Anneyeong! I can't Thank you all enough dear readers for the lovely response to this FF, I always feel very thrilled when I see new comments or subscribers. Thank you for the generous up votes too! This chapter is a shout out to Yupkigirl who also makes sure I don't delay the updates too much.LOL. Much love !

I'll wait for you, I promise you.. 

It was a car that honked that broke the moment. That's the problem with confessing in the middle of the road, chances of normal occupants of the road interfering are pretty high.
They quickly ran to the footpath, laughing. 

There was nothing worse than a confession rudely interrupted because it's almost impossible to build it up to the same crescendo  again. Yong Hwa was feeling the sting, this was the second time in as many days his plans had been ruined by circumstances beyond his control. Well, at least they were still going back to the mansion together, there would be other opportunities or he would create them. 

They were seated for breakfast in a typical American diner, he tried to catch her attention, but she was immersed in her menu. Was she trying to learn English from the menu, he thought, feeling disgruntled on being ignored by the object of his affection.

Little did he know that she was trying to avoid him on purpose, she had been taken aback by his sudden confession. It wasn't that she didn't know that there were some serious feelings involved neither could she deny that her own feelings weren't entirely absent. But, the truth of the matter is, she had assumed they were going to spend the two weeks dancing around their feelings but never really letting it out. 

She should've known better. It was Yong Hwa, he would say it out if he felt it was right, that was him, always, she liked that about him. The number of times he had cribbed to her about the characters he played in dramas not doing something about the love in their heart, had told her as much about the person that he was. She had always been fascinated by his thoughts on love. He was perfectly okay with waiting for the person he loved, but not without telling them how much he loved them. 

She felt special to be the one he loved, she had to admit it. Of all the people she knew, she had always thought his girlfriend would be luckiest. Though not his girlfriend, she felt a surge of happiness that felt irrational and rather misplaced. Never the less, she was happy and that was the truth. 

Happiness aside, she wasn't sure what her reply was going to be for she was sure, he wasn't going to let it pass, though she wished he would. Not that she didn't want to reciprocate the feelings but the thought of being attacked by a million anti-fans, that was what she worried about. Always. The world around them seemed to be hostile especially when thinking from a place so far away from all the madness. 

Snap. 
He had snapped his fingers in front of her face. She was startled, she was too deep in her thoughts to notice him watching her closely. Shin Hye knew he would've figured out a large part of her thoughts, he always did. She looked at him, with slightly pleading eyes, she wasn't up for a discussion yet. She saw something flicker in his eyes, then within a fraction of a second he was normal, asking her what she wanted to eat. 

It was an unspoken understanding to delay the inevitable. She wondered how long he would be patient with her? She had this terrible habit of taking a lot of time to make a decision but then that's because once she commits, she never looked back. She was loyal to a fault. Not many people reciprocated her level of loyalty. She was used to it, people letting her down. He was the one of the very few, who hadn't  let her down, that made her nervous, she worried that with a change in their relationship would he disappoint her too? Unlikely, she thought, she was more worried about her failing in the relationship than the other way around. 

"Shin Hye Ya"
She looked up. 
"Eat" He said, not unkindly. 
She smiled and nodded obediently and took a bite of her sandwich. 

He gazed at her lovingly. He understood her worries, emotions and feelings but right now he felt vulnerable. He had just told her he loved her and before he could say anything else he had to end it abruptly. He was relieved that she hadn't been shocked nor had she overreacted. She had smiled, that made him feel slightly better. It occurred to him that she might say no for other reasons, not because she didn't like him. Why hadn't  he thought this through? He mentally kicked himself. 

They spent a large part of the breakfast and the trip back to the island in silence. He would talk to her comfortably once they were settled back in the house, he thought. He had no idea though, what awaited them. 

When he opened the gate to the mansion, it struck him that something was very wrong. She peeped from behind him also noticing the oddity and shot him with a questioning gaze. He shrugged, unsure. There was water seeping out of the front door through the steps, the lawn on either side was flooded but they attributed that to heavy rains. 

Yong Hwa gingerly opened the front door, fearing the worst and a look inside confirmed that it was worse than he had feared. The ground floor was flooded and water came gushing out flowing easily now that there was a let out. Shin Hye stood stumped unsure what to do. 
"OMO" she said and nothing else. 

He assessed the situation for a minute before making a quick decision. 

"Shin Hye ya I am going to go to my room and get the details of the maintanence team"
"Will you be alright" she asked concerned.
He shrugged. "If something happens, call 911" he said, pointing to her phone, then smiled comfortingly at her on seeing her look of panic. 
"I'm going to be alright Shin Ah, it's only water" he patted her cheeks lightly. 

He waded through the water carefully, while she waited outside, worried. He looked around the living room, it was a mess. Everything was submerged in water. A lot of vessels were floating in the kitchen. He looked at the stairs, only the initial few steps were submerged. At least, Shin Hye's things are alright, he thought, relieved. 

Small show pieces lay destroyed probably due to the force of water, curtains and cushions were soaked, probably ruined, he thought gingerly. He panicked at the thought of his guitar and ukulele meeting a similar fate. He moved towards his room with trepidation. The first thing he noticed was that his guitar and ukulele were on his bed. Both safely away from the water. He heaved a sigh of relief. He found that most of his clothes hung in closets were safe as well. The carpet was fully soaked and squelching water at evey step he took. He looked around for his laptop and found it lying on the carpet, probably ruined beyond repair, he sighed again. 

He took the file that he got when he rented the house, he had not given it a thought until now. Thankfully, it was placed on one of the upper shelves. He placed all the valuables and other items in upper shelves. 

"It's a mess"
He told her when he reached outside. "Let me try calling these people" He said, pointing to the file.

 They were standing next to the gate to avoid the water flowing out of the house. The rooms with carpets had absorbed a lot of water but the marble flooring in other rooms had let the water level rise. 

"They are not picking up, I am not sure what message to leave. They won't even understand what I say"

She marveled at how matter of fact he sounded while telling her that. He looked calm. Did it come with being the leader of a band or with doing concerts around the world? Things going wrong were a part of the game  she supposed. 

"Hi"
Shin Hye looked up in surprise. It was a gorgeous looking woman, maybe in her mid-thirties (she could never say with the Americans, they never looked their age) with startling blue eyes and blonde hair. She held her breath for a moment, the lady was stunning, she was awe struck by her beauty. Yong Hwa was looking at her too but he seemed completely unaffected. 
"Hi" He said then looked back at the phone. 
"OMG, what just happened here?" The lady gasped. It was then that Shin Hye noticed the beautiful dog she was holding. It was a Maltese just like her darlings back home and she immediately felt warmer towards the lady. 

He explained haltingly in broken English what had transpired earlier. She immediately picked her phone and dialed a number. After a quick conversation, she informed them that help was on the way. They thanked her profusely but she waved it off. 

She introduced herself as Jenny, she was obviously a celebrity but neither Yonghwa nor ShinHye had a clue who she was. She laughed it off saying, she clearly wasn't famous enough. She had a lovely smile and a laugh that could capture any guy's heart, Shin Hye thought. 

Shin Hye volunteered to hold the dog (named Jinxy) for her while they waited. Jinxy and ShinHye became friends instantly. She took to playing with the pet like she did with her own. Jenny commented in surprise that it was a first for her dog to be comfortable with a stranger so quickly. Yong Hwa watched her play with a ghost of a smile on his face. 

"Are you on your honey moon?" Asked Jenny, stupefying YongHwa momentarily. Shin Hye could hear the conversation but she chose to ignore it and play with the pooch instead. 
"No" He said before adding "we are friends"
"Oh?" She smiled. "That's lovely. I wish I had brought a friend along too. I came alone on this vacation and now I just feel bored, you know?"

YongHwa was trying to keep up with the conversation while ShinHye was beginning to feel very annoyed. Why did he say they were only friends, she pondered, well duh, because they were only friends was the reply her mind threw up. That frustrated her even more. He could've lied, she thought huffing. Didn't he just confess his love to her less than three hours before? Why is he flirting with a blonde she thought uncharitably though she knew in the back of her mind that he was far from flirting. 

Much to her relief a truck arrived with maintanence personnel in it. After investigating the reason (burst pipe, torrid rains ), YongHwa and ShinHye were asked to comeback later in the day by the team.
"You can come over to my place, I stay in 12" said Jenny graciously. 

Yong Hwa looked at Shin Hye then smiled at Jenny. 
"No, We have other plans. Thank you for all your help" 
They exchanged phone numbers, said good byes with Jenny hugging YongHwa while Shin Hue stubbornly avoided the hug by bowing politely. 

When Jenny left with Jinxy in her hand, YongHwa turned around to look at ShinHye, who was avoiding his eye. He smiled.
"Come" he held out his hand for her. 
She resisted for a few seconds but gave in and took it. 
They walked in the direction of the beach in silence, fingers interlinked.

"You are beautiful Shin Hye ya" He said stopping suddenly and turning towards her. 
She made a noise of disbelief as she pushed him away with slightly more force than intended. He pretended to tumble dramatically. She reached down to beat him up for his exaggeration and he let her. He yelled about being ill-treated by a wicked woman but continued to stay within reach. 

"Why are you not moving away"

She asked stopping abruptly, with hands on her hips. 

"Huh" He looked up from his crouching position on the ground. 

"Why are you being so sweet to me"
She asked again, this time with an edge to her voice.

"Because I love you " He said simply. He got up and was ridding the sand that was stuck on his palm. 
She was however, startled by his words. She wasn't sure what she expected to hear but it sure wasn't that.

He wrapped his hand around her neck. 
"What did you expect to hear, Shin Ah?" 
He whispered into her ear.
She felt herself going weak in the knees. He had only just confessed and she was already feeling like a giddy school girl in front of her idol. She wanted to kick herself for blushing. She had much to think before giving him an answer but she was giving him some obvious signals right now which she wished she could avoid. 

"Take your time "He said, as if reading her mind. 
She looked up at him, of course he knew. Nobody reads her the way he does, she should've known. 

"It's okay" He said at her apologizing eyes. 

"I know it's too soon for you " he said, then looked at her again. 

"I also know it's hard. You were not expecting this. I caught you off guard and you want to take your time before replying. I know Shin Hye ya but I am serious, I can wait for as long as you need me to"

She felt a tear pricking her eye. He always managed to touch her heart with his disarming honesty. How could a girl resist such a man? She sighed. 

"Shin Ah you know I love you right ? No matter what you say, you'll still be my favorite  girl in the whole world. You'll always be my dearest friend. Nothing will change that." 

"But.. I also want to say, when I say I love you, I mean it, I want to be your best friend forever and some more. I want to be the guy you turn to whenever you feel tired or upset or angry or lost. Some of my happiest memories are with you, you and me laughing together, I want a life time of that laughter. "

"YongHwa ya" she said in a constricted voice, tears choking her.

"I know it's difficult Shin Hye ya" he continued. "It is difficult, we won't meet as often, we may go months without seeing each other. There will be a point when we'll wonder if it's worth it ? To love but unable to do anything about it. We may not be able to shout out to the world about our feelings. There will be those who deliberately create misunderstandings and foster mistrust. We can never be a normal happy couple that can hang out together, at will. But I look forward to days, months and years with you once we cross the hurdles, I want to have a life together with you"
He said choking with emotion. 

She put her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He reciprocated, tightening his hold on her. She was precious to him. He realized, as much as he said otherwise, losing her was not an option, her no would tear him apart. She probably knew that too. He hated himself for putting her in a spot but he hoped she would understand him. Like she always does.