It has been eight years…eight whole years since we became lovers, and as I sat here, huddled in a corner of my room; I begin to wonder how so many things could happen in such a small time. It has been an year since my position as FTISLAND’s manager was replaced and I was made an executive staff at the FNC, making me even more busier with managing all the trainees and artists along with the others of the executives board, and its simply as tiring, but no matter what, I find my time to spend with Won Bin, who is now doing really well after a very long break from his work. FTISLAND is doing fine too, being very famous all around the world, and the joining of their girl group, Ace of angels really made them busy, I even had to put my work aside for a while and stop the boys from drooling over the girls, but somehow Hong Gi ended up falling in love with one of them, and it was just as fine.

The bond between me and Won Bin is just as strong, and having many things happening between us, the bond has gotten stronger. Now he lives in a separate house, me still in my house with Aunt Mi Ja and granny while my brother is in Busan with his wife. The new life is a lot more different than it used to be eight years ago.

My buzzer rings, just in time as I expected it, and I hop up on my feet and take a phone call to the phone which I received the buzz from.

It was Won Bin’s manager. A smile spreads across my face as I answer her. “Yes…Ji Hye”

“Lee Joone Unnie…” she mutters in her small voice, slightly panicking me inside. “Come to the director’s office, you wouldn’t believe this…”

Panic simply taking over me, I simply stuff my phone into my coat pocket and run out of the room. It doesn’t take me too long to turn up at the director’s office. I knock a few time’s, his pleasant secretary lady opens the door for me. I walk in.

In the office are Won Bin and his manager girl, she looks at me, pleadingly while Won Bin and the director remained. Won Bin, expressionless and the director looking stern as ever.

“Why? What happened?” I ask in panic, wondering if Won Bin has thought of taking a long break again. For my relief, the director smiles. “Nothing very serious Miss Lee…since you’re here, I think we can discuss this together…”

I look back and forth at Won Bin and the director. “Discuss…What Director?”

He laughs again. “Come come…take a seat…”

I nod, and follow. The director looks at each of us with a smile. I don’t dare to rip my gaze off him and glance at Won Bin, I remain the same. The director folds his hands before himself on the table.

“Well…to be precise…Miss Lee, Mister Oh…and Miss Han…I have given some thoughts on mister Oh’s request, given it that it’s better to pay attention to what our dear artists ask for…”

I say nothing but remain still. He continues.

“And as for that…What our mister Oh is asking me…” The director looks at me with a smile. “Giving him a two year break so that he can finish his mandatory military services and return to his work as an artist…I think this can be approved…in the case of FTISLAND too…”

I widen my eyes, the fact hits me like an electric shock. Mandatory military service? Won Bin has decided to go take his service without even asking me? About Hong Gi and Jong Hun, I know, but I didn’t think Won Bin would take the same decision! At least, not without discussing it with me!

I widen my eyes with shock and turn to face Won Bin. “You…you are going too?”

Won Bin remains silent, obvious guilt clouding his face, and slowly nods.

I turn back to the director. “Well…Miss Lee?”

I feel my tears forming in my eyes. I don’t know what I should say, or whether I should say anything or remain here anymore. What could I say? He has said it already and has decided it already, what necessity is there to see what my decision or idea is? If he can decide his life without my opinion, what else is there for me to say?

I feel my lips trembling along with my voice as I speak. “I…don’t know…director….”

“Miss Lee, you don’t seem very…happy…” Says the director with concern. “I really thought you knew…”

And this makes me cry for real. He has decided, he has told everything to the director, all through this I never knew?

I don’t have any desire to remain in the room anymore, crying hopelessly before the director for a problem I should settle out on my own. I cover my face with both my hands and rush out of the office out into the corridor and head out towards the balcony where I can find some time to myself. Then I lean against the pillar and cry.

The reason for my tears is partially because he’s leaving, I can’t figure out how I will make through two years, for the three years I had to live without him the last time he left, I had the band, but this time, even Hong Gi wouldn’t be here. How the hell am I supposed to live through it without him?

And then it’s because he didn’t give any thoughts on how I think of his decision. We have been together for eight years, and for eight years has he been living with no trust on me? I know I would have said simply no the moment he will ask me, because this is one thing I’ve been horrified of all my life, but that doesn’t mean he should take such decisions on his own!

I let out a sigh and lean my head against the wall. Then, this time, I should really decide. If he doesn’t trust me on such a  matter, if he doesn’t think of how his eight years long lover will think of what he decide in his life, should I still remain in this place? I just simply feel like I’m nothing to him! He makes decisions out of the blue, and if not for his Manager girl, I won’t know a thing until he leaves me! What does he take me to? Is this how he treats me?

I look out at those who are walking down the passages of the building, nonchalantly minding there own business, and just like I always do, seeing them raises my anger even more. How could they be walking around so happily while I’m completely broken here?

Yes, then that is what I should do. I should let him decide on his own from now on and stay away from him. I should keep my silence…I should keep to myself and give him the freedom to-

“Lee Joone….” I hear Won Bin’s voice, and for a moment I find myself considering who should go down the balcony first. Him or me.

“Don’t talk to me again…” I say, and turn away from him. He approaches me with an innocent smile.

“Lee Joone…please…”

I let out a long sigh. “Go, have a nice time with your training, I don’t care…”

I see his face clearly now, although I’m avoiding his mesmerizing gaze. I let my tears roll down and continue to stare down at the hallway three storeys down.

“Joonie…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before…I’m really sorry…this is a sudden decision I had to come up with-,”

“Sudden decision?” I ask, my anger popping out of me like bubbles. “You could have asked me first Binnie!”

He looks down at me with his innocent eyes. “Even if I did, You would say no…”

“Of course I will!” I snap, now really mad, tears springing out of me unstoppably. “Won Bin you are willing to waste the best time of your life at the stupid training! You have plenty of time!”

“But Hong Gi and Jong Hun are going too and…”

“That’s because…” I begin to say, but realizing both Won Bin and the two of them are leaving because of the same reason, I trail off and stare down at my feet. Won Bin lets out a sigh, and moves closer. By the warmth radiating from him, I lift my head, pressing against the pillar. He places his hand above my head, the other in his pocket and looks urgently into my eyes.

“Joonie…I’m twenty six now…and if we don’t take training now, if we let another two or three years go by, we will never make it to return to the field, when we return, the best time will be gone…do you understand?”

I intake a deep breath and nod. He continues.

“I…I know I should have told you before, but yet…you were not very happy after hearing about Hong Gi and Jong Gun…I just couldn’t ask you and hurt you more…hurting you would make me want to stay…then again I will be left with two choices…”

“Won Bin…” I mutter in low voice, almost a whisper. He then gives me a slight smile and my cheek. “I know…even I don’t want to leave you…not again…I know it would be hard for you, with Hong Gi gone too…”

I nod, tears rolling down my cheek into his hand, but he smiles. “So that’s why I thought…of the best way that I can still keep us together although we’re miles apart…the best way I can still be right beside you…”

Then, as I watched him, he leans in and presses his cold lips on mine, only for a light peck and he steps away. Not once do I rip my eyes off him as he lowers himself down on the ground before me on one knee, his hand still in his pocket. Slowly, so slowly…I begin to come into realization…yet an uncertain realization although my heart beats hard, so hard in my throat as I watched him…

When he pulls his hand out of his coat pocket, I begin to hyperventilate, and my heart stops.

In his hand is a pearl white satin box with slight golden embossing, and with just one click of his hand, the box opens…

I feel like I’m about to faint. I lean against the pillar, my hand gripping onto the railing afraid I’d collapse.

In the box stands a gorgeous silver ring with a sapphire blue gem placed in the middle of it, shining under the flexed light of the spring sunlight, almost blinding me. I cover my mouth with both my hands and begin to cry.

“Won Bin~ah…” I mutter under my breath. He smiles.

“Gyeolowaejwo…Lee Joone…” He says, his smile wavering not once but I don’t move. In fact, there’s no way that I can move. I’m all about to collapse…now being certain. And also being certain of the precise answer.

This is what I’ve been waiting for, what which have been in the deepest depths of my desires and dreams ever since he slipped a ring on my finger and stole my first kiss on the valentine’s day eight years ago…back then it was nothing but a dream…but now…

“I will!” I scream under my palms pressed against my mouth and lower myself onto the floor before him, He smiles and slowly takes my hand. I watch him with tears flowing down my cheeks. I’m seeing dreams coming true before my very eyes…

“Will you?” He asks again gently as though to make sure he heard it right. I nod. “Yes!I will!”

He takes the ring from the box while balancing it on his knee with a bright smile across his lips and pauses before slipping it on my finger. “What was it? Joonie?”

“I said I will!” I cry contently, impatient waiting for him to get done with. He raises his brows. “What is it again?”

I lean over and slightly hit him on his forehead. “I said I will you dummy!”

He makes a laugh and slowly, as though he’s afraid he’d hurt me, he slips the ring onto my finger. I feel my hand trembling at the contact, my whole body going warm in reaction. He slowly moves bvack, giving me time to examine my hand. I scream in excitement. I’m engaged! I feel like I’m really about to collapse by the shock of it. One minute I was considering break up, the next, I’m engaged! My whole world begins to run around me without seeming to stop once and come to a halt…

Only when Won Bin presses me against the pillar behind me and pressed himself against me, and folds me in a blissful kiss. For the first time in my love, I feel everything for real. For all these eight years, every time he pulled me into a kiss, I will simply be taken away to a world of our own, completely lost in desires and I will let him take over me. But this once, I feel the world around me because we have just entered the real world of our own, the bond was just made stronger and eternal, he just proved it to me that I’m his and he’s mine all along, so I take over him. I press my palm against the granite floor, the other hand around his neck as he kissed me deeper and deeper exploring me, and I too, give in and let myself explore him, blending in with that special warmth he will always and always give me. My fingers tangles up in his thick black hair, he pushes me more against the pillar as he kissed me, and along with every subtle tender movement, everything falls into place. The leaves of the book of our love folds one by one, every single memory suppressed in it without missing one single moment of it and so it unfolds the story of us, the love we shared for eight whole years. The wonder of it, it doesn’t surprise me. We were meant to be, that’s what which kept us together for so long and in more ages to come because no matter how many times we were pulled apart, we knew the truth deep inside. We’re meant to be, we’re meant to love. No matter how long we will be apart, no matter how far we will be from each other our love will never waver, will never change, not even once…

Won Bin pulls away when I begin to fight for air, he holds his hand against my jaw line and smiles. “I love you,” His breathless mutter is a slow whisper floating in the slow spring breeze. I smile, equally as breathless as he is, and mutter. “I love you more…”

Then he kisses me again, still on the same spot, still remaining in the same moment, both of us in desire to live in it more…even forever…

And we both let our love go on…its eternal…it will go on until it will touch the most beautiful dreams of reality laying ahead in our lives...

For the moment, my heart whispers to me.

‘How great is it…Joonie…? How wonderful it could be, once you have seen it? How wonderful is it once you have seen love…’

                                                                                                ****The end****