She didn’t know how long it took, at that moment it felt like diving into an abyss of unfathomable depth. She stared, dazed, the name on the stone. Milianna. Yoochun had taken her to the grave of his former fiancé, the only person he had ever loved. Why? She was tempted to believe that it was a bad dream, that her standing at the foot of this tree wasn’t real. She turned to him with tears in her eyes. He walked over and stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the grave.

"Its going to be 2 years. And all this time, I was angry with her, you know? Despite what her father did to her, she had me. She could’ve lived for me and trusted that I would’ve released her. "

It clenched his fists and Yoomin saw his eyes shine. He was crying!

"But she chose to abandon me. I hated her, but at the same time I couldn’t help but love her."

Finally Yoomin asked what was bothering her the most.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"To finally let go of these feelings. My loyalty is not to the dead, but to a woman alive... to the women that I truly love."

He pulled out a small velvet bag from his pocket and pulled out a ring. It was simple but beautiful. Yoomin had seen it somewhere.

It was a silver ring, a heart in the center with both hands around him and a crown adorning everything. A Celtic Claddagh ring, she had read the story in one of her mother’s old books. But she had seen it elsewhere too, on one of the rare portraits of the mansion, you could see a young woman in every way resembling to Yoochun, the Claddagh ring on her finger. Yoochun’s mother’s ring. He took her hand and laid the ring so that the girl could admire it.

"I know this ring."

"You know the story then?"

"One day an Irish fishing village was attacked by the Persians, and all the men of the village were captured and taken as slaves. For one of these men, it was the day of his wedding and he promised his fiancé to return to her one day. Years have passed and he gained the Maharaja’s trust, who was a great goldsmith. He took him under his wing and taught him the art of jewelry. For years and years he fashioned the ring to make it perfect. When the Maharaja died, having no heir, he bequeathed his entire fortune to the fisherman. Finally free and rich, he could return to his country. Arriving home, the woman was still waiting, he gave her the ring and then they could marry. More than 20 years had passed. "

With a proud smile, because she knew the legend, Yoochun took the ring with his hands and made it slide down her finger.

"The heart represents unconditional love, the hands is for friendship that there must be in a couple and finally the crown for loyalty and trustworthiness of this commitment."

Yoomin was crying in earnest now. She knew what the ring represented. But she also knew it wasn’t made for her. She violently removed her hands from Yoochun.

"I'm not Milianna ..."

"No, you're the opposite of her and that's what made me fall in love with you."

She gave him a black stare.

"I won’t be her replacement, Yoochun. I don’t want the same ring you gave to your dead girlfriend."

He stared at her surprised.

"I never gave this ring to Milianna and never intended to..."

"But why are you giving me your mother’s ring?"

"How do you know it was my mother’s?"

"I saw the painting..."

His eyes softened and he looked at her with a tender smile.

"Because we are alike, you and I. Abandoned by our loved ones, struggling to keep going even though we have no reason to stay alive. Our lives have no meaning at all."

His words filled the mind of the girl as the ink dissipates into a puddle.

"But I learned that you could give to your life the direction we wanted. I always admired the fact that you stayed yourself. You have been forced to so many things, life has put you up against the wall so many times, you were beaten up and even tortured, yet you always remained faithful to yourself and to your principles. "

Yoomin smiled through her tears.

"I am a stubborn one."

He took her face between his hands and smiled back.

"The most impressive stubborn girl I've ever seen. Who managed to stand up to the head of one of the largest clans of the mafia."

"I wasn’t going to let him decide my life so easily!"

"That's what I’m saying. You have the gift of not letting yourself become a pawn in their game. I have always been the victim as well as the instigator in their games of power, money and manipulation."

Yoomin put Yoochun’s hands down her face gently. Her tears have stopped flowing, but her face was still sad.

"It’s Milianna who saved you from all this... With her love."

"That's what I thought too... But I realize now that everything we did was to fall again into what they wanted. Our plan of escaping wasn’t the best solution, because we would always stay dependent of their will. But with you it's different..."

"What is different with me? I too dream of escape. Flee those people who have ruined my life, flee this world that is only mistrust and fittest, and hide forever in a hole where no one would ever find me!"

"You may want to run away, but you won’t do it. Because you know it’s not the solution and you are brave enough to face what will come. "

She shakes her head annoyed.

"I'm not as brave as you think ..."

"Maybe it’s because you don’t see yourself clearly."

She spread her arms in a fit of frustration.

"What do you want to do?"

"We have to win our freedom together. Don’t run away but confront Jae. I'll be by your side all the time."

Yoomin feared that answer. Even though she knew she would have to settle accounts with the Jae’s and Yoochun's family, she didn’t feel ready to do so, even if Yoochun was there for her.

"I don’t think I can ..."

"You are much stronger than it looks! You will be the will and I'd be the fist."

"It's crazy what you’re asking me!"

"But you've already made up your mind, right?"

She looked into his eyes. How this man who represented everything she hated, could win her heart this way? But finally she wasn’t alone and she understood that she was willing to do anything for him. Her existence who had no meaning, just found one: Him.

"I already told you, I would follow you anywhere."

He kissed her gently on the lips, and then turned to Milianna’s tomb for the last time.

"Thank you and goodbye. "

***

"For three consecutive nights we eat pizza. It's not that I don’t like pizza, but I'm not a Ninja Turtle to eat it every day!"

They were fighting because of the food, again. It was almost a week since they had gone to visit Milianna’s grave, where Yoochun gave her the ring which sealed their love. Since then, they returned to the second home, enjoying the few days they could be together before returning to the city. But they were like cats and dogs, always fighting but as passionately addicted to each other.

"If you don’t want it then don’t eat it!"

"I'm just saying I could cook." She suggested.

"The last time you tried you almost burned the whole kitchen!"

"Yah!"

Yoochun suddenly put a hand on her waist, with a seductive smile.

"Otherwise, we could skip dinner part and go right to our evening activity..."

She hit him behind the head with a jerk.

"Stop thinking only about it, you ert. The food passes before you, so let me go. "

"Outch... my heart hurts."

She looked up to the sky because of his kid behavior. But he didn’t let her go; instead he lifted her and placed her on the kitchen counter.

"I'll start to think you don’t like me."

"I've already told, didn’t I? I don’t like bad boys."

He began to kiss her neck, caressing her with his hot breath.

"Not even a little?"

"I'll think about it ..." she whispered.

Then he kissed her languidly and she returned the favor with an insatiable appetite. But they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Yoochun opened it while muttering insults. Yunjoong appeared.

"I have news." He said as he entered the house in a hectic pace.

"You couldn’t have called?" Yoochun asked in a bad mood.

"I think it's time for you to go home."

He seemed agitated. Yoomin didn’t know him much, but she understood that in order for something to put Yunjoong in this state, should be important. And Yoochun also understood.

"What's going on? "

"Many things have happened, but I guess you don’t care, you prefer to stay here fooling around with your girl!"

"Don’t provoke me Yun. Tell me what it is."

"They know where you are."

Without thinking twice Yoochun stood his fist and struck Yun with all his strenght, he began yelling at him.

"You’ve betrayed me again? As you swung where Milianna was, you couldn’t help it and eagerly went to her father to swing us too?"

He hit him a second time without letting the time to Yun to defend himself.

Finally Yoomin understood Yunjoong’s involvement in the death of Milianna. But it wasn’t logical. If he had swung them, then why did he come to tell them? Yoomin grabbed the arm of Yoochun who was ready to hit Yunjoong again. He was on the ground and did not move a finger to defend.

"Micky stop! There is no time to lose with that! We gotta get out of here."

Yunjoong stood up gently.

"They’re not coming here. "

"What do you mean by that?" Yoochun spat.

"They planned to attack father, to force you out of your hiding place ..."

Yoochun weighed his words, then he spoke with a cold voice.

"He doesn’t need my help, he has enough people around him like that, he can very well defend himself."

Yunjoong was going to replicate something but Yoomin talked first.

"You want to run away?"

He turns to her, surprise.

"This is your father you owe him a lot more than you imagine."

"I owe him nothing! "

"It may be a bastard, but you cannot abandon him. You will never forgive yourself if you do."

He said nothing because he knew she was right, even if he would never admit it aloud.

"We won’t run away. We're going home. We go and find a way to negotiate with Jae’s father."

 "I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with..." said Yunjoong.

She gave him a black stare. "It's either that or we go to war."

"You already sound like a true member of the clan." He said with a half-smile.

She raised her hand with the ring.

"It’s because I am."

Then she turned to Yoochun stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Go first. Show that you are alongside your father and stronger than ever. I'll join you in a few hours, the time to take everything from here."

He took both her hands and kissed it.

"I will not leave you here. We go together! I won’t ever leave you alone. "

She took his face in her hands, his cheeks.

"Yunjoong will stay with me. The most important thing now is that you show that you are not afraid of them."

"How do you manage to be so calm and collected? "

"Because I know that you are by my side."

They kissed again and Yoochun passing Yunjoong out of the house whispered to him.
"If anything happens to her, I'll kill you. "

Then he left, leaving the girl with the right arm of his father. As soon as the door closed behind him, Yoomin went to pack their things. She felt Yun follow her in silence and then he stood there on the doorstep of the room not knowing what to do.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked.

"Check that all windows and blinds are closed."

He left without another word. Yunjoong was strange since he had arrived. He wasn’t like the cold and calculating man who always wore a "I am aware of everything and you’re not." smile. There he looked more like a tired and sad man. What was the most surprising was the fact that he let Yoochun hit him like this. He accepted it and the reproaches as a kind of penance he inflicted on himself. It didn’t enchanted Yoomin to be alone with him, but she felt that in his current state, he wasn’t a threat to her. When they had finished putting everything away and put in the car, Yoomin closed the door saying goodbye to those days of tranquility. She inhaled deeply, reveling in memories before shutting it up in her heart. Then she got into the car and they set off to the conflict that awaited them at the end.
Throughout the trip, Yun didn’t utter a word. Yoomin could tell he was in deep thought, but something was bothering her.

"Why have you told the father of Milianna where to find her? "

He was surprised to hear her speak to him, it was as if he had forgotten that there was someone else in the car.

"It was my duty to the clan. Yoochun's father was against the marriage so I thought if I told the head of the other clan, it would help us prevent these fools to escape. I never imagined ... "

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

"You blame yourself for it?" That she found herself.

"Yoochun monopolies the pain but he has no idea what the others around her have felt too."
Yoomin then understood who Yunjoong really was. She thought he was the shadow of the Ice Father but in reality it was Yoochun’s shadow. By trying to be the perfect son of Mr. Park, he pushed his Yoochun’s imitation to the point of ...

"You were in love with Milianna!"

It was more a statement than a question. He said nothing that confirmed what Yoomin thought. The curiosity of the young girl growing up. Who was this Millianna to be so much loved, even after 2 years? And how could she take her own life when she had so many people around her? Yoomin had never had anyone and yet she continued to live and go on. She felt certain contempt for the poor dead.

"Despite my feelings for her, I never wanted her to be me. I just wanted her to be happy, but Yoochun could’ve never given her a good life ... "

"It was not for you to judge. "

"I know!" He ran a hand across his forehead, weary. "But I don’t understand why she could only see Yoochun... While I was right there next to her. "

"Someone told me one day that we only receive the love we thing we deserve."

He remained silent. How this girl who was barely half his age could be so wise and insightful? She was trying to cheer him up? He managed to whisper.

"I know I made a mistake and it cost me dearly. "

"You and Micky should be more understanding towards each other and you stop blaming each other. What happened is in no way his fault or yours. "

Yunjoong looked away, for a moment, from the road to look surprised the girl in his side.

"It's time everyone stops trying to kill and hate each other because of a girl who is no longer here. It is time that you honor her memory in a more healthy way."

The man smiled. He was wrong when he told Yoochun, she wasn’t a second Milianna. No, Yoomin was much more special than that.

"I believe that in fact things will start to change. Thanks to you."

With this sentence Yoomin realized that he was now on their side and that the only enemies who remained were those who wanted to destroy their family.
A few minutes later they arrived at the mansion. It was crazy how she didn’t missed this place at all! Immediately the two latecomers rushed to Mr. Park’s office, to find him and Yoochun in full discussion. When he saw Yoomin, Yoochun went to hug her, regardless of the presence of two other men in the room. He asked quietly if she was okay and she smiled at him, reassuring him.

"Good. Now that you're here, let's set this story once and for all. They're going to regret having attacked us." Said Mr. Park.

Yunjoong went serious and professional, nothing to do with the weak and wounded man she had seen in the car.

"What is the situation? "

Yoochun took Yoomin hand and began to play nervously with her ring.

"They sent us a letter setting an appointment. They want to negotiate."

"It's a trap, of course."

Mr Park slammed his fist on the table in exasperation. "If that's either a trap or not I don’t care. We are sending all our men and we'll see if they dare to do something."

"This is exactly what they want, dad. They want a war between gangs, but it'll only put us in a bad situation and create problems with the police."

"I agree with Yoochun." Said Yunjoong.

Yoomin felt they would enter into a long debate, so she spoke.

"To who was the letter sent?"

Everyone turned to her.

"It astonished me that they have just requested an appointment without requirements."

"They want it to be you and me who went there." Yoochun said. "But there is no way I'm letting you go."

"It’s not for you to decide." Yoomin turned to the Ice Father and spoke in a firm voice. "I will go with Yoochun and will settle this problem."

He looked at her a proud look on his face.

"You look like your mother. "

She wasn’t expecting such a compliment. Without adding anything and not wanting to hear the arguments against her choice, she left the room heading to her old room. But of course, her Micky would not let her get away with it. He followed her to her room and entered it as a fury.

"What's do you mean you're going with me?! It is out of the question for you to come! I won’t let them have what they want!"

Yoomin calmly answered him.

"Isn’t it you who told me to face them? "

"But not like this! "

"Then how? "

He came and took her face in his hands. He had an air of desperation and pleading.

"I thought about it and you were right. Let’s run away. Let's go far away where no one will be able to find us and get married."

She kissed his hand still holding her face and rubbed her face against his hand.

"No, it was you who was right. We must stay and fight for our freedom. If we run away there will always be the ghost of what we abandoned here."

She kissed him for a long time, like to burn his taste, his lips, that feeling in her memory forever. There are no argue, defeated by Yoomin’s lips.

"We're star-crossed lovers ... Condemned to be together by the will of others but craving to be together and be free to love as we want to. I don’t want to marry you just because your father told us to. I want him to accept us for what we are. When we no longer have any connection to this place, then we will be able to be together."

She rested her forehead against his and they stood like that for a moment, listening to the each other’s heart, breathing the same air as the other. To be in harmony in the arms of one another. She felt that her whole existence was summed up to this moment, the moment she held in her arms a person who she loved and was more important than her own life and that felt the same for her.
Yoochun finally sought her lips and reassured in the caresses of his lover. If they were going to fight the wolves tomorrow, then they would take advantage of this moment to be together in all possible ways. He took her in his arms and while continuing to kiss her, he brought her to the bed where he laid her with the utmost delicacy. Before he re embraced her,  Yoomin muttered in a breath.

"I love you Micky."

A hot air filled his heart and he kissed her passionately.

"You are my everything."

------

How is it?

I think the end is near... 3 or 4 chapters more...

Please feel free to comment I'll love knowing your mind! ^^