It had been 10 minutes of swimming continuously. It sounds little but it’s really a lot that we covered. We swam along the coast. The further we swam, the less people there were. Soon, the both of us were alone. The map was easy to follow. We just had to follow the coast line till we saw a cove but we didn’t see it. I was so tired and breathless.

“Oppa, maybe this map is fake. Let’s go back.”

Min Hyuk looked around for a while, not giving up.

“Wait, look,” he said as he pointed behind me.

There it was; the cove. It was hidden so that anyone who didn’t search hard enough would miss it.

We swam as fast as we could towards it.

I was mind-blown when I saw the marvellous structure. It was beautiful beyond words. I wish I had my camera with me.

“I wish I had my camera with me,” I told Min Hyuk, regretting not bringing it along.

“Sonia, look at what you’re standing on!” Min Hyuk exclaimed.

I averted my attention to the ground where I saw something sticking out from the ground.

I stared at Min Hyuk.

We both kneeled on the sand and dug the thing out.

It was a brown box.

I was scared to open it but I really wanted to.

“You do it,” I told Min Hyuk.

“No, you open it. You know you want to.”

I did want to open it! I really did! So, I counted till 3 and did it.

Inside the box, was another piece of paper.

I read it out loud:

I’m so happy that you found this. I know it took some time and I’m sorry but all I wanted to say was this.

Although I met you not long ago, I feel something for you. When I first met you at the airport, I was instantly attracted to you and thought it was because you’re so beautiful. I thought it was infatuation. But that wasn’t the case. The past few days I’ve spent with you were one of the best I’ve ever had. Every day, you make me fall in love with you even more. I feel happy when I’m with you and you never fail to make my heart beat faster. Your sweet smile, the sound of your voice, your laughter, the magic in your eyes, never fails to make my heart skips a beat. I know that isn’t exactly possible but that’s how I feel. I know I’m not great at telling people how I feel so I wrote this letter. I’ve never felt what it’s like to be in love before but if this is what love feels like, I never want to stop feeling it.

Saranghae.

Min Hyuk

Tears accumulated in my eyes and were about to spill out. When I blinked, they did.

I lifted my head to see Min Hyuk, who looked at me lovingly.

“I know I’m not the best at expressing how I feel but I really, truly love you. You make my days brighter and I want you there with me by my side. I love you, Sonia and I just wanted you to know that. I can’t hide my feelings for you anymore. I completely understand if you don’t feel the same for me but I just had to tell you.”

“Oppa...” I croaked.

This was the first time someone confessed their love to me. Back home, no one did it because they knew I was hard to please. Did I feel the same way for him?

“Oppa, I...I don’t know if I love you. I mean, I don’t know if what I feel for you is love but I’m willing to give it a chance so please be patient with me. I’d be so lucky for you to be mine,” I confessed.

I gave him a small shy smile.

He pulled me towards him by my arms and I fell on top of him. He hugged me tightly before tucking my hair behind my ear and kissed my nose. I gave him a big kiss on his cheek and made him blush.

“So what’s the first thing we should do as a couple?” Min Hyuk beamed as he sat up.

“Who said we’re a couple?” I asked him seriously.

His face expression grew sad.

“I’m just kidding, oppa.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go back and soak in the Jacuzzi while we watch the sunset together. We can go eat the buffet dinner at night,” he said.

“Oh, sounds romantic,” I said as I did finger gestures.

He laughed and stood up, lifting me up as well.

***

We were exhausted when we reached the cabana.

Min Hyuk read the manual for the Jacuzzi while I got bubble bath soap from the toilet. The Jacuzzi was already filling with water when I came. I poured some of the fragrant soap into the water and waited till it foamed. While it was foaming, I went back to the room and laid out my clothes for later. I picked a pretty red dress that was slightly above my knees.

“Yobeo, the water’s ready,” Min Hyuk called out.