She has never been so tired in her life!

It's already fifteen past midnight but she just came back from a day of rehearsals, interviews, and appearances that started as early as 5AM. Talk about slave-driving! Whoever did her schedule today must've had a really big grudge on her!

She dropped her bag carelessly unto the nearest lounge chair and proceeded to the shower. She still has three more days of this frenzy before she gets to go home, not that she minds staying here. She loved Tokyo, with all its cute, crazy mess. She used to love the freedom she gets whenever she's here. Only now, things are a little bit different.

She got out of the shower, changed to her jammies, and picked up her phone to check for any messages before she plopped herself unto the bed. She should really get some sleep now; otherwise she might not wake up in time for tomorrow's schedule, but somehow, she's feeling a bit restless. She reached out again for her phone and checked the time – 12:50 AM.

After a few more minutes of trying—and failing—to sleep, she got up and reached for her guitar. She ran her fingers lazily along the instrument, lingering a moment longer on the etched marking found behind its neck. As the wave of memories flooded her mind, she found the corner of her lips slowly curling up into a smile.

**********

"Ya! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed while trying to wrestle the guitar from Jung Suk's clutches, though it proved futile. He was just too strong for her, even able to firmly hold the guitar in place with just one hand. Plus, he had that smug grin on his face now, which she hated, because it always gets her to feel vulnerable and befuddled. She finally lets go and he went back to crouching over the guitar handle.

They were both in the cast dressing room and have been playing with the guitar for well beyond 30 minutes now. The rest of the cast and crew have already left one by one to their respective appointments as their filming for the day is done, while their managers have gone somewhere. They were alone but she didn't mind. It was hard for them to get alone time like this. Besides, it'll be harder for their managers to find them if they go elsewhere.

"Oppa, stop it. What are you doing there anyway?" she nagged on, changing her tactic to annoying him by playfully hitting on his back.

"Ya! Just a little bit more, okay?" he pleaded while brushing off her hand. Resigned, she slouched back to the stool across him with a pout, which he barely noticed since his head was bent down. Aiiish…this guy can be so stubborn sometimes.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed while dramatically motioning one hand over the guitar. She immediately grabbed it from him and scanned its body all the way to its neck to check what he was up to just now, until she found what appeared to be an etching of his initials behind the neck, just before the head. "Ya!" She looked up at him in mock anger "I could sue you for this, you know?! This is vandalising private property!" she threatened rather unconvincingly, as she was running her fingers along the mark with a big, wide grin on her face.

"Vandal my arse! Ha!" he scoffed as he leaned back against the sofa rest. He waved his left hand in another frivolous manner and continued to gloat "I just made that guitar priceless…you hear? Priceless!"

"You can be really insufferable sometimes, you know that?"

He bit his lips and glanced at her through his lashes—a move that never fails to make her heartbeat go into overdrive. She felt the blood rush up to her cheeks—her ears—and defensively averted her gaze back to the guitar. How can this man have so much power over her with just one look? This is really unfair! She thought to herself as she realized the she too was biting her lip.

He cleared his throat before shifting his position closer to her. They were so close now that their knees are brushing against each other "Jieuna, how can you say that? I just gave you this one-of-a-kind autograph, and this is how you respond? Are you rejecting my heart here?" he protested, though obviously in jest, as that playful glint in his eyes is something she's all too familiar with.

"Unless…" his voice trailed off for a moment as his eyes scanned the room, then he grabbed the one thing that's still in their way—the guitar—and set it aside. He was leaning over her now that she bet he could hear the rapid pounding of her heart. "…unless you want a different type of autograph." He finished in a breathy tone just before his mouth closed in on hers.

***********

Wanjeon sarrangheyo…

The sound of her phone ringing brought her back to the present. She frantically reached for her phone to answer the call "Oppa!"

"Jieuna, gwaenchana? Was today's schedule too tiring?" It still surprises her how simply hearing Jung Suk's voice can bring a smile on her face. She reflexively shook her head in response "Not really, but oppa…"she replied as she started to put the guitar back to its case "I still have three more days here, and it's getting lonely…" she didn't mean to whine, but she just missed him terribly.

He let out a soft chuckle before answering "I know…I missed you too. I don't think I could go on another day without seeing your smile."

"Ya! Don't make me feel worse. Just tell me about your day so I can imagine being there with you in my dreams." She quipped as she settled herself to her bed.

"My day? It was crazy! I had to squeeze in 4 interviews, 2 photo shoots, and 1 recording before 9 PM!"

"Huh? I thought you only have that recording scheduled for today?"

"I had to rearrange my schedule because I had a flight to catch."

That was weird; he never mentioned anything about a location shoot before. "What flight? To where?"

"To here."

Ding dong

The ringing doorbell made her jump up from her previous position. Could it be? It's not possible, is it? A thousand thoughts ran through her head as she rushed to the door—half anticipating and half fearing that she'll just get disappointed.

Sure enough though, he was standing right in front of her as soon as she opened the door, with a big bouquet of flowers—violets and baby's breath—on one hand and his phone held up to his ear on another "Surprise?" he said with a big boyish grin.

She let out one big breath "I can't believe you're here!"

"I can't believe you have my song as your ringtone, and do you have any idea how loud your phone rang? I could even hear it from here!" he retorted as he stealthily let himself in, closing the door behind him, and offered her the flowers.

She took the flowers from him and laid it unto the coffee table before turning back to him "Ya! I set the phone volume to the highest level on purpose so I can wake up on my alarm…or when you call" That last thought made him grin, and that was all it took for the last of her self-restraint to come undone. She reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her body harder into his chest as if willing herself to melt into him. He let out another chuckle as she felt his arms around her, and the warmth of his embrace only made her further succumb into his arms, allowing herself to get lost into his intoxicating presence and her own overwhelming emotions. "I take you're happy with my surprise?"

She gave a slight nod as she buried her face deeper into his chest. All the frustration and stress she felt a while ago seemed to have washed away along with every breath she took of his familiar scent. She now felt calm, safe—she felt at home.

They broke away from the hug, but only enough for Jung Suk to tilt her head slightly and softly claim her lips with his, lightly at first- making her weak-kneed that she had to hold on to him even tighter. Then he started to deepen the kiss, further and further, until she was once again swept away in an ocean of emotions so powerful it engulfed her senses and her whole being. There was urgency and passion in his kisses, but there was also tenderness and longing—and love—and it always astonished her just how much of his feelings mirrored her own.

When they finally broke the kiss, both were left breathless and high-strung. Jung Suk gave her one last peck before he unwillingly let go of her. He took some time to compose himself before he started to speak "I, uh…booked the room next door. So… you better get some sleep as you still need to wake up early tomorrow."

She couldn't help but smile upon hearing him say this. He can be so old-fashioned at times, but then again, this is exactly the reason why she fell in love with him. "Oppa" she called out to him just as he was about to turn for the door. "Can you stay a bit longer? At least, until I fall asleep? Please hold my hand until then so I can have my sweet dreams."

He hesitated for a bit, before nodding, and allowed her to lead him to her bed. She tucked herself in while he sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. "Good night oppa"

"Good night Jieuna…" he whispered softly and gave her another peck on the cheeks. Having him close to her like this gives her such a feeling of comfort that she soon felt her mind getting cloudy and losing focus. After such a stressful day, she's glad she at least gets to have her good night sleep like this. Him - on the other hand - might not be able to sleep a wink tonight.

She giggled to herself at the thought, before sleep finally took over her.