"I'm so excited!" Areum exclaims as the two of you head toward your lockers. She's been hyper about the school trip since it was announced, and now that it's D-day, she can't stop jumping around.
"Me too!" You smile, opening your locker only to find a letter inside of it.
It's not surprising or unexpected since you get it almost every day. Since the very beginning of the school year.
This secret admirer of yours doesn't seem to get bored of writing you love letters and putting them in your locker every day, and honestly, you're enjoying it.
If one day you don't find his letter, a part of you will be so empty. Because you actually like him, whoever he is, without even knowing him.
You tried coming to school early to catch whoever it is, but he seems to always be a step ahead of you.
"Again?" Areum laughs. "Doesn't he get bored of doing this every single day? You don't even know him."
"I know right." You smile. "But it's kind of thrilling. It's like a little game of hide and seek."
"Well, I hope he reveals himself soon. It would be nice to put a face to all those heartfelt words." She giggles.
I saw you earlier today, you're as beautiful as ever.
I'm going on the trip too. I wish we could spend time together but I'm afraid if you ever meet me you wouldn't like what you see.
Until then, I love you, Lee Y/N.
J.
You smile, hugging the letter close to your chest. Whoever this J is, he already has your heart with how gentle his words are.
"What if he's someone you already know, but you just don't realize it?" Areum's words snap you back to reality and you raise your eyebrows. "Wouldn't that be a plot twist?"
You laugh at the thought, realizing how true it could be. Perhaps he's someone you least expect, someone who has been silently watching you from a distance.
While your mind is filled with thoughts of the trip, a small part of you can't help but keep an eye out for any clues about J's identity.
"You'll be randomly assigned to different buses." You roll your eyes and sigh in annoyance when you realize you won't be with Areum on the same bus.
You bought a lot of snacks just to enjoy them on the road yet now you'll just be bored the whole time.
"It's not fair." You mutter while you get on the bus and sit where the teacher tells you to. It's a seat next to a guy and when your eyes meet, your heart skips a beat.
Yang Jungwon, the guy from the other class.
"Hi." His eyes are wide open as you greet him, slowly sitting next to him. "Guess we'll be road buddies."
"Y-yeah..." He says and quickly looks away and out of the window as you try not to seem so obviously nervous.
As the bus begins to move, the silence between you grows. You steal glances at him from the corner of your eye because damn, he's beautiful.
You've seen him in the corridors, smiling with his friends, and at some point, you liked him.
"Are you excited?" you gather your courage and strike up a conversation when the silence becomes too much.
He turns his head towards you, his eyes meeting yours, and a small smile forms on his lips. "Yeah, I am. I've been looking forward to this trip for a while. How about you?"
A warm smile spreads across your face, relieved that he's receptive to your conversation. "I'm really excited too. It's my first school trip, so I've been eagerly waiting for it."
"Ah, right. It's your first year here-" He stops, gulping. "Y-yeah."
"Do you want some snacks?" You smile, showing him the bag of snacks you got. His initial nervousness seems to dissipate as he nods in response to your offer.
"Sure. Thanks." You open the bag and extend it towards him, allowing him to take his pick. As he reaches inside and grabs a snack, his fingers brush against yours for a brief moment, sending a jolt of electricity through your hand.
You both exchange a glance, your cheeks reddening at the sudden warmth of his touch. "S-sorry."
"It's okay." You smile, looking away to hide your red cheeks. And eventually, you're sleeping as you rest your head on his shoulder.
Jungwon doesn't wake you up, he just stares at you and smiles. "Sleepyhead."
It seems he's enjoying the movement since he had always wished for a moment with you, a mere scene, a few seconds of your presence right next to him.
The rhythmic rise and fall of your breath against his arm bring him peace and contentment while he marvels at how effortlessly you've captured his heart, even before you knew his true identity as J.
The love letters were a way for him to express his admiration from afar, but now that he has the chance to be close to you, he realizes that his affection runs even deeper than he had initially thought.
He gently brushes a strand of hair away from your face, his touch light as a feather. A smile tugs at his lips when you shift closer, probably thinking it's your pillow you're holding.
But when you slowly open your eyes, you freeze. Apart from the fact that you're sleeping on Jungwon's shoulder, what he's holding makes your heart beat faster.
He's reading a book, oblivious to the fact that you're awake, but inside the book, there's a letter. Just like the one you receive every day.
The bus is empty as you sit up, looking at him in confusion. "This... this is one of the letters," You whisper. "You're J?"
He freezes, looking down at the letter peeking from the book before he quickly hides it. "I... it's- it's me."
Your heart pounds in your chest as his confession sinks in. It's as if time has frozen and you find yourself at a loss for words.
Jungwon's eyes search yours, trying to understand what you're feeling and if he needs to get ready for rejection. "I wanted to express my feelings, to let you know how deeply I like you, but I couldn't find the courage to reveal myself... so, I wrote those letters, hoping you would feel the love I have for you."
Tears shimmer in your eyes as the significance of his words resonates within you. The letters that touched your heart every day were written by the person sitting right beside you.
"All this time... you were the one who wrote them?" You ask, your voice barely over a whisper.
"I'm sorry, I was just-"
"I've fallen for you too, J, and now that I know it's you I just can't believe it. You're so beautiful and perfect and you... like me."
He reaches out, gently cupping your cheek with his hand. "You're the one who's beautiful and perfect, Y/N. Your smile really lights up my world."
He leans in, his eyes looking into yours. "Can I...?"
You don't answer, yet your lips gently meet his in a soft, lingering kiss, and his hands carefully hold your waist.
Going on the trip was indeed a good idea.
