An army of paparazzi camped out on Chung Seong-jin’s doorstep.  He heard the door bell ringing, pulling the door open he realized he had to make this moment count.  Camera flashes blinded him and he held his hand up as if to block the lights. 

The questions were coming at him so fast he could make no sense of anything. 

“Mr. Chung, do you know about Alice Park?” 

“Why did you dump her?” 

“Why didn’t you show up?” 

“What are your plans now?” 

“What do you know about the fire?”

He was attempting to answer when a question was shot at him from somewhere in the crowd,

“Did you set the fire that killed Alice Park?”

He knew this question might be asked and was prepared for it.  “No, I did not.  I am most deeply saddened by this news.  Ms. Park deserved more than I could give her so please refrain from saying things you do not know.  I am not responsible for what happened at the club and to the best of my knowledge what happened at the club was an accident.”

Someone was yelling more questions at him and he simply said, “If you will excuse me?”  He shut the door.  He knew this would happen but he really felt badly that people were shallow enough to ask such questions.  He would be glad to return to Canada and put this all behind him.  The group’s work would soon be completed and everything would return to normal.  The public had a short memory span and within a year, Alice Park would simply be an heiress who met an untimely death.

Lee Hon Mun had left the technical details to Yang San He’s “freedom fighter group”.  The group had been responsible for rigging the explosions and setting up the electronic triggers so they could control when the explosions happened along with their intensity.  As soon as the fire was out and before the investigators arrived on scene, the group had removed all traces of explosives, flammable liquids, electronic triggers and blocked entries.  They had procured a newly dead body – as gross as Shin Hye thought it sounded when Uncle explained the details it was necessary.   The group was smart and tricky.  They had placed the homeless, unknown, unregistered woman’s body inside Alice Park’s dressing room.  The beautiful gown had been placed on the body.  The homeless woman’s dental x-rays, blood work and other body details were now in Alice Park’s medical records.  One of the group’s electronic experts electronically changed any information contained in Alice Park’s medical records to the records currently being processed by the group of the young homeless woman.  They had a man inside the coroner’s office so the results would be exactly as Lee Hon Mun wished and no screw-ups would occur.

The body was burned beyond recognition.  What DNA evidence the coroner’s office was able to process matched the medical records of Alice Park from New York.  A very solemn private ceremony was held for the funeral of Alice Park because of the distress of her guardian, Lee Hon Mun.  There were only a few people in attendance due to her Uncle’s wishes, among those few guests were Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho.

Fans of Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye had been outside the funeral venue since early morning.  They were quiet and respectful.  They were fans after all and respected their idols.  A strange thing was happening among the fans of Shin Hye and Min Ho.  They were discussing among themselves in very hushed tones how wonderful Shin Hye and Min Ho seemed to be together.  The Shin Hye fans were praising him for saving Shin Hye and the Min Ho fans were happy he was acknowledged as a hero.  They praised Shin Hye for being so sweet and saying all the wonderful things about Min Ho since the tragedy.  It seemed to reporters and paparazzi that the two fandoms were getting along rather well.  A reporter asked one of Min Ho’s fans, “What do you think would be the outcome if Min Ho should date Shin Hye?”

The fan looked at the reporter and told him to back off and leave the two alone.  She said, “It would be lovely and it’s about time those two went ahead and made it legal.  Just look at them – how more obvious can they be?”  Another fan said, "Any man that risks his own life for a woman deserves to be left alone to pursue her if he wants to!"  And the two fans turned back to the other fans effectively shutting out any further reporter comments or questions.  Really, what a curious turn of events!

Two days before the funeral service, the coroner’s office released a report that detailed the last moments of Alice Park.

In the report was the statement:

“Alice Park was trapped in the dressing room due to a small fire that started between the wall of the dressing room and kitchen.  A gas line rupture due to age caused leakage of a flammable cooking gas.  A fire resulted when a spark ignited gas that seeped into the space between walls.  Alice Park was trapped inside the room when a fire spread up toward the ceiling from the enclosed wall space.  The fire spread overhead and down the wall where the exit door was located.  Ms. Park was unable to open the door due to extreme heat.  A resultant explosion occurred when the fire escaped toward gas containers located behind the dressing room wall.  The explosion of those containers resulted in the beam over the door falling and blocking said door.  At the moment the ceiling beam broke and lodged against the door, Ms. Park had passed out due to smoke inhalation.  According to the findings of our office, Ms. Alice Park died of smoke inhalation.  She died approximately 3 minutes after the fire ignited.  Her body was located in front of the dressing table on the floor.  She was unconscious when she stopped breathing and her deceased body was consumed by flames.  This office finds the faulty line, fire and explosion which lead to the untimely death of one Alice Park an accidental death.  This office has closed this case and the pending status is now labeled ‘resolved’."

So the tragedy of Miss Alice Park, beautiful and mysterious reclusive socialite from New York, USA, became a story of legend; a legend of wealth, beauty and tragedy.  It soon became a story, if mentioned, relegated to the back sections of the paper.  

 The estate of Alice Park tendered a check to the owner of the private club house that mysteriously burned.  The amount of the check was more than enough to rebuild and pay for all the trouble that ensued after the fire.  The club owner did not question the check or the reason; he just rebuilt and enjoyed a resurgence of popularity due to several ‘supposed’ ghost sightings of the beautiful heiress, Alice Park.

The funeral was sad and Shin Hye didn’t have to pretend to cry.  She was sad because the scenario that saved her required such horror.  She vowed to find out, if possible, the identity of the woman whose body they would bury that day.  Shin Hye wanted to make sure she was honored.  Perhaps she would find the woman’s parents if she had any and try to make up for that family’s loss.  She would carry guilt for the nameless homeless woman who gave Shin Hye closure for one life and hope for the other.

Min Ho had kept an eye on Shin Hye.  He could always detect her mood changes.  He had never realized before but he had always been watching her.  Since the first day they met, he had watched her.  How could he explain what it felt like to see her standing there inside the funeral home surrounded by white lilies and a shaft of dappled sunlight streaming through the window to fall upon her?   He always felt slightly baffled and confused at her beauty. 

She felt his gaze upon her and smiled a tear-stained smile.  He shook his head at the sight of her and stepped to her.  He lowered his forehead to touch hers and resting his forearm on hers he softly said, “Don’t let this hurt you.  I will help you do whatever you want.  We will find out her identity together and make sure we show our appreciation for what she has given us.  So please let us go so that she might be taken from here and laid to rest finally.  Please Shin Hye don’t turn away.  Let the fans and the paparazzi see us and let them know that Lee Min Ho cares deeply for Park Shin Hye.”

He led her from the funeral venue and toward the Lee car.  His fans and her fans were silent, honoring both their fans during the solemn occasion.  Min Ho was impressed and bowed deeply toward each section of fans.  The fans were crying at the obvious sorrow of Min Ho and Shin Hye.   Media news sources splashed pictures of a grieving Shin Hye being led protectively toward the Lee family car.  He looked like a man in love. 

The ceremony lasted briefly.  Soon Shin Hye and Min Ho were on their way back to Min Ho’s apartment.  Shin Hye would meet her real father later during the week but for now she needed to rest and not worry.  In the weeks since the plan to kill Alice had begun, Min Ho and she had become close, much closer than she ever dreamed they would.  She knew she loved him.  She would always love him.

Shin Hye realized that they had an uphill battle to successfully date and perhaps go farther.  She understood the man he was.  She could sense the shadows and little areas inside him that she didn’t understand.  She might not understand everything about him but she realized he was the one who led her to love.  She knew what love was because of the man standing before her.  She had flinched earlier at his touch and she saw him draw back.  Once inside the apartment, he moved swiftly to make her comfortable so that she could rest.  She looked into his eyes when she felt him watching her.  She held his gaze and saw the depths of desire and love that hid there.  She made the initial move toward him.  She lifted her face to his even as he tried to move away.  She lifted up to his.

Min Ho wanted to be tender and soft with her.  The flood of emotions he felt when she lifted her lips to his were overwhelming.  He was swamped by a flood of emotions that raged around him and flooded his body, his senses and his reason.  This flood of emotions drowned his last thought of being aloof and keeping a distance from her.  He grabbed the back of her shirt as if it were his lifeline, as if he could keep from drowning by holding onto her shirt.  He felt as if he had been tossed into a raging storm and she was his lifeline – his salvation.  The raging storm inside him swirled within his emotions and he put all those emotions into the kiss.

She was floored and swept away by his hard aggressive kiss.  She expected him to follow through wanting a physical ending to the kiss.  She was in a dilemma – should she give in or should she hold back?  She was in love with this man and she really wanted to give him more than just words.  She wanted to commit to him but something held her back.  She was still unsure of his real feelings.  She had yet to hear him tell her he loved her and that was all she needed from him; reassurance that he really did love her.

But instead of an onslaught of physical heat that would consume them both, his fingers opened and released her shirt.  His finger made a single down her back, possessive and hard.  The emotions in his eyes were flame and desire.  His hands came up to frame her face. 

She could not look away from his eyes.  They were aflame with a kind of primal hunger that was consuming her alive.  It made her breath catch and her pulse pound loud enough she feared he would hear.

He never moved his gaze from hers.  He kept the raging flame focused on her eyes.  She was melting as she stood there silently waiting. 

She could feel the heat radiating off his body.  He was consuming her alive.  She couldn’t resist this man and whatever happened, wherever this day led she would go willingly.

He twined his fingers in her long luxurious hair, pulling her head slightly back.  He pulled her hair back again so that he had a better view of her face.  “I need you.  You have no idea the need inside me for you – only you. I want you so badly that I don’t think I can stop.  This need for you is always with me, it never leaves and I can feel it consuming me.  I know you don’t understand this all-consuming need I have for you but it is there – always.”

His mouth crushed hers as she felt his need, the intensity of his need, his desperation and his greediness.  He thought she didn’t understand that need, that all-consuming need but he was never more wrong.  She felt it too.  She always felt it when he was near. She was frustrated that she couldn’t get closer to him because she wanted to be closer.

She didn’t want to think, she just wanted action from him.  He ripped her shirt off her, tossing it aside.  She fitted herself closer to him trying to wrap herself around him.  She felt the pleasure of his lips as they trailed down to her neck.  He nipped her neck and she moaned in pleasure.  The scent of the flower bouquet on his table and the sound of music from his sound system overwhelmed her senses.  He was hypnotizing her with his long slender fingers.  They raced over her and she was drugged with him.

She made a move to tug his shirt and he grabbed both her hands pulling them behind her.  He wanted to see her body first before anything else.  He loved the body in front of him and he didn’t think he could ever fantasize enough about that gorgeous body to ever fulfill all his dreams.  So he wanted to see it, to revel in her curves and lord knew she had them.  Too many men fantasized about that beautiful body but he wanted it to be his only.  He needed her in the worse way and he would always need her in the worse way.

 He snagged her bottom lip, lightly nipping at it.  He slid his hands over her while slipping his tongue into to slowly arouse her passion.  Her arms went limp and she stopped thinking.

He wanted to touch every part of her; to taste and explore.  Her world spun out of control as he removed the rest of her clothing and he slowly moved down her body.  His mouth was like fire and he was consuming her.  She had no idea such a feeling existed in this world.  She had no idea her body capable of these feelings – of this intense desire.

She could feel the heat from him soaking into her, filling her up, pumping into her bloodstream, burning her from the inside out.  It was such an exquisite feeling that she was sure she would die any moment.  And what a glorious death it would be.

She was being consumed and she willingly allowed it.  He was watching her face as she gave in to the feelings and he felt this tightening of his emotions.  This was what he had waited all his life for – this woman was his and he would never let her go.  She made him feel pleasure he didn’t realize he could feel.  She made all the things he did seem more and made them feel so real. 

She opened her eyes to look into his and a surge of desire hit her hard.  She melted against him wanting nothing more than for him to make her his property. 

His face was so strong, so fiercely masculine that she reached up to his jaw line.  She trailed her hand down his neck to his bare chest, his feverish skin as she slid her hand slowly downward.  His gaze never left hers and she said in a voice thick with desire, “Oppa, I am ready for you.  I will always be ready for you.  I love you Oppa.”

Her words of love swept him away and he took control.  She cried out at his initial onslaught but as she became accustomed to his movements her control snapped and she moved with him.  He ravaged and her body.  He heard her cry out and he called softly to her, “Be with me always, always my love.”

They rolled to the side and she was cushioned by his body and no longer pinned by it.  He gently held her for all the raging need was released.  He was extremely happy that she felt the same.  He wanted this woman with him every day and did not want to think of any time she would not be next to him.  He saw the smile on her face and felt the comfort of her arms.  He laughed his easy, joyous laugh and looking at her said, “You are a woman among women and I want to stake a permanent claim.  Miss Park, I am in love with you.”

She smiled and pulled him closer and murmured, “I love you too, Oppa.  I want to sleep now.  Your claim was staked years ago but you just weren’t aware.”

They slept free of troubles and dreams, securely locked in each other’s arms.