"Yong Hwa," Eomma asked the next day. "Where is your friend? The actress, you say?"

Yong Hwa let out a shy smile.

"Ah, she is busy with her work," he answered politely.

Eomma and Appa looked at each other and smiled. Their son was already grown up and had fallen in love. Unlike Jung Shin, Yong Hwa had one girlfriend in his lifetime, that was in high school, first grade.

"Just be careful with her heart," Appa advised. "And yours too."

"Arayo," Yong Hwa said. "I had a crush on her eversince, but I guess it should get deeper...hopefully..."

"If the two of you are meant to be, then your feelings might just get deeper," Eomma said with a wink.

Yong Hwa smiled.

******

Appa guarded Yong Hwa the whole night, but Yong could not sleep. He felt the handkerchief and held it close to his face. It was so soft, so gentle, it reminded him of Shin Hye's gentle nature.

"Starting today, I did not see her, but she left me with something that will remind me of her," he thought.

His heart started to beat fast, so fast that it was so alarming...alarmingly beautiful.

"I...I have fallen for her, that's for sure," he thought.

****

The doctor came after lunch, and he checked on Yong Hwa's dressing. When he saw that the wound was looking good, he whistled a happy tune. Only Min Hyuk was present because he had half-day classes, and Yong's parents went to work.

"Looks like we can remove the bandages today," the doctor said. "And you can start opening your eyes when I tell you to."

Happiness welled in Yong Hwa's heart.

"Geureohseumnikka?" he asked in happiness.

"Geurae," the doctor said with a smile.

He and the nurse dressed up the patient's wounds. Yong Hwa felt the sting of the cotton, not the medicine, strangely enough. He got distracted when he heard a knock at the door, and he heard the door open. 

"Annyeong haseyo?" the visitor greeted.

But Yong Hwa did not hear it because he got distracted, this time, by the painful caress of the cotton on his wound. The pain lasted for a few more minutes. And finally...

"Slowly, slowly, open your eyes," the doctor instructed.

Yong Hwa felt it difficult to open his eyes, so he took his time to open them.

"That's the way," the doctor said.

"Hwaiting, Hyung," Min Hyuk cheered.

Yong slowly, slowly, opened his eyes and saw blur...for he had his eyes closed for more than a week already. And the first thing he noticed was a silhouette of a person in black. He gradually opened his eyes and let his vision get acquainted to the brightness of the day. Finally, his eyes got its focus, and the blur gradually disappeared.

"Neoreul bwa (I see you)," he whispered...

To the figure in black.

"Jigeum neoreul bwa (I see you now)," he declared...

....To Shin Hye.

The doctor and the nurse looked at the visitor, then smiled at each other for Yong Hwa's accomplishment, and the patient shed his tears of joy. The figure in black walked to him and hugged him.

"I got my secret wish," he whispered. "Because it's you I got to see first."

"I'm glad you see me once again," Shin Hye told him, tears streaming down her face.

"Well, Agasshi, I am glad that your friend can now see," the doctor said. "It was good that we scraped his wounds so that the dead cells would be removed, and it would be easier for him to open his eyes."

Shin Hye smiled because the doctor and the nurse did not recognize her in her disguise. She let go of her hug, faced the doctor and the nurse, and bowed to them while thanking them. Min Hyuk grinned from ear to ear because his hyung could now see.

The doctor said that he would tell Yong's orthopedic surgeon that the patient could now see, so it was up to the other doctor on what to do. When the medical team left, Min Hyuk hugged Yong Hwa tight and shed some tears.

"Hyung! Hyung! I miss you soooo much!" he cried like a little child.

Yong Hwa comforted Min Hyuk like the latter was his blood-related namdongsaeng.

"I see now," he cried.

Shin Hye got near and hugged the two guys.

"I'm glad too," she said.

As they released their hugs, Yong Hwa looked at Shin Hye.

"I thought you would be very busy today," he asked.

"Ne, I am busy today for a CF, but the director gave us three hours break because he had some things to attend to," she said.

"But you will be busy afterwards," Min Hyuk pouted sadly.

"O, I will be," she said thoughtfully.

Yong Hwa could not take his eyes off her, staring at her like she was the most beautiful goddess he had ever seen. Min Hyuk noticed the blush of the actress, so he teased the two of them.

"Oh, oh, oh, I'll go grab some yummy ice cream first," he lied before going out.

Yong Hwa did not mind that his friend went out because he was busy staring at her.

"I will melt," Shin Hye told him.

He reached for her hand, and she held it.

"No, you won't," he assured her. "This blue aster is simply staring at the beautiful star in front of him."

Shin Hye thought what he meant, then realized that he meant the two things embroidered at the handkerchief.

"Let me look at you, listen to you, hold your hand, and hug you before you get busy," he told her. "I know it might take us some time to see each other again."

She noted a sadness in his voice, so she nodded and hugged him again.

Yong Hwa remembered her saying over the phone that she was neither dating him nor Jong Hyun, and he got the feeling that her manager might be against their secret relationship. He knew that she and Geun Suk had split up a year ago, and her manager might have wanted to protect her image. As he felt her body in their hug, he could not help but feel that he had to keep their relationship under wraps to protect her status.

Shin Hye did not tell him that she wanted to forsake her feelings for the moment and protect him by forgetting herself. It was heads now, and hearts later. She had to do her best first, and let love decide. 

She wouldn't give up on him, nevertheless.

"I just want to tell you something," she said as she let go of her hug.

He looked into her eyes, trying to decipher what she meant.

"So that you will not forget who I am to you," she said. "Always remember that I am your damsel in shining armor."

He nodded and touched her face.

"I will remember that very well," he whispered.

~~~~