Jin welcomed the kiss just as much as he always had. With their eyes closed and clinging to each other, it finally felt like it had before. They could have been anywhere—sneaking kisses in the music classroom as the sun rose, in their hanok, or in the yomogi field they’d discovered in their fifth year. For a moment, he let himself believe that everything would be alright. As long as they were together, they would figure it out.

Jin kissed him again and then a playfully sweet one on his nose. "Aein.” Ahn-Bo’s eyes popped open in surprise. They’d never put a specific term to what they were to each other. It had seemed… presumptive, he supposed, given what his future was supposed to have been. Although secretly, he’d thought of Jin as his simkung—his crush, although it had grown into far more than that over the years.

The wolf hadn’t had time to react before his aein was bashfully ducking into his shoulder. His blush was so deep that it had even spread to the back of his neck. It was then that Ahn-Bo smiled, his heart thundering in his chest and his insides going completely gooey. "Aein," he agreed with the smile in his voice and pressed a kiss to the top of Jin’s head.

He hadn’t thought about Dae Min-Jee once… although now he realized he was free from her. (And she from him.) There wasn’t anyone dictating his future with their own expectations. For the first time, his future was in his own hands. Maybe there was a future that involved them being together, after all. Ahn-Bo pulled back just enough to meet his vampire’s eyes, feeling lighter already. "Ije jaja."