Days of Longing, Reply 1988.

o. Hello, My Youth! Hello, Ssangmun-dong!

Speaking of family, Jiyeon had to mention her little brother, Ryu Dong-Ryong, though truthfully, the age gap was a mere three minutes. Proudly claiming the title of the first to emerge from the womb, she had playfully reminded him of her seniority for decades, sparking numerous fights between them. Yet, beneath the banter, the two had been aware of the sacrifices Jiyeon had made, willingly setting aside her own needs to shoulder the responsibility of looking after Dong-Ryong, given their parents' demanding work schedules. Despite their playful disputes, she had tried her hardest to make him feel less alone, especially during times when the absence of their parents was felt, such as the holidays and birthdays. To Dong-Ryong, having Jiyeon as his sister was the greatest gift he could have asked for.

The two siblings were still quite close. They spoke every day, consistently support each other and never allow a day to pass without expressing their love for one another.

"We started telling each other what we meant to each other about... twenty-five years ago, I think." Jiyeon began, her gaze focused on the camera. "Before then, we rarely expressed our emotions in each other's presence. I wanted him to remember me as his resilient sister, and Dong-Ryong was never one to openly convey his feelings. He may have been our neighborhood's counsellor, but he never sought help for himself. He'd keep everything bottled up until it became too overwhelming, and then he'd try to run from it."

She added with a slight frown, "I shared a similar tendency."

Back when she was seventeen years old, Jiyeon had a lot of responsibilities. She did her chores, took care of Dong-Ryong and still put time aside to do what she loved, sewing. She would always have a smile on her face, but similarly to her little brother, she didn't feel comfortable telling those close to her how she truly felt. As a result, she would resort to smoking whenever she felt vulnerable, uncomfortable or frustrated. Only her friends knew of her bad habit, but when her mother found out, she had vowed to quit.

She didn't actually quit until two years ago, a fact that amused Jiyeon. She chuckled at the irony, already imagining the producers incorporating the signature goat sound effect in post-production. Her familiarity with the inner workings of Korean variety programs knew what would make for fun TV and thus, the reveal would likely be regarded as such.

"But enough about me!" Jiyeon stated, giggling awkwardly when she notices the PD stare off at the clock, which told her she must've been rambling, again. She smiled shyly, "My apologies! I rarely get asked about my youth anymore. I got overexcited. What was your question?"

"Oh. When we first met?" She repeated, pondering the answer out loud, "Hmm. It's been decades. We grew up on the same block, but I had never expected I'd end up marrying him. I think I went crazy for a second, or something. Yeah, that must be it. My husband got lucky. We were friends before we became lovers. That explains it. Where else would he have found such a pretty wife?"

"I'm kidding, obviously. I'm very lucky, too. He's my person." Her eyes reflected her fondest memories, while a warm smile adorned her face, "Somehow, I still can't believe I married him, because everything between us just went so fast. We had started dating in 1994 and it all made sense. The time we spent together felt like an extension of our friendship, except it was much more affectionate and real. We stopped holding back, and gave it a real try. We vowed to make each other happy. Our love only grew with time."

"I didn't think that was possible," She admitted, while a delicate glow spread over her face. "I had already loved him for years before we started dating. And apparently, he did too. That's why a part of me believes it was destiny. It was in yeon. I can't imagine myself with anyone else, I just can't. I may sound crazy for saying this, but we were truly meant to be. What we had-no, what we have is real. And I'm extremely grateful we found each other against all odds."