The Day Doom Knocked on Our Doors

Chapter 16: All the Wonders of the World

"I can't hear you!" In Guk said in jest as he took a picture of her. He watched as her hair kept on strangling her due to the strong wind.

"You have no romantic side to you!" Bo Young yelled back. She knew he was joking with her but she can't help but act as if she is affected especially when she knows he's amused with her reactions to him.

This is probably going to be her life from now on. At least for a few more hours. Her attending to his every whim. And well, vice versa.

Myul Mang will never understand it, probably, but they have decided to go back to Jeju. With only a day left, they've marked the last place they want to visit on their map. And Jeju is that place. It's their last stop. There's just no place like home, isn't it?

Although, if anyone asked, all the places they've been to certainly proved to be wonderful. From the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand, to the largest salt flat in the world in Bolivia, they all have been magnificent to behold. Well, that was until In Guk called Bo Young Frodo, teasing her of her height. And her coming back at him by calling him Gollum just because. Myul Mang had to quickly move them to the next place on the map to stop them from ruining one of their last days on earth.

The salt flat really was one of the more picturesque they've seen if not the most. And they made sure to take a picture. Sure, they will no longer see it, but it's still nice to keep a memory. Who knows? There might be an afterlife where they can meet again in some shape or form and have these pictures in their memories. Or, they could visit their home as ghosts and enjoy looking at the pictures they took.

Bo Young would never forget how she felt in Cappadocia. And that moment definitely will be one of the things she'll see when she gets a flashback as she dies. That's what she thinks.

"Let's get married." He said.

"What?" She asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"Let's get married." He said as he held one of her hand in his while brushing strands of her hair behind her ear with the other.

When she didn't respond, he gave her a small smile and then shook his head after. "I wanted to say that at least once..."

Bo Young can only stare at him. She can tell, as he retracted, that he meant it. And she didn't know how she would ever mistake that for anything else. Certainly not when she can see it in his eyes.

"You skipped a lot of steps." She finally said in jest. She didn't want him to feel sad any more than he already did.

"I already live with you, we already kissed, and we even met each other's family." He replied, playing with her. He knew she understood him.

"How can you say that without flinching?" She asked. She knows color must have risen on her face.

He chuckled at her in response. As he did, he pulled her to him and put her in his arms. In his embrace was probably the warmest she's ever been, so she hugged him back.

Bo Young would never forget how she felt in Cappadocia. She would never forget the orange of the sunset. She won't forget the cool breeze of the wind as they looked at the fascinating hills and boulders from where they were in the clouds.

She would never forget how in that moment, the hot air balloons meshed with the hues of the sky. She thought, for a second, that's probably how heaven looked like. But among all things she will never forget, it's him, who was with her.

Bo Young would never forget hearing the beating of his heart. Nor will she forget the meaning behind it. How could she?

If the afterlife is real, she wished it would look like Cappadocia. She wished it would feel like Cappadocia. More than that, she prayed he'll be with her.

----

There are a lot of beautiful places in the world. That's what Seo In Guk confirmed in the past few days. He was glad he's able to experience them.

Their visit to Huacachina had been nothing but magical. And he would forever hold it in his memory, no matter how short that forever is, the sparkle in her eyes, when she watched him as he sang to her. He was nervous at first, suddenly feeling the urge to serenade her by the lake. But as he watched the expressions on her face while listening to him, he figured it was worth it. She was worth the uncertainty and unease.

He would keep it in his heart for as long as he could, the memory of her smiling face as she sat on the sand under a palm tree, while he took pictures of her. She asked him then what he was thinking, and he wasn't able to put into words the overwhelming emotion he was feeling so he just shook his head. He was glad she didn't press. He was afraid and it would be a pity if he was unable to give justice to how he felt if he so much as breathe a syllable.

It was a wonder how they felt like they didn't have time, yet in every place they've been, time seems to have stopped. In fact, it felt like they were together for years. To him at least. It would have been nice if it were true though.

They were able to move from one place to the next, almost forgetting those were the first and the last time they're ever going to visit them. No place was less marvelous than the other. All have been significant to him. But if he was fond of one place, he'd choose the exact time they were in Scotland.

Oh, it truly was beautiful to behold, the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye. It was quintessential to say the least. The waters were the bluest he's seen. It was like stepping into a fairytale book. Where everything was perfect. And if they were, he didn't really want to leave. Yet...Yes, there's a yet.

It would be a cliché, yet in that moment, that's when he knew that the beauty of every scenery he has ever laid his eyes on, paled in comparison to the beauty of the one standing next to him. Looking at Park Bo Young and knowing her smile was for him was far more precious than the wonders of the world. It was like having your breath taken away, and then breathing in the very air that keeps you alive.

All the wonders of the world may be beautiful in their own right, but without her in it is just pitiful. He's sure he wouldn't have appreciated them as much as he did, if she wasn't around. A world without Park Bo Young, to him, is going to be a dull one.

With this in thought, he figured, dying is the best thing that's going to happen to him. He didn't think there will be a day that he'd feel so much for someone that he'd rather die than live in a world where she's gone. But that day came. It came to him that very second.

In fact, he was so overcome with that foreign emotion that he wasn't able to help himself from saying what he said when they went to the next place on the map. Cappadocia. There was just no way he'd be able to keep it to himself.

"Let's get married."