Jan Di made herself a cup of coffee and walked out onto the veranda. She allowed the warm morning sun and the ocean breeze to caress her face. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she could breathe. No Madam Kang, no Joon Pyo, no reporters. Not a single person was around to nag at her to do this or that or talk down to her. There was just one thing she had to deal with, and that was Ji Hoo.

She appreciated that her "firefighter" had come to her aid, but she was unsure if him being by her side right now was a good thing. Just take it as it comes, she told herself.

There was a knock at the door and she went to open it. Ji Hoo was standing before her in loafers, khaki pants and a white button up top, left untucked.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Well enough, all things considered."

"May I come in?"

Jan Di nodded. "There's coffee ready in the pot. Do you want one?"

"Please." Ji Hoo smiled graciously.

Jan Di walked over to the kitchenette and poured a cup of coffee for Ji Hoo. After handing it to him, Jan Di walked back out to the veranda with Ji Hoo following closely behind. She rested comfortably in a lounge chair and stretched out her legs.

"It's nice here." She said.

"Mmm." Ji Hoo agreed.

The two sat in silence sipping their coffee. Ji Hoo wasn't sure what to say next.

"I want to walk on the beach later." Jan Di opened.

"Sounds great." Ji Hoo said.

"Sunbae, I know I can't run away from this forever. I am sure that back home everything is turned upside down. But for now, I need to be away. To clear my head. To think about my future." She stared at the cup of coffee in her hands.

"Am I making it hard for you to do that?" he asked.

She looked up at him, "No. You always seem to know what to say and when to say it. To give me breathing room or to give me solace if I need it. I need my space, but I don't necessarily want to be alone."

"I am glad to hear that." He said sounding relieved.

Suddenly Jan Di's tone was sullen. "I am sorry."

"For what?" Ji Hoo was surprised at her sudden apology.

She took a deep breath and began, "You always do so much for me, but I feel like I've done nothing for you. There's a certain amount of guilt I carry because of that."

Ji Hoo reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Jan Di-ah, I am happy when I am with you. There's so much you've given me and you don't even know."

"I am not so sure…"

"Well," Ji Hoo said sitting up straight in his chair, "I have a wish if you want to grant it to me."

Jan Di looked over at him curiously, "What's that?"

He took the coffee out of her hands and set it on a table. Then he placed his hands over hers. "Our dream."

"Our dream?"

"Jan Di-ah, listen. While we're here it's just you and I. This is our place for now. Come back into the dream with me. Seoul may be our reality, but anywhere else in the world can be anything we make it."

"Should I?" She said with a whimsical smile on her face.

Ji Hoo smiled back.

Jan Di rose to her feet. "I'm going to get showered and dressed. Feel free to stay here on the veranda. I'll only be a moment."

Ji Hoo nodded.

Jan Di went to the bathroom and undressed. She stepped into the shower and allowed her thoughts to wander. What am I doing here with a man, while the man I'm engaged to is back home? She paused for a moment as she lathered her hair. I'm doing what I want to. Many years ago, you told me that I was the moon that couldn't escape your star, Joon. Well, I am escaping it. Even if just for a little while. So yes, let's go back to the dream. Let's go to a place where I don't feel scared for making the wrong move. A place where no one thinks less of me because I'm the daughter of a dry cleaner. A place where I can spread my wings and feel free.

A short while later, Jan Di emerged from the shower and put on a white sundress, sandals, and an oversized sun hat. Exiting her bedroom, she returned to the veranda and joined Ji Hoo once more.

"What are you looking at, oppa?" She sided up to him.

Ji Hoo was taken aback, "O-op-oppa?"

Jan Di gave a small laugh. "Our dream, our rules. Should I call you sunbae instead?"

"I like oppa." He said with a pleased tone. Then he put his arm around Jan Di's shoulder. "What would you like to do first?"

"Let's take a walk on the beach." She commented.

They took a walk on the beach and chased each other around like school kids until they came upon an old woman in a small outdoor hut cutting up sea squirts, octopus and abalone. Jan Di's stomach gave a growl.

Ji Hoo bent down to Jan Di's stomach. "Would you like a bite to eat?"

"My stomach says yes!" Jan Di laughed.

The two sat at a rickety old table and placed their order. They watched the old woman prepare their fresh seafood with a smile on her face. Soon she was done and brought the food to Jan Di and Ji Hoo.

"Omo! You are the loveliest couple." She said as she set the tray down. Then she leaned over to Ji Hoo and sneakily said "Young sir, I have given you a few extra abalone on the house. It's good for a man's stamina." She nudged him once and laughed.

Jan Di and Ji Hoo both blushed bright red, but thanked the old woman for the food.

The day passed by with the two of them touring the sights of the village.

"I'm tired, oppa." Jan Di said midafternoon.

"Let's go back and take a nap before dinner."

Jan Di agreed and the pair went back to the resort. After Ji Hoo saw her to her room, she opened the back doors to the veranda to let the ocean breeze in before heading to lay on the bed. She noticed her phone on the bed side table and picked it up. There were many calls from back home, but only one from Joon Pyo. She decided to call him back.

"Yes?" Joon Pyo's voice sounded from the other end.

"It's me." Jan Di said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Are you okay?" he asked monotone.

"I'm okay." She said sheepishly.

"That's a relief." Joon Pyo sighed. "Is Ji Hoo with you?"

She paused, thinking of a way to answer. Then she realized she shouldn't have to explain herself at all. "Yes. He followed me here."

"Are you coming home?"

Coldly she responded, "Soon. I need time to myself. Everything I heard at the dinner was…"

"I know." He replied, still steady with his tone.

"Joon, did you mean what you said?

The other end was silent.

"I need to know, Joon-ah. Did you mean what you said about our wedding?"

Joon Pyo sighed on the other end, "We will talk when you get home. Both of us need to get our head on straight."

Jan DI's anger rose at his avoidance. "I need an answer now, Joon. I mean, doesn't it even bother you that I'm here alone with Ji Hoo?"

For the first time since the phone conversation started, Joon Pyo sounded a bit more animated, "Of course it does! But he's there and I'm here worried to death that he might take you away."

"Then why wasn't it you that followed me here?! Why did it have to be Ji Hoo instead of you?!"

"I…I was stupid."

"You're my fiancé! Shouldn't you do everything to hold onto me?!" Jan Di shouted into the phone.

Back to his quiet tone, Joon Pyo mused aloud, "Perhaps I'm a coward."

Jan Di couldn't hold back, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

"Look, just get this out of your system and come home." Joon Pyo said, not willing to talk about the subject further.

"No." she said.

"No?"

Jan Di sounded incredulous, "That's right I said no! You don't have the right to tell me to get this out of my system, as if I have some case of wanderlust. As of right now, the engagement is off. My choice. Not yours. Not your mother's."

"Yah, Geum Jan Di, you don't mean that..." Joon Pyo's voice trailed off.

"Yeah, actually, I do. I never wanted to marry Shinhwa. I only wanted to marry you. So you get your head on straight. If you want to keep me, then fight for it." And with that Jan Di hung up. The phone immediately rang again. And again. And again. As a matter of fact, Joon Pyo called back incessantly for a good five minutes.

Jan Di looked down at her phone, "You'll have to try harder than that, jagiya." With the quick press of a button, she turned the phone off. It was the first time in years that she felt empowered.

A/N: Next chapter, more Jan Di/Ji Hoo, but will their vacation be cut short by an emergency back home? Will Joon Pyo pull his head out of his rear and fight for Jan Di's heart? Thank you for reading thus far and thank you for all the comments. I will update soon. :)