She scanned around the beautiful honeymoon suite. Other than the king size bed, there's only a two-seats sofa at the living area which Ji Hyo thought it's too small for the muscular Jong Kook to sleep on. Her eyes were watching him from where she stood. He seemed to be happy. The fact that there's not enough space to separate their area doesn't bother him at all, but to her it was the biggest concern at the moment.

Once he's done unpacking his stuff, Jong Kook sat on his 'bed' and rested his head with his eyes closed. He took a deep breath and exhaled - releasing the tiredness after a long journey to reach the hotel. Ji Hyo felt guilty just by looking at how restless he was. She sat next to the man, then gave him a massage on his stiff shoulder as a way to thank Jong Kook for putting much effort in arranging their first vacation. "You can rest on my bed for a while, oppa. I don't want you to stress yourself today," her lips formed a sincere smile for him.

Her sudden affection warmed his heart in an instant. Ji Hyo always paid attention to his needs without having him to say a word. That's one of many qualities that she possessed as a woman, which made him fall for his wife each time he spent with her. Ji Hyo might not be the most beautiful or lady-like person he ever met, but her presence never fails to attract him as a man. He knew that he loves her. He realized he couldn't live without her. But fate trapped him in a complicated situation, hence putting a distance between them though they were so near to each other.

"Ji Hyo aah," he called her softly. Their eyes met, and she stared at him with curiosity, "Ne oppa?"

"Do you remember the time we first met?" he asked.

She nodded, "I do. What about it?"

"The way you look at me right now.. it's the same as you did on that day. I can never forget that."

"Aah.. oppa. How can you possibly remember that? It was like.. years ago," she refused to believe him.

"You'll be surprised to know how much I savoured every moment," he proudly said with a big smile plastered on his face.

She removed her hands from his shoulder, "Oppa.. is that the reason why you brought me here? To relive our memories?"

Jong Kook knew what was on Ji Hyo's mind, "Gwaenchana. I know that I'm not supposed to cross the line as a friend. But I just want to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For not looking at me as your enemy.. and for giving me a chance to be your friend. I truly appreciate that. Jeongmal."

She just responded with a weak smile. Honestly Ji Hyo couldn't stand to stare into Jong Kook's eyes for too long without feeling his pain. It was obviously hard for him to see her as a friend, and so does herself. But Ji Hyo had to admit that their relationship is over the moment they have agreed to divorce, so she chose not to waste her tears by mourning over their breakup when there's another man waiting in line to cure her broken heart.

"Oppa.. do you want to rest first before we go for lunch?" she glanced at her wrist watch as her empty stomach began to growl. It was almost 1 in the afternoon, and they haven't break for food since morning. Jong Kook stood up and do a little stretching, "Aah.. I almost forgot about it. Let me wash my face before we go." She trailed him with her eyes till he disappeared into the bathroom, then dragged her feet to the balcony. The view from the suite was breathtaking, and she loves the smell of fresh air that travelled through her nostrils.

Once he's ready, Jong Kook came out and searched for Ji Hyo. He saw her standing at the balcony, enjoying the beautiful view from the 12th floor of the hotel. He approached his wife from behind - carefully not to make a sound that will disturb her focus. As he stood behind her, Jong Kook gently wrapped his hands around her waist. Ji Hyo was surprised by his action, "Omo! What are you doing?"

"Protecting you from falling.. so you can enjoy the view safely in my arms," he casually replied and rested his chin on her shoulder. Though she wanted to free herself from his cuddle, but her fast beating heart weakened her will to resist the man's charm. In the end, they stayed in the same position for more than a minute - just staring at the horizon and keeping one another warm as the wind blew onto their skin.

"Ji Hyo aah.. today.. will you let me take care of you as a friend?" he softly whispered.

She was confused by his strange request, "Mwo?"

"You know.. to look after your needs, to make you smile all day.. I want to do all that. For you."

She turned her body around to face him, "But why?"

"Because it's you," he smiled, then grabbed her hands firmly as he continued, "Even when we're just friends.. I want to have that privilege to protect you. Like a guardian angel."

"Jong Kook oppa.."

He swiftly placed his index finger on her lips to stop her from responding, "Jaebal. This is the only way for me to repent all the pain that I've put you through. I know it's not enough to deserve your forgiveness.. but I'll do my very best to make you happy. Can you.. give me that opportunity?"

She slowly nodded. Though she was contemplating, Ji Hyo decided to agree with his request. She felt his sincerity to make things right between them, so it was timely for them to reflect upon their current situation. As he was too happy with her response, Jong Kook gave his wife a hug, "Gomawo.. it means a lot to me." Ji Hyo almost cried when she heard him sobbing on her shoulder, and her hand naturally travelled on his back - patting it lightly to console the emotional Jong Kook.

"Oppa.. you know I couldn't hate you, right? So don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," she said. They detached themselves and exchanged smile. The wound in their heart gradually healed, and now the SpartAce is ready to move on. "So.. shall we go for lunch now? I know a place that serves the best bulgogi in town," Jong Kook locked his hand with Ji Hyo and walked with her to the main door. "Oppa.. shouldn't we put on our face mask before we go out? What if someone recognize us?" Ji Hyo reminded him of their surroundings.

Previously, he would be the one who insisted to keep their identity as a secret. But not today. Jong Kook wanted to 'date' his wife publicly, despite that will expose them to the lense of others. "Gwaenchana. If people ask what are we doing here.. we'll just tell them that we have a mission," he merely replied. Her eyes widened as she was surprised to see his reaction, "Oppa! What if the media saw us? Aren't you worried that they might speculate something? Even worse.. what if they found out that we used to be husband-and-wife?"

"Then we'll  just tell them the truth! I'm done keeping the secret, Ji Hyo. It's time to come out from the shadow and set ourselves free," he replied. The truth is, he planned to let everybody know about his feeling for Ji Hyo. He wanted to officially 'declare' her as his woman. He needed to capture her heart by showing that he wasn't afraid to love her - despite strong opposition from his family. 'When the world knows about us.. there's nothing he can do about it,' his inner voice whispered as he set his mind to go against his own father.