Because the thought came to her like lightning that day, she realized that she needed more thorough meditation, otherwise she’s just diverting her attention and not focusing on fixing what’s broken within.

She then dared to travel alone and explore places alone. She had never tried it before but she’d be very willing to. So she gave it a week, gave a notice to her work that she would take the weekend off to go for a short vacation.

She couldn’t think of any other place that puts her at peace other than Jeju Island. Ever since her heartbreak with Donghae before, Jeju Island has become her resting place. The places in it and the peaceful environment that comes along with it made it very therapeutic for her.
Oftenly, she goes there with friends but now it is especially different.

Upon her arrival, she stood still in her position outside the airport, trying to gain courage to face things head-on in her 2 days trip. It was her first day in Jeju with no plans in hand. There was no need to guess where she’ll go first though.
The moment she set foot on Jeju, it was already the place she had in mind. 

Having said that, she visited Shinhwa World in Jeju again. She’s totally a fan of amusement parks after all. However, it’s not just the reason. She went there to reminisce and to have fun in it once again. But she couldn’t have fun alone, she had to share her joy to someone so she took a photo of the place and sent it to Jiyong, who was with her in the same place before.

She keyed in and sent the message, "Do you remember what happened here? Ack! Those days! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ" 

Jiyong received the text and replied, "You're in Jeju again? Who's with you? A lover? Don't get too excited there!" ,teasing her.

"I'm alone! 캬ㅋㅋ! (Kyahaha!)" 

"Like... alone?" 

"Yes! It's refreshing!" 

"For how long?”

“The whole weekend.”

“That was risky! Does your family know about it?"

"No. Please don't tell anyone. I'm having the time of my life here." 

"Didn't you hear about the news? I think Jeju will be affected by the low pressure area. Typhoon was passing by somewhere." 

"I don't think so. The weather is fine here now. It’s sunny!" 

"Really? They must have assessed it wrongly again. Alright then. Have fun!" 

“Ne!”

Before she even got to the rides, she was recognized by some people so a swarm of fans approached her to take a photo and sign autographs. She was thankful that even after retiring, there are still fans who support her but peace was what she needed in her vacation and she wouldn’t be able to achieve that if she stayed in populated areas like the amusement park.
So as much as she hated to leave, she had to.

She left the place when the situation was getting out of hand because the people were spreading the word that she was there so fans everywhere wouldn’t stop approaching her.
She rode a taxi but she didn’t know what else to do in Jeju so she went back to the airport to just look for a private van to rent for a 2 days and 1 night tour. It was a practical decision if she ought to stray away from people.
Thus, when she got there, she was looking at the signages for travel and tours when she heard a group of men approaching her direction.
She thought people recognized her again, that's why she moved away quickly and hid her face from them. To her wonderment, the group of men didn’t come her way and were actually just headed to look at the signages as well. She had never felt so stupid after overthinking the situation again so she worried less knowing that they didn’t come to bother her. 

She was intently looking at the package tours when one man from the group of men approached her. She was about to apologize and tell the guy that she was on a vacation for him to give her space and privacy.
She already planned a speech in mind before she looked at the man until she finally faced him.

The guy said, “Dara?”

Dara almost shouted in shock, “Omo! Gray! Why are you here?”

Gray smiled widely and pointed at his non-celebrity friends as he said, “I went here with my friends. I guess we both chose the same place for a vacation.”

Dara awkwardly bowed to his friends and felt embarrassed for thinking they were just the typical group of men. His friends bowed to her as well.
She was speechless for a second. Out of all the times they had to go, it was the same as hers and out of all the people she could encounter, it was Gray.
She took notice of the odd chances that she always meets someone she was romantically involved with whenever she wants time for herself. She met Donghae in Paris and now it was Gray in Jeju. Did the wheel of fate take a turn for now it’s Gray who’s with her? Was the universe trying to test her or was everything beginning to align for her?

She thought “Fate sure knows how to give me a hard time huh?”

She seemed deep in her thoughts so Gray asked her, “Are you having a hard time looking for tours?”

“Ah, it appears that way. Yeah. I’m surprised you recognized me easily.”

He chuckled and said, “Ah, that. I had my lasik surgery so my vision is clear now.”

“That’s good.”

He looked around her and asked, “Did you come with him?”

“Eh? No. I came here alone.”

“Ohh… A solo trip? Cool.”

“Yes. It’s my first time.”

Gray just nodded and looked back to friends who were busy reading the inclusions from the signage. Dara saw him overlooking his friends so she asked “Where were you guys headed?”

“We originally planned to go to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) and stay there for 5 days.”

“5 days? Wahh. That sounds fun.”

“I was exhausted these days so I thought I deserved at least a 5 day break. It just happened that these friends wanted to go to Jeju as well so we came together.”

“Hmm…” ,she awkwardly nodded.

Gray saw the bitterness in her face so he said, “Why won’t you stay here for a lot of days? Take a break from work and say you needed it for your sanity. It’s healthy for the mind.”

“It’s different in my case. Especially now that…” ,she paused before she even started oversharing about her retirement. She didn’t want to dive into personal things when they just met each other minutes ago.

Gray was quick to catch what she meant so he responded, “Work is just work. You could get it anytime while moments like this are rare. You have to enjoy yourself with the limited time we have being alive. They get tired too, you get tired too, I’m sure they will understand.”

“But you know, work is something that keeps me distracted from seeing things negatively after my decision.”  

“No. Don’t think that way. Retirement is just another phase in your life. It’s not the end. You’re just starting. There are a lot of things you could enjoy even if you’re not an idol. I could say that because I, myself, isn’t one and I’m telling you, it was liberating. Less limiting and more freeing.”

She breathed in and exhaled loudly as if relieving her stress, “Wahh~ I needed that.”
She needed Gray’s point of view to open herself to more possibilities because there were times where she felt left out among her friends who were still in the industry.

Gray added, “We’ll always cheer you on.” then gestured with his hands as he said, “Fighting!”

“Thank you so much.” She slightly bowed.

“Alright… How about you? Where were you headed?”

“Me? I… am still looking for a place to go.”

“Oh, there are a lot of places to go here.”

Right after Gray talked, a group of girls were heading their way and Dara turned around instantly to hide her face. Gray was one to solve riddles easily, hence, one to understand what Dara’s actions meant. She was avoiding people and probably wanted to have a peaceful time so she went alone by herself.
 
He then proposed, “Seongsan Ilchulbong is a great place. It was a rural place and I’m pretty sure people who wanted to retreat from the busy world would have it as their first choice if… you know, if you wanted a quiet time. It has picturesque sceneries as well. We could go there together.”

She was surprised that Gray knew just what she needed without her saying a word about it. She thought that Gray was really excellent in reading situations but she didn’t mention it. She just replied, “That would be perfect! But aren’t you going with your friends there?”

He said, “Them? Ah, they’re adults. They can handle themselves.” then chuckled.

Dara laughed because his friends looked at him with the look of disbelief that he suddenly ditched them. They were shaking their heads but they looked like they got the message. Men could easily sense it from one another, therefore, they don’t need any obvious signs to tell that Gray was totally interested in her. 

Dara thought that having Gray was convenient for her because he’s someone she trusts and he’s surely a catch if she wanted things to run smoothly in her vacation because he seemed to be a resourceful type of guy who makes sure things work out. Whileas, she, herself was a gullible one a