Before you start this chapter I want you to understand the series of events. First, this story has been plotted since before I typed the first chapter. Everything that has happened was already going to happen and I haven’t deviated much from the original outline. So there’s that.

My aunt passed away on May 15th. I found out right before work, it was too late to call off, so I posted the last chapter because I needed the good vibes. It was just what I needed. Everytime I checked my phone and saw another comment, it made the day a little easier. You all don't know how much you helped me that day. Thank you.

The funeral took place on May 23rd and I wrote all but the last two sections of this chapter the following day. It was painful and still therapeutic. I then went on a pre-planned cruise on May 30th, and while I was on the ship with no internet, all the drama surrounding Choi Seunghyun became news. I didn’t know about all that until I got back to The States on June 3rd. It was as much a surprise for me as I’m sure it was for the rest of you. I started to finish this chapter, but then on the June 5th or 6th he went into the hospital and I stopped. Didn’t type another word. I couldn’t do it. Under no circumstances could I write about a man who was essentially in a coma. No.

I’m explaining this to you ahead of time so that none of you think I’m a so heartless or ill-intentioned that I would attempt to capitalize on that man’s private pain to make my story more interesting(as I have, quite sickeningly, seen some other writers do already). I even considered scrapping this chapter out of respect, but I couldn’t come up with another way to get where I’m going plotwise. Please understand that I am in no way trying to be indelicate or insensitive to a man that I genuinely admire and wish nothing but the best for. I’m only releasing this chapter now that I know he’s ‘okay’.

Considering the content it’s hard to say ‘I hope you enjoy the chapter’, but I hope you can read it knowing that it came from a pure place. Thank you.

----Haengbog

* * * * *

As Ahjong had predicted, Jiyong and Jodi did not cease all contact prior to the reunion episode. Jiyong and Jodi did, at least, lay low during that time. The producer wanted the cast members’ reactions to be genuine when they met back up for the first time after the show ended. The favored couple did a convincing job of looking relieved to see each other when the heavy drapes lifted. In their formal attire, the two rushed towards one another and embraced like it had been days, not mere hours, since the last time they saw each other.

The filming platform stayed the same; there were bits of unaired footage and romantic video montages of their marriages with questions and impressions after. All of the couples joked and teased one another, shared backstory moments and gently poked fun. The atmosphere was relaxed and largely informal. The cast was able to ‘be themselves’ now that they reached the end. Jodi observed the body language of the other pairs, guessing at which ones had actually formed bonds and which ones had just come to do a job.

They took a break an hour and a half or so into the filming. Jiyong carefully escorted Jodi down the stairs because while the gown she wore was exquisite, the heavy beading made it treacherous. MinJung met them just off the set and handed Jodi’s phone to her.

“Your cousin SooYoung called three times before I answered. I told her you’d call her back once there was a break,” he said.

Jodi chuckled and unlocked the device. “She probably lost her keys again. I’ll call from the dressing room.” She started to walk away, but Jiyong pulled her back long enough to kiss her cheek quickly. She laughingly pushed his tie out of place and skittered off.

“I’m going to miss her,” MinJun confessed unprompted, much to Jiyong’s surprise. The manager shrugged. “She’s fun. And she’s good for you.”

“Ah, hyung. You know we’re not breaking up.”

“I know, but you’ll have to be much, much more careful now. You don’t have the excuse of filming to explain why you’re always around Gimpo,” the older man reasoned.

“I’ve already thought of that. I’m going to buy another car. Something people won’t look twice at, and tint the windows.”

“That’s not a bad idea. If you let me know what you have in mind I can--” the manager stopped speaking when he heard the sound of shattered glass. “What was that?”

Jiyong didn’t take the time to answer him. He ran towards the direction of the sound, then threw the dressing room door open when he heard Jodi cry out. She was kneeling on the floor, glass surrounding her, and an overturned chair lay to her right. Her phone lay in front of her while she sobbed loudly and without restraint.

“Jo?” he spoke softly. Sure that she was unable to hear him, he walked carefully towards her. Kicking shards of glass out of the way, he knelt down in front of her and raised her chin. “What’s wrong baby?”

She couldn’t answer him. She could barely breathe, let alone form a sentence. She wanted to say it, she wanted to tell him the thought circling in her head, but she couldn’t. She just shook her head, grabbed his shirt and cried into his shoulder.

With one hand rubbing her back, he used the other to reach for her phone. Unable to do so, Minjung rushed over to hand it to him. Nodding a thank you to his manager, Jiyong unlocked the phone and called Sooyoung back. He could hear loud crying in the background on the phone before she spoke.

“What’s going on Soo?”

She sniffled on the line before her voice came out thickly. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Jodi can’t talk right now, she’s crying. What happened?” he asked frantically.

“It’s Yoojin-imo. They found her, her body on a beach. She’s . . . she’s . . .ohmygod . . . she’s gone,” the usually stoic girl sobbed.

By the emphasis she used on when saying the word, Jiyong knew exactly what she meant. Jiyong was speechless on his end of the line. He kept the phone to his ear while he rocked Jodi, hearing the sounds of grief in stereo. His mind raced, he held Jodi tighter.

“Are you all at the restaurant or at home?” he asked in a surprisingly steady voice.

“I’m home with my grandparents,” Sooyoung answered between shaky breaths. “My parents are closing the restaurant, they should be here soon.”

“What about the twins?” he pressed.

“,” she whispered. “They’re at school. I need to go get them.”

“No, no. Stay with your grandparents. I’ll take care of it,” he assured her. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Ending the call, Jiyong hugged Jodi fiercely for just a moment before pulling her away by the shoulders. “We have to get up baby. We have to go.”

“No,” Jodi whimpered; head down, shoulders shaking.

“Listen to me.” He tried to gently lift her chin, but Jodi seemed to have lost all of her strength. He pushed her up by the chest roughly and grabbed her jaw. “Listen! We need to get your brothers. They need to know. You need to tell them this, Jodi. Do you understand me?” She shook her head again and turned away. He gripped her upper arms and shook her harshly. “Your brothers need you, Jo. They’re going to need you so please, please. Get. Up!”

The urgency in his tone seemed to get through to her. Jodi looked into Jiyong’s eyes and muttered, “My brothers need me.”

Feeling a moment of relief, Jiyong exhaled and nodded. “Yes, Jodi. They need you. So we need to get up and go to them as fast as we can.”

Minjung, whose presence Jiyong had completely forgotten about, reached out to help Jodi stand. The older man guided her safely away from the glass while Jiyong fished the keys to the company van out of Minjung’s backpack. Jiyong took hold of Jodi, propping her up against his side.

“Hyung--”Jiyong started, only to be cut off by a sad smile and a rub to the shoulders.

“I’ll take care of things here. I’ll stall for as long as I can,” Minjung replied to the unasked questions.

If he hadn’t been terrified that Jodi would slide to the ground, Jiyong would have hugged the man. He had to settle for a heartfelt ‘thank you, hyung’ instead. Taking Jodi’s cold hand in his, Jiyong walked her out and rushed to the van. After strapping her in, he sat beside her to hold both hands. He had to shake them to gain her attention.

“Are you listening?”

“Yes,” she replied sluggishly.

“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, but you’re going to have to feel it later. You can cry now, you can cry on the trip, but once that door opens again, you need to shove it down. Hold it in and put a lid on it. You need to be strong. Jinshil and JeongUi will need someone they can lean on. Okay?”

Jodi blinked a few times before her lips and nodding her head. “Okay.”

Jiyong pulled her into another tight hug and her back. “I promise you can fall apart later, and I promise I’ll be there when you do. Just be strong for now, okay?”

She parroted robotically, “Okay.”

* * * * *

Jiyong parked the van haphazardly in front of the school. Looking back he saw Jodi wipe her cheeks and take a deep breath. Their eyes met and he immediately noted that her gaze looked clearer, sharper. She smiled at him sadly. “I get what the rush was now.” He looked at her curiously, so she gestured to him as an answer. “As soon as her name is released to the press someone will make the connection to you, and then it will be all over the news.”

“Yeah . . .,” he replied regretfully.

“So I need to be the one to tell them before they see it on TV, or before some callous in there tells them.”

“That’s what I was worried about, yes."

Jodi leaned forward to kiss him. “Yet another reason why I love you.”

He smiled shyly and reached for her hand. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Not at all,” she admitted, “but you’re right. It’s probably best coming from me.”

Once inside the school, the couple was again greeted by halmoni-Kang’s bright smile. “Our Jodi-ah! Coming in here looking so glamorous! And you brought that handsome husband of yours too? You must be trying to make up for disappearing.”

“I know, I know. I am very sorry, halmoni,” she replied with a smile of her own. Jiyong bowed respectfully in acknowledgment.

The older woman embraced her warmly. When she leaned away, she got a good look at Jodi’s face. “This isn’t a social visit, is it?” Jodi shook her head, the older woman nodded her head in understanding and softly petted her cheek. “I’ll call for your brothers. Go into Principal Lee’s office, he’s out today.”

Jodi kissed the woman’s cheek and thanked her for her understanding before walking away. Jiyong followed behind, leaving the door cracked a little. Jodi immediately started pacing silently. “How the hell am I supposed to say this?” she muttered after a minute or two of silence. “I haven’t seen them in months, then I pop up just to say, ‘Oh hey, your mom is dead.’”

“I don’t know, babe. Maybe tell them the way you would want to be told?” he ventured. Before she could respond, the door opened and the twins came running in.

“Noona!” they screamed. Jodi dropped to her knees and wrapped them in her arms. She kissed them and they kissed her, telling each other how much the other had been missed. Catching sight of Jiyong in the corner, the boys went to him and received the same treatment. Jodi let the reunion continue until the boys quieted on their own. They were happy, she wanted them to stay that way for a few more minutes.

“I need to talk to you two.” She gestured with her head and they sat side by side on the small sofa. She knelt down before them and held a hand in each of hers. She kept her head down, trying to gather strength and form words. “I know that what I’m about to say is going to be hard for you to hear. It’s hard for me to say and I hate having to say it. But um, . . . it’s about your mother.” When she looked up, they were both looking at her with concern and confusion on their faces. “I’m sorry, babies. She’s um, she’s gone. Sh-she passed on.”

“Like appa did?” Jinshil asked softly after staring at her mutely. Tears welled in her eyes as Jodi nodded. Jeongui began to cry first, Jodi gathered him into a hug. Jinshil stayed in the shocked phase longer than his brother, his eyes wide and dry as he processed the news. Jiyong could see the question forming on the child's lips before it was spoken. “Who’s going to take care of us now?”

“I will. I’ll take care of you. And halmoni, and haraboji, and samchon, and imo-boo, and, Jiyong-hyung, and Soo, and Kyu. We’re all going to take care of you. I promise,” Jodi replied forcefully. “We’re family. That’s what family does.”

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