That night, while she slept in the room next door, he lay restless in the hotel bed, thinking about her. He had managed to put the memories of hand-holding out of his head but now found himself being kept awake by little thoughts – if she washed up at night, what she wore to bed, if her face would be puffy in the morning. He didn’t fall asleep until just before dawn.

Not long after the sun had risen, he was startled awake by the cameramen. They had wanted to know when they would return. They were almost out of tape, they said, and were anxious to get back to SBS with the footage. Jong Kook told them that they would drive back that night. He had plans the next day, he said, with Lee Kwang Soo and Haha to celebrate his birthday. When they asked if he would continue to see the American, he quickly said no. They looked surprised when they left, and for a moment, he wondered why. They knew he only had these few days free and that, after his birthday, his schedule would return to its normal hectic pace. He had told the American this, too. Their time together had this end date from the start. He was half asleep and the promises of flowers and fate all seemed rather silly.

Just as he was thinking about that, he heard a soft knock and knew it was her. He opened the door and she came in with such energy, her face shining, her eyes big and bright. “I know where we’re going today,” she said.

Jong Kook sat back down on the bed. “You do?”

“At the restaurant in Anyang, I mentioned two places. A road lined with pretty trees and a waterfall in the middle of nowhere.” When he didn’t answer, she said, “So, I’m wearing my bathing suit underneath this.” She smiled and tugged at her shirt. “You ready?”

“Yeah, I need a minute.”

“Okay,” she said. “And I’ll pay for gas today. And food.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” he said, waving her off with his hand.

“No, it’s my turn. And I want to. You showed me such a beautiful place yesterday, and I’m sure today will be just as amazing. It’s the least I can do.” She smiled and told him that she’d wait for him downstairs.

When he heard the door close behind her, he collapsed back on the bed. He felt confused about everything and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. We’ll return to Anyang as planned tonight, he thought, and I’ll say goodbye. And then tomorrow, I’ll go back to my normal life. For a moment, he tried to imagine her in that life. He imagined bringing her to dinner to meet Kwang Soo and Haha the next evening. How would he explain their relationship? How would they even talk to her? No, he thought. There was no place for her in his life.

They traveled the same highways heading back north and he had tried, at first, not to say much. He was preparing himself to say goodbye, and in a way, trying to prepare her, too. But he didn’t know how she felt. And that bothered him more than anything else. Maybe he was making the situation out to be much bigger than it actually was. Maybe when they said goodbye she would just turn and go as if it was nothing. He had no way of knowing.

After arriving at Sagimak Village, just after parking the car and walking to the edge of the path that led deep through the woods to the waterfall, she stopped him. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You seem quiet today.”

“I’m okay,” he said. He paused and then pointed toward the path that the cameramen had already started to climb. “We have to head this way.”

He led her up the winding path, the greenery on both sides brushing their arms. He could hear the stream up ahead and the path soon opened to reveal the waterfall, which trickled down the rocky cliff to a round pool of water below. He watched her step ahead of him, slightly open in surprise at the sight before them. She turned to him and smiled. “How did you find this place?”

“I did a show here. Before Running Man.”

“It’s so peaceful here,” she said. “Just serene.”

He didn’t know the word serene, but he could imagine what it meant. He led her down the steep rocks along the side of the waterfall, holding her hand as she stepped down to join him on the rocky ledge near the bottom. They sat there for some time, staring up at the waterfall, listening to the rush of water, not saying anything, just smiling and watching the water.

“Should we get in?” she asked, looking down at the water below.

“Yeah, but not that way.” He pointed to the top of the waterfall. “From there,” he said.

“Are you serious?” She started laughing. “From there?” She tugged at her bottom lip and then suddenly stood and said, “Okay! Let’s go.”

They climbed back up the rocks to the clearing and he pointed to the path that led up around the waterfall. She slipped out of her sandals but then paused and looked at the cameramen. One had stayed on the rocky ledge, filming them from below. The other stood