'Truly together for 8 years': A young Malaysian couple's love story sparks heart emojis

In case you haven't yet been struck by Cupid’s arrow this Valentine’s Day, reading a Facebook post by Malaysian Koh Yeefon might just do the trick. 

His post about his 8-year relationship with his high school sweetheart Sim Jia Ning has been shared over 22,000 times, and has sparked thousands of well-wishers in the comments section, many of whom were heartened by the newlywed couple’s romantic journey.

Mr Koh, who is in his 20s, wrote in the post that their story began in 2012 when he had just transferred to a high school in Butterworth, Penang. There, he met Ms Sim as both were on the volleyball team.

He remembers how it was love at first sight for him: "I only remember the school bell going off one day after school. In that sea of people I called out to you, you turned and smiled at me. I didn't care if it was childish or mature – in that instant, I felt my heart flutter."

Mr Koh confessed his feelings only a year later after the pair had grown closer, thus sparking the beginning of their romance.

After they got together, Mr Koh described how his days “were filled with her”. 

Every day after school, they would sit on a stone bench at the school’s back gate, waiting for her mother to fetch her. They would also have meals and study together, or go to the movies.

"It was all you," he said.

When high school ended, the couple found themselves at the crossroads. 

But Mr Koh did not want to be in a long-distance relationship, so he gave up a university course he wanted and enrolled in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) – the university she had chosen – to be closer to her.

Their relationship would continue during their four years at university, as they went through various challenges.

Mr Koh recalled how they squeezed into a small room and would cook their own meals to save money.

Even though they had a huge fight during their second year of university, they never left each other's side, he said.

The pair also got “couple tattoos” in 2018. "It hurt, it really hurt,” said Mr Koh of the inking. “But I won't let go. Just like our tattoos – once I've decided, it's going to be for the rest of my life. Just like our love."

After graduating, they lived together and began an online business.

Hospitalised

Ms Sim was admitted to hospital in 2021 when the side effects of painkillers following a dental procedure affected her stomach and kidney.

Mr Koh stayed by her side throughout her six days in the ward. Before she was discharged, Ms Sim received a text message from her mother saying, "Grandma says Yeefon treats you well. You can marry him."

She told Mr Koh about it, and he then took a bouquet of flowers in the ward – given by one of her friends who had visited – and proposed.

She said yes, of course.

"I never thought I would propose in a hospital… I was so unprepared. But we already knew the answer in our hearts. At that moment, we were the most blissful."

The couple got married in May and as of September 2021, they have been together for 100 months.

"Some people have been together for 10 years, but the time that they spent really being with each other may only have been two years... We've been together for eight years. Truly being with each other for eight years," Mr Koh wrote.