She stepped out into the hallway and noticed him chatting several yards away with his manager. Her mood lifted as soon as she saw him and she automatically moved in his direction. Not noticing her presence, they began to walk away from her as they talked, engrossed in their conversation. She wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but she followed them hoping for a chance to speak with him. They walked around a corner so she quickened her pace, but when she saw them again, they seemed no closer than before. She rushed forward wanting to catch them, but she couldn't seem to bridge the gap fast enough. They continued on, lost in their conversation and seemingly oblivious to everything else around them.

"Jung Suk-ssi," she called. No response. "Oppa!" she called again. Still, nothing.

She felt her heart drop, and she started to run as they turned another corner.

"Oppa! Oppa, wait! Wait for me!" she yelled. "OPPA!" she yelled louder.

She ran around the next corner and then abruptly stopped, her body jerking violently. Her eyes opened and she found herself in the darkness of her bedroom. Her heart was pounding and her breathing was heavy and fast, like she had been running. Was it just a dream?

She looked around. Her windows were open to let in the cool evening air. She turned her head to look at the clock on her bedside table. It was 3:37am. She had only been asleep for a few hours. She felt anxious. Why did I dream that? Why couldn't you see or hear me?

Her breathing slowed and so did the pounding of her heart. She needed more sleep. She closed her eyes and she immediately pictured his smiling face in her mind. Oppa, why are you bothering me in my sleep? I already think of you all the time. And why am I chasing you in my dreams?

She felt slightly annoyed and she tried to think of other things – her mom, dad, brother, unni…. His smiling face filled her thoughts again, and she felt her mouth turn up in a smile. It was useless trying to distract herself with other thoughts. Once she started thinking about him, she couldn't stop. It was getting hard to remember what her life had been like before she met him. I should call and wake you since it's your fault I can't go back to sleep. Hah! Maybe I should ask you to sing me back to sleep! Then again, it would be nice just to hear your voice.

Actually, she knew she wanted even more than that. She always enjoyed talking with him, laughing with him…just watching the different expressions on his face as he talked was something she took great pleasure in doing. She wanted to know everything about him – all the things that made him laugh; all the things that made him smile; his first thoughts upon waking in the morning, and his last thoughts before falling asleep at night. She wanted to know all these things and more. And yet ironically, she already felt like they had known each other all their lives.

She finally just opened her eyes as sleep was eluding her. She was wide awake. She reached over to her bedside table to grab her phone. She hesitated at first, but then her fingers moved quickly of their own accord as she texted "Can't fall back to sleep so I'm trying to occupy myself until it's time to get ready for the day. Hope you slept well. Good morning and see you soon!" She hit send, and then placed the phone back on the table. Maybe I should try working on my song.

She was about to roll out of bed when her phone rang, instantly breaking the peaceful silence of the early morning.

"Yeoboseyo?" she quickly answered, keeping her voice down so as not to wake anyone.

"Jieun-ah, kwenchana?" he asked softly.

"Oppa, mianhaeyo. I didn't mean to wake you. I thought you'd still be asleep. I meant for you to read my text later," she responded.

"Wae geurae? Did you have a bad dream?" he asked. She could hear the concern in his voice.

"Ani. Kwenchana. Really. A dream woke me up, but it wasn't a bad one," she told him.

"Tell me about it. Maybe something's bothering you," he said.

She laughed softly. "Aniyo. It wasn't bad, just a little strange. You were actually in it. You were talking with Sang Geun-ssi. The both of you were walking down a hallway, and I started to follow so that I could say hello. But I couldn't catch up to both of you no matter how fast I ran. I called out to you, but you didn't seem to hear me. That was it really. Nothing bad happened," she assured him.

"I know what it is. The drama is almost over and you're already starting to miss me," he said, laughing.

She felt her heart constrict, but she replied with a chuckle and said, "Yes, you're probably right. I don't know how I lived my life before I met you, Oppa," she said sarcastically. "But seriously, I'm fine. Go back to sleep. There's time to rest more before starting the day."

"Ani. Kwenchanayo. I was already awake too. But you're the one who should go back to sleep. We've got another long day ahead of us. Shall I sing you to sleep?" he asked.

"Chincha? Would you really do that for me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course. You need all the rest you can get." And then he began. . .

Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me

She listened intently, enjoying the soft timbre of his voice and making note of the lyrics he was singing to her. She flushed a little over some of the words, heat filling her face as she blushed, secretly wishing some of the words were actually directed at her.

Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me

The song was vaguely familiar to her. He sang it slowly and sweetly. She wished she could have a recording of it to fall asleep to in the future. And then as quickly as he started, he was done.

"Jieun-ah, did you like it? Do you know the song? It's really old…from the 30's. I think the version most people remember is from Ella Fitzgerald. I like the version sung by Diana Krall, though. I think you'd enjoy her cover."

"I enjoyed your version, Oppa. Komawayo," she replied. "You'll have to record a version for me to listen to when I have trouble falling asleep in the future."

"Or you could just call or text me like you did now. If I'm awake, I'd be more than happy to sing you to sleep. You know I have no trouble singing anywhere or any time," he told her.

"Hah! You shouldn't offer things like that to me. I might take you up on it and you wouldn't get any sleep at all," she warned him.

"I'm not worried. Knowing you, you'll just try falling asleep on your own anyway. But I'm being serious. If you ever have a really hard time, don't hesitate to call me, arasso?" he asked. "Try and go back to sleep now. We can talk more later."

"Arasso. Na jung-e bwae. Talk to you later. Komawayo," she said softly.

"Na jung-e bwae," he said. And then he was gone.

She sighed, closed her phone and placed it back on her nightstand. He always made her feel so cared for. She remembered when they shot the scene when she got egged. He came to visit with her after filming was done for the day. It had been a long day with shooting finally ending long after midnight. It was a rare occasion when he found her alone, with no one else around. He walked in and sat next to her on the couch.

"Jieun-ah, kwenchana? I was thinking about you all day. I was worried the scene might make you think about some of the things you've had to endure during the past year," he told her.

His question caught her by surprise. She was so touched by his worry that it took her a moment to reply.

"Kwenchanayo," she said. "Funny you should ask, because I was just thinking about everything that happened. The girls were really great to me today. They were so worried about hurting me, and they worried even more after I got hit in the eye. They don't know, but I overheard them talking earlier before the scene started. I guess they did some research online in order to get into character. I should be grateful...they were talking about how mad they were over the things the netizens were saying about me and the names they were calling me. They were shocked and angry that I was being called a slut. Oh, and I think also a whore."

"Everyone does such a great job of protecting me from all that. I've known all along about some of the harsh comments, but it was different today...hearing them talk about it and hearing those words said out loud. I just don't get. They don't even know me. How can they call me those names when they don't even know what happened? Why? I was so angry at first, but I guess lucky for me, we had to move on to the next scene so there was no time to keep thinking about it. But now that the day is over, it's all I can think of."

She had said all of this without really looking at him. She felt her eyes starting to fill, but she fought hard to keep from crying. All of a sudden, he scooted closer to her and wrapped her in his arms. Without thinking, she wrapped her own arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay for you to feel angry and hurt. You're only human. And if it makes you feel better, go ahead and cry. I know you won't dwell too long on what was said. You're stronger than that, Jieun-ah. As long as you know the truth, and the people that you love most know the truth, that's all that really matters," he whispered softly to her.

It almost felt like that had happened ages ago, and yet she knew it was only a few months before. It had been a rare occasion when she allowed herself a moment to think about the bad as well as the good. People in their business couldn't survive if they thought too seriously about all the negatives. Because of him, she could look back fondly on that moment, and what she remembered most was his concern and the feel of his arms holding her tight as he comforted her.

She looked at her clock and saw that it was 4:45. Almost time to get up and start the day. Before that, though, she thought about the song he sang her. She felt her heart lift as she softly hummed the melody. The sky was just starting to brighten a little with the coming of the day. Last day of shooting. I can't wait to see him.