“It seems like you already apologized.”
“…”
“You don’t need to be so tied to the past, Seonjae.”
“Hyung.”
“Of course, it was hard. It will be hard in the future too when I remember that time. But, Seonjae. That’s my burden to carry. You don’t need to carry it too.”
“But still, because of me…”
“It was just an accident.”
Hyung Yeonwoo approached and gripped my shoulder. His eyes meeting my gaze curved softly at the corners.
“Even if I were you, I would have done the same.”
Even if Hyung Yeonwoo were me, even if second hyung were in a situation like Han Yeoul…
“Hyung, what about you and Yeongjae hyung—”
“That’s also in the past.”
At Hyung Yeonwoo’s words said with a slight laugh, I unknowingly bit my lip tightly. The two who had even thought about marriage broke up because of me—if there were still feelings, I thought it would be good to try starting again. But is second hyung already a person of the past to Hyung Yeonwoo?
“For now, I have to treasure the present.”
Hyung Yeonwoo’s hand stroking my head is warm.
“If I live the present well like that, won’t there be something of tomorrow’s tomorrow?”
Something of tomorrow…
“Thanks to Yeoul, I realized again what I should do, what kind of person I am.”
“Hyung?”
“So, Seonjae. You can stop being sorry now. I’m really okay now.”
“Really okay?”
“Of course.”
Hyung Yeonwoo’s shoulders looked much lighter as he smiled brightly.
“Honey, look there. He’s yawning. So cute.”
In front of the newborn nursery glass, at Han Yeoul’s words without taking his eyes off the baby, I smiled without realizing it. Han Yeoul running with quick steps to see the baby every visiting hour is so cute.
“Yeah. He’s cute.”
When I answered while sweeping back Han Yeoul’s hair, Han Yeoul said while still keeping his gaze fixed on the baby.
“I think our Choco is the prettiest among the babies there.”
“Choco?”
“Yeah. Choco.”
So the prenatal name was Choco. Even though he doesn’t particularly like chocolate, I don’t know why he chose that prenatal name, but it’s cute so I just let it be.
“Choco.”
Han Yeoul calling the baby while stuck right to the glass even though he can’t hear is lovely.
“What should we name our Choco?”
“Well. Do you have anything in mind?”
“No.”
Unexpected. I thought he would have thought of a baby name, so I was a bit surprised at Han Yeoul answering no as soon as I asked.
“Why?”
To my question, Han Yeoul didn’t answer and just blinked both eyes while still keeping his gaze fixed on the baby.
“You like naming things, Han Yeoul.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Like Hyohyo Bakery.”
Han Yeoul laughed. It’s fascinating that even though his memory completely flew away, he named Kim Yeonghyo’s bread factory, yet didn’t think of the baby’s name.
Above all, he would have wanted to name it first.
“Just…”
“Yeah?”
“I wanted to name the baby together.”
“…”
At Han Yeoul’s words looking at me, I choked up and almost shed tears. Even while enduring that harsh time alone, Han Yeoul thought of ‘us’. I was happy yet my heart ached to confirm like this that even while running away from me with the heart to protect the baby, he was thinking of returning.
“You never left me.”
“…”
“Even after saying you wanted a divorce, Han Yeoul had no thoughts of leaving me.”
“…Yeah.”
I carefully pulled Han Yeoul into my arms. Han Yeoul’s hands embracing me back trembled.
“Visiting hours are over—want to walk a bit?”
“Yeah.”
Han Yeoul smiled, folding his reddened eyes prettily. I smiled too while caressing Han Yeoul’s face.
We held hands and went out to the garden in front of the ward. The garden lush with greenery in all seasons had no sense of the season. Because it seemed like us, I felt at peace when walking in the garden.
Though we experienced various things while being together for a long time, we’re the same. We haven’t changed. Our hearts became more solid, and faith was added to the gaze looking at each other.
I became certain that nothing could come between us now. I clearly realized that I no longer need to control Han Yeoul’s world or fear that a Han Yeoul I don’t know would emerge.
“Yeoul’s scent.”
“Hm?”
I picked up the baby’s breath bouquet left on the garden bench and held it out to Han Yeoul.
“What’s this? When did you get something like this…”
“I left it before going to get you from your room earlier, and it’s still here—fortunately.”
Han Yeoul held the bouquet and laughed.
“I guess it didn’t look pretty. Well, baby’s breath is background. Not the main character.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just, doesn’t everyone think that? It’s a flower spread in the background to make other flowers stand out. There’s no bouquet where baby’s breath is the main character.”
I wrapped my arms around the shoulders of Han Yeoul smiling bitterly.
“To me, it’s the main character.”
“Hm?”
“I think baby’s breath is prettier than any other flower.”
“Haha. I didn’t know Yoo Seonjae’s taste was so modest.”
“Because it’s like you.”
Han Yeoul’s smiling lips stiffened slightly.
“Seonjae.”
“People don’t really know how nice baby’s breath smells.”
I buried my face slightly in Han Yeoul’s nape. The pheromone scent subtly emanating was the same as the scent of the flowers Han Yeoul held in his hand.
“They don’t really know how pure and beautiful the small flower clusters are either.”
I raised my head and met Han Yeoul’s eyes—I was fully contained in them.
“They think it’s hidden by flashy flowers and invisible, but no? Baby’s breath is the pinnacle of flashiness. Without baby’s breath, those flowers can’t show off even half their splendor. That’s what you are to me, Yeoul.”
“…”
“The most fragrant and beautiful flower in the world.”
So, shouldn’t I give Han Yeoul certainty at this point?
“Yeoul.”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t submit the divorce papers.”
The hand gripping the bouquet flinched. Han Yeoul’s profile visibly stiffened. I said nothing and just looked at Han Yeoul. Stopping our steps, just with that quiet gaze, Han Yeoul seemed breathless and slowly took a deep breath. And when I met the gaze turned to me, Han Yeoul’s eyes were moistly wet.
“Why?”
His asking voice trembles.
“What do you mean why? It’s obvious.”
“…”
“Because I had absolutely no thoughts of breaking up with you.”
A tear drop fell from Han Yeoul’s eyes.
“I arbitrarily wrote divorce papers, shoved them at you and left—weren’t you bothered at all?”
Han Yeoul’s wet eyes looking at me laughing while wiping his tears are pitiful.
“How could I not be bothered? And then you disappeared.”
“…”
“But you know, Yeoul. Even if you who left me like that sincerely thought of breaking up with me, I absolutely would never have stamped those papers.”
“Seonjae.”
“I didn’t think our connection would end like that. Because it’s not a connection I could let go of so easily.”
“…”
“Even if you cruelly cut the thread of our connection, I would have searched for the cut thread until the end and tied it back together.”
Han Yeoul laughed slightly with tears welling up.
“Yeah. I know how funny that sounds, I really do.”
“Yeah.”
“So this isn’t needed anymore.”
I took out the divorce papers from my pocket and thoroughly tore them up in front of Han Yeoul’s eyes. Han Yeoul opened his eyes wide in surprise, as if he never thought I’d have the papers with me at this moment.
“Instead.”
I put the torn papers back in my pocket and smiled at Han Yeoul. I lightly kissed the lips of Han Yeoul who smiled back at me without knowing why.
“What was that?”
I gently held out a ring case to Han Yeoul who looked around in surprise. It was our wedding rings that Han Yeoul had left behind. Tears fell again from Han Yeoul’s eyes looking at the rings carefully placed in the ring case.
“Seonjae.”
“Yeoul.”
I took the ring from the ring case and put it on Han Yeoul’s finger. Han Yeoul couldn’t take his eyes off the ring and just endlessly shed tears.
“I didn’t think I’d be proposing to you again.”
I kissed the ring on Han Yeoul’s finger and smiled broadly at my Yeoul. With a heart full of blessings for us who finally became one after unloading the burden on our hearts and embracing each other’s wounds.
“I love you. So let’s get married.”
The proposal words to Han Yeoul once more seeped into the space for just the two of us on a warm afternoon with sunlight pouring down. Together with Han Yeoul’s dazzling smile.
The End
