He flips the light switch to ambience mode as he walks into the bedroom.

Instantaneously, the night sky and countless twinkling brilliance comes into view right above them.

“Here, lovely.” He places a hot water pouch on her abdomen while he lies down behind her.

“Thank you.. How do you know?”

“Do you know how pale are you this evening.. (he gently touched her cheek) and I happened to see the faint, partially wiped off stains in the bathroom. “

“So sorry. I must have forgotten to clean it again.”

“It has been taken care of. How are you? Sore?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t have menorrhagia”, she regretted her joke when she felt his muscles tightened against her back. “I just took medication. The pain will subside in time.”

“What can I do for you? A massage?”

She stretched her hand to caress the slightly tensed face that’s behind her head, “Just keep still. Keep me warm.”

He gently massaged her, attempting to relax her tensed muscles.

He hummed an oldie.

“You know this piece?”

He rubbed his head against her hair, “I heard it from a seraph.”

She smiled, “I think I know who she is…”

“Yes. Her humming is gentle and touching, although she can be off tune at times. (He chuckled a little as she squeezed his hand in annoyance.) Considering that she hummed only for me, I am deeply appreciative and feel greatly honoured.”

“Weren’t you asleep then?”

“Yes, I was. Almost. You know something? (He paused.) I woke up many times at night during that period. I watched you sleep in your night light.”

“Ommo! You never did tell me!”

“Is there a concern?” He tenderly kissed her earlobe.

“No. It’s just that.. I am just astounded.”

“You literally rolled around the bed and you snore slightly, especially evident when you are lying on your stomach.“

“Gosh, no one ever told me that!” she tried to pull the sheets over her head but he removed it.

“I am glad that I am the chosen one. I am not judging. I am just sharing my observations. Anyway, rolling and snoring are normal. I bet I snore too. It’s just a matter of volume.” He laughed.

“No, you rarely snore.“ she starts massaging the back of his hand, that is anchoring the hot water pouch on her abdomen.

It is his turn to be speechless.

“You prefer to sleep on your left side, hugging your bolster. I guess that’s not to add stress on your right leg and thus, minimize the possibility of pain in the morning. Your eye lashes are lush and thick, like mini-fans framing your deep-set eyes. The centre portion of your lashes are always slightly longer than the sides. I think you seldom dream as your breathing sounds even most of the time. …”

[Their common thoughts] What have we been doing at night?

Both fell into reverie… feels like they are being so caught, immersed in such similar feelings that they have for each other. That feeling is so familiar, so warm and so intimate. They smiled lightly, and simultaneously.

“I love you, dear.”

“Me too.” She turned around to meet his waiting lips.

A nip. A deeper kiss. Their eyes closed while the hand massages continued.

A comfortable silence filled the air.

“Are you tired? Sleeping?”

“Almost. Why?”

“Shall we do something light this weekend?”

“Sure.”

“There is an art exhibition that I like to check out. Shall we take a look? Though it’s a bit far from here. What do you think? Will you go with me?”

“Anywhere with you.” She replied drowsily.

Friday afternoon… He brought his significant other to the airport.

“You didn’t you tell me that we are flying?”

I asked you.. and I got our things ready.. “ He showed her their luggage. She seriously thought that he has overpacked for a two-day trip but she didn’t comment. She is more touched by his thought and the pleasant surprise.

She smiled her sweet smile and held his hand, “Anywhere with you.”

They boarded happily.

It took them an hour to reach Jeju.

She browses through the shop windows while he handles the paper work for car rental. A display in the shop window catches her attention - a white, casual, non-revealing cotton spaghetti-striped sundress, laced with embroidery at the hems, the length of the dress is longer at the back than front, complete with a long scarf.

“Go try it on.” He encourages her. She shines in the dress like a fresh coat of glittering, white snow. She is truly the vision of real elegance.

Although it is could be too cold to wear sundress now, he bought the dress without any hesitation. He has prepared slacks for her in the luggage just in case she really wants to wear a dress now. He also purchased white cotton shirt and black pants to match her dressing.

They checked into Jeju Marine Hotel and set off to a tangerine farm.

They see rows and rows of tangerine trees on the hills like numerous orange sequins twinkling in the various tones of green.

The trees are taller than him. Luckily, the fruits are rather low lying. Some ripe ones have already fallen onto the ground.

After the farm-owner’s brief explanation and demonstration, they collected their gloves and tools to try their hands on harvesting the fruits.

Although this is the first time they are in the farm, the farm-owner’s labrador kept following and playing with Park, ignoring the other visitors, just like Park is his best friend.

“Why don’t we get a dog?”

“Dog? Why do I need that?”

He looked puzzled, “They are cute!”

“Why? As there is always one cute puppy following me already. Why do I need another?” he looked left and right.. and… realized, “YA! I am a grown man!”

They returned to their car with 2 huge bags of tangerines. He is thrilled to be immersed in his one of his favourite citrus fruit.

They had dinner. They are in the rural part of Seogwipo City, far from the tangerine farms and golf courses. He drives past some park areas, and he notices some streams nearby.

“It’s rather warm tonight, right?” she commented.

“Yes. I’ll scroll down the windows… Are you tired? Shall we stop for a walk?” he asked.

“Sure. We can do some exercise”, she smiled.

He held her hand tightly as they walked into the park. He shines his flashlight, which is covered by red cellophane, mainly on the ground as they start to walk on the tracks.

“Wow, you are prepared.. What are you looking for?”, she inquired.

“Not quite sure if we can find those little lighted beetles.” They walk on quietly in the moon light.

They hear the trickling of water from the streams nearby ….

He squeezes her hand to get her attention. Her focus follows to where he is pointing, and sees a small, twinkling light ‘floating’ around the trees and lands on a flora.. then, it floats further away. It’s like a star amongst the trees!

“FIREFLY!” she exclaims in pure excitement! “This is the first time I seen the real one! It’s so magical! Thank you, dear.”

“You are welcome.”

“Do you know why firefly blinks while they fly?”

“That’s part of the mating ritual. The males blink while they fly, to impress the females. The females on the ground or flora will respond with blinks if they are mesmerized by the males' dance.”

“Yes”, he laughed, “Corny, isn’t it?”

She laughed too.

“We are very lucky today to see it,” he breaks into a big grin. “When I was young, Halmoni brought me into the forest where there are streams. Then, we saw hundreds of floating blinking lights.. but it’s less frequently seen now. Like I said, we are very fortunate tonight.”

First rays of the morning shined into their room.

Garbed in a bathrobe, she walked into the bathroom and saw him preparing to shave. She gives him a back hug and stands by the side to observe him.

“Do you want to try?”

“May I?”

“Sure. I can teach you.”

He warmed his face with a hot towel, put down the cover of the water closet and sat on it. He holds her hand to feel the contours of his face. “Here.. feel, and place the blades on the contours and glide along. Warm your hands under hot running water first. Then, feel and take your time.”

She trembles a bit. He places his grip on her, steading her grasp. He flashes his usual sunny smile. “Relax. Just try!”

“Any areas to avoid?”

“Just keep my features intact… “ he joked, gesturing that she can proceed.

He holds onto her waist to stabilise her. She places her hands on his face, looks closely while feeling his facial contours. He applied shaving cream on his face and waited. With one hand on his face, the other picks up the hotel provided razor. She tries gently, lightly, slowly and moves along. It takes a while. It demands a lot of focus and concentration. He looks at her. Witnessing her focus, noticing drops of sweat forming on her temple. He sits like a stone statue and let her takes her time to progress. …. He lets her try what’s within reasonable limits although he is literally placing his life in her hands. He is naturally slightly tensed at this situation. Anyway, it is okay. At the most, he gets a scratch or two which he will recover in no time. Let her flutter away, be willing to try and gain confidence. Every and any way she can. He will always be by her side, on her side.

She did it! She used 20 minutes to finish what he usually complete in less than 5.

He pulled her into a hug. He thanked her.

“I am so proud of you.”, he tells her.

“What happened? Did I scratch you?”

“No, no..”

"Here", he gives her a warm towel. She cleans off the remaining shaving crème and applies aftershave for him.

He rubs his clean, sleek and smooth face against hers tenderly. “See how great you are? .. Can you do it for me every day?”

She giggles, “Who sleeps till the last available minute almost every morning?”

“I’ll wake up earlier…”

He hugs her again. In her ear, he says, “You let me feel your love and courage. That’s much more than what the 15 minutes is worth. “

“You gave me your trust, dear”, she gives him a proper kiss.

Yes, she knows.

They had a big breakfast and proceed to the art museum.

He is in a great mood this morning. His exhibits in the travelling exhibition have been well-received, met some curators and inspiring artists over breakfast, and is waiting for his wife to join him for lunch. He can’t wait to share the future plans of the travelling exhibition with her.

While he waited at a small corner flipping some prospectus, he chatted casually with an acquaintance who spotted him for a short while. It may be hard to go unnoticed when one is more than 1.8m in height.

They strolled into the museum early in the morning. There is no crowd, which suits them perfectly.

He scans through the otherwise quiet hall as crowds often gather after lunch.

They stopped in front of a piece that caught both their attention.

He notices a couple pondering in front one of his favourite pieces, which is several panels away from where he is standing now. The male is tall, similar to his height, or at most a few centimetres shorter than him if his estimation is close. In the warm lightings of the hall, through the several, overlapping panels that are separating them, the short-hair female who is standing beside the male caught his eye. From a distance, she looks vaguely familiar. He doesn’t think that he has seen her before. He inched closer to the couple out of plain curiosity. A close look reveals that she looks very much like the younger version of his wife, a face, a look that he can recall even in his sleep. Main difference is she has short curls that floats above her shoulders whilst his wife has luxurious, long and straight hair. Regardless, the extent of similarity surprises him. He makes a mental note to share that with his wife once he meets her.

They look at the tag below the art piece for a brief description on the artist.

“I read online that his recent works are significantly influenced by his better half.”

                He smiles at that comment.

He knows that she reads.  “What do you see here?”

               “Yes, I wonder too.”

They take a few steps behind to absorb the panoramic view, and back closer to observe the minutiae, those subtleties, subtleness, and undercurrents the master has imbued in his work.

The male took off his white jacket and hung it on her shoulders loosely, to provide some warmth against the cold air. He rubbed her hand against his white cotton shirt and placed her hand in his pocket. From the way they converse and look at each other, you can tell that they are communicating not only with words, but also with their eyes and body. They are very close.

“Despite being blocked by the brief passing clouds and overarching tree branches, (she ghosted the outline of the branches, looking closer..) the gentle light from the moon penetrates through all of that and reached Earth. The usage of only hues and shades of white, grey and black added greyness and solemnness to the scene.”

“Stretch your fingers, lovely.” He did likewise. Both hands with stretched fingers are placed against the light emitting from the warm bulbs in the ceiling. That creates the illusion of a moon and extending branches, which casts a shadow on them. They receive the warm ‘light’, beyond the ‘branches’.

“See that?.. I agree with your feelings absolutely. Yes, sad that the full moon is covered. Gladly, her calm brilliance is not entirely hidden. Her gentle strength has spread and extended, went beyond the obvious obstacles and limits, to reach, the whos and whoms, who needs her and looks up to her. A desolate and gloomy backdrop that is presented with such vast hint of sanguinity. A thought-provoking piece indeed. Such profoundness is within the man who is behind it.”

“There seem to be voids between the moon and us, and the calm rays from the moon has filled that in, reminding us that we are not forgotten. This may look like a landscape, but I think it’s not so simplistic. For it to be drawn from this angle and the usage of these greyish hues, a lot of thoughts are layered beneath it. There must be a touching story behind too. “

”Although the night is long, the seed that lies beneath the bitter snows will grow and blossom in spring, with ample shower of nature’s grace.”

“Hope”, she smiled beautifully.

He, who is standing close enough to overhear their conversation, has switched to his thoughts mode. He is stirred by their interpretation of his work. That words on blossom and snow also triggered his mental search for the reason on why it sounded so familiar.

“What about the and techniques used?”

“That… I am not professional enough to comment.” She smiled.

“Me neither.” He touched her cheeks and rubbed her shoulders a bit, “Still cold?”

She shook her head.

The vibration from his phone brought him back to reality. That couple is nowhere to be seen. His wife is waiting for him in a cab outside the hall. He left hastily.

After a late lunch, they are eating ice cream and ambling along the quiet streets. A shop named “Exclusively for C & Above” at a corner caught her eye. What can that be? Out of curiosity, she gets close and takes a peep into the dark tinted shop windows. He imitated her actions. They saw some voluptuous women browsing through expensive silk and linen wear inside. They look at each other.. she feels a warm glow on her cheeks while he chuckles.

“What do you think of curvaceous females in skimpy wear?”

“They are entitled to dress in what they want to.”

“So, you are looking!”

“Who led me to that shop? And yes, I did look.” He held both her hands. They exchanged a glance.

“See.. (He tilted her head to face his.) Looking back, I think I am aware of how you see Yoon in the school auditorium. And maybe also the ladies inside the shop. I meant to tell you this since a long time ago. (He placed his thumb on her cheek) . What does that vertical advantage and dangerous curves mean? Barbie will not be able to balance herself if she is real. … Now, give me your ears. (He holds her neck with both hands.) You are attractive, amazing, breath-taking, chic, charming, captivating, considerate, courageous, dazzling, divine, elegant, exquisite, fascinating, graceful, kind, independent, intelligent, understanding, thoughtful, and how can I miss this ... simply irresistible. “

He knows. How?  

He added, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. You are who you are and you are lovely just as you are. Just be you. I lose my mind in you, … even now, even when you are just wearing your PJ, my tee (He toned down to a whisper in her ears) or not ..”

Both his hands are still cuddling her neck. He scans round her face till their focus coincides. He bends down. He approaches her tenderly and slowly, gradually narrowing the distance between them. They each takes a couple of tiny steps closer. The air around them seems to be electrified and charged with sparkles, resulting in a massive display of sparks flying around in random directions instantaneously. Their eyelids flutter and shut. Feels his warm breath as he leans in. His lips graze past hers, right, left, right again. Then, a brush. Another nip. It is warm. That’s comforting. They each takes shaky, long breathes before going in for a deep kiss, perpetually adjusting their angles to savour the most of her, of him, and stealing that very breath from each other. She runs her fingers down his spine, pulling him so close that she can feel the thundering of his heart against her chest. Their pulses accelerate and speed beyond the speedometer. While she is clinging on to him, he is supporting her, ensconcing her in his frame, tightly. Their world is spinning. They share a searing kiss, right there in the streets, in the gentle rays of the afternoon sun, under the fluffy clouds, ignoring the strut customers who just left the shop with multiple fanciful looking shopping bags.

What they need is already found, and that is in each other.

Ribbons are superfluous.

They broke off from the kiss after what seemingly to be a long time. “Shall we head back now?”, he suggested hands still holding on to hers, his head down and foot kicking the ground unconsciously.

She thought for a while, “No. You promised me the stars tonight.” She cheerfully.

She flashes her innocent puppy-ish smile while holding and swinging his hands. So much aegyo. He starts to inch forward in her pull, while dragging his feet a little. He is not able to deny her and will not. She pulls him close, “As your reward, we shall rest less tonight.” His frown transforms into a grin instantly.

They pay a visit to the Starlight Planetarium. This is really the place to really explore and view the depths and mysteries of the universe.

"What is the pattern that you are drawing against the moon? A constellation?" Doesn’t seem like it, he is perplexed.

“I am not telling you”, and she starts to run away. “Catch me first, if you want to know.”

She can’t outrun him. She doesn’t want or need to.

She is tickled into a happy submission.

“Give me your palm”, which he did.

She drew a pattern.

He still looked bewildered.

Instead of drawing, she ‘dials’ the same pattern on his hand this time.

“Here, catch it!”, she shoves him her passcode-locked iphone and darts off, “Try on it.”

That numeric pattern is 125447.

Both brothers of the clock have chased each other into the first quadrant of their mother's face.

They have just finished supper.

Stuffed. By the fabulously grilled pork and succulent seafood.

Intoxicated. By the lethal combination of the breezy night as well as the icy and bubbly beer consumed.

Soothed. By the constant massages performed by the countless grains of warm and fine sand beneath their toes.

There is no one else around. “Where is everyone?”

“Asleep?”

They guffawed at their silliness.

“Where is Yoon and Kwang this weekend?”

“Kwang is at a match in the next town. Yoon is there to cheer for him.”

“How’s things going for them?”

“Like you always see, constantly together, bickering endlessly.”

“You know, I threw the trigger question at Yoon while you were in the teaching camp.”

Dumbfounded. He looked at her in disbelief.

“I did similar to Kwang too, in the same period.”

Their eyes grew wide and gazes locked in for a while.

“Did your phone ring after that?”

She shook her head.

“Give them time, I guess.”

She bent her head to rest on his arms. He held her closer. Hand rubbing her shoulders.

"Yes, bridging over is a challenging and difficult decision to make. You can gain everything or risk to lose it all at one go. “

"Yes, I agree. But it’s good to think through it. So, there is no regrets later.”

"True. Quirky? Eerie that we threw the trigger to them respectively in a different space, but at the similar time.”

"Telepathy probably? Well, I come to appreciate the truth in your words.”

She smiled. She kissed him gently. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome.” He returned her treat. She graciously accepted. He bent down towards her, forcing her to bend with him in order to maintain the kiss .. they played as they moved along, just like little kids …

Her body thermostat was set off abruptly once she stepped onto the cold concrete… “AHHHH…”

“What's wrong?..” He understood her shriek personally and completely, within the next second.

“Where are our shoes?” They hooted with laughter. She laughed so hard that she had to bend down, “Ouch, my stomach hurts…”.

They ran back to retrieve the covers to their feet.

(Source: Screen captures from SWDBS)

She opens her eyes.

His face is facing hers. His eyes are still shut. His breathing is more erratic than usual. Is he dreaming? She hasn’t observed this breathing pattern of his in a while.

She feels his forehead. It’s cool.

She attempts to sit up. Almost at the same instant, his left arm falls on her pillow and his right hand pulls her down to rest on his left arm.

His eyes are still closed.

“Are you awake, dear?”

“Stay with me”, he murmured in a low and husky voice.

She feels his slight trembles. She snugs closer to him. She feels his fast heart rate. She pats him on his back gently. “What happened? Gwaen chanh (Are you okay)?”

“5 minutes..”

She embraces him tightly, silently.

“Halmoni. She is happy now, with Haraboji finally. She thanks us for taking care of what she loves. She hopes me, us, be happy. (and she left)“

“I’ll always be with you…”

He sniffs a little, “Thank you.” His eyelids flutter open. Raw emotions radiate from his eyes. A tear fell and wetted his cheek.

“Can I drive today?” She plays uplifting music in the car stereo as they cruise smoothly along the virtually empty Jeju roads.

They breeze past hectares of reed. They stop to enjoy nature’s gift of fresh and clean air. She picks some reeds, rolls them into a bundle and presents that to him.

“This is the first time I receive a bouquet”, he thanked her.

They continue to drive along the beach, where the end of the sea merges into the clear sky impeccably. They stop to feel the tranquillity. Rows of windmill rotating in the wind at a distance, generating clean energy to fuel nearby places.

While he looks at the seagulls, she is drawing or attempting to draw with the branch at hand… she draws, brushes away the sand, and doodles again…

The top line shows two knives, a hook, bird, zig zag line, and a partial cone.

The other shows a square, a booth, a mouth and a … “This… hmmm”, she doesn’t seem to get it right.

He looks at her, and added a flat dish with his branch.. “You know Egyptian hieroglyphics alphabets too”, he is surprised as that is already a forgotten language.

“I flipped through your books”, she answered cheekily.

“The “language of the gods” that is used in sacred texts, sarcophagus,..  memories of that highly civilised era... The top line is your name while the bottom line is mine.”

She took out her phone and snapped memories of themselves with their hieroglyphical names.

She brought him to a mirrored house that is made with basalt rock and crushed concrete walls, for artisanal coffee and cakes. It’s there, that they are greeted by an unlimited, borderless and breath-stopping sea view. Few words can express that beauty.

Courageous seagulls glide above, spotting the clear skies, braving the heavy brine in the air and diving down occasionally for their catch of the day. The sea is so blue, so deep, and so full of undercurrents.

Anchoring the wanderers in that vastness and choppiness are the tall and red towers, firmly rooted at each corner of the rocky headlands, providing the much-needed grip, direction and light, signalling to those who are lost, that direction is available, and hope is not lost.

She squeezes his hand tightly, and gives him a bright and sunny smile, only for him. He looks at her, holds and gently rubs her hand on his shirt, where his heart is... Words are not necessary.

Later, they also have a bird’s eyes view on ‘Noah’s Ark’, that is floating on a small body of water via their vintage point. The zinc roof of the building sparkles and reflects the sun’s rays brilliantly in every direction. The surface of the water body mirrors the façade of the Ark, which adds another dimension to the view. This Ark, which is actually a church, harmonies and blends into its green surroundings flawlessly. The organ music and hymns within can be heard distinctly. That feels like walking straight into a fairy tale.

“Thank you, lovely.”

“Why?”

“You bring me to the most incredible places and always try to cheer me up.”

“I know you’ll do the same for me.”, holding him close, she is instantly rewarded by that warm and manly scent that's so him, so uniquely his.

Their hands together. “You know? From the moment we met in your café, it was almost immediate that I felt something deeper in you. I cannot adequately express nor replicate it. I let that run naturally, till it leads me to you, and takes us towards each other. “

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

(Credit to myzyanya - For the title, edits and generosity.)