I. Into her Darkness

As he looked around the small, dilapidated town he had stepped foot into, he took a deep breath before tossing his cell phone into the rubbish bin nonchalantly. Throughout the twenty-two years of his sheltered life, he had never experienced adversities nor sufferings. After all, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he knew that his life was predestined. But, he did not want to be a caged bird; an ignorant caged bird to be exact. He wanted to experience something that he had never experienced before in his life. For once, he went against the wishes of his parents. Wilfully, he threw away his extraordinary status, his luxurious life, his posh car, his countless number of credit cards. And, there he was standing at the entrance of the city, determined to begin a new chapter of his life.

“Please sir, do you have any change to spare me?” A crippled beggar was limping towards him with much difficulty and as soon as he reached into his pocket, a young lady stood right in front of him.

“He’s a swindler, sir! He does not deserve your sympathy at all.” She proclaimed loudly, much to the beggar’s annoyance.  

Almost immediately, the "crippled beggar" ran away frantically while cursing the lady crossly on his way.

“You must be new. Swindlers are very common here, you’ve to be careful.” The lady cautioned him kindly, before walking off.  

“Hey, what’s your name? I’ve yet to thank you!” He called out, in an attempt to catch her attention. She left him a message, and before he knew it, the mysterious lady was gone in a flash.

“Don’t trust others too easily!”

Staying alone in a rather run-down room which certainly did not exceed 100 square feet, Luhan had definitely regretted throwing away his smartphone for there was absolutely nothing in the room; just a single bed and a broken coffee table poorly-matched with a couple of withered flowers in a chipped vase. But at the very least, he was pleased to know that he was finally cut off from the materialistic world he used to be in. He was now slowly getting accustomed to the peaceful and slow-paced life without the luxury and extravagance he used to have taken for granted in the past.

Of course, the main purpose of his sudden disappearance was not for pleasure and he was very well aware of that. After settling down with his baggage unpacked, he decided to explore the small yet ironically confusing place. The way the lanes merged, the way the corners were cut and the way the roads were paved haphazardly; all of them were oddly disordered. Even Luhan, being an exceedingly intelligent heir, surprisingly had a very hard time figuring out his way in the town.

“Young man, what are you doing here?” A lady wearing a silky white veil spoke lightly with a soft smile on her flawless face. “We seldom have visitors.”

She patted the seat which was covered by a clean fabric beside her gently, gesturing him to come over and join her for a chat.

“Thank you, I’m just staying here to-” As soon as he sat down beside the young lady, he found himself stuck in his seat unexpectedly. “What?”

“You’re too naïve, young man. Didn’t I just warn you, not long ago?”  

“You’re that-”

She laughed heartily, removing the veil that covered her face with a large grin that was still evident on her face. It was that mysterious young lady from before and from such a close distance, he realized she was mystifyingly beautiful. Her doe-like eyes that were so crystal clear just seemed to smile at him and he found his heart skipping a beat unknowingly.    

“Who are you?”

“Use your own strength to get out of this hole. Only then, will I tell you my name.” And once again, she was gone in a flash before he could react to the situation.

The mysterious lady whom Luhan had met on his first day actually turned out to be really cheerful and sweet. But instead of looking at the mesmerizing beauty next to him, his gaze was focused elsewhere.

“You like looking at the night sky?” She asked curiously.

“Yes, twinkling stars are indeed beautiful.” He spoke nonchalantly, as he continued to gaze at the boundless sky above him. “You should come to Seoul someday, the night scenery is really magnificent.”

“Really? I’m not exactly fond of sceneries.” She spoke with a monotone, rather casually.

He was surprised for he knew that she’d always be here every night.

“Then, why are you always here?”

“I just thought that, when the sky is totally pitch black, that’s when you know the dawn is breaking out.” She gazed deeply at him before shifting her gaze to the same scenery he was looking at.

And he knew there was something mysterious about her. Her beauty defied all descriptions. Her mysteriously dark eyes that sparkled, her long brunette hair that flew gracefully in the air, her sweet smile that never seemed to fade from her face and everything else about her just seemed to have captivated him.

She was different, very different from the people Luhan had met in the cities.

She was intelligent, far more intelligent than him and he knew that the impact of her sharp words were far more than anyone could imagine. His mind and actions would often be easily swayed by her words tinted with deep meanings within. 

“What’s your name?”

“I can’t tell you. You didn’t get out of that hole yourself.”

“I was about to-”

“You paid someone to help you, didn’t you?”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

“So, what’s your name?”

“Does it really matter?”

“Of course it does, I-“

“No, it doesn’t. I’m not defined by my name. I'm just myself.”

“…”

And even till today, Luhan did not know her name. And he knew what she had meant that day. One should never judge a person by his name, his looks, nor his wealth, for it was his attitude and character that really mattered at the very end of the day.

During his stay in the small town, she was his only friend. There were many times when he was amazed by her intelligence, especially the way she would be able to recognize the directions with ease. He wondered how long she had been staying at the small town. It was always Luhan who would tell her about stories of his life and very often she would listen silently while nodding her head, occasionally or rarely speaking up. But very seldom would she share about her childhood, her family or her background with him, except that she stayed with her grandmother. They were close friends, but at the same time, he found her very mysterious and distant from him.

"It's going to rain." 

He looked up at the clear blue sky, before raising an eyebrow at her skeptically.

"The sky is still clear though, no sight of any dark clouds." He said in a confident manner. "It's not going to rain, don't worry."  

"You should really return home soon." She sighed, as she began to keep the laundry.

He nodded nonchalantly as he took a sip from the cup of aromatic coffee. "At least after I've finished this cup of coffee."

"It'll have been too late by then." She shrugged nonchalantly.

And before long, much to her prediction, it started to drizzle. Luhan was extremely astonished, and at the same time amazed by her accurate forecast.   

"I've warned you earlier." She added, with a smirk on her face.

"How did you know? You should totally work as a weather forecaster!" His eyes widened, as he spoke in surprise. "But nevermind, I love the rain."

"Right." Her words were dripped in total sarcasm and a cheeky smile formed on her face. "Thank god I've kept my laundry, or else they'd have been drenched like-"

". My laundry." He groaned.  

And that day, they enjoyed the cooling afternoon with a beautiful rainbow after the heavy downpour.

Of course, that was with his laundry completely drenched in the rain.

“Luhan, are you getting used to our little town? My granddaughter says that you’re still getting lost while going home.” The old lady chortled as she gestured him to come over.  

“Halmoni! You just have to give me a few seconds and I’ll be able to figure my way back.” Luhan retorted immediately and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the old lady suspiciously. “You’re not going to play a trick on me like your granddaughter right, Halmoni?’

“I won’t, Luhan.” A genuine smile appeared on her wrinkled face as she patted the young man lightly. “Once you get to know her, you’ll be able to understand and appreciate her well.”

“I do, Halmoni!”

“No, you don’t.” She forced out a bitter smile, before choking on her words as tears brimmed in her eyes. “She was actually abandoned by her parents ever since she was born. And because of that, she doesn’t get along with people well. I’m afraid when I’m gone one day, nobody would take care of her.”

“Halmoni, you’ll live long-” 

“She’s a stubborn girl and that’s because of her insecurity and inferiority.”

“Halmoni, that's not true. She's-”

“She’s blind, Luhan.”

Luhan was very shocked and it was clearly evident in his quivering voice. He had never expected such an independent person to be blind, to the point that he could not believe her words. A train of thoughts ran through his mind as he pondered over the shocking words she had just uttered over and over again.

“How could ... that be? I mean ... she's very independent and intelligent.” He stuttered.

He remembered the times she would lead him on the haphazardly-paved road, the times she would comfort him when he was down, the times she would help him with the chores when he was too tired, the times when she would smile lightly when he talked about his favourite past-time - sight-seeing, and the times she would look at the seven-coloured rainbow after the heavy rain together.

Why did she-

And his doubts were cleared by her grandmother who was already in tears. “She can’t see the world with her eyes, but she can hear it with her ears, and most importantly, she can feel it with her heart.” 

“Halmoni, I-”

“I know my time is almost up. Promise me that you’ll take care of her, Luhan.” She held onto his hands tightly, pinning all of her hopes on him.

There was a pained expression on his face for he knew he couldn’t promise her, even though it was her only last wish. He had too many responsibilities on his shoulder, since he was the only heir of his family. His life was predestined right from the start, and she wasn’t part of his plan at all. He had to leave the small town one day, he had to return to Seoul one day and he had to leave her one day.

And, that day wasn’t faraway.

As he stared silently at the familiar figure who was busy knitting a sweater and a glove, he couldn't help but to feel burdened by her grandmother's words. Truthfully speaking, her words had lingered on his mind over the past few days and before he knew it, winter was already approaching them. 

"You're here, Luhan?" She turned around to face him and beamed at him before focusing on what she had her hands on. 

He wondered how she had known of his presence when he had yet to speak a word to her, and that's when he was reminded of her grandmother's words, again. She can't see the world, but she can still hear it and most importantly, feel it.

"Yes, I'm here." He answered, before gazing at her intently.

"I'm going to knit a pair of gloves for you. What's your favourite colour?" 

He wondered why she was so optimistic despite being blind. How could she-

"Luhan, do you like blue?" She spoke again, jolting him out of his thoughts. "If not, I'm knitting a pink one for you."   

How could she be so happy when she can't see the beautiful world? How could she still smile when her world was in total darkness? How could she be so strong despite losing her sight?

"Luhan!" She tried to get his attention, once again.

"Any color is fine with me." He answered half-heartedly.

That day, he had so many questions that were left unanswered but more than anything else, he discovered that happiness was a choice. And she had made the right choice to look beyond her imperfections and embraced them with a smile, making the best out of everything she had.

"Your gloves are ready, Luhan!"

She called out to him, smiling cheekily as she jiggled the pair of bright pink gloves in front of him.  

Winter had arrived and it was freezing cold at the small town. Luhan did not have any thick clothes with him nor did he have any heater to warm him up like he had in Seoul city. All he had with him was the bright pink gloves she had knitted for him. He was shivering badly as he trudged in the snow that had piled up high towards her place. It had almost become a daily routine for him to visit her.

It was normal for friends to visit one another or so, he thought.

"Hi there." He greeted, rather weakly.

"Oh my, Luhan! You shouldn't be coming here in such freezing cold weather!" She shrieked in utter shock as she removed his coat which was covered in snow. Quickly, she handed him a warm towel to wrap him up.

"You're exaggerating. The weather is cold but I'm strong." He denied as he shook his head, not wanting her to get worried.

"Don't come in such harsh weather next time." She warned him.

"Don't worry, I'm completely fine." He assured her.  

He sneezed a couple of times and almost immediately, he covered his mouth to hide it. 

"You'll catch a cold." She brought him a glass of warm ginger tea to him. "Here, drink it. You'll feel better."   

"This is so bitter!" He stuck his tongue out in disgust as soon as he took the first sip.

"This is a family remedy, Luhan. And if you're not going to drink it, I'll throw you out of my house." She spoke firmly, folding her arms impatiently. "But if you drink it, I shall reward you with your favourite sweet tangerine."

"All right, all right." He complied, before gulping down the whole glass of ginger tea. "Where's the tangerine?"

She chuckled to herself.

"How could there be tangerines in winter?"

She frowned at him and he immediately knew he was the one who caused her displeasure. But, he couldn't stand even a day without seeing her. He was worried as a friend but he knew it was definitely more than that.

"I've told you umpteen times that it's very dangerous especially when it's snowing so hard outside." As usual, she removed her coat before passing him a warm towel. "Don't come here anymore, Luhan."

He smiled weakly, as he bit his quivering bottom lips.

"I miss your ginger-"

His hands slipped when she passed him the glass of ginger tea, for his hands had already gone numb due to the freezing cold weather. The glass shattered into pieces and more than anything else, he was most worried about her safety, fearing the shattered pieces might cut her.

"Luhan!" She yelled.

But there was no response.

"Luhan!" She yelled, again.

A pang of fear ran through her, and that was when she realized he had passed out. Frantically yet tightly, she hugged him, rubbing his hands together rapidly, hoping to offer him some warmth.

"I'm ... fine." He croaked, as he touched her face gently, only to find out that her face was now stained with tears. "I'm ... really fine. Don't worry about me." 

As he laid in her warm embrace, a weak yet genuine smile crept up his face. And he thought, it was the warmest winter he had ever experienced in his life.

"You're such a fool."

"You, too."    

It was 30^th May and she had turned twenty-two that day. The celebration was not as grand as what Luhan would expect in a city, but it was decent enough, at least to the birthday girl. Her grandmother had prepared a simple meal, with all her favourite dishes. 

“Do you like Seoul?” He asked.

It seemed like a causal question to her but her answer had definitely meant a lot to him.

“I’ve never been there before.”

“That’s my hometown. It’s a beautiful place I wish to bring you to.”

“No, I want to stay with Grandma here.”  

“But one day she’ll-”

“No! Don’t say such a thing, or else we won't be friends anymore.”

“I-”

“I know you find this place too filthy for such a rich man like you, but this is my home and-”

“I love you.”  

And, he kissed her.

Brushing his lips against hers, he kissed her slowly, gently and sweetly. She was startled by his sudden actions and when she realized what he was doing, she did not push him away nor stop him.

It was her first kiss and Luhan took it.

That night, he had promised himself that he would faithfully protect her no matter what.

“Luhan, please take care of my granddaughter for me. Take her with you, all right?” She forced out a weak smile, despite her aggrevated condition. 

“I will, Halmoni.” He replied, holding her hands tightly.

“It’s a pity I can’t live to see the two of you getting married, but I’m glad she had met you.” Tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill out anytime.

“I’m the one who’s thankful to have met her. She’s a great person and it’s because of her that I’ve learnt to appreciate so many things in life and to look beyond the imperfections.”

"Luhan, I'm really so-"

That day, she lost her dearest and only family. She was heartbroken but he stayed beside her the whole time. She lost her beautiful smile and her mesmerizing eyes that used to sparkle in the dark night stopped sparkling. Her eyes that used to often fascinate him seemed to have lost its smile and only dark emptiness filled them.

That night, he did not speak a word to her for she seemed to be lost in her own world. He knew she needed time to accept and get over her closest and only kin's death. And he was willing to wait for her. That night, they gazed at the starless night sky which she had often mentioned. It was indeed pitch-black; just liked what her world had always been in.

But he truly believed, dawn was breaking out.    

He had almost experienced all four seasons with her and there he was down on his knees, proposing to her. She tried to force out a smile, but she couldn’t, not even a weak smile to offer him. Her brows were deeply furrowed, and her head was lowered while she was playing with her fingers anxiously. She tried to find the right words to fill up the silence as he waited in anticipation for her answer but she couldn't. 

“Luhan,”  she hesitated for a moment,  “I can’t leave with you.”   

“Why?”

“I’m not like any other normal-”

“No, you're-”

“I don’t wish to be your burden.”

“You’re not a burden at all.”

“I know I am.”

"I love-" 

"I'm not right for you, Luhan."

"But I love-"  

"You deserve someone better."

I love you.

A year had passed and there he was, waiting at the entrance of the town with the very same baggage he had brought along one year back. It was lighter than before. But he knew, there was so much he had gained throughout those times. And he knew it was time for him to go back to his home in Seoul. If there was one thing he couldn’t let go, it would certainly be her. No matter how much he tried to persuade her to return to Seoul together, the stubborn lady had turned him down flatly. 

At last, someone appeared. It was not her, very much to his disappointment. But the stranger had passed him a letter, which was addressed to him. The words were messy and they were almost illegible, but he broke down uncontrollably. It was from her. He knew the amount of strength, the amount of courage that she had needed to pass him this letter and the amount of effort she had taken to write those two words down.

And that day when he left the town, he had finally known her name – Im Yoona. 

Yoona was a seemingly strong person, but Luhan knew it was only a facade to protect her weak self. She was inferior, but she had hidden her fears behind her. She was abandoned once, and she was scared to be abandoned for the second time. It was such insecurities he knew she had. She was not afraid of the darkness that she had been used to for she feared the light that she had never seen before.

That year, despite his parents’ strong objections, Luhan chose to stay in the small town. He wanted to be by her side to overcome her fears. He wanted her to accept the light in her darkness. He waited patiently for her to accept him and he taught her Braille which he took almost a year to pick up. It was a form of system widely used for people who were visually impaired like her to read and write. And that day when he finally gave her that first letter he took almost a year to write, she was moved to tears.

Dearest Yoona,

 I, Luhan, take you, Im Yoona, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward,

for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Luhan

Ten years later, Yoona never regained her sight but she was happily married with Luhan in Seoul; blessed with two playful kids now. Of course, not forgetting the letter she had replied to him in the same way, marking down their eternal happiness and bliss.

Dearest Luhan,

 I, Im Yoona, take you, Luhan, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward,

for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Im Yoona

A/N: Hello, I've finally managed to re-write this one-shot! It's definitely different from the first one I've written, since I can't remember all the details. I can't even remember the title of the chapter. And I've changed the last part. I think it's more meaningful that the letter, which is Braille, is his marriage vow. So you can imagine when Yoona touched the letter, how she would actually feel. I really hope you've enjoyed reading and the message that I wanted to bring across to all the readers is to appreciate all the little things in your life, including the imperfections. And don't be afraid to take a step out! 

This is the third time I'm editing this story ;) I've re-edited the story with more details to improve the development of the story and characters, so that it'll flow more smoothly. And so, we've come to the end of Luyoon one-shot, thank you for reading it. And I hope you've truly enjoyed reading! Please subscribe and not to forget, do leave a comment down.