Yongguk’s POV

            The clouds were gray and low before the sky grew dark for the night. Looking up, all I saw was pitch black, tall buildings occasionally protruding my view of the plain sky. I couldn’t see any clouds in this darkness, but I knew they were there. They covered the stars from sight and blocked out the moon, leaving only a faint glow. I rested against the railings of the Granville street bridge, staring out into the water. Though the sky was threatening to rain, strangely enough, I felt no wind. The water showed no ripples.

            The wedding was soon. Very soon. That night at the hospital, I’d already made the decision to break off all ties with Jieun and the hotel, yet that thought still haunted me relentlessly. The woman I love would be married to someone else in a few days, and all I could think was that I had no right to love her. I felt disgusted with myself. I’d tricked her into believing I was such an amazing person—genuine and compassionate, she once described—and in the end I was the one who hurt her. The most disturbing part was, a part of me still believed that despite all this, she would still love me.

            “Jieun, how can you be so smart yet be so stupid?” I chuckled quietly to myself at this paradox as cars swooshed by creating a gust of wind that seemed to draw me in that direction. I had hoped for clarity by coming here, but the air was not much fresher than the air in the apartment’s parking lot. It’s just air, what difference does it make here? I should have waited for Jieun to wake up and forced her to hate me before leaving. Maybe that would have been a better idea, but I panicked and fled like a terrified lamb, leaving loose ties tangled everywhere. It was too late to change that.

            I noticed a small flock of ducks treading the water beneath me and leaned over the edge a little more for a closer view. I felt kind of stupid thinking like this, but it was probably easier to be a duck than to have to suffer through these complicated thoughts. I felt a hand suddenly push down on my shoulder, forcing my heels back on the cement.

            “You’re not thinking of trying something funny, are you?” A familiar face asked. My eyes hadn’t adjusted enough to see his face clearly, so I rubbed them for a few seconds with my arm. Funny? Did he think I was going to jump off?

            “I’m not that type of person.” I sighed, turning away from him. I wasn’t sure how he found me here, but when I made the decision to leave everything behind, it included him. If I did want to myself off the bridge, he’d be the last person I’d want to stop me. To be honest, though, I hadn’t thought of it. Suicide was something I struggled with years ago as a teenager, and suicide was what my chronic condition wanted. I usually kept vows when I made them, and I’d vowed never to give my hallucinations what they wanted. It was a stupid motivation to stay alive, but it worked well for a stubborn person like me, especially because Jieun was no longer in the picture.

            “I’m glad…” Daehyun breathed; only then did I notice he was slightly out of breath, trying to hide his panting for air. He clearly ran here.

            “Glad about what?” I asked skeptically. My thoughts initially assumed he would finish his sentence with something more spiteful, like ‘I’m glad you’ve finally made the right decision to leave’ or something snobby like that. What he actually said, though, caught me by surprise.

            “That I finally found you, and that you’re still here, alive and well.”

            “Relatively well, I guess.”

            “On the way here, Junior told me about your deal with him.” My spine froze in disbelief that Junior so easily spilt everything. We swore secrecy, but if he interpreted my note as a suicide letter, secrecy probably no longer mattered. I had a feeling Daehyun hadn’t come here to kick me while I was down, so I opened my ears to listen.

            “So you’re under control now, right?” Daehyun asked, standind next to me, now leaning against the bridge railing with his eyes closed. Did he really trust me this much, after everything I’d done? Had he forgotten the vandalism incident at the hotel? I was certain he did a background check on me and knew about my Schizophrenia since the beginning, yet he was being so nonchalant with me now. What if I’d let my hallucinations get to me? What if Himchan told me to push him, and what if I gave in? I stared at him awestruck, but no feature on his face showed any signs of fear or uncertainty. He wasn’t scared of me; at least not anymore.

            “Yeah, I’m back on the medication.” I couldn’t help but let out a tired yawn. I had to readjust to the medicine again, and it took its tolls on my energy levels. Thinking was a real chore and went against what the medication wanted.

            “What are the chances of your disorder taking over if you’re on medication?” He was asking with an authoritative tone, like a research scientist would to his experiment subjects.

            “Zero.” He opened his eyes and gave me a serious expression.

            “This might sound pathetic, but ever since you left I’ve been thinking of ways to get you to come back to Jieun.” Hearing her name come out of his lips sent chills down my spine like no gust of wind ever did.

            “Impossible…” I mumbled, unwilling to let myself even think about going back on my decision.

            “Just shut up and listen for a little and you’ll know it’s not impossible!” He started off with an angry tone but was able to calm himself again.

            “But the wedding—“

            “Obviously I thought that through, too.” He glared at me after I interrupted him again. I’d seen him serious before, but I’d never been so fazed by it before now. Sighing, I let down my guards to listen without remarks. He spoke with speed but his words were crystal clear as he went through the elaborate plan he’d prepared. At first it sounded completely insane, something only a rebellious teenager would bother trying, and after hearing it full, my thoughts on it hadn’t changed. I didn’t know an esteemed chaebol like Daehyun was capable of thinking up such a crazy scheme.

            “It sounds crazy, but I’m sure it’ll work.”

            “You once said I was crazy, didn’t you? Only someone as crazy as I am could make this work.” I finally applauded. I could faintly remember why I felt so defiant to go back on my decision. Mostly, I just didn’t want to experience the firsthand heartbreak of seeing Jieun lose her hand in marriage to someone she didn’t love romantically, but Daehyun’s obscure plan was the best loophole to do away with those worries.

            “One more thing!” Daehyun remembered just as he was about to leave. He pulled a box out of his jacket pocket and a small, cream colored envelope, placing them both in my hands, and then happily waved goodbye. I looked down, seeing the navy blue box that was again in my possession. It was missing its bow, but it was still in perfect condition. I opened it, surprised to see an old, folded piece of paper covering the golden pocket watch underneath. There was an antique air about the letter, forcing me to believe it hadn’t been written recently by Daehyun. I carefully unfolded it and my eyes read over the handwritten words at first, robotically, and then with more focus.

 A guardian angel is not one who flees at the emergence of their flaws, but one who will stay to with their loved one despite imperfection. If they can protect out of love and not duty, then they are a guardian angel.

            The bottom was signed with Song Jihoon’s signature, a heavy ink blot where his pen dotted the ‘i’. I felt weak to my knees, and even more cowardly for running away like I did. When Song Jihoon asked me to be Jieun’s guardian angel, I had interpreted it completely wrong. The two of us had different definitions of what a guardian angel was, and when I fell short of my own expectations, I panicked and disappeared like a coward. I should have stayed with Jieun, but I was scared she’d hate me after seeing my outburst. Even if she were to reject me afterwards, I should’ve stayed and nobly accepted that punishment. I folded back the letter and slipped it carefully inside the box, closing the lid over top. The envelope was no other than a wedding invitation—something vital for the success of Daehyun’s plan. I pulled out the mini letter decorated with a chiffon ribbon.

“…. Request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children

Song Jieun

&

Jung Daehyun…”

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Jieun’s POV

This was the last night before the big day. I wasn’t feeling nervous butterflies in my stomach like I’d always imagined I would when I was little. Most bride-to-bes seemed to find themselves caught up in some marriage complex, enjoying the spot light and playing princess as they tried on dresses and shoes and had their friends, new and old, flock around them with congratulatory greetings. I was a little disappointed that I’d missed out on those fantasies, which I knew were only once in a lifetime. Somehow the heavens have cursed me. I was content, but I wasn’t happy.

            I sat in my loosely furnished hotel room in Seoul, scribbling on a note pad with my lucky fountain pen.

            “It’s getting late, though you probably don’t need beauty sleep to look amazing tomorrow.” Hyosung said, sitting perpendicular to me on her bed with her legs crossed. She was wearing the fluffy penguin pajama pants I’d gotten for her a few Christmases ago and her hair was done up in a messy bun, the type that would make natural curls in her hair if she left it in long enough. I laughed light heartedly, putting down my pen and crumpling the piece of paper to be thrown out like garbage.

            “You don’t have an insomnia problem, but something is keeping you up. Something tells me it’s not bride-related anxiety, either.” She mused, giving me a full analysis of my behavior over the past few hours. She was dead on. I felt no nervous excitement at the thought of marrying Daehyun tomorrow. Truthfully, my mind was fruitlessly investigating a missing wedding invitation I’d left on my office desk a few days ago—one I’d written for Yongguk, though I had no way of finding him. The envelope was so small I could have easily misplaced it, but misplacing things was unlikely of me. If he had actually received it, perhaps he would show up tomorrow. I felt a little guilty, noticing how my heart would beat a little faster at the thought of seeing Yongguk’s face again. Was I being adulterous and greedy? I knew how unfair I was treating Daehyun but though I can play it off cool on the outside, I couldn’t lie to myself about being a nervous wreck.

            “As usually, Hyosung, you’re right.” I confessed, resting my head against the desktop, my cheeks flat against the surface.

            “You must really be hurting…” Hyosung sighed, her expression was sincerely sad. She was trying to grasp the feeling of having to marry someone while being madly in love with another man, and I’d imagine she’d struggle to. Yes, I’m hurting. I wish it were possible to just rip my heart out and throw it away, but the heart was what made us human.

            “W-wait are those…” Hyosung choked, “Tears?” I quickly sat back up and brushed them away. Why was I crying again? I’d cried enough, already. I’d already cried hard into my pillow, screaming against it with all my might so that no one would hear the torment I felt deep inside. I thought I’d cried my tears dry, yet here they were, trickling down my face again. I couldn’t stop them. Hyosung immediately rushed over to hug me. It felt warm and comforting, yet I had wished it was Yongguk instead. I remembered the affectionate embrace we’d shared the day I came back from Australia in my own office. The nostalgia of that memory made the tears trickle faster.

            “Please stop… your eyes will be puffy tomorrow…” Hyosung’s voice was shaky, as if she was forcing herself to say words she didn’t believe in. Normally when she comforted me, she’d encourage me to cry and let out my anger. She encouraged expression, facing problems head on instead of bottling them up. Tonight however, she was monitoring her advice all for the sake of the wedding. That was the duty assigned to her by my relatives—to make me get enough sleep and to keep me from doing something stupid that would ruin my appearance for tomorrow. It felt ironic that they wanted me to take on the appearance of an angel tomorrow, yet I internally I was tattered in shreds and irreversibly broken. None of them were interested in what was really happening inside me, so long as I looked pretty for the wedding.

            “Hyosung-ah,” I sniffed, letting my tears wet a patch on her shoulder, “I miss Yongguk so much…” She patted my back like a mother would when their baby was crying.

            “I know…”

            “I still love him.”

            “I know…”

A/N: KAY I LIED LOL the NEXT chapter will be the last chapter!! I'm totally not building the suspense on purpose -cough- Are you ready to see Daehyun's genius plan unravel? i'm keeping it a secret so you can watch how it plays out in the end (: I cut out the parent's names in the invitation because I didn't want to think up names to give them... just assume that they're there. I stole the wording from an actual wedding invitation I was given earlier this year :D 

Anyway, since the journey is about to end, thank you readers for all the lovely comments and support I've received ^^ A few of you know that after Wanderlust ends I'm going to be taking a break from fanfics to focus on writing an actual novel. I still have another ongoing fanfic, Countdown to Sunset, which I will begin updating again during my 'break' but I have no plans on starting a brand new fanfic as of now. 

This fic was originally supposed to be a thriller, inspired by the fun I had writing Roses are Red which involved a lot more blood LOL but somehow... Wanderlust turned into more of a romance. I'm kind of surprised, but I'm not unpleased with the results. If you're interested in reading one of my more bone-chilling works, I'd reccommend Roses are Red. It stars Jung Yonghwa and Park Shinhye (: