Five years ago, I made this scrapbook as a birthday present for the man who was destined to be my husband. Our relationship was long~distance, and we couldn’t go on a date to celebrate his birthday, like most couples usually do, so I thought that since we couldn’t be together, we could relive the special moments we’ve shared by having our very own love story to read and reread until we get old.
My husband has kept this scrapbook and taken good care of it, that’s why it looks good as new. It’s supposed to be personal, something shared between me and him, but later, I have learned that most of the members of his ‘clan’ (figuratively speaking) have seen and read it… so why not share it with the world?
Here it goes… the humble beginning of our LOVE. ^^
Once there was a lady…
And she was lonely…
Then she met a man…
He was lonely, too… (Maybe)
Every night they would see each other…
To study English and talk and be silly…
And he would walk her home after class…
Even when it rained…
He would always say, “Good night. See you in dreams…”
And when she slept…
She would think of him…
And how kind he had been…
When he went to Korea for two months…
She missed him everyday…
She didn’t know why…
Two months seemed too long…
But then he would call her,
And say he missed her, too…
That made her very happy…
The two people who used to be lonely…
Were not lonely anymore…
They had each other…
First as friends…
Then maybe more than friends… (???)
One night, however, he made her cry…
But he never knew it…
She had to hide her tears when he said…
“I like you more than a friend but it’s not love…”
She never understood what he meant…
But still he was kind…
And sweet…
And caring…
She cared about him, too…
She cared a lot…
When he was sick, she wanted to take care of him…
When he was sad and bored, she wanted to be there for him…
When he had a bad day from work, she wanted to cheer him up…
Until one time he kissed her…
But with that kiss came tears that welled up in her heart…
He said, “I want to say I love you, but I can’t…”
A few weeks after that, he went to Korea…
The night he left, he didn’t tell her…
He didn’t say goodbye…
He probably didn’t want to see her hurt and cry…
But when she found out he was gone…
She cried a lot…
She thought of him everyday…
And dreamt of him every night…
She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t forget…
Or maybe she knew but she wouldn’t say it…
She has loved him with a love that is beyond the stars…
And how she missed him…
Then one night he called her and said…
“I LOVE YOU… I’m sure that I love you…”
He promised he was coming back…
She promised him something, too…
When they see each other again…
She waited…
And waited…
And just when she thought he wasn’t coming back…
He came…
There he was, standing at her classroom’s doorstep…
With that handsome smile she was longing to see…
She was very, very, very happy…
And so was he…
For more than two years, she had wanted to know…
She had wanted to hear him say it right in front of her…
And mean every word…
She had wanted to tell him, too…
So as they were in the car one evening…
She asked him…
From being friends, they have become lovers…
At the same place where they had their first kiss,
They said, “I LOVE YOU…”
And now…
That is all that matters…
Another night came…
She kept her promise…
Under the moon and the stars and the trees…
They embraced and kissed…
Although he couldn’t stay long…
She knows when she took him to the airport…
It wasn’t the end of a love that has grown more deeply through the years…
Perhaps it was only the beginning…
He told her not to be sad, because they will see each other again…
He was right…
Today is his birthday…
And they will see each other again…
To watch the cherry blossoms together in spring… (His favorite season)
And embrace…
And kiss…
Never to let go.
I carry your heart with me always. I love you, my lovely Chris. ~~~ Ra Hyoung Kwan (Khan)
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From Korea with Love 
May 9, 2023 at 2:03 am
When you have trouble falling asleep because reality has finally surpassed your dreams, you know you’re in love.
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September 27, 2016 at 7:04 am
i am cryiiiiing. omg this is so sweet po… i never knew na may ganto papalang korean guys 🙂 i have heard a lot of stories from my tita, na puro sinungaling and sa umpisa lang daw sila sweet… i am officialy a fan of you ate and your love story ^^.
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May 28, 2016 at 9:30 am
i am very envious. haha! if you ever happen to see this.. i want to congratulate you. for finding one great love. aaw! ❤ im so in love with koreanovelas and saw this blog by unexpected chance. I hope to experience such a lovely story like yours if possible. yayks ❤ hope youre having more and more and more love everyday ❤
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October 12, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Oh, I want my readers to smile as they read it, and feel the love… but thank you for appreciating it. ^^♡
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October 12, 2014 at 12:24 pm
i love this story very much!
it made my eyes teary!
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May 11, 2014 at 12:46 pm
I mean your post make* me eyes teary. 🙂
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May 11, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Hi there, just stumbled upon your blog and your post story my eyes teary. I have to stop my tears. My fiance has left me in the Philippines for four times to go back to South Korea as he works there as an English Teacher in the Province of Cheongchungnam-do. It hurts so much to be away from the one that you love so much, the one that you want to spend all your time, the one who’s so precious to you. Sigh. I am holding on, we will be together again soonest and never have to be apart again. God bless you. Thank you for sharing your story.
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June 22, 2013 at 8:22 am
Hi, Miumiu. =) Don’t worry too much about what Koreans will think of you. Not all Koreans have prejudice against their fellow SE Asians. Before I came to Korea, I worked here as an ESL teacher, but I lived in a small town then, more like the countryside. People in the countryside are more coy towards foreigners; people in the city (in Seoul, especially) are friendlier, not that they would come up to you, introduce themselves and make friends with a total stranger… but if you talk to them to ask for directions or assistance, they will most probably help you. In the city, though, people are always in a hurry. They bump into you and won’t stop to say sorry. If you trip or fall, for instance, you are on your own. Don’t expect anybody to help you. You will most likely be ignored, unless you ask for help. That happened to me many times… I am clumsy, you see.
I think I have adapted well to Korean culture. It wasn’t easy, but I got used to things and people around here after a year. You should learn Korean if you want to have a more comfortable life in here. Though hubby and I communicate in English, I have to learn Korean for my in-laws and well, basically for everybody I meet outside, without my husband acting as a translator/chaperon all the time.
Good luck. Don’t fret. Enjoy your life in SK. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. =) I’ll try my best to answer them. ^^
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June 21, 2013 at 6:07 pm
I am married to a korean man a few months ago.. Are you adapting well in korea? Is it alright to be married to a korean and living in Seoul? We are relocating ourselves from my country to korea. I have no idea what to expect although I have been to seoul with my friends a few times. Would people frown because I am from SEA? I have tanned complexion.
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April 26, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Hi, Shiela. ^^ My husband and I have known each other for years before we tied the knot, but like other multi-cultural couples, we’ve had our differences. How did we overcome them? First of all, I think I am very fortunate to have a husband who understands me and cares a lot about me that he is willing to set aside his “ego” when we argue about certain things. Of all those things you’ve mentioned, it was only the drinking that I didn’t like. My husband is not an alcoholic, but Korean men “do” drink more than Filipino married men do. My husband and I used to argue about “the drinking”, but we talked about it, and now we have sort of a compromise agreement. He doesn’t drink that often. Communication helps a lot. Every time my husband and I don’t agree about something, we talk about it NICELY. We have learned to solve our problems as time went by.
Regarding clubbing, it was never a problem with my husband. He was 33 when we got married, not that young for clubbing. In Korea, clubs are mostly for younger men and women who are “single”. I don’t think “clubbing” or too much clubbing is one of the problems women here encounter with their husbands. Men as old as my husband (or older) go to hoffs or bars to drink with their friends when they want to chill out, but bars here are not the same as the bars we have back home. A bar in Korea is simply a place for drinking. =)
As for Koreans not wanting to marry or be in a relationship with South East Asians, I will have to disagree. There are many Koreans who are in a relationship with someone from SEA; some Koreans are even married to SEA’s.
Lastly, while it is true that Korean men are different from the men back home, to say “they” (Koreans) are different because of this or that would be unfair. All men are different in so many ways… but once you marry a Korean, you have to be ready to embrace his culture and accept and learn to live with your cultural differences.
I hope I din’t make your eyes sore with this lengthy reply. Thank you for following the blog.
THE BEST OF LUCK TO YOU. =)
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April 24, 2013 at 9:47 am
hi chris.. i love reading your blog. =)
i was in relationship with korean man, however, the culture different seem to be a problem, e.g drinking habit, clubbing and also korean does not “like” south east asian. how you overcome it? how is korean man for real? are they dramatic? (they are so different from our man)
anyway, your husband look kinda similar to mine
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March 28, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Thank you, Cyndrel. ^^ May you have a wonderful love story to tell, too. (That is, if you haven’t found your prince yet. ^^)
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March 28, 2013 at 10:26 am
*sigh*…
watta wonderful story!!! daebak!!! ^.^
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February 12, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Mushy, mushy, mushy. ^^
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February 5, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Love love love!!
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January 21, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Very sweet story and great little scrapbook that you made! I am in love with a wonderful man but I don’t have a scrapbook of our love! I think that is a great idea and mabye something that I might tackle one day!
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February 3, 2012 at 9:12 pm
you’ve got an amazing blog here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my blog?
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January 30, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Thanks, Brendz. ^^ We may be lucky to find true love, but our husbands are luckier to have found us. Aaaw! ^^
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January 30, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Cris..I felt your heart here…I felt you had send me to that time and felt that I was there…to witness everything.
Now..you made me think of my own love story..and thought… we are but a few who were very lucky to find true love.
Hope the next time we see each other …we both see each other walking hand in hand with the one we love…both old and grey!^_^
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January 27, 2012 at 12:41 pm
…and be loved. =)
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January 22, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Lovely! The greatest thing in life is to love.
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January 21, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Thank you. I was inspired and in love when I made it… still “inspired and in love” to this day. ^^
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January 21, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Very sweet! Looks like a lot of hard and detailed work went into it… not to mention love 🙂
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