Hyukjae didn’t know how it happened, but here he is, driving his car towards the Namsan Tower with Dara. He originally planned to go home after he exited from the bar earlier. But it didn’t push through when Dara suddenly stopped him.

When he saw the sadness in her eyes while asking him to have fun with her, there was a sudden pull inside of him, telling him that Dara needs him. He finds it weird to have a sudden feeling of compassion for a stranger. He was used to having an unwanted acquaintance when he was drinking in the bar. Most girls are trying to ask him for a hookup or being friends with him, but none of them made him interested.

But with Dara, it was different. He felt helpless at some point to see her hurting. And when he agreed, he can feel the happiness she felt. He can feel that she was thankful for not dealing with her consternation alone.

They reached the vicinity of the Namsan Tower and he parked his car on the open parking lot. He looked at Dara and saw her excited expression. He smiled weakly as there is a memory in the tower itself that he wanted to forget. He is hesitant to go here, but he has no choice as Dara needed to be here.

“Here we are,” He said while unbuckling his seatbelt while Dara did the same.

“Gosh! I am so excited.” Dara squealed while immediately getting off the car and slightly jumping like a kid outside.

He laughed softly when he saw how cute her reaction is. She was like a child who received her favorite candy. He opened the door and got off the car and closed it. He strode beside Dara and smiled at her.

“Come on.”

They walked towards the entrance door of the tower and the guard greeted them. They rode the elevator to go up the top of the tower. They reached the top and stepped outside of the elevator. There are few people there and Hyukjae thanks the heaven because it’s not crowded. He will feel uncomfortable if there are many people for a reason he doesn’t want attention.

Dara was in awe of the view. The lights of the cars, buildings, and houses are like fireflies that were scattered everywhere. Giving a serene ambiance to the environment. She ran near on the railings and spread her arms, closing her eyes, and trying to feel the cold breeze of the night.

It felt magical, as thousands of emotions clouded her heart. She slowly opened her eyes and put down her arms. She looked in the sky and observe the thousands of stars and the bright moon above.  A tear was dangerously forming on her tear duct but she immediately blinked it away. She doesn’t want to shed tears tonight – for just one night.

Hyukjae walked slowly beside Dara, and like her, he was observing the view below the tower. It’s been a long time since he witnessed the beauty of the city. That long time was a few years ago with someone he loved the most. He glanced at Dara and observe her expression. He can’t figure out if she was happy or not but one thing he knew for sure is she was thankful to be here.

“Let’s lock now a love padlock Hyuk,” Dara said while smiling at Hyukjae. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the padlock store.

They reached the small store and bore their eyes to the many kinds of love padlock. Dara examined all the boxes of the padlocks in there.

“Omo! So cute!” She squealed in delight. And she picked up the red box in the right corner of the shelf. It was pink and blue padlock with a shape of hearts. He showed it to Hyukjae.

“What do you think about this? It is cute right?” Dara asked while looking at Hyukjae with puppy eyes.

Hyukjae smiled. “It’s cute, but you’re cuter.”

Dara was flustered by the sudden compliment. She immediately put it down and looked everywhere except Hyukjae. She felt her face reddened. It was the first time that she heard that kind of compliment from someone. Albeit the fact that her family is always complimenting her like that, but it felt weird to heard it from outside her family.

Hyukjae not noticing the flustered face of Dara started to look for a padlock. He studied at each box to help Dara in looking for the best until a box in the left corner of the shelf had caught his attention. He picked it up and smile at the oddness of the padlock. It had a unique design and not a cringy type, unlike the most padlock design in there. It was a green and red padlock. The green padlock was in the shape of a palm tree while the red one was in the shape of a ramen cup.

“Dara, look at this,” Hyukjae said while showing the box to Dara.

Dara glanced at Hyukjae and looked at the box. She smiled widely when she saw the unique padlock. He got the box off from Hyukjae’s hand and examined it.

“This is cute!” She exclaimed while examining it more. “This is unique. Unlike those hearts padlock.” She looked up at Hyukjae. “Let’s buy this.”

She walks towards the cashier counter and she handed it to the cashier attendant.

“8,000 won please.”

She was about to take out a bill from her coat pocket when suddenly Hyukjae handed a bill to the cashier attendant. She was taken aback and she glanced at Hyukjae with raised eyebrows.

“Why did you do that?”

Hyukjae looked at Dara and smirked. “I hate it when a girl is paying for something if she’s with me. So I paid for it.”

Dara frowned. “Do you have a forthright personality? Earlier, you told me I am cuter than a padlock. And now you’re saying that you don’t want a girl to pay when she’s with you.”

“Your padlock and your change sir.” The cashier attendant interrupted their conversation while handling the padlock and the bill to Hyukjae.

Hyukjae received it and mumbled his thanks. He beckoned Dara to follow him outside, and they occupied the empty table in front of the store. They sat across from each other. And Hyukjae opened the box, taking out the two padlocks and giving it to her.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Dara said while reaching for the two padlocks. “Do you have a forthright personality?” 

“I am a very plainspoken person,” Hyukjae said simply. He smiled and he lifted the marker from the small box in the center of the table and he handed it to her. ”I tend to speak what’s on my mind. No sugarcoating, no breaks, and no hesitation. If I want to say something I will say it. If I want to do something, I will do it. And I think it’s better to be valiant than to be irresolute.”

Dara nodded as he comprehended what he was trying to say. “Yes, I think It’s better to get hurt by the harsh truth than to be comforted with a lie. Because if you will be comforted with a lie, it will hurt even more when you found out the truth.”

Hyukjae hummed. “Seconded!”

Dara sneered. “I bet it’s easy for you to make woman head over heels for you. By suddenly blurting out your mushy lines without a problem.”

Hyukjae smirked.  “Why? Are you already head over heels for me?”

Dara's eyes widen. Hyukjae throws another unvarnished remark at her. “No!”

Hyukjae laughed. Dara’s reaction was priceless. “Hey. I am just joking. Don’t widen your eyes too much.”

Dara composed herself and she tried to laugh it out.  “Tch! What a lame joke?!”

Hyukjae chuckled and shook his head. And he averted his gaze to the two padlocks in front of her.

“Aren’t you going to write on the padlock now?”

Dara looked down on the padlock in front of her. She handed the ramen cup padlock to Hyukjae.

“Here. Write one too.”

Hyukjae shook his head. “No, thank you. I didn’t agree to accompany you here for me to write something on a padlock.”

“Why?” Dara said and she pouted. “You brought this. It’s a waste if you will not write anything.”

Hyukjae stared at the padlock in front of him. Those familiar words of Dara were enough to trigger something inside of his already messed-up mind. And a sudden memory film began playing inside his head.

"Jagiya, write one, please. It will be a waste if you will not write anything."

Hyukjae wrapped around his arms to Jieun who was seated beside him. He took a peck on her cheeks and smiled at her lovingly.

“What do you want me to write?”

“Hmm… I don’t know… What you want to write?”

“Hmm... I want to stamp our marriage contract. Instead of writing on a padlock.”

And with his mushy response, Jieun planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Hyuk?” Dara called while creasing her eyebrows with worry. Hyukjae was in dazed, his body went rigid and his eyebrows were furrowed. She noticed a liquid forming in his eyes.

“Hyukjae?” She called him for a second time when the latter hadn’t responded to her first call. She gently shook his shoulder.

Hyukjae was pulled back in reality when he felt his shoulders are being shaken. He immediately blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes. He looked away from Dara’s concerned eyes while trying to calm himself. Anger, guilt, and regret have clouded his mind and heart. He didn’t expect that being in this place would trigger a memory that was like a nightmare for it only brings misery to him.  He wanted to calm his nerves, he tried his best to make his breathing even. But no matter what he tries, his vulnerability is overpowering his volition. And right now all he can think is he needed a stabilizer, be it alcohol or some pills, it doesn’t matter. What matters to him is to erase the vivid memory inside his head.

He continued in trying to calm his inside until suddenly, he felt someone is hugging him from behind. He flinched in surprise but he didn’t bother to pry away the hands that were encircling him. It was odd. But the oddness he felt about being hug didn’t bother him.

“Hyuk, It’s ok. Calm down.”

He closed his eyes at the sound of the soothing voice beside his ear. He smelled the fragrance of iris flowers from Dara’s perfume, which surprisingly stabilizing his untold emotions. And the memory inside his head is slowly disappearing like the wind. The combined emotions in his hearts are slowly vanishing.

“It’s ok…”

And for the first time, he felt comforted...

Dara couldn’t fathom the reason for Hyukjae’s sudden change of behavior. She was worried. She didn’t think twice to give solace to him, which he reciprocates. After a minute of hugging him, Hyukjae came back to normal. He uttered his apology to her but she just shook it off and made sure he was alright. She didn’t ask him why he was like that because she felt that Hyukjae needed time before he can open up and tell her what’s bothering him. The only thing she can do is to be with him. To comfort him if circumstances demand her to.

Hyukjae had expected Dara to question what was wrong with him, and he was ready to turn her down because he doesn’t want to reveal the secret of his life. But the only question that came out from Dara’s mouth was ‘Are you ok?’. And with that simple gesture, he felt grateful for her.

“It’s done!” Dara exclaimed while looking at the palm tree padlock, she locked on the railings.

They were standing in front of the railings with hundreds of colorful padlocks locked on them. Hyukjae looked at Dara and he smiled in satisfaction to see her bright face. He averted his gaze to the locked padlock and read what she had written.

Dara was here with Hyukjae.

Completed #2 on my list

02/13/20

“Can I ask you something?” Hyukjae said and Dara nodded.  “Why is going on here and locking a love padlock is on your list?”

Dara smiled. She took the ramen cup-shaped padlock out of her pocket. And she locked it beside the palm tree padlock. “Because my dream is to fall in love. And I think one proof of falling in love is this padlock.”

Hyukjae looked down. When he saw what was written on it, thousand of blissful emotions had sprung in his heart. He felt his inside was being clenched. Not because of sadness or nervousness, but because of gratitude.

2/13/20

I wish that Hyukjae will find his happiness…  - Dara

“Have you ever been in love Hyuk?” Dara asked while looking at the serenity of the view.

Hyukjae was silenced. It took a second before he can answer.  “I’ve been.”

“And how does it feel?”

Hyukjae once again was lost for words. He didn’t know how he will answer the question that was thrown at him. Because for him, the feeling of being in love was also a mystery. Some people say that love feels unique. The feeling of it varies and depends on how the person would like to define it.  It can feel like a roller coaster of several emotions. It can also feel like an intense hit of joy and peace. It can be a melody that will play in your hearts and your heads. It can be blissful and at the same time, it can be agonizing.

But if he would define it, there is one word that will suit his definition…

Hyukjae averted his gaze to the place where Dara is looking and he spoke...

“Painful… ”

Author's Corner:

Hello ^_^

I will drop another update by next week. :)

Are you still interested in this story? ^_^ I hope yes.

If not, I am sorry, I will work hard! to give you a nice story :)

BTW. Thank you for reading! ;* ♡

Have a nice day :)