~three years later~ 3rd POV

"Jiyoung! Jiyoung! C'mon! Let's go~!" Lee Know exclaimed, pulling her by the hand. Jiyoung, who had just finished getting dressed in a cute cardigan, jeans and some sneakers was not enjoying this. 

"Oppa~ Seriously? Where are we going???" she whined, still getting pulled towards somewhere that she had no idea where she was going.

"You'll see," he smiled, and they continued sprinting towards the location. 

Once they finally arrived, Jiyoung knew why.

~FLASHBACK—ONE YEAR AGO~

"Jisung! Look! Look at this seashell I found!" Jiyoung called, running up to where Jisung was sitting, sipping a juice. 

"Wait I'm gonna find a better one!" he yelled.

"NO I WILL!" Hyunjin retorted as he sprinted to the seashore to find a pretty seashell. "Told you! I found this!" he showcased the almost perfect pearly and pink shell you could possibly find. 

"Wow...that's so...pretty," Jiyoung exclaimed, as she admired its ethereal properties. It was a shell that you wouldn't be able to find any day. Or anywhere. 

Soon, Hyunjin was off walking towards an area of the beach—more upstream. He wandered around, and found a stick. It was perfect for writing in the sand. Next thing we knew, he drew a heart, and he placed the shell inside.

"To forever," he whispered.

"To forever," Jiyoung said. The tension in the air was almost palpable. Like two sparks igniting and activating something inside both of souls. 

And their lips crashed into each other's. For this moment, it was only the two of them. No one was in the way of their unbreakable bond of love. No one. Not even Jisung. Or Lee Know. No one. 

~END OF FLASHBACK~

When the siblings both arrived to the location, Hyunjin was standing exactly in the location where the heart was. The stone was still located there, vibrantly placed, and still occupying the same shine and colour as before. 

"Hey jagi," he smiled, as he shifted a little uncomfortably. 

"Are you ok, Jinnie?" Jiyoung asked quietly.

"Um....yeah?" he replied, as he was fidgeting with something in his pocket. 

"Hyunjin...seriously. What's going on?" Jiyoung asked, concern laced in her voice as she studied his nervous expression.

He took a deep breath, his hands slightly trembling as he reached into his pocket. His heart pounded against his ribs like a drum, loud enough that he was sure she could hear it.

"I..." he started, his voice catching in his throat. He looked into her eyes—those eyes that had seen him at his worst, that had held so much love, that had fought beside him through every battle. "You know, we've known each other for a long time now... and we've been through hell and back together." He exhaled shakily. "And despite everything, you've always been there. Always."

Jiyoung furrowed her brows, tilting her head. "Yeah? And...?"

Hyunjin swallowed hard, gathering every ounce of courage he had left. Then, slowly, he got down on one knee, pulling out a small velvet box.

Jiyoung's breath hitched.

"I don't want another day to go by without knowing you'll always be with me. I don't want a future that doesn't have you in it. Jiyoung... will you marry me?"

Her hands flew to her mouth, eyes glistening as she stared at him, at the sincerity in his gaze, the love in his voice. Her chest tightened, overwhelmed by the moment, by him, by everything they had endured to get here.

"Wait...what?" she whispered, her voice barely audible as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I asked you...if you could marry me?" he said, a smile creeping up up.

"Dummy...of course I will," she exclaimed.

Hyunjin let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, his face breaking into the brightest smile as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, like it was always meant to be there.

Jiyoung blinked rapidly, as if trying to make sure this wasn't some kind of dream. Then, before she could even think, she threw herself at him, nearly knocking him over as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You scared me, idiot," she mumbled into his shoulder, her voice shaky with emotion.

Hyunjin laughed, hugging her just as tightly. "Sorry, I had to make it dramatic."

She pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. "You're really stuck with me now, Hwang."

"That's the plan," he grinned before cupping her face gently, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "I love you so much, Jiji."

"I love you more," she whispered before closing the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. The world around them faded, the weight of everything they had endured finally lifting as they melted into each other.

A sudden loud cheer erupted from behind them.

"FINALLY!"

Jiyoung and Hyunjin jumped, turning to see their entire team standing by the other side of the beach—Lee Know smirking knowingly, Yeji wiping a tear away, Han running around like a dog just released off their leash, Chan grinning like an idiot, and Felix literally jumping up and down.

"Y'all had us waiting forever!" Felix whined dramatically.

"Yeah, we were placing bets on how long it'd take you, Hyunjin," Lee Know added with a smug grin.

"You—what?! Who bet against me?!" Hyunjin demanded.

"Seungmin did. Said you'd chicken out," Yeji teased.

"Are you kidding me—?!"

Jiyoung just laughed, shaking her head. She grabbed Hyunjin's hand, intertwining their fingers. "C'mon, fiancé, let's celebrate. And then, we can get back to making sure this world doesn't fall apart without us."

Hyunjin looked at her, admiration evident in his eyes. "Sounds like a plan, future Mrs. Hwang."

And with that, they walked forward—toward their future, toward the next chapter, together.

THE END~ MWAH bye bye fellow readers~ until my next story!