This is my winning piece for Soompi Forums Short Story Battle (for the month of May). The theme was a picture of a red ribbon tied to a rope. You can view this picture on my blog (hiro-0911 DOT blogspot DOT com).

The rules for this round are as follows:

1) Word limit at 2,500

2) 2nd-person narrative (use of the pronoun "YOU")

3) Theme is the red ribbon tied on a rope (see my blog for the picture)

I made a love story for this month's competition. I'm glad to have won again for the second time. Thanks for reading!

Bridges Over Ropes

by hiro0911

-

Brings back memories eh, Park Yoo-Ra?

Then, you smiled as you watched him from a distance, finally approaching her soon after she gave him her answer. It was a ‘love trend’, this ribbon fad. It comes in a package of four: an envelope sealed with a kiss, a letter containing a man’s love confession, and two ribbons – one green, one red.

The rules were simple. A man would fall madly in love with a girl. He would then confess his feelings through a love letter. When that fateful day comes, the girl would give him her ‘answer’, not through a phone call, not through SMS, not even through words. She would simply go to this dilapidated bridge, which people referred to as Billet-doux Bridge or simply Love Letter Bridge, and tie around its rope either a green ribbon for ‘YES’ or red for ‘NO’.

Yes, like the principle behind traffic lights – To go? To stop?

If she says yes, he would then step forward to tuck her into his warm embrace, eventually concluding the moment with a passionate kiss.

Otherwise, he should turn around and leave.

And yes, just like that time when you tied your own ribbon. Unlike her, however, you tied the red one.

And another yes, unlike her, you tied the green ribbon, not around the rope but around the bridge itself.

Ah, Yoo-Ra…

Do you remember that time when you chose the bridge over the rope?

In class, he sat next to you, that guy with brown hair and hazel eyes. He had pale skin, well-shaped nose, thin lips. Kim Ju-Ho was not as handsome as Kim JaeJoong nor was he rich like Oprah. He was not the school ‘king’ that would go bullying someone who accidentally spills his drink on his shoe. He was not ordinary either. Maybe it was his eyes – those sincere eyes you were fond of taking discreet glances of. This guy, Ju-Ho – he rarely talked to you.

You thought that Architecture was easy, and so you chose to take this course for college. You realized that drawing lines with supposedly-exact measurements was no piece-of-cake. Each time you looked over Ju-Ho’s work, however, he did every project outstandingly. He didn’t have to use a ruler to sketch a perfect square. He had such skillful hands, such splendid composure, such likable personality, except for his remoteness. Despite this aloofness, he was never an outcast. Ju-Ho was very accommodating. Can’t compute proportions? Need ideas to make your blueprint better? Kim Ju-Ho was the guy to approach.

You were busy making your project one day. Your insane teacher asked each of you to draw a white crumpled paper on your sketchpad due for next week. She could have asked you to draw a tree, a portrait, or anything but a white crumpled paper. You continued to whine. Your classmates continued to whine.

Ju-Ho? He just shrugged and exited the room after the announcement.

Your jaw dropped involuntarily, your gaze following him as he strolled. He was the coolest being on earth. He was like those guys in Korean dramas you were fond of watching on YouTube™ – smart… silent… gorgeous.

“Wanna know a secret, Yoo-Ra?” someone suddenly whispered. “He likes you.”

You turned around and saw Lee Sang-Hun – your childhood friend. He went to the same preschool and middle school as you. In college, Sang-Hun was still there. He was ‘the guy that never frowned’. If today was the end of the world, Sang-Hun would still be smiling. Sometimes you wonder if he would still wear that smile on your funeral.

He fixed his cap over his black hair and pushed back his titanium eyeglasses. He flashed a grin, “And you like him too, don’t you?”

Of course, it was an absurd thing to believe. Besides, Sang-Hun was Sang-Hun. You often tease him, saying that he accidentally swallowed a joke-book when he was still a little kid.

But the ‘liking Ju-Ho’ part - he was right, wasn’t he?

“That’s impossible. How could he like me?”

Sang-Hun retorted with a huge grin. “Why don’t you check this out?”

“What is that?”

“He asked me to give it to you.”

“He?”

He handed to you a scented envelope. Curiously, you pulled the seal up to open it. And there it was – a neatly folded paper with Ju-Ho’s legible handwriting and two ribbons of equal length, green and red. Your eyes widened in disbelief, a pink tint spread on your cheeks.

“Kim Ju-Ho gave me this?!”

Sang-Hun paused for a while. Then, he scratched his head and flashed a grin once again.

“Hey, don’t get too excited!” Sang-Hun suddenly pulled the letter from your grasp.

He folded his arms on his chest and said, “Things like this… Shouldn’t girls be reading this kind of stuff in their bedroom? You know… so that they can squeal right after or something like that… Not in the classroom where everyone’s around.”

“Everyone’s going home, duh…”

“So why can’t you wait, duh…” Sang-Hun rolled his eyes, handing the letter back to you.

You and Sang-Hun always walked home together. Why not if his house was beside yours? Even now on your college years, your apartments were right in front of each other. He was like your shadow; he was always with you.

You found it hard to believe that Ju-Ho actually liked you. At home, you immediately headed for your room and excitedly opened the love letter given by Mr. Dream Guy and, just as Sang-Hun predicted, you squealed like a fan girl in a Super Junior concert.

“I’ll bring you two together,” Sang-Hun winked at you. “I’ll be your bridge.”

You were surprised when, the next morning, Kim Ju-Ho began talking to your more often than usual. During sketch class, he would lean towards you once in a while to check your work, which was unfortunately nowhere as good as his. He would teach you a couple of techniques. Some more shade here… Fix this… Erase this… This one’s offset… Then, while you were busy sharpening your pencil, he would glance at you secretly from time to time. He thought you didn’t notice. You pretended not to notice.

I’m happy whenever I’m with you…

I‘m not good at expressing my feelings through words…

I even needed a friend’s help to express to you how I feel…

But I really like you Yoo-Ra...

Ever since the day I met you…

And you couldn’t help but smile whenever you recall those words written by Kim Ju-Ho.

The following days became different. Sang-Hun would drag Ju-Ho towards your lunch table to make him sit beside you during breaks. Sang-Hun would pat Ju-Ho on the back, signaling him to help you carry your books and sketchpads. Then, you would walk amidst the shady trees along the pathway leading to your school, holding each other’s hands. He would take you home after watching a good, romantic movie. He even helped you sketch that ‘white crumpled paper’ project of yours. You couldn’t have submitted it without Ju-Ho’s help.

And you wouldn’t be together now if it weren’t for Lee Sang-Hun.

Sang-Hun…

You suddenly remembered him. It has been a long time since you last walked home together. In fact, it has been a long time since you last talked to him, except for a few casual hellos.

As you closed the door, ready to call it a day, your gaze fell upon the calendar hung on your bedroom wall. It’s Wednesday night. On Friday, it’s going to be your 20th birthday. On Saturday, it was the ‘Bridge Day’.

I will wait for your answer on the 14th of June.

The answer…

The ribbon of decision…

The next day, Sang-Hun approached you after class. He told you that Ju-Ho wished to invite you over to dinner on the night of your birthday. With that usual cheerful face, how could you say no? When you looked over to Ju-Ho, he was smiling back at you. That was all it took for you to agree.

That was your first dinner date ever. You wore a pretty dress, a ribbon on your hair. You sprayed on your rarely-used, fragrant perfume and painted your lips pink. You and Ju-Ho talked about millions of things – architecture, sketching, politics, rock bands, David Cook, Final Fantasy… You were surprised of his openness that you totally forgot that Kim Ju-Ho a.k.a. ‘Mr. Shy-But-Oh-So-Cool-Guy’ once existed. He was wearing a really neat black coat, a tie around his neck. His hair was newly cut and he smelled good too. He was looking at you with his gorgeous eyes. Ju-Ho was perfect.

And that moment, you were attracted to him.

You felt as if you were that green ribbon tied tightly around the rope.

Ju-Ho drove you back to your apartment. He offered to walk you straight to your doorstep, but you said that you’ll be fine by yourself. He leaned over to give you a gentle kiss on your cheek.

In a whisper, he said –

“I’ll wait for your answer… See you at the bridge tomorrow, Park Yoo-Ra… Happy Birthday.”

With a bedazzled smile on your face, you climbed the stairs leading to your room.

But midway, you suddenly stopped.

Something… is missing…

“Sang-Hun?”

“Happy Birthday!”

He stood there in front of your door, holding a chocolate-flavored cake – your favorite. There was a lighted candle on top of it.

“Blow!”

Sang-Hun has done this same thing for the past twelve years. He has learned how to bake from his mom, and now that both of you were living away from your families for college, he was the only one left to greet you in this ‘usual’ way.

You finally realized why you suddenly felt as if you were a puzzle missing a piece.

Lee Sang-Hun…

The missing puzzle piece…

After you blew your birthday candle, you were surprised to see champagne atop your dinner table. Sang-Hun led you to your seat, and then took a knife to serve you a slice of his specially-made cake. He poured you a glass of champagne and said –

“A toast to our friendship!”

You talked and laughed as you celebrated your birthday with some good champagne and a tasty chocolate cake just like the old times –

Only this time, it was only you and him.

That night, he was not wearing his cap and eyeglasses. His hair was messy, yet it looked good on him. The lights were set at dim and, as the candle swayed along with the faint wind seeping from the nearby window, you suddenly began to notice that his eyes were enigmatically stunning. He still had that little scar across his lip, which he got from falling from a tree after saving your cat when you were still little. He used to be a short kid. You were fond of calling him Happy while you pretended to be Snow White.

Like a prince from a fairy tale, Sang-Hun suddenly reached for your hand. He popped in a CD, which played a romantic ballad. He led you to the balcony and danced with you beneath the starry night sky. It was just like your previous birthdays – people dancing to the music’s beat, only this time, the music was not by Britney Spears or Rihanna.

It was just like your previous birthdays, except that this time, it was only you and him.

And you were surprised when your arms seemingly acted on its own, crawling to his back, pulling him towards you in a warm embrace. Your heart raced when he did the same. He did not speak a single word, and neither did you. Instead, you continued to sway along the music, the soft wind passing by from time to time; and as it blows hard enough to make you chill, he would pull you even closer, shielding you from the frosty cold with his arms.

You realized that you were too close – close enough to hear his heartbeat. You have never heard a more beautiful sound.

And then, he said softly –

“Happy Birthday, Yoo-Ra…”

Then, he reached for your face to caress your cheek. Your eyes were wide open. Your face was all red. You were not able to resist when he slowly pulled your chin towards him and gently kissed your lips, closing his eyes as he whispered those words to your ear –

“I love you.”

The next day, you arrived at the Love Letter Bridge, the two ribbons on your grasp. You looked over to the other side of the bridge. Kim Ju-Ho was there, smiling and patiently waiting for you to tie the ‘ribbon of decision’ onto the rope.

You took a deep breath. Ju-Ho was a great guy. All those times you spent together were irreplaceable. You swore to treasure it, to keep each moment cherished in your heart.

But then, you slowly pulled the red ribbon and tied it around the rope.

“I’m sorry… Ju-Ho…”

You said these words, tears rolling down your cheeks.

Red…

Ju-Ho should ‘turn around and leave’. Instead of doing so, unexpectedly, he advanced towards you with a smile on his face. He picked up the green ribbon you accidentally dropped on the floor of the bridge and handed it back to you.

“J…Ju-Ho…”

“Here,” Ju-Ho smiled. “Tie it around the bridge.”

“The… bridge?”

Ju-Ho pointed behind you. You wasted no time. You immediately turned around and saw Lee Sang-Hun, walking towards you with his usual grin.

“S… Sang-Hun!”

“Geez…” Sang-Hun scratched his head bashfully. “I didn’t expect things to come to this. I’m sorry for the bother, Ju-Ho. I didn’t mean to get you involved in this…”

“It’s okay, man,” Ju-Ho answered.

Suddenly, you were confused, “Wait… What’s going on?”

“Stupid…” Sang-Hun pouted. “Didn’t you read the letter?”

“Of course I read it!”

“Read it again.”

“Huh?”

“Just do it,” Sang-Hun repeated.

Then, you took out the letter from the envelope and read it aloud.

After doing so, you shrugged, "What now?"

“Read it until the end,” Sang-Hun smiled.

You could not believe your eyes the moment you read the signature at the end.

Love,

Sang-Hun

How could you have missed it?

“The letter… was from you?!”

“I didn’t say it was from Ju-Ho, did I?” Sang-Hun shrugged. “I asked Ju-Ho to help me write it. My handwriting is ugly and I didn't know how to write a love letter. You immediately assumed it was from Ju-Ho, though. I didn’t wish to see you disappointed, and so I asked Ju-Ho to keep up with the act until today…”

“Sang-Hun…”

“I hope you’re not mad…”

Then, you walked towards him. You took the green ribbon on your hand and tied it around his arm.

“I’m not mad,” you replied. “See, I just tied a green ribbon around the bridge…”

And with a grin, you whispered to his ear –

-

“So, will you please grab me now and kiss me, Lee Sang-Hun?”

hiro-0911 DOT blogspot DOT com