"Oh, the summer night has a smile of light

and she sits on a sapphire throne,

by the firelight."

- Summer Night; Barry Cornwall

~ ~ ~

** Busan - Summer, 2013 **

Ji Hyo laid in bed, resting on her side, the sheet pulled up to her chest. She stared at the wall in front of her, her eyes following the patterned lines of the shadow the window grill casted. The room was void of light, except for the light of the moon seeping through the window. Ji Hyo inhaled. She winced as she started to feel the beginnings of a cramp on her left arm. She shifted her weight and removed her arm from below the pillow. She turned over and lied on her back. She sighed.

A soft groan and some slight movement beside her startled her. She turned her head and took in the vision of Jong Kook in the bed, asleep and under the covers. She blushed. Jong Kook was lying on his front; his head facing her, both his hands hidden under his pillow. The covers had gathered just above his beautiful rear, exposing his tanned muscled back. Ji Hyo turned over fully to her right, resting her right hand under her head. She reached out her left hand and swiped Jong Kook’s wavy bangs away from his eyes. She paused.

He was a vision of perfection. He was beautiful. The raw sight of him, unguarded, open and vulnerable filled her heart with immeasurable warmth. Looking at him then, she had never felt calmer or safer. Her worries and burdens did seem to exist when he’s there, in front of her. In the depths of her heart, she prayed that was where he will always stay.

She bit her bottom lip. She smiled. Her fingertips softly brushed over his eyelids, travelling down the bridge of his nose and finally to his lips. Slowly, she traced the outline of his lips ever so slightly, over the arcs and curves, admiring the perfect long bow it made.

Suddenly a hand grabbed hers, stalling her movements. Ji Hyo gasped in surprise. Eyes still closed, Jong Kook pressed her fingers against his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Why are you still awake?” he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

Ji Hyo let out a breath. “I can’t sleep,” she replied, her voice soft and gentle. Jong Kook slowly opened his eyes and his gaze landed upon hers. He released her hand and shifted his position, now lying on his side, facing her fully. He reached across and palmed her cheek in his hand, his thumb tenderly caressing her jaw.

“Gwenchana? Did I hurt you?” He questioned, his brows furrowed in deep concern.

Ji Hyo shook her head lightly. She lifted her hand and clasped his. “Aniya. Gwenchana, oppa.” She turned her head into his hand and kissed his palm. Jong Kook smiled. “Come here…” He said.

He released her cheek and tugged her arm gently towards him as he turned to lie on his back. Ji Hyo moved, nestling herself by his side, her head resting on his left shoulder as her arm draped across his abdomen. She faintly noted that her s were now pressed up against his warm chest. She blushed. Jong Kook’s right hand rubbed Ji Hyo’s arm while his left pulled her head closer to his. He kissed her temple and wrapped his arm across her back and over her shoulder, hugging her. Ji Hyo sighed in contentment.

“Go to sleep.” He whispered. And not a moment later, Ji Hyo fell into a deep slumber. As she felt herself floating through the dreamscape, she faintly heard his voice, soft and fleeting.

“Saranghae.”

~ ~ ~

** Seoul - Autumn, 2015  **

Ji Hyo’s eyes flew open. She stared at the ceiling above her, her eyes glassy, full of unshed tears. She blinked. A couple drops of tears escape, running down the sides of her eyes and onto her pillow. Another droplet quickly follows. Then another and another, and another. Soon, her vision blurs as more tears filled up. Ji Hyo slapped a hand to as she choked back a sob. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control her cries. She slapped another hand over the first, in a desperate attempt to muffle her sobs. Unable to hold back it any longer, she turned to her side and curled herself into a fetal position. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, pulled her knees close to her chest, begging to a higher power to take the pain away. She let out a strangled cry.

At that moment, she no longer cared who heard her. At that moment, all she wanted to do was cry.

Gary leaned against the wall by the door to her bedroom, his eyes tightly closed, trying to drown out the wails of a broken doll. He slid down the wall and onto the floor. He rested his elbows on top of his bent knees and ran his hand down his face in distress. He wanted nothing more than to run into that room and pull Ji Hyo into his arms, shielding her from whatever was hurting her. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He knew that she needed this. She needed to let it out. For so long, she had kept her emotion in check, never breaking down, and it was slowly eating her up. He knew that in the morning, she would feel lighter, better. He only wished morning would come sooner.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there. He leaned his head closer to the door and listened in. There was silence. It seemed that Ji Hyo had cried herself to sleep. Gary sighed. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. A headache was starting to form.  Slowly, he got up from the floor. He stretched, loosening his tensed muscle. He turned and made his way down the hall and down the stairs. He headed straight for the kitchen. He fumbled for the light switch in the dark. Locating it, he flipped the knob and the kitchen was flooded with light. Gary took a peek at the clock on the wall.

3:12am.

He had been sitting outside of Ji Hyo’s room for almost three hours. He shook his head in disbelief. He made a beeline straight to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk. Kicking the door close with his foot, he crossed the spacious kitchen to the dish rack and grabbed a glass. He turned and walked back to the center island. He poured the milk into the glass and pulled out the island bench. He gulps down the drink as he sits. Finishing the milk in just on gulp, Gary poured himself another glass. He groaned. He shakes his head and reached into his jeans pocket and took out his phone. He dialed a familiar number and brought it to his ear.

“Owh… It’s me. Let’s meet up.”

~ ~ ~

The morning light creeping through the gap between the curtains lit up the otherwise dim room. Ji Hyo groaned as she pulled the comforter over her head trying to block out the light. Her hand grabbed her head as she felt a headache start to build up. She groaned again, regretting crying herself to sleep. She greatly hoped no one had heard her wails last night. Ji Hyo struggled to open her eyes. She had a feeling that she’d probably need to go into the office with her sunglasses on today. After several struggling moments, she finally managed to get her eyes opened. She rubbed her eyes, trying to sooth the swelling. She threw the comforter off her face and laid in place, staring at the ceiling. She turned her head to the bedside table; her phone was propped up against the teddy bear, held in place between its legs and snout.

Ji Hyo reached out and touched the screen. Neon green numbers, 6:52, appeared, indicating the morning hour. Never had she woken before her alarm rang, but that morning, she did. Maybe it was the pounding headache, yes, that was what woke her. Ji Hyo stared blankly at the phone. She sighed. Reluctantly, she threw the covers aside and got out of bed. She padded to her closet and grabbed her outfit for the day before heading to the bathroom. Ever since that first night, she had taken to getting dressed in the bathroom to avoid any more similar incidents.

Shin-Il was having his breakfast when Ji Hyo appeared, head bent and her phone in hand. She was dressed elegantly in black pants, paired with a bejeweled-neckline shirt and a cream collared black blazer. She looked up as she approached her destination and halted when she noticed Shin-Il at the dining table. “Oh! Abeonim. Good morning. When did you get home?” She asked, bowing to the older man. Shin-Il put down his cup of coffee back on its saucer before turning to Ji Hyo. “Ah, good morning Ji Hyo-ah. Sung Hoon gave me a ride back on his way to the office.” He answered, smiling.

Ji Hyo walked towards the table and settled herself across from Shin-Il. She put her phone into her purse and set it on the chair next to her. “It must be nice to spend the night with Sarang.” She said as she reached out to pour herself a cup of coffee. Shin-Il nodded. “Ne. Aih.. I cannot believe how fast they grow up. One moment they’re just a size of your palm, next, they’re jumping on your backs.” Shin-Il recounted, laughing heartily. Ji Hyo just grinned, amused at Shin-Il’s excitement. She took a sip of her coffee.

“So, where did you go after you and Gary left? I heard the both of you didn’t get in till late.” Shin-Il asked innocently. Ji Hyo avoided the older man’s gaze as she reached out for a toast. “Ah, ye. Umm… he brought me to see the stars.” She answered as she buttered her toast and bit into it. Shin-Il brought his coffee to his lips, hiding his satisfied smile. “Ah jinjja? Did he take care of you well?”

“Ne, abeonim.”

“That’s good.”

Ji Hyo cleared . She looked at her watch and then to the stairs, searching for any sign of Gary. Shin-Il noticed and asked her unspoken question out loud. “Gary odiya?” The butler who had just came in the room paused in his steps and answered, “Doryeon-nim is unwell, Ju in-nim. He asked to be excused for breakfast.” Ji Hyo and Shin-Il turned to the butler, surprised. “Unwell?” Shin-Il enquired. The butler nodded, “Ne, ju in-nim. It seems doryeon-nim is running a fever. I’m about to