With just a blink, twenty-two years of my life have abruptly passed; that’s what I realize when I hand in my final thesis, marking the end of my undergraduate era. All I had left was graduation within a few weeks and then I’m off to decide my future, which still remains hazy as of this moment. When I came out of hibernation from being sick, I suddenly ended up with an excessive amount of energy that drove me to finish all the work in record speed, certainly with the help of my mom’s and Ji Yong’s constant food drop-bys. I run my fingers against the wall and take a look at this place. The psychology building has been my home for the last four years, and now that I was getting ready to leave, it was a little sad.

“Erika!” a voice calls out from behind me. I turn around to see Jeff walking down the corridor towards me waving frantically and grinning from ear to ear.

“I think this is the most excited I’ve seen you,” I comment. “How do you feel?”

“Old, but happy at the same time, and then I realize I’m just going back to school for post-graduate study in a few months anyway. Though, so will you.”

“Me?” He hands me an envelope with my name printed on the left hand side, and the emblem of Oxford University on the top right.

“It came in yesterday morning through the front desk. Want me to open it, or will you?”

“Jeff, don’t give me false hope. It might be a very polite rejection letter.”

“The thickness of that thing screams ‘Acceptance’ all over Erika. Now, I’m just waiting for you to scream in excitement,” he tells me and starts walking away. As soon as he turns around, I rip that thing open and scream I did; like it was bloody murder. I am going to England. Just as I am about to speed dial Ji Yong to tell him the good news, my fingers stop and I call my mom instead. The future still remains a sore subject for Ji Yong and I.

“Mom, I got accepted,” I say grinning from ear to ear as soon as she picks up the phone.

“I knew you could do it Erika,” she says confidently and then I hear her tell my father who is lingering somewhere in the background. He then murmurs something in return which I can’t make out. “We’re both extremely proud of you. Your father says that we should all have dinner on Friday to celebrate.”

“Don’t we always?”

“With your lovely boyfriend as well Erika.” I can already sense the excitement behind my mom’s voice; a feeling that I wanted to be mutual. My parents have no idea who Ji Yong really is, they aren’t caught up on the pop culture in Korea, and although some names of celebrities may be familiar, G-Dragon wasn’t one that came up on their radar. Even if it did, they wouldn’t be able to put his face to the name. My father isn’t one do draw stereotypes from the younger generation, but if you take away the Ji Yong that I know, and draw a profile based on his life as an artist as portrayed by the media, along with his numerous scandals, it would not end up being someone you would want your daughter to date. If I was my own daughter, I certainly wouldn’t. Feelings remain feelings though, you can’t help who you fall for, but I want to spare my parents the anxiety of the truth and decide to keep his past a secret.

“I’ll tell him, mom. See you then.” I hang up the phone and stuff the letter into my bag before leaving for Ji Yong’s studio. He is in an incredibly happy mood when I arrive, humming to himself in front of his work station while tapping on a keyboard beside him. Inspiration must be coming to him plenty this fine afternoon from the looks of it. You could hardly tell though in this underground studio where the sun didn’t shine and time could practically stand still. I walk over to him and give him a huge hug from behind his chair, just because he looked so adorable and mainly because I felt like it.

“I have a surprise for you,” he tells me. “Because you’ve worked so hard for so long and you deserve it. You want to see it now, or should I save it for dinner?”

“Is that even a question? I want it now.” He chuckles a little before taking out an envelope from underneath the sheets of music on the table. I stare wide-eyed at the e-ticket to Seoul that is enclosed in them. He can’t seriously be taking me there for vacation. What is with today and little drops of happiness in envelopes?

“Come with me.” Then, somehow those three words take me aback and I freak out a little. I double check the ticket.

“Wait, this is a return flight right?” We were both silent for a moment, until he gives me something like a sad smile paired with a sigh.

“Think of it as my graduation present. I’m leaving this Sunday for about a week. I know you haven’t been there since you were little, so I thought it was perfect.”

“You’re absolutely crazy,” I tell him. He shakes his head in disagreement.

“Not crazy. I have to be in Seoul, I want to be with you. Therefore, I will take you to Seoul and everybody’s happy,” he explains as if it was the simplest thing ever. My humble side tells me I should reject when my rich boyfriend offers me an all-expenses paid overseas trip, but his words are ridding me of my modesty. The two of us vacationing in Seoul was too fine a prospect to walk away from. A grin appears on my lips for the umpteenth time today and I nod my head.

“Okay. Take me to Seoul.”

“I knew you couldn’t say no to me.” He swivels his chair around, back to the computer screen and starts humming once again. I scoff a little at his arrogance.

“You have to ask for my parent’s permission though.” Ji Yong stops mid-tune and abruptly turns around to face me once again.

“Do I?” he asks, himself more than me. “I do don’t I?”

“You’re whisking their daughter away to another country. It would be the gentleman-like thing to do.”

“It’s hard being a gentleman.” He sinks back on his seat and holds the bridge of his nose, as if the whole weight of the world was placed upon him. “I can work with moms; it’s your dad I’m worried about.” I laugh and grab his hand to take him out of his seat.

“Come on, it’s a nice day. Let’s go out, have some lunch and then…” I arch my neck up a little and pull him towards me planting my lips on his and opening my mouth to him. The familiar feel and taste of his tongue soon drew me in deeper and he wraps one arm on the small of my back, the other on the back of my head as if unwilling to see it end. When I feel him walk us towards the door and hear the click of the lock, I knew that lunch was cancelled. 

AN: Thanks for being so patient guys, sorry for the wait. Hope you like this chapter!