You swipe your long dark hair along the curve of your head and push it to one side. Your exposed bare shoulder rests against the cold tiled wall, the temperature soothing you from the warmth of the late afternoon mixed with the heat of the nearby kitchen. Though the seasonal calendar stated it was already autumn, the weather still treated you with long, sunny days. 

For the first time in a while, you have a free schedule for several days in a row. When Wheein called to suggest getting dinner and a cold drink from somewhere near the Han River, you eagerly dragged yourself out of bed and into the shower. 

Wheein had dragged you back into bed once you reached her apartment on the way to the river, which resulted in another shower to rid yourselves of the sticky sweat that had mixed between your bodies. 

Two hours later you had finally reached your destination: a quaint, old restaurant facing the river that divided the lively city into two. The dark tiles that cover the walls flowed over in old, wooden floors stained with spilled drinks from over the years. The two of you choose a booth near the window, away from the rowdy bar and crowded tables, Wheein sitting opposite of you. 

The sun was starting to lower, painting Wheein’s features with pinks and greys. The vibrant neon sign shining through the smokescreen of the restaurant’s busy kitchen behind her adds to the mixture of colors, creating a halo effect to the messy bun that had fallen to the back of her head. She looks beautiful. 

She’s humming a song just loud enough to sound familiar to your ears, but you can’t quite place. You make a mental note to ask her about it later if you still can’t remember the song by then. 

You watch as she picks up her nearly empty glass of beer in one hand and a piece of chicken in her other. She absentmindedly brings the glass to her lips as she scans the world through the window behind you. Her body lightly bounces up and down to the melody she purrs, and you can easily imagine her feet kicking back and forth under the table as they struggle to reach the floor. 

You lift your own feet from the ground, leaning further against the wall for support as you reach over to catch one of her legs with your own to stop her movement. 

It makes her cease her daydreaming, the humming coming to an end as her gaze meets yours. A smile immediately breaks out on her lips, briefly showcasing her dimple before covering it with the hand still holding her glass. She swallows a bite of her chicken, brushing her caught leg against yours up to your knee to free herself.

“Come sit here, the view is nice,” she says, freeing the space next to her by setting her bag on the floor.

“My view is nice too,” you reply with ease. 

She rolls her eyes, but you can see the familiar appreciation in her shyness and in the way her smile grows just slightly wider. Even after years of being together, it still makes your heart beat faster. 

“Come here,” she says again, wiping her greasy fingers on a napkin and beckoning you over with a nod of her head. “I want to hold your hand.” 

The simple confession makes your heart flutter and your own cheeks warm up as you look into her inviting eyes. They’re so full of love and sincerity that you know sixteen year-old you would have been overwhelmed by the intensity of it, regardless of how infatuated by her you already were at that age.

You push yourself away from the cool wall, sliding into the booth next to Wheein and taking the hand that falls to rest on your thigh. Her fingers close around your hand, giving it a little squeeze as she pulls it into her own lap. You sit in silence for a while, watching groups or people walking and cycling by the wide river. Every now and then a boat passed by, creating ripples and orange reflections on the water that shine like city lights. 

“When we finish this, let’s sit outside by the river,” you suggest. 

She hums in agreement, taking another piece of chicken between her chopsticks and holding it up in front of your face. Never one to deny food, you take it eagerly, struggling to chew the flesh off the bone with Wheein’s hand shaking with laughter at your attempt. 

“Just take the chopsticks, you savage,” she giggles.

You bring your free hand to clasp over your intertwined hands and shrug, as if to suggest your hands are already too preoccupied to take the sticks from her. She rolls her eyes and jabs your arm with her elbow, but continues feeding you regardless. When you finish eating she uses her thumb to wipe the corner of your mouth before bringing it to her own lips.

 “We should visit this place more often,” she says.

You wipe your mouth yourself this time. “It’s a bit hot and crowded though,” you reply as you look over your shoulder to the condensation dancing in front of the lights, hanging in the crowded room as a curtain of fog. You always prefer something more remote and empty, though you know that if Wheein wants to visit this restaurant again, you will. 

“Beer and chicken taste better with this view.” 

You finish the last of your drink. “We should get some more beers at a convenience store after this.”

She beams at your suggestion, going back to kicking her feet back and forth as you ask a passing servant for the check. 

Half an hour later you’re sitting in the grass, soaking up the last warmth of the sun before it completely disappears behind the hills. 

You open a new can of beer and hold it up for Wheein to take. When she doesn’t notice, you hold the cold can against her cheek, startling her and drawing her from her daydream. She takes it from your hands with a grateful smile before shuffling backwards to lean her shoulders against your thighs. 

You pull the hair tie from her hair, freeing the messy bun and allowing strands of hair to fall across your lap. You run your hands through the soft locks, combing out rare knots with your fingers every now and then. 

“Do you remember the first time we went to Seoul together?” Wheein asks between sips.

You smile, happy memories from that day rushing back to you. “Our day ended here then too,” you realize. 

“And we stayed so long that we missed the last subway back to my aunt’s apartment,” she chuckles.

You grimace as you remember the disappointed look on her face. Two young girls in an unfamiliar city, staying out until after midnight without as much as a text or a phone call. You had never been scolded as hard by someone that wasn’t family as then. That quickly changed when you became trainees, of course. 

“We had to pay for the cab home ourselves so we got off a few blocks earlier to safe money,” she laughs.

“But you still ended up giving our leftover money to a homeless man,” you recall with a warm smile.

“Ah,” she nods, the memory clear in her eyes. “It was cold that day.”

Your fingers trace through her hair from her forehead to her ear where you play with the stray strands. She leans into your touch, using her free hand to squeeze your knee. 

“I think that was the day I first realized I was in love with you,” you admit as you hover over her. 

She looks up at you with those big, curious eyes. “Really?” 

You nod, thumb grazing from her sideburns to her lips.

She pushes herself up from your lap, her shoulder nearly hitting you in the chin in the process. She turns her upper body to face you and rests her left hand on your right thigh. “Me too,” she says sincerely.

“You too?” you ask in surprise.

She nods eagerly. “You were so beautiful that day. Like you were completely in your element.” Her arm travels up along your side until she rests it on your shoulder, fingers picking at the baby hairs on the back of your neck. “It wasn’t like you were made for Seoul, but like Seoul was made for you.”

Your heart swells, and you fight the urge to lean in and kiss her, very much aware that you’re in a public setting. You’re sure your affection is visible in your eyes, because her gaze travels down to your lips as well. She bites her own and quickly takes another sip of her beer to snap out of it.

“I was so happy that day.” Your eyes follow the way she her lips after lowering the can, only realizing your lack of subtlety when she gently tugs at your hair. “I was so happy to be with you and fantasize about our future together,” you say once you’ve pulled your gaze away from her distracting lips.

“Do you remember what you said when we were sitting at the Han River?”

“I probably complained about being cold or something,” you say as you rest your cheek against her shoulder.

“No,” she chuckles. “You said we should enjoy the moment because one day we’d be too famous to sit here without paparazzi following us around.”

“Oh my God,” you gasp, lifting your head back up to look at her in disbelief. “How pretentious! I was such a brat.” 

She throws her head back in laughter and sets her empty can of beer down in the grass before interlocking her hands behind your head. 

“You dream big, I’ve always admired that about you,” she smiles. “Without you we would’ve never been able to get where we are now.” 

You return her smile. “Without you, it wasn’t even a dream I would’ve dared dreaming.” 

She laughs again, the sound ringing pleasantly in your ears, causing a grin to break out on your face too.

“Look at you being all soft and sappy,” she says fondly as she taps the back of your head.

“You started it.” Your hand finds her dimple and you gently press down to squish her cheek.

Her eyes run over your features and the sheer love you see in her gaze warms your body despite the sun having been replaced by a cool autumn breeze. 

“I really want to kiss you right now,” you whisper thickly. 

She her lips. “I dare you.” 

You look around you, your eyes scanning over the people in the area. Families, students and couples all enjoying the gentle weather on this early evening, just like you and Wheein. When you’re sure nobody is paying any attention to the two of you, you quickly lean in to press your lips against Wheein’s. 

She gasps when you pull back, clearly surprised by your boldness. Before you know it, she has lifted up her bag to shield you from potential prying eyes and captures your lips hers for a second kiss. Though it’s short, you’re both breathless when you pull back.

“We would’ve never been able to do that if we had paparazzi on our heels everywhere we go.” She puts the bag down on the grass as if nothing happened. 

“You’re right,” you smirk. “This is way better.” 

She leans her side against your chest as she opens her second can of beer and looks out over the river. 

You feel a smile tugging at your lips as your own eyes take in the beautiful girl in front of you. 

When she softly starts humming that same song as before, you suddenly remember exactly what it is. You sing along to the melody. 

“City of Stars
Are you shining just for me?

“City of stars
There's so much that I can’t see

“Who knows?
I felt it from the first embrace I shared with you

“That now our dreams
They’ve finally come true.”