It was Saturday afternoon and Sung Noeul was watching television alone in the main room. His Dad was working on something that happened at his office, and his Mom was out with the other ahjummas. He lied on his side, munching on snacks as he watched the weekend drama. He was admiring Kim Hye Soo’s beauty in her newest ads when he sniffed on woman’s perfume scent. He didn’t need to look behind to know to whom the perfume scent belonged to. “Jageun Noona, you just arrived home an hour ago after more than a week away for back to back international flight and now you are going out again?” asked Noeul, eyes still glued on the TV screen.

“Mm. I have to pick up something and have an appointment afterward. Noeul-ah, how does Noona look?” asked Deok Seon, smiled brightly as she put her hands on her hips.

Noeul scanned Deok Seon’s appearence. She was wearing a knee-length soft yellow dress and covered it with a new coat he never saw before, she brought her favorite hand bag, her face was painted with a minimal make up saved for a pink lipstick she wore, and she also wore her treasured pink mitten. Even in Noeul’s eyes, his noona looked pretty.

“Nice. Are you going on a blind date? Don’t make your date bored, just end the date if you are not interested in him.”

Deok Seon snorted. “Worry about your own love life. And I’m not going to a blind date, for your information,” she said nonchalantly.

His sharp instinct told him there was something different with Deok Seon. Deok Seon wouldn’t brought her favorite hand bag and wore her pink mitten if there was no special occasion. She also looked really happy when she got home today, even when she always complained how back to back international flight always tired her out. He observed Deok Seon more closely and try to confirmed his suspicion, “I see. You are dating. Who is this unfortunate fellow?”

She stuck her tongue out and waved at her younger brother as she walked outside, “Someone you know. Tell Omma and Appa don’t expect me for dinner.”

Sung Noeul counted how many boys in Deok Seon’s life he knew. He immediately eliminate all his school friends (Deok Seon is not the type to date younger man) and all male celebrities she liked (Deok Seon could dream dating celebrities, it wouldn’t be come true). He wished his guess is correct. Without noone’s knowledge, he already has suspicion about someone behavior toward his second older sister years ago, ever since Deok Seon received her Christmas present years ago. 

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Deok Seon walked out of a jewelry store with a smile on her face. She bought something that she hoped Jung Hwan would like. Not that she bought it for Jung Hwan, anyway. If he didn’t like it, she would still wear that, Jung Hwan could sulk all he wants she wouldn’t care a bit. She was becoming excited and walked faster when suddenly her pager beeped. She smiled wider when she recognized the number. She found a public telephone booth and entered. Reaching inside her coat’s pocket, she found a coin and put it inside the coin hole. She listened to the message and proceeded to leave a message back to the sender.

She waited outside of the telephone booth and not too long, a Jeep halted in front of her. She opened the door and hopped inside. Smiling brightly, she immediately lunged her body to hug the driver, “Jung Hwan-ah, I miss you so much.”

Jung Hwan buried his head inside the crook of Deok Seon’s neck. He sniffed a faint smell of rose from her perfume, a scent he always knew belong to Deok Seon. He sighed in contentment, and said, “I miss you too, Deok Seon-ah.”

His breath against her neck tickled her. Deok Seon released the hug, a bit too fast for Jung Hwan’s liking. She cupped Jung Hwan’s cheek and pecked his lips. His lips so tasty it made Deok Seon had to hold her desire to do more than a peck to him. She took a good look at him. He still wore his uniform, and looked really good in it. She wondered how she only realized now that his Jung Hwan was actually a catch, no wonder he always had girls lining up. She pecked his lips once more, this time a little bit longer. Yup, Kim Jung Hwan is mine. The other girls can go to hell.  

Jung Hwan started driving. He glanced at Deok Seon and frowned when he realized his girlfriend was wearing a dress which made her leg bare. “Yah, it’s cold outside. Wear longer clothes,” he said, scowling. He stopped his Jeep and reached for his air force jacket he put in the backseat. He carefully put his jacket to cover Deok Seon’s leg.

“But I looked pretty, right? I especially took care of my appearance today because we’re having a date,” she beamed at him, waiting for a compliment from him of how pretty she looked today.

Ever the grumpy man, Jung Hwan replied, “Why the extra need? We only going to Han River after all.”

She realized she placed her hope too high to have a compliment coming from Jung Hwan, even if they already become a couple. Some things just never changed. They finally met after two weeks apart and already start bickering the minute they met.

She scowled. “Forget it. Yah, play some music to bring my mood back.”

Jung Hwan obliged, he chose not to prolong his girlfriend’s anger. He put a random cassette inside his radio tape. Lee Moon Sae’s voice started filling the car and he heard Deok Seon humming the tone. She looked like she stopped sulking. He smiled at himself. It’s not that he didn’t know that Deok Seon asked to be complimented, he did that because he didn’t want to state the obvious. Deok Seon was always pretty to him. Besides, he loved teasing Deok Seon. That habit would never die.

He stopped his jeep at a red light, and took this chance to asked Deok Seon, “Yah, why Han River? You already dressed up, how about we go to a restaurant or café?”

He just finished dropping Taek at his baduk club after their talk, when he paged her to told her that he is already in Seoul and will arrived home soon. He told Deok Seon to get ready because he’s taking Deok Seon eating out for dinner. He got reply from her saying the location to pick her up because she had an errand to do, and she preferred to go to Han river. He thought she was joking when she paged him back, not keen on having a date outside in a November weather.

Deok Seon shook her head, “Because Han river is romantic. Didn’t you hear celebrities having car date in Han river?”

Trust Sung Deok Seon to still following what celebrities did even when she had become adult.

The glistening glow of the river’s surface looked so beautiful from where they parked the car. Deok Seon jumped out of the car excitedly. “Woah.. So pretty,” she said, admiring the beautiful scenery. She sat on a bench and waved to Jung Hwan, asking him to join her.

Jung Hwan smiled at the view in front of him. The sun was setting and the orange glow illuminated his girlfriend’s faces. He walked to Deok Seon and placed his jacket to cover her leg. Seemed she forgot to bring the jacket in her excitement to go outside. The wind blows cold air, the chilliness made Deok Seon put her hands inside her coat’s pocket. He noticed it. “I’ll go buy coffee. Wait here, I’ll be back soon,” said Jung Hwan.

Deok Seon nodded and continue to admiring the river’s beauty. Jung Hwan came not too long after, bringing two cup of hot coffee. He gave one to Deok Seon who accepted it gratefully. His sight stopped at Deok Seon’s hands. He thought the mittens she wore looked familiar, but he wasn’t sure. He decided to ask her, “Is that the mittens I gave you?”

“Yes, you don’t remember?”

“Of course I remember. I just never saw you wore this. I thought you didn’t like it.”

“This is my most favorite pair, I only wear it for special occasion,” she explained. She linked her arm to Jung Hwan’s and laid her head on his shoulder. “And today is our first official date. Of course I should wear this,” she added, smiling brightly at Jung Hwan.

At that moment, Jung Hwan didn’t care at anything. He would go with everything she wants if that meant she would be smiling at him. Having a date at Han river or even at Alaska, he would follow her everywhere. As long as she smiled at him like this.  

Still dazed at the beauty in front of him named Sung Deok Seon, he didn’t realize Deok Seon gave him something. He looked down to his hand and saw a black rectangular box. He knew what it was even before he opened. He braves his heart and opened it. Inside was the exact thing he expected, his graduation ring he thought he left at the restaurant last time. His breath caught in his throat. He tried to say something but his mind went blank. “How… When…” he said, unable to think what to say.

Deok Seon beamed at him, “I went back to the restaurant in the afternoon after you left for Sacheon. Fortunately the waiter kept it.You said you had wanted to give it to me on your graduation day, so it was mine from the first, right?” She added, “Look at the inside of the ring. I requested to inscribe something.”

Jung Hwan did as he told. He took out the ring from its box, there was a thin necklace on it. He figured Deok Seon wants to wear the ring as a necklace. He slanted his eyes trying to read the words written. Inside was written ‘KJH ♥ SDS – Always & Forever’.

Jung Hwan did the only thing crossed his mind. He hugged Deok Seon tightly. Deok Seon reciprocate by circling her arm around his chest. He rested his chin on the crown of her head and said softly, “You did well, Deok Seon-ah. Thank you.”

She buried her head on his chest, drinking on his manly scent that she loves. “So, do I get to wear the ring or do you intend to give that to another girl?” she boyfriend, feeling giddy and satisfied at his reaction.

“How could I give this to another girl when you already inscribed your initial to this ring?”

“Glad you got the point. You are mine forever, Kim Jung Hwan.”

“Are you proposing to me now?” he asked teasingly.

She slapped his chest and stuck her tongue out as an answer. Even her childish manner looked so endearing to him now. He realized he fell head over heels to Sung Deok Seon, again. And now, he won’t ruin the chances given to him. He wouldn’t waste more time, and vowed to love her and make her the happiest woman.

Jung Hwan took the ring out. He unclasped the necklace and put it on her neck. Deok Seon touched the hanging ring on her neck and try to familiarize with the foreign feeling of wearing necklace. After all, she was not a jewelry type of girl. The only jewelry she wore are earring and watch.

Jung Hwan watched her with a satisfied expression, he finally succeeded on giving her the sacred graduation ring. Well, technically he didn’t give it to her but she took it herself. Anyway, what matter was she already got the ring.

He touched her chin softly, asking her to look at his direction. He was met with her big eyes looking directly at him. A pair of eyes he wished would look at him forever. Their faces now only inches apart. Jung Hwan slowly closing the gap between them and finally pressed his lips to hers. Deok Seon closed her eyes, as if waiting for this moment to come. Her hands crawled up to his neck, urging Jung Hwan to deepen the kiss. He obliged, he prodded her lips to opened by using his tongue. The kiss become more urgent and he pulled her to sit on his lap. Deok Seon sighed as she grabbed his hair softly.

Her sigh activate the devil inside him. He stopped kissing her when he try to hold his growing excitement, then he realize they are in a public space. Deok Seon whined when he stopped, “Why? There are no people around.”  

He flicked her head affectionately, “It’s dangerous for me if we continue. Let’s go find some food, I’m hungry.”

As he drove, ‘Sunset Glow’ by Lee Moon Sae was playing on his radio tape. Smiling while stealing a glance at Deok Seon, he was glad he had found his ‘Sunset Glow’. 

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Sorry for the late update >,<

Hope you guys like it!