Kill Me Softly

Epilogue

Yoonbum sat in the bedroom on the swing he and Sangwoo had put in. The whole house looked so much brighter and more friendly than it had when Yoonbum and Sangwoo had first moved in. They had gotten rid of all of Yoonbum's uncle's old things and together they had worked on erasing all the bad memories the house contained and filled it with happy new ones. Yoonbum had just finished school and was working toward becoming a journalist. Sangwoo had worked hard to overcome his traumatic past and mental illnesses, and with Yoonbum's support he found that the good days outnumbered the bad ones. They helped each other overcome their past wounds, but they still focused on the future. Sangwoo had found a way to channel his feelings into art and he had sold several paintings and was working on writing an autobiography. After Sangwoo had been released from the hospital, Yoonbum had sold his apartment and all his things and they had moved into his uncle's house. As Yoonbum swayed back and forth, he wrote a story. He wrote about a boy who had fallen in love and worked against all odds to make things work. Almost finished, he put down his pen and looked out the window as he swung. The door slid open and Sangwoo entered.
"Hey, Bum. What're you doing?"
Yoonbum's face lit up when he saw Sangwoo. He jumped up off the swing and ran to tackle Sangwoo, who caught him in his arms. He looked up at Sangwoo and slowly their faces grew closer. Every time they kissed, it seemed to Yoonbum that it felt just like their first kiss had. When their lips parted, Yoonbum sighed and looked at Sangwoo in awe, marveling at how much better his life had become. He didn't always say so, but Yoonbum knew Sangwoo felt the same way.
"I was writing something. Not to publish, just for me. I just finished now."
"Well if you're finished, would you like to go for a walk?"
Yoonbum had practically grabbed his coat before Sangwoo had even finished his sentence. Sangwoo laughed at his eagerness, and they turned to leave the room. Before they left, Yoonbum seemed to remember something, and turned to grab his notebook off the table. He left the room and went to stand by the front door, impatiently waiting for Sangwoo to be ready. Sangwoo stumbled past with one shoe on, trying to tie the other while standing on one foot. Yoonbum laughed but then sighed, eager to get outside.
"Hey, Woo, hurry it up. If you go any slower you'll be going in reverse."
Sangwoo glared at him playfully and stood upright, having successfully tied his shoe.
"One of these days you're going to rush me out of the house and I'll forget my jacket and catch a cold. Maybe then when you have to take care of me you'll realize how important it is to take your time when you get ready."
Yoonbum had to resist the urge to stick out his tongue like a child. Instead he just laughed at Sangwoo and pulled him along by the arm. They walked holding hands around the town. They barely spoke, but they didn't need to: they were content just being around each other. As they walked, the notebook sat in Yoonbum's pocket, holding the story of a boy who fell in love. In his mind, Yoonbum remembered the story, and he read it to himself. Once, a boy fell in love with another boy. They didn't realize it at first, but after some time it was clear to both of them that they didn't want to be apart. They spent all their time together, but their favorite time was when they would take walks, especially around the park where the lake shimmered like diamonds and the green trees stood, protecting them from the outside world. They would walk here for hours, sometimes talking and sometimes silent. In their own world, they could be together and forget about the pain of the past. Every day the boy grew more attached to his love. When he looked at his life before they met, he couldn't imagine how he had lived without the other boy. There was no doubt in either of their minds that they wanted to stay in their world together forever. On one very cold walk, they were looking at the colorful leaves when the boy realized what he wanted. He knew he wanted this moment forever. So while his love looked at the trees, he looked into his face. Before they went to leave, the boy grabbed his love's hand. He told him what he had realized moments before, and asked him if that was what he wanted, too. The other boy agreed there was nothing he would rather have. Then the boy retrieved the box that had sat in his pocket for months and offered it. He told the other boy he knew the moment couldn't last their whole lives, but that they could stay together the rest of their lives, they could make a thousand more moments just like it. He asked his love to stay with him forever so that together they could make the happiest moments possible. After all, without each other, would any moments be truly happy? As the golden light shone through the leaves, the other boy smiled and gave the answer that sealed the boy's future in love and making the most of every moment given.
As the sun began to set over the town, Yoonbum repeated the story over and over in his head. He thought he would tell it to Sangwoo later tonight. Almost as thought Sangwoo knew Yoonbum had been thinking of him, he gave his hand a squeeze. Yoonbum glanced down at their hands and thought of the boy. He saw the ring shining on Sangwoo's hand and thought of the autumn day that shaped their future. And he knew his own hand matched Sangwoo's and he thought of the other boy. Yoonbum remembered the feeling of being so close to Sangwoo and he thought how he couldn't have picked a better future if he'd tried.

The End