Love on Park Avenue - Namjoohyuk

Episode 22: Prison Sentence

I had never seen him so animated. Deep inside, I knew he was right about all this. But the truth was I just didn't think something like this would impact my life.

He continued, "Look at me, here in Barcelona for just two days, talking about the wealth gap! But I wanted to treat you, one last time. I'm an imperfect human being. What can I say? "

"You are making me cry again. Stop. I respect you for choosing to go to prison. I would have done the same thing. How long will you be there?"

He hesitated, "It's difficult to say. The lawyers think no more than two years."

"Would we be able to talk...during those two years?" It was a stupid question to ask, rather selfish but I had to know.

"No, everything is tracked. It will be hard. But I will try." Juhyuk reassured me.

"Ahh, now I understand why you wanted to come here," I said, in heart-twisting despair.

"I'm sorry I had to put you through this. You have so much going on. It kills me to do this to you."

His gaze was too painful to take knowing that I may not see his face for so long. I admired him for his lonely, independent stance against the society, the idealism of it all, the determination to spend part of his youth in prison to solve this conundrum in his own rightful way. The essence of his soul was so pure, nothing could taint it. He would have been the same being even if he was born with nothing. I was ashamed that I hadn't seen this before and fell for his appearance at the beginning of our encounter.

"I'll pretend that you are serving in the Korean Military for two years. Don't Korean girls do that for their boyfriends? " I hid the agony inside and tried sounding cheerful, "Not to sound too cheesy but you taught me what it feels to love someone for the first time in my life."

We watched the sun disappear and soon the sky turned from pinkish-orange to dark blue.

"Annie," Juhyuk broke the silence his eyes still fixated on the view below us, "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you. You gave me the courage to live my life. "

"Tell me one thing."

"Hmm?"

"Are you scared?" I asked.

"Maybe a little. I'm scared that it might change me." He draped his arm over my shoulder.

Suddenly, our eyes turned to a commotion near the fountains. The bright lights from the ground painted the dark sky with the colors from the rainbow. The illuminating fountains erupted all at once in powerful movement as people gasped and wowed. Gabriel's oboe played in the background while the fountains sprayed mist in the air like synchronized swimmers.

The show ended with fireworks lighting the sky like confetti. The crowd applauded and whistled. People began to get up and though I did not speak Spanish, I guessed they were wishing the show was longer by the look on their faces.

We were walking back to the car when I had the urge to tell Juhyuk something and I stopped in the middle of the plaza. Juhyuk turned around to look at me. He had a soft, peaceful look on his face. We stood for a moment gazing at each other.

"When you get scared, think of tonight, " I continued, "Think of Rio and the night we met on Copa Cabana beach. Think of the times we ate pizza and watched musicians in Washington Square Park..."

He stood still, his eyes fixated on me.

"And when the gray dark walls start closing on you, and you start worrying about how people will judge you, think of me because I will be waiting for you every day."

"I will remember...always. Thanks, Annie. For being you." He smiled.

We put our arms around each other as we stood above the glimmering lights of the Gothic city. It was a silent declaration to the world below that our love was above all worldly things. Even after incarceration, we knew people will continue to punish him. The invisible prison would be almost impossible to escape. But he just needed one person to tell him it didn't matter, me.