Author's note: Hi. It's been a while. I know I already marked this as completed but on my reread, I realized we never did get to see how Lu Han finally knew Jiyeon liked him. I decided to fully flesh it out. I know this is so random, and the story is still complete even if you don't read this. Anyway, here it is.
A picture of my smiling wife caught my attention.
"Hey, little boy, where did you get that?" I sank on the sofa beside him.
"Where is this taken?" he asked, his tiny hands handing me the picture.
I couldn't help smiling at the image. It meant so much then. It means so much now.
"In my hometown. In our hometown." I caressed my wife's face in the image.
Seeing my smile, the little boy's eyes shone with wonder. "Did you always think you were going to end up with her?"
"Hmmm." I picked him up and settled him on my lap. "No. In fact, the thought of giving her up had occurred to me more than once."
He gasped exaggeratedly, and I chuckled.
"She had never been quick when it came to realizing feelings, whether it be hers or others. But I couldn't say I blame her for being oblivious to mine. It was probably my fault since during the earlier part of our childhood, what I had cemented in her mind weren't the best of impressions."
The little boy snickered in my arms. "You were naughty."
I laughed. "I was." And for growing teenagers, you end up taking what you see, and in her eyes, I was always the enemy.
"It eventually became better though, her perception of me. It took her a while to get there, but I could feel that she was starting to cherish me like a friend. It was a start. But when she fell in love with someone else, it was a different story."
The little boy reached up a hand to my face. "Did it hurt?"
I shut my eyes as I remembered it. "Like someone drove a sword to your chest and it got stuck there. Her laugh, her smile, they weren't meant for me. And she was so proud of her feelings. Sometimes it was too much that I considered running away. And at one time, I did."
I looked at the little boy for his reactions but he was just motioning for me to go on.
"I wanted to forget her, you know, but I knew it was impossible. If not forget, then at least I wanted to feel indifferent to her when I get back. It took me a whole summer away to condition my mind that way."
The little boy nudged me. "Well? Did you succeed?"
I laughed at his excitement. "No, little one." I handed him back the picture. "And it was because of this."
During the end of the summer that I went away, our friend Hannah emailed me this picture. It had no note, just this picture, but I knew what she wanted to say. It was the picture Hannah had taken when Jiyeon and I were dancing at the beach. Jiyeon's smile was blinding and my face was as red as a tomato.
"I knew then. That whatever it was, nothing would ever stop me from seeing her smile like this." I smiled at the little boy.
"So you returned and she continued to date her boyfriend in front of you?" The little boy sounded bitter, and I laughed as I nodded. "She's mean," he said as he crossed his arms grumpily.
I lifted him up and as he stood on my lap, I grinned at him. "She is, and I love her."
The little boy scrunched his nose, and then as if remembering something, he asked, "How did you get together then?"
"Ah," I paused and pretended to think about it. I didn't have to though. It was my favorite memory.
When I woke up after the accident, she was the first person I saw. She was hunched over my bed, sleeping as she held my hand.
Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the last thought I had before the car hit me. That maybe I couldn't see her anymore. As I took in her sleeping figure, I thanked God for giving me this moment.
Yeon, I wanted to say but my mouth wouldn't open. Of all the things I wanted to do, it was to say her name that I wanted to do most.
Yeon. Park Jiyeon. My Yeonie.
I was so glad to see her.
It took a while for her to stir awake, and I happily watched over her as I slowly regained some of my strength.
When she did open her eyes, I could see that she had been crying. I wanted to reach up and wipe those tears away but all I could do was squeeze her hand.
And that was when her eyes widened, and she sat up straight and looked at me.
Tears filled her eyes once more as she held both of her hands over her mouth as if she couldn't believe it. The look of relief and happiness was evident in her eyes. Something else was there, too, but I was too overwhelmed by the warmth that filled me at the sight of her to notice.
"Yeon," I managed to say. "Yeonie." The tears flooded at the relief of finally saying her name. "I'm back. I-"
Jiyeon flung her arms around me and cried. "I thought I'll never see you again. I'm sorry. Of course, I lied. I don't hate you at all," she said all in a rush.
I patted her back. "It's okay. I'm here," I said.
She leaned back and searched my face as if making sure that I really was. "I'm gonna call the doctor. Wait here, okay?"
I managed to chuckle because where else was I going. Classic Jiyeon. "Yes, ma'am."
She rushed out and came back with the doctors and my family. After running several tests on me and making sure my condition was now stable, they left me alone with my family.
My mom couldn't stop hugging me, and my dad was actually crying. I teased them and my mom scolded me for being too cheeky as soon as I woke up. But she was happy that I did wake up, so I could be cheeky all I wanted.
"Have you seen Jiyeon?" I asked as I glanced behind them.
"She was just here," my mom said as she looked around. "She rarely left your side, you know. We were worried about her because she didn't want to do anything other than watch over you."
My dad nodded as he wiped his glasses. "I'll tell her family you're finally awake."
Mom also left after a while to get me some clothes. When I could sit up and move around well, Hannah came to visit, nearly choking me with her hug.
"Don't you ever scare us like that again," she said, and I laughed, teasing her about crying.
I couldn't help noticing though that Jiyeon still didn't come. Even when her parents and her brother did, she wasn't around.
I fell asleep waiting for her. It was during that time when she came back. I kept my eyes close even after I stirred because I had the sneaking suspicion that she would run away if she knew I was awake.
She held my hand then. "You don't know how happy I am to see you alive and well."
I could hear her crying again.
"I read your letter and it makes me feel so stupid for being so blind all those years."
I couldn't stop myself from squeezing her hand then and opening my eyes. "Yeon, it's okay."
She sucked in a breath as she looked at me, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. "Lu Han."
I sat up and gently draw her near. "Please don't cry."
"I thought about it all day," she said instead, "and I want to tell you, too, but is it really okay?" Her gaze locked into mine. "Even when I don't deserve you?"
I swallowed as the weight of her words sank in.
"Tell me what?" I didn't want to hope but I wanted it to be true so bad. I had longed for it for nearly all my life. I held both of her hands as I desperately waited for her next words.
There were none.
A look of hesitation filled her eyes, and then that other emotion I saw before. Before I could fully decipher what it was, she broke through my hold and cupped my face with her delicate hands.
My whole system just about fried.
And before I could think if it was really happening, Jiyeon was already kissing me.
To say that I melted seemed like an understatement. All those years I had fantasized about this moment, and my imagination didn't hold a candle to the real thing.
It was sweet like chocolate exploding into fireworks. Like vanilla ice cream topped with a red cherry. It was everything delicious in the world. And when she pulled back, I went in for more.
We kissed for hours or it could have been days. Who really knew? Because when Jiyeon kissed me, time froze and I was happy to stay at that moment. When we finally decided it was enough for the time being, we pulled back and just looked at each other, her huge smile lightening up the whole room and her eyes looking at me this particular way.
I smiled, finally figuring out what that look meant.
"Daaaaad."
I felt a slap on my face, and I gave my head a shake. Right, the little boy, our little boy, was asking how we got together. I may have gotten too absorbed in the memory.
I chuckled. "Do you really want to know?"
Before he could answer, the main door opened, and my beautiful wife walked in. I smiled out of habit whenever she was on sight.
"Maybe you should ask your mother," I told our little cub as I put him down on the sofa and went to give his mother her welcome kiss.
"Tch."
Jiyeon looked at him curiously. "What were you telling Yoon that made him so grumpy?" She eyed me suspiciously.
I just grinned. "Oh, nothing. Just some story."
"Moooom."
Yoon came running to Jiyeon's arms and she picked him up happily.
"Dad was telling me how mean you were, Mom," Yoon said, outing me.
"He did?" Jiyeon raised an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged and pretended to clutch my heart. "Oh you know, those times when you were busy dating someone else."
Jiyeon burst out laughing, and then to Yoon, she said, "Wanna hear something else?" She went to the sofa and cradled Yoon in her lap just like how I did a couple of minutes before. "Your dad held the record for being the top troublemaker in town."
Yoon grinned excitedly. "Really?"
Jiyeon looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded as I took my place beside her. As she told Yoon our story, I couldn't help being filled to the brim with happiness as I recognized the look she was giving Yoon and giving me as I tried to butt in her storytelling.
It was the same look I saw and tried to recognize on that day she first told me how she felt.
It was the look of the most beautiful love there ever was.