Jjung: Age 21

When I told my parents about my decision to enlist in the army, they were oddly proud of me. I had expected them to object to it but they understood and supported my decision. In the days leading up to my enlistment, I tried to prepare myself as best as I could for grueling 21 months of being away from my loved ones. Even so nothing could compare to the pain I was already suffering from being apart from Ssul the past year. I had asked AJ hyung to check up on Ssul once in awhile not because I wanted to keep an eye on her but because I knew that she was always keeping her problems bottled up and never told anyone when she needed anything. I called her one last time before I left just to hear her voice and to tell her that I loved her.

When it came time to enter the military, all the draftees gathered around the enlistment site with their loved ones, bidding their farewells. I was no different. My parents, hyung and Luna all came to show me their support. I hugged each of them goodbye and I told my parents to take care of themselves. In my last act before entering the military, I took off the key necklace and handed it over to hyung. I made him promise to keep it safe while I was gone and he promised. Then I turned to Luna and told her to take care of hyung instead. He may have been the oldest amongst us but he tended to act before he thought. He too needed someone to look out for him.

The first 5 days were spent in boot camp where we were given our personal items, took a physical and an exam to determine our specializations and finally received basic training. We were then assigned and transferred to our respective bases. From then on, life became a mundane routine. Every day we carried out our given chores and did drills. Once those were done we had our own time to pass, most commonly by playing soccer or reading for some people.

Day after day, week after week, month after month… That was how life was in the military. I had heard stories of how bad it could be depending on the base that you were assigned to. The worst were in the mountainous regions that bordered the north. I was one of the lucky ones; I was situated in a base nearer to the city. Still it was the military and life was harsh, especially for ones like me who had spent their entire lives living in the comfort of the city lights and modern technology. But in a way, thinking about Ssul gave me the strength to persevere and toughen up. I was always so weak, so fragile; I was unbefitting to be the man who could take care of Ssul for the rest of her life. So I pushed on. I kept my head down and did everything I was told to the best of my abilities.

After 100 days in the army, we were given our 100-day furlough. I spent it with my parents of course but I also met up with hyung and Luna. I wanted to call Ssul but then I decided against it. I didn’t think there was much for me to say at that point and I still had a long way to go before I was done with my conscription. Returning back to the base after that first furlough was the roughest but I was determined to get back to business. I only had less than 18 months left… After awhile, even life in the military became the norm. There was a strong sense of camaraderie between all the soldiers as we were all going through the same thing. So many times we were given tasks that seemed absurd but it only made us stronger.

Jjung, Ssul, Luna and AJ: Age 23/24/25

Slowly the months passed by... seasons changed and I changed. I was no longer the pathetic fool who let every little thing get in my way. I was being discharged and I was now ready for anything. All the training and drills made my body tougher but also my mind and my heart. I was no longer a boy.

As I stepped out of the base, I was greeted by the faces that had sent me off 2 years ago. Even though I was able to see them sporadically during my furloughs over the 21 months of my service, it felt absolutely different. It was like a brand new start.

“Thanks for coming out!” I greeted my parents, AJ hyung and Luna.

“Congratulations on completing your service. You did well Jjung!” hyung and Luna said together.

“Jjung-ah, we’re so proud of you,” my father said to me.

“Oh, my baby is finally coming home,” my mother exclaimed. I might have changed but I was still her baby son. I was so happy to be out that I didn’t even care that she was embarrassing me.

I gave and received hugs, and then hyung handed me my most treasured belonging, the key necklace. I put it back where it belonged, beside my heart. I looked at the pendant as I held it in my hand. I wonder how she is and what she’s doing right now…

“Jjung…!” came a familiar voice from behind me. It was a voice I hadn’t heard in almost 2 years but a voice that I remembered so vividly.

I turned around, praying that I wasn’t dreaming. And right there… I saw her standing just about 20 paces from me. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. I must be dreaming… This can’t be true…

She must have read my mind. “It’s really me Jjung… I’m back! I promised I would be back when you got out…”

It was her... It was really her! My heart started racing again. It was a feeling that I had lost when she left for Australia; a feeling that I had thought I would never feel again.

“What are you waiting for? Go get her…” hyung said and then gave me a nudge.

I walked towards her slowly like I was approaching something that might run away with any sudden movement. I stopped in front of her, admiring her stunning beauty. I didn’t think it was possible but she was even more beautiful now than I had remembered. I didn’t dare touch her; worried that she was just an illusion and a single touch would send her back into my imagination. But then, she held out her hands and cupped my face. Her touch sent a jolt of electricity through my body and that was now coursing through my veins. I felt alive again.

“Jjungie, I missed you so much! It’s been too long…” she said softly.

“I’m not dreaming! You’re really back…!” I threw my arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. I didn’t care that everyone was watching, not even my parents. They’ve long known about Ssul and me anyway. Her lips were soft and sweet, and her kiss was tender, just as I had remembered it. Even when our lips parted, I kept her in my embrace. There was no way I was letting go of her now.

“When did you get back?” I asked finally regaining consciousness.

“Just. I literally came here immediately from the airport.”

I was so caught up in the moment that I hadn’t even realized that she had a luggage with her. I was so touched; I smiled from ear to ear.

“I’ve missed your smile so much, my Jjung,” she said as she ran her hand through my short cropped hair. “This feels so surreal,” she continued. “I can’t believe my Jjung is now a man.”

I blushed. I may have been through the harsh military life but her words could still send me back to my boyhood.

“Are you back for good?” I asked.

“My parents are still in Melbourne but yes. I’m back for good. I told them that since I was now done with school, I couldn’t be away from you any longer. They gave me their blessing,” she replied.

I was overjoyed. “Now I’m really never letting you go ever again!”

(One year later…)

Jjung, Ssul, Luna and AJ: Age 24/25/26

“Come on… we’re going to be late!” I called out to Ssul.

“Calm down, we still have 15 minutes before we absolutely have to leave,” she insisted.

“Well I don’t want to be late… They’re waiting for us.”

“Just one little touch up… okay I’m ready… How do I look…?”

“Like the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!”

She gave me a peck on the cheek as a reward.

“Don’t… You’re getting lipstick on me…”

She rubbed my cheek with her thumb. “You’re fine… let’s go…”

When we reached our destination, AJ hyung and Luna were already waiting for us. They were dressed up really nicely; hyung in his best suit and Luna in a lovely day dress.

“What took you guys so long? We need to go in soon… It’s almost time to start,” hyung nagged.

“Congratulations! Sorry, it was my fault… I didn’t think it would take that long for us to get here,” she replied.

“Yeah congratulations! You’re looking sharp hyung! And noona, you look gorgeous,” I told them.

“Tch. Stop trying to butter us up. Go find your seats… we’re going to head in,” Luna said.

I nodded.

Hyung and Luna were graduating today and Ssul and I were invited to attend the ceremony along with their parents. Sometime after I enlisted, Luna had decided to transfer to Sungkyunkwan University because she didn’t have enough time to spend with hyung otherwise. Those two were weaker than I was; they would have never been able to go through what Ssul and I went through. After we found our seats, we looked into the crowd to find hyung and Luna. They were now in their robes and they were sitting separately with in their respective departments. The ceremony was long and boring but when it came time for the roll call, we cheered loudly for them both. I was so proud of them.

After being discharged from the military, I decided to resume college. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy it before, it was just that I didn’t feel motivated at the time but now I was reenergized. I decided that I would work in the field while studying part time in order to catch up with Ssul. Since her parents were still in Australia, she was now alone in Korea. After we had discussed it with my parents, I decided to move out and Ssul and I were now living together. It was a little unconventional for Koreans to live together before getting married but I didn’t think that that was an issue because I was planning on marrying her someday. I was certain of it.

We went home after the ceremony because hyung and Luna wanted to go on a celebratory date. We didn’t want to be in the way so we planned to have dinner with them later that night instead. When we got home, Ssul immediately crashed on the couch and I followed suit. I laid my head on her lap and closed my eyes. We were now settled down and I was so thankful to have her by my side every day. I was so happy, I wanted this to last forever.

“Oppa and Luna unni are so cute together. Now that they’re done with school, how long do you think it will be before they get married?” she asked.

I laughed thinking about what kind of husband hyung would be. Hyung and Luna were equally matched in every way so I imagined that they would never have a dull moment. “I don’t know but it’ll definitely be interesting,” I answered.

I no longer kept my hair long. I had no used for it now that I had all the confidence in the world. However, it didn’t stop Ssul from my hair as I rested on her.

“So we have a few hours to kill… what do you want to do?”

I still had my eyes closed but I raised my eye brow and smirked without saying a word.

“Aish! What are you thinking, you ert!” She smacked me on the head.

“Oww!” I rubbed my head. “I didn’t say anything… I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I chuckled. I loved teasing her like that.

But then I turned serious. “Sulli-ah, wait here for a second okay?” I told her as I bolted up and headed to my room. I rummaged around for something I had hidden from her and then headed back out to the living room.

She gave me a puzzled look as I came out of my bedroom.

I walked towards her. “I wasn’t planning on doing this now but…” and then I got on my knee. “… I just couldn’t wait any longer.”

She gasped.

“Sulli-ah, I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. We’ve know each other for 17 years now. Most couples would be lucky to even be together for that long but for us, this is just the beginning. I may not have known that it was love when we first met but I knew that you were like no girl or even person that I had ever met before. Ever since then, my heart had always been yours even if I didn’t realize it then. I’m only so lucky to have you in my life but to have your love too, I’m the luckiest guy on earth, in the entire universe. I know our journey hasn’t been the easiest but I believe that it only made our relationship stronger. I know that I’ve hurt you so many times before but I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I want you to be happy and I want to be the cause of your happiness. I’m yours forever, if you’ll have me. My Dduling… Will you marry me?”

I opened the little box that I held in my hand and held it out to her. My heart was pounding against my chest in anticipation of her answer.

A single tear rolled down her cheek but she was smiling from ear to ear. “Babo, you already know the answer… why are you still asking…” It was the kind of answer that only she could give.

I took the ring and placed it on her finger. She bent down, threw her arms around me and pressed her lips firmly against mine; giving me a kiss so intense it felt like we were kissing for the first time all over again.

That night, we broke the news to hyung and Luna. They were ecstatic although I saw Luna give hyung a look as if she was asking him where her proposal was.

“Thanks a lot Jjung… You’re making me look bad,” he joked.

“Technically we’ve been together for way longer so it’s only natural…” I joked back.

“What are you two talking about?” Ssul interrupted.

“I was just joking that we’ve been together for way longer than him and noona, so it’s natural that we’re getting married first.”

She laughed. “Yeah well… This could have been you and me, oppa…” she teased.

Hyung shook his head and grinned. “No… impossible. There’s only ever been one person in your heart… You were always my best friend’s girl…”

The End...