She finds it utterly adorable how Sungyoon always tries to look for her in the crowd whenever he is on stage. And when he finds her eyes, he smiles even wider, glowing so bright it blinded her. Sometimes, she still finds it hard to believe that she could call Sungyoon her beloved. 

 

She first heard him sing in a cafe she always go to. She was minding her own business doing her school work on her laptop but his singing voice caught her attention. The melodic voice accompanied by the piano, she had to see who was the owner of such captivating voice. 

 

She took a break from her work and decided to focus on his singing instead. As a music major, his voice surely captivated her. He has his eyes closed, so immersed in the melody of the piano, fingers moving so languidly it seems unreal to her. 

 

She didn’t realise when actually she closed her eyes because now the pair of eyes she’s wanted to see is looking at her how she’s been looking at him; pure adoration and amazement. 

 

The pair of eyes were so beautiful it made him look ethereal. She didn’t realise she was holding her breath for the moment they had their eyes locked. She knows by now her cheeks are flushed and her cheeks turned another shade of pink as he smiled at her. 

 

Once he got off the stage, she had to gather herself again to continue with her work because it proved to be difficult to really focus with her assignment. 

 

She grabbed her earphones and put on her usual studying playlist. She had just been able to continue with her work again when someone tapped her shoulder which caused her to jump a little.

 

“Mind if I sit here?” the angelic voice asked her and she was too shocked to say anything and just nodded her head timidly. 

 

The cafe itself wasn’t crowded, it was a pretty calm evening considering it’s a weekday. 

 

“I hope you liked my singing just now. It wasn’t my best though,” he said shyly. 

 

‘If that wasn’t the best he could sing then how good is this guy?’ she wondered to herself. 

 

“I thought you were great though,” she said under her breath but he definitely caught her saying it. was parched all of a sudden and she was about to sip her coffee but was reminded that it was finished like 30 minutes ago as she stared at the empty cup.  

 

The atmosphere was awkward but it wasn’t anything uncomfortable. Seeing her cup of coffee empty, Sungyoon asked if she would like a cup of coffee and immediately after he got up and ordered them a cup of coffee each. 

 

She decided then, there’s no point of trying to focus on her work because there’s no way she can do it now and also because she still has plenty of time before the submission date. 

 

He came back with two cups of iced coffee and took his spot across of her again.

 

“Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself to you. I’m Choi Sungyoon,” he said as he hands her the coffee. 

 

“Im Jieun,” she said as she thanked him for the cup of coffee. 

 

They drank their coffees in silence, occasionally exchanging shy glances. 

 

“I’ve never seen you sing here before. In fact, nobody ever goes up to that piano,” she asked him with curious eyes, hands clasped tightly on the cup of iced coffee to contain her nerves. She’s never been one to start a conversation with strangers but somehow, the person in front of her is different. 

 

“I just moved to this area. My uncle owns this cafe and I kinda needed a place to stay,” he said leaning towards the table. He then explains how both him and his uncle came to an agreement that he will help around the cafe and he won’t have to worry about rent. 

 

“I used to rent a room a bit further from here but it kinda got harder for me to commute to and back from the campus,” he said trying his best to not blush as they both made eye contact. 

 

As they talk the awkward atmosphere slowly dissipated and was replaced with something more comfortable. 

 

Apparently they both are going to the same university but are in different fields of study and that Sungyoon is in a year above her. 

 

“You know, this is my first time talking to a philosophy major. I thought philosophy majors would be a bit more chaotic,” she said carefully to not offend him. 

 

And again, she felt her breath stuck at for the nth time that night at as she heard him laugh. 

 

“Not all of us are chaotic, you know. Same goes to me too. It’s actually my first time coming across a music major,” nervousness written all over his face. She just brushed him off, saying his singing was good that it threw her off a little. 

 

They continued their conversation until her phone interrupted their conversation. Seeing the text from her roommate asking her whereabouts that she realised it was already 8 o’clock. She replied to her roommate quickly and put her phone aside. 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t realise the time,” he said apologetically to her, hands rubbing the back of his neck, face graced with a small shy smile. 

 

“It’s okay, i’m at fault too. I had a nice talk, it kinda feels a bit sad to end it,” she said only realising a moment later what she just said. 

 

She was trying to stop herself from becoming a furious blushing mess when Sungyoon handed her his phone. She looked at him, confused. 

 

“Give me your number and this conversation won’t end here,” eyes filled with sincerity, the tip of his ears turning slightly red, trying to tell her he feels the same as she did. She typed in her number on his phone and handed it back to him. 

 

She was about to reply to her roommate’s new text when her phone rang. 

 

“And now, you have my number too,” he said with a smile so bright that she thought her heart stopped beating for a moment. 

 

“Do you live nearby?” he asked as they headed for the front door.

 

As the front door opened, the cold autumn breeze greeted them and instead of answering Sungyoon’s question she let out a small squeal, shocked by the sudden cold breeze. 

 

At that moment, Sungyoon thought if soulmates were real, she was his soulmate. 

 

“I live just a few blocks away from here,” she said after regaining her composure back. 

 

“Come on, I’ll walk you home,” he offered. 

 

They walk close to each other, hands sometimes brushing shyly against one another. They were both unsure of each other’s feelings but one thing was for sure. Fate had destined them together, invincible red string binding each other’s ring finger. 

 

“Here we are,” she said as they arrived at her apartment complex. 

 

“I’ll text you,” he said as he told her to go on ahead and he’ll see her in. And at that moment, she was sure she wanted Sungyoon around for a long time. 

 

True to his words, as soon as she got into her apartment he texted her asking if she’s safely inside. ‘I really want him around for a very long time’

 

This was two years ago when they first met at the very same cafe they are in right now, Sungyoon shining ever so brightly under the stage lights, voice so clear and melodic. Eyes roaming through the crowd in the cafe and settling into hers, sometimes throwing her a few winks. 

 

Sungyoon had graduated last year and she will graduate at the end of the month. Sungyoon had gotten a job at a middle school in town after he graduated and moved out of his uncle’s place. he still occasionally sings at his uncle’s cafe when he visits though.

 

She is currently an intern at an entertainment company as an assistant to a composer. She agreed with Sungyoon to meet up after she was done with work at the cafe as they were both eating breakfast at the kitchen table. 

 

“I have a surprise for you,” he had said. 

 

So there she was, sitting and enjoying her boyfriend’s delicate voice singing to her favourite song. As the song ended, she was ready to welcome her boyfriend to the chair next to her but he just stayed there in front of the piano. 

 

Sungyoon started playing a new tune unfamiliar to her. As the tune goes, he looked at her in the eyes and she knew then that the song is his surprise. 

 

The lyrics were beautiful, the melody of the piano accompanying his voice amped the sentimental value of the song to the both of them. As he got off the stage, walking towards her with a smile that she can’t read. 

 

“Did you like the surprise?” he asked her, hands fondly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears. 

 

“I wrote it myself. I hope I made my music major girlfriend proud,” he said as he sipped her coffee, eyes expectant to hear his girlfriend’s feedback. 

 

“It’s perfect, as always, thank you,” her thumb delicately tracing soft patterns on the back of Sungyoon’s hand. 

 

She embedded the smile her boyfriend had on his face in her memory because like all of his other smiles, she wants to cherish them all. 

 

“I’m just so proud of you and I love you so much. So, I figured why not write you a song?” he said, eyes fixed on their intertwined fingers. 

 

“I do mean all of the words I sang though, I want to spend my forever with you,” the beautiful pair of eyes was filled with determination. 

 

“And I want to spend my forever with you too.” she replied, eyes tender with love and their invincible red string glowing so bright promising them an eternity together.  

 

“We do need my mom’s permission first though,” her eyes were gleaming. Sungyoon had introduced her to his family last year. His family, just like Sungyoon, are very nice people and welcomed her into the family straight away. 

 

She had been meaning to introduce him to her mom but they would have to drive a bit further out of town. It’s always been just her and her mom and it would mean a lot if they both asked for her permission before they proceed with something more serious. 

 

“Let’s go see mom this weekend. We don’t have anything planned,” he said as they were both walking back to their apartment, arms linked with each other. She hummed in agreement and mused herself with the puffs of air that escapes in the winter air as Sungyoon talks. 

 

It was finally the weekend and Sungyoon caught himself staring at their bedroom ceiling. ‘I’m so nervous. It wasn’t as intense to ask for mom and dad’s permission.’ He then felt the sheets rustle and a warm hand crept to his side, short and even breaths tickling his neck. 

 

‘It’s for our forever,’ he said softly, planting a kiss on her forehead. She snuggled closer to him and his heart melts at the sight of his soon to be wife in his embrace. He couldn’t resist himself from kissing the tip of her nose. 

 

Her eyes fluttered open and Sungyoon muttered a soft good morning. She hums and hugged him closer, placing a kiss at the base of his neck. It was so precious and he wanted nothing more than this for the rest of his life. 

 

As much as they both enjoyed their morning cuddles, they do have to get going as it’s an important day for both of them. They got ready and packed all the things they needed for the short trip to her hometown. 

 

They stopped by a florist to buy her mom’s favourite pink hydrangeas and pink baby’s breath. The car ride was filled with long and meaningful conversation between the two lovers and Sungyoon sometimes singing to the songs being played on the radio to ease his nerves. 

 

It took them a couple of hours to finally reach their destination and when they finally arrived, his nerves were all over the place. 

 

“Don’t worry. I know she’ll love you,” his love said calmly and took his hand as they both walked forward. 

 

She placed the bouquet they bought earlier on her grave. The last she visited her was a few months back on her mother’s birthday. Sungyoon had to leave town for work so she visited her alone. 

 

“Hi, mom. This is him, the person I talked to you about the other day,” she said fondly, hands wrapped around her beloved. 

 

She has her eyes fixed on him as her beloved starts talking to her mother. He knows how much it meant to her for them to ask for her mother’s permission to get married, as traditional as it sounds. 

 

“I hope you can grace us with your blessing for our marriage. I promise I’ll do everything in my will to make her happy and live an easy life,” strong arms brings her closer to him, eyes b with tears as he uttered those words. 

 

“I love her with all my heart and I’ll be damned if I break my promises to her,” he said, eyes looking deep into her glazed pair. 

 

At those words, the wind started to greet them softly. They both took it as the blessing that they came here for under the clear blue skies with bare hearts and silent promises. 

 

“I love you, Choi Sungyoon,” tears now streaming down her cheeks, heart bursting with happiness as they both embraced each other.