The winter season is now fully underway. It has been snowing nonstop, covering the city in a blanket of white, like a fresh canvas waiting for an artist's brush, all pure and unblemished and pristine. All over the street, branches hung heavy with the weight of ice, now packed hard and frozen like popsicle sticks; and the city looked like a child's shaken snow globe, a winterland's fantasy in it's beauty. Underfoot, the crunch of old ice mixed with the soft white sugardust freshly fallen from the sky, while people walked on going about with their businesses, the cold weather notwithstanding. But the sun has been peeking out of the clouds murkily each day, trying to offer some semblance of warmth, offering what heat it can in this harsh winter conditions.

Fortunately most of their filming now occur indoors, with the studio providing a warm haven from the cold outside. They have commenced filming in full force. They had just finished filming the scene of Jung Hwa and Mi Yeung's first night at their home yesterday. Pd Lee and Writer Kim had some differences how they wanted Mi Yeung to dress up. Pd Lee wanted her to wear a nightgown, while Ms. Kim had wanted her in a tank top and shorts, the typical sleepwear of most young women. They went back and forth on this until Bo Young settled it by wearing an oversized tee and pajamas, insisting Mi Yeung would be too shy to wear anything else revealing. When they saw her, looking innocent yet alluring, without being overtly provocative, both agreed with Bo Young's decision.

Bo Young had no trouble staring at Hyung Sik's shirtless torso. He has become truly toned, slim and wiry built as he is. His abdominal muscles are well defined, showing the faint outlines of his six pack, and his lean build only heighened the striated muscles ending in those fine, fine hip grooves seen peeking out of his low slung sweatpants. And when he raised his arms to towel his hair, she did indeed have no trouble channelling Mi Yeung's flustered demeanor, as taut muscles rippled and tightened and drew her eyes to follow their movements across his chest. He had never looked like this before, back in those years that seem a lifetime ago. She knew how he hated the regimented workouts and although he kept himself in shape, he hated the rigorous demands required to keep this type of body. The military had much to do with his build now, as it was easier to keep up once the foundation of a muscled body has been established. He has obviously kept up his exercise routine, she thought, her eyes still caught by the sight of him.

When Hyung Sik moved to where she sat, eyes intense, steps purposeful, she had fled to the bathroom to hide. The scene took on a more carnal undertone,  the dynamics exuded by Bo Young and Hyung Sik veering away from the romantic attraction which was supposedly what the script called for. Even with retakes, Pd Lee could not alter the atmosphere the two seem to exude on film. Much more so during the actual shot of them in bed. It was not anything purposefully done by the two; quite the contrary as Pd Lee found out, when they attempted to constrain their actions, the more intense and fraught with tension the scene became. Pd Lee slowed down the moment when Jung Hwa pulled Mi Yeung to lie against him, her back to his chest, his face nuzzling her neck and shoulder gently, the way Mi Yeung shivered in response. Bo Young woud be hard pressed to deny she was entirely professional during this scene.

Perhaps because she had come to terms with her own feelings, she was less burdened by their romantic scenes as they occur now; and there had been plenty. She could not miss his increasing disquiet outside of their actual shooting interactions. The minute PDd Lee's voice is heard yelling "Cut," though his eyes would linger, he is quick to step back as if physically distancing himself would allow him some modicum of control. But it didn't escape her notice in their kiss scenes, he's not entirely quick to let go. She could not fault him when she herself needed a moment to recover. 

The scene when he gave her the laptop, she had jumped in his arms; he mistimed it, thinking she would just give him a quick kiss on the cheek. But Bo Young felt reckless, and jumped and kissed him lightly in the mouth instead. The surprise caught by the camera was real, and so was his instinctive motion to hold her in place; the camera caught the muscles in his jaw clenching, the flare in his eyes, as he bent to kiss her fully in the mouth. Pd Lee asked for a retake, wanting the scene to be more lighthearted. He made them both shy when he said to save their tension for the heavier kiss scene they'll be filming soon.

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They had a few days break when Hyung Sik had his birthday. They held the party on a Saturday, a few days before Hyung Sik's actual birthday, which happen to have fallen on a weekday this year. The crew celebrated it by having dinner together at Ms. Kim's home in the countryside. The weather cooperated fortunately. The sun was shining brightly, even the clouds could not contain her brilliance as if announcing to the world this is indeed a propitious day. The gathering was quite informal, almost like a family affair. They had a barbeque pit, buffet table filled to bursting with food, and overflowing varieties of drinks for staff and crew. It was boisterous and lighthearted, full of laughter. Hyung Sik is well loved by everyone; his humble and considerate personality, his playfulness and down to earth manner made him approachable and quick to develop friendship. As such, the party was attended by the whole production staff as well as some of the JTBC and the actors' agencies' CEOs. Although these folks did not stay too long in the party, much to the relief of the staff, who proceeded to let loose and really had fun. Music was blaring; they even had a karaoke bar. They had insisted Hyung Sik to sing but he declined, saying as it was his birthday, he wanted to be sang to. The staff were more than happy to sing, now that there was no need to compete with him. For Hyung Sik still sings remarkably well, his clear tenor pure and clear; and even after years of being past his idol image, he had maintained his singing talent by performing the ost in all of his projects, be it in full fledge movies or dramas. He sat and applauded to show his appreciation to everyone who braved the microphone, enjoying the camaraderie of the party. Two of the staff were dragged forth, one of the set hands and the set assistant who apparently been dating for a while. They started singing much to everyone's coaxing. His tall manager pulled him aside while the singing was still going on, as he was was about to leave for another engagement to attend to. His other manager is also away on a personal matter, leaving Hyung Sik entirely on his own in this party. 

"I'll see you in your parent's house. I'm sorry I had to cut out and run. I promised Soo Ah I'd go with her to her friend's daughter's baptism," he said, referring to his wife. 

"Oh no problem at all. I'll be fine. This is a lot of fun. Don't worry."

"Believe you me I'd rather be here than in that baptism ceremony, but I gotta make the wife happy," he sighed. He gave Hyung Sik a parting hug and walked off.

He spoke with others in passing as he made his on the way back to party. He can vaguely hear laughters and singing still even from this distance. He heard that Hae In had just won a bet about something and he got to pick the next singing victim. His ears twitched thinking he heard a familiar voice and he quickly made his way passed others crowding about the house.

Bo Young was giggling, interspersing her singing with commentary about her voice is not suited for public events like this. Everybody kept encouraging her to sing. She finally said, "Yes ok, but I will pick a song that's easily within my range." Encouragements and clapping greeted her. 

He stood by the doorway, somewhat distracted by others trying to chat with him, his attention not quite fully engaged in his conversations, as his eyes kept wandering past the crowd seeking a glimpse of her, his ears straining to hear her voice.

An assistant Pd came by to stand next to him; he vaguely heard him comment, "Ah, she should sing an ost again; she has such a beautiful voice too."

He murmured distractedly, as he moved closer to hear. He thought he recognized this song, having heard it sung by one of his friend's band members some time ago. He stood transfixed listening, finally catching her voice fully singing when the song was almost nearing the end. She saw her blush as applause from the crowd rang out and several yells of "encore" were heard. She was quick to shake her head no, saying she complied fair and square after losing a bet and someone else need to be the next victim. 

She moved to step to the side, thanking Hae In who handed her her drink back. She went on to continue laughing and chatting with a group of others. He was saved from further introspection by Ms. Kim who grabbed him, saying, "Come on, let's gather everybody around you. I have the cake ready!"

Ms Kim had a beautiful sheet cake wheeled over. It was decorated with Hyung Sik's picture in military garb, with a Korean flag. The cake's inscription read "Thank you for serving our country, but we are glad you are back here where you belong. Happy Birthday, Hyung Sik-kah." Sparkler candles decorated the cake giving off multicolored sparks like mini fireworks while everyone started singing happy birthday. 

"Make a wish!" "Blow the candles, Hyung Sik-kah!" were heard being hollered. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to make a wish, took a deep breath and blew out his candles in one big exhale to the applause of everyone.

Hyung Sik felt an overwhelming affection, so touched was he by their gesture. He thanked everyone for making his birthday special, his eyes roaming to meet everyone's until it alighted on her and his eyes held hers a beat longer than anybody's, before moving on again. 

The party finally ended, the crowd started dispersing. Everyone seeked him out to wish him well and greet him a happy birthday. Filming will resume in a few days, giving him a much needed break. He was busy thanking everyone when Hae In grabbed him for a friendly hug, clapping his back affectionately. 

"What are you doing for your birthday, Hyung Sik-kah? We should get together for drinks one day."

"I'll be over at my parents' house. My eomma already invited the whole family for a get together. I'll be back in town the day after to get together with friends."

"Well, enjoy your time off. I'll see you back in the set. We should hang out; we have enough common friends together."

Hyung Sik nodded. He turned to thank Ms. Kim for hosting his party. The lady was effusive in her admiration; she has been taken by Hyung Sik's acting and was not shy expressing how glad she was that he had taken on the role of Jung Hwa.

He was just stepping towards his car when he heard a voice call out. Bo Young was in her car pulling to a stop behind his. She got out and approached him.

"Hyung Sik-kie, can I trouble you for a moment? I have your present in my car, but it's a bit bulky to carry it and I didn't want to draw any more attention."

"You shouldn't have. Thank you."

She turned to pop the trunk of her car. He saw a rectangular shaped box wrapped in a simple silver paper with a red ribbons. It was almost 3 feet tall. He helped her lift it out of her car.

"Did you get me a painting or a picture?" he asked, the package was indeed bulky and slightly hefty. "How did you manage to put this in your car?"

"Oh, my manager helped me. It's not a painting or anything like that but I-I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will... I've treasured everything you've given me," was his quiet reply.

"Happy birthday, Shikkie." Much to his surprise, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. And apparently he wasn't the only one startled by her action as she took off running back to her car without saying anything else.

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He poured himself a drink, needing something with a little kick to finish the day. He continues to feel out of sorts and her actions lately have not been helping any. Upon coming to his own realization regarding his feelings for her, he felt adrift, unsure what to do. He was never this tentative even in the beginning, back when he first pursued her. There was no denying his feelings even then. And recalling their past conversation, he was indeed braver for plunging ahead not knowing what heartbreak could bring. He was fearless, unafraid, pursuing love blindly.

[Flashback]

He dropped her home after their drama press conference, finding any excuse to be with her even after spending the whole day with her already. The had completed their interviews afterwards as well. He could not keep his eyes away, his hands away, his smiles hidden. And she.. though she would look away, had met every single glance he sent her way without fail. His heart could not contain the thrill he felt everytime she held his gaze, everytime she accepted his touches.

They were at her home, but he lingered, not wanting to leave her yet. She was actually feeling shy then, but her eyes drew him in, her manners toward him only served to encourage him to seek her out. He made her laugh, constantly teasing her during their interview; and she accused him of staying in character, confusing her about his intentions. He turned serious and told her, "this is me; I am just me with you." He held her gaze letting her see the truth behind his eyes. She had turned pink and bit her lips, and asked him point blank, "what are telling me, Hyung Sikkie? I don't want to play these games." 

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I like you very much and I want to be with you."

"You understand what this means for us? We work together, what if it doesn't work out?"

"I won't worry about any of that; everything carries a risk. Some you have to take to live a life worth living. Love is a risk I'm willing to take. With you." He held his hand out to her, waiting as she searched his face to read the sincerity written on it. When she took his hand, he drew her in for a tight embrace, his heart feeling unexpectedly full, having her in his arms. 
"I never dated my co-stars," she mumbled in his chest, "I'm still not sure this is a great idea."

"Do you care about me? Do you love me?" he had moved her from his arms to better see her face. 

"I do," she sighed unable to deny even herself the truth.

"Then, nothing else matters. Because I love you too." And he finally kissed her the way he's been longing to do since the day he first met her.

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He sat looking at her present to him. He had placed it hanging on the wall in his bedroom, where it would be the first thing he would see when he opens his eyes every morning, and the last thing when he closes his eyes to sleep. And he looked and looked seeming to search for answers that might have been written in the skies for him to find.

(credit: https://create-us.thenightsky.com)

The constellations in the sky during the date and location provided.

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Translation: Because I Miss You --Jung Yong Hwa 

Always under exactly the same sky, always exactly the same day
Other than your not being here, there’s nothing different at all
I just want to smile, want to forget everything
Just like absolutely nothing has happened, smiling to live my days

Miss you, miss you so much, because I miss you so much
Everyday all by myself, calling and calling you
Want to see you, want to see you, because I want to see you so much
Now it’s like I have this habit, keep calling out your name
It’s the same today

I thought I’d let go, not leaving anything behind
No, no, now I still can’t let you go
Miss you, miss you so much, because I miss you so much
Everyday all by myself, calling and calling you

Want to see you, want to see you, because I want to see you so much
Now it’s like I have this habit, keep calling out your name
It’s the same today

Everyday, everyday, it feels like I’m gonna die, what should I do?

Love you, love you, I love you
I hadn’t even spoken the words, I just let you go
Sorry, sorry, do you hear my words
My late confession, can you hear it
I love you

(cr: https://irena040506.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/jung-yonghwa-because-i-miss-you-lyrics-translation/)

Credit respective media to rightful owners.