“Hello?” I asked over the phone. It beeped indignantly inside my pocket for almost five minutes now. It was an unknown number, the kind which was never registered on my phonebook.

“Hello, Hae? It’s me, Hyukkie. Where are you now? I want to take you out for lunch?”

It was Hyuk Jae. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“I’m in my apartment. Where are you?”

“I’m in the hospital. My sister is admitted right here.”

I found panic wrap up in my voice. Hye Jin was my friend as well. “Why? What happened?”

“She had a high fever. I need to take care of her.” he said.

“Really? I’ll visit her when I have time.” I replied.

“Thanks. That means a lot.”

I went back to our main topic. “So, are you coming here?”

“Yeah, I’m coming. Bye. I love you.”

“Bye.” I said and pressed the end button. I put up a big smile on my face. Hyuk Jae would be coming here, and that meant that we could spend more time together. Every single day I was missing him more and loving him beyond words. Since we had an official relationship, we were truly at ease with each other. We went beyond best friends and considered this thing a miracle. I knew this wasn’t right for the world to see, but for us, it’s the best thing that ever happened.

The doorbell rang as I finished preparing samgyetang. I left the kitchen and opened the door. I beamed when I saw Hyuk Jae in front of me. He brought two large plastic bags, and said hello to me.

“Come in.” I said.

He made his way inside my apartment and put the plastic bags on the counter. He paused for a while when he saw the food I prepared.

“Samgyetang? I love this one.” He uttered in happiness.

“Yeah, I prepared that for you. Let’s eat.”

He helped me bring the food on the dining table. We talked about her sister while we ate.  He seemed so troubled with what happened.

“When did the fever start?” I asked.

“Just last night. Mom called me and told me she was really hot. I rushed to our house and brought her to the hospital. She’s been suffering it for a few days, and I thought she’s going to die.”

I felt sad for him. It was hard to balance his time between his work and his family. I put my hand above his and caressed it lightly.

“I know she’ll get through with this. She’s a strong girl.”

He sprang from his seat and leaned in to plant a kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes and felt his love sink in to me.

“Thanks.” he said and smiled.

I smiled at him. “No worries. After we eat, I’ll go visit her.”

Hye Jin was discharged from the hospital after a few days. She was well from fever now and we’re back to shooting our TV drama. We were heading to the busy streets of Seoul, where people come and go along with the traffic. This was a scene where I’d chase Eun Bi and kiss her in front of the crowd. Hyuk Jae began to feel jealous and was thinking of postponing the shooting, but I told him that I love him more than Eun Bi.

“I’ll just kiss her because it’s what the scene requires, and we always do that, you know.” I explained.

His expression was somewhat unexplainable. He always pouted his lips like a child, and I found it cute and adorable. He always avoided my eyes whenever I look at him.

“Don’t get jealous, okay?” I added.

“I will.” he firmly said.

“Why? I told you it’s just work, right?”

He threw a sharp look at me.

“It’s because your lips belong to me, nobody else but me. I’m the only one allowed to kiss you. And I’m the only one allowed to love you. Only me, Hae. Only me.”

I wrapped my arms around hm.

“And I’m also the only one allowed to hug you this way, Hyuk. I love you.” I said.

“I love you too.”

I held on to his words, and prepared for the next scene.

Hyuk Jae sat beside the cameraman and talked to him before the scene started. Eun Bi fixed the collar of my shirt while we also talked on how to portray he scene. I was beginning to feel nervous about this. Remembering Hyuk Jae’s words, I was afraid to provoke or make him jealous. He hated it when I’m with other people, because he only wanted me to stay by his side.

I kept on looking at him from a distance, wishing that he’d glance at me and tell me that everything’s okay. I wanted to see his calm face. I wanted to see to see that he was fine.

“Ready!” he shouted for us to prepare.

We all fixed ourselves as the camera rolled in. as Hyuk Jae shouted “action”, Eun Bi and I did our part. Many people flocked around us to watch the actual shooting.

“Eun Young!” I ran to chase her. I knew she cursed under her breath. She ran faster away from me. I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me.

“Let me go.” she insisted.

“What? Are you running away from reality? Are you running away from the fact that I’ve been loving you this much?! You can never do that, Eun Young. Because I’m always out to chase you wherever you go, and bring you back to me.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Yeah, I’m crazy. Crazy in love with you.”

Before she could say another word, I pressed my lips on hers. We both closed our eyes and brought out what was expected of us. The kiss lasted for a while, and then Hyuk Jae cut the scene.

Eun Bi and I let go of each other.

“That was a good one.” she remarked.

“Thanks.” I replied. She walked to the staff while I craned my neck searching for him. I wondered if he was angry with me. I haven’t seen him after we shot the scene.

“Excuse me, have you seen Hyuk Jae?” I asked Jae Hyun, our lighting director. He shrugged, telling me he was nowhere in sight.

I excused myself for a while to look for him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was for making him jealous.

“Hyuk, please...” I mumbled to myself while trying to contact him. He was still out of reach.

“Hyuk...!”

Someone pilled me inside the van, and when I was slammed inside, the door was locked. The car had tinted windows and windshield, so I could barely see what was happening outside.

“Are you looking for me?” a voice asked beside me.

“Hyuk!” I almost exclaimed.

He regained his composure and looked at me. In his eyes, I could see a hint of jealousy and anger. His stare scanned me from head to toe. My heart started to race inside my chest, almost tearing it apart.

“What’s wrong?” I asked just to break the silence.

His usual smile turned into a crooked one. “What do you think?”

I could sense that he was turning into a different person. He pulled me closer to him and kissed my lips. It was soft, his lips felt sweet against mine. He moved his lips slowly, savoring every taste that mine could give. I ran my hand through his hair and kissed him back. I gave him what he wanted. We deepened the kiss as he let out a moan.

“I love you Hae...” he uttered in between kisses.

He engulfed me in a tight hug and ran his hand along my back. It sent waves of electricity along my spine. A moan escaped out of my mouth when his lips fell on my neck, making me feel that it was the apex of our endeavor. He was getting fiercer, and then he pulled away, cutting the pleasure that overruled my heart.

“Where are you going?” I asked, while he fixed himself.

“Someone might see us here. We have to be careful.” And then he looked at me with regretful eyes. “I’m sorry, Hae. I turned you down again.”

I nodded half-heartedly. “It’s okay.”

He pecked on my lips. “I have to go. I love you.”

“I love you too.” And as he got out of the van, I held on to his words.