Stronger

She did not know how long they stood on the staircase.

With their arms encircled tight around one another.

And the warm breeze blowing softly in their hair.

Their lips unendingly tasting and exploring each other.

When they were out of breath, he broke free from her red swolen lips to kiss her cheek, nuzzle her ear and caress her face.

But only long enough only to give her a breather.

Before swooping in for another lip locking spree.

This was not the first time Hye Sung tasted a man's lips.

She did that twice before.

When she was ten years old at a year end school party.

A boy who was moving to another school, stole a kiss from her at the back of the classroom when she was on cleaning duty.

But that was when before she even reached puberty.

And the classmate was hardly a man.

She then tasted a real man’s lips at college.

With a sunbae she admired and had a huge crush on.

He took her out on a dinner and movie date before ending the night with a passionate cuddle and kiss session in his luxurious sports car.

And then he left town without so much of a goodbye, after impregnating one of her classmates.

That was then.

This was now.

She was all woman now.

And definitely all the wiser.

And never has she felt more loved and desirable than that moment.

All thanks to one young Park Soo Ha.

This was what she had been waiting for ever since she found Soo Ha again after a year of him missing in action.

In fact, this was what she had been waiting for all her life.

In actual truth, Jang Hye Sung did not know what she was waiting for exactly.

After her father left her mother and her a long time ago, her mother fought the only way she knew how to.

And that is to carve herself as a strong, resilient, independent woman.

Simply to survive.

And she taught her daughter the same traits.

After another man, Judge Seo, disappointed them all over again, both mother and daughter grew yet even stronger.

So, in fact, Jang Hye Sung never really felt that she needed a man.

To make her a woman.

She was doing fine on her own.

Or so she thought.

For when a certain Min Jong Gook appeared, and later when her Omma was killed, Hye Sung thought that it was necessary to have a man in her life.

To protect her and take care of her.

And to keep her company.

But she had looked in all the wrong places.

And at the wrong man.

When the right one was patiently waiting for her in her own home.

But fate had it such that the patient man decided to take leave.

And with misguided chilvary, to leave her with the man she initiatlly thought she wanted.

And with his absence, she finally realised that she did not really need a man to protect her, nor to take care of her, nor to fulfill her as a woman.

She could very well do all those on her own.

What she  finally realised, was that she loved him.

She loved Park Soo Ha.

Despite his age, despite his scary supernatural ability, despite the inappropriateness of their potential bonding.

She loved being with him, loved his surprisingly deep insights, loved his at times childish behaviour and loved the possibility of him loving her back.

And with his diary, she finally knew for certain.

And now that she finally realised that fact, she knew she would die all over again, if this man, her man, was to be taken away from her again.

And that constant threat was and probably will always be a part of her complex.

Which had made her to ealier hesitate with Soo Ha.

Hesitate to tell him how she truly felt, how scared she was of losing him, how happy he always made her feel, and how safe and warm he was to her.

But never again.

It was time to confront her fears.

And be that strong, resilient and independent woman her mother had taught her to be.

To be with her man, not because she needed to, but because she wanted to.

For both of them to be strong individually and even stronger together.

For both of them to confront all their fears, enemies, social taboos and the likes and stay together in spite of it all.

And enjoy themselves while they were at it.

God knows how long they were destined to be together, but knowing God, she guessed that it would be for a long, long time.

After a long while, Soo Ha broke free from her again, as if sensing her inner turmoil.

He cocked his head to mentally ask her what was worrying her.

Hye Sung simply smiled and took his hand.

And slowly ascended the stairs, pulling him behind her, towards what she considered now as their little apartment.

Where she vowed that the time has finally come for her to be strong again ...

And to start living once more.

Fin