D-1 22:00h

    His day was crazy, August 13, 2017. The K-netz were a buzz with all the goings on at the internet but that was normal. But today was supposed to be the eve of his enlistment. Ji Chang Wook, one of the most popular actors in SK. No update was heard from him, his SNS was also oddly silent. However, Glorious Entertainment had expressed that Ji Chang Wook himself said that he was all of a less obtrusive enlistment which was in line with his personality. Low-key  and not much fanfare, his management stated that it was what he wished for and hope that his fans would be more understanding of that.

    Ji Chang Wook sighs. He looked up at the sky. By this time tomorrow, his sky would look a bit different, he assumes that there would be more stars and he would be able to see the moon clearly. After all, the mountains provide a perfect tableau for a brightly lit sky with the moon at its pinnacle.

    ‘Alright, enough of this procrastinating.’ He stood up and plucked the keys of his bike from the wall and walked out of his room passing through the kitchen where he saw his mother drinking some mint tea. She looked up at him, arching her eyebrows at his get up, she looked at the wall clock and then back at him.

    ‘Omma --, he started to speak but she said, ‘Arra, my son.’ She nodded to him and waved her hand indicating that he was free to go out.

    Ji Chang Wook went out of the house and took out his bike from the garage, wearing his helmet, kickstarted his bike. ‘Ah, this would be a good night to ride out.’ He travelled a good 30 minutes when he arrived at his destination. Carefully parking his bike, he reached out for his handphone and dialed 3. He talked for a bit on the phone, the gate in front of him, slowly opened. She looked at him with an amused look on her face, motioned him to bring his bike and get inside. He rolled his bike inside while cautiously looking at her, she sighed and then tapped his shoulder with her left hand. ‘She’s in the garden.’ He blew air from his mouth and said, ‘Kamsamida, Ommonie,’. She slowly walked away from him. His steps quickened as he proceeded to the garden.

    There he saw her, sitting amongst the beautifully scented freesias and those thorny long stemmed roses that she like so much, looking at the star riddled sky. ‘Ji-Hyunyang-ie,’ he softly said her name. It has amazed him that she heard him speak out at all when she turned to him.

    ‘Oppa,’ her voice was so soft, but it sounded to sweet to his ears. He looked at the sky and let out a breath of air then he smiled at her. She gave him the brightest smile he had ever seen coming from her. She stayed seated but her eyes never wavered, both of them were looking at each other eyes, reluctant to let go their connection.

    He sat down beside her. He can see that she was drinking some sort of mixed juices. She had a half full glass beside her. He looked at her, staring deeply into her eyes. He was thinking ‘God, I am going to miss these eyes so much.’

    ‘Kwenchana?’ They both said at the same time while looking at each other. Ji Chang Wook looked away. He was thinking of what to say. He knows he won’t be able to lie to save his life and he had no intention of starting now, especially not with her.

    ‘Yes, I am okay.’ His Ji Hyun-yang-ie looked down seemingly interested in the grass at her feet. ‘Ji-Hyun---’, he started but she interrupted him ‘Oppa, chincha! Kwenchana.’ Her voice was so soft almost a whisper.

    There was a moment of silence once more, both of them wants to say more, but somehow lost the words. Ji Chang Wook did what his heart wanted, he held onto her hand, encasing them with both of his. His thoughts were on how much he would be missing holding onto her soft hands. Feeling their unspoken comfort every time their hands come into contact, her teasing manner of caressing his thumb, knowing that it absolutely drives him crazy whenever she does that.

    ‘I guess tomorrow’s the big day, huh?’ She turned to him with a slight smile. He nodded at her reassuringly. He was already aware of her worry. They had talked about it ad infinitum, and if given another chance, he knew, she would start up with it again. He let out a chuckle, she can be really persistent if she wants.

    She looked at him questioningly when she heard the slight chuckle. ‘Bo? What’s funny?’

    ‘Opso.’ He burst into laughter when he saw that she has gone into a full frown looking at him suspiciously.

    ‘Hey, Oppa! Don’t be annoying!’ She was getting irritated. He sighed and tried to control his laughter, his baby annoyed is the most amusing thing to see really, too bad she doesn’t really show it to other people only to those who she considers worthy of her sincerity.

    ‘Ji Hyun-yang-ie,’ he started softly.

    ‘Hmm, Oppa?’ she replied equally soft.

    ‘I will miss you so bad.’

    She turned to him and looked deeply into his eyes, as if trying to gauge his sincerity, the truth in his words. For some reason for someone who is as honest as her could be so suspicious of other people and their words. For someone so young, Ji Hyun-yang-ie’s discernment of people’s intention is of the highest levels, even before when she was still young, she could easily spot people who has ill motives by just hearing their words.

    ‘Arasso.’ She let out a huge breath of air.

    They both leaned back into their chair, enjoying their peaceful silence. Their hands interlocked while their thumbs caresses each other. No words were necessary. They just both wanted to have this moment, the time that they should have had but was denied them. He knew and she knew, if ever this moment will come it would be a long time coming.

    ‘Oppa,’ she said while looking at the sky.

    ‘Yes, Ji-hyun-yang-ie?’

    ‘So, when can I come and see you? Next month?’, her voice was hopeful.

    ‘Uhm, no.’ He chuckled.

    ‘Huh, Waeyo?,’ And again there was the charming eyebrow movement of hers.

‘I don’t think it is allowed to have visitors that early into the enlistment. I would probably be busy with the orientation, the training and the getting-to-know basics.’ He explained.

She was into her full blown frown now. Her eyes sharper. Clearly she didn’t like what she was hearing then. ‘So, when then?’

‘I am not sure yet, but maybe in 5months or so.’ He said.

She turned to him so fast that he was afraid that she might feel a little backlash at her neck. ‘You are joking, right Oppa?’ Her lips was pressed into a straight line, a huge indicator of her displeasure at his answer. She started to pull her hands back but he wouldn’t let go.

‘No, I am not.’ He sighed and in a gentle voice he said, ‘Look, I know it is going to be hard. But I am not really sure what other things I have to do at the base. I still have to do some heavy training along with the other recruits. You know, that team I am going into is not going to take a Ji Chang Wook who would also be a joke. They are the elite. I don’t want to be left behind. So Oppa has to work hard to fit in properly. I want to serve my country proudly, Ji Hyun-yang-ie.’

‘Ara.’ Her voice was so soft, he strained to hear them. She was looking down at her lap. He placed their interlocked hands on his lap and he felt something drop on his hand, he looked up thinking it was starting to rain. But the sky was clear, the stars were shining brightly alongside the moon. He realized that she was crying. Those were her tears.

He sighed. Much as he wanted to cry with her. He was older than her. He cannot break down in front of her. Cholte Ande! He looked at her and placed his hands on her shoulders turning her to face him.

‘Don’t cry.’ He rubbed her shoulders trying to comfort her. He could feel the tension in her shoulders, a testament to her pent up feelings at that moment. All of a sudden, as if a dam had broken, so did her emotions. Suddenly she was crying as if her heart was breaking, he felt his heart ache so much that he did the next best thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close breathing in her sweet scent. This will be one of those memories he will treasure in the next 21months. As he drew her in closer, he let another breath go. He thought that maybe coming to see her was a wrong decision after all. His conflicted emotions cannot really handle a vision of her crying her heart out like the girl-woman she really is.

‘But Oppa--’ she started to say while holding onto him, her arms snaking at his waist, her fingers bunching up the back of the shirt he was wearing. He had no idea how she had done it, he never even realized that her hands had gone under his jacket.

They don’t know how long they stayed that way. Suddenly, someone cleared . He turned at the pathway, not bothering to remove his arms away. There was no need for that.

‘Hey, Chang Wook-ahjussi!’ She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Why are you making my dongsaeng cry, huh? Should I call Omma and Appa, Ji Hyunie?’

‘Andwae.’ Came her muffled reply. Her face was still buried in his chest and her arms were still clinging tightly to him. ‘Unnie, chaebal!’ Her older sister sighed and turned to walk away but before she completed her turn, she made a gun out of her fingers and pointed it at Ji Chang Wook and she also indicated that her eyes were watching him. He chuckled slightly at her antics.

‘Ji Hyun-yang-ie, chaebal, stop crying.’ The front of his shirt was already soaked with her tears.The waterworks haven’t stopped yet. He was afraid that they may really start to flood their garden.

She sniffled and looked at him. He felt his soul getting lost again. It always happen to him every time. His heart and soul. Those trivial things, they don’t belong to him anymore. She is now the owner his heart and soul. Every part of him is hers. Now and Forever.

He felt his chest constrict. He wondered if he was having a heart attack after all. That would be poetic justice, he dies of a heart attack in her arms prior to the enlistment. He chuckled in amusement. He then imagined Ji Hyun-yang-ie giving him the tiger look and then gives him an uppercut for even thinking about it.

‘Oppa, butak, chaebal?’ She was still clinging to him for dear life. Her hands slightly caressing his back, and was starting to give him ideas, things he didn’t want to consider especially now. He grabbed the pitcher of fruit juice and poured it into the half full glass. He then started to drink the sickeningly sweet juice.

‘Uhm, yeah?’ he answered nonchalantly while drinking.

‘Na-rang jal-lae yo?’ She said softly.

He wasn’t really sure he heard her correctly but what he thought he heard from her was enough to make him cough out the juice he was drinking. He coughing and choking at the same time.

‘Bo ra gu? Hey, are you reenacting the drama, right now?’ He was still coughing out his surprise. His eyes stared at her oh-so serious eyes right now. Suddenly he can feel the chill of the cold wind, fanning his face. His face was probably lobster red at the moment. He didn’t really expect her to say something like that. At all! Well, if he had to be honest with himself, he did imagine it but not atm, really! He waved his hand in front of his face, trying to cool it down.

‘Aniy-a,’ she softly replied while burrowing her face into his chest, as if it was even more possible to move in closer probably to hide her embarrassment.

He lifted her chin then asked, ‘Then what do you mean? What are you saying?’

‘I just want to sleep in your arms tonight.’ Her voice was soft but firm. As she had always sounded when she is determined to do something that he might not agree to. She said this while looking into his eyes as if gauging his reaction to her words. ‘Then when I am asleep, you can leave.’ She was sniffling again.

Ji Chang Wook’s mind was in a turmoil, really. He knows he is the older one, he can be mature about things, he can be rational. But his mind was swamped with images he’d rather not imagine as they were really dangerous to his well being.

‘Oppa?’ She looked at up at him from his chest. Ahhh, he didn’t have the heart to deny her this. No, that would be lying to the bottom of his heart. He didn’t want to deny them both this. However, thinking that they were at her house with her parents and older sister. Yup, even the sleeping in the most innocent way possible would be difficult.

‘Okay, but if you promise to behave.’ He held her hands while looking into her eyes. He was very serious. He will exercise control but he has to have her utmost cooperation. He didn’t think his control would be enough if it was just him.

‘Hey, what do you mean I behave?’ She drew her head away from his chest but he brought it back closer to him. To calm down his fluttering heart, ‘chaebal, please calm down don’t get too excited.’ It was funny how he was having a private conversation with himself at the moment.

He turned to her and said, ‘‘We have talked about this before, remember? I am a namja who happens to be very much in love with you. Now put me in a room with you alone, with the lights out, and things are going to happen between us. So to keep safe, no teasing touches, or teasing kisses and all the better if you sleep under the blanket and I lay down over it.’ He thought, ‘ah yes, that would be the best option.’

Ji Hyunie looked at him as if he was going crazy. Her eyes shooting lasers at him. Then she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. It was okay she thought as long as she was getting her way. She gets the chance to sleep in his arms until the last moment before he goes to the army.

They were looking into each other’s eyes when they heard a someone clearing his throat. Ji Chang Wook saw the very person that terrified him. He would rather face the war at the DMZ than face the enraged father of the woman he loves.

‘Ji Chang Wook-sshi, it’s getting late. Ji Hyun Omonie wants to remind you that you have to wake up early tomorrow to go your enlistment.’ Ji Hyun’s Appa’s tone was casual, nothing to be worried about.

‘Ah yes,’ He breathed a sigh of relief. He was thankful that someone was bringing sanity to counter the insane moment that they were contemplating of doing.

‘Appa,’ Ji Hyunie called out to her father.

‘Yes, Hyunie?’ He was watching her carefully. He was afraid that his youngest always had a streak of stubborness a mile long. And this must be one of those days.

‘Can Chang Wookie Oppa stay and sleep with me?’ She blurted out without hesitation, causing Ji Chang Wook to grab the glass and drink up all the juice in it.

‘Oh boy, here we go.’ Ji Hyunie’s father kinda expected that the situation would come up with him appearing at their doorstep. He knew his youngest daughter, how affectionate she is, how loving. But damn, he didn’t really expect that he would be sharing her affections with another man this early.

‘Uhm Ji Hyun-yang-ie -- I don’t think--’ Ji Chang Wook was flabbergasted. He knew her honesty but he never really expected that she was this open even with things like this with her family. And for Goodness sake, this man was her father. I mean, he would be so lucky if he didn’t end up being maimed by her father even before going to enlistment with the ways things were going here.

Her father was looking at both of them, but was especially focused on her. Ji Hyunie was getting stressed at the scrutiny but she held his gaze. Her father wanted to see how determined she was to do this. She saw how unwavering her father looked. She looked at Ji Chang Wook again and without realizing it, tears started to fall again.

Ji Hyunie’s father sighed. He decided then, that he was not going to give his youngest daughter her first heartbreak. ‘Ara, Ji-Hyunie. Okay.’

‘What? Boragu? Okay?’ Ji Chang Wook was stuttering in the unprecedented turn of events.

‘I used to be just a namja before Ji Chang Wook-sshi kronde, I am more than just a man now, I am a Father.’ Ji Hyunie’s father looked at him in the eye with that stare that said, hurt my baby and the enlistment would be the least of your problems. Ji Chang Wook nodded his eyes b with determination and promise which seems to satisfy her father. He turned and walk away from the garden.

‘Remember, sleep only!’ Her father’s voice can be heard as he slowly walked away from them.

‘Yes!’ They both answered. Ji Hyunie smiled at him. She was very happy to get her way. She shrugged her shoulders and thought how wonderful it was to have a great family like hers. Ji Chang Wook wasn’t absolutely sure about this, but he will be damned, if he let the opportunity to hold her in his arms go to waste. And hold her he will while she sleeps, ‘damn, I didn’t really say that, right?, ‘ He thought.

Ji Hyunie lead him to her room by the hand and when she opened the door of her room, Ji Chang Wook slightly hesitated but then closed his eyes while sighing then opened his eyes again to walk inside.

Her room was like her, colorful and bright. Her walls were peppered with those idols she must like and the bands that she listens to.  He spotted a Suspicious Partner poster hanging majestically in the center of the room, he must remember to leave a message on it. He frowned at the poster of SKL and Angel Eyes. Ah, but then, those must be mementoes of her great dramas. No need to be jealous at all.

Now her bed, her huge bed was a princess bed. Sitting majestically in the middle of the room with fluffy pillows and with white satin sheets. ‘Damn, was he going to survive this night?’, Ji Chang Wook wasn’t so sure.

He saw her sitting on the bed looking him. He must look like a pabo staring waiting for snake about to bite him. She beckoned him closer and turned away from him. She got under the blanket and lifted its edge, she called him ‘Oppa, come here.’

He bit his lip and swallowed hard. His mind was praying for divine intervention or something. He walked closer to her but before joining her in bed,  ‘outside the blanket, I said,’ he reminded her. She moved her head sideways, ‘ani-ya, I didn’t say yes.’

‘Ji Hyun-yang-ie--, chaebal!’ He sounded desperate he knew.

‘Andwae!’, Her tone was very firm. ‘If you insist sleeping outside the blanket, then should I take off my clothes now?’

‘Bo?’ He pulled at his none existent hair. ‘OMG! Ji Hyun, you just didn’t say that!’ He threw himself on the bed facing her ceiling as if wondering if there are going to be answers dropping from there. He closed his eyes and was surprised to suddenly have her straddle him on the bed.

‘So, Oppa, what will it be?’ She stared at him with challenge in her eyes. ‘Clothes on or clothes off? Under or over the blanket?’

‘Okay, okay you win, under the blanket with clothes on.’ This girl would be the death of him, that he was so sure. He flipped her onto her back and fixed the blanket over them. She placed her arms around him and placed her legs in between his knees. He pulled her closer to him, he can feel her heartbeat. Hers were beating chaotically but he was sure his were going triple time in beats as well.

‘Ji Hyun-yang-ie?’

‘Oppa?’

‘You are a very harsh person, do you know that?’ He drew his breath savoring her sweet woody scent. Loving every single minute with her. This was torture sure, but the sweetest torture ever one he would willingly go through over and over again.

‘Ara.’ She snuggled closer to his chest savoring on the smell of him, the sound of his heartbeat. He felt her hands sneaking under his shirt, oh boy, his baby was certainly a naughty one. ‘Kwenchana, Ji Chang Wook, one day, one day.’ He promised himself as he closed his eyes as he kissed her forehead to settle her down for the night.

Ji Hyun woke up to the sun’s glare. She turned to her side half expecting but then she realized he must have left early.  She sighed. ‘Kwenchana, Ji Hyunie, one day, promise.’ She was gazing at her wall of posters so hard that she didn’t realize at first what she was seeing. ‘Oppa must have doodled on the Suspicious Partner poster,’ she thought. She stood up and walked to the wall, trying to read his message.

‘Mianhe, jagiya. It was really naughty of you to challenge me like that last night. I thought of leaving you something that would remind you of me, forgive me if it doesn’t come off in a month, never realized that you have such sensitive skin. Saranghe.’

‘What is he talking about? What did he leave me with?’ She wondered as she walked to her  bathroom. There she got the surprise of her life.

‘Oppa, Chincha!’, she ran a hand to the pinkish mark now adorning her shoulder. ‘Now I guess I can’t wear sleeveless tops for a while!’ Ji Hyunie smiled to herself as she prepares to take a shower.

‘