Krrrringgggg! Krrringgggg! Krrringgggg!

               “Ugghhh! It’s morning already...”, Yonghwa sleepily said. He then tried to maneuver on his bed to grab the offending alarm clock when he fell off on the floor.

               “Bloody hell! Ouch!” as he tried to find his way out of the tangle of blankets and pillow while lying on the marbled floor of his bedroom.

               He then remembered that he had an important appointment for the day. He would be seeing her. The only woman he ever loved in his life…well except for his mother. He remembered their conversation last night….as he was taking a shower

               “Are you crying, Shinhye?” Yonghwa asked worriedly.

               “No…of course not…maybe I’m just coming down with a flu…its cold here since it rained on and off for the entire day”, Shinhye replied trying to sound cheerful.

               “Take paracetamol immediately and drink hot ginger tea…your voice already sounds hoarse. No…I better check on you personally…wait for me there I’ll go to Incheon” he asked as he stood from his bed where he was resting when he got home after the interview. He grabbed his sweater and his car keys prepared to spend hours of his night on the road just to get to Incheon and take care of her.

               “ No…Yonghwa, just stay there, okay. I’ll drink what you prescribed…don’t worry I’ll be well tomorrow”, Shinhye tried to pacify him but it did not lessen his worry for her.

               “Are you sure?”, Yonghwa still sounded unconvinced as he sat back to his bed still holding his car keys on his left hand.

              “Yes, well in fact I’ll go there tomorrow”, Shinhye informed him.

               Yonghwa’s face instantly brightened…he smiled and he would have shouted in glee if he was not on the phone. “Did she hear me wishing for her?”, he asked himself. “Really, that’s good…we can see each other”, he said aloud trying to control the quiver of his voice from his excitement.

               “We can meet in the afternoon at the park near Han River”, Shinhye suggested.

               “Sure…sure…we can spend the afternoon catching up. We haven’t talk in these past few days.”

               “I’m sorry…I was so busy here in Incheon I wasn’t able to call you”, Shinhye apologized.

               “No worries…actually I’m kinda busy to here in Seoul I wasn’t able to call you, too, or even visit you”, Yonghwa replied understanding reflected in his voice.

               “Thank you”, Shinhye blurted out.

                “For what?” Yonghwa asked in his soothing voice.

               “For always being there for me”, Shinhye simply said.

               “Park Shinhye, remember this…no matter what happens…I’m always here for you…for the good times and the bad…I’m a constant in your life and you can’t even shake me off even if you want to”, Yonghwa said seriously…meaning every word he said.

               “Thank you…I better sleep now…I have to leave early tomorrow”, Shinhye wanted to end the call before she found herself crying and telling Yonghwa about her problem which would probably worry him more.

               “Do that, okay? And, Shinhye, take care when driving…no overspeeding and I mean it…I’m always on the verge of having a heart attack every time you handle the steering wheel”, Yonghwa tried to lecture Shinhye whose soft giggles he could already hear at the other line…she was laughing at him.

               “I miss you, Yonghwa, good night”, Shinhye ended the call.

               “Shinhye…I miss you, too, I love you…goodnight”, Yonghwa said smiling as lay on his bed...he could still hear her soft laughter in his head.

               Yonghwa was whistling a happy tune as he got out of his bathroom...he happily selected and wore his green polo shirt which he matched with his black jeans...he continued with his festive whistling as he sat on the bed and tied the laces of his white Nike rubber shoes. After he tied his laces, his eyes focused on the photo frame on his bedside table. It was Shinhye’s picture which he took three months ago when he visited her in Incheon. She was really amazingly beautiful…with her long, wavy black hair, cute nose, almond eyes, flawlessly white skin and cherry lips made for kissing. She was his idea of perfection…beautiful inside and out with brains as sharp as a well- honed blade.  

               “Still day dreaming about her”, a voice said from the doorway.

               Yonghwa immediately opened his eyes which he unknowingly closed while embracing the photo frame which he also unconsciously grabbed from his side table.

               “I say…why don’t you ask her to be your girlfriend already? You’re mooning over her picture won’t help your case of winning her”, his visitor teasingly said as he pulled the swivel chair from Yonghwa’s study table and sat.

               “It’s not that easy, Hyun Joong, we’ve been friends for such a long time. By the way, what are you doing here this early?”Yonghwa bantered back.

               “ Nothing to do in my parents' mansion...I decided to visit you here. So…what are you going to do…let her go? What if in your hesitation she found some else? Or she might be promised to someone else…for all you know she might fall in love with me later”, Hyun Joong winked playfully…teasing his cousin who reddened.

               "Yah…why would she like you?” Yonghwa sounded pissed at the possibility of Shinhye falling in love with Hyun Joong.

               “Why not? I’m told by many that I’m handsome. Modesty aside I attract girls the way honey attracts the bees.” Hyun Joong even stood and modeled in front of Yonghwa.

               “Modesty…my …maybe you’re attracting their anger more likely being the player that you are!” Yonghwa smirked at his cousin. He must be honest…Hyun Joong was really handsome; he was tall as tall as he and with a good body built as he. He also had the lovable smile, the expressive eyes, a beautifully shaped nose and fair complexion. Where he kept his hair short hair jet black, Hyun Joong kept his dark brown.

               “Now…Yonghwa, I’m not a player…I’m just close with women. What can I do my family owns the biggest broadcasting company and talent agency here in the country…so it’s only natural for me to meet actresses, models, singers…name them”, Hyun Joong defended himself. “I’m always asking you to accompany me and meet them but you always say you’re busy”, Hyun Joong added.

               “I’m not interested with anyone but Shinhye…she’s…”

               “my Mona Lisa…the light that illuminates my soul…the beating of my heart…the air that I breathe…the grace that feeds my soul…my eternally beautiful rose...”, Hyun Joong lunched into a tirade as he finished Yonghwa’s litany about Shinhye.

               “Seems you memorized it already, Hyun Joong.” Yonghwa tried to look indignant but failed… as his smile kept tugging from his lips. Aside from Shinhye and his mother he was closest to his cousin Hyun Joong whom he treated as a brother.

               “Why can’t I memorize it? It was a litany that I always hear when we talk about her”, Hyun Joong sarcastically commented. “Yonghwa, ask her to be your girlfriend…I have the gut feeling that she also loves you the way that you love her”, Hyun Joong then seriously said.

               “You think so?” Yonghwa hesitatingly asked.

               “Look, she hadn’t had any boyfriend since you met her when she transferred in our school when were in third year high school…none during our college and none until now…she’s always sticking with you…in fact she never paid any especial attention to any man but you…she had seen you at your best and worst and accepted you for it…she laughed freely with you…she has this aura of total contentment when she’s with you…if that is not love I don’t know what to call it”, Hyun Joong lengthily explained in details even counting each detail by his fingers like a child.

               “Okay.” Yonghwa stood…he had with him a determined stance.

               “Okay…what?” Hyun Joong asked looking at Yonghwa.

               “I’ll follow you…I’ll ask her to be my girlfriend. We’ll meet this afternoon at the park near Han River…I’ll ask her then”, Yonghwa informed his cousin. He was smiling and his eyes alight with determination to tell Shinhye how he really felt.

               “Wow! I didn’t know that I’m a good counselor…kekeke”, Hyun Joong laughed aloud.

               “Actually, I’ve already planned that last night…you just reinforced it”, Yonghwa said trying to sound superior as he went out of his room.

               “Why…you…” Hyun Joong remarked as he happily followed his cousin. They gave each other manly taps on the shoulder as they both smiled while descending the grand staircase to partake breakfast at the dining area.