“I’ve kissed guys but among all those guys, I haven’t felt that thing.. that moment when you kiss someone and everything around you become hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person. And at that moment you realized that that person is the only one that you’re supposed to kiss for the rest of your life. And for one moment, you get this amazing gift. And you want to laugh and cry cause’ you feel so lucky that you’ve found it and so scared that it’ll go away all at the same time, until I met this one amazing guy, 7 years ago and I felt everything with him”

“I’ve felt and experienced it when everything becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is just me and him. I also experienced the pain when it went away and there was nothing that I could do or say to make him stay and come back to me. He was so determined to leave, believing that it’s for the best and that I’ll be so much happier.”

“But little did he realize that there is nothing sadder in this life than to watch someone you love walk away after they have left you. To watch the distance between your two bodies expand until there’s nothing left but empty space…and silence.” She said in between sobs, knowing that he was there with her.

He kept mum and stood there with his hands in his pocket with tears welled up in his eyes and began rolling down his cheeks like rivulets. He took a deep breath and got his act together.

“Sometimes, somehow, no matter how much time we spend apart from the one we care most about, our love for them never fades, for distance only made our love grow stronger.” He said.

“You only realized it now?” she asked softly.

“Every night, I lie on the floor, washed by nothing and hanging on. I cry at night. I am afraid of hearing voices or a voice. I have come to edge where I knew I could get pushed over any moment. That’s when I realised that I need to put an end to it and only I have the ability to put a stop to it. I knew how to but I was afraid that it will be wrong and that the consequence will be much unbearable.” He took a deep breath and continued.

“Every night I tell myself that I’ll, that we’ll be fine. That I made the right decision in letting you go and when I saw you at the wedding for the first time after 3 months, I can’t be happier. You looked amazing and so much healthier than you were before, when we were still together. That’s when I knew that I made the right decision but of course, I suffered the consequences.”

“I lost control of my head, the moment I let go of my heart. The moment I let you go, I lost myself..” he said as tears streamed down his cheeks to the ground. His jaws clenched as he didn’t want her to see him breaming with tears.

“Well, it is said that the first time you fall in love, it changes you forever and no matter how hard you try, that feeling just never goes away. I know that my feelings for you will never fade away because even though we’ve been apart for close to a year, I’m still very much in love with you.” She said as she chocked on her words with tears blurring her vision.

He took heavy and slow steps and stood next to her. A loud sigh was heard. He could feel her gaze on him. “Today is the 12^th June. Another year has passed and that marks our 7^th Anniversary and truthfully, I was so close to not coming up here but today I realised that at the end of the day it's about how much I can bear, how much I can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves.”

“What are you saying Taeyeon?”

“Today I stand before you, to tell you that I love you. That I don’t want to spent another sleepless night. Life has no meaning for me if you’re not a part of it. So, today I stand before you to tell you that I need you in my life. I don’t want to spend another day knowing someone else is kissing you and claiming you as theirs. I love you and I miss you so much Jung Sooyeon. All this while, I’ve been a fool thinking that I’ll get over you when reality is, I don’t want to get over you. I don’t want to forget you. I want to love you till my last breath.” By then, he had turn his gaze to her and held her hand. His eyes were bloodshot red, ringed with the pink of outpouring tear ducts.

“But..”

“But what Taengoo?”

“I’m not just gonna come back in and just take you away from him. You’re with him now and he’s made you happy thus far and it will be unfair to him if I just snatch you away after all the hard work that he’s put in to make you happy and make you smile again. So, I’m gonna draw a line between us. I’ll wait for you no matter how long it takes. I’ll make you mine again but I will do it through the right way.” He said as he took a step back away from her.

“You can just take me away and make me yours because I don’t belong to anyone except for you baby. “

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I was caught up with work” she apologised as she took a sit next to him on the bench.

“It’s okay. I know you’re a busy woman. Besides, I didn’t wait long”

“I asked you out because I needed to talk to you about something.”

“What is it? It sounds serious. Did something happen?” He asked clearly worried at the tone of her voice.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before answering him.

“We should stop seeing each other”

“What? Why all of a sudden? Did I do something that upsets you?” he asked, panicking at her sudden request.

“You may not believe what I’m gonna say but it’s the truth. Donghae, you’re a great guy. You’re really nice, good looking and caring but we can never be together. I mean what I say about you, it’s from the bottom of my heart.” she said as she avoided his gaze

“B..but I love you. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now but never had the chance.” He said hoping to appease her and change her mind.

She was clearly taken back by his confession but jut brushed it away. “I’m sorry but I can never love you in the same way. Nothing you do can change the way I feel”.

“Please, please give me a chance, I’ll show you my love. I’ll be the best man for you..” he pleaded as he turn her to look at him.

She saw the pleading look in his eyes but she can’t fool herself and she’s not gonna pretend to love him when she clearly don’t.

“I told you that you’re a great man but my love is not for you and it never will be. It isn’t fair that whenever we’re together, I’m actually yearning for someone else.”

“It’s because of your ex? Jessica, he left and hurt you. You should move on and let go. For all you know he’s happily in a relationship with someone else…” he said firmly.

“You’re wrong. I know for sure that he isn’t in a relationship. You’re right to say that he left but he was being selfless. He wanted the best for me but little did he realize that he was the best for me.”

“He’s just giving you excuses. If you mean a lot to him, he wouldn’t have let you go just like that. Who does he think he is?!”

“He is somebody to me, and to the world”

“Don’t make it sound like he’s that big. He’s not like you who hold a high status and is known by everyone”

“You should take back your words Donghae. You’ll regret it if you knew who he is”

“Who is he? A celebrity? A millionaire? C’mon, don’t make it sound like he’s a big deal Jessica”

“You don’t have to know who he is but I’ll let you know that he is important”

“Please Sooyeon, forget him and give me a chance. I can do so much better than him and I’ll love you forever and treat you well”

“Who gave you the right to call me by that name?! No one can call me by that name except for him” she snapped at him when he called her by that name. That name is solely for him to call her by.

“Give me one good reason why you’re still holding on to him and loving him despite all that he’s done?”

“The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance or time. And no matter how much more special, beautiful or perfect than me he might be, he was irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine”

He was clearly taken aback by everything that she said. ‘Do they really share such a bond? Is that even possible? But he left and that changes everything, doesn’t it?’ he silently thought.

“Now do you understand why we can never happen? The bond that I shared with him, is special and rare.. And the 7 years of memories can never be forgotten just by the presence of a new person or the absence of him. Till the end, it will always be him. He’s the only one that I see in my future. He’s the only one that I want as the father of my child. He may not be the first but he is definitely the last”

“What is it about him that you love so much that I don’t stand a chance at all?” he asked dejectedly.

“When you love someone, you can’t really point out the one thing that you love most about them. You accept them for who they are and love everything about them.” She turned and looked at him.

“I’m sorry Donghae but you should give your heart a break and find someone else that is worthy of your love. There’s no point in hanging on to me when you can find better. Goodbye Donghae and I’m truly sorry for breaking your heart” with those last words, she took light steps away from him. She felt relieved after letting it all out and ending it with Donghae.

‘Kim Taeyeon, I’m coming for you. Wait for me baby. I know that we can make it right and it’s gonna take a little time so let’s not leave ourselves with no way out Taengoo’

No words were needed as he looked at her in the eyes and both unconsciously smiled. He spread his arms wide and she ran up to him and hugged him tight. He held her tight, not wanting to let go. “I love you Jessica Jung Sooyeon. I love you so much” he whispered as he kissed her ears. She had a big smile and nodded at his words. She pulled him closer, eliminating any gaps between them. “I love you too my idiotic Kim Taeyeon!” she said. He lifted her off the ground and spin around.

“How are you so sure that I’m not in a relationship? I could have been in one after learning about yours..” he asked as he stood behind her wrapped his hands around her waist and buried his face in her brunette locks.

“Firstly, I’m sorry that I went out with someone else and I’m sorry that he did make me laugh but bottom line is, I don’t feel anything with him. As to how I’m so sure that you’re not in any relationship, is because I am sure that you’re still in love with me.”

“Cocky much, Miss Jung?” he asked with his brows raised with his head tilted to the side, looking at her side view.

“Not cocky Mr Kim, just confident in your love” she answered with a sly grin. She turned around and s her hands around his neck and pulled him down closer to her. She pressed her lips onto his and was contented when he deepened the kiss. The kiss was overflowed with love, passion and lust. They’ve missed each other for so long and could barely control their feelings. They parted for air and smile were plastered on their face. They were grinning from ear to ear.

All of a sudden, she felt him tensed up against her. “What’s wrong Taengoo?”

“Sooyeon, I want to us to be together, but not at the expense of you being hurt by my career.”

“Where are you going with this Kim Taeyeon?”

“Sooyeon, will you be able to handle all my schedules, all the stories about me? Basically the baggage that I bring along by being an artist?”

She felt his grip loosened but before her could take his hands off, she held on to his and tighten his hold.

“You make me look so weak Taengoo. I know, you saw the hidden pain but you know what, I’m stronger than I used to be. I’ll accept all the baggage that you bring along into our relationship. Simply because I love you and still am very much in love even after 7 long years”

“I’m not gonna let all our hard work and effort go to waste without fighting for it Kim Taeyeon. Till the end, I will fight for you, fight for our love. We’ve worked hard to make it work and I know we can make it work till the very end” she said to him as she lifted his heads up and gazed into his brown orbs. Taeyeon smiled fondly at her and kissed her forehead upon hearing her words.

“Thank You Jung Sooyeon”