𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡 ;ʰˢʲ 『English Version』

Final Chapter

"Aera..."

"I'm glad you liked the jacket; I didn't think it would look so good on you... I did a good job, right?"

The boy didn't care to respond; he ran toward her to wrap her in an embrace, hiding his face in her neck. She gently stroked his hair while Seojun squeezed his eyes shut. Tears were about to spill at any moment, but he didn't want to let go of the person he had longed to hold in his arms for so long. "My Aera... You're here."

"I'm sorry, Seojunnie..."

The boy shook his head, not wanting to remember the events that had left him completely shattered, not wanting to recall the girl's voice asking him to end things, not wanting to hear her broken voice. At that moment, he just wanted to bask in the familiar warmth of her body and the softness of her touches; that was all that mattered to him. "You're here, you're back, you returned; that... that's the only thing that matters to me."

The girl grimaced, still feeling that touch of guilt within her. When the boy pulled away and took her face to admire it, Aera could see his red, tear-bright eyes, feeling even more like crying. She pouted. "Let me apologize."

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything, my sweet baby." He shook his head, pouting as well, caressing her soft cheeks while still gazing into her chocolate orbs. "You did what you thought was best."

"But I hurt you in the process... I never wanted to do that, but... no... I didn't want to make you wait so long; I'm so sorry..."

The boy sighed, nodding, knowing that the girl wouldn't stop apologizing unless he accepted it. So he decided to give her what she wanted, even though he really didn't want an apology; he just wanted to see her, to have her back with him—that was all he wanted in that moment. "Then let me apologize to you."

"Why would you apologize? You didn't do anything wrong..."

"You asked me to move on... But I couldn't do it; I didn't fulfill your request. I'm really sorry." He said, biting his lower lip. "I couldn't move on when the only way to do so was if you were by my side, Aera..."

"The—"

He didn't let her finish, taking her face and pressing his lips against hers once and for all, not wanting to hear her apologies any longer; he had never asked for one, he didn't want one.

The excited shouts of the group of boys behind them made them smile during the kiss. Seojun didn't care about the noise at all; when she was by his side, nothing else mattered—there was no noise, just her.

When they pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers, leaving a small kiss on her nose, causing her to crinkle it a bit due to her sensitivity in that area. "Don't ever leave me again. If you have to go again, let's talk about it; we'll make it work, but don't leave me, not again."

"I won't, Seojunnie, I promise."

***

"How?"

"If you want to thank someone, it should be Suho; he was the one who made me get on that plane."

The couple was walking hand in hand through the dark streets of Los Angeles. Aera had to return to university, and Seojun was on a work trip there, so they decided to go out for at least a few hours to make up for the month they hadn't seen each other.

Aera had decided to finish her studies in Los Angeles, and although it was difficult to make that decision, she was happy because Suho had decided the same, which didn't completely sever her ties to her roots.

Seojun had continued his work as an idol, rarely being in Korea. Being well-received by the public opened doors for magazines, television shows, and small gigs in different parts of the world. That's why the boy always tried to accept all the offers that came in Los Angeles; the more time he spent there, the more time he could spend with his Aera.

"I suppose when he stops locking himself in his room to talk to his girlfriend, I can thank him." He shrugged before they both stopped in front of the huge pier where they were walking. Even though it was quite crowded, Seojun didn't care at all; he knew it could give him a bad image to be photographed with a girl, with his girlfriend, but the glow of the enormous amount of lights reflecting in the girl's brown orbs made him stop thinking, taking her hand to start walking into the place.

More specifically, toward the Ferris wheel.

"Are we going to get on? But you're scared of heights."

"As long as I'm with you, everything will be fine, right?" He asked, looking into her eyes while squeezing her hand a bit. She nodded, intertwining their fingers to walk toward the giant wheel. Once they stepped into the cabin, they took a seat a second later. Aera felt Seojun's hand grip hers tightly as they began to rise.

Smiling fondly at how he held onto the game's railing, the girl rested her head on his shoulder, looking ahead. However, something stuck close to where her feet were made her return to her previous posture. Giving Seojun a glance, he smiled and motioned with his head for her to take the flower, which had been carefully stuck to the metal of the cabin.

When Aera picked it up, the cabin where they were stopped. However, she didn't pay attention, admiring the pastel pink flower in her hands. It was dense with delicate petals; at first glance, it looked like a simple rose. However, upon closer inspection, one could see the enormous number of petals that gave it an almost round shape.

"The day you returned to Los Angeles, you told me the meaning behind the rose you sewed onto my jacket. You said that at the moment you were making it, you thought about how you were willing to do anything for our love, even if staying away from each other and seeing each other rarely was what was required for us to continue." Seojun began, slowly releasing the railings while looking into the girl's eyes. "And now that we've spent almost a year this way, although it has been difficult, I want us to continue like this, which is why I thought it was fitting that the flower you held in your hands this time would be a Camellia."

Aera looked at the flower again, smiling at the vibrant color illuminated by the neon lights of the Ferris wheel. "Maybe I'm wrong, but for me, the Camellia symbolizes the gratitude I feel toward you, the admiration I have for everything you've achieved in this time, all on your own. It also symbolizes my esteem, all the affection I have for you and have had all this time—a love that I will never feel for anyone else. I want you to remember all that affection every time you see this flower and all the ones I will give you in the future. I want you to remember that I love you and that I will never stop loving you, not for a single day."

Aera's lips began to tremble; sometimes, in moments like this, she hated being so sentimental because all the words she had in her mind couldn't come out of her mouth. When she started to cry, everything else slipped her mind; the feeling of joy and emotion was the only thing she could remember. "Seojun..."

The boy smiled at her as she began to tear up, cupping her face in his hands. He caressed her wet cheeks with his thumbs, pressing his lips against hers in a sweet kiss. Everything stopped at that moment, even the boy's fear of being at the top of that Ferris wheel. The only thing he could feel was those soft lips that he loved to kiss every time they stood in front of those airport doors, when they both watched a movie and it faded into the background, when they were lying in bed under a dim table lamp, when they had to say goodbye, hoping to meet again as soon as possible.

"You don't have to say anything; I know you loved me before, you'll love me in the future, but I'm more than happy that you love me again."