#Heejung Kim | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gwydionae · 1 year

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Addendum

A/N: Look. LOOK. Sometimes you get reminded of something years later, and even if there's other similar fics out there, you still have to write it yourself. A girl needs her Heejung/Jiwoo reunion, ok?? An actual, strictly romance fic what is my total at now, like, 2? LOL

Posted on fanfiction.net >here<.

Teaser: Her memory having been missing for several months, Heejung returns home from the hospital to try and put her life back together. A mysterious book left in her mailbox awakens sides of herself she didn't remember she had, but why did a perfectly happily-ever-after ending leave her feeling so empty? Every book needs a proper conclusion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dandelion. A few lines of dialogue taken directly from the game.

Addendum

"Just give me a call if you need anything else, ok, Heejung?"

Forcing a smile, Heejung gave a small wave at the man hesitating in her doorway. "I will. Thanks again for your help, Heejae. I really appreciate everything you've done for me these last few months."

With one last, long look back at her, Heejae finally left her apartment, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Letting out a sigh, Heejung closed her eyes and fell onto the couch, allowing herself to sink into it as she leaned her head against the cushion. She could feel a headache throbbing lightly behind her eyes.

As she'd feared, nothing here had felt familiar either.

It had been several months since she'd lost all memory of who she was. It was terrifying, suddenly finding herself in an unfamiliar place, not even aware of her own name. Her earliest memories were a bit of a blur, her brain desperately trying to make sense of the cacophony of sights and sounds she must have once known but had since forgotten completely. All she knew was that she'd somehow ended up at the hospital, a young man with dark hair and glasses by her side every chance he got.

She'd meant what she'd said. She was truly grateful to Heejae. When no one else came forward, not even parents or relatives, he'd stayed with her, a grounding presence despite the fact that she had no memory of their previous friendship together. But after months of tests and rehabilitation, she needed a chance to breathe in a place that was hers and hers alone.

And yet everything still felt so wrong.

A part of her had hoped that seeing the apartment she'd lived in throughout her college career would spark something - anything. But instead she'd only felt that things weren't quite right as Heejae helped reacquaint her with her old home. He'd taken the liberty of cleaning before her homecoming, restocking the cupboards with food and supplies. But the chicken in the fridge looked out of place, the living room looked too tidy, and it all just seemed far too quiet.

Heejung let out a soft sigh. Perhaps it was the lack of animals. Heejae had told her that she'd once owned five of them - two cats and three rabbits - but when coming to check on them after she'd been hospitalized, he'd never found them. She couldn't remember them, but, still, she hoped that they were out there somewhere, alive and well, perhaps picked up by new, loving owners. Whenever they crossed her mind, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, a longing for a comfort she couldn't remember nagging at her.

"...maybe I'm not ready to be alone yet after all."

Pushing herself up from the couch, she walked into her kitchen, found the cupboard containing her drinking glasses, and pulled one out. As she turned on the faucet to fill it with water, her gaze fell on a small, rectangular package carefully wrapped in brown paper sitting on the counter. She blinked.

Oh. Right. It had been in her mailbox when they'd arrived. Heejae had said that he'd had her mail delivery halted after she'd first lost her memory, so it was a surprise to find something waiting for her. With all the fuss of getting used to her old apartment, she'd set it down without much thought, forgetting it until now.

Picking it up, she brought it over to the kitchen table and sat down, sipping her water as she turned the package over in her free hand. It was light and slightly flexible, but it was curiously missing an address, meaning someone must have put it there rather than it arriving by mail. Interest piqued, she set her glass down and carefully unwrapped the package, revealing a green, paperback book inside.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she peered at the cover. The title - Owner of My Heart - was written with a delicate flourish, and between that and the two diamond studded rings prominently featured, her first thought was that it was a romance novel. However the spotted rabbit surrounded by clover sitting next to the rings made her wonder if she was mistaken. Weren't books like these supposed to feature impossibly gorgeous, half-naked men and woman on the covers?

Heejung turned the book over and read the short synopsis on the back. Apparently it was about a girl who, unsatisfied with her life, suddenly found herself caring for a rabbit who was secretly a young man under a spell, and how being brought together changed them both forever. She then opened it to find a dedication page that simply stated, "For Dumbo - You once were mine, but I'll always be yours." She crinkled her nose.

"Sure sounds like a romance novel..."

And yet she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the book. Something about it demanded her attention, and as she searched it for some signature or note explaining who had left it for her, there was a growing curiosity inside of her, urging her to read it.

Flipping it back to the front cover, she read the name of the author - J. Miran. It wasn't one she recognized, but then she hadn't expected to. An idea suddenly striking her, she stood up, brought the novel into her bedroom, and stared at the shelves of unfamiliar books. She was rather surprised to see more than a few of what were clearly romance novels amongst the business and art history textbooks. Had she really been into this sort of thing? Scanning the names for other works by "J. Miran" turned out to be a fruitless endeavor, however. It seemed she hadn't been familiar with their work even before losing her memory.

Why would anyone leave a romance novel about magical bunny men by an author she didn't seem to have any connection to in her mailbox without a single word of explanation?

So many questions surrounded the mysterious book, but it stubbornly gave her no answers. It seemed there was only one thing left to do. Grabbing her glass of water from the kitchen, she walked back into the living room, settled herself on the couch once more, and began to read.

Time passed slowly at first. The story of a girl wanting more out of life while being bogged down by pressure from an unrelenting mother wasn't exactly groundbreaking, and yet Heejung's heart clenched every time the protagonist made clear her deep depression and listlessness. It was hard to read. Thinking about the shelves full of dull business textbooks in her apartment and the fact that her own parents had never gotten in contact since her memory loss, she wondered if perhaps she had been in a similar situation once. But eventually the story took the strange turn promised in the synopsis, a spotted rabbit appearing from nowhere before eventually changing into a handsome young man, along with hints of a powerful wizard secretly pulling the strings.

It should have seemed a bit too bizarre and unbelievable. The logical side of her brain wanted to scoff at the idea of a girl falling in love with her bunny-now-boy and all the antics they got up to and misunderstandings that could have been easily avoided. And yet she found herself clinging to every word like a lifeline. She giggled at the heroine's obsession with her rabbit's feet. She rolled her eyes at the rabbit man's attempts to understand romance through novels and TV dramas. And her face flushed, heart pounding as the two rather unexpectedly kissed for the first time in the middle of a public street.

Cheeks still red, she finally tore her gaze away from the book and glanced at the clock. It was already almost midnight. She'd just spent nearly four hours completely engrossed in a romance novel. A rather tame romance novel, admittedly, with the first kiss coming a little over half of the way through, but a romance novel nonetheless. She was exhausted from moving back in, and she had plans to go out tomorrow, see if any of the surrounding area felt familiar. She really should stop reading for the night and get some sleep. But...

...but...

As Heejung's eyes darted back and forth between her bedroom and the book still held tight in her hands, she found herself unwilling to put it down. Her brain kept presenting her with images of a man in exotic and expensive clothing with spotted rabbit ears devouring a plate of cabbage spaghetti; pouting as his hair was ruffled, a sketchbook sitting on his lap; staring raptly at a television depicting fictional melodrama; leaning down towards her, whispering something only she could hear, hands tightly gripping the sides of her face as she felt his lips press firmly against her own -

Heejung sat up straight and slammed the book shut.

"Ok! That's definitely enough of that for tonight!"

Making sure to leave the book behind and avoid the temptation of reading in bed, she strode into the bathroom to wash up - purposefully ignoring the fact that her face still looked like a tomato - before changing into her pajamas and crawling into bed. Full of determination to get a good night's sleep, she closed her eyes. But what greeted her wasn't calming darkness but rather bright green eyes, mismatched clothing, and a fedora on top of stylish, blonde hair. With a heavy sigh, she turned over and wrapped the comforter more tightly around her as if to shield herself from the intrusive thoughts. They were so... vivid. As if the words on the page had imprinted themselves directly onto her mind's eye. She couldn't remember if books normally had this effect on her, but it would explain why she had so many of them. A strong imagination and ability to visualize an idea could have been a factor in why she began studying art, and they certainly could have been a source of inspiration. She was hesitant to believe she'd be so inspired artistically by romance novels, of all things, but, well, there was no denying the effect something titled Owner of My Heart was having on her.

After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity with visions of bunny boys dancing in her head, Heejung glanced at the clock. 1:07 am - she'd only been in bed an hour. She let out a loud, disgruntled sigh.

"Fine!"

She had lost all willpower to resist. It was as if the book were singing a siren's song, and she had no choice but to give in. Dragging herself back out of bed, she stumbled into the dark living room. The book still sat on her table, mocking her inability to sleep.

"You'd better be worth this," she mumbled as she picked it up and returned to her bedroom, squinting as she flicked the light on at the head of her bed. Nestling herself once more in her comforter, she found the chapter she'd previously ended the night on and began reading.

Perhaps it was due to the late hour, but Heejung couldn't help but get worked up over every scene. How could the main character be so dense? Why on earth did the rabbit think that a kiss meant that he somehow owned her? Did he really just touch her thigh in public!? Was luring him into the kitchen with cabbage and shoving a carrot in his mouth really necessary!? It was all so ridiculous! And yet...

When the heroine finally confessed her true feelings, initiating a kiss, Heejung felt a strange ache in her chest. Tears threatened to fall as the rabbit stood up for the girl when the controlling mother suddenly reappeared in her life, and the dam finally broke by the time he hugged her, comforting her when the mother just as quickly vanished again. What had started as a few sniffles eventually had her reaching for some tissues as it turned out the rabbit and the protagonist weren't so different after all, both suffering under heavy expectations, whether real or perceived, and the loss of a mother's love. And then, even though that darned spotted rabbit kept dropping cryptic hints of his eventual fate, she still had to put the book down for a few minutes when the heroine awoke to an empty room, her vision turning blurry as her tears stained the offending pages.

It all felt so real. It was such a fantastical tale and yet her heart ached for these fictional characters she'd been introduced to a mere - How long had it been? She glanced at her clock. - eight hours ago. It was four in the morning. Four in the morning, and she was sobbing over a romance novel. Clearly she needed to sleep, but at this point she had to see it through to the end. There was only one chapter left. They had to meet again - they just had to! Sure, the bunny had been a bit of an arrogant jerk for a lot of it, and the girl did occasionally push the limits of believability for exactly how obtuse one person could be, but they belonged together. They'd grown and matured because of the deep bond they were able to form. They were two halves of a whole - the thought of them ending up alone...

Heejung took several deep breaths. It was just a book. She was emotional due to lack of sleep. That was all. She would finally finish it, go to bed, and when she woke up, she would have a good laugh at how much she'd overreacted. Feeling herself finally calming down, she picked up the novel one last time.

Half an hour later, she was staring at the last page blankly. The heroine had read the journal left by the rabbit and made her wish, trading her memories for the chance to be with him again. The rabbit had been returned, only this time he was fully human. And even though she couldn't remember the year they'd spent together, he promised to stay by her side as long as she would have him. It was as close to a happily-ever-after as a tale like this could get.

But then why did it leave her feeling so... empty?

She continued staring at the last page for several minutes, rereading the last few lines over and over. It was the ending she had desperately longed for, but no matter how many times she went over it, the words rang hollow. Every other scene, every moment she could picture clearly. But not this one. It was as if, as much as she desired it, this wasn't the ending the story was supposed to have.

It was nearly five in the morning now. The sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. Her eyes prickled and her body slumped forward, the restless energy of the night before completely drained out of her. With one last sigh, she put the book on the vanity next to her bed, turned off the light, and curled into a ball under the covers.

The next few days did not go as Heejung had expected. Rather than being able to laugh off her night's binge reading, the novel haunted her at every turn as she steadily tried to put her life back in order. She would go out to the beach and instantly recall the rabbit's tearful and sincere expression of gratitude. Ordering a coffee at the local café had her glancing around for a young lady holding up a textbook threateningly. And every time she thought to go to the park, she found her hand reaching for Owner of My Heart rather than her sketchbook. It wasn't until a week later when she found herself scouring the shelves of the bookstore looking for anything else written by J. Miran that she finally acknowledged that this behavior probably wasn't normal. She had become obsessed.

Placing the art books she'd purchased down on her desk, she opened her laptop and, without hesitation, typed "j miran owner of my heart" into the search bar. She was immediately granted a link to an author page on Amazon, and, ignoring the sudden and unexplainable nerves that gripped her, she clicked on the page.

Heejung could swear her heart skipped several beats as the image that greeted her was not of some middle-aged, lonely housewife but a handsome young man.

A handsome young man with blonde hair and familiar, bright green eyes.

Reminding herself to breathe, she began to notice several differences between the photo and the rabbit that had invaded her dreams of late. She had imagined his hair styled in a more purposefully messy sort of way, and the glasses were certainly new. On top of that, this man appeared older, his style of dress more refined and modern. And obviously the author himself had decided the color of the rabbit's hair and eyes, so if they matched his own and caused readers to accidentally imagine the rabbit as someone very similar to himself, well, she couldn't be held accountable.

Finally tearing her gaze away from the photo, Heejung read the short bio that accompanied it. His full name was Jiwoo Miran. He worked for an unnamed bank in Busan but talked about how writing was his true passion, and he hoped to someday be able to fully embrace his writing career. Owner of My Heart was his first and currently only novel.

"Jiwoo..." she murmured, the name feeling right on her tongue, "and he lives right here in Busan."

Quickly shoving aside all girlish thoughts of accidentally bumping into him at her favorite coffee shop, Heejung checked the listing for his novel. Being that he was a new writer, she wasn't surprised to find it only had a few reviews, but the ones there were mostly positive. Some people took issue with the characters, and one or two found the setup a bit too strange. But by far the biggest complaint was that it wasn't quite, well, spicy enough for their tastes. She felt her face grow hot.

"What's wrong with these people?" she huffed as she quickly clicked the button to leave a customer review. "This story is about the characters and their growth, both together and as individuals! The physical aspect of their relationship isn't the point!" She furiously began typing as she continued to mumble to herself. "Besides, she thought he was just an ordinary pet rabbit for three months. Who'd wanna, ya know, do that with their pet?"

The image of the man-bunny bending down to kiss her arose unbidden from the depths of her brain, causing her to stop typing long enough to shake her head and smack her face.

After nearly twenty minutes, she was finally satisfied with the result. She felt it was a fair and honest review, keeping the tone overall polite and positive. Before submitting it, however, she hesitated, her cursor hovering over the "Edit" button next to her full name. She needed a job, and the last thing she wanted to come up in a quick search for her name was a glowing review of a romance novel. It took far more willpower to click the button than it should have, but a minute later, a new review by "Anonymous" for the novel Owner of My Heart had been submitted.

Heading back to Jiwoo Miran's main page, she couldn't help staring at his photo. She wondered what he was like, what kind of person could write something that affected her so deeply. He looked as though he might be the stoic, serious type from his unsmiling picture, perhaps even a bit arrogant. And yet something about it felt a bit sad, his eyes hiding a loneliness in their depths. She glanced toward the "Follow" button, and after a mere moment's pause, she clicked it.

She wanted to know more. She wanted to know more about this man that had taken over her thoughts so forcibly the entire last week, this man that, like his heroine and her rabbit, was so desperately following his passion and chasing his dream. Her gaze fell first on the art books she'd purchased earlier that day, and then on the sketchbook she'd been neglecting since returning to her former home. Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Time to chase my dream, too."

For the first time in a while, she grabbed her sketchbook and began to draw.

The next several months passed by in a blur. Heejung got a job at the local art gallery, a place she had apparently worked prior to her amnesia, though nothing about it rang familiar. Seeing all of the different artwork that passed through with each new exhibition fueled her desire to growing as an artist, and she was often caught sketching on her lunch breaks. Heejae was also a constant in her life, popping in to see if she needed anything or bringing her bags of food. She was slowly making friends, but Heejae had stuck by her when she was at her lowest, and she would always be grateful for that.

The book, however, had become her closest companion. Whether she was going to work, stopping by the coffee shop, or simply taking a walk, it was comforting to her simply knowing it was there. Having reread it several times, she practically had it memorized, but that wouldn't stop her from occasionally pulling it out to reread her favorite parts.

Heejae had caught her reading it once. Apparently he'd known that she'd had an interest in such books in the past, but she was beginning to wonder if that was really true. She had attempted to read one of the romance novels on her shelves, selecting one at random, but she hadn't gotten far before slamming it closed in disgust, face bright red with embarrassment. Finding out that Heejae's younger sister also read those kinds of books, well, the least she could do was recommend he introduce her to a local up-and-coming author, right? It was better than Sheikh's with slave contracts and make out sessions that lasted for five hours, anyway.

"Hey, Heejae?" she said as she and the young man in question busied themselves with tidying her apartment, something he'd been coming over to help with ever since she'd been released from the hospital. "Did you ever tell your sister about that book I recommended?"

The number of reviews on Owner of My Heart had grown slightly since she'd left her own. At first she'd felt a bit odd keeping tabs on the reviews of a stranger's work. But she couldn't help being curious, and a strange thrill would shoot through her every time a new one appeared.

"Oh, yeah," he replied as he rubbed the dustrag over her bookshelves, "since you liked it so much, I went ahead and bought her a copy. She said it's not quite what she normally reads, but she enjoyed it anyway."

Heejung fought back a snort. "Not quite what she normally reads" - she guessed that she was also one of those disappointed at the lack of spice. Well, if she enjoyed it, maybe she at least mentioned it to her friends. Opening her mouth to suggest to Heejae that his sister leave a review, Heejung found herself cut off by several dull thuds and a loud yelp. Her head whipped around in concern.

"Are you ok?"

A small pile of books now cluttered her desk, and Heejae was lightly rubbing the fingers on his left hand. He glanced over at her, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm fine. Sorry about that - must have snagged the corner of one of them with the rag."

Walking over to help him pick them up, Heejung shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll - huh?"

Amongst the gaudy romance novels was a thin, brown notebook. She didn't remember seeing it before, but then after being scarred by "My Addicted Love" or whatever it was called, she'd avoided that shelf at all costs. Picking it up, she curiously opened the notebook to the first page. Finding it covered in a thin, neat handwriting, she began to read.

Hey, Dumbo.

Time seemed to stop as she stared down at those first two words, eyes wide with shock. That name - that nickname had imprinted itself on her brain months ago. It belonged to her - the rabbit owner, the heroine of her book. But it also belonged to -

"For Dumbo - You once were mine, but I will always be yours."

It also belonged to the person Jiwoo Miran had dedicated his heartfelt tale to. Heart pounding, her hands began to tremble as her eyes quickly darted across the page.

Contract... Wizard...

Memory loss...

It might be hard to believe, but I first appeared in front of you as an animal.

It was the same. It was all the same. This notebook, it read exactly as if it were the journal the rabbit left behind at the end of Owner of My Heart. Scanning the notebook desperately, Heejung hurriedly flipped through the pages. She was aware of Heejae trying to get her attention, but she ignored him, too fixated on the very real, very personal retelling of the book she'd grown so fond of. Certain events were in a slightly different order, and others seemed to infer that the writer had not been the only animal in the house, but...

"Three rabbits and two cats, right?"

Heejung's sudden words seemed to startle Heejae. "W-what?"

For the first time since finding the notebook, she looked him in the eye. "You said that I used to have three rabbits and two cats."

Looking extremely puzzled, he slowly nodded, a concerned look on his face. "Oh. Um, yeah. But why - "

She didn't hear the end of his sentence as she hurriedly flipped to the last page. The writing had grown far messier at that point, as if the writer were desperate to get everything on the page as quickly as possible.

Please wait for me until I come back for you. And also, there's one last thing I haven't said. I...

I love you.

I love you. That was the sentence that the rabbit in the book never got to finish. I love you. He was whisked away by the wizard before he could write those words down, only able to tell her when she finally traded away her memories, wishing for his return. I love you.

I love you.

"Heejung, are you ok? Heejung!"

Looking up at him once more, she ignored his question and asked, "Jiwoo. Was one of the rabbits - was he named Jiwoo?"

"I - " For a moment, she wondered if he was going to bypass the question, but at last he sighed. "I... think so? I didn't get a chance to see them, but I think one of them had that name, anyway." Eyes full of worry, he pressed on. "Heejung, just what is this about? What's in that notebook?"

Her gaze returned to the handwritten account in her grasp as memories of the last few months washed over her. The stress she felt over the protagonist's relationship with her mom. Putting herself in the position of the heroine and imagining the feel of the rabbit's lips against her own. Picturing the author in the rabbit's place before she'd even seen his photo. And, the ending...

"I have to meet him..." She mumbled the words no louder than a whisper.

She'd hated the ending because it had never happened. It was what she'd most desperately wanted, so much so that she had been willing to forget everything else, but here she stood a year later and her rabbit still wasn't by her side. Why? Why wasn't he here? He said he would come find her, he said to wait, he -

Heejung's eyes widened. The book. It had been hand delivered to her mailbox. But she'd been in the hospital for months. What if he had come to find her? What if all he found was an empty apartment? What if he saw Heejae stopping by, picking up her mail, entering her apartment...

She turned toward Heejae so fast that he jumped. "I have to go meet him!"

"W-what? Meet who?"

Heart pounding in her chest, she shoved the scattered books away from her laptop and instantly opened Jiwoo Miran's author's page.

"Heejung - !"

A warm hand touched her shoulder, and she closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Heejae, but I think I'm done cleaning for today." When she could tell he was about to protest, she looked him in the eye once more. "Please, just... I'm fine. I just - I have to do this right now. Ok?"

A part of her felt bad for suddenly kicking Heejae out. Even when she'd had no one else, he had always been by her side. But... she had recently begun feeling that perhaps he wanted more from her than she did from him. He was a nice guy, but her heart had always wanted more. Now she was sure she knew why.

"I'll call you later, ok?"

Heejae's shoulders drooped at the clear dismissal. Mumbling his goodbye, he plodded out of the room, and after a few moments, Heejung heard her front door open and softly click shut again.

"Sorry, Heejae."

Returning her full attention to her laptop, she stared at Jiwoo's picture. Her exact memories of that face refused to surface, but it didn't matter. Between the novel and the notebook, she knew him, or, at least, she knew what they'd once had. And that was enough.

It took very little digging to find an email address. He was obviously not trying very hard to hide it. With deep breaths, she at last reached out to the man she'd been pining for even longer than she'd realized.

Just in case this had all been a massive coincidence or prank - just in case it really was all too unbelievable to be true - Heejung measured her words carefully. She told him about finding his novel in her mailbox after returning from the hospital, and then about the discovery of the notebook several months later. Remarking on their similarities, she then used it as an excuse, asking if she could show it to him in person. There was so much more she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but she sent the message without them. If everything really was true, she would have all the time in the world to hear his responses with his own voice.

A ball of anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea how long it would take him to receive the email, let alone respond to it. Jumping up from her chair, she began to pace in her room. She was excited and nervous and giddy and terrified all at once. Despite her overwhelming belief that she had needed to do this, feelings of doubt would not go away. Maybe this was a prank. Maybe he'd moved on after waiting for so long. Maybe -

Heejung blinked. She had been glancing at her email in agony since pressing "Send" not ten minutes ago, despite knowing deep down that it would probably be better for her sanity if she walked away and thought of something else for a while. But there it was. A new, unread email sat in her inbox, the name "Jiwoo Miran" clearly visible as the sender.

Slowly sliding back into her chair, she stared at her laptop's screen in disbelief. So fast. He had responded so quickly. It was what she'd wanted, of course, but was it a good sign? A bad one? As with the mysterious book she'd received what felt like a lifetime ago at this point, there was only one way to get her answer. She opened the email, finding only a few, short sentences waiting for her.

Meet me at Oncheoncheon Park near the stone monument by the Yeonan Bridge. Come as soon as you can. I'll wait all night if I have to, so... please.

Jiwoo

...now? Right now? The park along the nearby river, the one she would always go to when she wanted to draw or read. The thought occurred to her that if he truly was her spotted rabbit, then he may very well know that. A thrill ran up her spine. No more waiting. No more dreaming. This was real. She would meet him at last and pray it was finally the happily-ever-after ending to the story she'd been longing for.

Filled with nervous energy, Heejung cleaned herself up, doing her best to hurry through her makeup routine without ruining it. And with a quick change of clothes, she grabbed her bag, shoved both the now well-worn novel and handwritten notebook into it, and practically ran out the door, nearly forgetting to lock it behind her in the process.

The park was only a few blocks away. She had to force herself to keep a calm and steady pace; she had no desire to arrive out of breath and sweating buckets from the summer sun. Heart pounding fiercely in her chest, she focused on her breathing. Two blocks to go. One block. She passed the bridge -

She forgot all about breathing as her gaze fell upon a tall, blonde-haired man standing restlessly along the path near the monument. It appeared as if he were trying to put on a show of nonchalance, but his eyes darted around, and he kept crossing and uncrossing his arms, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He seemed younger in person than she had thought, but there was no doubt it was him. There was no doubt it was -

"Ji - Jiwoo..."

Her voice had cracked, coming out barely a whisper, and yet the man's head whipped towards her instantly, his body growing still as his green eyes widened. They both stood there, unmoving, staring at one another in disbelief before Jiwoo's face finally relaxed into a small smile, one that conveyed every complicated feeling flowing through her and more.

"You kept me waiting an awfully long time, Dumbo."

Waiting. Not just the half an hour since she'd received his email. Not just the months since she'd found his book in her mailbox. The year, the full year since she'd begged the wizard for his return, trading her memories so they could be together. She couldn't remember it, and perhaps she never would. But seeing him standing in front of her, smiling at her, talking to her, she knew it was the truth, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

Jiwoo began to walk towards her, closing the gap before his expression suddenly changed to one of shock and confusion.

"H-hey! Why - why are you crying!? H-hold on, I didn't - !"

Tears slowly dripped down Heejung's cheeks, but seeing his flustered reaction drew a small giggle from her lips, and she softly shook her head.

"Sorry," she said in a weak voice before sniffling and clearing her throat, willing strength into her words. "I'm sorry, it's just... ever since I lost my memory, I've been trying so hard to make this life mine again. For everything to feel right. But no matter what I did - getting a job, making new friends, studying art... It - it was just never enough. It always felt like something was still missing.

"Y-your book..." A fresh wave of tears threatened to fall. Heejung did her best to wipe them away. "I c-couldn't understand why, but... reading it made me f-feel things I couldn't remember feeling. It made me feel alive again; it - it inspired me to keep working hard and follow my heart and..."

Heejung cast her eyes down, cheeks pink. "I wanted to meet you. Even back then, I - I wanted to know what kind of person could write a story like that, something that touched me so deeply. So, when I found the notebook..."

Her voice trailed off as she reached into her bag and drew out the journal. Glancing up at his face, she could see everything from regret to concern to deep affection etched upon it, each warring for supremacy. She smiled, gazing tenderly back down at the book in her hands.

"You wrote this for me, didn't you. Your book, this notebook - they read like fairy tales, and yet in my heart, I believed them to be true." Expression sad but determined, her eyes caught his once again. "I can't remember any of this. It all feels familiar, but I don't remember anything about the other animals or how to make cabbage spaghetti or even what my mom looks like. But, if I did, then you wouldn't be here, right? If that was the price I had to pay in order to have a chance to get to know you all over again, then, well," she smiled up at him, "I'm glad I paid it."

At those words, Jiwoo's breath hitched in his throat and his eyebrows furrowed as if pained, but she had no time to react before she found herself being pulled into a tight hug.

"You... stupid... You idiotic...!"

Surprised by the sudden embrace, Heejung stiffened slightly, but she slowly relaxed as Jiwoo's voice cracked, his body trembling as he held her close. Tentatively, she reached up and gently returned the hug, politely ignoring the occasional sniffle coming from him. They stood in silence like that for a while until Jiwoo finally spoke once more, voice no louder than a whisper.

"I really am a lucky guy."

The two stayed in the park for hours, eventually finding an empty bench where they could sit and talk. As she'd suspected, Jiwoo had indeed gone to her apartment to find her - many times, in fact. But after months with no answer, he'd decided to leave all of his hopes on Owner of My Heart. He'd started writing it as soon as he'd been unceremoniously banished back to his own world, keeping the draft on his person at all times in case she ever wished for his return. A full year had passed before that happened, and, having been unsuccessful in finding her, he'd had it published in the hopes that she would one day come across it, leaving a copy in her mailbox despite it feeling like a hopeless cause.

As the sun began to set, Jiwoo offered to walk her home. She already felt so comfortable around him that she hadn't even noticed they were holding hands until they were nearly at the door to her apartment. They stood in front of her doorway as the last rays of sunlight died on the horizon. She didn't want him to go. She still had so much she wanted to talk with him about, so many questions of their lost time together.

"Meet me again tomorrow." The fact that it wasn't a question so much as a plea made Heejung's face grow warm. "You have to show me all the progress you've made toward mapping out your life, right? So be sure to bring your sketchbook. Of course," he smirked, "I'm still a step ahead of you, what with one novel already published."

Heejung rolled her eyes. His author's photo may look mature, but he sure could be childish when he wanted to. "Easy to pull ahead when you haven't forgotten most of your life." Seeing a slight pout cross his face at her teasing, she decided to have pity on him. "So how about we meet somewhere else tomorrow? There's a great coffee shop not too far from here called - "

"Cheritz Coffee?" Jiwoo cut in with a slight grimace. "Hard not to remember that place - that's where you hit me in the head with your textbook."

Heejung was unable to stifle a giggle. "Seems it all worked out for the best in the end. Maybe I should bring a textbook with me this time, too, just in case."

"You wouldn't - ! Hey, hey! S-stop laughing!"

She really was his heroine, and he really was her rabbit.

Setting a time to meet, Heejung slowly brought out her keys, fiddling with them for several minutes as they continued talking in an attempt to put off the inevitable. But all things must eventually come to an end. She gave his hand a small squeeze before finally unlocking her door.

"Hey! Do you have a pen or something?"

Pausing as Jiwoo blurted out his question, she looked at him curiously. "Huh? Why?"

Hands on his hips, he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "You have a first edition copy of a future famous author's first novel, and you don't want it signed? Here - " he reached out to take the bag from Heejung, " - I'll hold on to this while you go inside and grab a pen. Well? Go on!"

With another roll of her eyes, she gave a little curtsy. "Yes, Young Master." Grinning as she ignored his protests at the teasing, Heejung did as she was told and brought him a pen. The annoyed pout was back on his face by the time she returned, but as she handed him the pen, she noticed he had taken out not only his book but the journal as well.

"Why'd you - hey!"

Jiwoo had turned his back on her before she could finish her question. She huffed as she watched him open Owner of My Heart and write something on one of the pages before switching to the notebook. Watching as he flipped through nearly all of the pages, Heejung's breath caught in her throat, realization of what he was doing dawning on her.

Closing the journal, he slowly turned back around and held them both out to her, his eyes locking with hers. "I... didn't get a chance to before, so... I wanted to finish it properly."

Her heart was racing as he looked at her with such tenderness that for a moment she felt as if they were the only two people in the world. She wanted to speak, but words failed her, all thoughts lost in the depths of his green eyes. Jiwoo, at last, broke the silence.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Grasping her hand in his one last time, he slowly backed away, only letting go when the distance demanded it. She watched him leave until he was completely out of sight before finally reentering her apartment.

She removed her shoes and placed her bag on the kitchen table. Picking up her book, she looked inside to find his signature made out to "Dumbo". With a smile, she put it down, reaching instead for the journal and gently cradling it in her hands. She already knew what he'd written inside. There was no need to check. But still she found herself flipping to the final page, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she read the newly added words.

I love you.

The ending of her favorite book would no longer ring hollow. _________________________________

A/N: Just file this away under “things I never thought I’d be into enough to write fanfic for” and move on...

As always, critics and grammar police are appreciated!

#dandelion wishes brought to you #jiwoo x heejung #heejung x jiwoo #kim heejung #heejung kim #jiwoo #dandelion jiwoo #jiwoo dandelion #jiwoo/miran #cheritz #otome #otome game #dandelion #my fanfiction #gosh dang i just do not know how to tag this XD

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