“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” 

Jiyong's POV

FLASHBACK: (Year 1992)

It's been three weeks. I am trying to find Sandara, but I can’t even find her traces. As soon as I was off duty, the first thing I did was visit Admiral Park. As I didn’t have his appointment, I made an unofficial visit to his office, and he was happy to see me. For the last 2 years, I have made good achievements, and I know he is aware of them. I informed him that this was an unofficial visit and that I would like to talk to Admiral and Mrs. Park about some of my personnel matters. He gave me permission to visit them in the evening for tea. I was very happy as well as nervous. Admiral is already impressed by me, but the main task is to impress Mrs. Park. I visited them in the evening. I took a bouquet for Mrs. Park, a champagne bottle for Admiral, a purse for Durami, and a video game for Sang-hyun. First, they refuse to take the gift. But I insist on them. After distributing the gift, I sat on my knees, ready to speak. Except for the Admiral, everyone was startled.

"Sorry to make this unexpected visit, but I need your blessing and permission."

"Blessing and permission for what?" Mrs. Park surprisedly inquired.

"Mrs Park I like your daughter, and I want to date her."

"What?" Mrs. Park is utterly horrified. "Durami, what's going on?"

"It’s not about me, Mom. I’ve never met him."

"Mrs Park I like Sandara and want to date her."

"Where is Dara? Why are you alone? Is she afraid to face us?"

"I’m not sure."

"What’s going on, honey?" Mrs. Park asked Admiral.

"Let’s first listen to him, honey."

"Yes, Lt. Kwon, please elaborate on the situation."

"Indeed Admiral. Actually, the first time I saw Sandara was in Seoul, and it was love at first sight for me. Later, we kept running into each other in various locations. Again, again, I met her in Jinhae during the Naval Festival and your farewell party, and I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"Did she say yes?" Durami excitedly questioned me..

"No, she didn’t answer. If I could find her again, she promised she would think about it. I am confident that I will find her. I therefore request your consent before we start dating."

"Lt. Kwon, Sandara has not yet approved your proposal. We are unaware of your background and are unable to respond to you at this time. Looking at your good looks and decent behavior, it seems like you are from a nice family; we will think about it," Mrs. Park assured me.

"Mrs Park, My name is Lt. Kwon. I am undergoing training at the ROK Academy, and both my parents and sister are doctors. Kwon’s Hospital is our hospital."

"Do you mean Kwon Hospital in Seoul?"

"Yes."

"Are your parents aware of Sandara?"

"No, I haven’t told them. I would first locate Sandara, and if she responds positively, which I surely will get from her one day or another, I will then introduce her to my family."

"What if your family wants you to get into an arranged marriage?"

"Oh, that won’t happen. My parents are very aware of the kind of partner I want, and I don’t think they will succeed in finding one."

"Ohh." Mrs. Park looked at Admiral as if asking, What’s going on?"

"It's okay, honey."

"Lt. Kwon I believe you are extremely familiar with the policies and rules of the ROK Academy. It is not permitted to date. You defy me by asking for my approval, though. I can punish you, as you are aware."

"Yes, Admiral, I am aware. I don't want to waste my time. What if you arrange for her to marry someone else before I finish my training? I'm letting you know in advance. I require a shot. After I finish my training and get promoted to captain, I will wait a year before formally proposing to her. I'd appreciate it if you would support me."

I left after speaking with the family, but I was unable to learn anything about Sandara from them. But at least her family didn’t reject me directly. I hope that's a good start."

***

My search for Sandara is continuous; I looked for her in all the nightclubs and pubs. I'm sure she won't go there for fun, but maybe again to break someone's bones. I have kept one of her picture in my wallet, so it's easy to ask around. She is very fashion conscious, so I searched for all the colleges with fashion-related degrees but didn’t find her. Maybe she is in a different field; I looked for her in cafés, restaurants, malls, and parks. I turned the whole city up and down, but she was nowhere to be found.

At home, Mom and Dad keep me perplexed about going on a blind date with the doctor they have selected for me. Now even Noona is trying to convince me to meet that doctor once. I have heard a lot about her. She is beautiful, intelligent, kind, caring, etc. They say she is the perfect daughter-in-law for Kwon’s family. Noona suggested that I visit her casually in the hospital, when she will show me that girl, and if I like her, I can go on the blind date. I told them that I had found a girl for myself, but they didn't believe me. For two years, I was busy with my duties; when did I get the time to find a girl? They think I am bluffing just to avoid a blind date. Right now, I can’t prove it because she is not by my side. So I need to speed up my search.

***

This is the last collage. I’m standing in front of Seoul University. "Sandara, where are you?" I removed her picture from my wallet, so it's easy to ask around. I bribed the university security guy and showed him the picture. He informed