“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

(song: Steps)

The boat sailed on his way home, making little waves around it. Lily was wrapped on a blanket and staring at the horizon in the direction where supposedly land was. In a few hours they would be back to their normal lives and everything would be as if nothing happened right? Wrong! Her body and her heart didn’t let her think like that.

She looked to the front where Jinki, now back to being Onew was being pampered by a couple of nurses. They did care about Lily too and gave her medicine to her fever that worked making her mind work again and unfortunately making her more conscious of the fact that her relationship, if she could call it that, was over.

Her body still remembered his touch, and the after effects of the night before were still marked on her but since they entered the boat she tried to avoid talking with Jinki, not that he once showed intention to talk with her too.

His eyes moved from the nurse next to him to her, a gentle smile on his lips when he noticed her watching him. But Lily looked elsewhere instead, making him confused. Did he do something to upset her?! Lily was acting so weird since they entered the boat as if she didn’t knew him, as if they didn’t share an intimate moment on the island.

Jinki would never forget it. The way she moaned his name, her skin against his skin; the taste of her lips...Just thinking about it made him crazy to hug her, but he couldn’t. Not in front of everyone. He didn’t want rumors to start and harm her and her family.

They needed to be careful now. They weren’t on an island alone. All eyes were set on them.

Lily stared at the ceiling. They gave her a room of one of the crew and she tried to close her eyes and sleep. In three hours they would arrive to the port and a lot of reporters would be there waiting for them. Jinki was in a different room, probably one with more conditions than her, since he was a star and she was nobody. Her leg pain disappeared with the pain killers and she was at least thankful for that. Unfortunately the pain on her chest wasn’t going away and she tried really hard to fight the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes.

Lily wanted to regret it but she couldn’t. She loved every moment of it, every touch, every kiss, his scent…How could she regret something that made her so happy?!

A gentle knock on her door take her from the numbness she was in.

Lily knew that it was him so she told Jinki to enter.

He opened the door slowly and entered the room siting by her side in bed.

“I’m sorry! Since we got rescued things were crazy and I couldn’t ask you…How are you feeling?”

“My leg doesn’t hurt anymore and my fever is gone.” She said siting up too.

He swallowed watching her and she realized what he truly meant by asking her if she ok. It was not only the wounds but something else beside that.  He was being sweet since he worried about that.

“I’m ok!” It still hurt a little, but it was normal since she was a .

“I’m glad!” He said placing his hand near hers clearly wanting to hold it but she didn’t move.

“Thank you! If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have survived!” Lily thanked him from the bottom of her heart. He saved her in every way. “And for everything else too!” They both knew what those words meant.

“You don’t have to thank me!” he said holding her motionless hand on his, the electricity of his touch vibrating trough her body making her bite her lip to control her feelings. That hand that she held so many times before was not hers to hold anymore. And that was probably the last time she would feel his touch or even talk with him like he was a normal person.

“I don’t want to say goodbye!” he said almost in a whisper making her look at him finally.

“I mean it Lily! You are special to me and about what happened last night…”

“It’s ok…” Lily tried to brush the subject off but he kept talking.

“It’s not ok…I feel bad! We shouldn’t have done it!”

Her heart broke into tiny pieces. He regretted sleeping with her?  

“But I don’t regret it a little!” He ended making her blush. He didn’t regret it after all.

It was her moment now. In a few hours Jinki will be gone from her life forever. She could confess to him now. He said she was special so maybe they could try to date. Lots of idols date common girls right? Lily only needed to say what she already said to him when he was asleep. I love you were only three little words after all.

“I…” she opened to talk, her heart beating like crazy and his eyes set on hers intently.

“Onew!” one member of the crew appeared on the door making him release her hand quickly and ruining her moment. “The captain is looking for you!”

He nodded and got up from the bed looking at her one last time. If only eyes could say what both felt and wasn’t said.

“We will talk later!” he told her smiling wonderfully like he always did before he left the room.

Something broke inside Lily. She knew that was the last time they would talk. Her heart was telling her that. Tears started to fall down her cheek when she realized she lost her chance to confess.

There was only one thing that she was certain at that moment. She would cherish her moments with him forever. She was lucky than most people since even though it was for short time, she experienced love.

It looked like all Korea was waiting for them. Jinki sighed watching the reporter’s waiting on shore, taking pictures of the SHINee members and his parents waiting for him. His mom was crying and he felt terrible just wondering how much she hurt during these weeks while he was away.

His manager was the first to come and greet him, giving him a big hug and warning him about the reports. “Don’t say anything and walk to the car” was the plan and Jinki would keep it after he hugged his family.

He walked outside the ship and the flashes started, some fan were screaming his name from the side and Jinki didn’t have time for anything when his mom run to Jinki hugging him. His father followed and everything was a blur after that since he couldn’t stop the tears.

Jinki was finally home. He wasn’t sure about what happened next but he felt his brothers from SHINee hug him and Jonghyun mumbling a “Welcome home” between tears. The reporters loved it but Jinki couldn’t care less at the moment. He was back and he was happy.

Only one thing was missing. He looked around until he saw Lily in the arms of two women; probably her mom and sister. She talked about them a lot on the island and he felt like he knew them. He wanted to say something but the manager gave him a stern look.

Lily kissed her sister forehead and looked at the other side, the flashes of the camera and the screams of the fans the only thing she could hear. Jinki was looking at her too and for a moment she felt that he was going to walk in her direction.

 Just like on a dream he would walk to her and grab her hand and kiss Lily in front of everyone. If her life was a fairy tale that would happen, but it wasn’t.

At that moment a girl with black hair, wearing a blue dress come from the middle of the curious people watching and run to Jinki’s arms clearly surprising him. Her arms were like tentacles around his neck while she cried on his chest. Jinki hands were motionless and his eyes were on Lily silently pleading for forgiveness.

Why??!

“She is Young-Hee, the actress?! Her girlfriend…” Flora, Lily’s sister said hugging her again.

Lily hugged her back, her eyes leaving Jinki. He had a girlfriend and never told her? They held hands, they kissed, they had and he had a girlfriend all that time. She felt betrayed! No! She felt dirty! He wasn’t the person she thought he was. He wasn’t her prince after all.

“Let’s go!” she regained her strength and grabbed her mom hand. “Let’s go home!”

Lee Jinki, her prince, didn’t exist after all; he was only a product of her imagination.

A prince doesn’t break hearts like that.

Flora played with the wind chimes watching her sister washing her uniform on the back yard.

“Can we go for a walk tomorrow?”

“I’m busy! I need to get back to the coffe shop.” The older sister answered without looking at Flora.

Everything was back to normal. Lily was going to get back to work again and she started taking care of their father and the house.

“How was it on the island?” Flora asked making Lily halt. She knew she didn’t like when people made her question.

Four days passed since she came back and all neighbors couldn’t help but ask how they survived, how the island was, how Onew was. The questions, for some strange reason made her sister nervous, maybe even hurt and Flora was curious. Also reporters often came by their house asking questions that her sister never wanted to answer.

“Different.” Lily said after a while getting back to her task.

“Why don’t you talk about it?” Flora crouched next to her sister looking at her thoughtfully. “Did he do something to you?” Onew was the most dangerous subject and Flora knew it. Something happened on that island.

Lily rose up with her hands wet with water and looked at her sister.

“He did!” She shake the water from her hands “He stole and broke something precious to me.”

Flora couldn’t ask anything else and only stared at her sister wondering what he stole that was so precious until she finally understood.  He stole her sister’s heart and he also broke it.

“Oh!” she exclaimed without knowing what to say. Instead she back hugged her sister.

Flora wouldn’t ask anything about that subject anymore.

“The boy is on the news!” Lily and Flora’s father was on the couch on the living room. He was feeling better today so Lily helped him leave his bed..

“Who is?” Lily asked siting by his side and regretting it when she saw Jinki face on TV.

“It’s been five days since you were rescued. What did you do these last days?”

“I spent them with my family and I also ate a lot of delicious food.” He smiled gently to the female reporter.

“We are glad you are feeling better. I think everyone is curious, so can you talk about the days at the island?”

Jinki stared at the reporter for a few moments and smiled once again.

“There will be press conference soon where I’ll be answering questions about it.”

“So you can’t talk about the girl who was with you on the island? Everyone is curious…”

Lily got up tired of the rumors. Everyone seemed to think that they had a secret affair or that she seduced the poor Onew on the island.

She hid on her room and stared at the wall when her mother entered it.

Lily didn’t have to say anything because her mom hugged her right away. She knew. The sad eyes; the reluctance talking about him; the lack of appetite. She was in love.

“It’s ok!” she said patting her daughters back while she cried.

“Mom. You don’t know…”Lily said between sobs.

“I do. You like him right? Its normal, he is very handsome.”

“No!” Lily shook her head. “I don’t like him. I love him mom, we did things…we…”

Her mom hugged her again not letting Lily finish.

“It’s ok. Did he force you?”

“No. I love him….It felt like destiny mom.” She sobbed, the words not coming out. The pain getting more and more unbearable “but it wasn’t mom…it wasn’t!”

“It’s ok.”

It was not ok. Lily was not ok. Her body recovered, her leg didn’t hurt much anymore and she could walk normally, but her heart was beyond recover.

It was not ok.

“He is coming! Turn off the lights!” Key whispered to Taemin who did what he said.

Someone opened the door oblivious to their presence and flipped the switch up.

“SURPRISE!” Jinki jumped when he heard his four friends and colleagues in the middle of the living room with a big banner saying “welcome home”.

“I’m surprised!” he answered still not believing that they did that.

“We bought chicken and beer so we can celebrate!” Minho said siting on the floor and opening the bag.

“Let’s eat!” Jonghyun screamed. He was famished since he spent all day preparing for his radio show.

“I have something to announce too. I know you all will be very happy!” Jinki said sitting beside Taemin.

“What?” Taemin asked grabbing a can of beer and opening it.

“I broke up with my fake girlfriend!”

“YES!” Key screamed giggling not even trying to pretend he was sad.

Onew smiled and patted Kibum’s back.

“She didn’t react that way though. She cried and begged me to not leave her.”

“I would pay anything to see that.” Jonghyun remarked while he munched on his chicken.

“I’m actually feeling sorry for her. She seems like she truly likes me.” Onew said softly staring at the delicious chicken in front of him.

“She is terrible.” Minho said offering Jinki some chicken. “Besides you like someone else.”

Jinki stared at his friends. They knew?!

“How?” he asked grabbing a chicken leg.

“We are not stupid! “Key exclaimed “When are you going to go after her?”

“She probably hates me thinking that I cheated on my girlfriend with her.”

“Cheated? What happened between you too?” Minho asked mischievously, knowing quite well that Onew was a gentleman.

Jinki didn’t answer and instead blushed while he ate.

“Don’t tell me! You kissed?” Jonghyun asked without receiving any answer. “OH MY GOD!” he almost let the beer can fall from his hand.

“You two…did it?”  Taemin asked giggling and showing his true naughty self.

“Things got a little  intense and I can’t explain but it felt right.”

“You don’t regret it?” Key asked, all of them looking at the leader.

“No. It was perfect and even though it was careless I would do it again!”

“You love her!” Jonghyun stated and Onew didn’t have to confirm it since it was so obvious to his friends. He would never kiss her, let alone sleep with her if he didn’t have greater feelings for her.

“I’m glad you are back” Key said after a while breaking the silence. Minho fell asleep after a drinking battle with Taemin who was sleeping by his side and Jonghyun lied down on the couch too tired to open his eyes after days without sleeping because of his insomnia.

“I’m glad to be back!” Jinki answered back hitting Key’s beer can with his.

“So, you and this girl…its serious?” Key said trying to find out more.

“Remember when I talked about my weird dreams with a girl?”

Key nodded smiling. They often said he was crazy. Jonghyun groaned since he was tired about those weird dreams that Jinki couldn’t stop talking about.

“I had more at the island and I saw the girls face finally. It’s her Key. It’s Lily. And the dream is over because she is real and I love her Key. It was destiny. Meeting her on that ship, falling for her, kiss her and….everything! It was all meant to be! She is the one for me!”

“That is so beautiful and you are drunk Jinki.”

“I may be but I know what I am saying. I’m gonna make her mine. We are meant to be together. Its destiny! ”

“Well good luck with that!”

Key wished him drinking the rest of his beer and lied down on the floor, completely drunk.

Jonghyun opened his eyes briefly staring at the ceiling.

“You are crazy Jinki! You fall for a girl you only known for three weeks and slept with her. What if she got pregnant?! You were reckless but…but destiny is destiny!”

Jinki smiled and closed his eyes. Jonghyun was right!

Destiny was destiny!

Everything is where it should be. The old lady is at her usual seat playing with her granddaughter, the young couple is still holding hands on the same table near the window and she is behind the counter of the coffee shop staring at them waiting for another costumer. The sun shining outside was trying to take her away to an island where she was absolutely happy but Lily decides to avoid it.

For some seconds she wonders how the monkeys are doing and if their improvised bed is still there waiting for them. She sighs and turns the radio on who seems to mock her when a SHINee song starts playing.

Lily knows their songs now. Since she got back to her normal life she has been searching for Onew’s songs and dramas secretly;  delighted with his talent.

She also went to the doctor with her mom and for her relief she wasn’t pregnant. Just thinking about the news made her scared. If Lily was she would keep it secret. For a few moments before the result of the exam was known she actually imagined having a baby. The idea was really sweet but she wasn’t ready to be a mom. She didn’t have money to give him a happy life too. It was better that way.

Lily was lost in thought when a tall man wearing a light blue shirt, black jeans and sunglasses entered the coffee shop and sat by the window alone.

She grabbed the menu and walked to him adjusting her apron.

“Good morning” she said losing her voice when he took his sunglasses and smiled at her.

“Now it’s a good morning!” Jinki exclaimed delighted looking at her. She looked good, maybe a little pale and definitely lost weight.

“I missed you so much…” he said leaning on the table getting closer to her, his eyes not leaving the face he missed so much.

Lily looked around confused not knowing what to say. He wasn’t supposed to be there, he was supposed to not talk with her anymore.

“What are you doing here?” she asked upset.

“I came to drink a cup of coffee and end our conversation.”

“Ok!” she said turning around and literally running away from him, hiding behind the counter.

Jinki eyes didn’t leave her until she returned to his table, her hands shacking when she placed the cup of coffee on his table.

She turned around to run away again when he grabbed her hand gently.

“I want to talk with you. Please sit!”

Lily stared around her and noticed how the couple was obviously noticing what was going on. It was dangerous for his reputation. Why was he doing that? Creating even more rumors…

“I can’t, I’m busy!.” She said firmly taking her hand away and moving behind the counter.

Jinki waited, his elbows on the table, his coffee cup empty. He took his time playing with a camera taking photos of the shop, the view outside the window and clearly her. Making Lily sigh in frustration.

When the couple left, tired of waiting for developments, Lily still avoided looking at him and didn’t move from her spot behind the counter.

Jinki placed the camera on the table and raised his hand calling her attention.

“I want to order something else! “

Lily walked to his table again and stared at him waiting for his order.

Instead he grabbed her hand again, his fingers caressing her skin.

“I want you. You are all I ever wanted! All I ever need!”

Lily wanted to believe him but she was hurt. She felt like he was playing with her.

“Is that your new song?! For your girlfriend perhaps?”

“I never had one. It was only for the cameras. All fake! And I broke up with her too! I’m single now…”

“Good for you!”

He grabbed her hand more firmly intending to not let her go.

“Don’t play with my heart Lily.”

“Play? I’m playing with your heart?! You didn’t tell me the truth!”

“I did. She means nothing to me. I don’t have anything with her. I was a free man when we got involved.”

“Involved is a good way to describe it!”

“Please just seat and listen to me.”

Lily looked back at him, at his branded clothes and nice hair. Even though he was wearing almost no makeup he was clearly an idol.

“You are an idol. You are Onew!”

For once that name hurt him.

“I’m also Lee Jinki and in that island something happened between us. Feelings...”

“Nothing happened!” She interrupted him “We were alone and scared and somehow things developed in that way. If you were stuck with another woman in that island the same thing would have happened.”

 “No it wouldn’t. I like you Lily. I like you so much! I would never kiss any woman like I kissed you…or make love..”

He said almost pleading for her understanding and once again she started to fell for him again.

“You can’t like me! Look around you. This is my world. We live in different worlds. Forget I exist!” She said pulling her hand from his and returning to her place behind the counter. Her heart jumping on her chest and her eyes avoiding his again. She was so afraid that she wouldn’t be able to resist his touch anymore.

For the corner of her eye she saw him get up, leaving some coins on the table to pay for his coffee and leave the shop. Lily was relieved and sad at the same time; she couldn’t decide what she wanted, Jinki leaving her alone or pleading for her love.

Jinki stopped at the door and looked at her one last time. The sun behind him made her go back to the afternoon on the island when they were happy.

“I can’t forget about you and I don’t want to!”

He left her wondering about what he meant.

The pointer turned to six finally and Lily took off her apron ready to go home since her colleague already arrived.

She aligned a couple of glasses before leaving the counter and noticed someone who clearly didn’t belong there.

 “Young-Hee?” a couple of high school girls commented looking at the door where a beautiful girl with black high-heels, black leather skirt and a white blouse was standing.

“Lily?” she asked looking around in disdain.

“Me?” Lily asked confused. Why was the fake girlfriend of Onew doing there?!She didn’t have a good feeling about this.

Young –Hee walked in firm steps to Lily stopping in front of her. Lily awkwardly stared up at her. She felt like she was in front of a goddess.

But goddesses don’t slap you!

The high school girls took out the cellphones starting to take pictures of the happening. In a few seconds they would be all over SNS.

Lily stared at the taller girl incredulous. Was that happening again?! Why was she always slapped when Onew was around?!

“Why..?”

“You stole my boyfriend! You knew he was feeling lonely and sad and did everything to seduce him. !”

“YA!” Lily screamed pushing the famous women, the cellphone capturing everything. “I’m not that kind of person and he isn’t your boyfriend anyway!”

Young-Hee laughed at the remark and grabbed the apron from the counter throwing it back to Lily.

“Just dress up and do what you were born to do. Serve others and stop trying to climb on the social ladder. Because you are nothing and you will always be nothing!”

Young-Hee turned around and the sound of her heels echoed in the room until she left the shop.

Lily couldn’t do anything. She felt miserable. Young-Hee was right. She was nothing. The tears started to fall and she placed the apron back on the counter.

“Are you ok?” her colleague asked leaning on the counter.

“Yes. I just need time.” Lily answered back. Ignoring the giggles of the girls.

Time to forget Lee Jinki.

 “She is wrong. We were meant to be!” Jinki said to himself once again, lying down in his bed and staring at the ceiling.

He rolled in bed and grabbed the camera from the bedside table. He wants to give it to her so she can start taking pictures. If someone deserves to follow her dreams it’s Lily.

Jinki turned it on and started checking the pictures he took earlier that day.

She is so beautiful trying to ignore him when she clearly couldn’t forget that he was at that table. The camera captured her stealing a peek at him for several times. He smiled noticing her innocent and curious eyes regarding where he was.

Lily was lovely and he wanted to date her seriously. He would convince her to date him.

While Jinki smiled at the pictures, on the other side of the town, Lily cried her eyes out counting the seconds for the next day, another day without him.

Lily stared at the mirror touching the bags under her eyes. She couldn’t go on like that, no sleep, no eating…

Soon she would end up in an hospital bed and she needed to work. The days she spent on the island were terrible to her family and if it wasn’t for SHINee charity they wouldn’t have survived. Thanks to them her father got a good treatment in a nice hospital. The unfortunately part is that he needed a second treatment and Daisy couldn’t pay it.

She was thinking about finding a part-time job besides her regular job but she was so tired already.

It was all his fault, Jinki fault. Everything that happened to her since she entered that ship was his fault. The way he grabbed her hand when they run away from their pursuers, the way he smiled at her on the island, the way his hand caressed her cheek, the way her heart beat every time he kissed her….he ruined her life and she loved every moment of it. She was guilty too!

“Unnie!” Flora showed up at the door of the bathroom still rubbing her eyes. “There is a man outside to talk with you.”

Lily walked to the front door where a man with a brown shirt was waiting for her. She knew his face, she saw him somewhere.

“Good morning.” She greeted curious covering herself with a coat.

“Good morning. I’m SHINee’s manager. I’m here to warn you that Onew will be present on a press conference about the accident.”

Accident was a good way to put it.

“And?”

“You have to go too. Here is all the information you need.” He offered her a piece of paper that she stared at.

“Why should I go?”

“It came to our knowledge that yesterday someone disturbed you at your working place. Onew and SM Entertainment don’t want that to happen again and since there are a lot of rumors going around, and journalists pestering you I think the better way is to come and tell the truth about what happened.”

“You don’t want to hear the truth!” she said making him clear his throat. He knew. He probably knew since he blushed.

“Either way, come and we will teach you what you have to say.”

So she was invited to lie about what happened, her feelings and her relationship with Jinki.

She grabbed the paper hesitantly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Next one is last chapter and probably a really huge one! aahahah I mean it! it will probably be like two chapters in one!

And no more island! Me sad! 

I think this story will have an epilogue too.

I hope you like it! <3