Gary wanted to do the last thing on the list, which is managing stress. When Ji Hyo was hospitalized and saw her lying on the ground so lifelessly – it scared the crap out of him and her cheekbones are more pronounced and visible. He has been making sure she is having proper meals at proper times and making sure that she doesn’t skip it. He also has been making sure that she gets the maximum amount of sleep despite her tight filming schedule. He is planning to have a date trip with her but he wants it to be a surprise so he called up her manager and ask when she is available.

“Kyung Chae-ah, I need your help. I am planning to have a trip with her to help release her stress. When is she available?” he said.

“Oh~ Emergency Couple is almost wrapping up and they having a celebration after the last episode airs. She will have a few days off.” she replied.

“That great! I will start planning and notify you on the progress of the trip.” he said it with a smile on his face.

“Gary Oppa, will your manager be going?” she ask suddenly and shyly.

“Yes, of course.” he replied feeling puzzled but he was too happy that Ji Hyo has a few days off so he dismiss it.

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He went back to his company and tells his manager that he needs a few days off, making sure that his manager empties the days for the trip.

“Empty your schedule too, because you are coming too.” he noted.

“Ah~ I don’t want to.” he protests.

“Is Kyung Chae-shi will be going too?” he asked with a glimpse of hope.

“Yes. She is” said Gary noticing the change in his managers expression.

“Okie. I am going.” he answers happily imagining all the things that he is going to do to impress Kyung Chae.

Gary notices the weird atmosphere again but simply can’t figure out why.

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The sun was shining bright that day on a cold winter day perfect for hiking but if the weather continues to drop they might change plans on the camping overnight. Gary was the first to be up that day feeling exiting for the camping date on a winter day with Ji Hyo. He drove his SUV and picks his manager first, then Kyung Chae and lastly Ji Hyo.

While in the car when picking up Kyung Chae, Woo Hyuk was sitting beside Gary who was driving. He got up the car and helped Kyung Chae with her bags and stuff. Then he sat at the back seat with Kyung Chae smiling away. Normally he will avoid being with Kyung Chae and sticks to Gary but Gary will be upset because he can’t have couple time with Ji Hyo but now he is changing.

They stop at the rest area to have some breakfast. Finally they reached the foot of the mountain around noon. They cook up some hearty meal and had a good time. Gary wanted some alone time with Ji Hyo, so he suggested to hike. Ji Hyo was reluctant at first but since morning her manager and Gary’s manager have been acting really weird so she agreed to go with him.

So, while Gary and Ji Hyo starts hiking, their managers’ starts building the tent. Hyun Woo tries to impress Kyung Chae by hammering the nails on the ground to support the tent and understanding the complicated instructions on how to build the tent.

Ji Hyo and Gary saw their interactions and gave each other weird and confused look for a few seconds. Then by themselves connected the dots slowly and burst into laughter.

“Oh My God! They are starting to like each other.” she said looking amazed.

“I have been loving for 20 years now and I still can’t find the answer.” he sighed.

Ji Hyo giggled at his remarks and said “So who did you first love when you were sixteen?”

She was expecting some girl’s name to pop out but she bursts into laughter instead.

“My mother.” he replied while clutching his chest closing his eyes.

We were strolling in the valley and the lakes were frozen and it was so beautiful to see how it sparkles under the winter sun. Suddenly I saw a flower. It’s the middle of winter and it’s impossible for a flower to survive or bloom. Gary was following me behind but he was scared that the ice that he is stepping on will crack so he slows down his tracks.

“Ji Hyo-ya, be careful.” he said looking at those scary ice.

I was filled with curiosity and amusement and finally I got to the flower. All those flower that was around it already withered and frozen but only one didn’t wither.

“You must be a late bloomer, I see.” said with a smile.

She picked up the flower and turns around to show to Gary who she thought was behind him. But he wasn’t there. So she starts screaming frantically and running around the area to find him. Then she heard Gary calling her name and starts running to Gary while holding the frozen flower to show it to him.

She was too focused on running to him that she didn’t notice that the ground was wet. She slipped and falls straight down. She didn’t prevent herself from falling down with her palms because she was holding the frozen flower. Too bad when she fell the frozen flower slipped of her palms due to the impact and broke into half. Gary ran faster to pick her up. Her clothes were wet and her knees are bruised. There were tears in her eyes – due to the pain of the fall and the broken frozen flower.

“Ji Hyo-ya.” he called her softly but her eyes still fixed to the broken frozen flower.

“Oppa...” she said it with a lump in and wanting to continue but she trailed off and tears stream down her cheeks.

It seems that there is a pain and regret that she could not explain and the ache in her heart that she could not seem to hide.

Her actions, words and expression did not go unnoticed by Gary but he is really in loss of words to comfort her – that unknown pain that she has been carrying and hiding in the bottom of her heart that cannot disappear or erased no matter how hard she tried.

While, she is still mourning over the broken frozen flower. Gary takes it from her hand and digs a hole in the snow to bury it and oddly tears continue to flow down her cheeks. She wants to snatch it from his hands but he would not allow it. Gary then puts the broken frozen flower in the hole and then takes a lump of snow and puts it on Ji Hyo’s hand to let her to the honor of burying it. She covers the hole and her silent tears slowly become sobbing then she starts to wail. Gary hugged her tightly and she buries her face in his chest and tears are forming in his eyes too.

“Flowers wilt, don’t be sad about it. They will bloom again, so don’t be upset” he said to her choking his words out.

He cups her face and wipes her tears away. Her face is cold because of the crying and her lips are blue because of her wet clothes and Gary kissed her to warm her up and she was flustered. Looking at her blushing cheeks and red lips instead of pale face and blue lips.

“There you go, this looks more like my Mong Ji.” he said causing her to chuckle.

Looking at her bruised knee he piggy backs her. Gary is trying to find the trail to lead them back to the foot of the mountain and but no avail. Ji Hyo was freezing and she starts to shiver. Gary ripped of his handkerchief in small pieces to tie it to branches – knowing that they are lost, it’s better to leave some sign for the rescue team to find them.

Luckily they found a cabin and Ji Hyo is feeling sleepy. By the time they reached the cabin the sun has gone down completely. There was only one lamp as their source of light and heat. Gary wanted to pick up some woods and start a fire but it too dangerous for him because its pitch black and for Ji Hyo too if he leaves her like this and she might get hypothermia.

He puts Ji Hyo down and constantly speaking to her so that she will not fall asleep because if she does her core body temperature will drop even faster. He laid old card board and thankfully there is an old mat available. In order to raise her body temperature he took off her jacket and hug her tightly and rubbing her body to warm her up but she continues to shiver and speaking has become more difficult now because Gary kept asking and talking to her and her replies are lesser and softer. He starts ping and ing her clothes. She grabbed his hand to stop him.

“No… you can’t… I don’t want to…” she said to him with her last ounce of breath and energy.

Gary felt like a monster but clench his teeth and continues – it is a matter of life and death.

Gary never wanted to do it but it is the last resort. He took off his and her clothes to cover their bodies like a blanket to let the heat to be trapped inside and with two bodies Gary starts rubbing Ji Hyo back and hugging her so tightly until he can feel her breath on his chest.

Ji Hyo starts to regain the consciousness again. She starts to move away by pushing his chest but Gary tightened his grip around her not letting her move.

“Mianhae, Ji Hyo-ya.” he said feeling really bad.

“I got my dirty hands on you” he continued

“I am already stained” she replied and paused.

“I felt violated and harassed. I betrayed my body. I was filthy and unworthy for anyone. I lost the right and freedom to love.” she said with lump in .

Gary sensed the same pain that he felt from her when she buried the broken frozen flower. Gary connected the dots but kept quiet to let her continue.

“I was so young and immature that time. A company offered a great deal and I thought it was my ticket to stardom and of course also blinded by fame, greed and wanting attention. They took advantage of me and I had to pay for my younger siblings’ education and in desperation to leave that company and not hoping to renew the contract with them. I approached with a motive Baek Chang Joo to end my misery because I know that I did the scenes for the first time – they will for sure ask me to do it the second time. Knowing that he likes me, I got closer to him and finally signed a three year contract. I thought I could continue to love him – pretending to and lying to myself that he is the one for me.” she paused and continued.

“But I was wrong. Even when I started to have feelings for you and started to think about you without me knowing how and why. If I have never met you, I might still be lying to myself thinking that that I could pretend to love him for the rest of my life.” she finished and snuggled closer to him.

Now that I am fully conscious and awake, leaning against his warm chest and with our legs tangled up with our skin caressing producing heat and his scent makes me drunk. It’s a feeling that I cannot explain, maybe its love.   

He kissed my head and rested his head on my head.

“I am so sorry that you have to go through all that. Thank you for being alive. I have never prayed in my life before and for you I just did something I never thought I would. You are an angel in my eyes and nothing less than that. I prayed and begged so hard to him so he won’t take this angel away from me.”

“No matter how the world sees you, it’s their thought and opinion. It has nothing to do with me loving you and for me you are a flower that is in the purest form. My beautiful flower.”

“It bed time my flower. Sleep. I will never hurt you and I will always protect you.”

“But I want to hear a bedtime story. Please continue from the naptime story. But~~~” hinting to Gary from where he left off.

“But as times goes by, the rapper got really busy making music and neglects the ballerina. The ballerina is very pretty and has a lot of fans chasing after her. Because the rapper didn’t give the attention and the love that she needed, he decides to cheat on her so wants to breakup with him. He has been working so hard so that they will have a great future but he felt betrayed and sad. But the pain of being apart is unbearable. Thinking that they have the same fate – that is having a dream and surviving in this damned world has made them closer. They thought they were brought together by destiny and they understood each other so will that they could be soul mates – that’s why they thought they were compatible. Mistakes after mistakes, faults after faults and guilt after guilt, there were too much cracks and hole in that relationship that as times goes by they were just filling up each other’s emptiness and loneliness not really loving each other. Most of the time it was just lust and greed – He would fill up my wallet for her and she would take off her clothes for him. It has lost its sentimental value which is love.”

“And now it’s time for Mong Ji to sleep” he murmured giving her a kiss on her forehead.

“But I still want to hear the last part” she said while yawning.

“Good night. I love you” he said and closed his eyes.

They slept that night snuggling to each other feeling warm, loved and safe. They didn’t make love that night.

Ji Hyo narrates: It's easy to take off your clothes and have ; people do it all the time, but opening up your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes and dreams... that's being . Love is not lust, it’s a feeling you can’t kill or ignore or satisfy.

Gary narrates: I am with this woman – the woman I dearly loves. I had no ill thoughts or lust. I really love her. I must have really love this woman.

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Gary wakes up by the first ray of light of daybreak shining through the window of the cabin. Looking at her sleeping in his arms so peacefully and beautifully makes him so happy. He didn’t want this moment to end so he stayed that way for a while before waking her up. Then he got up to get dressed and wakes Ji Hyo up by calling her name and tapping her shoulders softly. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and head outside the cabin so Ji Hyo can get dressed. There was an awkward and embarrassing moment when their eyes met but Gary quickly head outside the cabin.

After about few minutes Ji Hyo came out and Gary held her hand and start walking. They said nothing about last night.

The rescue team came and they went back to the foot of the mountain. Ji Hyo’s manager was crying and relieved that both of them are safe. The four of them drove back to Seoul safely.

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Gary finally finishes his promotional activities for his first solo mini album – tweeting and releasing teasers and behind the scenes. He is not the mainstream type of guy so only a few fan meetings and event was done.

The following Monday, there was a new family member coming to join C-Jes Entertainment. Ji Hyo was called to welcome the new member. All of them were seated in the meeting room – JYJ and all the other artists. Then suddenly a girl enters and introduces herself. She looks really familiar before Ji Hyo could recall where have she seen her.

“Anyeonghaseyo, I am Lee Yura. Nice to meet you. I have a lot to learn, please be nice to me.” she introduces herself.

C-Jes has recently planned to venture into the musical field and classical dancing to expand the entertainment industry. Lee Yura-shi is a ballerina that has signed a one year contract with us. Let us work together and create success.

Everyone clap hands to welcome her.

Ji Hyo could not believe her eyes on what she is seeing.

[Flashback]

Baek Chang Joo is waiting for Yura at a coffee shop that is fully booked and enclosed. She sat down and greeted him but not knowing who he is. She waited for him to speak.

“Since you are here, I will just cut to the chase” he said without introducing himself.

“Who are you?” she asked curiously.

“I am someone that needs your help and someone that wants to help you.”

“I am offering you a second chance to relive your dreams – as a ballerina and to rekindle your love – Kang Gary.”

She looks at him feeling confused and puzzled.

“How did you…? Why did you…?”

“I did a little homework before I came.” he said and paused.

“You had a dream to perform on a stage but things didn’t really go well and you got married after letting go of that passion of yours. As for your marriage, after you ended your 7 years of bittersweet relationship. It didn’t really go how you hoped for – a not happy ending marriage. You are having problems conceiving a baby too. When you thought all the suffering is going to be over once you give up your dreams and love to get married and have a happy life, too bad it did not turn out the way you hoped for.”

“Your life is practically a living hell right now. So I am offering you a ticket out of your miserable life.”

“I am sure somewhere in the bottom of your heart, there is this regret and wish that things might go back the way it used to be”

“Yes, I honestly do” she admitted.

“Since now we are on the same page, I am sure that we will have no problem working together in the future.” he said while smiling and left the coffee shop.

[End of Flashback]

Yura narrates: The moment I saw you walking away from me back to her at the hospital, smiling and caring for her. For the first time in my life I felt she was the luckiest girl in the world to be love by you. Now it’s time for me to be that lucky girl again.