Jieun’s POV

                Daehyun came back to visit me at the hotel the next day. I was on my lunch break and went to the diner as usual. When I came in, Junior gave me a small greeting and quickly busied himself in the kitchen. In a way I was relieved, because I didn’t think I had the energy to keep up with his energetic tendencies. Everyone seemed different lately, ever since Yongguk left. Or maybe they’re just reacting to how different I’d become—quieter, always in thought.

I sat at the far corner table, blending in with the hotel guests who were having late brunch as I mixed my mug of coffee in circles with a metal spoon. Daehyun, too, was quieter than usual. We were sitting by a large window, and his eyes always seemed lost beyond the windowpane. I finally took a sip of the coffee that had cooled tremendously, and it was bitter despite the many packets of sugar I had added. It felt ironic, like my taste buds were imitating my inner emotions.

“Oppa, over there!” A little girl’s chirpy voice caused me to look up, and immediately I jumped up from my seat.

“It’s Jieun Unnie! I told you we’d see her if we came!” Sunhwa’s eyes were sparkling as she grabbed Youngjae’s hand and led him to our corner table. Daehyun was still sitting, but he was now facing them curiously.

                “It’s been a long while.” Youngjae smiled, letting go of Sunhwa’s hand so she could tackle me with a hug. I’d lost count of how many weeks it’d been since I last saw the two of them, but seeing them here, now, felt like no time had passed at all. Sunhwa remained the same height, though it looked as if her hair had been dyed a lighter brown.

                “I missed you two!” I smiled, giving Sunhwa the warmest hug I’d had for a while now. She really was a ray of sunshine, making me temporarily put aside my reasons to grieve.

                “Sorry for no letting you know in advance that we were coming. Sunhwa suddenly wanted to visit you out on a whim. When we came in and asked for you, the receptionists said you weren’t in at the moment.” Youngjae’s hand rested on the back of his head as he spoke, his eyes darting up to the ceiling.

                “Can we sit here, too?” Sunhwa asked. I nodded and slid her to the seat next to mine. Daehyun awkwardly shuffled over to make room for Youngjae across from us. I realized then how rude I’d been. I should’ve introduced them.

                “Ah, Daehyun this is a friend I met on my way back from Australia, his name is Youngjae. This lovely doll here is his younger sister, Sunhwa.” Youngjae gladly shook hands with him, and Sunhwa smiled just as sweetly as she did to everyone she met.

                “It’s nice to meet you, my name is Daehyun.” He introduced as he shook Youngjae’s hand firmly.

                I turned to Sunhwa who with her hands, motioned for me to lean down to her. As I did, she put her lips near my ear and whispered,

                “Is he your lucky boyfriend?” I immediately froze, feeling the grief I’d been suppressing wash over me again. It was an innocent and fair question to ask, but how could I possibly explain such a difficult situation to a young girl so that she’d understand? I didn’t want to tell her that my boyfriend had run away and disappeared. Daehyun was now my fiancée—not my boyfriend--but he wasn’t the man we’d talked about on the airplane. I wanted very much to at least have these two there at the wedding, though.

                Feeling a little dazed, I hesitantly nodded, struggling to prevent a sigh from escaping. Sunhwa looked carefully at Daehyun, who just quietly and awkwardly stared back at her unblinking eyes. He hadn’t heard what she just asked, and neither had Youngjae. She scrutinized him carefully, and then turned to me, squinting.

                “He’s a lot less than what I expected.” Sunhwa mumbled, biting her lip to muffle her voice. That Daehyun did hear, and I felt a side of me start to panic. I found it funny that I could fool all the staff at this hotel with how I felt just based on how I behaved, but I couldn’t even fool this young girl. Within a minute she saw right through my façade and could feel something was wrong, though she didn’t know any better. He’s a lot less than what I expected. I was certain Sunhwa wouldn’t have said that if it had been Yongguk here rather than Daehyun. It was too late for me to wish for that, though, when I don’t even know where he went.

                “Jieun Unnie?”

                “Yes, Sunhwa?”

                “How about you ditch this guy over there and date Youngjae Oppa?” She shamelessly asked. Everyone sitting at the table except her was taken aback. Only an innocent child her age could get away with saying something so bold without someone hitting her on the head.

                “I’m sorry, Jieun. This girl just says whatever she wants.” Youngjae sighed, cupping his hand over . She pouted with her cheeks and pushed his hand away, clearly frustrated that no one was taking her seriously.

                “Sunhwa,” I smiled, getting her complete attention, “This man over here is my fiancée.” Her eyes shot open as I showed her the ring on my left hand. It was an impressive diamond ring; a little too flashy for my liking, but it was one Daehyun had picked out himself despite knowing I would have rejected him if Yongguk had stayed. Accepting this marriage meant accepting this ring, though it looked out of place sitting on my own hand.

                “Fiancée?” Sunhwa gawked, looking up at Youngjae for a definition.

                “It means she’s going to marry Daehyun soon.” Youngjae smiled back, patting Sunhwa on the head. She nodded understandingly, glancing back and forth between Daehyun and I again. She still wasn’t fooled, I could tell. Or perhaps, she wasn’t pleased with this reality, just as I am not.

                “That’s right, Sunhwa.” I reassured her. She looked as confused as ever. “And I want you and your Oppa to be there.” I handed Youngjae the wedding invitation in a small, decorated envelope. It was the only invitation I wrote out personally, the rest were distributed by my father in Seoul.

                “We’ll gladly come.”

                “It’s in Seoul, though…”

                “That’s not a problem!” He put the invitation in Sunhwa’s Disney Princess backpack, zipping it tightly shut before resting it back on his lap. I felt a vibration in my pocket and pulled out my cellphone. Hyosung was telling me to come back to the office. I accidentally extended my lunch break ten minutes over, and there was an important call for me put on hold.

                “Thank you for visiting me today.” I gave Sunhwa one last hug before I got up. “My break is over now.” We said our parting greetings and I sadly had to leave the three of them at the table. I told the dining staff that their meals were on me before I exited. I had wanted to say something to Junior before I left, but he was occupying himself in the walk in fridge. I couldn’t afford waiting another minute so I left without another word. I would catch him later.

Daehyun’s POV

                A big plate of waffles with fruit came to the table and Youngjae moved it towards Sunhwa. The little girl’s eyes brightened each time she took a bite, the fork looking a little big in her hands but she managed quite well on her own. The moment Jieun left, she was no longer interested in me. I had to admit, when she stared at me, it felt a little like a glare.

                “So you’re marrying Jieun?” Youngjae asked, looking at me seriously now. It’d been years since I last saw his face, but I remembered the expression he gave me perfectly. He only ever looked at me that way when he was disappointed.

                “Yes.” I hesitated, and he caught on quickly.

                “When we were younger, I heard her name often whenever you were around. When she introduced herself on the airplane as Song Jieun, I thought it was just a coincidence that they had the same name. And then I saw you here.” Youngjae explained, stealing a piece of the waffle from Sunhwa who chewed angrily at him. Youngjae was the heir to a construction company that originated in Seoul. His father was in charge of many construction plans involving the building of the first hotels for Song Jihoon’s company. In the economic sense, Jieun’s family owed a lot to Youngjae’s which helped them get such a kick start. We stopped hearing from them however, after Song Jihoon retired for health reasons. I remember Jieun’s father mentioning in frustration quite often, how the Yoo Construction Group was refusing all his partnership offers no matter what he put on the table. It was like they refused to negotiate with anyone other than Song Jihoon. It’s true that Jieun’s father is powerful, but in reality, there were people who had the upper hand around him. Youngjae’s family was one of them.

                “I want to congratulate you, Daehyun.” He paused, and I knew better than to say thank you to that. “But anyone can tell that there’s something wrong with this engagement.”

                “Yeah!” Sunhwa interrupted, her left cheek smeared with custard, “On the airplane when Jieun talked about her boyfriend, her face was red and hot! When she talked about you she looked… so… sad…” Sunhwa was frowning now, pushing the large plate of what she had leftover away from her. Talking about it made her lose her appetite so easily.  I was called out by a little girl; there was no doubt I felt dirty and guilty. It wasn’t my fault that Yongguk left, but it was my fault for not trying harder to keep him here. It was still my fault for letting Jieun’s father get his way for so long.

                “You’ve always been sharp in your observations.” I complimented. Youngjae waited patiently for me to continue. His eyes were neither condescending nor spiteful. “The man Jieun talked about on the airplane definitely wasn’t me.”

                “I knew it!” Youngjae shot Sunhwa a look and she immediately placed her hands over and sank back in her seat. I felt like I was in a court trial, waiting to be convicted guilty for a terrible crime.

                “Jieun’s not in love with me. The man she loves is named Bang Yongguk.” It hurt to admit everything, and I didn’t know how clearly I could give Youngjae the full story, but I told him everything related to Yongguk’s disappearance. Even Sunhwa looked like she could understand.

                “You can’t marry her!” Sunhwa pleaded after hearing the full story. I knew she was right.

                “I know, Sunhwa, I know.” I sighed. “But it’s already been decided.”

                “It seems like this marriage is something neither of you want.” Youngjae said, shaking his head in disapproval. At first it was something I want. It was what I spent my entire life wanting, but seeing it now, everything about it felt corrupt and wrong. I would step down if anyone gave me a chance. I would gladly give up what I had if Yongguk would just come waltzing back here. After everything that happened though, it’d be difficult. He wasn’t the type to go back after making a decision, and I had no way of contacting him anymore.

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                I grasped the navy box tightly in my hands as I sat in the driver’s seat of my car. I shook it, hearing barely a rattle, and then opened the lid. The pocket watch was beautiful and well-kept, undoubtedly one of its kind in the world. Jieun’s grandfather had given it to Yongguk in his dying will, and yet I possessed it now. The feeling was completely wrong, and I didn’t know how to make it right again. I took out the piece of cloth that padded the pocket watch inside the box to wipe off some dust and found a letter taped to the box’s bottom. It looked untouched.

                I pulled it off, carefully so that the tape wouldn’t rip the thin paper and then I unfolded it. The writing was incredibly neat—almost feminine—and it was written in heavy ink. Jieun’s family had a strange adoration of fountain pens and ink pens of those sorts. I compared the signature at the bottom to the signature on the back of the pocket watch, and they were practically identical. Had Jieun’s grandfather written this before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s?

                A guardian angel is not one who flees at the emergence of their flaws, but one who will stay to with their loved one despite imperfection. If they can protect out of love and not duty, then they are a guardian angel.

                My cell phone rang violently in the passenger seat.

                “Daehyun? This is terrible! I didn’t know who to call, but Yongguk was staying at my place after he left the hotel. When I came back from work today, there was a note on the table saying he went to Granville Street Bridge. The note said not to go find him!” Junior’s voice was frantic and his breath was heavy. I knew that this was probably one of my last chances to condone for everything I’d done wrong in my life. This was my only lead to where Yongguk was, and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do.

                I just hoped that this idiot wasn’t trying to kill himself by jumping off a bridge.

                “I’m going there right away, stay calm, alright? I’ll fill you in once I get there.” I hung up right after and shoved my key in the ignition. I wasn’t fond of speeding, but this was a dire situation. The hotel wasn’t too far from Granville Street Bridge. You can’t marry her! Sunhwa’s voice rang through my mind like a hypnotic message.

                “I won’t, Sunhwa. I promise. I’ll get Yongguk back…” I repeated as I drove, swerving violently through sudden lane changes, barely avoiding red street lights. When I got near the bridge, I slammed on my brakes and exited my car. It was still hard to see a distance from where I stood, but I had to believe Yongguk was still here. 

A/N: Okay MAYBE there might be an extra chapter... or I'll end it in the next chapter... still deciding (: I actually forgot about youngjae LOL but I did have the idea for him in my plot so when I remembered I had to write this chapter right away before I forgot again.