Sailor Song (Yujin x Wonyoung)
~16k words, Valentine's Day fic, LDR | << Previous track | Next track >>
Happy Valentine's Day 2026 everyone! ❤️
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April 6, 2023
Dear Jang Wonyoung,
How do you write someone a letter? No one ever taught me how. But, here I go.
How are you?
Is that too simple a question? I don’t know. I find myself wondering how you are.
It’s only been a few days since I left, and I already have this urge to return. To come back.
I miss the waves reaching out for the shore. I miss the lighthouse at the top of the hill. And of course, I miss you.
Now that I’ve reread what I’ve written, I feel stupid haha. Is this really all there is to letters? Maybe you should teach me a thing or two. Tell me how to improve my writing. I don’t want to waste these ink and papers.
I don’t want to waste your time.
Love,
An Yujin
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May 18, 2023
Dear An Yujin,
I didn’t think you’d write back. What a miracle! That’s a pleasant surprise.
Keep the way you write, Yujin. It’s kinda cute. It’s very ‘you’.
I don’t think there are any rules to letter-writing really. We don’t need to have a set thing to write to each other about. That’s what pen pals are for—just chatting with one another.
I’d be happy enough to just hear from you once in a while. Let’s me know you haven’t drowned yet.
Tell me about your day, Yujin. Tell me what you see. What you go through. What you feel. It helps. All of it helps.
It helps me imagine what your life is like out there on the open seas.
Me? Well, you’ve seen it. My life isn’t very colorful. It’s just routine.
But you? You get to sail to all these different places because of your work. What’s that like?
Which countries are your favorite? Did you encounter any annoying passengers before? Do you ever get seasick? If you do, is it fine to just throw up into the water?
Tell me about that. About it all.
Maybe that way, I can feel like I’m with you.
Love,
Jang Wonyoung
P.S. I had to contact your company to find out where your next stop is! Next time, let me know where I can mail my letters too. Otherwise, you won’t be getting them.
P.P.S. I miss you, dummy.
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June 27, 2023
Dear Jang Wonyoung,
Do you remember the first time we met?
“Bah, this is such a small town. Can’t really spread your legs after a long sail, yeah?” Arnold grunted, rubbing the back of his head. “At least the tavern had some cheap drinks. Don’t really feel all that buzzed though.”
“Aye, but it’s pretty quiet, no?” Klaus chimed in, elbowing Arnold. “Feels weird being the noisiest ones here.”
As the crew of the Celebrity Millennium strolled down the main road of 12th Street, their cackles stirred the ambient air. The final traces of spring breathed against their backs as a gentle breeze swept past them, lifting their already inebriated spirits.
Yujin could only watch as her senior crew members began dancing down the street to the unheard tune of a shanty. Shaking her head, she trailed behind them to avoid getting swept up in their antics.
“Didn’t get very buzzed either, did you?”
A woman approached Yujin from the side, their cruise jacket draped over her shoulders. She glanced at Yujin as if they hadn’t been together all night already. “Didn’t see you having much to drink back there.”
“Karina,” Yujin muttered, managing a smile. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Not in the mood, I guess. Especially not if we’re sleeping on the boat again.”
“God, they could at least have gotten us rooms on land. This place looks cheap too. Perfect place for a little midnight rendezvous,” Karina teased.
Yujin blushed. Karina didn’t need to say it, but she knew exactly what the other girl was implying. Inching closer to Yujin, she wrapped a hand around Yujin’s arm and walked beside her. “Not very romantic, but the ship’s better than nothing.”
Yujin nodded. “Better than noth—.”
Just then, a bicycle zipped past them coming from the opposite direction.
Yujin stared at her. The woman stared back with a smile.
It was dark that night. 12th Street was just turning on all their lamps. But I swear, you were glowing. You lit up the entire path.
You looked like an angel—in that cute floral dress of yours. Hands on the handles of your bike. Hair flowing in the wind. Not a single care in the world.
You looked like some sort of celebrity. Like a young Anne Hathaway. Like I was watching a scene lifted right from the movies.
I couldn’t even remember what my crewmates were telling me anymore. I couldn’t even remember where we were headed or what we were going to do next. All I could do was look at you. All I could do was watch as you passed by.
While they all grabbed a smoke on the stern later that night, all I could think about was that girl I saw back on 12th Street. That lady in her pretty little dress, with her pretty little face, and that pretty little smile.
I had never seen something—someone—as beautiful as you, Wonyoung.
It wasn’t even that long of a moment. Hours later, we were back at the tavern again. Going for another round. The others were singing and dancing, racing to see the bottom of each mug, getting it on with the ladies they managed to pull.
But, all I could think about was you.
I say this because you’re all that’s on my mind right now, Wonyoung.
I think about how we first actually bumped into each other.
“That will be twenty-four thousand won.”
Taking out her wallet and flipping through its contents, the lady by the counter clicked her teeth. “Just short. I only have twenty-thousand on me. Do you think I could … maybe get a discount?”
Just then, a hand slid a yellow note across the counter.
The woman turned around to see another girl about her age smirking at her. “Lucky you, I happened to have money to burn.”
This same woman nodded towards the cashier. “I’m paying for her. Can you slip these in too?” Excusing herself, she approached the counter and dropped an armful of essentials onto it. “Hope you don’t mind.”
While the cashier began scanning the new goods, the lady in a dress smiled up at her unsolicited savior. “Thanks, but that’s not necessary. I’ll pay you back as soon as I get home and have more money on me.”
But the other woman didn’t reply.
As the sound of beeping filled the silence between them, when she did manage to reply, her voice came out breathy. “So, it was you.”
They both shared a glance.
“I’m sorry, but … have we met before?” the lady in a dress asked, crossing her arms. “If we did, you’ll have to jog my memory a bit more. I’m not really good with names.”
But the other woman just shook her head.
“Here’s the change,” the cashier beckoned, handing over a mix of smaller bills and coins. “Next customer.”
The lady in the dress pushed the change towards her companion before picking up her bagged purchases and quickly exiting the general mart.
Behind her, the other woman followed.
“I’m sorry, do you still need something from me?” she uttered with an audible concern in her voice. “Your help was plenty enough. Thank you.”
“You have my snacks and toiletries in there, miss. I’d like them back.”
When the lady in the dress finally paused, her companion jogged up to her and held her elbow. “So, your place?”
The two walked side-by-side now down the length of 12th Street. Where the cobbled path met softer grass and dirt, they climbed up the steady incline that bordered the small port town.
Towards the lighthouse at the top of the hill.
Stopping just by the metallic door leading inside, the lady in the dress nodded and opened the bag. It took a while for her companion to realize this, but when she did, she immediately grabbed what was hers.
“Fancy place,” her companion noted, staring up at the towering white structure before her. The sun was just about to set, so the beam of light that swirled around its tip had yet to be lit. “I don’t suppose you live here alone?”
The lady in the dress crinkled her nose. “Wait out here.”
All her companion could see was a dull glow from the inside as the door came shut as quickly as it opened.
After a few moments, the same lady burst through the door carrying a handful of green bills. She waved it towards her companion. “Here. Your money. For the groceries.”
“Look, how do I explain this,” her companion sighed, reluctantly taking the cash. “I didn’t actually need the money. I just needed my stuff. I was hoping to spend all the currency I had left out here since I’m not in town for much longer.”
“Oh.”
She shrugged. “So. Um, want to grab some drinks? They’re on me. Or, I guess, on you. Since this is still your money.”
The lady in the dress shook her head. “I don’t drink.”
“Then show me what you’d like,” her companion offered. “Yujin, by the way. An Yujin.”
The lady smiled, reaching out a hand to shake hers. “Wonyoung. Jang Wonyoung.”
I think about the days we spent together.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Yujin asked as she helped set the blanket over the sand and pebbles. To her side, Wonyoung was smoothing her dress beneath her before taking a seat. “It’s awfully windy today. And the water looks like it’s going to reach here any minute now.”
But Wonyoung just smiled and pinched her cheek. “Such a worrywart. I made all this food too. Would be a shame to—.”
Just like Yujin feared, the waves lurched forwards and reached for their waists, soaking both their clothes and their basket full of food.
Yujin could only laugh out loud as she wrapped her jacket around Wonyoung’s body.
The little moments.
“Ya, Wonyoung—you’re going too fast.”
But Wonyoung didn’t slow down. Instead, she pedaled faster and faster. “Didn’t you say we needed to dry off? Keep up, Yujin—or you’re going to be the only one catching a cold tonight.”
Shaking her head, Yujin tore into a sprint as she chased after the cycling girl, watching as she giggled down the lamplit path.
The stolen moments.
Wonyoung shook her head. “Nuh uh. No.”
But Yujin continued to press the bottle against her lips. “Just a sip. It won’t kill you.”
When Wonyoung’s lips wrapped around the bottle for a swig that lasted longer than she wanted it to, after the third swallow, she gagged, and spat out the alcohol, coughing as she gasped for air.
And while Wonyoung went on and on about how this was a terrible decision, how her stomach instantly made her regret it, and how she would never trust Yujin again, all Yujin could do was hold her close against her side and stare into her eyes with a smile.
I think about your lighthouse atop the hill.
With the horizon now drinking the burning gold of day, so did the two girls walk back to the final destination of their misadventures together.
The lighthouse. It was always the lighthouse.
While the walk up the hill was not a lengthy one, the two seemed to always stretch the distance into infinity.
Hands locked together the entire time.
I think about the rise and fall of the waves beyond your shore.
Once the hour has passed, and so did the moment for excuses and delays, the two girls faced each other with much apprehension.
Neither of them had wanted to return.
And the seas cried for them.
I think about you.
“This is it,” Wonyoung announced like there was any need to. “This is my stop.”
“This is the only stop around here really,” Yujin teased. But it earned not even a gentle grin from Wonyoung. “I guess … I guess this is me too.”
“So you’re going.”
The words came out sharper than it should have been, but there was no way the two girls could skirt around that truth. “Yeah … Yeah, I’m leaving in the morning, Wonyoung. Our ship’s setting sail for the next port.”
“Do you really have to go?” Wonyoung pleaded, hands still wrapped around Yujin’s forearm. “Will you … ever come back?”
Yujin already carried the weight of today on her back all afternoon. Now, Wonyoung just dropped another weight that crushed her chest. “I don’t know. I … I really don’t know.”
Letting go of Yujin made her gasp. They haven’t parted ways yet, and she was already like this. It was embarrassing. But it gave Yujin some reassurance to see Wonyoung just excusing herself indoors for a moment.
Once she returned, she was holding a strip of paper and a black pen.
Yujin took it and held it up to her face. “This is …?”
“My address,” Wonyoung explained, capping her pen. “Won’t you write to me? I won’t make you if it’s too much to ask. But, it’s there if you want it. If you want to.”
Yujin folded the paper and pressed it to her lips. “I will. I promise.”
God, reading all of this back again once I’ve written it down, I realized I’ve gone on and on have I? Haha. It’s embarrassing. I’ll stop here before I start spitting more nonsense on the page.
And Wonyoung? I miss you too.
Love,
An Yujin
P.S. We’re headed to Brazil next. Send your letter to Port Alumar.
P.P.S. I slipped a little Claddagh ring for you. Apparently it’s popular here in Ireland.
=====
August 4, 2023
Dear Yujin,
You didn’t answer my questions at all! All you talked about was the two of us.
All you talked about was me.
I’m glad though. I’m glad I somehow take up a space in your mind even if I’m no longer with you. It’s a nice feeling being remembered like this.
I didn’t know such a feeling could have existed before.
Yes, I often think about the time we spent together too.
Do you remember when you fell of my bike? I had never seen someone cry that much before.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
Yujin swatted a hand at Wonyoung as she got on her bike. The moment Wonyoung spotted her struggle to balance herself with both feet on the pedals, she knew this wasn’t going to go well. “Relax, relax. How hard can it be? It’s just circling your legs anyway.”
And she did just that. Yujin circled her legs over and over again, picking up speed as she biked down the hill.
“Wonyoung, how do you stop?”
But she had already accelerated so much that learning to use the brakes now was pointless. “Wonyoung? WONYOUNG—!”
The front tire hit a dislodged stone and sent her flying off the seat.
“YUJIN!”
By the time Wonyoung got to her, Yujin was in tears, sobbing like a newborn baby as she clutched her wounded knee.
It was just a small cut, but it seemed this young woman was filled with blood.
Wonyoung burst into laughter as she lifted Yujin up and rested her head on her lap. Caressing Yujin’s damp cheeks, she hummed a lullaby to her to help soothe the pain.
“There there, just press against the wound like that for a bit,” Wonyoung muttered with a smile, hovering over Yujin’s face. “So you can be adorable too, hm?”
What about when we sang karaoke at the tavern in front of all your friends?
Following Karina’s solo performance, the whole tavern exploded into a round of applause. Even those who weren’t a part of the drunken crew were cheering for the girl and her melodious voice.
“Alright alright, calm down, jeez,” Karina beckoned, holding the microphone now by the wire. “Who’s up next? Let’s keep this party going, yeah?”
Her gaze was fixed on Yujin, but the other girl was busy at the moment.
Wonyoung pressed her hands against Yujin’s cheeks and giggled. “Mmmmh, maybe we should sing a song or two~.”
Yujin bit her lip and growled at her. “Sit tight and just enjoy your drinks, princess. You’re drunker than you think.”
But Wonyoung pouted. “You don’t want to sing with me.”
Klaus overheard this and smirked. “Yeah, Yujin. Don’t you want to sing with her? It’s not very nice leaving a pretty lady all alone like that with the microphone.”
Soon, the entire tavern began to chant. “Duet! Duet! Duet!”
It didn’t help that Wonyoung was cheering with them. It didn’t help that Karina sauntered over to them to hand Yujin a pair of mics too. “Go on. Pick a song.”
Wonyoung shot up from her seat and stumbled towards the machine. The crew of the Celebrity Millenium nearly shot out of their seats too to try and catch her, but when she steadied herself on her own bare feet again, she held the microphone up. “Come on, Yujin! Let’s do this one~.”
Hiding her face, Yujin slid out from her seat to stand up and join her.
As the song began playing, Wonyoung winked at her through droopy eyes. “Don’t go breaking my heart~.”
“I couldn’t if I tried …”
“Oh honey if I get restless~” Wonyoung sang with a little body roll to her. Yujin followed up. “Baby you’re not that kind.”
Although Yujin could feel the effects of the beer mixing in with the sensation of being watched by her crew, all it took was one look at the enthusiastic Wonyoung for her to loosen up and give it her all too.
When the song reached its final note, the crew of the Celebrity Millennium all swarmed them and raised their glasses. But Wonyoung had her head rested against Yujin’s shoulder, knocked out cold.
Do you remember what happened after? It’s a blur to me.
Yujin took this opportunity to plant a sneaky kiss on her cheek before raising up her own drink.
And do you ever think about what you said to me when you went for a swim?
Bobbing up and down against the shallow bend of the water, Yujin dunked her head before resurfacing once again for air, flipping her hair behind her.
“It’s a good day for a swim. The water’s pretty warm,” Yujin beckoned to Wonyoung, who was just seated on a large rock by the shore. “Come on. Come on in. Join me.”
But Wonyoung shook her head. “I’m fine over here, thank you.”
Swimming over to the lady who perched herself like a siren, Yujin gasped. “You live here. You’ve been living here all your life, and no one taught you how to swim?”
Wonyoung shrugged, rubbing her elbows against the early morning breeze. “I wasn’t allowed to. Besides, I … I don’t live here, Yujin. I didn’t grow up here. I just … moved in.”
Water came splashing towards Wonyoung’s toes. “Are you afraid of the water? You shouldn’t be. The sea’s your friend.”
“And it’s this same sea that will claim you from me, Yujin,” Wonyoung whispered under her breath. Sighing, she just crinkled her nose and watched as Yujin tried to impress her with a few more strokes.
Floating on her back now, Yujin gazed up at Wonyoung as she came back into sight. “When are you going to set sail on your own, princess? Surely, you can’t live like this forever.”
Wonyoung remained silent as Yujin slowly began drifting away.
I think about it all the time.
I think about what I should be doing with my life—where I want to go, what I want to do.
So I have to ask: would you ever take me out for a sail? If so, where would we be going? What would be doing? Tell me, will you? I’d love to hear what sort of adventures we’d be going on.
Just the two of us.
Love,
Wonyoung
P.S. Claddagh rings have meaning. Did you know this? Are you trying to tell me something?
=====
September 24, 2023
Dear Yujin,
Happy birthday to you! I guess, happy birthday to me too.
If you were bothered by what I said in my last letter, you don’t have to worry about it. I was just reminiscing.
It’s all I ever seem to do these days.
If you’d like to talk about other things, we could do that too.
What interests you? What moves your heart? What inspires you to keep going on?
I’d like to hear your answers to these questions. Maybe then, I can do something other than reminisce. About us.
About you.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Love,
Wonyoung
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November 4, 2023
Dear Yujin,
Winter’s coming, and it’s terribly cold.
Your company said your ship changed destinations. Why didn’t you tell me?
I was worried the entire time. I thought you didn’t receive any of my letters. All this time, I thought you were ignoring me too.
Are you ignoring me?
I understand you must be busy. A life on the move isn’t stagnant, but it can’t be easy either, can it? I don’t want to burden you any further.
Just write when you can. If you still want to, that is. I don’t want to pressure you to reply, but … our back-and-forths have been the highlight of my days.
Sometimes, I wake up and have this overwhelming urge to check the mail. To see if you sent anything.
It’s been empty for months now.
Sometimes, I’m out for a stroll and remember what it was like to have your presence beside me.
But you’re gone now.
Lately, I can’t help but feel melancholic about those few precious memories of ours. Not hearing from you deepens this … hole in my heart. A hole that is seemingly cut in the shape of you.
Won’t you fill it with even a shred of your time?
You don’t understand how just a few words from you can make me feel so complete.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Love,
Your princess
=====
December 30, 2023
Dear Yujin,
Merry Christmas. Happy new year. By the time you get this, if you even get it at all, it’s already the new year, I imagine.
Forget it all, Yujin. Forget what I wrote about in the past few letters.
It was a mistake.
I spilled my emotions like ink all over these letters without really considering how you felt. I should have gauged better first before doing so.
Now I can’t help but feel like I made a fool out of myself. I can’t help but feel like I pushed you away.
It was silly. It was ridiculous. It was utterly foolish of me to have been that bold.
It won’t happen again.
I just hope you’re fine. Wherever you are, whatever you’re occupied with, I just hope you’re well.
I’ll do my best to be well too.
Wishing for your safety this new year.
From,
Wonyoung
=====
January 19, 2024
Dear Wonyoung,
I think you may have misunderstood things.
First of all, I’m sorry for not being able to reply to your letters
They are all so, beautifully, written. (Even the ones where you blame yourself.) It feels so much like you.
I’ve been … trying to find the right way to tell you what I was thinking, what I was going through, how I was feeling. But they just didn’t sound right.
Reading your words out loud was like honey in my ears. Mine felt like thumbtacks.
It didn’t help that we had to change ports several times since I last wrote back to you. I couldn’t let you know what was going on since, well, I never got to write anything to tell you.
Could you ever forgive me?
Second of all, I’d like to answer you properly.
If I ever had my own ship, I’d have you by my side all the time.
There’s so many places I want to revisit, so many places I want to go for the first time. But one place comes to mind when I think of you.
Home.
I know, I know—it’s not much of an answer. But when I think about the brief time we spent together, even if it was a bittersweet feeling, I always enjoyed taking you home.
It let me know you were safe. It let me know you were alright. It let me know you weren’t gone.
You were just home.
And I long to take you home again.
After days, weeks, or months of travel, I think I couldn’t care less about where we’d go or what we’d do. I just want to be with you.
I long to come home to you, Wonyoung.
Third of all, if I may, is it alright if I come visit you again? Our ship’s docking at the port in Okinawa in April. We’ll be there for a few days. But I can spend one with you.
There’s still so much I want to tell you.
About how you’re not a burden at all. How I was just stupid and terrible with words. About how I feel that same hole in my heart when I think about us—when I think about you. How no amount of alcohol can fill that hole. About how, if I could, I’d have written you a letter. Every. Single. Night. Just to make sure you’d never go a day without hearing from me.
If only.
I hope to still hear from you soon, Wonyoung. I really do.
I hope I’m not too late.
Love,
Yujin
P.S. I see the nickname stuck, princess.
P.P.S. Don’t eat the dulce de leche—it’s probably expired by now. Eat the maple leaf candies instead. Oh, and I got you one of these rings from India instead since you seemed to have issues with the Irish one from last time.
=====
February 13, 2024
Dear Yujin,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Both chocolates you sent were terribly expired. Are you trying to send me a message again, Yujin?
But honestly, words can’t describe how happy I am to hear from you after all this time.
I don’t mind if you have some things you can’t really put into words yet. Save them for when we meet again. April was it?
I’ll be marking off the days until you arrive. Every night. Oh, how I wish there were less days in a month now. These days go on for too long. It’s frustrating.
Sorry to keep this letter brief. I’ve been helping out with our annual Valentine’s celebrations around town. It’s keeping me exhausted. But, perhaps I’ll have saved up some words for you too when April comes around.
I’m looking forward to being with you again, Yujin.
Love,
Your princess
P.S. Yes, the nickname stuck. Don’t get too greedy with it.
P.P.S. I sent you chocolate I’ve made myself. How does it taste?
P.P.P.S. Oh Yujin, you’re still clueless about these rings, are you? I’ll let you find out for yourself.
=====
March 29, 2024
Dear Wonyoung,
Work’s been picking up because of Valentine’s day. Month of love and all, February. Haven’t had the time to write much.
Sending you this to know I’m still here. I’m still alive. And I’m still looking forward to meeting you.
April 11. Save the date.
Before you know it, I’ll be right at your doorstep.
I can’t wait. A part of me hopes neither can you.
Love,
Yujin
P.S. Do you prefer handbags or purses?
=====
April 11, 2024
This was it. She was back.
The moment her boots landed on the shale scattered across the shore, she tipped the fisherman with some loose change before taking a deep breath.
Yujin was finally back.
The hike into town was an odd one. It’s been a year since she’s last been here, but some things were already different.
The roofs of the buildings looked more weathered. The trash cans were all repainted from red to green. The few children she recognized that were playing out in the open had all grown up.
And yet, some things remained the same.
Like the way the baker greeted her with the largest smile as if she had never left. Like the way the wind passed through the small buildings and lifted up her spirits. Like the way she could smell the sea from wherever she walked. Like the way the seagulls hovered above her in circles. Like the way the lighthouse imposed itself in the distance over the town.
Biting her lip, Yujin broke into a run.
She remembered each direction like the back of her hand. A right turn into 4th Street. Two left turns to get to 7th Street. Once at the tavern, cross the road and head onto the main road. Onto 12th Street.
And there, right ahead of her, was the hill leading towards the lighthouse. She sprinted even faster.
“Ya, isn’t that …?’
“Hey hey hey! Yujin-unnie? It’s Yujin-unnie!”
“Well I’ll be. She really did return.”
As the voices of the townsfolk slowly dissipated behind her, Yujin held her breath as she tore up the incline of the hill. Clutching the handbag by her side, she ran all the way up to the top in a single breath. When she turned around, feeling the sweat on her skin, she leaned with one hand against the door to the lighthouse and knocked on the metal.
But the moment her palm lifted from the door, it already opened, revealing a lady in a cream-colored floral dress.
It was Wonyoung.
There was silence. Why was there silence? They had waited all year for this moment. They had waited for what felt like a lifetime just to have this opportunity again. And yet, there was silence?
Wonyoung pursed her lips and smiled. “Hi.”
Yujin felt obliged to respond. “Hello.”
Inching towards the other girl, Yujin took a step closer, and soon, she found her hands wrapped around Wonyoung’s. “I can’t believe it. I … I can’t believe you’re real. I can’t believe this is all real.”
Wonyoung chuckled. “Stop dreaming then.”
But Yujin shook her head. “Wonyoung, I’ve been dreaming of this every night since we last saw each other. And now, you’re here.”
She lifted Wonyoung’s hand up to her lips and gently kissed them. “You’re actually here.”
“I’m here.”
Yujin dropped the handbag and reached out to kiss her.
Like waves crashing repeatedly onto the shore, Yujin engulfed Wonyoung’s lips with hers. The other girl could do little to refuse. Wonyoung melted into Yujin’s tide and allowed herself to be swept away by her passion.
After a long moment of swimming in each other’s touches, they pulled apart briefly only to laugh together and press their foreheads together again.
Wonyoung cupped the side of Yujin’s flushed face and held her like this. “This was worth every second of waiting for you.”
Yujin closed her eyes as she drew closer. “Yeah? How do I taste?”
Wonyoung pecked her softly on the lips again and giggled. “Like the sea, o captain, my captain.”
Sliding her hands down from Yujin’s shoulder to her collarbone, Wonyoung muttered. “Let’s make the most out of our day together, shall we?”
Yujin nodded. And the two were off.
They had something that no one else had. For Yujin and Wonyoung, it wasn’t the grand gestures that mattered to them—it was the small moments that they cherished the most.
The moments they could spend together.
The breakfast at the tavern, filled with meat and oats and the oddly placed seafood, was spent playing with each other’s food while they told one another the most random things they encountered in their day to day. The tavernkeeper would chime in once in a while and say, “So the lady of the lighthouse knows how to leave her tower too, eh? Only you could do that to her.” And they would blush like teenagers.
Fishing by the docks turned into a competition to see who could have the largest catch. While Yujin boasted about having a knack for this sort of thing, when Wonyoung reeled in a large black sea bass, her own humble mackerels instantly paled in comparison.
Shopping to restock the supplies at the general mart slowly became a honeymoon for the couple. They compared the different brands of toilet paper to single out which gave the most bang for their buck. They bickered over which flavor of ice cream tasted the best, and why the other other seemed to have a lack of tastebuds. They laughed over the memories they made as they went through the different types of beer and liquor, reminiscing on their shared cherished past.
Before they knew it, the day had already come to a close. Before they knew it, the evening had set out to get them.
Holding up the box of groceries, Yujin ambled next to Wonyoung, who was riding her bike next to her. Yujin swapped between the goods resting in her hands, the path up the hill in front of them, and the small of Wonyoung’s sweaty back.
It was around then that the lights started turning on around them. As the lamps that decorated either side of 12th Street began lighting up one after the other, Yujin watched in brief awe as if a constellation was being charted for her and Wonyoung.
The street was bright. The atmosphere was vibrant. But they? They were quiet.
For they knew where this final path would take them.
The walk to the lighthouse was just like how Yujin remembered it—an eternity. But this time, she wondered if there was ever such thing as a ‘doubled eternity’. A sort of eternity that dragged on twice as long. A type of infinity that seemed to stretch on for longer than usual.
If ever such a thing existed, it wouldn’t have been in this moment as they both found themselves right in front of the metal door to the lighthouse once more.
Wonyoung didn’t enter. She just glanced towards the wheeled knob and sighed.
“I hate it. I hate how this was the best part of my year, and it’s already come and gone. It’s … already over.”
Yujin wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close. “Cheer up, princess. You’ll have days like these in the future. Better days even. I’m sure of it.”
“Yeah, but they aren’t days with you.”
Wonyoung looked Yujin in the eyes now, and Yujin could have sworn she saw stardust falling down her face. “It isn’t the same without you, Yuijn. I-It … I …”
Reaching for Yujin, the other girl dropped the box she was carrying as Wonyoung clung tightly to her chest and bawled out all the starlight from within her.
“I need you … I need you here with me, Yujin. I-I … My life just isn’t the same without you. Every day, I wake up wishing you were less an ocean away from me. Every night, I fall asleep praying that you would fill the void in my dreams again as I rest. Yujin, it’s … it’s not fair. You were only a moment in my life that came and went, but … how the hell did you manage to swallow me whole like this?”
Yujin pressed Wonyoung against her body to the point that she couldn’t look anywhere without catching a glimpse of her. “Princess, I … Wait for me.”
Wonyoung sniffled. “For how long, Yujin? How long are you going to make me wait this time? if there even is a next time …”
Withdrawing from their embrace, Yujin held the weeping girl between her hands, caressing her with her thumbs. “In a day. In a week. In a month. In a year—I don’t care. I’ll come back again. I’ll come home to you again. I’ll find my way back to you, Wonyoung.”
“Promise …?” she whispered softly, in a way that only Yujin could hear.
“Promise,” Yujin muttered back, in a manner that only Wonyoung could confirm.
And as they eased back into a stand, before Yujin could even think to turn her back on her lady, Wonyoung wrapped her arms around her neck.
“Kiss me like you’ll miss me, captain,” she demanded, lifting herself up and into Yujin’s arms. “Love me like a sailor, so I’ll never forget you.”
Carrying Wonyoung in both her arms, Yujin yanked the door open and brought her inside. As the door slowly creaked close, the sound of shuffling and gasping could be briefly heard before the two girls disappeared behind it.
=====
May 19, 2024
Dear Yujin,
I keep thinking about you. You permeate my entire day.
“Ms. Jang, Ms Jang!”
Wonyoung slowed down her pedaling to meet the three kids who were running up towards her. “Yes? Did you need something?”
The three turned to each other before laughing out loud. “Is something on your mind, Ms. Jang? We just noticed you’ve been happier lately.”
Wonyoung rolled her eyes and pedaled faster to outrun them, biting back a smile.
It’s like you’re here, you’re there—you’re everywhere.
“And over there—that’s where you’ll be able to see the rest of the shore. That’s where most of the townsfolk park their fishing boats. Although, you could also do some fishing close by. Could catch a bass or trout or two.”
As the guide lead the tourists around the area, he spotted Wonyoung and nodded to her with a smile. The young lady watched as a pack of foreigners speaking different languages trailed behind him, eager to head to their next destination across the islands.
“Princess.”
Wonyoung turned around. “What—?”
One of the tourists looked at her weirdly. When she had nothing to say, she apologized with a bow and continued walking away faster and faster, clutching her chest.
She swore she heard Yujin’s voice again.
And yet, you’re not here. Not anymore.
I keep thinking about your form. Reliable. Warm. Gentle.
Stooping down, Wonyoung winced as she couldn’t lift one of the larger dusty boxes that was laying around in her basement. Sighing, she kicked it in frustration and leaned against the wall.
“If Yujin was here …” Wonyoung thought, and her mind wandered over to how easily she had lifted her in her arms like she weighed nothing.
She covered her face and kicked the box again.
I keep thinking about your eyes. They’re so deep and rich—like the sea.
Balancing the brush between her lips, Wonyoung leaned backwards and held out her thumb in an attempt to frame her work from a farther perspective.
But it wasn’t working.
She wanted to paint a portrait of a sailor as a birthday gift for the tavernkeeper. But when she took another glance at what she had painted, all she had etched onto the canvas was a mural of Yujin’s face.
I keep thinking about your skin. Oh, where do I begin, Yujin?
As she laid in bed, feeling the night wind sneaking into her room from the open window, Wonyoung lifted her head, staring at the partition between her two legs.
There, she imagined Yujin’s face peeking between her thighs, bobbing up and down like she had done so on a swim, rising and sinking beneath the tides of their touches.
Wonyoung shuddered in anticipation and stuffed an arm between her knees before hiding her face into a pillow.
I keep thinking about you, Yujin. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.
Do you think of me as well? Do you think of me at all? You had better! For my pride. For my ego.
How often do you think of me? When do you think of me? What do you think of when your mind brings me up? I’d like to know.
No, I demand to know!
Won’t you tell me?
Love,
Your princess
=====
July 3, 2024
Dear Wonyoung,
Oh, princess, every breath I take is filled with you.
Scrubbing the deck as hard as she could with her mop, Yujin had to stop for a moment as several passengers passed by. Bowing politely, she didn’t dare lift her body up until she was sure they were gone.
When she arose again, clutching the mop with one hand, Yujin watched as people from different walks of life all coalesced around the stern pool.
Children splashed around in the water. Families gathered around the benches sharing a meal. Couples raised their glasses to one another and enjoyed a relaxing drink together.
Yujin closed her eyes and pictured Wonyoung next to her. She recalled the scent of almond and vanilla. She pictured the way Wonyoung hugged her knees as she sat sprawled across the sand. She imagined the sound of her laugh against her ear after whispering a flirty joke.
When she opened her eyes again, she chuckled to herself and let out a small grunt before scrubbing the deck even harder.
You’re in every song I listen to.
“Hey hey hey, I know this one!” Arnold hollered, finishing his bottle of beer so he could sing along. “Come on now, fellas. Altogether now!”
“Think about how many times I have fallen~. What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten~!”
Yujin chuckled and mouthed the rest of the song. “I have been around the world, looking for that woman girl …”
She thought back to that night with the karaoke machine and how Wonyoung swayed her body to the sound of the music. Yujin had never seen such an elegant girl drop some audacious moves like that.
When Karina shot her a look, Yujin widened her eyes and chugged the rest of her beer down too, chuckling awkwardly at her.
But Yujin couldn’t fight the grin no matter how hard she tried.
You’re at the start of my day, and at the end of it too.
The moment Yujin heard banging against her door, she already regretted last night’s festivities.
As she sat up, she could still feel her head swirling, her stomach gurgling, and her pulse beating a hundred miles an hour. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to crash back into bed. But Karina’s pestering continued on and on.
“Up and at ‘em! We can’t be late again, Yujin. Get your ass out of bed,” she beckoned from the other side of the door.
Just as Yujin was about to pass out once more, she felt something in her hand.
It was the beaded bracelet Wonyoung had gifted her.
Sighing, she kissed the beads and forced herself to a stand. “Coming!”
You’re even in the sky when I rest and gaze up at the stars.
“Oh shit—.”
Yujin pinched her fingers just in time to stop the paper from flying out of her grasp. Wrapping herself up in her jacket, she clutched the sheet tighter this time as she continued to write.
Glancing up from her work, Yujin leaned against the side of the boat as she tried to find the right words to use—the right things to say. If only Wonyoung was with her, she thought, then she wouldn’t be struggling like this.
The words would just come out naturally.
Sighing, she licked her drying lips and nodded, urging herself to continue. “Soon enough, princess.”
“Soon enough.”
Whenever I think of you, there’s a fuzziness within me that just … grows to this size and shape that feels a lot like you.
Whenever I think of you, I think of everything.
The way you purse your lips when you’re deep in thought. The way your cologne’s scent slowly fades down your neck. The way you grasp my arm, and pinch my cheek, and pull me close when we’re alone. The way you say my name like I’m all yours.
I sail over oceans and seas, princess—I’ve been doing so for the better part of my life. But just one thought—just one damn thought of you—and I’m suddenly drowning.
Whenever I think of you, Wonyoung, I think of home.
I’ve never really had a home before.
Since I was younger, I never really belonged. As I was born, I was placed in the orphanage. As I grew, I never really felt like I had a true place to stay. As I aged, I found myself between the nooks and crannies of life—always on the move, always on the run. I could never stop anywhere for too long without getting too anxious. Too frustrated. Too peeved. And to this day, I feel like I don’t really have something I can call my own.
Would it bother you if I said I’d like you to be mine? Because princess, I am already absolutely yours.
All yours.
And I can’t wait to come home again.
Love,
Yujin
P.S. I slipped a roll of lipstick for you. One of the rich wives on board one day dropped it and didn’t bother looking for it again. I saw the shade of red and thought it would look good on you.
P.P.S. We’re headed to Norway next. I heard it can get pretty cold up there. Wish you were here. You are so damn warm—did you know that?
=====
August 9, 2024
To whom it may concern,
Do not send another letter back.
Push your luck again and you might not even get a chance to write another letter.
Stay away from my daughter.
Regards,
=====
“I can’t wait to come home again.”
Blushing, Wonyoung crumpled her face at the thought of Yujin uttering those words to her again. She had desired it so much that she could almost hear the other girl’s voice tickling her ears.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and focused on writing a reply.
Knock. Knock.
“Who could it be at this hour?” Wonyoung uttered, dropping her pen on the sheet. “Coming!”
As she sauntered over the floor, the edges of her dress whirling about her, she unlocked it and watched as a figure stood tall and menacingly by the entryway, obscuring the world behind her completely.
Wonyoung’s heart sank into her stomach. “Mother …”
“Hello, dear. Did you miss me?”
Wonyoung’s fingers trembled by her sides. “What are you doing here? How … how did you find me …?”
Her mother looked exactly like how she last saw her before leaving.
White button-down shirt. Black slacks. A fitted blazer. All covered by a large and pompous fur coat. Hermes bag in one hand, golden bangles and rings around another. The heavy scent of woody and amber notes about her. Wonyoung’s mother was every bit as extravagant as she remembered her to be.
Strutting inside, heels clacking against the floor, her mother took a deep breath as she scanned the room. “What a mess.”
Lifting her shades from her face, she pointed at Wonyoung with it. “It took a while to find you. You’re one elusive girl, I’ll give you that. What are you even doing in a town like this? I thought you’d aim for something with more … taste.”
“M-My life is not your concern, mother …”
“Oh, but it very well is, dear,” she corrected, circling Wonyoung now. “You’re my beloved daughter. Did you forget that? Even if you ran away from home, mommy’s always going to be worried over you. Especially when you’re … squandering your life away like this.”
“What is this even?” her mother gestured to everything.
Wonyoung held her breath. “My … My painting—.”
Her mother’s cackle made her flinch. “They certainly remind me of the noodle art you and Da-ah used to make when you were kids. How adorable.”
Wonyoung felt her blood boiling.
“And what’s this? What are you writing?” her mother asked as she glided over to the table now. She placed her gloved hand against the sheets and flipped through them.
“I-It’s nothing, mother—.”
She lifted up the page and ruffled it in front of Wonyoung. “What is the meaning of this? Who are you writing to? A man?”
“Mother, I swear, I—.”
“Ha, so you came all this way just to sleep around with the locals?” she continued, spitting in her face. “Dear, this isn’t the set of Mamma Mia. This is your life. Why are you wasting it on such trivial fantasies?”
Wonyoung was unable to reply.
Shaking her head, her mother pocketed the letter and sighed. “When you’re ready to live a proper life again, come back home, will you? I’ll be waiting. It was already a pain just to get here. God forbid I stay in that rundown tavern for even a night. Consider yourself lucky I can’t stay over for longer.”
She stopped by the door. “What? Got nothing to say?”
Wonyoung kept her head down.
Her mother scoffed. “I thought so. All this independent living and you still can’t even lift your own chin up.”
“I’ll be back, Wonyoung. You can’t keep hiding from me forever.”
As the sound of her heels softened to a stop, Wonyoung fell to her knees and embraced herself tightly.
It’s been three years. It’s already been three damn years.
And yet, she was still the same scared girl in the face of her mother.
=====
October 22, 2024
To whom it may concern,
I don’t know who you are, or how you managed to get a hold of these letters of ours, but with all due respect—I don’t give a damn.
I’m not here for you. I’m here for your daughter.
I’m not sure what issues you may have with her—or with me—but I’ll have you know that your daughter is the most magnificent thing in the world.
She’s the most magnificent person to me.
In the few moments I have had with her alone, I could already tell she was something great. Something unique.
She smiles and flowers bloom. She laughs and the world sings. She cries, and suddenly, you’re both bathed in precious starlight.
She takes one look at you, and without even saying anything, you’re already lost. You’re ensnared. You’re engulfed. All tangled up in her.
You don’t know me—that much I’m sure. But there’s one thing I should at least tell you about myself: I do not give up.
Especially not with your daughter.
How can I? She’s already become my everything.
She’s the footnote at the end of each book I’ve read. She’s the voice the sirens on the rocks have stolen when they cry out to me. She’s the shape of the clouds hovering overhead on a hot summer day. She’s the ebb and flow of the tide that threatens to sink me asunder.
She’s in every stroke of my pen. In ever whisper in my mind. In every beat of my heart.
I love your daughter. And nothing will stop a raging storm from surging towards the shore.
It’s best you stay away unless you want to drown.
Regards,
An Yujin
P.S. Give her this little troll figurine, these packs of Tim Tams, and this silver necklace from Bali.
P.P.S. Tell her we’re headed to Chile next. If you’ve stopped threatening her already, then let her know she can write to Port Lirquen.
=====
December 11, 2024
To whom it may concern, your message has been received and duly noted.
Did I scare you? I hope I did, Yujin. Because I was scared the entire time since we last wrote to each other.
My mother … she found me.
She came to visit when I last wrote to you. It took me a while to realize she wrote a letter to you on my behalf.
But, reading your letter has kept me warm throughout this cold winter.
I remember a time a while ago when you said you were not confident in your words. That you were not sure of what to say to me in your letters.
I think back to that time and look at your last letter, and I can’t help but embrace it as if it were you. Because it sounded so much like you. It felt so much like you, Yujin. Oh, how bold you’ve become!
But, I wish I had more than just this letter.
I wish I had more than just these feelings, these wishes, these hopes, and these dreams. I wish I could hold onto something more than just these memories. I wish I could create something more than just these fantasies of you—of us.
I wish I had you, Yujin. I wish I had you here. Right now.
Oh gosh, what am I to do without you, Yujin? I cannot go on like this forever, can I?
Love,
Your princess
P.S. The Tim Tams were expired, but they tasted good.
P.P.S. Don’t worry about the letters. It’s just me again now. I don’t see my mother ever coming back here. Not anytime soon at least.
P.P.S. I realize we don’t have any pictures together. Should we get one next time? Assuming there is a next time …
=====
January 19, 2025
Dear Wonyoung,
Oh, princess, it’s so good hearing from you again.
Your mother’s a bit of a bitch, isn’t she? Well, enough about her.
I wish I could write to you longer than this, but the holidays are still in full swing and this is all I can squeeze in between shifts.
Whenever you feel lonely, I want you to look out your window.
Walking out onto the lighthouse balcony, Wonyoung leaned forward and gazed out into the horizon.
I want you to feel the wind kissing your face, smell the saltiness of the sea, and watch the motion of the waves.
Wonyoung witnessed the rise and fall of the water—gentle, cyclical, endless. She couldn’t even so much as breathe without filling her nostrils with the familiar salinity of the ocean. She couldn’t even think about what’s beyond the deep blue other than her—other than Yujin.
Then, I want you to sing from the shore.
“O captain … my captain … won’t you come back home to me?”
And in reply, I’ll sing—
“I will, my love, close your eyes, and count to three,” Yujin whispered against the window of her cabin as the storm outside her walls continued to batter against their boat.
Just like that, I’ll be by your side before you even know it.
Trembling, Wonyoung closed her eyes and counted under her breath.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
When she opened her eyes, glancing to her side, all Wonyoung saw was an empty space without Yujin.
She bent over the ledge and cried her eyes out.
I’ll be back soon, princess. On a special day. Valentine’s Day. I’ll be there for no less than five days.
Mark your calendar. Close your eyes. Then, count to three.
Holding the red marker in her hand, Wonyoung drew the x-shape across today’s date and took a step back.
‘February 10’ had been crossed out. The redness of the marker was still fresh and wet against the calendar sheet.
And just like that, princess, home is where I’ll be.
Love,
Yujin
=====
February 11, 2025
Today was the day.
Five days from the 10th of February, Yujin had said—inclusive of Valentine’s. Of course she made sure to be here for Valentine’s. Wonyoung swooned at the thought of it still even as her arrival fast approached. She couldn’t help but feel giddier by the minute.
Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she adjusted the straps of her dress. It was a pastel pink one this time, one that Yujin had never seen on her before.
Wonyoung wondered if this was too plain. If this dress was too ‘boring’ on the eyes. Her attention was drawn all over the place: the way her straps dug into her shoulders, the way the dress would flitter a little too upwards, the way it hugged her waist, and the way it framed her chest and thighs.
Holding up a hand to her mouth to test the smudge of her lipstick, she managed a smile. She had never been this conscious before. She had never taken this much care into looking presentable before. Prior to this, she had only dressed up for herself. Today, she was dressing up for her.
She was dressing up for Yujin.
Knock knock.
She was here.
Setting down the gifted lipstick, Wonyoung scurried down the stairs. Shoes! She had forgotten to slip on her shoes.
What should she wear?
Were they going out for a stroll? Were they staying home for the day? Were they headed to the shore? Were they going for drinks at the tavern? So many possibilities, so many decisions, so little time.
Wonyoung resolved to just put on a pair of shiny black flats to complement her outfit. And once she was ready, taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and opened the door.
“Glad you’re still alive, dear. I was worried, so I thought I’d drop by.”
“Mother …?”
Her mother’s glare was as sharp as ever, sending Wonyoung backwards a few steps. “What? You don’t sound so happy to see me. Tsk, and I put in the effort to come all this way to meet my beloved daughter again. How ungrateful.”
Strutting into the lighthouse, she glanced towards one of the walls. “Keeps getting messier in here.”
“I … I haven’t had the time to clean—.”
“But you had all the time in the world to play dress up, I presume?” her mother pointed out, gesturing with her pointed chin towards Wonyoung’s ensemble. “Why are you dressed up, dear? Are you meeting someone?”
“Are you meeting him?”
It was like someone had drawn an imaginary circle around Wonyoung’s feet, forcing her to shrink inside her own confined space. She couldn’t meet her mother’s eyes. She couldn’t even hold her chin up towards her. She wasn’t expecting she’d be here—she never thought her mother would visit her again. And yet, here she was now.
On the same day she was meant to meet with Yujin.
Her mother’s sigh weighed heavily with her disappointment. “You believe in the love of this sailor? Pathetic—you’re a virgin believing in the promises of a whore.”
She threw her bag against one of the windows and knocked over several of Wonyoung’s canvasses. “You’re just like your bloody father! That? That’s why he left us!”
Chuckling somberly, her mother shook her head. “And that’s why my own daughter left me too…”
“Mother … please …”
“What about your future, Wonyoung? Have you given it much thought?” her mother raised, drowning out Wonyoung’s voice completely as she drew closer to her daughter. “You seem oh so eager to traipse around with this young man, but have you ever thought beyond the short-term?”
“Can you keep going on like this? Can he sustain you? Can he look after you?”
“Do you even know how old he is or where he’s from? What does he plan to do with his life? What does he plan to do with you?’
Wonyoung felt the weight of each word that her mother laid out for her.
Yujin never told her anything about her personal life.
She had never written about where she came from, or where she planned to go to in the future. Does she plan to settle down? Will she ever settle down? What’s her goal for herself? What’s her goal with Wonyoung?
What were they? What were they doing this all for?
Suddenly, Wonyoung didn’t know. And it soured her tastebuds.
“I won’t allow this,” her mother interjected, heels smacking against the floor as she approached her daughter and held her firmly by her shoulders. “I’m staying the night to stop whatever you two are planning. Even if it makes you hate me, I’d rather protect you than see you go down the path your father did.”
“Mother … n—.”
“Do I make myself clear …?”
There was no response.
“Wonyoung, I said. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear!”
Wonyoung carefully nodded, hiding the streaks of starlight flowing from her eyes now.
Her mother sighed, cradling Wonyoung in her arms. “Stop wasting your life hiding and being tied down like this, Wonyoung. You’re so much more than this. Think about what’s real for once.”
“Stop living in your fantasies.”
Footsteps came running up that hill.
Her sling bag bouncing behind her, jacket fluttering against her sides, Yujin tore up the length of the hill that lead up to where her lover was, sprinting at full speed. With a bouquet she purchased before heading over, Yujin panted as she slowed down to a stop in front of the familiar metallic door.
Curling her first, she knocked four times.
No reply.
She waited a moment and then knocked four times once more.
Still no reply.
As soon as she was about to try again, she heard something shifting from inside—like a struggle. Once the sound of the door being unlocked arrived, she presented the flowers before her with a wide smile.
“Oh? And who might you be?”
“Who … are you …?”
“I should be asking you that question,” the woman replied, sizing up Yujin. She was dressed in clothes that costed three years worth of her salary combined. She was not someone who looked like she belonged around these parts. “What are you—the courier? Did my daughter order flowers?”
Daughter. Mother. Wonyoung.
Shrugging, Wonyoung’s mother swiped the bouquet from Yujin’s hands and sniffed it, gagging at the wild aroma that immediately assaulted her nostrils. She shoved the bouquet back to Yujin. “That’s a bit much. What a devious selection. Well, thank you anyway for—.”
“I’m her friend.”
Yujin felt the blow to her gut. She talked a whole lot of smack about Wonyoung’s mother in their previous letters, but now that she’s come face to face with her in the flesh, she suddenly realized why Wonyoung was afraid of her. “I’m her friend. Ma’am.”
Her mother studied Yujin carefully.
“Celebrity Millennium?” she pointed out, eyeing Yujin’s jacket. “But you’re not a passenger, are you? What are you—staff? Crew? Stowaway? Either way, how do you know my daughter?”
Yujin could feel her chest being crushed from the inside.
Rolling her eyes, her mother ducked behind the door and beckoned, “Wonyoung, dear. Someone’s here to see you it seems. Some friend of yours? Go deal with her please.”
She took one last look at Yujin and winced. “And don’t let her in. She smells like the sea.”
Once Wonyoung came into view, Yujin knew how she should have responded—she’s been rehearsing it since months ago. Her jaw would drop. She’d compliment her beauty. And she’d pull her in for a gentle kiss before anything else. That last one was to make up for their last first kiss together.
But now that Wonyoung stood before her in a pretty pastel pink dress, she could not even recognize her lover even if she was standing right in front of her.
What she was looking at was a pale ghost.
She wanted to say something—anything—to her. But her mother loomed over them like a dark cloud threatening to strike with lightning.
“You … look good,” Yujin forced out, choking on her words as she fought back a sob. “I’m glad … you’re well.”
Bowing politely, Yujin hid the flowers from Wonyoung’s sight and turned around, heading back down the hill.
There was no wind. There was no beckoning. There were no tears.
Yujin simply walked away as if she had lost the love of her life. Forever.
The next day, Yujin was a complete mess.
She had paced around her room at the tavern how many times by now—Fifty? A hundred? It was all she could think of doing. All of her excitement, all of her joy, all of her longing, it had all been converted within seconds.
Into dread. Into despair.
She eyed the bouquet that still laid at the foot of her bed. Yujin punched a hole into the headboard before stomping out of her room.
“Rough morning?” the tavernkeeper greeted as he polished some glass. “Thought you’d be a bit happier to be back in town.”
Yujin just shrugged as she sat by the counter, head still down. “Just get me a beer.”
“Breakfast beer, eh? Suit yourself.”
As the tavernkeeper turned his back to her to fill up a pint, Yujin heard something from outside. “—know your mother was in town, Ms. Jang. She looks very … mature.”
“Wonyoung.”
Swiping the pint that was just laid out for her, Yujin chugged it in one go to help bolster her as she jogged off towards the mother-daughter pair.
Yujin tried to make their two ends meet.
When Wonyoung took her mother to the bakery on 11th Street, Yujin trailed them and lined up to order some pastries herself. But as soon as Wonyoung noticed she was there, she dragged her mother away to another store.
When her mother wanted to examine the prospects of livelihood in town, Yujin was just around the corner, where she could see the two approach the town bulletin boards. As Wonyoung explained the different industries the locals were keeping alive, one look at Yujin was all it took for her to fall silent and earn a scolding from her mother.
When they passed by the general mart to stock up on some goods for her mother’s stay, Yujin and Wonyoung had many chances to encounter each other along the thinly-packed isles of the store. Instead, they both chose to play a burdened game of hide-and-seek as Wonyoung dodged behind stacks of cereal boxes and ducked into baskets of fruits just to avoid the other girl.
By the time the second day had come to a close, all Yujin got from her stay here was a cat-and-mouse game with Wonyoung. All she could do was watch as her little mouse scurried away from her grasp each time.
All she could do was watch as her love fled her.
She knew the path. She knew the way home. A right turn into 4th Street. Two left turns to get to 7th Street. Once at the tavern, cross the road and head onto the main road. Onto 12th Street. Then, up the hill.
But she shook her head and sighed.
“If she’s going to keep me like a secret, then … I guess I should stay out of her way.”
Flicking the lights open to her room once she returned to the tavern, she saw the same bouquet of flowers still laying on her bed. Yujin picked it up and shoved it in the trash can, kicking it over.
“What a waste of my time …”
But in a heartbeat, she plucked it back up and sobbed into her lap.
On the third day, Yujin resolved to try again. More concretely this time. More purposefully.
Early in the morning, before the lampposts around town were scheduled to die out, before anyone else could rouse, she hurried her way towards the lighthouse and stationed herself right by Wonyoung’s door.
With a deep breath, she knocked on her door.
There was no reply.
Waiting for a moment, Yujin tried again, knocking harder this time.
Still, there was no reply.
Squatting down, Yujin rested her legs and then waited to knock once more. Again, and again, and again.
But no one answered.
She circled around the lighthouse like the seagulls in the sky did. She trudged up and down the hill to the beat of her shanties. She rolled around on the grass until she got dizzy. She searched through every last house and store in town to ask if they’ve seen where her lover had gone.
Yujin tried everything she could to pass the time, but still, no one replied.
By the time the evening came, she was leaning against the lighthouse wall, plucking petals from her flowers. By the time she had reached the last petal, she held it up to her face before allowing it to be swept up by the evening sea breeze.
Yujin felt emptier than the flower buds.
On the fourth day, Yujin had fully given up.
She spent the better part of this day tied to her bed, rotting between her tears, her unwashed clothes, and the stiffness of the mattress beneath her.
Life couldn’t have gotten any worse than this, she thought. But when she thought back to Wonyoung—or rather, the lack of Wonyoung on her trip—the biting sensation felt more painful.
The door to her room creaked open. Yujin didn’t need to look up from her pillow to know who it was.
“Ya, you came all this way just to lay around like this?” the tavernkeeper pestered once again. At this point, Yujin was tempted to throw the de-petaled stems at him out of spite. “At least get some sunlight. There’s still some time before evening.”
“Why do you care?” Yujin groaned.
“Because you’re a customer. And none of my customers leave here unsatisfied. Come out. I have a meal ready for you.”
Sighing, Yujin fought to get out of bed. When she finally did, she looked at her mess of a hair in the mirror and just chuckled to herself, rolling with it.
The moment Yujin stepped out of the room, Wonyoung was waiting for her, seated by the counter. “Hi …”
Yujin immediately turned around.
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her by the waist.
“Yujin …”
Yujin bit her lip. She could feel Wonyoung’s hands trembling. But then, who was she to judge? She was shuddering herself.
“Yujin, I’m sorry … They told me everything, so let me … let me clear things up.”
Nodding, Yujin agreed to join her by the counter. There, they were served fresh bowls of fish stew.
“My mother came over … as you already know,” Wonyoung started, stirring her meal. “She insisted on staying. She knew about us. Well … she just knew I was seeing someone. She didn’t approve of it. I had to keep her at bay for a few days, and yesterday, when you came to visit me, I was out of town accompanying her to the nearest bus station.”
Yujin just nodded, pecking at her stew.
Wonyoung reached into her bag and carefully slid something to Yujin. It was shaped like a card. When Yujin picked it up, she saw that it was an intricate drawing of a rose.
“Did you … did you make this?” Yujin asked through her worn-out throat. “It’s pretty.”
“Happy Valentine’s day, Yujin,” Wonyoung greeted her, pressing a hand down against her thigh.
Yujin held it close to her chest and crumpled forward. “Wonyoung … Wonyoung, god, I-I feel like such a mess …”
The tavernkeeper whistled and immediately walked away like he hadn’t seen a thing. This gave Wonyoung the opportunity to stand next to Yujin and embrace her, but the other girl was being stubborn.
“I … I was so confident about coming here … confronting your mom … I had so many plans for the two of us during my trip, a-and … that’s all … that’s all just down the drain now …”
Wonyoung hushed her, rubbing her shoulders. “But I’m still here, Yujin. And you’re still here for a day more. So how about … how about we just spend it together?”
Yujin glanced up with tears in her eyes, and immediately, Wonyoung fought the urge to laugh. “Such a baby, my Yuijn.”
Her baby pulled her close and cried into her bare shoulder for a few moments longer.
The two returned to the lighthouse, where Wonyoung invited Yujin inside once more. This time, she made it past the living room, and went straight to the kitchen and dining room.
They planned to make a simple meal together. Nothing fancy. Nothing grand. Just a meal that the two of them could share—a meal that they’d prepare together.
While it was Yujin’s first time in the kitchen, she was no stranger to cooking. She immediately washed the ingredients they needed before heading straight towards peeling and dicing. Meanwhile, Wonyoung began filleting the fish, taking great care to debone each one as she wielded the knife with precision.
“What?” Wonyoung asked, as she caught Yujin staring at her. “All done? Then just sit there and wait for this to finish cooking.”
Yujin shook her head. She stepped closer to Wonyoung and rested her chin on her shoulder. Yujin pecked her neck. “It’s like we’re married.”
Wonyoung held her breath. She reached out for Yujin’s face and tucked it into the crook of her neck.
Yujin snaked a hand towards the cooking dish with a fork and plopped a bite it into her mouth. Chewing, she nodded. “This tastes good. Just the right amount of butter too. Not so much zest though.”
Wonyoung playfully pushed her away before turning the fire down. “Ya, I wasn’t done cooking. Could you get me something to wipe with? My fingers are messy.”
But Yujin simply grabbed Wonyoung’s wrist and lifted her hand towards her face. Kissing her fingers, Yujin wrapped her lips around each one and licked them clean. She never took her eyes off Wonyoung the entire time.
“Is that clean enough for you, princess?”
Wonyoung turned off the stove completely before jumping into Yujin’s arms, sending the other girl careening into the cupboards behind her.
“Seems like someone missed me too,” were the last things Yujin whispered back to her before they completely forgot about dinner.
All. Night. Long.
And then came the fifth day of Yujin’s trip.
If the cawing of the seagulls through the open window wasn’t enough to wake Yujin up, the massive headache she had definitely did the trick.
Blinking twice, when she came to, she found herself laying on the couch with Wonyoung, who was snuggled up against the backrest.
Yujin sat up and took one step across the floor, and immediately, a hand reached out for her.
“So you’re going now. Just like that?”
Silence.
She heard Wonyoung sit up as well. From over her shoulder, she watched as the other girl covered herself with one of the couch pillows. “What are we, An Yujin? Am I just a fling to you?”
Yujin moved to the floor so she could sit next to Wonyoung and talk her through this. “Woah woah, where is this coming from, princess?”
Wonyoung shook her head. “Where are you from?”
“What?” “Where are you from, Yujin? Just answer the question.”
“Daejeon. I was found in Daejeon. I was brought to an orphanage there. Left when I was fifteen.”
“And you’ve been sailing since then?” Wonyoung asked.
Yujin nodded. “Yeah. Been sailing since then.”
“And what do you sail for?”
“What do I sail for—to travel. To make money. To save up money from my work.”
“What for?”
“Wonyoung—.”
“What for, Yujin? I’m asking you what are you saving for? A house? A car? Saving up money so you can go on trips for your other girlfriends?”
“Princess—.”
“Don’t you ‘princess’ me, An Yujin. Not right now,” Wonyoung warned. “Answer me. What for?”
Yujin shook her head. “I don’t know. I never really thought that far into things.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Wonyoung sighed. “I can’t do this, Yujin. I can’t.”
Propping up on her knees, Yujin slid over to Wonyoung’s side, but the other girl refused to even take her hands. “I can’t just keep waiting for you to come to me when you’re ready or when you’re free. I can’t just keep my door open the entire time, hoping you’d come—wishing you’d come. I can’t just be someone you love once a year when it’s convenient. I can’t … I can’t live like this …”
“Wonyoung, I always love you. Do you … never feel that? Even when we’re away? Are you mad at me because of … because of how things turned out this trip?”
Wonyoung shook her head. “I’m not even mad at myself for what happened. We had a misunderstanding. We made up. That’s … that’s normal. The arguments … the love-making … all of it—it only gets to happen when you’re here.”
“Yujin, I feel like my life is on pause when I’m without you. I’m still doing things, but … I don’t … I don’t feel like I’m living. I don’t feel like I’m alive. I’m just waiting. Waiting for you.”
Yujin racked her brain, trying to come up with a response to that. One moment she was waking up from a beautiful dream, another moment she was spiraling into a nightmare. “No, no, Wonyoung—.”
“Yujin, I love you.”
Glancing up from her messy hair, Yujin watched as Wonyoung bursted into fountains of starlight. “That’s the problem, Yujin. I love you … I do. I always do. But … I need you. I need you more than these stolen moments. More than the bought time. I need you here. With me. Please …”
“Please stay?”
Yujin stood up now.
She slipped into her shirt, then her pants, then wrapped her jacked around her waist. Without even looking at Wonyoung, she shook her head. “I’m sorry … You know I can’t.”
They spent the next few moments in silence as they both got dressed and fixed the living room.
With her sling bag over her shoulder once more, Yujin placed a hand on the door. “Maybe … maybe this was a mistake, Wonyoung.”
Behind her, Wonyoung nodded. “Maybe it was.”
Not even a goodbye. Not even a final glance. Yujin just left without saying a word.
And Wonyoung fell to her knees and beat her first into the ground, wailing as more starlight spilled onto the floor.
=====
June 16, 2025
Dear Yujin,
It’s been months. Are you well?
What was I expecting? Of course, I wouldn’t hear back from you after what happened when we last met.
I still think about what I said to you, and I wonder if it was wrong of me to have said those.
But that’s how I really feel.
It hurts because I still miss you despite that. It hurts because I still need you. It hurts because I still love you, Yujin.
But, I need to let you go.
You’re a sailor made for the open sea. You travel. You adventure. You crave wanderlust. You never settle down. You’re all over the place, being all sorts of things, trying to just get by.
You go where the wind takes you. And I don’t want to take that from you.
Like how the tides can’t be tamed, and how the ebb and flow of the ocean can’t be contained, you are someone who simply cannot be confined to one place. To one role. To one person.
As much as I want you to be mine, I can’t. I can’t make you change yourself for me. Because then, that wouldn’t be you anymore, would it?
That won’t be the An Yujin I love.
I understand why you can’t stay. It’s not in your nature to. So I’m afraid … I’m afraid I have to let you go.
It will be for the best. For both of us.
Goodbye, An Yujin.
=====
August 23, 2025
In deep breaths, Wonyoung managed to chug down an entire glass of red wine in one go without stopping, ending it with a sigh. She felt her stomach gurgle with warmth, but she held it down.
“Are you sure you should be doing this, Ms. Jang?” the tavernkeeper asked, hesitating to fill her glass up with more liquor. “That’s your sixth one tonight.”
“Hey, I keep paying, you keep pouring,” she slurred, pushing more bills towards him.
A figure sat next to her. But she couldn’t care enough to see who it was.
“I’ll have what she’s having. In fact, a round for the house. On me.”
This merited a few cheers from the locals. When Wonyoung lifted her glass up towards her new drinking buddy, she paused as their drinks touched.
“Fancy seeing a lady like you here. Got a story to tell?” the man asked. He was tall and skinny. HIs brows were luscious and well kept. Wonyoung was distracted by the way he’d bite his lip constantly.
“You could say that,” she finally replied, taking a long swig of her drink. “But I’d rather not go into it.”
The man simply nodded, swirling his own drink around in one hand. “I have to say—wine at a tavern. Not the usual choice.”
“Look, I just want to drink and forget, and not have to worry about the small things. And you,” she raised, poking a finger at his shoulder. “Are doing the opposite of that for me, mister …?”
“Sunghoon. You can just call me Sunghoon.”
“Sunghoon,” Wonyoung repeated with a nod. “Well, nice to meet you, Sunghoon. Visiting?”
“For a while. Probably a few months. Work took me around the area, so I’ll be showing up more than just tonight.”
For some reason, that response stabbed at Wonyoung’s chest.
Shaking her head, she excused herself and pushed her drink away, hopping off her stool. She came crashing down when she tried to stand, almost immediately losing her balance.
Two hands scooped her up by the shoulders. It was Sunghoon. He helped her to a stand and walked her out of the tavern.
Once she got onto her bike, Sunghoon insisted to accompany her all the way home. “If you weren’t fit to walk, then you’re definitely not fit to bike. At least let me trail you.”
Rolling her eyes, Wonyoung sighed. “Just try to keep up.”
And for some reason, those words stabbed at Wonyoung’s chest as well.
Wonyoung did her best to focus on the road ahead, avoiding any sort of wobbling despite the alcohol serving its tour around her body. Sunghoon was right next to her, ready to steady her if need be. When they got to the incline, Wonyoung didn’t shy away from Sunghoon pushing her upwards by the seat of her bike.
As soon as they managed to pedal up to the top, Wonyoung leaned one foot out and let the bike drop to the grass. She kicked her bicycle away from the door and began searching for her keys.
“I’d like to get to know you better. Maybe outside of you being drunk next time. Would you mind?”
Clutching her keys, Wonyoung turned towards Sunghoon. “Are you trying to hit on me?”
Sunghoon lifted his hands up in surrender. “Guilty as charged. But I’ll only say—.”
Wonyoung leaned in to kiss him.
It was a quick kiss on the lips—no tongue, no lingering, no attachment.
When she pulled away, she unlocked her door and opened it. “Goodbye, Sunghoon.”
Before the man could even respond, she pulled the door close and hid behind it, covering her mouth with a hand.
It didn’t feel right. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t Yujin.
=====
December 17, 2025
Dear Yujin,
I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.
I’m becoming a bit of an alcoholic. Not with beer—with wine. Cheese tastes better with it. Or does wine taste better with cheese? I don’t know.
I don’t know anymore.
Yujin, I tried other things. I really did. But what I’ve come to realize is that nothing—no one—can capture the sting of the venom you drench me in whenever I think of you.
Nothing has worked out. Nothing has worked out quite like you.
You were a once in a lifetime person, Yujin. And I was so happy to have called you mine even for just a moment. But I’ve gone and squandered you away. Because I wasn’t ready. Because I was impatient. Because I feared uncertainty. Because I was too weak.
Because I couldn’t admit that I loved you more than I let on.
These days, I just make do with the lingering ghost of you. Of who you were when you were still here. When you were still mine.
I wrap myself in these emotions like the mirage of a worn scarf to keep me warm. But it’s not enough. I want the real thing. I need the real thing.
I need you.
Lately, I feel like a ghost myself. Drifting from day to day. Wandering about without meaning or purpose. Moving just to get by. Not really living. Not really alive.
How can I? When my soul—my love—has died.
Lately, Yujin, I find myself sleeping as soon as the sun has set. Why? It’s foolish of me to admit it at this point, but I guess there’s no harm in confessing now since it’s too late. I sleep earlier so I can fast forward to the next morning. To the next day. Over and over again.
I sleep so I can see you, Yujin. And I hate to wait so long.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope you’re well. And if you ever feel alone, I hope you know that I still sing to the sea, waiting for you to return.
O captain, my captain.
Always,
Your princess
=====
January 3, 2026
Yujin was so ready to crash for the evening. If it still was the evening, that is.
Slamming onto her bed, she groaned as she checked her phone. Half-past midnight.
Yujin rolled to the side to fish around for the envelope she had been hiding for a month now. Opening it, she read its contents, knowing who it was from.
“I sleep so I can see you, and I hate to wait so long.”
Yujin managed a smile. Just like that, she had already forgotten about her incoming double shift. Just like that, she was all giddy like a puppy again.
Three knocks came at her door. “Yujin, you there? Are you decent? The crew wanted to go for drinks again while the passengers are asleep. You coming with?”
It was Karina.
Glancing down at the letter, Yujin turned to the door. “It’s not a party without you, Yujin. It’ll be my treat, come on.”
There was a pause, then Karina continued. “If you want, we could ditch the crew and drink alone like we always did. Just the two of us? Please?”
Yujin sighed and shook her head, folding the letter back into its envelope. “I think I’m good, Karina. Thanks though. I … I need to be up early for another shift. I’ll be getting some shut-eye now.”
“I see … Such a killjoy. Since when were you like this? Whatever … suit yourself then.”
As Karina’s muffled footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Yujin pulled her comforter above her head and tucked herself in along with the letter. She clutched the beaded bracelet around her wrist and closed her eyes.
“Soon.”
=====
February 14, 2026 - The present day
Wonyoung opened her windows to let the scent of the sea waft in and fill her living room.
Returning to her tea, she toyed with the bag for a few moments as she contemplated her latest painting. It felt a bit abstract. A bit patchwork. She wasn’t sure what she was going for with this piece, but it at least seemed artistic. Somehow.
She had forgotten what day it was. She only remembered once she looked at her calendar filled with crosses.
It was already Valentine’s day again.
Wonyoung took a sip as she fought back a small giggle. It was a silly thought.
She recalled how once upon a time she had dreamed of love. She recalled how in the not-so-distant past, she had known what it was like to love and be loved. She recalled how she yearned, and screamed, and cried, and pleaded. All in the name of love.
But those days were now behind her.
She has grown as a person. She was a changed woman now.
Now, she lusts no longer for the inconsistent ebb and flow of the tides. Now, she yearns for a steady hull to guide her away from the shore.
In due time, she will find herself, Wonyoung thought. In due time, she will carry herself away from here.
There was a knock at the door. Immediately, she flipped her canvas over and hid her brushes underneath the couch. If this was her mother again, it was best to give her less things to nitpick her for.
The knock came again. Wonyoung paused. That wasn’t her mother. She never knocked twice and would just barge in. Who could this be?
Widening her eyes, Wonyoung slipped out of her apron. “Sunghoon? I’ll be out in a sec!”
“Who’s Sunghoon? Should I be worried about him?”
No. It can’t be.
Wonyoung rushed to the door, knocking over one of her palettes. She cursed under her breath, but kicked the clatter behind her in order to get to the door immediately.
Once she unlocked it and it flew open, what faced her was whom she had feared.
“You …”
“Hi,” Yujin greeted, drenched from head to toe, holding up an equally drenched bouquet of flowers. Behind her, one of the local fishermen was out of breath, struggling to keep up with her. “Ms. Jang! This girl … she’s a lunatic! She jumped off her ship into the middle of the ocean—and for what?”
Yujin bit her lip, fighting a smile. Wonyoung just covered her face. “Yujin, you …”
Stepping inside, Yujin thanked the fisherman, who was relived to know that she would be alright. Once the two girls were alone, Yujin handed her the flowers.
“I understand what you meant now, princess. And I’m here. I’m here to stay.”
“You’re here to—,” Wonyoung repeated, pinching her nose in irritation. “Yujin, did you even stop to think about how I’d feel about all this? Did you even consider the possibility that I could have … I could have been alright without you?”
“I … But your letters, Wonyoung. Your last letter, you—.”
“What about your job? What about your ship, and your crew? What about money?” Wonyoung continued, pacing back and forth. “What about our careers? My mother? O-Our future? Don’t you worry about any of that? Did you not think about any of that at all?”
“I did, which is why I’m here now.”
Yujin stepped closer and reached out for Wonyoung’s hand. The other girl’s grasp was weak and hesitant, but Yujin continued. “Wonyoung, I … I’ve always been on the run. Thought there was nothing else to life than just being on the road—across the sea. I had no one. Cared for no one else. And … relied on no one but myself. But then, I met you.”
Smiling, Yujin closed her eyes. “I love this peninsula. I love this town. I love the warm people. I love the smell of the sea. I love the wind beneath my sails when I’m here. But most of all? I love you. Wonyoung, I … I never thought about a future before this. My future. But you … you made me want to think about it. You made me want to fight for it—fight for something bigger than myself. You … you made me want to settle down.”
Gesturing to the door, Yujin nodded. “So I’m here to stay. For you.”
“Where will you even stay, Yujin? Did you think I’ll let you live with me after everything that’s happened?” Wonyoung replied.
“I … I was planning on staying at the tavern if you were still mad at me. The tavern keeper’s grown fond of me too.”
“And how will you keep staying here? You just … you just quit your job.”
Yujin shrugged, stepping away to pace around the room. “I’ll work the tavern. Help the locals. Hell—I’ll even learn to fish better just to make this work. Just for you.”
“Yujin … you threw away your life just for me. Is that really ok …?”
But Yujin just smiled. “Not at all, princess. I know I’ll be alright when I’m with you. Shit happens. Plans change. But now? I want you to be a part of my plans. And I want to be a part of yours. And um, like you said before … it can only happen when I’m here. When we’re both here. Together.”
“So, if you’ll have me, let’s figure out our future together, Wonyoung.”
Wonyoung sighed, but it was one that was followed up with a smile. “Ya, you think you can come back here after walking out on me and think it will be fine just like that? At least make up for it first.”
Yujin took one step, then another, and when she was finally in front of Wonyoung again, she leaned down to scoop her up by her waist. She peppered her arms, then her neck, then her cheeks in nothing but kisses.
“Ok, ok, you can stop now,” Wonyoung whined, pushing Yujin’s face away. “Ya! Haha, I said stop!”
“I’m not going to stop at all,” Yujin whispered, when she in fact had stopped. “Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”
Biting her lip, Wonyoung pressed her forehead against Yujin. “Let me take you upstairs.”
There was a reason Wonyoung never let anyone upstairs. Not even her own mother had been there. Her bedroom was her personal space—even more so now that she was living on her own. So when she decided to invite Yujin in, she knew she was truly ready for it.
It was time.
“Wow.”
The first thing that Yujin saw was her wall full of art. Ranging from realist depictions to the more geometric renditions, from surrealist imagery to powerful expressionist strokes, Yujin marveled at all the works Wonyoung produced over the years.
“Wonyoung, you … you’ve made all of this? This is all …”
“You,” Wonyoung admitted, standing next to an abstract interpretation of Yujin’s facial features. “It’s … it’s all you.”
“And your mom didn’t say anything about it?”
Wonyoung chuckled. “She’s never been here. And, she’s a bit of a bitch, isn’t she?”
Yujin sauntered over to another corner of her room, to a spot where a bunch of trinkets were gathered together. “These are … the souvenirs I got you …”
The two rings. The candy wrappers. The roll of lipstick. The troll figurine. The silver necklace. They were all there. Not a single one missing.
“You kept all of them?”
Wonyoung raised a brow, reaching for the troll and playing with its hair. “Why wouldn’t I? They were the closest I could get to you.”
As Yujin sat down at the foot of her bed still speechless, Wonyoung offered to dry her bag. Upon opening it to remove its contents, piles of folded paper came spilling out.
“My letters. You still kept all of them even after we fought? And these … Yujin …”
Yujin bit her lip, picking up one of the letters. “Unsent ones. Just for you. I never stopped writing, Wonyoung. Not until I could make it back to you and hand it over myself. So … if you have the time, please read them.”
Wonyoung was on the verge of tears. Thankfully, Yujin stood next to her and held her close, swaying her in a soothing rhythm, helping her calm down.
As they danced, they held each other closely and tightly, never letting the other go—not this time.
Gesturing to the bed, Wonyoung laid down first, then carefully, Yujin joined her. They stared up at the ceiling and held each other’s hands.
They talked about the different constellations in the sky. The best cheese to pair with different types of wine. And what kinds of fishes swam at the bottom of the ocean.
And they could go on like this forever.
Turning to her side now, Wonyoung parted Yujin’s hair and rested her hand on Yujin’s cheek. “You won’t be leaving me in the morning this time? You promise?”
Yujin shook her head. “Not a chance. Here, close your eyes.”
Wonyoung leaned closer and closed her eyes for Yujin. Under her breath, she counted. “One. Two. Three.”
When she opened her eyes again, Yujin pressed her lips deeply against hers, lingering for as long as she could. Wonyoung cupped her lover’s cheek and pinched her earlobe playfully.
“O captain, my captain, welcome home,” Wonyoung said, nuzzling against Yujin. “My love.”
“I’m home, my love. And I’m never going to leave again,” Yujin replied.
“Never again, princess.”
=====
=====
A/N: Big thanks to @octoberautumnbox and @autumnyacorn for the beta read 💞
