"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

–Lao Tzu

It was the rain that woke her up that morning. 

Dara opened her eyes and found herself tucked closely in Jiyong's arms. Her husband was still sound asleep and he didn't even make a sound when she carefully removed herself from him.

Groggily, she sat up, noticing herself on the huge mirror that was situated to the side of the room. Her shoulders had a number of red splotches that came from his eager bites and when she turned forward, she noticed that her chest and neck didn't fell short from his hunger.

She got up and distractedly wore her yukata, not bothering to fasten it and leaving it open in the front. Dara padded towards their terrace that lead to their small private hot springs, overlooking a great mountain view. 

Dara felt herself grew hypnotized at the sound of rain and as soon as she stepped out of the room, she marveled at the tiny droplets from the skies. She sat, leaning against the terrace doors and watched the crying clouds with a childlike fascination. 

She didn't know how long she stayed rooted on that spot but after a while, she heard his familiar footsteps and she turned to see Jiyong wearing his yukata behind the door. 

They shared a smile when they caught each other's eyes and Jiyong plopped down beside her, instantly circling an arm against her waist and pulling her closer. 

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep. She nodded as he put his head on her shoulder. 

They were both silent as they watched the rain fall together. Dara seemed to be under a dazed spell seeing such a familiar sight in front of her. 

It rained when her father died. And the same thing happened when she had her miscarriage. Though rain mostly appeared when things went south in her life, it also rained during their wedding—one of her happiest days. 

So as she looked up at the dark clouds, she wondered if something was going to happen. Will today bring her to grief or will it bring her to bliss? As she pondered to herself, she didn't notice her husband's curious eyes before he turned and stared at the calming yet foreboding scenery.

Jiyong thought that his nightmares had already disappeared because he doesn't remember them but when Dara pointed out that he had it again, he didn't know if he should be afraid or relieved that he had no recollection of it. In the past, those nightmares would be vivid, haunting him even with his eyes wide open.

Now there was nothing. He didn't even dream anymore. Or at least, he thinks he didn't. Maybe he just didn't remember. 

Their personal trances seemed to have subsided just as the rain came to a stop. Dara blinked while Jiyong rubbed away the remnants of sleep from his face. 

Dara snuggled closer against him, giving him better access to her opened yukata and letting his fingers trace shapes against her stomach. Jiyong kissed her head and whispered a good morning against her ear before his attention takes a dramatic shift towards their private hot spring. 

"Hey babe."

She knew something was up the moment he said 'babe'. 

"No Jiyong."

He glared at her. "You don't even know what I was gonna ask!" 

She looked at him and noticed his flushed face and his reddening ears. From the sight, she knew he was thinking of something erted. And when her eyes caught the hot spring, a disgusted scowl immediately appeared on her face. 

"C'mon~" he pouted, feathering kisses on her neck. 

She put her hands on his chest to push him away but when he nibbled on a sensitive part on her neck, she pulled him closer instead. Dara could feel his smile against her skin and it made her snap out from her daze and cover his eager mouth.

"We haven't even cleaned up yet," she whined. "I feel dirty."

His half-lidded eyes looked at her seductively and he held her wrist, kissing her palm. "So get dirtier with me," he shrugged. 

Jiyong got up and shamelessly took off his yukata, displaying to the world how he was taken with how many marks Dara gave him. He glanced back and found her still sitting down, her expression was like a deer caught in the headlights and it made him laugh. 

"Are you coming?" And then a sly smirk appeared on his face. "Or do you want me to make you come?" 

Dara rolled her eyes and reached out for him so that he could help her stand up. As he did, Jiyong started removing her robe carefully, earning her a resentful scowl and a mad blush. 

"You're insufferable," she muttered as he led them to the hot water.

She sighed contentedly when her skin met the scorching but relaxing temperature. Jiyong settled beside her and before he knew it, Dara was straddling his lap and leaning towards him. She gave him a chaste peck and smiled.

"But you love this insufferable man, don't you?" He mumbled against her lips. 

Dara cupped his face and flashed him the brightest grin she could muster. "I love him more than anything."

Dara got out as soon as Jiyong parked their car, earning her a roaring scolding from him. However, his voice fell silent when she slammed her door closed and marveled at the view in front of her. 

Jiyong was a grumbling mess when he followed after her but when he saw the view, his mouth fell open just like hers. 

"I've never seen so much... pink," she said, amazed. 

He held her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles. "Welcome to Japan, babe." 

Jiyong was about to kiss her when she suddenly dragged him by the hand towards the entrance. His lips were still slightly puckered, just waiting for her to take it but then she shoved her phone to his face so that he could take a picture of her. 

A comical, frustrated vein popped on his temple as he begrudgingly took pictures of her. At one point, she started doing ridiculous poses, making his features relax and he eventually let out an amused chuckle. 

Dara was about to head for him when she got distracted by a dog. She was a squealing mess when she dropped down to pet the cute pup. The old man who was walking the dog squatted down as well to talk to Dara but when he realized that she couldn't understand Japanese, he merely scratched his head and chuckled. 

"Jiyong!" Dara screeched excitedly. "It's the dog from the memes!!!" 

He was still holding her phone in his hand as a smile started to appear on his face. Instead of going to her, he just continued taking pictures. There was a childlike innocence in her happy expression. It was as if the world wasn't on her shoulders anymore and she wasn't pushed by the burden of morbid inevitability. She was just a girl enjoying the company of a dog and his heart beat fluttered at her blissful face. 

Jiyong had always loved her smiling face. It was one of the things about her that made him fall in love. Dara had always been happy and playful when they were younger and seeing how relaxed she looked made him want to feel what she was feeling too. Dara had changed him without her even knowing and as he looked at the latest photo that he took, his heart leaped in bliss. 

Eventually, Dara came back to him, instantly catching him in a hug and excitedly spazzing over the dog. Jiyong waved at the old man as the dog and him started walking away. Holding her hand again, they walked around town and just wandered around.

"We're going to take a shuttle bus to get to Naka Senbon. That's where the cherry blossoms are the prettiest," he grinned. 

"Are you saying that these aren't pretty?" She said incredulously, pointing at the area where there was already a plethora of cherry blossoms.

He laughed and kissed her hair. "That's where all the shops and attractions are, babe. I was guessing we could buy a few stuff for Sunmi noona, appa, and omma." 

She elbowed him playfully, "My omma is your omma now too, hehehe~" 

He sighed, "I guess I can't fall in love with Sunmi noona anymore..."

"YAH!! Kwon Jiyong!" 

Jiyong winked, "C'mon or we're gonna miss the bus!" 

Before she could even respond, he had pulled her onto his back and carried her in a piggyback. Dara squealed in surprise as he started zooming to the shuttle services. Jiyong could hear her bright laughter in his ears and he took a quick glance back to see her giggling and hiding her face from people's curious eyes. 

He looked straight ahead and couldn't help the grin on his face. His cheeks were starting to ache from smiling and nothing can make it disappear as long as he was the reason she was laughing like that. 

"Jiyongggg!!!! Take a picture!!!!!" 

He didn't know that Dara was the stereotypical Asian tourist and it amused him to the point that he couldn't even about it. 

"Yah, I better be in the pictures this time," he called out. "It's always only you in the pictures. I didn't marry you to be your photographer!" 

She rolled her eyes and dragged him by the arm so that they could take a picture together behind a giant cherry blossom tree. Jiyong reached his arm out to take a selfie and Dara was all smiles until she realized that he had put her camera on video. Scowling, she started hitting his arm while he doubled over in laughter. 

He caught her in a sudden back hug and took a selfie of both of them. The genuine surprise on Dara's face made his smile widen and she ordered him to delete the photo but he had secretly sent it to his phone before she deleted it on hers. 

"Do you wanna have a picnic here?" 

Her ears perked up. "Can we? Did you bring a picnic?" She then started looking at his hands, grumbling at them being empty. 

"Let me rephrase that." He tilted her chin up to him. "I'll buy us food and we can sit on the grass and kiss a little." 

Dara snorted, "Look who sounds confident." And as she said that, Jiyong stole a kiss before scampering away like a thief. She yelled her annoyance at him but then laughed when she saw him stumble over an uneven pavement like the dork that he really was. 

She looked around to find a spot for them but there were too many people on the area already. Dara was about to give up when a family was starting to pack their bags and head out, leaving a space for her and Jiyong to take over. She bowed slightly in greeting as she passed them by and she fixed her skirt so that she could seat comfortably on the ground. 

Jiyong was waiting in line on a food stall and he turned to see where his wife was. When he didn't find her in the same spot, he heard her familiar voice and saw her waiving frantically from her spot on the open field. Jiyong waved back, laughing silently to himself before turning back to the line when it was his turn to order. 

Dara sat alone as she mindlessly scrolled through her photos. She didn't know that Jiyong took so many pictures of her and she didn't know why that fact warmed her heart so much. She couldn't even delete the ugly ones that he took. It was as if every photo—no matter how crappy it was—was special in it's own way. 

Her eyes wandered back to her husband who was smiling and making conversation with one of the guys who were waiting. He always had an easy smile to his face but he was also somewhat reserved.

He never really showed familiarity with others so easily but now that he did, she couldn't help but be proud of him going out of his shell. She had always wanted him to show others how charming and likeable he was (even if it would make her jealous sometimes) and now that he's finally being open, Dara felt... relieved. 

As he started walking back to her, Dara still couldn't get over the fact that her enigma baby, Kwon Jiyong, turned into this GQ-esque model. Of course he wouldn't fall in line with the muscular ones. Jiyong was thin but he was lean and had muscle that didn't overwhelm his body to the point that his figure had become different. 

Jiyong was her man and she was his woman. And that definitely held true this morning when both of them couldn't take their hands off each other. 

When it came time to clean up, Jiyong didn't want to hide the love bites on his neck, much to her annoyance and embarrassment. Thanks to the magic of makeup, they looked as good as new!

...

But once in a while, she could see Jiyong scratching his neck and she didn't know if he was doing that to deliberately remove his makeup or if he really had an itch. 

Jiyong dangled a plastic bag in front of her and smiled. "I got some yakisoba!" 

"Of course you would."

He sat down and pinched her cheek, making her whine. "What's that supposed to mean, punk?" 

She glared at him while he laughed quietly. Dara watched as Jiyong carefully took out a container of yakisoba while handing her some chopsticks. They both shared an expectant (Jiyong slightly more excited) look before they both dug in and enjoyed their food together. 

The sound of playing children and hushed conversations surrounded them as they ate and basked in the beautiful scenery. Jiyong glanced at Dara but quickly turned away when he saw the mischievous look in her eyes. He was already inching away from her when she hooked him by the arm and held him in place. 

"Why do you look so scared?" She drawled. 

Jiyong gulped the forming lump on his throat, avoiding her gaze. "I'm n-not. I just... I'm just appreciating nature." 

"Nature makes you afraid?"

He snorted, "Nature makes me feel a lot of things."

"So hey, Jiyong..."

He sighed, "No Dara."

She pouted, "You didn't even let me finish—"

"Oh the tables have turned," Jiyong laughed.

"You got your hot spring this morning!" She hissed.

"I got way more than that, babe," he winked. 

She rolled her eyes but blushed. "Mine isn't even that bad," she murmured. 

"Alright, what is it," he said. "Amuse me, wench."

"I want you to tell me you love me every time we make eye contact," she said, grinning.

He furrowed his brows. "Every time we make eye contact?"

She thought that he would decline as soon as he heard her so she was happy at his inquiry. "Not every time," she pursed her lips in thought. "Maybe just every time we..."

"You're dares are getting cheesy and boring, babe." He gave her a side look. "You must really be getting old."

Dara pushed his shoulder and glared. "I'm trying to be cute here!"

"Cute?" He practically sputtered. 

"Just—" She was about to say something more but she stopped herself and just let out a big breath. "Never mind. I'm getting embarrassed just thinking I really said it—"

Jiyong shut her up with a kiss. Not because that was the only way she would quiet down, but because he just really wanted to kiss her. As they parted, his hand stayed tangled against her hair while his eyes glimmered with amused affection. 

"I love you," he said, staring at her. When she shied away from his gaze, he smiled and moved so tha