Chaewon didn't expect that she would be missing him that severely.

When she was away spending her three weeks vacation travelling around Europe, she didn't really feel it. She was too occupied by the thrill to explore every city she stopped by. She woke up in the morning with excitement for the day's plan and was dead tired when she got back to the hotel late at night. On top of that, her closest friends were there with her all through the days.

Of course, she did miss him. They talked on the phone well and she sent him pictures of interesting places and stuffs she found that made her thought about him. However, there were too many distractions, that his lack of physical presence in her life didn’t really hit her.

When she got back to Seoul, they had around one week left before his departure schedule. Out of it, they could see each other for two days, and then off he departed to Greece with the crew and few of his co-stars. It all started after that day.

They went through the first week just fine. He arrived in Zakintos after twenty hours of flight and was able to rest for two days because the crew was busy setting the filming set. Out of the prediction, the weather was unaccommodating for the shoots as it kept raining hard for a few days. Although a little bit unfortunate, it gave him lots of free time to talk to her on the phone. Thus, even though he was far away, it just felt like he was around.

However, his shooting schedule became extremely packed starting on the second week. The crew and all the actors needed to catch up with all the delays from the first week. As a consequence, they had to spend the days and nights taking films without a break.

It was the hardest time for them, the second and the third week. She was so used to seeing him went in and out of her place at least once in a week, but there was no one now. Suddenly, everything felt overwhelming; her longing for him and the realization he had planted his place so well in her heart that his absence was making her feeling miserable.

To make it worse, their communication wasn't working well. 

His schedule and the time differences made it hard to call each other regularly. Even replying to a message would take him forever. When he finally had the time for a phone call, he sounded worn out that she ended up nagging out of concern about his health.

“Instead of doing useless thing like this, get some sleep while you can.”

She had told him.

But, he had long to talk to her, to listen to her stories; how she was doing, what did she do when he wasn’t around; and to tell her his stories; that it was hard but fun at the same time, that the place was really beautiful he had wished she was there to see with her own eyes. So, her saying that he was doing some “useless thing” by calling her angered him. The fatigue from working non-stop made him more sensitive than he usually was that he ended up raising his voice at her.

"Come on! I didn't want to hear your nag right now! I have enough people saying that to me already!"

Maybe because she had been feeling lonely that she too was even more sensitive than she usually was. His tone of speaking and his choice of words pricked her right on the heart. She thought, it was not like she knew that people had been telling him that. Also, she said it because she cared and worried for him. Didn't she have the right to do that much? They were in a relationship, right?

"Fine, do whatever you want."

She felt like being wronged that the moment she ended the call, she burst crying.

For three days, she didn't contact him at all. She needed time to sort her thoughts, to rationalize everything, to calm herself down. She asked herself why she felt so hurtful. She should've been more understanding, he was tired and he was not the type to show his fatigue to the people he worked with. Out of all people, she knew that, so she should be more understanding. But, it didn’t stop her from feeling sad over him lashing out on her when all she wanted to do was to make sure he stayed well.

He also didn’t try to call. After contemplating so much, he realized he was more on the wrong side. He could just respond to her nag lightly, why did he have to be so sensitive over it? Chaewon had never seen him being angry, had never heard of him raising his voice because there was no reason for him to act like that for the past months they were dating. It must have come as shocking to her. Still, it was not easy for him to put his ego aside, and the strong desire to be understood.

On the fourth day after their argument, he finally left a message on her phone. He told her to take her time, but to please text him back as soon she was ready to talk. Her reply came six hours later, and he called her right after his shoot over that night.

"I'm sorry for lashing out on you last time,” his apology rung out through the call connection.

He could hear her heavy intake of breath from the other line.

"It really hurt me when you yelled at me like that,” she spoke, “but I was wrong too. I should have been more considerate with your situation. I’m sorry, I was being sensitive. It’s taking a toll on me, not being able to see you.”

There was a coma pause before she continued to say the words she had really wanted to say.

“I miss you,” she finally confessed, “so much.”

Thousand miles away from Seoul, Joongki clutched on his phone hard, his eyes closed tight.

"I miss you too, terribly," he whispered.

Suddenly her tears just ran down on her cheeks. She couldn't see him at the moment, but she could feel how heavy his words were.

"I guess you've spoiled me too much. Even if I kept scolding you whenever you appeared at my door late at night or at dawn after your shoot, it doesn't mean I wasn't happy to see you there. I have gotten used to you being around all the time that us being at the different parts of the world like this is giving me a hard time. It's so silly when I know you'll be back after ten days," she rambled on in between her sniffs.

“What is this? I feel like a five years old kid begging her parents to come back from work.”

He knew she was trying to joke it off, but he couldn’t smile at it.

She had never cried before, not for the past months, not when they worked together and the working condition was really hard for, not in their last day of filming the drama, not even when she received her awards.

It hit him hard to hear that she was crying, and the reason of it was him.

Words failed him. He sat there still just listening to her remaining sniff.

How was it the feeling of knowing your reserved lover crying her heart out because of you?

It was terrible.

From the first time, they had told each other that there was no way their days would only be filled with happiness. As they progress together, of course there would be days where they hated each other or hurt each other. But, words were easy to say. It was torturing when he actually experienced it. Especially, because he was away in a foreign country and she was alone in her flat. If he could, he would fly over right away and hold her in his arms. He wished he could.

“Chaewon-ah,” he finally spoke, “I can’t promise we will never hurt each other anymore in the future, but I promise you I will never do it intentionally. The next time a problem arises, let’s solve it as soon as we can. Don’t let it drag on for days. It was a torture not being able to talk to you. Also, let’s be more honest with each other and don’t hold back. I love you.”

Her sniff stopped completely, and despite him not being able to see it, a big smile appeared on her face after days.

“I agree, I like it. I like the last part the most,” she replied softly.

There in Greece, Joongki counted the days left to go back to his woman and gave her the lesson for flirting with him that way.

.

“I’m going back to your place the first thing I land on Wednesday afternoon.”

Chaewon who was in the middle of eating her dinner stopped her chopstick mid air. It was Monday night, which meant she only had time less than two days.

“I thought you’re going to Daejeon?” she asked.

“I never said so.”

Oh, right, he never mentioned it, but wasn’t it a common sense to go back to his parents’ house first after being away for a month?

“Wouldn’t Omonim and Abeonim want to see you?”

She missed him and had been dying to see him right in front of her eyes, but if she were in his parents’ shoes, she would feel sour if her son put her after his girlfriend. It would be a different story if it was his wife.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll stay at yours for the night and go to see them in the morning. I will be too tired from the flight to drive to Daejeon anyway, the managers too.”

His answer calmed her. It didn’t feel like she was stealing him from his parents anymore.

She picked up her spoon again and continued her meal.

“Do you want to eat anything in particular? I’ll prepare it for you.”

“Really?”

For some reason, Chaewon didn’t feel good about something in his voice. It gave her the same tinge that she got whenever he was up to some mischief.

“I’m thinking of doing so,” she answered hesitantly, “what is it that you want to eat?”

“You.”

She choked on her food.

“Oppa!”

.

Chaewon sat on the couch in her living room. She touched her dress again, fixing its end that fell right below her knees. Just then, she rose up, walking to the dining table to check on the food. She inspected every bowl and plate, arranging it again for the nth times that day.

In just a few minutes, Joongki would arrive in her doorstep.

She didn’t understand why she was being feeling nervous. She wasn’t like that when they first started dating. She never even cared if he saw her bare face. Why was she putting all these efforts now?

She went to her bedroom, checking her self in the mirror again.

Is this too much? Is this too obvious?

She decided to erase the red lipstick, and changed to a softer pink color. She observed her reflection again, thinking if it would make her look a bit pale. Maybe she should use another color?

Ding…dong…ding…dong.

She jumped in her place at sound of the bell. Hurriedly, she put the lip cream back to her dressing table. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror once again, tidying her dress and hair.

He appeared on her intercom, with a hat and hoodie hiding his face.

Her heart skipped a beat, then it started beating really fast. Both corners of went up on its own. She felt like she could rip because she couldn’t control the smile that appeared on it. Chaewon knew, she looked like a school girl falling in love for the first time.

Taking her own sweet time, she walked to the door slowly, eager to see him but not wanting to make it obvious. Her left hand was already on the door knob as she took a deep breath, telling her self to manage her expression. With one free hand, she patted both her cheeks, hiding the silly grin. Finally, she opened the door.

The time seemed to stop for both of them as they stood in front of each other, drinking in the view of the figure they had been dying to see.

Suddenly, all of her effort to manage her expression went to waste. She couldn’t stop the smile from appearing as their eyes meet. It went even wider after she saw that he too was grinning from ear to ear.

He took a step forward, and as if hypnotized, she took a step backward. One more step and he passed through the threshold, closing the door behind him.

They were now face to face, head to head, with only a few inches setting them apart. She reached up to him first, caressing his cheek with her right hand, brushing over his cheekbone that was even more apparent than the last time she saw it.

He grabbed it, knowing what went inside her mind, and brought that hand closer to his lips. He left a kiss on the inside of her palm.

“Hello there, sweet girl.”

Her cheeks burst at his sweet talk. She slapped his hand away.

“What are you doing?” she said, “hurry give me a hug.”

“Just hugs? What about the kisses?” he teased.

Chaewon gave him a cunning look.

“Hmmm, I’ll think about it later. Now, hurry!”

What more words he needed? Of course he would comply with his queen’s command.

He sneaked his arms around her small waist and pulled her so their bodies were sticking to each other. He held her so tight, pouring all the emotions and longing he had felt for the time they spent away from each other. Her respond didn’t lose to his. She hugged him back just as tight, as if she was trying to merge into his soul.

He left a peck on the top of her head, lovingly inhaling her pleasant scent.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“Do you think I didn’t?” she retorted, “I almost lost my head because of you.”

And Joongki lifted her from the floor, spinning them around in the place.

Oh, he could go on living forever like this.

.

Author's note :

Hello, beautiful people. Finally, I made it! Finally, I could finish this chapter! I re-read all the previous chapters that I wrote and it hit how cheesy this story had been LOL I cringed at myself for coming up with all the cheesiness. I wanted to add an element of drama, but it didn't work out. I decided I want them to progress in a healthy and "ordinary" relationship, so there will still be problems arise here and there, but I don't want to overdo it.

Lastly, I'm sorry it took me this long to update this chapter. Things happened in real life and I lost the mood to write this story and focused on the other stories instead. I hope this update could be a consolation/support/entertainment for you who are feeling down because of the lack of Chaeki updates and with all the rumors going on. Let's support each Chaewon and Joongki separately, enjoy our ship, and avoid fanwar ^^ See you on the next update.