• EPILOGUE II •

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The last time when I felt alive was being with you.

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[Noeul's Perspective]

The biggest hinder I had between me and my books was my ever so loving father.

"Jeon Noeul, you need to meet real characters than fictional ones. Do you know during my school days I never－"

Oh boy no.

"Papa, my love for you is immeasurable and same goes for your cute nagging.."

He grinned, feeling flattered by my words.

"..if you change the word love into hate."

He gasped dramatically.

"Bye" I cooed and kissed his cheeks, knowing well that he wasn't expecting this kind of remark from me.

My cute papa.

To escape from my papa's not-so-cute nagging and to earn some peace of mind, here I was standing at Hangang bridge, watching the beautiful Han river and cursing Kim Taehyung.

I had seen love between my parents. Love between the characters of my novels. But what kind of love he did?

Unconditional love? Does it even exist?

I could never believe so.

"I heard you were a handsome man Taehyung. You could've produced beautiful children if you never decided in being a single pringle for life. Why waste your life for a woman huh?"

I hate him.

I hate him for making my heart flutter, for making me fall in love with literature. I closed the diary groaning with frustration.

"You stupid lover boy!" And I was about to throw it.

"Often action done in pure anger results in repent later."

Until a voice, a very deep soothing voice said halting me in my action.

With an irritated expression, I looked back to face the person.

Is this some kind of conspiracy?

"Ah, we meet again finally," he said coming closer, standing right beside me.

It was him. The piano guy.

I blinked forgetting how to speak momentarily. Soon I tried to compose myself.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what that ignorant guy did. Love is nonsense." I mumbled, my voice barely audible.

"How do you know he was ignorant? What do you even know about love? Try to understand his point of view. Maybe you'll understand love isn't nonsense and he wasn't ignorant."

I guess my voice was audible enough for him.

I opened my mouth to close it again not finding any word to defend my point.

"You're talking as if you know who he is."

I scoffed. He smiled.

"That's impossible but hey maybe we have same kind of perspective about love? That's why I'm defending him without even knowing his story, Noeul."

He replied cocking his head to one side giving his contagious smile.

It took me a while to register in my mind that he called me by my name.

"Wait how do know my name?"

In spare of some seconds his charismatic aura changed into a flustered one.

"Oh. Erm..w-who doesn't know your name? You're one of the toppers of our school after all."

He tried to reason. His cheeks flushed red.

"Basically no one does but thank you. Atleast someone appreciated me."

I tried to ease him. He chuckled nervously.

"Y-Yeah. You're welcome," he replied scratching the back of his neck.

"Care to tell me who is this he who caused your veins to pop like this?"

He asked. A strangled laugh escaped my throat at his choose of words.

"Rather than telling why don't you read it by yourself ?"

I said passing him the diary. He carefully examined it and started to read.

"Woah," he expressed with amazement after reading few pages.

"Is this fate or something? I can't believe this. Why does he－"

His expression and tone were anything but understandable to me.

I didn't reply. He didn't wait for one too.

All the time when he was reading, I was staring at him.

All the time when his eyes were glistening, I was amused by him.

All the time when his lips were curving into a painful smile, my heart was beating rapidly for him.

He was a stranger and yet I was being like this.

Human organs are weird. Specially the heart.

You wouldn't even know in what case and in what place it'd start to beat for someone.

The lover boy's diary was shortly written. But in those simple and short lines he vividly described his life, his buddy and his love for her.

He closed the diary along with his eyes letting a small drop of tear to fall.

A serene expression grew on his face. He fluttered open his eyes watching the sunset, his lips still curved into a painful smile.

"The view is beautiful," he said not bothering to look at me.

"Yes it is," I said not bothering to remove my eyes from him.

"So are you." He stated finally looking at me with his unfaded smile.

"Huh?" That caught me off guard.

"Your name means sunset right? And she has the same name like you," replied he, giving me an unreadable expression.

"Y-yes, I guess so. My papa gave me this name because in his opinion I look exactly like his late sister." I said. My cheeks started to burn.

"Really? Then you just need a Kim Taehyung in your life to fulfill the unfinished love story."

He chuckled meaning it as a joke. Or so I thought.

"It's getting dark. I think I should go now. Otherwise my papa will search the entire Seoul saying his daughter went missing."

He laughed. His ever so beautiful laugh.

"You're lucky. Not everyone is as lucky as you to get a loving father," he said. His smile faltering a bit.

I wanted to know what he meant by that. I wanted to know more about him. But I didn't want to rush.

Lets know him little by little Noeul.

I pacified my heart.

"Good bye then." I said. He stopped me.

"Never say good bye if there's still hope to meet the person again. I mean we'll meet again right?" His cheeks turned a shed of pink.

He's blushing. Oh no. My heart.

"See you around then." I replied not making any eye contact with him and turning to the other side to go back home.

After going few steps, I remembered an important detail.

"Wait!" I said turning back to his way.

He halted and gave me a questioning look.

"I-I don't-you never told me your name."

I mentally face palmed.

He smiled and proceeded towards me. He came close positioning his face in front of mine keeping a respective distant.

Seeing him so close to me, my heart went wild. He was staring as if I was an open book and he was the reader.

"Hmm, I have three questions for you."

His voice sounded like a whisper.

"One," he took a step back.

"In the diary, whose heart beat for Jeon Noeul till death?"

"Two," another two steps backward.

"Who belonged to her forever?"

"The last and the most important one," he stopped not tearing his gaze away from me.

"Who's the stupid lover boy, Noeul?"

I squinted my eyes not understanding the purpose behind these questions.

"Answer these questions and I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out my name.''

Another three steps backward.

"See you soon, Noeul." He waved his hand and turned his back to me to walk forward straightly.

"What does he mean－"

Realisation hit me like a truck. As if the earth has been removed down my feet.

"You are.." As if the universe was mocking me.

"Kim Taehyung. H-how is this－"

My voice cracked and a tear slipped from my eyes unconsciously.

Why was I feeling happy and content knowing his name which exactly is the same to his?

The heart is sure a weird organ.

I started walking towards my home with a thumping heart.

Maybe Kim Taehyung wasn't stupid. He just knew to love. Maybe fate really exists.

I was walking slowly. My eyes still moist for an unknown reason.

Suddenly I remembered that. A smile played on my face.

"I think I'm finally fulfilling my promise."

A promise that was made on this day by a naive Noeul.

"Seems like I found someone like your Taetae papa."

❝Maybe our love was one of those that made the heaven bend to fulfill it. I told you my love, no matter where you are, I will be yours forever.❞

Forever yours,
Kim Taehyung