F    I   N   A   L

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SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

 

"Ow!" a deep voice exclaimed, looking up to see who he ran into. A young boy looked up to find himself lost in a pair of dark chocolate brown eyes.

 

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, it was all my fault. I'm so sorry," the owner of the eyes answered. She bent down to gather the fallen papers that had belonged to the boy as well as to pick up her books as well. He, too,  bent down to help her, chuckling.

 

"It wasn't all your fault. I should've looked where I was walking instead of texting," he replied. He picked up all his notes that had fallen and picked up some of the girl's books, taking a look at her book cover, before standing up.

 

"I'm Hwa Eunbyul," the girl smiled at him as she took her books.

 

"Bang Yongguk," he flashed his gummy smile at him. ”You’re majoring in music?” he asked, pointing to the book he handed to her. She nodded.

 

"Second year," she chuckled. "You as well?” she asked, and Yongguk nodded. “How are we meeting for the first time today?” she asked, chuckling.

 

"It must be fate," he laughed. You could see the happiness in them by their gleaming faces. As they conversed they laughed on how their schedules were identical yet they’ve never met before, walking their way to their first class of the day.

 

"Would you like to have lunch with my friends? I promise although they're weird, you'll like them," Yongguk offered.

 

"Sure," Eunbyul accepted. "As long as you don't mind my older sister joining us," she asked. "I kinda promised we would have lunch together," she added.

 

"Of course she can join us," he smiled as they both walked to their class together.

 

DECEMBER 25, 2011

 

"Merry Christmas!" a group of young adults cheered. They were all in Yongguk's apartment, a tree decorated in a corner, a group picture of the nine people on top instead of a star. Christmas music was playing with occasional singing along.

 

Although there were only 9 people in the apartment, it felt like a lot more. Yongguk, Eunbyul, and Himchan could be seen near the food table, making sure there was enough for everyone. Daehyun and Youngjae were on the couch, very much into a serious conversation, but at a closer look, it was actually about which Pokemon was better, charizard or mewtwo. The two younger ones, Jongup and Junhong, were seen not that far off, teasing Eunbyul's older sister, Eunjung, and her boyfriend, Jang Geun Suk.

 

They young adults were joking around about old memories around this time of year when they much younger, most of them embarrassing yet still bringing smiles and laughs to their faces. They jumped into a variety of topics, discussing a person someone had taken interest in, complaining about a professor’s class, almost anything that made them forget about the time.

 

"Time for cake!" Himchan called, noticing that it was getting slightly late. It was almost 1 AM, and most of them had a Christmas dinner to attend in the evening, so sleep was much needed. Everyone quickly grabbed a piece, savoring the vanilla frosting on the red velvet cake.

 

Not long after, everyone started making their way home while Eunbyul, Eunjung, and Geun Suk stayed behind to help Yongguk clean his apartment. Eunbyul and Yongguk were doing the dishes in the kitchen with the occasional laughter from a joke that was told, while Eunjung and her boyfriend cleaned the living room. It was soon completed and they were about to leave as well.

 

"Do you want us to drop you off at your apartment?" Eunjung asked her younger sister.

 

"Nah, it’s okay. Yongguk said I can stay here the night and he’ll drive me in the morning.  You two lovebirds can go home," she chuckled. She gave a quick hug to sister and her boyfriend, telling them to drive safe and to text her when they arrived at their apartment. She took the elevator back to Yongguk's apartment to see him near the couch.

 

"I placed some of my old clothes for you to change into on the bed and a warm blanket since you get cold a lot," he told her.

 

"What about you?" she asked.

 

"I'll sleep on the couch. It can be turned into a bed and you're my guest anyways," he started, "I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch. I'm a gentleman," he flashed a charming smile at her.

 

Eunbyul walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him. "I knew I made the right decision becoming friends with you," she laughed.

 

Yongguk wrapped his arms around her as well, laughing along. "Merry Christmas, Byul,"

 

"Merry Christmas, Gukkie," she smiled. “Now, how about those Christmas movies we’re going to watch?” she reminded him, a smile brightly painted on her face. The two young adults soon bundled up in warm blankets next to each other snuggling with hot chocolate in hand, unknown to what was going to happen in a matter of a little time.

 

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

 

"What's wrong? I saw all the messages you left me," Eunjung said through her phone. The phone was pressed between her ear and shoulder, a caramel iced coffee in one hand, her fashion designs for work in the other. She kissed a soft kiss on Geun Suk’s cheek as she turned away from his car. "I was out with Geun Suk at the movies during my break and my phone battery died,"

 

"There's an emergency, but not like an emergency emergency. Can we have a sleepover? Like the good old days? Please, Unnie?" Eunbyul's voice was heard on the other line.

 

"Yeah, sure. You can come over around 7, I'll cook. I can ask Geun Suk to crash somewhere else," she replied.

 

"Thank you so much," Eunbyul replied. "I love youuuuu," she added before hanging up. Eunjung shook her head slightly before walking into the building.

 

At precisely 6:59 PM, Eunbyul was at her sister's apartment door, about to knock when the door opened.

 

"Hi Oppa!" Eunbyul smiled at her sister's boyfriend. He smiled back at her, ruffling her hair. He had been dating Eunjung since their high school days, and Eunbyul really looked up to him as he almost like the father figure in her life the moment her parents passed when she was 12 and Eunjung became her mother figure.

 

"I'm going to be at Hongki's place. Call me if something happens or you girls need me. Have fun!" he called before he let her into the apartment, leaving himself. Eunbyul closed the door behind her and took off her shoes, slipping into her fluffy bunny slippers she brought with her.  She walked into the tidy living room to see her sister already in her pj's with a big comfy mattress neatly set on the floor with blankets, pillows, bowls of food on the side next to a pile of movies, with the heat warming up the two sisters.

 

"Hey, stranger," Eunjung answered, hugging her sister. Eunbyul hugged her back before settling down on the mattress.  She dressed in a Minnie Mouse over sized top with gray shorts underneath and her hair in two braids, while Eunjung was dressed in a simple gray pj set, her hair in a simple French braid.

 

"So why this sudden demand?" Eunjung demanded, a smile playing on her lips. "I thought this was too - ," she started, grabbing a pretzel.

 

"I think I like Yongguk," Eunbyul blurted out.

 

"Wait, what?!" the older girl choked on the pretzel she was eating. "Repeat that for me,"

 

"I think I like Yongguk," the younger repeated, much softer.

 

"You think or you know?" Eunjung asked.

 

"I don't know. It's just after the Christmas party, every time I see him, I get this warm and butterfly like feeling in my chest. My day just gets so much better after seeing him, no matter what I've been through, and I don't want him to be with anyone else but me,"

 

"Awww!" Eunjung started. "That's honestly amazing. Have you thought about telling him?"

 

"That's the thing," Eunbyul took a deep breathe. "I can't tell him. I need to stop feeling like this. We're just close friends, and that's all he'll ever see me as. I don't want to confess and ruin what we have,"

 

"Byul, all relationships start off with friendship. Do you think Geun Suk and just started dating right when we met? No. We took our time. A few years ago, I was in the very spot you were. And a dear friend of mine by the name of Hwa Eunbyul told me that life is full of risks, so what's it taking another by confessing to someone else," Eunjung smiled at her younger sister. The movie that was playing on the TV was long forgotten as the girls continued this topic until almost they fell asleep.

 

The TV was turned off, all the food was almost eaten and the girls were on the verge of falling asleep.

 

"Eunbyul?"

 

"Yes, Unnie?" she called.

 

"Don't regret your feelings for Yongguk. He's a nice man that will be amazing for you. You can't control your feelings for someone. If you like them, then you like them," she said.

 

Eunbyul smiled. "Thanks for being a supportive sister," she replied, moments before her soft breathing could be heard as she had fallen asleep.

 

APRIL 15, 2013

 

"Why did I let you convince me into going camping on our last spring break in college?" Eunbyul muttered in a harsh tone to Yongguk, who was next to her.

 

His frown was turned completely upside down, that you could see his gummy smile. "Because you love meeeee," he laughed, trying to side hug her, but he was shrugged off. "Aw, c'mon Eunbyul! I won the bet fair and square, so I decided what we would be doing,"

 

"I thought I made it clear that insects and I," she started at she slapped her skin once again to kill a mosquito, "do not get along at all," she said. Eunbyul was very annoyed at the thought of camping, but the fact that she was camping with Yongguk made it slightly more bearable.

 

The rest of their walk to the campsite was full of complaints on Eunbyul's end with Yongguk reassuring her that it wouldn't be that bad. "At least you got us a cabin to stay in," she mumbled, swatting away mosquitoes. "Don't have to worry about these stupid little things even if we have to use sleeping bags,"

 

"See, you're thinking positive!" Yongguk smiled at her. She could shake her head, increasing her pace so he wouldn't see the small smile that was growing on her face.

 

They only walked for ten more minutes when Yongguk announced their arrival. The cabin was moderately sized with a big empty space, a small kitchen in one corner, a bathroom in another, and a big camp fire area in the center of the room. The view, however, was beautiful. Behind the cabin, mountains could be seen in the distance, with a lake close by for fishing and swimming.

 

"We can also rent bikes of we want," Yongguk said. "We would have to walk two miles to the place listed here in the brochure, but it'll be fun. I mean, we have three days to kill,"

 

Eunbyul shook her head. "No, it won't be necessary. We have enough and it's only three days," she reasoned. Yongguk thought for a minute, and shook his head in agreement.

 

"Now, I believe we should start fishing for our dinner before it gets too late," he suggest and the two made their way to the inside of the cabin. Yongguk grabbed his fishing pole while Eunbyul stayed behind to set up the few items they had bought. Although there was no Internet of the sort, the cabin did have phone service and electricity, so Eunbyul put her phone and laptop to charge so they could get in contact with someone if needed. After that, she made her way to Yongguk, who was listening, swinging his legs back on forth.

 

"Any luck?" she called.

 

"None yet," he replied. Eunbyul sat down, rolling up her capris as she too dipped her feet in the water. "You did bring emergency food for us, right?" he asked.

 

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Enough ramen and a lot of junk food to last any college student for a week," she added.

 

The two sat in complete silence,  the birds flying over them and the crickets starting to chirp their way into the evening sky, as they watched the sky change colors while the sun set for the day. After deciding that ramen sounded good for the night, they made their way back to cabin and while Yongguk showered, Eunbyul put the water to boil. He came out ten minutes later, clad in black sweats and a white deep v-neck t shirt, a towel around his neck while his hair was still dripping with water.

 

Eunbyul turned around to see him and quickly turned back, her cheeks turning red. "I-I'm going to go shower now. Continue with the ramen," she spoke to him in one breath and grabbed her clothes, running into the bathroom. Yongguk gave her a weird look, shrugged it off, paying attention to the ramen.

 

About 30 minutes later, the two were huddled in their own blankets in front of the fire, eating their ramen while they huddled around the laptop, which was currently playing Big Hero 6. The movie was not even halfway in and Eunbyul could feel her eyes tearing up.

 

"TADASHI!" she exclaimed, unwilling to accept the fact the character had died. Yongguk, who had seen the movie previously and enjoyed it, shook his head. "Both you and Junhong had the same reaction," he chuckled. "No surprise there,"

 

The rest of the movie processed with Eunbyul's tears and laughter, with Yongguk comforting her and laughing along. "That was a beautiful movie," Eunbyul commented as the credits were rolling. "Why is this my first time watching it? I wanna watch it again,"

 

"NO!" Yongguk exclaimed. "That was enough for one night. Let's go to sleep now, Byul,"

 

"But I'm not tired. Let's play a game!"

 

"Fine. We'll play this game called 15 Truths. Basically, we each take turns saying a thing almost no one else knows. I'll start?" he suggested.

 

"Sure," Eunbyul nodded.

 

"Okay, #1: I used to convince all the kids in high school that I was actually a gangster," he said, laughing at the memory.

 

"Really?" she laughed. "Wow. Anyways, when I was younger, I accidentally broke Eunjung Unnie’s doll but I was scared of what would happen, so I convinced her our cousin broke it," she chuckled.

 

The game continued with more secrets exposed; someone cheated on their final, someone had a crush on their art teacher, someone confessed to a person who was already dating, and more embarrassing stories. It was time for the last truth, Eunbyul. Yongguk had fallen asleep while she thought of her last confession, and he was buried between the hoodie he put over his head and the blankets of his sleeping bag.

 

"Truth #15: More than a year later, I know I'm in love with Bang Yongguk," she whispered to herself, a smile on her lips as she giggled to herself. Checking to see if he really was asleep, Eunbyul moved her hand in front of his face. Not getting any reaction, she quickly pressed her lips against his cheeks and slipped into her sleeping bag, the smile never leaving her lips as she fell asleep.

 

MAY 20, 2013 - 11:30 AM

 

"It's graduation day and you still haven't confessed to him," Eunjung reminded her younger sister. Eunbyul scowled at her the elder through the mirror as she waited for Eunjung to finish curling her hair. "If you don't confess now, when will you?" she asked. "Turn to the left," she added.

 

Eunbyul turned as she was told and Eunjung went back to working on her sister's hair. "I will confess today," she said. "Right after the ceremony is over and we say our goodbyes. I'll whisper it in his ears, take off my heels, and run away while looking for a taxi. It's not like he knows that I'm moving to another apartment on the other side of Seoul so he'll never find me afterwards. It's perfect," she smiled, until Eunjung smacked her head softly.

 

"Pabo," she commented, shaking her head. She continued curling Eunbyul's hair when Geun Suk walked into the bedroom.

 

"Flowers for the Hwa sisters," he said holding two bouquets of flowers; roses for Eunjung, pink tulips for Eunbyul.

 

"Thank you, Oppa," Eunbyul flashed a smile at him, admiring the flowers.

 

"Do you have to leave right after the ceremony?" Geun Suk asked. "Why don't you stay the night here and we'll drive you in the morning," he offered.

 

"No, it's okay, Oppa. The apartment there is all set already, thanks to you and Unnie. I've asked you guys for enough help and plus, I start the internship on Monday. I want to prepare tomorrow without having to burden you two lovebirds," Eunbyul declined. 'And also, Yongguk won't find me there,' she thought to herself.

 

"Did you tell your Oppa how you plan on confessing to Yongguk?" Eunjung brought up, knowing that he wouldn't approve of her plan either.

 

Eunbyul closed her eyes, knowing that her sister's boyfriend would have the same reaction as her sister. "It's a surprise, Oppa," she started. "You'll know once I confessed, don't worry. And Unnie is to not tell you or else," Eunbyul indicated that all the embarrassing pictures taken of her would be handed to Geun Suk if she said anything. Stuck between a rock and a hard spot, Eunjung agreed, knowing that she would have to intervene somehow. But for now, they had to get to the ceremony at the college or else they would be late.

 

The ceremony started at 12 PM and almost two hours later, it was finally over. The graduating class of 2013 all threw their hats in the air, cheering. All their hard work had finally payed off, with diplomas and degrees to prove it. Everyone soon got busy in taking pictures, saying their goodbyes, and promising to meet up all the time.

 

Eunjung and Geun Suk took turns taking pictures with the newly graduated Eunbyul before asking one of the other people around to take a group picture of the three. "Umma and Appa would be very proud of you right now," Eunjung mentioned, hugging the younger one for the tenth time in the past 30 minutes.

 

"And we are very proud of you as well," Geun Suk added, joining the hug. Eunbyul chuckled, blinking back her tears as she hugged them both. She was about to speak up when someone cleared the voice behind her. She turned around to see Yongguk. She signaled him, asking him to wait a few minutes before turning back to her sister.

 

"Well this is it," she started. "I'm going to leave after saying goodbye to my friends, and then it's the new apartment. I want to thank you two for so much. If it weren't for you two, I probably wouldn't be here graduating today. Thanks for supporting me," she smiled, hugging them both once more.

 

"Don't forget to text - no, call us when you arrive at the new apartment. Actually, better yet, Skype us!" Geun Suk reminded her.

 

"Yes, that's better. Call us when you arrive at the building, and then Skype us once you're inside your apartment. Please don't forget. And if you need anything, just call us, we're on your speed dial. Come visit us or just call us and we can pick you up if you don't feel like driving. Don't get too caught up in work, don't eat too much take out food-" Eunjung read off the list she had mentally made.

 

"Don't worry, guys," Eunbyul cut her off. "I'm only two hours away from you guys. You can come whenever," she reminded her sister as well. She hugged them one last time, and waved at them, walking towards the waiting Yongguk.

 

"We graduated," he commented, wrapping his arms around her waist. Eunbyul chucked, wrapping hers around his neck before pulling back after a few moments. "We only met a two years ago, but it feels like I've known you forever," he chuckled as they made their way to a bench nearby. They say down, looking at their surroundings. Eunbyul could see her sister and Geun Suk walking back to his car, hand in hand, laughing about something. Families were starting to leave, but many were found taking pictures with the graduate of their family.

 

"I have something to tell you," Eunbyul spoke up loudly, looking at Yongguk.

 

"Go ahead," he answered, giving her all his attention. Eunbyul took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut before she spoke.

 

"I really really really like you, at this point I think I may be in love with you. Of course I know this completely changes our relationship, or whatever we are now after this, but I just had to get this off my chest," she blurted quickly, all in one breathe. When she saw a confused expression on his face, she knew she messed up. She took off her heels, holding them in her hands. 'I'm sorry for disappointing you, Unnie,' she thought as she was going to continue her plan. "I'm sorry, Yongguk," she spoke before he could answer her. Eunbyul quickly pressed her lips against his right cheek and ran.

 

She ran on the grass, her heels in one hand, her gown around her arm, purse on shoulder as the other hand was raised, calling a taxi. A taxi quickly stopped and she threw her stuff in the back. Before she herself climbed in, she looked back to see Yongguk, still in the same position she left him. She shook her head and closed the door, giving the driver the address as he drove away and Eunbyul let out the breath she was holding.

 

MAY 20, 2013 - 5:30 PM

 

Yongguk sat on the same bench for what felt like forever, rethinking the words that were said to him by Eunbyul before she ran.

 

"I really really really like you, at this point I think I may be in love with you. Of course I know this completely changes our relationship, or whatever we are now after this, but I just had to get this off my chest,"

 

"She had the same feelings as me," he smiled to himself, but it quickly disappeared. "GAH, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING TO STOP HER, BANG YONGGUK?!" he yelled, getting the unwanted attention of nearby pedestrians. He quickly got up, running to his car and turned the engine on. He took off the gown he had on top of his clothes. He rolled up the sleeves of his blazer and button down, driving to Eunbyul's apartment.

 

"I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Hwa moved out last week," the man at the reception desk told Yongguk.

 

"Really? Thank you," he mumbled, walking back to his car. 'Where could she be this past week? Her parents aren’t around, and the only relative she is close with - EUNJUNG NOONA!' he thought before pulling out the parking lot. He had remembered where her older sister resided with her boyfriend as Yongguk had driven Eunbyul there quite a few times when it was too late for her. He looked at the time, almost 6:15. It took him another ten minutes to drive to the complex where her sister lived and he asked for their apartment number before entering the elevator. He looked at himself through the mirror, getting quite giddy at the thought that the girl he had fallen in love with shared mutual feelings for him. He took a deep breathe just as the elevator doors opened, and he exited, looking both ways before going left and knocking on the fifth door, and waited, rocking back and forth on his feet until the door was finally opened.

 

Geun Suk opened the door and smiled when he saw it was Yongguk. "Hey there," he greeted.

 

"Hi Hyung," he replied. "Is Eunbyul home?" he asked, peering into the apartment to hopefully catch a glimpse of her.

 

"Eunbyul? She's not here. She didn't tell you anything when you guys were talking?" Geun Suk asked, his eyebrows meeting together.

 

"Ahh, she did...." Yongguk shyly answered, his face turning pink. "She confessed....and then ran away in a taxi. I went to her apartment but the landlord said she moved out last week so I figured she would be here with you and Eunjung Noona," he explained.

 

Eunjung, who had been cooking dinner, noticed Geun Suk at the door with someone when she realized that it was Yongguk looking for her younger sister. She shook her head, not believing the fact that Eunbyul went ahead with her plan of running away after confessing. "Yongguk, come in and I'll explain where she is," she smiled. "Come in, I'm almost done cooking dinner,"

 

"Aniya, it's okay. I don't want to be a disturbance," Yongguk declined. "I just wanted to meet Eunbyul, if that's okay with you,"

 

"Come in and I'll explain where is is," Eunjung reasoned and he complied. He sat in a arm chair, Geun Suk and Eunjung airing next to each other on the love seat across him. Eunjung then proceeded to explain to him how Eunbyul had applied for a job at a music school on the other side of Seoul, and she was accepted as a teacher for younger children. She had moved out her own apartment and stayed with them for a week before leaving today, then explained Eunbyul's confession plan to Geun Suk.

 

"She didn't tell me she was leaving..." Yongguk said to himself, regretting the fact he didn't say anything to her even more. "Can I have her new apartment address?" he asked, looking up at Eunjung with hopeful eyes.

 

"It's almost 7 PM, and the traffic is very bad. You won't get there before 9:30," she said, although she had already written down the address for Yongguk beforehand, knowing he was going to come here asking for her. Yongguk nodded and Eunjung smiled, walking to the kitchen where she had the address written down. She handed him the paper and wished him good luck before letting him out.

 

"Her confession plan was cute though," Geun Suk commented as they finished cooking their dinner.

 

"If only she didn't run away," she shook her head.

 

"I don't know," Geun Suk started, a smile creeping on his face as he walked closer to Eunjung, "I thought of the way you confessed to me back in 11th grade," he laughed, wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on her shoulder as he back hugged her.

 

"Yah, forget about the past," she blushed, thinking about the day, before Geun Suk showered her with butterfly kisses on her cheek.

 

MAY 20, 2013 - 9:45 PM

 

Yongguk figured that if he was going to be late, he may as well show up nice for her. He stopped at a local flower shop, and managed to convince the old shop owner to let him buy roses. Yongguk thanked the old man many times before leaving, as he left his classic gummy smile and a huge tip for him. He got back in his car and continued to follow where the GPS was leading him to the apartment of his girl.

 

Meanwhile, Eunbyul had just woken up from her nap when she just realized that it was 9:30 and she hasn't eaten since she arrived at the apartment. She ordered a pizza, and was told that her food would arrive in 30 minutes. While waiting, she decided to take a shower and change out of the dress she was still wearing and more comfortable clothes.

 

She walked out of her bathroom 20 minutes later, dressed in comfortable pajamas, when her doorbell rang. "Coming!" she called and ran a comb through her freshly washed hair.

 

She grabbed her wallet and opened the door, expecting to see a delivery man with her dinner but was shocked when she was greeted by a bouquet of roses on the doormat. She picked them up and looked into the hall but saw no one. She shook her head, but took the roses with her. She had just placed the roses in a vase on the dining table when the doorbell rang again and she opened the door to only see another surprise.

 

Bang Yongguk.

 

He had everything planned in his head on what he was going to say to Eunbyul but the minute he saw her, he thought to himself, 'Oh, just screw it.’ He allowed himself into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

 

"Yah, who said you can ju-" Eunbyul was starting to say, but Yongguk wasn't listening.

 

He crashed his lips against her, wrapping his arms around her waist, bring her closer to him.

 

Eunbyul's eyes widened at first, but they fluttered before they closed and responded to the kiss. She felt Yongguk smile, and wrapped her arms around his neck when the doorbell brought them back to reality.

 

"Pi-pizza's here," Eunbyul mumbled, grabbing her wallet as she opened the door. She smiled at the young delivery boy, paying and tipping him before grabbing the box of hot and fresh pizza. She went to the cabinet, thanking that her older sister and boyfriend had helped her unpack everything before she moved in as she grabbed a plate. She thought for a minute and grabbed another for Yongguk as well before walking back to the dining table where Yongguk was already seated.

 

"Wow, I'm starving," he commented, taking a slice of pizza and putting it on a plate, handing it to her, and then helped himself. They sat down on the couch, with the drama of the night playing on the TV as they ate. Yongguk was absorbed in the show, laughing along as his slice of pizza was long gone.  Eunbyul, on the other hand, was distracted by Yongguk’s knee touching hers, his left hand occasionally playing with her right hand. There was a romantic moment happening on the TV and Eunbyul shifted slightly uncomfortably as Yongguk started interlocked their hands together, placing his head on her shoulder.

 

"What are we?" she spoke up, confused over the events that she was going through as she turned off the TV and moved slightly away from him.

 

"What do you mean?" Yongguk asked, slightly pouting over the fact that she had turned off the show that he was enjoying, but mostly at the loss of her contact.

 

"I tell you how I feel about you, you don't answer me, and you somehow find out where I moved to and invite yourself in, which is not very polite, and just kiss me! You don't just kiss someone like that! You have to at least tell them, or ask," she blabbered.

 

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

 

"Yeah, I mean - wait what?" she whipped her head in his direction to only have his lips pressed against her, her chocolate brown eyes increasing in size.

 

"Why do your eyes widen when someone kisses you?" Yongguk chuckled. "You've seen enough dramas to know that you're supposed to close your eyes,"

 

"My second kiss..." Eunbyul whispered to herself, her fingers going up to her lips, before she let out an ear-screeching scream and she began to slap her hands against Yongguk's arms.  

 

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Yongguk exclaimed, trying to calm her down. He held her wrists gently, stopping her from hitting him. "Calm," he said quietly in his deep voice as if he hasn't even said a thing.

 

Eunbyul blinked, her face slowly turning pink as she realized that the proximity between their faces was a lot closer than she thought.

 

"Why'd you run away?" he asked her.

 

"You didn't say anything," she replied. "You just stared at me like I was an idiot, what was I supposed to do?" she moved away from him and walked away from him to pick up their plates and wash them in the kitchen sink, as Yongguk followed her and sat on top of the counter next to the sink.

 

"Would you have an answer prepared when the person you like confesses their mutual feelings for you?" he questioned.

 

"No but I -" she paused, looking at Yongguk, who had his arms crossed, leaning his head against the cabinet as she took in what he just said. "Oh...."

 

"Now do you understand?" he asked, although he knew that he probably wouldn't get a reaction out of the girl.

 

"I need some fresh air," she muttered, going onto the balcony to be greeted the dark sky, rain pouring, but she was protected the roof above her. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to provide warmth as the air around her was making her chilly. She was staring at the sky, nowhere in particular and didn't even realize when the glass doors behind her opened as Yongguk joined her. Noticing that the girl was slightly shivering, Yongguk took off his blazer and placed it on  Eunbyul's shoulders before wrapping his own arms around her waist and bringing her closer, her back pressing against his chest and he placed his head on her shoulder.

 

Eunbyul made no move to push him away, she just loosened her muscles and leaned back against him, closing her eyes and repeated her question from before. "What are we now?"

 

"Well, we're definitely not friends anymore," he commented. "We also aren't Romeo and Juliet, but we're somewhere in between,"

 

"Somewhere in between," Eunbyul slightly smiled. Yongguk nodded, smiling as well as they continued watching the rain fall.

 

"Byul?" Yongguk spoke up after a while. It was almost midnight, and the couple were drained, emotionally and physically, but they didn't want to leave each other's side. Eunbyul hummed back, indicating that she was listening. "Would you scream and hit me again if I kissed you again?" Eunbyul chuckled and turned around, facing him.

 

"No, I wouldn't," she reassured him, a small smile on her lips. Yongguk mirrored her smile before he closed the distance between their lips, bringing her closer to him as his arms remained wrapped at her waist, as her arms made their way to around his neck.

 

They pulled back after a few moments, their foreheads leaning against each other, as they looked at each other in the eyes before laughing together. Yongguk pressed his lips against her forehead, and then placed his chin on top of her head as they both smiled and embraced each other in peace.

 

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After that night, the rest was history for Yongguk and Eunbyul. Yongguk had gone back to his apartment on the other side of Seoul, but that didn't stop them from visiting each other every weekend. And during the weekdays, Skype and Face Time came in handy for the couple.

 

In 2014, Yongguk went to another music academy, where he was inspired to open a music school for people of all ages. After graduating, he bought a building and renovated it with the help of his friends, Eunbyul, Eunjung, and Geun Suk, where all of them worked now; Junhong, Jongup, and Eunjung were dance instructors, Geun Suk and Daehyun were vocal teachers, Youngjae taught guitar while Eunbyul taught piano, and Himchan and Yongguk taught the people how to compose and write their own songs. The school was open for people of all ages, no matter if they were able to financially afford it; Yongguk didn't open the school for the money but to give other people chances.

 

Also in 2014, Geun Suk and Eunjung had finally gotten married on March 26th, as he had proposed to her at Christmas in 2013, and had welcomed their firstborn baby boy, Jang Wooram on February 14, 2015.  

 

In April of 2015, Yongguk had proposed to Eunbyul on her birthday, and the two soon bought a house near their music academy, moving out of their apartment. The two got married on September 12 in the same year.

 

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NOVEMBER 21, 2017

 

"Love? Where are you?" Yongguk called. He had just arrived home after work and saw dinner on the table with his wife nowhere to be found. He heard a soft voice singing and he softly smiled, walking the the nursery. He stopped at the door and watched as his wife softly sang a lullaby to their one year old baby girl, Bang Eunji. He walked up to them, wrapping his arms around his wife and daughter, kissing them both on their foreheads. He took Eunji into his own arms and he sat down in the cushion in the window sill, his daughter in his lap, his wife next to him on the right.

 

"How was she today?" Yongguk asked quietly as he rocked her to sleep.

 

"Her fever is much better but I'm going to stay with her tomorrow too, just to make sure she's okay," Eunbyul answered. Yongguk nodded and suddenly remembered as he sat up.

 

"Eunjung Noona and Geun Suk Hyung invited us to dinner next week for their wedding anniversary," he remembered his sister-in-law reminding him earlier in the day.

 

"I'll text her in the morning, telling her that we'll be there. Why don't you go eat dinner and shower afterwards? I'm going to go shower and put to Eunji to bed, too. I already ate," Eunbyul told Yongguk, rubbing her stomach. Yongguk nodded, handing his daughter to his wife, and went downstairs to eat the pasta that was left for him.

 

After he ate and did the dishes, he went to the bathroom to shower where he passed his daughter's room, hearing her giggles along with his wife's voice. He walked into the room and smiled her. "Jiji!" he exclaimed, picking her up into his embrace.

 

"Appa!" she giggles back, kissing him on his nose before burying her head against his neck, hugging him.

 

"How is my princess?" he asked, swaying as Eunbyul smiled, laying out her daughter's night suit. Eunji only smiled back at her father, yawning. The little girl was tired out by her fever and words weren't her friend at the moment. Eunji was handed back to Eunbyul, as Yongguk went to shower. Eunbyul dressed her daughter in her pajamas and read her a bedtime story. By the time Eunji had fallen asleep, Yongguk was already done showering and was already in bed, reading through a music piece one of his students had written. Eunbyul, with her own set of papers in hand with a black and white picture, also climbed into bed and snuggled next to her husband as she showed him what the documents were.  

 

Yongguk took a quick glance and went back to the music before it hit him what the documents were. "What? Really?" he asked, shocked as to how he should react. "How long?"

 

"Four and a half months," Eunbyul smiled. "The doctor didn't want me to tell anyone just yet because the chances of a miscarriage are greater in the first three months,  but now as long we do everything right again," She handed Yongguk the picture. "That's our son," she whispered as he took the picture in his shaking hands.

 

"We're going to have a baby boy?" he chuckled before bringing Eunbyul closer to him, kissing her forehead. "Our family is going to be complete," he smiled brightly, looking down into Eunbyul's eyes. She smiled and nodded in agreement.

 

"Do you have any ideas as what to name him?" she asked.

 

Yongguk thought for a few minutes, and cleared his throat. "Yongchul," he said, looking at his wife for her reaction. She thought about it, and smiled.

 

"Yongchul,” she smiled. “Forever brave. I love it,” she said. "Bang Yongchul," she said again, rubbing her baby bump that was starting to develop. She looked up to see Yongguk smiling at the picture, and pressed her lips against his cheek.

 

"Thank you for being perfect to me," Yongguk said, looking at his wife. "For giving me the perfect family, thank you," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead.

 

"Thank you," Eunbyul started, "for loving me," she smiled. She pressed her lips against Yongguk's and the two closed their eyes, having a sweet moment of their own.

 

"Saranghae, Bang Eunbyul," Yongguk whispered, placing the blanket comfortably around them as they both properly lay down, as his wife was in his embrace as if he were her cocoon.

 

"Nado, saranghae, Bang Yongguk," Eunbyul whispered back, as the two fell asleep in the love and embrace of each other.