Jongin’s eyes went back and forth to the child Naeun. The little girl just called her “Omma”.

“Jongin” Naeun mumbled, the only word she can say with the shock of seeing him there.

“Naeun… is she your—”

“It was nice meeting you here, but we’re in hurry” Naeun said and pulled her daughter’s hand with the milk carton on her other hands and went to the counter. Jongin followed and paid for his food at another counter. He saw than Naeun and her daughter were already done paying and ran to them as soon as his transaction finished.

“Naeun wait” Jongin called

“Jongin I told you we’re in a hurry”

“I’ve read your letters”He said and Naeun is obviously shocked

“I-is that so…”

 “You haven’t answered me yet, is she you daughter?”

 “… Yes, she is my daughter”

“With who?”

“Naeun”

Jongin stopped when he heard someone called Naeun. It was a guy, all neat and handsome walking towards Naeun and her daughter with a smile. Her daughter immediately went to the guy and hugs him before carrying her in his arms.

“Myungsoo oppa” Naeun said

Myungsoo? Jongin thought. Is he her husband? The name sounds familiar, and after a while he finally remembered. He was the guy in Naeun’s letter. He looks like a good man, no doubt that Naeun chose her. Jongin sighed, Naeun had already moved on, maybe she just came back at the hill every summer because of the promise, and maybe she just want to end something that haven’t even begin yet.

“What took you long here?” Myungsoo asked Naeun, she didn’t answer, but just glanced at Jongin. Myungsoo followed her gaze and eyed Jongin before looking back at Naeun

“Is there something wrong?” He asked but Naeun shook her head

“Nothing, let’s go” Naeun said and they walk out of the store. Jongin’s gaze still followed them and saw them leaving in their car.

Jongin’s work continues to busy him for the next weeks, and it didn’t help when she still thinks of Naeun. Fortunately with the help of his colleagues, they were able to present their proposal project. And now that it’s done, he still has a lot to do but he can relax for a bit for now. After grabbing some bubble tea with his officemate Sehun, the guy leave him alone to meet with his girlfriend, so now he’s alone and just decided to sit at the park first before going back to the office.

He browses on his phone for the messages that were sent to him while walking to a bench and sat down on it. After reading the messages on his phone he put it in his pocket and sips on his drink. He looks around the park until noticing a little girl sitting at the other end of the bench where he is at. He looks away only to look back again when he realized that it was Naeun’s daughter.

The girl is just sitting there, also looking around and thinking about something he doesn’t know. He examined the little girl’s face, she has big round eyes and puffy cheeks, and somehow she resembled Naeun. To his surprise the little girl looks at him, he awkwardly smiles at her and wave his hand a little

“H-hello” he said

The little girl stared at him with her round eyes before bowing her head a little

“What’s your name?” He asked but the girl didn’t answered so he asked again “Where’s your omma?” still the girl didn’t answer

“Uhm…”

“Omma said not to talk to strangers” She said innocently

“Oh right” Jongin said, she’s a cute girl and obedient just like her mom “Then, I’ll introduce myself, so I’m not a stranger anymore, is that okay?” he asked with a smile and the girl also smiled and made and OK signe with her small hands

“Hello, my name is Jongin. Kim Jongin”

“Hello ahjussi, my name is Kim Namjoo!” the little girl beamed. Kim, Jongin thought, no doubt her father is Kim Myungsoo

“So uhm where’s your omma?”

“She went to buy take something in the car”

“Oh, how old are you?” he asked

“T-twee” she said and showed her hands, with two fingers raising, looking at her fingers she smiled before raising another  finger and finally show three properly

“Cute” Jongin thought

“I’m thwee years old” she beamed

“Namjoo!”  Both of them look up to the voice and it was Naeun, standing not so far from them, Namjoo immediately ran to her mother.

“Omma”

“Namjoo what have I told you about talking to strangers?”

“I’m sorry… but ahjussi already said his name”

“Naeun-ah” Jongin said when he stand up and went nearer to the two “Is that what you think of me now, a stranger?” he said sadly

Naeun didn’t answer, she saw the sadness in his eyes and she felt guilty also for calling him a stranger. Meanwhile the little Namjoo just look at them with a confused face since she doesn’t understand what they were talking about.

“Naeun-ah… can we talk?”

“… f-fine” Naeun said and nodded slowly. She didn’t know why she agreed, maybe because she misses her bestfriend, despite the fact that he forget about their promise, and maybe because she want to hear his side, his explanation or just a closure. Jongin already read her letters, he already knows about the love that she kept from him.

They went to a nearby restaurant where there is a small space where children can play while the adults eat or do their business. They leave Namjoo to play with the other children and sat on a table not far for them to see Namjoo while they talk.

“So what do you want to talk about?” She asked

“I… I know I shouldn’t interfere with your life now, you already have a family. You have a bright daughter and I think that your husband is good too. To be honest, I have a lot to say to you, I have a lot of questions to ask you that I promised myself to ask once I finally found you. But now that I’ve already found you, I don’t think I have the right to say or ask those, so now, I just want to say sorry. I’m sorry for breaking the promise, I’m sorry for not showing up all these years when you waited for me, but believe me, I really wanted to come back, I really wanted to see you, but I can’t. I’m not smart as you, I’m not a full scholar and still have to pay for my bills. I need to work to help me survive in Seoul”

“I understand that, I know people like us from the countryside will really have a hard time to live in Seoul, but why are looking for me?”

“Last summer I came back to our hometown, and I didn’t see you there, I already asked everyone but they won’t tell me. I know that they know where you are but I don’t understand why they had to keep it from me. Like I said, I have supposedly had many things to say, I look for you because of those”

“Then what are those?”

“I told you, I don’t have the right now to say or even ask”

“Just tell me!”

“I look for you because I thought it’s not too late”

“Too late for what?”

“I thought it’s not yet too late for me and you. Naeun, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for being a coward, I’m sorry being so stupid. Naeun, if you thought that you’re the only one who secretly loves your bestfriend, you’re wrong, because me too. Naeun, I like, no, I love you. I started liking you the time you realized your feelings for me. I have like you since before, but I’m a coward. I’m too afraid of losing my bestfriend for a lover and ended up losing both. I pushed away my feelings for you, and tried to look at other girls, and then Soojung came. I loved her, really… I’m also hurt when she broke up with me. But after sometime, my hidden feelings for you are like eating me up again. Then I have realized that I didn’t really forget my love for you, I just kept it hidden deep inside my heart. I tried again to forget you, but then everywhere I look, it’s you that I see. You’re in my mind every time, in my dreams you’re there”

Naeun’s expression changed, of course she’s surprised to hear all those from Jongin, from her first love. She’s shocked to know that Jongin loves her too.

“And now, when I have finally man up to confess, when I finally muster the courage to say to you that I love you, when I finally promised to do no matter what to find you and get you, I just can’t. Because I’m late. I’m too late” Jongin said and look at Namjoo who is busily playing

Soon enough a tear escaped Naeun’s eye. “why are you saying that now?”

“I’m sorry, you’ve already moved on but now I’m still here telling you those. Don’t worry Naeun, I don’t have any intention to ruin your peaceful life, I know you’re now happy. But, may I ask, why did you still came back last year’s summer? And why didn’t you write anything about it on your letter?”

“I’m sorry if didn’t tell you, I’m sorry if I have to keep it from you, I-“

“After this, I know it won’t be the same anymore, Naeun, can I hold your hand? For the last time?” Jongin said, Naeun’s is already crying, his hand is laid on top of the table, but Naeun didn’t move, she didn’t hold his hand. “Well then, I understand. Don’t cry please, I don’t deserve your tears. …  I think this is it. Goodbye Naeun-ah”

Jongin stand up from his seat and walk out of the restaurant, leaving Naeun, who is still crying. Once he stepped outside the restaurant, his shoulder slumped down, he’s so down at the moment. But then, just like Naeun, he have to move on.

“Jongin!” he stopped on his track as he heard Naeun called, he knows that it was her. Slowly he turned around and as he did, Naeun came running to him and hug him. He was shocked by Naeun’s actions, but after a while, he slowly put his arms around her too. His mind wants to think that there is still hope, but he knows there isn’t. He hugged her tightly, because he knows it’s the last hug they would ever share together.

“I’m sorry” Naeun repeatedly said between her sobs.

“Naeun, please don’t say that and don’t cry”

Naeun broke the hug and look at his eyes directly.  “Jongin, don’t leave”

“huh?”

“Jongin, you’re not too late for my love. Jongin, it’s you and only you until now”

“But how about Namjoo and Myungsoo?”

“We’re not a family. There is friend of mine that I met here in Seoul, she was and got pregnant, and Namjoo is her child. But after a year, she died because of depression. Since then, I took care of Namjoo like my own child. Myungsoo oppa is just a friend who helps me” Naeun said

Just like Jongin, Naeun’s life in Seoul is also hard, she actually had a good reputation at school and is known as the campus sweetheart, she’s kind and also smart, but all changed when Namjoo’s real mom, Kim Sooyeon, died. No one knows that Namjoo is not Naeun’s real daughter, but when they knew about Namjoo’s existence, they labeled her as a for having a child at her young age. Naeun actually wanted to gave up, a dear friend just died and she have to take care of her child and worse she was called names by people who don’t even know the real story. Naeun’s family knows about her taking care of Namjoo and Naeun asked them to keep it as a secret especially to Jongin.  The summer where she didn’t show up is because she’s fixing papers to legalize Namjoo’s adoption.

After telling Jongin her story, she holds his hands tightly

“Jongin, now I’m the one who will ask, will you still accept me? Even if I have a daughter?”

Jongin then kissed the back of her hands before cupping her face “I don’t care if you have a daughter, Naeun I will still love you no matter what…so will it be okay if I’ll be Namjoo’s father?”

“Oh Jongin” Naeun said and hugged him again before they shared a sweet kiss, a kiss that leads to their happy ending, a kiss that is the beginning of the Kim family.

YAY I finally finished this. I said this will be two chaps but then it became four, oh well. Thank you for all those who support this story. ILYSM hihi. Well uhm, the fic contains too much drama so let it end happily, right?. Do you like it?