For the next week, Ji Yong was still in a coma. Every day Lia came to visit him, without fail. She’d talk to him and she’d stay over for the night. The nurses and doctors allowed her. No matter how much her brother and the rest of Big Bang protest she was never away from the hospital for more than two hours.

She would spend the entire day in his room, doing her work. She would occasionally leave the room to go home and bathe but then she’ll be back again soon. The nurse would bring her lunch. Sometimes Big Bang would come for a visit but they can only visit for a short while because of their schedule.

In the night she would entertain herself by watching television and she would sleep in the empty bed next to him.

One morning Lia woke up the sound of the door opening and closing. The elderly nurse came in with her usual medical checkup. Lia watched as she did her work.

“Annyeong haseyo, Lia,” the nurse said brightly. “Your boyfriend is still healthy.”

“Annyeong.” She yawned tiredly. “Anni, halmeoni. He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Sure.” The nurse didn’t believe her. Ah, young love, she thought. “I brought breakfast for you.”

Lia smiled, touched by the nurse’s kind thoughtfulness. “Kamsahamnida,” she said. She looked up to the calendar and frowned. “That’s not the date, is it?” she asked, pointing.

The nurse looked. “Ah, it is, actually,” she replied. “Have you spent so much time here that you’ve forgotten the day? Jagiya, you should go out get some fresh air.”

Lia shook her head. “I can get plenty of fresh air by opening the windows,” she said stubbornly.

“Tsk.” The elderly nurse smiled and turned back to the door. “Have a good day, Lia.”

Lia walked up to Ji Yong once the door closed behind the nurse. She leaned to kiss him. “Good morning, Ji Oppa,” she said. She brushed his hair away from his face. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s the eighteen of August today,” she said. “It’s a special day, isn’t it?” She smiled sadly. “Happy birthday, Ji Oppa. I wish you’d wake up. I miss you.”

He didn’t move.

She sat down on the stool next to his bed and held onto his hand. Tears fell from her face and she wiped them away. She placed her forehead on his hand and she bowed her head. She began to cry.

Someone patted her head.

She looked up, startled. She didn’t hear the door opening. She looked around, expecting to see a member of Big Bang. Instead, she was facing Ji Yong, whose eyes was opened and was smiling at her, slightly confused.

“Ji Oppa!’ she cried, standing up. She threw her arms around him but gently not to crush him. “You’re awake!” She kissed his cheeks. “Omo, I better get the nurse.”

Once the doctor had checked him up and declared him healthy and fine, they left to give Lia and Ji Yong some time alone together.

“What happened to me?” Ji Yong asked.

“What do you remember?” she asked him back.

He frowned, trying to remember. “I don’t know,” he said after awhile. “The doctor said I might never be able to recall what happened that night.”

“Oh.” Lia looked at him. “Well, I’m not sure myself, but Oppa told me. He said that you and he were at the pub drinking. You had a little bit too much and got into a terrible accident on the way home. Someone must have found you two and brought you to the hospital. Oppa was discharged when he woke up but you . . .” She trailed off. “You stayed in a coma.”

He nodded, quiet. “And then I woke up to find you next to me. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I thought you hate me.”

She got into his bed and he moved to make space for her, putting his arms around her. “I don’t,” she replied slowly. “I can never hate you, Ji Oppa, even if I tried.”

Just then the nurse came in and smiled at the sight of them together. “Mr. Kwon, you should be lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend like her,” she said.

“Anni, halmeoni,” Ji Yong started to say. “She’s not my —”

“This girl was here every day,” the nurse went on. “Could never stay away for more than two hours, she can’t. Spent her entire week cooped up in here, waiting for you to wake up. Stayed here at nights too.”

Ji Yong stared at Lia, amazed. Does she still have feelings for me?, he wondered.

The nurse cleaned the rubbish and then left the room, leaving them alone once again.

“Did you really do all the nurse said you did?” he asked. “Did you really stay here all the time?”

Lia nodded. “Yes,” she said in a small voice. She looked up to him. “Well, every day since I knew.”

“Why?”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking while I was here waiting for you to wake up. I miss you, oppa. And I understand why you lied to me. I was being stupid when I got mad the other day,” she said. “I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“I guess what I wanted to say is that . . . I realized how much I really care about you,” she went on. “When oppa told me about your condition, I cried because the thought that you might die . . . it left me a painful feeling, so much worse than when you lied to me.”

“Lia . . .”

Lia looked up to him and smiled. She wasn’t afraid to say what she wanted to say anymore. “I love you, Ji Oppa,” she said to him confidently.

Ji Yong smiled at her. He couldn’t begin to tell how happy he was the moment those three words left . “I love you too, Lia,” he replied. He leaned down and kissed her, his hand on her waist.

“Happy birthday,” Lia murmured to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly.

He pulled back. “Wait, what? Really?” he said in surprise. “It’s already my birthday? How long was I out for?”

“Two weeks.”

His eyes grew wide. “Whoa, that’s . . . a long time.”

Lia nodded. “I only found out a week ago,” she said. “Oppa and the others couldn’t decide whether I should know or not. I’m glad they decided I should.”

He nodded, staring into her eyes. “I’m glad they did too.” He kissed her again. He had missed her. “I’m sorry for making you worried about me.”

Lia just smiled. “We’re even now,” was all she said.

He laughed as the door opened and the rest of Big Bang entered.

“Hyung!” Dae Sung cried happily. When he smiled, his eyes went even smaller. He skipped to them and hugged Ji Yong tightly.

“Get off me!” Ji Yong whacked him away. He glared at him.

“Ow, that was mean.” Dae Sung pouted.

“What are you, five years old?” Lia asked him, shaking her head.

“No, three,” he said in a kid-like voice and held three fingers up. He beamed.

Lia face-palmed. “I hate you, crazy,” she muttered.

Dae Sung grinned. “I love to annoy the Choi siblings,” he said to the others. “It’s so fun to see their face reactions!”

“You’re forgetting the fact that there are two of them and only one of you,” Tae Yang pointed out.

The smile slipped off his face. He looked up to see both TOP and Lia looking menacingly at him. “Oh, right.” Then he burst out laughing. “Omo, look at both their faces: it’s the same expression!”

Lia sighed, rubbing her eye. She hissed in a low voice, “Do you want to be a girl?”

“Er . . . never mind.”

Ji Yong chuckled, kissing her neck. “Mm, you sound y,” he teased.

Lia turned her head and kissed him gently on the lips, closing her eyes. “And you’re hot,” she whispered in his ears, teasing him.

He pushed her away gently, making a face. “Uggh, don’t tease me.”

She giggled.

TOP looked at Lia and Ji Yong. “Are you two back together?” he asked.

They nodded, holding each other’s hands. Ji Yong squeezed her hand gently. “Yes, we are,” he replied.

“We are?” Lia said playfully.

He poked her and she giggled. He s his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He whispered something in her ears and she blushed.

“You blushed?” he asked in disbelief. “I was expecting a smart- comeback!”

Lia rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up,” she replied but she was smiling. She leaned back in his chest and he hugged her tightly. She snuggled comfortably.

“Lia, since you’re his girlfriend again,” Dae Sung spoke up, “you are in charge of taking care of him when we take him home.”

“What?”

Seung Ri nodded. “The doctor said that Ji Yong has to be well taken care of until he is much better to go back to the studio.”

Ji Yong cackled evilly. “Heh, my slave.” He planted a kiss on her neck.

Lia pinched his cheeks. “You are going to suffer,” she replied.

He shook his head. “I know you love me too much to not treat me bad,” he replied.

“We’ll see about that then,” Lia smirked, folding her arms across her chest.

He leaned back on the pillow and she leaned against him. He closed his eyes and yawned. “I’m tired.”

She sat up in disbelief. “You’ve been sleeping for the past two weeks and you dare say you’re still tired and wanna sleep?”

He shrugged. “Those two weeks can really tire you out.”

She punched him in the guts and he moaned. “I hate you.”

He opened one eye and grinned at her. “I love you too,” he said, giving a lopsided grin. “Come back, don’t go.” He tugged on her arm and she leaned against him. “Mmm, I love it when you’re near.”

“Don’t get too excited,” she whispered, turning her body to him.

“Come on,” TOP said, “let’s leave these two lovebirds alone.”

“Don’t do anything naughty,” Dae Sung said with a wicked grin.

“Aish, watch it. I’d throw my pillow at you if I weren’t so comfortable already,” Ji Yong threatened.

Seung Ri and Tae Yang just followed the other two out quietly, shaking their heads.

The four of them were grinning. It was good to have them back like that. Honestly, the atmosphere was better this way.