Kwon Jiyong had always believed that hard work pays off. Maybe not instantly, but the tough grind will bear fruit in the long run.

 

That was the reason why he always worked hard for the things he wanted in life.

 

When they moved houses, Jiyong thought nothing of it. In his young mind, he believed that his parents were just tired of living in a huge house where the three of them can barely see each other. But when he grew older and was made aware of the crisis his family was dealing with, he wished that the former reason was what had led them to relocate to a quaint village just on the outskirts of town.

 

His father dedicated all his life’s work building his dream start-up company from the ground up. And it was all good. They’ve lived a pretty comfortable life, until one betrayal took everything away from them.

 

His father’s supposed best friend, his father’s business partner, took everything what his father had built with his own blood and sweat.

 

Jiyong hated seeing his mother cry. For someone who appears to be strong in front of her only son, it breaks Jiyong’s heart whenever he would hear the muffled cries of despair his mother was trying so hard to hide from him.

 

And it even gutted him seeing his father cry. He had always seen his father as a formidable man, someone who supported others as he always had spare strength to give. But seeing that strong man break down as he kept apologizing to him and his mother, it tore his heart.

 

It was then that he had promised himself that he’d do anything to help the two most important people in his life.

 

He studied hard, day and night, just so he could get a scholarship all throughout high school.

 

While the guys his age are out partying on a weekend, he was all camped up in his room studying Advanced Algebra and Integrated Science. His parents were starting to feel guilty about him wasting his teenage life away, but Jiyong assured them that this is what he’d rather be doing.

 

And besides, he had Sandara to study with.

 

Sandara.

 

That girl came out of nowhere. And then suddenly, she was everywhere.

 

With his scholarship and his family’s financial problems, Jiyong doesn’t have any spare time to fall in love.

 

But can you really stop yourself from falling in love?

 

He wasn’t really aware that he had fallen in love with his best friend, not until his eighteenth birthday.

 

Jiyong just finished studying for an exam as the clock strikes twelve. He wasn’t really aware of the day because his mind was preoccupied with terms and numbers he needed to remember. Then his door suddenly burst open and in came Sandra, holding a cake, that was one sloppy cake, and wearing the brightest smile it put the sun to shame. Behind her were his parents singing an off tune Happy Birthday song.

 

Like a deer caught in headlights, he stood in the middle of the room looking at them. Moreso, looking at her.

 

And that was when realization hit him.

 

I want to spend the rest of my birthdays with them. With Sandara.

 

After uttering that silent wish, he blew the candle and the four of them shared the cake that Sandara had baked herself.

 

Jiyong looked on as Sandara shared a joke to his parents, in which the elders laughed merrily at.

 

The two most important people in his life now became three.

 

******

 

“Heard from them yet?” Sandara plopped herself beside her best friend/boyfriend on his parents’ sofa as she reached inside the paper bag and offered him a cheeseburger. She happily munched on her fries as she rested her head against his lap.

 

For some unknown reason, she wasn’t feeling all too excited about a cheeseburger. Just thinking about all the grease could make her stomach churn. So she just settled with a much safer choice, which is an all time favorite french fries.

 

Jiyong just shook his head no and took one big bite from his burger, and Dara couldn’t help but grimace. That earned a light chuckle from Jiyong.

 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be hearing from them soon!” Dara announced as she offered Jiyong one of her most prized fries in which the latter took. “They’ll be one joke of a university if they won’t take you,” she announced, confident.

 

She witnessed how Jiyong worked really hard just so he could apply for a scholarship in his dream school. She just wished that his dream school wasn't 9,366 kilometers from where they lived. But being the supportive girlfriend that she is, she cheered him on.

 

“You and your faith in me,” Jiyong muttered, much more to himself than to Dara, as he bent down and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

 

And Sandara replied with the goofiest smile she could manage despite having full with food.

 

*******

 

Two lines.

 

Dara couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She blinked hard and fast, but the two lines still remained.

 

That explains why I wasn’t really feeling spectacular these past weeks.

 

She muttered to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

 

Mother.

 

Wow. She’s going to be a mother.

 

Astounded, she carefully placed the kit on the sink and with shaky hands, cupped her still flat abdomen.

 

Wow.

 

She was waiting for the disappointment that she thought she’d feel, but all she could feel was elation.

 

I am going to be a mommy!

 

With careful steps, she dashed back to her bedroom and reached for her phone on her bedside table. And just as she was about to dial her boyfriend’s number to call him, his name flashed on the screen.

 

“I have to tell you something!” Jiyong announced, all too excited, the first second she answered his call.

 

“Me too!” Dara replied as she tried to contain the squeal that was threatening to come out.

 

“Where are you?”

 

“I’m in my room. Are you—”

 

“I’ll come to you,” he said before ending the call.

 

Dara quickly grabbed the pregnancy test kit off the sink and impatiently waited for Jiyong to enter her room. It only took him not longer than a minute before he came rushing in to see her. He was out of breath, probably because he dashed his way to get to her, but he was smiling all too wide, exhilaration evident on his face.

 

“I got in!” Jiyong announced as soon as he got his breathing under control. He wasted no time and scooped his girlfriend in his arms and spun.

 

“W-What?”

 

“I just received an email from Stanford. They have accepted my application and is offering me a full scholarship! A full scholarship!”

 

Sandara quickly hid the kit behind her as tried to wrap her head around Jiyong’s announcement.

 

“Hey,” Jiyong said, cupping her face into his palms as he tried to gauge her reaction. It isn’t his Sandara if she wasn't excited about everything in life, so not getting a reaction from her would probably mean something was wrong. “Everything okay, babe?”

 

“Y-Yeah,” Dara cleared and flashed him a smile, “Everything’s fine! Oh wow! Stanford!”

 

“Yeah! Can you believe it?” Jiyong still wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not.

 

“Yah! Of course I can. I am so proud of you, Jiyong. So proud,” Dara was trying hard to keep the tears at bay, knowing full well on what to do about her predicament.

 

Jiyong peppered kisses all over Dara’s face, the adrenaline from reading his acceptance letter still isn’t winding down.

 

“Oh right. You said you also have something to tell me.”

 

Dara hesitated, her grip around the kit tightening. And Jiyong saw her hesitation.

 

“Just that…” Dara shook her head and took a deep breath.

 

“Babe, if it’s about the distance.. We’ve talked about this right? We’ll get through this. I’ll come home as often as I co—”

 

“I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how I’ll always be proud of you.”

 

Dara hastily threw the pregnancy test kit behind her, somewhere he wouldn’t see, and lovingly traced the contours of his face.

 

As if memorizing every detail, etching every feature in the deepest part of her brain.

 

Jiyong had always believed that hard work pays off. And being the witness how diligently he worked for this dream, she knows what she needs to do.

 

“I love you, Jiyong..” The tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes slowly made its way down, creating a cascade of sorrows evident on her cheeks. “I love you to the moon and stars..”

 

Dara anticipated what his reply would be, as this was their own invention of telling each other how they feel. But even before he could utter the words, she enveloped him with a tight hug. The tightest hug she could manage as she silently let the tears freely fall.

 

“And all the way back, Dara. And all the way back.”