My dearest,
I find it hard to know where to begin this letter.
There’s so much I’ve carried quietly in my heart—
words I should have said long ago,
but never quite found the way to.
We’ve crossed so many seasons together.
Like the blooming and fading of flowers,
we’ve laughed, we’ve argued,
we’ve grown.
And somewhere between all those ordinary days,
I became used to your presence.
But it was only later I realized
just how precious that presence truly is.
I often wonder—
if not for you,
how would I have endured
the long, heavy hours of life?
You were the one
who filled the silences in my days.
When the weight of the world pulled me down,
you didn’t lecture—
you simply placed a quiet hand on my back.
Even when my words fell short,
when my heart failed to fully express itself,
you remained—
unwaveringly, mine.
My love,
every day I’ve lived with you
has been a gift.
Not just the shining, easy moments—
but the tiring, mundane ones, too.
Because in all of them,
you were there.
Some say love fades with time.
But I’ve learned from you
that love can deepen instead.
That it can weather the years
and emerge more graceful than before.
Thank you—
for staying.
For standing beside me
without condition or complaint.
For believing not just in who I am,
but in how I try to live.
I love you.
Even now,
the very fact that you are beside me
is the surest blessing of my life.
The days I’ve shared with you
are the most beautiful season I’ve ever known.
And they still are.
A Letter to Mark 25 Years of Love and Life Together
Always yours,
Hyuncheong KIM
