Shin Hye fell back onto the large king-sized bed. What a day! The constant feeling of euphoria had drained her completely, and all she could think of was sleep. Which is a pity, considering she should be out right now walking the streets of New York, soaking in the sights and sounds. She had been dreaming of visiting New York since she was a young girl…

‘Aigoo! Do you remember how you used to bug your Appa and me about visiting the states?’ Her Omma said as she pulled Shin Hye closer to zip her up. ‘Look at you now! Off to some awards show in New York! I’m so happy for you!’ Shin Hye had dropped by the restaurant three hours before her flight to say goodbye to her family. She couldn’t stay for long as international departures often required one to be at the airport for check-in at least two hours before the flight. But the missing Malaysian plane, and the Jeju ferry accident had increased her awareness about the fragility of life. She wanted to make sure that if she ever “went” unexpectedly, she had said her goodbyes properly.

‘I wish I could take you…it was your dream too. You and I both.’ Shin Hye responded, hugging her mother back.

‘We’ll go together one day.’ Came her Omma’s muffled reply. She stepped away from the hug and brushed a loose hair strand away from Shin Hye’s face, ‘You be safe alright?’

Shin Hye nodded as she looked towards her silent Appa who was leaning against the doorframe. He crossed the room and hugged her tightly.

It wasn’t a sad moment; it was just the Park family expressing their love for each other. Papa Park and Mama Park so proud of the lovely, successful lady she had become. Baby Park just so thankful for her parents constant support.

‘Hey squirt, bring me back something uniquely New York-ian.’ Oppa Park said stepping into the restaurant’s private office, ‘Don’t only buy gifts for your other Oppa, arasso?’

Shin Hye giggled as Papa Park released her from the hug, ‘Come here you! You can’t escape from my mighty hugs!’

Papa Park and Mama Park watched on as Baby Park spurted around the small confines of the private office after Oppa Park.

Shin Hye opened her closed eyes and looked around for her mobile. On the table. She lifted herself away from the comfort of the bed and padded her way to the large study table of the hotel room.

Into the Line family chat-group she typed:

Shin Hye—Omma! Appa! Oppa! The ceremony went so well. Wish you could’ve been there!

While waiting for their reply, she checked the other messages she had missed.

Yong Hwa—Congratulations for the award! Mi Nam has come so far!

Hong Ki—Congratulations Avant-Hye! But more importantly, I’d like a tall, blonde girl with silver-blue eyes, please!

Aisssh! This Hong Star! Something’s don’t change!

Ji Hoon—Can my successful dongsaeng afford to bring her Oppa out for coffee? Congratulations, Shin Hye-ah!

Soo Jin—Jiltu! Shin Hye-ah, next meal is on you! Congratulations! You deserved it!

Shin Hye scrolled through the rest of the messages, her smile widening as she went. Some of the senders were people she spoke to on a weekly basis, but some others were people she hadn’t spoken to in ages and it would be nice to meet up and catch up.

She had left the best for last though,

Min Ho—Park Shin Hye!

Min Ho—Didn’t I tell you not to look at anyone else?

Min Ho—You may be all the way across the world, but you cannot hide your sins! I see them all!

Min Ho—Who was that man? Why were you hugging that other man?

Shin Hye chuckled as she scanned through the countless whiny, naggy texts—

Shin Hye—Oppa, don’t you have better things to do than stalk me online? Like film South Korea’s next big blockbuster?

Shin Hye—You know, out of the dozen messages I received, you’re the only one who didn’t bother offering his felicitations!

Min Ho—For what? For hugging another man? I bet I’m taller.

Min Ho—And you! Chris Hemsworth?! Your ideal man is Thor?

Shin Hye—What was I to say? Lee Min Ho?

Shin Hye—Aigoo! Of course you were taller! More handsome too! ^^

Min Ho—Yes. Exactly that! Or you should’ve been like me! Not name anyone in particular!

Shin Hye—How’s filming? Tiring?

Min Ho—Ne. The role is physically demanding.

Min Ho—Above all, I miss you.

Shin Hye—Isn’t it lunch now?

Min Ho—Ne. I am in the trailer resting and eating, and checking up on you. Yah! I said I miss you!

Shin Hye— ^^ What’s for lunch? I didn’t really get to eat dinner :( I might order room service.

Min Ho—Andwe! >:(

Shin Hye—Wae!?

Min Ho—It’s late! Sleep! When you have a chance to sleep, you don’t!

Shin Hye—But I’m hungry! How do you sleep when you’re hungry?!

Min Ho—If you call for room service, you must make sure that the delivery person is a woman! Room service is dangerous!

Shin Hye—Yah! You’re worse than Appa!

Min Ho—I’ll tell him the dangers of room service the next time I see him!

Shin Hye—Don’t you dare! I don’t need two paranoid males nagging me!

Min Ho—I miss you~

Her phone chimed and she exited the line chat with Min Ho.

Omma—I’m so proud of you! Your brother said that social media is raving about how charming you are!

Appa—Charming just like her Appa. Congratulations, honey!  

Omma—Yah! What do you mean like her Appa? I’m the charming one!

Appa—What are you talking about? I charmed you!

Omma—Hul! Still lyng to yourself after all these years!

Shin Hye—Aigoo! I think I know where Oppa and I get our argumentative streak from.

Omma—Your father.

Shin Hye chortled at the absurdity of the family conversation. Never a dull moment.

In the short time she read the family conversation, her phone had buzzed like crazy, her notification bar constantly flashing:

Min Ho—Yah! Did you go and order room service?

Min Ho—Why don’t you listen? You’re courting danger!

Min Ho—You wouldn’t, would you?

Min Ho—Even if you did, you can still reply! Why aren’t you replying? What has happened?

Min Ho—If you don’t reply soon, I’m calling…the police!

Min Ho—Did you fall asleep?

Min Ho—Or are you trying to ignore me?

Min Ho—Yah! Park Shin Hye! You minx!

Shin Hye—I miss you too~ ^^

~.~

New York was beautiful, the sights, the sounds, the people. Shin Hye had spent most of the past three days meeting up with old school friends who had moved to New York for their further studies in the last few years. It was nice catching up, talking about the good old days, discussing life as adults in their mid-20s…and most of all, it felt great to not be hounded by the press everywhere she went. Sure, there were a few people here and there who’d come up to her for autographs, or point at her excitedly, but for the most part, she was free to walk the streets of New York alone, and unknown.

Shin Hye stopped in the middle of Time Square and looked up at the giant digital billboards. On one was a giant photograph of Min Ho and her. She smiled fondly at the large, gigantic image, feeling a surge of emotion coarse through her. She missed him. She missed his eyes and the way it sparked whenever it looked at her, she missed that tall, distinctive nose of his, she missed the floppiness of his hair, she missed the softness of his touch, she missed those lips that showed its ardent affection for her…

Shin Hye quickly blinked back her tears as she reached a shaky hand into her bag and pulled out her phone. Quickly she snapped an image of the giant billboard and began typing an accompanying message to the receiver, ‘It seems like you’re never too far :)’

Shin Hye cringed slightly at the corniness of her message, but hit send anyway. She hadn’t expected it, but this trip had definitely made her miss him the most. Perhaps it was the differing time zones? Was it really that simple though?

She watched a sweet young couple walk-by her with hands-held, eyes glittering with mirth.

Or perhaps it was from seeing all the free, happy couples, and being reminded constantly of him. She didn’t think it’d matter; she had thought being with him was enough. But she began finding herself wishing she could do all these couple stuff with him. To be a young, free couple. To freely walk the streets hand-in-hand, to freely share ice-cream from the same ice-cream cone, to lean on his shoulder on a park bench…

Being a celebrity, constantly in the limelight, constantly being criticized, and targeted by antis had always been the reason why she steered so clearly of any kind of romantic relationship. But after awhile, she began to feel the loneliness. Sure, she had a lot of friends, sure, she was never really alone, but as cliché as it sounds, Shin Hye began to feel like she needed someone. Now, don’t get her wrong, she was still her own person, and she wasn’t some needy, romantic damsel-in-distress who needed a Prince Charming in her life to keep her company, and save her from eternal misery. She could most definitely hold her own. But is it so wrong to want to have someone next to you? To want a “soul-mate”? To want her “person”?

So being with Min Ho was and is probably one of the best decisions in her life. He was everything she dreamed of, and more. And she most definitely did not regret it. But a part of her couldn't seem to help but wish they had met under normal circumstances, where the news of their relationship wouldn’t result in a loud, circus news. Where antis won’t show up at her doorstep with death wishes. She knew she had chosen this life: to live in a fish bowl. But was it so wrong to long for some normalcy? To be away from the cameras and the flashes of lights? To be permitted to live in a humble little cottage in the countryside, free to love whomever she so pleased? Free to love him.

The buzzing of her phone snapped Shin Hye out of her thoughts.

Min Ho—What a fine couple! They’re going to live a long, happy life together. I’m sure of it :)

Shin Hye tittered, miles apart but still oozing charm. She popped the phone back into her bag, and most of all…I needed to hear that.

~.~

‘…It’s just…so…hard…’ Kim Bum slurred, as he took another swig of his beer.

‘Yah! Enough!’ Min Ho tried to grab the bottle, ‘It’s your sixth one already!’

Kim Bum had come thumping on his front door just a little bit past mid-night, demanding to be let in. Miin Ho had a long day of filming for his film, and just wanted to sleep it off. But as soon as he opened the door and saw the dark look in Kim Bum’s eyes, Min Ho knew sleep’d have to wait.

‘You’d think…you’d think that with the…news out…it’d be easier… –‘ Kim Bum snatched the bottle back, cradling it in his arms, ‘...But it’s not. There are other things…and you…you…are still…in the same fish bowl…’

It pained Min Ho to see Kim Bum like this. He was usually a happy, larky chap. Very rare did he show the darker side of his emotions. Moon Geun Young and Kim Bum had been going steady for 8-ish months now, and as far as Min Ho had known, they were happy and very much in love.

So what had brought out this dark, drunk Kim Bum?

Min Ho wasn’t sure, but from what he had collected from the drunk Kim Bum so far: the celebrity fish-bowl life was taking a toll on the two of them, and the time they were spending apart due to their conflicting schedules was also putting a strain on their relationship.

‘You try…try so hard…but…everything just catches up…with you…’ Kim Bum garbled. He looked up directly at Min Ho and noted seriously, ‘It’ll happen to you too…just you wait.’

Min Ho clicked the cool silver on his iPhone 5s and stared thoughtfully at the angelic face staring back at him. Was Kim Bum right?

He had gone through one high-profile relationship, and just like Kim Bum, conflicting schedules, work and constant media attention had taken its toll on the relationship. But with Shin Hye it was different! 6-months on and he was positive they were still going strong. Heck, right from the start their schedules were conflicting! Besides, the way he felt about Shin Hye was like no other, it was stronger, more intense, different…special. So would Shin Hye and himself find themselves at similar crossroads as the one Bum and Moon are at now? This worried him.

He looked down at his still slurring best friend. And he was sure Bum and Moon felt the same way about each other as he did about Shin Hye. Bum had many other relationships before, much like the ones Min Ho had before Shin Hye. But Min Ho could tell that this one with Moon was different…more serious.

So he had looked up to them to spur him on in this mad life of dating under wraps.  He had thought if they could do it, so could he. If his best friend could do it, the guy who was very much like him, the guy whose experience was nearly the same, the one who struggled with what he struggled with, then he could do it too. He needed someone, something to look up to, to assure himself that everything’d work out.

Now the very same guy was sprawled on his living room floor, hugging his sixth beer bottle. How was he to feel?

Well, he felt deflated. Mind-numbingly, deflated. Logic told him that he shouldn’t be comparing his future circumstances with Bum’s. But he found his thoughts wandering to all the What if’s, and it scared the out of him.

Or perhaps it was the alcohol in him talking…or thinking…or panicking.

‘It sneaks up…on…on…you, and it just blindsides you…you know?’ Kim Bum sat up finally and settled the bottle on the coffee table, nestling his head in his hands, ‘Ah…I just can’t…express how I feel enough…I love her man, I do…but this frustration…it’s…driving me insane.’

With confidence, Min Ho replied, ‘I don’t know how much of you is awake right now…but you listen to me: You love her. Love, Bum, hang on to that. Because one day everything else is going to fade away, and when that happens, you don’t want to be sitting in your 5-star apartment alone, without love. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know you still want her. So you get your sorry arse up, and you go back to her, and you smoothen it out. Tapping out isn’t an option. Do you hear me?’

The room fell silent, and he didn’t push for a response. He didn’t need one.

He said that for himself too. A vocal admonition for both himself and Bum. He just hoped that Bum was sober enough to have heard him, so he could repeat it back to him if he ever needed to hear it.  

Kim Bum lifted his head and stared directly back at Min Ho, ‘You’ve grown up, Kim Tan.’



































Author's Note:
There was some confusion from the last chapter about whether our (fictional) ship hit homerun or not.
So to clarify, no, they did not. They simply hung around second-third base for a verrry loooonggg timeeee. 
I'm dragging it out because I kinda want them to be a bit more stable first before hitting homerun. Heh :P

That being said, this chapter did take a sudden turn in [mood] (i.e. Teasing to Melo).
I just wanted to add a little variance/ layer to their relationship. I figured Shin Hye's trip to New York would be a
perfect stage for the initial insecurities and worries of a beginning relationship to surface/ resurface. 

Thank you for reading~! 

p.s. if you've got anything you'd really like to see happen (aside from them hitting homerun :P),
do share in the comments section, and I'll try my bestest to weave it in! :) 

Also, if you haven't already, vote for our ship in this tournament:
http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/04/tournament-battle-of-the-best-actor-and-actress

:D