1 month later

Melinda's POV

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Hardly a month after accepting Hankyung's business offer, I was packed up and ready to head back to South Korea. My parents were a bit hesitant about me going back to Korea so soon after losing my last job, but I convinced them that I had things all worked out and that Hankyung was a good guy. 

     I honestly think my dad was more concerned with the fact that I'd be on a tour for several months with a man he had never met. Then I reminded him how I had spent a month working on a project with fifteen men and nothing bad had happened, and he was a bit more at ease. Still, I think it's just the dad in him.

     Soon we were at the airport and saying our goodbyes. 

"Stay safe honey," Dad said.

     "Don't worry. I will," I said. 

"We love you, sweetie. Have fun and work hard, but not too hard," Mom told me.

     "I won't overdo it. I love you guys," I said, giving them one last hug. As I was about to head toward the terminal, I felt a pair of arms around my waist and heard the laughter of a female.

     "I was hoping I could catch you before you left," a voice with a Russian accent said. 

I turned around and saw the smiling face of Elena, the fiance Steven left behind. 

     "Well, you did. I'm so glad to see you, " I told her, returning the hug.

She looked at me. "Thank you so much for everything you've been doing for me the last few weeks. I cannot thank you enough."

     "I couldn't just leave you to mourn by yourself. You've helped me, too," I said.

She hugged me once more. "Keep in touch," she said.

     I nodded. "I will. I'll call you all as soon as I get there," I told everyone.

"Great. Now don't miss your flight!" Mom said.

     "Love you!" Elena called, making a heart shape with her hands.

I repeated the heart shape with my hands and said "I love you, too!" and waved to everyone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10 hours later

Ryeowook's POV

     My phone rang around 11 p.m. that night.

"Hello?" I answered.

     "Hide yo' pineapple. I am le pineapple thief!" the voice replied.

"Um..."

     "Just kidding. It's Maggie, Miso, Melly, ya know...me," she said, laughing.

"Oh, annyeong (hi). Did you have a good flight?" I ask.

     "Yeah, oppa, I did. But I'm kind of tired...yet really energetic."

"Well, I'm glad. Where are you?"

     "Icheon Airport. Mi Sun is picking me up. Is she gonna bring her unicorn?" she laughs in almost an out-of-body delirium.

"Mi Sun doesn't have a unicorn, dongsaeng. Man, that jet lag is really messing with your mind, isn't it?" I say.

     She goes quiet for a minute. "Dear Lord, what have I been saying for the last five minutes?" she asks in a horrified voice.

"Well, I was questioning whether you were on drugs or not."

     "I'm sorry, Wook. Jet lag always makes me act high."

"I understand. You must be tired. Go home and get some sleep, okay?" I say.

     "I will. Hopefully I'll se you soon," she says.

"Okay. I'm glad you're safe. Good night."

    "Goonight, oppa."

When I hang up, I'm glad that I didn't ask her what I wanted to ask her right now. She's obviously not in her right mind, and I'm nervous just thinking about it. 

    "Mi Sun?" I say as I call Mi Sun's number.

"Annyeong, oppa. I'm going to pick Maggie up right now," she says.

     "Oh, great. So you remember everything we planned for tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'll make sure she rests, I'll get her ready, and you'll pick her up at 3 p.m.?"

     "You're awesome, Mi Sun. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. Anything for my oppa."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day

     10:30 a.m.

Maggie's POV

     I felt like a ton of bricks had hit me as Mi Sun coaxed me into my bedroom and tucked me in last night. Dang jet lag. A dim light starts to brighten, burning my eyes. Where the heck was I? 

     "Good morning, sunshine," Mi Hi said, leaping out of her and jumping on me.

That's right. I'm staying in the Jump Girls dorm until I go on tour with Hankyung. 

     "Mi Hi, let her wake up slowly. She's probably half- dead still, " Mi Sun says from the window shere she's opening the blinds.

Mi Hi frowns. "Can't I enjoy this time with my best friend that I won't have within a matter of weeks?"

     "Well, don't break her. Plus, we need to share her today, remember?" she says, winking at her.

Okay, I might be in a jet-lagged delirium, but not so much as to not see that something's fishy here. Is someone making fish kimchi? No, it's not that. Something's up.

     My suspicions were confirmed as Mi Sun kept moving me along, getting me my breakfast, helping me pick out clothes, getting me to shower, and then she started doing my hair and makeup. Again, I was tired, but I think could take my own shower.

     A few hours later around 3 p.m., I felt my suspicions become even more confirmed as I heard a knock on the door. 

"Miso-ah, someone's here to see you," Hyun-Ae called.

     Seriously? She's in on this, too?

Maybe he had jumped on the statement, "Hopefully I'll see you soon," because Ryeowook was at the door, smiling awkwardly.

     "Annyeonghaseyo (hello), maggie," he said.

"Hello, oppa," I said, confused. Suddenly, the pieces all lined up. The hair, the "we're going to have to share her today", the makeup, everything was planned for this.

     I gave Mi Hi a "What's going on?" look as she returned it with a "Just go along with it" look as she shoved me out the door.

"Have fun, you two!" Hyun- Ae called as Ryeowook led me off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No one's POV (third-person)

     Mi Sun walked to the door. "Is she gone?" she asked.

"Ne, (yes), unnie. They've left," Hyun- Ae told her. 

    "How do you think it will go?" Mi Hi asked.

Mi Sun sighed. "I don't know, but if that pep talk I gave Wookie earlier did anything, he shouldn't get cold feet," she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Ryeowook's POV

Maggie fidgeted nervously in the passenger's seat next to me.

    "O-oppa, I appreciate all of this, but, what exactly is going on?" she asked.

I smiled at her. "You'll find out soon enough."

    She rolled her eyes. "Is this an impromptu date?" she asked.

I ruffled her hair. "Someone's a smart cookie!" I teased. 

     "It's just so sudden."

My heart began to sink. "Are you too tired? We can always go back," I said somewhat reluctantly.

     "Mwo (what)? Andwe, andwe (no, no).I guess I feel a but out-of-the-loop being shoved into this."

"I'm sorry. I guess you're not one for surprises, either. I understand. But I promise, I think you'll like this," I said.

     We pulled up to a small village near Seoul where we probably wouldn't be swarmed by fans. I offered my hand as she got out, and she grabbed it. She didn't let go immediately, and we walked like that for a few minutes before she realized what she was doing. 

     I stopped near a small tree with a bench under it, just big enough for the two of us.

We both sat, and I began to talk to her. 

     "So, how was your time in the U.S.?" I asked.

She huffed. "In a way, it was great to see my family, but it also got to me a bit, knowing I'd have to leave it all behing again. Still, I don't regret any of my time there."

     I nod. "I get it. I can't imagine leaving ym family behind for my career, so I really admire you."

We fall silent for a minute. 

     "Your shoe's untied," she says. I look down, and she flicks my chin just as I do.

"Ow! What was that for?" I ask.

     She shrugs. "I had to break the silence."

After a minute of laughing, I turn my mind to what I wanted to ask her yesterday.

     "Maggie, how did you get the nickname Maggie?" I ask.

Crap. That wasn't what I was going for.

     She giggles. "I don't know. I was named Melinda after my aunt, but then people started calling me Maggie for some reason, and it just stuck."

"So, your real name is Melinda?"

     Maggie groans. "Yeah, but I didn't like it that much. I don't mind it too much, but I guess I'm the queen of nicknames."

"Melinda. I like the sound of your real name better."

     She pauses. "You know, I've never been a big fan of my name, but I like the way you say it. It has a nice ring."

I broach my original question. "Melinda, you've been like a sister to me nearly since the time we met. I guess from that time, though, I always wanted to be more than just a brother to you."

     She looks up at me.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I like you, more than just as a friend," I say.

      "Wookie," she looks shocked.

"I don't want to pressure you, but," I gulp as my hands start to shake and my blood rushes to my face.

     "Yes?"

I take a deep breath.

     "Will you be my yeojachingu (girlfriend)?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Maggie's POV

Did he just ask em to be his girlfriend? He's my oppa, as in my brother, but I think I felt something similar that night we hung out before I left, but I was too afraid to call him anything other than a brother.

     "Wookster, you've been so supportive of me. You've cared for me and helped me during the time of losing ym job and Steven dying, and I can't thank you enough for that. I guess I was too afraid to follow my heart, so that's why I said you were only a brother. But now I realize that you are the sweet, caring, lovable namjachingu (boyfriend) that I've really wanted all along."

     "So, I'm guessing that's a 'yes'?"

I nod.

     His smile widens. 

"Kamsahmnida (thank you)," he says, throwing his arms around me and hugging me. I return the hug even tighter. All this time, i was afraid to take the next step, but I'm so glad that I gave into what my heart was feeling. I know this was the right thing to do.