"So, you got any special plans for tonight?" your friend asked you as your work shift ended.
"What do you mean?" you asked.
"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? For Valentine's, silly!" she answered.
"Oh. I don't know, I was thinking of spending the night in and watching a movie," you responded.
It had been a long day at work, so you had completely forgotten it was Valentine's Day.
"What?!" she asked in disbelief, "Aren't you going to spend time with Sunggyu?"
You dismissed yourself and waved goodbye as you headed out the door, leaving your friend speechless.

What does it matter to her, anyway? You thought bitterly. Whether you went on a date with Sunggyu or not was none of her business. Besides, you had only recently been going out with him, and four months wasn't a very long time. You tried to push the idea of celebrating Valentine's Day with Sunggyu out of your mind, not wanting to get your hopes up. Sunggyu was not a very affectionate guy, and that had never bothered you before. ... So why now? Had Sunggyu even thought about Valentine's Day?

You were heading toward home as usual, but froze as you noticed the person standing a few feet away from you.
"Annyeong," Sunggyu greeted coolly, hands in his pockets.
"Sunggyu, I..." you nervously smoothed down your hair, "I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd walk you home," he answered, "It isn't safe for you to be out this late at night."
"Oh," you blushed, "well, thank you." A smile crept upon his face, and he shyly looked away.
As the two of you walked, he placed a hand at the small of your back.
How unusual, you thought. Maybe he did remember it was Valentine's Day?
"How was work?" he asked.
"It was fine," you answered, unsure of how to elaborate.
The two of you walked in silence for a while, neither of you knowing what to say. Ocassionally, you'd catch him looking at you, but whenever you did, he'd avert his eyes instantly. Something about him tonight was... Cute.

Finally, you had reached home. The two of you stood outside the door, facing each other.
"Thank you for walking me home, Sunggyu," you said with a bow. You wished he would surprise you like this more often, but decided not to mention it.
"No problem," he answered. The two of you looked at each other awkwardly, and you smiled.
"Well, I guess I should head inside now," you said, as you took out your house keys.
"Wait," said Sunggyu, and you hesitated. "Hold out your arm."
You gave him a dubious look, but held out your arm, wondering what he could want with it. He pulled out a chain from his coat pocket, and delicately placed it around your wrist. You gazed at the bracelet.
"Wow, Sunggyu, it's beautiful!" You said as you brought your wrist closer for inspection. Each link had tiny engravings of hearts and charms with your favorite color. "Thank you so much! I really love it." You beamed at him, and he began to blush.
"I hoped you would," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, jagiya."

At this, you gave him a big hug, which surprised him. He returned it, holding you gently.
"Jagiya?" he whispered.
"Yes, Sunggyu?"
"I'm sorry I'm not very affectionate. It must be difficult for you to be with someone like me," Sunggyu began. You blinked, and quickly let go of him. He looked into your eyes, and held your hands, moving closer. "But I want you to know that these past few months have been really nice together. You're one of the few people who can make me feel really happy. Every day is brighter with you in it."
"Sunggyu-ah..."
"What I'm trying to say, is... I want to become more affectionate with you, so I can make you happy, too. I want to make you happy, because I... well, because I love you." He looked at you with such concern, that you couldn't help yourself as you broke into tears.

All of the doubt you had about Sunggyu's feelings for you washed away, and you finally felt like the wall was torn down. Who cares about fancy dates and dinners? You weren't expecting this Valentine's Day to be like a fairytale, but what you had was even greater. Just knowing that Sunggyu loved you was all it took to make your life so much better.
"Sunggyu, I... I love you too, Sunggyu," more tears fell from your face as Sunggyu pulled you close.
He kissed you softly and unexpectedly, leaving you breathless, and wrapped his arms around you tight.

It felt like time had stopped during that warm embrace, as neither of you wanted to let go.