s i x t e e n (1/1)

Months have passed, and everything seems to be fine for everyone. Myungsoo and Soojung have finally settled down, having their own little world when they’re together, which is literally every seconds of their life. It seems like they’re trying to catch up things – the things they couldn’t do when they were apart, when they were alone.“Let’s do it slow and steady,” he says to her one day.“We might not get everything done by then,” she replies, eyebrows pinch.He smiles to her, reaching for her hand. “We have all the time in the world,”She has nothing to say about it anymore.His birthday that year, she got him a watch, even though he said there’s no need in that since she’s the best present he could ever wish for. She thinks he’s just cheesy.Meanwhile, Jongin and Naeun have never declared anything. They fight frequently, because Naeun has her own way to get Jongin whenever she wants to and he can’t seem to tolerate it, but he does, whether he likes it or not, whether he realises it or not. Naeun, too, has to deal with Jongin’s childishness every day, and even though he drives her insane, she seems to get used to it by now.“Wow, Kim Jongin, are you really sulking now?” Naeun scoffs in disbelief as she narrows her eyes to the pouting guy.“I’m not talking to you, Son Naeun,”That evening, Son Naeun spends her precious time by persuading Kim Jongin and promises to him that she will never, ever beat him whenever they’re playing Candy Crush again.Someday during the last week of March, Jessica is confirmed to be a month pregnant, and under God’s will, she and Kris would be mom and dad during next winter.Life sure has its way to make it beautiful. Life is beautiful. Surely, after every difficulty, there’s a relief.Soojung smiles in delight, wondering how much things can change in just a few months. She looks up a little bit, and Myungsoo’s sleeping face comes in view. They’re in her room, on the bed, his arm around her waist, her face inches away from his chest. They’re still virgin, just in case you’re wondering, because even though they have admitted they love each other to the moon and never goes back, they have never thought to go further than kissing. They don’t rush things. They want to make the second chance to be as perfect as it could be. Sure, they would never be perfect. They fight. They talk about it once they’re cooled down. They apologize. They make up. They could never be perfect. They’re out of rhythm at times, but together, they’re not too far from perfect for one another. It’s just nice. They take one step at a time, hand in hand, growing up every day, making sure there’d be no one to be left behind this time.She breathes in his scent. It’s just one of the nights which he’d slip into her room to lay down with her for hours before he’d go back to his house. She asked him once to come through the door instead of the balcony, in which he replied her with, “That’d be less thrilling. Isn’t this awesome? You’ll able to tell our kids our amazing love story, don’t you think? You can brag to the kids with things like ‘you know, your dad always climbed up to my room when we were younger to prove his undying love for me, now, ain’t that sweet?’”Soojung thinks he’s helpless. But she thinks, she doesn’t make any difference from him. She’s just as helpless as he is. They’re just crazy about each other that much. And it’s okay. It’s not like it’s a bad thing. Falling in love is never a bad thing. At least, not to her. Not anymore.And with her getting herself into a university in United Kingdom to gain her degree in creative writing, things couldn’t be better. She has received the confirmation letter a few weeks ago and she’d be enrolling next September, which is only a few months away, and she thinks she’s ready for it. She knows it has been a while since she received a diploma of the same course, and she believes it’s just time to make it to a higher level. Myungsoo knows about it too. In fact, he was the first person that she told once the letter arrived. He couldn’t be happier for her. But she’s afraid too. She’s going to leave. Again.“We’re going to be okay, right?” she mutters as she stares at him.He opens his eyes, slowly, as he gives her a sleepy kind of smile. She has to smile upon seeing that endearing sight. Seconds ago she’s sure she’s ready to go, but realizing that she won’t be seeing that smile for four years, she’s not very sure anymore. Her eyes feel hot before she clears her throat, reaching out to mess his hair.“Sorry for waking you up,” she says, whispering.He chuckles. “Don’t be sorry, you idiot. It’s nothing,” he then returns the affection by ruffling her hair too. “What were you saying, anyway?”She heaves a sigh, positioning her head on his arm to make herself comfortable. “Are we going to be okay?” she asks, her voice only a bit above than a whisper.He seems confused. “What is this all—“ oh. “Of course we’re going to be okay, Soojung.” He says, his face softens every second as he stares at her. “Why would we be anything but okay, right?”“I know,” she replies. “But I’m afraid,”“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he assures her. “We’ll do fine. We’ll be alright.”“Of course there is!” she protests. “What if... what if the calls and texts become less frequent? What if we’re so busy with stuffs we have to do that we don’t have time to check on one another? What if...” she looks at him in the eyes as her own getting wide, terrified. “What if we find someone else when we’re apart?! Oh my God, we won’t–““Soojung, hey,” he cuts her off. “The things you say... they’ll never happen, alright? We’ll never drift apart. I’ll call you, or you’ll call me. Or we can take turn to call each other first, so that it’ll be fair. Or I’ll call you whenever I miss you, and you’ll answer it, no matter at what time. I’ll answer whenever you call me, too. And we’ll text as well. Morning text and good night text at the very least. Okay?” and then he pauses, giving light kisses on her face. “And let’s stay faithful with each other, alright? Our relationship... we might not be its best caretakers, but we’re going to meddle in and do the best we can. Come to think of it, Soojung, if we’ve survived for the last six years, four years would actually be nothing, wouldn’t it?”That’s the very logic, she knows. If they have proven that six years is nothing, surely four years would be much more easier. But, the thing is, she couldn’t make herself to be so sure. She looks up to him, sighing, and finally, she cries because she couldn’t help it. Since when does her tears become so cheap? Sure, she cries, but not in front of someone else. Even with Jongin she has to think for two or three times whether to cry or otherwise, which usually ends up with her showing off her strong facade. His shirt is wet over her tears, and even though it’s just a silent kind of cry, that’s the most real tears she has ever shed. It’s not like you can pick which tears are real and which ones are not, but the emotions she lets out at that time, is everything that she has kept over the past few years. Of how she had to separate from her mom and her sister because financial issues. Of how she literally grew up alone. Of how she had lost Jinri. Of how she had to listen to her father that first love doesn’t work. And how, for the first time in forever, relief she is when she’s got the second chance to fix it back.“We’ll be okay,” he says, pulling her closer. He then puts his chin on top of her head. “Okay, listen, during those four years, Soojung, we won’t always be okay, alright? There are times when we’re going to fight, which leads us to not calling and talking to each other for hours, maybe days or weeks, but we’re going to make up again. A