The studio was cold.
Too quiet for comfort. Bright lights hung overhead, sterile and unblinking. Cameras stood in front of them like sentinels, waiting to capture everything.
Sherri adjusted the microphone clipped to her collar, fingers trembling slightly.
YoungBok noticed.
He reached over and placed his hand gently over hers. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to."
Sherri gave a small smile. "I want to. Not for them. For us. For him."
YoungBok nodded, his throat tight.
They both wore simple white — clean, peaceful, and bare.
This wasn't a scandal defense.
It was a love letter.
The broadcast began.
YoungBok opened first.
"To everyone watching… I'm not here to beg for approval. I'm here to share our truth. Our family, she is not just Hyunjin wife but a sister, a mother,and a friend to me"
Sherri followed, voice soft but clear. "I've worked behind the scenes for years. I never wanted the spotlight — I only ever wanted to protect the ones I love."
She looked into the camera.
"I was thirty when I first admired Hyunjin. I never imagined the universe would place me beside him — and YoungBok — not as a fan, but as family. And now I'm here to say: my love is real. And I'm proud of it."
YoungBok added, voice firm, "We are not hiding. We are not ashamed. Hyunjin is the love of our lives. And we're waiting for him together."
The interview aired that evening.
It exploded.
The fandom split — but this time, not in anger.
Many fans posted pictures of their tears.
"I feel the love. It's real."
"She didn't steal them. She stayed. That's what matters."
"I hated her once… but now I think she's stronger than all of us."
Some still refused to understand.
But the tides were shifting.
That night, they sat together on the living room floor — babies asleep, phones off.
Just them.
Sherri looked at him. "Was it worth it?"
YoungBok met her eyes, soft and steady. "Yes. Because we didn't lie."
She exhaled slowly, laying her head on his shoulder. "I miss him."
"Me too."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Soon."
Then — a knock.
A delivery.
A letter.
From the 3rd Infantry Division.
YoungBok opened the envelope slowly.
Inside — Hyunjin's handwriting.
Bold. Soft. Familiar.
> "To my wife and my husband,
You have no idea how much strength your love gives me every day. I heard about the rumors. I heard what people said.
But I also saw what you did.
I saw the interview.
I saw your hands. Your smiles. Your truth.
And I cried.
Not because I was sad.
But because you made me proud.
You two are my light. My world. My reason.
Only 4 months left. Wait for me. I'll run home.
And we'll shine together again.
I love you.
Always.
— Hyunjin"
Sherri's lips trembled.
YoungBok covered his mouth, tears falling freely.
No pain.
Just love.
Unshaken. Undeniable.