Song inserted in this chap: A Little Closer by Hyorin. (credit to owner)

Min Ho: “Don’t compare yourself with anybody. You have your own strength and smart in your own way. What I need is a wife who can fill my empty stomach when I’m hungry, smoothened my creased forehead with her sweet smile, become a mother of my beautiful princess, take care of our home when I’m not around, give me a peace of mind and be the reason for me to work harder… and most importantly… she keep my heart beating for her.”

Chang Wook: “That was the first time I saw the confidence expression on your face. That is your dream, a dream that you buried inside for a long time. This is the only thing I could do for you. And with all this, you can run away from all the sadness and start all over again. Find your dream, find yourself and find a new life.”

~~~~~

“Shin Hye…”

Park Shin Hye closed her eyes and took a deep breath when she heard a familiar voice called her from behind. She recognized that voice… and she is waiting for him. She slowly turned around and before she could react, she was now embraced tightly in a pair of warm and protective arms. She closed her eyes again as she slowly moved her hands up and wrapped around his waist. She smiled. She feels it now and she finally got the answer she wants.

“Shin Hye…” Min Ho whispered as he buried his nose in her hair, inhaled in her sweet scent. His lips curled up into a soft smile when she responded to his hug.

~~~~~

Min Ho took a deep breath before he tossed the coin into the air and both of them stared upward at the same time. But before the coin could drop back to his hand, Chang Wook reached out and grabbed the coin away in the air before it drop.

Min Ho looked at him with a confused gaze. “What are you doing?”

Chang Wook stared at him and slowly let out a faint smile. “She is someone that is very precious to both of us. And we can’t decide her happiness with a coin.” He paused and inhaled deeply. “I know she love you.” He said as he opened his palm and saw the tail symbol on the coin.” He smiled. He missed his chance again. He looked back at Min Ho with a sharp gaze. “Don’t ever hurt her again. Don’t repeat the same mistake you did in the past and love her wholeheartedly. If not, I will take her away from you this time.”

Min Ho nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

~~~~~

Min Ho slowly pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. She is smiling at him and a new hope slowly grew inside his heart. He took something out from his pocket and held it in front of her. It was her ring, their wedding ring.

“Remember that night before you go to New York? I asked you… the next time we see each other again, when all the pains are gone, will you take this ring back? At that time, you didn’t give an answer. I understand because you were hurt and I was the one who caused all the pains.” He said, still looking at her.

Shin Hye moved her gaze to the ring he was holding and another soft smile spread across her face. She took the ring and looked at it for a long moment.

~~~~~

Min Ho: “I, Lee Min Ho, take you, Park Shin Hye to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving. I promise to stay by your side but most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal husband to you. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.”

Chang Wook: “I missed the chance to fight for you when I still can. And now… I’m not qualified to fight anymore. I know you are hurting and you heart, your love has never belongs to me. And I don’t need anything in return. I just want you to promise me, you will take care of yourself. Let go of the past; look at the world that you have never seen before. Find your dream and find yourself back. I hope the next time when we are here, I will see you smiling again and completely healed.”

~~~~~

“From the day you left me, I told myself I have to become the man that worth your love. I want to change and redeem my mistake. I keep reminding myself the vow I made and wait for you patiently, hoping that one day you will take this ring back and come home with me.” He paused and held her hand. “I finally understand what is the meaning of goodbye is a second chance too. Goodbye doesn’t mean the end. It means we will see each other again someday. And that someday could be today.”

Min Ho inhaled a deep breath before he continued again. “I know in the past I have hurt you very deeply but please believe me. I really changed. The heart that you once gave me and that I once broken it, I want it back. I want your heart back and this time I will take care of it and will never hurt it ever again.”

~~~~~

Min Ho: “I’ll let you go… for now. If one day, when you think you could forgive and forget, I promise that I’ll still be here… waiting for you.”

Chang Wook: “Park Shin Shye, promise me you will come back stronger and braver. No more tears, only smile.”

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

Chang Wook looked straight ahead at the calm ocean in front of him and slowly let out a light smile. He moved his hand to the pocket of his jacket and took out the handkerchief that Shin Hye gave him when he first met her seventeen years ago. After everything that happened in all these years, is his heart still be able to fall in love again? He don’t think so. It felt numb and pain at the same time when he lost her for the second time. He laughed at himself silently. Did he really lose her? She has never belongs to him anyway.

“Ji Chang Wook. It’s time to let go of the past, let go of her.” He mumbled as he lifted his hand up and wanted to let the handkerchief fly away with the wind. But suddenly, a soft and familiar voice called his name from afar. He turned around and looked down at the small road that heading to the lighthouse. A small gasp escaped his lips when he saw the person that was standing not too far away from the lighthouse where he was standing upstairs. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Ji Chang Wook!”

~~~~~

Shin Hye inhaled a deep breath and bit her lip hard. She took the ring and slowly put it back into Min Ho’s hand before she looked up at him. “I know you have changed and I’m glad you did. I’m happy to see a different you, a good father and a better person. You regret your choice and I regret mine either. We were still young and not matured enough to start a family in the past. We thought our love could conquer everything but it’s not true. Love is not everything when our heart is not firm enough.” She said as she slowly pulled her hand away and took a step back.

Min Ho felt his heart just dropped to his stomach and his world has suddenly gone upside down upon hearing what she said.

“I know you deserved a second chance and I wanted to give you another chance too…” She paused and sighed softly. “… but… I don’t want to make another mistake.” She said as her eyes looking deep into his. “Our relationship… there will always be someone in between us. I believe So Ra is still there… somewhere in your heart that you will still think about her once in a while. She loves you, she sacrificed a lot for you. Even though she is already married and have a family now, you will not be able to forget about her. I can’t deny that Chang Wook oppa will always be in my heart too. Because we are all human. We feel and we fall in love. And that’s why we will get hurt and pain.” She added.

Min Ho gasped as he shook his head. “So Ra will always be inside my heart but it was just a reminder to me that I can’t repeat the same mistake again. It’s not love when a relationship is build under gratitude, obligation or responsible. That was why it will never work between So Ra and I. It was a mistake and it will be the same thing for you and Chang Wook. The feeling you grow for him, it was all because of the things he did for you. You feel thankful and thought you have the responsibility to return his love. He was there for you all these years but you didn’t sense anything or feel anything back for him until something happened to us. You just want to pay him back to make yourself feel better. Just like how I feel for So Ra in the past. That’s not love. You don’t love him.”

~~~~~

Chang Wook quickly ran down from the lighthouse but stopped at least five feet away from the person in front of him.

“What are you doing here? What are you doing in Jeju Island?” He asked, looking at her in disbelief. She supposed to be with Min Ho and not standing here in front of him.

Shin Hye looked straight at him and smiled. “I thought a lawyer should have a good memory. Have you forgotten two years ago, when we were standing in that lighthouse, I promised you that I’ll come back stronger and braver, with a smile and a healed heart? And I asked you to wait for me.”

Chang Wook breathed deeply. “I remember.”

“Then why you didn’t keep your words? You didn’t wait for me and came here alone. You want me to be strong but why can’t you be brave for once?” Shin Hye asked, looking at him with a firm gaze.

~~~~~

Shin Hye looked at Min Ho and let out a light smile. “Ani…” She shook her head. “It’s different. So Ra loves you, sacrificed for you and hope to get something in return, and you chose to give her, repay her with your heart. Chang Wook oppa love me, sacrificed for me but he never think to get anything in return. You were married to me when you know So Ra loves you. You can be thankful to her for everything she did but you can’t accept her love and love her back in return because you were married to me.” She paused and breathed deeply. “Chang Wook oppa was there for me whenever I need him. I felt grateful but I didn’t let myself to feel anything else for him. It’s not because I don’t like him. It’s because my faithfulness for my marriage and you is more important than anything. At that time, my heart is only for you, my love is only for you.”

~~~~~

When Shin Hye didn’t get any reply from Chang Wook, she smiled again. “Okay. If you insist to keep quiet and don’t want to tell me what you are thinking now… then lets play a game.”

Chang Wook raised his brows. “What game?”

“I’ll guess what you are thinking right now in your head and if I guess correctly, you have to take one step forward and if I’m wrong, you can take a step backward.” She said.

♩ ♪ ♫ ♩ ♪ ♫

A person who was lost

Gave me a warm heart fluttering feeling

I remember it, I keep remembering

You were the love that I’ve always been waiting for

Why didn’t I know?

♩ ♪ ♫ ♩ ♪ ♫

And again, Chang Wook just looked at her without giving her any reply. She didn’t ask anymore and take it as a yes from him. She took a deep breath before she started.

“You dare not to be brave… because of So Won. You want her to have a complete family and that’s why you hope I could give a second chance to Min Ho oppa.”

Chang Wook held her gaze and with