“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me... every day.”

-Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

Present Day

Adrenaline rush. There’s no other plausible explanation for the driving force behind this marathon they’re in before the crack of dawn. Or maybe there’s something else…Love?  They kept running, with no intention of ever slowing down or giving up. After what seemed like an endless race, they finally reached their destination – the park near the pier. The place that held a lot of significance in their relationship. The place where they said goodbye. The place where they’ll be with each other again.

They stood on opposite ends, as they tried to catch their breaths. None of them took a step forward. Not yet. They looked at each other as tears streamed down their faces. Once again, tears truly are the words their hearts can’t express. They turned towards each other and smiled. He spoke first.

“I found you.”

“You found me.” she responded. After a few seconds of silence, they said the same thing at the same time:

“We finally found each other.”

After they chorused that last statement, the tears came once more and they laughed and cried. Still, no one took a step forward. The last conversation they had echoed in their minds:

“I can’ t..I can’t remember anything about me at all.”

 “I don’t even know what my real name is.”

“I don’t know my birthday.”

“I don’t know what my favorite color was. I don’t know if I had any brother or sister.”

“I don’t know what I took up in college.”

“I don’t even know how I ended up in a foreign country.”

“I couldn’t remember anything at all – my name, my birthday, my favorite color, everything!”

This time, it was her turn to speak first.

“Your favorite color is blue.” Upon saying that, she took the first small step towards him.

“Yours is pink.” He replied as he too, took a baby step.

“You have an older brother and a younger sister. Your hyung’s name is Yunho. Your sister’s name is Junhee.”

“You have an oppa who is 4 years older than you. His name is In Guk.” He answered back.

“You’re in your final year in law school.” she said as she took one more step.

“While you are just one year shy of earning your degree in medicine.” He answered back as he took one more step.

“I don’t know how you ended up here, so I’ll just tell you mine. I’ve been travelling across the world, going to places we listed down on our journal..hoping that somehow..I’d bump into you..” one more step. The distance is closing in.

“It’s funny because that’s the reason I ended up here too. This was the last place left and I was on the verge of giving up…but I’m so glad I didn’t, otherwise, I never would’ve met you.” one more step.

By this time, they were standing face to face. He took her left hand in his and placed it on his chest. She could feel the beat of his heart and it’s crazy how the rhythm of his and her heartbeat are in sync. He held her cheek in the other hand as he sincerely looked into her eyes. The memory of their conversation a day before echoed in their minds.

"I think there’s a possibility…that I…that I’m married…”

“I think…I think I’m married too…”

They smiled as a tear or two rolled down their cheek. How could they have not figured out that they were the person in each other’s flashbacks? How could they have been so stupid not to make the obvious connection? How could they not even recognize their own spouse? Lastly, how could they dismiss the possibility that they were actually married to each other? They mentally scolded themselves once more for being such pabos.

“Your name is Seo Joohyun, and you are my wife.” He said, his voice low, almost a faint whisper. His heart is overflowing with so many emotions. Another tear managed to escape from his eye.

She cupped his cheek with her other hand as she looked at him with all the love, longing, and happiness in her eyes.

“Your name is Jung Yonghwa, and you are my husband.” She replied, her voice almost a whisper, but loud enough for him to hear. Their emotions finally took its toll on them and it wasn’t just a drop, but a fountain of tears as they held each other in the tightest embrace.

They didn’t know how long they stood there as they cried, and to be honest, they didn’t even care if anyone saw them. What matters most is that finally..they are back in each other’s arms. They let go of each other as soon as they have calmed down. They wiped each other’s tears and smiled.

“Jin Yeon Hee?” he asked in a teasing manner. She hit his arm lightly as she replied,

“What about you? Shin Jonghoon? Mwoyah?”

“Yah, you did the same thing! You probably guessed a random name when the doctors started asking you those questions. You must’ve thought the initials on your ring was yours. Aigoo.”

“Huh! And you’re saying that you choosing the name Shin Jonghoon has nothing to do with the fact that it has the same initials as mine? Ah, and what’s with a 28 year old ahjussi claiming to be 25? Tsk.”

“Ahjussi?!! Wae? What about you telling everyone you’re 23 when you’re already 26! Tsk.”

They laughed at their childish conversation. Just a minute ago they were crying, and now they were back to how they used to be. It was at this moment did she notice that he was in his work clothes – the blue coveralls, with its suspenders hanging loosely. His slippers were mismatched. She thought the sight was cute and adorable.

At the same time, he noticed what she wore. He found her spongebob pajama and the fluffy pink bedroom slippers (which she wore the wrong way, the left one in her right foot and vice versa) cute. They were practically checking each other out.

“A mechanic? What happened to the up and coming hotshot lawyer?” she .

“A florist? What happened to the up and coming hotshot doctor?” he back.

They shared another hearty laugh. Once they got over the silliness of their appearance, wardrobe, as well as the thought of how they ended up in their current jobs, the mood shifted once more. He closed in the distance and caressed her face.

“Seo Joohyun…Hy~un…”

“Yo~ng…” she called out his name. Their gazes locked once more and this time, he knew he had to say what is in his heart.

“Seo Joohyun…Joohyun-ah…Hy~un..I guess we don’t have to wonder anymore if we were meant to be or not. Everything that happened to us in the past year can attest to the fact that we are each other’s destiny.

We fell in and out of love, we hurt each other, and then we said goodbye. We wasted so much time trying to figure out what we want, and when we finally did, life got in the way. We travelled across the world just to look for each other, but only when we thought of giving up, that was when we found the one we were looking for. I think fate took our “till death do us part” literally.

We nearly died because of that accident, but God didn’t let that happen because you know why? When he made you and me, he whispered, “meant to be.” Our story just can’t end that way. I now know that somehow, every step I took since the moment I woke up from my coma, was a step closer towards you.

We met, fell in love, and got married in the most unconventional way. We doubted our love because we thought that we just settled with the choices our parents made for us. But how do you explain something like this, Hyun? We got into a car accident, we lost our memories, and yet, even as strangers, we still fell in love with each other. Our mind may have forgotten, but our hearts never did. I don’t want to waste another day to pass by without making you mine again..so..uh..”

He got down on one knee, opened and held up a colorful egg-shaped case which contained a plastic ring. He was clearly embarrassed but she found this gesture very endearing and cute.

“I know this is far from the 2 carat engagement ring I proposed with 10 years ago, but uh…this is the only thing that I can get on such a short notice and probably the only one I could afford with the $1 bill I managed to tuck in my back pocket before I ran out of the house …and I..uh…” he spoke quickly as he tried to explain.

“Oppa. It doesn’t matter. It’s ok. It’s perfect.” She gave him the most beautiful smile. He regained his confidence and continued on with his proposal.

“What I’m trying to say is..there are only 2 times I want to be with you, NOW and FOREVER. So, Seo Joohyun..will you marry me? Again? Right here, right now?” this is the second time he’s proposed and yet the feeling is still the same as if it were the first. She looked at him, tears blurring her vision, as she nodded and said,

“Yes.”

He slipped the ring on her finger, lifted her in his arms, and spun her around in joy. Once she felt her feet touched the ground, she reached up to unclasp her necklace. He too, did the same. They kept the chain in their pockets and held out their wedding rings. The simple gold band, with 3 diamonds placed vertically in the middle as its only design. The 3 stood for I love you. She handed her ring to him, and vice versa.

“I, Jung Yonghwa, take you, Seo Joohyun, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part; hereto I pledge you my faithfulness, all the days of my life.” He could barely make it through his vow without breaking off into tears.

“I, Seo Joohyun, take you, Jung Yonghwa, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part,  hereto I pledge you my faithfulness, all the days of my life.” She recited her vows once more but not without pausing midway to recollect her emotions.

They took a moment to revel in each other’s gaze and presence until they decided that now was the time to renew their vows with the words that came from their hearts. This time, it was her turn to speak first.

“I used to think that when people fell in love, they just landed where they landed, and they had no choice in the matter afterward. And maybe that's true of beginnings, but it's not true of this, now. I fell in love with you. I’ll stay with you because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose you over and over again, and I know you’d choose me too.

I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not, to agree to disagree on goguma cake, and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.

I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I’ll never love you any less than I do, right this second. I love you, Jung Yonghwa, I always have, and I always will.”

He wiped the tears on her eyes. He smiled at her with all the warmth and joy in his eyes as he spoke up once more.

“Ralph Waldo Emerson said that once you made a decision, the universe conspires to make that happen. I made a decision to love and honor you for the rest of my life, and that is why, even with all the obstacles life threw at us that were designed to tear us apart, we only came out stronger.

I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other. I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. I love you, Seo Joohyun, I always have, and I always will.”

The tears continued to flow as he took off the plastic engagement ring and replaced it with the gold wedding band. The ring that contained his initia