Shin Hye lifted her face upwards and smiled softly into the starlit sky.  Tonight the stars were like crowds of bejeweled ladies at a ball showing off their sparkling fineries, trying to outdo each other's brilliance.  One group even caught her eyes, winking at her, encouraging her to tell him her secret.  She smiled and winked back to let them know that she was planning on it.  Tonight.

Min Ho's gaze rested on the beautiful woman walking by his side.   She was looking up at the sky, smiling and flirting with the stars as the moonbeam lovingly caressed her upturned face.  His hand unconsciously squeezed her hand, jealous of her flirting.  She swung around to look at him, laughing at his show of jealousy,  but her fingers squeezed his back before she started swinging their joined hands lightly back and forth in rhythm with their pace. 

He was walking Shin Hye home after dinner at his place.  His landlady had insisted that they needed a change of scenery from meals every day at Shin Hye's home and he had wholeheartedly agreed.   He liked Shin Hye's parents but it was becoming more difficult to maintain the facade of the perfect gentleman around them because every time he looked at their daughter, he wanted to kiss her and imagine himself doing all sorts of things to her lush body.   The tension in his body had been slowly building over the last week.  He was at the point where he didn't care who was watching, he was going to kiss her.

"Are the stars in Seoul as brilliant as they are here?"  Shin Hye turned back to look at him.  He in a quick breath.  Her beauty still took his breath away, especially with the soft, dreamy smile she had been wearing all night.

"No.  I don't think there is any place in Korea quite like this place.  This place is enchanted,"  he smirked at his own words.  "I feel like I'm Prince Charming and everyone in this enchanted village is helping me romance the princess of the kingdom." 

Shin Hye laughed at his penchant for fairy tales.  It just made him so much more endearing.

"You are not Prince Charming."  She assured him.

"You are Detective Lee of Seoul."   It was what everyone in the village called him.

"They are probably helping you because it's obvious you are not doing it right."  She pointed out, still laughing.

"You mean there's a right way to woo a princess?"  He joined in her amusement.  He couldn't resist Shin Hye in a playful mood.

"Of course."  She nodded wisely.

"You're suppose to fall in love with me at first sight when you see me at a ball.  Then you sweep me off my feet and we dance the night away.  I eat a poisoned apple and fall into a deep sleep.  Then you find me because the shoe fits."  Shin Hye laughed at her own silliness, but it suited her mood.  It felt wonderful to be carefree and in love.

Min Ho couldn't take his eyes off of her laughing face.  He knew it wasn't possible, but the happier she was the more beautiful she became. And she was becoming more and more beautiful everyday.

"I think you have the story wrong."  He corrected her,  deciding to join in her twisted fairy tale world.

"You fall in love with yourself in the mirror, but it breaks and a shard prick your finger.  The bad fairy puts an enchantment spell on the castle and everyone falls asleep for years.  Then one day I ride up on my white steed and fall in love with your beauty.  I kiss you awake and then we marry."  He shook his head, embarassed at his own ridiculous story, but glad to hear Shin Hye giggle.  He had no idea where all that came from but if it made Shin Hye laugh, then it was worth it.

Shin Hye's merry laughter echoed through the woods.  She turned around so that she could see his face as she walked backwards concocting another version of the stories.

"The huntsman falls in love with me because he heard my melodic voice as I run around singing to the forest animals.  But the wicked sea witch steals my voice and tries to throw me over a ship.  As I go overboard,  you and a genie on a magic carpet saves me."  This one was more outrageous than the previous one. She laughed at her own cleverness.

He had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss that smug look off her face.

"No.  You have it all wrong."  He shook his head at her.  She was still missing the most important part of the story.

"You are Sleeping Beauty. You are trapped in a tower by an old hag .  One day I ride by on my white steed and ask you to let your hair down. You did and I climb it. But I find you asleep because you had to sacrifice your life for mine. I kiss you to wake you and then we marry."  He was laughing so hard he could barely get the whole story out.  At the rate her parents were going, poor Eun Sook was going to be one very confused child.

Shin Hye noticed that his twisted fairy tales always ended traditionally, with him kissing her and them getting married.  He was one very determined man and sweetly old fashioned.

"What about the seven dwarfs?"  In her mind, a good fairy tale needed the seven dwarfs.

"What about them?"  His brows furrowed trying to remember which fairy tale they belong in, but all he could see were her students.

"Aren't they suppose to lynch you because you are a beast?"  She rolled her eyes in mock disappointment at him for not remembering the fairy tale.

"No.  I think they turn into mice who helps you clean the house and sew your own clothes."  He was sure there was a fairy tale that had mice sewing clothes. He just wasn't sure which one it was.

Shin Hye let go of his hand and twirled around like one of those princesses in the fairy tales.  She understood now why the princesses sang and danced around in the fairy tale stories.  She was so incredibly happy that she wanted to sing and dance through the woods.

This had been the best week of her short three year life.  It was just like a fairy tale.  A tall, gorgeous detective from Seoul had come into her life and swept her off her feet with his good looks, his charms, and his quirky humor.  She had never laughed so much in her life as she had this last week, she was sure of it. 

And she was in love with him.  Totally, hopelessly, crazily, recklessly in love.  That alone made her want to float around singing and humming.

"Maybe you are the frog prince.  I have to go around kissing a bunch of men before I find the right frog."  She twirled back to face him, another teasing smile on her face, her eyes shining brighter than the stars above.

"You better not be kissing anyone but me."  He threatened her, jealous of the thought of her kissing another man.  He captured her hand in his to make sure she stayed by his side.

She shrugged, scrunching her nose at him for his bossiness.

"I can kiss anyone I want."  She childishly stuck her tongue out at him before turning away.

He stopped walking then.  His hand, that was holding hers, stopped her forward progress, yanking her back to him.

Shin Hye became aware of the sudden change of mood in the air.  Lighthearted teasing time was over.  It was time for serious conversation.

"Who do you want to kiss Shin Hye?"  His voice was low, raspy with need.  She could hear the husky timbre of emotions he held in check.

A slow, seductive smile spread across her face as she gazed up into his dark eyes. She could see his need burning in them.  She could see the love as well.  He never hid his love from her.  She shouldn't hide her love from him.

"You."  She opened herself up to him, her eyes reflecting her needs. The same needs as his.  She took a small step towards him arms spread wide. 

"I want to kiss you." She boldly admitted, letting him know he wasn't the only one who had been feeling frustrated every time their kiss was interrupted. 

Min Ho stilled. His whole body was rigid with tension at the look in her eyes.  He couldn't move.  Didn't want to move.  He was afraid to break the spell if he did.

"Why?"  His question came out as a whispered plea.

"Because I love you."  She whispered back without any hesitation.

He did move then, slowly pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair.   He was afraid that this was another dream, that he was going to wake up in his bed, cold and lonely, holding onto nothing but air as was often the case these last three years. He couldn't relax until he could feel the heat of her body fully against his.  He pulled her even closer to him so that every part of her was imprinted on his body.   She was so soft, so yielding as she melted into his embrace.  Burying his face in her hair again, he inhaled her intoxicating scent.  She was real.  But he still couldn't relax.  His arms tightened around her fearing she would vanish from his life again if he didn't hold on.

Shin Hye couldn't breathe because he was crushing her to him, but she didn't mind.  Being this close, she could feel the rapid pace of his heart and she realized that hers was beating just as fast.  Her arms found their way around his back, hugging him to her.  She felt him tremble as she slowly ran her hands up and down his back in a soothing motion to help him relax.

When she felt his tension ease and his arms loosened, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes.  He hadn't said the words, but he didn't have to, the proof was staring at her.  She gasped at the intensity of the love and desire she saw in his face.

"I love you."  She felt those word