Three.

It has always been that number for him and for her.

One… two… three.
 

It stops there.
Counting stops there at that number… three.

The numbers always stop at three for Choi Seunghyun and Tiffany Hwang.

Three seconds.           

That shy and awkward glance just took three seconds and it changed their lives completely… and forever.  

Three friends.

He asked three people for her number. The third and the most unexpected one gave it to him.

Three days.

            It took him three days to call her.

Three weeks.

She made him wait for three weeks before finally agreeing to see him.

Three dates.

Dinner at a hotel restaurant.
Dinner at his villa.
Dinner at her house.

Just three dates.

Three times.

            They had three times. Period.

Three cycles.

            She needed to miss three cycles of her period, and then she cried.

Three months.

It took her more than three months to gather up the courage to tell him. And another three months to get over what he told her.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Me too.”

She wished she never attempted to tell him. 

Three hours.

She welcomed into this world a beautiful baby after three hours of painful labor.
She welcomed her alone.

Three attempts.

He had three unsuccessful attempts to propose to his girlfriend to be his wife. And finally, he was given another shot at it… a beautiful and promising chance. Then he started to receive those calls… calls that he chose to ignore.

Three years.

After three years, she needed to talk to him again. It was a call she promised herself she'll never have to make… but she was desperate.

Three missed calls.

He never bothered answering the third time his phone rang. He didn’t answer the first and second; he didn’t know whom that number belongs to.

He kept staring at his phone:

Missed Calls (3)
Three missed calls. 

Three messages.

He wasn’t picking up. It was with faint hope that with these three messages she sent him, he’ll be able to pacify her anxious and worried heart.

One. I need a favor. Please answer your phone. This is Miyoung.

Two. I will explain later. Please, I am begging. Please, Seunghyun, please.

Three. Her guardian didn’t show up. She’s been crying for hours now. The kindergarten won’t let anyone take her home except me, or the guardian… or you. I’m in Tokyo right now… Please Seunghyun… You’ll recognize her… she knows you...

Or you…

You'll recognize her...

She knows you...

That played in his head so many times… no, not just three times.

Three minutes.

He re-read her messages for three long minutes before starting his car. He contemplated. He didn’t know what to do. He had better things to do.

Three wrong schools.

He went to three different preschools before he can finally get to the right one. It’s three p.m. and almost all of the kindergartens were closed, except for one because there’s a little girl waiting for someone to fetch her.

Three reasons.

He was asking himself three good reasons why he missed the wedding proposal he just prepared. All of his family and friends are there; his girlfriend’s too. It maybe his last chance; but there he was in the middle of nowhere, on the way to some international preschool. 

Nervous, anxious, scared.

            There.
            Three reasons.

Three.

It’s always been that number.

“Daddy!”

No, it didn’t take him three seconds this time.

“Sorry baby. Daddy’s late.”