Jihyo open her eyes slowly as she feels the bright sunlight touching her face, disturbing her from the comfortable sleep she had. She frowns at the unfamiliar surroundings as she notices bunch of trees and bushes at her surroundings. She rubs her drowsy eyes with her hand as she tries to recall where she is. “Hey…” a voice greets her sleepy body. Jihyo smile at the rough yet soothing voice that greet her early in the morning. She knows instantly who it is. “Hey…” jihyo greets him back. It’s been a while since she wakes up like this, with him by her side. God she misses him so much. “are you awake now?” gary ask her as he saw her still not getting up, continue resting her head comfortably on his lap. “No…” jihyo answer the question with a cheeky smile on her beautiful angelic face as she places her head more comfortably on his lap. He too can’t help from smiling, happy to have her presence again. The sight of her waking up every morning sure is one of the thing he misses about her. The cute drowsy face she has and the little mess on her hair when she wakes up sure make him fall for her over and over again. It’s her simplicity that gets to him. Gary brings his hand to comb her messy yet silky hair, straighten it while she keeps on resting her head on his lap. “I made you breakfast” gary stated trying to get her to wake up. As much as he loves to spend time with her like this, they need to move. They still have a lot of walking to do, to the pick-up area. Jihyo know what gary meant. She pushes herself up from his lap to get up. She stretches her body to get rid of the stiffness she had while sleeping on the hard ground. She then joins gary, seating themselves under a big tall tree. Gary hand her the breakfast he prepared for her earlier, bread with pineapple spread and tea. It is his ration. “kumawo oppa” Jihyo gladly received it from him. It is not much though, yet it didn’t stop her from smiling happily, happy to be taken care by him. Even after so long, he is still the sweet kanggary, the man that will do anything, just to take care of her, making sure that she’s okay, that she’s happy. They enjoy their simple yet sweet breakfast with each other. “oppa…” jihyo suddenly call to him, trying to get his attention. “neh…?” gary answer her, worried if the breakfast is not to her liking. “what about the others oppa? Do they have anything to eat?” jihyo ask him, feeling guilty to know that her friends might be hungry when they wake up. They have a lot of walking ahead of them. They should fill their empty stomach with something too before they start their long walk again. “shh…I don’t have enough rations for all of them…” gary answer her in whisper while bringing his finger to his lip. It shocks her. Jihyo stop eating. She feels really guilty now. She feels like she doesn’t deserve to eat the breakfast gary had prepared for her. What about the others, what about jongkook oppa, kwangsoo. They too need something to eat too. Gary chuckle at her, knowing exactly in her mind. Jihyo stare at gary with her mong face. She doesn’t get it, and she’s little disappointed at him. Other’s misery is not funny to her. “I’m just kidding. They’ll have something to eat too. My men are preparing it for them. So don’t worry okay” gary said to her in between his laugh. “jinja?” jihyo ask him again, wanting to make sure again. “of course. What kind of person do you think I am?”. Jihyo smile hearing his answer. She knows she’s being teased by him, yet she’s so happy to be teased by him. It’s been a while since they tease each other like this. He is still the funny and naughty boyfriend she once had. She knows shouldn’t doubt him. She should know better that gary always put everyone else ahead of himself. “arasso oppa. I’m sorry for doubting you”. They continue enjoying their breakfast with happy smile on their faces.

As they were about to finish their breakfast, gary suddenly call out “jihyo-ah…”. Jihyo look at him, waiting for him to continue. She thought he’s going to again. But from the look of his face, jihyo can feels something is not right. She can see how hesitant gary is, how contemplating he is. She feels weird by the sudden changes of his mood. She’s nervous by just looking at him, afraid if what he’s about to say is something she’s not gonna like. “there’s something I want to talk to you jihyo-ah” gary said to her after a while battling with himself, for either to speak about it or not. He holds on jihyo’s hand tightly as he speaks. “what is it oppa?” jihyo ask him nervously, waiting for him to continue. She’s afraid of what she’s about to hear. “when we arrived at the extraction point, when the helicopter arrived, I will not be joining you jihyo-ah”. Jihyo’s shock upon hearing that. She can feel her body froze. She’s not ready to be apart from him again. She just meets him yesterday, after months of not seeing each other, and she’s not willing to let him go again. “what are you talking about oppa? we have to stay together”. “I have mission to do jihyo-ah. I cannot just leave” gary try to explain to her, hoping she would understand, even if he himself know it’s impossible. Jihyo pulls away her hand from gary’s hold in anger. She’s fuming, angry at him, frustrated at him “so it’s okay for you to leave me and not this stupid mission? Am I not that important to you oppa?!!” jihyo yells out loud to him, waking some of the other camper who was still sleeping, including jongkook and kwangsoo. Jihyo knows she can’t let him go again this time. God knows when she’ll able to see him again if she let him go. Both jongkook and kwangsoo get up and walk themselves to the loud commotion, only to shock themselves when they saw jihyo and gary in a tense atmosphere. Some of gary’s men were there too, looking at the couple. They look at the tense couple quietly from far. “of course you’re important to me jihyo. You know how important you are to me. I do all this for you” gary said to jihyo, trying to make her understand. “Do what oppa? Hurting me? ever since you left, all I did was crying oppa. Do you know how miserable I am without you? Day and night, I never stop crying for you oppa. I miss you. I miss you so much that it hurt” tears start to fall as jihyo pour her heart out. She need him to know how much she’s missing him. She wants him to know that she need him by her side. “after months not seeing you, I’m finally happy again oppa. I’m happy with you by my side. And I don’t care where we are oppa, as long as we’re together, I don’t care. But if you want to leave again, I can’t do that oppa. I don’t know if can go through life without you anymore”. Gary feels a sharp prick in his chest as she saw jihyo sobbing hard. He curses himself for hurting her again. He hates it so much. But he doesn’t have a choice. Things still not change. People are still trying to kill him. He can’t put her life at risk just because of him. He knows he wouldn’t forgive himself if that happen. “I’m sorry jihyo-ah. I’m really sorry. But I have no choice…” “yes you do!!!” jihyo cut him off. She stares at him, telling him how serious she is. “you can choice to come back to me. You can choice to be happy. Not being miserable like this”. “it’s not that simple jihyo-ah”. “why not? Why can’t it be simple? Why can’t we just be happy with ourselves? Why can’t we just enjoy life together oppa? just you and me”. Gary sigh hearing jihyo’s plead. He knows still Jihyo don’t get the seriousness of the situation. Of course if he’s given choice he’ll definitely go back to her. But he knows it himself though, the minute he decides to comeback, his enemy will come for him, and they’ll use her just to get to him. He can’t let that happen. He swore to protect her before and he sure will keep his promise. “I’m sorry jihyo. But I cannot do that. I cannot put your life in danger. I need to protect you” jihyo smirk hearing him. Her eyes are still wet though, from the crying. “what’s the point being safe if we’re not happy oppa. I’d rather just die than having to live those miserable life”. “please oppa…just come home with me okay…?” jihyo keep on pleading in between her hard sobbing, begging for him to come back with her. Tears never leave her beautiful eyes as she cries herself out. Gary’s lost of word. He just stood there looking at her crying herself out. He’s very much want to go to her, to pull her into his embraces to calm her down, but he stops himself from doing so, not knowing if it’s a right thing to do. “I’m really sorry jihyo-ah. I cannot do that. I cannot put your life in danger. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you”. Gary can see jihyo’s body temble from the hard crying. Everyone whose happen to be there just look at her crying herself out. They feels sorry for her, but they don’t know what exactly happen between them. They can only guest that they’re once a couple and now separated because of something. But they don’t know the actually reason. Well, everyone except for jongkook and kwangsoo though. They just look at jihyo sobbing herself out quietly.

Unable to look at the sight anymore, kwangsoo walk himself to jihyo, pulling her into his embraces. He rubs jihyo’s back trying to calm her down. “it’s okay noona. you have to be strong. You can do it”. Jihyo just keeps on sobbing in his embrace, wetting his shirt with her tears. Kwangsoo then switches his attention to gary who just look at them with a broken heart. He knows his hyung is loss of words, not knowing what to do to calm his girlfriend from crying. “she misses you hyung. Trust me, she misses you so much” he said telling gary how much his noona has been missing him. Gary nods to kwangsoo’s word. Of course he knows that. “I know. Please take care of her kwangsoo-ah”. kwangsoo tighten his hug on jihyo as he feels jihyo crying become louder as she hears gary’s words. “I will. But you have to promise me hyung. Promise me that you’ll do whatever you can to come back to her”. Gary froze. He’s battling to himself of what to say. Of course he wants to come back to her, but he can’t give her false hope. He can’t have her keep on waiting for him when he himself is not sure if he’s able to come back. Seeing gary’s in deep thought, kwangsoo give gary a look, telling him just to say something to ease his noona heart. Gary understand what kwangsoo mean. “I promise kwangsoo-ah”. kwangsoo sigh to gary’s word. He knows himself that there’s no way to be sure if gary might come back. But right now, jihyo needs to hear that, for her to keep herself strong. Gary walks himself towards kwangsoo and jihyo. He takes jihyo into his embraces. He holds her petite body tightly. He brings himself to whisper to her in her ear. “I love you so much jihyo-ah. you’re my life. I promise. I promise I’ll do anything I can to come home to you jihyo-ah” jihyo nods hearing his promise. She feels kind of relieve to hear that from him. At least she knows gary will come back to her. She holds onto gary tighter, trying to find comfort in his embraces.

After a while, things start to calm down again. They started to continue their walk to the extraction point, for the helicopter to fetch them. Along the way, jihyo stay close to gary again. She wants to preserve every moment she has with him. Jongkook and kwangsoo too stay close to them, making sure they’re okay. After a while of walking, they reach to an open field. Gary make a radio contact telling that they’re already at the extraction point. Few moments later, a chinook helicopter appear from the sky. One of gary’s men pop out an orange smoke to the open field, telling the helicopter to land there. One by one, they load into the helicopter. Jihyo didn’t enter immediately though. No, she wants to be the last. She wants to savour every moment she has with gary. She’s not ready to be apart from him again. Gary holds onto her hand tight “I don’t know when I’ll able to come back jihyo-ah. But I promise you jihyo, I’ll do everything I can to come back to you”. Gary speak up to reassure jihyo. “promise me oppa?” “I promise…”.

Gary look at the sky as the helicopter left. He curses himself for making such promise, for giving jihyo false hope. Even he himself doesn’t know if he can go back to her. He really want to, and yet he doesn’t know how.

Inside the helicopter

Jihyo hold onto kwangsoo and jongkook hands tight, trying to find comfort from them. She keeps on praying for gary to come back to her. She never stops hoping for that day to come. Jongkook on the other hand has thought of his own. After all the thing he saw, he realizes that jihyo never stop loving gary. The thought of it gives him a sharp pain on his chest. He begins to wonder if he should give up on the woman he loves. He shakes his head brushing that thought away “I’ll win your heart before he come back jihyo-ah. I promise to win your heart” jongkook hold onto jihyo’s hand tighter as the thought come to his mind.

To be continue…

Hi guys…sory for the VERY VERY VERY late update…I’ve been super busy right now…my final is in one month…so I need to pay undivided attention on preparing for that…nevertheless, I try to find time to update this story though…

Anyway sorry if this chapter feels kinda dry…find it hard to write after a while of stopping…do support this story though…I’ll update when I have time…