have been a crime to have taken his picture without permission. Dismissing the silent comment in her head, the female fixed her gaze upon the man as he inspect the picture.

Segye absentmindedly brought her hands together behind her, fingers intertwining and fiddling. It was somewhat unnerving as she has never offered another person to take a look at her photos and be prepared for feedback. It was even more nerve wracking by the second as the man did not speak for one whole minute, seemingly absorbed into the photo. What is he thinking? Was it that. . .bad? Before the architect began to prod for a reaction, the male took a deep breath and began to speak. “This is –”

This is. . .?

She waited with bated breath, all the while wondering why a mere stranger's opinion mattered this much. As the praise tumbled from his lips, a faint, relieved smile finally broke through her awkward features. Her fingers loosened and her shoulder fell slightly as it lost its tension. "Thank you," she repeated, this time layered with gratitude that he appreciated the photo even up to wanting to keep a copy. There was genuine warmth in his eyes along with a ghost of melancholy; the very one she had managed to capture in a frame of time.

"Ah, no." She waved a hand, dismissing the idea of publishing his photo. "I mean, I'm not a professional. . .just a hobbyist and it's a personal necessity for my job." While Segye does like photography, she has never quite published a photo she had taken on camera, aside for a few personal ones, and has only printed the photos for reference as she mixes and matches patterns and inspirations. So, personally, she silently took it as a compliment that he had thought of her as a professional photographer.

"Actually, I print the photos after a photo hunt," Segye began, the nervous stutters now absent from her voice yet the stiffness of meeting someone new remain. Should she offer to rest the lingering guilt? Segye continued gingerly, "I can print it for you and. . .give or send it to you once it is done."

In all her efforts to erase images of the calendar spread from the depths of her mind, it returned as Segye recalled of the other uniformed pictures, and seeing the text that says "Gohyang's Firefighter Department", including its address and emergency numbers. Yet, she refuse to blow her own cover of having seen him through a calendar and elevate the awkwardness between them. "I can drop it off at your workplace or if you'd rather not, maybe a soft copy via e-mai. . .whichever you prefer."

@✧ shin segye The city’s fire captain was deeply unsure on whether or not he should even try to reprimand the stranger or anything. She looked normal, and she seemed extremely afraid of him because of what she did. Dongwoo did not think of it as a crime, it was just a photo of him in a park. Nothing incriminating was on it, unless he was suddenly canceled online from sweating and eating a sandwich.

He took a brief glance at the tree, following what she said. It was a lovely tree, one he sat by every morning or when he would go jogging. Turning back, he quickly responded with a polite and soft “You’re welcome.” His subtle bow matching hers as she looked like she was going to scurry away like a squirrel caught stealing nuts from another. With that, he leaned back onto the bench to relax a little longer. All he could feel was her presence still near him, her back being the natural target of his eyes.

Was she going to leave this place or stay?

The man wasn’t the type to pry, especially with a total stranger, but he couldn’t help but be concerned. His brows furrowed as he tried to examine what evidence she was giving with her body language. It was only a few moments, but even Dongwoo could tell (with his decades of experience watching and dissecting how people felt with non-verbal cues) that she wasn’t crying or even upset. Her back wasn’t shaking like when one actually cries, her hair was even as steady as she was. All he felt was a pause and her energy of being distraught.

Lost in his thoughts briefly, he was pulled back when she turned to face him. Her kind eyes were more prominent as she looked less scared and more apologetic. The awkwardness was present in her throughout; he found it silly because he thought he was one of the least intimidating people he knew. Already biased in his favour, but he knows he looks less scary than his friends or even his straight-laced younger brother. “Yes?” His lower register echoed a bit louder, but she was taking baby steps towards him so he spoke at a normal volume moving forward.

Moments earlier it was tense and almost uncomfortably awkward for both parties, but he felt warmth spreading through his body at her words. From his chest and extending to his extremities, vividly mirrored in his gentle smile. It was one that came naturally, almost out of relief since she was coming forward and not hiding. He did not know who this woman was, but Dongwoo disliked being feared as an adult, even by his own subordinates at work. “It’s alright, you’re forgiven. It wasn’t a crime, really.”

He noticed her stutter as she continued talking, and took the camera being handed without hesitation. “Deep breaths, Miss. I won’t bite and I already forgave you, it’s alright.” Dongwoo finally got the chance to see the photo she had taken and hearing her description of it made him almost choke up. The framing of his person, the winter-turning-to-spring aged trees only showing buds and the overall lighting. It was beautiful, and he had never really seen himself this way for a long time. The last time he heard a compliment like this (in the form of a photo) was when his wife was still alive. Now another person had just easily taken a great photo of him, one that he could never capture himself with selfies or directing his friends for a fake candid photo. It was just him, melancholic and beautiful like she said.

Almost a minute had passed and Dongwoo hadn’t said a word, his eyes were transfixed on the photo and his expression. The composition of the photo was wonderful but it wasn’t cheerful, it was pensive sadness. “This is –” He took a quiet breath and a pause, “This is an amazing photo.” He finally looked up, or more looked up at her face since he was just sitting down. “You can keep the photo, publish it if you want. If you’re a professional photographer, I would not be surprised.” His words flowed out candidly, for once in the past few years. “Can I keep a copy of it? I want one to print later for my photo albums at home.”

@✧ na dongwoo Segye wished she could disappear in a blink of her eyes, away from the painstakingly awkward situation she had entrapped herself into. Would he find her weird? Of course he would, she answered silently. They were strangers and it's obvious she should ask for permission prior to taking his photo. Should she ask now? From where would she need to explain herself? Not from the image of him that had appeared in her head, that's for sure. She--

God, Segye, she whined the moment the man began to speak.

She offered a stiff smile at him, "It-it's okay, sir," she declined his offer to sit down, wincing slightly as she uttered the word sir. The architect would never agree to digging her grave deeper than it already is. "I-I took a photo of the. . .tree behind you," she continued, adding a silent, 'and of you'. "Thank you for the offer," Segye nodded, bidding farewell.

The woman turned away from the man, tinkering with her camera. She pressed the gallery button, quickly pushing the delete button next. However, as the confirmation to delete the taken picture popped on the small screen display, she paused. Segye relunctantly chose "Cancel" before she examined the photo once more. Despite not a professional photographer, she felt the picture truly was a waste to erase from existence.

Segye would even dare she preferred the candid photo over the flashy calendar spread.

With a sigh, she turned around once more. It was only proper that she apologised for taking his photo and. . .perhaps offer to have him take it. Despite dreading the interaction and the man's reactions to her action, she approached him with timid steps. "Pardon me, um. . ." she started, remnants of her embarassment earlier still dusting her cheeks pink. "It appears that I've taken your photo--no, let me rephrase that," she stumbled over her words, /this/ close to wishing she did not come back to approach him.

"I apologise for taking your photo without permission," she attempted again, after a deep breath, gripping on her camera. Segye glanced at the man before taking the camera off her neck and offering him to take a look at his own photo. "While I meant to delete it, I. . .I thought it will be a waste to erase, bu-but since you have the right over this. . .I'll delete it if you wish," she muttered softly. After a few heartbeats, her thoughts tumbled out with no warning, "A bit melancholic but it's beautiful."

@✧ shin segye [h] It could be assumed that Dongwoo was just so deeply engrossed with his sandwich and the rest of his post-workout meal but in reality he was just really tired from jogging continuously and the trees around him giving shade actually made him rather sleepy. The winter cold making the sweat droplets on him icy cold didn’t affect him as much as he thought it would, because his entire body was still warm from the exercise. From a distance, you could see his breath turn into vapour and his cheeks and nose red from his internal heat. All the sensations he was feeling up close as well as the enjoyment of his sandwich caused the delay in his reaction. It was barely a second of delay (his firefighter training had him be very vigilant of suspicious noises) when he heard it: the clicking sound, like a camera shutter.

He immediately whipped his head towards the direction of the source of the sound, his expression transforming from worry to just plain confusion. His eyes grew as wide as they could, his brows furrowed and he looked almost offended but he wasn’t, not by any means. Confused was the only emotion he was sure of, because why is this tomato-red woman taking pictures of… him? Dongwoo disliked letting his ego get the best of him, even if he was normally showered with compliments on his physical appearance during work-social events.

“Uh…” There was a small spot of mayonnaise on his right cheek and he wiped it off with his thumb as he set his crab-mayonnaise sandwich into his lunchbox. That woman wasn’t a reporter or anything, right? They would have asked permission for his picture, and if they worked at the TV station, he would have met them at least once. He had no idea who this woman was and why she briefly disturbed his peace. Unfortunately, he didn’t react like a normal person would… and bowed from the bench, still sitting. The fair distance between him and the mystery photographer woman making his silent greeting even more awkward.

“Uh.” Dongwoo was sounding more and more like a caveman since he had only been letting out confused grunts without any real words. “Did you want to sit down? Or take a photo…”

He was going to be deeply unprepared if the stranger sat beside him at his thoughtless but awkwardly polite invitation. Was he obligated to speak to her? Did she need to ask his consent for the photo? What if she wasn’t taking a picture of him and just the tree behind him? If that was the case, was she turning red because of the tree and not him? He’d feel even worse if she ran away, but he had a feeling he might not even cross paths with her after this day. Dongwoo knew the majority of the people who lived in this town or even passed by, he didn’t know her. Maybe she was just a mere tourist lost (and taking photos) in the park.

@✧ na dongwoo [sh] Amongst the chirping of birds were ragged breathing and a groan filled with regret.

She had truly underestimated the hiking trail. Or perhaps overestimated her stamina. Segye's figure dropped down to a crouch the moment she reached the end of the trail—the top of a small hill. Her breath continuously turned to vapour as sweat trailed down the frame of her face. The image of her wrecked-self invited soft chuckles from an elderly couple, the wife approaching Segye and patting her back. "Good job, dear!" She cheered for the younger. "The way down would be easier. Good luck!"

Segye barely muttered a thank you, dabbing her sweat away with the back of her hand, when the elderly couple continued on their way. She regulated her breath before drinking, finishing almost half of the bottle, and fished out her camera from her pack. With a deep exhale, she stood up and took in her surroundings. Though traces of tiredness lingered in her visage, her eyes began to focus on appreciating the beautiful patterns of nature in winter. The fingers of frost that settled over brackens; evenly spaced leafless trees with its branch reaching out to the overcast sky; and—she was lucky—to find pawprints of a squirrel over thin snow. All in all, the hike was not for nothing.

Once satisfied with the pictures she took, the architect headed back to the hiking trail. She sighed, her feet still felt it'll give way but taking determination from the elder's cheer earlier on, she began her way down. Segye took her time, pausing to capture more sights and before she realised, the end of the trail was simply a couple of steps away. A small smile settled on her lips, feeling somehow proud of herself. It wasn't every day she walked out, tackling a (beginner's) hiking trail.

Segye continued to walk into the park. While she was eager to go home, she needed a moment of rest. It was fairly peaceful, the cold chasing people away from the park and preferring the warmth of indoors. From a distance, she spotted a nearby park bench occupied by an elderly who seemed to be leaving. Her footsteps hasten but the bench was immediately taken by a man and her steps slowed as she watched the exchange between the elderly and the man. She should be in search of another empty bench for herself yet Segye eventually pauses in her tracks.

The man, undeniably good looking, seemed too familiar. However, she was sure she doesn't know nor has she ever crossed paths with him. So, where. . .?

Almost immediately, an image of a certain calendar spread, which she found in her family's house, flashed in her head. "Oh, ," Segye gasped, her hand closing her eyes as if to block the vision of a stranger's defined muscles. However, the memory simply persisted in the temporary darkness. Dropping her hand and opening her eyes, she cleanse the view with the park's scenery only to gravitate once more to the side profile of the man—the firefighter.

Compared to the photo in the calendar, that had come in too strong, the image he had this time was. . .beautiful? Heart-wrenchingly so. Perhaps it was simply the winter vibe, and the leafless trees on either side of the bench, framing the view of his figure. Segye unconsciously held up the camera dangling from her neck, and—

ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ.

Segye's eyes widened at how loud the camera shutters echoed, disturbing the peace that settled around them. Her ears turned red and every single fibre in her told her to turn away. Yet she simply stood there, frozen, her thoughts spitting every single curse word she knew. Her bottom lip was victim to her teeth as she thought of what to say.

@✧ shin segye — 1st week of January, 2024. Winter

Many people would have a heavy dislike for the winter, and Dongwoo was no different. Unfortunately, he still had to keep up his physical health, even if it meant going out for morning jogs in the biting winter. His motivation to keep himself in tip-top shape for his job and for a better quality of life was better motivation than the short-term reward of staying inside all day during the winter. He was at least thankful that winter gave him space and free time, since statistically there were less fire-related accidents during the winter. If there were any, they would be indoors and extinguished easily even by his subordinates. Winter to him was what summer vacation was to students.

Saturday was the best day for jogging since he could sleep in a little later than normal. He wasn’t perfect and the cold temperatures were still a temptation to sleep, so he did. At least Saturdays he knew that his shift was delayed until 1pm, according to their schedule he always plans with his co-workers. Zipping down a few inches of his running jacket, supposedly meant to keep him warm, he sighed and eyed the brief cloud of vapor. Sweating during the winter stung his skin a little differently than in the summer and spring, but he still felt short of breath. The sun was high up in the sky, noontime he was sure, and he picked up his lunchbox from the old man he befriended a few years ago. He was there every Saturday around the same time as Dongwoo, so they made a deal: the elderly man would watch Dongwoo’s post-workout lunch, and Dongwoo would give him the roll of shrimp and cheese kimbap he’d make just for him.

“Thank you.” the fire captain politely bowed to Mr. Hwang before leaving him the kimbap. Dongwoo wiped the droplets of cold sweat off of his forehead with the towel that Mr. Hwang kept safe, and sat at a random park bench which was barely covered by the shade of a tree. Opening his lunchbox, the positive post-workout high manifested itself. That, and it was always so rewarding eating his own cooking after working out or jogging.

“Finally,” he whispered, as if he was talking to the sandwich he had made himself. He was more excited for it than the rest of his food. It was a crab and mayonnaise sandwich, made from fresh crab meat he got on discount at the wet market early in the week. It had a lot of other fillings, like scrambled egg and greens. He had strung out the crab meat at home, seasoning it, and was waiting for the best time to use it. A workout that ended the week was undoubtedly the best choice. Dongwoo already planned out that he would eat it before everything else. He took a bite of the sandwich, quietly grinning to himself with his other hand (he was holding the sandwich with his left) half-opening his lunchbox before leaning his back on the bench in winter Saturday noon peace.