"Welcome home MiRae!" The entire room of guests chanted as I stood dumbfounded. I wasn't sure how to react, I was genuinely surprised and very touched, but a little irritated because I had planned on a quiet night with my four favorite guys. 

"Say something babe." Jiyong whispered as he attempted to pull me into the room further. "Babe, this is your welcome home party, say something." 

"I - I - thank you." Was all I managed to get out as I slowly walked in and took in the people that were here to see me.

"Noona!" I heard a familiar voice yell, a voice that, thankfully, got me out of my dumbfounded state and helped me to finally wake up and put faces on the bodies in front of me. "Noo-na, noo-na..." Daesung chanted as he approached me. "Noona, get your cute self over here and hug your smiling angel." He finally said, pulling me into a hug. 

"Dae!" I finally yelled out and hugged him tightly. 

"Noona, I am so very happy you are home! It's daebak!" He laughed as we continued to hug.

"How was Japan, you must tell me all about it?" I said pulling away, but still holding his hands. Jiyong had wandered towards the bar area and was talking up Teddy and Choice.

"No, he isn't telling you anything, until I get my hug." Seungri said pulling me away from Daesung.

"I've hugged you like a million times Ri, let me hug other people." I laughed.

"Aniyo...aniyo aniyo aniyo. You are going to hug me, because you scared the out of me when you fainted. So hug me and prove you are ok." He smiled a very devilish smile. I launched at him and hugged him tightly, him picking me up and twirling me around. "Aigoo, noona, never scare me like that again. Too many..."

"Stress...yes Ri, I know..I know. I'm sorry. Now can I go say hi to everyone? Please?" I said, as he put me down and pulled away.

"Of course, you are the guest of honor noona!" 

I smiled as I looked around the room at the many faces of people that I hadn't seen or spoken too in months. Before I could go and say hi to anyone, Jiyong was beside me and getting everyones attention.

"Excuse me, hello, everyone...I'd like to say something." He yelled, pulling me close to him with his right arm around my waist, a drink in his left hand. 

"What the hell are you doing Jiyong." I whispered.

He just smirked in continued. "I want to extend to you all my gratitude for coming tonight to help celebrate the return of our prodigal girl. When she left 6 months ago, I know she left many of us confused and missing her, but now, now this beautiful vision beside me is back and it's time to celebrate. It's been a long 6 months for me, I know, waiting for her to return. I think most of you know, but I have loved her for a very long time. I am happy to announce that she's seen the light and we are officially together!"

The room erupted with applause and many sighs of "finally" or "it's about time." I just smiled and shyly stood there, not loving the extra attention drawn to me in that moment. "Jiyong, can you end this." I whispered again, smiling a fake smile.

"So, will you all please help me do the honor of applauding our lost girl and welcoming her home with this party I worked so very hard to plan. MiRae" He began turning to me. "This one is for you." He passed his glass over Taeyang beside him and I heard the beats to "This Love" come over the speakers. Before I could grasp what was happening, Jiyong was serenading me and the whole room was filled with sweet "oohs and ahhs." After he was done singing to me, he smiled and wrapped his arms around me. "Welcome home baby." He said, kissing me. "Go, go say hi to your friends." 

Before letting go, I hugged him tightly and kissed his neck. "Thank you for this Ji, thank you." I said, meaning it with the most sincerity in the world. I hate surprises, but this one meant a lot to me, because I was so afraid that people wouldn't accept me back. I think I was mostly dumbfounded at the amount of people and variety of people that had shown up, I had forgotten how many friends I actually did have here in Seoul.

"Ah, babe, its nothing. Now, go..go mingle." He said, letting go and pushing me away sweetly. I stopped and looked around, seeing face after face of people that I loved and missed dearly. After a moment to collect my thoughts I headed over to a table that was filled, to my surprise, with my Running Man cast mates.  

"MIRAE-AH!!!" They all yelled in time, as if they had rehearsed it. 

"You guys came? I'm I'm...oh my god, you all are here." I said, as I worked my way around the table hugging each member beginning with JiHyo. 

"You need to come back, you know? I need another girl to go up against." She smiled as we hugged each other tightly.

The next three where Jong Kook, Gary and HaHa. Each one hugged me tightly offering me words of encouragement and love. 

"MiRae." Gary said smiling. "I hear you're looking for a new label to sign with, you should look into mine Jungle Entertainment. You know Yoon MiRae and Tiger JK? MFBTY? They are a part of my label, I think you would fit in nicely, I could teach you the ropes." 

"Gary, thanks, they were on my list actually. I have to work on my demo still, but who knows, maybe I will end up your label mate." I smiled, not really sure about my singing at the moment, too overwhelmed with the amount of people to say hi to. 

I finished my way around the table, hugging the remaining cast and some producers and cameramen, finally ending up at JaeSuk. 

"MiRae!" He smiled, standing up and hugging me. "Oh how you have been missed around the set." 

"Jaesuk-sshi, I am so glad to hear that." I said letting go of our hug and pulling back.

"Come back to us." He smiled. "Come back and be on the show again." 

"I-I-I don't know if I can. I have a lot to do and I feel like, like maybe I messed up my chances with the audience loving me and I don't know if they would want me back."

"I do. I know they do." Jaesuk said, pulling out a box from under the table. 

"What is this?" I said confused. 

"Just a portion of the fan mail that you still to this day receive. We get letter after letter asking why you left and requesting you back. MiRae, you captured hearts, you are loved...come back to us." He smiled. 

"Listen, JaeSuk-sshi, I will talk to you more about this later, I should go say hi to more people!" I smiled and hugged him again before moving on to greet others that had come. 

I worked my way around the room, saying hi to many YG staffs and artists. I couldn't even begin to count the amount of people that I had hugged in such a short amount of time, but I was grateful for each face I saw and each hug I got, I felt happy and excited to be home, more so then I had in the past couple of days. I found my way to another table, where I was greeted by some of my closest girl friends. 

"EunMi!" I yelled out as I saw the face of my friend that I had met through Top, Jaejoong's girlfriend.

"MiRae!" she yelled, standing up and hugging me. 

"Where's Jae?" I asked. 

"Oh somewhere...we aren't together anymore."

"Oh, Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I-I didn't know."

"No worries, it was amicable and we are good friends. So you finally it up and realized you loved GD huh?" She said laughing.

I rolled my eyes and laughed back. "Yah, he's kinda got this power over me...damn him." 

As I continued to talk to EunMi, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Jiyong waving me towards him.

"Ah, girl, I gotta go see what the boyfriend needs. I'll find you again soon...ok?" I said smiling and hugging her again before heading towards Jiyong.

"What?" I asked kind of rudely.

"Come with me a sec." He smiled, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room and into another sitting room, where more people were gathered. "Close your eyes." 

"What? Wae?" I asked.

"I have a surprise for you, close your eyes, babe. Please? Jebal?" He smiled.

"For lords sake Jiyong, I am tired of having to close my eyes all the time." I laughed but obeyed. 

"Ok, stay here and wait a minute...you will hear a voice..signaling your surprise." He said. 

"Wait you are leaving?" I asked, only to realize, yes he was indeed leaving and had left already. It sounded like the room had gotten quiet, like no one was left. "You've got to be ing kidding me." I said standing there annoyed and feeling like a fool. 

"Who's kidding you?" I heard a voice say from behind me. A voice I hadn't heard in what seemed like years.

"Anneyong, who's there." I said, my heart racing at the thought of who I might have just heard.

"Just me." she said. "Just..."

"Karin!" I interrupted and opened my eyes turning around to see the face of my friend, the friend I had figured I would never ever talk to again.

"Hi Deni!" She smiled.

"KARIN!!! Oh my god, Karin!" I yelled running up to her and hugging her. "What, what are you doing here? I mean, wae? And I thought you would never speak to me again." I said, still hugging her tightly. Karin was so important to me, but I knew I had hurt her deeply and I was sure our friendship was over. So to see her standing there and hear her voice, surprised me.

"Come, lets sit and talk!" She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the couch.

"I-I-I can't believe you are here. I really thought I'd never see you or talk to you again? How are you? Are you ok?"

"Deni, you don't look healthy." She said, completely avoiding my questions.

"What kind of welcome is that?" I said irritated.

"You're too skinny, is there something wrong, are you sick?" She started, finally flat out asking the question I had avoided from Jiyong. "Do you have an eating disorder?" 

"What, no. Ainyo, of course not." I lied. "I just worked hard at losing weight. That's all."

"I don't believe you Deni. Jiyong is worried about you, he called me up a couple days ago, told me about the incident with Dara and how you had fainted and were in the hospital. Deni, he's worried about you...he asked me to come, because he knows I can get through to you." 

"Karin, I swear, I swear I am ok. And it's MiRae now, not Deni. Please don't call me Deni." I said leaning back on the couch from annoyance.

"Fine, MiRae, but if there is something wrong, you can talk to me." She smiled.

"Ah, Kar, you always knew me too well. Listen, I promise, I will tell you, but there is nothing wrong, I am fine." I smiled, knowing in my head I was just lying and making it worse. Karin knew, she wasn't stupid, she was my best friend at one point and could read me better than even Jiyong. And even though she knew, she also knew not to push me, because she knew how that would hurt me inside. 

"Well, enough about that. I missed you Den...I mean MiRae." She said.

"I missed you too. I am so sorry I just up and left with no real word. I-I-I I just couldn't face everything. You know, losing Top was a spear in my heart, realizing my feelings for Jiyong didn't help, I had to figure things out."

"I understand."

"You and Seungri..what happened there?" I asked.

"We are just friends and it's for the best. I moved back to France for a few months, but ended up back here...working as a dancer. I am happy now, have a new amazing guy and a nice little life."

"Thats wonderful." I smiled.

"And you...you MiRae, you finally allowed yourself to love The Leader." She smiled and giggled.

"That I did. Look, he even gave me a couples ring." I said, showing off my new gorgeous piece of jewelry.

"You're all in? right?" She asked.

"What? What kind of question is that? Of course I am. Karin, I know I was stupid in denying my feelings for so long and even more of an idiot for leaving, but I came back, because I wanted to be with him. I needed to. I hate the way I love him, yet, I love the way I love him. I've never in my life felt more love and more passion, I'd be a complete idiot to let that pass by."

"Good...because he needs you, just as much as you need him." 

"Wae?"

"Whether you understand it or not, you are his rock and you are the only person that can get him through this dark times. I watched him try to turn to Dara, only to have him call me often to tell me he could only be ok with you. You two are like magnets, you can only attract each other. I saw it when you were with Top and even now I see it. You guys have an insane love...so don't hurt him."

"Why would I hurt him Kar? I love him, I know our love is deep and insane. Hell, I am even writing a song about it. Our love is like oxygen to each other, we need each other to breathe."

"Just, don't hide from him, don't hide your from him. OK?"

"Oh...oooohhhh." I said, understanding now, what she meant.

"I know you enough to know you are sick and have some eating disorder. Leader, he thinks you do, but is doing his bet to deny it, not wanting to believe it, because you haven't admitted it. I'm telling you MiRae, don't hide this from him. He will walk through this with you."

"And how do you know that Karin?" I said, standing up ready to end this conversation.

"Because, MiRae, he told me. When you were in the hospital and he called me, he was beside himself. The doctor had mentioned the possibility of an eating disorder to him. I have never heard him cry so hard and have never seen him worry so much. I told him to talk to you, to give you chance to open up and asked him point blank if he could handle this..."

"Yah...and?" I said.

"And he said that there was nothing he wouldn't do to fix you. So I am telling you, MiRae, as a friend, DO NOT hide from him, let him in completely. Trust me, you need him to be in completely."

"I'll talk to him about it later, not tonight." I finally said. "Listen, I should go mingle, you coming?" 

"Yah...MiRae...give him your all. ok?" She said, linking her arm in mine.

"Kar, are we, ok?" I smiled.

"Yes! I love you and we are ok. Now, let's go get the party started."