It was a hot day in June. Much hotter than it was usually around this time. Daewon felt his whole body burning, as if the blood inside him was boiling. For a moment, he blamed the weather, but it was for sure not the weather’s fault that he was so overwhelmed by this burning sensation.

While, from time to time, the chilly breeze of wind cooled his body down, it wasn’t enough. He felt his hands sweating as he tightly grabbed the bouquet of roses. This time, he would for sure give her the roses while grabbing this chance to confess his feelings.

While it was Friday, and they had school to attend, Soo-Yun wasn’t going to be able to participate as she had a rehearsal that day for the play and her teacher allowed her to miss school that day. While it wasn’t the greatest moment for Daewon to confess his feelings, it was for sure the time to do it.

‘So, why did you ask me to meet you here?’ Soo-Yun asked, after meeting the boy under the cherry tree

Soo-Yun glared at the bouquet of roses and with that Daewon became clumsy and, while attempting to hide the bouquet, he almost dropped it. He was overwhelmed by emotions and, when he tried to talk to the girl, he found himself stuttering. Soo-Yun giggled and took a step back, while she gestured to calm down the boy.

‘Did you bring those for my rehearsal?’ the girl pointed out to the roses

This time, Daewon gathered the courage and gave her the bouquet of roses. After the girl took the bouquet, he felt a strange sensation. Was it happiness? Was it joy? Was it something that he had to worry about? He didn’t know, for him, this time, he felt accomplished, finally, he gifted the girl what she deserved.

‘It isn’t for the rehearsal. It is for you. I have something to tell you.’ Daewon muttered after that long silence

The sparkle in the girl’s eyes suddenly vanished. She stopped looking at the roses and raised her head, making eye contact with the boy. While Soo-Yun never showed any feelings of love towards the boy, she couldn’t observe that the boy held deep feelings towards her. She knew where this conversation was leading, and, At that moment, she felt strange.

‘This… conversation… that you want to have, can’t it wait?’ Soo-Yun muttered silently

Daewon’s eyes grew bigger, then a sight left his lips. ‘When do you think it would be a better time… for us to talk?’

Soo-Yun looked towards the path that she had to take in order to arrive at the practice hall building. ‘How about… after the Swan Lake performance? Would you… want to wait until then?’

Too late. It would be too late. This was the only phrase that kept echoing inside Daewon’s mind. He clenched his fist.

‘I’m sure you know how I feel. Ever since 2 years ago. If… is… you were to know–’ Daewon suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He couldn’t reveal the truth. ‘What I want to say is that… I wouldn’t mind waiting, for you, I would wait until the end of my world… but… but what if I lose you before that?’

Soo-Yun looked confused at the boy. She didn’t know how to respond for a moment. He looked so out of it that she did not know what happened to him. She knew that she wasn’t obligated to say something in order to make him feel better, not when she didn’t feel the same. Yet, while this situation was familiar to her, this time, it was different. 

It was the second time someone had confessed to her, but this time, it didn’t feel like a burden. She didn’t feel the need to lie about her feelings, nor did she feel pressure to make the other person feel better. This time, she felt genuine love towards the person, while she never showed it, she grew fond of the boy. Yet, if the boy were to wait a bit more, until she could succeed with her career, she felt only then it would be the best to allow herself to be loved.

‘Daewon… you know… ever since we became friends, I enjoyed being by your side. You were always funny, always by my side, and, most importantly, someone I could rely on. All of those things made me feel things for you that I was scared to show, but now that you also expressed your feelings towards me, I feel so happy. I am really happy. Yet, I would want to become someone you could be proud of, too. So, can we have this conversation after I can become someone to make you proud? I would love… to confess my feelings then, too.’ 

Daewon acknowledged her words. He gently smiled. ‘You were always someone I was proud of. If there is someone who needed to become someone to be proud of, that would be me. If it weren’t for you, I would have failed to find a way to become someone better. Yet, by your side, I grew confidence in who I am. Yet, I will not go back on your words. If you say that you want us to talk after the performance, then I will wait. So take your time.’ and, after a short moment of silence, he continued, ‘But, could I ask you something in return?’

While Soo-Yun expected the boy to be understanding, this was one of the first times when he asked something in return from her. She had found his recent behavior a bit stranger than usual, but she did not think anything of it, not until now.

‘Yes… ask anything. If it’s in my power, I would try to help you.’

‘Then… what do you think… Can I stay by your side? If not as a lover, then please allow me to protect you from somewhere close, so that I could never lose you again.’

After uttering the word ‘Again’, a curse slipped out of his lips. He wasn’t supposed to phrase it like that, and, in a foolish dream of his, he hoped the girl wouldn’t pick on it.

Soo-Yun laughed it out. ‘I was thinking you could come with some sort of request that I couldn’t accomplish, but this, yeah, I wouldn’t mind it, but it’s a bit strange, don’t you think? There’s no reason for me to be in need of protection.’

‘You can’t take this for granted. The world is a scary place.’ Daewon replied

Indeed, it was scary. The world revolved around fear. From the fear of messing up, to the fear of sharing your feelings and all the way to the fear of losing your life. So, sometimes, the best way to overcome this fear is to find something stronger… to rely on. While Soo-Yun wasn’t thinking much of it, she, too, would walk on a scary path. 

This time, she wasn’t alone. This time, Daewon would try to protect her. So that, when the time comes, she wouldn’t be alone… in that scary path.