I lifted my head and wiped my eyes before they practically bugged out of my head.

                “Seung Hyun, what are you doing here?” I gasped.  “Young Bae?”  I cringed when Seung Hyun glared at me as he continued trying to catch his breath.

                “Nikki,” Young Bae gasped for air.  He held his hand up telling me to wait.  He took in one more deep breath and then heaved it out.  He gently moved Seung Hyun, who was still angrily trying to catch his breath, out of the way and stopped in front of me.  “You can’t leave.  You have no idea what’s going on.”

                “I talked to Yeon Soo.  She…” I began.

                “We overheard!” Seung Hyun interrupted.  “We were coming down the hall when we saw you and her together.  We eavesdropped.”

                “It didn’t sound right.  Seung Ri wouldn’t want to try to fix things with Yeon Soo when he has you,” Young Bae added.  “We talked to Seung Ri.”

                I shook my head.  “None of that matters,” I insisted.  “Seung Ri and Yeon Soo have been together for years.  I just met him.  I don’t speak Korean.  His dad thinks I’m trying to make him a girl.  They look good together.  I’m a foreigner.  A nomad for God’s sake.  I don’t know what I was thinking.”

                Seung Hyun growled deep in his throat and shoulder checked Young Bae out of his way.  He put his hands on my arms and stood me up, forcing me to look at him.  “None of that matters.  You said you were trying to learn Korean.  His mom likes you.  His dad will warm up to you.  You look good with him because of how happy he looks when he’s with you.  Why are you so quick to give up?  I am so sick of-”

                “Seung Hyun, chill,” Young Bae said soothingly.  Seung Hyun hung his head for a moment and let go of my arms.

                “Seung Ri isn’t a spontaneous, thoughtless person.  He’s a romantic, sure, but that just means he trusts his heart.  He follows it.  Just because he was with Yeon Soo for so long doesn’t mean he feels like they were ever meant to be.  He cares so much for you.  How can you not see that?”

                “Seung Ri said Yeon Soo was pretty angry when he told her that he wanted to work on his relationship with you,” Young Bae added.  “You didn’t get the whole story.  You misunderstood and ran.  I know you’re probably scared, but I think taking a chance with Seung Ri would make you really happy.  You’re lonely.  It shows in your eyes, but you don’t have to be if you stay with him.  Like he hopes you will.”

                Yeon Soo’s words came flooding back to me.  I had jumped to conclusions.

                So stupid.

                “Stop just standing there like that.  When we told Seung Ri that Dae Sung and Ji Yong told us they saw you running out of the hospital, the nurses almost had to restrain him.  You’re lucky it’s us who came to find you,” Seung Hyun told me.

                “They saw me leave?”

                Seung Hyun just glared at me.  “I hate running,” he muttered.

                So much for trying to be stealthy.  I smiled affectionately at the two boys in front of me.

                “I’m sorry,” I said bashfully.

                “We should get back before it starts raining harder,” Young Bae said offering me his elbow.  I took it and fell into step with him.  “Seung Hyun will kill you if he catches a cold.”

                I stifled a giggle.

                “I heard that,” a deep voice grumbled from behind us.

                Back at the hospital, the guys gave me some alone time with Seung Ri.  He was sitting up with his arms crossed over his chest.  He looked upset after I confessed what I was thinking after talking to Yeon Soo.  All my insecurities.  How afraid I was of, well, everything.

                “So why did you come back?” he finally asked.

                I’m pretty sure Seung Hyun would have either killed me or dragged me back by my hair, I thought immediately.  “I…wanted to,” I confessed.  “My thinking was all wrong.  You want to be with me.”

                “And you?”

                “I-I’m not perfect, but you were right about that whole heart thing.  My heart beats faster around you.  There’s no denying that.”

                He smirked.  “And?”

                “And what?”

                He sighed dramatically.  “And even though we haven’t known each other that long, you…” he trailed off, gesturing for me to finish.  “You what?”

                “Even though we haven’t known each other that long, I love you.  I want to be with you.  I want to stay in Seoul with you.”  I could feel my cheeks turning fire red.  “If you want that is.”

                “You should already know I love you,” he grumbled.  “My heart proved it first.”

                “I’m sorry.”

                He huffed.  “So you’ll stay in Seoul for a while longer?  After my military service is over or after your contract is up, if you decide to finish teaching here, maybe we can go to the US?  If you want to go home?”

                I smiled lightly at him.  “Home is wherever you are now.”

                “Ah, good answer,” he sang softly.  “Trying to make it up to me, I see?  Not good enough.”  I hopped up onto his bed and sat on my legs, hugging him from the side.  He groaned agonizingly.  “My muscles still hurt.  Can I get that massage now?”  He batted his eyes at me.  I giggled and moved to sit behind him.  “You know, the kind that makes me moan,” he added, pointing to the back of his neck.  I swatted at his hand and shoved the backs of his shoulders.

                “Seung Ri!”

                “I’m not going to massage you if you’re going to be like that,” I warned him.

                He glanced back at me, smiling arrogantly.  “I can think of other ways for you to make me moan…”

                Swallowing the embarrassed gasp I felt in my throat, I quickly began kneading the muscles in his shoulders.