Areum crept into the kitchen, trying not to make a noise. The clock radio flashed 4:20 am. She couldn’t sleep, she’d tried but she kept thinking about the man out on the porch. Was he really her husband? Every time she thought about it her heart raced and her stomach did this weird lurching thing.

It wasn’t impossible. Seuli and Mika found her on the side of the road in Seoul. Areum didn’t remember much after she lost consciousness and Seuli and Mika told her later that the only reason they knew her name was because she told them so before she passed out.

She had no phone, no identity, only the clothes on her back and the gloves on her hands that she’d fought to keep with her.

Areum sighed, so yes – she could very well be this man’s wife but how did she go back to a life she didn’t remember? How could she be certain that it wasn’t him who’d tried to kill her?

He looked innocent and trustworthy, but she didn’t know him from a bar of soap, but she also couldn’t stop thinking about him. He sounded familiar, he looked like the man in her dreams, he said things that she remembered as if from a lost life.

Finishing the glass of water, she padded across the lounge floor and peered through the shutters to check if he was still there. She could just make out the edge of the duvet. It was chilly this time of the morning. It was cruel to leave him on the porch, then again, they were crazy to let a stranger sleepover. 

She tried to unlock the door without making a noise and slipped outside. There was no movement, guess he was still asleep, or he froze to death. Slowly she pinched the top of the duvet and pulled it back.

He was sleeping soundly. He looked peaceful, like a child. She reached out a hand to brush the hair off his forehead. It felt silky and thick between her fingers. Her stomach flipped right over. She pulled her hand back like she’d been burnt.

Jungkook woke, feeling someone touching him, “Good morning.” He smiled. He didn’t want to move in case he scared her off, but seeing Areum first thing in the morning was like the sun shining on his pillow, making it warm and toasty. It hadn’t been a dream, she was real.

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have touched you without permission, but your hair looked like it was troubling you.”

“You’re allowed to touch me. I’m yours after all.”

Areum blushed, “Mine?” she pursed her lips and then shook her head. No – No, she couldn’t let her imagination run wild.

Jungkook rolled over on his stomach and pressed his face into the pillow. It smelt like her. She could lie about her name all she wanted but you couldn’t lie about the basics.

“You’re lying. There’s no way someone like you ended up with someone like me.” She suddenly challenged, “And besides…that’s not me in those pictures. You have to hurry and go back home now. I have a life here and…”

Jungkook rolled back over and stared up at her, the words dried in at the way he looked at her, “If I leave you now, won’t you always wonder what could have been?”

“Why would I?” she shrugged petulantly.

“Because you’re curious about me. You can’t help it and you know why?”

She shook her head. He sat up quickly, his face was inches from hers, she didn’t dare move. She didn’t even breath. “Because you’re just as much mine and deep down, you know it.” He brought his face closer, “Pack your bags and come home with me to Seoul.”

“Seoul?” his spell was broken. She blinked and pulled back, “I’m sorry but I am never leaving this island.”

Jungkook frowned, he heard the underlying fear in her voice. She wasn’t saying that because this was her home, there was another reason, “Areum.”

“I’m not this Areum you keep talking about.” The lies spilt out as a defence mechanism, “I’m really sorry about your wife but you can’t force me…"

”Oh, can’t I?” Jungkook lost his patience and grabbed her by the wrist, “I’m getting tired of you lying to my face. Do you think it’s funny lying to a man who just found his presumedly dead wife? How do you think it makes me feel?”

“I don’t care how you feel!” she seethed through clenched teeth, “I couldn’t care less about you. Now let go of me…” the gloves were in her room. Damn it.

Jungkook refused, “Do you think I will let you out of my sight again?”

She trembled a little thrilled at the possessiveness in his voice and hard steel in his eyes. His friendly demeanour was gone. This was a different man. A man used to getting what he wanted. “You’re a spoilt rich guy and I can’t stand men like you.” Areum pushed against his chest, “I want you to go!”

Jungkook covered and pushed her down on soft blankets. Areum’s eyes were wide. She bit his hand. “Ow…you little .” He lowered his mouth, inches from hers, their eyes clashed but she didn’t fight him anymore. She was very still as she felt the weight of his body on her, his knee between her legs.

“You feel it too. Admit it. This is how it was between us. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.” He brushed his thumb over her parted lips, “We did it almost every day, sometimes twice a day.”

She turned bright red, “Shut up. How can you talk about stuff like that?”

“I was the more conservative one.” Jungkook was wry, “You were demanding. You’d rip my s