forty one

"if the world was ending, i'd wanna be next to you." -die with a smile, lady gaga & bruno mars.

——

they stayed on the couch, sitting close, knees nearly touching. jihoon's fingers hovered for a moment before he slowly reached out and brushed a strand of hair from misun's face. his thumb lingered against her cheek, soft and deliberate.

"i missed you so much," he whispered, eyes locked on hers. his thumb traced the curve of her jaw. "more than i can even say."

misun swallowed, voice trembling. "i missed you too... more than i thought i could."

he exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders just slightly. "i know what i did was wrong," he said, thumb moving in gentle little circles on her skin. "i shouldn't have hurt you. i shouldn't have let you go. i'll always regret it."

her chest tightened, heart racing. "jihoon..."

he leaned closer, still caressing her cheek. "i want a chance to be with you again. i want to try again. misun... please."

she bit her lip, searching his eyes. "you really mean that?"

"more than anything," he said, voice breaking a little. "can we... can we try again? just one more chance?"

misun hesitated, then nodded. "okay," she whispered.

relief flooded him. he cupped her cheek fully, thumb brushing softly. "thank you," he said, voice low. "thank you for trusting me again."

she leaned into his touch, and he leaned closer, forehead resting gently against hers. "i promise... i won't let you go this time," he murmured.

"i believe you," she said, her voice soft but certain.

they stayed like that for a long moment, just holding each other on the couch, letting the quiet fill the space between them. for the first time in years, it felt like everything was finally okay.

jihoon's hand still cupped her cheek, thumb brushing softly. slowly, he leaned in, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to her lips. it was soft, careful, full of everything they had been holding back. misun's hands found his, fingers curling around his, and she leaned into him without hesitation.

when they finally pulled back, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.

"i can't believe this... we're really here," jihoon murmured.

"me neither," misun said, smiling softly. "it feels... like home."

they stayed like that for a moment, just breathing each other in, before misun shifted slightly. "so... you want to hear about my life while you were gone?"

"of course," he said, eyes lighting up. "tell me everything."

she laughed quietly. "okay... well, i decided to study photography in uni. i've always loved capturing little moments, you know? and... i met chaewon at work. she's... she's my closest friend now."

jihoon smiled, squeezing her hand. "sounds like she's lucky to have you... and you to have her. how about your dad?"

"yeah," she said softly, looking down. "my dad still goes on business trips a lot... he doesn't come back much, so it's mostly just me and mom. sometimes it's lonely, but... it's okay. i'm used to it."

"i get that," jihoon murmured, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "i've been busy too... seventeen's getting more famous, and i'm always working. i barely get breaks, barely get a moment to breathe."

"wow..." misun whispered. "and you've been doing all this while... carrying everything else, huh?"

he shrugged, a small, tired smile tugging at his lips. "yeah... it's not easy. but seeing you now... it makes it all feel worth it."

misun's heart ached at the sincerity in his voice. she leaned closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "i missed this... missed us," she admitted.

"me too," he said softly, arm wrapping around her, pulling her closer. "so much."

they stayed like that for a while, talking quietly, laughing softly, catching up on everything and nothing, the world outside the studio fading away. it felt like no time had passed at all, yet everything had changed—in the best way possible.