... 12.25.2017

“Was there any places you were interested in?” Daniel remarked as he peeked into his bedroom. His hair still damp from the refreshing shower he had taken. 

As soon as the words came out his mouth he immediately noticed the absence of anyone else in the room. She had showered first, which made him wonder where she had disappeared to.

“Jiyeon?” He called down the hallway.

“She’s in my room!” Jenny screamed in response.

Daniel scrunched his eyebrows together, wondering what she was doing in there. Was his sister showing off her T-ara memorabilia? Daniel sighed loudly, feeling second hand embarrassment just at the thought. 

Alone in his bedroom, he threw off his towel, and quickly put on the clothes he had set aside earlier. He was wearing a pair of distressed light denim and a casual white henley, that he loosely buttoned. Then, remembering her earlier request, he opened up his wardrobe and reached for something he hadn’t worn in a long time. 

His hands slowly settled on the very worn jacket. Just the memory made him cringe slightly as he reached his arms into the leather sleeves. It just barely fit his shoulders and arms filled the sleeves, creating a much tighter fit than when he was in high school. 

Daniel glanced at himself in the mirror, checking to make sure he didn’t look stupid. It was his high school varsity jacket. The navy blue wool, the white leather sleeves, the SC letters that symbolized his old High school. He felt himself reminiscing slightly… High School was where he had grown his confidence, mainly with the help of his friends. 

But High school was where he had lost direction. He had anchored his dreams to the wrong person, and completely melted down. The thought made him realize just how lucky he was to have met Jiyeon that summer. If he hadn’t… where would he be?

Slaving away as an intern at some business firm. 

Perhaps worse… “Oppa! Come quick!” Jenny suddenly shrieked. 

Fearful of what insane thing his sister might’ve done to his girlfriend, propelled him out of his room and towards Jenny’s. 

He swung the door open and— wow! Daniel wasn’t sure what he was expecting… but it definitely wasn’t this. She had revealed the night before, that she wanted to experience his childhood. Foolishly this morning she had proposed the idea to his little sister. Jenny had almost exploded with ideas. His whole family had joined in bouncing embarrassing ideas off each other for almost 10 minutes until finally requesting that he dress like he was in high school. 

This was how Daniel, dressed in a lettermen jacket a size too small, stood agape stunned by her changed appearance. 

Holding her hands shyly in front of her, Jiyeon had clearly loaned clothes from Jenny’s wardrobe. 

Sporting a light pink strapless tube top and a pair of light washed jeans; Daniel found himself unable to look away. His eyes gravitating to the exposed midriff revealing her slender waist and toned abdomen. 

He had seen plenty of girls dress like this at school, most asian girls in LA dressed this way, his ex included. 

But it was different on Jiyeon, it should’ve been illegal for her to wear an outfit like that. The amount of her naturally white skin, defined collarbones, and nice curves it displayed. No, he wasn’t going to let anyone else see her like this.

“No.” He had to be firm… just the thought of other men ogling her from afar made him fume. 

Jiyeon’s gaze dropped as he said it, an apparent frown forming on her face. “Do you not like it?” She murmured, in a crestfallen voice.

“Ya oppa!” Jenny scolded him.

“No, it’s just…” Daniel stumbled trying to think of an excuse, “it’s December, it’s going to be cold outside.”

“Oppa, we live in LA, it’s 75 degrees today. Besides she’s going to wear a bomber over it.”

“Does it not look good on me?” Jiyeon wondered aloud, her voice clearly bummed out by his response. 

Daniel took a deep breath, and lowered his neck in defeat. “It looks really good on you. That’s why I don’t want anyone else to see.”

“Really?” Jiyeon’s head shot up at his compliment, a complete 180. in expressions flashing a large grin. With those large dinosaur like teeth, her dimples appearing on each side. He couldn’t resist smiling back. 

“I’ll wear a jacket, don’t worry, I won’t get cold. I just want to feel what it's like to be a couple here.” 

Somehow, however she dressed, she always managed to flaunt her innocent charms to him. It made him succumb to whatever desires she had, Daniel wanted to fulfill them all. 

“Alright, you ready then?” He inquired as he offered his hand to her.

“Want to take Jefrey?” Jenny offered holding up the key’s to her Porsche.

“Don’t you have your internship?”

“Oh right, what are you two going to do then? Take Appa’s car?”

Daniel shook his head, he had already investigated transportation the night before. “I’ll take George, Appa said he kept it in shape.”

“I completely forgot about George.” Jenny gasped holding an ‘OK’ with her fingers.

Jiyeon who stood next to him, stared totally lost at their conversation.

Daniel and his sister began to chuckle at Jiyeon’s feigned nodding. 

“Why are you laughing?” Jiyeon mumbled, poking her finger into his side. 

“Jenny and I always named our cars. I guess it’s more of an American thing.” Daniel explained, “George is the name of the first car I got in High school.”

After grabbing the keys from his desk, Daniel led Jiyeon down the stairs towards their garage. Like most houses in the area, the 3 car garage held particularly expensive vehicles. 

Jiyeon gasped as her eyes stared at his mother’s brand new BMW, his father’s Range Rover, and then last but not least, the older grey 2009 Mercedes SLK class (convertible) parked at the end. 

“Jo-o-je.” 

Daniel smiled, and was slightly impressed to see it actually light up at the press of a button. “Brings back a lot of memories for me.”

Surprisingly, the car itself was quite well taken care of. Certainly cleaner then when he used to pile textbooks, gym clothes, and sports equipment in the backseat. Before he could even offer to open her door, Jiyeon had already circled around and climbed into the passenger seat. 

“It’s nice, this was really your first car?” She questioned. 

“Yup, George took me many places.” 

It felt almost awkward placing a key inside the ignition, after driving a Tesla for so long.

“I’m surprised you never told me you were a chaebol when we first met.” Jiyeon teased, as she adjusted the seat to accommodate her longer legs.

Daniel laughed, he had never really considered himself a chaebol. But, in Asian American standards, he guessed ‘Middle class’ was not quite fitting. 

“This must be why in weekday dramas, the male lead always come back wealthy after going to America.” 

“If I had told you I was a chaebol would you have liked me sooner?” He joked. 

“Maybe… but is this the car you took her all the way to see that bridge?” She quickly changed the subject catching him off guard with her jealousy.

“Yes. Should we not take the car then?” He almost stopped the car, as he backed out of the drive way.

“No, what did the car do wrong?” She answered wittingly, “it’s the owner’s fault isn’t it?”

“Ah, I’ll be sure to reflect on my past actions then… from 8 years ago.” He smirked as he said the words, “as a punishment, how about I treat the beautiful girl for lunch, and maybe dinner as well.”

“Well, that sounds pretty reasonable.” Jiyeon jokingly pondered, as they both began to giggle after at their playful banter.

It was moments like this that Daniel appreciated her. Even just in simple conversation, it was always fun and warm being near her. He sometimes wondered if being an idol had made her this way, or she had been chosen as an idol because of her appealing personality. 

Perhaps both.

…

“WOAH!” Jiyeon gasped as she abandoned her place beside him and sprinted towards the 100 lampposts all in close proximity to each other. 

Daniel grinned proudly, satisfied and more, with her reaction. The LACMA. A place he knew she would enjoy. Well, put simply, it was like the must-visit spot of LA. The social media hotspot of the city. 

She wasn’t even someone who obsessed over taking pictures, or spotlighting every memory. But he could see she was delighted by the art exhibit. 

“Want a picture?” He held up his phone towards the slightly dazed girl.

“Let’s come back when its night.” 

Daniel wasn’t sure how to interpret her words. Did that mean she didn’t want a picture?

His answer came a few seconds later when she pointed towards an older tourist couple. Clearly European, the grey hair and pale skin, Daniel would’ve bet on either German or French. 

“Let’s ask them to take a picture for us.”

If they were in Korea, he might’ve called her crazy. But Jiyeon was certainly much more intelligent than she sometimes acted. 

They were clearly older, and of a demographic that certainly wouldn’t recognize her. And the likely hood they could pick him out of a crowd, also seemed pretty low.

Jiyeon politely tapped the older lady on the shoulder. “Um excuse me. Can you… Picture… Me and him,” When she didn’t know a word, her large hand motions seemed to do the trick. Something Daniel couldn’t help but find amusing to watch. 

“Sure of course.” The thick Dutch accent, confirmed his earlier stereotype, and the older couple followed them to the spot.

Daniel leaned back against the pole of one of the lights, and Jiyeon leaned into him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, as the two locked eyes. 

“Very nice. Very nice.” The couple commented. 

Then, just for memory sake, they stood side by side in front of the display. His arm around her shoulder.

“Perfect.” The older gentleman returned with his phone, and Daniel could only smile at how nicely the photo turned out. It helped that his Jiyeon was pretty much the walking definition of photogenic.

Still hiding his phone from her, he thanked the couple, before jogging away from her. 

“Ya, let me see.” She complained as she chased after him.

He ran through several light poles, but stopped when he heard a shriek. He saw Jiyeon crouching by a lamp, and he wondered if she had accidentally slammed into it.

She pointed towards her shoulder, bowing her head to hide the pain.

Daniel didn’t realize just how gullible he was, until he was directly in front— in an instant, her long arms snatched his phone out of his hands. 

She rushed out of the rows of lamps and into the open. 

“Aish! I look ugly in this one.” 

Daniel wasn’t sure which photo she was talking about, but decided to refrain from commenting. 

“This one too.” She whined as she held up the dimly lit phone, the reflecting sunlight blinding him from seeing what was shown on it.

Daniel squinted his eyes, she looked fine to him. Then again he had long since learned to avoid answering these questions whenever possible. 

“Let me see.” Daniel beckoned for her to come near him. Jiyeon inched herself closer, still unsuspecting. That’s when she came within distance, and Daniel dipped his head towards her.

“Ya.” She stammered timidly as Daniel pulled away, satisfied with the quick kiss. 

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” He whispered in as a deep a voice he could summon.

“Then do I look cute in this picture?” She questioned holding up the phone for him to see. Her eyes gleaming towards him, as she pressed for an answer, “it’s a yes or no question.”

Daniel stared a the picture for a long minute. Weighing whether she looked better in this picture or better in others she had definitely approved of. He intentionally tilted his head to emphasize how deep he was in thought. 

“You look pretty, especially in that outfit.” He settled on. It seemed

“Really?” 

Daniel smiled as he pat her on the head like a puppy, “of course, now shall we continue with our tour Miss Park-ssi? Next up is lunch.” He spoke in robotic English, garnering a giggle from her.

“Let’s go!” She exclaimed delightedly, marching forward back towards where they had parked. 

“I know you just came from there, but is Korean food ok? We’re really close to K-Town.” 

“Of course, you know me. I’ll eat anything.” Jiyeon giggled as she wrapped her arm around his. Daniel felt an instant surge of confidence, as she did. 

For some reason, they had missed this experience their first year as a couple. Being able to confidently walk around arm in arm, boasting to the odd passerby, the beautiful girl who adored him.

There was no words, to describe how proud he felt next to her. She was his dream girl, and now he could finally live out a certain fantasy. 

…

There was something about the way the strange black pearls felt as she them up into . Don’t get her wrong, there was nothing ual at all going on. 

She was trying what Daniel had called “Bo-Bah”, a sweet tea desert-like drink that had sweet tapioca balls inside. It wasn’t like she had never heard of it before, some cafes in Korea had started to announce it as part of their memory. But the thought of slimy rice inside her tea sounded gross.

However, it was oddly addicting, as she felt an emptiness as the final pearl disappeared from the translucent straw into . 

Daniel began laughing in front of her. 

“What?” She questioned slightly defensive.

“You didn’t even touch the tea.” He teased, pointing towards her half finished drink. “It was good wasn’t it?”

“It’s better than I expected,” she commented, hiding her enjoyment, trying her best to reclaim her pride.

“Then let me finish it.” He reached out to take her drink away.

“No.” She quickly snatched it out of reach, realizing to late, the arrogant smirk on his lips. 

“See, you did like it.”

“It still has a weird name.” She mumbled. 

They were sitting on the outdoor seating of the drink place. Oddly enough, no one had recognized them. They had strolled through K-town hand in hand, even passing a poster of Daniel. Yet, thankfully there was quite a lot of people dressed in idol-like outfits, ensuring that neither of them really stuck out. 

“What’s next on our itinerary?” Jiyeon inquired, holding back a yawn. After eating very well, and having the sugary drink, she felt a slight food coma. 

“Shall we walk off the food?” 

A walk sounded perfect right about now. Especially one with him, the thought of holding hands together in public and strolling together.

“Is there a park nearby?” 

“There’s a place that I used to go a lot with my friends. It’s called Venice Beach, I’m sure you’ve seen videos of it before.” 

Jiyeon shook her head, the name sounded vaguely familiar… she wondered if when he stated that it was a place he went with his friends, if he meant his ex. 

She realized later, she was quite wrong. 

The park itself, was beautiful, with a wide sandy beach that spread for as far as the eye could see. However, the main attraction besides the pacific waters, was clearly the large cement skatepark and basketball courts next to it. Like she had imagined there were dog walkers trudging multiple dogs by their leashes, there were skaters, and plenty of occupants at the long blue-painted court. 

“Not many people today.” Daniel commented. Jiyeon wasn’t sure whether he was purposely being sarcastic or not. But, figured it was slightly too noisy to be considered a peaceful date. 

He led her towards the grassy park area, as despite the crowd, she couldn’t help but admire the massive palm trees jutting out of the ground. It made her really realize she was in L.A. not just Jeju Island, or at the popular Incheon beaches. 

He took her hand, and she realized there was a reason he had clenched it before brushing it against hers. He had hidden a single AirPod, and dropped it into her fingers. 

“Because it’s noisy.” He explained holding up the other white earbud and placing it into his ear. 

Jiyeon began listening, and just like that their date continued. The two strolling through the limestone path, down towards the beach. Jiyeon had already removed her bomber in the car after seeing the bright sun overhead, but was starting to regret doing that now.

Even with the sun, by the beach, she felt a cold breeze blow past her. She shivered slightly, emphasizing it slightly more with a tiny burr. But, noticed that Daniel was still looking straight ahead, completely oblivious to her situation.

It was hard to blame him either. The soft music, even in one ear, seemed to perfectly embody the scene in front of them. As if the beach itself was playing its self composed OST to set the mood. 

She’s my sunshine in the rain

Jiyeon had never heard this song, but even the simple strumming of the ukulele made her swoon at the song.

My Tylenol when I’m in pain

“Is this a song you listened to often?” She found herself wondering, slightly curious if he had actually completely zoned out.

Let me tell you what she means to me

Like a tall glass of lemonade

Daniel finally turned towards her, and his grip on her fingers tightened slightly. His handsome eyes bore into her, as a smirk found its way onto his lips.

When it’s burning hot on summer days

She’s exactly what I need

“Yes, it was one of my favorite songs of 2011.” Daniel answered.

“If it was 2011, then that’s when you met me, wasn’t it?”

She’s soothing like, the ocean rushing through the sand

She takes care of me baby

She helps me be a better man

“It was before, haha. But now that I think about it, the lyrics really fit you.” He remarked, his eyes moving up and down her figure. 

“What do you mean?” Jiyeon couldn’t understand all the lyrics, but it was clearly about a man singing about his love for his lover. 

She’s so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes

She’s exactly what I need

This time Daniel mouthed the lyrics as if he was singing it. 

Jiyeon shook her head, “I want to hear you sing.” 

She’s my smile when I’m feeling blue

She’s my goodnight sleep when the day is through yeah

Daniel also shook his head, quite adamantly if I might add. “You don’t want to hear me sing, it’s my weakness remember?”

Jiyeon swung their arms together as she pulled him towards the water. Completely forgetting any sense of temperature as she did. 

After kicking off her sandals, she began skipping through the wet sand, as she stared back towards him.

Let me tell you what she means to me

(She’s kinda like this)

Kinda like the feeling after your first kiss

He stood calmly, almost admiring her and the background, as she beckoned for him to join her. Daniel was already holding up his phone, capturing her slightly embarrassing actions.

Except that everyday she makes me feel like this

She’s exactly what I need, Oh yeah

“Ya! Just come in.” She whined.

She’s soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand

She takes care of me baby 

She helps me be a better man

Daniel didn’t respond, but he was barefoot when he began chasing after her. 

Jiyeon didn’t remember a time when she last played tag, or the even more childish ‘Catch me’. Maybe on a variety show, maybe when she was in elementary school. But, at that moment, all of her pride, all common sense disappeared. 

As she felt his strong arms find themselves around her waist, picking her up and then towards the water.

“Ya! Daniel-ssi!” She screamed playfully as he carried her towards the thrashing waves.

However, he wasn’t listening instead, he was laughing as they both found themselves disappearing into the cold water. 

She’s so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes

She’s exactly what I need

She’s soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand

Then the music disappeared, as they both submerged once again in the now deeper water. While they could both easily stand up, Daniel’s heavy weight kept her on her bottom. As they both remained still, the currents pushing against them as they did. 

Ignoring any sense of chilliness they both felt. Or the logical thought, that now they would have to drive back home in soaking clothes. 

Jiyeon turned around, and saw Daniel’s face… or at from the nose down. His bangs had completely fallen over his eyes, and had shielded them from vision. 

“Pretty.” He whispered, as his head inched closer to hers.

Jiyeon would’ve said something. Maybe even mentioned the now missing music, as she started to realize the expensive headphones had disappeared into the ocean water

But there was no logic anymore. It was just the two of them, and somehow she could still hear the lyrics in her mind. Their lips met moments later, and ignored the salty taste of the seawater between them. A passionate collision of two lovers, who had yearned for a moment like this.

One where their reality, no longer existed. One where instead of being two people who should’ve thrown away their feelings for the better good. They were two puzzle pieces, whose jagged edges somehow perfectly aligned.

She’s exactly what I need 

…

After stopping back at his house to shower and change, Jiyeon had requested they go to a restaurant he would go to in HS, not just an expensive place.

So Daniel had taken her to a nearby “Chinese” restaurant. Though it was certainly different than the Chinese restaurants she knew of. 

This restaurant didn’t serve jajangmyeon or tangsuyuk (though they had something similar). It was similar to a buffet, where there were large pots of each dish in metal trays. But, they were hidden and enclosed behind glass panes, while older ladies took your order. 

Because he told her they would get it to go, and eat elsewhere. Jiyeon settled on a sort of tangsuyuk knock-off, called orange chicken; as well as broccoli and beef stir fried together. 

While he paid for it, Jiyeon carried the two paper takeout containers put into a flimsy plastic bag. She noticed there were also two hard tan cookies on top. She wondered if it was similar to the way restaurants gave out mints or Yakult candies. 

They left the restaurant, and Daniel began driving. She didn’t ask any questions, because it wasn’t like she would know where they were going. But she was slightly curious. Or maybe, she was just starving, and the thought of having to drive more without eating, wasn’t ideal. 

She almost passed out in the car, when she felt him gently rustle her arm.

“Jiyeon-a.” 

Jiyeon opened her eyes, and noticed they were in a grassy area. Away from the small clay and cement buildings of LA. It seemed like they were nowhere near the city of LA. 

She could see sand on the trail that stretched in front of the windshield. Were they going hiking? She didn’t want to complain, but she was still exhausted from playing at the beach. It was already 7pm, the sun would set soon, and not to mention, she hadn’t eaten.

“Are we near the ocean?” Jiyeon wondered aloud.

“Were about 5 miles from my house.” Daniel explained. 

“Why did we drive so far to get the food then?” She almost raised her voice.

“Because my school used to be deeper into the city, so I thought you’d want to go to a restaurant nearby there.” 

Seeing his genuine sorrow, Jiyeon felt guilty. That was what she had said, but she wished she could’ve gone back then, and better observed the place he used to frequent. 

“Did you used to go there on dates after school?” Jiyeon wondered.

“Sometimes, but most of the time I went there after practice with my friends. It was on the way home and cheap.” He explained.

“Cheap? You were thrifty back then too?” 

Daniel chuckled at her teasing. “You’d think for someone with such a nice car, my parents would give me a big allowance.” 

“They didn’t?” Jiyeon raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe if I worked part time as an idol as well, I could’ve afforded to date, pay for gas, and get food.” He joked. 

“Ya, as if. All of my money went into repaying trainee debt. It wasn’t until after Roly Poly, that I started earning money.” Jiyeon explained, “and I didn’t even train for that long, I’m sure my unnie’s debt was way higher.”

The two exited the car, and continued their conversation. The bag of food, swinging from Daniel’s arm. It was a short hike, slightly uphill for about 5 minutes. But when they arrived at the top, she realized why he had taken her there. 

It was gorgeous, looking out from the hill. The wide expanse of the ocean, that they couldn’t even see from the beach. Below them was a long winding highway that she remember taking with Jenny as they returned from the airport. 

Past that was a long tan beach, and then ocean. It wasn’t blue at all, not because of pollution, but because of the sunset. Instead the waves were colored a similar orange as the yellow and red sun reflected off the waters. 

“It’s beautiful,” Jiyeon gasped as she completely forgot her growling stomach. 

She felt one arm wrap around her, and noticed that Daniel was standing directly beside her, his eyes glued to the sunset. “This is somewhere I go to think when I can’t.”

“Have you taken any girls here?” 

Daniel grinned. “Only one.”

“Who?”

“Jenny.”

Jiyeon stuck out her tongue, as she quickly turned back to the setting sun. The ambiance was indeed what she had pictured, when she had imagined visiting L.A. She snapped a few pictures to show her family and her friends later. 

“Ready to eat?” Daniel asked holding up the bag, with the panda on it. That’s how they sat at a nearby bench, his leather varsity jacket around the t-shirt she had changed into. 

It felt oddly nice, similar to the way that she had taken his hoodies. Except different as well, unlike the pointless luxury jackets that idols wore. Jenny had explained to her, that the felt letter sewed onto the front was something only the varsity athletes earned. The small pin on the back were awards for accomplishments and championships. The number on the sleeve represented his jersey number.

“Is it good?” Daniel inquired. 

Jiyeon nodded, “it’s rather comfortable. It’s warmer than it looks as well.” 

He only smirked, “I meant the food. Pabo-ya.” 

“It’s good too. I think I’ve heard of one opening up in Seoul, but I’ve never gone before.”

“When I was in Highschool, sometimes my friends and I would get two plates each.” Daniel revealed.

“Why?” She wondered, he was an athlete, but it still seemed like a lot to eat.

“Because of American football, back then I had to gain a lot of weight, so that I wouldn’t get tackled too easily.” 

“Really?” Jiyeon began to giggle. “Isn’t that just getting fat, not stronger?”

“Yes, but have you seen some of the athletes who play that sport?” He opened his phone and showed a picture of a massive athlete. 

Jiyeon gasped, as he looked almost identical to that of sirreum wrestlers. But he looked oddly swift at the same time. 

“It’s interesting,” she acknowledged out of the blue. 

“What?” Daniel clearly didn’t understand. 

“Learning more about your world. You always wanted to learn more about me. You always used to comfort me and give me advice, but I barely asked about you.” Jiyeon recalled the time when their communications used to only be over Kakao.

“So you think my world is interesting?” 

“Yes, I guess maybe its because I never really experienced high school because I was an idol. But I really appreciate you doing this for me.” She confessed. 

“Of course Jiyeon-a. To me, before meeting you, my life wasn’t very special. But I guess I took it for granted, it was more interesting than I gave it credit for.”

There was a moment of silence between them, as the two continued gazing off into the night. Checkered stars glimmering onto the suprisingly calm waves. 

"That reminds me, there's one more place I want to take you."

"Really? Where's that?" Jiyeon wondered, in one day, she had felt like they had visited all of LA. She could barely what they even did in the morning. 

"We have to go back to the car."

...

Daniel pulled up to the familiar overlook. Unlike the place before, there was no need to get out of the car. To be honest, it was technically the same ocean view, the same stars, and really only a five minute drive from where they just were.

But this was entirely different. You see, this was the place that night. 

"This place holds a special meaning for me." He explained, as with the press of the button, the convertible's top folded down.

He removed his jacket once again and covered a still confused Jiyeon with it. I guess it's a little colder than I had imagined.

"What's special about here?" Jiyeon questioned.

"I really wanted to come here with you." Daniel composed his thoughts, wondering how to best phrase this.

"I came here, that night. The first time I read about your dating scandal." 

Jiyeon immediately frowned as he said the words. 

"Don't be sorry or anything, I just felt betrayed at the time, not knowing your real feelings." He assured her, "but this is where I decided I would go to Korea and win you back."

"This is when you gave up on the NBA?"

Daniel shook his head, still seeing her guilty eyes. This wasn't what he wanted, when he had decided to take her here. "I gave up long before then, but I decided here, that you were the most important thing to me." 

"Thank you," she whispered as she leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for not giving up."

"I'll never give up on us Jiyeon." He reached down and caressed her cheek. The feeling of her soft skin beneath his finger tips a feeling that he wouldn't trade for anything in th world.

"Me too. You're mine now Daniel Choi."

///////

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate any comments, and I'm glad to hear you enjoy reading. The next chapter will be a continuation of the apartment date, and start to lead into the next year. I'm burnt out for now with LA. I've decided to trash the original 2018-20?? i've written as I can't seem to continue it and didn't put much thought into it. So everything I'll be posting will be recently written, and not just reedited.