Memory Lane
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A kiss to the forehead meant fidelity and trust.

An apple could be given as an apology but it had to be cut in half so it'll be tastier.

Sometimes stopping and reflecting could be better than running around in circles.

The plane was not fast enough; He's taken the first flight to Jejudo available and although he'd heard it was the fastest way to get there… the plane wasn't a fast enough. Looking out the window he could see the clouds catching up with them and dread was slowly building in his heart. He needed to get there before the clouds did; it sounded ridiculous that he would want to turn into the wind and arrive there, he wanted to sooth away all the hurt and pain, and keep out the fear. A year without Park Gae In was finally catching up with him, and even when he didn't know the reason he was sure that when he saw her face…

Biting his nails he ignored the stewardess offering drinks and snacks, Jejudo was still an hour away and he had no idea of how to pass the time. So he pulled out his cell phone and started to browse the list of applications. It's been a year and the cell phone was fully loaded what probably meant the officer continuously made sure it was activated and waiting for his call. Jin Ho had to make sure to meet the man again and thank him. Taking a deep breath he looked at the screen for a second unsure of where to start; his text message inbox was full, the mail was also loaded to burst, and there were over 78 missed calls.

The calls were mostly from Gae In and the home phone, there were several from his mother's cell phone, and the rest from the Director and Hyung. The last call missed had been received a week ago, and it was from Gae In's phone. The e-mail inbox was full with newsletters, police reports, even Chang Ryul had sent several messages. Then he checked the text messages; a staggering 935 messages were in the inbox, and here he though there was a limit to these sorts of things. He fixed the settings so the oldest message would be seen and then returned to the list of the senders. Again Gae In was at the top of the list, followed real close by his mother's number, with a staggering 578 text messages.

'Jin Ho, are you having fun?' 'Jin Ho, is the food any good? It can't be better than my ramen, right?' 'Are you so tense you can't answer my messages? Relax, dad wouldn't send you to a lion's den… right?' 'Jin Ho, I'm growing worried, it's late, where are you?' 'Jin Ho, I'm about to call the police, where are you?' 'Jin Ho the police call they are looking for you, where are you?' 'Jin Ho, father called and is on his way, hang on, I love you.'

Those were the first few of them, by the third month, around July of the last year, the messages changed header and were delivered daily, they weren't very long but the meaning of the quiet words she sent was clear. 'Park Gae In's weather report; The sun is out but I can't feel it's warmth, because my better half is not by me. Tonight there's suppose to be a full moon but my mind is too cloudy and my eyes filled with too many tears to even considering staying out and looking up. In hopes of finding you before the next report, I love you. This has been Park Gae In's weather report.'

There was a weather report for every day, for the last year. Jin Ho had to turn away and close his eyes to keep from crying; why would she do such a thing?

It's been twelve months since she was born into this new life.

Forced out of her own because of the reporters and her father, Director Choi had taken her to the small villa she was currently residing. The place belonged to him, and he traveled alone weekend every month to visit her and made sure she lacked nothing. But during the rest of the month…

She stopped working and living, it sounded sad but it was true. Park Gae In had become a being in wait, surviving in hopes and dreams. The ring in her finger was loose, because of all the weight she'd lost, but as a lifeline she held onto it embodying her very hope in a loop of love for her husband. She cried every night, she worried every hour, and she waited every second for news. Of something, anything that might lead into finding the man she loved and lost an eternity ago. Doctor Park had returned to Korea and was currently in charge of many things; helping authorities and replacing the chief architect temporarily. Chang Ryu'ls father had been caught but even while in jail waiting for trial he refused to speak about whoever had kidnapped Jin Ho or the mess he created with the laundering of money.

While Jin Ho continued to be missing.

It had started, rather simply, as a favor to Dr. Park. His father in law had needed Jin Ho to attend a formal dinner party as his representative because he was out of the country at the moment, and happily Jin Ho had agreed. That night, Gae In remembered very well; Jin Ho had spend all day fussing about the meal, because it was a favor for his still bitter father in law, "If he'd asked this of me, then it means he wants to trust me, right?" With that thought he'd fished around his wardrobe for his best suit and send it to the dry cleaners and picked it up while coming back from work. He'd wanted to take Gae In but the invitation was for one, and one, alone.

"I have a gift for you, for having left you alone tonight." He said, after a soft kiss that had her longing for more. "I'll give it to you after I've return."

According to the investigation when Jin Ho arrived to the restaurant he was lead to the wrong side, where several architects were gathered with Chang Ryul's father and while waiting outside the door overheard the information he should have not overheard. Several large firms were laundering money with several high profit contracts and they wanted to include the DAAM project to the list. Worth 15 billion won and pending several contracts for its completion the project was a small mine to whatever dark heart crooked architect could get his hands on it. And such a person was…

Jin Ho would have escaped the place quietly, reveal the entire plot to the authorities and still be home; but the waitress had called his name much too loudly and his presence there had been revealed. That night Jin Ho never made it home, and she'd been waiting for him for twelve months. His car was found outside city limits, all belongings except his watch and wedding ring were there. They found blood in the emergency brake, on the steering wheel and seats. His wallet and cell phone were there, meaning it wasn't a robbery, and there were scratch marks on both sides of the vehicle. Skid marks were around the van and no trace of Jin Ho. Dr. Parks Son-In-Law Missing, with a big picture of Jin Ho could be read in every newspaper for weeks, while the trail to uncover the laundering ring took place. Gae In was removed from her house days after the trail started, and was hiding comfortably in Jejudo while missing person's reports and man hunts scavenged the country for Jin Ho.

Besides the occasional weather report she kept to herself, and avoided the TV and cell phone, the computer and any other device that announced the world had continued living while her world had halted on February.

"Ah! Why today! Why today of all days!" She sobbed onto the kitchen sink, holding herself with one hand and her belly with the other. Today of all days, the day she was supposed to celebrate her second anniversary as a married woman, her period decided to attack. She returned to the bedroom, after much difficulty because it was on the second floor and the stairs were bothersome to go up because of her pain, and dropped on the bed. She just wanted to stay there till the day Jin Ho appeared and made her stand up. Or at least come and rub her belly; how she missed that.

Thunder stroke and she tensed, provoking more pain to go up and down her body. Why was Jeju Island's weather so unpredictable?

Someone banged on the door and too tired she groaned. "Who is it?" She asked in a weakened voice, and knowing that whoever came over for a visit would always come in on their own, closed her eyes and waited.

Grabbing hold of the first taxi he found, Jin Ho decided he was going nuts, and murmured to himself too. His cell phone came alive with a quiet sound and he checked it; a text message. That odd detective couple sent him the address of the house Park Gae In was staying in and at the very end of the message a bold Fighting! They were nuts. He told the driver the address and asked him to hurry. In his wallet he had enough money in cash to make the trip and come back, and the credit cards. He didn't like to use the cards but if need be…

The taxi moved quickly through the streets and in less than thirty minutes they were there. By the time paid the fare, and hurried to the large house rain was beating the ground loudly and thick dark clouds were gathering overhead. Sure he had been here before, Jin Ho ran to the front door and banged loudly on the front door. He cried out the name that had been etched into his heart and when no response came he moved around, hair wet and thick over one side of his face. He looked into the house through the large windows and when he found nothing he returned to the door, banging on it loudly.

"Gae In!" He called again, and tried the door knob… It opened easily. "Really this woman!" And he hurried in. "Gae In!" He called once the door was closed and locked. "Gae In!" He looked around the first floor and when nothing came he looked and hurried up the stairs. "Ya! Park Gae In-ssi!"

"What?" Said a whimpering voice, making him stop and turn. The door to the master bedroom was open, the insides dark. The bed was messy and as he slowly stepped into the room he noticed the large lump over the bed. "What?" Came the whimper again, prompting him to hurry and look down at the woman on bed. Because of the darkness he couldn't make out the feature of her face quite well; she was curled on bed, and for some reason he was aware she was in pain. "Who is it?"

"Park Gae In-ssi?"

"Yes, who are you?" But before she got up her hand shot up and slammed down on the lamp's switch. Light flooded the room, and Jin Ho squinted his eyes away for a second, before turning towards her and noticing how pale and thin she was. Her lips were still plump, but pale, her eyes had lost brightness her skin was white as snow… "Ji…Jin Ho-ssi?" She asked, not surprised. "What took you so long?" Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away.

He frowned at her, to have been lost for so long she didn't seem so happy to see him.

This was the usual on nights like this.

She would hear his voice, see his body before her. But at the moment when she would reach for him, for a simple touch, he would vanish. So to prolong the moments this phantom appeared she'd learned to restrain herself; to have him rest beside her for just a little longer than usual. The phantom crouched besides the bed and looked deep into her eyes, searching for something.

"What?" She asked, with a soft frown of pain. "Is not the first time we see each other, right?"

"I don't know why I feel like it is, but yet it isn't." She stared at the phantom before her, amazed it had actually answered, and smiled. She was going nuts, totally and completely nuts. He smiled, and his hand lifted, touching her face. The movement made her tremble, never had this phantom touch her, the warmth of his palm made her eyes water further and surprise suddenly hit her.

"Are you my wife?"

"Jin Ho?" She wanted to say something else, but the knot on her throat didn't allow her to. This was real.

The shift in her mood was evident, she shot up to a sitting position; and groaned holding her belly. "Are you alright? Do you hurt?" Her groan died down as her hands reached for the man before her. Tears as a stream moved down her cheeks and she pulled and caged the man to her chest, arms tight as her hands held tightly onto him. She sobbed loudly, surprising Jin Ho; she was trying to speak, but nothing coherent was coming out. The complexity of the moment hit him, and before he could assure her, say anything to sooth away her pain; she lifted her lips to his and kissed him. Whatever magic she held, whatever power hidden beneath her skin was enough to unlock the simple lock of his memories and he was instinctively aware of everything.

Lazy days and night filled with pain and hunger, the chainsaw and a scream that lead down to the basement where glass covered the roof and laughter while drawing lines of apples and peeling balloons while carrying her on his shoulders because they sat down for dinner of kimchi and ramen Jin Ho, don't cry while the TV was on and they kissed and held onto each other while the ring slid into her finger and she was finally his wife dancing on the quiet empty restaurant while they walked down the park and she wore a mustache and he was gay but really wasn't…

A headache built and the flood of memories too painful to hold back hit him.

He returned the kiss with earnest, and his hands found her shoulders thin and withered, pain made its way into his heard, and pulled her further into his embrace.

She sobbed loudly against him, and Jin Ho was only capable of holding onto her.

At least for now it was all he could give her.

"Are you in pain? Does it hurt much?" He asked softly about the obvious pain produced by her monthly discomfort, but she shook her head and pulled him in for a tight embrace, holding onto him without wanting to let go. Even in such thin state she was still strong. He leaned her over the bed, and climbed in with her, holding as tightly as she did.

"Where have you been?"

Jin Ho smiled and kissed her forehead and hair, "I've been dreaming of you."