Write you a song | Han Jisung

2

It had been two weeks. During the first week, I wrote a new letter every day, and each time he sang the song I requested. Every day, I received a response with a new flower, each one different from the last. Then, the letters and singing abruptly stopped, as they sometimes did when he was away for weeks at a time. I had noticed this pattern even before we started exchanging these sweet little letters.

I glanced at the flowers on my nightstand. The first one I received was already looking somewhat wilted, and the last one was starting to fade as well. I sighed and opened my window as usual, but once again, there was only silence. I lay on my bed, feeling bored and alone without Yui, who was on vacation with her parents. Just as I was beginning to drift off to sleep, a knock on my door startled me awake. Confused, I got up and went to answer it.

As I opened the door, a delivery man stood before me with a bouquet of flowers. "For Lee Koko," he said. "That's me," I replied, accepting the large bouquet. "Someone seems to like you a lot," the man remarked with a smile. I signed for the delivery, and he left. I couldn't help but smile as I arranged the flowers in a vase, struggling to find one large enough until I finally located a huge one that Yui had received from her mom. I reached for the card nestled among the flowers, missing the delicate handwriting that usually adorned my letters, this time finding it printed instead, likely because he had ordered online.

Dear Koko,
I'm sorry I left without telling you. I will be back next week. In the meantime, I bought you these flowers because the old ones should be wilting by now. I never want you to be without flowers. I hope you're not mad and will wait for me.
Love,
Jisung

I smiled to myself. I hadn't expected this gesture. I admired the bouquet until it was time for me to leave for work. I worked in a small coffee shop while studying to become an English teacher. I couldn't stop smiling as I got ready. Today was shaping up to be a really good day.

Another week passed, and when I finally took a break from studying, I opened my window. Not long after, my favorite voice started singing. I smiled to myself, feeling a sense of normalcy return. This time, he wasn't singing the song I had requested. In fact, I didn't even recognize the song, but it was beautiful. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. "I want to write you a song. One that makes your heart remember me, so anytime I'm gone you can listen to my voice and sing along. I want to write you a song. I want to write you a song," he sang.

I smiled to myself, feeling a rush of affection for him. I hurried to my door and opened it, finding my letter waiting for me. But instead of a flower, there was a USB stick this time. Confused, I picked it up and opened the letter.

Dear Koko,
I really wanted to sing the song you requested today, but instead, I sang the song I wrote for you over the past two weeks. I recorded it for you, so the next time I'm away, you can listen to it as often as you want.
Love,
Jisung

Tears welled up in my eyes. The song was for me? I returned to my laptop, trembling as I inserted the USB stick and opened the file. It was the song he had just sung. I began crying uncontrollably. No one had ever done anything like this for me before, and he didn't even know me. All he knew was my taste in music and that I loved flowers because I had told him so in one of my letters. I placed the letter back with the others, taking a moment to savor its scent before doing so. Someday, I truly hoped to meet him. Would he smell like this? The thought made my heart race. I lay on my bed, the song on repeat, slowly drifting off to sleep.