Jong Kook was in a state of shock. For one moment, he was in cloud nine. The woman of his life had agreed to marry him. They would have a lifetime before them. In the next moment, he was plunged into hell. His heart burnt with fear that she would be leaving him for eternity. His mind kept replaying the scenes where Ji Hyo had returned his ring to his face and she had walked away from him. He heard someone telling him to run after her. Yet, his legs had failed him. He could not forget the utter disappointment in her eyes. The pair of beautiful orbs which were always filled with love for him.

Haha kept pulling at Jong Kook’s arms and tried to get Jong Kook to respond to him. Gary picked the ring up from the dresser table and waved it before Jong Kook. He said harshly to Jong Kook, “She’s gone. If you want her back, then go after her now.”

The sparkle of the diamond and Gary’s words shook Jong Kook out of his daze. His immediate action was to grab hold of Gary’s hand and asked where Ji Hyo was. Haha was stupefied by his question but Gary answered him coolly that Ji Hyo had already left the concert hall. Jong Kook mouthed a word of thanks to Gary. He took the ring from Gary’s hand and put it into his pocket. He dashed out of the changing room and concert hall, determined to find her.

However, before Jong Kook could get into his car, he was surrounded by a group of fans. Haha and Gary, who were coming out from the concert hall after Jong Kook, saw the seemingly unruly crowd cornering Jong Kook in front of his car. Haha told Gary to go and check on Ji Hyo while he walked up to join Jong Kook.

Jae Suk squatted down next to Gary and gave him a tap on his shoulder. Gary woke up and looked around him blearily. Once he recognised Jae Suk, he greeted him immediately. When Jae Suk asked him about Ji Hyo, he glanced at the time on his watch and replied that she had stopped crying about two hours ago. He took Haha’s offered hand and pulled himself up. Gary knew his time was up and he had to hand Ji Hyo back to Jong Kook.

Her sobs had torn his heart and fueled his anger towards Jong Kook for whole night. On his way to the lift, he stopped in front of Jong Kook. He looked directly into Jong Kook’s eyes and held his glare. He would have pointed his right index finger at Jong Kook but his respect for the former stopped him from doing so. He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white, and he said to Jong Kook, “You promised to keep her happy.” Gary left with Haha without waiting for Jong Kook's response because none was needed. As far as Gary was concerned, Jong Kook had hurt Ji Hyo and made her wept.

As Jong Kook watched Gary’s retreating back, for the first time he felt that Gary might deserve Ji Hyo more. However, their love for each other kept him fighting for one more chance.

Jae Suk pressed her door bell and said to her, “This is Jae Suk oppa. Please open the door.”

Ji Hyo’s hand was hesitating on the door handle when Jae Suk said to her, “Ji Hyo, you can talk to me.” As if the magic words were spoken, the door was opened and she stood before them. Jae Suk quickly took her hands with one hand and gave her a hug with the other. She immediately felt the comfort from someone whom she had respected and trusted. She wanted and needed to talk to someone. She could not open the door for Gary and seek his comfort because she was afraid that her heart may waver. Although she wasn’t sure if he still loved her, she wasn’t ready to bear the burden of his love and care. Not when she was certain that she was actually waiting for Jong Kook. Despite all her disappointment, she was hoping that Jong Kook would chase her back.

When she was released from Jae Suk’s hug, she looked over his shoulder and saw Jong Kook. She shifted her eyes away quickly and scanned for Gary. “Jae Suk oppa, where is Gary oppa?” she asked in a little broken voice. “He had just gone off,” Jae Suk replied and moved to get into her house.

Jong Kook saw her red and puffy eyes. Her face was fully covered by the stains of her tears and it seemed that there were layers of dried tears. She was still wearing the same outfit as last evening. Although he had already knew that she had been crying the whole night before, it still pained him to see her state with his own eyes. He felt like a bastard himself. He wouldn’t mind if Gary had hit him earlier. In fact, he felt that he deserved be beaten up for causing her to be in this state.

When he saw her eyes shifted away from him, he almost wanted to cry aloud “Ji Hyo, I’m sorry! Please don’t turn away from me!” When he heard her thin and coarse voice, the knot in his heart tightened. But it was her first question which she had asked for Gary that sunk his heart. “Have I lost you?” He followed Jae Suk quietly into her place.

Once they were in the house, Jae Suk discreetly closed the apartment door. He then instructed Jong Kook to go to the kitchen to reflect on his mistakes before he sat Ji Hyo down on couch in the living room for their little talk.

Ji Hyo sat quietly next to Jae Suk. She knew Jae Suk well enough that he would have come prepared and she waited for him to start the conversation.

“Ji Hyo, the first thing that Jong Kook asked me when he saw me just now was whether he had lost you. It seemed like you meant a lot to him.” When Ji Hyo did not react to his statement, Jae Suk continued, “I heard that you had accepted his proposal on stage then returned the ring to him in the changing room.” Jae Suk looked at her and waited for her confirmation. She nodded her head silently in affirmative.

“I’ve already received several calls and messages asking whether I would be the master of ceremony for your wedding. I believe your phone must have been ringing non-stop.” At Jae Suk’s last sentence, Ji Hyo glanced at her mobile phone across the floor. Jae Suk followed her glance and nodded his head in understanding. “Jong Kook’s phone had already run out of battery. Whether you are still marrying him or not, I think both of you need to talk. The reporters would be hounding you very soon.” She looked at him with widened eyes upon this new realisation.

Jae Suk took one of her hands into his and said, “Men don’t always know what women want. Sometimes you need to tell that fool what you want. If he got the proposal wrong, then make sure he pays double for the wedding.” He grinned at her and winked. She finally let out a small smile. He gave a little pat on the back of her head and asked, “Are you ready to talk to him?” She murmured a soft “yes”.

Jae Suk gave Ji Hyo one more hug before standing up. He led her to the dining table and sat her down. He went to the kitchen and escorted Jong Kook to the seat across hers at the table. Using one hand on each of them, he gave his dongsaengs an encouraging pat on their shoulders. Just before he left her place, he reminded them to inform their parents’ about the outcome of their discussion before the elders read the news reports.

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo sat quietly across each other. He kept looking at her while she looked away. He had placed his forearms on the table while she kept her hands under it. “Ji Hyo, I’m sorry.” Jong Kook broke the silence between them but he received no response from her.

“Are you angry with me because I proposed to you on stage in front of the audience?” he asked.

When he didn’t get a reply from her, he asked forlornly “Are you so angry with me that you won’t ever speak to me again?” She turned to look at him immediately upon hearing his question.

He held her eyes with his and said, “Ji Hyo, I’m really sorry. You had asked me if I really know what you want; I thought you would want to be with me. Am I mistaken?” He asked her with a quiver which she caught. She subconsciously placed her hands on the table. He immediately reached across table and grabbed one of them.

“If you can’t see yourself being married to me immediately, can you see yourself being with me in future?” Jae Suk had told him off earlier. His sunbae told him that by choosing a wife who was much younger than him he must be prepared to wait for the girl to be ready. While Jong Kook was all ready to be married and start a family, Ji Hyo may not be ready. “We can have a long engagement until you are ready to marry me,” he offered her.

She was touched by his offer. She was all ready to forgive him, except for that nagging prick in her heart. “Why did you propose to me in front of the crowd?” She finally asked.

“I just wanted to give you a surprise and an unforgettable proposal. I thought by proposing to you in front of the crowd would show you my sincerity. It really didn’t cross my mind that by doing so would pressurise you into giving me your acceptance.” She could hear the sincerity in his voice.

“It was indeed an unforgettable proposal. How can we ever forget what had happened?” She remarked and bit her lips. Jong Kook looked at her nervously, wondering what was on her unpredictable mind. Her next question lighted up his face. “Where is the ring?”

Jong Kook sprung up from his seat and rushed to her side. Ji Hyo turned to face him with a tiny little smile. Jong Kook bended down on one knee and presented the ring to her. “Sing that song to me again,” she said to him while she rested her interlaced hands on her lap. The smile on her face never left.

Jong Kook crooned that song – “Letter” to Ji Hyo. He peered deeply into her eyes, into her soul and sang the song to her. He meant every word that he sang and she believed him. With one hand still holding the ring, he wrapped his other hand over hers. Once again, she felt secured and protected by his big hand. When he sang the last line of song, she slipped her left hand from under his and extended it to him. He put the ring on her left fourth finger once again. He pulled her into a tight embrace and uttered to her, “Please don’t walk out on me ever again. I cannot lose you.”

“I’m afraid to lose you too.” She snuggled against him and whispered these words in her heart.

When he finally loosened his hold on her, she looked at him and asked impishly, “Does the long engagement deal still stay?”

They were having their statements taken at the police station when Haha called Jae Suk to meet them there. Haha was afraid that Ji Hyo would refuse to see Jong Kook so he had sought Jae Suk’s help. He was rather proud of his quick thinking. However, his little self-indulgence moment was ruined by Gary’s question.

Gary wasn’t completely listening to Haha. He was keeping a lookout on the road and sorting out his own thoughts at the same time. In the midst of his many thoughts, he finally voiced out the most consuming one, “Should I go after Ji Hyo?”

Haha was stunned by Gary’s question. He didn’t know how to answer this question. He looked at Gary speechlessly and realised that Gary wasn’t expecting an answer from him. He told himself that if it wasn’t because he was young and his heart was strong, he would have been killed by the heart attacks caused by these people all in one night.  

Sadly, Gary’s question was answered and shattered that very afternoon. Jong Kook and Ji Hyo had issued a joint press statement confirming their engagement and informed that their wedding date had not been fixed. They thanked everyone for their well wishes. She had elevated her status from his friend’s girlfriend to his friend’s fiancée. The distance between them had widened further.

He presented the keys of the apartment to her and said to her, “These are for the lady of the house.” She took the keys from him with lots of questions in her mind. She had never thought that he would move out of his parents’ place. He was filial son. Even though it was usually the eldest son’s responsibility to look after their parents, she had always thought that since his elder brother had moved out long ago after his marriage and Jong Kook had always been living with his parents, they would live with his parents after their marriage.

“Is this house for us? Are we going to live here?” she asked and he replied “yes”.

Next, she was worried whether they could afford an apartment of this size in Seoul. “Did you buy this place? Do you think we can afford it?” she asked him a little uneasily. He shook his head and smiled at her. “This is a wedding gift from my parents.” His mother was the one who suggested to Jong Kook to move out after his marriage and she was also the one who encourage her husband to buy this house for the young couple.

She stared at him with her big round eyes and an opened mouth. He smiled at her and said, “Yes, my parents are all right that we move out.”

“We can’t accept such an expensive gift from them,” she mumbled.

“I know. I’ve already tried turning them down repeatedly but they insisted. They had bought a similar apartment for my brother when he got married so they wanted to give me the same.” He explained. Although he had already expected her reactions, he was still pleased to see that she had been expecting to live with his parents and she had rejected an expensive gift from them. She was the filial and respectful daughter-in-law that he was searching for his parents, and she was the unmaterialistic and virtuous wife that he was waiting for.

“However, I have made them agreed to let me pay for our wedding myself,” Jong Kook said with a smile. “I can help to pay for the wedding too,” she quickly offered.

He gave a peck on her lips. He took his bank account book out from his windbreaker jacket and passed it to Ji Hyo. “I can still afford the wedding but I won’t know how much my account balance would be after it.” He gestured for Ji Hyo to open his bank book for a look. When she saw the last balance figure in the book, she stared at him in amazement. She knew that he was thrifty and frugal, but she had never thought about how much savings he had and she certainly didn’t expect to see that many digits in the final balance. He pressed the bank book into her hand and said, “It’s yours to keep now. We will go to the bank to change it into a joint account so that you can withdraw the money anytime and I will continue to put in money for us.”

“Jong Kook,” She could only say his name as she was overwhelmed by him.

“What about my apartment?” She finally uttered.

“You keep it for yourself,” he said to her with a smile. “You have worked very hard for your money and assets. So please keep them for yourself. They belong to you. I will work hard for us.” He enveloped her into an embrace.    

 

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Thanks to all of you who had given me ideas on how to reconcile spartace. Thanks to maerd82 for pointing out that spartace are still very much in love and it was just a misunderstanding that they could sort out.

The spartace’s “proposal crisis” had brought out the comments from many readers. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.  To both groups of fans who are asking for SA and MC endings, I really appreciate your support for my story. I already had my ending in mind when I started this story but I’m seriously considering writing a second ending for it. Please be patient with me and give me some time to work it out.

(09.10.2013)