“Is this where the fashion show will be held?” Jihyo asks with her frustrated tone. “Why is it? Haha and Jongkook hyung said that this is the best place to hold the show. We can attract the students for the new fashion.” Gary says innocently.

                Jihyo feels like hanging herself, Haha and Jongkook must purposely choose their college. Out of many places and many other colleges, why they must choose their previous college? “Ahjumma, are you ok?” Gary asks Jihyo when she stamps her feel and murmur unknown language.

                Jihyo looks at him and nods, “Let’s go.” He says and tries to grab on Jihyo hand but she back off and lead the way. He is actually stuns at his own action, for trying to hold Jihyo hand. Why is that so? Why he feels like it is a habit for him? He slaps himself softly to pull himself together before follows Jihyo from the back.

                He locked himself in the house, he holds himself from go to Yejin till Haha called him last 2 day, saying that Jihyo changes her decision and decides to work together for the fashion show. But, to his shock, Jihyo acts as if nothing had happen at the park last weekend. In the same time, he feels Jihyo is distance herself from him. Why is it?

                ***

                “How is everything?” Jihyo and Gary jump a bit from the sudden voice that greets them. “Oo? Mr. yoo?” Jihyo bows and shakes Jaesuk hand. Jaesuk pats Jihyo shoulder softly before turns to Gary. “Make sure you report everything to me and don’t bully on Jihyo-ssi..” Gary just nods to him.

                “Jihyo-ssi, don’t be afraid to tell me if he bullies you.” Jaesuk says to Jihyo before walks away, leaving them alone. “Do you know him?” Gary becomes curious. “What about you, do you know him?” Jihyo questions without answering Gary.

                Gary smirks, “Of course I know him, he is my father. I mean, my step- father.” He adds when Jihyo seems like confuse. “My father died when I was 7, accident, so, 10 years later, my omma met that man, and they married. So, he is my step-father.” Gary says innocently.

                “But, your family photo? The man in the photo is not Mr. yoo.” Jihyo says at almost her whispering voice. “Have you seen my family photo? Which photo do you mean? My high school photo? He is my omma dongsaeng. But, how can you know many things about me?” Gary looks at Jihyo with a suspicious look.

                “By any chance, do you know CEO Ji?” Jihyo ignores him by asking a new question. Gary frowns, “Do you mean, Ji Sukjin?” She nods, “Of course I know him. He is my step-father friend.” He becomes more puzzles when Jihyo suddenly laugh, but it seems like she is laughing because she is speechless.

                “Why do you do this to me?” Jihyo asks Gary that makes him become more and more confuse.

                ***

                Jihyo can’t help herself from stop laughing for the whole day. She is actually speechless and amaze to the pieces of puzzle that she just found from the last 5 years. She gets to know Mr. yoo when she was still working at Ji Sukjin company, he makes a visit at the company and he seems like know Jihyo well.

                But, at that time, she in bad condition as it is not long after Gary went missing. And about her work, that mean, Gary is the mysterious person that recommends her to Ji Sukjin. How can this happen? How can she never thoughts that Gary recommends her? Why he care so much on her, but in the same time, make she broke into pieces. She just can’t understand Gary.

                She feels offended at the same time, she thought that she knows everything about Gary when she actually doesn’t. She only knows that he has step-father and about his father’s accident when Gary told her JUST NOW. Thought she feels bad for not knows Gary’s background well, she also feels like Gary’s family and friends are laughing at her.

                ***

                Jihyo was assigning the model with their clothes that they gonna wear for the fashion show, when her eyes catch on person that just arrive. It is Naeun and some other guy, the thing is the guy is wrapping his arm around Naeun waist in front of Gary and he seems not care about it. They look very friendly.

                “Unni, annyeong..how things are doing?” Naeun asks, the guy next to her bows slightly to Jihyo. “I think, I’m the one who should be asking, I don’t know what happened between you and your husband, but it seems like you’re cheating on him.” Jihyo feels frustrated and angry.

                Naeun shouldn’t cheat IN FRONT of Gary and Gary shouldn’t act cool to this. Or, are they fighting because of the picnic and because Jihyo works together with Gary for the project? Naeun and the guy look one another and laugh.

“How dare you cheat on me? When did you married, why are you not inviting me? I just let you go alone for few weeks and you already married?” The guy said and Naeun hits his chest. “Unni, it seems like you’re misunderstanding on something.” Naeun says to Jihyo that makes she folds her arms together, totally disagreed to Naeun.

 “You’re the one who misunderstand on my situation, I’m sorry if I become the reason you and Gary-ssi fight, but please, listen to my explanation.” Naeun nods to Jihyo, give her time to say what she wants to say.

                “I want you to know that, there’s nothing between me and Gary-ssi, I just work together with him for this project. Nothing more than that, so you shouldn’t cheat on him. He is a very faithful guy, believe me. He is..” “Wait, you and Gary hyung? Since when?” The guy cuts Jihyo before she finishes.

                Naeun laughs softly, “Unni, let’s have a talk.”

                ***

                Jihyo sighs when they arrive at the rooftop, one of the most memorable places for her. The place where she becomes Gary’s slave. They always lunch together at one of the bench and this is where Jihyo gave him back his jacket. All of it, it is not she doesn’t want to erase them, it just they keep on coming.

                “Unni, you got the wrong idea about Gary oppa and me.” Naeun starts the conversation. Jihyo reaches her hands, “No, you’re wrong, there is nothing between me and Gary-ssi. So, you must not…”

                “I’m his cousin.” Naeun cuts Jihyo from continue. Jihyo stares at Naeun blankly. “I’m his cousin, but you think that I’m his wife, isn’t it?” Jihyo nods innocently, “But, Daegu? And the surname?” “He is my son and Gary oppa’s nephew. My husband is Mr. kang. The one that you just met was my husband, Kang Haneul.” Naeun explains.

                “Our family have a complicated family tree, do you remember that I introduce myself as Son Naeun? I’m step-daughter to Gary oppa aunt, but, Gary oppa dislike for me to introduce myself as Son Naeun, moreover, now, I’m Mrs. Kang.” Naeun smiles when Jihyo seems in her deep thought.

                “Unni, don’t you feel curious about why Gary oppa walk out from the house? Where he has been for the last 5 years? Or, what is he doing for that time? Why he never contact you at all? And why he never comes back?” Jihyo looks at Naeun, it means that she remembers that she met Jihyo last 5 years.

                “No.” Jihyo says, she doesn’t know why she becomes this ego. “No? Are you sure that is your answer when you’re trembling when we first meet few weeks ago? When you restless looking at Daegu and I at the park? I was there unni, I witness how much you hurt when I step in the house. You’re nervous at the first time we met.”

                “Why should you be nervous unni? Is it because you think that I’m Gary oppa wife or it is because you afraid to hurt again? When we go picnic, you look restless, why is it? Is that because you’re tired or you afraid that the truth to be reveal?” Naeun says and Jihyo looks at her with a nervous look.

                “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I think, I better go now, I have many work to do.” Naeun holds Jihyo hand when she was about to turn. “Yejin is Gary oppa son right? Kang Yejin?” “No, he is not.” “Then, let’s do the test.” Naeun challenges Jihyo.

                “What is that person right to become Yejin appa? What make he become his appa? He left me to face all of this alone. Others pregnant women have their husband comes with them for the medical check-up, when I’m go by my own, ALONE. I fight all ALONE in the labor room and I raise Yejin ALONE for this 5 years. And that is what gonna be. FOREVER.”

                “Are you sure unni?” Naeun asks. “Of course, more that you think.” Jihyo says confidently. She raises Yejin by herself all this time, why she can’t now? “Don’t you love him unni? Kang Gary?” Naeun asks again when Jihyo was about to walk away, she smiles when Jihyo froze and trembling. This is the best thing when you studied psychology.

                “No.” Jihyo says. Luckily it is a short word, but she hopes that Naeun didn’t notice that she is stuttering. “Even though if I say that Gary hyung left because he sick?” Jihyo turns to Naeun as she says. “What do you mean?” Jihyo says.

                “I think you know about his accident, some of the blood clogged in his brain. Gary hyung suffered from cancer. Brain cancer, stage 4.” Naeun looks at Jihyo. “What are you talking about? Stop joking.” Jihyo mumbles. “He found out about it late. He only has 5 months to survive from the moment he knew. He blames himself for being a bastard when he decided to ‘cheat’ you. He knew that Minho had married, but he still use him to be the reason to break up with you.”

                “I knew you feel betrayed, but it was Gary oppa plan to have me that night, he gives me the password and sent me message to come in. He been through a lot unni.. more than you can imagine. When we arrived in Canada, aunt and uncle decided us to go Boston to get better treatment. We moved to Boston. He was so broken, he has no will to life, he went to the chemotherapy because aunt asked him. He tries to run away from the hospital few times, because the treatments were really hurt.

“The first thing he did in the morning when he wakes up, he will scrolls his camera and looks at your picture. Every night, he will light up the scented candle, he say you like it. Although he tries to hide it, we all know that he cries to sleep. He didn’t want to do the operation, but, I’m the one that force him and I use you to make him agreed. I told him, if he recovers, he will meet you soon. But it turns out another way.”

                “Wae?” Jihyo questions, tears are strolling and it becomes unstoppable. “He becomes a corpse. He alive from the operation, but he becomes comatose. He was fighting all alone too unni, for you. I know, to go back to you is one of the strongest will. Before the operation, I asked him, is he sure to do the operation and he said yes. I had asked him, what if at the moment he recovers, you have married and life happily with some other guys?” Naeun smirks at the memories and sees tears strolls down Jihyo cheeks.

“You know what he said? He said, it’s alright, at least, he knows someone is there to make you happy when he doesn’t. 4 years, he lay on the bed like a dead body. Few months ago, he awake, and the first question is, ‘How can he come along with his parent to Canada though he remember that he sent them to the airport.’  He only can remember up to his high school time. Aunt didn’t allow us to tell him because afraid that he will hurt himself, because he doesn’t understand.”

                “Unni, I know how much you love him, and how much he loves you. I also know how much Yejin needs him. I’m sure that, if he knew about Yejin, he will never left you that night, though his life at the stack. I don’t know how much time it will take for Gary oppa to fully recover, but, I hope, he has the second chance. He deserves it.”

                ***

                Gary runs to the rooftop as Naeun tells him that Jihyo is at the rooftop. He has been looking for Jihyo for all this time. He stuns to see Jihyo is sitting and hugging herself. “Ahjumma, kwenchana?” Gary says. He kicks her shoes, “Ahjumma? Ahjumma? Can you please answer me?”

                Jihyo stays silent when Gary kicks her shoe and keeps on complaining. “This ahjumma! Jihyo-ah, are you ok?” Gary raises his voice a bit but calls her name softly. “Jihyo-ah..? Ji..” His words hang in the air when Jihyo suddenly hug him. “Let’s stay like this for a while. Please let me hug you.” Jihyo says when Gary tries to break the hug.

                “Yah, ahjumma, is everything alright?” Jihyo nods, “I miss you.” “What did you say?” Gary can’t hear to Jihyo. “I’m ok.. oppa…” Jihyo smiles in Gary’s arm. Gary breaks the hug forcefully, “Yah!! What did you have for your lunch that makes you become like this?” Gary asks nervously but she just smiles cheekily that gives Gary goose bumps.

“Yah, this ahjumma, you give me goose bumps.” Gary says and walks away. Jihyo links her arms on his. “From now onwards, I’m gonna make you have goose bump every time you see me. so, stay strong..” Jihyo says and Gary becomes anxious, he tries to pull his hand from Jihyo and runs away.

Jihyo catches on him, “Himnae and hwaiting.” Jihyo says and leaves Gary alone.

***

“oppa, can you please send me home?” Jihyo is packing her things. “What’s wrong with you ahjumma? Did you eat..” Gary couldn’t finish his words when Jihyo runs away with his car key. Jihyo sits at the driver seat and signals to Gary to get into the car. Gary sighs and brings his heavy foot to the car.

“what had happened actually ahjumma?” Gary feels so frustrated for unexplained reasons. “What?” Jihyo says with her eyes fix on the road. “You. Why you act like this? You give me goose bumps. One more thing, why do you suddenly call me oppa?” Gary looks at her and feels weird feeling lingering in his heart when she smiles.

“It is your problem to get the goose bumps and all. I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re older than me, right? I should be calling you as oppa. So what is the problem now?” Gary looks at her, feels unbelievable. ‘What with this ahjumma?’

                ***

                “This is not your house ahjumma. What’s wrong with you today?” Gary steps out of the car. He looks around and he feels familiar to the surrounding. Jihyo runs to him when he holds his head, seem he’s in pain. “Kwenchana?”

                “Let’s get inside.” Jihyo holds on Gary and leads him to the lift. Gary stumbles a bit makes it hard for Jihyo to hold on him. Jihyo lays him down on the couch. Unconsciously, Gary holds on her hand tightly. “oppa, kwenchana?” Gary nods with his eyes close.

                Jihyo pats Gary slowly and put him to sleep. She kisses Gary’s hand and his face, “Oppa, how lonely you’re when you go get the treatment? How much it hurt for you to be so lonely? How much it takes you to force yourself to wake up from the comatose state? I should be there, mianhe, Kang Gary”