I think I won’t need anymore sweet potatoes for the next ten years.*

Episode 35

Almost ten years later, on the same beach…

It was dawn, and there’s still a good hour or so before the sun would rise from the sea. He was standing on the beach waiting. It was a crazy idea given that fall is almost over and it has started to get chilly especially at this hour. He came prepared though. He was bundled up. A thick sweater, a jacket and a scarf. He also had a picnic mat with him. A thermos full of tea and another one of coffee, just in case her preferences had changed.

In his defense, she never questioned the time nor the place, she agreed. So here he was waiting for her to come.

He was looking out at the dark sea when he heard footsteps drawing near. He turned his head in that direction and saw her. She stopped as if hesitating, ensuring she got the right person. When he turned the rest of his body toward her, he was surprised to see her walking faster, almost at half sprint. 

Yonghwa only had a few seconds to think what she might do next, but her arms were around him before he could come to a conclusion and his came around her too before he could recover from his shock. He tightened his embrace after quickly collecting himself. She was here.

All throughout her ride she was contemplating how she would greet him. She remembered during the show how awkward their reunion in Japan was. Running to him then, she mentally prepared herself for what he would do but as always, he considered her pace and it ended up the way it did. So up until the car parked near the beach, she was still not sure how. But when she saw him standing there, she made up her mind to do what her heart wanted.

So here they were, standing in the middle of a dark beach in a tight hug that was long overdue. 

They didn’t know how long they stayed like that but at some point, their arms loosened around each other enough to look at each other face to face. Though he had seen pictures of her for the last 2 years, he noted that she got a lot thinner. While she faintly noticed his still short hair, she noticed how he bulked up. It made her happy, knowing that he took care of himself while he was away.

“Oppa, you look nice,” she said as she smiled up at him.

He thought then that he would have to get used to this new Hyun, who doesn’t filter herself before him. “Really? I’m glad you think so, but I miss my long hair.” He combed his fingers through his buzz cut for effect. “How about you? Have you been taking care of yourself? You look thin?” His hands moved from her back to her thin arms. “Are you cold?” he asked, when he felt her shiver.

“No, I’m not cold.” Her eyes looked at his in that sparkling way they always did. “And I’m fine. I took care of myself well. I just needed to lose some weight for a role.”

“Still, let’s sit here. I brought some blankets for you. It’s getting colder these days.” He led her to sit down at the mat he prepared and bundled her up with the blanket.

She laughed at his worry, noting how they somehow switched places from years ago. “We can share… you must be cold too.” Her arms extended to accommodate him in the blanket. 

“I’ve been through colder weather with less on me than these.” And yet he couldn’t refuse her and snuggled up.

“Why did you have to do that? I was so worried about you. You could have signed up for something less burdensome.” Her eyes looked out on the dark beach in front of them but still held her worry despite that his military stint was already over.

“Back then, everyone thought I enlisted to escape my issues. While that may be true, we’ve already been discussing plans for the members to go. I wanted to prove them wrong, that I was also sincere in serving.” He heard a rustle until he felt her head on his shoulder. A deep sigh and then he relaxed his position. “Well, that and I also wanted to distract myself from missing you.”

“I missed you too, Yong oppa.” Her arms crossed one of his to embrace it. “At least you got to see me on TV or whatever, but it was unfair how I wasn’t able to see you.”

“I did try to monitor you as best as I could. You could have sent me letters though, you could even visit me. You knew that right?” He felt her nod her head at his question.

“But I was worried if that would make things harder for you. And going to meet you could be dangerous for us. With all that has happened, I didn't want to be  a burden to you.”

He tipped her head up as it hung low with her last sentence. “You will never be a burden to me. But thank you for being considerate of my situation. I wouldn’t want to pull you into that mess, too. And besides, if anyone would ever come to know about us, it would have to come from both of us, not some paparazzi.”

“Us?” The thought flustered her but it was welcome.

“Yes, us. You knew what coming here would mean for us, right?” He got slightly nervous as he asked her. She wouldn’t be so bold as she was being now if she didn’t but still he had to be assured.

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