The cherry blossoms along the river were in full bloom, their pale petals swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. The air smelled faintly of rain and something sweet, a scent Seol-ah couldn't name but felt she recognized.
Eli walked beside her, one hand in his coat pocket and the other holding two paper cups of coffee. "You used to come here almost every week," he said. "You said this street had better light than anywhere else in the city."
She glanced at the camera hanging over her shoulder. She hadn't planned to use it today, but the way the blossoms fell on the cobblestones urged her to capture the moment. "What about you? Did you come with me?"
"Sometimes," he replied with a faint smile. "But you always walked ahead, too focused on chasing the light to wait for me."
There was something almost fond in his voice, making her chest tighten.
They stopped at a bench by the water. Eli set the coffee down and watched her raise the camera. She adjusted the focus until the world blurred except for one perfect cluster of petals. She pressed the shutter—click.
When she lowered the camera, Eli was looking past her, his expression shifting and tightening.
"What is it?" she asked.
He moved around her, gazing down the street. At first, she saw nothing but passersby, then a dark coat. A wide-brimmed hat. The figure stood half-hidden in the shadow of a ginkgo tree, perfectly still.
Seol-ah's breath caught. "It's him."
By the time Eli moved forward, the man was already walking away, disappearing into the crowd as if he had never been there.
Eli turned back to her. "Stay here."
She grabbed his sleeve. "No. I won't let you go after him alone."
He hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. Together they crossed the street, weaving through pedestrians. The scent of blossoms was stronger here, mixing with the sharper smell of rain on stone.
But when they reached the corner, the man was gone. In his place, taped to a lamppost at eye level, was a single Polaroid.
It showed Seol-ah on this very street, moments ago, camera raised, petals in her hair.
Eli pulled it down, his jaw set. "He's closer than I thought."