After that day. We met almost every day. Even without making plans. Every morning, as soon as we spotted each other in front of the school, we waved enthusiastically. "Good morning, Youjung!" "Morning, Ben!" The greetings that had felt awkward at first. Before we knew it, they had become the most natural way to start the day. We met during lunch, even if only for a little while. "How was class?" "Pretty good." "What about yours?" "Too much homework." Talk about school. Talk about homework. Talk about the weekend. Five minutes at most. Ten minutes if we had time. But those short moments. They became the time I looked forward to most all day. When class ended. Sometimes, we'd walk through downtown with a cup of coffee in hand.
"Ready?" Ben asked with a smile, holding up his coffee. "Let's go for a walk." We started walking slowly. The winter rain was falling quietly. The wet paving stones reflected the cloudy sky. Cars passed by, slicing through the rainwater. Strangely, people in Vancouver hardly ever used umbrellas. Ben was no different. He walked along unconcernedly with his hood pulled over his head. I asked with a laugh, "Don't you have an umbrella?" He shrugged. "I do." "I just never remember to bring it." I burst out laughing. "Seriously?" He laughed too. "Yeah." "I always think the rain's gonna stop." "But it never does." "Even in Vancouver?" "Apparently not." I laughed and shook my head. "You're hopeless." He gave a quiet chuckle. "I've been told." We laughed for a long time. The raindrops were gradually growing heavier. But somehow. That day, even the rain felt good.
We slowly walked all the way to Canada Place. Gray sky. A calm winter sea. Cargo ships anchored in the distance. Seagulls flying low. The cold sea breeze brushed my cheeks. The coffee in my hand was still warm. A bench came into view. We naturally sat down side by side. For a while, we said nothing. That silence felt strangely comfortable.
After a moment. Ben quietly spoke up. "So..." "What's your hometown like?" I looked down at my coffee for a moment. There was something I definitely wanted to say in English. But the sentences wouldn't come together easily. "I..." "...I've..." My words stopped for a moment. Ben didn't say anything. He didn't rush me. He didn't finish my sentence for me, either. He simply waited quietly. I slowly opened my mouth again. "I've pretty much spent my whole life..." "...in the same neighborhood." He smiled. "See?" "You knew exactly what you wanted to say." I smiled shyly. "It just takes me a little longer." Ben shook his head. "That's okay." "I'm not going anywhere." At those words. My heart warmed for no reason. I continued. "I went to the same elementary school, middle school, and high school." "And now I go to a university that's not far from home." Ben nodded slowly. "So..." "You've always had one place to go back to." I thought for a moment, then smiled. "I guess so." "I never really thought about it." "Home was always just... home." Ben gazed out at the sea for a while. Then he smiled faintly. "That sounds nice." A brief silence passed. Only the gentle sound of the waves could be heard. Then he spoke again. "I've always wanted to visit Seoul." I looked at him with a smile. "Really?" "Yeah." "You'll have to show me around someday." My face grew warm for no reason. I smiled and took a sip of coffee. "Maybe." "If you ever come." He nodded with a smile. "Oh, I will." "I'll remember that." We both laughed. Even after our laughter stopped. We were quiet for a while. As we gazed together at the gray winter sea. I suddenly found myself wondering. This person. Where does he think of as home? I asked carefully. "Ben." "Hm?" "Where's home for you?" Ben didn't answer right away. He simply. Kept gazing at the gray sea for a long time. The winter wind quietly passed between us.