Translation of Love

BONUS: First Sight

I sit down on the towel and stare out at the sparkling sea. I feel Taeyoung come to sit down behind me, his legs and arms wrapping around mine as his head lays on my shoulder.

The moment seems to slow down, as our eyes get lost in the orange hue of the ocean, as the setting sun begins to cast shadows on our intertwined bodies, as the sound of soft waves tickles our ears and soothes our souls.

Everything is so perfect, just right.

"Taeyoung," I say while still staring out.

"Hmm," his voice vibrates against me.

"I love you."

He softly chuckles and gives my whole body a squeeze. "And I love hearing you say I love you."

I turn my head to look at him with a smile. My eyes catch onto his, and they move to take in his now tanned features.

"I still remember when I first saw you."

"Oh you mean when you dropped your papers on me?" He chuckles.

"I was so nervous and I didn't know why." His forehead leans against mine. "I felt like an idiot," I laugh.

"Why?"

"Cause I kept staring at you. You were so intimidating, it seemed like you were judging me, making fun of my flusteredness."

"Not at all," he laughs. "Not at all."

"Then what were you thinking when we first met?"

***

[Taeyoung's POV]

Chapters One - Four

As usual, the little brat was annoying me to no end just for "fun," but this caused us to be oblivious of the girl who's papers fell on my feet. It was hard to see her face at first as she kneeled down to pick them up frantically. When I got down to help her, I was finally able to take in her facial features. At first, I told myself that I was just taken aback because she's foreign, but the longer I stared at her sparkling eyes and pink cheeks, the clearer it got. I saw beautiful girls more often than most, because of modelling, but there was something different about her. Something natural, sweet, humble. All these things from one glance, one glance that I ended up not being able to erase from my mind that whole day. And when she bumped into me a few days later, her face was redrawn in my mind yet again.

I hated it. I hated thinking about this girl that I knew nothing about. I also hated Junwoo's knowing gazes, because he has the uncanny ability to see right through me. I hated that after years of building up a wall around my emotions, one tiny girl was able to take a brick down with just a gaze.

But soon enough, after it being too long since seeing her, her face started to distort in my mind, some features altering as I forgot just exactly what she looked like. And eventually, the face in my mind wasn't nearly as striking as I thought.

But it seemed fate wasn't done with me yet.

When I saw her standing in the coffee shop, wearing a simple baby blue summer dress that somehow looked stunning on her, big eyes scanning the room curiously, I knew I was in trouble.

There was a moment when I thought about leaving, giving up before anything even began. But that insignificant painting of a face in my mind was redrawn as her glowing aura once again reminded me of why she was able to control my thoughts.

So I just let it happen. Initially, I told myself that she would just be like all the others before her. I'd help them with their language skills, they'd clearly show an interest in me, we'd sleep together, then the lessons would never happen again. It happened every semester, as the language program became known more and more as the prime hook-up connection for those who wanted to explore something foreign. While I never signed up for those reasons, I actually just wanted to practice my English, it always ended up in a bed a week or so later.

So who's to say this wouldn't be the same?

However, there was always a small part of me that knew I didn't want that to happen, not this time, maybe not even ever again.

And when she nervously took a sip of her tea even though it was way too hot, adorably sticking her tongue out and wailing in pain, I couldn't help but smile at her for the first time.

Yep, it was certain. As I watched this small, clearly very nervous girl's face turn a bright shade of pink as she fanned her tongue, I couldn't help but realize that it was already game over for me.

This time, her face would not fade from my memory, and I didn't want it to.

...

[Song: Daniel Caesar - "Best Part" (Feat. H.E.R)]