Ji Chang Wook glared at his friend who was now clinging to his hand, weight unmoving. He almost growled in irritation but he didn't want to cause a bigger scene. Not if she was here and could see them. His hands were frozen, his feet felt numb from the hours riding his bike and more than anything he wanted a hot drink, or maybe a drink, period. This unwanted complication was not on his agenda.

When he had set off in a hurry back to the city, he hadn't realized at first that Choi Tae Joon had been following. His focus was on getting back as quickly as possible. As bad luck would have it, he hit the infamous Seoul rush hour on the wrong side of town. And, as he slowed to a stop, another bike pulled up alongside him.

"Hyung, what's the matter?" A voice called out at him above the roar of engines and honking traffic.

Chang Wook, who had been about to check the directions on his phone, almost dropped the thing in surprise.

"What in God's Hell, Tae Joon? What are you doing here?"

"You rushed off so quickly I was worried. Do you need help? Is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's a work thing. Mind your own business"

"But we work together now, Hyung. Hyung..!!!!!!!?"

Chang Wook revved up his engine and weaved in between vehicles to make his escape. Even so, he couldn't go too fast in the city. And what's worse, he was pretty sure he was lost. He couldn't figure out the directions his manager had sent him.

He pulled over again, and tried to call Manager Bang when the other bike pulled up.

"Tae Joon, are you still stalking me?"

"Look, Hyung. I know this area well. If you need to find a place, how about I help you?"

The Pup looked very sincere and serious. Chang Wook glanced at his watch and knew he was running late, so he nodded grudgingly but not without some gratitude. To be honest, directions were not his thing.

Tae Joon, on the other hand, seemed to know immediately where the cafe was and before long they were standing in front of the tiny shop tucked away on a quiet back road. Chang Wook felt a little guilty about the way he had been impatient with his friend and resolved to be a little nicer.

"Can I come too, Hyung?"

Ok, forget that resolution.

"No. As I said, it's a work thing"

"Oh, is it a girl?" Tae Joon raised one eyebrow knowingly. "I had a feeling it was something like that, the way you rushed away. I didn't know you were dating... good for you Hyung!" He thumps Chang Wook on the back.

"No, it's not a girl. Or, it's a girl but not a date, ah... forget it. I'm meeting Eun Bong Hee! Possible, Eun Bong Hee"

The second he said it, he knew he'd made a mistake. Tae Joon didn't make the connection at first but then his friend's eyes lit up.

"You mean the girl for our new project? We're meeting her?"

"We are not meeting anyone. I am going to talk with her and I need to get her on board. I especially do not want you scaring her off."

He glances at his watch. F*k, he was late.

"I can help Hyung. Look, the ladies they like me. I'll turn up the charm, we'll do our bro-team thing. There is no way she'll be able to refuse this project once she sees me"

Chang Wook could imagine it clearly in his head, and cringed.

"Final answer: No. Thank you for your help, I'm sure you must be busy. So, goodbye!"

He was very late and didn't wait around to watch Tae Joon leave. Pushing the door open, he pulled his hat on tightly and stepped into the cafe, noticing gratefully that it was warm and secondly that it smelled delicious. The only person around seemed to be a grim-faced worker wiping tables. Had she left already?

He started to look around, when just then the door opened right behind him. Even without turning, he knew who it was.

"Go away,"

"Hyung, I want to meet her too" his friend declared.

"No"

"I want to meet Eun Bong Hee". Tae Joon grabbed his wrist and looked at him cheekily.

Aish, this kid. As he was about to shake Tae Joon off, he spied a figure bundled up in a coat, scarf and fuzzy pink hat sitting near the windows watching them. He knew instinctively it was her, even though only a bit of her face was peeking out adorably from beneath all the layers.

His feet automatically carried him towards her, dragging Tae Joon along.

"Nam Ji Hyun-shi, I'm sorry I'm late."

She stands up to greet him and he notices belatedly that she is staring curiously at his hand still firmly within Tae Joon's grasps. He shakes off the other man in frustration. There was no good way out of it, and so he grudgingly introduces his friend.

"This is Choi Tae Joon. Tae Joon will be playing Ji Eun Hyuk in the drama."

JiHyun looks up with interest. Ah, she thinks, that's why the other man is here.

Tae Joon in turn looks on with appreciation at the pretty face before him. She seems familiar. He must have seen her at some industry event. An image of a country girl with a Chuncheongnam-do accent on TV flashes in his mind and now he remembers who she is. By the looks of things, she has only grown prettier. He stands a little taller, shedding his puppy image, and smoothly holds out a hand to shake hers.

"A pleasure to meet you", he says in a deep voice, turning up the charm. She smiles, shakes his hand and greets him in return. All very innocent enough.

Chang Wook however glares at his friend, feeling like a little kid wanting to grab his toy away when another boy comes to play. Before he could react further, a voice mumbles irritatedly behind them and the Cafe Ahjussi none too politely drops off the menu cards before stomping away.

They take this as their cue to seat themselves and JiHyun slowly stirs her lukewarm chocolate and melting marshmallows as the other two examine the menu card. She tries not to stare but couldn’t help sneaking tiny peeks at Ji Chang Wook's downturned head. She's never had the pleasure of staring at it so closely before.

Internally she sighs. Those feelings...  they're still there. What was it about this man?

Her mind wanders back to a New Year's eve about two years ago. It was a day that stood out starkly for it featured one of her most mortifying moments. Made worse by the fact that said embarassing moment was immortalized on YouTube with over a million views (or so her sister had told her, she could never make herself look).  

And yet, it was also the night of one of her most beloved memories.

Sometimes, she felt she could divide her life into Before The Duet and After The Duet.

Before The Duet, she was just another ordinary girl. Not quite twenty, a child in so many ways where all her concerns were about school and work and the everyday drama of friends and family.

After that night though, this feeling she did not want to call love, but couldn’t name, found its way inside. Despite her unwillingness and her absolute desire to be rid of it; this spark of whatever had nurtured and grown to inordinate proportions.

And it was all his fault.

Two years, three months and twenty-four days ago

It was the last day of December and JiHyun found herself hiding in a dark room. Her heart was pounding and she felt so terribly light-headed, she was afraid she would pass out. It should have been an exciting night. In fact it was an amazing night. She was at the KBS Awards show and not only had she and her co-star, Park Hyung Sik, been nominated for an award, they had actually won (!!)

The two had been announced as one of the winners of the Best Couple prize and she, Nam Ji Hyun, had stood on the same stage as some of the biggest names in the industry to accept that award. In fact, Hallyu Star Ji Chang Wook had been standing right next to her barely six inches away (!!!!!).

She knew if she checked her phone later she’d have a million texts from her friends all squeeing with jealousy. She had seen him a few times at the salon she frequented but that was not the same as standing right next to him, breathing the same air. She had had to work very hard not to fangirl in his presence, knowing that there were hundreds of cameras capturing every moment on stage. She did, however, steal a few glances at him. Who wouldn’t?

As soon as they got off the stage however, the joy of the evening immediately paled as the dreaded moment arrived. An event coordinator pulled her and Hyung Sik aside so they could get ready for their special performance. A duet. The Duet. She, Nam Ji Hyun, would be singing. On a stage. On television.

Her friends had howled with laughter when she had first told them about it and she had laughed along too because wasn’t it funny? They wanted her to sing? And truly, at first she thought the producers were kidding and she had politely declined stressing that she was not a singer. Definitely not a singer.

However, her drama pairing with Park Hyung Sik had gotten so much attention and love from the viewers, that the station producers were convinced it would be too cute of an opportunity to pass up. Before she knew it, she found herself roped into the whole thing. Hyung Sik, who himself was a talented singer (lucky him),  had assured her he’d help her out as much as possible. But even he had had a slightly glazed look the first time they practiced. And no matter how many nights she stayed up and tried and tried, singing the words over and over, it was no use. She still sounded terrible.

Which is why, right now, she was crouched down, hyperventilating silently in the first room she could find off this dim hallway while everyone thought she was taking a last minute bathroom break.

The sound of footsteps echoing nearby almost make her jump. A pair of shining, patent leather shoes appear before her view, pausing right beside the doorway before turning into the room. She looks up, feeling embarrassed to have been caught in this position. All she sees, however, is the outline of a man; his face shadowed by the glare of the hallway lights behind him.

“Are you ok?” a deep voice asks.

JiHyun starts to nod yes, but slowly it becomes a sad shake of her head.

“No...”

“Can I get you something?” the man asks again

She laughs, bitterly, shaking her head again “Maybe some courage. Or even better, a voice that can actually sing.”

The man comes a little closer and crouches low next to her, and this time she sees his partially lit face. With surprise, she recognizes it's Ji Chang Wook.

“Ah, is that the problem?" he asks, quietly.  "Are you having stage fright?”

“If you can call feeling like you’re about to be stuck in a jello match with a cage full of sharks while the whole nation watches stage fright. Then, yes.”

He chuckles at that, but doesn’t say a thing for a while. They sit there in commiserate silence.

“What is your name?” he asks gently.

“Nam Ji Hyun”

"Well,  Nam Ji Hyun-shi," he offers contemplatively, "The thing is... the audience, they are not looking for something perfect. They want something they can enjoy and that will entertain. So when you sing, sing happily so the audience can feel it. In turn they will feel joy too.”

She turns to look at him, her eyes scanning to see if this could be true. Was he just saying this out of pity? He merely smiles and nods kindly in encouragement.

Then, he rises and holds out a hand to help her up.

And it is that moment, that very moment, when her hand touched his and she felt his warm grasp; that was the moment she was lost.

JiHyun snaps out of her reverie to realize that the two men are looking at her expectantly.

“I’m sorry,” she flushes “I was thinking about something.”

“Ah, we were just asking if you wanted to order anything else?” Tae Joon supplies helpfully.

She smiles and shakes her head leaving the other two to order their drinks. Since that moment, she has seen him many times; usually in passing at the salon where she nods and smiles politely. She highly doubts he remembers or recognizes her. It is time to move away from the past. She has a career and a future to work on now.

With that thought it mind, she looks determinedly at Ji Chang Wook.

Time to be actress Nam Ji Hyun.

------

Author's note:

On December 31, 2014 Nam Ji Hyun and Park Hyung Sik sang the song  "Some" (originally by Soyu and Junggigo) at the KBS Drama Awards. If you have time, check out the cute performance. The official video has over 1.2 million views:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEsUWP5zLwU