After thirteen and a half hours of flight, the flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport. Ji-hyo had been praying in her heart hoping that she’ll be able to walk out from the airport without any problem. And she did.

Ji-hyo managed to pass the immigration on her own and she’s really proud of herself.

“Huh! It wasn’t that hard. I just need to know English better….Yes…..No…..Thank you…...Kekeke…..Good job, Song Ji-hyo….hehehe….” Ji-hyo talked alone while pushing her luggage trolley out of the arrival hall.

“Song Ji-hyo-ssi!”

Someone suddenly called making Ji-hyo look around. And when she found the source of the voice, she screamed happily.

“Tiny oppa!!!”

Tiny, a close friend of Jong Kook and Ji-hyo herself were right in front of her. Ji-hyo felt so relieve that she has someone she can speak to now.

“Oppa!!” Ji-hyo called out happily while hugging the man in front of him tightly.

“Yah you Mongji! How come you didn’t tell me that you’re coming?”

“…..I…..I…….I plan to surprise you…..But seems like I was the one who got surprised….hehe….”

“Well serves you right…..It’s a sin if you came here without letting me know…..” Tiny said, breaking up the embrace.

“Ah oppa…..Please don’t say that….”

“Hahahah….So, who came with you? Definitely not Jong Kook since I don’t hear anything from him.”

“Errr……I came alone….Tadaaaa!!!”

“Mwuh? You came alone? For real?”

“Yeah! Cool huh?”

“Yeah….But if you were stuck at the immigration, who will you call for help?”

“Ermm…..I don’t know……Never think of that…since I’m a good girl….hehe….”

“Aish this girl!” Tiny ruffled Ji-hyo’s hair jokingly. “Always take things easy! Huh! So where are you heading now?”

“Erm….here!” Ji-hyo handed her hotel reservation.

“Viceroy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills? Did you win a lottery or what? You are alone and choose to stay at seven hundred dollars per night hotel? That’s like a ‘Pretty Woman’ hotel.”

“Well, I’m pretty….So it’s perfect!” Ji-hyo answered jokingly.

“Hahahahah….Yes you are…..Come on…I’ll be your chauffeur…”

Tiny walked with Ji-hyo to his car.

“Oppa, why were you at the airport?”

“Oh! I went to see my friend. And how lucky I am to see you coming out from the ‘arrival’…..”

“Hehehe….I always bring good luck to people…..”

“Yeah! Yeah! So what are you doing here? Didn’t you just finish your fanmeet in Seoul?”

“Exactly……You have no idea how tense was the practice, oppa…..So right after the show, I know I need to take a break……”

“I see….Yeah….It’s always not easy to prepare for a concert like that…..Especially when you need to dance….”

“Oh yes, oppa!”

“Why did you choose this hotel by the way? Did you pick it on your own?”

“N-neh! Err…..I purposely choose it……so that it’s hard for other people to remember……hehe….”

“You mean like Dispatch?”

“….Dispatch….or paparazzi….or…whoever….”

“Hmm….Smart……But I bet even you couldn’t remember or pronounce the name of the hotel, right?”

“Well of course!”

“Hahahah….Funny girl…….But Ji-hyo ah, why aren’t you with Jong Kook? I’m sure he’d never leave you coming here alone…….Or…..did you run away from him?”

“Hahahah…..Funny, oppa……He…..He’s busy with his schedule….He’s preparing for his solo concert after our fanmeet…..” Ji-hyo lied.

“I see…..Okay….I need to give him a call then…”

“Err oppa……Erm…..Can you….Can you not tell him…..that you meet me?” Ji-hyo requested, biting her lips in doubt.

Tiny look at Ji-hyo and focus back to his drive.

“And she deny she’s running away from her lover……..Hmm…..Someone owe me big story tonight…….” Tiny said loudly.

Ji-hyo knew that there is no way she can hide anything from Tiny. And Tiny is already like a brother to her so she wouldn’t mind telling him about what happen. Besides, Tiny is also close with Jong Kook. So he surely will understand Ji-hyo’s position more than anyone else.

After check-in, Tiny walked Ji-hyo to her room. Ji-hyo was the one who pick the hotel and yet she’s mesmerized by how beautiful the hotel was. ‘Wah!’, ‘Omo!’, ‘Hah!’, ‘Omg!’ was heard all around the room.

“You know what? A beautiful room like this is usually for a honeymooners…..” Tiny hinted.

Ji-hyo rolled her eyes shyly, knew what Tiny is trying to point out.

“Imagine if you’re with your loved ones, I bet you wouldn’t leave the bed….haha…”

“Aish, oppa! Maybe you should get your own lover and check-in here.”

“Hahahaha….I wonder what will happen if I send a photo of us in this room to your boyfriend. He’ll be at the door within seconds, I think….”

“Ughhh…..Don’t mention it, okay……”

“Okay…..So, tell me…..”

“Tell you what?”

“What happen between you and Jong Kook….”

“Aish, oppa….I’m tired….Let’s just talk another day….”

“You are exactly how Jong Kook described you were…..Always trying to run away from problems….”

“I’m not running away…I’m tired…”

“Okay….But if I said I’m treating you beef now, your tiredness will automatically gone right?”

“Beef? Right now? Really, oppa? Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“Hahahhaha…..See?.....Hahahahaha……”

“Oppa, beef and Jong Kook oppa is two different idioms…”

“Idioms?”

“Yeah! One is idiom, the other one is idiot!”

“Hahahahah……I’m gonna have lots of fun tonight…..Let’s just order room service and we can eat while you tell me the whole thing…”

“Ahh oppa…..”

“No! Tell me now!”

“Haishhh!!” Ji-hyo whined.

They ordered room service and started to eat.

“So?” Tiny asked Ji-hyo to start her story.

“So what?”

“Ji-hyo ah….You know you’re my sister….And Jong Kook is my best friend…..To see you both like this is hurting me….”

“Well, people changed, oppa….”

“Only for certain reason.”

“Yeah……He changed…….coz he found someone better……”

Tiny stop eating and stared at Ji-hyo.

“He found someone better? Kim Jong Kook?”

“Yeah…..You know I’m lack of so many thing….”

“Like what?”

“Like…..bad in cooking, smoking, always sleeping, lazy……Didn’t go for workout…And many more…..” Ji-hyo simply explained while enjoying her food.

“You really think you’re lack of so many thing, Song Ji-hyo? Why are you looking down so much on yourself? We should value ourselves more than other people coz only we know how good we are…..”

“Yeah……But just not good enough for other people….So, yeah…..”

“Jong Kook is not that kind of person, Ji-hyo ah.”

Ji-hyo got fed-up that everybody tried to back up Jong Kook as if he’s a saint that will never do anything bad. So she told Tiny everything that happen including the as well as her pain. Tiny seems like he couldn’t believe that Jong Kook could hurt Ji-hyo to that extend. Coz he know how much Jong Kook love Ji-hyo. But like Ji-hyo said, people could change.

“So what do you wanna do now?” Tiny asked.

“I wanna stay here. Oppa, can you help?”

“Mwuh? Hahahah…..Don’t you think it’s too drastic?”

“Still better than to be in the same country as him.”

“Hahaha….I guess this time ‘no sorry for you’ huh?”

Ji-hyo shrugged.

“Okay! Okay! Since you came here to enjoy yourself, let’s not think about your problems for the time being, n-neh?”

“Yes! That’s my point!”

“So tomorrow I will bring you out……but only after I finished my work…..Is that okay for you?”

“What time, oppa?”

“I think I can only come in the evening. Will you be okay?”

“Hmm……It’s okay then. I’ll just stroll around the hotel…..I came here to rest right? Then I need to enjoy the facilities here since it’s really expensive….hehe…”

“Exactly…..Why stay at expensive hotel if you just need to sleep here? Might as well just stay at my house.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea, oppa…..” Ji-hyo trying t tease Tiny.

“What? Staying at my house? You know I’d welcome you any time coz you really are my sister. But your jealous-possessive boyfriend will hunt me down if he knew that we live together alone.”

“Ex-boyfriend okay…..What? Are you scared of him? Oppa, you’re bigger than him. You can take him down.”

“Bigger is different than tougher. I’m big coz I only eat and sleep most of the time. But him….he practice punches every day at the gym….I can’t beat that….”

“Hahaha….Then you’re no different than Kwang Soo and Dong Hoon oppa……”

“Aishhh……They are definitely in a different league…..”

“Hahhaha….Right, oppa….”

“Anyway, think it’s time for me to go. I’ll leave now. Have a good rest.”

“N-neh, oppa. Thank you so much for today.”

“No problem. Please call me anytime if you need anything.”

“Hoh? Even if I need a sanitary pad?” Ji-hyo joked.

“……..I’ll go and buy for one month stock now…..” Tiny responded with a joke too.

“Hahahahahah…..A-ni!!!”

“Okay, princess. Sleep well. Just forget everything for tonight. Okay?”

“N-neh, oppa. Thanks again. Drive safe.”

“Will do. Night!”

“Night, oppa!”

The next few days had been wonderful for Ji-hyo. Tiny brought her everywhere she wanna go and he also brought her to few nice places like The Getty Centre, The Hollywood Sign, Warner Bros and other places during weekend. On weekdays, they always spend time in the evening unless Tiny took a leave.

And tonight, Tiny wanted to bring her out for night viewing and dinner. Ji-hyo gets herself ready at the hotel and waited excitingly for her chauffeur. When the doorbell rang, she walked happily to open the door, assuming it was Tiny.

But she was totally shocked with the figure standing in front of her.

“Eomonim……..” Ji-hyo called out.

“Oh Ji-hyo ah……It’s so good to finally see you…….” Jong Kook’s mother approached.

“N-neh…..Likewise……..But…..what are you doing here, eomonim? And how do you know I’m here? How did you come here?” Ji-hyo was really surprised to see Jong Kook’s mother in front of her.

“With me,” Jong Kook suddenly appeared at the door smiling and simply walked into the room even without Ji-hyo’s permission.

“And me,” Tiny followed Jong Kook entering Ji-hyo’s room.

Once again Ji-hyo was surprised now that her boyfriend is also there. She bit her lips controlling her anger since they just breached into her room before she invited them. Since Jong Kook’s mother was there, she tried to calm herself and close the door, joining the others.

“Eomonim, please have a sit,” Ji-hyo invited Jong Kook’s mother to sit on the sofa. Once Jong Kook’s mother sat down, she asked her again. “Would you like anything to drink, eomonim?”

“Water,” Jong Kook replied. “Just, water…..” he repeated and wink at his angry girlfriend. Tiny is enjoying himself laughing on his own.

“Don’t mind him, Ji-hyo ah. Yah! You two go outside and leave us alone. We need to have woman to woman talk…..” Jong Kook’s mother instructed.

“Mother and daughter, eomma….” Jong Kook continues joking.

“Haish! Go out now before I change my mind!” his mother threatened him.

Jong Kook and Tiny followed.

Once the two of them were left alone, Cho Hye Seon took Ji-hyo’s hand in hers.

“How are you doing, Ji-hyo ah?”

“……..I……I am good, eomonim…..”

“You must be surprised to see me here, huh?”

“N-neh……Especially because……I didn’t tell anyone that I came here,…..what else staying at this hotel……..So this is really………really shocking me……” Ji-hyo answered politely.

“Yeah……I know……..But, I’m so glad that I could meet you, Ji-hyo ah……..I have been asking Jong Kook to bring you home…….but you all were busy with the fanmeet, so I waited until you finished the fanmeet first…….But who knows……We finally got to meet here huh?”

“Yeah……It’s been a while, eomonim…..”

“You look skinny, Ji-hyo ah….” Eomonim said while rubbing Ji-hyo’s hand.

“Mwuh? Ohh……because I’ve been too busy lately…….which is why I flew here right after I completed everything…..I need to take a break……”

“Yes….You need to recharge yourself…..Don’t work too hard, Ji-hyo ah……You need to take a good care of yourself……..Jong Kook had already suffered himself with the back pain……I don’t want my lovely daughter-in-law here also suffer herself…..”

Ji-hyo was surprised when Jong Kook’s mother called her ‘daughter-in-law’. If things were okay between her and Jong Kook, she’d be the happiest woman to be approved as daughter-in-law. But with things that’s happening now, that’s kind of painful knowing that she won’t fit the duty as her daughter-in-law.

“Eomonim…….How come you are in LA?” Ji-hyo tried to change topic.

“Why do you think?”

“Huh?” Ji-hyo didn’t understand coz she really has no clue why Jong Kook and his mother is in LA.

“Ji-hyo ah……Jong Kook already tell me everything……”

“Everything? What….do you mean…..eomonim?”

“He made you upset, didn’t he?”

That was true. But how can Ji-hyo admit their real problem in front of a mother figure whom she respected so much? She didn’t want to make Jong Kook’s mother worry with their problems.

“Just tell me, Ji-hyo ah. You know Jong Kook is really stupid when it comes to woman and love and I’m not surprise at all with his stupidity.”

Ji-hyo almost chuckled hearing eomonim’s comments.

“Aniya, eomonim……It was nothing that you should worry about…….” Ji-hyo didn’t want to break it up to Jong Kook’s mother.

Jong Kook’s mother keep the back of Ji-hyo’s hand.

“Ji-hyo ah, as much as Jong Kook is my beloved son, you don’t have to hesitate to share with me what he did wrong……I know his past girlfriend also had problems with him....Probably the same that you’re facing now…..And I did not do anything during that time….But now, with you, I know I have to interfere…..Coz I don’t want to risk losing you……You are already like my daughter, Ji-hyo ah…..So if Jong Kook did wrong, you can tell me….I won’t side him if he’s wrong even if he’s my son…”

“Eomonim….I really have nothing