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Ryu Sunjae was a man who couldn't ask for anything more in his life. Having been through multiple deaths and timelines, he was beyond grateful for where he was now, with his lovely wife in their new home.
Although he would be happier if he could get out of his home office to spend some quality time with his wife. The only problem was that he still hadn’t figured out how to set up the cabinet he purchased.
He bought it a week ago, and Sol warned him it would be hard to set up on his own. But in true Sunjae fashion, he wanted to impress Sol. A week later, and countless failed attempts, pieces of plywood and loose screws were scattered on the floor.
As he flipped the instruction manual for the hundredth time, a loud shatter sounded from outside. Sunjae jumped up, immediately shouting for Sol.
“Sol? What was that? Are you okay?” Sunjae shouted as he went outside his office.
He was still getting used to the layout of their house, but his reflexes led him straight to the dining room, where Sol was.
Sunjae paused in his tracks as he saw Sol standing beside a broken vase, with its shattered glass surrounding her. Her back was facing him, probably still in shock from the break.
“Sol! Don’t move. I’ll get the—“ Sunjae’s words got stuck in his throat as a single drop of red fell from Sol’s finger.
“Your hand!” Sunjae exclaimed, coming closer to Sol. He was thankful that he was wearing house slippers, it didn’t protect him by much, but he was not really worried about himself.
He grabbed her hand, seeing that her finger was scratched by the glass, probably from trying to pick it up. “Sol-ah, you should not have tried to touch the glass,” he softly chastised, eyes still fixed on her hand.
Realizing that Sol had still not responded, he finally looked at her face. A pang of fear thudded in Sunjae’s chest.
Sol was still staring at the floor, her eyes giving way to a steady stream of tears. But her eyes were blank at the same time, as if she was in a different place entirely.
“Sol-ah?” Sunjae whispered, bringing his hand to her face, trying to make her face him. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
He softly wiped away her tears, stroking her face gently with his thumb.
“What?” Sol’s eyes finally focused on him. She blinked rapidly, as if trying to return to reality. “Sunjae-ya,” Sol whispered.
She blinked again, finally regaining her senses. She tried to step back, but Sunjae was quick to stop her. “Careful. The glass.”
He placed his arms around Sol’s waist, effortlessly lifting her. He walked to the adjacent kitchen, setting her down on the counter.
“Sunjae-ya, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Sol placed her hands on Sunjae’s shoulder, giving him a half smile.
“Sol, please tell me what happened back there.” Sunjae brought up his hand to hold Sol’s injured one, while his other hand remained on her waist.
“It was nothing! The vase falling just shocked me.” Sol squeezed Sunjae’s shoulder. He sighed, knowing that she was keeping something from him.
“I’ll get the first aid for your hand. But please tell me when I’m done. I’m here for you, Sol-ah. We promised to tell each other everything.” He gave her a chaste kiss before leaving to retrieve their first aid kit.
When Sunjae returned, Sol was yet again staring off to nothing, but she was quick to recover this time as she sensed him approaching.
“Give me your hand, please,” Sunjae requested as he positioned himself in front of Sol. He gingerly took her offered hand, then proceeded to clean and wrap the small wound.
They were both silent throughout the whole process. After finishing, Sunjae brought Sol’s bandaged hand to his lips, gently kissing it. Sol smiled at him, a genuine smile this time.
“Sunjae-ya,” Sol finally spoke. “I’m sorry for worrying you earlier.”
Sunjae shook his head. “Sol-ah, you can tell me anything. Tell me so that I can help you.”
Sol looked away, deep contemplation in her eyes. Sunjae wanted to reach out, but he knew she needed to come to him herself.
After a moment, Sol spoke, “The broken vase just reminded me of something from my past. All of a sudden, my mind got transported back to that time.” Sol took a deep breath, her hands holding on to Sunjae for support. “I guess all that time travelling makes me remember the past very vividly,” she chuckled lightly.
Sunjae squeezed her hands, inching ever closer to her. Even after remembering all the timelines, Sunjae could still not imagine what Sol had gone through. She rarely talked about it, much less her struggles. So Sunjae desperately wanted her to open up to him about all the things she had been through during those timelines.
“It was during the first timeline, when I was crippled.” Sol looked down at her legs. “It was when I was in the hospital, the doctor just said that I had no hope of ever walking again.”
Sunjae held her tightly. He remembered how they met on that bridge. She was in a broken wheelchair, drenched in snow, but still unbelievably happy to see him, even as just a fan. Sunjae still remembered how much his heart had hurt that night, how he struggled to breathe.
“Sol, I’m sorry for putting you through that. If I just woke you up from the bus,” Sunjae choked back his tears, as he looked down. He had never stopped blaming himself for that night, thinking about how much pain they could have been saved from if he only had the guts to approach Sol.
Sol profusely shook her head as she gently forced Sunjae to look at her again. “No, Sunjae-ya. You saved me. In fact, you saved me twice.” Sol’s tears had started to flow again, as Sunjae looked at her with questions in his eyes.
“That day, at the hospital, I—“ Sol cleared her throat, forcing the words out of her mouth. “I attempted to end my life.”
A dull ringing emerged from Sunjae’s head, his world coming to a halt. “What?” His eyes were wide, searching Sol’s for an explanation. If Sol wasn’t holding his hands, he knew it would be shaking nonstop.
“I broke the vase on my bedside table. I had the broken glass in my hand. I was convinced my life was over, so I wanted to put a permanent end to it.” Sol looked at her hand; she was sure it was just her imagination, but she could still see the faint line of the scar on it.
Sunjae’s own tears started to flow as he followed Sol’s eyeline. He felt his heart break into a million pieces. He brought her palm to his lips, kissing it over and over again. “I was a coward, Sol-ah. I should’ve been there. I should’ve been by your side the moment you woke up. I should’ve been there to tell you that it was okay.”
Sunjae thought back to his own fears back then. He was afraid to face Sol, to see her life so heavily affected just because he was too hesitant to talk to her, let alone wake her up on the bus. He was scared that when she saw his face, she would forever hate him. So a part of him was glad Sol only knew him as an idol when they met on that bridge. Because at least, he could make her happy in that way.
“But you were,” Sol cut off his thoughts. “On the radio, when you called me. You made me let go of the glass. You made me look forward to a brand new day, where the sun would shine.”
Sunjae surged forward to hug Sol, cradling her body against his. “Thank you, Sol-ah. Thank you for not giving up on life.” He brought his face to her, kissing her with all the love he could manage. He didn’t know what he had done to be with someone as great as Sol. To be with someone so willing to make sacrifices for his sake.
Their lips moved in sync, pouring all their love and gratitude toward each other. Making the value of their existence known to each other. After a moment that would never be enough, they pulled apart.
“That was why I fought to save you, Sunjae. On every timeline.” Sol smiled as she cradled Sunjae’s face. “I wanted you also to see the sun shine for the rest of your life.”
Sunjae placed his forehead against Sol's, cherishing each other’s presence.
“Let us see it together, Sol-ah. Every day, for the rest of our lives.” Sunjae slightly turned his head to kiss the palm cradling his face. Sol smiled brightly, nodding. Sunjae really could not ask for anything more.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” she replied.