day 12
6.26 pm
lee haru

yellow lights

after a couple hours of walking around
and exploring the forest
with the help of the kind forest ranger
we're back in our cabin

it was a little awkward at first
because the only bed in the room was a
queen sized bed
meaning that we had to share

i got myself a quick nap
after jeongguk says he's going to be outside
the moment i wake up
my thoughts drift all the way back to seoul

how is my family doing now?
are they looking for me?

it's been nearly 2 weeks
and yet it only feels like a couple days

i wonder how jeongguk is doing
people are searching for him too
there are people who could be crying
fans who would be panicking
but why doesn't he want to go back?

after a few twists and turns on the bed
i heave myself off and take a peek
out of the window

jeongguk is standing under a tree
just by the pond
holding a bunch of tiny orange lights in his hand

what is he doing?

"what are you up to"
i ask as i approach him

he looks back at me and smiles
hanging them up on the
branches of the tree
then, he taps a small switch on the ground

all the lights come to life
lighting up the area like
fireworks exploding into the sky

"dinner is ready"
he pipes cheerfully
and my eyes follow his gaze
to the wooden table under the tree
"i'm sorry that we only have ramen though"
he laughs, revealing cute little
wrinkles under his eyes

"no! it's perfect" i insist
and he laughs in accomplishment

and just like that
we're eating instant ramen under yellow lights
and the darkening sky by a flowing brook
in the middle of the woods

it's perfect
the whole idea of this is perfect
like something out of a romance novel

except that he's even better than books
than any fictional character
any fictional story
because unlike them
jeongguk is very much real

and there's only him to thank