Joon Pyo paced back and forth in front of a series of large windows lining his Manhattan office. He gazed out onto the city, a sea of skyscrapers and water, and not a cloud in the sky. It was similar yet so different from Seoul. His mind wandered to Jan Di. Joon Pyo ran a hand through the sleek black hair that he'd recently changed from longer and curly to shorter and spiked. Jan Di had never been crazy about his curly hair. He grinned, noting the time she'd insulted his hair and his personality. It had been painful at the time, but he looked back upon the memory fondly and could now even find amusement in it. He smiled, missing her. Sticking his hands in the pockets of his latest designer suit, black pinstripe, he took a lap around his desk. He took a seat behind the enormous mahogany desk and began signing documents. He stopped to glance at a picture of a smiling Jan Di that he'd framed and placed on his desk.

Joon Pyo had found it hard to concentrate on business when he first came. Being away from Jan Di for four years seemed impossible! How could he possibly do so? He expected that he would miss Jan Di like crazy. He expected it to be completely unbearable. He'd been apart from her for this long before, but it felt different. For the past three years, his thoughts and his life had gravitated around Jan Di: spending time with her, convincing her to admit she liked him, and mostly, protecting her. His desire to protect her had been almost an obsession. He still mentally berated himself for the times he was unable to protect her. It had been difficult for him to admit that he'd needed the help of others for this. He had never been a man who could need others or ask for help. Having Jan Di and F4 in his life had shown him that it was necessary and even acceptable to rely on others.

Jan Di had once told him that she didn't want to be protected, that she wanted an equal partnership. This had been difficult for him to come to terms with. Though his relationship experience had been limited, this had been what he always believed was a man's duty. This was a duty he couldn't seem to fully relinquish. He wasn't sure how to go about giving her the equal relationship that she wanted.

Still, he felt more secure now. He didn't worry so much that Jan Di would be in danger or that his mother would cause problems for her. And he knew that Ji Hoo would be there for her if something did happen, yet this did not entirely comfort him. The fact of that matter was that he, himself, was not there with her. He could not be there to watch over her, to make her smile, to show his love… He'd struggled with the fact that she refused to come with him. But Jan Di was strong, fiercely independent, and she had a purpose. She had a life outside of their relationship. He was finally beginning to understand. Perhaps an even greater fear of his was that she could live happily without him…

Slowly, he'd become more aware of his own purpose. His whole life until Jan Di had been lived for one reason, to become the heir to Shinwa and continue his father and grandfather's legacy. He'd never really embraced this reality with open arms until Macau and when he'd reluctantly agreed to marry Jae Kyung. But still, he had been willing to throw it all away for Jan Di. He had a new purpose now. He wanted to create a new image for the company. But he couldn't seem to take Jan Di out of the equation. He wanted to do it for her, to be a man Jan Di could be proud of.

Joon Pyo's thoughts were disturbed by his secretary knocking. Joon Pyo called her in. She bowed and brought a folder of documents to him and informed him that the meeting was to begin in 5 minutes.

Ji Hoo finished a rehearsal of his orchestra at the Suam Cultural Foundation. This had been one of his parents' special projects, and it was close to his Grandfather's heart. This made it close to him, as well. He was the type of man who would go to the ends of the earth for his loved ones, no matter the cost. He was not altogether unlike his best friend, Joon Pyo, but much calmer and level-headed. Where Joon Pyo would rush in headlong without thinking, damn the consequences, Ji Hoo would ponder, deliberate, thoughtfully consider, and then damn the consequences. It wouldn't be uncommon for each of them to arrive at the same decision regarding a loved one, just in a different manner. Ji Hoo's passion for making his loved ones happy had developed more and more since Jan Di came into his life. For a long time, he'd felt hollow inside. After his parents' death, he withdrew into a dark, secluded inner world of suffering and guilt. He'd lived only for himself because it was all he knew to do. The love of Seo Hyun was the first thing he'd strived for since then, and it had consumed him. It had never truly filled the emptiness inside, though. It gave him a reason to try, but he still felt the abyss eating at him. But Jan Di had made him feel alive again. It had been much more than pursuing her and having her for some selfish desire. She'd brought happiness, laughter, family, and love into his life. She'd taught him how to love properly. She'd taught him how to live properly.

It was not that there had been no pain. The feeling of having his heart ripped out was not at all unfamiliar to him when it came to his cute, unassuming Jan Di. Still, she had made him the man he was today, so he regretted nothing. He didn't focus upon the pain of his unrequited love. Instead, he became even more determined to love her to the fullest extent he was able. Was he falling into another pitfall of loving one woman out of habit despite not truly having her? Was he repeating the same mistakes? He'd become so accustomed to being Jan Di's friend and confidante. Was he ok with it now? Undoubtedly he had an intense love for her, but was he "in love" with her? It had been 6 months since he'd bared his feelings and told her that he could not live without her. Her rejection had crushed his heart into pieces, but he'd been able to bounce back, so long as he was able to remain by her side in some way. He had come to terms with the fact that to Jan Di he was simply a close friend. And he would most likely never be more than that. Was it enough for him? Maybe his revelation that he couldn't live without her meant that he just needed to be in her life in some way, any way. But was he truly at peace with this? Had he truly moved on?

In a daze, Ji Hoo wrestled with these thoughts as he rode home, changed, and slumped into his armchair. Lately he'd felt worn down and stressed. He worried about grandfather and had begun to feel the tremendous weight of his increasing responsibilities. Despite living his entire life until now without responsibility or earning his way, he'd taken everything on effortlessly: going to medical school, helping at the clinic, running the Suam Cultural Center, and now taking care of Grandfather. He never complained. But it had taken its toll.

He thought of his recent interactions with Jan Di. In a matter of two days, he'd asked her on a date and nearly kissed her several times. He wasn't sure what had come over him. He'd restrained himself, though. He began to feel that restraint was now his middle name. Yet, he still managed to put himself into situations that would make it impossible for any normal man to let go of his feelings. Was resisting the charms of Geum Jan Di now a sport for him or something? Was he masochistic? Perhaps he still held hope. Though he knew it was innocent, Jan Di seemed to have a way of bewitching him and causing him to lose his senses. And there were times when he felt that she desired him, too…but no, he refused to entertain the thought. It seemed useless and foolhardy to even consider. How could she still have such power over him after everything?

He suddenly felt guilty and angry. He wanted to put his fist through a wall. He clenched his jaw and felt his fist tighten against his leg as he sat quietly in his chair. He felt guilty for Joon Pyo. What kind of best friend was he being? He felt angry at his lack of control and at fate, for the cruel hand it seemed to have dealt him. He wondered what he hoped to accomplish by asking Jan Di to spend the day with him. It wasn't as though he expected anything to come of the date, he justified. He told himself that it was just two friends hanging out, and what was wrong with that? He enjoyed spending time with her, so what was the harm? He'd told Jan Di that he wasn't interested in dating anyone, that he was too busy. This was true, but it wasn't entirely true. He wasn't completely forthright. The real reason for not dating was that he couldn't imagine another touching his heart as she had. Being alone seemed the better alternative to having another and simply going through the motions. The thought of being with someone else made his chest feel hollow once more.