Epilogue – A Promise Beyond Forever
Seoul in spring was breathtaking. Cherry blossoms drifted down the university paths like pink snow, the air soft and sweet. Amara stood beneath one of the blooming trees, notebook in hand, pretending to read while her thoughts kept wandering.
It had been a year since that night in the ballroom. A year since Joon-Ho had stood before everyone—his family, society, the weight of centuries—and chosen her.
The road hadn’t been easy. His father had kept his word: Joon-Ho was cut off, his name no longer spoken at the Daehan estate. Whispers followed them, sometimes cruel, sometimes admiring. But through it all, Joon-Ho stayed at her side, never wavering, never regretting.
She smiled to herself, tracing absentminded doodles in her notebook. Love wasn’t always easy, but it was real. And that made everything worth it.
“Lost in thought again?”
She turned, her heart skipping when she saw him. Joon-Ho stood a few feet away, hair slightly tousled by the breeze, a small smile tugging at his lips. He looked as handsome as ever—too handsome, Amara thought sometimes, like someone who had stepped out of a dream.
“Maybe,” she teased softly. “Depends on who’s asking.”
He walked toward her, sliding his hands into his pockets in that casual, confident way she adored. But today, there was something different in his eyes. Something serious.
“Amara,” he said gently, stopping in front of her. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
Her pulse quickened.
He reached into his pocket, and for a moment, she thought her heart might burst. When he dropped to one knee beneath the shower of cherry blossoms, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
In his palm rested a small velvet box, simple but elegant. Inside, a ring sparkled—a promise captured in silver and light.
“Amara,” he began, voice steady but his eyes bright with emotion. “You’ve given me more than love—you’ve given me freedom, strength, a reason to fight. I don’t want to imagine my future without you in it.”
Her vision blurred with tears, but she couldn’t look away.
“I want to marry you,” he continued, opening the box. “I want to build a life with you. I want to meet your mom, kneel before her, and promise her that I’ll protect you with everything I am. Because you’re my everything, Amara.”
Her tears fell freely now, her chest aching with joy. “Joon-Ho…”
He looked up at her, vulnerability and hope shining in his gaze. “Will you marry me?”
Amara dropped to her knees in front of him, cupping his face in her trembling hands. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice breaking into a laugh and a sob all at once. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”
He slid the ring onto her finger, and when he kissed her beneath the drifting blossoms, it felt like the world itself was celebrating with them.
For the first time since she had stepped foot in Seoul, Amara felt like every piece of her life—her past, her present, her future—fit perfectly.
Because now, it wasn’t just love. It was forever.
THE END…..
