Summer seemed to pass by quickly for Doo Joon and Ri Ah who spent as much time together as they could before Doo Joon had to leave for America. It was the day before he had to leave and he and Ri Ah were enjoying their last date together.

They played soccer on the high school soccer field. Ri Ah wasn’t great, but she could kick the ball around and Doo Joon would always go easy on her, letting her steal the ball from him. Afterwards, they went to the seafood restaurant Ri Ah’s mom worked at and were joined by some of their friends as they wished Doo Joon good luck in America. After eating, Ri Ah and Doo Joon went to the beach and played in the water. It was soon nightfall and they were walking back hand-in-hand when Doo Joon stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Ri Ah asked him.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to give you,” he said as he stared at her with intense eyes. Ri Ah looked at him, a little confused, but followed him as he lead her towards their special tree. When they were standing in front of it Doo Joon let go of Ri Ah’s hand and reached into a squirrel hole on the side of the tree. He pulled out a box and handed it to her.

Ri Ah took it and opened it. She gasped when she saw two simple silver rings.

“These are promise rings,” Doo Joon explained. He picked one of them up. On the inside of the ring was the inscription ‘LRA ♥ YDJ’. “This one is mine. It’s your promise to me that you will work hard so you can get into a good college, go to medical school, and become a doctor. Then you can open up a free health clinic here.”

Ri Ah couldn’t look him in the eyes as she asked, “What is the other ring for?”

Doo Joon smiled as he picked the other ring up. This one had the inscription ‘YDJ ♥ LRA’. “This one is yours. It’s my promise to you that I will graduate from college and learn how to be a good businessman so I can help you set up that free clinic. And when I come back from America…I’ll ask you to marry me.”

Ri Ah looked up at him with eyes that were glistening with tears.

“But we can’t wear these on our fingers just yet. Until we’ve fulfilled each other’s promises, we’ll wear them around our necks,” he said as he pulled out two chains from the bottom of the box. He put Ri Ah’s ring on the chain and then put his arms around her neck as he clasped it in the back. “So on our wedding day, we’ll be able to put them on each others’ fingers.”

“But what if I’m not a doctor by the time you’ve fulfilled your promise?”

“Pabo, I said your promise was that you would work hard. I know you’ll eventually be a doctor and fulfill your dream,” he said with a smile. “Now, will you help me put mine on?” he asked as he crouched down so Ri Ah could put his ring around his neck. She smiled softly at him and then put his ring on the chain. But before she put it on him, she looked at him with serious eyes.

“Oppa, what if I don’t want to marry you? You put this ring around me before I even agreed.”

“Huh?” Doo Joon said, straightening back up. “You don’t want to marry me?” he said with a hurt look.

Ri Ah stared at him for a few seconds before a small laugh escaped her lips. “No, I do.”

Doo Joon grinned and bent down again. Ri Ah took the necklace and put her arms around his neck as she clasped it behind him. When she was done, he stood back up and admired the ring with a smile.

“Ri Ah,” he called to her with a grin. “I’ll make sure to work hard so I can put this ring around your finger,” he said as he held the ring around her in between his fingers. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Ri Ah smiled against his kiss before kissing him back.

Author's Note

Ahh, so this is the meaning behind Ri Ah's ring...sorry guys for my obvious comment.

Alrighty, next chapter is the last of the past. And then Channie comes back! Except now that we almost know everything, it's going to be hard for Channie to win Ri Ah's heart, isn't it? Aigoo, I fear for my poor Chan Yeol's future heartache :( But don't worry Yeollie, you will see happy days too!

So tell me guys, what do you think of Doo Joon? Hate him? Love him? Or do you not care and just want to see Chan Yeol again? ^_^ - 7/10/12 12:50 AM