Hey, Gang! I'm back in my home town and settling into a nice, relaxing existence for the time being. So I figured it was time I get a move on and wrap up this story. I probably won't get tons of comments for this, but this update is for the readers who stuck it out from Day 1 and didn't give up on me, even when I wasn't sure which direction this story was going in. A big thank you to all of you out there, enjoy!

---

December 2015

 

Christmas was fast approaching and Seoul was abuzz with twinkling fairy lights at every turn. The past few days had seen the first winter snowfall and the sidewalks seemed to be paved over with sparkling white that resembled thick creamy icing.

 

Even Sulli’s school had caught the festive bug. For a whole week, the students had been making Christmas crafts and decorations from scratch so that the halls on the first floor of the building looked like paper mâché had exploded all over the walls. But the students were happy and elated by the prospect of their upcoming winter vacation and the fever had spread to the teachers and other staff members.

 

Everyone, save for Choi Jinri.

 

She had been lethargic and morose for the past few months, ever since she had broken up with Minho and told Lay that she needed space and time to move on. She found it faintly ironic that she had once had two men falling over their feet to be with her. And now she was every bit as alone as she deserved.

 

And since Tiffany hadn’t spoken to her save for professional purposes because she cheated on Minho, that left Victoria in the awkward position of playing middle-man between the two colleagues as well as doing her best to cheer Sulli up. Her idea of ‘cheering up’ so far had been to drag Sulli to every bar and nightclub imaginable in Seoul, even on the weekdays when her best friend was dragging her feet at work. There were a few times when Sulli was able to actually switch her brain off for a few hours, drink till she swayed adorably on her massive heels and even flirt outrageously with a few men.

 

But whenever it came down to ‘that moment’, she could never follow through. She was the one who had told Lay not to wait for her, and yet she was the one waiting around for him to magically show up at her door, take her into his arms and tell her that he was done with the army for good.

 

She dreamt about him so often that when she woke up, she could still feel the ghostly imprints of his long fingers trailing over her love handles. She wondered if she was going crazy somehow.

 

Even now, she was tapping a mournful melody with the eraser on her pencil against the edge of her wooden desk, staring blankly at the computer screen filled with erroneous figures and emails that needed to be dealt with.

 

She just didn’t have the energy or the heart to deal with any of it. If only she had the courage to actually lie outright and say that she needed to go to the hospital because she was feeling sick.

 

Victoria did it all the time…

 

Just then, several slips of paper fell onto her desk in an untidy swirl. “The quotation from the golf resort in Wonju for the next Teachers Retreat.”

 

Sulli glanced up stupidly at Tiffany, who had given her the papers. Even though it was in the heart of winter, the vivacious red-head still managed to look sprightly in a neon pink wrap-around skirt and beige, sleeveless blouse with ruffles at the bottom of her neck. But as per usual, her tone when addressing the younger dark-haired woman was nothing short of bland derision.

 

“Thanks,” Sulli mumbled, feeling a tightness forming deep in her chest. She sighed a second later and began highlighting the various prices of things like the rooms and the use of karaoke lounges and bathhouses that the hotel had sent with a yellow marker.

 

“I don’t even know why we’re going on another work trip. Didn’t we just go to Pyeongtaek a month ago?” Tiffany grumbled, swivelling around aimlessly in her office chair.

 

“We did,” Sulli affirmed, her eyes still on the paper in front of her. “And it was lame,” she couldn’t resist adding.

 

“Totally,” Tiffany agreed.

 

“I don’t know what you guys are complaining about. You both got roaring drunk and I got roaring laid,” Victoria remarked in-between filing her nails into hexagonal edges for the hell of it.

 

“Urgh, don’t remind me. I was badly hung over for at least a week.” Sulli groaned, the memory making her shudder inwardly.

 

“A week? I was hung over for two weeks after the Principal made us do that Soju drinking game according to how many traditional folk songs us ‘young whipper-snappers’ knew how to sing.” Tiffany countered with an amused giggle, which incidentally made Sulli laugh too.

 

Victoria, who was sitting between Sulli and Tiffany, craned her neck from side to side, watching this unexpected exchange with the intrigue of a spectator at a table tennis match. Then she made a rapid decision in the blink of an eye.

 

“This is nice, the two of you bonding while ignoring my existence completely. Just like the good old days.”

 

It was pretty amusing to Victoria watching how both girls started blushing and making up wild excuses to the contrary in response to that.

 

“Oh my God, that’s not what we’re doing at all!”

 

“We would never deliberately exclude you, Vicky!”

 

“Save it, and don’t call me ‘Vicky’ ever again,” Victoria warned with a scowl aimed at Tiffany, who now had an added incentive for blushing out of pure chagrin. “I’m gonna get some more sweet dew teabags from the kitchen. Maybe the two of you should actually try kissing and making up.”

 

With a knowing glance thrown their way, Victoria got up from her chair and left the office with a big smirk on her face.

 

This led to an uncomfortable silence between the two younger women, which ensued for a good 30 seconds. For the first time ever, Sulli threw caution to the wind and decided to man up.

 

“I’m so sorry, Tiffany. You were nothing but a good friend to me and you even introduced me to the sweetest guy ever. And I made a fool out of him and you. I know it’s a lot to ask, but…do you think you could ever forgive me?”

 

Tiffany sighed loudly and rolled her chair closer to Sulli so that their exposed knees were touching. “I guess I got carried away thinking I could set you up with a cool guy like Minho and make you forget all about Lay. But even I should’ve known how difficult that would be for you, especially when I met Lay and thought he was positively dreamy.”

 

Sulli’s mouth dropped wide open in surprise. “You met Lay? When was this???”

 

“Oh my God, I never told you about that, huh? When Minho told me you slept with him, I just assumed it happened the day Lay came looking for you at the school. We only spoke for a few minutes before he left again to look for you. But I have to say, I was impressed by him. There’s something…tranquil and trustworthy about him.” Tiffany conceded on the last part, biting her bottom lip nervously.

 

“That is…when it happened,” Sulli confessed, her heart thrumming erratically in her chest at just the thought of Lay.

 

Tiffany was strangely sad too in the moment because it made her think back on the months of watching Minho walk around in a zombie-like daze after Sulli broke his heart. But now that she was really talking to her colleague who had become a good friend as well, she finally realised that Life was merely a series of complicated choices. And those choices didn’t always ensure happiness, but only made for more questions and baffling puzzles when erroneously linked to a fickle heart.

 

“I’ve been really angry at you for the longest time because it broke my heart to see Minho so hurt because of you. But he’s getting better slowly and moving on with his life. Maybe it’s time you and I mend our fences and move on too. That’s if…you want to.”

 

“Of course I want to move on. I may not always express it very well, but I’m really grateful for your friendship, Tiffany.”

 

The red-head’s brown eyes crinkled with radiant happiness as she pulled her friend into an affectionate hug. It was just as they broke apart and she continued smoothing the subtle creases in Sulli’s hair that the latter realised something too:

 

“Wait a minute. When you asked me if I wanted to move on before, were you also talking about Lay?”

 

Tiffany bit her bottom lip yet again and shuffled awkwardly on her heels. “I guess I was kinda fishing for details about you and Lay since you slept together months ago. Do you still keep in touch?”

 

“Not anymore. I told him not to wait for me and that I needed time.”

 

“Why did you do that?”

 

Sulli was about to answer, but stopped short. She’d been wholly convinced for the longest time that letting Lay go was better for both of them. But how had this miserable, heartless separation benefitted either one of them?

 

“We’ve hurt each other so much, Fany. And he still has time left to complete his mandatory conscription.”

 

“So?” Tiffany asked, deciding to play devil’s advocate. “You’ve done a long-distance relationship. And you obviously still love him-”

 

“Love isn’t our problem, bad timing is,” Sulli replied, a sad smile etched onto her lovely face.

 

“Why not change that then? Going to the army will take a strain on any relationship. But just maybe all the wrongs can finally come together and make a right. Isn’t it worth it to try?” Tiffany ventured, laying a hand on Sulli’s arm.

 

Sulli’s head was spinning with the possibilities. Could what Tiffany was saying to her actually make more sense than the rationality of her own head?

 

She groaned and clapped a hand to her forehead out of sheer exasperation. “Are you saying I should…try to get back together with Lay? It’s still 5 more months to go, Fany.”

 

Tiffany sighed and wrapped her arms around Sulli’s neck while standing beside her. “You don’t have to put your whole life on hold while you wait. Just keep doing your thing and when the time is right, make one final play before you call it quits forever. You’ve tried everything else so far, doing it all one last time isn’t going to tear a hole in the space continuum.” She reminded with a knowing look.  

 

Sulli sighed and returned the pressure of her friend’s hands holding her. “Maybe you’re right, Fany. If it’s meant to be, Lay and I will find our way back to each other. If not, at least I’ll know for sure and then I can finally move on for good.”

 

“I’m happy to hear you say that. So now I don’t have to feel guilty for telling you about Minho’s new hot, model girlfriend that he met at COEX a month ago.”

 

“Shut up, you!” Sulli scolded laughingly, tossing a balled-up piece of paper, which hit Tiffany on the side of her head.

 

This naturally led to Victoria walking in on them and it turning into a fully-fledged ‘Paper War Extravaganza’ with the three of them beaming each other in the face with any paper they could lay hands on. And they only stopped when the floor in the Administration Office was littered with confetti-styled paper at every turn and the Vice Principal walked in on them laughing their heads off at the mess they’d made.

 

And while their boss was scolding the three of them for unprofessional behaviour in the office, it was honestly the best that Sulli had felt in a long time.

---

March 2016

 

Lay walked into Commander Park’s office and closed the door quietly behind him. The office itself was nothing spectacular. But the commander had done his best to make the space intended for his administrative affairs a trifle bit more homely with pictures of his family and the various units he’d been in command of dotting every inch of wall. And top it off, he had even installed a thick strip of green felt to the right of his desk with a hole drilled into the floor which he used for golfing practice when he was under a lot of pressure at the base.

 

Sure enough, the 53-year old commander was gripping a putting drive in his left hand, poised to take a hit. He cursed when he took aim and the ball simply bounced off the edge of the hole and rolled instead towards a potted plant positioned against the wall. “Confounded ball, it’s constantly losing traction. I know that Pyeong Shin Hwa is behind it somehow. Always stealing shots when I’m not in my office…”

 

“Uh, Sir, you wanted to see me?” Lay asked meekly, politely cutting into his superior’s long overdue rant.

 

“Yes, of course, please sit down. Or you can take a crack at it too if you like,” Commander Park urged, staring pointedly at the hole in the floor.

 

Sweat collected at the top of Lay’s forehead as he took the commander’s putting iron from him and took aim. Despite the fact that he put a little too much force into his swing out of sheer nerves, the ball managed to make a thin line of accuracy before falling into the hole with a satisfying plop.

 

“Are you a golfing man, soldier?” the commander asked of Lay with a raised eyebrow.

 

“No, Sir. That was honestly my first time ever hitting a golf ball. I grew up on a farm.” Lay explained.

 

To his intense relief, the commander stopped scowling and began laughing uproariously, clapping him affectionately on the back and wringing his hand repeatedly. “Zhang Yixing, you are full of surprises. Now let’s stop beating around the bush and cut to the chase.”

 

Lay acquiesced and sat down obediently in the chair fitted with leather upholstery allocated to him right across from Commander Park’s seat. “What can I do for you, Sir?”

 

“I was hoping you would say exactly that to me, Soldier. I’m about to make an extremely important request of you and I hope that you will give it the careful consideration that it deserves.”

 

“Of course, Sir. What is it that you want to ask me?”

 

“I’ll be frank, Zhang Yixing. I’ve taken note of your attitude and general conduct since you began your mandatory conscription at this military base. And I have to say that I am morbidly…impressed. You’ve shown great courage, charisma, endurance and unwavering leadership over the younger soldiers. Not to take any undue credit, but I must say that I’m quite pleased that I made you a Junior Orientation commander for the new recruits.”

 

Lay was stunned beyond belief at the commander’s words. “Thank you, Commander Park. It has truly been an honour working under you and receiving your invaluable guidance.”

 

The commander waved off the compliment, but was still secretly pleased nonetheless. “How would you like to make the arrangement more permanent, Soldier?”

 

Lay sat upright in his chair, feeling saliva collecting at the corners of his mouth while he struggled not to gape openly. “You mean…?”

 

“That’s right. You may have only signed up for the army for two years, but what if you became a permanent member of the South Korean military? To begin with, you’ll be promoted to Senior Orientation leader with a good salary. But under my care and supervision, you will rise even higher in the ranks. You have strong leadership skills and the new recruits respond well to you, Zhang. Who knows? You might even get my job one day.” Commander Park promised with a twinkle in his eye.

 

“Sir, I don’t know what to say. Are you absolutely sure you want to recommend me for this position, giving my unfortunate past with your daughter?” Lay couldn’t help asking. He felt like he’d been secretly waiting for that unfortunate night with Park Ye Eun to come back to bite him in the derriere later.

 

Commander Park pursed his wrinkly, callused fingers together and leant forward so that his elbows were now resting on top of the desk. “I’m well aware of what transpired between you and my daughter, Zhang Yixing. I’ll be frank, I was not pleased with you at first when I found out. There are many things that can be said about my daughter, but she has never once failed to give me both sides of the story, and she did so in your case. If anything, I’m more impressed with you that you weren’t willing to take advantage of my daughter, even when she,” he paused and cleared his throat awkwardly, “was willing to offer her assets to you so…generously.”

 

Lay felt faintly queasy at the fact that they were discussing Park Ye Eun in such cavalier fashion. And yet, he felt overwhelmed with the grace that the Commander had afforded him given the circumstances. Other senior military officers in these barracks might not have done the same thing.

 

“Thank you for your kind words, Sir. I don’t mean to question your rationale in this regard, but…I’m not anything special, really. I appreciate your faith in me, but I don’t think I’m the right man for the job. There must be countless others at this military base who are older and far more qualified than me.” Lay said, bowing his head a little as he spoke.

 

“You are quite right, Soldier. But you mustn’t forget that I was once young and inexperienced like you. If not for my commanding officer, I wouldn’t be sitting at this desk. He helped me to see and achieve the greatness hiding deep within me. I’m the kind of man who believes that greatness must be encouraged and nurtured over time. And I…believe in your hidden greatness, Zhang Yixing.”

 

“Sir-”

 

“I’m not asking for an answer right now. But I would like to know your final decision a month before you are discharged from active duty. That will be all.”

 

And just like that, Lay knew he was being dismissed when Commander Park took out a new edition of National Geographic and began leafing purposely through it. Lay rose from his chair and bowed, which was acknowledged by his superior with a cool nod of the head. And then the young soldier closed the office door behind him and walked down the hall with a faint tremor resonating in his bones.

 

Even though it had been months since he and Sulli had spoken, he thought he’d finally made up his mind about still wanting to get back together with her after he was discharged from the army. But now a whole cauldron of possibilities was b merrily deep inside of him at Commander Park’s proposition.

 

A permanent job in the South Korean military? It might not be the highest paying job, but if he stuck with it, the benefits would soon outweigh the glaring problem of earning money and he’d be set up for life.

 

Sulli, or the army.

 

What was he going to do?

 

---

May 2016

 

As per usual, Sulli was running on massive heels and pushing people out of her way as she jumped off the bus and dashed towards the nearest taxi. But she was finding it a trifle bit difficult since she was no longer in her convenient neighbourhood of Jamsil where hailing a cab was as easy as breathing.

 

The Korean countryside was a completely different ball game, especially one as beautiful and lacking in urban amenities as this.  Spring was rapidly ending, but there were still many cherry trees with pink blossoms still in bloom, the soft petals littering the sidewalks like a paved walkway one would find at a wedding ceremony.

 

When Sulli finally spotted an orange taxi, she hopped onto the back-seat and said, “Ahjussi, Yeongcheon Hangug-eo Gundae Akademi gaseyo,” with hurried breaths while putting on her seat belt. 

“Ne, arrasseo,” the cab said in a dull voice before starting up the engine on his car.

 

Even though she’d been there before, Sulli still felt a tight wad of nerves coiling up in her belly when she caught sight of the soldiers doing their drills under the warm, morning sunlight which flowed down like streams of gold all around their sweaty bodies. She’d deliberately used one of her paid vacation days to get off work as well as getting to Seoul Station at 6am to take the two-hour train ride all the way here.

 

After everything that had happened in two years, she honestly hoped that everything would finally work out.

 

The first place she went to was Lay and Chen’s dorm where they’d roomed together the past two years.

 

But as she came upon the door left slightly ajar, she peered inside and her heart sank deep within her chest.

 

Save for the two single beds with their mattresses and the pedestal in-between, the room was completely bare and devoid of human life.

 

Her heels sank ever so slightly in the grass made by wet by rain the night before as she asked for directions and made her way to the Administration Office on-site as quickly as she could muster. She was met with a porky-looking woman with rings of closely-cropped, black, curly hair, sporting bright, pink lipstick and a whole lot of BB cream on her tanned cheeks who sat at the desk immediately in front of her.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“I hope so. I’m here to see a…friend of mine who’s supposed to complete his military service today. His name is Zhang Yixing.”

 

At the mention of the name, the woman tore her eyes away from Sulli, her fingers dancing furiously over the keyboard on her computer while she did a cursory search. And when those same eyes returned to the young black-haired girl, they were as bland as ever.

 

“Zhang Yixing is gone, Miss.”

 

“Gone?” Sulli asked, her heart thudding like crazy.

 

“He discharged himself earlier this morning.”

 

In spite of herself, Sulli couldn’t help but grip the edge of the woman’s desk haplessly as her legs threatened to give out underneath her.

 

Lay wasn’t here anymore; she was too late.

 

And just when tears of regret had already collected in her brown eyes, Sulli heard someone call out to her from close proximity:

 

“Sulli???”

 

She looked up sharply and caught sight of Chen, Lay’s roommate and friend, walking rapidly towards her in his army fatigues and combat boots.

 

“Hi, Chen!” Sulli greeted brightly, even though her heart told a very different tale in that moment, dabbing rapidly at her tear-stained cheeks with her fingers in quick succession.

 

“What are you doing here?!” Chen screeched in awe.  

 

“I know, I shouldn’t have come. But I just couldn’t stay away and I had to tell Lay that I still-”

 

“You moron!”

 

“Excuse me?!” Sulli demanded, flaring up instantly at Chen’s unexpected words.

 

Chen goggled for a few seconds before shaking his head and laughing raucously, putting his hands on Sulli’s shoulders and giving her an affectionate shake. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant at all. I should’ve said that both you and Lay are total idiots.”

 

“That’s not any better than what you said before.”

 

“It is if you knew that Lay asked for an early discharge so that he could go to your house for the same reason that you’re here right now.”

 

Sulli’s shoulder bag slipped off her arm as she stared at Lay’s friend in absolute consternation. “What???”

 

“And if you’re as smart as I know you are, you won’t waste another second talking to me and go back to Seoul right now.” Chen advised, giving Sulli’s now vacant shoulder a gentle squeeze.

 

Sulli cried even harder and wrapped her arms around Chen, giving him a grateful kiss on his cheek. For the briefest moment, she felt sad about saying goodbye to this incredible man standing in front of her, especially when he had been such a good friend to the man she loved and done everything in his power to keep hers and Lay’s relationship afloat.

 

But now, more than ever, she knew exactly what she needed to do and where she wanted to go.

 

“Chen, you beautiful man. Thank you so much for everything.”

 

After pressing another grateful kiss, this time on Chen’s surprised lips, Sulli started giggling out of sheer happiness and jogged with purpose back out towards the field.

 

It was time to go home.

---

Every step that Lay took towards Sulli’s apartment complex on that bustling street in Jamsil felt like a jump of elation. He wasn’t sure why he felt more happiness than nerves in this moment; it wasn’t like he knew that Sulli would accept his feelings after everything that had happened.

 

Maybe it was simply because he was finally finished with his mandatory conscription; he was a free man and he could do whatever he wanted with his life.

 

Especially if it meant that he got to be with the woman he was madly in love with.

 

After asking a dozen strangers in the vicinity about the address for Sulli’s apartment and rushing off before he could notice their looks of confusion at his giddiness, Lay finally found it.

 

The building in question was a bland, rectangular affair that looked to be about 20 storeys high with dark grey walls and windows that poked out at regular intervals which were the colour black from the sunlight hitting them directly. After spending a good 5 minutes trying to guess which window belonged to Sulli, Lay finally gave up and settled for sitting on the front step outside the lobby. With his hands resting in his lap and his iPod playing in his ears, Lay settled in for what would surely be the most important wait of his life.

 

For Sulli’s part, she took every coloured bus imaginable from the time she left Yeongcheon till she arrived back at Seoul Station. But for the first time in a long while, Sulli felt like all these obstacles and delays were finally leading somewhere tangible and perhaps even towards a happier state of mind.

 

Amidst that blue bus filled with complete strangers, Sulli pursed her fingers together and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer that she and Lay wouldn’t end up missing one another in the seamless metropolis.

 

When Sulli was still a good 15 minutes away from her apartment, she gave up the pretence and hired a taxi to take her the rest of the way. In the time it took her to finally reach home, a multitude of cherry trees began shedding their pink blossoms till they formed a lush, carpet of wonder strewn across the gritty sidewalks.

 

Some of those blossoms even got carried away by a warm breeze as they began to fall down on Lay, making his camo-tinged shoulders seem like they had grown flamingo wings. But he didn’t notice anything other than the young woman with black hair longer than he remembered walking tentatively towards him.

 

Sulli’s heart quickened in her chest when she saw Lay get up from the front step where he’d been sitting and take his white earphones out of his ears.

 

Cherry blossoms kept falling and striking every inch of their exposed flesh as Sulli came to stand in front of Lay. Her eyes drifted down to his hands hanging lamely at his sides, wondering if he felt just as nervous as she did in that moment.

 

Lay couldn’t help thinking about that first night he’d laid eyes on Sulli in that bar in Itaewon. He’d honestly never seen anything more lovely and perfect, until now.

 

Sulli remembered that night she met Lay all too well, from the way his bronzed bangs fell into his eye every time he shook his head and smiled down to the tightening grip of his arms all around her as they made love for the very first time.

 

And now they were finally together again. What would come of it all?

 

“Hi,” Sulli began somewhat awkwardly.

 

Lay grinned, showing off a dimple while gazing down at his ex-girlfriend with renewed wonder. He’d finally seen Chen’s million texts a moment ago, all of them saying the one thing he’d most wanted to hear: Sulli came back for him. “Hi.”

 

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long. I tried to get back as soon as possible,” Sulli found herself saying with a meek countenance.

 

“It’s ok. I probably should’ve stuck around at the army base a little while longer. I just…couldn’t wait any longer to finally see you again.” Lay confessed soberly.

 

Then both of them began stumbling over words they’d thought of saying a thousand times over since this madness started:

 

“Lay, I’m so-”

 

“The thing is, Sulli-”

 

Sulli covered and giggled while Lay snorted with laughter at the same time. “Sorry, you go first,” Lay finally conceded.

 

Sulli’s heart galloped even harder at the fact that her ex-boyfriend dared to entwine their fingers afterwards, much like he’d done in past moments when they’d still been a couple. It gave her all the more courage to say what was in her heart all along.

 

“I’m really sorry about the last words I said to you months ago. I was in a weird head space after we hooked up and I broke up with Minho. I’ve been so messed up since you went away and long after we broke up, I just didn’t know what to do with myself.” Sulli confessed. She took a deep breath and let the air escaping surround her whole body till it became its own aura of tranquillity guiding her forward.

 

“I went through that too; the guilt of being away from you and saying those awful things about you when I wanted space during our relationship just ate away at me,” Lay replied, hanging his head in shame.

 

“That hurt me a lot. But I hurt you just as much after that, and that’s not ok. Because what I want more than anything is to start over and be better for you somehow, Yixing. If…you still want me.”

 

“Of course I do.” Lay moved achingly closer till his and Sulli’s foreheads were touching and the breath leaving their lips merged into one. “There’s no one else I want more than you, Jinri.”

 

Sulli had never felt happier than in that moment. But there was still something else gnawing at her. “This isn’t a factor for me, but I’m worried about your future. Now that you’re done with the army, what will you do?”

 

Lay’s jaw tightened ever so slightly at Sulli’s question and he immediately thought back on his conversation with Commander Park weeks ago. He agonised over whether he’d made the right decision time and time again.

 

But now that he was here in Jamsil, gazing at the woman he loved, all of those lingering doubts seemed to fade away.

 

“You don’t need to worry about me, honey. Your man will always take care of things,” Lay murmured, wrapping his hands around Sulli’s lithe waist and drawing her closer to his wiry frame.

 

Sulli took in the heady aroma of Lay’s woodsy aftershave and sighed contentedly. “Please don’t leave me again, Lay. I can’t take another day without you.” She whispered, burying her face deeper into his chest.

 

“I won’t ever leave you again,” Lay promised. He took that moment to clasp Sulli’s face in his hands and lift her head to look at him.

 

An electrical surge of desire shot through both of them the second their eyes sparked and connected. Lay took the lead and leant forward, pulling Sulli further into him as his lips brushed tentatively over hers, drawing out every imperceptible breath and tantalising sensation of want. And then it was Sulli grabbing him and bringing him excruciatingly closer as hot mouths collided and fell on each other, the brazen texture of need filling up their senses and coursing over their writhing skin.

 

Lay buried his fingers in Sulli’s tresses, closing his eyes and letting the sweet aroma of her hair fill his nostrils with wistful sighs of pleasure and a reunion of their hearts and minds. For Sulli’s part, that need that Lay was slowly stoking and satiating all at once deep inside of her made her dig her fingers deeper into his pelvic bones, giving passing pedestrians quite the show as they continued kissing one another without a care in the world.

 

When they finally broke apart, it was only to affirm that a new world had opened up before them as Lay caressed Sulli’s cheek with bruising tenderness that made her knees throb with pent-up desire.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, like it was a secret that only Lay was permitted to know.

 

Lay couldn’t resist smiling in satisfaction at those words. The last time Sulli had said those three little words to him, she’d promptly broken up with him straight afterwards.  But now…the entire world was at their beck and call so to speak and for someone who was still pretty much unemployed, he wasn’t filled with a whole lot of doubt and insecurity.

 

He brushed his lips against hers one final time and then said ‘I love you more,’ before diving in again.

 

Sulli closed her eyes yet again and melted into every single coarse, exquisite kiss that pinned hers and Lays mouths together like wanton magnets as the cherry blossoms overhead continued falling and landing on their heads and shoulders in a halo of love painted the deepest rouge. 

---

Sulli's instruction to the taxi driver 'Ahjussi, Yeongcheon Hangug-eo Gundae Akademi gaseyo' means 'Sir, take me to the Korean Army Academy Yeongcheon, please'. And the taxi driver's response 'Ne, arrasseo' means 'Yes, I understand/got it'. Lol, I hope that was enough fluff and cheese for all of you out there :¬p Just the epilogue after this and this boring story will soon be complete, ha ha. Now I'm off to play some 'Forza: Horizons 2' on my brother's Xbox 1. Then I should really start the next chapter of FECH *blushes* Ciao bellas and guapos, pip pip cheerio!