When I Loved You

Yiyoung probably fell asleep under the moonlight without a blanket because her sleep broke when she felt cold. She was curled up in Muyeol’s arms, but still needed a blanket to keep off the cold from the air conditioner. She blindly groped around her feet for the blanket.

‘Where is it?’ Yiyoung couldn’t find anything.

She carefully put away Muyeol’s arm, and stood up. She was amazed at the state of the floor. Everything was on the floor: the blankets, shoes, clothes, underwear, shopping bags and their luggage… All because they’d pounced on each other like hungry animals the moment they stepped foot into the room.

Yiyoung knelt and picked up the blanket. ‘Whatever. The cleaning can be done in the morning.’

But when she was about to lie down again, Muyeol’s body caught her attention. He was tall, and because he worked out regularly, his body looked like a piece of art. The moonlight only served to make it look better.

Yiyoung quietly sat down next to him and looked at him in what seemed to be admiration. His body was too beautiful, and she wanted to touch it. Though she didn’t want to wake him up, her hand was already reaching for him. She gently stroked his forehead, then the bridge of his nose. She moved down to his well-defined philtrum, and his soft lips. Then, his Adam’s apple, collarbone, firm chest, six-pack abs, and his…

Each time she touched him, her heart warmed up, and she became emotional.

“I love you, Yiyoung whispered, “I love you.”

Under the scattered moonlight, she confessed her feelings to Muyeol, who was still asleep.

After Yiyoung went back to sleep and her breathing settled, Muyeol opened his eyes. He quickly turned toward her and looked at her sleeping figure, his arm tucked under her head.

He could almost hear her whisper, “I love you.”

His forehead scrunched up as she remembered her voice. He’d never heard someone say that to him before. Madam Choi cared deeply about him, but she didn’t express her feelings to him verbally.

“I love you.”

It was his first time hearing it. He hadn’t been able to imagine how to feel when he first heard it, but his emotions were finally sinking in now. He was pleased, yet sad at the same time. He was happy to hear the word ‘love’, but realized he couldn’t believe it. And that depressed him.

Muyeol softly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m such a mess… I can’t believe it.”

His mind was cold, but his heart was warm. Muyeol couldn’t go back to sleep; he stayed awake all night.

* * *

The second day was good and passed by smoothly. Seungah was very knowledgeable, almost as if she lived in Istanbul. She knew all the famous places that were a must-visit for the tourists, and even the places that people tended to skip. There were store owners who greeted Seungah before she did, and they talked to her as if they knew her very well.

“Seungah, you’re so friendly, and they connect to you so well. I’m jealous,” said Yiyoung.

“I became more friendly as I traveled to places that I had never visited before. I try to act as if I know a lot of people here just in case some thieves are aiming to steal my bag just because I’m a foreigner.”

Yiyoung understood it right away. “Oh! So you just want to show that you guys know each other, and that doesn’t make you a foreigner here. Is it something like that?”

Seungah nodded with a smile. She thought it was a good thing that Yiyoung was naive. She was respectful, and had good etiquette. Seungah had been a tourist guide for 10 years now, and was well aware of how rare it was to meet someone like Yiyoung. Despite having visited the places several times, Seungah was able to tour with a fluttering heart once again.

The two stopped at a cafe to rest and fill their hungry stomachs.

“Their bread is really good,” Seungah said.

“The bread we had for breakfast this morning was really good, too.”