South Korea. May 24, 2021.

It's been two days since Kwang Soo got back from Hawaii. He was still jetlagged and trying to catch up on some sleep when he was woken up by the sound of his doorbell. He didn't need to check his door camera to know who it was. Lee Kwang Soo has been avoiding Kim Jong Kook the moment he landed in South Korea. He knows that his hyung wanted to meet up with him because of Song Ji Hyo. And as much as he loves his hyung, he was not in the position to tell him anything about Ji Hyo's current situation in Hawaii. But today, he has no choice but to face him. With heavy feet, he walked to the door and welcomed not only Kim Jong Kook but also Ha Dong Hoon.

"Ya! You look like a mess. Jetlag taking a toll on you?" Haha . Kwang Soo, who was a bit annoyed, didn't answer him.

"Kwang Soo-yah. How's Hawaii? It seems you went there not just to have a vacation with your girlfriend but also to meet up with someone else." Jong Kook got straight to the point. "Care to tell us about your secret meeting? How long have you known Song Ji Hyo was there?" 

"Hyung, first and foremost, Hello. Secondly, I was on a vacation with Sun Bin in Hawaii. That was the main purpose of us going there. And third, I've known for quite a while. Hmm..Three years?" Kwang Soo casually replied.

"Ya!" Both HaHa and Jong Kook shouted.

"Look, Jong Kook hyung, there's no point in denying since Gap Jin hyung saw us there. And you even have pictures. But Ji Hyo noona trusted me not to tell you or any of the members about this. It wasn't an easy decision on her part but she really needed to get away hyung. I bet she wouldn't have told me also had I not overheard her conversation with Seung Moon. You have to understand me, hyung. It's not my place to tell you what's going on with her. Give her space. She'll eventually tell you and the rest of the members about what really happened."

"So, you're saying there's really another reason why she left?" HaHa got curious. "I mean, if she was just tired, she wouldn't have stayed in Hawaii this long. I know Ji Hyo. She can't stand being away from her family." He was trying to squeeze something out of Kwang Soo but to no avail.

That statement got Jong Kook thinking. Did Ji Hyo lie about the reason why she needed to go on a hiatus?

"Kwang Soo-yah, you know how long I've been trying to find her right? You know how much I miss her. If you can't tell me about her current life there, can you at least give me her contact number. Please?" Jong Kook pleaded.

"Hyung, I'm sorry. I can't. Not unless she allows me to. Ji Hyo noona is living her life to the fullest there. I've never seen her so happy with Aera." Kwang Soo had a slip of the tongue.

"Aera? Who's Aera?" HaHa asked.

Realizing his stupid mistake, Kwang Soo feigned ignorance to HaHa's question. But Jong Kook was having none of it.

"Who's Aera, Kwang Soo-yah?" He demanded an answer.

"Her dog, Hyung. Ji Hyo noona has adopted a dog there in Hawaii to keep her company." That was the only logical answer he can think in that moment. But HaHa and Jong Kook was feeling suspicious with his answer.

"Just give her more time, Hyung. Ji Hyo noona really has gone through so much that she really deserves time away from everyone." 

"But she obviously didn't need time away from you." Kim Jong Kook was hurt. He badly wants to see her or even talk to her. But it was clear that she was avoiding him. 

"Look. Okay. I'll talk to Ji Hyo noona and try to get her to contact you. But I won't promise that she'll agree with that idea. Are you okay with that?" Kwang Soo was feeling a little guilty so he came up with that offer. 

"Get her to call me too, please, Kwang Soo-yah. Go Eun and I really miss her." HaHa also asked to be included.

"Okay, Kwang Soo-yah. Let me know if she's okay with it." Jong Kook accepted the offer. After their conversation about Kwang Soo's trip in Hawaii, both Jong Kook and HaHa left to let him sleep. But he was too jetalagged to even think about sleeping so he called his noona.

Hawaii. May 24, 2021.  

Ji Hyo had just gotten back from the bathroom to pee when her phone rang. It was Kwang Soo. "Ya! It's four in the morning here for chrissakes!" Ji Hyo answered full of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Noona. Terrible jetlag. Did I wake you up?" Kwang Soo felt bad for calling her early in the morning.

"Fortunately for you, I was already awake. What do you want?" Ji Hyo asked.

"You're not gonna like this but Jong Kook hyung came here awhile ago together with HaHa hyung and they asked me about you. They really wanted to know how you're doing and what you have been up to for the past three years. Jong Kook hyung even asked for your number but I didn't give it to him so he asked for a favor. Since I can't give him your number, he's asking if it's okay with you that you'd be the one to call him. He badly wants to talk to you, noona. And you should have seen his face. He was desperate. He really-" Kwang Soo was cut by Ji Hyo.

"I won't call him, Kwang Soo-yah. At least not for now. I'm still not ready and you know that. Just ignore him please. Or just lie and tell him that I can't be contacted anymore. Just come up with any excuse." Ji Hyo was really not ready. Three years is not enough for her to forget what happened that night especially since Aera is a constant reminder of that. And although she was happy that she was blessed with a very beautiful and kind daughter, having to face the man that hurt her was something she was not looking forward to.

"Okay, Noona. I won't force you to call him. But can you just call HaHa hyung? He also really wants to talk to you. He didn't do anything to warrant your avoidance. He was really worried about you, noona. He kept asking around about you just as much as Jong Kook hyung does. Both him and Go Eun noona miss you. And to be honest, I really think you should tell him about Aera, Noona. He could really help you a lot about raising a kid since he has three children already. And you know you can trust him." Kwang Soo is doing his best to convince Ji Hyo to call HaHa because aside from the fact that HaHa was an expert in raising kids, Kwang Soo also needs someone close to them to know about Aera because he knows that his noona really needs help.

"I really miss HaHa oppa and Go Eun too. But I'll have think about it. Just send me his number just in case I do decide to call him. Anyway, let me go back to sleep, Kwang Soo-yah. I'm starting to get cranky." Ji Hyo was actually really starting to get irritated.

"I'm sorry again for disturbing you, Noona. I'll call you again later. And just think about it, okay? The one about calling HaHa hyung, I mean. Anyway, good morning to you and good night to me. I love you, Noona!" 

"Love you too, Kwang Soo-yah. Say Hi to Sun Bin for me." And with that, Ji Hyo ended the call feeling more awake than she wants to be.

South Korea. May 25, 2021.

Jong Kook woke up early to meet up with Gap Jin and HaHa over coffee. Since his talk with Kwang Soo last night, he has been feeling restless and was not able to sleep well. Jong Kook knows that Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo are hiding something and he's determined to find out what that is. 

When he got to the coffee shop, Gap Jin was already there and had already ordered his usual drink. HaHa was a little late since he had to take care of the kids first.

"Hyung, I heard from Dong Hoon hyung that you want to fly to Hawaii to see Ji Hyo noona. Is that true?" Gap Jin was not surprised that Jong Kook thought of that idea since he knows that Jong Kook has been looking for Ji Hyo everywhere. But he needed to confirm it from him first.

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