A thud echoed in hae jun's room as both hae jun and Yoon young landed on bed with their eyes closed. However what's beautiful to notice was how on instinct, hae jun's one hand had wrapped around the back of Yoon young's head to prevent the impact on fall and his other hand landed on her side, ensuring not to squeeze her with his weight.

It was hae jun who opened his eyes first and the sight, he was met with was something inexplicable. A smile graced his face as he rounded his eyes on her soft features. With her eyes closed like a little scared deer, Yoon young looked so beautiful. Sweat beads shined on her forehead sitting like diamonds, her cheeks were painted with the tint of pink and those petals like full lips invited his heart as always.

He realised, he can adore this beauty for lifetime in same position.

As if feeling the intensity of his eyes on her, Yoon young opened her eyes slowly. And instantly, she got struck with the black orbs staring deeply at her. It was overwhelming yet beautiful. His eyes roamed at her face softly, as if he's remembering each and every detail. Her heart warmed at that.

But as she realised, his eyes lingered at her lips more than usual, her knees buckled and she lost control on her heart. Waves of electricity jolts sent through her body and soon, she found her breaths turning ragged realising his growing desires.

Hae jun smiled and felt proud as he saw the effect on Yoon young as well. He wasn't the one who was feeling that way. They both acknowledged the growing tension for last few days.

With her ragged breaths, and dried mouth, Yoon young unknowingly waited for something to happen that can release the tension. She was a little bit hesistant but she knew she could trust hae jun with her life.

The tension in the room hit the roof as the breaths started to mix. Acting upon anticipation, hae jun started to reduce the distance between them and instantly, Yoon young closed her eyes as her heart drummed crazily with each second.

Caught in moment, even hae jun just wanted to end it with a kiss but still, he hadn't lost his ability to understand her body language and seek her consent.

As his lips were just an inch away from hers, he stopped and his eyes roamed on her face taking in her features. She had her eyes scrunched tightly, her lips puckered like a kid which almost made hae jun chuckle, but it didn't take much rocket science for hae jun to understand, she wasn't ready yet.

Giving a sublime smile, hae jun retracted his lips and kissed her forehead softly instead. This wasn't what yoon young expected. She was bit disappointed yes, but strangely, she couldn't ask better than this. A jolt of warmthness seared through the veins of Yoon young as she found he understands her more than herself.

If she loved him anything less, she has just grown to love him the most in this world.

With moist eyes, she opened her eyelids only to be welcomed by the stare of her partner who was looking at her softly. There wasn't any lust but just pure tenderness and love for her. A genuine smile appeared at hae jun's face as if assuring her and she nodded mechanically as if understanding that silent signal.

"Now, Will you tell me what's bothering you, young-a?", hae jun asked her softly.

Yoon young got struck with his question. She didn't expect that he had noticed that.

"Uh- what are you talking about?", she faked a laughter. She didn't dare to meet his eyes, when she can feel his burning stare on her face.

Instead of a question from him, something unexpected happened. She felt a soft and warm touch on her forehead and it doesn't took her seconds to realise what had happened.

Hae jun had laid his forehead against her forehead, making their breaths found a rhythm together. Yoon young closed her eyes, relishing in his warmth.

"If you don't want to tell me yet, I won't force you. But I want you to know that, I'm always here you. You don't have to fight with something alone, we are in this together forever", hae jun told her in assurance as he found her breath pacing.

"But what if one day you choose to leave?", yoon young whispered.

The words came out of her mouth before she can control them.

To say hae jun was taken aback, would be an under statement. He was beyond puzzled as to where does these words came from. To his best of knowledge, he can say he haven't done anything to make her feel that way, but he wanted to hear her ground, her point of view.

On the other hand, yoon young facepalmed herself in her head and scolded her gazillion times but now it was too late.

Nimbly, hae jun detached himself from her and blinked his eyes at her. Taking it as sign that it is time to let it out, Yoon young sighed deep and gathered courage to say it.

"What I mean is, what if one day we break up? It's not we know future for certain, right? It's life and we won't be getting second chances like my parents. What if we ruin it?", yoon young breathed out, as she looked down finally telling him what was eating her.

"But why do you think it will happen?", hae jun's question made Yoon young look up at him.

She stared at him as he continued, "why do you think we will ruin it? Did i do something?"

There were several questions that were ringing inside the head of hae jun but they didn't matter much, because right now, knowing what's on her mind, in her heart is hae jun's priority, so he can go to the depth of it.

Feeling his inquisitive eyes waiting for answer, Yoon young sighed.

"Because I think you're deliberately creating distance between us."

Hae jun's eyebrows squeezed together.

"I am doing that?"

"Yes. When I asked you to accompany me to the dinner with my friends. You declined. When there was an event for couples in society, you declined. And still now, when you should have kissed me, you declined. I mean I'm not complaining you kissing my forehead was bad, but still i felt little disappointed. I don't know, I am new to all this, maybe its normal but it hurts.", Yoon young explained. Her words cracked at the end but she denied breaking down there.

Her words made hae jun understand everything.

"Hey, look at me."

Hae jun asked Yoon young but her stubborn senses denied.

"Young-a, look at me", hae jun pleaded her softly as his index finger raised her face by her chin.

And what he was met with, it wrenched his heart. Her eyes were moisten and she had her lips clenched together to hold herself.

"I am dumb to think that way?", her smile faltered deceiving her.

"No, you're not dumb.", he shook his head and gave her a smile, assuring her.

Having her attention, he continued, "You're not wrong to think that way. You think it's easy for me either? No, it's not. I am also new to all this and as dumb as it sounds, but my mind freezes whenever I see you and I end up saying dumb things. I just want to hold you tight forever. And this is what scares me. It scares me what if I overwhelm you in this relationship? What if because I want to there with you damn every second, you will start to feel suffocate and I end up scaring you."

Yoon young wanted to deny his doubts there in her first breath, but hearing his vulnerable words, she realised, they both need this moment.

She raised her face little and gave him a tender tap on his forehead with her as if saying she will always be there. This action encouraged hae jun to say everything in his heart which yoon young understand. She stayed silent as he continued and just listened to him staring at him.

"You know it was easy during time travel to live together, because we were strangers. But this is different. Us being tied in threads of love, sharing a relationship. For others, it may seem all beautiful from afar but only who hold them, only they know how fragile that thread is.", hae jun explained.

"And that's why I decided to give you some space. Plus, you seemed pretty distracted for last few days, so I thought it's the best.", before hae jun can continue, Yoon young interrupted with her loud, jerk "No"

"No, you don't have to give me space. I'm more than happy when I get to share my life with you.", she bit her lips and looked at hae jun through the canopy of her eyes smiling which relieved hae jun of all worries and he gained peace in that moment.

"That's good. I will keep that in mind, honey. Thank you for the information", he winked at her and softly, rubbed his nose with hers making her give her cheshire smile.

"But most importantly, we are not going to ruin anything nor I'm going anywhere, I mean where else would I even go leaving my little devil behind?", he smiled down at her mischeviously.

"But how can you be sure?", she asked. Damn, her mind. She was tired of her insecurity.

"Do you trust me?", he asked.

"Ofcourse more than myself", she replied without even giving second thought.

"Then believe me, we are never going to part ways, we are going to see each other with white hair and wrinkles", hae jun laughed and winked at her which puzzled her.

In all this, hae jun didn't realise when his hand slipped and a crack sound reasonated in the room making hae jun and Yoon young open their eyes instantly. Realising it was the file, they both shared a look and laughed together to their heart's content.

Both felt relieved after so many days.

"This idea worked surprisingly better than I imagined", hae jun said amidst the laughters.

"What does it mean?"

"You think I don't know when you evilly hid the papers of this file after finding it? I knew everything all along, honey", he smirked.

Yoon young had stopped laughing and stared at him tilting her head.

"I placed the file there myself, young-a", he announced with a chuckle.

"Wha-, ho-, why? When?", these were the only words that came out of her mouth.

"So, I like I said, for past few days, you always got lost in your world. And it really worried me. I didn't want to press you but I can't even see you like that. So, last Sunday, when we were at your house, your mom suggested me this idea. She said, whenever something bothered you, she always used this trick, she tries to divert your mind to something else and then gradually, make you open up. So, today when I saw you lost, I decided it was enough. So, in front of you I placed my file under the newspaper and ask you to help me with a hope I could somehow find a way to your heart."

"But what if I denied you to help you?", Yoon young asked inquisitively.

"Well, its not you didn't do that.", he laughed. He continued, "in that case, I decided I will make you work up and get you annoyed by my words. And we both know, when you're annoyed at someone, you do everything to make him pay.", hae jun laughed shaking his head to which Yoon young pouted.

"You're mean", she muttered under breath.

"For you, I'm ready to be one as long as I can keep you smiling", he passed a genuine smile with eyes twinkling in sincerity. Yoon young melted at that spot.

"Now can I have my file?", hae jun asked her with a smile.

With smiles plastered on their faces, they both sat on bed. Yoon young extended his file to him when she remembered file doesn't have papers, the most important thing.

With tongue clenched between her teeth, Yoon young stood up and said, "I'll get the papers"

Hae jun nodded his head and smiled at her retreating figure when she turned suddenly.

Yoon young cleared her throat, "Anyways, when you said, when you're sure about us, have you time travelled? Because you seem unreasonably certain at that"

Her words stuck hae jun's breath as he looked at her narrow eyes.

"How do I tell her, it's because our son told so.", he muttered under his breath, inaudible to her.

"What? What did you say?", Yoon young asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing down at him.

"No, I didn't do time travel. Remember the last time was the last trip.", he recalled her with a smile. He couldn't explain how much he was enjoying seeing her all worked up and puzzled.

"Then how?", she trailed off.

"Does it matter that much? I'm getting hungry, aren't you? Let's go have dinner first", hae jun whined to divert the topic.

"Okay, okay. I'll go and have our dinner heated, hae jun-a", she said and left the room but what she failed to acknowledge, she has unintentional called hae jun, hae jun-a that had made his heart skip a beat.

He never know his name sounds so good.

His face lit up like a christmas tree and a wide smile adorned his face.

"Hae jun-a", he repeated to himself.

And in that moment, he promised to himself, he is never going to leave her, no matter what comes their way as he said,

"Only If she knew we are never going to separate."

"No matter what, we will always meet in every universe. Because we are tied by the threads of fate"

****The end ****

So, there it's the end.

How was the story? Did it entertain you? Made you relive with moments of hae jun and Yoon young?

And what?😭 these two are so cute, both of them were afraid, but the way they both addressed and assured each other, where is my hae jun?😭

They're always gonna stay with me. Really best couple of 2023.

Thank you for staying with me till the end.

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Until next time,
Keep smiling :)