Chapter 22 – Against the Heavens

Yonghwa drew out a long sigh when he finally escaped the prison that was the convention room where his team received their award. He had attended many ceremonies like that in the past, but he was sure none was more boring than that one had been. All he could think about the entire time was how he was going to get to spend the day with Seohyun. After not seeing her for more than six months, it was a relief to have her back in his life. Since he had no idea when fate would decide to snatch her away again, he had to take full advantage of any time he had with her.

The excited young man was broken out of his reverie by the voice of his team leader. “They forgot to give out another award at the ceremony,” the older man chuckled. Yonghwa shook the happy thoughts out of his brain to focus on what Director Lee had to say. “They forgot to give themselves the award for world’s most boring awards ceremony.”

“Oh, right, hehe,” Yonghwa laughed back nervously. “It was pretty boring wasn’t it?”

“You really can’t wait to see that girl can you?” the doctor teased. Yonghwa almost nodded in response to the question before catching the true meaning. At first he thought Director Lee meant Seohyun, but quickly realized that he actually meant Min Young. Those thoughts reminded him of how he promised Min Young he would go back as early as he could.

“Oh… yeah,” he answered in the same absentminded way.

Yonghwa wanted nothing more than to have everyone in his life know that Min Young wasn’t his girlfriend and that the baby wasn’t his. Min Young made it a priority to tell people that the kid was actually someone else’s. Then again, what else could people think of two young adults living in the same house while she was pregnant? “Well we’re actually all heading to Tokyo to meet up with some old members of the team after we tie up all the loose ends here in Sendai. You’re welcome to follow if you want to come with.”

“Aniyo Director, I think I’ll pass. Thank you though.” The two men exchanged goodbyes, leaving Yonghwa to sigh a second time in the past five minutes. With the director gone, nobody could question him why he was with another girl that wasn’t Min Young. “Mianhae Min Young ah, but I’m tired of running and putting others first.”

He hated breaking a promise, but he couldn’t take anymore torture. After so long, he could finally have the chance he wished for. No longer could he be altruistic and sacrifice everything he yearned for because someone else could get hurt. It was only fair that after so much he was allowed to go after what he wanted without anyone else getting in his way.

“Annyeong!” a delicate voice called from in front of him. Somehow, Yonghwa realized he ended back at the inn without even paying attention to the path he was taking. His thoughts had completely blocked out any details from his surroundings. “Wow you look really beat from that awards ceremony. Was it really that bad?”

“Oh, good morning Seohyun ah,” Yonghwa greeted.

“Good morning? Yonghwa, it’s 2 in the afternoon. It’s hardly morning anymore. I think you should go and rest for a while,” she suggested. As much as Yonghwa wanted to argue with her, she was right. The night before was a torturous and anxious wait for the events that would come at daybreak. Sleep was the last thing that came to him.

“I thought we were going to make up our lost time?” he asked, a yawn escaping his mouth in betrayal of his suggestions.

“Change of plans. The convention was postponed until tomorrow night,” she began explaining.

“Why?”

“Well, the Japanese members of the meeting wanted to show the Korean visitors the festival they have going on tonight. After all, Sendai is the home of the biggest Tanabata festival in Japan.”

Yonghwa nodded his head in acknowledgement. He heard that the festival was a huge deal here in Japan. If the city they were in had the biggest festival in the entire country, then it would be in their best interest to check it out. “Ah, I’ve heard a bit about it. Don’t know what it’s all about though. Well, we should look into it then.”

“Go to bed, you look like crap,” Seohyun pointed out crudely. “I’ll look into what will happen tonight at the festival. Don’t worry about anything since you need this vacation more than anyone else does.”

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After more sleep than he thought he would be getting, Yonghwa’s body decided it was time to get up. His clumsy and stiff body slowly shook off the groggy feeling, leaving him to go find Seohyun. He would have opened the door to find her, but instead was met with the sight of a black piece of fabric hanging on the hook by the exit.

Here, wear this. Sorry if it doesn’t match your tastes. It was the only yukata I could find at the last minute. – Seohyun

Yonghwa stared the traditional Japanese clothing up and down, admiring the design as well as the color. Even though he was Korean, he had to admit that he found the traditional dress from the neighboring country much more appealing. Hanboks weren’t really his style. After a slight struggle with the silky material, he finally found the right holes to put his limbs through. A quick look in the mirror told him that he was just about ready to hit the town alongside Seohyun.

The long, flowing material was cool to the touch, a trait that would help much in the late summer weather. The obsidian silk shone in the light, reflecting the high quality and craftsmanship of the article. The thing he liked the best was the embroidered red dragon on the back. The oriental serpent gave off two contrasting but powerful feelings: tranquility and authority. The matching red ‘obi’ sash was the perfect finishing touch to the elegant garment.

“The director looked amazing!” he heard a gaggle of voices call out. The giggle he recognized from one of the female team members that followed afterwards indicated that it was Seohyun that was being praised. Curious as to how the girl managed to clean herself up, Yonghwa quietly exited his room.

“Ah, annyeonghaseyo,” a woman he briefly met earlier in the afternoon greeted. “You’re Yonghwa-sshi am I right?” Yonghwa, still confused as to what was going on could only stand there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Yeah, that’s me,” he casually answered. “You’re Ji Min-sshi aren’t you? Seohyun ah’s right hand? Where is she?”

“Ahem!” a rude and hoarse noise resounded in the common area of the inn. “Who is this young man?” asked Seohyun’s secretary, Myung Joo. Yonghwa caught the jealousy and competition in the man’s voice right away. Obviously, the casual way Yonghwa was calling her ‘Seohyun ah’ was setting him off. He honestly had no intention of fighting with the man he had just laid eyes on. However, Myung Joo’s expression didn’t seem to agree.

“Ah, let me introduce you guys to the director’s best friend Jung Yonghwa,” the yukata clad woman explained. “Yonghwa-sshi, this is our team of workers that that’ work with Director Seo. There’s Ha Sun, Joon Hee, Chang Min, and my assistant Myung Joo.” Everyone in the group sniggered when they noticed the way the glasses wearing assistant and Seohyun’s best friend stared each other down.

“Ah, this is the guy that Eun Jung-sshi told us about at the last party we had isn’t he?” Ha Sun, one of the female team members asked. “The one that she has a picture of as her phone background?”

“Ne!? The director? She has this person as her phone background?” Myung Joo asked in pure despair. “I… I have to go to the bathroom.” Yonghwa looked over at the crowd only to receive a shrug in response. They all knew Myung Joo liked Seohyun a lot, but she never gave him any incentive to pursue her.

“Ha Sun, you should learn to keep your mouth closed. You never know when a fly will get into it,” Ji Min growled at the member that seemed to speak a little too much for her own good. Myung Joo wasn’t something she cared about, but it would be awkward for her to talk about such personal issues behind Seohyun’s back. “Anyways, let’s head out. We have lots to see tonight.”

Yonghwa still had absolutely no idea what was going on. Why were people he didn’t even know asking him to head out? More importantly, where was Seohyun? He didn’t even get to ask any of his questions before the crowd hurriedly dragged him towards the busy streets.

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The group of tourists walked through the busy Japanese streets as they admired the decorations that had been handmade for the occasion. Streamers of all different colors hung over their heads, indicating the festive nature of the night. Even though it was all very pretty, Yonghwa couldn’t help but be bored. The festival seemed fun, but with Seohyun’s coworkers around, it was awkward. It was even more boring due to the fact that the girl he wanted to spend time with wasn’t even there.

“The director was offered to be entered in the pageant for the festival. She’s competing against 10 other women to be the’ Orihime’ of this year’s festival,” Ji Min finally decided to explain to Yonghwa. “Some lucky guy will get to win her heart and become her ‘Hikoboshi’.”

Yonghwa had heard of the Tanabata festival before but he wasn’t sure if he had the story straight. From what he understood, the festival celebrated the love story of Orihime and Hikoboshi. Orihime was the beautiful daughter of the King of Heaven that Hikoboshi fell in love with. The man was a cow herder, but neglected his duties and let his animals run around the heavens, including the domain of the King, when he and Orihime met. As punishment for his disservice, the King allowed the two lovers to only meet during the 7^th day of the 7^th month of the year. Orihime cried so much upon hearing that news, that many small birds named magpies granted her the wish to see Hikoboshi. The tiny birds acted as the bridge to cross the stars known as the Milky Way Galaxy that lead to her lover’s home. It was even said that if it rained, the magpies couldn’t come to Orihime’s aid and become her bridge, forcing her to go another year without seeing her beloved.

“You know the story?” Ji Min asked, breaking him out of his memories.

“Ah, ne,” Yonghwa politely responded.

“Will you be battling to be her Hikoboshi Yonghwa-sshi?” she asked with a knowing smile on her face. It was obvious that this woman knew something that nobody else did. Yonghwa figured that Seohyun probably told her about him in the past. It was the only explanation of why she was being so forward.

To be honest, Yonghwa had no energy to fight off anyone for the woman he knew would be his. After all, he told himself tonight would be the night when he ended it all. It would take more than a silly little festival contest to keep him from asking her out. “Wow~!” the gathered crowd cooed. “The contestants this year are so pretty. Especially the girl from Korea. She’s gorgeous!”

“It’s the director they’re talking about!”

Yonghwa ‘s eyes scanned the area quickly to catch a glimpse of her. At first, the crowd of people around her blocked his view, causing him great annoyance. Once he had a clear view at her, he regretted looking at her instantly. It wasn’t because she looked bad and he wished he hadn’t seen it. Rather, he wished he hadn’t seen it because she was beautiful enough to make his heart jump out of his chest. There were other women in their yukatas surrounding Seohyun, but she was the only one that stood out.

Instead of wearing a traditional long and flowing outfit like his, she decided to go with a mini yukata. A lot less fabric was put into making hers, showing off more of her impressive body. The end was short, much shorter than his. Yonghwa almost stepped on his from how long it was. Seohyun’s barely came down mid thigh, revealing the milky skin he almost claimed all those years ago. The red edges of the cloth contrasted perfectly with the white silk that formed the bulk of the garment. The crimson sash matched the color of his dragon embroidery as well as the sash he was wearing. Even though he hated when she put up her hair, he couldn’t find it in him to dislike the way she had it in a neat bun with a small chopstick-like item through it.

(Because my descriptions terribly: http://costumejapan.com/images/AI-KMN-022.jpg )

“Everyone step right up! Men, today you will all have a chance to get a date with the lucky woman chosen to be this year’s weaver princess, Orihime!”

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After the introductions, Yonghwa didn’t even bother listening to anything else. All he could do was stare at Seohyun while wishing he could make all the beauty his and his only. “Yonghwa-sshi , the director won the contest for the females. She’s going to play this year’s Orihime,” a voice startled him.

He hadn’t even noticed what the hell was going on. A glance at his watch indicated that almost an hour had gone by without him become aware of it. All he remembered was staring at her and now she was the winner? Now there were men lining up in front of Seohyun, waiting to be chosen to be her for the night. Yonghwa saw the look of disappointment on her face when she realized he wasn’t in the list of potential candidates.

“Is that all who wish to be included in the contest? Speak now or forever hold your peace,” the announcer loudly exclaimed. Yonghwa caught the hint, forcing himself to enter the line. A smile instantly graced her features when she caught sight of him.

The contest was a combination of arm wrestling and target practice. At first Yonghwa thought it was all childish, but he couldn’t give up the opportunity to spend the evening with Seohyun. One after another, he beat men in shooting small balloons with a toy gun. When it was down to him and two other candidates tied for first, the arm wrestling began. One of the candidates was scrawny and wore glasses, strongly reminding him of Myung Joo.

“Begin,” the announcer commanded. Yonghwa made quick work of the weak man. It made him even happier to think that he was crushing a person that looked like the annoyance that was Seohyun’s assistant. His confidence was shaken when he was matched up against the other finalist. Yonghwa gained muscle over the years, that was a fact. However, the other guy was definitely the same strength or stronger. After an agonizing five minute battle, Yonghwa ended up victorious.

“Congrats,” Seohyun whispered to him while they took their places on the small stage for everyone to see. The announcer awarded them each with a special sash that indicated their status. Most people expected to congratulate them on their win, but they were startled with a sudden movement from the pair. Yonghwa grabbed onto the woman’s hand to pull her away from the crowd. Seohyun’s body jerked in the direction of the force, almost knocking her over as she ran in her heels.

“What was that for?” Seohyun asked while catching her breath. “You almost yanked my arm off. Everyone is probably wondering why we ran away like that.”

“Why did you invite me out tonight if we were going to be in the middle of such a big crowd?” Yonghwa boldly questioned.

Seohyun’s cheeks were stained a light pink color that was easily visible in the brightly lit streets. “I… Don’t say it like that…” she mumbled. “You make it seem like it’s a date or something.” Even though she was the one that asked him out, it was embarrassing to see it in that light. All the energy she was willing to put into the event the night before was long gone. It had been replaced by the same shyness she exhibited when first dating Joon during her teenage years.

“Fine, it’s not a date. I wouldn’t want to go on one with you anyway,” he replied in annoyance.

“Hehe, you’re still the same kid as always aren’t ya?” Seohyun teased. “Well, now that we’re alone what do you want to do?”

“How about we go make wishes at the temple? Apparently that’s one of the big things we’re supposed to do.” Seohyun nodded, leading the way to the Shinto shrine that was set up with many bamboo rods on which people were sticking their slips of paper on.

“Welcome,” an older woman who they assumed was some kind of priestess greeted them warmly. “Ah, it’s the Orihime and Hikoboshi couple for this year. Please, go ahead and make your wishes. Come see me afterwards.”

Seohyun happily skipped over to an empty bamboo rod to stick her wish onto when she was done. Yonghwa smiled at the childish way she hopped around the place as if it were her first time at a festival. It was those little simple things that he loved about her. No matter how old she got, she never changed a bit. “Aren’t you going to write down your wish?”

“Ah, yeah.” Soon enough, Yonghwa was pinning the two smaller pieces of paper onto the top of the pole. “Hey, I’m going to go get more paper from the lady. I need to write a bit more.”

“Someone is selfish,” she snorted. Seohyun would have followed him, but she was curious to see what Yonghwa’s wish was. Before when she tried to look over at him writing, he would just scoot over and block her vision. It was rude to intrude on his privacy, but curiosity was getting the best of her. With a little jump, her hands grabbed hold of the neatly creased paper.

I wish that for as long as I live, Seo Joohyun is the happiest woman on the planet. Even if that means I have to throw away everything, I hope that this wish comes true – Jung Yonghwa

“What are you doing reading other people’s wishes for?” Yonghwa asked trying to sound as threatening as possible. In reality, he was horrendously embarrassed that he wrote that kind of wish and she saw it.

“Ani, I’m not doing anything. The wish… fell! Yeah, fell! I didn’t read it I promise.”

Yonghwa didn’t believe a single word that came out of , but he went along with it to save himself the humiliation. He wanted to confess everything to her that night, but he didn’t want her to find out like that. Denial was his best friend after all. If he denied everything, it would all be okay. At least it seemed to work over the past 20 years.

“Wait!” the priestess cried out to the pair before they got too far. “You two come with me.” Seohyun and Yonghwa gave each other a puzzled glimpse, but decided to follow along with what the woman had to say.

The elder lead them into an elaborately decorated room full of artifacts that the couple supposed were used in Shinto ceremonies. “Elder, what is it you needed to speak to us about?” Yonghwa politely asked.

“You two…” the woman mumbled. “It’s no coincidence you ended up being the chosen pair for this year’s festivities. I can sense a great connection between you two that I’ve never felt before. Fate and the heavens have clearly intertwined your lives from the beginning.”

All of those words confused them even more. What was all that about them being fated to be together? “You mean..? We’re destined to become a couple?” Seohyun asked quietly. Yonghwa looked over at her as he had been in the past few minutes they had been kneeling in front of the religious leader. “Is that what you mean?”

“That I do not know. All I know is the kami (spirits/gods) tell me that there is a strong bond between you two. I cannot tell you exactly what the heavens mean by this. However, there is one way to find out,” she explained.

“What is that way?” the two asked in unison. It was obvious to the Shinto priestess that the pair in front of her wanted to be together but was unsure of what life had in store for them.

Seohyun and Yonghwa watched the old woman walk over to a painting that seemed to depict the very story the festival celebrated. “There is a bridge that crosses over the creek behind this shrine. Young lady, I want you to stand on one side of the bridge just before midnight. Have the young man approach you at this time. If there is no rain, you will truly be fated to be together. Just as the bridge formed for Orihime and Hikoboshi, it shall form for you as well.”

“And if it rains?” Seohyun hesitantly questioned.

“Like the story says, they will be fated to be separated for a long time, maybe even eternally. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I know you two are connected to those two lovers somehow,” the woman finished.

Yonghwa and Seohyun had to admit that the woman was very convincing. Even though he was a man of science, Asian culture was heavily influenced by superstition. He would be lying if he said he didn’t believe the priestess’s words. Seohyun, too, was shaken at the words she was hearing. The worst part about it was that she had a doubt in her mind that the rain would show up, just to screw them over.

“Ah, thank you for explaining this to us. We should head out on our way. We wouldn’t want to interrupt you from helping people make their wishes,” Seohyun courteously excused them.
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The twosome spent the entire night enjoying the festivities. Plates of food went down their stomachs, filling them up to the point where they felt as if they would explode. Yonghwa even gave Seohyun a piggy back ride so she could see over the heads of all the people as they watched fireworks. To the innocent bystander, they looked as happy as anyone could be. However, on the inside, they both felt extremely anxious. With only a few minutes until midnight, the moment of truth was creeping on them. As much as they didn’t want to rely on a simple superstition, they couldn’t help it.

“It’s almost midnight isn’t it?” Seohyun commented. “Do you think we should see the bridge thing?”

“Uh… yeah, sure,” Yonghwa muttered. “Go on ahead. I have to use the bathroom. I’ll catch up to you in a minute.”

Seohyun nodded and headed behind the shrine where the small creek reflected the light produced by the white crescent in the sky. The summer breeze blew by, bringing the smells of the festival food along with it. The weather was absolutely beautiful without a cloud in sight. Even though there wasn’t any real reason to be worried, she felt relieved. It didn’t seem like there would be any rain on a night as perfect as that one.

Yonghwa felt assured as well with the current state of the weather. With all the stars out as well as the moon, there wasn’t any chance for even the tiniest drizzle. After finishing up his business in the public bathroom, he began his trek towards the girl he planned on confessing to as soon as he saw her.

“Yonghwa!” she happily giggled from the bridge she stood on. He paused for a second to wave at her from a few meters away. One of the biggest, most genuine smiles plastered itself on his face when he realized he was just seconds away from completing a mission he had been on since he was in kindergarten. Only a few more steps separated him from the woman he desperately wished was his.

With less than twenty steps left, Yonghwa felt like king of the world. The journey he had been on for his entire life was only seconds from being over. It wasn’t until he walked five more steps that he stopped dead in his tracks. What they feared, however, somehow came true. Thick clouds materialized magically over their heads. The stars and moon’s light were extinguished by the dark blanket that covered the entire sky. Yonghwa felt a large drop of cold water splash onto his face followed by many more. Soon enough they had a downpour soaking them to the bone.

Like always, it seemed like the world wanted them to be apart. Yonghwa could only stare at Seohyun from ten steps away without getting closer. The now drenched woman did the same. Just like when she confessed that she liked Joon he was too late. Just like when Joon proposed to her, fate pulled her away from him. Now even the heavens denied him of a chance to be with her. The rain formed a barrier between them, preventing them from ever being together. Was their love really that impossible? Why did the Goddess of Destiny insist on separating two people that clearly belonged together?

“Fate…” Yonghwa mumbled. “I don’t need that bull. Destiny? Why the hell should I let that get in my way? This rain is just water. There’s nothing mystical about this. It’s just rain.”

“You’re right,” Seohyun chuckled, breaking out of her slightly depressed state. “It is just rain right?”

Yonghwa pushed the wet strands of hair that stuck to his forehead with his right hand before roaring loudly. “King of Heaven! I don’t care if you rain down on me! I’m not Hikoboshi. I’m Jung Yonghwa! This girl isn’t Orihime! She’s Seo Joohyun. She’s the woman I love. She’s MY woman! So screw you and your rain!”

“That’s right! Destiny?! Ha! I don’t need any damn bridge to be built by some birds. I’ll build my own bridge on my terms!” Seohyun followed in the loudest voice she could muster.

“I love you,” both 26 year olds confessed to each other from far away. Those three words that should have been said so long ago were finally put out in the open. After being hidden behind the masks of denial, jealousy, and stupidity, those three words saw the light of day.

Yonghwa managed to unglue his feet from the spot he stood, taking prideful steps over to the wooden bridge. “Seohyun, I can’t take this anymore,” he spoke out over the deafening torrent of water falling all around them. “I love you. I’ve loved you ever since the first day we’ve met. I’ve never once stopped loving you.”

“Yonghwa…”

“I’m not in love with you actually,” he continued to explain. “I’m crazy about you. I’m completely obsessed with you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have you by my side.” To any other woman, he would seem completely insane. Yonghwa’s words were borderline psychotic. Nevertheless, those words were the sweetest things her ears had ever heard. “I need to have you or else I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t even know how I ever bared with all this pain inside me. You have to be there to heal it or else I’ll die. I sound so crazy right now, but I need you so badly that it hurts.”

“I can’t tell you how much you mean to me too Yonghwa. Ever since you came back into my life after leaving, I couldn’t get you out of my head,” she cried out. “But I was so scared. I couldn’t fathom the thought of leaving Joon’s comfort for you. I was so stupid. It wasn’t until the Hawaii trip that I realized that I really did love you. I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize everything. I’m so sorry that I hurt you so much. I’m so sorry I didn’t love you as much as you loved me.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Yonghwa commanded. “Don’t ever be sorry to me. Just love me, that’s all I ask.”

The newly professed couple could only stare each other in the eyes, waiting for the other to make a move. That was when Yonghwa decided he had waited enough to claim her lips. The excited boy crashed his lips onto hers forcefully, creating sparks in their bodies on contact. At first they felt each other desperately trying to eat each other up, as if they would disappear within the next moment. The kiss slowly evolved into a sweet and caring gesture that warmed them up despite being sopping wet.

Yonghwa held her like she was made of glass. She felt as if she were being treated like the most expensive and fragile piece of jewelry on the planet. Never had she ever felt that special in her lifetime. She felt so needed, so desired. They savored the taste of each other’s lips as if it were the last time they would ever be able to relish that experience. “You don’t know how much I wanted this. I know I sound so crazy right now, but I don’t care.”

“Yonghwa, I’ve wanted this too. I’m just still really sorry I’ve been so passive about it. It breaks my heart to think that all this time I’ve been so stupid and oblivious to your feelings,” Seohyun apologized. Tears ran across her cheeks, masked by the water running down her face. They were both tears of happiness and sadness. Sadness came to her because it pained her to think Yonghwa loved her one-sidedly for years and she was too stupid to not notice. Happiness was present because she was finally going to be with someone she should have been with since the beginning.

“How about we head back to the inn and change? The weather doesn’t seem to like us after all.” For the first time ever, they finally held hands for real. It wasn’t an act like it had been in Hawaii. It wasn’t only a friendly gesture either. Their interlocked hands were a symbol that they were finally one.
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It was a shame they didn’t get to wear their yukatas for the entire night, but it didn’t matter now that they were together at last. Well, they weren’t officially together since nobody asked the other out, but they might as well have. “Um, Yonghwa,” Seohyun called through the thin wall of her room. “Can I come over? I mean… I know it’s late at night and we shouldn’t be in each other’s rooms… well, forget I asked we can talk in the morning…”

“Come over,” he ordered back through the same wall. “Unless you want to talk through the wall the entire night and keep everyone awake.” Seohyun supposed he had a point. Although, she knew she was just using that as an excuse to go to his room at night. She honestly had no idea why she was being so shy all of a sudden. They had done much worse three years ago.

“Hey,” Seohyun greeted in a set of childish pajamas that forced a chuckle out of Yonghwa. “So… what now?”

“Why are you acting so awkward Seohyun ah?” Yonghwa questioned. “You do like me right? Or am I making you uncomfortable.”

“No! It’s not that,” she quickly defended while throwing her arms out in front of her in protest. “I really do like you.”

“How much?” he pouted. Seohyun felt flustered at the question. She seemed to have upset him with her attitude. Yonghwa, though, was just riling her up to get another confession from her. He wasn’t actually mad.

“A lot…” she whispered. Yonghwa only sat there with his arms crossed staring at her intensely. “I don’t just like you. I love you.”

“You fell right into my trap, love,” Yonghwa teased with a smirk on his face. “It’s good to know you’re that crazy about me.”

“Stupid choding…” she mumbled under her breath.

Yonghwa patted the space next to him for her to sit down. Hesitantly, she took her position by his side. He knew it would be awkward in the beginning. Even if they had been in much more awkward situations, he expected it. It wasn’t every day your best friend confessed that he wanted to own you for the rest of his life. “So are we together now?” he inquired shyly. “I don’t want to rush you into anything. I just want to be sure is all.”

Seohyun smiled at his bashful attitude. “I’m fine Yonghwa. Really. I really, really like you. I won’t regret this. I will be yours for the rest of your life. I know that I’ll be the happiest woman ever by your side.” Yonghwa flashed her the same smile in response.

“I’m just glad we’re together,” Yonghwa remarked. His hand s into her hair, forcing her to look at him directly in the eyes. The situation seemed so familiar which made him feel guilty. That was the same gesture he performed with Min Young a few days back. That’s when he remembered that he would have to deal with that back home. “About Min Young…”

Seohyun’s eyes displayed a flash of pain when she was mentioned. It seemed far too easy to just be together as if it were nothing. “You don’t have to explain her to me. It’s your business not mine.”

“Yeah, I do have to explain her,” he interrupted. “I would be a really big if I were to live with another woman in my house while dating you.”

“Yonghwa…” Seohyun mumbled. It was obvious she was uncomfortable with the topic, but Yonghwa really didn’t want to back down. It wasn’t fair for her at all.

“Min Young really, really hated the idea of me bringing her to my house,” Yonghwa began to explain. “She didn’t want to burden me and she kept saying it was her mistake that she needed to get over. I pretty much dragged her over to my place.”

Seohyun became a little worried at the words coming out of Yonghwa’s mouth, but she also couldn’t help but feel happy as well. Yonghwa was a nice person, too nice sometimes. How could she stand being with someone that was nice enough to take in a woman that was pregnant with someone else’s child? “I still don’t see why you need to make such a big deal out of this,” Seohyun questioned. “It seems like you just helped her out when she needed it.”

“Min Young… Min Young likes me more than a friend,” he admitted. “In the time you were gone, I think I’ve been giving her mixed signals. I don’t like Min Young like I like you. She’s just a really good friend. I just… I’ve missed you so much that I started to see you in her. I didn’t mean to, but she just reminded me of you. I think I showed more care for her than I should have.”

“So you confused that poor girl? I can’t help but feel sorry for her.”

“Yeah, I feel like a bastard,” Yonghwa insulted himself. “I can’t believe I let my feelings get so out of hand. I know it’s you I love though. I have to clear things up with her. I hate that I confused her so much.” Seohyun couldn’t even feel angry at the girl. If anything, she was the victim. Min Young was only being confused because Yonghwa and Seohyun couldn’t figure out each other’s feelings sooner.

“I don’t deserve you Yonghwa,” Seohyun abruptly spoke. “You’re so perfect. You’re too perfect even. How do you manage to be this nice and caring? I feel like you should be out there saving the starving children in this world rather than have someone like me taking up your time. Why do you make me feel like this?”

Yonghwa blushed the same cute blush that Seohyun loved whenever he was praised ever since he was a child. He hadn’t changed a single bit since the day they met when they were not even five years old. “Yah…” he bashfully scolded. “I’m not that great. I just try to help out whenever I can.”

“I can’t believe you never caught my eye. I was so stupid to think I was going to live happily ever after with Joon. I was seriously blind before. ” Yonghwa’s blushing fit continued as Seohyun kept her barrage of compliments going. Without even letting him recover, Seohyun initiated their second kiss for the night. It worried Yonghwa that they were kissing so passionately in a room where people could hear them through the walls as thin as a sheet of rice cake.

Even if they risked having the whole hotel hear them, they wouldn’t back off of each other. Roaming hands s through dark brown locks of hair. Heated huffs of air escaped their lips when they got half a second to breathe before locking their lips back together. Before it could escalate further, Seohyun decided it was time to call it quits. “I didn’t know you had that kind of pounce in you,” Yonghwa pointed out in disbelief as he caught his breath.

“I didn’t either,” she replied with a blush.

 Yawns escaped their lips simultaneously; causing them to laugh at the way their bodies seemed to be synchorized so soon. “So I guess it’s time to go to sleep? I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Let me stay here,” Seohyun quickly ordered. “Let me stay here tonight. We won’t do anything we’re not ready for but just let me stay here. I don’t think I would be able to stay another moment apart from you.”

The crimson stains on his cheeks came back full force after barely having disappeared after their heated make out session. “Seohyun we shou-should just go to sleep. I m-mean… we have to be ready to go to the even tomo-rrow and umm….” Yonghwa stuttered.

“What happened to all that condidence from the rain you had? You were pretty damn assertive out there and now you’re being a little mouse Yonghwa,” she giggled. “I really want to kiss, cuddle, fall asleep in each other’s arms, then wake up to each other’s faces. Isn’t that what you want to?”

“Y-Yeah, but…” Yonghwa continued to stutter. “Fine, stay here.” Seohyun gave him a quick hug before she ran over to her room to get her blanket and pillow.

Yonghwa’s heart was beating at a million beats a second. It wasn’t the first or second or even third time he was sleeping beside her, but he was scared out of his wits. Maybe it was because this time, there was a spark ready to go off between them. There was the chance that the heated make out session could turn into something else. After so much waiting, he didn’t know if he had the willpower to wait much longer.

“You okay? You know, I can stay in my room if you want me to,” Seohyun pointed out. She had no idea why he was being such a girl about the situation. If anything, she should be the one protesting and he should be begging her to stay. Soon enough, the pair laid their blankets next to each other on the floor in order to catch some sleep after their eventful night.

With the lights out, the only thing they could see was the whites of their eyes. Seohyun pouted a little at the distance Yonghwa was putting between them. “Seohyun, I’m sorry I’m being so weird. I just can’t help but think that I might screw this up. If I get next to you and smell your sweet scent… If I run my hands through your silky hair… If I feel the warmth of your skin, I might go crazy. I might do things you don’t want me to do to you.”

“You sound like a , Yonghwa,” Seohyun stated in a know-it-all tone. “As long as you’re not going to tie me up in a dungeon, I think I’ll be okay with anything you do me.”

“It’s funny. Every night I put my head to my pillow I would tell myself I was so strong before I closed my eyes,” Yonghwa began.

“Why is that?”

“I had to tell myself that I was strong because I survived a whole other day without you by my side,” he replied cheesily. “That strength is all gone now though.”

Seohyun’s eyes flashed a sign of agreement that Yonghwa caught even though it was so dark in their room. He took that as a cue to pull her closer to him. Just like during their ‘honeymoon’ Yonghwa took the smaller figure into his embrace. He was surprised how right it felt. She fit perfectly in his arms. It was as if she was meant to be his every night. “I love you Yonghwa. You don’t know how much I beat myself up every night after I realized what I felt for you. Forgive me for hurting you for so long.”

“There’s nothing to forgive if there’s love between us,” Yonghwa scolded. “I’m just glad I have you by my side again, this time forever. You better know I’m not going to let you go ever.”

“I think I could get used to the idea of being yours,” Seohyun giggled before nestling herself even further in his warm body. “Good night.”

“It’s good since you’re here,” he replied. “It’s better than good will ever be actually.”

Author’s Note: So let me say one thing and one thing only to this chapter: I vomited rainbows, bunnies, and unicorns after this. I tried to get it as cheesy as possible towards the end. I don’t normally do that, and it might seem out of character but oh well… Finally after 22 chapters, we get our beloved YongSeo together. If I write another story, I’ll never write it as draggy and boring as this one has been. I think I learned my lesson with this one. I still feel like Seohyun’s whole realization/confession thing seems rushed but whatever, I’m screwed if I didn’t do this chapter as it is lol. Also, blah this is a really long chapter. Boring boring boring in the beginning until the good part starts close to the end.

Also, I apologize for not updating in more than a week. I updated on Sunday the 24^th with the last chapter I had written. My brothers are here on summer break so I can’t write during the day. I have to write at night. I spent a few nights writing my one shot for the birthday event that hiko27 set up which is here if you guys want to read a little chappie away from this depressing story: http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/225293/you-re-so-annoying-oneshot-seohyun-yonghwa-yongseo

After posting that on Thursday, I finished up this chapter for YBWM. Then disaster struck. Just as I was updating on Friday night, we had a huge storm. The tree in front of my building actually fell from how strong it was. The entire 1 million people that live in our area didn’t have power from Friday night until Monday night. I really wanted to update but I had no power for almost four days :(. Anyways, hopefully I can keep updating regularly. Thanks for being patient :)

p.s. follow me on twitter @aceofspades191 (shamelessly trying to get followers :P)