personally i really love this chapter so i hope you do too ♡

She felt so uncomfortable. Her skirt needed to be hiked up her thighs in order to be comfortably carried onto his back.

“Yongguk,” Mani lightly tapped him on his shoulder, “this is unnecessary, I can walk.”

“You’re so much lighter now,” he commented. He hoisted her up and a small yelp escaped from her lips. “If a pigeon flew by, they’d think you were a worm.”

“Hey,” she hit his shoulder, “I’m serious; you don’t need to carry me.”

He turned his head to look at her. Mani had a slight frown on her face.

“You’re always frowning,” he looked forward, “can’t you be a little bit excited for the Full Moon Party?”

The clouds were beginning to fade away. The moon’s silhouette was drawing closer as the sun slowly inched away.

“What’s the Full Moon Party?” Mani asked.

“Just a fun celebration of the full moon,” Yongguk explained, “It’s once a month. Usually, a lot of tourists come and party hard but since I’m here, the islanders organized it so there would be none this time.”

“They really love you, don’t they?” Mani looked at him, “What’s the difference with ‘Nai’ Yongguk and the Bang Yongguk I know?”

Yongguk exhaled a laugh, “Do you know what ‘nai’ means?”

“Dictator,” she said absolutely.

Yongguk fully laughed, “No, stupid, it means Boss. And yes, they really love me here and I love them too. They’re my islanders. They take care of my land, and I take care of them.”

Mani looked at the decorations. From lights being set up on the roof of the grass canopies, to the vibrant colors of clothing, it was breathtaking. An islander walked up to Yongguk and gave him a lit-up shell necklace. The same islander had a lit-up flower crown in her hand. She gestured for Mani to come closer so she could put it on her head.

“She wants you to wear this,” Yongguk told Mani.

“Me?” Mani pointed to herself and the islander nodded. She bowed her head down and the islander put it on her.

“Suay,” the islander told Mani with a smile. She greeted her goodbyes to the couple, then walked away.

“What did she say just right now?”

“She said you were beautiful.”

“Suay,” Mani repeated, “Suay means beautiful and nai is boss.”

“You’ve got it.” Yongguk looked at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. The light burnt sky was getting darker. “I want to show you another place,” he told her.

“What is it?” Mani asked, “What about the festival?”

“The festival will be all night. It’s best to see this next place when the sun is going to set.”

As he carried her on his back, Mani looked at the scenery around her. She was in a literal paradise. The crisp blue sea was nothing she had ever seen. The sand was so light and pure, it was like gold beneath the water. She looked at the people; they were so happy on this island. They were truly like a huge family. Collaborating and uniting to make this island as beautiful as it can be. 

“It’s so beautiful here, Yongguk.” Mani looked at him, “The people here are so kind to each other, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“You haven’t even seen the best part,” he told her. “We’re here.” Mani looked ahead. She was slowly released from his hold.

Instantly, an immense wave of nostalgia drowned her heart down to her stomach. Mani looked at the meadow in complete awe. The meadow was a field of long, crisp, and golden grass. White wildflowers pocketed areas of the small valley. As the sun started to set, flickering lights became more visible. It looked just like the one back in her childhood; their childhood; their place. 

“Ni’s Island,” she whispered. She slowly limped to the grass field. A smile grew on her lips as she touched the long grass. “Soft and grainy,” she noted, “just like Ni’s Island.” She looked down and picked up a wildflower. The white petals were so vibrant and thick, much different than the tiny wildflowers from her childhood place. Mani spotted a patch of fireflies and ran towards them. As she tried her best to run into their space, the fireflies scattered up and away from her. She looked up and laughed, “Fireflies; just like at Ni’s Island.” 

Her chest heaved up and down as the squeezing sensation in her chest grew deeper. It reminded her of the simpler times; times where life had no secrets. When it was just about him and her; when they were just young kids in love. 

Mani looked behind her and faced Yongguk. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked.

“I wanted to show you the heart of Ni’s Island,” he told her. “This is it.”

She was wrong before. It wasn’t the beach shore or the beautiful coconut trees or even the fact that they were on a literal island; it was this spot. This was the spot that captivated her the most; it was so special, so intimate, so familiar. This was the spot that took her back. This truly was the heart of the island. Mani turned to the setting sun. The burnt orange sunset gleaming in her eyes as the fireflies increased by the second. The grass lightly dancing in the ocean’s breeze.

“You know when I got here, it was this spot right here that made me want to keep this island,” Yongguk explained. Mani looked at him; sorrow filled his eyes. “During that time, my heart was so broken after you left. It had been a year and I was still so angry. Then I got to this island and saw this spot,” he looked at her, “and instantly I felt like we were kids again. Just sneaking out to Ni’s Island to play hide and seek in the grass and catching fireflies.”

“Yongguk,” Mani lightly moaned. She wanted him to stop. Her own nostalgic feelings were intense enough to make her cry. She didn’t need him to overflow her with more memories.

“Once I got settled here, the first thing I ate was red velvet cake.” Yongguk laughed, finding an excuse to dismiss the sadness in his voice. “Do you remember that? You baked me a red velvet cake and we ate it.”

Mani nodded, “I remember.”

“Then the next day I never saw you ever again.” Yongguk looked at Mani. “And then you came back into my life; and now you’re here. How crazy is that?”

Mani looked at his face, shifting her gaze from his eyes to the rest of his face. “Why do you keep replaying those memories to yourself?” She saw how his face changed, “Don’t you grow tired of being hurt and bitter?”

“It reminds me.”

“Reminds you of what? Your pain?”

“No,” Yongguk looked at th