When I Grow Up (Seventeen Jeonghan x CLC Seunghee)

Twenty One: When I Finally Said I Love You (Part Two)

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She easily recognizes one taken at a time during 10th grade when they performed a play of Romeo and Juliet. Another is taken at that time in 12th grade during graduation. And some other photos include just chilling time in the classroom with other girls in class and even embarrassing moments in early years in middle school.

She's dumbfounded. The pictures include date marks and geotagged at places. It's amazing just thinking how he was able to take them and actually keep them all.

"Did I shock you? I know I may turn out as a freaking stalker to you now but I just want you to know that I'm telling you the truth. All this time. All these nine years up to now. I'm only always all about you."

She looks at him now. His tender eyes are reminiscing at the pictures. His affectionate smile shows all the effort he made while taking each picture, on different days, if everyday is not possible. She's feeling hard to breathe now. Her eyes are becoming teary too. This confession, this overblown confession is overwhelming her fully.

"And you know what my fave of them all is? This."

He gets a piece of photograph amongst the bunch and gives it to her. She holds it and stands still, reserving her reaction after hearing him talk. And so he continues to tell his story.

"It was in fifth grade. That time after you stared at my face thinking I was mute. It was the moment I realized. There was no one who'd look at me like this in my life ever again. And I want to look at her just like that too. So from there I started taking pictures of you whenever I see you. Hoping one day I'd be able to show them to you personally. Just like today."

Staring at the picture, she can't bear the heavy but great feeling anymore. With a split second, tears start falling down her cheeks and Jeonghan panics.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Did I scare you? I can throw all of them away if you want. Or even burn them. Just tell me to. I'd do anything you want me to. Please stop crying. I never intended to make you cry like this."

He wants to touch her but he refrains from it. He keeps himself at a clear distance away from her. He doesn't want to scare her even more that he thinks it is. He looks like crying himself and that makes Seunghee giggle a bit. Jeonghan dismisses his worry at her laugh.

She brushes her eyes softly, wipes the tears away from her cheeks and tells him.

"These are actually tears of joy," she smiles and continues, "You know what? When you kissed me that night, I asked myself. Did he mean it? Or was he just trying to seduce me? I was afraid you might say it's just something you did without thinking and treat it as if nothing. That's why I didn't want to talk to you. I didn't want to know the reason why because it may be something that might hurt me in the end."

Jeonghan stares at her gently as she bares her feelings all out. She's looking back at him but at times averts her eyes.

"But you say you love me now. I don't know how to react. It's the least thing I expected to hear from you. Because for more than nine years, you never talked to me, you never came near me or even smiled at me. And for nine years till just earlier today, I wished that you would say that to me one day."

He is surprised. Did he just waste nine years of his life distancing himself from her thinking she can't possibly feel the same? The thought makes him feel really stupid. Really, really stupid.

"And now I see these. How can I make you throw all of these pictures away? It's the proof that all these times, all those nine years I was waiting, you were waiting for me too."