Yonghwa dialed Joo Hyun’s number. He wanted to confront Joo Hyun about what she did to separate him and Shinhye.

“Hello”, Joo Hyun answered.

“I want to speak with you right now, Joo Hyun. I’m here at the park near your condominium building. I’ll wait for you here”, Yonghwa ended the call without even hearing what Joo Hyun had to say.

“Y-Yonghwa, Yonghwa”, Joo Hyun said but the line was already off. She knew from the tone of Yonghwa’s voice that he was angry and an angry person would not be easy to deal with.

Yonghwa was furious…he was standing at one section of the park while waiting for Joo Hyun. He did not know what he would do if he ever faced Joo Hyun at the moment.

“Yonghwa”, Joo Hyun called to him as she walked to where he was standing.

Yonghwa just looked at her. He was furious beyond words.

“Yonghwa, why do you want to see me?” Joo Hyun smiled tentatively trying to appear innocent of what she did.

“Why did you do it?” Yonghwa asked in controlled anger.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean by that, Yonghwa?” Joo Hyun pretendingly said.

“I’m asking you, Joo Hyun, and I very well know that you of all the people know what I mean. Why, Joo Hyun?” Yonghwa asked his voice raising as he grabbed Joo Hyun’s arm and hauled her.

“Yonghwa, you’re hurting me”, Joo Hyun cried out.

“Why, Joo Hyun?” Yonghwa shouted at her.

“I-I did it because I love you so much and I want you for myself”, Joo Hyun cried out.

Yonghwa let go of her arm as though her words stung him.

“You…you love me? I don’t believe you! You’re just too selfish and manipulative to love anyone but yourself!” Yonghwa angrily said.

“But it’s true, Yonghwa. I did it because I want you for myself because I love you. I regret the time I left you and went to Busan years ago”, Joo Hyun was already crying seeing how angry Yonghwa was at her. She tried to hold his hands and his arms…to embrace him but he refused her touch.

“Let go of me…don’t you dare touch me. You’re just too lucky I’m not someone who is given to hurting women because if I was…I would have wrung your neck at this moment!” Yonghwa said as he jerkily pulled himself from Joo Hyun’s clasp.

“Yonghwa, Shinhye already left you now…she’s going to be married to another person…won’t you be with me instead? I’m the one who loves you”, Joo Hyun pleaded while tears fell from her eyes. She was desperate to have Yonghwa for herself.

“Be with you? You must be dreaming if you think that I would have you after what you did to me. I don’t love you, Joo Hyun, I never did and I never will. The only woman I ever loved and will ever love is Shinhye and whatever happens I won’t allow her to be married to anyone except me”, Yonghwa said with conviction.

“No…no…you won’t do this to me”, Joo Hyun said.

“Now…you come with me and tell Shinhye the truth about those pictures before I lost my patience with you”, Yonghwa said.

“What truth? I don’t know any truth except for the fact that you love me and I love you. Those pictures are real…they are real”, Joo Hyun shouted as she stepped back from Yonghwa.

“Joo Hyun, don’t try to weasel out of this problem you created for me. You have to clear my name and you have to do it now”, Yonghwa said.

“No…I won’t do it. You hear me…I won’t do it!” Joo Hyun angrily shouted as she ran away leaving Yonghwa at the park.

Yonghwa would want to chase Joo Hyun and shake some sense into her but he saw how unstable she was and forcing her to come with him to clear out his name might result to more problems than solution.

“I’ll be back, Joo Hyun, and by that time I hope you already changed your mind or else I might really loose my patience with you and your pettiness”, Yonghwa told himself as he clenched his fists on his sides.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hyun Joong was suffering the same pain and loneliness as Yonghwa. He arrived home feeling stressed. He missed So Min…her beautiful face…her gentle voice…her sweet smile.

“Hyun Joong, son, you’re here already. How’s work?” Mrs. Kim asked smiling…pretending as if she did not do anything wrong in the world.

“Tired…I felt tired all of a sudden as if the entire world lost its meaning ever since So Min decided to end things between us”, Hyun Joong sighed sadly. He was staring at the ceiling while spawled at the sofa at the living room.

“So Min…that girl…ended up things between the two of you?” Mrs. Kim carefully asked.

“Yeah, mom. Wait, how did you know about So Min?” Hyun Joong asked surprised.

“I didn’t…you mentioned her just now so I asked about her”, Mrs. Kim said trying to appear calm.

“Yeah…right…I miss her, mom, I love her so much that not seeing her even for a day hurts like hell. I can’t concentrate on my work at the office because I’m thinking about her…about what she’s doing…I miss her so very much”, Hyun Joong said his eyes teary.

“You love her?” Mrs. Kim asked.

“So much…so much…” Hyun Joong replied.

“I’m sorry, my son, you’ll forget her someday. She’s not of our world…you need someone with connections in the society not a poor person like her. You’ll understand me someday”, Mrs. Kim told herself as she was looking at her miserable son.

“I’d better get myself upstairs to rest. I’ll just sleep over this pain”, Hyun Joong said as he kissed his mother’s cheek and dragged himself upstairs to his room.

He lied on his bed…he was so tired but sleep would not claim him. He was missing So Min…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So Min that night was still alone on her apartment. Her parents called her and told her that they were extending their vacation with their relatives. She was lying on her bed that night looking at the ceiling as tears fell from her eyes.

“Hyun Joong, my love, I miss you so very much…I miss you…I love you…why can’t I be with you?” So Min whispered.

She touched her lips and closed her eyes thinking of the time they kissed. Kyuhyun had kissed her before but after Hyun Joong kissed her…he could not remember being kissed by anyone but him.

“It must be the feeling of true love because the only man that I can remember is you, Hyun Joong”, So Min whispered.

Hyun Joong was jolted from his reverie of thinking So Min by the ringing of his cellphone. It was an unfamiliar number.

“Hello”, Hyun Joong answered.

No one spoke at the other line….

“Hello, how’s this?” Hyun Joong asked.

Again…no one spoke…

Hyun Joong decided to cut the call as the caller was not speaking. He went back to lying on his bed until his tiredness overcame him and sleep claimed him.

So Min was the one at the other line. She changed her cellphone number that morning in order to avoid Hyun Joong but she felt so devastated at what she did.

“Just to hear your voice, my love, just to hear your voice”, So Min said as she clutched her cellphone to her chest and cried silently.

She fell asleep that night…although still in deep pain…she had his voice that night…she heard his voice that night…it was enough for her…it had to be enough for her.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shinhye was sitting by the window of her room…overlooking the vast manicured lawn. She was silently crying for what happened to her and Yonghwa. She loved him so much…but she was so shaken by what she saw as her betrayal.

“How could you do this to me, Yonghwa, my darling?” Shinhye asked.

She remembered the scene earlier that evening. Yonghwa came to their house…asking…begging her to believe him to at least speak with him.

“Shinhye, darling, please hear me out. I didn’t do it…I couldn’t do it to you….I love you so much to do that to you”, Yonghwa shouted at the front door of the mansion.

He was crying…he looked so wasted…so miserable…

“Shinhye, please, speak to me….believe me….” Yonghwa said as the guards at the mansion were ushering him out of the long driveway to the the gate and to his car that was parked outside the gates.

Shinhye wanted to run to him…to embrace him…to tell him she loved him so much that she would be willing to take him back…that she would not care even if he cheated on her so long as he would not leave her but she shelved her feelings to her bleeding heart. She controlled herself….she bit her lower lip so hard that she tasted the blood from the cut her lip and felt the sting from the salt of her flowing tears.

A knock on her door woke her up from her memories. It was her mother….

“Mom, what is it?” Shinhye asked as she wiped her tears.

“I heard from our butler what happened here earlier”, Mrs. Park said.

“Ah…that…I’m sorry for that”, Shinhye said for the lack of right words to say.

“Yes…that…why don’t you give Yonghwa a chance to explain himself instead of ending things abruptly between the two of you?” Mrs. Park asked gently as she sat at the window ledge and faced Shinhye.

“The pictures…the words from Joo Hyun…” Shinhye haltingly said.

“Pictures can be altered…words can be fabricated…” Mrs. Park said.

“I don’t know, Mom, I don’t know what to think anymore”, Shinhye said as tears fell from her eyes.

“Trust is the most important foundation of a relationship. You have known Yonghwa for so long that you can tell it yourself if he was lying to you…you’re heart would know”, Mrs. Park advised her daughter.

“Thank you, mother, thank you so much. I’ll think about it”, Shinhye said as she embraced her mother.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yonghwa was crying on his bed. Shinhye did not listen to his pleas that he was innocent of everything. She might never listen at all but he would not give up on her…he would never give up on her….

“I’ll beg until the day comes that you’ll listen and take me back, Shinhye, my darling”, Yonghwa whispered determinedly.

Hi, everyone....I'm very sorry for not updating my story for such a long time. I promise to update more often....I miss you all so much.