Stranger - Chapter 21.3 (END)

“It’s nice to be here again.”

Yeon Woojeong muttered as he took a sip of his coffee. I was glad that this place remained a good memory to him, not only to me. I could feel that we were sharing the same feelings right now. A sense of triumph and a rush of emotions washed over me. 

Nothing had changed, except that my time with him had grown. The warmth of the cup spread to my fingertips. I took Yeon Woojeong’s hand and touched his fourth finger. It was here that Yeon Woojeong promised me he would never get married. Looking back, we had made quite a lot of promises. Each one of them was heavy and important, but now they had become part of our everyday life.

“Mr. Yeon.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not afraid anymore.”

At my words, Yeon Woojeong’s eyes blinked slowly as if he were thinking about something. I wondered if Yeon Woojeong remembered the conversation we had that day. I remembered the whole time with him clearly. Strangely enough, the memories from the first time I met him to the day we went to Suncheon together were exceptionally colored. If there were a museum of my memories, the moments of that time would always be in the center.

Yeon Woojeong’s eyes arched gently. His face was like a lakeside landscape sparkling in the sun. His face, flushed with joy, made my heart skip a beat. The next moment, he took my hand in his.

“Nothing’s better than to hear that.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“How much more do you want to make me happy?”

His playful whisper made me tighten my grip. He smiled and held me in his eyes. And I smiled, wishing that the I in his eyes at this moment was more vivid and clear.

The Ferris wheel descended slowly. Opening the small door, I stepped out and walked down the path that extended beneath the Ferris wheel. The sky was beginning to glow a light yellow, and the wind had become a bit chillier. There were no people around, and I felt like we were traveling to a faraway place. I took a deep breath, feeling like the box inside my suit had suddenly expanded in size. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Yeon Woojeong’s peaceful face as he walked toward the lake. I clenched my fists, then unclenched them and stopped my steps.

“Mr. Yeon.”

“Mhm?”

Yeon Woojeong halted his steps, too. He turned around, and I looked at him straight in the eye. He faced me, puzzled, but nonetheless made eye contact with me. I felt a tingle in my fingertips.

“I have something for you.”

I took a step away from him and reached into the inside pocket of my suit jacket. I clasped the box strongly and pulled it out. Yeon Woojeong’s gaze dropped to the box. He was frozen. He stared at it, unblinking, and the palpitation in my chest intensified. 

When I opened the box, two rings were revealed. Only then did Yeon Woojeong blink. He squeezed his eyes shut once, then opened them and laughed. His smiling eyes looked at me again.

“Is this a proposal?”

“No. I just wanted to give it to you.”

A marriage didn’t mean anything to our relationship. We were already tied, and that was very meaningful, but even if it hadn’t happened, nothing would have changed. The important thing wasn’t the arrangement. 

I had gotten my hands on quite a few things now. Although not as much as he had, I had things of my own. I could give it all to him. I could promise him everything. But what I was going to give him today was a confirmation of my promises. A kind of midterm check. 

After taking a ring out of the box, I took Yeon Woojeong’s left hand and carefully slid it onto his outstretched finger. But it felt too tight, somehow. Did I get the wrong size? No. I’d checked his size several times while he slept.

“Ah.”

I quickly pulled the ring off Yeon Woojeong’s finger.

“This is mine.”

Yeon Woojeong didn’t laugh at my stupid mistake. My thoughts grew restless. As I put the ring back into the box and reached for the one next to it, my hand slipped and the ring fell off. Ow fuck. The ring rolled and stopped at Yeon Woojeong’s toes. He picked it up before I bent down to pick it up. He handed it to me, still not laughing.

I rubbed the ring on my hand, took a deep breath, and slid it onto his fourth finger again. This time it fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small. He stared down at the ring, clenching and unclenching his fist. 

Yeon Woojeong stared down at the ring for a long time, as if he were looking at something unfamiliar, and then reached over and took the remaining ring from the box. This time it was his turn to give it to me. I compliantly held out my hand and the ring slipped onto my fourth finger. I clenched and unclenched my fist, following his lead. The weight on my finger, which I had never worn anything on in my life, felt awkward. 

The same ring settled on our fingers. Even though it was just a ring, my chest swelled. I took his fingertips and kissed the top of the ring. His gaze fell on me. 

I wanted to say something, but while I couldn’t say anything, Yeon Woojeong was the first to open his mouth.

“Jiho.”

“… Yeah.”

Yeon Woojeong stared at me in silence, perhaps he called me for nothing, or maybe he was thinking of what to say. I felt the temperature of my ears go up and slowly go down. The sky was turning bright red, and a light breeze stirred the lakeside landscape. The scene behind him was picturesque. No, it was picturesque because he was in it. 

However, this was the most surreal reality of all: him and me together. Time passed quickly, but I wasn’t afraid. I looked forward to seeing us next year, and the year after, like how I was curious about the next chapter in a book.

“You always…”

Opening his mouth again, Yeon Woojeong unusually trailed his voice. His face looked calm, but his hand was hot.

“You always give me things I never thought of. And that feels…”

Yeon Woojeong squinted one of his eyes, seemingly having no idea how to say it. I reached out my other hand and touched his cheek.

“Like it’s lengthening my path. Do you know that I thought I had already reached the end?”

I felt like I knew what he was trying to say. He must be telling me that I had lengthened his path, which he thought had ended.

“Is it good to get there?”

“Of course.”

“I learned all that from you.”

He was the one who showed me the way. There was nowhere I stepped on that he hadn’t touched. 

In response to my words, Yeon Woojeong shook his head and burst into laughter. My hand on his cheek moved to the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. Our lips touched, and the remnants of his laugh faded between them. His lips smelled like coffee. The scent lingered on the tip of my nose, and the warmth of his lips melted my nerves. 

I poured everything I felt into our kiss. Something bumped on our interlocked fingers. Another landscape was added to our memories, but no matter what, we were us. No matter where we were, no matter what time it was. 

He and I blended into one, and I couldn’t tell if the warmth was his or mine. I pulled Yeon Woojeong closer into a tight hug.

Exit 

and

TN: Yep, this is the end. Thank you everyone for staying with this story till the end. Thank you for your support. For anyone who wants to support the author, you can do it by purchasing this novel e-book in ridibooks, or physical copy through many online stores. Well, the book is only available in Korean as there’s no official translation at this moment. Once again, thank you everyone.