“Will you love me five years from now, ten years from now? Will you love me when your parents want us to separate, will you still love me if you have to choose between me and your family?” Taeyeon asked, her heart aching with pain. Every word she uttered was meant to cut Jiyong like a knife through the heart. She pulled out of his embrace and turned to look at him. The bus had already left, leaving just the two of them in front of the bus stop. Jiyong hung his head low, his shoulder slumped. 

“I don’t know how to answer you Jiyong, I don’t know what to say…” 

“How would you answer if everything was the way it was before?” He asked. Taeyeon shrugged and chuckled softly.

“That’s just it Jiyong…everything is not the way it was before, it will never be the way it was before. I’m sorry, but I…I don’t want to see you anymore.” She choked on the last word, her heart was breaking.

Taeyeon felt like she was dying inside…why was he making it so hard for her to resist? Why was it so hard to say no? Taeyeon steeled her heart and avoided looking him in the eyes.

“Please let me go…and don’t look for me.” 

Taeyeon closed her eyes and felt tears cascade down her cheeks. She didn’t want Jiyong to see the tears, she didn’t want him to know that every word she forced out of hurts her as much as him. Turning away from him, Taeyeon started walking down the street. She needed to distance herself from him…the pain in his eyes was torture for her. 

“Marry me! Taeyeon! Marry me!” Jiyong shouted, his voice echoing down the street. People on the street stopped and stared at the two of them. He ran up to her oblivious to the crowd gathering around them.

“You ask about my love for you…will I love you in five years? Ten years? Twenty years…one hundred years? Yes Taeyeon, I will still love you.” Jiyong cupped her face in his hands and begged,

“Stop seeing me as a kid, I know what I’m getting into when I decided to be with you. I want to protect you, love you and your baby. I want to raise your child with you, grow old with you. I couldn’t sleep because of you, I was debating…debating with my heart and my head until I realized…I choose you…. Please Taeyeon, please stop pushing me away!” 

“Jiyong, you are only seventeen years old…” Taeyeon started but abruptly stopped when Jiyong kissed her forcibly on the lips.

“Damn it! I know I’m seventeen, so are you!” 

Taeyeon blinked a couple of times and stared at Jiyong as if seeing him for the very first time. Jiyong dropped his hands from Taeyeon’s shoulders, surprised by his own outburst and the kiss. 

“Sorry…” he apologized.

“I can’t marry you Jiyong. I can’t.” Silence. The atmosphere was so tense and awkward, the small crowd of people walked away, some turn their head back curiously. The silence etched on until Jiyong finally sighed and asked,

“Will you marry me in ten years?” He refused to give up. 

“What do you mean?” Taeyeon frowned. 

“I want to marry you, if not now then in ten years.” 

Taeyeon felt her lips reluctantly curved in a half smile, it was jus