Eternal January {T.K} ✔️

6.

October 3, 1896
To Jeon Jungkook,

I must admit, I find myself utterly captivated by your letter. It sat on my desk, daring me to open it, like a gift from someone I did not know I longed to meet.

I should start by saying that your apology was received—though I may hold it against you a bit longer, if only to hear you beg again. I jest, of course. Perhaps I am not as wounded as I let on, but I found your remorse rather charming.

Now, let’s put aside this “wounded pride” of mine for a moment. Tell me, Jeon Jungkook, do you know what you have done to me? I have faced countless storms, looked into the fierce eyes of men in battle, and yet it is your letter—a simple piece of paper—that has brought me to my knees. You said my words warmed your quiet life, but yours have set my very world alight. Is this the charm of the Jeon Jungkook, the florist who whispers to his flowers, filling his little shop with secrets and scents that I can only imagine?

Forgive me if I sound forward, but I am a man of the sea, accustomed to throwing caution to the wind. And I cannot help but wonder, have you ever longed for something as much as I long to know you?

This thought has plagued me since your first letter, creeping into my mind at the oddest moments—when the ship is quiet and my men are asleep, when the stars scatter across the night sky, when the waves lap gently against the hull as if sharing secrets only I can hear.

Do you think me foolish, Jungkook? To be so moved by someone I have yet to meet? If I am foolish, then let me remain so, for it is a rare joy indeed.

But let me speak plainly, Jeon Jungkook, for I find I cannot hold back any longer. There is a longing in my chest that refuses to quiet, a flame ignited by each of your letters. I am drawn to you in a way I cannot explain, as if fate itself has taken hold of me and led me to you through this tangled path of ink and paper. I do not know what you look like, nor the sound of your voice, yet I feel as if I have known you my entire life. Is that foolish, or merely the workings of the heart?

Ah, listen to me, rambling like a lovestruck youth. The sea would laugh at me if it could. And yet, I feel no shame in confessing this. Perhaps it is the distance that makes my heart so bold, the knowledge that my words cannot reach you except through these pages. But whatever it is, I find myself grateful. Grateful that I found your letter by chance, grateful for every word you send.

So, my dear florist, please do not keep me waiting too long. Write to me again. Tell me of your shop, your flowers, your favorite season—anything you wish to share. I am but a man upon the sea, drifting, waiting for the next word from you to guide me.

With all my heart,
Captain Kim Taehyung