Here's to all the places we went. And all the places we'll go. And here's to me whispering again and again and again and again.

I love you.

3rd February 2024

“Stop it.” A lady in a pastel pink long dress walked towards a man in tuxedo gracefully. Her jet-black wavy hair cascaded down her back as she stood in front of him. Her milky white skin complimented with the dress well, making the man in front of her drew his breadth. The moment she reached him, her hands peeled his hands’ off from his bow tie that he had been caught fumbling. But the moment she turned her back on him, he started freeing himself from it.

“I hate this.” Kai continued to tug at the bowtie that was strangling his neck.

“But you look handsome with it.” His grip at the bowtie loosened immediately at her compliment as he bit his lips shyly. Deep within him, he was still that little boy who would flush whenever the lady he loves praises him. Seizing the chance, Aleyah adjusted them neatly back in place before checking his appearance again. Of course she knew he hated the bowtie that makes him feel suffocated because he dislikes things that makes him uncomfortable. But for today, he had to bear with it. “The most good looking bestman I’ve ever seen.”

His dark brown eyes twinkled as it folded into a beautiful arc, “Really?”

“Really.” The lady nodded her head. With his backcombed hair and tuxedo, he was indeed the most stunning man in the entire world. At least in her world.

“Things I do for Kyungsoo Hyung. Sigh.” Despite his complaints, a warm smile hooked his lips with the mention of his best friend’s name. Today is his wedding and Kai is playing the role of his bestman, accompanying him through the most important moment of his life. He himself was feeling happy too; aside from the uncomfortable suit he has to wear.

“Stop fumbling.” Aleyah hit his hand away before his hands could reach his neck, “One more time I’m going to tie your hands.”

“My girlfriend is so fierce. Boohoo.” Kai pulled the beautiful lady in his arms and cried childishly, the same smile was still hanging on his face. But instead it was one filled with bliss. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her back in his arms like this. At some point, he thought he had lost her forever and he was quite sure he wouldn’t be able to love any other again. But fate had made their paths crossed, bringing him right to her.

He spent a month walking down the memory lane in Europe, reminiscing the times he had with her after his divorce with Solbi. He was upset, devastated and lost then. Feeling sorry over the fact that the 10-year relationship between Solbi and him had to end in such an ugly manner; torn that Aleyah would never come back and he had lost a part of him together with her. And he felt even more miserable when he reached Venice to know that he was a step too late, losing the last chance to find the lady who had disappeared for 2 years without a trace.

From there, he dreaded to return to Seoul where Aleyah and his relationship started to go downhill. So he went on, heading towards Holland, the home of her favourite flowers. Because he knew even without her by him, he would be a step closer her there. But little did he expect to step into a random nameless flower shop along the street of his hotel he was staying at to find the lady he had been yearning to see sitting in there. The way she turned to welcome him was just like the very first time when he stepped into Pollen.

“Sorry to disturb you lovebirds but Kai, its time.” Baekhyun who was wearing a suit, walked towards them as he handed the man a little black box holding Kyungsoo’s wedding rings.

“Stun everyone with your smile alright?” Aleyah adjusted his suit for the last time, “But don’t outshine the groom.”

“About that.. I will have to try.” Kai chuckled before pecking her pink tinted lips and headed towards the main hall.

The lady watched his disappearing backview with the same amount of soft gaze she had earlier. She herself also couldn’t believe that Kai and her came thus far today. Somewhere along the way they fell madly in love, broke up sorrowfully and missed each other passionately despite being apart from one another. But fate was still kind to them, letting them return to one another after the 2-year long torture without the other. It was true that every girl has that one guy she goes back to, heartbreak after heartbreak and nobody knows why, not even her. And she just can’t let go of him. For Aleyah, it was Kai. He was her kryptonite.

She still remember the day he entered the shop, they were like strangers who knew each other very well. They just stood there and stared at one another, as though conveying how much they missed one another through their locked gaze. No words were needed because that moment she was doomed to fall for him harder than before. But they didn’t reunite like those long lost couples in dramas. Instead, Kai walked towards her and purchased a bouquet of flowers as apology before disappearing, leaving her stunned and wondered if she hallucinated his presence.

The next day, he sent the flowers back to the shop via courier, the receiver indicated was none other than her. Subsequently, he visited the shop more and more often. Each time spending a longer time than the previous. They talked and joked like old times when they first knew one another. No skinship but they both could feel the chemistry lingering between them was overflowing and more electrifying than before.

Kai didn’t rush the relationship between them. He courted her slowly and openly, doing things he couldn’t do back then for her. And that included having dinner at a restaurant, covering her with his jacket at the bus-stop when the winter wind was blowing and most importantly, declaring her as his girlfriend in front of people, be it strangers or Exo members. She knew this was his way of apologizing and amending for his mistake 2 years ago, but little did he know that even if he doesn’t do any of those, she would also return to his arms. Not even a sorry was needed because she was a er for his love.

“Oh?” Aleyah snapped out of her thoughts when she felt something tugging her long dress. Looking down, it was Monggu, a toy poodle Kai and her adopted. Surprised to see him here, she looked around the almost deserted wedding hall where the wedding had ended hoping to see Kai sauntering behind the little creature but he was nowhere to be seen. She doesn’t remember bringing him out this morning.

Crouching down, Aleyah his head lovingly, “Why are you here? Who brought you here?”

The puppy snuggled himself into her palms before climbing into her lap and it was then she realized that poor little puppy had something tied onto his tiny body.

“Monggu, please stay still. Let me untie you alright?” She talked to the puppy gently as she pulled the long white string that trailed the path he came from. As she pulled, something sparkly caught her eye as it rolled towards her. It was a ring.

“Aleyah.” Just as she was staring at the ring curiously, the familiar voice rang behind her.

“Kai..” She held the dog in her hand and the ring in another and walked towards him confusedly, “Did you bring Monggu here?”

“Yes I did.” He nodded as he his lips.

“I don’t remember you bringing him out.” She looked at him weirdly, “And this ring?”

“Is for you.” Kai closed up the distance between them and untied the ring from the string before letting Monggu out of her arms. They watched the little puppy ran away happily out of the church and he held her hands in his.

“Aleyah.”

“You know I’ve never doubted that we were soulmates.”

“You’re my soulmate who can make me happy without doing anything. Your presence alone makes me feel so alive and I don’t know how is it even possible but you are the only one who can stop me from making reckless decisions. ”

“I know soulmates is a strong word to use. I mean, we’ve only known each other for 3 years and were separated for 2. The amount of time we’ve been together is so short, but I just want to let you know we still have our whole lives to spend. We have years to be together and learn what soulmates really means, yet I feel like we are already soulmates because our souls are one. Yes soulmates is a strong word to us, but it describes us perfectly you know.”

“Truthfully, I’ve never believed soulmates being my significantly other. But I would like to believe it now. Because of you, I want to believe that soulmates can be my significantly other.”

“So are you willing to spend the rest of the days with me as my soulmate, my best friend, my wife and my future children’s mother?”

Kai held the ring in front of Aleyah whose eyes were already glistening with tears of joy. “Will you marry me Aleyah?”

One of the best feelings in the world is knowing your presence and absence both means something to someone. Especially to the person you loved the most. Because right now, Aleyah knows her purpose for coming to this Earth: To complete Kai’s life.

“Yes I will.”

A wide grin smeared on Kai’s well-chiseled face as cheers could be heard from the doors of the church. Exo members were standing there whistling and cheering while he slipped the ring onto her delicate fingers; including Sehun who was clapping, sending them his most sincere wishing despite the pain in his heart.

As though Kai could read Aleyah’s thoughts, he hugged her tightly and whispered to her,

“You need me to inspire you and remind you how wonderful you are in this life. You need me to kiss you forever.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips to her neck. “You need me to love you eternally.”

“But more than that,” he continued, “I need you. I need you to come home to. I need you to talk to and laugh with.

“I need you to love me back in my life.”

“I will Kai. I definitely will.”

“Nope. It will not be Kai anymore. It’s JongIn.”

*******

My friend and I concluded that, no matter how well I write for Kai's ending, we will still prefer Sehun's.

Many of you guys commented that I didn't really give a closure to Kai's ending but I guess you all know the reason from the behind the scenes already. So hopefully this chapter will be sufficient for AleyahXKai lovers. 

Hope you guys like this surprise! Treat it as an Christmas present from me! Heh.

And hello to the new subscribers! 

Enjoy~