She could feel his gaze on her.

Amina slowly opened her eyes, adjusting her vision against the brightly lit room.  The sun had already made its presence known.  And judging by the amount of light, she knew she had slept longer than usual.  She turned and found him watching her.

"Annyeong..." she whispered.

His lips curved up.  "Annyeong..."

"Have you been up long?" She eased onto her side so she could face him.

"About an hour."

Amina lifted an eyebrow. 

His eyes smiled at her.  "Neh... you would think, that after last night, I would be the one too tired to get up early." He watched as she blushed.  He searched her face and softly asked, "What was that all about?"

Amina raised painfully shy eyes up at him.  "D-did you not like it?"

"Ani..." Youngbae said, watching her eyes grow wary as she redirected her gaze down towards his chest.  He reached over and caressed her bare hip.  'Ani... I loved every bit of it."

She glowed upon hearing his reverent praise.  It erased all the self-conscious feelings she felt moments ago. 

"Did you... enjoy it?"

She looked up, hearing a hint of vulnerability in his voice.  She never realized how much her pleasure in the act would matter to him.  She felt her cheeks grow warm.  "Neh..."

Youngbae nodded quietly.

They continued to stare at each other for several silent seconds.

"Do you have work today?"

Amina shook her head, the light in her eyes dimming slightly.  "After I informed Dr. Park of my situation, we went ahead and decided to make my last day yesterday..."

"Wae?"

Amina swallowed hard.  "So I can get ready for the internship."  She moved away from him and sat up, clutching the sheets to her body.

He missed her closeness. "So you're not interning at the same hospital?"

"A-ani..."

"Which hospital then?"

She pressed her lips together and watched as he sat up to face her, the sheets falling down his torso and landing haphazardly around his trim waist. 

Amina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  She watched his eyes carefully.  "That's what I wanted to talk to you about last night.  The internship program."

He raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for her to begin.

She took another swallow.  "You see... I couldn't stay on at same hospital because... the job I have is only for medical students. And since I don't have the means to pay for tuition this semester, I'm no longer eligible for the position."

"Jagi... I told you I would p-"

She cut him off.  "But Dr. Park was able to make some phone calls and we found an opportunity for me to jump-start my internship.  Instead of waiting for the Fall semester, I can start now."

"Then that's good news..."

Amina nodded her head slightly, her eyes still watchful.  "It'll be a full ride and I would be working next to some of the best medical professions in the industry and also gaining credits for my degree.  They would transfer it back to Seoul National University, so I wouldn't have any interruptions in my studies."

He smiled.  "Neh... that sounds really good."

"Neh," Amina repeated sadly.  "The program is supposed to last a year... which will give me enough time to apply for scholarships for next Spring when I can return."

"Return?"  He was confused, his eyebrows furrowing together.  "Like... back to your old hospital?"

She paused.  "Back to Seoul."

He narrowed his eyes.  "What do you mean...?"  He felt his heart pound.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"The program... is in New York." 

"New York?"

She saw the hurt in his eyes and couldn't speak.  She barely inclined her head.

"And you just... decided to make this decision on your own?"  He couldn't conceal the pain in his voice.  He grabbed his boxers at the foot of the bed and put them on.  He stood up and faced her.  "Do I..." He looked down, swallowing hard, before looking back at her.  "Do I not get a say?"

Amina bit down on her lip, hating the pain she was causing him.

He kneeled back down on the bed and grabbed her hand.  He begged, "Baby... I just got you."

A small hitch caught at the back of . She held onto his hand.  "It's just for a year...  and then I'll be back.  I promise."

Youngbae shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers.  "I don't want you to leave."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please... just let me pay for your school.  I'll make you work it off for me," his lips curved up teasingly, but his eyes were still tormented.

A tear spilled down her cheek.  She wiped it away.  "Ani... I told you already..."

He became angry.  "You would choose your pride over us?"

Amina pulled back in surprise, hurt evident in her eyes. She let go of his hand. "I can't believe you just said that."

He immediately looked away in shame.

"After everything..." she took a deep gulp of air.

"Mianhae..." he pathetically apologized.  But it was too late.

Amina wrapped the bed sheets around her and scooted off the bed.  Her voice shook with anger.  "You want to pay for my school.  What next?  Buy me a car?  Choose what I wear?  Pimp me out like... like..." she choked back a sob and clamped shut.  Her mother's words came back to taunt her as she walked around the bed and headed for the doorway.

Youngbae grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her.  He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her body shake as hot tears landed on his chest. "Baby, I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that..." he whispered against her temple.

"You think I want to leave?" she cried brokenly, clutching at his waist.

He pulled back to look at her face.

She looked determinedly into his eyes.  "They cut me off... I don't want them to have that power over me for the rest of my life."  Her eyes pleaded for him to understand.  "I won't let them stop me from achieving my goals... I won't let them win."

He didn't want to point out that her parents were winning anyway.  They were ripping them apart.  "C-could you just wait a year then?"  He hesitated to ask, knowing how selfish it sounded.

"And do what? Sit around here all day?"  She scoffed quietly under her breath.  He didn't understand.  She broke away from him.

"You're asking me to put my life on hold when we both know you're not going to be home half the year anyway because of your work."  Amina saw the guilt in his eyes.  "So it's okay for me to wait for you... but it's not fine for you to wait for me?"  She raised hopeless eyes to him.  "How is that fair?"

Youngbae felt his resolve break.  She was right.  He wasn't being fair.  The conversation he had with Jiyong last night came flooding back to him.  This was something he would have to do for them.  He would have to let her go. 

"I just don't want to lose you..." he whispered achingly at her.

Amina rushed back to him and tugged on his arm.  "You're not going to lose me.  I'm always here for you, even if I'm a thousand miles away." 

It wasn't the same.  It would never be the same, he argued silently in his mind.  But he nodded his head anyway.  "I'll wait for you..."

They were still coming to grips with the changes their future had in store for them.  They didn't speak more of it as they clung to each other in the bedroom.  And no one said a word as they walked, hand in hand, to the bathroom.  He made love to her in the shower... his need to be as close to her as possible overpowering his senses.  Youngbae committed her to his memory.  He memorized her every sigh, her citrusy scent, her luminous brown eyes, and the soft touch of her skin next to his.  He took it all in.  He never wanted to forget.

The quiet tension continued as they worked silently next to one another, fixing a simple breakfast.  He took a kettle out and filled it with water.  He remembered how much she enjoyed tea.

"When do you leave?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Amina heard the distress in his voice.  She couldn't bear to face him.  Instead, she opened the refrigerator door and took out a carton of eggs.  "Friday."

Friday.  He saw red and nearly broke the kettle handle off.  Friday... it was less than a week away.  He clenched his jaw at the retort that almost spewed from of his mouth and didn't say a word.

Amina turned around and found him hunched over, gripping the edge of the sink.  With a heavy heart, she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her side of her face against his back. She could feel tension radiate from within.  She rubbed his chest with her open palms.  "Oppa...  please don't.  Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

He took two big deep breaths of air before turning around. They held each other.

Amina knew he was taking this harder than she was.  But their time was limited.  And she wanted to do everything that she could to make sure that the made the best of their time together.  She looked up at him and put on a brave face.

"After breakfast, I was thinking we could go do something fun," she smiled encouragingly at him.

Youngbae could see the effort she was making.  He played along.  "Sure... what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know..." She toyed with the strings on his black hoodie. "Skydiving... bungee jumping..." He grinned, just as she hoped.

"I don't think my company would approve of such activities."

She pouted prettily.  "Well, how about a tattoo?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "I just recently got a new one..."

"Not for you..." She looked at him directly in the eye.  "For me."

He shook his head disapprovingly. "You don't need a tattoo."

"Well, no one ever needs a tattoo... right?" Amina knew she had him there, but could still see him wavering.  "C'mon... I'll let you help me pick it out.  So that every time I look at it...." She suddenly broke off as unexpected emotions flooded her.  Her nose turned red and tears clouded her vision as she continued.  "So that every time I look at it... I'll think of you."  She smiled brokenly.

Youngbae looked into her watery eyes and wondered how the hell they were going to survive the next five days like this.  They were only on day one and already it was pure agony.  He wiped a tear that escaped her lashes.  "Alright..." he said quietly.  "Maybe I'll make you get a really big one that says 'I Love Dong Youngbae Forever'."

She laughed and sniffed the tears away, the sorrow leaving her eyes, like he knew it would. 

"Dong Youngbae!"  She chanted, lifting her arms above her head into a heart shape.  "Saranghae!"

He chuckled and crushed his mouth against her smiling lips.

She should have never asked for a tattoo.

Her knees began shaking as soon as they stepped into the non-descript brick building of 302 Artwork Studio.  A couple greeted Youngbae by name and introduced themselves as KEY and J.Mi, the owners. Amina bowed respectfully and greeted them in return.  This was the same place that Youngbae had received his first tattoo a few years back so the three began catching up on past events, while Amina listened with half an ear.  She walked over and viewed samples of tattoo artwork hung around the brightly lit space, the heels of her boots clacking quietly along the wooden floors.

The tattoos were large, mostly garish and bold.  Everything she was not. She was definitely out of her league.

"So... have you had any tattoo work done before?" asked J.Mi, coming up behind her.

Amina turned around, caught completely off-guard. "Aniyo," she bowed.  "This will be my first time."

"I see..." J.Mi smiled.  "So what brings you in today?"

She looked nervously at J.Mi.  "I... um..." She paused, unsure of how much to reveal. Amina glanced briefly at Youngbae, finding his eyes on her. She composed herself before smiling more assuredly.  "To be honest... him."

Amina knew she had caught J.Mi by surprise by the look on her face, especially since she had only been introduced as a 'friend'.  "I wanted to get something that I could remember us by."

J.Mi nodded, her eyes softening.  "Okay, I think I can help you." 

Amina followed J.Mi over to a work-desk station where a computer was housed.  She took a seat across from J.Mi while the artist under lit tabletop. "Well, as you probably know... Youngbae is pretty found of crosses. He's very vocal about his faith."

"Neh," Amina replied. "We share similar beliefs."

J.Mi nodded.  "I can do a cross for you, if you'd like." 

"Sure."

"Is there a particular design or size that you had in mind?"

"Just something small... and discreet."  Amina shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know... something with classic lines.  Simple."

"Where do you want it?"

Amina paused.  She hadn't thought that far.  She'd want to be able to see it everyday if she'd like but then also have the option of covering it up if needed.  "I think... I'll just put it on my waist, off to the left side a little, if that's alright?"

"Okay," smiled J.Mi. "Anything else?"

"Maybe a heart?" Amina cringed.  She definitely sounded like she didn't know what the heck she was talking about.

"I can incorporate that."  J.Mi took out a sheet of paper and laid it on the lighted desktop and began sketching a few lines here and there. 

"Did you leave room for my name?" asked Youngbae, as he approached them.  He sat down next to Amina.

Amina blushed while J.Mi grinned down at her work.

"Ani. We decided your name would probably go out of style in a couple of years..." Amina impishly replied, watching his eyes dance with laughter.

"Is that right?" He asked quietly, taking her hand into his.  His eyes twinkled. "Well... I guess that means when our day comes, I won't ask you to break away from tradition then."

Amina's mouth parted in surprise, her heart skipping a beat.  She couldn't believe he was teasing her so openly about taking his name.

He grinned at her.

"Here... tell me what you think of these," J.Mi said as she handed over her sketches.

Grateful for the interruption, Amina looked over the different designs.  She was thankful that J.Mi had listened to her by keeping the lines simple and discreet. There were several cross designs drawn with heart patterns, but there was one in particular that caught her eye.  It was just a simple sketch of a wayward cross with an off-centered heart over-lapping it.  It looked almost as if it wasn't just a cross and heart, but rather two people with their arms wrapped around each other.  It was something in the that made it almost lyrical.

"What do you think?" she asked Youngbae.

He pointed to the same one she chose.  But of course, he chose it for different reasons.  "I like this one.  Less ink."  He smiled at her.

Amina narrowed her eyes at him.

"Mwuh?" He laughed.

"This is to help symbolize us?  Less ink?"  She raised an eyebrow.  Amina looked at J.Mi.  "Omo, why do I even bother asking for a man's opinion?"

"Alright, alright," Youngbae smiled.  "But I'm telling you... you'll thank me later."  He scooted his seat closer to Amina and put his arm along the back of her chair, leaning his face on her shoulder. 

Amina felt her body burn up in flames at his nearness.  She could feel his breath brush her cheeks lightly as he spoke to J.Mi.

"...maybe you can add the same design from my tattoo if you made the base of her cross wider?  Neh," Youngbae nodded.  "Just keep the ink light..."

They watched as J.Mi re-sketched another drawing, her fingers working fast and quick.

"And could you make the heart... sparkle like diamonds?" Youngbae asked as he directed his gaze at Amina, his lips nearly brushing her face.  His eyes darkened with lust.

Amina could feel herself getting aroused by his nearness.  She scooted over and tried to concentrate on what J.Mi was doing.

It took several more minutes before J.Mi finally was able to deliver them a finish product.  When she did, it took Amina's breath away. 

It was perfect.  Not too much, with just enough details to make out a little of Youngbae and her in the design.  Amina's lips curved up as she looked at the drawing and over at Youngbae.  "I love it."

He smiled widely, seeing her pleasure. 

They went into the backroom where the tattoo equipment and chairs were kept.  Amina nervously laid back in one of the black leather seats and eyed the various needles and ink bottles lining the room.  Amina felt her palms begin to sweat.  She bit her lip and began to tap her feet as she waited.

Youngbae stood against the wall with his arms across his chest and eyed her with a cocky grin on his face. "Are you sure you don't want to back out of it?  I promise I won't tease you."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

He chuckled.

J.Mi came into the room with an adhesive copy of the design she drew earlier.  "Ready?"

"N-neh..." Amina stuttered, as her fingers shakily lifted the hem of her sweater up her torso.  She closed her eyes tightly as J.Mi peeled the sticker off and pressed the paper down onto her skin.

"Aish..." Youngbae scoffed under his breath, his lips curving up in disbelief.  J.Mi hadn't even started yet and Amina was already squirming.

"How does it look?" J.Mi asked.

"Don't ask her, ask me... I'm going to be the one mostly looking at it," Youngbae said as he narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

J. Mi laughed.

"Yah!" Amina hissed at him, opening her eyes.  "Care to embarrass me more today?" He ignored her rant as he stepped closer.

She became even more mortified as Youngbae peered down her exposed stomach and examined it with an expert eye.  She couldn't contain the shivers that racked her body as he caressed her belly with his warm fingers.  He eyed her knowingly.

"Looks good J.Mi-yah," he said with a seductive glint towards Amina as he straightened.  He walked around to the other side of the chair where an assistant stool was located and pulled it over to sit next to her right side.  Amina eyed him warily.

J.Mi scooted her stool towards Amina's left side and swung her tools over.  She her drill, the buzzing noise filling the room.  "Ready?"

Youngbae grabbed Amina's right hand.  "Ready?" he asked her quietly.

Instead of feeling embarrassed this time around, Amina was suddenly grateful that he was nearby offering his comfort.  She drew from his strength.  She squeezed his hand and looked over at J.Mi.  "Neh."

The needle pierced her skin and shot pain up her spine.  She let out a whimper and curled her toes to counter the shock.  Her eyes were closed and her lips were clamped in-between her teeth.  It hurt... bad.

Youngbae could sense the pain that Amina was experiencing, having gone through the same himself.  He stood up and hunched over her, careful to not disturb J.Mi's work.  "Jagi..." he called out over the buzzing noise.  He squeezed her hand.

Amina took in a quick sharp breath and marginally opened her eyes.  His face was directly in front of hers.  "Mwuh?" she asked through clenched teeth.

She looked so pitiful laying there; he couldn't help but .  "I think you should get another one before we leave."  Youngbae saw a hint of amusement light her eyes and continued.  "What do you think?"  He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Like... one that says, 'I was stupid for suggesting this?'"

He grinned.  His eyes turned warm as he gazed lovingly over her face.  "How's the pain?"

She grimaced as another needle hit a nerve.  "It ."

Youngbae looked down to see J.Mi's progress.  She was busy wiping excess and inking and didn't have time to pay the couple above her any mind.  He looked back up at Amina.  "It'll be over soon," he promised.  "You just got to keep your mind on other things."

"Like?"

"Me," he arrogantly replied, his eyebrow raised.

She grinned... and then winced as her flesh broke in another spot.  She tried to blink away the tears that welled in her eyes by laughing it off.  "I can't believe you did this... twice."

"There are places on the body that are more sensitive than others."  His lips curved up in mischievously.  "But then again, there are some people that are just more sensitive than others."

Amina tried to throw eye daggers his way, but recoiled in pain as another portion of her skin was pricked by the tattoo needle. 

He leaned closer to her, as if he could somehow shield her from the pain of it all.  "Should I start singing?" Youngbae joked.

"Ani," she half laughed. She could see he was trying his hardest to keep her mind off the pain.  Amina looked into his eyes.  "Just hold my hand."

Youngbae nodded.  Not caring if anyone saw, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before sitting back down on the stool.  He held Amina's hand and endured the pain with her.

Youngbae navigated through the streets of Seoul as they made their way towards Gangnam-gu.  He was half aware of the conversation Amina was having with Hanna as he made his way towards KT House of Diamond headquarters.  She hung up the phone and faced him.

"Gomawo... for taking me," Amina said.  "I rather have this conversation with her face to face, instead of telling her on the phone."

"How do you think she's going to take it?" Youngbae asked.  He flipped a turn signal and merged into the right lane.

Amina grimaced.  "Much like you..."

Youngbae turned marginally and raised his eyebrow at her.

"She's going to want me to stay... maybe she'll involve her parents."  Amina sighed.  "God, I hope she doesn't.  Her dad and mine are already at odds.  I don't need this to escalate it even more."

Youngbae looked at her in confusion.  "Why would it?"

She shook her head.  "Because it's a pride thing between them.  They had a disagreement a long time ago that separated our families, but they still keep close with the offsprings."  She looked meaningfully at Youngbae.  "Hence, that's why you see Hanna working for my dad."

"But if my uncle were to find out that my father disowned me... he would do the honorable thing and take me in.  And that would only cause a deeper chasm between our families.  And I can't let that happen."

They arrived at KT House of Diamonds and valet parked in front of the building. 

"You don't have to come up, if you don't want to," Amina said.  "My father will probably be here."

"It's alright.  I'll walk you up and say hi to Hanna and then leave.  I have some work in the studio to attend to anyway."

Amina looked at him and nodded.  They entered the large foyer of the building where classical music was playing.  Having been there before, Youngbae proceeded to lead them towards the elevators.  Amina touched his arm to stop him.  He looked back at her.

She apologetically smiled.  "If you don't mind... I kind of want to visit someone first before we head up..."

Youngbae followed Amina as she walked around the main floor towards the back of the building where a room was tucked in the back.  It was a private jewelry showroom for high profile clientele.  Youngbae nodded politely to the security guards that manned the glass doors and followed Amina in.  The plush red carpet sank beneath his feet.  There were a couple of older customers milling about, examining the gold laden encased tables.  He looked around the room, suddenly feeling a little intimidated.

"Amina-sshi?"

Amina's smile lit up.  "Sunbaenim Kang?  Annyeonghasaeyo..."  She bowed deeply to the older gentleman that walked forward to greet her.  "This is my... boyfriend, Dong Youngbae."  She smiled wide at the surprised look on Youngbae's face.

Youngbae bowed deeply and greeted the gentleman. 

"Ah, is that so?" Mr. Kang wagged his finger at Youngbae.  "I must warn you.  This one is a handful... Always walking around here, thinking that she owns the place, trying on all the different jewelry here and there."

Amina mouth gaped.  She quickly explained to Youngbae.  "I was eight."

Youngbae grinned.

Mr. Kang continued.  "And then telling my employees to take the day off on a major holiday weekend... on one of our busiest times of the year!"  He looked at Youngbae.  "I almost lost my job because of her."

Amina sighed.  "Sunbaenim will never let me live it down even though it was nearly over ten years ago when that happened."  She shrugged at Youngbae.  "It was a middle school project where I surveyed the employees.  I didn't know they were going to take it so seriously."

He laughed.

Amina smiled. "Come on, sunbaenim... You can't still be mad at me all these years.  I came by just to say hi to you.  How are your kids these days?  In school still?"

"Neh, neh... One of them recently just started and the other is still going," he answered with a sparkle in his eye.  He always enjoyed teasing Amina when she stopped by.

Amina turned to Youngbae.  "Sunbaenim Kang is our Head General Manager at KT House of Diamonds.  He's been here for... how long now?"  She turned to Mr. Kang.

"Almost twenty years now."

Youngbae rocked back on his heels.  "Wow... that's amazing."

"Neh," Amina smiled.  "He's known me almost all my life."  She looked back at the older gentleman, her eyes melancholy.  "He's like a father to me." 

She spoke to Mr. Kang about business and caught up on the rest of his family.  Youngbae floated away to allow them some privacy.  He walked past cases of diamond encrusted watches and brooches.  He could tell they were expensive... beyond expensive.  None of them had any price tags.

On the opposite wall from where they entered was a black velvet display.  Funnily enough, there was a marketing picture of Amina's latest gig she did with Hanna from the past month.  He gravitated towards the area. It wasn't until he stood directly in front of the display before he noticed that it was almost bare... with the exception of single diamond solitaire ring.  There wasn't anything spectacular about it.  It wasn't large by any means... a little over one and a half carats.  But the exquisite cut of the stone shot fire at him as he walked by causing him to stop.  He stared at the ring.        

"Bae-yah?"

Youngbae broke out of his daze and looked over his shoulder, noticing Amina and Hanna at the entrance door.  He must have been standing there awhile because he hadn't noticed when Hanna had arrived.  Amina beckoned him over.

"Annyeong," Hanna greeted Youngbae.  He automatically did the same to her.  They said their goodbyes to Mr. Kang and left the showcase room and walked into the main foyer. 

Hanna walked off towards the elevator and turned back as she waited for Amina to follow her.

Amina looked up at Youngbae, noticing his pre-occupation.  "Are you okay? You look like you have something on your mind."

Youngbae shook his head and half-smiled.  "Ah... ani.  It's nothing."

"Alright," she said quietly, facing him.  "I'll just have Hanna take me back to your place later tonight so you don't have to come back."

He nodded.  "I'll see you at home."

"Neh..." Amina felt her cheeks heat, her desire to give him a parting kiss on the upper part of her mind.  But they were in public and she didn't dare.  She settled for a deep bow instead.  "Annyeong."

He jabbed his tongue inside his cheek, holding back his laughter.  He bowed in return.  "Annyeong... jagi."  Youngbae watched as she followed Hanna and watched as the elevator doors closed behind them.

Time stood still as Youngbae stood in the lobby.  He could feel his heart beat with great clarity, hear the air rush through his lungs with every breath he took.  Everything was coming to him loud and clear.  Everything.

He turned around and headed back to the private showcase room.