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16:11, 23 August 2025"What?" I pull back to look at him. He isn't serious.
"You heard me." He replies. "Let's get married."
Married? He wants to get married?
I can't lie, a part of me wants to jump at this. I have missed him and now that I am in his arms again, I realize how much. The constant ache inside me is gone and I never want it back again. I truly believe he is sorry and he is going to work on changing. Would getting married be the worst thing in the world? I could see it. Sohyun and I would be sisters!
"No." I hear myself say. "Sunghoon, the solution to our problems isn't marriage. We literally just got back together. We need to work on fixing this and building our relationship back up. My answer is no. For now, at least."
"Okay." He nods, his cheeks turning red. "You are right. We should work on us first. But in the future..."
"We will discuss it when the time comes. For now, let's work on us."
"Right." He pulls me closer to him, kissing my forehead. "Next time I will have a ring."
Sohyun is ecstatic to see that we are back together. I don't bring up the fact that she tried to get Sunghoon to give up on me. I do know she was trying to do what she thought I wanted.
Sohyun, Jake, and Sunghoon had to go back to Korea shortly after for classes. I almost go with them, not wanting to be away from Sunghoon again, but I need to finish out my time here. Though each day after I am counting down to seeing Sunghoon again.
When it is finally time for me to leave, it kind of feels like I am leaving home all over again. I have grown accustomed to living here and saying goodbye to Tim is harder than I thought it would be. His new girlfriend is moving in as soon as I head out.
"I will be back to visit." I promise as I hug him at the airport. "Thank you again for everything."
"You better be back." He tells me, squeezing me tightly. "Make sure to facetime me when he proposes again."
"I will." I laugh and let him go.
He stands there and watches until I am through the gate, waving me off.
Sunghoon and I spend the next year attached at the hip. I move into his apartment shortly after I get back.
Youngji comes over about a month after I return and we talk, just the two of us.
"I am really sorry for how things went down that night. I am not going to lie, I knew what I was doing. You didn't deserve that." She says as we sit on Sunghoon's couch that afternoon while he is out.
"Are you in love with Sunghoon?" I ask the question that has been on my mind since the moment I started things with him.
"What?" She laughs, shaking her head. "No, of course not."
"You can see how I could get that impression..."
"Y/n, I am gay." She cuts me off.
"You are?"
"Yes. And I have been for a really long time." She pats me on the shoulder. "I came out to my followers a few months ago, but I have known since I was sixteen."
"But there has been so much stuff. Like you interrupting his live that one time..."
"That was just good for business." She shrugs. "He is really popular and a lot of his followers would become my followers if they thought we were secretly dating. And when he got serious with you and told his followers we weren't together, I was afraid it would have a negative impact on my brand."
"You never dated then?"
"No. I have been with my girlfriend now for two years."
"Did Sunghoon know?"
"I told him after that night at my party." She admits. "He was so mad at me. Made me sign this ridiculous contract and threatened a restraining order. He told me that he couldn't help how I felt about him, but you would be the only one he ever loved and if I couldn't accept that I could get out of his life."
"What you did was really fucked up." I tell her, thinking back to that night.
"Yeah, it was. I am working through that in therapy." She nods. "My girlfriend talked me into going. It is the reason I am here."
By the end of our conversation I did feel better toward Youngji. Sure, what she did felt life ruining, but was it?
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do it over again. But Sunghoon and I are stronger than ever now, I had an amazing experience abroad, and Youngji is getting much needed help. I think in the end everyone won.
I began a new webcomic. This time there aren't any characters modeled after real life people, much to Sunghoon's disappointment. He really wanted to be the main character.
It is now a year later and everything is quiet and good in my life. Sohyun and Jake are pregnant, expecting a little girl in December. They were going to get married before the baby arrived, but Sohyun didn't want to be pregnant in her wedding pictures.
I am on my way to meet Sohyun for her baby shower. It is eight o'clock at night, which I had originally complained about. But apparently her internal clock is messed up because of the baby and this is like noon to her.
I am more than a little peeved that she is throwing herself a baby shower and hasn't allowed me to. As the best friend that should be my right.
"Who has a baby shower on a roof at night?" I huff as I climb another flight of stairs, my hands in fists, gripping the fabric of my dress.
When I finally get to the roof and push through I expect to see Sohyun and some of our friends there. I had talked to several others and they said they were coming. But it is dark.
"Hello?" I ask as I walk onto the roof. I can see a structure up head, but it is dark. Where is everyone? "Sohyun."
"She isn't here." Sunghoon says as he steps out from behind the structure.
"Sunghoon? What are you doing at Sohyun's baby shower? She banned you."
"Y/n." He takes a step toward me, still just a shadow. "A year ago today we stood in a sanctuary, alone, and I asked you to marry me. Remember?" He ignores my question completely. "You told me no."
"Of course I remember. It wasn't the right time." I look around again. "What does this have to do with the baby shower?"
"I know that now." He takes a step closer as the structure lights up and I can see the words in lights. Will You Marry Me? And it looks like each of our friends is standing under the lights. Heeseung, Riki, Jungwon, Sunoo, Jay, Jake, Sohyun. I can see now Sunghoon is in a dark suit, his hair styled back. "Let's see if I get it right this time." He drops to his knee. "Sohyun helped me pick out the ring. I have gotten everyone else's permission, but yours. I love you, Y/n. I can't imagine a day without you and when I think about the future, all I see is you. The day we switched phones might have been the best day of my life, because it started my journey with you. I never want a day to go by where you question how much I love you. I promised you that it was you and me forever and I meant it. You are the only thing I ever want. Will you marry me?"
I am stunned. I look at him, on one knee a beautiful ring in his hand, our friends waiting anxiously for an answer. This was supposed to be a baby shower!
"Wouldn't it be something if I said no again?"
"Is that... is that your answer?" Sunghoon asks, his face falling.
"No." I shake my head. "My answer is yes, of course. I am just saying, wouldn't it be different if I said no?"
"Yes? Your answer is yes?"
"Of course it is!" I can feel the tears running down my cheeks now as I hold out my left hand. It takes him a moment, but he hurries and puts the ring on my finger. Our friends begin to clap and cheer as he stands up, kissing me.
"I love you, Peaches."
"I love you, too." I tell him. "But you ruined my makeup."
"At least they were happy tears this time." He smiles, kissing me again.
"And not to ruin the moment." A very pregnant Sohyun appears beside us, pulling me into a hug of her own. "But I do still except a baby shower."
THE END
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