The sound of girls laughing forced her up from her deep slumber. Chae Won frown when she realized just like the first time she came to that place, she was dressed in a white hanbok.

Again, she was placed in the same room as she was months ago. The beautiful Hangeul calligraphy on the wall triggered memories within her and she tried to get on her feet.

The speed of the pain that shot from her abdomen and legs to her brain was beyond incredible. She could only grimaced, winced and writhed in agony as the pain and soreness took their own sweet time to subside.

Last night was torture. It was unimaginable how she and Joong Ki managed to walk from the small bus station, pass through the village, into the woods and climbed the many stairs just to get sanctuary. It was almost dawn when they reached Joong Ki’s school and they were completely drenched, the coldness from the air seeped through their bones.

Without any warning, the door slide open, revealing a young face she had not seen for a week. The girl eagerly pounced at her out of concern “Unnie? Are you okay? God, you guys got us so worried!”

Chae Won blinked as the younger girl fussed around the room; when she draw the curtains, sun rays flooded in the room, blinding her. It also made her realized that it was already late in the afternoon with the scorching sun right above their heads. Yet, her eyes felt drowsy.

A laugh emitted Cho Ko’s rosy lips when she saw Chae Won yawning “Unnie, just sleep on after lunch okay? I’ll bring in your food. Don’t worry. Even Joong Ki oppa is still asleep. He woke up at 10, ate a truckload and sleep again. Seosangnim said the both of you are too exhausted. So you are allowed to sleep in, your day starts tomorrow”

Chae Won couldn’t deny, her ears perked up at the mention of Joong Ki’s name. Flashbacks of last night came in her view. She knew he was fatigue and it was killing him but he tried to hold his composure, encouraging her to move on. Pitch darkness surrounded them but he was like a light, comforting her and leading her to the right way.

If only Chae Won knew, she could not live in this malicious world without Song Joong Ki, she would run in his arms and hang for support instead of relishing in the warm futon with him still invading her mind.

Just like what had been suggested to her, Chae Won slept all day long, only waking up for food and toilet. She personaly thought it was rude to do so yet she can’t deny her needs. The temptation to relish herself on the soft warm futon was not something she can resist.

The next day, she woke up with a slight dizziness in her head. After some quick washing up, she staggered towards the so called canteen, the source of merry laugh which sounded foreign to her since the past two horrible days.

The moment she step a weary foot in the canteen, her vision was narrowed to a single guy at the head of the last table. With the mischievous grin and twinkling eyes, he looked like nothing had happened before. In fact, he looked more… youthful, boyish even.

It was exactly how he looked like when he first met Chae Won. Lively, full of spirit and energy, and warm hearted. It seemed like a certain golden-boy aura radiated around him. It was the first time Chae Won saw Joong Ki so laid back after serving for her. He might be generous in smiling but that smile he was sporting at the moment, it was certainly different; in a good way.

A sudden wave of calmness hit her and she smiled. Just before she could stride towards him, a familiar voice greeted her.

“Unnie! Thank goodness you’re awake! I was just going to send you breakfast! Come, let’s eat with me” Cho Ko wasted no time in pulling her to a table surrounded by young giggling girls. Knowingly, she whispered in Chae Won’s ears “You can’t go to oppa. Guys and girls are separated here”

With a faint blush tinting her fair cheeks, Chae Won nodded. At the corner of her eyes, she caught Joong Ki glancing at her direction when Cho Ko exclaimed loudly. She had no idea why but she quickly faced elsewhere, trying not to meet his gaze.

Gingerly, she took a spoonful of ginger soup, blew it and put it in . The spicy gingery taste with a tinge of herbs awakens her senses miraculously. It might be because she was too exhausted or maybe the fresh country air but Chae Won appetite surely doubled up. She was never a big eater but the food there seemed to be so delicious.

“Unnie, since you’ve never been to any sort of boarding school, seosangnim told us to be lenient with your schedule. You may go around the school and do whatever you want during our lessons. But be sure to come at the kitchen at 12. We have turns at cooking, following a cooking timetable. Since you don’t have any lessons and ample of time to laze around, you have to join the cooking group every day. It’s a pretty tough task. Fetching water from the well, the hot smokes, the heavy dishes, the-” before Cho Ko could continue her teasing, one of her friends slapped her hand.

“It’s okay Chae Won-sshi, we’ll assist you later” the young girl politely assured Chae Won. All her life, she had never tried to cook, except that one time she had a ‘cooking lesson’ with Joong Ki. A smile nearly broke when she recalled the funny memories she shared with him on that day- the crazy omelet and the pretty intimate incident- but she managed to hold them in.

She can’t denied it, she missed him.

Just the way she loved it. After the scrumptious breakfast, Chae Won settled herself at her most favorite spot in the whole school, the gazebo that overlooks the beautiful green scenery. In her hands was a cup of steaming green tea which Cho Ko had kindly prepared for her earlier. She can hear boys practicing hard and girls laughing somewhere. She can see birds soaring up high in the blue sky, as free as it can be. She knew exactly why Joong Ki seemed to radiate that morning. It wasn’t just the healthy air, it was place itself. It was perfect and magical in its own way, radiating happiness to its residents.

Chae Won’s heart and mind felt at peace as she sipped the steaming tea. Her mind flew back to all those pains and sufferings she had been through and surprisingly not even an ounce of hatred or rage clouded her.

Her thoughts then flew towards Joong Ki, and she found herself missing him. Cautiously, she stood up with the tray in her hands and descended down the stairs. She clearly remembered how Joong Ki carried her down those exact steps months ago, even when he didn’t know her. A small smile spread on her lips as she recalled the memories.

God must have heard the insights to her heart, for when she turned around a corner; she saw the silhouette of a very familiar guy. Just like the first time she peeped at him, she got intrigued. She jus