Gary’s three weeks turned into two months. Jong Kook’s album was supposed to be released in the following month. Despite being under the extreme pressure from his company to complete the album on time, Jong Kook had kept his faith in Gary and he refused to budge when his production team had urged him to complete it without Gary. Haha had been persuading Jong Kook to complete his album too.

Then again, Gary did not disappoint him. Within three weeks from his return, they had completed the recording of a song sang by Jong Kook, Haha and himself. This song was a departure from the usual love songs that Jong Kook used to sing. It was about the dreams of three children growing up in three different circumstances – one rich boy who wanted the freedom to pursue his own career interest instead of following his businessman father’s footsteps; a crippled boy who wanted to be a world-class swimmer; another boy who tried to find food and shelter so as to survive another day in a country ruined by war. The lyrics were very moving as it gave hope that the rich and the poor, the privileged ones and the disadvantaged ones were all entitled to our dreams. Our dreams may be different but there was no one dream which was greater than another. Everyone’s dreams were as great to themselves and we would find the sense of achievement and purpose when we pursue them.

My dream belongs to me. 
I can dream of being an artist. 
I can dream of winning gold.
I can dream of a world without war and starvation. 
My dream is grand and I will never be lost if I follow my dream.
My dream will become real when I work hard enough.

Gary had even conceptualised the music video for this song. Jong Kook, Haha and himself would just lend their voices for the video but not appeared in it. The video will start with three young kids in three different countries doing something associated with their dreams. Then, it would progress to show how the three youngsters faced rejections, ridicules and hardship when they pursued their dreams. In the final screen, it would show the three men in their thirties gathered at a beach paradise where one of them would swim out from the ocean, while another one would be painting the horizon at the beach, and the final one would be the waiter who come to work in the nearby restaurant.

While all three of them loved music, Gary always had a better acumen in the commercial aspect of music production. He recognised the risk that Jong Kook would be taking if the latter digressed too much from his usual ballads so he persuaded Jong Kook to use the original song that he previously chosen for him as the lead track instead. Jong Kook could see the sense that Gary was making and Haha was thankful for Gary’s persuasion and reasoning.

Gary even recognised that the time was too short for Jong Kook to act in the music video for the lead track and to record the remaining songs for his album. Since Joong Ki had already appeared in Jong Kook’s previous music video, Gary had suggested getting Kwang Soo to act in his music video while Jong Kook would make cameo appearance instead. With the agreement from both Jong Kook and Kwang Soo, Gary then worked with the production team to conceptualise the music video. While he was unable to find time to record the filming with the production crew and Kwang Soo, he personally looked into the editing of the video. Last but not least, despite his love for his own song and his concept of its music video, he managed to convince Jong Kook not to film the music video unless the song is well-received due to the cost of producing it. Jong Kook was grateful to Gary for his hard work and numerous considerations for his album.

In that same three-week period, Jong Kook had recorded another song with Gary’s assistance. This song was written by Jong Kook and he had waited for Gary to fill in and sing the rap portion of song. Jong Kook had written about two good friends falling for the same girl. Gary took an instant liking to the song but he had sought Jong Kook’s permission to change some of his lyrics and to replace the rap portion of song with a female singer’s singing instead. Gary had kept Jong Kook’s original concept of a man falling for the same woman as his best friend, but instead of having his best friend responding to his question whether he should continue loving this woman, Gary had filled in the lyrics from the woman’s point of view instead.

On my left is my best friend, on my right is you.
Both of you are tearing me apart.
Should I continue loving you and hurting him?

Let me be the sinner. Let me be the bad one.
Your friendship with him is strong.
Don’t let your love for me be weak.

Don’t stop loving me. It takes me a lot of courage to make a choice to love you.

As she walked into the room, her eyes searched for Jong Kook and she smiled when she saw him. Her eyes continued to scan for another person until they found him too. She left the cakes which she had bought for the team on the table. In her right hand, she held the fruit salad which she had bought specially for Jong Kook because he didn’t like sweet confectionary and passed it to him. In her left hand, she held a cup of caramel macchiato and she walked to the table where Gary was.

He was sitting at the table and scribbling something busily onto a notepad. He didn’t respond when she was standing next to him. Even when she placed the cup of coffee on the table next to him, he still didn’t look up. She moved slightly to the side so that she could see him better. They had not seen each other since his return. She had received his gift from Cambodia through Jong Kook. He had received her thanks through Jong Kook too. While she enjoyed admiring his serious look at work, she was worried that she was disturbing him when she caught his slight frown as he struck off something on the notepad. She was about to walk away when she heard his deep voice.

“Come here, my little sister,” Gary said to Ji Hyo as he got up from his seat and opened his arms for her. They had a brief and quick embrace but it gave them various thoughts. He was concerned that she looked tired and she seemed to have lost more weight. Her cheeks were little sunken and her arms were a little more willowy. He resisted his urge to hold her again. He knew it was her from the moment when she entered the room. He had lost his concentration when she stood next him, which was why he struck off the notes that he was writing. He braced himself and guarded his heart before he stood up and called out to her. The word “sister” hurt him. He didn’t say it loud but he made sure Jong Kook could hear it too.

Ji Hyo felt relieved with Gary’s warm and cheery greeting but she also felt a little tinge of sadness, which she knew she shouldn’t be feeling, when he called her “little sister”.  She took in his tanner and leaner frame. He looked good to her but she couldn’t help to notice how tired his eyes were, the dark rings under them. She wondered if he had stayed overnight in the studio or rather how many nights he had actually spent in the studio. She had seen him worked before and he was a scary workaholic. A realisation came upon her. “Jong Kook has been returning late, does it mean Gary is working as late as him or even later?”

When the team resumed their work after their tea break, Ji Hyo went out to the nearest drug store to buy some cooling gel eye pads. She placed the eye pads along with some drinks which she had bought from the convenience store into the mini fridge in the studio. She hoped that Gary would find and use them.

That night he wrote another song, “Lover Turns Sister”.

Like the moon in the morning sky, my love has no place in you no matter how beautiful it may be. 
With the sun shining in your world, my light is no longer needed and I’m mistaken as one of the ever-shifting clouds.
Like the sun, moon and earth, we are in the same universe. 
I orbit around you and pull your tides. I will be there for you like the moon. I will be that brother to you.  

They were chatting casually when Haha asked Jong Kook, “Do you think Gary hyung has gotten over Ji Hyo?”

“I don’t know.” Jong Kook answered frankly. He had wanted to test Gary with his song but the latter managed to avoid giving him a direct answer. He could sense that Gary still care for Ji Hyo but the intense pain that he used to feel from Gary wasn’t there after his return from Cambodia. Jong Kook knew that Gary had gone out of his way to help him with his album. He told himself that he should be grateful to have such a helpful friend like Gary and a caring girlfriend like Ji Hyo.

Gil and Gary were back in their studio. They were working on their other Leessang Company business. Gary was checking the details in the documents when Gil asked him, “Why did you work so hard for Jong Kook’s album?” Gary ignored him.

“Did you help him because you feel guilty?” Gary continued to ignore him.

“Do you have a guilty conscience because you are still in love with his girlfriend?” Gil tried to provoke Gary into replying.

Gary took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Gil was always a pain but he was also his best friend and best partner. Without Gil’s help in their business for the past months, he could not have been to Cambodia and helped Jong Kook without other worries. He did owe this man an answer after all. “I don’t feel guilty towards Jong Kook hyung. He waited for my return so it is only right for me to work hard in return.” He paused. “And work keeps me from thinking of her.”

Gil’s guess was right again. Gary was still not over Ji Hyo. Gil didn’t want to be right. He sighed and asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I intend to work on our next album. I hope to get it out in four months, after which we can do the promotional activities. Then nine month from now we will have our concert. After our concert, I would like to go volunteering in Cambodia again.”

“Are you working yourself to death? Or are you trying to kill me with work?” Gil asked in shock. He had barely made it without Gary in the past few months.

Gary chuckled at Gil’s reaction. “Don’t worry, hyung. We are hardworking people. We will be able to do it. I will complete more work before I leave for Cambodia the next time so that it would be easier for you.”

“But you are not a machine, Gary. Your body can’t take it if you keep working at this rate.” Gil said out of concern.

“I know. I’m going to take a break for the next few days if you don’t mind.” Gary cocked his head to one side and winked at Gil.

She had tied her hair into a ponytail and she didn’t have any makeup on. She was in a white T-shirt and a pairs of denim shorts. In all her plainness, she still managed to cause his heart to skip a beat. “Yes, she is beautiful. But you can only treat her as a sister,” he reminded himself harshly.  He put down the groceries that he was holding and took off his cap. “Ji Hyo, why are you here?” he asked.

“Gary oppa!” she greeted him in pleasant surprise. She noticed that he was also wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts. She smiled at the memory of them wearing the matching outfits during their Running Man days. She didn’t really like it then but it was part of the show. Today, they had worn similar apparels without any prior coordination. “I’ve promised Granny to cook bean paste soup for her today.”

“Are you sure you can cook?” Gary asked her with a tilt of his head. He put away the groceries that he brought into their rightful places.

She stuck out her tongue at him. “I didn’t cook your share so you won’t know if I can cook or not.”

“Don’t you know that the kitchen is my territory?” When he opened the refrigerator and cabinets, they weren’t as empty as he had expected.

“It’s my playground now.”

Granny chuckled at the bickering duo. “Hee Gun, you can cook dinner for us tonight. I want to taste Ji Hyo’s bean paste soup for lunch. Can you please help me to the yard now? I need your help to fix something again.”

Gary went forward to help the old lady up and walked her out into the yard. Just before he left the kitchen, he turned his head and said, “I have already prepared different types of side dishes. You can find them in those containers that I brought. Please help to serve some of them for lunch.” He knew that Ji Hyo had not prepared his share for lunch and he wanted to help her served sufficient food without additional trouble.

The old lady had asked him to replace the light bulb at the front porch. She also filled him in that Ji Hyo had been visiting her during his months of absence. Gary felt bad that he had not visited Granny soon after his return from Cambodia but Granny reassured him that she had enjoyed Ji Hyo’s company just as much. Ji Hyo had reminded her so much of her only granddaughter Min Rin.  

Gary helped Granny back into the house for their lunch. Although the bowls were not fully filled, Ji Hyo had managed to serve three bowls of bean paste soup instead of two. He also noticed that there was a bowl with extra large heap of rice. He smiled at his suspicion that she must have served the rice that she had intended to serve for their dinner to him. Gary reminded himself to prepare an early dinner for that night.

They sat down for their lunch at the table. Gary, who knew that Ji Hyo liked clams, had subconsciously scooped out the clams in his bowl of soup and put them into hers. He took a sip of her soup and found it a little bland. He remembered that Ji Hyo usually liked her soups with a stronger taste. He by asking if she had added more water into the soup to make up the volume. He then noticed the slight frown on her face.

Ji Hyo had been learning to cook from Jong Kook’s mother. Or to be more precise, she had been learning to cook what Jong Kook liked from his mum. Jong Kook preferred his food to be on the bland side with less seasoning. She frowned at her thought that she had even forgotten to cook her best dish the way that she liked it. She always liked her bean paste soup a little more salty as she liked to mix the soup into her rice and ate them together. She frowned deeper when she realised that she had tried to put a reason on why she preferred her soup to be more salty. Why couldn’t she like her soup just like how she had always liked it to be?

“Oh, I’m so thoughtless. Granny shouldn’t eat too salty food,” he quickly said when he realised that the frown had not left her face.

She gave him a forced smile. She picked up and ate a piece of the kimchi that Gary had brought. And she gave him a thin but real smile. It was delicious and full of flavours.

Gary is back and this chapter is all his. And I’m sorry that I am unable to come up with the full lyrics of the songs. If I attempt to do so, it may take another month for me to update. I hope my feeble attempts are good enough for you though. :-P  (12.09.2013)