Jan Di woke up to the sound of the alarm on her phone. She rolled over groggily to shut it off. Then, still half asleep and peering out of one open eye, she checked to see if she missed any phone calls or texts.

"You can't pick up a phone to call? Fine, Joon." At that moment she obstinately decided she wouldn't call him again until he made the effort to contact her.

She sat up in bed and ran her hand through her disheveled hair. There was a knock at the door. She pulled a robe around herself, put on her slippers and trudged to the door. "Who is it?"

"Room service." a voice called from the other side.

She thought it odd as she hadn't called for room service, but opened the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't order..."

At that moment her phone rang. "Hello?"

Ji Hoo's voice was on the other end. "Good morning, wonder girl. I thought I'd treat you to breakfast. Eat well. See you soon." He hung up before she could respond.

Maybe things are awkward for him, too.

The attendant wheeled a tray past Jan Di into the breakfast nook. As he began uncovering plates, she remembered that tips are expected on this side of the globe.

"One moment, my purse is in the bedroom."

"No need for a tip, madam. The gentleman took care of everything," and with that, he nodded his head and left the room.

Jan Di stood there stunned. Before her was a buffet of eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon and fresh fruit. As she began to dish up her breakfast, she noticed a folded piece of paper tucked between two platters. She picked it up and began to read:

Dearest Wonder Girl,

I will be waiting for you in the lobby at 6:00 p.m. Dress casual.

Yours,
Oppa

She sat back in her chair, still holding the note. At first she felt giddy, and then she was struck by a sudden pang of guilt.

What are you doing, Geum Jan Di?

She knew this was wrong. No matter how much she tried to tell herself that Ji Hoo and her were just friends, she knew underneath it all there was something else. She had been shaken and she needed to get her head on straight. Things would be different when they were back in Korea. She would go back to being the fiance of the Gu Joon Pyo. Ji Hoo would assume his role as the director of the foundation and they would have to work together at the clinic.

Fine. Let's meet tonight. I will set things straight. This is important to your future husband and Ji Hoo as your best friend.

But a small part of her heart hurt. She had enjoyed herself more with Ji Hoo than she had with Joon Pyo in a long time. She shook off the feeling and began to pick at her breakfast with a diminished appetite.

The day passed as usual. She didn't see Ji Hoo due to their scheduling conflicts. She kept scripting in her head what she would say to Ji Hoo that night and spent the better part of the day distracted.

She lounged around her room after the conference activities were over until it was time to get ready. Her stomach was in knots.

She picked out a pair of skinny jeans, a red, orange and yellow striped blouse and slipped on a pair of red flats. She slid a red, cashmere infinity scarf over her head and arranged it around her neck. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and touched up her face.

Okay, you can do this. She took a deep breath, grabbed her red over-sized purse and headed downstairs.

It never failed. Ever since she saw him a few nights ago in the ballroom for the first time in years, her heart seemed to get stuck in when she would see him.

"Where are we going, sunbae?" Jan Di asked.

"Hmm...still stuck on sunbae, huh?" he playfully scolded. She blushed and looked at the ground.

"It's a surprise." Ji Hoo said with a wink.

A limousine rolled up to the lobby doors.

"You said casual dress..." Jan Di looked down at her attire and back at the limousine.

"And that's what I meant." he said, "You ready?"

Geum Jan Di gave a nod and slid into the limousine. Once they were on their way, Ji Hoo handed Jan Di a glass of champagne from the wet bar.

Jan Di started, "I don't know if I should, you know, after last..."

But Ji Hoo interrupted her with a sympathetic smile on his face, as if he understood what she was feeling. "Don't over-think things, Jan Di." He held the champagne flute up to her and she took it hesitantly.

After an hour, Jan Di was staring at the country side as they traveled along the highway. "Sunbae, where in the world are you taking me?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"These farmlands remind me of the rural areas of home. It's beautiful." she mused.

They passed by orchards and vineyards and before she knew it, there was a highway sign that read "Last exit before the U.S.A."

Slightly panicked, she looked wide-eyed at Ji Hoo, "I-I didn't bring my passport."

"Don't worry, we're not crossing the border." Ji Hoo chuckled.

Five minutes later, she found them out of the countryside and into another city. The driver dropped them off in front of the Fallsview hotel.

"Fallsview Hotel? Are we..." she began to guess.

"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips. "Come with me." He grabbed her by the wrist and gently lead her down the sidewalk. The atmosphere was charged and busy with people everywhere. She took in everything around her. It slightly reminded her of Macau, with the lights and tourist atmosphere. Finally, they arrived at a hillside tram. As he led her onto the tram, her attention was diverted to the amazing view in front of her.

"Sunbae...Niagara Falls?" she gasped.

"Surprised?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes. It's amazing. I had no idea it was so huge. The photographs don't do it justice."

The tram stopped at the bottom and it was all she could do not to run towards the falls. She stopped at the stone and iron railing that lined the edge of the cliff opposite the falls. She was at a loss of words. Then she looked at Ji Hoo. He was staring at her with an adoring smile on his face. He was enjoying her reaction to his surprise as much as she was enjoying the falls.

They walked along the sidewalk quietly, marveling at the falls until they stumbled upon a gift shop. "Uhhh...Ga Eul. I almost forgot! Sunbae, lets stop in here." It was her turn to grab him by the wrist and drag him into the store.

She browsed through the many postcards available until she found the perfect card. It was a night time picture of the falls with fireworks and lights reflected on the water. Jan Di made her purchase and then the pair headed to a food court attached to the shop.

"What would you like for dinner?" Ji Hoo asked.

"Hmm..." she gazed at the menu. "Oh! Chili dog! I've never had one."

"Sounds, good, I'll get one, too."

Ji Hoo paid for the food and motioned for Jan Di to follow him. Outside of the food court were a line of horse drawn carriages. "How about a ride?"

They climbed in the carriage and, as they ate, they took in the beautiful views of Niagara Falls. The falls themselves, the flower beds, the people, the buildings and the shops.

"Would you like to get off here, sir?" the gentleman driving the carriage asked, "Clifton Hill is a huge tourist attraction. You and your wife may find it to your liking."

Ji Hoo and Jan Di looked at each other and chuckled at the gentleman's mistake. "Yes, we'll get off here. Thank you." Ji Hoo handed him some money for the ride and they hopped out of the carriage.

"You know, sunbae, you don't have to pay for everything."

"I know." he said with a wink.

They toured the sights of Clifton Hill. They played at the arcade. They strolled through a wax museum, taking silly photos of themselves with wax celebrities. They stopped by the Hershey's store and bought some chocolate. Finally, they headed towards the Niagara Sky Wheel.

The huge ferris wheel towered above them. "Afraid of heights?" Ji Hoo asked.

"Not a chance!" she said excitedly.

"Well, then, lets go!"

The pair entered a gondola and the ride began it's slow ascent upwards. Jan Di decided that now was a good time to set things straight. They were alone in a quiet place. A better chance may not come along. She began, "Sunbae...listen."

Ji Hoo cast his eyes downward, expecting what she would say.

She continued, "This - all of this - has been amazing. Reconnecting with you has been like a dream. But I have to wake up from this dream. If I don't, I may lose myself and everything that is important to me. I am not the Geum Jan Di you used to know. There are so many things tied to my name. Future daughter-in-law of the Gu family. Fiance to Korea's most powerful entrepreneur. My life isn't my own any-"

"Jan Di-ah." Ji Hoo cut her off. "Do you know why I went to Rwanda?"

"What does that have to do with-"

"I went to try to forget you. And believe me, I tried so hard to forget you, but I can't seem to remember to forget you. Losing grandfather and then losing you, it was too much for me to deal with. So I signed up to volunteer my time in Rwanda. I figured it was far enough away."

Jan Di sat silent, stunned.

"I actually dated another doctor while I was there, but I realized why I was so drawn to her. She reminded me so much of you. Her smile, her laugh, her tenacity. Once I came to that conclusion, our relationship ended. She was just a replacement for you. The you I've never had - the you I couldn't have. So I immersed myself into my work. I thought that time would heal it all. And when I could have just one thought - just one - that didn't leave me thinking of you, I would return to Korea. But that day never came."

Jan Di bit her lower lip. She had no idea he had literally ran away from the reality of things. She just figured that he wanted to pursue his philanthropic efforts.

"When Young-seongsangnim asked me to participate in this conference, I asked him if there would be any representatives other than us from Korea. When I heard your name, I thought it must be fate. I couldn't keep running. I couldn't keep hiding. I had no plans to leave Rwanda until that moment."

"But your last letter to me said you would be home in three months.."

"I wrote that in there to throw you off. I wanted it to be a complete surprise when you saw me. Look, Jan Di-ah, I know better than anyone that this dream will have to end. But how can I not be selfish, right now? It's just you and me here. And I'm not asking anything of you but for you to be here with me. The kiss..." Ji Hoo trailed off, before beginning again "The kiss that almost happened, it's not a mistake to me, but I never meant to tempt you into that. And for that, I am sorry. You are a taken woman, by my best friend no less." he ended in a bitter tone.

"Sunbae..no, Ji Hoo, this is all very shocking for me. I never meant for things to turn out this way. I didn't realize you were hurting so much. You mean everything to me, but I have obligations..."

"Is Gu Joon Pyo an obligation?"

"I didn't quite mean it like that."

"I think that's exactly what you meant. He's put you on the shelf, Jan Di-ah. You were never one to just sit around and wait. You knew what you wanted and you went for it. I don't know what is wrong with Gu Joon Pyo, but even I'm surprised that he is behaving this way after how far you both came to be together."

Jan Di blinked back tears.

"I don't want to upset you, my wonder girl. So yes, this is all just a dream and in a few days we will wake up from this dream."

"Will you return to Rwanda?" she asked.

"No. I will be going home."

Jan Di began to speak with sincerity, "I don't want you to run away from me. I know that's selfish. I know it sounds like I want to have my cake and eat it to. But I am engaged to Gu Joon Pyo, for better or worse. But you are my best friend. My soulmate. I can't live without you either."

"Then you won't have to. Even if I can't have you by my side, at least I will face the reality and have you as my friend. I don't know if I'll ever be able to move on, but I will do my best to make things comfortable between us. But know this, I may always be waiting for you. If you ever need me..."

"I know, oppa." and she threw her arms around her prince in a hug. "I know."

Soon the gondola returned to the ground. Their dream was almost over. Their limousine picked them up after a quick call to the chauffeur and they headed back to Toronto.

Jan Di was groggy and found herself nodding off to sleep. Her head wound up resting on Ji Hoo's shoulder. He glanced over at her sleeping face and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

I'm sorry, Jan Di. I can't give you up. If Gu Joon Pyo won't recognize what a precious gem you are, then I have no choice.

He stared out the window with determination.