The colour of a sunny morning woke me up from slumberland. I opened my eyes to an empty spot beside me, realizing that Kyu was not in bed. I groggily got up and slipped in my bedroom slippers. "Oppa? Where are you? Why are you up so early?" I called out. I made my way around the second floor of our house. We just moved into our new home a few days after my fiance's discharge from the army. We finished packing our last few boxes of books and silverware previous night, and so I was surprised to see Oppa awake after just five hours of sleep. He's not usually a morning person. I'm always the one who wakes him up first with pecks on his cheeks and forehead, and he would return with nuzzles on my nose and long, sweet kisses. It's rare seeing him up before me. 

           "Oppa?" I called again after not seeing him in the studio, living room, and kitchen downstairs. I went to the attic on the third floor, and sure enough, I found my lovely man with his red sweatshirt and a pair of brown pants. He scanned around the space frantically as if he has lost something. 

             "Everything okay?" I asked. 

              He looked up with a pout. His doe eyes stared back at mine, but there wasn't a glow of joy. "I've lost it." 

              "Lost what?" I asked as I knelt next to him. 

               He sighed and shook his head. "Our time capsule. I clearly remember that I put it in our attic box, and I took it out while unpacking it. I'm pretty sure that I put it here," he recalled as he patted on a stack of dog-eared novels and magazines, "but now...I can't find it anywhere." 

               I scanned around the attic; opened boxes and age-stained envelopes were scattered all over as if a tornado has hit the room. I peeked at one of the cardboard rectangles to see unfolded sweaters, dog-eared Dan Brown books Oppa has saved for the past couple years, and Oppa's old camera. "You sure you can't find it?" I asked as I sat on my knees next to him.

              "I've looked through everything here three times, ______! I don't think I put it anywhere else!" he pouted. 

              I held his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Maybe we can make a new time capsule. We can take new photos and add new knick-knacks that can be our new memorabilia." 

                "But what about all of our old ones?" he frowned, "All of our polaroids, favourite CDs, birthday and Christmas cards, our first tickets to see the Backstreet Boys, our first promise rings....they're all in there!" 

                  I scrunched my nose. "Don't remind me about those promise rings!" 

                  He stared at me in surprise. "Why?" 

                  "We got those from a Gacha machine back in Osaka, and I dropped mine on dog poop!" I cringed as my mind flashed back to that memory when we were fresh out of college. We were just like any other post-grads, on a hunt for jobs to earn some cash. Kyu couldn't afford a real ring at that time, so he decided that we should get rings from a Gacha machine instead. An hour after we got our promise rings, I took it out before I headed to a washroom. I was about to get in when I realized that the bright blue plastic slipped out of my grip. I watched in horror as it landed on a pile of brownish-black feces. I was pretty sure that it was from a dog, and the dog owner must have forgotten to clean it up. Kyu, who was also a mindless brat back then, lifted my ring from the poop. However, my sharp eyes caught his ring smudging on the poop. When he handed my ring back, I tried not to yell while asking him to take his promise ring off so that I can wash both rings. I was pissed and embarrassed at the same time because I remember that we were surrounded by passers-by watching us like we're in some rom-com. A few months later, He surprised me with legit promise rings after saving some extra money. We put those crappy rings (which the germs and smell from that horrendous dog poop were probably still lingering after five painstaking scrubs with hand soap) in a cookie tin box, and that was how we started a make a time capsule. 

                  "Those rings were in an icky situation," Kyu chuckled. 

                   I shook my head and slapped his arm lightly, "Perks of being a newbie couple." 

                    He laughed and kissed my head. "If only that time capsule is still around..." he sighed. 

                   I took his old camera from the box next to me and nudged his arm, "Today's a beautiful day, and so let's go out for a bit!" 

                    "To where? For what?"

                    "To make new memories! It wouldn't hurt making a new time capsule, don't you think?" I beamed, "Come on! Let's give it a go! Since we've only been here for a few days, we have to explore the neighbourhood! We can find new places to hang out and chill during our future breaks!" 

                      He slowly smiled and got up. "I guess I can't say no to that." 

After Googling for a destination for about five minutes, I shoved Kyu's camera into my navy blue tote bag. We headed off holding hands as we trotted down to the nearest train station, which was about fifteen minutes away on foot. We caught our train just in time, and we happily made our way to a couple of seats by the window. "We should be there in about twenty minutes," I said as I looked through the details on Google Maps. 

                     "Sure thing." Kyu nodded. He pulled out his earphones and phone, "Want to listen to music for a bit?" 

                     "Nah, I'm good," I replied, taking out a novel from my bag, "I'm just gonna continue with my book." 

                    "Just be sure you won't miss our stop," he teased, "I'm taking a short nap." 

                    "Don't worry," I winked, "I'll take my eyes off my book bit by bit to double-check." 

The ride was quiet but relaxing. The train wasn't crowded even after stopping at subsequent stations. I looked at the surroundings from the window as well as listened to the announcements from the trainmaster. After fifteen minutes, I decided to bookmark from where I've left off. 

                       "Oppa?" I called out. I turned to see him leaning by the window. He rested the side of his head against his hand, curled almost to a fist as his pillow. I couldn't hear what song he was listening to, but I could tell that he's lost in a ballad through the dreamy smile on his face. He closed his eyes as if he's in a pleasant dream. I gazed at his long lashes, smooth baby skin, and silky hair that glistened in the morning rays from the train window. It dawned on me that I've missed running my fingers through his soft locks and adored his beautiful face. I reached out my fingers to sweep his bangs off his forehead when suddenly he moved his head to my shoulder. I felt him interlacing his fingers around mine.

                       "Are we there yet?" he mumbled. His voice was something I could never get tired. A unique masterpiece only God could ever create. No matter when he talks or sings, his voice is like a mantra that can break any dark spell.

                        I smiled and rested my head against his. "Just a little longer, Oppa." He rubbed his thumb around the back of my hand. 

                          "Next stop is Street Number 12!" the trainmaster announced. 

                          "Hmm...." I exclaimed, "I think we're here." 

                          "Really?" Kyu asked. 

                          "Yeah, Google Maps says so." 

                          We held hands as we got off the train. The trainmaster smiled at us when we passed by. Minutes later, we arrived at a park that is quite close to the train station. We find ourselves wandering around benches that are aligned parallel to the train tracks. I watched as he sat on one of the seats while looking at a distance with a relaxed smile. A light breeze whooshed against him; his hair was flopping beautifully. Quietly, I fished out the camera from my bag and took a photo. I forgot that the camera made a "click" sound, and so it made him jump and stared at me wide-eyed.

                         "You should have told me to fix my hair first!" he pouted.

                         I giggled and looked at the photo on the small screen of the camera. "You don't need to! It's perfect!" I went to show him the picture. He frowned while sweeping his fringe to one side. "I love your hair, even when it's messy." I winked and ran my fingers through his silky locks. He smiled and pecked my forehead. 

                         The sound of a moving train echoed from a distance. I spotted it approaching, and I immediately walked a few metres away. "Oppa! Can you pose for one more photo?" 

                        "How?"

                        "Just look as if you're deep in thought, but you're thinking happy thoughts," I suggested. "Hurry! The train is about to come by!" He rested his left elbow on the wooden table and his chin on his palm. With a soft smile, he looked straight ahead. As the train chugged through, I took as many shots as I could. His hair went flying again, and I resisted myself not to have my of his fluffy hair overtaking my whole being. 

                       "All good?" his voice made me jump. 

                      "Oh! Yeap! I've taken a good ton!" I nodded. 

                       He flashed his dreamy smile and held my hand. We walked past the row of benches and came across a small, cute-looking cafe. A chalkboard was set up on one side of the entrance with neat white letters written on it that said "12sthetic". How come everything in this area has the number 12? Is this some superstition this little town has? The house had of floor-to-ceiling glass panels, and the interior was like an open book. Marble tables and navy blue love seats were at three sides of the building. A silver satin curtain covered the left side; a waiter and a waitress came out of the hidden area with trays of tea and desserts. I was starstruck by this cafe's unique aesthetic that I didn't realize that Kyu has been tugging the sleeve of my cardigan for the past 10 seconds. "Do you wanna order or take a seat first?" he chuckled at my speechless face. 

                     "Huh? Oh! Uh...let's take a seat first!" I answered. 

                     "Sure!" he smiled. We chose a table at a far corner. The stunning ocean view through the glass walls caught my eye. I realized that this cafe was located a great ten-minutes walking distance down to the edge of a grassy cliff.  

                    "Oppa!" I said, "Do you wanna walk there later?" 

                    "Why not?" he nodded in agreement. 

                   "Hello there!" a cheery voice made us jump. We turned to see a man who seemed to be in his 60s flashed a welcoming smile. His grey hair glistened in the sunlight. He was wearing a black apron over his white T-shirt and his pair of loose brown pants. "Welcome to Twelvesthetic! I'm Jamie!" 

                   "Nice to meet you, Jamie!" my fiance replied with a friendly handshake, "I'm Kyuhyun, and this is my fiance, _______." 

                   "Ah! Engaged, eh?" his face lit up as I shook hands with him. "Why congratulations! Are you two new here as well?" 

                   "Yeah," I nodded, "We moved to a neighbourhood near here three days ago. " 

                   "Nice!" the old man beamed, "Well, welcome to Street Number 12! If you want to know the touristic spots to go to or anywhere else in this area, you can ask me." 

                  "Thank you!" I smiled back. He then handed us a couple of tablets before he strode off to meet his next customer. It turned out that the menus were in the electronic devices. I scanned through the impressive selection of lattes, frappes, slushies, and pastries. "Ooooh! We should get a "12-Months-With-You" cake!" I said as I read the menu, "It's a seven-layer cake made of all colours of the rainbow with a filling of your choice!" 

                  "Oooh! That sounds interesting!" he nodded, "What flavour should we get?" 

                  "Hmm...Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, caramel, earl grey, green tea, white chocolate, macadamia cream. I don't know! They all sound delicious!" 

                  "Why don't you get yourself a green tea one and I'll get myself a chocolate one?" he suggested. I raised my eyebrow, and he returned with a stunned "O" forming around his lips. "What?" he asked. 

                   "I thought we're gonna share one." I pouted. 

                   "Hmm..." he tapped his chin, "do you think we can choose two flavours?" 

                   "It doesn't say," I said as I looked at the glowing screen.

                  "Maybe we can ask Jamie when he comes back." he shrugged and buried his nose into the electronic rectangle. "Oh, hey! They have iced chocolate!" I giggled as his eyes sparkled like a kid. 

                  "I'm gonna get ice chocolate too," I decided.

                 "What happened to your never-ending green tea cravings?" he teased. 

                  "I'm just not in a mood of getting it today," I winked, "Maybe since we're exploring our new home, I thought I would try something new." 

                   He smiled just as Jamie came back with an extra tablet. "Ready to order?" 

                  "Yes," I said, "We would like to have two glasses of ice chocolate, please. Also, I want to ask whether it's possible to mix two flavours as filling for the "12-Years-With You" cake?" 

                  "Of course!" Jamie nodded, "You can add as many flavours as you like, and we'll put the right amount of filling for each flavour in the cake." 

                  "Sweet!" I smiled, "Then we'll get one with green tea and chocolate filling?" 

                  "Absolutely!" he responded as he tapped on his tablet, "Is that all?" 

                  "Yes!" I replied. 

                 "You know what?" Jamie turned back, "Maybe you can check out the piano on the cliff while waiting for your order to be ready."

                 "What piano?" I asked. 

                 "Oh! Over there!" my fiance replied as he pointed at a distance. Sure enough, a wooden piano sat nearly close to the edge of the cliff. "Shall we go, ______?" he asked. I nodded with a smile. 

                "When your order is ready, this little fella will buzz off," the waiter said as he handed us a ladybug-shaped buzzer. Its smiley face gave out a big load of cuteness. 

                "Even in long distances?" Kyu asked in surprise. 

                "We use Bluetooth to connect all of our buzzers, sir." Jamie winked. 

                "Well, what are we waiting for?" I smiled. I took his hand as we walked through a sliding door connected at the back of the dining area. The spring breeze caressed against my skin as we trotted down the earth. The more we got closer to the cliff, the clearer we could hear the natural ASMR of water waves crashing against rocks. The piano Jamie mentioned was at a corner. The mahogany exterior wasn't as fancy as the classic black, but it looked as if it welcomed any person to play it. I watched my love tracing its outline with his fingers. His eyes went from the wooden body to its black-and-white keys. "Looks like someone has fallen for the piano instead of me." I teased. 

               "What if I'm thinking of bringing this home?" He smirked. 

               "It won't fit in our tiny backyard anyway." I stuck my tongue out. 

               "Bummer." He pouted. 

               I giggled and linked my arm around his. "Instead of taking it home, why don't you play something?" 

               "Hmm…" he looked at the horizon, "I think I have a song in mind." 

                     He sat on the bench and rested his fingers on the keys. He closed his eyes for several seconds and breathed in the semi-chilly air. As his long, pretty digits performed a slow, melancholic tune, I immediately knew that he's playing his latest masterpiece. "Falling last night one star, maybe I'll listen to you. My eyes, which I used to despair, I will send it away." After this first verse, he sped up a little bit without letting go off the ballad vibe. As he reached the chorus, I closed my eyes while immersing in the magic of his voice that suited perfectly in this tranquil ambiance.

If I tell you I love you, 

If I tell you I miss you,

If I tell you I missed you,

you'd run away even more. 

On a windy day,

my love that remains alone.

Quietly stays again today, like this. 

                  Even though the lyrics of his new song were sad, I knew that he sang it to tell me that he will do his best to keep our love raw. He has told me many times that I have made him happy ever since we first fell in love, and he's afraid that I will leave him one day. But looking at how far we've come, I can guarantee that no matter what obstacle will go ahead of us, we will forgive each other and find a way to mend the cracks of our relationship, reignite our spark, and paint future memories in our lives.

                  He finished playing sooner than I thought. I opened my eyes to a soft-smiling Kyuhyun. He got up and leaned forward to peck my lips, "What do you think?" 

                 "Your voice is the music to my ears as always," I answered, "but this one tells me how much you love me." 

                 "I thought you're gonna say it makes you wanna cry." he teased. 

                "Don't tell me we're here in this beautiful place just to..." my face fell. 

                "Baby, relax!" he chuckled as he wraps his arms around me, "I'm just messing with you." 

                 I sighed in relief and pillowed my head on his chest. "Thank goodness." 

                "I've loved you for thirteen years," he said, "and I will love you for thirteen more years and beyond." 

               "Same goes to me." I grinned and sealed my lips against his. The buzzer vibrated just right after we pulled back. 

                    Jamie waved at us as we went back to the cafe. "Your order is ready!" he announced. After we took our seats, he placed two tall glasses of iced chocolate with striped straws and a large slice of rainbow-layer cake with white frosting coated on top. When Kyu and I stared at the colourful pastry with eyes wide as saucers, we were interrupted by the waiter chuckling. "You two have the cutest reactions I've ever seen today! Oh, bless your pure souls!" he commented. 

                   "This looks too pretty to eat!" I exclaimed. 

                   "Why thank you, dear!" he replied, "Hope you'll enjoy."  

                   "Let's dig in!" Kyu chirped. I fished out my phone from my bag to take a photo of the cake. When I finished doing so, Kyu sliced a small piece of it with his fork and held it towards me. I smiled before taking it into my mouth. A perfect mixture of Matcha and chocolate cream melted in my mouth, followed by the fluffy texture of the butter-flavoured rainbow cake. My eyes widened with awe. Kyu's lips curled as he hummed a happy "mmm!" "I think this is the best rainbow layer cake I've ever had," he commented. 

                  "Couldn't agree more!" I nodded. I felt as if we're in paradise because we were talking while savouring the colourful delicacy and indulging in the tranquil atmosphere surrounding the cafe and the view. We didn't even realize that we had sat at the table for almost an hour, and we shared one last bite of the final chunk of cake. 

                  "How's everything?" Jamie asked as we approached the cashier counter. 

                  "Wonderful, if I were to describe in one word," I answered. 

                   "I would say that too." Kyu grinned. 

                   "I'm flattered," Jamie chuckled, "Thank you so much."

                    I was about to take out my wallet from my bag when, to my surprise, Kyu already had 30 dollars ready in his hand. "It's on me." he smiled. 

                  "But..." I started to protest. 

                  "It's been two years since we went to such a memorable date, and so I want to pay you back." 

                  "But we did go out for dinner and walked when you have day-offs." 

                  "I know...the thing is," he said as he took my hand, "I've never felt this free for a long time after I've finished my service. Being with you here in our new home makes me so thankful, and I want to continue loving you for the rest of my life. Whatever chapter that comes ahead, I don't want you to burden yourself anymore." 

                   I looked into his eyes, which shone with honesty. I rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb. "I don't want you to burden yourself alone either, Oppa. I love you, you know that, and I look forward to more memories with you in the future. I wish that we can overcome any obstacles and hardships together. No matter what, I hope that we can forgive each other and rekindle our love again and again." 

                   We smiled at each other for a few seconds before we got cut off by a polite cough. "I didn't mean to burst your bubble here, but who's paying?" Jamie questioned. 

                   "Let's split the bill," I suggested, "I want us to remember this day," I asked a question that had been gnawing on me for the past hour. "May I ask why the names of the places in this area have the number 12?" 

                   "Ah!" the elder said, "The story goes like this. Years ago, a man in his early 30s thought that he would be single for the rest of his life. He had crushes on girls before, but he had never been on a date. It wasn't until he met one of the new waitresses at work. He fell for her instantly, and he wanted to confess his feelings to her after several weeks of knowing her. Despite that he didn't want to say straight away by mouth, he decided to play her a song." He pointed at the piano by the cliff and continued, "He used up most of his savings to get that piano. And while the girl went home every weekend, he would stay back to run there to practice a song he composed for her. Three months later, the girl was about to leave when she realized that she left her water bottle back in the kitchen. It was the staff's second break at that time, and so the kitchen was quiet. She heard the piano when she got her bottle and spotted the man through the window. Allured by the tune, she went to the cliff. He was, of course, startled and nervous. Still, he gathered courage and played from the beginning. He mentioned her name in his song, and she was so touched by it that she cried silently. The boy finished playing and asked worriedly, "Did I...do something wrong?" She shook her head and threw her arms around him that he almost fell off the bench. "No one has ever played me a song before! Thank you!" The boy couldn't stop smiling and blushing. He told her how he felt, and to his surprise and joy, she felt the same way all the time." He smiled and smoothed his beard, "And how this area got the name? The mayor came to this cafe one day to visit his daughter, who happened to be the girl. He saw that his daughter had dated the man for one whole year, and he was happy that she was loved and taken good care. The confession song was called "12 Months" and the couple dated for 12 months, so the mayor decided to call this area "Street Number 12". "Time is short, and so I think every person should make every 12 months worth of laughs, tears, love, memories, challenges, and growth." 

                "That's a beautiful story." I complimented. My eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of paper on the back of an easel near the front door. Its edges were wrinkled, and the colour of its surface faded with age. I walked forward to see music notes written in what seemed to be fountain pen ink. Lyrics accompanied the music notes, and "!2 Months" in sophisticated bold printed on top. "Could it be...you are the man who played this song to the girl you loved?" I realized. 

                "Indeed." Jamie chuckled. 

                "You're telling the story again, aren't ya?" a female voice echoed in the greenhouse-transformed cafe. I turned back to see a grey-haired woman wearing a navy blue apron over a white shirt, and a long flowy skirt came by. She wrapped her arm around Jamie's. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at her husband, lovingly. Seeing them having such a loving relationship for so many years is like having found a long lost treasure. Divorced marriages have gotten more common now, and so it's refreshing to see a long-lasting couple that still loves each other even when they are old and grey. Their epitome of true love makes me wish the same for myself and Kyuhyun. I saw Kyu staring at me; it seemed that he was thinking the same. We exchanged a smile and looked back at the elderly lovebirds. 

               "Oh, gosh! Where are my manners?" Jamie laughed, "This is Elynn, my wonderful wife." 

               "It's a pleasure to meet you," she smiled at us, "and thank you for visiting Twelvesthetic. We hope to see you two again!" 

               "Thank you!" Kyu replied, "We'll come back someday." We bade goodbye and went out of the door of the aesthetically-beautiful cafe. As I turned my head, the couple was waving with warm smiled on their faces. I smiled back and shook, looking forward to our next visit someday. 

            

                 As we got close to the train station, I sensed that Kyu Oppa wasn't following me. I turned back to see him holding his camera just in time to take a surprise photo of me. I remembered leaving the camera on the table again at the cafe, which was the reason why he brought it with him. "Oppa?" I raised my eyebrow in suspicion.

                 He chuckled and twisted the outer ring of the lens for a clearer image. "I want to take photos of you this time, babe." 

                "Why?" I asked naively. 

                "I'll tell you later," he replied while positioning it close to his eyes, "It would be great if you can pose too." 

                Letting curiosity frolicking in my head, I did as many poses as I could think of as my fiance took for what seemed like twenty clicks of his camera. From crossing my legs to putting my hands high in the air, I was worried about whether I looked relaxed and happy in his snapshots. "You're the best model in the universe! Check these out!" he called out. 

               "I don't think I posed quite well." I sighed. 

              "What are you talking about? You're killing it!" he said as he swiped his finger on the screen. Not only he took pictures of me from head to toe in full-frame, but he also paid attention to the background of the trees as well as perfect angles and natural lighting.

               I didn't realize that I was still staring at the screen when suddenly I felt his lips on my cheek. "What was that for?"

              "For being my beautiful lady." he winked. 

              "Any other reason besides that cheesy answer?" I teased. 

               He shrugged while slipping the strap of his camera over his shoulder. "I want to remind you that you're beautiful no matter what. And besides, we may have lost the time capsule, but as you said, it's never too late to make a new one. I want to make 12 months worth of new memories with you so that we can hold those moments forever." 

                I knew right away that I had to kiss him back. My heart couldn't hold too much fuzziness and sweetness, but I didn't care how much they overflow in every inch of me. I was about to take his hand when suddenly he carried me bridal style and spun around. Our giggles echoed throughout the evening air. As he put me down when arriving at the entrance of the train station, our foreheads were glued together as we stared in each other's eyes with smiles as big as our love together. 

     

                    We made it back home just as the sun decided to retire for the day. I decided to make us some pasta for dinner, and Kyu had planned to pull out a bottle of wine from his favourite furniture in the house, which was the sapphire blue, wooden wine cabinet. As I sauteed vegetables while waiting for the pasta noodles to become soft in boiling water, I heard Kyu's chuckle, which was as loud as bells. "I've found it!" he shouted. 

                   "Found what?" 

                    He came towards the kitchen island with a butter cookie tin box in his hands. The rusty blue, red, and white square container immediately gave me all the nostalgia. "Where did you find it?" I asked. 

                   "I remember now!" he laughed, "I put it in the wine cabinet while I was sorting out my wine collection on the first day of our move! Oh gosh! How silly of me!" 

                    I shook my head while laughing together with him. We reminisced as many memories as we could recall while taking out every piece of treasure stored in the time capsule. "I think we have an empty box that would be perfect for our new time capsule," I said as I went to search the cupboards. Minutes later, I came back with a heart-shaped chocolate box which was given by him this past Valentine's Day. I saw him holding our first promise rings, and I laughed in embarrassment. "You really can't get your hands off those rings, huh?" I asked. 

                   "We're just kids back then," he smiled as he twirled the plastic jewelry several times, "but these hold one of my most fond memories of us together. Thirteen years of loving you, and I'll love you just as much as I love these rings." 

                   "Even when the rings lose their colour?" I questioned.

                    I put the box down and rested my head against his shoulder. He hovered the old ring above my engagement ring. Unlike the toy's cheap material, our engagement rings were a Sapphire gemstone and a silver band with our initials carved. "The rings' quality will grow old with us, but that doesn't mean our love will fade away." He then kissed my head, which made me looked up to him. "Oppa, no matter what, I'll love you just the same."

                  "You took the words right off my mouth," he replied. We exchanged smiles and kisses. For the next hour, we silenced our growling stomachs with pasta and brainstormed on what other things we want to do to fill our new time capsule. Before I closed it off with the box lid, I looked at the photos we took of each other for one last time. Moving here together with the man I love is indeed the best decision I've ever made, and I anticipate what adventures this new home has in place for us.