𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐄 ▪︎ [𝘋𝘜𝘛𝘠 𝘈𝘍𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘚𝘊𝘏𝘖𝘖𝘓]

ꜱɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ⁽ᵉᵖⁱˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ⁾

∞ 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐄∞

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𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥

"I miss you," she whispered as the light breeze rustled through her hair. She let the tears spill on the cold stone as she tried putting a smile on. "I miss you so much, I don't even know how to say it. You should have been here, with me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you, I'm sorry that things had to end like this. I'm really sorry." She closed her eyes, letting the sobs out as a hand started patting her on the back. She leaned into the warm body beside her, looking at the sky. It was almost clear now, only a few spheres were still up. As if nothing happened. As if lives weren't lost. Too many people that should have been here now are not.

Chae-Yeong rubbed her eyes as she looked up at the person standing before her. "I'm ready. Let's go."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little bit more?" Chun-Ho asked her as they both looked back at the grave. Her father's grave. When the war was finished, the army started going through the city and try to identify the bodies. Some of them were unrecognizable, but those that could still be identified by the families got a proper service. When Chae-Yeong saw her father's face on one of the bodies, she couldn't believe her eyes. If someone could survive a war, even with the spheres, she would have betted he was the person. But life wasn't a rainbow. And her father was forever gone.
"I'm good," she said as she shook her head. "I can come back whenever I like to. It's not like he's going anywhere."
"Only you could make jokes at someone's grave," he said with a disappointed tone, but she started laughing. They made their way through the graveyard silently until they came across a highly decorated gravestone. They looked at the name written in it for a moment, without any of them saying anything, letting the wind do the talking. Chun-Ho crouched down to place the bouquet of flowers on the ground, tracing the engraved letters with his finger.

Kwon Il-Ha.

"It's really been two years, hasn't it?" she whispered so quietly that she didn't know if he heard her.
"Two years," he repeated as he got up. "He should be here today, taking the CSAT with the rest of the kids." She extended her arm, taking his hand into hers.
"I wonder how he would have reacted at the news of Yu-Jung and Tae-Man dating."
"And So-Yeon and Jang-Su," he continued. "That was a surprise even for me."
"It wasn't for me," she said as she remembered that conversation with her. "I have a sixth sense for this kind of things."
"We should go, the others must be waiting for us," he told her as he looked at her.
"Is there nothing else that you want to say?" He hesitated before he responded.
"I think 'I miss you' says it all."

They made their way out of the graveyard, looking at the engraved stones. So much death, so much pain. She touched the place where the scar was hidden by the T-shirt, reminding herself that she was still alive. She survived, although so many have died. She looked at the man beside her, tightening her grip on his hand and him doing the same, reminding herself that he was still alive. It's already been two years since the beginning of the war and this man was still beside her. He still loved her and he still remained by her side. Always.

And forever.

❃❃❃

"They're here," Ji-Eun said as soon as she saw them. "You sure know how to make other people wait for you."
"You should think twice before you say something like that, they are more punctual than you most of the time," Ha-Yun said as she got up from the table, coming to hug them. "Everything alright?" she asked, her voice only a little above a whisper. Chae-Yeong nodded. Ha-Yun and her became really close, despite their start-off and she was the only one that knew what her and Chun-Ho were doing this day every year since Il-Ha's death. 
"Happy early birthday, Ha-Yun," said Chun-Ho as he handed her their gift. "So, the next event will be your wedding, I presume?"
"Funny," Ha-Yun told him as she punched him.
"Would it wound you so much if we got married?" Seong-Jin asked her from his seat.
"You guessed right, marrying you would pain me so much that I would have to stay in bed for the rest of my life," she told him as Chae-Yeong took a seat beside her, smiling.
"Actually, there will be a wedding, Chun-Ho," Da-Mi said and the whole table fell silent as they watched her, waiting for her next words. "Just not theirs."
"What?"Ji-Eun asked as she put her glass back on the table. "Da-Mi you can't just drop a bomb like that and not finish your thoughts."
"Han proposed."
"And you said yes?" she asked, as if it wasn't obvious.
"Well, he didn't really give me a choice. It was more like 'Marry me' than 'Will you marry me?'"
"Oh my god," Ha-Yun said. "You're getting married!"
"We are," Han said as he put his hand around Da-Mi's shoulders.
"Congratulations!" Chae-Yeong said as she went to hug them.
"Why don't you seen surprised?" Chun-Ho asked Seong-Jin, who was unimpressed.
"I already knew."
"What? How? Why?" Ha-Yun asked.
"I went to their place a few days ago and she fell asleep on the couch. That was the day that I found out she was a sleep talker. Han asked me not to say anything."
"Not even to your girlfriend?" she asked with a death stare.
"If you would have asked, I would have told you. But you didn't."
"How was I supposed to know? Stop smiling!" she told him as a large smile grew on his face. "I'm going to kill you when we get home."
"And I am going to enjoy it." Chae-Yeong and Chun-Ho looked at each other with a knowing look in their eyes.
"Then, if nobody wants to announce any other wedding - and I am looking at you two," Ji-Eun said as she pointed a finger at Chae-Yeong and Chun-Ho, "then shall we order? I'm hungry."
"Actually, I'm starving too. Let's eat before we announce our engagement, ok?" Chae-Yeong said and the others looked at her with a perplexed look on their faces. She looked at Chun-Ho and for a moment, it was just the two of them again, in a world where everyone was alone.

And the they started laughing.

Just the two of them.

Always.

And forever. 

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𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇'𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑒:
 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹.