*2 years later, in Hong Kong*

The concert was over. With the VIP pass given to her, Ji Hyo had made her way to the backstage to find the guys who had just delivered an awe-inspiring performance.

His keen sense of hearing picked up the familiar click-clack sounds of her high-heels as she strode along the corridor to reach the dressing room where he was at. When the door of the dressing room was pushed open, he welcomed her with opened arms. “Thanks for coming, Ji Hyo!”

She ran up to him and gave him a bear hug. After they had released each other from the embrace that they shared, she said to the man in black leather jacket, “Thanks for sending me the tickets, oppa!”

Seeing her excitement, he said beamingly to her “I’m glad you had enjoyed our performance. Why don’t you take a seat first while I sort out the logistic matters with the team? We can go for supper together.” She gave him a broad smile and nodded her head. Just before she moved away, he handed her the jacket that he just took off and whispered near her ear “You better think of where you can feed a cow because I’m really hungry.” She chuckled at his words and gave him an “okay” sign with her fingers.

From the chair she was sitting, she watched him in his full seriousness in planning and instructing the team on how the equipment and other items were to be packed. This look of his had never failed to impress her.

It took him almost half an hour to settle the logistics and when he came to her, she was already dozing off in her chair. “She can really sleep anywhere, anytime,” he thought to himself, amused. Squatting down next to her, he said gently next to her ear “Wake up, sleepyhead. We can go now.”

When she lifted her hands towards her eyes, he gently held onto her wrists. “Sleepyhead, if you rubbed your eyes, you will look like a panda.” She smiled at his words and opened her heavy eyelids. She could not stifle the yawn that was coming out of her and she embarrassingly opened wide before him. He chuckled at her and said, “Hey. If you are tired, we don’t have to go for supper together. I can go with the rest of the guys.”

She made another yawn but she had covered with her hand this time. “It’s okay. I want to spend some time with you.”

“Okay, let’s go then.” He then took his leather jacket over from her and picked up a paper bag from the dressing table, together they walked out of the dressing room.

They joined Reggie in her car. At Ji Hyo's suggestion, Reggie took them to a late night noodles joint for supper. 

 

*At the noodles joint*

After they had placed their orders, Gary passed the paper bag to Reggie. “When Jong Kook hyung learnt that I will be coming to Hong Kong, he asked me to pass these to you.”

Reggie said her thanks to Gary and took the bag over. She smiled after peeking into it and showed it to Ji Hyo who was sitting next to her. Jong Kook had sent her the latest release of some manhwa series that she had been catching up on. Reggie had developed an interest in Korean comics after she read the manhwa version of Goong which was a television drama series that Ji Hyo had acted in.

Ji Hyo smiled at Jong Kook’s thoughtfulness.

“Thanks for giving me the ticket to your concert too, Gary-ssi” Reggie said politely.

“It’s no trouble, Reggie-ssi. I’m glad you enjoyed the performance,” Gary replied with a smile. He sat across the two ladies.

The trio paused in their conversation while their food was being served.

“Oppa, you just didn’t know how difficult it was to get the tickets for your concert.” Ji Hyo continued while she put a piece of the appetiser into . “They were sold out within a few hours once they had been made available online. Reggie, who had been sitting in front of her computer for an hour before the release of the online ticket sale, could not even get the tickets.”

“Reggie-ssi, I’m sorry for what had happened.” Gary apologised.

“Oh, don’t say that, Gary-ssi. It was not your fault.” Reggie quickly said. “I have not been a fan of rap until Ji Hyo introduced your songs to me.”

“Thanks for liking our songs. I believe our tickets were sold out that fast because of the other artists who were also performing in this concert.”

“Oppa, you are just too humble.” Ji Hyo said while she put a piece of beef tendon from her bowl into his.

He stared momentarily at the piece of meat in his bowl. He was slightly surprised and touched that she still remembered that he liked beef tendon. He passed her a piece of his beef brisket in return. Not wishing to dwell on the feeling that he was having, he quickly made another joke with his companions.

After a laughter-filled supper, the trio walked towards Reggie’s car. “Which club is Gil oppa at? We can give you a lift there.” Ji Hyo asked assuming that Gary will be joining Gil and gang.

Gary shook his head and replied, “I would like go somewhere else. Ji Hyo, can you go with me?” Knowing that this might be his last chance of going there with her. 

“Where would you like to go?” Ji Hyo cocked her head to the side and asked.

“The Peak.”

“Sure, I’ll go with you.” Ji Hyo then turned to Reggie. “May I borrow your car?”

Reggie widened her eyes at Ji Hyo, “Why I don’t I drive both of you there? I can go somewhere else first and you can give me a tinkle when you are ready to leave.” Reggie was worried about the curves and turns that Ji Hyo had to manoeuvre on the trip up and down the hill.

Not wanting to trouble Reggie, and wishing to spend some time alone with Gary, Ji Hyo said firmly to Reggie, “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m used to driving in Hong Kong now.”

Reggie knew better than to argue with Ji Hyo so she passed her her keys. “Don’t drive too fast.” Ji Hyo nodded at her friend’s concern.

At Gary’s and Ji Hyo’s insistence, they sent Reggie home first before making their way up to The Peak.

 

*At The Peak*

Gary draped his jacket over Ji Hyo’s shoulders as they admired at the beautiful night scenery of Hong Kong. The neon lights along the harbour were colourful and the lights from the faraway boats and ships were like twinkling stars in the dark waters.

“Why do you want to come here?” she asked the man standing next to her.

“There was a time I was here and I told myself that I would bring the woman I love here with me,” he thought to himself.  “I remembered that the night scenery from The Peak is breath-taking so I wanted to come and see it again.”

“And?” Ji Hyo waited for him to continue.

“I might not be able to visit Hong Kong in the near future.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I will be busy with my new factory in Cambodia,” he replied. “And you will be returning to Korea soon so there is no reason for me to come here too.”

They continued to stand in silence next to each other. As the wind got chillier, Ji Hyo offered to share his jacket with him and they huddled together. Memories and feelings of their Running Man days dawned on him again and he tried to shake them off. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Just a little chilled,” he replied.

“Come closer then,” she said and wrapped her arm around his torso to draw him closer to her.

“Ji Hyo, you have no idea what you are doing to me?” he almost wanted to tell her. Just then, he felt something in his jacket inner pocket. He quickly opened a flap of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. He then pulled the jacket tighter around them. “Luckily, I didn’t forget,” he said and passed the envelope to Ji Hyo.

Despite the dimness of their environment, Ji Hyo could tell that the envelope contained a card, and to be more precise, it was an invitation card. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to feel this way but her heart sunk a little when she received the card from him. “You are getting married? Who is the girl?” she asked with a slightly trembling voice.

Hearing the tremble in her voice, he quickly said to her, “You are feeling cold. Shall we get into the car first?”

She shook her head and some of her hair brushed against his nose and he sneezed. “You are feeling cold, oppa. Let’s get into car.” She took his hand and dragged him briskly towards their car.

Once they had settled into their seats, Ji Hyo asked, “Who is the girl? Can you tell me?”

“I’ve not met her too,” he replied.

Ji Hyo was puzzled. She then asked, “Is it an arranged marriage?”

He shook his head. He lowered his voice even though there was no one else who could hear them, “It’s a shot-gun marriage.”

“Huh?!” she exclaimed. “How can it be a shot-gun marriage when you haven’t even met her?”

He laughed at her words. He wasn’t sure if she was the blank one, or was he the blank one, or were both of them equally blank? She stared at him angrily. “Why are you mocking me?” she questioned.

“No, just open the envelope,” he said to her while he tried to contain his laughter.

She did as he said and after reading the card, the ends of tilted upwards followed by her laughter.

In between her chuckles, she managed to say, “No one would have thought that Kwang Soo would get himself into such a situation.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Our maknae surely isn’t who we think he is.”

She read the wedding date. It was slightly more than three months before her wedding with Jong Kook. “Will you be attending his wedding?” she asked.

“No, I won’t be attending. I’ll be in Cambodia” he replied. He had stopped attending weddings since two years ago. It wasn’t that he could not give the wedding couple his blessings; he just didn’t wish to attend any more such occasions which reminded him that he was still unmarried. Perhaps the only wedding he would attend would be Gil’s.

“And you won’t be attending mine too?” she enquired.

“I’m sorry, Ji Hyo. I will be spending a lot more time in Cambodia from now on.” Seeing her downcasted eyes, he quickly explained, “In order for the children to go school, I have to help their parents put food onto their tables. I just started a factory there so I need to spend more time arranging for the parents to work there and to convince them to let their children attend school.”

She was very proud of him but that didn’t stop her from pouting because she did want him to be there at their wedding. Without Gary, she and Jong Kook might not be even together now. Seeing her pout and frown, he leaned towards her and said, “You will be the most beautiful bride in the world. Jong Kook hyung will be the luckiest man in the world to have married you. And I will be sending you my blessings from Cambodia.” He gave her a hug and she returned it.

She didn’t like the feeling she was having. It was as if she would be seeing him for the last time. “Gary oppa,” she whispered.

He stopped himself from tightening the hug and pulled himself away. He looked into her eyes and spoke softly and solemnly, “Promise me that you will be happy.” She nodded her head and he took in her response. Then he said more cheerily, “And you must remember to send me your wedding photographs.”

“I will,” she said with a smile and a sniff.

“Let’s go back now. It’s really late. Reggie-ssi will be worried about you,” he urged.

With another smile, Ji Hyo drove him back to his hotel.

During the car ride, they caught up a bit more on each other’s lives. Observing that Ji Hyo had adapted smoothly to Hong Kong’s left side drive when they drove on the right side in South Korea, he was proudly confident of her will power and adaptability. He was also glad to see no shadows of what Jong Kook had told him about the despondent Ji Hyo.

As they approached Gary’s hotel, it started to drizzle. When they had finally reached Gary’s hotel, they leaned in for another brief hug before saying goodbye to each other.

As her car drove off, Gary said his final farewell to her even though he knew that she couldn’t hear him. Looking at the raindrops, he uttered, “Farewell, Ji Hyo. This isn’t the first time I see you leave me in the rain.”

---

*Twenty-five years later*

A lean and dark-skinned young man approached Ji Hyo who was sitting on a rocking chair, which had replaced the swing, in her balcony. He squatted down before her and greeted her.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Auntie Ji Hyo.”

She was surprised that he knew her name.

“My name is Pheakdei. I’m Appa Gary’s adopted son.”

The mention of Gary’s name brought grief to her heart. The news of Gary’s passing had reached her two months ago and she still could not believe that her friend was gone.

“You are Gary oppa’s adopted son?” she clarified.

“Yes, I’m his adopted son.” Pheakdei took in the lady before him and thought to himself, “Father used to say that once you’ve met the best, you wouldn’t settle for the second best. So this is the woman who has captured his heart for life.”

“How did Gary oppa died?” she asked in a tightly controlled voice.

“Appa Gary had died of pneumonia in Cambodia,” he answered sadly. Sensing her grief, he quickly consoled her, "Appa Gary had passed away peacefully in his sleep."

A drop of tear spilled from the corner of her eyes. Pheakdei quickly took out his handkerchief and dabbed the teardrop away.

“Auntie Ji Hyo, please don’t cry. Appa wouldn’t want you to cry for him.”

Ji Hyo sniffed back her tears and looked at the young man before her. While his looks weren’t like Gary’s, his mannerisms were similar to his.

“I was packing Appa’s things with Uncle Gil when we found this notebook. Uncle Gil said that I should give it to you.” He passed a notebook with yellowish pages to her. She placed the notebook carefully on her lap and ran her fingers over its cover.

“Please take care, Auntie Ji Hyo. I have to make a move first because I still have a flight to catch.”

She patted the young man’s shoulder lightly as a form of blessing. He stood and made a ninety-degree bow before taking his leave.

After seeing the young man out of their house, Jong Kook came to Ji Hyo. “Are you all right, my dear?” he asked.

Ji Hyo nodded her head and continued running her fingers over the cover of the notebook. “I can’t believe that he is gone.”

“Me too,” Jong Kook put his hands on her shoulders and comforted her.

He saw her hands lingered on the notebook and said, “I think you should read what he had written for you.” He smiled at her and walked out of the balcony so that she could be alone.

When she flipped open the book, the first page was blank. When she turned the page, she saw the words “For Song Ji Hyo” on the second page. Her index finger traced over his handwriting.

As she turned the pages, she realised this was a book of lyrics – lyrics that he had written for her. There were so many songs in the notebook that she didn’t know which one to read first until she found a slip of yellowish paper which was being used as a bookmark for the last entry. She took a closer look of the paper and noticed that the faded handwriting was hers and that the numbers on the slip was her old telephone number. With her increasingly misty eyes, she read the final entry of his notebook.

Sacrificing My Heart

In my loneliness, all I seek is a partner
In my journey, I search for my destined one
All I could find is just my memories of you
Your images are the company for my lifelong lone voyage

In the drama known as your life, you have found your leading man
Your eyes are set on him and him alone
As your supporting actor, my eyes are on you and for you
There are times I wish that you would notice me too

In my loneliness, all I seek is a partner
In my journey, I searched for my destined one
All I could find is just my memories of you
Your images are my company for my lifelong lone voyage

I’ll be the backdrop in your drama’s passing scenes
I’ll be the accompaniment in your life’s theme song
I walk in the shadows of your happiness
And I live in the shades of your blissfulness

My heart I willingly sacrifice for your lifetime of happiness

---

To the MC fans who have stayed for the second ending and to all readers who liked Kang Gary of this story, this is a little something that I had prepared since I promised that Gary will be part of the second ending. I hope you like this.   

I have also written a silly blog entry on the stories behind writing this story. You can find here.

With this epilogue, I can finally mark my story as “Completed”. Hooray!!!

 

(02.02.2014)