Disclaimer: I don't own You're Beautiful, or its characters.

The moment she exited the plane, everyone knew that she was someone special.

Smack.

"Ow," squealed Go Mi-Nyeo. She peeled her face from the floor of the jet bridge and inspected her scraped wrists. Behind her, she could hear a harabuhjee grumbling that she was blocking the exit.

"Are you okay?" asked the air hostess as Mi-Nyeo struggled to her feet. Her knees were sore from taking most of the impact.

An ajusshi and a backpacker took pity on her and put down their luggage to help her. She pulled her long hair out of her eyes and smiled at them. "Thank you," she said, feeling her cheeks grow warm from embarrassment.

To her surprise, the men gaped at her. Confused, she ran her fingers over her face, checking for blood. Her hands came back dry.

"Here, let me carry your luggage for you!" The younger man smiled at her as he picked up her things along with his bag.

She jumped when she felt her other arm being tucked into the ajusshi's. She looked from her arm to the smiling older man's face. "Allow me to help you to your family," he said.

"But first, she should go and see the airport's medic," intercepted the younger man, looking at her knees.

Mi-Nyeo tried to pull her dress down. "That's really not necessary," she said, looking from one man to the other in confusion as they marched her to the arrivals area. "I'm fine, really." They weren't listening. "I'm-FINE!" she yanked her hand free from the ajusshi.

The men were about to protest again, so she smiled to reassure them.

They froze in place and gaped at her.

She lifted one eyebrow in puzzlement as she took her luggage from the younger man. "Thank you," she bowed again. "Sorry for the trouble."

Glad to escape, she hurried onwards and scanned the arrivals area for a certain Hwang Tae-Kyung. She sighed in disappointment to see it deserted. Pausing at a row of chairs, she dug in her pockets for her phone and seeing the time, she realized that her flight had landed much earlier than expected.

She knew she couldn't expect him here yet.

Unable to shake the feeling that she was being watched, Mi-Nyeo fidgeted with the buttons of her white coat and took in her surroundings. It was unsettling to realize that there were many, many people that were looking at her. Some were smiling at her, and Mi-Nyeo ran her hands over her face again to check for blood.

Nothing.

She worried over this for a few seconds before letting it go. She must be imagining things. She put it down to the long flight and her nervousness at seeing Tae-Kyung again. On the plane she had not been able to sit still for thinking about him. The hostess had to tell her numerous times to go back to her seat when the plane hit turbulence.

Mi-Nyeo stopped and looked around her. Something wasn't right.

It occurred to her that the people were parting for her like the Red Sea. As if to confirm her suspicions, a large family smiled and bowed to her as they split up to let her through. She bowed in return, and hoped she didn't look too scared as she scurried towards the exit, heaving a loud sigh of relief when the sliding doors closed behind her.

"Am I going crazy?" she mumbled, tilting her head to one side to observe the sun. She wondered if people saw the similarities between her and her brother. It was possible that Go Mi Nam had become more famous during her absence in Africa.

Satisfied with this temporary answer, Mi-Nyeo blew out her puffed cheeks and walked over to the private pick-up zone, her suitcase rumbled behind her like an old friend. She sent Tae-Kyung a text and settled down to wait for him, closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth from the sun.

A breeze blew through her hair, forcing her to brush a few loose strands aside. She heard something fall to the ground with a 'click' and her eyes darted around to find the source. She saw something glittering in the gutter and thought that it looked familiar.

Go Mi-Nyeo gasped. Her eyes widened and her hand went to her hair. It was her pin!

She skated on her high-heels to the empty road and bent down to pick it up. "Tsk." The clasp was broken and would have to be reglued. She checked that front of the pin was undamaged and noticed that one of the jewels were missing. Mi-Nyeo started running her hands over the ground, trying to find the missing piece.

A woman screamed.

Go Mi-Nyeo looked up to see a car headed straight for her.

Tires screeched as the owner put the brakes on, but it was going too fast, and she was too close. She tried to get up, but there was no time, and she knew it was too late. Mi-Nyeo scrunched her eyes closed and waited for the inevitable impact. She clutched her hands together and imagined Mother Superior telling her to be brave as the car's engine roared in her ears.

She swore she could see a white light.

The smell of burnt rubber made her open her eyes.

"Hey!" A car door slammed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Mi-Nyeo stared at the clean silver grating on the front of the car.

It was an inch from her nose.

"Eep," was all she could say. Her fists were still clamped together, but they were shaking. She could feel the car's heat radiating onto her face like a lion's breath.

"Yah! Princess! Are you okay?" Two hands gripped her shoulders and swung her upper body around to the right. She stared up at the rude stranger through a haze of mental fog.

He was no stranger at all.

"Hyung-nim," she said, too shocked to say anything else. Her near-death experience made her feel like she was no longer of this earth. She took in the floppy hair, the mad-scientist eyebrows, the hollow cheeks and began to feel giddy.

She felt his hands squeeze her arms tighter as he dropped to the ground beside her. His face was contorted by a mix of the sudden recognition of the person in front of him, followed by a heavy dose of pain and guilt.

"Mi-N..." He barely got the words out. His eyes clouded over. "Are you okay?" He started checking her for injuries; running his hands over her limbs.

"I can't feel you," she slurred.

He ran his fingers around the back of her scalp, feeling for bumps. She gazed up at him, still feeling like she was in some sort of dream and smiled. She had missed him so much.

He did not smile back.

Without a word he lifted her up from the ground. With the help of several bystanders, he got Mi-Nyeo into the car along with her luggage.

"My pin!" she shouted as Tae-Kyung climbed into the driver's seat.

Tae-Kyung paused. Eyeing something shiny in her still-clasped hands, he reached over to ease them apart. Under his coaxing, the bits of broken pin fell from her sore fingers and into the palm of his hand. He tucked them into the pocket of his black jacket and patted it. "I've got it," he said in an even tone. "Now sit quietly until I can get you to a hospital."

She obeyed him, but she tilted her head so that she could see him. Though they'd travelled back and forth to see each other every few months, Mi-Nyeo felt like they'd been apart from each other for the entire three years, and seeing him again made her wonder how she'd been able to do it.

Mi-Nyeo looked over at his hand and longed to reach out and touch it.

"I'm okay Hyung-nim. Really. We don't need to go to the hospital," she said, watching his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

"You said you couldn't feel anything," he said. His eyes were trained on the road.

She nodded. "I think I'm just in shock. I'll be all right after some sleep."

"You'll go to the hospital for me." There was little emotion in his voice.

She didn't argue with him. Pushing him would just make him lose his temper. She stared at his tired face, noting how much older he looked, and not for the first time she regretted leaving his side to go to Africa.

"I missed you Hyung-nim," she murmured, stretching her hand out to touch his shoulder, but not quite getting there.

"Aish!" He glared at her and ran one hand through his hair. It flopped back into his eyes as if he'd never touched it. "Were you trying to give me a heart attack back there?"

Mi-Nyeo's lips twitched. It looked like he wasn't as angry as she thought. She covered up her smile with a yawn and gazed out of the window.

"Why were you sitting on the road like that? Didn't you know that people wouldn't see you? How did you get there anyway?"

Go Mi-Nyeo opened her mouth to speak.

"Never mind!" he interrupted. "I forgot how dangerous you are. When we get to the hospital remind me to ask them to get your head scanned."

"Hyung-nim!" She protested, gazing at him with wide eyes.

"Hyung-nim-hyung-nim-hyung-nim," she heard him mutter under his breath. He turned to burn a hole through her with his brown eyes. "You scared me to death!" he yelled, before jerking the car into the hospital driveway. It flew up the slope like a demon and screeched to a halt outside of the emergency entrance. Mi-Nyeo found herself being dragged out of her seat before she could pop the belt.

"I can walk!" she swatted his hands away, realizing that he was intending to carry her inside. Tae-Kyung hesitated, and then gritted his teeth as he stood back to let her climb out on her own.

Free from the car, she smoothed down her dress and smiled at him. "See? I'm fine."

"Yes, amazing." His eyes glittered dangerously. "Still, as much as I trust your opinion regarding 'fineness', I'm going to have to check with a doctor before I'm satisfied. Am I making myself clear?"

Mi-Nyeo knew by the look on his face that she wasn't going to win this battle. She nodded in resignation and led the way into the hospital, urged on by the squeaking sound his boots made as he stalked her from behind. After registering her details with the nurse, Mi-Nyeo was led to an empty bed and was asked to wait. Tae-Kyung jumped into the space just as the curtains were pulled around to create a room.

"Drink!" He held a paper cup of water under her nose. Feeling her how dry her throat was, Mi-Nyeo accepted it without a word. She sat on the edge of the bed, and started swinging her legs back and forth as she took in her spotless surroundings. The humming of the busy hospital was soothing to her ears, and it began to clear the cobwebs in her head.

Feeling relaxed, she sought Tae-Kyung and found him regarding her from a plastic chair at the head of the bed. He had his jaw resting on one fist and he was giving her the darkest glare she had ever seen.

Mi-Nyeo felt the sudden urge to provoke him. "Hyung-nim?" she asked with a delicate tone, drawing circles on the pillow with her index finger.

Tae-Kyung's eyes narrowed. She could almost imagine a storm cloud forming over his head. "What have you done now?"

She widened her eyes and tried to look as innocent as she could. "Nothing, Hyung-nim! Only I was just wondering..."

His lips curled. "Yes?"

"At the airport, why did you call me a princess?"

He smirked and his lips formed a familiar pout. His arched black eye brows went higher as he leaned forward in his chair in an attempt to intimidate her. "Are you fishing for compliments?"

Considering how rare a direct compliment was coming from him, Mi-Nyeo thought he was being a little unfair, but she kept her coy smile and waited for him to continue.

"It was an insult, Miss Go Mi-Nyeo, not a compliment," he folded his arms and tilted his chin upwards. "Expecting cars to move out of your way while you played on the road was very arrogant of you."

Her face fell. In the past, she would have tried to look chastened at his words, but she was bolder now. Years spent teaching and working in Africa had not been wasted. She shook her head in defiance. "I wasn't going to leave my pin." She held out her hands for it. "Can I have it now?"

"It's broken," he said in a firm tone, as if that settled the matter.

Mi-Nyeo ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "My hair is long enough to wear it and now it's broken." An idea occurred to her and she smiled. "Does my hair look pretty, Tae-Kyung?"

A dimple appeared on his jaw. "It's all right." He turned his gaze to the curtains and Mi-Nyeo leaned forward to get his attention.

"And my coat?" She ran her fingers down the buttons to show it off to him. "Jeremy sent me this coat. Isn't it nice?"

He snorted.

"These shoes," she lifted one foot up and admired the white pointed heel. "Shin-Woo Hyung sent me these shoes. I think they're pretty."

His eyes ran over her exposed leg for a full three seconds before he jumped up, causing the chair to shudder on the floor. "Where are all the staff?" He turned his back to her and peered through a chink in the curtains. "They're taking too long."

"Coordinator Wang sent me some makeup. I tried my best with it. What do you think, Op-pa?"

His back stiffened.

"I think," he turned around to face her with an icy glare. "You have become very conceited, Pig-Rabbit. Can I ask who has been sending you lessons on how to flirt?"

"Oh, I have been practicing very hard to flirt well," she said in earnest. Tae-Kyung's eyes grew wide as she continued. "Yoo He Yi said I had to compete with lots of other women in order to keep you, so I've come home ready for battle. Fighting!" She held up her fists.

Tae-Kyung started choking. He looked away from her and waved a hand in the air as he tried to regain the full use of his windpipe. When he looked back at her his eyes were watering. "You!" He cleared his throat. "Why?" He leaned on the bed. "Why, of all people, are you listening to Yoo He Yi? Are you crazy?"

He was getting louder, and Mi-Nyeo cringed. "Stop yelling at me!"

"Did I give you permission to speak to her? Just because she's Mi Nam's girlfriend does not mean it is okay for you to listen to her!"

"It is true that I must be careful around Unni, but she told me lots of things that they did not teach at the convent, and thanks to her I know that I am going to be such a good girlfriend to you, Hyung-nim."

As she had been talking, Tae-Kyung's thick-black eyebrows had been rising higher and higher on his forehead. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before settling on the word, "You!" He lunged at her.

The swish of the curtains made him stop mid-attack and slink backwards into the shadows. Mi-Nyeo let out a little sigh of relief. She was saved! A male doctor and an attending nurse walked in. It was all smiles as they greeted one another.

"We can hear you two from across the room" said the doctor with a grin. "Lover's fight?" Tae-Kyung glared at him and the doctor cleared his throat. "So, let's take a look at you." He wrapped a blood-pressure cuff around Mi-Nyeo's arm and started inflating it. "You got hit by a car, is that right?"

Mi-Nyeo shook her head.

"It was a miracle she didn't get hit," muttered Tae-Kyung, glaring at her from over the doctor's shoulder as the professional shone a torch light in her eyes.

"I'm glad." The doctor looked between her and Tae-Kyung. "You two look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

The couple shared a glance, but didn't say anything.

"Any pain?" asked the doctor. Mi-Nyeo shook her head again. "You seem fine," he wrote down some numbers and then peered at the nurse. "Get her some sedatives to take home." He smiled at his patient and took the cuff off her arm. "You might find it hard to sleep, so take the medicine if you need it, but you should be okay if you look after your body."

Mi-Nyeo was grateful to the doctor. She knew that despite Tae-Kyung's angry words, he had been worried about her, and she hoped that he would now feel better about the accident. She opened her mouth to thank the doctor, when she realized he was gaping at her.

It was like being at the airport all over again.

She gave Tae-Kyung a questioning look and he walked over to see the doctor's face for himself. With a grunt, Tae-Kyung rolled his eyes and punched his hands into his coat pockets. "You must be very busy, Sonsaengnim! Don't let us take any more of your valuable time." There was a hint of rudeness in his tone as he tried to usher the doctor out.

The elder seemed to give himself a mental shake and mumbled something under his breath before leaving the room. He threw Mi-Nyeo a final smile before pulling the curtains shut.

Tae-Kyung let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's worse than I thought."

Mi-Nyeo ran a hand over her face. "What is, Hyung-nim?" She began to feel scared. "I don't understand. People have been looking at me like that all day."

Tae-Kyung looked suddenly guilty. "Mi-Nyeo. I'm..." He struggled to get out the rest of the sentence, but instead settled for staring at the floor. "We all did our best to keep you out of the spotlight, but we haven't always been successful."

"Oh, you mean the reporters." She let the news sink in, and then asked in a small voice, "Have I been bad press for the band?"

"Tch!" He turned his attention to the curtains. "As if that matters." The look on his face was not reassuring to Mi-Nyeo.

"But it does matter," she said, fiddling with the paint on her nails. "If I'm bad press for the band, then we can't go public, and we need to talk-"

"I told you it's not important!" he barked out, glaring at the white floor. "I'll manage it."

She felt her bottom lip tremble. "You've already decided what you're going to do, haven't you?" She saw his hands clench into fists, but she stood firm. "Without asking me first?"

He scowled. "I don't want you worrying about the press."

She felt herself getting upset. "Stop trying to handle everything on your own!"

"I'm responsible for you!" he dug his thumb into his chest. "That's how this works!"

"No!" She folded her arms like a child, and then unfolded them again to whisk away a small tear. "Give me back my pin."

Tae-Kyung paled.

She could tell he wanted to say something, but he couldn't put it into words.

He turned away from her, and reached into his pocket to pull it out. The ornament glittered under the bright hospital lights, and Mi-Nyeo could see the small patch of glue where the missing jewel should be.

"Damn, it keeps breaking," he said, cradling the pieces in his hand. The edge was gone from his voice.

Mi-Nyeo nodded. "It's very fragile," she whispered.

"So no matter how hard I try to protect it, it could break again?"

Mi-Nyeo blinked. "You don't need to protect it. How can you, Hyung-nim, when it is mine?"

He formed a tight fist around the pin, hiding it from view. "I can try. I can lock it away."

"No!" She almost jumped from the bed to pry it from him.

He eased his grip on the piece of metal and plastic. "Don't you trust me with it?"

"Of course I do!" She had felt safe when he had kept it in his coat pocket for her. "But you must be reasonable. It's mine. I want to be able to wear it and look at it whenever I want to. I have kept it safe all these years, and carried it to many places. Why take it from me now?"

He looked up at her, and to her amazement, his eyes were full of fear.

"Hyung-nim." Mi-Nyeo felt her heart plummet into her stomach, and she scrambled off the bed to reach him. She wrapped her small arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest. His wool vest made her nose itch, but she happily inhaled the familiar smell of soap and aftershave that came with it.

She felt his hands slide around to her back, and she nestled closer to him. "Don't be scared," she said.

Seconds passed in silence.

Mi-Nyeo bit her lip. "I-I don't know what to say to comfort you, but please don't be scared. From now on, we will decide everything together. Okay?"

"Don't be stupid. What would I be scared of?" His voice was dry and cynical, but after years of loving him she knew better than to take it at face value.

Mi-Nyeo tightened her hold on him. She felt him press a kiss into her hair.

"It will be hard, but I will let you have it..your pin."

He shifted away from her, dark gaze intact, and keeping one arm around her shoulder, he slipped all the pieces of the ornament into her waiting fingers.

"I will make sure to use stronger glue next time," she said in an effort to reassure him.

Tae-Kyung's face seemed to lighten at her words. "That's a start. You will also make sure to never sit on the road again. That was stupid!"

Mi-Nyeo made a reluctant noise in the affirmative. "And you will drive more carefully, right Hyung-nim?"

At first he was flustered by her words, but then he seemed to calm down. "Fine! And I will tell you everything about the press so that we can decide what to do. If I have to, I will teach you how to handle the public so that you look good."

Mi-Nyeo held back a laugh. "Don't I already look good?"

Tae-Kyung shook his head at her in mock disapproval. "Is this more of Yoo He Hi's work?'

Eyelashes fluttered on soft cheeks. "No, Hyung-nim, but I think I look nice."

She heard him whisper something through his teeth. It sounded something like 'devil fairy', but she wasn't sure.

"This!" he tilted her chin upwards and traced her lips with his thumb. "What is this?" He showed her the tint of her lipstick. His almond eyes were emoting something that she couldn't quite understand.

Sensing danger, Mi-Nyeo inched away from him.

"I-It's a nice colour," she faltered.

Tae-Kyung mirrored her steps, drawing closer. "I don't like it."

Mi-Nyeo felt her back touching the bed. "It's not like I'm asking you to wear it," she muttered in a low voice.

"What was that?" His voice was too casual.

She gasped as he leaned over her, she could feel his breath on her cheek. Somewhere, an alarm bell was ringing. It was hard to tell if it was going off inside the hospital, or in her head.

"I like-," she hiccoughed, "-it." She tilted her head away from him.

To her dismay, he slid his long arms under her coat, making the silk-lining rustle. His hands moved around her waist and found their resting place on the bed, trapping her in a hard, yet pliant cage.

Mi-Nyeo closed her eyes and swallowed. She could feel his whole body pressing against her. His warm breath had moved to the corner of her mouth.

"It...annoys me," his words tickled her lips.

Whatever reply Mi-Nyeo had saved up for this moment was forgotten. Once she felt his cool mouth on hers and then tasted the hot sweetness inside, he was all she could think about. His hands ran up and down the back of her dress and Mi-Nyeo wriggled closer, wanting more. She tugged at his hips, and he got rougher, kissing her with more force and bumping her back against the bed.

Someone was coughing.

He tried to pull away from her, and Mi-Nyeo let out a soulful little whimper. She wasn't finished yet. Tae-Kyung was wearing a self-satisfied smirk as he detached himself from her, but his cool image cracked when he nearly stumbled backwards into the chair. A dazed Mi-Nyeo looked over to see the nurse holding out a small box of medicine, her red face was trained on the floor, and she was doing her professional-best to pretend that she hadn't seen anything.

Clothes rustled as the couple straightened up and prepared to leave. Tae-Kyung pocketed the medicine while Mi-Nyeo apologized and bowed more than once. Making sure not to stand too close to one another, they sauntered to the front reception with guilty faces. Mi-Nyeo tried not to explode with juvenile laughter.

"Who said you could pay the bill?" Tae-Kyung grouched as the woman at reception disappeared to print out the receipt.

"I did." She puffed out her cheeks.

"I thought we were deciding everything together from now on?"

"You want to pay my bill?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Tch!" he nudged her with his elbow, making her want to stick out her tongue. "I'll see you outside."

The slip of paper was presented, and Mi-Nyeo scanned the immediate area to make sure no one was watching.

The coast was clear.

"Kyyyyyyya!" Mi-Nyeo started dancing like a crazy person on the spot, arms flailing around in the air and feet kicking outwards.

"He still gives me fireworks!" she laughed as she skipped out into the sunlight, her coat-tails flapping behind her like wings.

Please review! Thanks for reading.