Min Ho stirred and felt a sharp sting in his head. He winced, letting out a little cry from the pain. Opening his eyes took a great deal of effort, what with the bright lights seeping in through his bedroom windows. He used his hands to support and raise his torso so he could sit up. His whole body felt sore, but nothing beat the searing headache he was currently experiencing. It was as if someone was pounding the back of his head with a hammer.

He groaned as he massaged his temples using his fingers. As if on cue, his ringtone blasted through the room. Min Ho knew it wasn’t that loud, but the sound seemed to envelope him, heightening the pain. He quickly reached for his phone which was on the bedside table. He needed to make it stop.

‘Yobuseyo,’ he answered blearily. Damn. Even his throat was sore.

‘Good, you’re up. Get ready. I’ll pick you up in an hour,’ his manager said mechanically. ‘Our flight leaves at ten forty-five. I know you’re on your bed right now. Don’t you dare go back to sleep. Keunho.’ He hung up.

Min Ho frowned at his phone. His manager didn’t even give him a chance to grunt his response. He sat there idly for almost a minute, thinking about whether he should get up or go back to sleep. His whole body was telling him to just lie down, but he knew his manager was just going to get livid and start shouting, which will only worsen his headache. He shuddered at the thought and willed his body to cooperate. He turned to the side and stood up painstakingly. He immediately lost his balance and fell back on the bed.

‘Arghhh!’ He yelled out loud in frustration. I’m never drinking again. EVER, he told himself. After a while, he stood up again and this time, slowly. He walked sluggishly out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. His throat was dry and scratchy; his stomach empty and grumbling. In his mind, he was repeating the word ‘water’ over and over.

He opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. He gulped voraciously, easing his discomfort with the cold liquid. It was a good thing that after emptying the bottle, he felt slightly better. He was on his way back to his room when something caught his eye. He turned back to the dining table and saw a small copper bottle on top of a folded piece of paper.

Min Ho lifted the hangover drink, took the piece of paper, and opened it.

I know I’m not in the position to ask you for a favor, but I’m going to anyway. Please don’t skip meals. I made porridge with what I could find in your kitchen. Just reheat it when you wake up.

Oh, and next time, don’t drink too much. You know how low your tolerance is.

Min Ho stared at the piece of paper intently. He read what was written there over and over, racking his brain for an explanation. It couldn’t have been his manager – he wouldn’t leave a note like that. His sister would have woken him up and beat him senseless. Jung Il Woo?

After a while, he finally looked up and turned his attention to the stove. He walked over and opened the silver pot. The scent of the porridge filled his nose, his stomach rumbling soon after. Il Woo would never cook for me. He’ll just toss me a hangover drink. He looked back at the table and saw the bottle again. So was it him? As if his head didn’t hurt enough, now he has to figure out what happened last night.

He did as he was told and the stove. Taking a seat, he scratched his head.

Min Ho’s body jerked forward as faint images from his dream filled his mind. Seolma…? He grabbed the piece of paper again and opened it hurriedly. Chamkan. Her handwriting? His heart started pounding at the thought of Shin Hye writing that note. He turned around and looked at the pot. Did she cook this?

Within seconds, he was up from his chair, sprinting to his room. He grabbed his phone from the bed and dialled. After a few rings, Il Woo picked up.

‘YA LEE MIN HO. BICHEOSO? You almost killed me last night. Do you know how heavy you are? Aish. At least you have the decency to call. Keunde… are you okay? I bet you have a massive hangover.’

‘Il Woo-yah, last night…’ Min Ho paused. He wasn’t sure how to phrase his question without sounding like an idiot.

‘What about last night? When you conned me into drinking with you with the intention to get wasted? You should have given me a heads up, ima!’

‘Ya, shut up for a second,’ he said, getting irritated. His head was still throbbing and Il Woo’s voice just made it worse. ‘Last night, did… did Park Shin Hye…’ his voice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

‘Shin Hye? Wae? Wasn’t she there when you woke up? Ya. You should consider yourself lucky you have an extremely understanding girlfriend. She even came out late at night to get you. You don’t deserve her at all,’ Il Woo jabbed.

Min Ho’s jaw dropped slightly; he staggered back and accidentally ended up sitting on his bed. She was here? She was here last night? ‘Gumawo,’ he whispered to Il Woo and hung up hurriedly. For a while, Min Ho just sat there, trying to tap into what he could recall from the night before. Every night, he dreamed of Shin Hye. And nothing was unusual about last night’s dream.

‘Except that means… last night…’ Min Ho ran a hand through his hair, still flustered, ’…was real.’

Shin Hye bit her nails as she stared blankly out her window. She couldn’t get Min Ho’s face out of her mind. I knew it was a mistake to go there. I just knew it. She budged and lay down on the couch, covering her face with a pillow. She hasn’t had a wink of sleep since last night. When she got home, there were just too many things to think about.

She found herself replaying the scenes over and over in her head.

‘Shin Hye, don’t go,’ he said softly as he held onto her wrist. Shin Hye just stood there, unable to speak. But as she looked at him more, all she could think about was how she felt that day at Min Ho’s agency, when he told her it was over. The pain was still there, and Shin Hye didn’t know when it was going to go away. Her heart sank, knowing that all she wanted was to jump into his arms, but she would never allow herself to do so. After a while, she used her other hand to remove Min Ho’s grip.

‘I can’t,’ she replied weakly.

Before Shin Hye could walk away, Min Ho sat up on the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,’ he spoke, his words muffled by the tears that were falling down his cheeks. ‘I’m so stupid. I love you so much. It hurts so much.’ He buried his face on her stomach.

Shin Hye bit her lip and noticed her whole body tremble, almost as much as Min Ho’s body was shaking. She could feel his tears seeping through her shirt. As her breathing hastened, she tried to control her arms that were begging to hug him back.

‘You’re drunk,’ she said, trying to sound as cold as she can. She suppressed her own tears. Seeing Min Ho act this way was painful for her. But she needed to control herself.

Min Ho tightened his hug and gently kissed her stomach, just below her s. ‘I need you. Please don’t go.’ He looked up at her, his eyes red and pleading. ‘If I have to beg you every night to take me back, I’ll do it Shin Hye. I love you. I love you,’ he stammered.

As Shin Hye looked down at his quivering lips, she couldn’t help but cry, too. It was the first time she’s seeing him so vulnerable. But she couldn’t be sure if this was just the alcohol talking, or if he was telling the truth. And even if he was in so much pain, Shin Hye saw the logic behind their break-up. It took a while before she saw past the hurt, but she knew that even if they didn’t break up, their relationship might not last. It was simply too difficult for them to be together.

‘Oppa,’ she said tenderly, ‘We both know love isn’t enough.’ She burst into more tears as she struggled to continue speaking. ‘Not for people like us.’ Her whole body was shaking now, and she finally let her hands lace through Min Ho’s hair. She slowly sat on the bed, levelling her face with Min Ho’s. Her hands travelled from his head to his tear-stained cheeks. She let out a sob as she looked into his eyes. For the first time, Min Ho looked more like a boy than a man. ‘Mianhae. I really can’t do this anymore.’

Shin Hye coud only watch as Min Ho shed more tears. He was still drunk and out of his senses. She took his hands to calm him down, only for him to kiss them over and over. Her heart lurched at the sight. She pushed him slowly so he could lie down again, but he only resisted. Eventually, Shin Hye had to lie down next to him to stop him from wanting to get up. Min Ho held on tightly to her hand as he continued to lock eyes with her.

‘Rest,’ she said softly.

Min Ho shook his head slightly. ‘I’m afraid you’ll be gone when I wake up. You’re always gone when I wake up.’

Shin Hye pressed her lips together. ‘We’ve come this far, oppa. It’s going to hurt some more, but if we try hard enough, maybe we’ll be okay soon. Maybe we can even be friends again.’

Min Ho shook his head again, and this time, more forcefully. ‘You’ll never be just a friend to me.’

She let out a deep sigh. ‘Sleep.’ She closed her eyes, hoping Min Ho would follow suit. But not long after, she felt his strong arms around her waist, drawing her in closer.

Her eyes fluttered open immediately. She tried to pull away, but Min Ho didn’t release her.

‘Please,’ he said wistfully. ‘Once I close my eyes, you’ll disappear again. So at least let me hold you.’

Shin Hye took one look at his sad expression and stopped resisting. Min Ho pulled her in that their bodies were almost pressed together, their faces within inches of each other. With Min Ho this close, Shin Hye could feel her heart thud against her chest. She was too powerless against him, and she knew that if he tried to lean in and kiss her now, she wouldn’t have the strength to push him away.

But Min Ho only leaned his forehead on hers. ‘Thank you,’ he murmured softly before closing his eyes.

Shin Hye watched him fall asleep, observing how his chest rose and fell with every breath. The longer she lay there, she more she hated herself for wanting to stay. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, his embrace was still familiar, warm, and comforting.

She didn’t notice how much time had passed, but when she was sure he was asleep, she slowly removed his arm from her waist and carefully got up from the bed. She was about to make her way into the kitchen when from the corner of her eye, she saw a white envelope above Min Ho’s study table. She tiptoed over there and picked it up. Her hand flew to cover mouth the moment she recognized it. The Japan photos, she thought. She had forgotten about them completely. She glanced at Min Ho on the bed as she opened it. How did he get these? After she browsed through them, she put the envelope inside her bag.

After scouring Min Ho’s kitchen and gathering all the ingredients she needed, Shin Hye started making porridge. For some reason, she felt guilty about the fact that Min Ho barely eats. It was evident in how thin his face got. She didn’t care if she was no longer his girlfriend. The man needed to eat.

When she was done, she took out a small piece of paper and a pen from her bag and wrote Min Ho a note. She left it with the hangover drink from Il Woo. Just as she was about to go out of his door, she turned around and scanned the place.

‘This is the last time,’ she muttered audibly. It wasn’t only Min Ho that needed a note. She did, too. ‘Nothing changes. You can’t be here again. This is the last time,’ she reminded herself.

‘SURPRISE!’

Shin Hye’s eyes widened seeing the bright faces in front of her. Her childhood friends, her college friends, her celebrity friends, her staff – all of them have gathered at her parents' restaurant and were now grinning at her confused face. Instinctively, she covered her cheeks with her palms; she was absolutely sure she was blushing.

‘Meoya… what’s all this?’

‘Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you…’

Everyone there started singing enthusiastically. Shin Hye turned to her side and saw Hong Ki walking in with a cake. He was singing the loudest out of everyone there.

‘…happy birthday, dear Shin Hye… happy birthday to you!’

Shin Hye couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Her eyes started to water, feeling overwhelmed by the whole scene. Lately, she’d been depressed and feeling dejected. She was exhausted from work, and from dealing with the breakup that it took a lot of her energy. But for the first time in weeks, she could say that she was genuinely happy.

‘Ya, ya, ya! Don’t cry!’ Hong Ki exclaimed. ‘She’s crying, everyone! Make her stop!’

She hit his arm lightly before turning to her cake again. There were too many candles, signifying the many years that she’s been blessed. Yesterday, her birthday celebration with the fans ended, and now, her celebration with her family and closest friends was about to begin. Her heart fluttered.

‘Shin Hye, you’re supposed to blow the candles,’ Hong Ki reminded her, interrupting her thoughts.

‘I know. I’m just trying to think of a wish.’

Hong Ki chuckled. ‘Don’t make me laugh. You have everything already, Miss hallyu star! What more can you possibly wish for? Just blow the candles! I almost can’t feel my arms.’

Shin Hye bit her lip. That wasn’t exactly true. She didn’t have everything. But she wasn’t going to be greedy either. Just one wish would do. She closed her eyes then blew them out. The whole room cheered and clapped. Shin Hye’s Mother walked to her and gave her a tight hug.

‘Soo Jin and Joon planned all of this,’ her Father, who was right beside her Mom, told her. ‘You’re going to be busy on your actual birthday so let’s just celebrate earlier.’

‘Omma, appa, gumawo,’ she replied. She had already cried at the fan meeting when her parents gave her their message. She wasn’t going to cry anymore, although the tears were really being pushy.

Her mother leaned closer. ‘Keunde… is Min Ho coming?’

She tensed at the mention of his name. Shin Hye looked at her Mom apologetically. ‘China.’

She didn’t like lying to her parents, so she settled for a half-truth. As far as she knew, Min Ho was in China for a schedule since the 14th, so he’s probably still there. Her heart grew heavy at the thought of him. No, Shin Hye. Have fun. You have everyone you need right here.

Throughout the night, everyone ate, laughed, and drank heartily. Shin Hye travelled from table to table, taking photos, joking with friends, and just receiving well wishes from everyone who came. Heechul was such a hoot. He became the pseudo-emcee, asking Shin Hye’s friends to make funny toasts for the birthday girl.

Shin Hye laughed out loud when Hong Ki retold everyone an anecdote from their drama filming days. He said that back then, Shin Hye was really like a boy. He doesn’t know when she started becoming so feminine, and he’s honestly getting scared that he’ll soon see her as a girl.

‘That’s never going to happen, Hongstar!’ Shin Hye said out loud.

Their festivities were interrupted when a huge bouquet of flowers were delivered to the restaurant. It was almost as big as Shin Hye that the delivery guy had trouble bringing it inside. Shin Hye looked around in confusion, to see if it was from someone in attendance. When nobody stepped up, the crowd hooted.

‘Oooh, lo