Chapter 5 from Special Collections

05

“Jikyung,” Jina places her hands on my shoulders, “you okay?”

It’s the day of the wedding, and I’m getting jitters. I don’t think it’s because I’m unsure of marrying Junghoon. It’s just the idea of marrying someone in general is tugging my heart. I’m going to be settled now. I’m going to be someone’s wife, and I’m going to consider creating a family. I’m going to have to care for someone else as much as I care for a family member. I’m going to face the possibility of divorce in the future. I guess I’m scared. I’m scared to move onto the next part of my life, and then be left behind somewhere. I don’t want my parents’ case to repeat. I’m saying that I won’t mind my husband cheating as long as he provides for me and my future children if I have some; however, I know that’s half of a lie. I think I care too much about Junghoon now that I’ll mind. I might even come to hate him if that ever happens, and I don’t want that. I don’t want to follow my mother’s steps.

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Chapter 4 from Special Collections

04

Months pass by, and I’m standing here with a glass of champagne in my right hand. I’m the only one at Sohee’s wedding because I don’t know anyone at all. Junghoon can’t take any more days off of work, and I half understand that. I think that Junghoon is just trying to ignore his own problems. 

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Chapter 3 of Special Collections

03

Surprisingly, my mother seems to love Junghoon more than me. I’m pretty sure it’s because Junghoon feeds her compliments every now and then. He tells her how much he enjoyed her dishes. He guesses her age wrong to say that she looks very young. My mother does have a youthful appearance, but I know that Junghoon is purposely using these tactics to win her over. Somehow, I’m sort of bothered by the way he is behaving. I wished . . . that he would show his true self in front of my mother, so that she’d actually like him for who he is.

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Chapter 2 of Special Collections

2 

I’m on my way to meet a few girlfriends in Seoul. I decide that I’ll tell them second. The first people to know were my mother and my sister, Jina. My mother is rather surprised because she doesn’t know who Junghoon is. She knows he was one of my ex-boyfriends, but she never met him. I didn’t want her to meet all of my boyfriends since I knew I probably wouldn’t marry them. My mother really only knew about Raewon. I truly believed that I would have eventually married him if he had not dumped me. I’m glad I didn’t marry him though. I’m sort of glad how everything unraveled by itself. My mother, though, is definitely not pleased. She thinks I’m rushing through with everything and that I have fallen head over heels with a man who will break my heart. I think she is just scared that I’ll suffer the same fate as her. A cheating husband. A liar. An irresponsible father.

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Chapter 1 of Special Collections

Author's Note:

Hello! Although Collections of Love is technically finished, I had the urge to write more for Junghoon and Jikyung. After much thought, I decided that I'd still write a few chapters, which will be called "Special Collections". They're really just snippets of Jikyung and Junghoon's lives. Pretty slice of life, I would say.

A part of me feels bothered because I'd like readers to envision the characters' future lives, but I honestly felt that there was something missing, that I still wanted to add more. 

I would say to treat this as a spin-off or a short sequel. For whoever that wants to stay in the tragic mode or would rather imagine what would happen to Jikyung and Junghoon, then don't read "Special Collections". "Special Collections" will really remove you from that sad atmosphere, but for those that want to be cheered up or are curious as to how I think the characters would be like later on, then do read "Special Collections".

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Final Chapter of Mouldings of Love

Final

The house is a mess. We’re packing to move to a house in the countryside for our newborn son, Taemin. The apartment is just too small for the three of us, and Taemin is crawling everywhere. Soon, he’ll need his own room, but Daeun has that all figured out. In fact, she has everything planned already. She likes to tell me that when Taemin is three, he’ll start cello and piano lessons. When he’s five, he’ll begin to learn Mandarin and Japanese. During this time, I should always speak to him in English and Daeun will teach him Korean. When he’s six, Taemin will go to art, math, and science classes. Taemin will start to volunteer when he’s ten. He’ll also learn a sport through all of this, some type of martial arts and or basketball.

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Chapter 3 from Mouldings of Love

03

I know something is missing in my life. I’m feeling it again on the day of my wedding. Maybe, I’m getting cold feet because this is probably the biggest commitment of my life, but I don’t think that’s the problem. Even when Minwoo is casually making crude remarks because he’s pissed that he’s not the best man, I can stand that. I can also stand having Junghoon as my best man. Although he irritated me much through university, he was still a good friend. He helped me secure my job at the clinic through his uncle’s connections.

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Chapter 2 from Mouldings of Love

02

“Wake up, sleepy poo.”

It’s Daeun’s sweet voice. That’s why I like sleeping at her place. I get to hear her wake me up, and I feel that that’s something little to look forward to each day. It’s too bad I can’t put it on repeat, then I’d want to keep living. 

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Chapter 1 from Mouldings of Love

01

It’s like what they always say. It’s only after you’ve lost something do you understand its importance in your life, but I don’t think that way. I’ve never even lost Jikyung in the first place. There was no beginning, no middle and not even an ending. We were friends and still are. She’d probably say that I’m wrong. I use this term too lightly, but I think everyone is a friend. We just have to focus on their positive parts, and that’s what I like about Daeun. She’s always smiling, reminding me of the good things in life. And then, there’s Jikyung. She’ll never smile. She’s cold, too cold to touch and too far to reach. She probably has no idea how many guys actually secretly are infatuated with her. There’s just something about her that draws your attention towards her. It’s like a stage is built upon her in a room. Even the women are interested in her, particularly by the way she dresses. Jikyung is by no means simple. She’s unafraid to dress the latest fashions that might not be popular here yet, but every time, I’m beside her, I find myself slowing down. Her footsteps are faster than ever, and I can’t keep up.

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Final Chapter of Tracings of Love

This is absurd, almost too absurd. I feel like I’m cold calling for a job interview. I’m a stranger to her or rather I’m just his classmate, Taeyang’s, to be exact. Here I am, though, having a cup of warm tea in her kitchen.

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Tracings of Love 04

I’m at Seoul alone, but I know what I need to do first. I search through my cell phone for the right number at a local park; it’s Jikyung’s home phone. I know I just have to press that green phone button, yet my hand is trembling. I’m being the coward now. I can’t face her. What do I say? Will she forgive me? What if she doesn’t pick up?

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Tracings of Love 03

03

As soon as Lara came back from the washroom, she blurts, “Jikyung caught you with another girl huh?”

Several women end up glaring at me; I’m pretty sure they represent the whole female species. What I did was wrong, and foolish. I was even being like my father, who broke my mother’s heart. “I think she knew what I was doing, but chose to be ignorant.”

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Tracings of Love 02

02

“What?” Lara hollers, almost frightening the flight attendant passing by. “And she agreed to date you? You suck, Junghoon! You really suck.”

“Hey!” I snap at her. “I was young, and lonely at the time.” Lara gives me a suspicious glance, and immediately, I add, “Okay, fine. I did suck, but I did get her.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t manage to keep her,” she shoots back at me a painful message. She must have seen my reaction to her words for she quickly remarks, “Sorry, I was too harsh.”

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Tracings of Love

Credits to shawty_12 for the poster!

          I’m staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. It’s dark, too dark for it to be morning. Doctors tell me that I’m suffering from insomnia, but I’m a doctor myself. I don’t need their diagnosis. I know exactly what’s wrong. I’m fucking heart sick. That’s what it is. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I miss her. No, I have been missing her ever since she left me. Now, I can only trace her back through my memories. I’m hesitant, though, of going back. I know too well what I have done, and I know I can’t change anything about that.

         But, I know I need to now that I’m holding onto this flimsy card.

         You are invited to attend. . .

          Whenever I read that phrase, I want to punch him. Fuck. That fucking bastard. Such a fucking coward.

          Then, I think of her, and I can see her petrified look that’s mingled with disgust. She’d hate me even more if I ever laid a hand on him, and I can’t have her hating me.

She needs someone now. I know too well, and so I get up and get out my luggage. It’s time to pack and to head back to her.

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Snippets of Love Final

Credits to goldly01!

The day of the funeral has arrived. How do I know? I feel like I have been counting down. Rather than counting down for New Years, here I am, counting for his day: December 30^th. I don’t want to give it much thought. I don’t want to have anything to do with it. Sadly, I don’t think I’m brave enough to confront my own fears. I haven’t left the house in days, and even sent gifts by delivery this year. I’m in no mood to celebrate with my friends or even with family. I’m checking my voice mail, my text messages, Facebook private messages, and answering machine. It’s a habit I can’t seem to avoid. I’m bombarded by people’s words. They’re telling me to cheer up. They’re telling me to let go. They’re telling me to attend the funeral. They’re telling me to stop avoiding my problems.

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Snippets of Love 4

Credits to FESHA for the poster!

 I know I should have been more organized. I’m at the department store picking up some last minute presents for my family. I seem to have forgotten about Rina’s gift. What would a kid want anyways these days? Video games? Makeup? The girl is only five. I doubt Jina would want her to wear makeup.

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Snippets of Love 3

Credits to goldly01!

I’m at my sister’s place, which is more like my mother’s house. My sister bought it off of mom after my sister had earned enough from her cupcake shop. Now, this house is filled with her and her family, and mom. Everything looks so different from before. The walls have been painted different shades of pastel with the living room, and kitchen being light, canary yellow, her favourite colour. The furniture has changed to suit my sister’s acquired taste. They’re completely modern, yet girly in their way. Mom would have been too cautious to throw away anything. This has to be all of my sister’s doing.

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Snippets of Love 2

Credits to FESHA for the poster!

We’re sitting in a café for brunch. Why am I even sitting here across from him? I don’t even know how I managed to go through the morning. Oh wait, I remember as my hand accidentally touches my wrist still wet from the coffee spillage. I was reading over some reports when I suddenly hear my ringtone sound. Without thinking, I picked up, and there he was reminding me of our “date”. My hand lost hold of the coffee cup, and there all the remaining liquid splashed on my sleeve.

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Snippets of Love

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't be doing much writing during exam season, but I just couldn't resist this sudden inspiration I got for a short story. It'll just be, at most, seven chapters. I've also tried a different sort of style, so I hope you'll enjoy it!

I think the perfect song for this is Avril Lavgine's "When You're Gone"

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