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Tia was walking through the park on that cold winter day.  Christmas Day.  Julieta was hanging out with Jin.  And Tia was missing Tae.  She needed to get some fresh air.  She needed to get her mind off him.  It had been three weeks since Jin and Julieta’s birthday, and Tia still hadn’t met Tae again.  She was both relieved and depressed by this circumstance.

As she walked through the chill air of the barren park, she heard a little dog barking and glanced down to see an adorable, black and tan Pomeranian running along the path beside her.

“Ohhhh!  Aren’t you just the cutest thing ever!” Tia squatted down next to the little dog and petted it.

“Yeontan!” A deep, masculine voice called.

The small dog’s ears perked up as its tongue suddenly popped out of its mouth, and it panted.  But the little dog was clearly happy to have its back scratched by Tia.  Despite its owner’s persistently calling its name, the pup continued to sit blissfully receiving Tia’s attention.

“Are you ignoring your owner?” Tia asked the little dog.

But then that soulful voice spoke again, nearer Tia’s ear, and her heart stopped.  

“Yeontan, you little goose!  What are you doing?”

Tae.

Tia remained frozen, nearly kneeling on the ice-cold path.  She kept her face averted.  How on earth was she going to get out of here with her heart intact?  Every single cell in her body wanted to flee right now.  Briefly, she considered jumping up and flying off towards home.  Tae would never know she’d been here.

“Hello,” that beautiful, mellow voice flowed over her, and she felt tears pricking her eyes.  

She blinked and one tear slid down her cheek.  Hurriedly, she wiped it away before it could freeze on her skin.  But Tae had not missed her hand brushing her face.  The girl was still not looking at him.  He glanced curiously at her long, chestnut hair, peeking out from under her red stocking cap to spill down over her dark gray coat.

“Hello,” she whispered.  “I’m sorry.  I need to go.”  She stood up, still not facing him.  She took a step away from him, but Yeontan had another idea.  The little dog yipped at her and ran in front of her, blocking her path.

“Yeontan!” she spoke sharply to the little dog, distress clearly written in her voice.  “Please let me go!” she whispered.

Tae’s head snapped up as he glanced sharply at her.  He knew that voice.  He would never forget that voice.  It had been burned into his memory one autumn day in Paris.

“Woong?” he whispered, his heart flying into his mouth.  She was fleeing from him, that’s what this was.  And that had been a tear that she’d just wiped from her face.  He had broken her heart.  How on earth could he mend it?

No wonder she’d fancied herself in love with Jin.  Tae had truly hurt her.  What could he possibly say to her to make it right?

Woong.  She hadn’t heard anyone call her that since Paris.  She smiled faintly as another tear escaped her eye.  But this time Tae’s finger was the one that caught that tear.  

She glanced up at him, shock riveting her to the spot.  As her eyes locked with his, it all came rushing back.  Every single intimate moment they’d shared in Paris.  She couldn’t breathe; neither could Tae.

He stood, his finger poised just over the cheek from which he had liberated her tear.  When she finally blinked, he looked down at that tear on his finger before glancing back into her eyes.

“Tia,” he breathed her name for the very first time.