To be honest, Ji Hyo felt comfortable in Joong Ki’s hug. She really wished they were Jong Kook’s strong arms, but she didn’t mind after all. She just needed someone she could share her feelings with, someone she could trust with her whole heart. Silently she kept on crying, pressing her face on his chest. She knew she would make Joong Ki’s shirt wet, but she also knew that he would be fine with that.

Joong Ki-ah. Mianhe. I drag you into this.

Joong Ki felt surprised when Ji Hyo suddenly tightened her grip. But it didn’t take him that long to realize what Ji Hyo was trying to tell him.

“Noona, I’m here. Don’t worry, you can count on me.” He said softly as he moved his hand to her hair.

Slowly Ji Hyo looked up to face Joong Ki, showing her messed up face. She was touched by her dongsaeng’s words.

“Joong Ki-ah, do you think I made the right decision?” Spontaneously she asked him blankly.

If only she knew that Joong Ki had a crush for her, she surely wouldn’t ask that kind of question. Joong Ki himself was really confused. Honestly his hyung and noona’s breakup gave him an opportunity to chase for Ji Hyo. If he was cruel enough, he absolutely would answer yes, but the flower boy himself wasn’t sure with his answer. Seeing his hyung and noona’s love for each other made him want to scream. They were a perfect couple and he had no right to ruin their relationship.

“I…. I don’t know noona. It’s your decision; you’re the one who have to decide whether it is right or not.” Hesitantly he said, afraid of his own feelings. Afraid of lying to her.

“Can you just answer yes or no?” Ji Hyo placed back his head on Joong Ki’s chest, clearly disappointed with his answer.

Joong Ki was actually on an uncomfortable standing position. He had to adjust his body with Ji Hyo’s height and that quite suffered him. Slightly he changed his standing position. But any body movement could annoy Ji Hyo at that time. Softly she hit Joong Ki’s arm, telling him not to move.

“Yah, stop moving!” She grumbled as she removed the tears on her cheek using the back of her hand.

“Yah, it’s my body, l can do anything I want!!” Joong Ki rubbed his arms right away, trying to hold the pain back.

Ji Hyo was taken aback by Joong Ki’s statement. She quickly looked at the distance between them, realizing how close they were at that time. Shyly she pulled her body away from him. Yah, what was I thinking? That was obviously too intimate for a noona and dongsaeng relationship. Blushed because what happened earlier, she looked away.

Joong Ki was aware with that sudden change of behavior that Ji Hyo made. He quickly turned his body away as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Yah that was awkward.” He chuckled embarrassedly. Ji Hyo only responded with an awkward laughter that made everything felt even odder.

“That was really out of place. Mianhe noona, I was rude.” He continued as he bowed his head down gently for an apology.

Seeing the flower boy acting so gentlemanly, Ji Hyo couldn’t help but burst out into a real laughter. He really had grown up. My Joong Ki used to be a naïve boy who likes to joke around about almost everything. The past Joong Ki wouldn’t act like this just because of a hug. He wouldn’t take that this seriously. She might realize something, but she didn’t suspect anything about Joong Ki’s feeling for her. Ji Hyo was being a Mong Ji as usual.

“Yah what are you talking about? You’re so cute now Joong Ki-ah.” The sudden statement made Joong Ki blushed. There were lots of girls who called him cute, but this particular girl made his heart raced faster than usual. He looked away again, afraid that Ji Hyo might see his cheek reddened.

Fortunately, Ji Hyo didn’t even get a clue about that.

After losing her momentum, Ji Hyo decided that she didn’t want to go to a café anymore. She chose staying at home rather than facing public with her messed up face. So they spent their day sitting on the sofa, watching some scifi movies. She used to watch variety shows with Jong Kook, so this was one of her way to forget him. Well it didn’t work, she still couldn’t forget him.

It was good for Joong Ki to see his noona laughed again. He didn’t regret driving all the way to Ji Hyo’s place to see that beautiful smile. After all he was grateful that he could make her happy again.

Sun started to disappear from the sky. Time had reached its limit and it was time for Joong Ki to come back home. His manager had been calling for like 3 times since afternoon and he felt guilty for not answering any one of them. He politely excused himself.

 “Noona, I need to go back now. Is it alright if I left you alone?” He said as he stood up from his sit during the film.

“Yah what am I to you? I’m not a little kid, pabo.” She frowned as she turned her eyes back to the tv.

“I didn’t mean to say so noona. Okay I guess I’ll show myself the way out.” He said sarcastically because Ji Hyo didn’t even bother to look at him when he was about to leave.

“Joong Ki-ah, don’t you want to stay a little bit longer? The movie hasn’t finished yet.” Finally she looked up to face him from where she sat. Being alone—and especially lonely—for 2 days were not fun at all. Her manager unnie was on a far away island together with Chang Joo and she had no friends who could accompany her. Basically because she had no friend at all. There was no way she would want to ask Gwang Soo to stay with her.

“Noona, my manager has been looking for me. I would be a total jerk if I keep on ignoring his phone call.”

“Okay okay.” She finally stood up from her seat and smiled at him reluctantly.

 She led him to the front door and opened it for him. She really wished he could stay a bit longer but there was no way she could hold him back for leaving her alone. Joong Ki somehow caught Ji Hyo’s disappointment. The younger man tried to assure her that he would be there for her.

“Noona, come on, don’t be sad. Look, if you call me, I’ll go straight back here, okay?” Joong Ki stepped out from the door. He kept on looking at Ji Hyo’s eyes caringly.

“Yah what happen to you, little boy? You’re so cheesy today.” She said jokingly and let out a chuckling sound.

Hearing the words ‘little boy’ made him want to shook Ji Hyo’s head and confess his feelings. He wanted her to realize that he wasn’t a little boy anymore. She wanted to tell her that she loved her more than an elder sister.

“I’m not a little boy anymore noona.” Flatly he said that. However Ji Hyo didn’t think of that as a serious statement.

“Yah Joong Ki-ah, you’re so cute.” She said laughingly.

 Ji Hyo didn’t expect that Joong Ki’s lips would end up on her cheek. No, not a single thought about that came to her mind. She was taken aback when Joong Ki’s face suddenly moved closer to hers. But she was even more taken aback when his warm lips were pressed against her skin. It didn’t feel like the kiss she once had with him during a running man’s early episode. It felt different. It felt more passionate.

It was just a kiss on the cheek but it made Ji Hyo’s heart beat faster than usual. Butterflies appeared on her tummy and that made her feel weird. Her mind told her that it wasn’t right to feel that way but her heart couldn’t help. Slowly she closed her eyes before she opened it again only to find Joong Ki looking down hesitantly.

“Mianhe. See you later noona.” The shy boy quickly turned his head away and ran to his car.

Ji Hyo was still paralyzed by the kiss. She didn’t know what the real meaning of the kiss was, but she knew there was something different about Joong Ki that day. She started to think of him as a man rather than as a little brother. She sighed before she went back into her house, not noticing that the kiss broke a man’s heart apart.

Jong Kook slowly took a step back in disbelief. It never came across his mind that his dongsaeng would kiss his ex-girlfriend.  From how Joong Ki acted, he quickly realized that the younger man liked Ji Hyo. He didn’t know how to feel or how to act. A possibility came into his mind. A possibility that Ji Hyo might have cheated on him so she broke up with him. Jong Kook couldn’t decide which one destroyed him faster, his anger, his sadness or his disappointment.

But the something reminded him of the past. He started to playback time as he remembered that Joong Ki had told him about his crush once. Now it all made sense. Joong Ki loved Ji Hyo. His dongsaeng had been in love with her far before he started dating Ji Hyo. There was a feeling of guilt in Jong Kook’s heart. He realized that he had taken Ji Hyo from Joong Ki.

Suffering because of his own action, Jong Kook kept an eye on Ji Hyo and Joong Ki from afar. The more he observed, the more he caught the details, the more he knew what was going on. From Ji Hyo’s surprised expression, he knew that she had not cheated on him. And from the way Joong Ki blushed, he knew how sad Joong Ki’s love life was. He knew how much his dongsaeng suffered. And the hardest reality was knowing that he was one of the biggest reason of Joong Ki’s suffering.

There was no way he could forgive himself for hurting the flower boy. But there was also no way he could forget his love for Ji Hyo. He walked back to his car, trying to bury his intention of seeing the ace. He tried to forget all the reason why he came to her place. And one more thing, he promised himself he wouldn’t go there anymore.

Truthfully it was the second time he went to Ji Hyo’s place after the breakup. In the previous night, he had decided not to knock her door. He came up with a million excuses, but it all came back to a conclusion. He was afraid of meeting her. He was afraid that he might lose his mind again.

Actually he didn’t really understand why Ji Hyo wanted to break up with him. However he assumed that he had hurt him too much that she couldn’t stand him anymore. With that reason he chose to stay away from her.

Jong Kook drove back to his house. He kept on thinking about what happened earlier. For several times he stole a look at his phone, thinking whether calling Joong Ki was a good decision or not. He ended up doing nothing though. Then Ji Hyo’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Oppa…”

That word kept on showing up in his head. He couldn’t get it out of his brain; he also didn’t want it to get out of his brain after all. He missed her beautiful voice so much that it kept on appearing when it was least expected.

Tiredly he stretched out his body on his bed, covered with a cold sheet of blanket. He could hear the faint sound of the night rain from a distance.  It starts raining again. I better go to sleep. I need some sleep. He said to himself as he reluctantly closed his eyes.

“Oppa… wake up…”

Slowly—really slowly—Jong Kook tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt really heavy and he wished he could sleep a little bit longer. But he was dying to see the owner of the voice. He knew it so well, it was Ji Hyo’s.

“It’s raining again, oppa. Let’s go outside!!”

He saw her perfect figure standing next to his bed. He made a single movement to touch her cheek. He wanted to touch that skin really bad.

“Ji Hyo-ah, have you ever love me?”

“What are you talking about, oppa? I’ve always loved you. I love you. Just like what you said to me before:  Aieru, Je t’aime, wo ai ni, aku cinta kamu. In every language. Saranghae oppa…” She smiled so beautifully that it made Jong Kook paralyzed.

Even though it felt so real, Jong Kook knew that it was just a dream. He knew that well. He just didn’t want to be awake yet. Hopingly he placed his hand behind Ji Hyo’s neck and pulled her closer for a kiss. That was the part when he was awake.

Disappointedly Jong Kook looked around his bedroom. He wished he could find Ji Hyo somewhere, but it was only a wishful thinking. He heard the sound of the rain falling hard from outside. Just by hearing the sound he knew that there was a storm.

“Oppa…”

He heard Ji Hyo’s sound again in his mind. This time, she sounded really desperate. Without thinking further, Jong Kook changed his clothes with a t-shirt and jeans. Quickly he grasped everything that he thought he might be needed. The commander walked fast to the front door. Before he left, he tucked himself in a warm leather jacket.

It was almost midnight and he found himself driving to Ji Hyo’s house. He knew he might be considered insane for doing that, but for the sake of love he didn’t mind. With a hope that he could reach Ji Hyo’s place as soon as possible, he leaned on the gas. However the rain made it hard for him to see the traffic condition. There were not much car on the road but it was still too dangerous for him to go in full speed.

Suddenly he saw a bright light coming toward him. There was a motorcycle going from the opposite direction. Jong Kook didn’t know why but somehow he was afraid. He was afraid that he would not see Ji Hyo anymore.

“Oppa, I’m so happy that it’s finally over. We can be together now.” She said laughingly as she held Jong Kook’s arms so tight.

“Yah, this is just one of many obstacles, you know.”

“Yes, but at least for now we can get together, right?” Ji Hyo smiled even more widely. They were walking animatedly toward Jong Kook’s car which was parked in front of the house’s yard.

“I didn’t say I want to be with you, Mong Ji.”Jong Kook stopped in front of the big tree. He made a blank expression, wanting to piss Ji Hyo off. Suddenly Ji Hyo loosened her grip and pouted.

“Come on, oppa is just joking around. I like seeing your cute expression.” He softly pinched Ji Hyo’s cheek, making her burst into laughter.

“Oppa, do you think we can stay like this forever?”

“Honestly, nope.” Jong Kook said straightforwardly as he stared at the big tree’s leaves.

“Yah, you’re too honest oppa. Can you be a little more romantic? You’re really frustrating.” She walked fast to the car, leaving Jong Kook on where he stood. But before she could get away any farther, Jong Kook took her wrist, asking her to stay.

“Do you know the story behind this tree? It was a gift from my appa to my eomma. It almost died when I was a kid. I was really afraid that if the tree died, my eomma wouldn’t love appa anymore. But then eomma said, even if the tree died, her love for appa wouldn’t die. The tree is just something to symbolize their love.” For a moment Jong Kook stopped talking. He stared silently at the tree.

“Our relationship is the same. Even if it doesn’t work out, I won’t stop giving you all my love. In this case, our relationship is just something to symbolize our love, Ji Hyo-ah.” He looked straight into Ji Hyo’s eyes as soon as he finished his sentence. There was a long silence before Ji Hyo broke it.

“That’s it?” She asked in disbelief. Jong Kook thought she would be deeply touched with his words, but she didn’t seem like. She was having that blank look on her face. It was an unreadable expression but from the way she looked at him, he assumed that she wasn’t pleased by his confession.

“Yes…” He hesitantly answered, afraid that Ji Hyo thought his words were absurd.

Then there was a long silence again.

“It’s beautiful oppa. I’m quite amused.” She smiled sweetly as she placed her head on his shoulder.

That was the day when Jong Kook’s appa gave them his blessing. It was the first day they officially dated. Moreover, it was the day that Jong Kook would never forget.

The flashback happened in a blink of an eye. Remembering the moment made him feel like he wanted to live longer. But the motorcycle kept on moving toward his car in a full speed. Soon enough he knew he was going to crash. His heartbeat raced faster. Faster and faster and even faster and then suddenly stopped for a moment.

“Oppa, where are you?” Again he heard Ji Hyo’s voice.

It all went silence. It all went in slow motion.

Then he started to hear his heavy breath and loud sound of his heartbeat again. Slowly he felt like his heart would stop beating due to how hard it worked.  

Along with the 11^th strong beating rhythm of his heart, Jong Kook sounded the car’s horn as he turned the steering wheel to avoid hitting the other vehicle. The loud sound somehow made the other driver gained his consciousness. It seemed like the he was drunk or something. Fortunately, in that very short second, the motorcycle driver managed to successfully change his direction. That was the moment he knew that he wasn’t going to crash.

And that was also the moment he knew that Ji Hyo was never his to keep.  

A/N: So.... I'm sure there are so many errors here. As usual, I never reread my story.

By the way, I didn't plan it to be like this. I actually wanted Jong Kook to meet Ji Hyo, but I guess I have to delay it until the next chapter :) Don't forget to leave some comments. I won't update until I get 10 comments!! *evil laugther* Really I'm serious >:D

P.s. I think you should read my first story if you don't understand the flashback part