I'll Be By Your Side: Memories of the Alhambra

Chapter 19 - Busan Birthday

It was in the afternoon when we landed smoothly at Busan Gimhae Airport. Turns out when Jinwoo meant taking me to Busan for my birthday, it meant that very same week's weekend. We walked out the arrival hall and spot a driver holding up the J One Holdings sign next to a black sedan car. Jinwoo leads me towards the car and helped me get settled in the car before he, with the help of the driver, help us load the luggage at the back.

I gaze out the window as we head towards Ananti Cove Busan. I've read up on some activities we could do here in Busan and I cannot wait to start our two days one-night weekend vacay.

Jinwoo and I ate lunch at the hotel's restaurant before we went sightseeing at Gamcheon Culture Village and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple before heading to chill by Haeundae Beach. It's such a pity that I was advised against going to the hotel's hot springs as it's apparently not advisable for pregnant women to soak themselves in the hot spring. We visited lots of tourist attractions today so Jinwoo suggested we head back to the hotel for dinner.

We stepped out of the sedan car back at the hotel when Jinwoo asks if I was okay having dinner by the beach. Dinner by the beach? Oh yes! I l would very much appreciate the calming sounds of the sea and a lovely dinner with my husband.

I nod and Jinwoo holds my hand before we make our way through the french doors to the beach. The full moon shines brightly over the bay. Further down, I spot lights around a table and turn to look at Jinwoo.

He had planned a romantic dinner that's exclusively just for us by the beach. My mouth drops to the floor when we approached the setup Jinwoo had planned for us. There were flowers everywhere and miniature lanterns that glow soft and pale around the table. He leads me to one side of the table, pulls out the chair and got me seated before he called the waiter in the near distance to serve us our dinner. We enjoyed a quiet evening dinner by the beach, the atmosphere was great, the food was good and everything was simply perfect. I couldn't wish for a better gift but apparently that wasn't all Jinwoo had planned.

Right after dinner, Jinwoo says he was going to bring the dessert over for us which made me really confused because I had thought the waiter would send it over for us. But I just went along with it, not putting much thought about it. I waiting for Jinwoo to return when I hear sounds coming from speakers.

"Ah, ah mic test."

I turn to see Jinwoo holding a microphone and he's gazing at me, his expression unreadable. He shrugs.

I continue to give him a 'what are you doing' look until I hear the instrumental audio for the song 'Shallow' from the movie 'A Star is Born'.

I have always been a huge fan of the movie 'A Star Is Born', it's probably the movie I will choose to watch if I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life. Before we came to Busan, I was just rewatching the movie for the millionth time and forced Jinwoo to watch it with me again too. Every time I made him watch the movie again, he would roll his eyes and say he isn't interested.

Jinwoo is singing 'Shallow', a love song I truly like from my favorite movie. I blink at him, not quite believing what I'm seeing.

I tried really hard to hold back my tears. I wouldn't say the movie is relatable to the experiences Jinwoo and I had gone through together but some of the lyrics in this song reminds me of us, our story. I was a normal girl, working hard to make ends meet in Spain until one night, I met a man from Seoul. Never in a thousand years would I expect that the man that rang our hostel's doorbell that night would be a man I'm longing for, and a man that gives me the world.

As the song nears its end, I stood up and walked towards him. He walks to me, meeting me halfway and tugs on my hand, pulling me close to him. I meet his gaze as my tears fall. I love him so much. I sob, suddenly overwhelmed with joy and throw my arms around him.

This trip to Busan was a surprise gift Jinwoo had given me but the surprises keep on coming. This will definitely be one of the most memorable trips and day ever in my life.