Go left, go right

If you try going in another direction, you might find that everything is completely different…

(Narrator) The labyrinthine city makes people accustomed to seeing the same sights, walking the same routes, and arriving at the same destinations; habit makes life unchanging; habit gives people a strange sense of security, yet also a strange loneliness. And you never know what your habits will make you miss.

That winter was particularly cold.

The whole city was shrouded in damp rain.

The sky was overcast, and the sun was nowhere to be seen.

It’s inexplicably frustrating.

I often feel an urge to cry when I’m walking down the street…

Woman: She lives in an old apartment building in the suburbs of the city. Every time she goes out, no matter where she goes, she always habitually turns left first.

Man: He lives in an old apartment building in the suburbs of the city. Every time he goes out, no matter where he goes, he always habitually turns right first.

Woman: On October 15th, the sunlight was blocked by the constantly drifting clouds, and the light inside the room flickered. He had never met her before.

Male: October 28th, sunny. He hasn’t been doing very well lately. Occasionally, he goes to an upscale restaurant in the city in the evenings to play the violin and earn some extra money.

Woman: November 7th, the weather was gloomy and damp, with a faint melancholy feeling, like winter is coming.

Male: On November 11th, a cold wind started blowing in the afternoon, and sometimes he felt empty and powerless.

Woman: On November 19th, the winter sun cast long, long shadows. She was used to walking to the left, and he was used to walking to the right, but they never met.

Man: On November 23rd, it got dark very quickly, before five o’clock. He was translating a tragic novel, which often made him feel that the world was bleak.

Woman: On December 2nd, thick clouds moved slowly in the distance. When she’s not working, she likes to go into the city for a coffee, stroll along the streets, watch the passersby, and talk to the stray cats on the roadside.

Man: The sun came out on December 10th, but the house felt particularly damp. Sometimes he felt that life was boring.

Woman: December 20th, it looks like it’s going to rain again. Like most people in the city, we’ll never know each other, yet we’ll live together forever…

(Narrator) So one day, they met in front of the fountain in the park.

They were like long-lost lovers, spending a happy and sweet afternoon together.

At dusk, a sudden downpour began. They hurriedly exchanged phone numbers and parted ways in the pouring rain.

Woman: He still habitually walks to the right…

Man: She still habitually walks to the left…

(Narrator) The heavy rain soaked their hearts, but their hearts were warm. That night, both of them were so excited they couldn’t sleep…

The rain pattered down all night. But life is full of surprises; even the kite held in your hand can suddenly break its string.

Woman: On December 23rd, a cold front hit, and the temperature dropped really low in the early morning.

Male: December 24th, a Christmas Eve with nonstop rain~~

(Narrator) I dare not go anywhere, afraid of missing any phone calls…

Staring at the blurry handwriting, I made one wrong phone call after another…

Woman: On December 31st, the temperature was low and cold, a cold air mass lingered, and the rain continued to fall…

(Narrator) They were so frustrated they couldn’t sleep. The radio played the cheers of the countdown in front of City Hall Square… Another year had passed.

Days passed, and no one met the other again.

Walking among the crowd, I especially miss that sweet but short-lived encounter.

In this familiar yet unfamiliar city, I helplessly search for a figure that is both strange and familiar.

My mood suddenly dropped for no reason, and I felt a strange sadness about my loneliness.

Man: Is she still in this city?

Or did they leave long ago?

I think of her on rainy days.

How could she just disappear from this city without a sound?

(Narrator) They had teased the same little yellow kitten; petted the same stray dog; heard the same crow’s caw in the dim sunlight of the morning; and kissed the same baby. The violin music coming from next door sounds so mournful!

Woman: I think today is his birthday. I wonder where he is now?

As my memories become increasingly hazy, I almost doubt that the afternoon I fell in love with never happened at all.

I decided to leave this desolate city and travel to a sunny place.

Man: He still prefers to walk to the right.

Woman: She still prefers to walk to the left.

(Narrator) That winter was particularly cold.

The whole city was shrouded in damp rain.

The sky was overcast, and the sun was nowhere to be seen.

It’s inexplicably frustrating.

I often feel an urge to cry when I’m walking down the street…

But winter always passes, and spring always comes…