The whole night, Shin Hye cried her eyes out while looking at her face on the painting. If Yong Hwa painted it beautifully even if he was dealing with wounds near his eyes, it might mean that his feelings for her were real and had gone deeper.

"Now I know..." she thought. "He is sincere with his feelings for me...."

He had signed his name at the lower right portion of the portrait, and touched the surface of the canvass. For her, his name was the most beautiful name she had ever heard, and her advocacy had run deeper that what she had expected.

"I don't know what this is, but it feels different from the feeling I had for Geun Suk in the past," she thought. "Like... Yong Hwa's more than just special..."

But for the sake of that special someone, she had yet to play along with her manager's games and take him by surprise one day. She had to act as he wanted.

"I will continue feeling this way for Yong Hwa, but for the sake of his privacy, I will sacrifice my own happiness," she thought.

********

The next day, the photo shoot of a famous magazine resumed. 

She and some female models posed for the camera, thus making the photographer act in all exaggerations when he took his shots. From the sides, the male models were either talking or reading some magazines.

Shin Hye was hoping that Jung Shin would be around, as he was her bridge to her special patient. Her manager had kept her cellphone for her, and it was a no-no for Yong Hwa to be sending her text message.

The photo shoot ended in the evening, and Shin Hye sighed in relief to note that Jung Shin was with her in her last scene. She could ambush him with a lot of questions.

Finally, when they were about to leave the studio, Shin Hye told her manager that she was going shopping--alone.

"Wae?" Oppa said.

"I just want to rest," Shin Hye said. "The stage lights just dried up my skin today."

Oppa gave back her cellphone.

"Call if you are heading home," he told her. "By the way, who will you be going out with?"

"I want to be alone," she said.

"Ah, yes, yes, I forgot," he grimly said before walking away.

She heaved a sigh of relief, but was pulled by someone. When she looked up, it was her guardian angel.

"Do you know that Yong Hwa-hyung will be discharged tomorrow?" Jung Shin told her.

"Ah?" she asked.

"Jong Hyun-hyung called me up, and I guess I have to visit Yong Hwa-hyung today," he said.

She looked around for any signs of her manager, so she whispered that she'd be coming along. 

"Are you ditching your lone adventure to the mall?" he .

"I guess I have to," she told him.

Jung Shin looked at her squarely.

"Noona, are you in love with Yong Hwa-hyung?" he asked.

The question caught her off-guard.

"Don't worry, Noona," he told her. "If there is someone whom you can trust on your secret, that would be me, Jong Hyun-hyung, and Min Hyuk-ah."

Shin Hye replied. "I trust you...all of you...but..."

"But what?" Jung Shin asked. "Are you that afraid of what your manager will say?"

She saw that he had an angry expression in his eyes.

"You know very well that he likes you," he hissed at her. "Could you be honest with your own feelings? If you feel something for him, fight for him. I know you are protecting your image, but do not throw your happiness away."

Tears started falling down her eyes. Not only was Jung Shin her bridge, he was also her conscience.

"I told Jong Hyun-hyung about the incident back at the fountain, and he realized that he and Min Hyuk-ah couldn't just ask you any questions through your phone, for fear that your manager will read them," he shared. "They had been wanting to ask you regarding your feelings for Yong Hwa-hyung. Since they didn't have the chance, they turned to me for help."

"They...noticed something?" she asked him.

"Noona, if a girl is sweet to a guy, people notice," he said. "And from a guy's point of view, we think that you seriously like him as well."

Shin Hye could not deny that fact.

"Also, you are not that sweet even to the guys here," Jung Shin said. "You are even sweet and friendly to me, to my hyung and to Min Hyuk-ah, but your sweetness is truly different when it comes to Yong Hwa-hyung."

"You...you really see right through me, Jung Shin-ah..."

"If you need any advices about relationships, just ask me," he told her. "After all, I had several girlfriends before."

Shin Hye stared at him. She could not believe that this guy looking like a girl had--several girlfriends?

"Geurae..." she said softly. "Jeo~~, about your question... I have some special feelings for Yong Hwa-oppa, but I don't know if this is love."

"Ah... I really understand you, Noona," Jung Shin sighed. "That feeling is way too complicated."

"Ne...."

"Gaja," he said.

Shin Hye nodded and followed him outside. They went to the basement parking lot, and she looked around for any signs of her manager. Good thing his car was no longer there. They walked on until they got in front of a jet black motorcycle. He handed her another helmet.

"Jung Shin-ah," she said. "Gomawo..."

"Ah, cheonmaneyo..." he replied. "I am just doing my best for my hyung."

*****

When they got to the parking lot of the hospital, Shin Hye saw a man walking with his crutches. 

"Oh, it's Yong Hwa-hyung," Jung Shin said casually. "Go for him, Noona."

Shin Hye smiled at him while handing him the helmet back. She ran to the man in crutches and called him out.

"Yong Hwa-oppa!"

Yong Hwa turned around, and had a surprised look on his face when he saw her.

"Sh...Shin Hye-ya?" he whispered as she got near.

She looked at him in happiness and tears. He was walking with his crutches farther from his room (practicing, hehe), and his looks improved. The wounds on his face were starting to heal as well, and she could see his eyes already--those eyes that were staring back at her.

"Oppa, I'm so glad...so glad..." she said as she cupped her hands to his face.

"I'm happy to see you again," he said.

Then he caught a glimpse at the model on the motorcycle.

"Jung Shin brought you here?" he asked.

"Ne..." she admitted. "He said that Jong Hyun told him that you'll be discharged tomorrow. I am so happy to see you before you leave."

He lit up a smile on his face, thankful that his friends were caring for him.

"Jung Shin also let me realize that I needed to be honest with what I feel," she told him.

"Huh?" he asked, clueless.

She smiled at his cluelessness, and even took delight on the sweat on his brows.

"You really sweat a lot," she said with a smile.

As she proceeded to get her handkerchief, Yong Hwa delved into his pocket and handed her the Hanky. When she received it, she smiled.

"Whenever I am around, and you are sweating, this always come in handy...."

He stared into her beautiful eyes as she proceeded to wipe the sweat off his face. He was hopelessly in love that his lips started to shudder.

"Gwaenchanha?" she asked him, and he nodded.

Tears began streaming down her eyes as she hugged him, and he could feel the tears on his shoulder.

"Manhi bogo shipeo (I miss you so much)," she whispered.

He buried his face on her shoulder because he could not hug her back (of course, his hands were on the bars of his crutches).

"Me too," he whispered back.

When they let go of their hug, they looked at each other's eyes, missing the fondness that they had for each other.

"Did Jung Shin give you the painting?" he asked.

"Ne.... it's so beautiful," she said. "Gomawo..."

He smiled at her sweetly....but with a tinge of sadness.

"I will have to tell you that my feelings for you had gone deeper, though I don't know if you feel the same way," he told her. "I... I love you."

Her cheeks warmed up, and she felt her heart fluttering when he confessed.

"I..." she started.

"But I know that you have an image to protect, and I don't want to be a burden to your career," he said.

"No, no, please don't say that," she said, tears falling down. "I did not know that my decision to care for you would end up like this, but I did not regret it."

"Thank you for saying that," he said. "I love you too much to even give you your freedom if that is what you need to have right now."

"So, are you saying that you are sacrificing your own happiness to love me fully and be with me just so I can protect my image?" she asked, hurt etched in her voice.

He nodded sadly.

"No, no, please don't say that," she begged as tears had fallen anew. "You are the reason why I had my feet on the ground. You are the reason why I did sensible things. You are the reason why I had been keeping my sanity... I cannot live without you...."

He looked at her in shock at her revelation.

"You mean so much to me...so if you love me, please don't let me go...." she said.

He shed his tears as he looked at her helplessly, unable to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I am just saying this because...I can't take it anymore," she said. "I realized that I love you too."

His heart clenched at her revelation. He was too happy to hear that she finally loved him, and it felt like a dream that out of the many fans, it was he that she had chosen, and it was he that she had chosen to fall in love with.

"I'm so happy that you reciprocate my feelings," he said.

"I really mind my image as an actress, but I cannot forsake my own feelings," she said. "At first, I wanted to really give in to my feelings for you, but I was afraid because I know that you'd be hurt if I have antis. I wanted to protect you from it all, bringing you away from it all. But because of Jung Shin's encouragement, I feel the need to fight for my feelings, to fight for you. So I vow that I will not mind antis. I just want to show the world that I have a heart that can love someone."

They had been wanting to sacrifice their own feelings in order to protect each other. So noble and yet so sad.

"Will you be my...girlfriend?" he asked shyly.

Shin Hye smiled.

"Yes, yes..." she said. "I want to sleep tonight, knowing that you are my boyfriend."

He let out a smile on his face, with a bliss that could never be described.

"Anajwo (Please hug me)," he requested her.

She did as he requested.

"I'll be here for you," she vowed. "I made that promise, right? I will continued doing you service until you get well, and I will continue to be your shoulder to cry on and your best friend."

"Shin Hye-ya, when I will get well, I will do as much as I can do to be your shoulder and your shield as well," he said. 

Both of them savored the warmth of their love and hearts as they promised each other that they would be together...as lovers and close friends.

(insert song: "I'll Be There" by BRIGHT)