https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSe1pOpIOcI

Sondia: First Love

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Yoonjung tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having a nightmare that Mark was leaving her. His expression looked empty and vacant, and no matter how much she screamed for him, he wouldn’t listen to her. A hand clamped down on her arm, and she sat up with a loud gasp. Her chest was drumming fiercely against her ribcage, and she could feel beads of cold sweat decorating her face with anxiety.

“I’m sorry to wake you up, Yoonjung,” Solbi said apologetically, “But your phone kept ringing. I think it’s important.”

“Oh...thank you,” Yoonjung said as she took her phone. 

Solbi smiled at her before hopping back down to the floor.

“Hello?”

 “Good morning, baby.”

Mark’s voice brought her back to reality, and she sighed in relief as she touched her temple.

“Mark...it’s you....” 

“Are you okay? You sound really traumatized. Did something happen?” 

“No, no. I just woke up…” Yoonjung glanced at the time. It was nearing 9 o’clock now. She saw her roommates were still here, which was typical considering it was a Sunday. “Are you still in Korea?” 

“Yes, I am.” “Don’t you have to leave?” 

“Not yet. I thought I’d spend some much-needed quality time with my girl. What do you say?” 

Yoonjung smiled softly. “I’ll get ready.” “I’ll see you in about an hour.” “Okay, sounds good. Bye.” 

“Bye. And Yoonjung?”

 “Yes, Mark?”

 “I love you.” 

Yoonjung’s gaze softened with warmth, and she murmured, “I love you, too.” With that, she hung up and went to the washroom. After dressing, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“Going somewhere?” Heewon asked.

“Yes. A date with my boyfriend. He’s back in town.” Yoonjung beamed.

“Have fun!” Solbi smiled with a wave. “Yeah, be safe,” Heewon said.

“Thanks. You guys have a great day, too.” Yoonjung waved at them before leaving. She greeted the other girls in the dorm as she headed out of the building. Mark was waiting for her in his car, and Yoonjung skipped over. He got out of the car and jogged around to her side.

“Good morning, baby,” Mark crooned as he slid his hand on her waist and pecked her cheek. He pulled back and admired her. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Yoonjung beamed warmly. Mark opened the door for her. 

Yoonjung was about to go inside when she saw the bouquet of fresh flowers waiting for her. She picked them up and looked at Mark with doting eyes.

“Are these for me?” “Yes, no one but you.” Mark promised. 

Yoonjung took a whiff and beamed. “They’re lovely. Thank you. You’re so sweet.” She gave him an appreciative peck on the jaw before climbing into her seat.

Mark put her seatbelt on for her before gently shutting the door. He got back into the driver’s side and put on his own seatbelt. “So where do you want to go? Anywhere special?” Yoonjung slid her hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. “I just want a normal date with you.” Mark laced his fingers through hers and kissed the back of her hand. “Okay, let’s go then.”

They shopped around in Gangnam before going to one of her favorite burger joints. Then they watched a movie, ate dinner at a pork belly restaurant, and got coffee and macarons at a new cafe that opened up nearby. It was night when they decided to take a walk at the beautiful Cheonggyecheon. 

Yoonjung sighed out of nowhere, startling Mark. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing…” Yoonjung assured. Mark didn’t look convinced.

“It’s just...It feels like everything went back to normal. It feels really nice...but it also feels surreal..., and I don’t know…” Yoonjung rubbed the back of her neck. “I can’t help but feel uneasy. Like this is just a dream, and when I wake up, I’ll be back in my nightmare.”

Mark’s eyebrows crinkled together with worry and guilt. I made her like that. It’s my fault. Mark stopped walking, and Yoonjung looked back at him. She realized what she had said and quickly explained, “It’s just a feeling. It’s not-”

Mark pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Yoonjung softened and wound her arms around his neck. Mark slid his arms around her waist and locked his hands behind her back. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “My heart is yours, Yoonjung. Wherever I go, it’s with you.”

“I know,” Yoonjung acknowledged.

He leaned in, and she slowly closed her eyes as he kissed her warmly. She clutched onto him and hoped he wouldn’t go too far away from her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue8jQO8rcYQ

123 I love You

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As soon as Yoonjung left her organic chemistry class, she received a call. “Hello?” She answered as she tried to collect her papers that were about to fall out of her book.

“Hi, baby.”

“Mark!” She couldn’t hide her joy.

“I knew you ended class at this time. So I called right away. Am I not great?” Mark joked, and Yoonjung laughed, “Yes, you are. You’re like a fortune teller. You’re awesome.” 

“I was just kidding, but thanks for boosting up my ego,” he chuckled. She beamed and asked, “What about you? What are you doing right now?”

Mark paused for a while before answering, “Business.”

“Ah, okay, I don’t want to take too much of your time.”

 “It’s okay. Are you going to your internship today?” 

“Yeah, I’m heading over there right now actually.” 

“Okay, be safe then. I’ll call you later. Love you.” 

“Love you, too!” Yoonjung hung up with a sigh of content. Things were finally back on track now.

“Yoonjung!” She heard someone call her name as she walked across the quad. She turned around and smiled widely with a wave. “Hey, Luhan!”

Luhan jogged towards her and came to a stop before her. “Where are you headed?”

“My internship,” Yoonjung replied. “I’ll drive you there,” Luhan offered.

“No, it’s fine. The bus goes straight to it anyways,” she said. “Then let me walk you to the bus stop.” He collected her books for her, and she threw him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Luhan.” “No problem.”

They talked about their classes for a while and then he asked, “So how are things...between you and Mark?”

“Pretty good,” Yoonjung answered with a grin.

“Yeah?” Luhan was surprised.

“Yeah. We talked it over, and he’s been keeping in touch ever since,” she said.

“That’s...good.” Luhan smiled. He was happy for her.

“Yeah. I think so, too,” Yoonjung said. Her phone rang just then, and she excused herself before ac