Jihyo glanced at her watch; 8:25pm. “Good I’m not late,” she thought to herself as her paced down the road towards the park. Her appointment had run a little late but she gave herself a buffer when telling Gary to meet her at 8:30pm. She was well aware of her habit of running a little late to meetings and appointments due to her schedule and hated keeping people waiting, but she knew that Gary wouldn’t mind in any event. Her scarf swayed violently in the wind, barely protecting her neck and face from the biting cold.  Always stylish, she was wearing a brown trench-coat, jeans, a maroon cashmere scarf and white  earmuffs. She had a pair of lens-less glasses on, in  a vain attempt to try to hide from the general public. Although she occasionally wore them, she figured it wouldn’t be as obvious as her image without glasses, and it was too late for sunglasses.

In her hand, she was carrying a blue bag, containing the keychain she bought for Gary. She was excited to catch up with him. They haven’t had much time to talk since Macau. When they both got back to Seoul, their schedules were packed and the Gary chose not come to the recent Runningman get-together. There was no filming of Runningman for another week and as such, they did not have a chance to talk during the shoot either. She was excited to catch up and thank Gary for his support and consideration during a very confusing and difficult time.

She rounded the corner towards the parking area of the park and saw his MPV parked near the entrance. She smiled and walked towards his car. As she approached, her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since her brunch appointment at 11am that morning. “I wonder if Gary oppa has eaten yet,” she thought. Reaching for the door handle, she could see Gary engaged in a what looked to be a serious conversation. She decided to wait for him to finish first, not wanting to disturb him in case it was work-related. She saw his trademark frown followed by a nod of understanding and giggled to herself. Kang Gary was always Kang Gary no matter what the situation was. It was one of the things that she truly valued about her on screen boyfriend. Not only was he a gentleman, but he was a sincere, trustworthy friend, who would go out of his way to help those he cared for. Rarely would he throw a temper tantrum and just managed difficult situations with his trademark frown. She saw him finally hang up and knocked on the windscreen. Gary nearly flew out of his seat in shock, and even through the closed window, Jihyo distinctly heard an unmanly shriek.

Gary unlocked the car and reached over to open the door for Jihyo, now on the floor rolling in a fit of laughter.

“Yah! You nearly made me my pants! Moya!!” Gary whined as the door opened.

“ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ, mianhe Oppa.” Jihyo could barely breathe, still recovering from laughing. She finally stood up and got in the front seat. She saw that his cheeks were flushed, most likely from embarrassment at his girlish shriek just before. “Mianhe oppa, I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you on the phone and didn’t want to interrupt you earlier,” she said with a smile.

Gary’s eyes widened in realization. “You were outside the whole time just then? Mianhe Jihyo-ah! I didn’t realize you were there or I wouldn’t have let you wait. Did you wait long?” His cheeks now scarlet from embarrassment.

“Kenchana oppa, it wasn’t long. You just looked so serious I didn’t want to disturb you,” she teased. “I never knew rappers can reach such a high pitch. I’m impressed.”

Gary lowered his head in shame at his earlier shriek, yet couldn’t help but to grin. He knew she was just teasing him. “Ah well, that never happened. Kang Gary is a well established rapper. No one would believe you if you told them anyway.”

“ㅋㅋㅋ. Kenchana oppa, I won’t tell anyone. Now what would you like to go? I’m starving, and it’s my treat.  I know we said we will do tteokbokki and soju but I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Do you have anywhere in particular you would like to go?”

Gary thought for a second but quickly replied, “Let’s go to one of your favorite restaurants Mongji. It’s the first time you are buying me dinner so I want you to be able to eat things you like.”

Jihyo smiled. “Arrasso Oppa. Ka-jya.”

                                                ************************

They were seated in a private booth towards the end of the restaurant. Being one of Jihyo’s favorite haunts, the manager took good care of them, ensuring their privacy. And since they arrived after the dinner rush, the crowds had already died down so they pretty much had the place to themselves. They were well into their dinner already, sharing stories and laughs. Gary sat listening to Jihyo regale her ordeal of a schedule since returning from Macau and Vietnam. Even though they were only away for 4 days in total, she had so much to catch up upon her return. She told Gary about the military method her manager employed to get her from photoshoot to set to interview. Gary listened to her patiently, soaking up every word like a sponge.

As she continued telling him about her ordeals with work, Gary couldn’t help but steal a few glances at her. He marveled on how she could look so lively and radiant even through her packed timetable. Not a stranger to hectic agendas, he normally took down time to sleep or relax at home, away from crowds, noise and people. He couldn’t help but feel a little special for her to meet up after such a long day. The wide smile on his face didn’t fade for a moment while listening to her.

Yet there was something bothering Gary ever since he met with Jihyo that night. Although he heard every word that came out of , there was another woman’s voice echoing in his mind.

-------Flashback-------

“Hee Gun-ah, if you really care about this woman, you have to do something about it. If you don’t act, how will she ever know your intentions and how will you ever get what you want,” Gary’s mother said.

“Eomma, it’s not so simple and you know that,” Gary responded

“Nothing is ever simple. Love isn’t simple. YOU know that. Love isn’t fair, it isn’t easy and it doesn’t take sides. It just happens. Just because the situation isn’t clear and clean cut doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it.”

Gary stayed quiet as his mother continued.

“Look, you love her right? Both of you aren’t young kids anymore. You are both well within marriageable ages, and sooner or later, family should be on both of your priorities. You also know your eomma isn’t getting any younger. I would love to be able to see my grandchild grow up and share that experience with my son and my daughter-in-law. You have chosen to do so at your own speed and your own plan, however time is running short my dear son. I want you to be happy, that’s the most important thing. Happiness is paramount for those that you love. You know what needs to be done right.”

Gary frowned and nodded, submitting to his mother’s words of advise until finally he replied, “Arrasso Eomma. I’ll do it.”

-------End Flashback-------

Gary shook off the thought and took a long drink from his glass.

“Wae oppa? Am I boring you with all my talking?” Jihyo asked, noticing his awkward expression.

“Ani ani. Something just came into my mind randomly,” Gary quickly replied.

“Something work related? You seemed really focused before on the phone.”

“I was talking to my mother. Her 60^th birthday is coming up and there’s some things I need to sort out for her. Just some family business.”

“Oh right. I thought it was work. How is your mother? Is she well?” Jihyo asked

“She’s fine, just complaining that she’s getting older.” They both giggled. “She was just telling me about some of the issues at home and was lecturing me on some matters. Nothing too interesting.” Jihyo smiled and nodded.

“How are you Jihyo-ah? Everything ok at home with you?” Gary quickly added, wanting to change the topic before Jihyo asked more questions about his mother.

“Chang-joo oppa came back two nights ago. We finally managed to have a talk about our issues. Gary oppa, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me that night in Macau. I was lost and you helped me find my way. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Jihyo bowed graciously to Gary.

“Ani, ani, ani! Yah, what did I do? I just didn’t want you to cry anymore and wanted you to cheer up. I did what any friend would do,” Gary humbly replied, become shy to her bowing to him.

“Aniyo, oppa. Honestly you gave me some really good advice that night, and brought a lot of things into perspective. After thinking about what you said, I think I am now clearer on the direction that I want my life to go towards and how Chang-joo and I should handle our problem.”

“Are things with you and Chang-joo hyung ok now? Did you guys managed to figure things out?” Gary carefully asked.

Jihyo pondered for a moment, then softly answered him. “We have talked about the issues. I have told him how I feel and told him my opinions. He understands my position and will respect my decision.”

Gary was confused but decided not to pry at the matter anymore. It wasn’t his place to instigate or investigate personal matters between Jihyo and her partner. He was just glad that she trusted him enough to share her problems with. Song Jihyo was a relatively private person. She tried very hard to keep her private life away from the media and the general public. It was her private life after all.

“Mongji, as long as you are happy with your decision and ultimately it is you making it, not other people forcing you to make it, that is the most important thing. Don’t let others get in the way of your dreams. You have worked hard to get to where you are right now and things are only going to get better. Don’t give up on what you want. Go for it and never look back.”

Jihyo was touched by Gary’s sentiment. She realized that he truly was a true friend and that she could count on him to give an unbiased opinion. “Gomawo, oppa. I’m really grateful for you, and can’t possibly thank you enough. Here oppa, I got you something.” Gary raised an eyebrow, curious to what Jihyo got, as she reached under the table to get the blue bag. She passed it to him with a smile. Gary couldn’t help but to grin. He was moved by such generosity.

“Aigoo, Mongji, why did you have to go out and do this? Now I feel ashamed since I haven’t gotten you anything. I am also grateful for you. This is unneccesary. We are good friends. We are supposed to support each other,” Gary said, face flushed.

“ㅋㅋㅋ. Kenchana oppa. We haven’t had the opportunity to talk privately since Macau and I wanted to thank you for helping me that night. Open it,” she replied with a big smile.

Gary took out the package from the bag. It was a beautiful brown box with a blue silk ribbon tied over it. He opened the cover and his jaw nearly dropped as he saw its contents. The white gold shined brilliantly under the lights of the restaurant, highlighting the intricate carvings and patterns on the surface of the piece. There was an inscription on the back, and he paused to read it. Jihyo saw him reading it and grinned from ear to ear, her face reddening slightly.

Gary looked up from the inscription and stared at Jihyo. “Mongji, this is too much. You really shouldn’t have.”

“Do you like it?” she asked.

“I love it. It’s beautiful,” he replied truthfully. “Gomawo, Jihyo-ah. You don’t know how much this means to me.” He leaned in and gave her a big hug.

Jihyo hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear from within the embrace, “I’m glad.”

                                                ************************

The car ride back to Jihyo’s place was cheerful and filled with laughter and jokes. Traffic had died down by the time they left the restaurant, thus the drive wasn’t as long as Gary had hoped for. His time was running short. All throughout dinner and the drive back, his mother’s words echoed in his mind.

“Happiness is paramount for those you love.”

“You know what to do right?”

To say Gary was a mixed ball of emotions was an understatement. He truly had a wonderful time that night, yet was torn between what his heart wanted and what his brain told him to do. The situation between Jihyo and Chang-joo was not yet resolved and the last thing Jihyo needed was another element to further complicate matters.

“Ahh stress! Eotokke! I’m so confused. And what does that gift mean? Does it even mean anything?”

Jihyo noticed Gary’s sudden silence and probed at him a little. “Wae oppa? Everything ok?”

“Nae Mongji. Everything is great,” he replied with a forced smile.

“Still thinking about what your mother said?” she asked.

“She doesn’t miss a beat does she? Truly the ace,” he sighed to himself, only nodding to Jihyo as a response. They had just reached the front gate of Jihyo’s place. Gary stopped the car and turned off the engine. He mustered his courage and turned to look at Jihyo.

“Jihyo-ah, thank you so much for the gift and thank for you treating me to an awesome night. Something my eomma said has got me thinking and I think it’s only right that I share it with you,” he started as he looked into her eyes. She was staring right back at him, curious as to what he was saying.

“Mongji, love isn’t easy and love doesn’t take sides. It just happens. We aren’t teenagers anymore, we aren’t getting any younger. Eomma told me that you need to fight for what you want, and that happiness for you and those that you love is paramount. I don’t think I’ve seen you happier than you were during the last few years and I think that that is worth fighting for. I don’t know exactly what you meant by Chang-joo hyung understands your position, but what I do know is that he makes you happy. Whatever happens, make your decision based on how you feel, and not by what other people say or feel about you.”

Tears threatened to flow from Jihyo’s eyes as Gary opened up to her. She felt his sincerity and appreciated the wisdom in his words. “Gomawo, oppa. I will take what you have said into consideration. Indeed, your mother must be very wise to have been able to raise such a wise son.”

Gary smiled and wiped at the tears forming in Jihyo’s eyes. “My mother raised a fool. Now go inside. It’s cold and late. You should get some rest.”

Jihyo leaned over a gave Gary a big hug and wished him goodnight. As she opened the gate to the house, she turned back and waved at him before going in. Gary sat in the car for a moment before finally starting the engine and driving away. A shadowy silhouette was watching the whole interaction from the upstairs window. As he observed the car drive off, he took out his mobile and proceeded to type a message.

To: Kang Gary (LeeSsang)

Gary-ssi, I think we need to talk. Please call me tomorrow and we can meet up somewhere.

Baek Chang Joo

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

Hey everyone,

Another busy weekend with work and family. Sorry for not updating sooner. This chapter is fairly long and i had some difficulty in writing it, but hope that it passes mustard. Let me know how you guys think of it. Got a few days off towards the end of the week and hopefully i will have at least one or two more chapters for you guys.

Again, thank you all so much for subscribing, commenting and upvoting my story. it makes it a pleasure writing every chapter knowing you guys are enjoying the read. please continue doing so and hope you guys like this chapter. Stay tuned for more =)

~C