Okay, so before you begin reading, I just want to say that this was placed in an AU where Chaerin worked in some sort of really successful office business place, and Jiyong worked as a designer for a fashion department-thingy.

 

Please enjoy~!!

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Chaerin gave a smile as she looked around her apartment.

 

It had been a while.

 

But, how long ago?

 

Was it a year ago? A year and a half ago? Two years, maybe?

 

She shook her head, laughing internally at herself. She knew exactly how long ago it had been. She knew it down to the date, day, hour, and second of the event that changed her life.

 

She set down her belongings – her coat that had been draped over her arm, now hung securely near the door, her bag had been set beside her small workspace desk in the bedroom.

 

She changed out of her formal uniform, worn mainly for the work office, into more comfortable clothing. She went through his part of the closest, fishing out one of his flannel pants – the ones that had drawstrings that she loved to play with – and one of his worn cotton shirts – too big for her, but that was just the way she liked them. It still smells like him, she thought to herself. Of his natural, relaxing scent. She thought over this briefly, sitting on the bed.

 

The bed that was made for two people to sleep in, together. Where they would rest in each other’s arms, also just how Chaerin liked it.

 

She slipped her feet into fluffy bunny slippers and made for the kitchen.

 

It was 4:30 p.m.

 

He’d usually have been home by 7:00 p.m – Kwon Jiyong. And when he’d be home, they’d have dinner.

 

Chaerin knew that Jiyong loved beef stew, and that took about 2 hours to make. So she set to it. And when she saw done, she left the meal to sit on the stove, heated lowly so it would still stay nice and warm, while she treated herself to a warm bubble bath.

 

She dried off and put her home clothes back on.

 

6:55 p.m. – almost 7:00 p.m.

 

She shuffled back to the kitchen, getting on her tiptoes to reach the dishes placed ridiculously high, in her opinion. She filled a bowl full of the steaming soup and prayed briefly.

 

7:03 p.m.

 

He’d usually be home already.

 

But he wasn’t.

 

He was late.

 

He had been late for the past two years, five months, and three weeks.

 

He had been shot dead in a surprise shooting two years, five months, and three weeks ago. In Seoul, South Korea. Readying to go home at the Mill Studio in Lotte World.

 

And everyday, for the past two years, five months, and three weeks, Chaerin had been hoping against hope itself that her deceased love was actually alive and well and she was just living an awful nightmare that was taking too long for her to just wake up.

 

And everyday, for the past two years, five months, and three weeks, she had been disappointed. Every night she had gone to bed with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes. Every morning she had woken up to an empty bed and the bitter realization that she was still in her nightmare – that she was living her nightmare. And every little thing she did hurt a little more just by knowing that Jiyong wasn’t there.

 

Knowing that Jiyong wasn’t going to greet her with good morning kisses. Knowing that Jiyong wasn’t going to leave her cheesy little love notes on her stuff or text her during work. Knowing that Jiyong wasn’t going to give her back-hugs while she was cooking or reading or just not paying attention to him – which always made him mildly jealous and clingy. Knowing that she wouldn’t be going to sleep in his arms. That their movie nights and little romantic dates and cuddles and kisses and whispers of ‘I love you’ weren’t going to happen and were over.

 

The tears flowed freely down her face, dripping into the bowl underneath her. She pushed it away – she wasn’t hungry anymore.

 

Through bleary eyes, she glanced up.

 

Chaerin gave a smile as she looked around her apartment. A bitter, sorrowful smile that just brought more tears that she couldn’t blink away.

 

Jiyong’s things were still there. His bookshelf that held all his magazines and novels and a few dictionaries. His jacket was ever still hanging on the coat rack. His towel and toiletries still around the bathroom. His booklight still sitting on his bedside table, designs still pinned onto his little board and his binders still open and displaying messily done sketches, just the way they had been left. A few notebooks that had been scrawled on, sloppily written lyrics and verses for songs Jiyong often thought up but never tried to produce.

 

In the kitchen were a few of his favorite recipes. On the walls were the odd, but lightening pictures he hung to cheer them up if they were ever sad; rare but beautiful moments of them caught off guard on camera, small but meaningful things, and Jiyong’s personal favorite was the framed picture of the kitten hanging from a branch with the caption ‘Hang in there!’

 

Maybe he left that there on purpose. In case she had passed on early or he did, so that the other could just look at the wall collage of memories and just hang in there when everything felt like too much.

 

Chaerin was having one of those times.

 

She tried to stay brave and strong, but now all the pent-up emotions had her choking on tears and stuttering her breaths.

 

She missed him, with all her heart and soul she missed him.

 

She had lived a pampered life for as long as she could remember, being born into a rich and successful. She could have everything she ever wanted at the touch of her fingertips. And she continued on with such a lifestyle after marrying Jiyong. Both were successful with careers that brought in large sums of pay.

 

But she would give it all up to have Jiyong back with her. All the money and fashion and jewelry and clothes meant nothing to her if she couldn’t be with the love of her life.

 

She managed to stagger into the bedroom, collapsing and curling up on the mattress. The mattress that was for two people. It felt more lonely and cold than ever. She huddled up in the thick duvet, but its provided heat felt meaningless when she knew what the warmth being held and loved felt like, though it was gone now.

 

She sobbed, chest heaving and body shaking. Chaerin hugged herself, arms tight around her torso, as she felt the now intensified brush of the shirt against her skin. She imagined it was Jiyong, with his arms wrapped around her securely. She burrowed her head into the too-large clothing, taking in his scent once more. She remembered the sweet little nothings he’d whisper into her ear at night, promises and ‘thank yous’ and gentle declarations of undying love that she could never get enough of.

 

“Kwon Jiyong, I love you…” she managed between gasps and hiccups.

 

And she wished she had listened to Jiyong more before.

 

“Yeobo, Playful Kiss is starting,” Chaerin stated.

 

Jiyong gave a simple hum as a response, eyes glued onto his laptop screen.

 

“Don’t you want to watch?”

 

He hummed again.

 

Chaerin hit him playfully, before taking  more careful look at the page on his computer. “Hmm? Whatcha’ reading?”

 

Jiyong perked up. “It’s a website offering plane tickets to California and Tibet.”

 

“What for?” She snuggled closer.

 

“So we could, I dunno, bungee jump of that San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge or maybe climb Mount Everest.”

 

Chaerin shot up. “What?! No way!”

 

“But Hunchae, YOLO,” he whined.

 

Chaerin scoffed in response.

 

“You only live once. Let’s live and love and experience life like it’s our last day. You never know which day will be.”

 

Chaerin pouted. “Don’t talk like that. As far as I’m concerned, we won’t be doing any of that crazy stuff anytime soon. But…later…maybe we will…”

 

Jiyong set the laptop down on the coffee table and attacked his wife with a barrage of hugs and kisses. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

 

Chaerin pecked him on his nose. “You’re welcome.”

---

She wished she had lived out all his dreams with him when they still had the chance.

 

She wished she could have expressed her love as often as she felt it, as often as her heart fluttered and she got butterflies and her face got all warm and her smile couldn’t go away. She wished she had taken every available moment to be with Jiyong.

 

The pain she had been feeling for almost two and half years was almost unbearable, but she didn’t regret it. She didn’t regret the love and security and the happiest moments of her life that she’d got from Jiyong. She didn’t regret choosing Jiyong over the world. And she was glad she wasn’t the one who passed first. Because she couldn’t imagine having to put Jiyong through the same torture.

 

Time would pass. She would have to learn to let go and move on. She would have to stop looking behind and keep her attention forward.

 

But she had to wait for happiness. Wait for her heart to heal.

 

But the ache in her heart could only be soothed by Kwon Jiyong.

 

“I love you more~!”

 

“Well, I love you the most~!”

Okay, that was my second SkyDragon fic.

 

In my opinion, it seemed kind of weak and lacking. Well, what do I know?

 

Again, I don’t know how the dynamics of this couple work, so please forgive any terribly OOC actions.

 

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it and please comment and subscribe. Thank you~!!