[edited]

Imagine yourself in a situation where someone you'd loved with all your heart, someone you'd grown attached to, someone you've been wanting, gets separated from you unexpectedly, due to a traumatic happening.

And then, after pathetic years of desperately trying to erase the pain of losing someone, that someone precious comes back into your life, and gives you the hope, that they'll stay with you, assuring you with their being that they won't ever leave again.

You get that feeling?

That's exactly how Jin was feeling. The girl, the little young girl, who was responsible for making his young heart throb uncontrollably, and yet again, after being back after so many years, still had the power to make him fall in love with her again. She was the same as the Aera he had fallen deeply in love with.

She was beautiful. Her chubby rouge cheeks, her natural pink lips, and long eyelashes which shadowed on her cheeks and the curly hazel locks, that softly fell down on her shoulders through her high ponytails made her look like a living doll. She glowed under the rays of the sun, that fell through the windows of the bus.

But that wasn't all he found himself falling for, it was her kind smile and soft eyes, which gave rise to butterflies in his stomach like never before.

Tears blurred his vision, and eventually, started down. Tears of joy, of realisation, and of wholesomeness. After what had happened, he'd tried so hard to move on. Move on from his life he had before the accident, move on from his family he'd lost, and move on from...her. And he succeeded, because he knew that none of them were coming back. So, he learned to live with it.

But she came back into his life, as if she was an angel. The life he'd been leading, but not really. After he'd lost his all to the accident, he'd become a dead man, carrying on with his life for the sake of his lost family, who he knew, would have wanted nothing but to see him happy, alive and exceeding in life.

But since she'd entered his life, his life had been nothing but bright colors. He found the windows to the entire world in her eyes. He found the dark, glittery sky in her hair, the first snow of winter in her skin, and the warmth of summers in her embrace.

He knew she was the one for him. And he wanted to become it, for her.

"Oppa?"

A sweet voice broke through his thoughts, to echo permanently inside his heart and mind.
A pair of thumbs gently erased his tears from his cheeks, and another forehead came in contact with his. The sweet contact made him close his eyes and sigh in satisfaction.

"Aera..." He whispered out.

Opening his eyes, he locked them with hers' ever so lovingly, taking her breath away. She brought her hand to his cheeks to wipe away the remnants of the tears and caress the skin gently.

"What's happening Oppa?" Her voice quivered, her own eyes filling up with tears, her heart aching to see him cry.

He took a deep breath in, preparing himself to disclose what he'd rediscovered.

"I need to tell you something, Aera..."

—

"After I lost them...you, after that— accident, my relatives had adopted me. But, nothing was the same as before. I was traumatized after what had happened, and the constant disputes over some property taking place in the house, it felt as if I was dying. My brain was tearing me apart as I couldn't find my peace of mind. I wanted to run away. But I was still underage. So, I decided to endure the pain as much as I could, and as soon as I turned 18, I moved out and rented an apartment and carried on with my studies and a part-time job to pay my bills."

True, that it wasn't a smooth life for either of them, but Aera learned an important lesson of life.

It was to never give up, even in the toughest of situations, and even when the world seems to be against you. Because however dark the may seem right now, the sky will clear some day, sunshine taking place.

It sure was easy to think that Jin was a happy-go-lucky person with the facade he put on for the world, but inside, he was just as broken as Aera was. And after getting to know just how much courage and strength he had to carry on with his life after everything that had happened, Aera felt her respect towards the him grow even more.

Wiping away the tears, she scooted closer to him, to embrace him in her warmth. She'd known how painful it was to reminisce those painful moments, over and over again. She wanted to lessen the pain he felt, if not completely, because she knew, it was difficult.

Jin found a warmth, a comfort in her arms he'd been looking for his entire life.
It was true that he had all the material things a person could ever want, or even imagine. The looks, the status, the wealth, but that could never fill the void the unfortunate past had left in his heart.

But while, being here, in the arms of the one he loved, he felt complete, blithe and contented. She meant the world for him. And now she knew, he did, for her too.

She backed away a few inches to face him. Her arms still around him, tight, she leaned in, pressing her lips onto his, enveloping them with ardour, her heart on the brink of exploding from the overwhelming emotions. And he felt that very well. Afterall, he was on the same boat.

"I love you."

——

"Your scent is all I need to breathe,
Cause you're my oxygen..."

———