“I thought you said you will wait for me until I come.”

Lee Min Ho immediately turned around when he heard the familiar voice. The heavy stone that had sunk his heart a while ago was totally vanished now. His lips naturally curled into a wide smile as he slowly walked forward.

Still panting heavily, trying hard to catch her breath, Park Shin Hye looked up at him and smiled slightly. “I’m sorry. I have something urgent to settle this morning and I tried my best to rush here as soon as I can. The queue for the train is very long and…” Her eyes widened and stopped at mid-sentence when Min Ho suddenly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

Min Ho closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you are not coming.” He said.

Shin Hye could feel a lot of eyes were looking at them at the boarding gate. “Hmmm… should we… board in first?” She asked awkwardly as she tried to push him away. “A lot of people are looking at us.” She whispered softly.

Ignoring her protest, Min Ho tightened his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. “Thank you for coming.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

11 hours later… (The Ritz-Carlton New York Hotel)

“These are your room keys, Mr Lee. Both of the rooms are at the 36th floor. Feel free to contact us if you need any assistance. Thank you for choosing Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Have a nice trip in New York.” The hotel receptionist said as she smiled politely at Min Ho and Shin Hye.

“Thank you.” Min Ho smiled back at her before he took the room key and turned to Shin Hye. “I have already inform them to send our luggage to our rooms. It’s quite late now. Do you want to grab something to eat before we go back to the room and rest?” He asked.

Looking at the room keys he was holding, Shin Hye was quite surprised that he booked two rooms instead of one. But it doesn’t mean she feel disappointment because she was actually quite please that he didn’t try to pressure her using this trip. She appreciated him for trying to take it slow. She smiled at herself for being overthinking the situation.

“Why are you smiling?” Min Ho asked curiously when he saw her smiled, looking at the room key.

Shin Hye looked up at him and shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just excited to stay here. I heard most of the room here have very nice view facing the New York Harbor. I hope my room have a beautiful view too.”

Min Ho smiled. “No worries. Secretary Kim made a special arrangement with the hotel. You will be very satisfied with the view.”

A sweet smile spread across Shin Hye’s face as she nodded. “Let’s go to eat then. I’m very hungry.”

“Kaja.” Min Ho replied.

--------------------------------------------------------------

They were having their late dinner in one of the restaurants in the hotel and the table they were seated could see the whole night view of New York.

After finished eating her food, Shin Hye looked out through the huge viewing window as her eyes were darted at the tiny Statue of Liberty that was located far away from where they were seated now.

Min Ho followed her eyes and looked at the direction where she was gazing. When he saw the small statue she was looking, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He never thought after 3 years, his promise to her has finally fulfilled.

He took a deep breath before looking at her. “So… this is the place where you have been hiding from me all this while.” He broke the silence. “Tell me more about your life here in the past 3 years.”

Shin Hye turned to him and held his gaze for a long second. “This is the place where I hide myself and finally find myself back too. I came here during my lowest point in my life. I lost everything in Seoul. I lost my grandmother, I lost my baby, I lost my family…” She paused, as she looked deep into his eyes. “… I lost you and I lost myself too.”

Another pang of guilt hit Min Ho’s chest upon hearing what she said. He was the one who indirectly took everything away from her.

Shin Hye smiled. “But I’m glad I came. I believe everything happened for a reason. Without the broken me in the past, there won’t be a stronger me now.”

Min Ho inhaled sharply without knowing what to say.

“Thank you for bringing me along. After everything that happened lately, I really need a short break to rest and clear my mind. I think New York is always the best place for me to run away.” She said.

Min Ho chuckled softly. “I’m just using this trip as an excuse to stay close to you. I’m still a scheming jerk after all.”

Looking at him, Shin Hye shook her head. “No. At least you booked two rooms instead of one. Thank you for your consideration and didn’t give me any pressure.”

“I’m just trying to keep my promise and give you time.” He said.

Shin Hye smiled and nodded. Just then, something suddenly crossed her mind. “Are you tired?”

Min Ho raised his brows. “No. Wae?”

“If you are not tired, are you interested to go to a place with me? Didn’t you said you want to know about my life here?” Shin Hye asked.

He glanced at his watch before looking back at her. “At this hour? Go where?”

Shin Hye smiled. “My memory lane in New York.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Min Ho looked up at the fast food restaurant in front of him. He then turned to Shin Hye curiously. “What are we doing here? Are you still hungry?”

Shin Hye shook her head. “This is the place where I worked when I first came here. I was looking around to find a job for months before I found it here. I can’t speak in English and it’s not easy for me to find a job in this large city. The owner of this fast food restaurant is an American mix Korean. I was lucky. He is a good man. He took very good care of me.”

Faint creases formed on Min Ho’s forehead as his mood turned sour. “A good man?”

Shin Hye smiled. “Yes. A good man. Let’s go inside to meet him. I missed him a lot.” Ignoring his darkened face, she walked to the door without giving him a chance to protest.

Min Ho sighed deeply before following behind her.

“Oh my god. Shin Hye, you are back.” A Korean woman ran over to them and gave her a big bear hug.

“Yes, I came back. I missed all of you very much. How are you? Where is ajuhssi?” Shin Hye asked.

“Shin Hye?”

All of them turned around when they heard a man’s voice. It was the owner of the restaurant. He walked to them with a surprise expression. “Shin Hye, is really you. What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Korea?” He asked.

Shin Hye smiled. “Ahjuhssi. I did go back to Korea. I’m here for a short trip. I just arrived today. I came with a friend.” She then turned to Min Ho. “Oppa, this is In Su ajuhssi, the owner of this restaurant. And this is his wife, Sook Joo. We started to work here almost the same time but later she had become the lady owner of this restaurant.” She said with a teasing tone.

Sook Joo blushed and patted Shin Hye’s arm softly before looking at Min Ho. “Annyeonghaseyo.”

Min Ho smiled and nodded politely at them. “Annyeonghaseyo, Lee Min Ho imnida.”

In Su turned to Shin Hye and looked at her curiously. “Where is Jong Suk? He didn’t come back with you?”

The smile on Shin Hye’s face faded once he mentioned Jong Suk’s name. She could also feel Min Ho’s body tensed up beside her. She inhaled softly before letting out a soft smile. “No. He didn’t come with me. He is working in his father’s company now and he is very busy.” She paused and glanced at Min Ho briefly. “And Min Ho-sshi is Jong Suk’s brother.”

Both In Su and Sook Joo looked at Min Ho in surprise. “Eo? But they doesn’t look alike at all.” Sook Joo said.

Min Ho just smiled slightly without replying her.

Shin Hye could clearly feel his discomfort. She then turned back to them. “The business is very good. It’s so late now and there are still so many customers.”

“Yes. Most of them are the students from the university Jong Suk used to study last time. It’s so hard to hire good staff like you now. We have to work very hard ourselves.” In Su said.

Shin Hye nodded. “I just dropped by to see you guys. I’m glad both of you are doing well. I don’t want to disturb you. You guys should get back to work.”

“We are glad to see you again too. We really missed you a lot. Have a drink before you go.” In Su said before he turned to his staff and asked them to get something for them.

Min Ho and Shin Hye took a seat at the corner while having their drinks.

“This was where I met Jong Suk.” Shin Hye said as she looked up at Min Ho, breaking the silence between them.

Holding her gaze firmly, he waited for her to continue.

Shin Hye smiled as she looked at the table beside them. “I remembered that day when I was cleaning that table, he came to approach me because I looked very pale and sick. Before I could even see his face clearly, I already passed out in his arms. When I was conscious in the hospital, the nurse told me a guy sent me in but didn’t leave his name. At that time, I don’t even have the mood to find out who was the person that helped me. I just want to drown myself into work and stop myself from thinking about what happened in Korea.”

Min Ho exhaled silently. “So… this is the place where both of you used to date?” He asked, trying hard not to sound jealous.

Taking a small sip of her drink, she nodded softly. “Her university is just nearby and whenever he finished his class, he will come over here and wait until I clocked out.” She paused and chuckled. “He can be very silly sometimes. Even if he didn’t have a class that day, he will just come over and wait for me for the whole day doing nothing.”

Min Ho took the cup up and sipped his drink harshly. He tried very hard to suppress the anger that was burning inside of him but she seems trying very hard too to challenge his patience.

“So you are telling me now that your memory lane in New York are all about you and my brother?” He asked in a deep voice with his eyes staring at her sharply. 

Shin Hye smiled slightly, looking at his furious expression. “I don’t have many friends here in New York besides Jong Suk, In Su ahjuhssi and Sook Joo. So there won’t be many people who involve in my life here except them. Jong Suk indeed have a very important part in my past 3 years.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Min Ho glared at her. “I guess I hear enough about him when I’m in your apartment 2 weeks ago.” He paused and sighed deeply. “It’s late. We should go back to the hotel now.” He said as he stood up. But before he could turn away, Shin Hye grabbed his arm.

“I still have one more place to go. Can you go with me first before we go back to the hotel?” Shin Hye asked, looking at him expectantly.

Min Ho looked at her for a moment before he sighed in defeated.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“This is the place where I stay in the past 3 years.” Shin Hye said, looking at the familiar apartment in front of them.

Min Ho turned to her. “Why did you bring me here?” He asked curiously.

Still looking at the apartment, she replied him softly. “This is the place where I tried to kill myself that night.”

Min Ho felt his breath hitched in his throat upon hearing what she said. Until now, he still couldn’t get over the fact that she was trying to end her life because of him. He will never forgive himself for that.

Shin Hye looked down at the faint scar on her wrist as she continued. “When Jong Suk found me in the apartment, I was already half-unconscious and my wrist was bleeding so much that I thought I really will die that night. No matter how much my hand hurts but it just couldn’t numb the pain that I was feeling in my heart. When I realized Jong Suk came and shouted my name trying to keep me conscious, I just shook my head and begged him to let me die.” She paused as she looked up at the apartment with a deep breath. “I stayed in the hospital for 3 days. The doctor told Jong Suk that I was having a depression and it’s better to pass my case to the psychiatrist. I refused and Jong Suk has no choice but to bring me back here. He was so worried that I’ll try to kill myself again. He skipped his classes and stayed by my side for almost every second. When I don’t let him to stay overnight at my apartment, he will just sit there at that staircase and waited until morning.” She said as she pointed at the staircase at the side.

She chuckled softly. “He will call me every 3 hours to make sure I’m alright. This situation continued for a month and one day when I looked at him, I realized his face was paler than mine. He was too busy taking care of me and neglected his own self. He only used the time when I was sleeping and quickly went back to his dorm, clean himself and come back again.” She turned to Min Ho and looked at him. “He woke me up and make me realized that there is still someone in this world who really care for me.”

Min Ho inhaled a sharp breath, trying to control the emotion that was torturing every nerve in his body. Whenever he heard about how she suffered alone here and he was not the one who stays beside her, he felt like dying.

“So… this is how both of you started?” He asked in a deep tone.

Shin Hye shook her head. “We have become close friend since then. He encouraged me to find something to do and make my life more meaningful. That was when I decided to enroll into a small art school and continue to study. The money that you gave me for the contract was enough to pay for the tuition fees. I only have class 4 days a week and I still continue to work at the fast food restaurant after class. As time passed, we have get closer and that was then he started to pursue me. I tried to act dumb but it didn’t take too long before he confessed to me.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Min Ho nodded. “It’s normal. How can a guy and a girl be only just friends.”

“But I don’t feel that way for him.” Shin Hye said, looking deep into his eyes. “Although at that time my heart was broken and hurt, I was very clear who I love. I don’t want to start a relationship with him because I was lonely or need someone to heal my heart. I don’t want him to become like me. I don’t want him to become a replacement like how I became So Ra’s replacement.”

Clenching his jaws tightly together, Min Ho took a step closer to her. “You are not a replacement. I thought you were but you are not.”

Shin Hye smiled slightly at him. “But still everything started as a replacement. Although the end result might not be like that but it still hurt in the process. I don’t want the same thing happen to Jong Suk. I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Then why did you accept him at the end? How did both of you ended up together?” Min Ho asked, trying to control the jealousy feeling burning inside of him.

Shin He sighed softly. “Because he saved me with his own life.”

----------

“Do I really have to go? I don’t know your friends and it’s weird for me to join. You know I don’t like crowd. And I still have a lot of assignments to do. Can I not go?” Shin Hye asked and looked at Jong Suk with her puppy eyes.

“Yah, Park Shin Hye. Today is my birthday. How can you not go together and celebrate my birthday.” Jong Suk paused and grinned naughtily. “Or… you want to celebrate it with just only two of us?”

Shin Hye glared at him. “In your dream.”

Jong Suk pouted his lips. “Wae? We have been friends for 2 years already. You know how I feel for you. Why can’t we become more than just friends?”

Shin Hye sighed. No matter what they talk, he will find a way to talk about something like this. “Why are we coming back to this topic again? I told you a lot of times. I…” She bit her lip and sighed again. “I’m not ready to start a relationship yet. Even if I accept you, my heart is not whole. It’s not fair to anybody.”

“I don’t mind. I just need a chance to prove it to you that I can mend your heart and make it whole again. Why must you lock yourself in that painful past and stop yourself from moving on?” Jong Suk asked as he held her hand. “I know you have feeling for me too. Maybe it’s just a little and it’s not love yet but at least give me a chance.”

“Jong Suk-ah. I already told you…” But before Shin Hye could finish her sentence, Jong Suk suddenly shouted as he pulled her into his arms.

“Watch out!!” 

Shin Hye wasn’t sure what really happened but she could just hear a loud sound of car horns and crashed. She was still in Jong Suk’s arms when she felt their bodies were swung to the roadside and landed hardly on the ground. When she opened her eyes, she was on top of Jong Suk and he was lying on the ground with his face twisted in pain. She panicked and quickly pulled herself up. Her lips were parted with her eyes widened in fear. Jong Suk’s head was bleeding and his hand was holding onto his knee.

“Oh my god. Jong Suk! Are you okay? You are bleeding. Jong Suk! Jong Suk!” Shin Hye called him out worriedly. His expression was very painful and his face was so pale. She quickly takes her phone out and started to call 911.

“I need an ambulance here. There was a car accident at West 27th Street