FBF chapter 22 part 4

I suddenly realized I had forgotten to take off my hat. As I raised my hand to do so, I locked eyes with Lee Jihoon.

“It’s fine. When else are you going to see me wearing a hat?”

After stopping me, Jihoon casually reached for my hat and lifted it up. I furrowed my brow slightly as I watched him carefully examine the scars on my head, both with his eyes and hands. It wasn’t because it hurt; it was because I could feel his excessive concern over it. To those who saw me for the first time, my scars had healed enough that they wouldn’t even notice them, yet Jihoon was always cautious. Sometimes, I felt like I wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary to worry so much, but knowing his heart, I chose to just let him do what he wanted. Not long after, Jihoon, who seemed reassured, looked down and asked one more time.

“Did your head hurt when the plane took off?”

He was worried that I might have been affected by the pressure I felt when the aircraft ascended. Even though I had already received the doctor’s confirmation that I could fly, I firmly shook my head, knowing he insisted on choosing a closer destination.

“Not at all.”

“Really? Not at all?”

“Yeah. I think we can go somewhere farther next time.”

Jihoon chuckled playfully.

“Like New York?”

His mention of a special place brought a smile to my face.

“Sure. Let’s go to New York, then.”

We exchanged silent smiles as we looked into each other’s eyes. Jihoon stepped closer and wrapped his arms around my waist comfortably. One of his hands brushed over the collar of my uniform. He quickly spotted the badge that wasn’t there before and asked with a curious expression.

“Is this it?”

“Yeah.”

“They should give you a bigger one. You went through a lot.”

He frowned as if he himself had gone through it, but soon his expression shifted as if he thought of something else that could make up for it. He pressed down on the badge so it would stick longer. Our eyes met just at the right moment.

“You look great, Ji Seon-uk.”

Within his bending eyes, I saw only myself. I smiled slowly at the reflection of myself within.

Behind Jihoon loomed a large building, a landmark of the country. It was so big that it could be seen from afar, with a large round shape illuminated in red and blue lights reflecting on the surrounding buildings. Even though it was my first time here, the two of us recalled it fondly. We knew that this part of the airport’s roof was the filming location for the favorite movie of a woman who always dreamed of romance, even if it wasn’t popular with others.

I knew that although we had both passed the age of sixteen, just looking at each other could summon memories from that time. It was a reward for both of us who tried to stay by each other’s side no matter what.

Like the lovers in the movies who stood as if dancing a waltz, we naturally leaned toward each other without trying. We stood close enough to hear each other’s voices without speaking much and placed our hands on each other’s bodies, realizing how comfortable this angle felt.

I called out to him, who stood unwavering in the wind.

“Lee Jihoon.”

I wanted to convey that I too was standing firm.

I understood we were standing towards the direction pointed out by the teachings left by our sixteen, eighteen, twenty, twenty-three, and twenty-nine selves. We walked side by side, neither falling behind nor trying to catch up.

A question I never expected to ask suddenly slipped out of my lips.

“Are you happy?”

Instead of being surprised by the question that meandered over the valley of time, Jihoon smiled. It was as if we both knew the answer because we were already able to smile while asking and hearing that question.

On the empty rooftop of the airport, the wind swirled like a whirlwind. While we watched the insignia and badge flapping against our uniforms, we didn’t move as if we were in a hurry to look away from each other’s eyes.

Thus, we confirmed that we were both thinking the same thing, wanting to say “I love you.”

“I have a dream now.”

“A dream?”

We drew closer at the speed learned from directly bumping and breaking.

“A dream where you tell me every day that you’re my dream.”

I read the love shining in his playful whisper. I knew the reason he was smiling was because he saw the same reflection in my eyes. I smiled and tugged at his tie.

Behind Jihoon, a plane took off, heading towards a place that was a goal and dream for someone.

We had always been there. For each other, who were both a dream and a goal. For the person waiting for me, even if I didn’t take off.

On the road where the signal indicating that the recipient and sender were the same rang out, we found each other. Under the same sky, in a place where we could see each other’s eyes, we realized that no signal was necessary.

fin.