At Long Last

Three letters

Se-ri stirred, groaning as a wave of dull ache underlying the tightness in her nape wash over her shoulders.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she buried her face further in the pillow.

First class or not, long haul flights are ultimately not the most comfortable for one's neck.

Arching her head backwards to stretch the muscles out, Se-ri instinctively reached out to massage the sore spot with her fingers.

Mmmm...feels good.

Then, when she was least expecting it, a larger, much warmer hand brushed hers to the side to start massaging the muscles at her nape.

Ohhhh...now that feels amazing.

Releasing a soft sigh of pleasure, Se-ri flopped back down onto her pillow, enjoying the welcomed kneads and rubs to her aching neck and shoulders.

"Good morning, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi." Came her muffled greeting from having her face buried in the pillow.

Jeong Hyeok smiled in a mix of amusement and tenderness; Se-ri was so adorable at times to the extent of him not knowing if she was actually deliberately being so around him, or if it was completely natural that she displayed such endearing mannerisms.

No matter what, she was just too perfect in his eyes.

"Good morning, Yoon Se-ri. Did you sleep well?"

Eventually, when necks were no longer aching and morning kisses were playfully exchanged, the couple found themselves sharing their souvenirs brought from their respective lands.

"It's so nicely done. Mine looks terrible by comparison." Jeong Hyeok said, holding the pressed azalea bookmark from Se-ri in his hand.

The bookmark Se-ri had made for him was in the shape of a treble clef, with magenta azalea petals contrasting against black laminated paper.

On the flip side, written elegantly in silver ink, were the words.

"Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends."

"I'll be sure to treasure and use it." A contented smile clung to Jeong Hyeok's lips as he studied the thoughtfully-made bookmark.

"As I will treasure this." Se-ri held up the one which Jeong Hyeok had made for her. It was untrue when he said it looked horrible by comparison; it was just not as fancy when placed beside what she had made.

Typical of Jeong Hyeok's straightforward character, the bookmark he had made was a regular rectangular one.

Soft pink azalea petals, one of which was slightly browned as it wasn't dried as successfully, adorned a plain white background.

Unsurprisingly, both had unanimously thought to leave a quote behind.

His read, "No flower blooms without wavering."

Clearly, Jeong Hyeok was referring to her struggles and was encouraging her in his own way.

Pressing the bookmark to her left chest with both palms, Se-ri smiled at Jeong Hyeok.

"Thank you. I hear your message, loud and clear."

Then they had exchanged other little tokens, such as seashells from their respective coasts, and dried maple leaves from the mountains.

Gifts from nature, originally blessed so generously to one land that was now ripped apart brutally through its middle, were so painfully precious.

"Thank you, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi. I honestly miss the days spent in North Korea." Se-ri's voice was a soft, forlorn mumble. "I miss everyone."