^^ JUNGKOOK ^^

Once the car stopped, I made a quick bow to the driver and jumped out of it. Excitement to see Shanshan took over me as I raced on the stairs going up to her apartment. I wondered what she was up to, but I knew she was expecting me to come to see her.

Finally, I could hold her in my arms again. The long wait was over. The emptiness I felt when she was not by my side, the feelings of missing her while I went home to Busan, they won't happen again, now that the person who could treat all of that for me is back.

Becoming impatient, I didn't knock on the door. Instead, I pressed my fingerprint on the door lock as I heard it click open, making me feel more nervous at the thought that I was finally meeting her tonight.

I closed the door gently as I entered quietly, planning to surprise her, whatever she was doing. As I stepped into the living room, I spotted her sleeping peacefully on the couch, her body stretched on her side while her head rested on her folded arms. A smile appeared on my face as I crept closer to her, not wanting to surprise her anymore and to see more of her lovely sleeping face.

"She must have fallen asleep while waiting for me," I thought.

I crouched on the floor near her just to examine every part of her bare face. She was not the type of person who wore makeup every day, even at work, but only when she had to attend special events. I began to touch her face and smiled at how naturally beautiful she was. Such an angel.

Her face was so perfect even during middle school when she was starting to grow into a young lady, everyone kept noticing how beautiful she was, even if she was lazy to tie her messy hair. The first time I saw her again at her gallery, I admired how she looked beautiful without using makeup while inside her own workplace. But why didn't I fall in love with her right away?

"I wish I realized my feelings earlier so that I had shown more of my love for you. But coming to think of it, we showed our love and affection towards each other before becoming aware of our feelings. We just didn't know that it was love all along."

My fingers found their spot on her jaw while I stared at her pink, thin lips. I wanted to kiss her, hug her tight and tell her how I missed her so much, but seeing her sleeping like this, I just wanted to watch every moment before she could wake up. But the more I stared at her, the more I felt tempted to kiss her.

She began to move with a deep exhale, her eyes fluttering open when she felt my presence and eventually looking up at me, wide-awake.

"Y-you're here..."

I followed her every movement as she sat up and looked down at me, who was still kneeling on the floor.

"I knew you were going to come," She smiled with her sleepy voice while putting her arms around my neck. Her calm eyes sparkled close to me and allured me into a strange feeling.

I gulped at the beautiful sight of my lover. I wanted her in my arms. Slowly raising myself, I bent to her and kissed her lips, making her gasp.

Seconds later, she was kissing me back. I leaned more into her as her back touched the sofa while I put my hand over her head. No words were exchanged as we touched and kissed each other deeply with sincerity, giving all our bottled-up longing for each other for a long time.

"I missed you. I missed you for a long time. And I love you. Don't ever leave my side again."

"You're back, and I'm not going to let you go again. Never."

Suddenly, I felt something wet on my cheek. I broke the kiss, pulling her face away just to see her crying and making me worried.

"What's wrong?"

She just shook her head and looked down. "I'm just happy. I can't believe that I'm back. I thought- I thought I would be dead at this time, but I'm so happy because I'm not!" Her voice turned shallow while she cried and threw her arms around my neck.

I rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. "Me too. I'm so happy that you're here with me again."

"I don't want to go anywhere anymore. I just want to be by your side... forever."

I softened inside. My chest was filled with overwhelming joy from the words I exactly wanted to hear from her.

"Shanshan... let's go home tomorrow." I looked into her eyes while wiping her tear with my thumb.

"H-home... Busan?"

"Hmm." I nodded.

She began to smile. "I missed home!" She squealed, letting out her excitement. "I-I miss your parents too! Ah... I want to eat your mom's dishes! I'm craving her dishes right now!"

Seeing her like this reminded me that she is really back. She was the same, just like before. While her eyes glistened with joy, her beauty captivated me even more.

"Jungkook- hmm..."

I cut her off by connecting my lips to hers again. She didn't mind continuing what she wanted to say as we closed our eyes and deepened the kiss, feeling all the passionate love filling the atmosphere around us.

^^ SHANSHAN ^^

The next day we were driving along the road of Busan. Jungkook kept glancing at me while trying to suppress a smile, his hand holding mine while the other steered the wheel.

"What's wrong with you?" I chuckled at him.

"Nothing. I-I just feel like I'm dreaming. I can't still believe that you're here."

"Is that why you kept pinching me last night to see if I was real? I think you barely slept."

"Blame your lovely face. I couldn't get enough of it."

"Tss," I sneered at him. "You just missed me."

We grew silent again as we drove towards home. But I felt like Jungkook was being weird. I just shrugged the thought off while enjoying the view as we passed by.

Minutes later, we found ourselves parking in front of my home. The windows were well-lit from the inside. I knew his parents were waiting, and I got impatient to meet them.

Dashing out from the car and leaving Jungkook behind, I scampered on the front step and pushed the large door open.

"WELCOME HOME !!"

Everyone in the room shouted in unison. I got stunned in the doorway. The people inside the entrance hall were wearing black casual clothes and white dresses, matching the color of my outfit.

"Is this why JK asked me to wear this?" I scoffed inside.

The large banner behind them showed the bold letters WELCOME BACK, decorated with balloons and DIY decorations.

My heart swelled with joy when I saw every person I missed... all the people I love were here. Lily and Min Ho were wearing matching couple outfits, Jungkook's parents were clapping their hands in joy and tears, while Mark was there holding a bouquet of roses with Roger standing beside him.

"O my gosh, Roger! How did he get so much taller and masculine in one year?!"

"Shanshan, you have grown healthier!" Lily held back her tears while running first to me.

I met her halfway and hugged her tight. "I missed you, unnie!"

"I missed you too!"

Everyone gathered around me as I gave each a tight hug, expressing how much I missed them, forgetting at the moment about Jungkook.

"You have become prettier, Shanshan," Mark squeezed my cheek and gave me the roses. "You are a strong survivor."

I smiled proudly and nodded. "Thank you. Am I not getting a reward for it?" I grinned jokingly.

"Oh, you are!" Mark answered. "The surprise isn't over yet."

My eyes widened in confusion. Everyone motioned me to look up towards the staircase. As I turned towards it, music in the background started to play.

My mouth dropped because of overwhelming surprise.

^^. . ^^

This chapter is dedicated to: Swaraparate 

If you come across this, I just want to thank you for supporting my story. Thank you so much and I hope you loved it ^^

^^ Photo Source: from s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com ^^