I know that somehow, every step I took since the moment I could walk was a step towards finding you. - Nicholas Sparks,

FLASHBACK : (Year 1990)

Jiyong’s POV:

I reported ROK early this morning; that’s a complete universe in itself. It was Navy Port Festival time, and I was permitted to go out of the campus, so I decided to take my camera and walk down the street.

The Naval Academy is near a studded bay and is almost completely surrounded by mountains covered with pine trees. Such a romantic place.

As I crossed the street, I noticed the girl I met in Jeju. She was wearing a long white dress. What is she doing here? Unconsciously, I started to follow her. She made her way near the stream, admiring the cherry blossom. She seemed to be in her own world, twirling under the tree when the petal flew down with the breeze. She seemed very different from what I have seen here in Jeju and NB2. Is it really her or her lookalike?

Honestly, the stream is beautiful, but she is more beautiful. I had the urge to click on her photos. I hesitated, but as I saw her in her own thoughts, I didn’t want to lose my chance and started randomly clicking her. But when I noticed her getting distracted by the clicking sound, I made an excuse.

"Hey, weren’t you sleeping with me on the flight?" I said, grinning.

"You were sitting next to me," She replied. "Oh God! Are you following me?"

"No, I am not." I raised my hand in instantaneous response.

"So what are you doing here at the same time in the same place?"

"I am just enjoying the Navy Port Festival."

"Oh really."

"Excuse me, can you please take my picture? There is no one here to take my pictures," I asked her, giving her my camera.

"Sure." She agreed. I quickly started posing.

"Here's your camera." She extended her hand. I can’t believe that she is standing in front of me. I am not dreaming. Is she for real, as in, REAL flesh and blood?

"Thanks," I replied. I tried my luck by touching her finger while taking the camera. I felt the spark in her touch. I smiled at her; my whole world stopped, and I almost forgot to breathe when she smiled at me. I wanted to ask her name, but she sprinted off before I could.

I searched for her nearby, but she had vanished in thin air.

I kept roaming in that area in hope of finding her. She was nowhere to be seen.

Further I was able to find a bunch of tents with the normal Korean festival offerings. I got my lunch at one of the tents. After lunch, I decided to go back to campus.

***

Hi, I am Lieutenant Dong Youngbae; friends call me Taeyang. Your roommate. You must be Lieutenant Kwon Jiyong,"  he said, extending his hand. I gave him a handshake.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I know we are going to have a good bond. So tell me about you."

"I am Lieutenant Dong Youngbae from Uijeongbu; my birthday is May 18th. I am good at physics and Math. I have completed my training under Vice Admiral Wook.

"Lieutenant Kwon Jiyong from Seoul. My parents wanted me to select a medical field, but I had an urge to do something different, something adventurous. I believed in myself. I was interested in serving our country. I like the sea, so I joined the Navy. I have done the naval aviation program at Incheon; I came early in the morning. I kept my luggage in our dorm and decided to take a walk nearby. The place is really amazing."

There were so many blossoms just lining the highway… it was magical and real magic when I saw her walking under the cherry blossom. 

"I came in the afternoon. I was tired, so I took a nap. I am now going out; would you like to join me? From tomorrow, we will be restricted from going out of campus without a valid reason."

"Sure, I will love it. I need to find someone."

"It's your first time coming here, isn't it, so whom do you want to search for?"

"Do you have a girlfriend. “I asked Taeyang with curiosity.

"No." He quickly responded.

"I am in the process of making one. I am searching for someone."

"You must be crazy. It’s Naval Port Festival, many tourists come during this time. How are you going to find her."

"You can call me GD; I have to try my luck, look for a studio to develop photos, I tried to click some of her pictures."

"That was too fast. What's her name?"

"Don't know. Come, let's find her."

"Maybe you will find yourself a girl."

"Let's try to cover the tourist spot first. If she is local, we have more time, but if she is a tourist, we have less time to search for her."

"In the morning I had seen her near the stream, so again she will not be in the same place."

"Let's cover another area."

"Thank you, bro." We high-five each other.

"Let's go to Gyeonghwa rail station first, and then we will go to the park."

***

As planned, we went to the monorail. It's a beautiful place. Take a stroll along the 800-meter-long railway, where rows of cherry trees in bloom stretch endlessly as well. The train runs only during the festival period, and you absolutely should not miss out on the chance to see the train passing by the cherry blossoms in full bloom! But we were unable to see her, and Taeyang kept on pointing out all the beautiful single girls who came across us.

***

Made our way towards the Park. This place is absolutely stunning. The park has plenty of cherry blossom trees that are positioned across the lake. A small forest-like area in the park is also the perfect spot for a date.

Taeyang was busy looking for a single, beautiful girl, and I was looking for my angel. And I spotted her. She was accompanied by a guy. Who was he? I kept observing them. When Taeyang didn't see me following him, he came back and saw me staring at the couple.

"GD, what are you looking at? Don't tell me you have fallen for married women."

"Taeyang, she is not married."

"She has to be taken.."

"I don't think so. Observe their body language. I do have a gut feeling that there is something special about this beauty that I am instantly attracted to, and I can sense that she feels the same way."

“So, what are your plans?”

"Go and ask them the direction for the studio; if they are local, they will reply; otherwise, they will tell us they are tourists."

“OK, sound reasoning.” Taeyang gave me a pat.

"Excuse me, bro, do you know any photo studios nearby?" Jiyong asked Donghae.

She seems to be irritated by my sudden appearance.

While the guy gave us the direction.

"Oppa I will be moving." Did she call him? Oppa. She is not dating him.

"Stop attacking defenceless men. Be a lady for a change." Guy said to her:

"He is not innocent." She yelled back.

Taeyang thanked the guy; he was watching her sadly as she passed by. And then he moved in a different direction, completely ignoring us.

We high-five each other. "Now that we have some information, all the best; she seems to be a local girl, but first find out if she is already taken or not."Taeyang suggested me.

"I don't think he is her boyfriend. Maybe a friend, but not a boyfriend." I said it unsurely.

***

We made the decision to follow her as she strolled around, smiling and talking with everyone she met.

She entered the Titan Eyewear store. She was attempting several frames as we followed her. "Why don't you attempt these cool glares, Taeyang?" I suggested that he keep himself busy so that I could talk to her. "What a coincidence! It's nice to meet you again." I exclaimed in a surprised manner. "Oh, what a coincidence. I believe it to be staking." She replied She was aware that we were tailing her. Smart girl. "No, I'm not going to stake you. It would be wonderful to know your name because we keep running into each other. Starting a discussion without introducing yourself is a little awkward." "Are you mad?" "You call it madness, but I call it love."

She made no comment. "Do you want some glare? Try those with tinted glass; you might not be aware of how simple it is to lapse into the sea of your beautiful eyes. Therefore, it's best to cover it up; I don't want anyone else to trip and fall there."

She twisted her wrist after keeping the frame on the rack. "Will she strike me here in this shop? I have my doubts."

"It's a good thing you brought your friend with you; he can carry you back to the hospital."

"I am aware of your superior combat skills. At NB2, I witnessed you in action. I was merely expressing the facts; don't get upset."

"Your order is ready, Ms. Park." She received her order once the shopkeeper informed her, and she then departed.

The shopkeeper questioned me, "Bro, do you know Ms. Park?"

 "No. I want to know, but I don't."

"Do you recognize her?"

"Let me offer you some friendly advice: if you value your life, stay away from her." Taeyang pulled me out of the store and said, "Ohh." We took a quick look around before following her once more. I noticed she was talking with one of our Naval officers.  "What happened, GD?" Taeyang asked me.

"Taeyang I believe your sister-in-law is a well-known figure's daughter."

"What?"

“She was attacking a man when I first saw her; the COP thanked her; the shopkeeper alerted me; and now you see she is so friendly with a Naval commander.”

 I headed back to our campus, heartbroken. With a big question, "Who are you, Ms. Park?"

***

First day to start our duty as cadet. Had a very hectic day. Hardly got to sleep for 3 hours. Thinking about Ms. Park. Wake up at 4.30hours as we needed to be ready for our daily routine. We receiv