June 12, 2010 9:15am 

He meets her right after his early morning meeting, folders clasped in his hand, the other hand adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose. 

"Hey Jinyoung, meet Suzy. She just started here in our department. Wanna show her around?" A senior gestures to the girl beside him, dressed nicely in a white blouse and black pencil skirt. She seems to be a bit uncomfortable in her heels, judging from how she shifts around on her feet. 

Jinyoung flashes a smile. "Hi, nice to meet you, Suzy." 

Her gaze meets his, her eyes almost shining, and time seems to stop. 

July 20, 2010 12:29pm 

They end up eating lunch together every Tuesday and Thursday, sitting in their corner of the company canteen. Suzy always takes off her heels and replaces them with the flats Jinyoung had bought her in case her heels ever became insufferable. Jinyoung makes it a mental note to maybe get her a pair of heels for her birthday, later. 

"How would you want to get dinner tonight?" Jinyoung asks, sort of nonchalantly, in the middle of handing her a pair of chopsticks. 

Suzy looks at him. There's that bright smile again. "Sure." 

December 31, 2010 11:59pm 

A bunch of their crew from the company has gathered at someone's apartment to celebrate the new year. Everyone around them is a bit tipsy from the alcohol, and the heightening murmurs of conversation threaten to drown everything out. Suzy leads Jinyoung outside. "There's more fresh air here," she explains, and they stand together on the balcony, Suzy wrapping her sweater more tightly around herself. 

They can see the Han River from here, and they wait in anticipation for the fireworks that will set off to welcome in the new year. 

Jinyoung glances at his phone. "Five more seconds," he says. He notices that Suzy is standing very close to him now, so he swings his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in. 

The fireworks go off. "Happy new year," he says over the explosions, squeezing her shoulder. 

That night, they share their first kiss, and a forever in those fleeting moments of bliss. 

April 4, 2011 12:07am 

"What are you doing?" Suzy calls him when she's about to sleep, and he can imagine her laying on her side, thoroughly wrapped in a burrito of blankets. 

Jinyoung smiles. "Thinking of you... What are you thinking about?" He almost cringes at himself, but it's Suzy, and it's the truth. He must be going crazy for her. 

December 25, 2011 9:25pm 

Today is the day. His fingers can't stop trembling and suddenly he forgets how to speak. Suzy's looking at him curiously, her eyes shining with anticipation. They're at his place, staring at the nightscape as the Christmas lights he's strung on the balcony railing glisten around them. 

"What were you going to say?" Suzy asks again, to which Jinyoung just smiles weakly. 

"Suzy," he breathes, getting a small box from his jacket pocket. "Will you marry me?" 

June 12, 2012 1:05pm 

They choose the date that they first met as their wedding day. Jinyoung is the one who insists on that because he's idealistic that way. Suzy just puts up with him, for which he's grateful. 

When he first lays eyes on her in her wedding dress, his heart starts beating so fast that he wonders whether it's possible to have his heart explode out of his chest. It feels quite possible at that moment, what with the delicate waves of her hair flowing down her shoulders and the elegance with which she carries herself - absolutely breathtaking. 

He almost drops the ring before slipping it on her finger. 

"I love you," he whispers in her ear. 

She smiles, her eyes clear and beautiful. "I love you too, Jinyoung." 

November 17, 2013 9:06am 

About a year and a half into married life and they've gone through their fair share of ups and downs. This time, Jinyoung bolts up after glancing at the alarm clock. "Holy crap, we're late for work, Suzy, wake up!" He jolts her awake and jumps out of bed. 

What commences is a frantic scramble for toothbrushes and toothpaste and face wash and hair brushes - Jinyoung has to forego the shaving cream today - Suzy rushes into the kitchen to make some toast to take en route to the company. 

They drop by a coffee shop by their workplace before diverging at the lobby elevator. "Have a good day," Jinyoung mock-salutes her, breathing heavily, coffee cup steaming in his hand. She crinkles her eyes as she smiles in return and leaves for her own office, her hair swishing side to side in her neat ponytail. 

Even if some days they seem to wake up on the wrong side of bed, he wouldn't trade it for the world. 

August 1, 2015 11:19pm 

A couple more years have passed. He doesn't know where the time has gone. 

He snuggles closer to her in bed, enveloping her with his arms. She stirs half-awake, murmuring whether he needs anything. 

"No," he mumbles. "Just you." 

She laughs at that, then dozes back off again. He breathes deeply. This could be his forever and he'd be okay with it. 

October 13, 2015 4:35pm 

She's ranting to him about something as she makes her way back home from a meeting while Jinyoung stays at home to start cooking dinner. 

"You're not holding your phone while driving, are you?" Jinyoung asks warily while washing the spinach. 

"No, don't worry, it's an in-ear device," Suzy assures him. "Anyway, as I was saying, she was so rude when she totally shot down my idea for -" 

The line suddenly starts cutting out, and he can hear Suzy screaming. 

Jinyoung clutches his phone, veins popping out of his skin. "Suzy?! Suzy, are you okay? Answer me!" He's yelling with all his might, and he think he might go hysterical. 

He can hear sharp breathing from the other side and it scares him to death. "Suzy, please," Jinyoung begs. 

"Jinyoung..." is all he can hear, her soft voice before it fades out. 

That's the last thing he ever hears from her lips. 

January 1, 2015 10:15am 

Jinyoung dresses up and makes sure to bring her favorite flowers with him. Somehow the scent of the flowers is at once calming and heart-wrenching. 

"Hi," he says, shuffling his feet in front of her tombstone. "It's me, Jinyoung." The cool breeze answers him, brushing his chapped cheeks. 

He barely chokes out those words before his eyes start watering. "Happy new year, Suzy," he whispers through ragged breathing and silent tears streaming down his face. 

Four years ago, they had shared their first kiss under the fireworks of Seoul. Now, he would do practically anything to have her in his arms again. 

Funny, he thinks to himself, how he had wanted his forever to be with her, and yet time had snatched her away before he even blinked, it feels like. He laughs bitterly. Four years. Four years, that's all they had. 

(Four years that Jinyoung will never regret and will always treasure in his heart, even if his heart bears scars that may last forever. At least, then, the scars will always remind him of her presence, how deeply she had made her way into his heart, how joyful he was whenever he was with her. That joy stays with him, despite the pain.) 

"They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. That's true. What they don't tell you is that when time starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up."