Somi hates them all – the expensive designer dresses her mother would always make her wear, the over-exquisite wine that she can never seem to stomach, the obnoxious rich people who do not know when to keep their mouths shut, and she especially hates the fact that she can never be comfortable in her own skin.

“Smile,” someone interrupts her train of thoughts from behind, startling her. “You are the guest of honor tonight. People are watching.”

Somi lets out an exasperated, loud sigh. “You know I hate these events.” She turns around to face her older brother, who looks completely sympathetic as he hands her a glass of iced water. “And tonight is actually the worst night of my life because I do not wish for this engagement.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be a more helpful brother,” Wonwoo shrugs apologetically. “I’d definitely marry in your place, if there was an appropriate female candidate instead of a male.”

Somi takes a sip of her drink as her eyes wander around the spacious ballroom uninterestedly. “Don’t you want to marry someone of your choice, oppa?”

“I’m not sure,” Wonwoo chugs down a fair share of his wine and shoved a hand into his tuxedo pants pocket. “It doesn’t matter much to me. Excuse me, I need another drink.” Leaving his sister behind to fend for herself, he makes a beeline for the nearest waiter.

Somi sighs inwardly as she reaches inside her gold-rimmed purse for her cell phone, contemplating whether she should send a SOS text for her friend to pick her up. But before she could hit the send button, she feels her mother’s firm grip on her shoulders, causing her to tense a little.

There is nothing warm or tender about the woman’s touch. Ever since their father passed away and her mother was forced to fill in big shoes for the family’s reputation sake, Somi feels as though she had also lost the woman who used to be full of love and care.

“What do you think you are doing, dear?” the well-dressed middle aged woman whispers through gritted teeth. Somi can tell that her mother’s patience with her is running thin – ever since she threw a tantrum about this family’s arrangement for her engagement to one of her mother’s business partner’s son.

“You should go on and talk to people. Blend in with the crowd. Or people will think you’re just another rich snob.”

Somi smirks. “Well, then they should be glad that I’m just another one of them. Sure I’d find something to bond over with all these snobs.”

“Somi, please,” her mother now stands before her and somehow, she’s just starting to realise the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes and the tired creases that had taken her once youthful face. “We’ve agreed to do what’s best for our family – “

“Which I never had a say in,” she mumbles incoherently and avoids her mother’s stern gaze.

“ – your father would agree that this is the best course to take in order to maintain our family’s status – “

“Well, Dad wouldn’t have let this happen, Mum.” She knows she’s going overboard and that she has no right to dismiss her mother’s efforts of trying to make things stay afloat, but she is just really frustrated of being the family pawn when her own happiness is at stake. So she says, “Dad wouldn’t have let it come to this state.”

Taking advantage of her mother’s silent from being too stunned at her sudden outburst, Somi grabs her half-filled glass and pushes through the crowd without another look behind.




Hansol doesn’t consider himself a smoker, but he does take comfort in the cigarette every once in a while, especially after having to deal with humans out of his league. He isn’t getting paid to be their errand boy and he thinks that lady with big loop earrings can do without her Chanel pink fur coat for the time being.

Walking over towards the empty balcony, he takes out a stick from his almost full box and lit it up. Placing his forearms on the steel railing, he casts a longing look up at the vast, dark sky – wondering how much longer it would take to reach his dreams.

It isn’t until he exhales another puff of smoke, that he hears the faint cough coming from the other end of the balcony. Out of curiosity, he makes his way slowly towards the direction of the sound and finds a young woman with her lean frame half leaning over the railing.

“I hope you’re not planning to die in front of me tonight.”

Clearly startled, she reels back in a hurry with an expression afraid that she had just been caught doing something illegal. When she realises it’s just another guy in a waiter suit, it changes into a relieved one.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she hugs her body a little tighter as the night’s gentle cool breeze brushes her bare skin. Hansol would’ve offered her a coat, if he had one. Sadly, a pauper like him do not have the luxury of owning one.

“I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of jumping if I had known you’d be bringing that with you,” she looks pointedly at the cigarette resting between his lips. She lets out another cough.

“Oh, sorry,” he says without a hint of apologizing. “Would you like to give it a try?”

She shoots him an indignant glare, clearly judging if he is really dense or simply pulling her leg. Hansol couldn’t help but to laugh at her honest reaction.

“I’m kidding,” he offers her a genuine smile. “But not about the jumping over part. I certainly do not need to tell you how dangerous it is.”

She coughs, yet again. “Sorry, but do you mind?”

He shrugs and drops the cigarette to the ground before squashing it with his foot. Feeling a little cold himself, he jams both hands into his front pockets and moves in a little closer towards her.

"So," he begins. "What's a lovely girl like you doing out here alone? I'd say a penny for your thoughts, but unfortunately I do not have one on me. They are not paying me till this night's over."

She studies his face carefully. "You look awfully young. How long have you been a waiter?" she questions, totally ignoring his earlier question.

"You don't look any much older than I am anyway," he shoots back. "Surely you're not that anxious to be settling down yet?"

She looks completely dejected as she says, "So you know."

"Eh," he grins. "News travel fast. They're all saying about what a perfect match you two are going to be."

Something he said must've offended her, because she immediately clutches her purse tightly and starts to walk away.

"Hey," he reaches out to touch her lightly on the arm. She stops. And looks back at him expectantly.

"Look, I'm sorry if I shouldn't have said that. Something is clearly bothering you, if you choose to hide yourself out here. If you want to talk, I still have about ten minutes of break left."

She holds his gaze for a moment long, as though contemplating if she could trust this stranger, whose name is still a mystery.

"Oh, what the hell. It's not like I'll be meeting you again after tonight," she finally agrees and cracks the smallest of smiles.

He grins, yet again. "That's what I thought."




Somi doesn't know what made her trust him. Perhaps it was the warmth in his eyes despite the mischievous twinkle when he grins. Or maybe it was the tone of his voice, gentle as the autumn's breeze. Or perhaps, it was the way her heart leapt the first time she laid eyes on him.

It recognises him - her heart, she could tell. She do not understand nor could she explain her feelings in words but weirdly, it seems as though she knows him from somewhere. She simply cannot recall how or when.

Oddly, she enjoys talking to him. Her rants and whines might've already bore her brother, but he remained patient listening to her. Her frustration would've confused her mother who always thought she was doing the right thing for the family, but miraculously, he understood where she was coming from. Despite their different status in life, despite the price tags on their clothes and despite their contrast family backgrounds - he understood her. Somehow.

And Somi, for the love of God, cannot remember when was the last time someone truly understands her.

Without realising, they have been standing on the balcony for forty five minutes long. He has to return back to his duties and she has to go back to her family who can't wait to marry her off.

"Do you think you could ever love him though?" he asks her suddenly, just before they head back towards where the party is still in full swing mode. "This guy you're supposed to marry. Do you think he can make you happy?"

His question make her pause. She has never really thought about it - love or happiness, it doesn't matter because they seem to be out of reach.

"I don't know," she carefully says after a moment. "I suppose, it is possible."

Her answer seems to humor him a lot as he suddenly laughs.

"You've never been in love, have you?" he asks, eyes dancing as he watches her closely.

Somi can feel the hot flush creeping up her cold cheeks. Suddenly, she's embarrassed to admit the truth.

"Well, have you?" she shoots back, yet at the same time curious as to what he might say.

He doesn't reply immediately. Instead, he moves in closer to her until their faces are only inches away and she can feel his hot breath on the tip of her nose. She has never felt her heart beating so wildly before and she's almost afraid he could hear it from within her four walls.

"I think I have," he finally says, still holding her gaze steadily. "In another place, in another time, I think I have been irrevocably and undoubtedly in love."

Somi's almost afraid to move. Her two eyes blink slowly as her mind tries to process his words. What did he mean? Why does he sound so serious and so familiar as he said those words?

It feels as though she couldn't breathe - at least not until he finally pulls away and bows slightly in farewell.

"I hope you'll find it. That kind of love you deserve. I really hope you'll find it."

With one last smile, he gives her a little wave and disappears behind the glass doors, leaving her behind alone and confused.




Wooshin watches them from afar as he takes another small sip of his wine. He wonders what kind of business do they have together - the woman whom he calls fiancee and the guy who merely serves drinks and clears empty glasses?

He tries not to stare as she stands frozen in her spot, watching the disappearing figure of the man she had just spent forty five minutes with. He couldn’t help but noticed how she couldn’t get through barely five minutes of interactions with the other guests, but had willingly went stargazing with some random stranger.

Trying his best to ignore the unpleasant distaste boiling up inside him, Wooshin makes his way towards where his bride-to-be now stands by herself. He musters the strength to keep the smile on his face when the other guests greeted him as he passed by. He’s known to have quite the temper, but just this once - he would try his very best to hold it in.

Without asking for permission, his arm snakes around her slim waist and pulls her close to his body. He can feel her tensing up beneath his touch, yet he keeps a firm grip on her.

“Dance with me,” he whispers into her ear, lips brushing lightly against it. “Tonight is supposed to be a special one for us.”

She looks up at him confused as to what kind of mind games he is playing. They have been friends since they were young - family friends - but this is the first time he’s seen her really look at him. Her eyes search his for any sort of clues, but finds none.

“Wooshin,” she speaks softly. “I don’t think that I can do this.”

He still smiles despite her outright rejection. He knows that she is not talking about the dance. He has always known she doesn’t love him that way - the way he loves her - but still, he’s never given up hope that she’ll change her mind someday.

Placing his empty glass on a tray carried by one of the waiters, he takes her hand in his and leads her to the middle of the ballroom. He bows, lifts her hand to his mouth and kisses it lightly.

Aware of the sudden stillness in the room as every pair of eyes turn to watch them, Wooshin speaks in a clear and loud voice.

"It is my honour, to be your husband and companion for the rest of our lives, Jeon Somi."




Hansol was debating on whether he should just tell his supervisor that he is falling sick and that he needs to go home, or stay for the remaining wages for the ticket to his dreams.

He feels the walls closing in on him and everything in the room starts to spin. He tries to catch his breath as he clutches on to his chest. The excruciating pain stabs him right in the middle of his heart and for a moment, Hansol believes this is how he's going to die.

Damn those ciggs. Should've just quit when I had the chance.

Somebody taps him on the shoulder from behind.

"Are you okay?" one of his co-workers asks in concerned. "Dude, you look freaking pale!"

Hansol lifts his head heavily and looks at Jisoo through blurred vision.

"C-can't b-breathe," he gasps and scrambles to reach for something inside his pocket. "I need my i-inhaler."

Fortunately, Jisoo catches on fast and he helps to take out the small blue inhaler from his friend's pocket. He gives it to Hansol in a hurry, who quickly take in a few pumps because his life's depending on it.

Jisoo stays with him until he regains back his composure. "You should go home," he says. "There are enough of us to go around."

Hansol shakes his head, the vision of his dreams emerging once again in his mind. "Can't. Need the cash."

He gets up to his feet with Jisoo's help. Taking in a few more deep breaths, he closes his eyes for a moment, trying to register what had just happened.

He cannot recall when was the last time he had an asthma attack this bad. It was probably the night his parents died. Also, the darkest period in his life.

But after the encounter he had with the girl in the red dress, the pain started rushing back. The memories he never had, the inexplicable feelings he felt in his heart when he talked to her and the familiarity he sensed when he looked into her eyes. He couldn't explain it, but he feels as though he knows her. That his heart recognises her.

They hear the change in music to a slow dance number and people breaking into soft claps. Out of curiosity, he makes his way back to the ballroom, with Jisoo trailing close behind.

He sees her. The most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes on.

Dancing in the arms of another man.

He watches the stunning couple as they sweep everyone off their feet with their light, feathery steps. The guy has his gaze fixed on his lady, but she appears distant as her eyes wander around the room slowly, searching for a face in the crowd.

It is only when she finds his, that she finally settles. Her body keeps moving to the rhythm, but her lovely eyes never left his.

And Hansol knows, right at that moment, she is the one he has been looking for all these time.





It is not until three months later that she meets him again.

Somi has been asked to attend the launching event of a new art gallery in place of her mother. After giving her congratulations speech, she decides to linger around for a while more out of courtesy.

She has never really been into arts, but she does know how to appreciate a masterpiece when she sees one. And there is definitely plenty enough to grab her attention.

In her awe of marveling an abstract painting, she doesn't realise that somebody else had walked up to her till he is standing next to her, looking at the same artwork.

"A beauty, isn't it?" he comments with a smile. "These kind of paintings - it actually makes you think of what the artist is actually trying to portray in his work."

Somi turns to look at the new stranger and she thinks, for a moment, she is hallucinating.

Maybe it was the fact that she has been dreaming about him every other night since the first time they met at her engagement party, only to wake up feeling empty and hollow in the darkest corners of her soul.

"You," she breathes in disbelief.

He turns and smiles at her - that smile which she could never forget because it had been etched deeply in her mind.

"Hello, my lovely Somi." And when he says her name, it sends shivers down her spine. Something about the way he says it is unfathomable.

"We meet again."




He hadn't mean to find her.

Art galleries are always something he seeks solace in. They feel like home and they give him comfort. Hansol thinks he has found his haven.

And then he saw her.

The girl of his dreams.




He wants to take her out. Even with the shimmering diamond ring on her finger, he wants to listen to her more. That night when they spoke for the first time, he knows that he had been one of the few people she had chosen to show her vulnerable side to.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asks, as the two of them step out of the gallery together.

“I don’t know,” she ponders and for a moment, his heart sinks. But then she looks up at the sky, where dark clouds are already brewing. “It’s starting to rain.”

Sure enough, as soon as she said it, droplets start dropping onto them.

He takes off his jacket in a hurry and uses it to shelter her from above. She blinks up in confusion at him.

“It’s fine,” he tells her. “I’m not sure where’s the nearest café either, but my house’s just right down the street and I do make killer coffees.”

He can see the little smile playing on the corner of her lips as they stand there getting wetter by the second. After what it seems like eternity, she finally nods and says, “Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoes, grinning back. “We have to make a run for it though. You fine running in those?” he points to her heels, to which she grimaces.

“I thought so. Get on my back,” he says without hesitation and crouches down. “It’s not that far off from here anyway.”

She gives him a skeptical look and darts awkward glances around them, debating on whether he was being serious. Just then, a loud thunder could be heard.

He looks back up at her through dampen hair and wet eyes. “You have to make a decision quick. Let me carry you or risk hurting your ankles running. Or – getting strike by the lightning, which I totally do not recommend.”

She laughs despite herself, despite the ridiculous situation they were put in. Taking a deep breath, she leans forward and wraps her arms just below his neck uncertainly.

“You have to hold onto me tighter than that. But don’t choke me!” he jokes and places his own hands beneath her carefully. “Although, if I’m making you uncomfortable – “

“You sure talk a lot for someone who doesn’t want to get hit by the lightning,” she remarks and hoists herself up comfortably, just eager to get out of the rain and watching eyes.

She hears him laughing as he begins to stand up.

“Okay, your highness. Here we go.”




Wooshin keeps his eyes glued on the pair of them from behind the wheel of his black Benz. He had dropped by the art gallery with good intention of picking his fiancée up and brings her out for a nice, hot lunch but what he finds instead – is her jumping onto some guy’s back and them running off to God knows where.

She’s been growing distant from him ever since that night, but surprisingly, she hadn’t said another word about breaking off the engagement. But every time he suggests for the two of them to spend some time alone, she would make up excuses like she’s tired or busy helping her mother with things when Wooshin knows for a fact, she just couldn’t stand being in such close proximity with him.

Clenching his two fists, he starts hitting the steering wheel profusely out of frustration.

It’s killing him – it’s killing him inside to know that Somi doesn’t realise just how much he loves her. And how he would do anything to protect their relationship.

Anything.




“This is it,” he says when they reach a wooden door with the number #13 on it. “I have to warn you though. The guy I’m living with isn’t the neatest person in the world – so please excuse the mess he’s left behind.”

Somi gives him an amused smile. “I’m only here for the coffee. It better be as good as you promised.” She wraps his jacket tighter around her body as she shivers from the cold.

He must’ve noticed, because as he pushes open the door and gestures for her to come in, he says, “I’ll get you something warm to change into. Not that I have any woman’s clothing around here,” he quickly adds on, closing the door behind them and throwing his keys onto the console table.

“Have a seat first. I’ll get you those things you need.”

He leaves her by herself as he hurries into one of the rooms all soaked and drenched himself. Somi almost sat down, but then something on the wall catches her attention and she walks over towards it.

There are a few drawings being hung on the wall – beautiful drawings she has never come across before. She couldn’t help reaching out her hand to trace over the artworks, still in awe over its precise and delicate details.

As she continues to look around the area, her eyes fall upon a sketch of a girl standing on a balcony, overlooking the city under a starry night. It only took her a moment to realise that she is staring at a drawing of herself – with the only colored detail on it is her red dress that she wore that night.

She picks it up gingerly, trying to comprehend the true meaning behind the drawing. It feels weird, knowing that someone had drawn her simply from a memory.

“Oh, you found it.”

Startled, she drops the piece of paper on the ground. She finds him standing there with a towel in his hand and dry clothes in another. Bending down, he picks up the fallen drawing and looks at it with an almost wistful smile.

“I started drawing this as soon as I got home that night,” he explains without her asking. “I knew I probably wouldn’t forget how you looked like, but I wanted every detail as fresh as possible.”

Somi inhales sharply. There is something about the way he had said ‘I probably wouldn’t forget how you looked like’ that hits her right in the chest.

“Do you…happen to draw every woman you encounter?” she couldn’t help asking, watching his reaction closely.

To her surprise, he laughs out loud and shakes his head.

“No,” he says, staring directly into her eyes. “You happen to be the first.”

She swallows hard, not knowing what else to say. She tries to avert her gaze away, but the more she looks into those warm, hazel eyes – the more she feels like she is supposed to remember something. Like a forgotten memory lost over time.

He is the first to break the silence. “Anyway, here are some fresh clothes. Bathroom’s right down the kitchen,” he points to the direction behind him. “And while you change, I’ll go make those killer coffees for us.”

She takes the clothes from him without a word. It looks as though he’s about to say something else, but changes his mind and instead heads for the kitchen first, leaving her alone with her train of thoughts.

Inexplicably, she decides to take another look at his works.

Amidst them all, one particular piece stands out to her. It is a drawing of a ship – a huge, majestic beauty one can’t help but to marvel over.

Almost at once, this melancholic feeling rushes over her. All these waves of emotions overwhelm her at once, causing her head to hurt. The longer she stares at the ship, the sadder she feels – like as though someone is pulling at her heartstrings one by one.

She must’ve made a sound when she fell to the ground (she didn’t realise), because Hansol comes rushing into the living room immediately and bends down next to her.

“Are you okay?” he asks in concerned, touching her shoulder tentatively as he tries to understand what is going on. “What happened? Are you sick?”

She is still gaping at the drawing of the ship, as she points at it and asks, “Why did you draw that?”

He looks over at what she is pointing at and realization kicks in.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep one night after a terrible nightmare, so I woke up and started drawing this. I didn’t realise what I was sketching till I finished it.”

“Have you seen it somewhere before?” she asks him in a hoarse whisper, eyes searching his frantically for answers.

He pauses for a moment and drops his hand from her shoulder.

“I only remember it the next morning. The nightmare that I told you about – it was this ship. I saw it sinking with my own eyes. I was there. And no matter where I tried to run, there was nowhere for me to escape.”

“And that was how you died,” she continued in a trance, recalling her own dreams about him ever since that night. “You eventually drowned.”

Hansol studies her face carefully. “How do you know? Have you dreamt about this ship before too?”

She is quiet for a while. Slowly, she lifts her head and looks up at him through glistened eyes.

“I was there,” she whispers. “In my dreams, I was there too. On that ship with you. And every night, I had to watch you die over and over again.”




Somi sits on the couch holding a mug of warm chocolate in her hands with a blanket wrapped around her body snugly. After what she had just told him, Hansol decided that chocolate would be a better choice than coffee, somehow.

He sits beside her quietly, his own mug of tea placed on the table in front of them. Not knowing what to do or say, he fidgets with his hand and stares at them blankly.

It is only after about ten minutes of silence did she speaks up.

“I’m sorry,” she begins softly, turning to look at him. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. Now you must think I’m insane.”

Hansol couldn’t help chuckling a little despite the graveness of the situation.

“I don’t,” he tells her truthfully. “I mean, I don’t know how to explain it either but I believe you.”

Somi shakes her head and he noticed that she is still trembling. He isn’t sure if it’s because of the earlier downpour or similar dreams they had, but either way – he reaches out and envelops her into an embrace, much to her and also his surprise.

Fortunately, she doesn’t push him away and instead, lays her head against his chest and snuggles closer to him.

They couldn’t explain the ship dream, nor could they understand this undeniable bond that they share – but one thing is for sure, Somi has never felt more connected to anyone else like how she is to him. It is one of those things you simply do not have any explanations for.

“Can I ask you something?” he murmurs.

“Hmm?”

“What did you do? After watching me die, what did you do? In your dreams.”

She shut her eyes, trying to push the image of his pale, blue face out of her mind but somehow, it has been etched deeply into her mind.

“I wake up,” she replies quietly. “I always force myself to wake up after that.”

He remains silent after hearing her answer and for a second, she’s afraid she might’ve said something wrong but then he says, “That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to find out either.”

She pulls away from him and sits up straighter. And then she looks – really looks at him, and brings up both hands to touch his face. Her fingers start to trace every outline of his sharp features – from his eyes that seem to penetrate deep into her soul, to his nose that is flawless without a scratch and his lips –

- his lips that she wants to feel on so badly, that she didn’t realised how close she had leaned into him and how they’re only inches apart from setting fire with their burning desire for each other.

She closes her eyes as he places a hand on the small of her back, holding her steadily in his embrace. She can practically hear her heartbeat echoing within the silent walls of his apartment and at that moment, being there in his arms finally feels like home.

And she’s waited so long to return home.

She only felt the wetness of his lips for a second long, when they hear a sudden knock on the door. As though being pulled apart by electricity, Somi jumps in her seat and Hansol quickly looks away, embarrassed by their almost kiss.

“I- uh, I better get that,” he gets off the couch and heads for the door. “It’s probably my roommate, forgetting his keys again. You can just wait there.”

Somi turns back around and reaches for her drink, hoping that it would soothe her emotions which are running wildly. But just as she is about to take a sip, she hears a loud punch coming from the doorway.

When she turns to look, Hansol is already stumbling backwards and Wooshin’s angry expression comes to view. The mug that she is holding drops to the ground with a deafening crash.

He pushes his way through and makes a beeline for her. Too shock to react, she lets him grab hold on her wrist and drag her out roughly.

“Wooshin,” she pleads, upon finding her voice again. “You’re hurting me.”

But for a man whose love had just been betrayed, he couldn’t hear the reasoning or think logically. His actions are that of a madman and his intention is to only eliminate the third party.

“Let her go,” says Hansol through a bloodied mouth. She looks back at him in pain, eyes begging to be rescued. “You’re hurting her.”

Wooshin shoves her aside, causing her to hit a wall, and come charging after Hansol – who is now more prepared to evade his attack.

Somi rubs her shoulder painfully and racks her brain to not let the night end this way. She watches helplessly as the two men trash each other around, both getting their fair share of bruises.

It is not until Hansol is on the ground and Wooshin is on top of him, throwing punch after punch insanely. Unable to hold it back any longer, she rushes forward and musters all her energy to pull off her enraged fiancé.

“Wooshin!” she cries out desperately, tears streaming down her face as she forces herself to look away from Hansol who is now all bloodied and bruised as he lays on the ground defeated. “Please stop! I’ll go back with you and I’ll never see him again! Please, let’s just go!”

Unsatisfied, he throws a last punch and pulled her up recklessly. Somi could only afford to cast one last, forlorn look at her almost lover. She says “I’m sorry” as she is being led away, not knowing if he can actually hear her for the last time.





She turns up at his door again a few weeks later. Half hoping he would hear her out and also half expecting for him to close the door in his face, Somi prays she isn't making a mistake.

She raises her fist, about to give it another knock, when the door suddenly swings open from inside.

For the briefest of moments, they stand there frozen, simply staring at each other. The words she had been repeating in her head were temporarily forgotten as she looks at his blinking eyes, clearly in confusion.

The wounds that have been inflicted on his handsome face seem to have disappear, except for the faint bruise at the corner of his left eye. Her heart clenches at the thought of that unfortunate day.

He clears his throat loudly.

"Uh...I wasn't expecting to see you today. Or any other day for that matter," he quickly adds on. "I mean - "

Without giving it a second thought, Somi throws her arms around his neck and presses her lips against his.

She was afraid of crossing the line and that he would push her away, never wanting to see her again. For the few longest seconds in her life, he doesn't react. Hansol stands there in shock, trying to register what was happening.

It was only when she presses on harder and he senses her urgency, that he cups her face from under her chin and kisses her back, softly yet passionately.

Somi's never kissed anyone in her life before, and she is glad that her first kiss actually feels like heaven. He tasted of the sunset and autumn breeze, beautifully warm and gentle - yet as he deepens the kiss, she could feel the fire burning through their souls, as though they are finally connecting as one.

She didn't want it to end. She wanted to stay there, lost in time with the man who has her heart.

But then, he suddenly pulls away and breaks off their special moment. She looks up at him in disappointment.

"Come with me," says Hansol breathlessly, cradling her face in his hands. "I'm leaving everything behind and I want you to come with me."

"To where?"

"I won two cruise tickets from an art competition last month. I've always wanted to travel and see the other parts of the world, so this could be a start."

She drops her arms to her sides, mind whirling as she weigh the options in her mind. She would be risking a lot - her family, her inheritance, the reputation her mother had worked so hard to uphold; but at the same time, she has never wanted anything so badly in her life. She hadn't realised just how desperate she is to escape from the life that had been arranged so perfectly for her that it didn't leave any room for errors.

And she couldn't do that. She couldn't be the Jeon Somi everyone else wants her to be anymore.

"Will we be coming back?"

Hansol takes both of her hands in his and says softly, "We can build a new life somewhere else. And start afresh together."

Somi takes in a deep breath.

"Okay," she says finally. "I will come with you."




Somi doesn't know where she had gotten the courage, but there she is, bustling from her huge wardrobe to her suitcase, trying to fit as much clothes as possible into it. Her mind keeps whirring, contemplating on whether she should inform anyone of her whereabouts, or just disappear without a trace.

As she fumbles to zip the luggage with trembling hands, she hears a familiar, deep voice intruding her from behind.

"Where are you going?"

Somi whirls around to find her brother watching her in confusion. He stands by the doorway, eyes darting back and forth from the suitcase to his frantic sister.

"Oppa...I have to leave," she blurts out before she could hesitate. "I can't live like this anymore. You, of all people, should understand why I'm doing this."

Wonwoo remains silent as he saunters up to her, eyes widening in disbelief at her outright confession. He takes a moment longer to register her almost empty wardrobe, the clothes strewn across the floor and her messy four poster bed. After what it seemed like forever, he looks up at his only sister, heaving out a long, wistful sigh.

"She'll kill you, you know that right?" Somi knows he is referring to their mother and simply nods.

"But I have to at least try, right? Oppa, please don't stop me."

Wonwoo manages a small, sad smile as he holds her face gently, before pressing his lips against her forehead.

"I hope that you'll be happy. Always. I hope that he makes you happy."

Somi feels the hot tears b in her eyes as the two siblings part away from each other. She nods her understanding.

"Thank you," she whispers. "I'll write to you when I can."

But Wonwoo shakes his head. "Don't. When you get far enough, don't ever turn back. It's better for her to think that you're dead. Especially that mad fiance of yours - you don't want him to find you."

She could taste the saltiness of her tears as she bites on her bottom lip, hard.

"I'm sorry."

Wonwoo smiles and Somi thinks that she will never forget his face at this very moment.

"I'm just glad that at least one of us has the courage to leave this place."




It almost seem to surreal that she is standing on her ship, away from the restrictions of her status and alone with the man she could genuinely be happy with.

Too surreal, that she almost forgot about the part that they are on a ship - all too similar to the one that had been haunting both of their dreams, until it finally starts moving and Somi pulls away instinctively.

Hansol turns to look at her, concerned. "What's wrong?”

“N-nothing.” She stammers. But she continues when he shoots her an incredulous look. “It’s just…being on this ship - doesn’t it feel weird?”

Instead of replying, he smiles, touches her face tenderly and presses his forehead against hers before taking both of her hands in his warm grasp.

“From today onwards, I just want you to leave everything behind. Your life, my life, those dreams - let’s leave it all and never look back.”

Somi sighs inwardly and slowly nods her head. She meets his eyes and tries to put on what she thinks is a brave smile. His grin widens and he plants a quick kiss on the crown of her head.

“Now, let’s go explore this ship, shall we?”




The next few hours or so went by in the blink of an eye. Somi has never felt so free and happy before  and it brightens her once dark corners to have Hansol show her things and games she’s never tried before - like billiard for example. She knows he lost a few times on purpose for her sake but it still made her laugh when he missed his shots.

Came dinner time, they were greeted by a sumptuous, marvellous buffet - where she made him try caviar for the first time, to which he made a face and rejected a second piece. In the end, they settled for some simple sandwiches and some white meat - a meal which is by far the best she’s ever had. Somi thinks it might be because she got to eat it with Hansol.

After filling their stomachs, he takes her hand and leads her toward the other end of the ship, where nobody else was in plain sight. He gestures for her to sit on the deck before settling down next to her. They simply sat in silence for the next few minutes or so, just comfortable and content with each other’s presence.

After awhile, Somi leans in toward him and lays her head on his shoulder. She points up at the vast sky, where a single star could be seen in the far distance.

“This reminds me of the first time we met - when you nearly killed me with toxic air,” she jokes, causing Hansol to laugh lightly.

“I was merely helping. Your body was practically hanging from the railing.”

Somi chuckles.

“Was it that bad though?” he asks quietly, glancing down at her. “Were you really trying to kill yourself?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, and instead leaves his question hanging. Hansol was afraid he might’ve brought her back to a time he had persuaded her to leave behind, when she suddenly speaks up.

“For a moment, it did cross my mind. I thought, if I just closed my eyes and let myself fall, maybe I wouldn’t feel the emptiness any longer.”

“What stopped you?”

She smiles up at him. “You did.”





Hansol had his whole life mapped out in front of him. He would travel around the world, be a successful artist and when the time comes, stay by her side till his dying breath.

Because Jeon Somi is a complex beauty he would want to spend the rest of his life solving, piece by piece.

He thought they would have an entire lifetime together.





But that was before the pain hit him. It came unannounced, like evil in the dark, slithering it’s way toward the victim - soundless and merciless. Wooshin.

His two knees hit the ground first. He thinks he hears Somi’s scream in the far distance, and many different set of footsteps scurrying away in fear.

His body drops next and his head follows soon after, but instead of hitting the hard ground, it settles nicely into the glove of her hands. He hears her cries now, her heartbreaking tears as she holds onto him tightly and full of love. Cradling his head on her lap, she tries to talks to him through incoherent sobs.

Hansol opens his mouth slightly, forcing himself to speak despite the tight feeling in his chest. He’s starting to sweat profusely now and somehow, he knows time is something he does not have anymore.

“S-somi…” he croaks and she’s shaking her head vigorously, probably telling him it was better for him to keep quiet. He then feels another set of heavy footsteps approaching them and for a second, he’s afraid death has come to take her away too.

Instead, a male voice is frantically telling her to get up.

“We have to go now!” says the stranger, tugging at Somi’s arm. “This ship is sinking and we only have minutes to evacuate!”

Sinking…? He looks up at her through hazy eyes.

But she is still adamantly shaking her head. Swatting the man’s help away, she cries, “I’m not going to leave him alone!”

The middle-aged man looks down at Hansol pitifully as the pool of blood grows bigger around them. He tries to reason with her again by saying, “He doesn’t have a chance of making it out alive, but you do. Come on!”

“No!” she pushes him away. “Please, just go!”

Alas, he had to abide by her wishes and lets her be. But it’s not before he gave them one last, careful look and says, “May the odds be with you.”

After they are left alone, Hansol tries to speak again. “S-Somi…you should go.”

“Stop it,” she whimpers. “I am not leaving you.”

It’s getting harder for him to breathe and aside from his chest, the rest of his body also feels like burning. Still, despite the pain, he struggles to smile. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Hansol…please,” she whispers fiercely, face already blotched with tears. “I am never letting you go. Not like this.”

Water is already starting to flood the deck they were on. The light, peach dress Somi is wearing is slowly getting soaked with cold water from the hem upwards. The lovely, light peach dress would be the last thing he’ll ever see her wearing and he’s never seen anything more beautiful than her.

“I’m sorry,” he says through clenched teeth, holding down the pain as much as he can. “…shouldn’t have…ship - bad news.”

The water level is fast reaching her own chest and now, she is struggling to keep both of their weight afloat. Time is running out dangerously fast for the two of them.

They say, your entire life flashes before you just moments before you die. Oddly, Hansol sees his parents from his childhood memories. He sees the art galleries he has visited and wishes to be a part of. But then, he sees himself - himself in another time. Holding onto a woman, who looks very much like the Somi he loves. He stays right by her side as she urges for him to open his eyes but he is feeling so tired. Just awhile…he says, unsure if she’s heard him. Just let me sleep for awhile. It’s really cold...

“Hansol,” she shakes him, teeth chattering as the water reaches just below her chin now. She holds him up close to her face, lips brushing his freezing cheek. “Hansol…I’m scared…”

She can feel her arms weakening, yet she refuses to let go of him. Shivering, she presses her cheek against his face and closes her eyes. She inhales the last few breaths of her life, using them to mentally tell him how much she loves him.

This time, she doesn’t die an old woman on a big, warm bed.

This time, she leaves together with him, by the side of the man she has always loved and will always love.