Chapter Text
12. TO GET YOU BACK WHOM I LOST; AFTER ENDURING THE TANGLED TIME
The Present | June 18, 2022
Once upon a summer in Gongjin, Dusik and Hyejin lived as each other’s lover once again. After six years, it was the first summer they were spending as an official couple again. From their fateful meeting and reconciliation last year, they could say that they have been taking it slowly but surely. There were still times that they almost fall back into the same patterns, but with clear communication and pure intentions for each other, they managed to change their ways for the better.
They both wanted to work this out for sure, this time.
Work had also been challenging yet fulfilling for them. Dusik had successfully expanded Namoo Woodworks and partnered with Hyejin’s self-made interior design firm. To be honest, it was quite easier that they had expected due to their reputation that they had built for themselves. Their clients knew the quality of their works and their talents, so it was easy for them to secure business.
Summer was fast approaching, and both of them decided to take a break from business meetings and travels. They hadn’t seen each other properly for almost a month now, and Hyejin was starting to get grumpy.
“Dusik-iee!” Hyejin whined as she opened the door.
Dusik smiled at her before hugging her tight. “I know, I missed you too!” He slightly lifted her up from the floor as he inhaled her familiar scent.
“No work from today, okay? It’s our week long break!” Hyejin pouted as she pulled away from the hug.
Dusik giggled. “Yes ma’am!”
Hyejin pulled him inside with his luggage. “Go shower! I’ll unpack your things!”
“Thanks!” Dusik cupped her face and kissed her firmly on the lips before scurrying to their room.
Hyejin giggled as she unpacked his luggage. She actually had made some plans for them.
As Dusik was showering in the bathroom, Hyejin built a fort made from curtains on their back porch. She stuffed it with pillows and blankets inside and placed a small table filled with food. There was a small mood lamp inside that warmed the ambiance. From the small opening of the fort, they could watch the sunrise.
“Wow! You prepared all this?” Dusik said as he approached the little fort, his hair still damp from the shower.
“Yes! I missed you!” Hyejin smiled brightly at him. “Come here!” she plopped down on one of the cushions inside and gestured for him to follow.
Dusik did as he was told and immediately hugged Hyejin as he sat down. “I really missed you.”
Hyejin pouted. “I want to ask you about your trip but that means talking about work, so let’s talk about some other things first.”
Dusik laughed. “Agreed. Can I taste your cooking now? I’m starving!”
“Of course!” Hyejin pushed the little table to him. “I actually took cooking lessons, you know.”
Dusik took a bite and smiled proudly. “Finally! I won’t have to pretend that I like your cooking… or die from too much salt.”
“Yah!” Hyejin whacked him on the arm.
“Just kidding, I missed you.” He kissed her in between bites of their food.
“I missed you, too.” Hyejin followed suit and ate her own cooking. The two of them bickered and laughed as they scrumptiously finished their food.
With full stomachs and happy hearts, the two of them sat down facing the sky. Hyejin was seated in front of Dusik, with him back-hugging her. They basked in the comfortable silence and the warmth of each other as they watched the sun slowly lit up the morning sky.
“It’s summer again, and you’re really mine again.” Dusik said in his I-couldn’t-believe-this tone.
Hyejin nodded. “I am glad to be yours again. Sometimes I still get scared that what happened before would happen again…”
“I’m sorry, Hyejin-ah. I can assure you that I’m not the insecure and immature Dusik who bottles things up and walks away anymore.” Dusik said. “I’m glad that I was able to work on myself.. I am proud of myself now. I am confident now that I can love you completely. I am whole now, and I can give all of me to you now.”
Hyejin smiled. “Thank you, Dusikie. I can assure you that I won’t suddenly disappear again… and if there are opportunities that would come my way, I’d always let you know and bring you into my plans. I’m glad that I was able to choose myself, too. Now, I can choose you without compromising myself.”
“We’ll figure this life out, together, right?”
Hyejin smiled. “Are you subtly proposing to me?”
“I think so..? I just want to let you know that I want you for the rest of my life. I still want you to be my wife.”
“I still want to be your wife, too. I want you to be my husband, my person, for the rest of my life.”
“Are you subtly accepting my proposal?”
Hyejin laughed a little. “I think so..?”
“I’ll get you a new ring.” Dusik tightened his hold around Hyejin.
“Why? I kept the ring you gave me… from before.”
Dusik sighed. “I want to get you a ring that I worked hard for. Something that I can proudly say was from myself.”
Hyejin nodded. “I understand.”
“Thank you, Hyejin-ah.. for giving me another chance. I have a lifetime to make up for my mistakes.”
“Dusik-ah, no need to make up for them. Just love me however you want to… just love me because you love me. What happened between us had a reason.. we needed that time apart.”
Dusik nodded. “I get what you mean. I love you.. for the test of our lives.”
Hyejin looked back at him. “I love you too, for the rest of our lives.”
The two of them shared a kiss, as sweet as their youth, as warm as the summer air, as bright as daylight.
After years of darkness, it was morning, once again.
FILM ROLL 017 | August 21, 2009 | Documentary 1
Ji PD: “Did you have fun filming this documentary?”
Hyejin: (nods)
Dusik: “YES!”
Ji PD: “What did you learn from this summer?”
Hyejin: “Hmm I learned a lot! Living in Gongjin is actually more fun that living in Seoul.. I wish I didn’t have to go back! I made new friends as well, I met wonderful people. I learned that we shouldn’t be quick to judge anyone.. because we don’t know what they are going through. There are a lot of good people out there, there are a lot of people who love us.”
Dusik: “I agree… I learned to have fun again — actual fun! With Hyejin.. I matured so fast that sometimes I forget how to be a kid. I forgot how to take breaks from my part-time jobs, Hyejin reminded me of them.”
Hyejin: “I really had fun with Dusikie. I admire his love for his grandparents. It made me want to cherish mine more.”
Dusik: “I also realized that we can choose to not repeat the same mistakes that our parents did.. We can create our own lives.. our own futures.”
Hyejin: “If I become a parent someday, I’ll let them have freedom.. I’ll never leave them.”
Dusik: “Me too.. I’ll become the best parent someday. I’ll never break promises to my future children.”
Hyejin: “Words.. promises are really important.”
Dusik: “Yes.. Thank you for this once in a lifetime summer.”
Hyejin: “Is it really the end?”
Dusik: “Maybe? but there will be countless of summers for us! Summers would be endless!”
Hyejin: “Endless summers?”
Dusik: “Yes, this is our endless summer!”
END OF FILM ROLL
Ten years later
FILM ROLL 001 | June 27, 2032 | Documentary 3
Hyejin: “At this rate, our lives would become a looong documentary.”
Dusik: “Why did we agree to this again?”
Ji PD: “Not our fault that the viewers wanted a part three when they found out that you two got back together.”
Hyejin: “It’s been ten years! I have wrinkles now!”
Dusik: (looks at her) “Still the most beautiful.”
Hyejin: (giggles)
Ji PD: “That’s why the viewers demanded more.. it’s been ten years and you two still act like teenagers.”
Dusik: “How do they know, though..”
Ji PD: “Have you seen your Instagram accounts? Even the ants from my house wants to go inside my phone because of you two.”
Hyejin: (laughs)
Ji PD: “Ready to do the intro again? In 3.. 2.. 1!”
Hyejin: “Annyeong haseyo, this is Yoon Hyejin.. the city girl who spent her summer in Gongjin.. and reunited with Dusik in Seoul.. now ten years later!”
Dusik: “Hi! This is your Hong Dusik once again, the Gongjin boy.. now ten years later.”
Hyejin: (intertwines hand with Dusik) “As you can see we are married now, for nine years.”
Dusik: (smiles) “We’re proud to say that we have three wonderful children.. You might have seen them on our Instagram accounts but, here they are!”
(camera pans to the running girl and two boys)
Little girl: “Hi! I’m Seolhui! I’m five years old! These are my brothers.. Woojin and Woosik! They are twins! They can’t speak a lot yet.. They just learned how to walk!”
Woojin and Woosik: (coos and babbles at the camera)
(Hyejin and Dusik sits Seolhui in between them and grabs one of the twins to sit on their lap.)
Dusik: “This is going to be so sooo chaotic!”
Hyejin: “I hope you guys will love us again and our kids!”
Dusik: “See you in our third documentary!”
Seolhui: “See youu!!!!”
Woojin and Woosik: “Yuuu!”
END OF FILM ROLL