The Ardent Lovers

044

He refused to bring her to an arcade where they could get souvenirs because they agreed that this night should be kept solely in their memories. So they spent their money on things that they could enjoy but would not last: food.

Even with fancy clothes on, they dared to walk around the night market, trying on different food, just like how they did back in college. It was nostalgic to see their favourite shops and if they had more time, they would have eaten there too, but Taehyung wanted to manage their time wisely so they dug on foods in sticks.

Occasionally, they would feed each other and Taehyung would then brush his thumb on her lips whenever he spotted some sauce spilling on them.

"Why do you eat so dirtily when you're outside?" he scolded her.

"I can't help it," she argued with her mouth full, making Taehyung chuckle at her cuteness. After gulping, she added, "The food seems to be better when there's a lot of sauce in it, you know."

"You look like you haven't eaten for a year," he told her as the girl kept munching for more.

"I needed to be on a diet or else your sister-in-law – " Dahyun stopped mid-sentence when she realized that she had touched a taboo topic. Quickly dismissing it, she rephrased, "I... I tried my best to eat less so that I can avoid Tiffany's wrath. She's picky when it comes to modelling and the diet almost killed me."

"Ahhh. That's why these cheeks are less chubby?" Taehyung asked as he pinched her cheeks. He laughed as he stretched her cheek more and said, "But they're still elastic, huh?"

"Hey," Dahyun glared at him.

He laughed some more before he simply cupped her face in his hands, leaned down and gave her a quick yet sweet peck on the lips. Dahyun was at first, taken aback, but when his lips left hers, she found herself wanting to make it last much longer.

But Taehyung noticed how they were quickly consuming their time so he suggested, "Let's just go to the Han River – just like the old times."

—————

Taehyung held her hand tightly as they walked at the riverbank. They would glance at each other from time to time and smile as if they were the happiest people of the world. Then, Dahyun wished to sit down and admire the stars that hang on the sky's ceiling which looked like adornments in the wonderful night they were in.

But as they sat down on Taehyung's coat, she started feeling cold so Taehyung pulled her closer towards him, and she pressed her body against his chest as he hugged from behind.

Feeling the familiar warmth of their bodies against each other, Dahyun tried her best not to cry. She realized that she missed everything about Taehyung – she missed everything that they used to be.

Biting back the sobs, she said, "The stars are really pretty."

"Hmmm," he just hummed and nodded.

But both of them almost jumped when a shooting star passed by the sky and almost automatically, they closed their eyes and silently wished but when Taehyung opened his eyes, Dahyun's eyes were still shut tightly.

"What did you wish for?" she asked still with eyes closed.

Taehyung embraced her tighter and closed his eyes again as he whispered, "I wish that I would have enough strength to accept my fate after this night."

Silence reigned between them until Taehyung asked, "How about you? What did you wish for?"

"I wished..." Dahyun whispered back, "I wish that you would be the best father that your child could have."

There was a weak chuckle that came from her lips before she added, "Maybe I just wasted my wish because I know that you certainly would be a great father."

At that statement, Taehyung glanced at her and she bravely met his gaze as she continued, "You'd give your child all the love he needs and maybe so much more. And every day he would thank the heavens that he has a beautiful family."

There were tears that accumulated in the corner of her eyes as she added, "Then I would have no regrets because I was able to make a family whole, and if I look back, I'd be proud of us because we're mature enough to sacrifice our love so that the child could live well with the family he deserves."

As she finished her sentence, she gave a genuine smile but then Taehyung's hand cupped her face and brushed away her tears.

Taehyung would have not known that he was also crying if not for Dahyun who carefully brushed away his tears as well.

For a while, he just stared at her, as if trying to etch her beauty onto his soul. Then, he stood up and held out his hand as he asked, "Can I have this dance?"

"But there's no music," she complained yet accepted his hand.

"There is," Taehyung beamed at her and pulled her closer.

His hands snaked towards her waist as her hands went to the back of his neck.

His loving gaze was on hers alone as he started singing.

"I take one step away
But I find myself coming back
To you, my one and only
One and only you."

The corner of Dahyun's lips lifted onto a smile as they found themselves dancing to their favourite song and happiness filled her as she fell in love with Taehyung's voice.

The grass was their hall, the moon and the stars their light, and the music was their singing – it all felt too simple yet too perfect.

They were swaying as they stared into each other's eyes with genuine smiles on their lips. They would laugh each time Taehyung would spin her around. But when the laughter subsided after she fell perfectly onto his arms for the third time in that dance, they found themselves panting, tired but fulfilled.

They found themselves staring at each other's lips. Realizing that they shared the same desire, Taehyung leaned down and Dahyun closed her eyes as she waited for their lips to collide.

When their lips crashed against each other, they found every magical feeling bursting within themselves. Taehyung's hands roamed on her back as he held her tighter while Dahyun's hands on his neck pulled him closer.

And they were kissing as if the world would end any minute.