The group went back to Korea, and resumed all their activities there.

****

That Saturday night.

The band and Mi Nyu stayed in the dorm, enjoying dinner with Aunt Mi Ja. President Ahn and Manager Ma went to see a fashion show in Myeong-dong. Noona and Joon went out on a date at a ritzy restaurant.

The two lovers finally got the chance to meet after a week of being physically separated. The journalist had been to Africa to do some documentaries about savanna and the wildlife there. Noona was totally proud of having a very responsible, ambitious, hardworking, and humble boyfriend like Joon.

"Hwang Joon, I think you owe me some elephant tusks," Noona joked.

"If I were to do that, I would not be here," he .

Later on, their talk became serious. Noona related to him about what happened in Japan, from the time that Chung Hee helped her in the lobby to the time that he kissed her without her consent. She could tell Joon got jealous.

"I have to tell you this because I want to be honest and to be faithful to you, that is why I am telling you this," she told him.

He could not, however, got over his insecurity. It seems that, for the second time, Chung Hee was trying his best to steal her away from him again.

"Oh, that won't happen," Noona confidently told him. "Tae Kyung and the guys protected me from Chung Hee. Even his female stylist sided with me."

Joon looked thoughtful before replying. "Well, I should be thankful that he was there for you when you fell. But I am very thankful to Tae Kyung and the band that they protected you. Mianhae, I was not around to protect you myself."

Noona frowned. "I felt the same way too. I told him I thanked him for the help, but I won't be indebted to him."

She did not tell him, however, of the incident when she realized that Chung Hee was indeed good-looking. She wanted to shake that feeling off.

Unconciously, had she fallen for him again?

Joon got something from his pocket, went in front of her, and knelt down as he opened the small box he was holding.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

He did not know if he said it loud, but Noona was sure that he did because most of the diners there were looking at them in happy wonder. She could not contain her blushes and her giddiness as she said yes to him many times. He got the ring and slipped it to her left ring finger. As she smiled and shut her eyes in great happiness, the other diners clapped their hands, and two violinists came in, playing sweet music as in a duet.

"Saranghanda (I love you)," Joon said.

"Me too," she replied. "Saranghanda."

They gave each other a kiss in front of the other diners, and sweet and feel-good music continued to drown the ritzy restuarant.

*****

Monday morning.

"Mwo?" President Ahn asked in great surprise. He had no idea that the stylist ever had a boyfriend, and was thinking that she would grow to be an old maid.

"Wow, Noona, chukhahaeyo (congratulations)!" Jeremy.

President Ahn slumpped to the chair, still in shock. "I..I did not know....my girl is getting married, and soon my boys will too! I'm getting old!" Then he shed tears.

"Ahn-sajangnim, joesonghaeyo (Boss Ahn, sorry)," Noona apologized sweetly. Then she explained that it was her personal choice to keep her love life a secret. "Promise, I will introduce Joon to you."

The president accepted her apology, but still with tears in his eyes. Mi Nyu, meanwhile, looked at Tae Kyung by chance, and she could see that he was feeling envious of Noona. It would have been he and Mi Nyu who should have gotten engaged first. She felt sad for her hyungnim, but she could not love him anymore.

*****

That night, Joon and Noona went to the dorm for the congratulatory party that Jeremy set for them. The couple went, and it gave Tae Kyung the chance to talk to Joon.

He invited the journalist to the wooden balcony to have a small chat. The journalist felt so comfortable around Tae Kyung even if some people who knew him well were kind of scared of his scowl. There, Tae Kyung congratulated Joon for getting engaged, then he shared his sentiment about not being engaged to Mi Nyu.

"Take your time, Tae Kyung-ssi," Joon said. "She will change over time. Or, if your soulmate will come, she will come. Then, you can be sure that you will be engaged."

The journalist invited the young man back inside the house to listen to Jeremy's presentation.

******

Noona was in the wooden balcony holding her hand up high for her to see the engagment ring. She still had a hard time digesting the happy feeling despite having to deal with her sprained left wrist. It was like a magical remedy for her. Then, Mi Nyu and Mi Nam went out and went to her, each sitting beside her.

"Chukhahae," Mi Nam greeted.

The stylist smiled and ruffled their hair. Mi Nam snapped, while Mi Nyu accepted it the way she does with Shin Woo's habit.

"Oh, I am so glad...so happy," Noona said. "This is the happiest day of my life!"

"Are you gonna tell your parents about it?" Mi Nam asked.

"Geurae! They are my parents," Noona replied matter-of-factly.

She and Mi Nam noticed the sad expression on Mi Nyu's face, and they asked her if it was about the engagement which she called off. Mi Nyu nodded sadly, but then broke out into an apologetic smile. She had moved on now, and she was envious because she want to get engaged someday, not because Noona and Joon are in love.

"Engagement day will come for you, my dear," Noona told her, like it was saying, better luck next time.

"You want to be engaged?" Mi Nam asked his sister. "To whom? Shin Woo?"

Mi Nyu looked at her brother in a stunned expression, blush on her cheeks. There was a bit of light in the balcony, and Noona and Mi Nam could see the poor girl's face getting redder and redder by the minute.

"A..a..aniyo," Mi Nyu retorted. "I don't love Shin Woo-hyung!"

Mi Nam looked at his sister slyly. "Aaaaaare---yoooooouuuuuu---suuuuurrre????" he .

Mi Nyu was blushing even more. "Ye! Ye! I am sure!..yes, I love Shin Woo-hyung, but only as a friend."

But the two did not believe her. Mi Nyu is such a loser in lying.

"Well anyway, believe what you want to believe, but we believe that you like Shin Woo," Noona carelessly remarked.

"Anio," Mi Nyu replied as she pouted cutely.

Mi Nam reached out to pinch Mi Nyu's cheeks, "You are sooooooooo cute when you get angry. I would never ever give my cute sister away, except to Jeremy or Shin Woo."

"Oppa!" Mi Nyu frowned even more.

Noona smiled as she watched the brother teasing his sister. It looked so cute. She was very thankful to have known such a wonderful family in her life. President Ahn as her dear abeoji (father), the band and Mi Nyu as her dongsaeng (younger sibling), Manager Ma as her oppa, and Mi Ja-ajumma as her aunt. She might only see them professionally once she gets married and might not be able to join in their expeditions (which depends on her agreement with Joon). She continued looking at the ring in her hand while the twins were having their own cute bickering.

*****

Later that night, as the twins were washing the dishes, and Shin Woo and Jeremy cleaning up, Tae Kyung went out of the dorm to the balcony, where Noona was still there, sitting.

"Chukhahae," he told her. "I guess it is only right for an elder sibling to get married first, huh."

"I don't really mind," Noona replied in that semi-y way of hers. "As long as I will get married, it doesn't matter if I go first, or any of you guys go first. And thank you, by the way."

As the two of them looked up the sky, Tae Kyung remarked. "I guess Chung Hee will have to finally back off."

"Yes, he has to do that," Noona replied. "Otherwise, I'm gonna kick him out of the reception. Ahawhawhaw."

The vocalist looked at her and tsked. Noona has not changed. She is still the royal that she is--though the ultimate queen still is He Yi.

"Well, I guess we can only see you during work hours, then," he told her.

"Yeah. I really love my job, and I enjoy working the long hours," she sighed. "Guess I have to limit it once I am married."

"It can't be helped," Tae Kyung replied nonchalantly.

*****

Anyhow, Joon and Noona planned to get married after three months, so they set out to do the necessary preparations. So busy were they that they did not know something else was going on.

*****

"What? She is getting married?"