“Myungsoo, have you ever imagined your life in the next fifty years?”

Soojung suddenly asked when they were lying under a cherry blossom tree on a quiet spring evening. The moon was shining bright and the wind was blowing through the trees. Myungsoo shut his eyes, breathed the cold air in deeply and began thinking about his answer. He found it hard to tell her all his future plans at once.

“Well…maybe I’ll become a famous designer,” he joked. “Date pretty girls before getting married to one them, have children, grow old, suffer Alzheimer’s and finally die at age 100 or so.”

“That sounds fun.” Soojung chuckled and rested her head on Myungsoo’s arm. “But it’s not clear enough. I want to hear more...”  

“About what?” He asked.

“Hm…your life after marriage.”

Myungsoo took a deep breath before describing his dream. “We will live in a two-storey wooden house near the beach. I will plant her favorite flowers in the front yard and give them to her every morning. When I come home from work, she will greet me at the gate and kiss me. Then we will have dinner together. On weekends, we will camp in the back garden. I love to lie on the grass with her head on my chest. We will gaze into the starry night sky, count the stars and play quiz games. I will help her do housework, take care of our kids and watch them grow up. I wish I could do everything and live happily with her until we grow old together.”

Soojung turned her head to Myungsoo’s side and looked straight into his eyes. Under the shining moonlight, she could see her reflection in them. “Then your wife will be the most blissful woman in the world.”

“Are you jealous of her?”

“Who says?” She pouted cutely.

“But I’m really curious about your future husband.” Myungsoo muttered. “He must be as handsome as me, tall as me and smart as me, right?”

“Why are you so confident?” Soojung gently pinched his nose and chuckled. “If you tell me your future wife’s name, I’ll reveal my husband’s name.”

“Why am I the one to say first?” Myungsoo grunted.

“How about playing rock, paper, scissors game?”

“Awh, you know I’m not good when it comes to that game. But let’s do it just once.”

“Okay.” She grinned. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Start! Rock, paper, scissors!”

Myungsoo held his breath as he chose paper as usual. Soojung chose scissors, so she won.

“You’re the loser now!” She exclaimed excitedly. “Tell me your wife’s name.”

“Hm…I can only say that it has three words.” Myungsoo .

“Ya! Are you trying to cheat?” Soojung sat up immediately and began tickling him. Myungsoo guffawed while holding her in his arms and they rolled over on the wet grass. Their bodies were so close that their thumping heartbeat could be heard clearly.

“What’s her name?” She whispered.

“Jung Soojung.” Myungsoo smiled and ran his fingers through her soft hair. “And what’s his name?”

“Kim Myungsoo.”

She smiled sweetly while pressing her forehead against his, just the way he liked it. He cupped her face in both hands and gently kissed her lips. In the spring night, their first kiss had the taste of lollipop, the scent of cherry blossom, and the feeling of warmth inside their hearts.

“Appa! Appa!”

Myungsoo slowly opened his eyes and saw Lauren sitting right next to him on the couch. She put her left hand on his forehead and asked anxiously, “Appa, are you sick? Your forehead is getting hot.”

“I’m fine, Rennie.” He smiled and sat up, pulling Lauren to sit on his lap.

“Appa, why do your eyes water?” She wiped away his tears. “Did you cry during sleep?”

“Appa had a beautiful dream.” Myungsoo smiled while her soft hair. It really hurt him because she had the same scent as Soojung.

“Then why did you cry?”

“Because it will never come true.” He said quietly. “By the way, where is Sungjong ajussi?”

“Ajussi is studying in his room. But are you really okay? You’ve slept for hours after lunch.”

“Really?” Myungsoo raised his eyebrows. “Maybe it’s because I’m too tired. Appa has a lot of things to do with Rennie, so appa won’t get sick. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Neh, I love appa the most.” Lauren wrapped her arms around Myungsoo’s neck and kissed his cheek.

“Me too.” He smiled and hugged his princess tight. “Rennie ah, where do you prefer to live in, Paris or Seoul?”

Lauren thought for a moment and said, “Actually I used to love living in Paris, but I’ve changed my mind. I love my new school, teacher and friends. Appa, you should meet my teacher. She is very pretty and nice.”

“Sure.” Myungsoo nodded. “I will take you to school on Monday and meet her. Have you known her name yet?”

“Neh, my teacher’s name is Jiyeon.”

Why does that name sound familiar? Myungsoo wondered silently to himself. Then he suddenly remembered the young woman he met in the supermarket this morning. Her name is Jiyeon, too. Maybe it was a popular name or just a pure coincidence.

“Appa, I’m going to go out and get candy. Are you thirsty?” Lauren asked while jumping off from the couch. “I’ll bring you some water.”

“Thanks, Rennie.”

Myungsoo sat up and went to the window. It was snowing hard outside, all he could see was the white road and the grey sky. He had hung up Soojung’s call, and he was trying not to regret his decision. He really didn’t know what to say to her after all these years. Sometimes Myungsoo thought he had completely forgotten her, but it was just a lie. Finally, he couldn’t deny the fact that he still missed her so much. These mixed feelings confused Myungsoo and he could only pretend that he was not the one she was finding. He didn’t want anyone to mess his current life, especially when Lauren was living happily with him.

Just then Myungsoo’s phone rang. He walked to his desk and took it out of the drawer. There was a message from Soojung that read:

I could understand why you refused to talk to me. But after what happened to us in the past, can’t you even be my friend? I just want to know if you’re living well, that’s all. I really appreciate if you can stop ignoring my call.

Myungsoo sighed and decided to reply to her immediately. He was too tired to stand more hurt caused by her.

As you said, it was just our past. I don’t want to bring it to the present. Let’s think that we have never known each other. Gook luck and take care, Soojung. I hope this is the last time I call your name.