PIA 143

“Wow… that startled me.”

Ji-an thought it was directed at him and was startled, but seeing how all the passersby paused, he realized it must have been part of the song.

The voice was so powerful that the confession felt like it was meant just for him. Ji-an blushed, feeling embarrassed by his unnecessary reaction.

If it had been just once, it would have been a quickly forgotten incident. But…

As Ji-an walked briskly, something strange caught his eye. On the side of a passing bus, a large advertisement simply said ‘I love you’. There was no brand or product, just white text written in fountain pen. The neat and tidy handwriting reminded him of Jeong Hee-seo.

Feeling strange, he stopped and looked around, but no one else seemed to notice. Come to think of it, buses going the opposite direction also had ‘I love you’ on their sides.

“Maybe it’s some new kind of advertising?”

He remembered some ads that built up consumer curiosity this way before revealing everything on D-day. Hmm, such ads are common. If it weren’t for that singer’s “I love you!” earlier, he might not have even noticed.

Amused by the coincidence, Ji-an took a photo of the bus to show Jeong Hee-seo.

[Hyung, guess what I saw.]

Ji-an was about to send the message with the photo but stopped abruptly. It suddenly struck him that the photo contained a love confession. He hadn’t even said those words himself yet, and he didn’t want to show it like this. Come to think of it, why did the words “I love you” always get stuck in his throat?

He whispered “I love you” to Poggles a dozen times a day, but that simple phrase was always swallowed back when he faced Jeong Hee-seo.

“No… I can’t.”

Ji-an deleted the message he was about to send. It should be done properly, face-to-face at the perfect moment. Not casually like this.

The meeting spot Jeong Hee-seo had picked was JM Hotel, which had recently undergone a complete renovation. It wasn’t a branch he frequented, and with the complete renovation, Ji-an’s curiosity was piqued.

Apparently, they’d revamped the hotel’s restaurant in a bid to outdo their competitors. According to Jeong Hee-seo, they’d even brought in a renowned chef to develop new menu items. Jeong Hee-seo had playfully said Ji-an would be the perfect first taster, teasing him about his love for food.

Having sent the driver home early, Ji-an took public transport. Although he had a license and was confident in driving from his frequent practice in his original world, he preferred the simplicity of going out with just himself. Understanding this about him, Jeong Hee-seo didn’t nag him about it.

Ji-an was giddy thinking about how sending all the household staff home early than usual seemed like a prelude to a long night. Plus, it was Friday night. Like the brilliantly burning Friday night, they were set to have a happy time until dawn.

But as he walked, Ji-an was surprised once again. It started with a large billboard on a building in front of him.

Just as he stopped to cross the street, the screen changed with a flash, and the same message appeared.

‘I love you.’

The building in front was just the beginning. Advertising boards hanging on surrounding buildings began to display “I love you” as if on cue.

In the middle of the bustling area, at the 16-lane intersection crosswalk, everyone waiting for the green light turned their eyes to the billboards. As “I love you” appeared all around, people started murmuring and looking around.

Everyone’s eyes widened as if they had received a confession themselves.

I love you, I love you, I love you… Against the dark night sky, it was all “I love you” everywhere.

Beautiful words tend to make people feel good. Smiles appeared on the faces of those standing at the crosswalk on their way home from work. Some nudged their friends who hadn’t noticed, pointing it out, while others took out their phones to capture photos of the “I love you” messages along with the night sky.

“I love you.”

Ji-an whispered to himself, following those reading the words. Reflexively, Jeong Hee-seo’s face came to mind, and even though he hadn’t heard it from him, his ears tingled.

It was a spectacular sight. Maybe it was because he had someone he loved. His heart, absorbed in the words on the billboard, swelled with emotion. Ji-an resolved to tell him he loved him today. In truth, it wasn’t the words but Jeong Hee-seo himself that made him feel this way.

All the way to him, “I love you” followed Ji-an. It was on the side of buses, electronic billboards on buildings, and even on advertisement boards at bus stops and banners on the streets.

Everywhere, “I love you, I love you…”

Everywhere Ji-an walked, everywhere his steps touched, there was “I love you.” The same words appeared on the electronic signs of closed shops. When even the floor advertisements projected by LED beams displayed “I love you,” he couldn’t help but chuckle.

The hotel, not yet reopened, was dark with all lights off. Just as he was about to take out his phone to check the map app, thinking he might have come to the wrong place, he spotted Jeong Hee-seo standing in the darkness.

“…Hyung?”

The moment he faced him, Ji-an felt a strange premonition. Just as his heart felt like it would burst from the tingling sensation, lights suddenly came on all over the hotel. Ji-an half-covered his eyes with his hand against the bright illumination. Surrounded by a halo of light, Jeong Hee-seo slowly walked up and presented a bouquet of flowers to Ji-an.

Jeong Hee-seo looked awkward and embarrassed by his rather dramatic entrance.

“I thought this would look cool, but it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Jeong Hee-seo, who had been so brazen when spending money on advertisements and hiring people to help with his proposal, now felt his face moving of its own accord as he faced his lover. Feeling as if he could sense muscles he never knew he had, he ran his large hand over his face.

He thought he had prepared everything perfectly, but now he felt at a loss as his expression wasn’t perfect.

Ji-an lifted his face from the armful of flowers he had received. The surprise he felt when he first heard “I love you,” the sense of déjà vu from the somewhat familiar handwriting, the ticklish premonition given by the “I love you” that followed hiM like the moon in the sky – all of it swelled up in his heart at once.

“I love you… Hyung, I love you.”

“Oh, no.”

Jeong Hee-seo frowned, looking troubled.

“Ji-an-ah. What should I do if you say it first?”

His playful retort wasn’t intended that way, but it brought tears to Ji-an’s eyes. Trying to hide his embarrassed face, he let out a cry and hugged him tightly, making Jeong Hee-seo burst into laughter.

“Hyung did all of this, right?”

“I did it because I wanted to hear you say you love me, and it worked.”

Their arms tightened around each other as they embraced. Ji-an exhaled a moist breath in his arms. He felt he understood what this overwhelming feeling was.

“I love you, Ji-an-ah, I love you.”

Jeong Hee-seo lifted Ji-an up and then set him down. As he cupped his cheeks with both hands, his heart thrummed. He was so beautiful, impossibly beautiful.

Jeong Hee-seo looked down at Ji-an’s face with a mixture of emotions. He had surrounded himself with brilliant lights to look cool, but he found himself captivated by the starlight in Ji-an’s eyes.

He planted kiss after kiss on his beloved’s face. Putting all of his overflowing feelings into it, with the most honest heart Jeong Hee-seo would had since being born into this world, he said,

“Let’s get married, Seo Ji-an.”

* * *

Is this how everyone feels after receiving a surprise proposal? Ji-an’s heart wouldn’t stop fluttering, and even as he ate the exquisitely prepared meal, he kept sniffling.

“…Here’s the main dish and the additional drink you ordered.”

Even the staff member serving the food kept glancing at him. Despite everyone being informed in advance about the proposal event happening here today, the sight of someone eating while crying still caught their attention.

After the staff finished serving all the dishes including the main course and withdrew, Jeong Hee-seo clicked his tongue softly and handed Ji-an a handkerchief.

“Stop crying. Come on. I didn’t do this to make you cry. Is the food not good?”

“…No. It’s delicious, really delicious. I’m crying because it’s so good.”

“Have you ever seen a puppy cry while eating?”

“Oh, stop it.”

Telling him not to cry seemed to encourage it more. Ji-an finally put down his fork and knife and buried his face in the handkerchief.

“You made me cry. Why did you do this? I said we’d have a wedding, but when did I ask for such a grand proposal?”

He complained in a nasally voice. Yet, he had to admit it. He understood why people spend so much money on events like this. Ji-an would probably never forget this moment for the rest of his life.

After pressing his face into the handkerchief for a long time, Ji-an removed it and looked at Jeong Hee-seo with his terribly reddened nose twitching. He smiled like a picture.

“I did it because I wanted to.”

“Ah! Was that singer also arranged by you?”

“Yes.”

“Is it someone you know?”

“No, I don’t know them.”

They say it’s bad to laugh while crying, but Ji-an couldn’t stop the laughter from bursting out. He didn’t know why he found his short and firm answer so funny. Perhaps it was because he could imagine him gathering people and arranging all of this.

“Ah, what is this. Seriously…”

Even as Ji-an looked at him with an expression that seemed to say he was hopeless, Jeong Hee-seo remained calm. He took a sip of water, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said,

“Seeing your face like this, I’m satisfied. I think it was all worth it.”

Jeong Hee-seo murmured that he should do it often in the future, then suddenly stood up abruptly.