"You need a vacation."

"Your team needs a vacation.  It would be a nice treat for them."

"It'll be fun."

"You can relax and just be lazy. Sleep whenever you want, wake up whenever you want.  I'm envious."

Shin Hye's voice drifted through the phone.

Min Ho dropped his head back on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes.  His whole being suddenly felt tired and numb.

"Then come with me." He said.

He said it, even though he knew it was impossible.

After he got back from China, they had a strategic meeting at Starhaus.  They were concerned about the recent negative publicity.  They wanted to minimize the impact of it on his career.

First was the picture from the casino in New Zealand.  Manager Han was reamed for not paying attention to details.  They didn't even think of the possiblity of fan taken pictures going viral.  They had let their guard down.  They had to be more careful in the future.

The second concern was the backlash from the Chinese media concerning Korea Hallyus stars and idols getting paid to do work in China and not contributing back to the Chinese economy. They decided to cut back on his activities in China for the time being and be more choosy about his appearances and endorsements in the future.

They wanted him to lay low for a while.  They decided that it's best if he did it out of the country, a mini impromptu vacation for him and his entourage.

He had protested, telling them that he could lay low at home. But in the end, he knew they were right. He should take his crew for a vacation.

He just didn't want to leave Shin Hye.

"Can't you pretend to miss me a little bit?" He complained.

"No. I can't."  She replied after a few seconds.

He sighed into the phone.There were times that Shin Hye frustrated him with her lack of emotions towards him.  This is one of those times.

"I can't pretend to miss you only a little bit."  She expounded.   

"It takes all my strength and energy to keep my heart from yearning." She said quietly.

His heart skipped.  His face softened and he smiled into the phone.

"Will I see you tonight?"  He asked her, speaking softly.

"I can't.  I promised Omma that I would take her to my aunt's house for a visit tonight." She was apologetic, but there was nothing she could do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Min Ho felt something soft hit his head.  He raised his hand to swat it away and settled back to sleep.  Then he felt it again. Memories came rushing back.  He was smiling as he sat up in bed.  The room was still dark except for the night light on the far side of the room.  

She was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed smiling at him.

"Ya.  Are you slow?  Haven't I taught you the best way to rouse me from bed?"  He grumbled.

"Ya.  Is that the way to talk to your girlfriend who got up at 4 o clock in the morning to come see you?"  She snapped back.

They engaged in a staring contest, like two combatants circling around each other.

Shin Hye broke first.  She giggled and launched herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and fell backwards on the bed taking her with him.

"Good morning." She said before she kissed him on the mouth.  Their tongues tangled briefly before she pulled back. She tried to sit up.

"Where are you going?"  He asked, his voice husky with laughter and desire. His hands dragging her back down.

"We have to hurry.  I have plans for us today."  She told him.

He grabbed her and twisted so that she was lying beneath him. 

"Good morning."  He said.  He grinned wolfishly before he swooped in and took in a slow, satisfying kiss.

Shin Hye let herself enjoy his kisses for a minute.  But she couldn't let him continue, they'll never get out of bed. He would ensure they stayed in bed for a long, long time.  She pushed him to stop.

He looked down at her with a question in eyes.

"Let's go out. I just want to spend a day with you outside of the house." She smiled up at him. She had thought about him and their conversation all night. She made a decision after an hour of sleeplessness.  She wanted to spend the day with him. She was going to miss him so much when he goes on vacation.

"Let's take our skateboards out, along the Han, enjoy the sunrise, get some exercise. Let's sieze the moment."  She wanted to build more memories to help her get through these next couple of weeks, maybe the next month.  His schedule was packed all of March, hers wasn't looking much better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They drove down to the Han River and found a quiet, secluded spot.  They laid down a sleeping bag to sit on and wrapped themselves in a warm blanket.  They had hand warmers and a thermos of hot coffee to keep warm while they were waited.

When the sun rose in the horizon, it turned the dark sky bright and rosy pink.  Shin Hye gasped taking in the beauty and stillness of the morning sky. Had the morning sun always been this beautiful, she wondered? Or was it the fact that she was in love, so everything that was ordinary before was magnified to reveal it's hidden beauty.

Shin Hye sighed and leaned her head back against Min Ho's chest letting her body melt into his warm embrace.  She could hear the steady beating of his heart. The constantness made her feel safe and loved. She laid there taking in the peace and quiet of the early morning wanting to stay like this forever.

She missed him every time he had to leave Korea.  It was getting worse each time she had to let him go.  She's going to miss him terribly when he goes on vacation tomorrow. Shin Hye tried to shake off the negative feeling and focus only on the positive emotions.

Min Ho felt her shaking. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her closer to keep her safe and warm.

As she was watching the sun come up, he was watching her. She had a childlike sense of wonder on her face as she was gazing up.  He loved seeing her like that.  He would do anything to protect her and keep her safe so that she never lost that sense of wonder.

He unconsciously rubbed his chin against the top of her head and closed his eyes. This felt so right.  He was the happiest he had ever been.  He was content just sitting here holding Shin Hye in his arms. This should be where he lay low, not some damn vacation resort.

"It's going to be nice and warm at the resort.  You should take advantage of the su