Gary couldn’t wait anymore, especially when he heard from Nicole that there was this man who is sending Ji Hyo home every night. He took 4 days leave from his work and flew to Paris.

“I must being my family back to Seoul.” Gary told Gil in a determined voice.

“Kang Gary, fighting! Remember to come back for your concert which is 1 week later. Maybe you can introduce Mrs Kang and Kang Hee Ji during the concert. I am sure you and Ji Hyo will receive lots of blessings from the public.” Gil told Gary.

“Bro, thanks for the support.”

Gary couldn’t wait to be with his Mong Ji and Hee Ji. Though it was already 10 pm by the time Gary touched down in Charles de Gaulle airport, he did not bother to take any rest. Gary took a taxi to Ji Hyo’s apartment immediately.

Gary knocked on Ji Hyo’s door. He waited for 10 minutes, there were no answers.

“Mong Ji, is Gary oppa. Open up.” Gary shouted. There were still no answers. “Maybe they were asleep?” Gary knows Ji Hyo well. Once this child fell asleep, is difficult to wake her up.

Gary pulled out the punch of keys that Ji Hyo had passed to him when he left Paris. He attempted to open the door but failed. The key don’t seems to fit the key hole on the door.

Gary took a step backwards. He wanted to take a look at the door number again in case he went to the wrong house due to his anxiety of seeing his wife and his child.

“Number 35, 5^th floor. This is correct.” Gary looked around again, it was then he realized that the potted plants that he and Ji hyo used to keep at the corridors were no longer there. The cute polka dots carpet at the door was gone also (they bought the carpet together. They even debated on the color shade to choose).

Gary started to panic. A sudden fear shadowed over Gary.

“Mong Ji, where are you?” Gary took out his mobile phone and started dialing Ji Hyo’s number. The number couldn’t get through. Gary tried Nicole’s number, no one answered. He continued to try Min Lee’s number.

Min Lee picked up Gary’s call upon his second attempt to call.

“Gary oppa? How are you? I am now taking a vacation with Mike at Maldives” Min Lee said.

“Min Lee, where is Ji Hyo? Where is Ji Hyo? Please tell me where is Ji Hyo.” Gary couldn’t keep his cool, he kept repeating his question.

“Oppa, calm down. What do you mean where is Ji Hyo. She is in Paris, isn’t she?”

“Paris? Where in Paris? I went to her apartment but seem she has already moved out.” Gary almost cried in the phone.

“Moved? Ji Hyo never mentioned anything about moving out of the apartment. The last time I saw her was like 2 weeks ago. Oppa, why not you try to get Ji Hyo at her boutique. Perhaps she is still working at her shop. You know, she is a workaholic.” Min Lee reminded the panic-stricken Gary.

“Yes, the boutique. I will go to the boutique now.” Gary rushed down to the boutique. He was glad that the boutique is still there.

“Maybe I should come back tomorrow.” Gary found a hotel nearby. He had a nightmare that night that a man took Ji Hyo and Hee Ji away from him. This man tied Ji Hyo and Hee Ji onto a chair and refused to let them go back to Seoul with Gary. Gary shouted, “Let them go!” before he wake up from the nightmare with sweat dripping from his forehead and tears from the corners of his eyes. It was 6 am in the morning.

Gary could not wait anymore. Though he knew that Ji Hyo’s boutique does not open for business until 11 am in the morning, he still went to the boutique. It was like he is afriad that the boutique may vanished any time. While waiting, he continued to dial Ji Hyo’s number. Still, he couldn’t get through the call. There was no answers from Niocle’s number either.

“Mong Ji, please, please don’t leave me. Please don’t walk away from me with Hee Ji.” Gary suddenly realized that is not only that he misses Ji Hyo and Hee Ji, he also couldn’t live without them. “I will see Mong Ji soon.” Gary kept reassuring to himself.

While waiting for the boutique to open, Gary took out a writing pad and started to pen down his emotions and feelings for Ji Hyo and Hee Ji.

A world of loneliness

Only music, wine and alcohol are my buddies

A world of love that I longed for inside my heart

Without even knowing the desires myself

Come back to me

Help me to fight the emptiness, incomplete life of mine

Save my hollow, fragile soul with your love

Promise to stay with me

To touch you

To hold you

To breathe you

To kiss you

Trust me, stay with me

No more tears

No more heart aches

No more sleepless nights

No more walking away

Because I will be at your side forever

Gary felt asleep with the written lyrics in his hands.

“Gary Oppa? Oppa, wake up.” Someone patted Gary on his shoulders. Gary opened his eyes, the sun was already hitting on his face. Gary squeezed his eyes into a small line and peep through his vision, it was Nicole. Nicole? Nicole Park! Gary quickly jumped up from his sitting position.

“Nicole, where is Ji Hyo? I went to her apartment last night. She was not there, she moved? Where is Ji Hyo and Hee Ji now?” Gary grabbed Nicole by her shoulders.

“Oppa, stop grabbing so hard. Is painful.” Nicole tried to struggle away from Gary. But Gary couldn’t let go, he is afraid that once he release his hands, Nicole will vanished into the thin air. He will then be left with no traces of Ji Hyo and Hee Ji.

“OK OK. Oppa, let go of your hands first. Let’s talk in the boutique. I know where is Ji Hyo unnie and Hee Ji.” Nicole unlocked the boutique door and lead Gary to the counter.

“Nicole, quick, tell me where is Ji Hyo.” The restless Gary almost shouted.

“Oppa, Ji Hyo Unnie went back to Seoul 3 days ago.” Nicole told Gary while busy arranging the boutique to get ready for business.

“Went back to Seoul? She brought Hee Ji with her?” Gary couldn’t believe his ears. He did talk to Ji Hyo 3 days ago on phone. But Ji Hyo did not mention anything about coming back to Seoul.

“It was a last minute decision by Mr Auguste. This is the man I told you about, who send Ji Hyo unnie home.” A French name rang in Gary’s ears.

“Mr Auguste? A guy? You mean Ji Hyo and Hee Ji went back to Seoul with this guy? Why? Why? I had pleaded Ji Hyo to move back to Seoul for many times. But she refused. And now she followed this Auguste guy back to Seoul without seconds thoughts? What the !” Gary exploded his emotions upon hearing a man’s name. He felt devastated and abandoned.

“Why is Mong Ji doing this to me? Am I still not good enough for her and Hee Ji?” Gary sobbed in his heart.

“Oppa, are you OK?” Nicole turned around and saw a trembling Gary sobbing away,  with his head buried his in hands.

“Oh. Oppa, is not what you think. Mr Auguste is the CEO of a leading fashion retailer in France. His team spotted Ji Hyo unnie’s KGMJ label. Ji Hyo unnie and myself have been negotiating with him on buying over KGMJ. Ji Hyo unnie is trying to convince him to launch KGMJ in Seoul instead of France since Mr Auguste had plans to break into the Seoul market.” Nicole continued to explain.

Gary’s heart leaped upon hearing that. “ So is not what I thought? Ji Hyo did not attempt to leave or run away from me? Yah! STRESSED!! Nicole Park!! Say things properly. My heart almost stopped when you said Ji Hyo and Hee Ji left with another man.”

“Oppa, you are the one who jumped to conclusions. You can’t blame me. You yourself don’t even have confident in the love Ji Hyo Unnie had for you. You went clubbing every day in Seoul. No wonder Ji Hyo unnie had hesitations in accepting your marriage proposals.”

Nicole words were like a sharp needle. The needle punches into Gary’s heart.

“Trust and confidence. These are the things that were missing from our relationship from the start. I thought I knew that but yet I forgot these again and again.“

Though Gary had a clear picture of what happened to Ji Hyo now, he still felt left out.  “Why Mong Ji is not sharing this piece of good news with me? I am Hee Ji’s father, her husband. She should share her joys with me.”

“Oppa, go back to Seoul. I think Ji Hyo unnie will contact you soon.” Nicole assured Gary.

Gary flew back to Seoul on the very same night. He tried locating Ji Hyo in Seoul but failed. Ji Hyo’s manger unnie only told Gary to wait.

“Kang Gary, yes, Ji Hyo is in Seoul now. She is busy with her KGMJ label and busy taking care of Hee Ji. Please wait patiently, she will contact you soon. By then, you guys can talk over what you want for your future.”

“Mong Ji, are you testing my patience? I will wait, regardless is 1 week, 1 month or even 1 year as long as you come back to me with Hee Ji.”