5 YEARS LATER…

ChaeShin Palace was beautifully decorated with red roses and violets scattered on a light pink background…visitors from the highest rungs of the society were already pouring inside the vastly manicured gardens…

“You look so beautiful, Chae Won”, Shinhye said as she was looking at Chae Won who was wearing a princess cut wedding gown. Her long hair streamed down her back…she was wearing her emerald engagement ring and emerald drop earrings as her accessories. She paired her wedding gown with six-inch black stilletos. She had a light make up and her scar was completely gone.

“Thank you, Shinhye”, Chae Won said as tears of happiness fell from her eyes.

“I wish you all the happiness, Chae Won”, Shinhye said.

“The same with you, Shinhye, I’m so happy for you since you’re pregnant again”, Chae Won said as she looked at Shinhye’s bulging tummy. Shinhye was five months pregnant again…it would be her second child with Yonghwa.  

“We are so blessed, Chae Won, I’m so glad that happiness finally found you; too”, Shinhye said.

“I never thought I would still be happy like this…after what happened to me with Il Woo…then with Joong Ki…I never thought that I could find happiness with Si Hoo”, Chae Won said.

“Do you love Si Hoo?” Shinhye asked.

“I love him so much, Shinhye, after Joong Ki threw me like dirt he saved my life and made me believe that I could be happy again”, Chae Won replied.

“Do you still love Joong Ki?” Shinhye asked.

“He’ll always have a special place in my heart and I already forgave him for what he did to me in the past but just like what he told me five years ago…he said that he could never come back to where we originally started so the only thing left is to move forward with my life and to start loving myself more”, Chae Won replied.

“Let’s go, Chae Won, you’re groom’s waiting for you”, Shinhye said.

They went to the door and descended towards the garden where Shi Hoo was waiting at the altar with the minister and Yonghwa as his bestman.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Joong Ki was rushing from the airport…he was with his four year old son, Jong Shin.

“Dad, I’m tired already”, Jong Shin complained as they were walking past the arrival area.

“Just a minute more, Jong Shin”, Joong Ki said as he hauled his son up in his arms as he pushed the cart of their lauggages.

Jessica died three years ago because of a car accident and during that time he spent almost two years taking care of his son while working at NYPD but after he watched the announcement that Chae Won was getting married with Si Hoo he decided that he wanted to be back in Chae Won’s life after years of leaving her and neglecting her…he realized that he wanted her back…

“Good morning, sir”, his driver said.

“Good morning, let’s go to ChaeShin Palace”, Joong Ki said as he and his daughter rode the car.

They arrived at ChaeShin Palace at exactly 30 minutes due to the traffic as he was getting out of the car with his son…

I now pronounce you, husband and wife, Si Hoo you may now kiss your bride”, the minister said.

Si Hoo lifted the Belgian lace and kissed Chae Won passionately amidst the cheers of everyone invited…

“I present to you…Mr. and Mrs. Park Si Hoo”, the minister intoned as everyone clapped their hands and congratulated them.

Joong Ki felt like crying…he felt like he wanted to beat himself senseless for being so foolish as to let go of Chae Won. After everyone was done with the picture taking…he approached Chae Won and Si Hoo…

“Congratulations!” Joong Ki said as he extended his hand to Si Hoo.

“Thank you. Darling, you speak with him”, Si Hoo told Chae Won who looked surprised with what her husband told him to do.

“Si Hoo, darling…” Chae Won said.

“I’ll be with our other guests”, Si Hoo said as he bowed and left.

Chae Won nodded and she went with Joong Ki at the side…

“Hi”, Joong Ki said.

“Hi’, Chae Won replied.

“You look beautiful…it’s the second time I saw you being a wife to another man”, Joong Ki said.

“I would have been your bride years ago but you left me”, Chae Won said.

“I’m sorry”, Joong Ki said.

“You have a handsome son. She looked like a mixture of you and Jessica”, Chae Won said.

“Jong Shin is a handsome child he took more from his mother. Jessica died three years ago in New York”, Joong Ki replied.

“I’m sorry to hear that”, Chae Won said.

“I love you still, Chae Won, despite all those years I love you still”, Joong Ki said as tears fell from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Joong Ki”, Chae Won said as tears also misted her eyes.

“I want to start all over again, Chae Won. Please, give me the chance”, Joong Ki pleaded.

“I must admit that you will always be special in my heart but I love Si Hoo now since he helped me start again after you decided to leave me. I’m so sorry, Joong Ki, and goodbye”, Chae Won said.

“Chae Won, I hope that in our next life we’ll meet again so that I can prove to you how sorry I am and how much I love you”, Joong Ki said.

“I can’t decide for that, Joong Ki, only fate would”, Chae Won said as she turned her back the way Joong Ki turned his back on her years ago. She went to where Si Hoo was and embraced him while Joong Ki cried and realized what he lost. He still had his towering pride which sheltered him years ago but inside that tower of pride was a lonely man…

“If only I could turn back the hands of time…” Joong Ki said as tears fell from his eyes.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“So you did not fight for her, granddad?” Shin asked his grandfather Joong Ki.

“I didn’t, Shin, I let her go and I live a sad life…a very sad life”, Joong Ki replied.

“So you’re story is not a happy ending?” Shin asked.

“Those two sisters live happy lives…Shinhye and Yonghwa have four children and Chae Won and Si Hoo have three. They live happy lives”, Joong Ki replied.

“But how about you, granddad?” Shin asked.

“I live a life filled with regrets as I realized how wrong I was when I left her years ago”, Joong Ki said.

“So you do not live a happy ever after life?” Shin asked again.

“Shin, life, love and happy ever afters are how we make them. I don’t have one because I turned my back from having one”, Joong Ki said.

“I’ll be at the playground when you need me granddad”, Shin said.

“Okay, I’ll just sleep for a while”, Joong Ki replied.

Joong Ki woke up after three hours…he went to look for Shin at the playground when he saw Shin helping a young girl his age.

“Does it hurt?” Shin asked the young girl.

“Yes…but thank you for helping me”, the girl replied.

“By the way, I’m Song Shin”, Shin introduced himself.

“I’m Park Chae Ryung”, the girl said.

Joong Ki saw the girl and he realized that she looked familiar…she looked like Chae Won.

“Chae Ryung, Chae Ryung”, someone called the girl and when Joong Ki looked at where the familiar voice was coming it was Chae Won already old like him…she was with Si Hoo and Shinhye and Yonghwa. He approached them…

“Hi”, Joong Ki greeted them.

“Hi”, they said as they smiled at him.

“Grandmom, granddad, I met a kind boy who helped me when I hurt my knee on the ground”, Chae Ryung said as she approached pulling Shin towards the elders.

“Shin is my grandson”, Joong Ki said.

“Really! What a nice young boy”, Shinhye said while Yonghwa shook hands with Shin and praised him…Si Hoo did the same.

“What brought you here?” Joong Ki asked.

“We’re here to pick Chae Ryung. Her cousins are already inside the van. We’ll go for a vacation in Jeju Island”, Shi Hoo replied.

“Joong Ki, we’ll go ahead”, Yonghwa said.

“Shin, we’ll go now…can we see each other again?” Chae Ryung asked.

“Of course…I’ll wait for you here”, Shin replied.

After the group left, Shin and Joong Ki were walking towards Song Mansion.

“Granddad, I like Chae Ryung”, Shin said.

“You just met her awhile ago”, Joong Ki said.

“I really like her; granddad, and someday when I grow up I’ll marry her”, Shin said.

“I bet you will, Shin, I bet you will”, Joong Ki said as he smiled.

He realized that his happy ending with Chae Won did not really die after all…for they might not be together but their love would live on to Chae Ryung and Shin…

“Chae Won, it looks like Chae Ryung like Shin”, Shinhye commented as they listened to Chae Ryung telling Si Hoo about Shin.

“Maybe the love that I and Joong Ki had was not meant for the two of us in our time instead it is for our grandchildren to have”, Chae Won said as she smiled at Shinhye.

“Maybe fate has decided this time”, Shinhye said as she embraced her sister…

They felt so happy and blessed for they believed that the tale of their lives would continue happily through their grandchildren who loved them and whom they loved. The sky was amazingly blue that day and despite the cold…they felt that a brighter and happier future was ahead of them for as long as they live….

Hi everyone! This is the final chapter of The Tale of Two Sisters. I would like to express my gratitude to those who read, subscribed and commented on my story. Maybe most of you did not expect this ending but just like what I wrote in my last long note in chapter 24, I do not have the complete control over Chae Won's character as well as Joong Ki's even the time when I inserted the character of Si Hoo is not in my plan when I started writing this story. For Shinhye and Yonghwa's characters I know that theirs was a perfect love story...but for Chae Won...I thought as I was writing along...how could such a heartbroken and self sacrifcing person find happiness? I really thought of ending the story with her being back with Joong Ki...it was on my mind because it is the conventional way on how this story should end...but as I reviewed the past chapters that I wrote...I realized with all the hurt Chae Won experienced and the towering pride that Joong Ki showed would there be a touch of reality if I still let them end up together? So, I raked my brains and only one thing came up I wanted Chae Won to be happy just like Shinhye I wanted her to be happy at the end of this story. So, again I raked my brains for suitable last minute additional characters and thought why not insert the character of Park Si Hoo since the two of them also had great chemistry when they did The Princess' Man in KBS. Honestly, dear readers, I can only now realize that Shinhye for me could be paired with anyone but she could only be ideal for Yonghwa...they were my OTP since His Beautiful and Heartstrings but as for Chae Won I can imagine pairing her with leading men like Song Joong Ki, Park Si Hoo, Jung Il Woo and even Lee Min Ho...please don't be angry at me I really am a ChaeKi fan but also I am a WonHoo fan or simply put it I am a fan of Moon Chae Won whoever she would be paired with...For those who did not like the ending of my story...from the bottom of my heart again I am so sorry. I hope you would still find it in your heart to read any future stories that I would be writing. Again, thank you so much for all your support and encouragement which inspired me to finish The Tale of Two Sisters....