Jong Kook was resolved to get Ji Hyo back. “If she is not coming back to me, then I shall be going to her!” he said to himself. That night after his chat with Gary, he had found a new purpose and he spent the last two months preparing for this trip. When Ji Hyo confirmed that she would be in Hong Kong on these two dates without any work schedule, he immediately booked the flight out.

The moment he stepped out from the Hong Kong International Airport, his face was hit by the chilling wind but it was still warmer than Seoul. The thought that she was in a warmer place warmed his heart. He quickly boarded the taxi before him and passed a piece of paper with her address on it to the driver. As he travelled away from the airport towards her, he watched the passing scenery with a smile on his face while his thumbs rolled over each other in his interlaced hands. He wondered what her reaction would be when she saw him.

With nervous anticipation, he stood on the ground level of her apartment building’s lift lobby. He was trying to formulate what he would say to her once he saw her. Just as he was about to push the lift button, Ji Hyo unexpectedly walked out of the elevator. All words in his mind flew away and he could only stare at the woman whom he had been missing for months.

Ji Hyo was astounded to see Jong Kook standing before her. She dropped the bag in her hand and covered her agape mouth with her two hands. She gaped at him in disbelief, wondering if she had missed him too much that she was hallucinating.

After a long moment, Jong Kook moved forward and enveloped Ji Hyo in his arms, squeezing her tightly as if she would slip away if he was to loosen his hold just a little bit. She buried her face deeper into his sturdy chest and his warmth reassured her of his physical presence. They took comfort in their familiar closeness to ease the pining in their hearts.

“Jong Kook,” she whispered softly against his chest.

“My love,” he breathed over her head and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

The space of time seemed to have frozen for them. Their entranced embrace was broken only by the sudden ringing of Ji Hyo’s mobile phone. Ji Hyo quickly bent down to pick up her phone which was lying on the floor. The contents of her bag had spilled out when she dropped it. While Ji Hyo took the call, Jong Kook helped to pick up the stuff and put them back into her bag. As he was picking up the items, he noticed an appointment card with its last entry stating today’s date and a time which was less than one hour away. As wordings on the card were mainly Chinese characters with some English words in between the lines, it took him a while to make them out but he could recognise the English word “clinic” and he was concerned.

The call was from Ji Hyo’s personal assistant, asking where she was and reminding her that she was running late for her medical appointment. Ji Hyo hastily ended the call and turned to Jong Kook. Uneasiness filled her when she saw Jong Kook placing her appointment card into her bag. In the most casual tone that she could muster, she said to him, “I’m sorry. I’m running late for my appointment. Why don’t you go up to my apartment and have a rest first? I’ll come back in a few hours.”

He smiled slightly at her and asked, “May I come with you for your appointment?”

“Aren’t you tired from your flight? And you need to put down your luggage first, don’t you?” she persuaded him.

Holding his hand-carry leather luggage bag up, he replied, “This is all I have. I can carry it with me. Can I come along please?”

She could sense his insistence but she tried once more. “It may not be convenient for you to come with me.”

“What kind of appointment is it?” he probed.

Reggie was Ji Hyo’s first friend and best friend in Hong Kong. Unlike her previous overseas assignments where she would be accompanied by her Korean colleagues throughout the trips, Ji Hyo was given an apartment and assigned a local personal assistant for this long-term arrangement.  Her personal assistant’s main duty was to help her with her work schedule.

As Ji Hyo could hardly understand and speak Cantonese, she had kept herself indoors when she had no work assignment and she spent long hours missing Jong Kook and her family. She had also been ordering the same food for almost every meal before Reggie noticed it about a week later. Reggie had assumed that Ji Hyo was unaccustomed to the Hong Kong food and she brought her to a restaurant serving authentic Korean cuisine. During that dinner, Ji Hyo shyly shared with Reggie that she had been ordering the same food because that was the only thing she could pronounce clearly in Cantonese. Both of them had a good laugh at it. Since then, Reggie took on the additional roles to be Ji Hyo’s translator and her Cantonese language tutor. And, their friendship developed from there.

Ji Hyo had impressed Reggie with her professionalism and guts. Unlike many actresses who just wanted to look pretty in the movies, Ji Hyo was willing to dirty herself and attempted the dangerous action stunts on her own. The Hong Kong director, production crew and her co-stars were filled with respect for her. Reggie had always regarded Ji Hyo as a strong and feisty woman until the latter let her in on her visits to the Hong Kong medical doctors.

Ji Hyo had been seeking consultation from the Hong Kong doctors on her fertility conditions. Initially, she was unwilling to let Reggie know about her medical conditions. However, as she was unable to understand what the doctors were saying, she had no choice but to let Reggie translate for her. To Ji Hyo’s despair, the doctors in Hong Kong had reconfirmed the results given by her doctors in Seoul. Reggie had witnessed the physical pains that Ji Hyo put up with for the tests and treatments and the emotional agonies that Ji Hyo gone through from the disappointing and negative results. She could not help but felt sorry for Ji Hyo and she could only care even more for her. Ji Hyo was like a sister whom she never had. Many times she had wanted to ask Ji Hyo if that man was worth for her to go through such pains and agonies.

It was a long wait before Ji Hyo finally emerged from the consultation room looking pale and weak. Jong Kook immediately rushed over to her side to support her and he heard a soft whine from her when his hand landed on the inside of her right elbow.

As they approached Reggie’s car with Ji Hyo still leaning on Jong Kook for support, Jong Kook politely asked Reggie, “I’m sorry, Reggie-ssi. If you don’t mind, I would like Ji Hyo to sit with me at the backseat. Is it all right with you?”

Reggie was slightly taken aback by Jong Kook’s consideration and politeness. “Perhaps Koreans are generally courteous and tactful,” she thought to herself. She helped to open the rear door of her car for them as an indication that she was agreeable to Jong Kook’s request.

During the ride home, Ji Hyo rested on Jong Kook’s shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her protectively. Ji Hyo was filled with rising emotions and she had to shallow hard as she felt his concern over her. After her countless medical appointments, this was the first time Jong Kook was with her. For the very first time, she didn’t feel so alone. She snuggled closer to him and he her head gently. She soon dozed off in his arm.

When they reached Ji Hyo’s apartment building, Jong Kook had gestured to Reggie not to wake Ji Hyo up. He carried the sleeping Ji Hyo in his arms while Reggie helped to open the lift door and Ji Hyo’s apartment door. After Jong Kook had gently laid Ji Hyo on her bed, he planted a kiss on her forehead. He closed her room door quietly.

Reggie watched the couple’s interaction quietly. “Jong Kook does seem to care about Ji Hyo,” she thought. However, she was kind of peeved by his following question.

“Reggie-ssi, may I ask why Ji Hyo was at the doctor’s?”

“She was there because of you!” Reggie almost burst out but she held herself back. “It is better for you to find out directly from her.”

Jong Kook and Reggie faced each other awkwardly. He could sense from Reggie’s response that she wasn’t very pleased with him but he didn’t know why. He then asked Reggie whether there was a supermarket nearby where he could get a chicken. He wanted to make chicken porridge for Ji Hyo.

Reggie smiled at him this round. “Ji Hyo prefers soup after her treatment. I will get it for her. What would you like for dinner, Jong Kook-ssi?”

“Anything will do. Thanks for your help.” Jong Kook replied politely but his mind was focused on the fact that this wasn’t the first time Ji Hyo had been so exhausted and weak after her medical visit. “What have you been doing to yourself, Ji Hyo?”

After Reggie had left the apartment, Jong Kook walked into the kitchen. As he opened the cabinets and the refrigerator, he smiled at their contents. “At least she has been cooking properly for herself and not stuffing herself with instant noodles and canned food.”

When he saw the electric juicer on her kitchen table top, he took out some oranges from the refrigerator. However, not wanting to wake Ji Hyo up, he had chosen to squeeze the oranges by hand instead. When the glass of orange juice was ready, he covered it with food wrap and placed it in the refrigerator to keep it chilled for her.

He then went into her room to check on her. He sat down next to her and gently brushed her hair away from her face. “I miss you, Ji Hyo.” As he scrutinised her appearance, he took heart that she had not lost weight but her paleness still tugged at his heart. He then noticed the bruise on the inside of her right elbow. The bruise looked disturbingly familiar and he recalled that she used to have such bruises before her miscarriage. It occurred to him that this wasn't the first time she had sought treatment for her fertility conditions. His heart went out to her. He reproached himself for not realising it earlier and allowing her to go through this process all on her own. “Where was I when she needed me? I hope she still needs me.”

Before Ji Hyo woke up, Reggie had returned with the food and Jong Kook’s luggage bag. Jong Kook was embarrassed that Reggie had to carry his luggage bag for him and he thanked her profusely. He also did not fail to notice that Ji Hyo’s soup was filled in a thermo flask and not in a disposable container like how his food was being packed. He was glad that Reggie had been taking good care of Ji Hyo.

Just as Reggie was about to left her apartment, Ji Hyo walked out from her room. The two friends hugged each other before Reggie went off.

Jong Kook served the soup that Reggie bought in a bowl to Ji Hyo. “Do you want me to feed you?” he offered.

Ji Hyo shook her head blushingly. “I can feed myself.” She reached over and took the bowl from his hands. He smiled at her.

As she sipped her soup, Jong Kook shared his bulgogi beef rice with her. At this moment, they seemed to have returned to the time before her miscarriage happened, yet something was different.

After they had finished their dinner, they took turns to shower. Jong Kook was resting against the headboard when Ji Hyo joined him in bed. He instinctively placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He gently raised her arm and turned the inside of her right elbow into view. “Can you tell me why you are at the doctor today?”

Ji Hyo knew that she could not hide it from Jong Kook and she didn’t want to hide it either. She took a deep breath before replying. “I went to the doctor for my fertility conditions.” She sniffed.

“Ji Hyo,”

She interrupted him before he could say anything else. “The results are still the same. I still can’t bear your children.” She swallowed hard.

He placed his hand over hers and grasped it tight.

“Are you sure you still want to be with me?” she asked shakily without looking at him.

He pulled a brown envelope out from under his pillow and passed it to her.

The envelope was printed with the name and logo of Seoul National University Hospital. Her eyes shifted from the envelope to him. “What’s wrong with your health?” Her voice was laced with concern.

“If I’m terminally ill, will you still want to be with me?” he asked straight-facedly.

Her hands swiftly cupped the sides of his face. “Are you ill?” She asked louder this time and her eyes grew wider.