Sunlight shone through the slips of the curtain in the bedroom. It was a little bit cold with the airconditioning unit cranked up to the highest level. Junmyeon's eyes slowly fluttered open to the sight of Jieun still in deep slumber, her breathing calm and steady. He watched her lovingly, tracing her features with his right hand, wishing that they could stay like this a little bit longer, just being in each other's embrace. Jieun stirred from Jumyeon's touches, her eyes still drooping with sleep. 

Junmyeon leans in closely and gives her a peck on the lips.

"Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"

Jieun smiled and nods at him, she wraps her left arm around his body and pulls him even closer to her. "Let's stay like this for a little longer, before you go to the office." she pleads and buries her face in the crook of Junmyeon's neck. 

Junmyeon caressed her hair. "I don't have to go though. I filed in a sick leave just for today." 

"What?! You're sick? Where?!" Jieun sat up in a flash and puts the palm of her right hand on Junmyeon's forehead, while she puts the back of her left hand in his neck, checking his body temperature. 

Jumyeon chuckled and pulled her back into the bed. "Yes, I'm sick...Lovesick to be exact." 

Jieun raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend's cheesyness. "You got me really worried there for a second!" she smacked his chest with her small fists and turned her back at him. "Didn't I tell you not to cancel your work just because of me? I don't want to get in the way of your duties, Junmyeon." she muttered.

Oh no, she's not addressing me as love. She must be really annoyed. 

Junmyeon quickly wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on her right shoulder. "Love, it's okay. They aren't even expecting me to be back in Korea today. Besides, I can't let you just slip away to Jeju without even seizing every moment I have with you now." he reasoned. He snuggles even closer to her to show that he's sorry. Jieun however, still has her shoulder hunched, not saying a word. 

"Okay, I'll just go to work then, I guess. My girlfriend doesn't want me around anyway." Junmyeon teases her and slowly gets out of the bed until he was stopped midway by Jieun's embrace from behind. 

"Okay, okay, just get back here and cuddle with me." Jieun retorts. 

"If you say so." Junmyeon quickly turns around and pushed her back into the bed, with him on top of her. "Would you like it with kisses?" he suggested. 

"Yes, please." Jieun giggled, wrapping her hands around Junmyeon's neck before pulling him in for a deep kiss. 

---

In the living room, Jumyeon helped Jieun with her luggage for her stay in Jeju. While packing, he remembered about his gift and the airport security.

"Oh right, you should open my gift now shouldn't you? The airport security might block it if it's still in the box." 

"I thought you said that I should open it in the plane instead?" she argued.

"You'll see, love. Just open it." he pinched her cheeks playfully.

Jieun got up to get his gift from the bedroom and came back quickly to the living room, holding it in her palms. 

They both sat in the couch. Jieun rubbed her hands in anticipation before slowly opening the box to see its contents. Inside is a cassette tape with its player, and earphones. 

"Oh? What's this? A mixtape?" she inspects it closely, and looks at Junmyeon with wide eyes.

"Well, not exactly. You'll know when you listen to it, okay?" Junmyeon ruffles her hair and plants a kiss on her forehead. 

Junmyeon offered to cook for lunch while Jieun gets ready for her flight in the afternoon. The day is just like any other days they've had, the two of them just enjoying great food together, bickering at silly things, laughing at each other's jokes. Jieun is all prepped up, dressed in denim jeans, and in a white tee layered with plaid long sleeves, while Junmyeon is still in his pajamas. 

"Love, I just realized just now that we haven't taken a picture together." Jieun stated. "Let's take lots now so we can just look at it whenever we miss each other." she suggested. 

The two took so many cute pictures together, pics of them side by side, embracing each other, and kissing each other's cheeks. 

"I seriously wish I could make this my lockscreen but people would discover that we're dating if they accidentally see it." Junmyeon pouts. 

"Someday, we would be able to freely date like other couples do, love. Cheer up, okay? What matters is what's between us." Jieun pats her boyfriend's shoulder and embraced him. Her phone buzzed, Hanteo manager texted that he is on his way to pick her up. "Oh, it seems like I have to go in a while. Hanteo oppa is nearby already." 

Junmyeon wrapped his arms around Jieun tightly and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I'll miss you like crazy, love. I feel like you're going to leave me and never come back for real." 

Jieun pulled away and cupped his cheeks, staring at his eyes lovingly.

"Love, that's not possible. You know how bad my sense of direction is, where would I even go?" Junmyeon chuckled at her purposely making fun of herself. 

This is my home, you're my home." she caressed his face.

"Don't worry so much, I'll come back. Besides, didn't you say you'll be in Los Angeles at the end of May? Why don't we meet there? I'll be going to my brother's graduation anyway. We can date there in public and no one would probably notice me. Let's celebrate your birthday there, okay?" she boops his nose.

"I really have to go now, don't cry when I'm gone, I know how much of a cry baby you are." she ,recalling the times that Junmyeon would shyly hid his tears from her whenever they watch a sad movie together. 

Junmyeon's face slightly lit up with Jieun's suggestion, he's been wanting to take her out on a date, a real date instead of just hanging out in the confines of their homes.

"Okay, but before you go, let me do this first." he wrapped his left arm around her waist, pulling her in an instant with his right hand her cheeks gently, as he leans closer. He kissed her softly at first, and then slips his tongue inside , gentle but demanding. Jieun gladly reciprocates his actions as her lips move in sync with his. Her fingers grip his hair, pulling him closer, melting as every square inch of her body melts into his. The two of them savored what little time they have together before they really part ways for a long time. 

-----

In the plane, Jieun waited for her manager to fall asleep before proceeding to get Junmyeon's gift to her. She held the cassette tape player in hand, earphones plugged into it and pressed play. 

The audio recording starts with Junmyeon clearing his throat. 

"Hi love, if you're listening to this, then that means that we've already parted ways and you're on your way to Jeju to become the greatest bed and breakfast worker the world has ever known. Hmmm, I've thought a lot about what to give you on your birthday, because it seems like you have everything already, even my heart for that matter." Jieun giggled discreetly at her boyfriend's never ending cheesyness, careful not to wake up Hanteo. 

"Remember the couple of times that I told you that I was going to go play basketball with Sehun and the other guys? Well, I lied. I didn't play with them but instead practiced this. Please don't laugh." he chuckled, after a short pause, he starts playing the piano. The melody that Jieun has heard a thousand times, a song that's close to her heart. Jumyeon started singing to the tune of Through the Night, his voice angelic and sweet. Jieun never knew that Junmyeon plays the piano and is such a great singer himself. She closed her eyes as she listen to him singing the whole song, his vocals dripping with emotions. Jieun always loved talking to Junmyeon as even his normal speaking voice soothes her, like she's being lulled to sleep. After the song ends, Junmyeon's laugh can be heard. 

I miss him already, I miss hearing his voice, his laugh, everything. 

"Are you surprised? I hope I did justice to the song. To be honest, I first heard this song on my second night here in Korea and I instantly fell in love with it. Like how I instantly fell for you the moment you stepped into the elevator the first time we met. You might remember that my eyes were closed the whole time, but actually, I sneaked a peek at you every time you weren't looking." he chuckled. 

"I never met someone so adorable wearing such oversized clothes, and even though your clothes are clearly mismatched, you still pulled it off. I know that our relationship is still fairly new and it might be too early to say this, but, I am deeply in love with you, Lee Jieun. I am in love with everything about you, I truly am. I haven't felt this happy for a really long time and no matter how burdened I am with my duties as Vice President, coming home and seeing your face lit up whenever you see me, takes all my worries away. Thank you for sending that firefly into my window that night that I heard this song for the first time, and when you came into my life that fated day that we met. I love you ... so much. Happy Birthday, Jieunie."

The cassette tape stops rolling. Jieun found herself wiping the tears in her eyes after Junmyeon's heartfelt message. Feeling overwhelmed with his sincerity and the depth of his love for her. She gets her phone and quickly browsed at her gallery, gazing at the pictures the two of them took earlier. 

------

Jieun adjusted to Jeju right away, and felt at peace with the serenity of the place. Time seems to go slower, and she can clearly hear the birds chirping in the morning. At first, she's shy around her sunbaenim Hyori and her husband, Sang Soon but soon after, the three of them hit it off by talking about music, their career, and life in general. One afternoon, Hyori invited Jieun to go out and walk the dogs in the beach. Jieun happily obliged, even wearing the straw hat she brought that seems too big for her, which Hyori and Sang Soon found adorable. 

After walking the dogs, Hyori and Jieun took a short rest before heading back home. They sat down in the rocks, admiring the sea at sunset while they sip hot tea. Hyori shared the details of the first time she and Sang Soon went to Jeju and how their love blossomed in the island. 

"So now that you're married, you don't miss like the beginning stages of dating?" Jieun inquired. 

"I do. I feel a little sad that I won't get to have it anymore. What worried me the most when I got married was nothing else, just worried that I might cheat on him." Hyori replied, causing Jieun to throw her head back, laughing at her response.

"My feelings change all the time, I like the beginning stages of dating. But for the past 6 years, such a thought never crossed my mind. So you need to meet someone who's above and beyond that yearning. Someone you like enough to get rid of wanting to date. Such a person exists." Hyori continued while Jieun listened attentively. 

"But such a person might not exist for everyone." Jieun fretted. 

"That's true. But he'll come, if you wait. And ... if you look around too hard to find a good guy, they never come. The good person came to me when I just worked on myself to be a better person. So travel a lot. Read a lot. Get a lot of experience. So you can understand what's good. That's how you can recognize a good person when he comes." Hyori adviced the 25 year-old Lee Jieun. 

Jieun and Hyori sat in there in silence for a while, just watching the sun set, listening to the waves. Hyori's statement struck Jieun, it was true. The good person came to her when she just worked on herself to become a better person. She had such harsh thoughts and bottled up resentment for being in the industry for so long which she shared to everyone through her mini-album Chat-Shire last 2015. And it was important that she expressed those feelings and emotions, as it made her grow as an artist and as a person.

It's very timely that Junmyeon came into her life the moment she finished preparing for her Palette album. An album wherein she focused more about the love that she receives instead of the hate and criticism that the cut-throat industry constantly throws at her. She's out of the rabbit hole and she's got this, she's truly fine. Her memories with Junmyeon came to mind as she watched the waves. In her mind, she hums to the tune of Through the Night.

How can I be so lucky
to have met you, who is a blessing
If we’re together now
Ah how great it’d be
-------

I've always loved the dynamic between Hyori and Jieun, and that advice of hers stuck to me. I thought it would be a nice detail in the story.