Song inserted in this chap: And One by Taeyeon (credit to owner)

3 years ago…

*2 days before Min Ho go to New York…*

Nurse: Lee Sajang-nim, Madam Na Moon Hae asked me to pass you a message.

Min Ho: What message?

Nurse: She wants to see you.

Min Ho: See me? What happened? Is anything wrong with her condition?

Nurse: No. She just said she want to see you.

Min Ho: When?

Nurse: Today if possible.

Min Ho: Okay. I’ll go there with Shin Hye later.

Nurse: No. She said she just want to see you. She doesn’t want her granddaughter to know about it.

Min Ho (silent): …… Okay. I’ll come after Shin Hye leaves the hospital later.

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“Annyeonghaseyo, halmeonim.” Min Ho bowed politely at Na Moon Hae when he stepped into her room.

Na Moon Hae gave him a warm smile. “You are here. Thank you for coming.”

Min Ho walked towards her bed. “It’s okay. I know Shin Hye just left. It’s 9pm now. I hope it’s not too late and disturb you from resting.”

“Of course not. I was the one who wanted to see you and I should be the one who hope I didn’t disturb you.” Na Moon Hae said.

Min Ho shook his head. “I just finished having a meeting in my office. I’m free now.”

“Sit down.” Na Moon Hae pointed at the chair beside her bed.

Min Ho nodded as he sits on the chair. “Is halmeonim having any problem with this hospital or the people here? If you feel uncomfortable or anything, I can always transfer you to another hospital.”

Na Moon Hae smiled and shook her head. “Everything is fine here. I called you here today has nothing to do with myself.”

Min Ho raised his brows, waited patiently for her to continue.

“It’s about Shin Hye.” Na Moon Hae said.

Min Ho narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with Shin Hye?” He asked.

Na Moon Hae sighed softly, looking at him. “I know you are not her boyfriend.”

Min Ho’s eyes slightly widened and totally caught off guard by her. “What do you mean?”

Na Moon Hae smiled. “Shin Hye grown up in a poor family. After her parents passed away, her life become even pity. Although she is not very smart but she is very good in drawing. If she could live in a better family, I’m sure she wouldn’t need to come out to work right after she graduated high school. At her young age, without any high education, how can she earn so much money in a short period of time?”

Min Ho inhaled a soft breath and averted his gaze.

“I can see you are very rich.” Na Moon Hae continued.

Min Ho looked back at her. “Halmeonim, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not like what you think…”

“She loves you.” Na Moon Hae cut him off.

Min Ho was stunned with what she said. Unable to give her any respond, he just looked at her quietly.

Na Moon Hae smiled again. “The way she looked at you is the same way like her mother looking at her father. I don’t know what kind of relationship between both of you that make you willing to give her so much money to treat my sickness. I didn’t ask her because I understand her. She is a good kid and she wouldn’t do anything that will hurt other people. Everything she did was because she needed the money for my treatments.”

Min Ho breathed deeply. “She loves you a lot. You are the only family she have now and she wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know and that was why I didn’t ask her about it. And I can see you are not a bad person either.” Na Moon Hae said.

Min Ho held her gaze and chuckled softly. “You are wrong. I’m a bad person. Because I know she needed the money, I used it as a weakness to get her to me.”

Na Moon Hae looked at him for a long second before she asked. “Do you love her?”

Min Ho pursed his lips and doesn’t know how to answer her. He wasn’t sure he should be honest to her about their contract, about his background. “If I say I don’t, will you refuse all the treatments and ask Shin Hye to leave me?”

Na Moon Hae smiled at him. “Even if you don’t love her now, you will eventually fall in love with her. I’m very sure about that.”

Min Ho’s eyes were clouded with confusion. “You are not worried that I will hurt her?”

“Of course I’m worried. That silly girl is too kind.” She paused and looked into his eyes. “But I don’t much time and you are the only hope I have now.”

Min Ho held his breath. “I don’t understand.”

Na Moon Hae smiled softly. “You don’t have to understand. You just need to promise me.” She turned to the bedside table and opened the drawer. She took something from it before looking back at him. “Promise me that you will take care of her and love her.” She said as she put a cufflink into Min Ho’s hand.

Min Ho looked down at the cufflink. “What is this?”

Na Moon Hae sighed. “This cufflink was originally a pair. It was my first present for my husband, Shin Hye’s harabeoji. He adored it a lot and even when he died, he was holding it tightly in his hand. Before his last breath, he gave this one to Shin Hye’s father and makes him to promise that he will love Shin Hye’s mother and take good care of her for the rest of his life. After Shin Hye’s parents passed away in the accident, this cufflink was back to me again.” She paused and stared into Min Ho’s eyes. “I’m giving it to you now. Please promise me the same thing that Shin Hye’s father promise my husband. Take care of her and love her after I leave.”

Min Ho was too shock and doesn’t know how to react. “I-I can’t… this is too…”

“You can.” Na Moon Hae cut him off. “I know this is a very heavy responsible and you might not love her now but you will slowly find out that she is worth every single ounce of love you can give her.” Her eyes slowly reddened and welled with tears. “Don’t reject me. Help me to take care of her. When I leave, she will have no one by her side anymore.” She held Min Ho’s hand and squeezed it softly. “Promise me. Take care of her and love her… please…” She begged.

Min Ho felt his chest tightened. If he doesn’t have So Ra, he will definitely say yes without even need to think about it. Taking care of her is not a problem but to love her is impossible. At least it’s impossible for now. He has already been very confused with his feelings for her. He couldn’t let it grow further. It was not supposed to be like that at the beginning when he wanted to have this contract. But with Na Moon Hae begging him like this, he felt helpless and his heart definitely softened and pained by every word she just said.

He took a sharp intake of breath before looking back at her. He held her hand back and smiled slightly at her. “Okay. I promise you.” He finally admitted defeat and promised her.

Na Moon Hae smiled widely as she nodded. “Thank you very much. I can now leave with a peaceful heart.”

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*8am : 12 hours before Min Ho arrived Korea…*

Shin Hye was pacing back and forth outside Na Moon Hae’s room. She then turned to the personal nurse and asked worriedly. “What happened with halmeoni? She was still okay when I left last night.”

The nurse looked at Shin Hye with a sympathy gaze. “Madam Na have been having a chest pain these few days. She doesn’t let me to tell you. After you gone home last night, her condition worsened and she couldn’t even breathe. She doesn’t allow me to call you. When the nurses saw the situation became critical, they called Doctor Jang.”

Shin Hye bit her lip hard and tears started to well in her eyes. Her heart was pounding so fast and her whole body was trembling. She doesn’t know what to do and the first person that appeared in her mind was Min Ho. She took her phone out and called him.

“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.”

She tried again and again but his phone was still unreachable. She then glanced at her watch and sighed deeply. He called her last night and told her that he is flying back to Seoul today and will reach around 8pm. He was already in the plane now. That was why she couldn’t get to call him.

Just when she was still thinking what to do, Doctor Jang came out from the room. She quickly rushed to him and when she saw his facial expression, her heart dropped to her stomach. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks. “Tell me she is okay.” She said softly.

Doctor Jang sighed deeply. “The cancer spread very fast and even the therapy couldn’t help anything.” He looked at her apologetically. “Go inside and… say your last good bye. I’m very sorry.”

Shin Hye covered with her hand, stopping herself from crying out loud. Without wasting anymore time, she pushed the door open and ran towards her grandmother’s bed.

Na Moon Hae was lying weakly on the bed with her eyes closed tightly. Her face was so pale and looked lifeless.

She moved closer, sitting on the chair and held her freezing hand in hers. “H-Halmeoni… S-Shin Hye is here…” She called her as her tears rolling down uncontrollably.  

Na Moon Hae opened her eyes slowly and when she saw Shin Hye, her lips curled up slightly into a weak smile. “Sh-Shin… Hye-ah…”

Shin Hye bit her lip hard, trying not to cry. She forced a smile and tightened her grip on her grandmother’s hand.

“D-Don’t c-cry… Take c-care of yourself… H-Hal-meoni… will l-look after y-you in the h-heaven…” Na Moon Hae tried to finish her sentence.

Shin Hye couldn’t hold it any longer and burst into tears and sobbed hardly. “Halmeoni, please don’t leave Shin Hye alone.”

“Y-You are n-not alone… M-Min Ho will t-take care of y-you…” She said weakly.

Shin Hye shook her head. “He won’t. I lied to you. He is not my boyfriend. He doesn’t love me. He won’t take care of me. You have stay with Shin Hye and take care of Shin Hye. Don’t leave me alone. Please…”

Na Moon Hae tried to inhale more air into her lungs but her breath become heavier by second. “H-He w-will… Y-You must h-have f-faith in him… he w-will love y-you…” With her eyes almost close, she tried her best to look at her granddaughter longer. “H-Halmeoni need t-to go n-now… H-Halmeoni… l-love… y-you…” She finished her final word and closed her eyes slowly. A loud beep was heard from the vital measuring machine, indicating her heartbeat has stopped.

“Halmeoni! Halmeoni!” Shin Hye screamed painfully. She stood up and shook Na Moon Hae’s shoulder, trying to wake her up.

Doctor Jang and the nurses quickly rushed into the room and pulled Shin Hye away from her grandmother.

Doctor Jang checked Na Moon Hae’s pulse and turned to Shin Hye with a sympathy look. “I’m sorry. Madam Na is gone.”

Shin Hye cried out loudly and kneeled down on the floor. “Halmeoni.”

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Secretary Kim: Sajang-nim.

Min Ho: Where is she?

Secretary Kim: I’m sorry sajang-nim. We still couldn’t locate her. We are searching around the apartment, the hospital and also around her grandmother’s house. But she was nowhere to be seen.

“!” Min Ho cursed under his breath. Without wasting anymore time waiting for the elevator, he turned to the emergency exit and ran down the stairs towards the basement.

After he got his car, the first place he went was the nightclub. He remembered Shin Hye’s best friend, Go Ara was still working there.

Ara looked at Min Ho in shock when he rushed to her, holding her shoulder tightly. “Yah, what are you doing?”

“Where is Shin Hye? Did she call you?” Min Ho asked anxiously.

Ara raised her brows in confusion. “Shin Hye? No. It has been a while since the last time she called me. What happened?”

Min Ho inhaled sharply. “Her grandmother passed away this morning. I couldn’t find her anywhere. Do you have any idea where she go?”

Ara widened her eyes. “H-Her grandmother passed away? Oh my god! Shin Hye love her grandmother a lot. She will be devastated.”

Min Ho let out an exaggerated sigh. “I know and that’s why I need to find her. She turned off her phone and nobody could contact her now. I tried around her house, around the hospital but she was nowhere to be seen.”

Ara pulled away from him and pace back and forth, biting her finger, trying to think where she might go. Just then, something crossed her mind. She turned to Min Ho and looked at him. “There is a playground opposite our primary school. I remembered she always wait for her parents there after school. On that day when her parents met with an accident, she waited there until someone get to her. Since then, whenever she was unhappy, she will go there.”

Min Ho took his wallet out and gave his name card to Ara. “My number is on the card. Text me the address now.” Without waiting for her to reply, Min Ho quickly ran to the exit.

It was still raining very heavily when Min Ho reached the playground that Go Ara told him. He stopped the car at the side and took the umbrella out. The playground was very dark and his heart almost stopped when he saw Shin Hye sitting on the bench not too far away. She was sitting there without an umbrella and let the rain beat down on her, soaking her whole body.

He quickly ran to her and squatted in front of her. He was totally stunned with her condition. Her body was trembling badly, her face was pale, her eyes were swollen, and her lips were purplish. He threw the umbrella away and held her arms tightly.

“Shin Hye! Shin Hye!” He called out loudly but it took him a long minute before she slowly responding to him.

Shin Hye looked at him and when she slowly recognized who he was, she started to cry. “Oppa… halmeoni…” She bit her trembling lips and more tears running down her cheeks, mixing with the rain. “Halmeoni left this morning. She left me…”

Min Ho pulled her into his arms and hugged her shaking body tightly. “I know, I know.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “She left. Appa left, eomma left and now halmeoni left too. I have no one anymore. I’m alone. I’m alone.”

Min Ho tightened his arms around her and shook his head. “You are not. I’m here with you. You are not alone.”

Shin Hye continued to cry painfully into his neck.

Min Ho sighed deeply. “Let’s go back. You will be sick if you continue to sit under the rain. Your body is freezing.” Without giving her a chance to protest, he pulled her up with him, gathered her in his arms and carried her into his car.

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Min Ho took a large towel and covered Shin Hye’s trembling body. He took another one and started to wipe her drenched face and hair. “You need to take a hot shower now.” His brows creased when she didn’t respond and just sat lifelessly on the stool in the bathroom. He sighed deeply before he started to undo her shirt’s button. He needs to take off all her wet clothes and put her into a hot shower.

“Come.” After he took the last piece of her clothes off, he pulled her into the shower stall and turned the hot water on.

Shin Hye winced when the water touched her skin. Her body was shaking even badly than just now.

“.” Min Ho cursed as he quickly embraced her in his arms and let the water poured down on them. “You are freezing. I need to send you to the hospital.”

Shin Hye pulled back slightly and slowly looked up at him. Tears never stopped leaking down her eyes since he found her. She grabbed onto his wet shirt and cried. “Please take it away.”

“Take what away?” Min Ho asked in confusion.

She lifted her hand up and hit her chest very hard. “Please take the pain away.” She breathed heavily and continued to sob. “It’s so painful that I couldn’t even breathe. Please…” She bit her lip and begged painfully. “Please take the pain away.”

Min Ho felt like a sharp knife cutting his heart into tiny pieces. Although she have been crying a lot since they met, but this was the first time he saw her so sad and broken. The pain reflected in her eyes pained him too.

He took a deep breath before he pinned her against the tiled wall of the shower stall. He cupped her cheeks and looked deep into her teary eyes. “I’ll take it away. As long as you trust me, I’ll take all the pain away from you.”

Shin Hye held his gaze and nodded slowly. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Just take the pain away from me.” She cried.

Without saying another word, Min Ho leaned forward and took her lips with his, kissing her hard.

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3 years later…

Lee Min Ho keeps glancing at the clock and let out a sigh of relief when it was only 7pm. He looked back at the cake in front of him and his lips slowly curled into a soft smile. It has been 3 years since that night on her birthday where both of them were sitting here celebrating her birthday. He still remembered each and every word they said that night as if it just happened yesterday. But everything is not the same for her anymore. The person who is with her now was no long him but his brother. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath when he felt another painful spasm in his stomach. The gastric pain has been torturing him since this morning and because he needs to rush everything up so that he won’t be late for the appointment tonight, he has no choice but leave his stomach painfully empty.

He opened his eyes, took the cake and storing it back into the fridge. He poured a glass of water after he grabbed some medicine from the cabinet. He made his way to the living room and seated himself on the couch. After he took the medicine, he looked up at the clock and since he still have an hour before she come, he laid himself flat on the couch, holding a small cushion against his stomach. He shut his eyes closed and rested his arm on his forehead. He sighed deeply when his stomach lurched uncomfortably. When the medicine begins to kick in, he slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

At 8pm sharp, Park Shin Hye stopped in front of a familiar door, reaching up for the doorbell but her hand hanging in mid-air. She could feel her heartbeat raced in her chest and nervousness was evident in her face. Although she already decided to clear up everything with him tonight but every time when she is in front of him, she felt helplessly impotent.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to press the doorbell. She waited for a minute or two but no one open the door. She tried to press the doorbell again and still nobody answered. She sighed softly and guessed Min Ho hasn’t reach yet. With another deep sigh, she punched in the passcode and opened the door in hesitation.

When she walked into the apartment, it was very quiet and the lights were all dimmed. She scanned around and her eyes darted over the figure lying on the couch. With the lights dimmed, she couldn’t see him clearly and his arm was covering his face.

She gulped before she spoke. “I don’t know you are here. I pressed the doorbell just now but no one answered.” Her brows creased when she didn’t get any answer from him. She took few baby steps forward and looked at him. “I’m here now. What do you want to talk to me?” She asked.

Shin Hye’s heart started to feel uneasy with his unmoving body. She slowly took few more steps towards him until she was now standing beside the couch. At the spot she was standing now, she could clearly see him. His eyes were tightly shut together and his face was very pale.

“Lee Min Ho-sshi…” She called again and moved closer. “Lee Min Ho-sshi…”

Min Ho was lying still on the couch without replying her. Shin Hye gasped when she saw his body slightly trembling. She took her handbag off and put it at the side before she kneeled down beside him. She gently held his arm and pulled it away from his forehead. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw the beads of sweat on his forehead and freckles around his hairline. His face was not only pale but was crooked in pain.

“Oppa… what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Shin Hye asked worriedly. She brought her hand up and touched his cheek. His temperature was low and his skin was damp with cold sweat. “Oppa…”

Shin Hye started to panic when he didn’t reply her. She looked down and found his hand pressing against his stomach. She bit her lip as she looked up at him again. “Are you having a gastric?” When she didn’t get any respond from him again, she wanted to get up and call for ambulance. But before she could even stand up, she was pulled down again.

“I… I’m… okay…” Min Ho said weakly, looking at her with his heavy-lidded eyes.

“How can you be okay? Your face is as white as paper. You were sweating and trembling. Are you having a gastric?” She asked anxiously.

Min Ho inhaled deeply as he nodded.

“Did you eat anything today?” She asked, looking at him sharply.

He shook his head weakly.

Anger burned in Shin Hye’s eyes. “Did you drink any alcohol?” She asked through gritted teeth.

Min Ho forced his eyes widen and shook his head again. “I didn’t. I was in the meeting the whole day and… ughhh… damn it…” He cursed when his stomach hurt and cramping.

Shin Hye’s gaze softened when she saw him in pain again. “I’ll call the ambulance.” She wanted to stand up again but was pulled back down by Min Ho. She glared at him and shouted. “Yah! What are you doing? You have to go to the hospital.”

Min Ho sighed painfully as he tried to pull himself up into a sitting position. “I’m okay. I’ve taken pain killer an hour ago. I will feel better in a while.”

Shin Hye turned to the coffee table and frowned. She glared up at him as she bit her lower lip. “You took aspirin? How many times I have to tell you that aspirin couldn’t help to reduce the pain and will only make your gastric worse.”

Min Ho pursed his lips. “H-How am I suppose to remember? You were gone for 3 years.”

There were an awkward silence between them and their eyes were locked at each other. After a long minute, Shin Hye forced herself to look away and sighed silently. “You are an adult. You should know how to take care of yourself.”

Min Ho closed his eyes again when he felt nauseated. He moaned softly when his stomach cramp painfully. Holding onto his stomach, he inhaled deeply.

“Stop being stubborn, okay? Let me call the ambulance. You need to go to the hospital.” Shin Hye said, almost begging.

He opened his eyes again, his jaw clenched in pain. “If you insist to call the ambulance, the news of Lotte CEO was rushed to the hospital due to serious illness will spread widely online and on all the newspaper within hours.” He took another deep breath. “I’m sure you don’t want your boyfriend, my brother to know that we are together.”

Shin Hye sighed helplessly. He was right. He is a well-known public figure and once the news spread out, it will affect his company. She tried to calm herself down and after a moment, she looked back at him. “Is your car in the basement? Can you still walk? I’ll send you to the hospital myself.”

Min Ho raised his brows. “You… you can drive?” He asked curiously.

“I’m no longer the useless Park Shin Hye that you know 3 years ago.” She said curtly. “Where is your car key?” She asked.

Min Ho pointed at the side table.

She stood up and took all the necessary things before she helped him up and sends him to the hospital.

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The doctor looked up at Min Ho who was lying on the bed in the ER. He sighed. “Lee Min Ho-sshi. I remembered I told you a lot of time that you have to take your meal on time. Have you forgotten how bad your condition was 2 years ago? Although the endoscopy had stopped your bleeding ulcer but if it happens again, you might need to undergo a surgery this time.”

Shin Hye widened her eyes. “Bleeding ulcer? He have stomach ulcer?”

Min Ho glared at the doctor dangerously. “Yah, Kim Ji Seok. Can you stop over-exaggerating my condition?”

“Did I?” Kim Ji Seok looked at his friend and grinned. “You fainted in your office and were sent to the ER urgently. Your mother thought you were dying at that time.”

Shin Hye turned to him and looked at him with a shocked expression.

Min Ho sighed deeply. “Shut up, idiot.” He threatened him with his killing gaze.

Shin Hye looked at Kim Ji Seok and asked worriedly. “Doctor Kim, is he okay now? Is the ulcer bleeding or anything? He was in so much pain just now.”

Kim Ji Seok smiled warmly at her. “I’ve done some testing for him and it’s just a minor inflammation of the stomach lining this time. I’ve given him a jab and looking at his face, I’m sure he feels much better now. Let him rest for a while and he can go home after that. I’ll give him some antibiotics for the inflammation and some pain killer in case he feel pain again.”

Shin Hye nodded. She stole a sideway glance at Min Ho before