She jumped.  And for a moment, she was free.  Flying high above the city.  Unbound and unchained from the rigors of earthbound life.  For a moment, she was perfect.  Perfectly her, in tune with her spirit, unafraid of life and unlimited potential.  And then the moment passed.  She started to fall.  Her scream pierced the air.  And she closed her eyes, afraid of seeing the end coming.

Ji Hyo sat, nervous.  She was waiting for her boss at C-Jess Entertainment.  Her former boyfriend, Baek Chang Ju.  As she waited, she prayed he would help her.

It all started 10 days ago.  A newspaper had printed an article claiming celebrities had been ing themselves in order to get funding for various projects.  It listed such names as Jeon Ji Hyun, Kim Ha Neul, and even Lee Hyori.  

The response had been fairly standard.  Agencies vehemently denied the allegations, promising to sue over libel and defamation.  Female celebrities quickly denied being es and promised to work hard to overcome the false claims.  Other actors and directors chimed in as character witnesses, claiming that the women in question would never resort to such lows and denounced the paper.  

Ji Hyo had done the same.  But while outwardly she played the part of the unjustly accused, inside, she was torn in pieces.  Because she had a secret.  A secret she had hoped was long buried.  She had, in fact, been a e.  

It had been a long time ago.  She was 17, and trying desperately to get into the entertainment business.  But she was from Pohang, and had the accent to match.  She was young and pretty, but unversed in makeup and fashion.  In short, she wasn't actress material.

Tired of sending in pictures to talent agencies, she decided she had to go to Seoul.  There, she would impress some director or agent and maybe get an audition and become an actress.  So she packed up and took the train, telling her parents she was sleeping over at a friend's house.  In reality, she planned to spend the weekend camping out all the studios, looking for her big break.

After 2 days, she hadn't found anything and was desperate.  She couldn't stand the thought of going back empty handed.  But even in Seoul, nobody would giver her a second look.  She was about to give up when an older man in a suit stopped her.  He asked if she was a model.  Flattered, Ji Hyo told him about her dream of being an actress.  The man smiled and said he could make it happen, for the right price.

Hours later, it was over.  But it wasn't.  For the next 6 months, Ji Hyo spent her weekends in Seoul, entertaining the man and some of his other friends.  And while she wasn't an actress, she did manage to debut as a model.  But even after debuting, she kept her life secret from friends and family.  Though she was a model, she was still a relative unknown but moreover, she was ashamed.  Ashamed of the debauchery she had resorted to in order to make her dream a reality.  

Eventually, she caught the eye of a director who cast her in her first movie.  She got some bit parts after that and ended her "arrangement".  No longer needing the man's dubious connections, she forged ahead in her career, finally able to tell her parents that she was an actress.  For 15 years, she'd kept that dark part of her past a secret, hoping nobody would ever know just how far she'd gone for her chance.  

But the newspaper article changed everything.  Reporters started looking into her past.  Anonymous sources claimed to have seen her in hostess bars.  Dark rumors surrounded her like a boa constrictor, closing in ever so tightly on her secret.  

She fought it the whole time.  She claimed her innocence and decried the reports that sought to tear her down.  But it was a losing battle.  The hounds of hell had been let lose on her past and evidence of her past surfaced. 

So now she was here, in Chang Ju's office.  The photos had just leaked online and speculation was rampant that Ji Hyo was indeed the woman in the picture.  She didn't know what to do.  The scandal was spiraling far out of her control.  She could only hope Chang Ju would know what to do.

The room was quiet.  Ji Hyo sat, trying to quell the nerves in her stomach.  Across the table, Chang Ju was looking into a folder file.  He'd been looking for the last couple of minutes.  Every once in a while, he'd flip a page but other than that, there was nothing.  Just a serious expression.  The same expression he'd had since he walked in.  

Finally, he looked up from the folder.  Opening it wide, he laid it out on the table and pushed it over to Ji Hyo.  It was opened to a picture of her, outside a hostess bar.  Ji Hyo reached out and picked up the folder.  There were other pictures, mostly of her, some of her "clients".  She felt the pit in her stomach dig deeper into her core.  She felt sick.

Chang Ju let her digest the pictures for a moment before speaking.  "I'm sorry" he said.  His brows furrowed and he closed his eyes in frustration before opening them and fixing them on Ji Hyo.  She deserved to hear the truth. "There's nothing I can do.  These pictures....they're real.  We have no legal ground to stop them."  There were many more things he wanted to say but nothing came to mind.  What do you say to someone after you just broke their heart?

It didn't take long before the word got out.  Ji Hyo was the focus of intense scrutiny as word spread about her past.  She was dropped from several dramas she was considering.  Her corporate sponsors dropped her as well and her commercial modeling contracts were terminated.  Paparazzi surrounded her house and hounded her ever move.  And online, netizens blasted her character, calling her names that can't be repeated here.  

Ji Hyo tried not to let it bother her.  Of course, it was a giant distraction.  It consumed her life.  But she tried to keep as much normalcy as she could.  She refused all requests for interviews.  She stayed at home, locked away from the paparazzi.  She refused to comment on anything, unwilling to add any more fuel to the fire.  

But while outwardly she tried to remain unaffected, inside she was broken.  Her career, her reputation, her life were ruined.  And while she felt support from her friends and family, even they could not ease the heavy burden in her heart.  

There was one pillar in her life who kept her going.  Kim Jong Kook.  The man had watched his career flame out following Turbo's breakup and had resuscitated it with nothing but hard work and perseverance.  More than anyone else, he knew what she was going through.  He'd walked down that road before.

But some days, even his help wasn't enough.  Some days she would stay in and think about how screwed up her life was.  Some days she wouldn't even get out of bed; just lying there all day, crying herself back to sleep.

Tonight was one of those nights.  She'd been stuck inside all day, shut in by the legions of paparazzi camping outside her home.  Her mother had tried to come but had been swamped at the front door by paparazzi trying to get a statement.  She felt alone and worthless.  And with no end in sight, her resolve failed.  She climbed up to the roof, ready to end it.

Jong Kook was worried about Ji Hyo.  He'd been there.  He'd spent many sleepless nights crying over misfortune and misery.  He'd wondered if his career, if his life even, was over.  He'd had all those doubts, fears, and insecurities.  He'd hit rock bottom and thought there was no way out.  He'd been there and somehow, he'd overcome it all.  Just like he was sure Ji Hyo would.  But she didn't see it that way.  Right now, she was still bottoming out, unable to see the big picture.  He wanted to show her, but he just didn't know how.  

He called her, but decided the message would have more impact if delivered in person.  So he drove over to Ji Hyo's house and snuck past the paparazzi camped outside.  A simple disguise was all that was needed, they were so focused on people coming out.  

He knocked at her door but got no answer.  Worried, he knocked again.  Still nothing.  Stumped, he walked back to the elevator, only to find it now working.  Grumbling about his bad luck, he trudged towards the stairs.  

Ji Hyo stood at the edge of her roof, looking out over the Seoul skyline.  It was beautiful.  An endless mass of steel and concrete, punctuated by lights hanging over streets and lighting buildings.  Far in the distance, she could just make out Namsan tower, a beacon of light shining over the city.  So close.  

Jong Kook reached the stairs.  On a whim, he started climbing, unwilling to go down just yet.  

Ji Hyo took another step forward.  She was just a few feet from the edge now.  A protective barrier prevented her from going any farther but Ji Hyo could climb over it.  Nothing would stop her from becoming one with the city laid out in front of her. 

"JI Hyo!!!!" 

Jong Kook screamed as he saw Ji Hyo climb over the barrier and brace at the edge.  He'd just made it to the roof and had been taking in the view when he saw her.  He felt a giant pit form in his stomach as he instinctively knew what she was trying to do.  "DON'T DO IT" he screamed at her.  

Ji Hyo looked back, surprised to hear and see Jong Kook.  He was running towards her, screaming, but she didn't care.  It was too late.  Her mind was already made up.  Turning her back to him, she stepped back to the edge and looked down one last time.  

She jumped.  And for a moment, she was free.  Flying high above the city.  Unbound and unchained from the rigors of earthbound life.  For a moment, she was perfect.  Perfectly her, in tune with her spirit, unafraid of life and unlimited potential.  And then the moment passed.  She started to fall.  Her scream pierced the air.  And she closed her eyes, afraid of seeing the end coming.  I've made a mistake.  I don't want it to end.  Not like this.  I'm sorry.

Something grabbed her ankle and stopped her fall.  Looking up, tears running up her face, she saw Jong Kook, lunging over the edge, holding her by one ankle.  His huge biceps, already large, were bulging with the strain of holding her up.  "Ji Hyo!" he screamed, completely terrified of the thought that he had almost lost her. 

Ji Hyo cried,  And cried.  She couldn't help it.  Here, at her lowest moment, when she had tried to end it, he'd come.  Like a guardian angel, he'd saved her.  In that moment right before she fell, she'd felt it change in her heart.  She'd seen it in his eyes as he lunged to grab her.  She didn't want to die.  She wanted to live.  With him.  Forever.  And she'd almost killed herself before she could reach that seminal conclusion. 

"Oppa" she cried, burying herself in his chest. And she stood there, crying in his embrace.  He held her; held her tightly to never let her go.  You found me.