--Three Years Later--

Entering the dimly-lit restaurant, Jihyun looked at the decorations and balloons which had filled the entire place. He had promised to bring her out on an anniversary and they had just finished their dinner at a fancy restaurant. Truthfully, she didn't think it’d be so extravagant. After all, they usually spent their anniversaries at home because they were both so busy.

“Happy anniversary babe.” The boy said as he led her to the beanbags lying in front of a projector. He landed a kiss on her cheeks. “This anniversary is so fancy.” She laughed as she looked at the decorations around her while her lover put on the movie for them.

Glad to finally have a night for themselves as she placed Junghyun at her mother’s, she stared at the boy who was already looking at her with joy.

Clasping her hand in his, he smiled contentedly as he placed his other hand on her shoulder, pulling her close to him as she rested against his chest.

“Babe?” He asked softly. “Hmm?” She hummed lazily.

“I can’t believe we’re here together now.” He thumbed her fingers gently against his while she chuckled, “I know, me too.”

Right on cue, music filled the room, and Jihyun whipped her head to see a video montage of all the photos they had collected over the years. Turning her attention to the screen, a sense of nostalgia rushed through her body.

Getaway trips to different parts of the world, special occasions, Junghyun’s middle-school graduation, moments at their favourite restaurants and hideouts - the video compiled every single bit of their memories together, and Jihyun could help but be in awe.

When the video came to an end, he took the microphone nearby and stood up on a mini platform she hadn’t noticed before.

“This is for you, Ji. The muse of all my songs and the love of my life.”

As the sweet familiar song played, Jihyun’s heart soared when she heard his melodious voice sing to the music. The song he had written for her all those years ago.

Euphoria

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Close the door now

When I’m with you I’m in utopia

She clapped earnestly with crinkling eyes and a huge smile when he ended, chuckling as she pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

“Kim Jihyun.” He started off as he separated from her and held onto her hands. She laughed as he said her full name.

“I knew you were the one since I set my eyes on you.” He said while she rolled her eyes playfully. “I was only 19 then, but I knew what my heart was feeling.”

“The way my heart would leap when you smile, how I found you cute even though you were whining all the time, how you would act like you weren’t jealous but you totally were when you saw those girls flirting with me in school.” She pouted cutely and he pinched her nose gently, laughing at her. “How I was over the moon when you confessed to me the first time at our favourite bar, how you had supported me in everything I do even if it meant sacrificing time and happiness on your part.”

“I usually don’t regret what I do because I feel that there’s no point dwelling on the past, but there’s a few things that I’d regret even till this day.”

“My first regret was letting you go 14 years ago. I told myself I’d do anything to get you back and make it right if I ever met you again.”

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she held onto Jungkook’s hand tightly, the other clamping over to prevent herself from crying.

“I clearly failed, which led to my second regret, letting you go again 8 years ago because I wasn’t strong enough to fight for you. I let fear and uncertainties of the future get the better of me, and I let you, the love of my life, go.”

“My third regret was three years ago when I heard that you were attached to Youngmin. Even though we’re good friends with him now, you don’t know how much I wanted to punch him when I first saw him.” He chuckled dryly as Jihyun stifled her laughter.

A sense of warmth filled her body as she thought about how Youngmin had encouraged her to get together with Jungkook instead. Three years ago, she was pretty sure that Youngmin was someone she saw a future with, and that she had forgotten about Jungkook entirely since she hadn’t thought about him much during the five years they were apart.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even though it was a short one week that Jungkook was in New York, everyone else could tell that they were two idiots still in love with each other as much as she tried to deny it. The way they would sneak glances at each other when the other wasn’t looking, how they would unknowingly finish each other’s sentences, how their eyes crinkled when they smiled so widely because of each other’s presence.

“Ji, I have never seen you so happy in the time that we’ve been together. And I can tell he really loves you, so do us all a favour and go to him. I wish nothing but the best for you two.”

Youngmin being the understanding and mature man that he was, had also told Jungkook to go after her if he wanted to. Even though Jihyun had felt extremely apologetic, he brushed it off saying that he didn’t want to be the one standing in between true love.

She was glad that the two boys had become closer over their love for video games, and Youngmin had eventually found a girl that was well-deserving of his love as they had gotten married last summer.

“And my last regret was letting Taehyung eat the last cookie yesterday when I was starving, but that’s a story for another day.” He added, earning a chuckle from the girl.

“Since then, I don’t have any regrets anymore. Ji, you make waking up everyday so worth it. I look forward to spending every single day with you and our daughter, I can’t even explain the amount