“Kwang Soo-ah...”

“Hmm?”

Ji Hyo held his hand while he lay on the floor. Although it was late, the pair still couldn't bring themselves to go to bed. Instead, they stayed up, holding each other's hands, trading questions. It was almost like they were trying to make up for all the lost time between them. “I saw a scar on your right brow earlier. It wasn't there before. How'd you get it?” She asked.

Kwang Soo thought back to the day. He recalled the apprehension, the fear settling in the pit of his belly just before he set up. Followed by the rush and sense of achievement he had felt when he had succeeded. “I got it when I went white water rafting in Sabah on the island of Borneo.” He answered, smiling into the darkness.

It was the end of the wet season. The Padas river swelled with the influx of rain. Kwang Soo stared at the swirling, turbulent water. The raging river looked treacherous. The white caps of the whitewater splashed onto the banks. They looked like hands, ready to grab the tall man and pull him into its dark depths. He gulped nervously. His local guide, Dong clapped him on the back. “Don't worry, Kwang Soo. All will be fine and you will thank yourself later.” He encouraged, smiling at the tall man. Kwang Soo nodded curtly. His thoughts turned to Ji Hyo and he recalled the time the older woman had thrown herself off the Macau Tower without hesitation.

This would be something Ji Hyo noona would have loved to do. If she were here, she would have jumped into the raft immediately.

Setting his jaw, his eyes took on a steely gaze. He was determined to challenge the river. To succeed.

Kwang Soo raised his paddle, whooping loudly. It had been an arduous five-hour paddle down the class three rapids, but the end was in sight. He had made it! He turned around, beaming at his guide. And that was when it happened. The raft brushed up against a rock, throwing the Korean off balance and into the torrid waters. Kwang Soo tried to breach the surface, but the currents kept pushing him down. He bumped his head hard on a rock and felt a sharp stinging sensation over his right brow. However, that was the least of his concerns. His lungs were screaming for air, burning from oxygen deprivation.

His last thought was of his mother, and of Ji Hyo. He wondered if she would be devasted to learn of his death. The notion that he would never see her again, or tell her one last time how much he loved her – how much he still did, filled him with inexplicable sadness.

Just as his vision darkened, a pair of hands reached in. Grabbing on to his life-vest, they yanked him from the waters and onto the raft. Coughing, Kwang Soo threw up the water he had ingested before collapsing on the floor of the raft, thankful to be alive.

Even in the darkness, Kwang Soo could see Ji Hyo's eyes widen at his story. Tenderly, she rubbed the scar on his brow. Reaching down from the bed, she placed a soft kiss on it. “Trying to kiss my pain away?” He teased.

“I promised I would, remember? I promised you I'd always be there to kiss all your pains away. I broke that promise once... I hurt you the most.” She answered, tears b in her eyes.

Sitting up, he gently pulled Ji Hyo close, allowing her head to come to rest on his shoulder. “I also made a promise to myself all those years ago. I will cry for you, laugh for you and live for you. You are the centre of my universe.” He told her. “Which is why I did the rafting. I figured it was something you would have loved to do if you were with me.” He admitted softly.

She smiled. “You’re easily offended, jealous, clumsy and awkward. And you stutter when you lie. But I like that.”

He grinned goofily. “Noona... You haven't been to Queenstown, right? I was thinking we could take a day trip or two before you and Hyo Joo left. Mills's son is here for the holidays, so I'm spared from farm duties. We could take Hyo Joo to Queenstown for some horse riding. I'm sure she'd enjoy that.” He suggested.

Ji Hyo smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Yeah, I'm sure she'd love it.” She pressed a tender kiss to his cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Noona?” Kwang Soo started. He wanted to ask what would happen after she left. To them, to Hyo Joo, to the future. But at the last minute, he chickened out. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. He feared the truth. “Is being a mom everything you thought it would be?” He asked instead, after a pause.

Ji Hyo smiled wistfully. “I guess no sane woman will claim that pregnancy is easy. For me, the first three months of being pregnant were bad. I was nauseous all the time and vomited almost daily. Even the smells of my favourite foods were enough to make me sick. As a result, I lost a lot of weight. Luckily for me, it went away about four months into the pregnancy, and I was able to keep my food down.” She recalled, subconsciously rubbing her stomach. “The hormones that were flooding my body also gave me very bad acne, and I had to change my entire line of facial care products. They weren't cheap either.” She grumbled, pouting adorably.

“But the worst was the labour.” She concluded.

At that, Kwang Soo glanced over. “Was it- was it bad? Painful?” He asked, wincing at the last word.

Ji Hyo laughed softly, patting his hand. “The pain is a given. I guess what I meant was... that my labour was a long and drawn-out one. After hours of contractions and pushing, I was exhausted. I didn't think I had any strength left to deliver Hyo Joo, but I did. And when she was finally born, th