Stepping out from the hospital door was like stepping out of a pigeon hole of darkness into the light for So Min. She couldn’t tell if the sun was the beginning of joy in her life or was it burning holes into her eyes because she hasn’t adjusted herself to the brightness yet. Even Ji Hoo’s touch felt like burns on her skin, so she would evade him. Luckily for her, Ji Hoo didn’t say much on the car ride even if he did notice she was avoid looking at him or even be in a very close proximity with him. In the car ride, Ji Hoo played some soft music and focused on the road and let So Min continue to cast her eyes at the window on the ride home. 

She shuddered at the idea of going home. Home was a strange place now. Even her office at the hospital felt different. She felt like everything and everyone in her life has moved on without her; leaving her behind while she was locked up in solitary confinement. From Ji Hoo’s updates, she knows her father has been freed of the grip of her step-mother. They aren’t divorce, but his wife and daughter now lives in England with his new son in-law, and currently, he and Grandpa Yoon are awaiting her return at hers and Ji Hoo’s home. She just wanted to come home and go straight to bed and do absolutely nothing, not even greet Grandpa and her father.

It took her a long time to realize that the ride home from the hospital is longer than usual. “Where are we going?” she asked meekly. To her, it sounded as if she had screamed at him. She was fiddling with her fingers in her lap in nervousness. 

“It’s a surprise,” Ji Hoo said gently and took a hold of her hand in his larger one in hope to give her some confidence and comfort. 

So Min fought the feeling of wanting to pull her hands away from his and simply nodded. Deep inside, she scolded herself. She’s finally going home to the man that she loves, yet she feels nothing. The empty feeling of depression was eating her alive, and the only mechanism of coping is through sleep, so she slept for the rest of the ride.

Ji Hoo parked in the parking garage and observed his sleeping wife. Her brows furrowed even in her sleeping causing his heart to ache knowing how far out of reach she actually is. He can only pray that this surprise wedding will bring her some kind of joy and comfort. “Darling, we’re here,” he whispered as he gently tucked her hair behind her ears.

So Min bolted up and looked around at her surrounding. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ji Hoo said sincerely.

So Min only nodded and rubbed her eyes. “I know,” she said tiredly. “Where are we?”

“We are at Banyan Tree Club.”

“I thought we were going home,” she replied in confusion.

“You’ll see,” he replied and got out the car and came around to open her car door.

Puzzled, So Min followed Ji Hoo through the hotel lobby to the elevator and up to the top suite. When the couple entered, they were surrounded by their closest friends and family cheering for So Min’s return. Confetti was thrown and balloons filled the room and lit it up with color. Ji Hoo grinned as he watched So Min’s eyes widen in surprised and her lips curved upwards. Her face immediately lit up when she saw the Gu couple’s beautiful baby boy, Chin Ho. 

“Oh God! He’s precious!” So Min gushed as she bee lined toward the child ignoring everyone else in the process.

Jan Di gently put the child into So Min’s arm and smiled. “You’re lucky he’s in one of his good moods today. Usually, he would cry everyones’ ears off by now.”

Gingerly, So Min rocked him back in forth gushing over his cuteness. For once, she felt a bubble of joy mounting inside her stomach and heart. This little thing in her arms brings her a kind of warmth she hasn’t felt in a long time since her depression started.

Ji Hoo stared at his wife in awe. The image of her holding a child was beautiful making him want them to have a child of their own so that she can hold.

Woo Bin nudged Ji Hoo and broke him out of his trance by saying, “Looks like your wife has a new favorite guy in town, and you’re not him.”

Ji Hoo only rolled his eyes. 

“Enough enough! You’re going to spoil him,” Jan Di said but still letting So Min hold the child. “We have bigger plans for you than just this little get together.”

So Min looked around questioningly. She finally noticed that she and Ji Hoo are the only one under dressed. Everyone else were wearing evening gowns and suits, even little baby Chin Ho was wearing a baby tuxedo. “What’s going on?”

Ji Hoo lifted Chin Ho and returned him to his father then turned to face his wife. “Today is our one year wedding anniversary.” 

So Min looked at him utter surprised. It has completely slipped her mind, but now it just reminds her how much she has actually missed. Time flew by as she suffocated in that transparent jailhouse. “Oh God! I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I… I didn’t remember…”

Lifting her elbow, he moved her closer to his side. “Not a problem. Kind of happy you didn’t remember.”

She looked at him in confusion. 

“Because if you did remember, I wouldn’t be able to probably do this,” Ji Hoo said and got down on one knee and held out the wedding ring dangling on the necklace that was taken off her before treatment, “Will you, Jung So Min, marry me… for real this time? With an actual wedding and all that comes with it?”

So Min could only nod eagerly as she watched the sparkling $14,500 ring dangle right in front of her. Ji Hoo stood and clasped the necklace around her neck before giving her a nice kiss on her lips then rested his forehead against her. 

“Alrighty! Chop chop love birds! We have a wedding to attend!” Ga Eul said excitedly.

So Min pulled away from Ji Hoo. “Huh? I haven’t planned it yet,” she replied back in confusion the murky feeling of depression disappeared with so many things happening around her.

“We got that covered,” Jae Kyung said and winked as she leaned against Woo Bin. 

“I don’t know how I feel about that…” So Min frowned. “I don’t exactly trust you guys to plan things out and have it go smoothly.”

Ga Eul scoffed, “I’m offended!” She giggled and reassured So Min, “No worries, this time I was in charge of it so there was no way for the men to screw this up.”

“… I don’t know… last time you guys planned something, I ended up in Alaska.”

Jan Di rolled her eyes, “That was only once!”

So Min laughed and gave in. “Fine, lead the way!”

“Well then! Let’s get this show on the road!” Jae Kyung said happily.

Out of nowhere, So Min’s head started spinning in questions. She’s moving to fast, and she knows it. She’s being swept up with all the excitement and expectations of a happy ending for her and Ji Hoo by her friends. She needs a minute, just a minute to reassess  everything. “Wait… I need a moment,” So Min said causing everyone to hold their breaths. They didn’t want to dwell on her current state of depression. “I want to talk to Ji Hoo… in private.”

Ji Hoo nodded in agreement and let everyone step out of the room. Before everyone leaves, he said, “Don’t even try to eavesdrop. Go to the cafe and I’ll call you guys when we’re ready.”

After being left alone, So Min slumped down on the nearest chair and rubbed her throbbing head. The couple stayed quite until So Min felt Ji Hoo’s warm hand on top her shaking ones. So Min looked up to find eyes that only held love for her. “I… I’m…”

Ji Hoo nodded, “I know. You’re feelings are conflicted; Dr. Kim has talked to me about your… condition. You don’t have to worry,” Ji Hoo reassured her, “your friends and I will always be here waiting for your return.”

“What if I don’t return?” she asked softly feeling not overly confident in capabilities to overcome this.

“You will.”

His voice was so firm and confident that it almost made her feel as though she has already overcome it. “I’m guessing that you won’t take a no for your re-proposal then.”

Ji Hoo grinned. “Can’t back out now; you already said yes.”

So Min shrugged and plastered a smile on her face before saying, “Well then, I guess this is happening.”

“It is happening,” Ji Hoo said and kissed her forehead before taking out his phone to call his friends to get ready for this pending wedding.

Ga Eul was not joking when she said she planned this wedding out to be perfect and that nothing was going to go wrong. The wedding hall was decked out in baby blue and white colors. Guests of wealthy social class was here, celebrities, anyone who was anyone was here to give their blessing to the last bachelor of F4… even though technically, Woo Bin was the last to get married, but Ji Hoo was the last to have an official wedding. 

So Min allowed her father to walk her down the aisle. She could have sworn the man had tears in his eyes when he saw her in her wedding dress. Leave it to her friends to know her taste. She wore a strapless sweetheart neckline A-line gown that was ivory white with a natural waist in lace. She wasn’t a flashy person and she thanked the Lord that her friends knew that. The only bling on her dress was a simple waist flowery crystal belt. Walking down the aisle with her arm around her father made her realize how much she actually wanted this to happen. All her life, she never thought there would be a day where her biological father could actually walk her down the aisle not to mention having a wedding that probably cost over 50 grand with all the well known faces of Korea attending. 

There were flower girls and of course the procession of the bride maids which was Ga Eul and Jae Kyung and Jan Di. Jan Di was also holding her son who was the ring bearer. 

“You look beautiful,” her father murmured as they walked down the aisle with piano playing the Bride Chorus, but his words were lost as soon as she set eyes at the person standing at the end of the aisle. 

Ji Hoo almost couldn’t breath watching So Min proceed slowly down the aisle. He thought he would break out into a run to her and take her off with him. She was absolutely breathtaking. This was happening… his marriage with her would be even more official now. 

So Min’s heart constricted realizing that Ji Hoo only had his eyes on hers. His grin was foolish and heartwarming. “This is it,” she thought as she moved closer and closer to Ji Hoo. 

Everything happened in a flash as she lost herself in Ji Hoo’s loving eyes. Ji Hoo and her couldn’t take their eyes off each other as they listened to the minister. She didn’t even know when she said ‘I do’ or he, but when she heard ‘you may now kiss the bride’, she didn’t have a moment to react before she felt Ji Hoo’s chaste but needy kiss burned her lips and the crowd erupted into cheers and whistles. God, it felt like ages since she last kissed him. Even when they pulled away reluctantly, the audience continued to cheer. 

“Do you have any idea how much I love you,” Ji Hoo whispered as his eyes continue to bore into hers.

So Min, still breathless from the kiss replied, “I have an idea.” With that, she pulled him by his collar and kissed him some more and the crowd cheered even louder.

Ji Hoo and So Min were confident that after the wedding, life was only going to be sweeter because no matter what, they have each other. This wedding gave So Min a chance at a new life. It was a clean slate after being release from her long confinement and recovery. 

Together, Ji Hoo and So Min walk the earth together till the day they die with their hands intertwined.