Despite it being midday, the sky was dark and fluffy snow was falling in heaps.
The Cheonma, who always arrives at the same time, looked at me with a bewildered expression.
It’s not strange for him to look like that when Soo-oh is missing at the time for exercise, and I’m just left sitting here wondering what to do.
“What are you doing?”
I stopped rolling the snowball.
“I’m making a snowman. Is this your first time seeing one?”
He looks at me as if questioning what it is.
What? Seriously, has he never seen one before? How can someone who’s all about literature and feelings not know this?
I rummaged through Cheonma’s memories for a moment. He’d never made a snowman as a child. He doesn’t remember ever seeing one at all.
Ah, I guess no one taught him.
Or maybe in this world, there isn’t a culture for snowmen?
Is that even possible?
If he doesn’t know, I can just tell him.
I pointed to the snowman I made in one corner of the yard. It was an 8-shaped figure, with arms made of branches and a face crafted from sticks—a small snowman.
It only reached my knees, made just a little while ago as a demo for Soo-oh.
“It’s a game to make those big. It’s snowing like this, so it’s tough to exercise, isn’t it?”
As I said this, I turned my head back to roll another snowball.
This was made because the faded man’s memory suddenly sparkled.
A snowman made from very far back in the past. A perfect day to make one.
Of course, there’s another reason.
Though I don’t expect much, I’m making the snowman hoping it might work out.
I can see Cheonma’s gaze shifting between the snowman and me rolling the snow.
Of course, I’m not looking at Cheonma, but I can tell.
He’s bewildered because he doesn’t know what to do. I raised my hand and pointed to the forest.
“Soo-oh went to get materials, so if you’re bored, go check it out. Or just come and roll some snow like I am.”
I left the snowball I had made and sat back down, firmly pressing the snow with my hands. Then I rolled it gently.
Just to clarify, I wasn’t bare-handed.
I bundled up some old clothes to use as gloves.
It’s just fabric, so using it for too long would get it wet and I’d end up with frostbite, but it’s good enough for a short time.
Roll, roll.
I rolled the snowball to make it larger.
Maybe it’s because there’s not much pollution, or perhaps the snow was falling heavily enough that the ground wasn’t showing, but the snowball was completely white.
Cheonma just stood there, staring at me, not doing anything else.
I did my best to roll the snowball. Rolling it here and there, changing direction several times so it wouldn’t form a cylinder, packing it together.
Now that the traces had vanished, I rolled the snowball over a fence buried in snow, and at some point, the snowball had grown beyond my waist—up to my chest.
Ah, mistake.
In my excitement, I messed up the size adjustment. This is tricky.
If I keep going, it’ll be way too big by the time I reach the body section…
Why do I always think about these things after the fact!?
I carefully packed the snowball again and parked it next to the one I had made when Cheonma arrived.
As expected, the snowball was way too big.
What do I do with this?
Well, I’ll just finish it anyway. I lifted the smaller snowball. Soo-oh is quite strong.
With a light lift, I shot!
Hmm. It landed exactly where I wanted. The snowballs stacked perfectly in an 8 shape.
But with the lower half being excessively large, according to the faded memories of the man, I’d say…
Kraaaak, the mass!
That means it’s unbalanced!
I left the snowman as it was and went back into the house.
I retrieved some old clothes I had stuffed away in a corner of the room. These were all Soo-oh’s clothes.
These were all destined for the trash.
Unlike me, Soo-oh’s clothes wear out quickly because she’s so active. But that means I have plenty of spare ones the Cheonma sends me often.
I brought out a top and put it on the snowman.
Then I found a few stones lying around near the house to make the facial features.
Soo-oh was coming back, running hard with branches in hand, so the snowman would soon be complete.
But, am I just imagining things, or is Cheonma staring at me a bit too much? I walked closer to the Cheonma and pointed towards the kitchen.
It’s especially warm in there during winter.
“You’ve got snow piled on your head. If you’re just going to watch, don’t stand out in the cold, go hang out in the kitchen.”
She blinked at my words.
She seemed to have heard something very strange. So I asked the Cheonma again.
“Why?”
Just as Cheonma was about to speak…
“Musaboo-nim!”
Soo-oh jumped over, spotting the Cheonma, her arms full of long, slender branches while bouncing around in the snow without slowing down. The prints of her feet scattered behind her.
If I walk over there, I’d sink right in…
Regardless of everything else, I envy that mode of movement.
Then, the faded memory once again brings something strange.
Words like “rippling snow” and “lack of skill” flashed before me. What the heck does this memory expect from me? I’ve barely learned martial arts for half a year!
Anyway, I need to finish the snowman. I turned to Soo-oh, who had brought the materials.
“Soo-oh, give me the branches.”
“Wait!”
Lately, it feels like she’s become quite defiant.
Her independence is on the rise. Good for her.
At this rate, I might be able to leave within 2 or 3 years. By then, Soo-oh will be about 17 or 18.
At that age, she would be an adult in this world.
Until then, I’ll do what’s necessary.
Memories.
It might seem insignificant, but sometimes, these things unknowingly support a person.
A person with none of this and one who has even this can bear their burdens differently.
This “bearing” is an essential skill.
Of course, having these memories doesn’t guarantee anything, but if I can increase the odds, I’ll work on that.
Training with the Cheonma, she’s bound to grow strong. She’ll cut down those who block her path and bring me warmth.
Hehe.
I hope that a bloodthirsty intent from those faded memories awakens!
Still, hoping that much seems too far-fetched.
“Musaboo-nim! You should make a snowman too!”
When Soo-oh beamed at me, the Cheonma’s expression turned quite troubled. It’s hilariously amusing; it’s like watching an adult who doesn’t know how to play getting flustered by a child wanting to have fun.
The days of being a child are behind me, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a go at it every now and then.
That said, why isn’t she coming over to finish it up?
“Cheonma, quit stalling and come over quickly.”
“Okay!”
Finally, she’s coming.
As I pointed down with my finger, Soo-oh dumped the branches she had collected on the ground. I found some that looked like hands and stuck them into the sides of the snowman, which only had a face and body so far.
Hands attached!
While I was at it, I added some little decorations to the body and the top of the head.
“Done.”
An East Asian-style snowman stood proudly in the middle of the yard. It’s a pity that its lower half is a bit chubby, but that happens sometimes.
Clap, clap, clap.
Soo-oh laughed brightly and applauded.
I looked at the joyous Soo-oh and the bewildered Cheonma who didn’t know what to do.
She really doesn’t know how to have fun, does she? If I went through the effort to make it, shouldn’t she just jump in and make one too?
“Okay, Soo-oh, you should make one too. And do it with Cheonma.”
“Me?”
As I added that, Cheonma looked startled. This person has been acting strange since earlier.
“You both aren’t made of ice, are ya? You should wear gloves if you are. You’ve seen how to do it, so give it a shot.”
“No, I’m supposed to—”
“You won’t be in trouble taking just one day to play.”
Cheonma’s expression wasn’t looking good. Has she led a life where she’s never done this? How do I guide her?
Directing her in a simple manner.
A few faded memories popped into mind…
Perfect, let’s go with this.
“Aren’t you even capable of making a single snowman?”
“I would make it much more beautifully.”
Oh! That was a solid hit!
Just like I had done, the Cheonma sat on the ground, rolling snow into a ball while packing it together.
Soo-oh mimicked her, laughing gleefully beside her.
But in the midst of all this falling snow, seeing a blue-skinned beauty in Eastern attire making a snowman felt rather modern art-ish, didn’t it?
In the world where the faded man lived, it would’ve required CG or costumes, making it tough to pull off in modern times.
It’s not every day you see someone with completely azure skin unless they’re a corpse, right?
Cheonma and Soo-oh worked together to make the snowman.
I moved under the eaves and sat down. Taking off the slightly damp gloves, my fingertips were red. Unlike me, Soo-oh’s fingers didn’t turn red no matter how much snow she touched; I guess Cheonma wouldn’t need gloves either.
I watched the two making the snowman while looking up at the sky.
Heavily laden dark clouds loomed overhead as the snow kept pouring down.
And everything around was incredibly quiet.
The snow acted as a sound absorber.
But it wasn’t quiet for me. Instead, it was exceedingly noisy.
I was seeing over a hundred harvesting periods in motion.
Even with so many people, the cold didn’t lessen. I need warmth that’s not connected but is within the light.
The biting chill that freezes my breath and my fingers tinged with light frost from the snow feel different from the cold I’m perceiving. In fact, this is hot.
I expected the heat to torment me but turns out the cold is what really bothers me. The cold I’m feeling clearly indicates it’s not just about temperature.
I looked at my fingers that had turned crimson at the tips.
This is frostbite. I pressed down on the reality.
In an instant, my fingers turned completely white. It was as if I hadn’t felt the cold to begin with and returned to their original color.
Not just my fingers, but the cold that had been saturating my body disappeared. But the deep-seated cold remained as it was.
I don’t think this deep winter is going to get better anytime soon.
As I absentmindedly stared outside, the two managed to join forces and make a snowman.
When the completed product stood three times as tall as a person, I burst out laughing.
Of course, you can’t have people around without a snowman.
There are two people right here.
Hehehe.
So, Cheonma.
Do I look human?
Am I living a life human enough to cover the truth of being a monster?
I learn from failures.
The second Eunjai cannot happen. It’s too harsh not to call it by its dangerous name.
So I’ll become your friendly neighbor. Even if I die someday, I’d like you to think it’s okay to call me if you see the traces I left behind.
Let’s get along well.
