“Are you sure you can manage on your own?” Gary asked Ji Hyo. His tone was full of concern.

Ji Hyo was ready to be discharged from the hospital after 4 days of warding. She was still weak from the miscarriage since she has lost a lot of blood. Her face still looked pale and her body looked so fragile.  Ji Hyo’s manager unnie had made arrangements for Ji Hyo to have at least a 3 weeks’ rest.

Gary had wanted to fetch Ji Hyo back to his apartment so that he can take care of her. But Ji Hyo preferred to stay in her own house instead.

“Oppa, let me go back to my own apartment. Unnie will drop by every now and then to check on me. There is no point for you to bring me home. You are occupied with your album productions. I will be a burden to you.” Ji Hyo tried to reason with Gary.

“Burden? Ji Hyo ar…you are not a burden at all. You are my woman, is my duty to take care of you. How would you be a burden? I planned to get my Omma to move in to take care of you. I am sure my Omma will be happy to do that for her future daughter-in-law.” Gary held on tightly to Ji Hyo’s hands to assured her that she will be in good hands.

“Future daughter-in-law?” Ji Hyo repeated after Gary. “Oppa, what do you mean?”

“Ji Hyo…..will you….will you….” Gary kept rubbing the back of his head. He felt that his face was getting red, his palms were sweating, his heart was racing and leaping.

Flashback

“Gary ar…., what do you plan to do with Ji Hyo.” Suk Jin asked.

Gary was sitting at one of the café near the hospital facing his hyungs. Jong Kok, Suk Jin and Jae Suk.

“Hyung, what do you mean by what to do with Ji Hyo.” Gary was stuck with the question.

“I mean, are you planning to marry Ji Hyo?” Suk Jin asked again.

“Marriage?” Gary was totally blank when the question was asked.

“Yah! Kang Gary. Stop giving me that look. You are the cause of why Ji Hyo is lying in the hospital now. Stop pretending. Be a MAN.” Jong Kok almost stood up and wanted to grab Gary by his collar.

“Cool it, Jong Kok. Do you want to attract attention from the other customers?” Jae Suk tried to calm Jong Kok down.

“Hyungs, I am sorry. I was too focused on what happened to Ji Hyo and how to help her to recover physically and mentally. “ Gary apologized.

“But….frankly speaking, I am not sure if Ji Hyo or myself is ready for marriage and family life.” Gary stared at his cup of coffee as he hesitated on the idea of starting a family.

“If the baby is not lost, I am sure you will marry Ji Hyo immediately, right?” Jae Suk asked.

“Yes, I will. Of course, I will. I am the father of the baby.” Gary answered with a determined tone.

“So, does it make any difference now to make Ji Hyo officially as Mrs Kang?” Suk Jin asked.

“Hyung….I still don’t understand what you are trying to say.” Gary rubbed his forehead. These hyungs were giving him a headache.

“Kang Gary. You are so stupid.” Jong Kok scolded.

“Gary ar….most of us, or rather most of the RM crew knew that Ji Hyo had a miscarriage. We all somehow knew that the baby is yours. This is an open secret. Though the PDs had warned the staff not to spread any news or rumours but sooner or later, the news may spread like fire. How could Ji Hyo faced all these on her own?” Jae Suk analyzed the situation to Gary.

“Oh…I had never spared such thoughts for Ji Hyo at all.” Gary started to see the picture.

“Gary, you love her, don’t you?” The hyungs asked.

“I do. I cannot imagine my life without her.” Gary whispered.

End of Flashback.

“Ji Hyo, will you….will you marry me?” Gary kneed down in front of Ji Hyo with a paper ring while she was still sitting on the hospital bed tying her hair in a pony tail and her manager unnie packing up the stuffs, getting ready for the discharged.

Manager unnie dropped the towels on the bed. Ji Hyo looked at Gary with her hands frozen in mid air, one of her hands were still pulling the rubber band.

“Ouch!” Ji Hyo screamed as the rubber band in her hands broke and bounced back against her hands.

“Ji Hyo, are you ok?” Gary quickly stood up from his kneeing position. He took Ji Hyo’s hands, sat next to Ji Hyo and massage on the red spot that was caused by the broken rubber band. At the same time, Gary tried to slip the paper ring onto Ji Hyo’s finger.

“Opp will buy you a real one, diamond one. Maybe not the one from Macau, we need to save money for our future babies. But I am confident that I can find a ring that you like.” Gary said.

Ji Hyo stared at the paper ring that was about to reach the end of her finger. Suddenly, she pulled her hands back. The paper ring fell to the floor.

Gary was taken aback by Ji Hyo’s reaction.

“Oppa, I need time to think. I am really not in a mood to discuss about us now.” Ji Hyo avoided Gary’s eyes. “ Unnie, I am ready. Let’s go. I wanted some good sunshine and some fresh air.”

“Is she turning me down?” Gary felt a mixture of relieved and disappointment. He quickly put the paper ring back into his pocket, helped with Ji Hyo’s bags and followed the women out of the ward.

“Young lady, aren’t you happy that Gary Ssi proposed?” Manager unnie asked after they had settled down in Ji Hyo’s apartment.

Since Ji Hyo had insisted that she preferred to stay at her own apartment and she really did not want to cause any trouble to Gary and his mother, Gary finally gave up on the ideal of having his mother to take care of Ji Hyo at his place. He knew Ji Hyo well enough, no one can force her into what she did not want to do.

Also, Ji Hyo had formally rejected Gary’s marriage proposal. The proposal came too sudden, Ji Hyo is not ready.

“Unnie, I just feel that Gary Oppa proposed because of the baby. I am sure he is under such pressure recently. Seems his omma is also pushing him into marriage.”  Ji Hyo said.

“Unnie, if Gary Oppa is going to marry me because of all the pressure that he is facing now. I will rather not accept the proposal. I don’t want him to regret on his choice. “ Ji Hyo poured out her heart to her manager unnie.

“Kang Gary, marry me only if you love me.” Tears sparked in Ji Hyo’s eyes.

“Gary Hyung, good to know that Ji Hyo is recovering well. So finally, she….she… she didn’t accept your proposal?” Haha asked as Gary gulped down a glass of beer.

“Hyung, you used a paper ring to propose to a girl! If I am the girl, I will not accept the proposal.” Kwang Soo shook his head.

“er… I know….a paper ring is really not the best thing to use for a marriage proposal. But I was in a hurry and did not have time to get a real ring.” Gary took out the paper ring from his wallet and stared at it.

Gary, Haha and Kwang Soo were drinking at Gary’s restaurant after the shop closed for the day. Gary was busy making his music and taking care of Ji Hyo. It was almost a week that he had last seen his buddies.

“Actually, to be frank, I felt relieved that Ji Hyo did not accept my proposal.” Gary said.

“Hyung, what are you talking about? I thought you were deeply in love with Ji Hyo noona?” Kwang Soo was surprised that Gary made such a statement.

“Kwang Soo ar….deeply in love and starting a family are two very different issues. I am in love with Ji Hyo but I am not ready to bear the responsibilities of a husband or even a father.” Gary sighed.

“So your proposal to Ji Hyo is because of the pressure from the hyungs and your omma?” Haha asked.

Gary looked at Haha and shook his head. “I don’t know, perhaps.  Also, I went to the clinic that Ji Hyo visited where the doctor told her that she is not pregnant. The doctor confidently said that Ji Hyo’s results were positive and he had the report as evidence. I really do not know who to trust and what is happening. Stress!” Gary hit his forehead.

“He had never thought of marrying me, he had never even trusted me.” The guys were drinking away in the VIP room. They did not notice that the VIP room’s door was left ajar. Standing behind the door was a shadow that was trembling away.

It was Ji Hyo. She had both her hands, one on top of the other over . Her eyes were sad and red. She was trembling with tears.