He tiptoed towards the window, looking around to see if anyone was still awake and might witness his act, which resembled that of a thief. He glanced at the garage, relieved to find no cars around. Great! Next, he looked up at the window upstairs, cleared his throat, and prepared for action. Holding some pebbles in his palm, he threw them at the window.

"Psst... Rae... Rae..!" he whispered, striking a balance between being audible enough for her to hear but not loud enough to attract unwanted attention. He waited eagerly for a response. When he got none, he threw another pebble, hoping it would catch Rae's attention.

The window slowly swung open, and the girl with sleepy eyes appeared. She looked at him, blinking in surprise.

"Hi, honey!" he waved at her.

"Youn, what are you doing here?!" she nearly whispered, trying to control her volume.

"You didn't come today," he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can't! Dad was home..." she looked at him with a sad expression.

"I know. That's why I came! I wanted to cheer you up," he said, holding up his guitar.

"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling concerned that the neighbors might hear him.

"Don't worry; it will only be loud for your ears," he smiled reassuringly.

With that, he strummed the strings, playing a few chords...

----------------------

This brings back a memory. He, the one who stands there, watching them from inside through the window.

"I hope this will make you open your heart for me once again, Rae..." he thinks.

He strums the guitar, playing some chords. The sound attracts Mint, who is standing near the window.

"Rae! Look!" he smiles as he grabs her wrist and shows her the view. Rae is dragged to the window. She looks at Youn, who is still adjusting the guitar strings. He then gazes back at Rae, who stands there looking at him with sorrowful eyes. She remembers this moment very well. It's a memory that can never leave her mind.

Youn looks at his friends and brother, who are still sitting around the bonfire, waiting for him to complete his dare challenge. Little does he know that it would bring back memories. They give him encouraging gestures. He gulps as he looks back at both Mint and Rae.

"This might end up romantic," Mint whispers to Rae. She doesn't react, just stands there like a rock.

Youn takes a deep breath. The image of her looking from the window ten years ago suddenly reappears. Now, she's looking from the same spot, only at a different house. And one thing Youn can agree on is that she still looks beautiful, just like old times.

He strums the guitar, recalling the song he had played before.

The day all my love leaves is,
When while I'm with you behind your laughter
My foolish greed and much lingering feelings arise
And I wonder if you will be there, perhaps not

The sweet melody fills the air, and tears begin to well up in Rae's eyes as she listens to the song. It's a beautiful song, one that holds so many memories for her. Memories of love, happiness, and heartache. Memories that she had buried deep inside, trying to move on and forget the pain.

But now, here he is, standing there, playing the song again after so long. It stirs up all those buried emotions, and she can't help but feel overwhelmed. The lyrics speak to her heart, and she finds herself lost in the bittersweet nostalgia of their past.

Youn continues to strum the guitar, pouring his heart and soul into the music. He can feel the weight of the moment, the significance of this song for both of them. He wants to convey through the melody what he couldn't put into words.

You, my love, stay by me
Only you, the only one in the world
On a rough day, if you also leave me
As I stagger, where will I be embraced

He couldn't sing anymore. Tears rolled from Rae's eyes, causing him to choke up a bit. Mint clapped his hands and cheered. Youn just bowed at them and left, wiping his tears.

"He's romantic, isn't he?" said Mint, hugging Rae from the side. She just nodded and wiped her tears. Now she realizes why she used to love this man so much. Her happiness is with him. But she can never deny the fact that she already betrayed him.

She never forgets and forgives herself for that.

------------------

Night has come to an end, and everybody has already gone to bed. Mint, Taylor, and Cole are sharing one bedroom. Jazz and Joe are finally sharing one too, after some teasing and persuasion by their friends who love them so much. Since Sunny needs to get back because he has a pregnant girlfriend waiting at home, Youn gets one room all by himself.

He can't sleep, majorly because he realizes that he is in his long-lost girlfriend's house right now. He tosses around, trying to close his eyes, but he can't. He decides to take a walk around the hanok compound. It's a chilly night, so he wears something thick.

He comes out of his room, walking towards the front door when he sees Rae still sitting in front of the bonfire all by herself. He is torn between wanting to approach her or not.

It's now... or never.

He walks towards her. She is sitting with her head down, holding a bottle of whiskey. He quickly takes the bottle from her. She flaps her hand, protesting.

"Give me that," she asks him. Youn lifts her chair to make her face him. Then he takes a chair and sits in front of her. Rae's face is all red; red nose, red eyes, red cheeks. Not only is she drunk, but she might also be crying too.

"Just give me..."

"That's enough for today... you're drunk..."

"I'm not!" She tries to grab the bottle from him, but he puts the bottle away and grabs her hand.

"Rae..." he looks at her with sorrowful eyes. She shakes her head, trying to avoid him.

"Rae, look at me..." she finally looks at him. Tears are swelling in her eyes. Youn slowly wipes those tears away.

"Let's go inside, it's getting late..." he gives his jacket to her.

"No... I don't... Tay will see me... he hates booze... it makes him remember... Dad..." she looks down. Youn cups her chin up. She smacks his arm away.

"Why, Youn? Why did you come back? I have my own life now... why?" she asks. Her voice is mixed with sobs, making it sound so sad.

"Rae, I'm sorry for not keeping my promise. I failed to protect you... I'm sorry..." this time, it's him who breaks into tears.

"But one thing for sure, I never forget you. Not even a single day. You are always in my heart and my mind. I love you just like old times. The feeling never changes, not even once..." says Youn, slowly caressing her cheek.

"Youn... don't be sorry. I'm the one who left you. I betrayed you! I was wrong! I don't deserve your love! I have nothing left for you! Please forget me... please stop loving me..." she cries. Youn pulls Rae into his embrace and hugs her tight.

"I can't... I can't stop this feeling, Rae! I can't stop loving you! I don't know how to do it... Tell me how I am supposed to forget you..." he cries on her shoulder.

Both of them are broken. After ten years, everything has changed drastically. But one thing that has never changed and always will be the fact - both of them are still in love with each other so much.

"Youn, just stop loving me... I have nothing for you.."

"Please don't say that! Your existence is enough for me. I don't want anything else, but you..." he pulls away as he looks into her eyes.

"Youn.."

"Rae, let's fall in love again. This time, I won't ever let you go..." Rae's eyes widen. She looks at Youn.

Slowly, he puts his lips on hers, kissing her with love and affection. She grabs his shoulder, kissing him back, deeply immersed in the feeling of longing and love...

-------------------

He looks at them through the window, feeling unsettled and annoyed at the same time. His mind is wandering, and he suddenly becomes angry.

"Are you having fun playing with people's hearts, Sir?" he mutters to himself.

He shuts the window, his eyes then falls on his friend who is in deep sleep. He can't bear to see him getting hurt.

And the fact that his sister is the reason behind this makes him feel even more frustrated!

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Thank you readers who read this book. For those who wonder if the song that Youn sings is written by me myself, the answer is NO!

The song titled MY LOVE BY MY SIDE is a Korean song, by a singer named Kim Hyun Sik. This song is so wonderful, the lyric is so meaningful. I took this song as the inspiration for this story. I had the idea of this story when I first listen to it with translation lyrics.

For those who are still curious about the song, you can stream the song on Youtube. It's a wonderful song with a story behind it. I will include the song in the finale (spoiler!) And I hope you can enjoy this story and the song as well...