Dear Jimin,

I understand we have gotten into a few troubles lately and now you’re back in Seoul while I’m stuck in Los Angeles waiting for you to come back. I’m visiting the giant oak tree we both used to visit when we were still awkward teenagers, hoping to not mess up on our words and our actions so we could impress each other. Do you still remember that tree?

That tree, which we both nicknamed ‘HaMin’, has been significant in every point of our lives, even now. It was where be both met each other when we finished high school and I was surprised that someone else had skipped all the congratulatory dinners and pictures so they could be alone. I guess that’s what irked me about you. You were sitting there, your eyes closed and earphones budded into your ears. You seemed so delicate then and I gathered up my confidence to sit beside you, remaining an obvious gap for courtesy of course.

When you woke up and noticed me, who at that current time was reading cute romantic texts from the internet, you smiled. You never told me why you smiled, but I smiled back and that’s how our relationship began. Whenever we met up together during the summer, we would always meet at that tree. One night we even camped there, watching the stars, and that’s when I confessed to you.

I began quietly at first. I talked about how I was impressed by your musical talents and I was attracted to your contagious, high-pitched laugh. You laughed then too. I still remember that sound ringing in my ears causing me to laugh back. You loosened up the atmosphere and that’s when I said those words.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

You turned to me then and we stared at each other. That’s all we did. The music from the nearby casinos was like the BGM of our own drama complemented by only the sounds from our breaths. After a few minutes of lying down like this, you said