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The wind breeze was cold against her flushed cheeks as she closed her eyes, enjoying the subtle warmth of the campfire in front of her. She chugged down the remaining of her second can of the beer Ikjun had brought for them tonight. It was especially during moments like this she felt her life had truly been fulfilled.
Chae Songhwa opened her eyes again to see the love of her life walking towards her. He offered her his dashing smile, as he plopped down on the chair to her right. She smiled back, feeling even warmer from the love radiating through her chest.
“You’re not cold?” The man asked, grabbing her free right hand to check whether her fingers were as cold as the wind. “Want me to grab some hand warmers?”
She shook her head softly. When some of her hair got on her face, Ikjun helped tuck them back behind her ears. “I’ll just get warm using your hand,” she answered.
Lee Ikjun gasped. “Chae Songhwa gyosunim . Who taught you how to flirt?”
She snickered. “I think it was the professor of love and relationships from Yulje Hospital. You know, people around me say he used to play cupid and has helped with other people’s relationship problems. He happened to be right next to me, right now.”
Songhwa felt his left hand wrapped tighter around her tiny one. She squeezed back, returning her attention to the fire in front of her.
It was just a random Saturday night in fall.
She just finished her night shift at 6 this morning when Ikjun picked her up with her car (he went home using her car the night before) at the hospital lobby. He bought all of their camping equipment, ready to take her to her favorite camping spot. Her tiredness was immediately gone when he called and asked her to meet at the lobby. It just felt like she fell more and more in love with him every single day.
After arriving at the camping site, Ikjun set up the tent first thing, so that Songhwa can take her needed naps while he settled the other equipment to get them ready for lunch. Ramen was of course on the menu, but he also brought sliced beef and kimchi for her to grill on her stone pan. They spent two hours eating lunch (mainly because they debated for a while about grilling the meat or boiling them directly in the ramen soup).
Ikjun took Songhwa for a walk in the afternoon. The camping site was full of other campers, but the view was still beautiful to look at. They visited a stream, where Ikjun’s pants got so wet after he tried to dip his feet in the water, making them go back to their tent for him to get changed.
When they went for their second walk after, they met an old couple who gave them a bunch of apples and shared stories of how they met. Ikjun, being the butterfly that he was, got the couple to promise a visit at Yulje for a free liver check-up. ‘Make sure to ask for Prof. Lee Ikjun, okay?’ he had said to the couple.
They spent more time walking around the campsite hand-in-hand, just enjoying the environment and each other’s presence before the sunset.
For dinner, Ikjun surprised Songhwa with more beef to grill. This time, Ikjun pulled out some sirloin steaks. While Ikjun cooked, Songhwa told him all about her new residents’ antics, the progress of her paper with Seonbin, and her encounter with their mutual university friend during her night shift in the ER. In return, the HPB professor also told her about his schedule for the next week where he had three liver transplants scheduled with one of them being a VIP case.
And it just felt like home. For both of them.
After dinner, Ikjun opened the cans of beer and Songhwa helped make the fire that was burning in front of them, leading to the moment where they were now holding hands while watching the fire danced in front of their eyes.
“The guys were wondering when we should have our band rehearsal next week,” Ikjun said suddenly, making Songhwa come back to her reality. He sipped his own beer before continuing. “I checked all of our schedules and we are all free on Wednesday night.”
Songhwa nodded. “ Arasseo . Who’s choosing the song next week?”
“It’s my turn to choose, but I’d really love your input, Chae Songhwa- ssi .”
“ Aigoo , Lee Ikjun- ssi . Of course, let’s hear your ideas.”
Ikjun shifted in his seat to look straight at the woman in front of him. “Cho Junghyun.”
As soon as Ikjun said the name, she immediately knew. She squinted her eyes at him, as if asking him whether the song was exactly what she had in mind. “Sad Sea?” Ikjun nodded, confirming her thoughts. “Is there any reason why you want us to play Sad Sea?”
The man in his oversized green puffer jacket leaned back in his seat, a soft smile on his face.
Before Ikjun could say anything, Songhwa asked him another question. “Are we going to make a rock version of Sad Sea like we did Canon?”
Ikjun hummed, clearly liking the idea. “Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Songhwa laughed as she playfully hit his arm. “ Yah . It took me 5 months to learn the rock version of Canon. Have you forgotten all the times we spent together for me not to ruin the whole song with my novice ability?”
As soon as she asked that, she could feel Ikjun’s pair of eyes lingering on her face. She looked at him back, surprised at how he gazed at her. It was almost as though his eyes were trying to tell her all about longing, desire, and gratitude. She couldn’t really understand what he was trying to convey.
“What’s wrong?” She decided to ask.
“Of course I remember,” Ikjun said, his voice low, she could barely hear him. “If only you know all of the things I remember about you, Chae Songhwa.”
Songhwa didn’t know how to react. She just offered him her smile, tried to sip on her empty beer can, and gazed back to the fire.
It’s been almost four years since they started dating. Although they were now comfortable to hold hands, give each other pecks whenever they wanted, and do what other couples do, it still felt a lot more intimate when they were talking about their past. Especially for Songhwa. And Ikjun knew. He could practically read her like a book.
“I remember your glasses and your favorite sweater you chose to wear every Wednesday,” Ikjun continued, his eyes still lingering on her. Songhwa genuinely smiled hearing him mentioning her sweater. “I remember you always smelled like strawberry. And how you managed to smell good after a long day hanging out with us stinky boys, I still have no idea.”
Songhwa chuckled, recalling herself being bothered by the amount of testosterone surrounding her sometimes during university days. “Remember when I gave all of you soaps and body sprays for Christmas?”
Now it’s Ikjun’s turn to laugh. He sipped from his can before adding, “I think it was the first time for two whole weeks we smelled pretty decent.”
A comfortable silence fell upon them after that. Both Ikjun and Songhwa sat back and enjoyed the warmth from the fire until Ikjun spoke up again.
“So, what do you think about my song choice?”
Songhwa nodded slowly. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, Cho Junghyun- ssi .” She gave Ikjun a smile before hesitating to say her next words. “Though, in all honesty… I actually… sort of… have a… not so happy memory about it.”
Ikjun raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
She looked at Ikjun, weighing whether or not she should tell him about her past. Theirs , to be exact. Ikjun was her best friend. He knew everything about her and her family and everything else in between. She was sure that there was nothing Lee Ikjun hadn’t known about her, except the part where she had a bad case of unrequited love towards him when they were younger. Of course, it was nothing to be embarrassed about. The past was all in the past. It had happened, and they could do absolutely nothing to change it. Still, she was unsure whether it was a great idea to tell him about it now.
“Hmm.” Songhwa took a deep breath. She leaned back into the right side of her seat. “Remember that time on your birthday when you played Sad Sea on your guitar?”
Ikjun nodded, although she didn’t see him. She was looking at the fire, trying to find comfort in the color yellow and red which were dancing beautifully upward. Once she counted that there were three sparks from the fire she continued.
“I was… asking you out for a meal. Do you remember?”
“I do, actually,” Ikjun said, still as softly as his voice would be, finally figuring out where this was going.
When Songhwa asked him twenty-something years ago to go out for dinner for his birthday, his heart and his brain had the most intense fight of his life. Just a couple of weeks before that, he was the one who asked her for a meal together and yet his other best friend confessed that he was rejected by her on the very same day. As much as he would pursue Songhwa, he thought that the friendship the three of them had was much more important to protect.
After that, he decided to let his heart move on from her. And when she had asked him to go to dinner together, his heart was screaming in agony. He broke his own heart by saying no. But he never knew that his heart wasn’t the only one breaking that night.
Although Ikjun knew where the conversation was going, he still let Songhwa take her time to reveal what was in her heart. This was the least he could do, after all.
“Well… I was really heartbroken when you rejected me before I could even confess,” Songhwa admitted straight to the point, verifying Ikjun’s suspicion. “I thought it was such a cruel faith that you rejected me before I could even tell you how I feel. I planned on telling you that I liked you that night.”
Ikjun took Songhwa’s hand again in both of his as if he was cradling it. Without any words, he brought it up to his lips and kissed her hand, making Songhwa turn her head towards him. She flashed him a small smile, letting him know that she’s okay.
“That’s why I didn’t really like listening to Sad Sea for a long time back then. It just brought me back to the moment my heart got broken,” She carried on. “It was all in the past, though. I think I’ll be okay to play Sad Sea now.”
The man hummed. “I’m sorry for all of the hurt I’ve caused you, Songhwa-yah.”
Songhwa nodded, giving him a more genuine smile. “Apology accepted.”
“You know,” Ikjun said, more cheerful this time, trying to lift up the mood. “You weren’t the only one who was heartbroken that night. You have no idea how hard it was to reject your invitation.”
She furrowed her eyebrows, prompting Ikjun to continue.
“I was going to confess to you for your birthday,” He revealed. Songhwa’s eyes went wide, her breath hitched at his sudden confession. She was sure if she were drinking, she would choke on her drink. “I’ve bought a ring and everything.”
“Y—you bought a ring?” She didn’t know why she quivered, just thinking how both young Lee Ikjun and young Chae Songhwa were actually crushing on one another. “You. The Lee Ikjun, who was every-girl-at-SNU’s first love, bought a ring? For me ?”
“ Eo !” Ikjun laughed. “ Cham . I was so ready to confess, but that saekki Yang Seokhyeong beat me to it.”
Songhwa gaped. She couldn’t help but laugh at the revelation: That she didn’t exactly have an unrequited love towards him. That Lee Ikjun actually felt the same way as she did. That they didn’t work because of their own mutual best friend. That her broken-heart was mutual to his own.
They ended up laughing for a while.
“Sad Sea was a way for my heart to convey all of my feelings for you, Songhwa-yah,” Ikjun said after their laughter died down. “It was so hard for me to move on from you. But I didn’t want to jeopardize what we have. You, me, Seokhyeong, Junwanie, and Jeongwon. I would rather sacrifice my feeling, my heart than lose all five of us back then. At least if five of us were friends, I would still be hanging out with you, even if that meant I couldn’t love you the way I wanted to. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Songhwa replied after a beat. “I think I would do the same thing if I were you.”
The sound of nature life filled in their silence, mixing together with the sound of their breaths. Smiles still lingered on both of their faces. Everything still felt like a fever dream to Songhwa. Including this moment, where revelations after revelations came into light. Even after years of being each other best friends, they were always ended up learning more about each other every day.
“I’m sorry too, for breaking your heart,” She apologized this time, her tone playful, but her heart sincere, to which Ikjun chuckled.
“Songhwa-yah, you don’t have to apologize for anything. When you think about it, the fact that you really liked me, and how I acted back then… I was really nothing but a saekki to you. Wah . Even I feel angry thinking about what you had to endure,” Ikjun said, face getting red.
He continued, “I rejected you… Announced to you every time I’d go for my blind dates… Then married someone else… Then had a child with my ex-wife. What you went through didn’t even come close to what I went through. Why did you even stay friends with me, Songhwa- yah ? It must have been hard to be around me.” Ikjun chugged down the last drop of his own beer. And for a minute, they both fell into another silence.
“ Aniya . I believe we both ended up building a beautiful foundation for our friendship, and finding our own rhythm in the process,” she contested. “You, finding love and marrying your ex-wife, the birth of Uju… Honestly, they all didn’t hurt that much that time because I knew we needed to settle eventually. I was genuinely happy for you, really. I mean, I was sort of trying to do the same thing as you, too; I also created my own love stories with other guys, and you had to watch as well. As your best friend back then, I was always happy to see you happy.” She ended her statement with a smile.
This was a first for the butterfly HPB surgeon of Yulje Hospital to have nothing witty to say back to her. He felt her genuine love with what she had just conveyed to him. What a lucky guy I am to have you, he thought to himself. Without realizing it, he squeezed her hand in his harder, not really wanting to let go of it anytime soon. How come her love for him was so pure that she could easily say stuff like that to him?
It was when his son was born that Lee Ikjun learned the true meaning of being in love. Before that, he thought that love was just a simple emotion. He used to think that when you love someone, that means you would share only happiness with that person. But turns out love wasn’t that simple at all.
When he held Uju for the first time, he made a promise to the universe and to himself that he would do absolutely everything in his power to make the tiny person in his arms have the best life possible. With not only happiness, but safety, and fulfillment. And he figured that the feeling he had was indeed a true form of love.
Right then, on a random fall night at Songhwa’s favorite campsite, he realized that there was another way to love. And how massive that love could be.
Even after being hurt multiple times, even when her heart was broken because of him, she could still be genuinely happy for his happiness. Even when his happiness back then wasn’t shared directly with her, she still lived with equal joy for him. He never thought it was possible to love someone this much, but there she was proving him otherwise.
When Ikjun said nothing, Songhwa added more. “I never regret our past, Ikjun-ah. I never regret that you had loved your ex-wife and had Uju. In fact, I’m thankful that Lee Uju is here, existing within our lives. He brings so much joy into your life, mine too. With our past, we grow and learn. My past shaped me for who I am now. I can love you the way I love you now, because I went through what I went through.”
“I love you, Chae Songhwa,” Ikjun whispered, feeling overwhelmed with love. “Thank you for loving me and accepting me for who I am today. I might have messed it up in the past, but I promise I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. You are my last love, I promise.”
Songhwa let out a laugh, though her chest felt so full, like it was about to burst. She already knew how he felt without him saying all of the things he said, but she appreciated him opening up to her like this.
“I love you too, Ikjunie, my first & last love.”
—
“ Lee Ikjun ,” Songhwa called out to her boyfriend with her softest singsong, stirring him awake from his nap. She walked towards the sleeping guy on her sofa and sat down on an empty spot near his thighs. She took one of his hands and caressed his fingers softly.
The HPB professor smiled at her, then yawned. “ER?”
“ Eo . I got called in for a TA case together with Junwan. They suspected cerebral edema, but I checked the CT scan and it wasn’t that severe. I don’t think the patient required surgical intervention as of now. Junwanie went in to operate on him just now, though,” She said, still stroking his fingers. “The surgery, did it go well?”
Ikjun nodded his head and closed his eyes again. “Did you eat dinner with Junwan?”
She nodded. “ Eo . They were serving chicken drumsticks in the cafeteria, so of course I had to go. But I can eat dinner again with you . I’ve bought some dumplings for us to eat before Junwan asked me to eat dinner together with him. Let’s not get that to waste.”
He chuckled. “ Geurae . Let’s eat.” He sat himself up on the sofa as Songhwa took the dumpling containers from her refrigerator. She opened the lid before putting it inside her new microwave that Ikjun bought her a couple of weeks ago. As they were getting busier with more surgeries, Ikjun decided to buy a microwave so that the 99z boys (and Songhwa included) could buy food in advance on a busy day, store them in her fridge and just pop it in her microwave before consuming them. It had been their favorite utility ever since.
“I think I’ll go home by taxi after dinner,” Ikjun said, eyelids heavy, his back slouching slightly. “I’m too tired to drive.”
Songhwa frowned slightly. She walked towards her boyfriend and placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. “Hmm. You’re a bit warm.”
“I’m okay,” He said smiling, trying to reduce his girlfriend’s worry a bit. “It’s just that… The surgery was taking its toll on me today. It took longer than expected because there was so much bleeding. I’ve done this over a thousand times, but still I looked at her liver today and thought, ‘There is so much I haven’t known yet.’. At the end of the surgery I couldn’t help but feel like I overlooked something.”
The neurosurgeon could easily empathize with the HPB surgeon. Of course, she could. As someone who does research in her spare time, she believes that every new challenge means new opportunities for future studies. In all of her surgeries she could discover novel things that would work her brain even after the surgery ends. And she would happily think about it over and over again, search for existing research that would support her hypothesis, and write the hypothesis down in her little research folder for future references.
This would only happen if the surgery went well in the end, though. When something had gone horribly wrong, her brain would go further south. It would keep digging, replaying the procedures in her head. She would always double check the procedures before ending every surgery, but in case something was wrong, she would spend a whole hour going through the procedure step-by-step in her head before she decided to wrap it up.
The guilt. The feeling of not being enough. These things were familiar in every surgeon’s heart, including her own.
Songhwa changed the position of her hand to his boyfriend’s cheek, stroking it gently. She kneeled in front of him, so that she could see him eye-to-eye, offering him a smile before pecking him on his lips. There was so much she could say to him to convince him not to beat himself up. But if she were in his position, she knew all of these words would mean nothing to her. So, she decided to provide her presence for him.
To which he gladly took. Ikjun took her hands to his side, and pulled Songhwa into a hug. She could feel him relaxing as he sighed into her shoulder. She took this time to rub his back up and down, slowly, sometimes putting her motion in circles. In turn, he played with her long hair that she had styled into a low-ponytail.
The two of them held each other until the timer of the microwave went off, prompting Songhwa to stand up to grab their dinner. Before she could grab the two packs of dumplings though, Ikjun grabbed the packs from the microwave instead while shouting, “Ah! Hot , hot.”
“Yah, be careful! Are your hands okay?” She immediately inspected the back of Ikjun’s palm that was going red right after he put the packs on the table.
“It’s okay, these weren’t as hot as the kettle. No worries,” He said, waving her off. He took the chopsticks, opened one for Songhwa and one for him. “ Bap meokja , Songhwa-yah.”
And so they began to eat. After Ikjun reminded Songhwa to say her mantra, she immediately shoved two inside her mouth, earning a soft glare (and chuckle) from him. “Is it really that good, Songhwa-yah?”
Songhwa nodded, albeit slowed down her chew. “I was really craving for some dumplings all day, Ikjun-ah. You have no idea,” she said after she swallowed her food. “Seonbin came to me before our rounds to tell her about her recent date with Yongmin and they said they found this dumpling place that was really good near Yulje Jongno branch. After that, I couldn’t shake the thought of dumplings out of my head.”
“ Geurae ?” Ikjun ate another one of the dumplings. “I think I’ve eaten this one before, though. The dumplings taste eerily familiar.”
Songhwa laughed. “I didn’t purchase these from that dumpling place. These are from the nearest one I could find from the food delivery app.”
“I see,” He said, chewing his dumpling. “Should we take Uju together this weekend to check out the one near the Jongno branch?”
Her eyes lit up immediately after hearing what he suggested. “I would never say no to a weekend getaway for food. Especially when it involves our cutie Uju.”
Ikjun beamed. “Let’s do it, then. I missed going out with Uju. He has been spending a lot of time with the Jangs lately. I’m scared he’ll like them more than he likes us.”
They ate their dumplings in silence after that. Their heads filled with wonder what fun would happen that weekend.
Ikjun was excited to take Uju out. He had been feeling sorry that he couldn’t hang out with his son for a few weeks. He had been given a lot of lecturing schedules, a conference, and VIP surgeries these past weeks. When he had a free weekend, he was too tired to go anywhere but his son, being in his active age, didn’t want to stay at home. It was either camping with the Jangs, going out to the arcade with his classmates (with supervision from one of the parents, of course), or going out hiking with his Jeongwon samchoon and Gyeoul imo (which Songhwa was jealous for as she couldn’t go because of a VIP case she was working on that weekend).
After a while, Songhwa was done first with her dumplings. She leaned back on her sofa, watching her boyfriend finishing his portion. She then remembered that they would have their band practice tomorrow.
“Are you excited for tomorrow, Cho Junghyun-ssi ?” she teased him. He hasn’t stopped reminding the group about tomorrow’s practice in their group chat. She knew he was excited, and she wanted to see it in person.
Ikjun’s full cheeks lifted up. It’s the biggest smile he could do while he’s chewing on his food. He nodded before swallowing the last piece of his dumplings. “Of course. Are you ?”
“Hmm.” Songhwa pretended to think before she continued, “I’m kind of nervous to be honest.”
“Why?”
“Because while researching the bass tabs for the song, I noticed the bass part is actually playing a really important role in the song. I just want to do it justice.”
The man grinned, he then touched her thigh lightly, playfully. “I have no doubt you will shine tomorrow.”
Songhwa shook her head. “A bassist never shines in a band, Ikjun-ah. That’s why I’ve always wanted to be the one who sings . I’m sure you’ll shine the brightest tomorrow, though. And I can’t wait to see you shine again.”
“That’s not true. You always shine the brightest to me . Whatever it is you’re doing, you always shine. In our band, you shine the brightest even when you’re playing bass, Songhwa-yah.”
The neurosurgeon slash bassist chuckled. “You say that because you’re my boyfriend .”
“And I’m so thankful that I’m your boyfriend, Chae Songhwa- ssi .”
Songhwa could feel her cheeks getting warmer. It’s so funny , she thinks. It’s been years since they got together but she still blushed whenever Ikjun said something like this . In addition to that, they were forty-year-old professors! How could a 40-something man still flirt with a blushing 40-something woman like this?
“Songhwa-yah.”
“ Ne , Lee Ikjun.”
The man who initiated the conversation didn’t continue, making Songhwa confused and concerned a little bit. She watched Ikjun making faces like he was contemplating something serious. So, she waited for him to brave himself.
“I haven’t been able to answer your question the other day,” he said, earning a questioning look from Songhwa. “There is a particular reason why I chose that song.”
She was puzzled, so she went through their conversation in front of the campfire. She thought the whole conversation of them opening up to each other was the reason, but when she backtracked how the conversation went, she didn’t exactly remember the exact reason why Ikjun had chosen that song.
Ikjun let out a small laugh before he shyly moved closer to his girlfriend. He grabbed the hair tie that was holding her ponytail, gently, and let her hair down.
Flustered, Songhwa stared at her hair tie that was now on Ikjun’s hand. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Your hair was the reason,” he admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, I love you with whatever hairstyle you choose to have, but—”
Songhwa laughed before Ikjun could finish his sentence, so hard that she had to bury her head in her hands.
“ Yah . Chae Songhwa, why are you laughing? I’m in the middle of a confession here.”
“Ah, right. Mian, mian .” She cleared her throat to help shake the laughter off of her. “Go on.”
Ikjun squinted his eyes before he continued, “Yeah, so. Your hair was the reason I chose the song. It’s just that… You with long hair like this reminded me so much of the moment we met for the first time; back when I fell for you at first sight.”
That made Songhwa sit up straight. Her heart was beating so hard that she could hear it beating in her ears. All that laughter lingering in her stomach from two seconds ago was gone. And she was lost for words. What does he mean he fell in love at first sight? When?
“I don’t know if you remember, but we sat next to each other during our interview exam. Your hair was long, and I gave you a hair tie when it seemed like you were searching for one.”
A glimpse of the past went over her head. Of course she remembered. He was her hero, after all. “Ikjun-ah…”
“You looked so pretty back then. Neat and cute. I was smitten with you without even knowing your name, Chae Songhwa. Man, that young saekki would be ecstatic to know that he would be dating the prettiest girl in the world today.”
“Lee Ikjun…”
“I admit, Sad Sea is a song with painful memories for me as well, but ever since you’ve grown your hair long, I thought about creating a new memory where the song should never again be tied with regret. And I want you to be a part of that happier memory.”
Ikjun paused to tuck a strand of hair back into her ear.
“Everytime I hear the song, I want myself to be reminded that every journey that I have with you, though some might disappoint us or hurt us along the way, would ultimately be the greatest joy we have ever encountered together. I’m thankful for you, for us.”
Without any second wasted, Songhwa gave Ikjun a peck on his lips. Ikjun was taken aback at first, staring at Songhwa with a shock on his face. Then before he could say anything else, she gave him another peck, but this time on his nose. She then moved up and pecked his forehead, then his eyebrows, then his cheeks… She gave him tiny pecks on his face until the man let out a giggle.
“Chae Songhwa,” he managed to blurt out in between his giggles.
“I never knew you were such a romantic, Lee Ikjun,” Songhwa said after she sat back on the sofa.
This time, Ikjun blushed. “Only towards you, my dear,” he said. He reached out to hold one of Songhwa’s hands to squeeze it.
“Thank you for telling me what’s inside your heart, Ikjun-ah. And to tell you the truth, now I’m looking forward to playing the song with you tomorrow. It would mean the world to me to create a new memory together with you. It would always be meaningful to me—whatever the memory would be like, as long as it includes me and you.”
Ikjun smiled at her, expressing his gratitude. After a few beats of silence, he nudged her side playfully then said, “You learn fast, Songhwa- yah . What a romantic.”
She laughed. “I was a professor before you for a reason, Ikjun- ah .”
The couple then spent another hour just talking and holding hands, until Songhwa was called in again for an emergency consultation by one of her fellows. With heavy steps, Ikjun leaned in to kiss Songhwa before bidding her goodbye.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay? Let’s grab coffee before you start your rounds.”
“Arasseo. Let me know when you’ve arrived home.”
Ikjun nodded. “Don’t work too hard tonight. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The next day, during band practice, Ikjun never once took his eyes off of Songhwa. Whenever Songhwa looked over to Ikjun, she gave him her biggest smile, eager to make that new, happy memory with him.
– fin –