Love is sweetness.

Love is beauty.

Love is being one.

Love is anger.

Love is sadness.

Love is pain.

Love is staying, love is leaving.

Love is living, love is dying.

Love is fighting for the one you love.

Love is letting go.

Love...is sacrifice....

**********

The next day, Shin Hye was scheduled for another set of magazine photo shoots. She got in the studio and greeted the staff politely, and they greeted her as well.

"Shin Hye-ssi, there are some photos circulating in the internet," one makeup artist asked.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I have seen those a few days ago, and we even saw one last night," one stylist said as she tinkered with her smartphone. "Here."

She had the actress look at the pictures, and to her surprise, the scene was in the basement parking lot last night.

"Are you dating that hot model?" she asked Shin Hye.

Shin Hye felt her cheeks heating up, but she felt a bit agitated.

"Anio. I am not dating Jung Shin-ssi," she said.

She then felt the need to protect the image of her model friend.

"Jung Shin-ssi and I are just friends," she said. 

"If both of you are friends, why were you looking at him like that?" another stylist asked her, noting about that picture.

Shin Hye knew that if put to the crunch, she must keep her cool and answer with tact.

"Omo, I am a sweet person, and I am sweet to everybody," she said vaguely.

"So, there's nothing going on between you and Lee Jung Shin?" the first makeup artist asked.

"Nothing," she replied.

"Uhm, how about this?" the stylist asked, showing Shin Hye another picture.

It was when Jung Shin gave Shin Hye the painting.

"Oh, that, the one he had given me is a gift from a fan," she said.

"A fan?" they asked.

"How come that fan had Jung Shin-ssi as your bridge?" the other makeup artist asked.

"Ah, the fan is his friend," she said vaguely.

They were trying to press on more questions for her, but she evaded them and went to her photo shoot. However, her manager and some staff were reading some online news. Some paparazzi had followed Shin Hye to the hospital and recognized her beyond her disguise. They saw the picture of her and a man in crutches by the balcony, and from the shot of the picture, it looked like a shot taken from below. She looked happy as he serenaded her.

"Ige mwoya!" on staff ed.

Manager Oppa frowned. This was a very big problem.

"Who is that guy?" another staff asked.

"Ah, that is the patient she visited in the hospital," Oppa answered for her, though embarrassed, ashamed, and halfhearted. He still hated how Yong Hwa and Shin Hye got to be lovers. 

"Can you explain this to us?"

"What will producers say?"

"She has a lot of projects with hot male actors! Why does she have a boyfriend already?"

However, an assistant of one staff complimented the duo.

"I think there is no problem with that," he said. "Perfectly fine for an actress to date someone she desires."

Manager Oppa hit him with a rolled-up newspaper.

"Babo! Do you understand what you are saying?" he shouted. "Shin Hye is not just an ordinary actress! She is the most sought-for actress of her generation! She has a lot of offers, a lot of projects, many more opportunities in front of her! Including many, many more male actors as future leading men! A lovelife will only bring her doom!"

"But how come she was still successful even with Geun Suk beside her?" the assistant asked.

"Because they are actors and successful, babo!" Manager Oppa shouted.

The photographer heard the commotion, but as usual, he was wrapped inside his own world and just went on with his work.

"But Lim-ssi, I don't think there is a problem with that," one stylist finally said, agreeing to the assistant.

Manager Oppa looked at the stylist.

"You just asked earlier what the producers would think!" he growled. "And now, you think they are cute?"

The stylist did bat her eyelashes before replying.

"Ah, geuge~~~, I was worried like you are right now, but because of Joon-ssi, his positive outlook was so contagious it made me change my mind."

The rest of the people talking with Manager Oppa nodded in agreement to the assistant and the stylist.

"We could not do anything if they decide to be together," staff said.

Manager Oppa fumed because he had lost it.

*******

In school, Jong Hyun and Jung Shin were eating together in the lunch room and watching the lunchroom TV when the news about the pictures in the internet was shown.

"Uh-oh," Jung Shin drawled.

"Jung Shin-ah, how come you are linked to Shin Hye?" Jong Hyun asked his brother.

Jung Shin explained what the picture was about. As he was talking, many girl fans came to their table and asked if they could eat with them. Both guys smiled politely and hesitantly allowed them.

"Oppa~~~," they said to the model sweetly. "We are heartbroken."

"Wae?" Jung Shin asked them. 

"You are dating Park Shin Hye," one girl told him. "I'm so hurt."

"Ah, that, we are not dating," Jung Shin said.

Jong Hyun was worried for his brother, so he smiled at the ladies and politely told them that his brother was really just friends with Shin Hye, and there was really nothing going on between the two of them. The ladies shifted their attention from Jung Shin to Jong Hyun.

"Oppa~~~ why are you so hot?"

"Huh?" Jong Hyun asked.

"Aish, we really thought Jung Shin-oppa is taken," the other girl sighed with relief.

The two brothers looked at each other.

*****

But the photos were all over the internet and the news. Some reporters even brought up the meet-and-greet some time ago, when Yong Hwa was sweating in front of the audience. Even the tagline "Is he the lucky guy?" was posted all over.

Even Kyuhyun and Jang Woo were interviewed, and they told the reporters that since they and Shin Hye had no more contact, they did not know who Crutches Boy was.

When Geun Suk was interviewed about it, he was a bit surprised, but he said that if Shin Hye's dating anyone, then he's happy for her. 

*****

Yong Hwa was finally discharged.

When he got home, his parents the TV to watch the daily news. And on the news, the controversy about Shin Hye dating Jung Shin was reported. Yong Hwa suddenly realized that the pictures taken were during the time that the model accompanied the actress to the hospital, as well as during the time when he gave her a canvass-looking material.

"Omo, Shin Hye and Jung Shin were dating even before you and her became lovers?" Eomma asked Yong Hwa.

"Ah, anio," Yong Hwa said gently. "They're just friends. We can ask Jung Shin if we want."

Appa shook his head.

"This is the problem now..."

Yong Hwa looked at his father helplessly, yet, he knew that he had to trust Shin Hye.

****

After the photo shoot, Manager Oppa and Shin Hye went home together, both of them silent. When they got in the house, Oppa slammed the door and began pacing.

"I already told you not to have a lovelife, but what is this?" he shouted. "You have pictures with Jung Shin, and you have a picture with Yong Hwa. Many will think that you are having two boyfriends at the same time!"

"I know that the issue is as bad as my breakup with Geun Suk, but I will answer them when they ask me," Shin Hye said calmly. "For now, I'll keep my peace. I want to protect my boyfriend and my other friend."

Oppa fumed when she went in her room.

*******

The next day was Shin Hye's schedule for some charity event of which she had been advocating. When she arrived at the venue, she evaded the cameras and the reporters as not to give any bad image to the charity event. The event went well, but when she got out of the building to go to her car, the reporters were still there, and they ambushed her with many questions. They asked her about dating Crutches Boy behind Jung Shin's back and all those rumors. She smiled at them and cleared to answer.

"That picture with Lee Jung Shin-ssi, the one in which he gave me a canvass, that was a gift from his friend, who is a fan of mine. The one in the parking lot, he accompanied me to the hospital because his friend, the one who gave me the gift, was hospitalized and was to be discharged. Actually, he was discharged yesterday. And the one you call Crutches Boy, that is my special patient."

One reporter asked.

"You had mentioned in one meet-and-greet session that you want to care for the poor or the sick if you have the time," he said. "So, is Crutches Boy the recepient of that care?"

"Ne, he is," she confirmed.

"Oh, so there is really nothing between you and Lee Jung Shin-ssi?" one reporter asked.

"No, nothing," she replied.

"By the way, Crutches Boy looked like the guy who was sweating back at the meet-and-greet," one reporter said. 

"That's him," she said.

"Is he courting you?" one reporter pressed on.

Shin Hye smiled. Anything she could say would be for or against her, but her fans needed to know.

"He was courting me," she said. "He is already my namjachingu."

The reporters took note of her answers, and soon, pictures were being taken.

"Can we meet him?"

"What's his name?"

She just smiled.

"I'd rather keep his name a secret," she said. "See, his is not a celebrity, and he just got discharged yesterday."

"Ah, can you tell us how the two of you fell in love?" another asked.

"Ah, that's all I have to say," she said, evading more questions. "Gamsahamnida..."

The reporters still followed her as she got in her car.

"See? Your irresponsible actions led to this," Oppa blamed her.

"Oppa, this is not irresponsible, and I choose to be with Yong Hwa," she said. "If I have to hide his name, then I would, unless he is all right to be known by the public. If I have to protect him, I will."

Oppa fumed as he started to drive. While they were silent, Shin Hye received a text message from Yong Hwa.

"Gwaenchanha?" the text said. "I hope you are not scandalized by the rumors."

She smiled at his worried text, so she replied.

"Gwaenchanha," she said. "I am used to this. I will protect you and your identity if I have to, and if you want me to."

As the ride home got solemn, she had her own world with her love, and they exchanged words of love and encouragement for each other.

"Just do your best to get well," she said. "I promise you that I will be there when you take your first steps without crutches."

And he replied. "I'll look forward to that."

~~~~