Never in your years have you had so much fun on Valentines.

But there you were, not even in a fancy, stuffy restaurant but in a stall in the streets of Seoul sharing a serving of ddeokbokki and laughing, enjoying the corniest jokes with a guy you just formally met an hour ago rather than the best friend you’ve been with for 15 years. And for some strange reason, you didn’t mind at all.

You and Sandeul had been stall-hopping, from kimbaps to mini fried chicken to hoddeuks, for the past forty five minutes. In high heels no less. But seeing Sandeul smile sincerely like that stopped even your complaints, forgetting about the pain your heels brought you and instead focusing on making the brunette beside you laugh more often.

“...so the guy ended up throwing Jinyoung headfirst into the sandbox, then leaving us alone. I was crying so hard when I saw his chin was scraped and he was spitting out sand all over, but he just smiled at me and told me not to cry anymore. And we’ve been best friends ever since,” you finish telling Sandeul the story of yours and Jinyoung’s friendship before popping one more cylindrical rice cake in your mouth. He listens patiently, smiling serenely as he followed your actions and ate the last pieces of ddeokbokki.

You sigh a bit, though in exasperation of the reminder that Jinyoung would forever only be your best friend or in delight that Sandeul seems to be enjoying just as much as you, you have no clue.

“My girlfriend for 3 years left me on valentines,” he admits before placing some money on the counter and thanking the stall lady. You stare at him in shock as he offers you his hand again; unconsciously you take it anyway and stand up.

“I-I’m so sorry,” you stutter once the both of you were out and about again. He smiles distantly but can’t manage to look you in the eye. “It’s not your fault,” he says unconvincingly.

The silence is unnerving, you feel as if you’ll step over the line with one question but being the curious little kitten you are, you still ask.

“What happened...?”

Sandeul stops walking, his is face expressionless. You look back and immediately begin to apologize profusely; bowing 90 degrees, but his laugh stops you. You look up at him; he gives you a crooked smile and ruffles your hair. He doesn’t say anything but you feel forgiven as he walks farther away from you and you stay rooted to your spot.

He stops and looks over his shoulder to you before pointing towards Hoehyeon-dong platform.

You don’t do anything else but run up to him and hug his arm. The trip to the Namsan cable car is filled only with his voice as he talks about the first time he met Park Sangmi, his ex-girlfriend, to when he fell in love with her to when she agreed to be his to the promises they made for a future they’d never have. He doesn’t smile or laugh, only continues to talk as both of you reach Seoul Tower.

But you notice there isn’t a single amount of loneliness or anger in his voice as he talks about Sangmi, only love.

And you don’t know whether or not it’s because he’s talking about her, or if it’s because he’s talking to you.

.oOo.

You grin madly like a child allowed to pick any toy in the biggest toy store on earth. You and Sandeul had the whole observation deck to yourselves, which meant that there was no need to show off to anyone, no one would see you anyway. You kick off the heels before running towards the rails like a little girl.

The view is breathtaking, especially at night. Seoul’s city lights flicker on and off, probably a trick of the eye, much like the stars in the sky. Sandeul ends up carrying your heels that were discarded at a distance as he leans on the railings beside you. You try to be cheerful, pointing towards every building you could recognize. He doesn’t say anything but nods every time you say something trivial.

But even you run out of things to say.

Eventually, it’s silent between the both of you as you fiddle with the plastic ring on your left middle finger. “Is it important to you?” he suddenly asks. You fumble a bit out of surprise and end up dropping the ring somewhere. Immediately, you drop to your knees and start searching for it everywhere.

Sandeul kneels next to you and eventually finds the ring somewhere near the edge of the railings. You sigh in relief but end up sitting down, only now do you realize how tired you actually were from walking all over Seoul in high heels.

That’s definitely something you’d never do again. Well, something you’d never do again if Sandeul wasn’t with you.

Sandeul sits down besides you, observing the ring in all angles as he places your heels in between both of you. “Let me guess, Jinyoung gave it?” he asks, fiddling with the cheap plastic and you can’t help but smile at the memory.

He surprised you on your last birthday, telling you he’d be out of town the whole week, but in reality, he was searching everywhere for a ring he could give you as you told him it was the only thing you wanted for your birthday. He ended up getting several odd jobs to raise the money. Jinyoung finally got the ring a day before your birthday but ended up getting it stolen from some guy in a ddeokbokki stall.

Out of desperation, with the little money he had left, he still bought you a ring, a cheap grey plastic one. He promised that you’d get a better ring next year, but you only ended up crying, telling him it’s the best present anyone has given you.

It wasn’t a diamond ring, but a ring from Jung Jinyoung? To you, not even the world could replace it.

You nod at Sandeul finally, with a tired smile. He looks at you and nods back. Silence fills the whole deck as you stare at the clock, indicating there was only twenty minutes left ‘til Valentines would end. You sigh and start slipping on your heels again, Sandeul stares at you before quietly helping out with the other sandal, strapping it on as a perfect fit. He stands up to full height first before giving you his hand.

You laugh a little before standing up with his help as the announcer comments that there was only fifteen minutes left ‘til Seoul Tower would close. He takes your hand and presents you the ring, “Do you, Song ______, take this ring as a promise that you have enjoyed yourself for tonight?” he asks jokingly with a raised brow and you can’t help but laugh.

“I do.”

He slips on the ring quietly on your left middle finger before looking up at you and smiling. You laugh and open your arms wide, “And do you, Lee Sandeul, accept this hug as an agreement that you as well have enjoyed tonight?” you ask, half expecting him to turn down your offer. He only laughs and wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder before whispering, “Thank you, for making my Valentines a little less y.” He comments and releases you, somehow, you felt a little bit colder without him.

You take small steps back towards the exit before finally turning your back to leave him. But you stop and bite your lower lip, looking over your shoulder to make sure Sandeul wasn’t just a trick of your head and that he was- is – real. Sandeul tilts his head to the side before smiling at you and holding up a hand to wave.

“Will I see you again?” You suddenly spill out and he looks slightly taken aback. He laughs a little before putting a finger to his chin, acting like he was thinking before he breaks out into a mischievous grin.

“Depends if I dream of you tonight,” he answers with a wink. “I’ll take that as a sign.”

You smile in spite of yourself and wave goodbye towards him.

“Sweet dreams, Sandeul.”

.oOo.___.oOo.___.oOo.___.oOo.___.oOo.

A/N: Unfortunately, I wasn't actually able to update yesterday because my sister cut off the internet. Rofl ;; But here it is :D
:( Two more days and no more everyday update, enjoy while it lasts.
Subscriptions, comments and the like are love~! :D