*SHK’s POV*

“Yes, Mia, I’m on my way,” I say before hanging up to focus on driving as I head towards Hyatt Hotel where I am to meet one of my business partners, Mia Kang and attend the said hotel’s 5th anniversary party. Being in the business industry for several years already, I am very much aware that as much as this party is all about celebrating the hotel’s success, it is also an event where people from the business community can socialize and build fresh connections. And that is what we’re doing now.

Mia told me that one of the biggest companies in Seoul is interested in our designs and would like to partner with us as they build a new hotel abroad. She still wouldn’t reveal which company it is as she would like for it to be ‘surprise,’ but the thought of a big company taking interest in us really excites me, not that we haven’t partnered with other big companies before. We have and in fact, our modern and sophisticated designs have been highly sought after these months.  But still, the thought that a lot are taking their time to appreciate our work and have faith in us still surprises me every time. It seems like it was just moments ago when I doubted if I really could start having my own business, and now, wow, amazing. I guess I can safely say that a lot has happened in the course of two years.

My jewelry business named Bellisima, has been doing really well, even rising as one of the top jewelry brands in the country nowadays. With its very favorable progress and all the positive feedback we’re getting as well as the vision of venturing our business to similar fields, I, together with my business partners, decided to expand our jewelry business to designing fancy chandeliers and the like, thus my jam-packed schedule and almost non-existent day off.

I’m not complaining, though. It really is nice when your profession is your passion. It doesn’t feel like work at all and I’m very much enjoying the way things flow, despite how busy I’ve become.

 Work in SGC’s good, too. Though I’m no longer CEO-in-training, I’m still active in the company as part of the board, having kept my promise to my father. Appa has finally retired and is now enjoying his free time travelling to places, this time for pleasure and not for work, sometimes complaining that he misses work and that he’s not used of having all this time to spare.

Onew, on the other hand, has taken over the company and is doing quite well. Turns out being the head of the company suits him well, the employees love him and he works really hard. Though he still needs guidance from my father from time to time, it’s evident that he’s going to be one great CEO. He’s still not used to people calling him Chairman, though and insists that they still call him Onew. Aigoo, my cousin. He has always been humble.

Yes, you can say that I’m a very busy person and that I’ve been juggling my time between SGC and Bellisimma, but I’m enjoying every single bit of it. The challenge. The feeling of fulfillment I get whenever I score a high-end deal. The appreciation I get from clients. Everything.

 Also, more time spent working also means less time spent on thinking about Joong Ki. That guy, he really did keep his promise that he’d stay away. I haven’t seen him since aside from news articles I’ve read about him successfully managing new hotels abroad. Yes, the first few weeks without him have been tough, but eventually, I found myself slowly taking control of my emotions again. I have successfully convinced myself that maybe it just wasn’t our time yet. Well, that’s what I think.

I’m often convinced that I’m perfectly fine until I come across things that remind me of him. That’s when the sorrow comes. That’s when waves of missing him come crashing on me, drowning me.

I arrive at the hotel and check if my gown and makeup are on point first before I hand the keys to the valet. I enter the hall where they’re holding the event, and being one of the VIPs, I’m instantly escorted towards my table where a beaming Mia is waiting for me.

“You’re finally here!” she says, standing up to hug me and I hug her back. Mia’s only 3 years older than me, only went back to Korea a few months back and we instantly clicked the moment we met. It was like an instant connection that we had and because of that, we’re not only business partners, but we became really good friends as well. Working with her has always been fun.

“So, where’s the director we’re meeting?” I ask the moment I take my seat. The program hasn’t started yet, so I grab the opportunity to talk to her and get the secret out.

“I think he’s in here somewhere,” she says, looking around and I follow her gaze, but what I only see are some familiar men in business suit talking to one another and a few others who I don’t know.

“Where?” I ask, scanning the hall, anxious to know who the mystery director is. I want to come prepared.

“We’re meeting him later,” she says, a bit excited. Whoah, this is a first. She’s not usually like this, she’s usually a bit nervous when we’re meeting new clients. My interest is piqued.

“Can you just tell me who it is that we’re meeting? I’m not really fond of suspense,” I say, sighing. Really, how will I be able which tactic to use if I don’t have any idea who I’m dealing with?

“Relax, girlfriend. You’ll know him when we meet him later,” she says and I sigh. “But one thing I can tell you is that he is one hot director,” she adds and I roll my eyes so hard I thought I saw my brain. Kidding.

“So, now you’re crushing on our potential business partner, huh?” I tease. “What makes you think he’s available? He could be married for all we know.”

“Oh, he’s not,” she answers proudly. “Well, according to my sources, he was engaged once, but I think it didn’t work out. And he doesn’t have any rumored girlfriends, didn’t even have for the past 2 years, so, I’m pretty sure he’s single now,” she adds and I snort.

“Or maybe he’s gay” I say and she scowls at me. “What? I mean, he broke off his engagement and doesn’t even have a girlfriend. With his success in business, I’m betting he’s in his late 20’s or early 30s now and he’s rich, and oh, based on what you just said, he’s also hot. Like, what man who has almost everything a woman should want doesn’t have a girlfriend? I’m telling you, maybe he doesn’t have one because he doesn’t want one..”

“He’s what you call an eligible bachelor, Hye Kyo. Ever heard about that? And oh no, he’s definitely not gay. He shouldn’t be gay, he’s gonna be my babies’ daddy,” she giggles and I shake my head at her. Typical Mia behavior.

“Anyway, how’d you know all those things? I thought you haven’t met him yet?” I ask and she looks at me incredulously as if I just told her that worms can fly.

“I made some light research about him,” she says and I raise a brow at her.
“I stalked his facebook,” she adds and I’m about to retort when the program starts, urging everyone to shift their attention to the stage.

--- 

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The party’s in full swing and while everyone’s enjoying either chatting with one another, enjoying the drinks or taking over the dance floor, I couldn’t get myself to enjoy. It must be because I’m tired, my day was filled with meetings and presentations, or I’m just not in the mood to socialize. Either way, I don’t think I can stand the noise any longer. I need some peace and quiet. I need to get away.

But I can’t leave just yet. We still have to meet with that mystery director, whoever that is. To be completely honest, I really don’t see why we have to meet him now when we’re having a meeting with him next week. But Mia insists that we do so, as an act of courtesy, and being the supportive friend and business partner that I am, I agreed.

Instead of going home, I do the best possible thing that I can think of with regards to fleeing and escaping momentarily from the scene and grab a glass of wine before heading towards the balcony.

I reach the place and breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that no one’s there. At least, I’ll get to spend a few moments alone. I walk to the spot right next to the railings and stare up at the night sky.

Hmm, the sky looks beautiful full of stars tonight, I think to myself. I wonder if Joong Ki’s staring at the same sky, too. I wonder if he still talks to them, the stars.

It really came to me as a shock the moment I learned that he’s the boy I’ve been looking for all those years. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been spending years looking for him, wondering how he’s been or whether or not he’s real when all along, he was just beside me. All along, he came back and we both didn’t know it.

That was the defining moment that our souls have crossed paths.

Mrs. Song told me that he kept telling her about the girl he met at the hospital when he and his sister met an accident. He kept coming back to the same spot for days, waiting for that girl to come back, hoping for a chance to see her again, until he got discharged and he never got to see her again.

Joong Ki.

I wonder where he is now or how he’s been. It’s been two years since I last saw him and from what I’ve heard, their company expansion has been doing very well, too, thanks to his guidance and creative ideas. I’m happy that, finally, he’s reaching his dreams, yet the selfish part of me also wants him to stop going for his goals and come back to me.

I’ve been trying to avoid anything that would remind me of him, but I just couldn’t help but return to the café where Joong Ki and I went to on our ‘first date.’ Call me a masochist or something, but there’s just something about the place that keeps me coming back. I remember how I chided him for taking me to a plain looking coffee shop when he said he’d take me to a ‘nice place.’ I thought he had no taste until he opened the door and I was welcomed by a beautiful interior. When I think about it, the café is just like him, always being judged as stereotypical, yet when you look closer, you will be surprised.

On the outside, one could think that he’s just an arrogant, proud and obnoxious son of the president of a big company, always relying on his father’s wealth and influence for everything but when you get to know him better, you’ll see that he’s actually a good person and dedicated worker. I guess that’s one of the things I learned from meeting him. That is to never judge someone based on your standards.

I remember the conversation I had with Lee Jin a few months ago. We were having coffee after a night out with friends. We sat cross-legged on the floor of her condo, talking about nothing and everything. About how we all suddenly turned into adults and how we rarely get to hang out anymore now that we’re all busy with work and upgrading our careers. About how we wished we were a bunch of high school friends once again, just hanging from one place to another without a single care in the world aside from passing school requirements on time and worrying whether or not our teacher would give us a pop quiz. Oh, those days, we sighed as we both take a sip from each of our cups.

“You still wear that?” she asked, eyeing the engagement ring still resting on the ring finger of my left hand and I placed my cup down before answering.

“Yes,” I said, giving her a sad smile while remembering what Joong Ki said in the letter.

There’s no other person I’d rather give this ring to other than you. My heart and this ring only belong to you.

“You still think about him?” she asked again and I looked down on the ring, adjusting it.

“Yes. All the time,” I said then look up to see her staring back at me, understanding lighting her eyes. That’s one of the things I like most about my best friend. She’s never one to judge and she’s always there to listen. I could go talking over and over about one thing and she’ll still lend me a listening ear. Yes, she’ll sometimes scold me if she thinks I’m wrong, but she never takes for granted my feelings.

“Any news about when he’s coming back?” she asked and I shook my head. She already knew about the letter as well as the fact that Joong Ki’s the boy I’ve been telling her about. Like me, she, too, was shocked when I first broke the news to her, wondering how on earth that happened and how I wasn’t able to find out earlier. But eventually, she came around and thought that maybe that’s just how complicated and surprising fate works.

“None,” I said, honestly not having any idea when he’ll come home, or if he at least visited Seoul in the past few months. After realizing that he was the boy at the hospital, I instantly wanted to run after him. To book the next flight to the US and follow him there, but then he told me not to. He specifically mentioned in his letter not to chase after him. To just let things be for the moment and let fate decide when or whether or not we should meet again.

I wanted to disregard his request and just follow what my heart wanted, but then he honored my wish for him to stay away when he begged me to let him stay. I guess it was now my turn to respect his wish, no matter how much I didn’t want to. No matter how much my heart protested.

And besides, I didn’t want to ask him to come back when a big opportunity was waiting for him on the other side of the world. That would be too selfish of me.

So, there. I decided to just do what he wanted me to do and that’s to work on myself. To be happy and to live a full life even without him by my side. And I thought I was doing a good, if not perfect, job. But still, there were times that I wished things were different. There were times that I still wished that he was here by my side and not oceans away.

“You know, sometimes I wish that things turned out differently, you know?” I said and she leaned her back on the couch, her hands holding her cup while listening to me.

“If we had met in a different time, if things weren’t that complicated, if I weren’t that guarded. Would we have happened? Would things have worked out for us?” I said while fidgeting with the ring.

“I don’t think thinking about the what if’s would help now. I mean, that’s just how they are –what if’s. Things already happened and they couldn’t be undone,” she said and I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, maybe this is how things should be. That you should spend time from one another for the mean time and pursue your wishes. Maybe all these are happening for a reason….”

“…Stop thinking about the what ifs and what could’ve beens, dear. They’ll just torture you and keep you awake,” she added and I sighed.

“I know, I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help but wonder if things worked out the way we wanted them to, then maybe we would’ve been happy. Maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here, consuming your time being sad and saying over and over about how much I miss him. How much I miss his voice, his smile, his laugh and how much everything reminds me of him,” I said, my voice breaking while she reached out to touch my hand in comfort. It’s been months. Almost two years already, yet I still miss him. I miss him every single day.

“I don’t mind you consuming my time,” she said. “You know you’re already a sister to me and I’m always here for you just like how you’re always there for me.”

“Thanks, dear. You know I love you, right?” I said, smiling at her. I really do have the ‘bestest’ best friend ever.

“Yup. And I love you, too,” she said, smiling back. “And Hye Kyo,” she added and I looked up and met her gaze. “Maybe it just wasn’t your time yet. Maybe, you had to be apart for a reason. You may not know it, or you may not understand it fully, but there is always a reason for everything. Just trust in the magic of fate. Things unfold beautifully when the time is just right.”

I take a deep breath as I’m being taken back to reality and take a sip of wine before placing the glass on top of the railing. With a sigh, I raise my left hand to look at the ring. It’s already been 2 years, but he’s still not back. Is he really coming back for me? Does he lay awake at night thinking about me the way I do about him? Does he still feel the same way? Or is it only me who feels this way and he’s already moved on?

I know I shouldn’t be thinking about this when he specifically told me to live my life fully even without him, but sometimes, I couldn’t help but worry.

I look back on what my father told me a long time, that sometimes we tend to hold on to people, thinking that they’re there to stay when in fact they’re just passing by, trying to teach us lessons. Maybe that’s the case of Joong Ki. Maybe he came into my life to teach me something about forgiveness, about moving on and loving myself. Maybe it’s time I should stop holding unto him, thinking that he’s the person meant for me.

But just the thought hurts and I fight my urge to cry. I shouldn’t cry, especially now that I’m at a party still have some matters to attend to. I take deep calming breaths.

Suddenly, the longing I feel turns into anger and I find myself getting mad at him for making me feel this way. For making me miss him one moment, then feel hurt the next. This is always what happens when I think about him and it has been going on for years. It makes me feel weak and helpless.

I understand why you had to leave, but why must you make me feel this way? You could at least call and tell me you’re okay, that you’re still keeping your promise! I can’t let you make me feel this way anymore. I refuse to! Come back if you want, but I’m done just sitting here waiting for you.

Still angry, I abruptly take the ring off, take one last look at it before and gather all the energy I could muster. I am about to throw it away as far as I could, telling myself that this is what I should do when….

“Do you have any idea how much I had to go through just to find that ring?” A very familiar manly voice says behind me and my heart jumps out of my chest.

“I had to search all those sand on a dark chilly night for that ring, and you’ll just throw it away? Aigoo. So cruel.” The voice I know too well says and I slowly turn to where it’s coming from, my heart doing somersaults in my chest.

A figure slowly emerges from the dark, taking a few steps towards me. My eyes travel from his shiny shoes to his crisp suit, his long neck and to the familiar handsome face which has been a resident in my dreams.

No, this can’t be. Am I dreaming? Is this really real?

With me still speechless, he smiles at me, that smile I love so much, and my heart skips a beat.

“Aigoo, I told you not to wear too-revealing clothes,” he says as he takes of his coat while approaching me at drapes it on my shoulders. “I know you’re y but I don’t want others to see,” he adds with a teasing smile while I stare at him, still dumbfounded.

“J-joong Ki?” I manage to say, my eyes not believing that he’s really standing in front of me. He hasn’t changed one bit, well, except that he’s gotten more handsome and that there’s a happy glow in his eyes. His hair still looks the same, stylish yet boyish as ever, his face even more good looking now up close than just seeing them in my dreams and in pictures we’ve taken together, his smile still breathtaking.

“Long time no see, Hye Kyo,” he says, looking at me in the eyes, while I continue staring at him, expecting that he’d disappear any moment, but he doesn’t.

“Is this real? Are you really here?” I ask.

“Yes, I’m here,” he smiles. “It’s been a while.” 

--- 

*SJK’s POV*

“Yes, I’m here. It’s been a while,” I say, gazing at her, feeling the surreality of the moment. I look into her eyes and realize that she, too, couldn’t believe that we’re finally standing in front of one another. Without wasting time, I reach out and hug her. She hugs me back and I bury my face in her hair, inhaling her and making sure that this isn’t just a dream.

I remember feeling really anxious before going here. I just arrived from New York yesterday and was planning on going to her, to see her. But I was thinking that it would be better if I finish things off with work first before trying to win her back. Being away from her for 2 years was hard, really hard. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t miss her. I couldn’t even last a day without thinking about her. But still, I kept my promise no matter how hard and next to impossible it was. I stayed away for her to find herself.

Yes, there were women trying to get my attention, but I couldn’t even spare a look at them. It’s only Hye Kyo in my heart and no one else. Just giving them attention would feel like cheating and I couldn’t do that to her, even though we weren’t officially together. So, instead of going on dates, I focused my attention on work, which, in the end was worth it.

And now, I’m back and I couldn’t wait to reconnect with her, to see if we still have another shot at ‘us.’ It took almost everything in me to stop myself from calling her the moment I arrived, from going directly to her house from the airport, but I knew there were some things I needed to take care of, first. I had to nail this last project of putting up a hotel in San Francisco, first, before I get assigned in Seoul permanently.

Appa is about to retire soon and he wants me to take over his presidency. In Sung Oppa, on the other hand will be managing the rest of our hotels abroad since he is planning to migrate to New York together with Hyo Jin and their 2-year old son, Seo Jun.