confession

“It’s completed.”

A smile of triumph was plastered on Myungsoo’s face as he announced the news to his girlfriend. It was one in the morning and Hyeri was dead beat. Hoya had returned to Hyeri’s motel—they shared her room—to rest while she decided to stay with her boyfriend. She had been sleeping over with Myungsoo ever since they made up so Hoya had the room to himself.

She had volunteered to stay up with him, well, that wasn’t really the case. She couldn’t fall asleep without Myungsoo lying beside her. It took her awhile to fully grasp what Myungsoo was talking about: his photograph assignment.

That was due the next day.

“All right boy, it’s time to sleep,” she patted on the space beside and ushered him to move his there. But he stayed rooted on his seat, ignoring her request.

“Wait, I want to hear your opinions about it before I submit it up tomorrow,” he replied with a half-yawn and a half-smile—his stubbornness was still evident at that hour. His adamant trait stayed at any hour. Her lips morphed into a thin line and she rolled her eyes playfully.

“I know you’re sleepy,” Myungsoo chuckled as he meandered towards the bed, not forgetting to bring his assignment along as he rested beside her. He her hair just the way she liked it, and she took it as an unspoken apology.

“Come here,” and she went rushing into his warm broad chest. He wrapped his arms around her, satisfied with how he was her human sweater. Her icy body contrasted with his. “Thanks for staying up for me.”

She chuckled slightly and looked at the man beside her. He was perfect. He ed the collage to her and gestured her to look at it, almost too excitedly. She laughed at his dorky action.

Depending on her vague memory, she realized that he had improvised and altered some of his works. It looked more professional since the last time she had looked at it. It was amazing—Myungsoo was amazing. The photographs he had taken were always so breath-taking beautiful. She wondered what the special reason was for the ones he had chosen for the collage.

And so, she inquired.

“What’s your reason for choosing these special ones apart from the rest?”

He replied almost immediately, as if the answer was at the tip of his tongue. Once he opened his mouth, he spoke the sweet truth. “These special ones remind me of that period when I almost lost you. That feeling was overwhelming, just horrible. I felt like dying… I had those melancholy feelings—it linked to the task requirement.”

She nodded cordially, surprised at his sudden confession. She muttered a soft sorry under her breath. Then, her eyes paused at a familiar photograph. The blue tones of it really drew her in. Despite the fact that the room was situated in a dark setting, moonlight the only source of light that pooled in.

There were words hand-written on the bottom left of the photograph. Typography, she noted. Creative, she bit her lips to suppress her smile. She could recognize that they belonged to the man beside her instantly.

Her eyes read each word gingerly, grasping the meanings of them. She didn’t realize that her eyes were teary—she was so touched and grateful to Myungsoo for writing those. Being the quiet person Myungsoo was, she thought he would never speak those words or in fact do something like that.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. When I first met you, I never knew you would change my life. Now, I can’t even imagine not having you in my life. I love you so ing much.

Blinking her tears away, she recomposed herself. Hyeri pointed at the photograph and diverted her attention to Myungsoo who—she glanced from her peripheral vision—was smiling sheepishly.

“Hey, isn’t this—”

“I love you—you know?” He interrupted, cutting her question off.

He felt so light-headed—overwhelmed. He felt so happy that he really wanted to squeeze his girlfriend—because she was just so wonderful.

He didn’t really know what other words he could use to describe her because she was just beyond description. She was just too good to—and for—him that he felt like he didn’t deserve to be with her.

She was his heroine.

“You took this picture with the new lens while I was sleeping. I found this really mesmerizing.”

“Not because of my handsome sleeping face, of course,” he felt a slap on his back immediately and laughed at his girlfriend. “This photograph—I don’t know… but it’s so beautiful. It deserves recognition, no, you deserve recognition. The way you took it really corresponded with the melancholy feeling.”

Hyeri wasn’t used to getting compliments and the plus point was that the confession was coming from Myungsoo. Her boyfriend was always bad with words so he didn’t usually speak like that. When he confessed to her, it was awkward as heck. Hearing those sentences from him was a rarity. Not that she despised it though. It was rather cute.

Brushing him off his cheesy confession, she placed the collage on the desk safely with her boyfriend staring at her, wondering why she didn’t reply. What would her reply be anyways?

She sent him a queer look, slipping under the covers beside him swiftly without a sound. The tranquility that surrounded them was ethereal. A smile adorned Hyeri’s face as she gazed deeply into his eyes.

“I—I am not used to this. Your confessions are cute and… awkward,” she chuckled quietly and lowered her head into his neck, muffling her voice as she did that. “Goodnight, Myungie.”

“Goodnight, my love,” his voice wafted through her ears and a chill ran down her spine.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you like how you love me, but even more.”

♥

Myungsoo’s scholarship came to an end after a whole (chaotic) year. He couldn’t be more than relieved—he never knew that he would actually miss Korea.

The four—Hyeri, Myungsoo, Ha Yeon and Hoya—had spent another three days exploring New York after the submission date of Myungsoo’s assignment. All in all, the days were well spent with great company.

Yeon Hee and Minhyuk were going to continue their courses in the same university and they would move on with their lives, together. After all the chaos, forgiving people is key because life goes on.

Minhyuk approached Yeon Hee with a smile, leaving her flabbergasted that he wasn’t mad at her after all she did.

“You’re not mad at me? After I went to Myungsoo even though I knew you liked me…? Even when I ignored you so many times?”

“Why should I be? I like you.”

As for Eunji, she had gone back to Korea after her confession that day. Before she departed, Yeon Hee and her had showed up at Myungsoo’s dormitory to say her final words.

“I just have something to say before I go,” Eunji stood by the door looking all fidgety and anxious, something Hyeri found adorable. She knew that despite all Eunji had done, she was a good person—she was just securing her own happiness. It was explicable.

“Before I leave, I just want to apologize again. I’ve been reflecting on my mistakes and sins and I’m deeply sorry. I really feel guilty, I should have thought before I did something. I’m sorry.”

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