—November 2019—

Ji-hyun quietly scheduled a trip to visit DO during his military service after a conversation with her mother and eonnie. They had agreed that if she had visited Chang-wook it would look strange if she didn’t also visit DO. Ji-hyun wasn’t reluctant and she knew that he would appreciate the visit but at the same time she felt uncomfortable visiting him just because she wanted to avoid gossip.

It was a surprisingly warm day when she arrived at the base. DO was the first person she had ever visited during their military service and she hadn’t realised how complicated it was. But once she got through the security and saw DO waiting for her, she knew it was worth it. His grin bright and he waved. This got the attention of a couple of the other soldiers and their visitors who turned to see who had come to visit the popular idol. 

“YA!” He shouted as if afraid that she hadn’t seen him.

“Hey! How are you!” She called back. When she got to his side, the months rolled away and she remembered their days on set and the easy camaraderie they had built.

Their conversation eventually drifted to her love life. He had heard an interesting rumour that she was dating Ji Chang-wook.

“I heard from his musical castmates that he was jealous when we were in the show together.”

“What? Ha. Oh, that is a bad rumour! Surely!” She forced herself to laugh. “We were good costars. And why not joke about being jealous? I was engaged to him when I married you!”

“Am I the only one who is uncomfortable right now?” he intoned.

“I miss our cast dinners. Everyone was always so happy and fun. When you get out let’s go for a meal,” she changed the subject.

“Of course. It is a shame that only you could come today.” 

DO, she remembered, was very good at intuiting what people were actually feeling. She knew he probably had picked up on her discomfort. From then they talked about other things. As it came time for her to leave they snapped some pictures, and Ji-hyun promised to post them to let his fans know that he was well.

When she got home she posted her favourite picture, which was a short video taken by mistake. They started with expressionless faces but when they realised that it was a video they burst out laughing.

—

The internet reaction was bigger than she imagined. And *his* reaction was huge. Barely an hour after her post, Chang-wook posted a short film of him riding his motorcycle. It was with a go-pro and that was the one thing she always told him not to do—afraid that it would be the one time he crashed and she would have to see it. He wrote the caption "I want to show you the ride". 

She called her friends and they got drunk with her. The next morning she had a terrible hangover and seventeen missed calls from her company. They wanted her to come in as soon as possible. She arrived at the office to find the boss pacing back and forth his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Dating rumour?" she asked as she closed the door behind her. 

"What? Are you dating? Who?"

"Ummm… DO. I thought maybe posting the picture… He asked me to send his love to his fans. I am so sorry.”

"Ok. If something comes up we will deny it. His company will deny it too. All done. Now. The real reason I called you in is that there is a drama we want you to consider."

"Oh?"

“Yes. I know you are considering that campus drama but I think this is better. It is based off a “Roman Holiday”. You’d be the main lead, of course, she is an heiress who feels trapped by her family. She runs away from home and her obligations to the company. Stays with her disowned aunt. She makes friends with a neighbour who is her bodyguard. They fall in love but when she finds out… you get it. Also, the family wants her to come back to run the company. I think it could be a new look for you.”

Ji-hyun’s eyes widened. It wasn’t going to be a roco but a serious, warm romance. She was surprised that she had been tapped for this kind of work when she had no previous experience with more serious roles.

“Are you interested?"

"Obviously! I’ll read the script tonight!"

"Ok. Here it is.”

"Who are they considering for the male lead?” Not that it mattered to Ji-hyun, but she knew that she didn’t want another much older costar.

"Oh. Seo Kang-joon.”

"Kang-joon oppa! I thought he was scheduled for something else.”

“For whatever reason he turned it down. From what I know he is pretty much guaranteed. So will you consider it?”

"Yes." 

She ran home on cloud nine. The campus drama had been exciting. Young love and a familiar character now that she had finished university. A good transition, or so she had thought. But the idea of doing a more psychologically complex part and based off one of her favourite movies was too tempting. She could already feel the excitement beginning to form inside of her. When she tucked herself into bed that night she read the script, the scenes began forming in her head. The kinds of scenarios, even angles that they could shoot from. She called her boss the next morning saying that she would take the role. 

“How do you make these decisions so quickly?” He huffed.

“Sometimes you just know,” she replied. She knew this was the right drama for her in the same way she had known that there was something special with Chang-wook. While their relationship had never worked, there was still something special with him. That kinship she couldn’t shake. Like the go-pro bike ride. She felt like he was asking for help. That he wanted someone to tell him to behave. She knew him that well. 

“Aish. Get that man out of your head right now!” She berated herself. To distract her from Chang-wook, Ji-hyun messaged Seo Kang-joon. 

"Oppa! We are going to be in a drama together again… or will be if I like the script.”

He urged her to read the script quickly and accept. A few days later her contract was confirmed. He joked that he would finally get the girl this time. She felt strange, like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. At least there was one person who wanted her to be the leading lady in his life.

—December 2019—

It was three months since her run-in with Chang-wook. But Ji-hyun didn’t have time to think about him. Her exams were finished, she’d handed in her final papers, and all that needed to happen now was a short walk across the stage in February. Student-Actor Ji-hyun was about to become Actor Ji-hyun. And Actor Ji-hyun was preparing for her upcoming schedule. In the next few weeks, she was going to announce her next project, in fact it was projects which made her heart race in anticipation. But what took up most of her energy right now was the fact she had just moved out of her parents home. The little apartment was in the same building as her parents, and she still planned on having most of her meals at their house but at the moment she was the most independent she had ever been. It was a wonderful feeling.

Her company and family had debated whether she should let people know she had moved. The decision was that it would be ok, they just wouldn’t release her address. So she posted a picture of her little living room that had a print of Kim Hyun Jung’s “Spending Night With a Shot of Pork Belly” above the sofa and a large bowl of fresh-cut flowers on the coffee table. Her fans excitedly commented on her new post and thanked her for sharing her private life with them. 

“Eonnie! Thank you! So happy to see you doing well!”

“Thank you! We missed you!”

“Ji-hyun eonnie, Fighting!”

“When will we know your next project?”

She found it gratifying that her fans had stuck with her even if she had not been able to show them any work recently. After the Korean Animal Rescue CF, which was slowly releasing photographs and video from the campaign, Ji-hyun had rarely updated with her own life. Her friends were confused because she was living her life, how else to describe it, but beautifully. Ji-hyun did not want to reveal that one of the reasons for her reluctance to post was that she knew her world was about to change. Her carefully protected private life might vanish in the flash of a paparazzi photograph. Her eomma’s advice echoed in her head—soon she wouldn’t be able to go to the jjimjjilbang and not be recognised. That was how much exposure Soop planned for her. CFs, dramas, variety and radio, and most of all movies were going to be her future. Jae-uk sunbae had helped her secure a role in a Hollywood film that was being partly shot in Korea. As he had explained in September, the part was small but it was an excellent opportunity for her to try something very new.

She had also learnt from stylist-eonnie that Chang-wook’s decision that they become just friends was because he had been jealous of her friendship with DO. 

“Did he tell you to tell me?” she had asked. 

“No, yes. I’m not sure,” the stylist had said over tea. “After the photographs came out. He mentioned that… he said that he felt you both were never given… why am I telling you this? I shouldn’t have. Me and my big mouth.”

“No, eonnie. I’m glad. I’m glad that you told me. I was so… I was convinced that he had been using me as a… Using me is wrong. That somehow everything was fun and easy until he realised what a burden a relationship would be. That he no longer liked me because the magic had worn off. It is good to know that he was… that it wasn’t me.”

Ji-hyun was able to say this with perfect sincerity. It was good to know. It made the separation easier. Still, she didn’t think she could go back to him like this. After a slow start, “Melt with Me” had received good reviews. She had not watched it though. It wasn’t the romance that bothered her. But while deciding whether she could stand watching him in a drama, Ji-hyun had seen a BTS where Chang-wook had laughing pulled Won Jin-ah into a hug. It had triggered flashbacks to her time on set with him—those memories were so bittersweet that she knew she would not be able to watch it. Maybe one day, she told herself. 

Won Jin-ah had rolled her eyes at Ji-hyun’s refusal to watch the show. Ji-hyun had been surprised to see Chang-wook’s costar at the noraebang when she met up with Min-ji eonnie. But after a couple of beers and some very off-key renditions of the trending pop songs, Ji-hyun had relaxed and discovered that she liked Jin-ah. They had several mutual friends and had a similar sense of humour.

“You know nothing…” Jin-ah proclaimed.

“I…” Ji-hyun paused. She thought carefully about what she wanted to say next. “I know that Chang-wook-ssi is… that he is a very good actor at portraying romance. But I also he has never had a relationship with any of his costars.”

“Except you.”

“We were never in a relationship. And I helped him pick this script. I might still have feelings but I don’t expect him to.”

“Wow. You are an idiot. Have another beer. Maybe I can make you see sense when you’ve had enough to drink.”

The three women had ended up calling Jin-ah’s boyfriend and have him collect them. Ji-hyun scraped her jaw off the floor when she saw who it was. Not only was he incredibly handsome when he was dressed so casually but he was also ridiculously handsome when he was berating Jin-ah for getting drunk. 

“Ha! No wonder you said orabeoni wasn’t your type,” Ji-hyun giggled. 

That was two months ago but Ji-hyun still couldn’t help remembering the evening every time she saw the sleepy-eyed actor in a CF or found out that he would be in the film with her.

—

Just before Christmas the news that Ji-hyun would be staring in a new drama called “Mi-rae Leaves” dominated the entertainment news. It was over a year since she had appeared in anything and netizens were thrilled to see her back on their screens. One journalist joked that it was as if she had come back from military service. What made it even more exciting for celebrity news was that her costar was none other than Seo Kang-joon. People remembered how they had both wanted to work together again and their visuals were compared from their original drama to now. 

The anticipation for the Chemistry-fairy’s return surged and a list of her previous costars circulated:

1. Lee Hyun-woo
2. Kim Soo-hyun
3. Yeo Jin-goo
4. Kang Ha-nuel
5. Park Hyung-Sik
6. Seo In-guk
7. Ji Chang-wook
8. So Kyung-soo
9. Seo Kang-joon

Chang-wook looked at it on his phone while having his hair styled for the Japanese promotion for “Melt with Me”. The article was capped off with a picture of Ji-hyun and Seo Kang-joon smiling together, their scripts in hand.

"Secret heiress? That should be different for her,” Jin-ah said looking up from the magazine she was reading. "Doesn’t she normally play the country bumpkin… Not that there is anything wrong with that of course…" 

Her voice trailed off at the sour look Chang-wook directed at her. 

"She is going to be very chic but fun I think." stylist-noona said. "I’ve looked through the concept photos they are putting together. Somewhere between Jun Ji-Hyun in “Legend of the Sea” and lots of layering. We will do something fun for her hair as well."

"I’m not sure I can picture it,” Jin-ah commented but not unkindly. “She always looks comfortable.”

"Are we done," Chang-wook interrupted. It bothered him that Jin-ah had seen Ji-hyun more recently than he had. "I think we are done."

He got up and walked away from the station back to where they had set up for the interview.

"Jin-ah-sshi… Are you trying to provoke him by any chance?" The stylist wasn’t sure why, but the younger woman had a knack for getting under Chang-wook’s skin. “I don’t know…"

"Stylist-nim. I’m going to be frank. Men like him are not worth a woman’s time. He is fine as a friend but…"

"It is still fresh. I know he isn’t perfect but…"

"Is it though? They never dated. It is over six months. And he should either try and win her back—but she shouldn’t take him in my opinion—or he should move on."

"To where?" the stylist asked. She suddenly wondered if the actress had been bluffing about Chang-wook not being her type. 

"How am I supposed to know? I’ve even asked oppa… I’ve asked… oh well… I’ve asked oppa if he knows anyone we could set him up with…" She looked up at the stylist. “Urgh do you want to know?" 

"Only if…"

"I’ll give you a hint… He is my Life.”

“AH!” the older woman’s eyes went wild when it clicked. “I had no idea."

"It is possible to date in secret. Some are just better at it than others. I better go."

The stylist sighed. Jin-ah hadn’t been lying when she said that Ji Chang-wook wasn’t her type.

As they wrapped up the shoot, Chang-wook found his noona and pulled her to the side. He was frowning and she could guess why.

“Look, Ji-hyun…” he began. “Have you seen her recently?”

“A few days ago. She is preparing for the role.”

“I want to give… I want to try and win her back.” 

The stylist did an internal jig. Both of them seemed to be softening towards the other. Slowly, slowly she hoped that they would naturally gravitate towards each other again. 

“But I don’t know how.”

“What about a gift?”

“Is that appropriate?”

“No,” she had to admit. And no matter how she hard she thought there wasn’t a single scenario she could think of to get them in the same room again. A run-in at the salon would be a public disaster, dinner at her house an even bigger one.

“Damn,” Chang-wook muttered. “I should have known. Still, I need your help with something.”

—January 2020—

Meanwhile, Ji-hyun was preparing for her schedule to kick off. She was looking over the print out when the buzzer on her door went off. Her sister answered it to find a delivery man with a large box that had “Live Animal” printed in large red letters all over it.

After signing for it, Ji-hyun took the box into the living room and put it on the coffee table.

“What is that?” her eonnie asked. 

“I don’t know.”

But the sound of a cat crying made Ji-hyun’s face blank with surprise. A cat? 

“What does the letter say?”

“Just that this is one of the young cats I modelled with for the Animal Rescue CF,” Ji-hyun took out the photograph. It was the one where she had posed the kitten on her shoulder. Its little face giving an excellent impression of an haute couture model. She traced her face with her finger. It was the same photograph that Oppa had liked. She scrunched it in her fist and opened the box. 

“mew.” 

“Oh,” Ji-hyun gasped. She fell in love with the delicate-looking cat right away.

“What will you name her?” eonnie asked.

“Geobug” Ji-hyun said. “She is a tortoiseshell. Doesn’t that make sense little, Turtle?”

“I like it! She will bring you luck.”

Ji-hyun didn’t wait to post a picture of herself on Instagram of her and Geobug.

“안녕 거북!!! #turtle #고양이 #cat”. She added little cat and turtle emojis at the end.

When her eomma heard that a mysterious cat had appeared, she insisted that Ji-hyun contact the Rescue organisation and ask them for more details. 

“Ji-hyun, I know you love her. And of course you must keep Geobug, but that someone knew your address! It has me very worried.”

The phone call didn’t reveal much. A member of the public, who wished to remain anonymous, had donated a fairly large sum of money in Ji-hyun’s name and asked that this particular cat be gifted to Ji-hyun in January. Why January? The secretary didn’t know but the request had come in just after the CF had been released in October. The kitten was now six months old. The donor had sent Ji-hyun’s address in December. After some pressing, the secretary had to admit that the donation had come from a name that Ji-hyun’s eomma recognised right away. She called the other woman the next morning.

“Eonnie! What was he thinking!” She gasped into the phone.

“He did what!” Chang-wook’s eomma replied. “He donated in her name, well that is fine. But a cat! Without consulting you? Or her? Ji-hyun’s eomma. I am so embarrassed. How did I make such a mistake in raising him.”

“We can’t ever let her know. It would… She is just getting over it all. Her life is good now.”

“That foolish boy. I wish there was another excuse but love makes people do stupid things.”

“I still don’t like it,” Ji-hyun’s eomma said. She thought about all the terrible things she had wished on the man who had broken her baby girl’s heart. Sadly he was still in one piece. And that one piece was threatening the delicately protected stability they had created for Ji-hyun.

But she let Ji-hyun keep little Geobug and soon the little cat had its own instagram account and a large following. One of the first followers went by the name “dirty_yeppeo”.

—

Chang-wook logged out of “dirty_yeppeo” and sat back on the sofa. 

“Why did you do that?” his eomma asked, not for the first time.

“Because… it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Well, nothing more like that. IF, and I mean IF, you meet her again… don’t ever let her know that you…”

“I know, I know.”

“Poor, my son. You will figure it out. I still think… I hope that one day…”

Chang-wook closed his eyes and ignored the sound of his mother’s words of comfort. Seo Kang-joon had posted a picture from the set of “Mi-rae Leaves”. In it he was twirling Ji-hyun who was laughing hysterically. Her bright smile… that night it was all he could dream of. 

“Come back to me…” he murmured in his sleep.