It was boiling outside and Yunho hates to be anywhere but inside on such days. It was not a possibility today, however. He has already overstayed his visit at his friend's house a couple of hours away from home and his wife whom he'd left back home was surely not going to be amused. He knew he is in trouble so he really couldn't have stayed back a minute more and thus, begins making his way back home. He walks to the bus depot and gets onto one of the express buses, not minding he'd have to pay double the normal fare for he wants to see his wife as soon as possible. And grovel, he winces. There are only about ten other passengers aboard so he slowly makes his way towards the back, seating himself two rows behind a couple. He places his bag under his seat and then proceeds to carefully place the balloons, bought at a gift shop on the way to the depot, next to him. A few more people get on and it isn't long before the bus' engine roars to life and the vehicle makes its way towards the highway.

He takes out the 'I Am Sorry' card from his bag and begins filling it with sweet messages, lots of emoticons - mostly serving the purpose to flatter the recepient. He smils as he draws an image of a couple happily in love, the soft bickering of the couple ahead of him serving as music to his ears. He finishes by drawing two small hearts inside a big one and then places the card next to the balloons. One quick glance at his watch tells him there was still a while to go. He contentedly gazes out of the window, mind empty of any thoughts. He would have continued to do so if it wasn't for the couple seated ahead of him now going back and forth at each other, unmindful of their surroundings. Yunho could tune them out, he knows, but the subject of their argument only amuses him so he listens.

"Min-ah, come on, take a look at this."

"Okay, fine, show me."

"This right here is going to be our bedroom with an attached bathroom and this will be the guest room."

"No, I already told you there will be no guest room. This is going to be my library."

"You don't need a library."

"You don't need a guest room. Even if we have a guest visiting us once or twice a year, there is no need to keep a room exclusively for them. It's too much hassle. Change the bedsheets every week, replace the pillow cases, keep the place clean - "

"Right. And how does it make sense to go to the library if a newspaper has to be read. Why is a library needed to read a book? Can't you read the book in the living room?"

"Yoona!"

"And.. and when my mom visits us, where is she going to stay? You promised she'd live with us for at least two months a year. Will she sleep on the sofa?"

"When your mom comes, I'll sleep on the sofa. You can sleep with her in the bedroom, okay?"

"For that long? Great. We haven't even been married for two weeks yet and you are telling me you have no problem sleeping on the sofa for not just one or two days.. but two months! Great. FINE. Do whatever you please."

Yunho watches as the now very angry and upset woman gets up from her seat and move towards the back of the bus and sits down on the empty seat across from his own. She gives him an apologetic smile as she sits down and he nods his head in understanding. She takes a look at the balloons next to him and asks -

"Is it someone's birthday?"

Yunho shakes his head, no.

"Taking it for the kids?"

Another shake but this time, he smiles.

"They are for my wife."

Finding the gesture very sweet, she smiles too. "She likes balloons?"

"He. He loves them. I am taking these to appease him."

Yoona lets out a laugh as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ears. "Is he upset with you?"

"Yes. He gets upset over small things. It's very easy for him to appease me if I get angry. He bakes me my favorite cake and places a 'I Am Sorry' card next to it. I have to go buy him balloons and that too, eleven. With a card, of course."

"But these seem to be more than that."

"I always buy a few extra in case a few pop on the way. One time, I was one short so he made me go back and buy it with yet another card."

"What did you two fight about? I mean, if it isn't too private--" Yoona ends, unsure of how far she was allowed to ask.

"It's nothing private. Trivial things, like I said, just as yours with your husband over the rooms." Yunho answers with another smile, his tone light and clear of any taunt. "Things happen. It's been happening with us for 33 years. Once we fought over the color of door knobs. He didn't talk to me for two days after that. We had just married too."

"Then what happened?!"

"I had to go buy him balloons, of course."

Mouth opening to form a big O with eyes going wide, Yoona asked - "You've been buying him balloons for that long?"

"From even before that when we were in college, actually. We had decided back then that this is how we'd make up with each other. We never had any serious issues, thank god, but if I was to be honest, we must have spent at least a total of six to seven years just fighting."

If one looked close enough, Yunho's eyes held a brief glimpse of guilt for having wasted so much precious time, but Yoona doesn't notice and both of them fall into a brief yet comfortable silence as the bus merges onto another highway.

Yoona has barely known him for an hour or so and she can already feel the amount of love that the man next to her feels for his wife. She doesn't even have to meet the other man to know the love was mutual and she feels a soft pang of regret tug at her heart. Would she also love her husband like that for many years to come? Would Changmin also try his best to appease her in the times she got upset with him? Would they be also sharing their stories like this someday? She could only wonder. And hope.

Yunho breaks the silence that had enveloped between them and his next few words has Yoona promising herself that no matter what happens, she will always do her best in her marriage.

"I still make mistakes. Nowadays, he doesn't say a word. Only I keep giving balloons as to not upset him further. We have wasted too much time and it wasn't until much later that we both realised that life isn't as long as we take it to be. Now look at you two. You've both spent the past two hours being angry with each other." A pause. "If you like, I can share one balloon with you. Just one, to make him happy", he offers as he points to her husband who is sitting still as a statue ahead of them.

A new sense of determination takes over Yoona. "As soon as we get home, I'll make him his favorite sweet dish or buy him a book of his favorite author. He will be delighted."

Proud of the young girl, Yunho nods his head and mouths 'All the best' just as the bus reaches his destination and comes to a halt less than a minute later. "Are you getting off here too?", he asks as he rises from his seat to get his bag out from underneath while trying not to pop the balloons in his other hand.

"No, we still have another hour of journey left."

"Okay." He lightly ruffles her hair in silent blessing and gets off from the bus but turns back one time to wave at her.

Yoona waves back and sees the man walking away, his balloons in tow. She turns her head away from the window and that's when she notices the forgotten card. She quickly reaches for it and lets out a hushed curse. Without thinking any further, Yoona gets up from seat and asks the driver how long they have before the bus moves again. She is relieved to hear she has five minutes to try and get the card to the man and hastily gets off from the bus as well. Changmin panics a little when he sees his wife descend the bus without any sort of explanation and he too, gets off to follow his wife.

Yoona runs in the direction she saw the older man going, unaware of her husband's distressed and worried calls of her name, trying to get her to stop.

It's a small town so there isn't really anything around but she doesn't give up and runs even faster. She thinks she must have taken a wrong turn or something when she reaches the end of the road and still doesn't see the older man. Where could he have gone? Slowing down, she tries to catch up on her breath and looks around her surroundings. All she sees is lots and lots of trees and what seems like a park on the far left side. Just when she reaches the conclusion that she definitely took a wrong turn somewhere and begins to turn around, she catches a glimpse of something red on the far left. The balloons. Adrenaline rushes through her veins as she begins running once more, knowing she doesn't have much time left before she has to get back. She enters what she had made out to be a park from far away and was surprised to see that it wasn't. Before she can think of it any further, she locates the red balloons and sees the man sitting down next to a grave.

Her breath hitches because she realizes that isn't a park, but a cemetery. She can hear the man talking and she makes her way closer to him, his back facing her.

"I got the kitchen window fixed. The one that broke before you left, remember? That one. Sorry it took me two years to get it done. Sorry."

Yoona can't breathe anymore as she continues to hear the man talking to his dead wife. She wants to move, to leave and give them privacy but her feet refuse to listen to her so she just stands there, still as a statue.

"Yoochun came by the day before yesterday and planted flowers around the house. Marigold and Cosmos, just the way you like. He said he'd keep coming back to water them because you know, I can't do that stuff. Oh look, I got your balloons - all eleven of them. Card, I forgot the card in the bus. Sorry. I'll get two for you tomorrow, okay? Sorry."

Changmin quietly comes up behind his wife and wraps an arm around her when he sees a tear slip from her eye. He doesn't know what's going on and he wants to ask but then Yoona turns around and embraces him and he decides he can find out later. He slips his hand around her waist and kisses her forehead lightly. A silent apology. Yoona pulls back and smiles at him. She turns around to leave the card on a nearby stone and begins making her way back with her husband to the bus, leaning against him.

Yunho doesn't know she had followed him and he continues to talk to his wife, his Jaejoong. Filling him on all the details of his visit to his friend's house and how he was really sorry he was a day late in coming back. He would've gotten back earlier if it wasn't for Junsu's granddaughter asking him to not leave so soon and he loves kids and Jaejoong knows he can do anything to see them happy. He promises he will try his best in not making any more mistakes for they have already spent so much time just making up with each other.

After all, life is, indeed, too short.

A/N: I know the end was very rushed but my muse left me somewhere in the middle while I was writing this and deciding not to give up, I brought it to an end. Please do tell me how it was and if any of you expected the end. I'd love to hear your thoughts :)