An hour has passed by but she is still sitting there, not moved an inch, her body is still shaking from sobbing. Seeing her like that cuts In Sung’s heart. Throughout 25 years of their friendship, he has never seen she this devastated. They knew each other since they were kids. His family is close friend with her grandparents. He is her first friend in America. Since the first moment he met her as a 9 years old boy at his birthday party, he knew he would take care her for the rest of his life. Her big sad lonely eyes haunted him since the first time he looked at them. She was a lonely little girl especially after her parents’ death. He promised himself to do anything to protect her. And he always keeps that promise.

When she first came to America she didn’t speak any English and she always isolated herself so she became the victim of terrible bully.  But he always protected her. One time, because he fought back to her bullies, he got into trouble with the principle even got suspended for a week. But he didn’t care, as long as she was okay, he was happy. They went to the same school and same classes since junior high to high school and because of her, he chose Yale instead of Harvard. He didn’t want she studied away from home by herself. He followed her and took care of her just as when they were kid. But because he was too kind and too good to her, she always looked at him as a brother. Even though they are same age but she always called him oppa as a big brother.

In her eyes, he has never been a man. But to him, she is always more than just a little sister. There were more than one time he attempted to confess to her but then he didn’t want to risk the relationship that he has been building the last 25 years. It is better to stay friend then losing her forever. And because she is that important to him, when she came back to America last week and asked for his help, he dropped everything to come down here. But now, looking her like this, he wished he could keep her in America.

Gently, he pulls her in his chest and caresses her back. – “If it is too hard, just give up the revenge. It seems like you love him very much.” – Ironic, isn’t it? He loves her more than anything in this world but he is advising her to get back with the man she loves. He should take advantage of her vulnerable stage and persuade her but he can’t do that because her happiness is too important to him. If another man can make her happy, he is more than willing to let her stay with that man. And Kim Jong Kook, she seems to love that man very much. He knows her long enough to figure that much. She has never cried for a man so much like this. She is a very strong woman but even a strongest woman has a weakness. And Kim Jong Kook is her weakness, the only man can make her cry.

She cries a little more before she can calm down and pulls her head up, facing him – “I can’t do that.” – She shakes her head. Her voice is still breaking – “I have to bring justice to Sung Eun. My pitiful sister!” – Her tears drop down more thinking about her sister. Right, she has to stay strong, for the revenge, for her poor little Sung Eun. She has to make those two cruel people pay the price.

“But Ji Hyo ah, Sung Eun wouldn’t want to see you this devastated because of her. I believe that she only wants you to be happy. If the revenge becomes the obstacle for your happiness, Sung Eun will be very sad.” – He tells her, gently. He more than anyone only wants the best for her and this revenge obviously causes her too much damage.

She shakes her head strongly again – “No, not at all. I don’t need happiness. I only want fairness for Sung Eun.” – She pauses a little bit to catch some breath for her empty lung – “But are you really okay with helping me, oppa? I know you are a busy man, is it really alright for you to stay in Korea for a while?” – Even though she was the one came all the way back to America to ask for his help but she still felt bad. She would ask for someone else but he was the only one that she could trust and the only one she knew would never say no to her, her big reliable brother.

Even though he is a CEO of a big financial corporation in America also the only heir of that corporation but when it comes to her, he never says no. In just three days after she came to his office and asked for his help, he arranged all his work and left America with her on the same flight.

He shakes his head, smiling at her kindly just as the first time she saw him in the big beautiful garden on his ninth birthday. – “Of course it is okay. Actually you picked a perfect time. We have a branch just opened in Seoul last month, I have tried to take time to visit the branch but since you asked, I can do two jobs at the same time.” – He only says that so she doesn’t feel bad. In fact, his email is already full of documents and reports that need his attention. He still has to work away from his office. When she was at work, he was also at the office in Seoul branch and took care of the work in America. He only finished the video conference a few minute before picking her up from her office earlier.

“You are too nice to me oppa. Thank you.” – She looks at him with the appreciate eyes.

He gently wipes the tears away from her cheeks – “You don’t have to thank me. Sung Eun is also a sister to me. This is the least I can do for her. I am responsible for punishing whoever hurt my little sister too.” – And he means it. Sung Eun is no different than his little sister. Unlike strong Ji Hyo, Sung Eun was rather delicate and timid. She always ran to him when someone bullied her, not trying to fight back as Ji Hyo. She was the kind of girl that all man wanted to protect so it was a big shock to him that she was hurt and even committed suicide because of a man. That news hurt him just as much as it hurt Ji Hyo. And he definitely wants to make the two murderers pay the price as well.

“Thank you very much oppa. Let’s finish our plan quickly and come back to America, okay?” – Yes, at the end of the plan, she has to come back to America, to where she belongs. This place, this country, this apartment is not where she is supposed to be. This place is only temporary, everything here is only temporary, and that man … she should take him as temporary as well. She should forget him just as she is going to forget everything in Korea once her plan is done.

She needs to forget him …

He nods and curls his lips to a soft smile – “Yeah, let’s do that.” – Then he pulls her up – “But let’s have diner first. I made your favorite dish.”

She takes a deep breath, trying to respond to him with a smile, he deserves that much. Since last week until now, all she gave him was a sad cheerless face. She knows it is unfair to him but only in front of him, she feels safe to take off her mask and be herself. Faking her emotion in Korea was exhausted. The last week was exhausted. Thankfully he stayed by her side and made thing easier. – “What a pleasure to have a CEO cook my dinner.”

“Yah, don’t act like this is the first time I cook for you. Who cooked for you all the time when you were in college?” – Yes, that was him. Even though she was good at cooking but she didn’t enjoy cooking very much. Just as thousands of American college students, she preferred fast food. He of course couldn’t stand seeing his precious princess ate those unhealthy foods every day so he had to cook and asked her come over for dinner every day. Luckily, they were next door neighbor, or else he probably had to bring the food over for her since she didn’t at all like to get out of her apartment.

“But back then you were only a college student oppa. Now you are a big CEO.”

“But I am still your oppa. Cooking for you is always my pleasure.” – Cooking for her, taking care of her, loving her are his pleasure. He is glad that she finally gives him a chance to take care of her again. Since she moved back to Korea, even talking, they couldn’t do it so often.

She can only express her gratitude with a bright smile. There are not enough thank in this world to give him. And she knows he has never needed her thanks. He does everything from bottom of his heart. It is lucky that she has him as a big brother, as a family. – “Are you staying at your grandparents house for now, oppa?” – They call it a house but others call it a mansion.

That huge mansion has more than 20 rooms with a maze on their backyard as the style of those royal Europeans. Even though majority of his family are living in America, his grandparents moved back to Korea 10 years ago for their retirement. As they heard she moved to Korea, they asked her to stay with them. They always treat her as their blood-related granddaughter. She would love to stay with them if it wasn’t because of her revenge plan.

He nods – “Yeah, do you think they will let me stay elsewhere?” – He laughs.

“I know. They probably miss you a lot.”

“They miss you too. They asked me to take you there on the weekend. Will you have time?”

“Sure.” – She answers without hesitation. She should have visited them sooner but she was too busy with her plan. She lost all her blood-related family members then she should at least hold onto any kind of family that she has. In Sung and his family is the only kind of relative that she has now. She needs to treasure them