Baby girl, you won't regret. Come along just take my hands. 

 

/Hello?

/Woohyun, it’s me.

/Yeah, I know. What’s wrong, Gikwang?

/Doojun hyung had a car accident.

/W-What? Is he okay? How’s Chorong?

/Come to the hospital quickly. Chorong needs you.

/Okay, I’m on my way.

 

---

 

As I reached the hospital, Chorong was crying in the arms of Bomi, her co-worker. Gikwang was pacing back and forth shock was all over his face. My hands were shaking at the sight of Chorong weeping and I called out her name.

“Chorong.”

She looked up, her eyes swollen and she ran into my chest. I heard her mumbled incoherent words and felt my shirt wet of her tears. Softly, I her hair and tightened my grip on her back.

“Shhh. He’s gonna be fine, Chorong-ah.”

Pulling back, she shook her head, “H-He said t-that.. I-I c-can’t.. H-He.. I-I’m sc-scared.”

My heart broke into pieces seeing her sobbing, her eyes and nose were red and her hair was a mess. I caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes dearly, “It’s okay. I’m here.”

“What if he d-?”

“No!” I cut her off, my gaze firmed on her crying face. “He won’t.”

Chorong sniffed and looked at me sadly. Her eyes were full of hope and fear at the same time. I could feel her body trembled and at that moment I was too. My heart tightened and I could only pray for Doojun’s live. She reached for my hand, her hand was cold as ice.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

 

---

 

The news came in later the next morning when I just got home and ready to take a shower. I quickly grabbed a pair of washed out jeans and T-shirt, hurrying to my car and headed to the hospital again. The dawn was quiet and calm as my car steered on the road.

“You promised he won’t died, oppa! You promised and I trusted you!”

I had no words to say as she cried, screamed and punched my chest over and over again. We were at the funeral and everyone had left. It was only Chorong and I standing before his grave. It felt surreal. There was a tight clamp in my heart and I couldn’t imagine how Chorong would have felt.

No matter how resentful I was to him, he was still one of the persons that mattered to me. During our university days, he treated me like his own brother and took care of me every time I got into troubles. I still couldn’t comprehend my mind at this time. I felt like at any minutes, he would crawl up from his grave and gave us his infamous playful smirk, saying ‘Gotcha!’ like always.

Hours passed and the pit of my stomach was churning. Chorong was still sitting on the ground, her head lied next to the tombstone. Seeing her in that state crushed my heart to pieces. Deep down, I can’t help but to abhor Doojun for leaving like this. My mind was a pitch black and I staggered to her, squeezing her trembling shoulder.

“Let’s go home, baby girl.”

 

---

 

 

A week had passed.

Chorong was still refusing the food I offered every morning I stopped by her apartment before going to work. She looked skinny and pale, her eyes swollen and she no longer wore her favourite Dior perfume which she had always wore all the time. Each time I was there, she never noticed me as she was in her own world, lying on her bed, staring at the white ceiling, looking lifeless.

Bomi urged me to help her but I wanted to give her some space and time to recover from his death. But she didn’t. It was just getting worse as days and weeks passed. She quitted her job and shut herself from reality, snuggling in her blanket every night and day, crying and weeping over a dying soul. I tried to help her but she wouldn’t let me in her world.

It was heartbreaking, seeing your loved one suffered and losing her senses day by day and there was nothing you could do. I realized that her love for Doojun was above anything else in this world but she too needed to realize that letting go was the only thing that can help her to move on. And I knew it was my job as her guardian, her protector to make it happen.

So, exactly after 5 months of Doojun’s death, I crashed to her apartment and pulled her out of her bed. She rebelled against me of course but I forced her to take a bath and wear fresh new clothes. I made her hair into a ponytail and put some make up on her pale face. Carefully, I put her sneakers on and said, “You need to get out of this hellhole.”

She groaned and moaned but followed me nonetheless. I had my hand on her the whole time and we wandered around Seoul town until late night. She didn’t speak unless I did and nodded or shook her head every time I asked something. We made our way to the wooden bench, the cold breeze of the night seeped through our skins and I could see her shivering, rubbing her hands together. I gave her my gloves and enjoyed the view of the city in lights in front.

Again, she kept silent and cried next to me. And again, there was nothing I could do to ease her pain.

 

---

 

They say time will heal and they were right. Time did heal Chorong and her pain. I was scared at first but in the end the only thing she needed was time. I didn’t do much for her just that I stayed by her side the whole time and the first smile she gave me after so long made everything worthy. She could laugh and shout and cry and to see her glowing with emotions made the world a whole lot better.

I waited for this day long enough and it was time to make her rightfully mine.

 

---

 

When I was little, there was this one movie that we loved to watch together. It was about a group of kids who believed they had superpowers and decided to merge and save the world. So, each week we would pick a night to spend time in front of the black TV screen in her house, dreaming of having those powers. She picked the power of flying, ‘So I can fly anywhere I like’, she said. I whispered, ‘Teleportation’, for my choice of superpower, ‘So I can follow you anywhere’. I was sure she heard me because she gave me the sweetest smile showing her teeth and gums.

That fateful day, I asked the guy from the ice cream parlor we used to buy from to give her a maple leaf as I waited exactly 20 meters away from her. Confused, she knitted her brows and the man only cocked at my direction as an answer. She looked at me with a questioned look and I stared back with hopeful eyes. The end of her lips curled up before she read the writing on the maple leaf.

‘Ever since we used to laugh and cry about small things, I have loved you. Ever since we used to dance in the rains, I have loved you. When we used to sneak out to the terrace and count the stars, I have loved you.

Now, I myself, have forgotten since when I have loved you. I can only say, that I have loved you and only you.’

Both of us stepped forward, closing the gap between us. I held my breath as I counted the steps I had taken. One, two, three. Her eyes were teary. Twelve, thirteen. She sniffed. Nineteen, twenty. She was right in front of me.

“Oppa?”

“Chorong, I love you and I want to be with you my whole life.”

Baffled, she asked, “Since when?”

“Always.” I replied, short.

“And up to this day, you never said anything?”

“I never had a chance to say it.”

Looking down, she bit her lips, holding back her tears but a single tear escaped and ran through her cheek. Choked, she said, “You are always there for me; days and night, tears and laughter. You kept me sane when all I wanted to do was running away. You held my hand when I wanted to give up. You brought rainbows and sunny days in my life. And now you love me your whole life. I couldn’t ask for more, could I?”

“Is that a-“

“Yes!” She smiled through her tears and looked at me endearingly, “I love you too and I want to be with you my whole life, oppa.”

And I swore that moment was infinite.

 

---

 

The wedding march was echoing in the church and all eyes were on the door. Slowly, the bridesmaids made their way inside one by one. And then enter her with a gorgeous smile plastered on her porcelain face. Hand in hand with her father, she walked in her white wedding dress that we picked out together.

It fitted at the bodice and gently flared wider toward the bottom. It was strapless and the neckline shaped like the top half of the heart. The train of the dress swept the floor gracefully as she marched toward me.

As she was in front, I could only gaped and whispered, “You look absolutely stunning.”

And I meant it.

 

 

The End