"The one who loves you will never leave you. Even if there are a hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on." - Unknown

Chapter 13

Jan Di woke up in pain.

Her stomach was cramping something fierce. She winced as she tried to stand up and go to the kitchen. Every month, she had to deal with this kind of cramping, and one would think she would be prepared for it by now. But no, it took her by surprise every single time.

She opened the drawer and took out some ibuprofen. She knew she should be taking it with a meal so as not to upset her stomach, but the pain was almost too much for her to bear so she swallowed the pill and hoped for the best.

Sometimes, doctors don't heed their own advice. She thought, glumly.

She shuffled back to her bed and laid down for a bit, waiting for the medication to take effect.

One consolation she had that day was that she didn't have to go to work. In fact, she and Ji Hoo had a special date that night. He was going to take her to a fancy restaurant – one that was ridiculously hard to get reservations for. If it weren't for Grandfather Yoon's connections, they wouldn't have been able to get in.

They normally didn't go out to fancy restaurants, but Ji Hoo suggested since she went to a nice restaurant with Jun Pyo, he wanted to take her to one, too. She fretted about what to wear on their date and told him she probably didn't have anything nice enough for it, but he answered in typical Ji Hoo fashion that anything she wore would be nice enough for him.

"Noona!" Kang San's voice called out from outside her door.

She couldn't even bring herself to shout back at him. She lay there, eyes closed, wishing for anything to make the pain go away.

"Noona?" Kang San opened her door an inch. "Are you okay?"

"Mmmhmm."

"There's a package for you." Kang San walked in and placed a beautifully wrapped box right on her night stand. "Do you need anything?" He asked, looking at her with concern. Since Jan Di and her friends helped Kang San in the preliminaries, Kang San had been nothing but nice to Jan Di.

She shook her head. "Thanks." She managed to choke out.

As soon as he left, Jan Di tried to sit up and reach for the massive white box.

It had a bright blue sparkly ribbon wrapped around it. And a card taped to the front.

"I knew you wouldn't stop worrying about what to wear tonight, so here's a little present."

It was signed by Ji Hoo.

For a moment, the cramps disappeared and she couldn't help her excitement as she opened the box.

She gasped as she took out the dress.

It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen (well, aside from her wedding dress). It was a lavender, off-the-shoulder floor-length dress, made up mostly of tulle, with lace appliques all over the bodice. Underneath the dress was a pair of heels that went perfectly with the dress.

Her excitement about their date that night intensified. Forgetting the pain for a moment, she tried to imagine how to fix her hair to complement her entire outfit.

Maybe I'll put it up. That would show off my shoulders and neck. Ji Hoo would like that.

She sat there, daydreaming, until she realized the pain was gone. Her mood had already improved significantly and now that the pain was gone, she felt that she could conquer anything.

Noting the time, she decided to run some errands around town. Their date wasn't until 6:30 that evening, which gave her plenty of time.

Somewhere around two o'clock that afternoon, once all her errands were done, Jan Di decided to go to Ji Hoo's house for a visit. She had over 4 hours before their date, and she only needed an hour to get ready.

She knew he wouldn't be home (she had called his housekeeper, who she now knew by name, and confirmed).

She arrived at his house shortly after, and Mrs. Si, Ji Hoo's housekeeper, greeted her with a warm welcome. The people who worked at Ji Hoo's house always showed up after Ji Hoo had left, though mostly out of habit now. Ji Hoo seemed to be okay with seeing one or two of them at a time, but the workers were so used to him being gone that they seemed uncomfortable working when Ji Hoo was there. Jan Di got along with most of them, though. She even tried to help them once, much to the horror of the cleaners. When she told them Ji Hoo had been trying to learn how to do some household chores, they panicked and thought they were going to be laid off. Jan Di had to assure them that was not the case.

"The young master just left." Mrs. Si told Jan Di. She was the kind of woman whose smile made you feel right at home. "He said he was going to the gallery."

Ji Hoo owned several art galleries scattered throughout the country, as well as the Suam Cultural Foundation and Suam Arts Center. She didn't care which gallery he was going to, as long as it kept him away for a couple of hours.

"Thank you," she replied, as Mrs. Si bowed politely and left her alone.

Jan Di walked slowly to the piano and sat down.

For the last month and a half, she had been sneaking into his house when he was away and practicing a song on the piano. She was planning to surprise Ji Hoo for their wedding. She had no doubt in her mind he was going to play something for her too.

She began to play and sing. She saw Mrs. Si sneaking glances at her now and again, nodding her head in approval. She knew she was getting better and better at it. Ji Hoo had been giving her lessons whenever they had time.

She chatted with Mrs. Si for a little bit, as she always did whenever she visited. Her gaze fell on to the clock on the wall. She had been there for a little over an hour, so she decided it was time for her to go. She had just gotten to the door when a car pulled up and Ji Hoo stepped out.

She froze in place. Her eyes went to Mrs. Si, who was also looking wide-eyed as Ji Hoo stepped into the house.

"You're here!" Ji Hoo greeted, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Si took a hasty bow and disappeared. Jan Di often wondered if the cleaners had a secret closet somewhere they hid in when Ji Hoo showed up suddenly like this.

"Umm...I was looking for you." She fibbed, trying to sound convincing.

He looked at his watch. "You're way too early for our date. I thought I was supposed to pick you up?"

"You... are," she stammered, her mind thinking of excuses to say. Excuses he'd believe. "But I... really missed you so I thought I'd drop by and say hi." She smiled widely at him. "So... hi! And now I have to go. Bye!"

"But..." Ji Hoo tried to say.

The pain hit her so suddenly she doubled over.

Oh no.

The pain had come back. She had been so preoccupied the last few hours she forgot to take the medicine again.

"What's wrong?" Ji Hoo bent down to examine her, his face full of concern.

He helped her towards the couch and sat her down.

"Cramps," she managed to whisper. It was back with a vengeance.

It took him a few seconds to grasp what she meant. He stood up, went to the kitchen, and handed her a glass of water. In his hand was the same type of ibuprofen she had at her house.

"Did you eat?" He inquired, holding the pill in his hand.

"Yes. I grabbed a sandwich before I came here."

He handed her the pill and she gulped it down.

Her face contorted in pain.

Ji Hoo seemed lost in thought for a moment, then he took her hand and sat her in the dining room. He took a pillow and placed it on the table. She crossed her arms and leaned her head on it while she sat. He disappeared for a minute and came back with a heating pad, which he placed on her stomach.

"Thanks." She muttered, as the heat warmed her stomach. The warmth of it slowly seeped into her skin, and she felt a little better.

He pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "May I?" He asked, pointing to her lower back.

She nodded, her head comfortably plopped on the pillow.

He made a fist and started massaging her lower back.

Her face relaxed as the pain slowly ebbed away. It felt good to have someone massage her back. (Especially if that someone was Ji Hoo.) She closed her eyes, grateful to have someone take care of her.

I could get used to this.

...

She woke up on his bed, her nose picking up his scent everywhere she turned her head. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the smell of him on his pillow. He smelled like cinnamon and clove, with hints of oranges and vanilla.

He smells like Christmas! She thought, giddily, as she jammed her face deep into his pillow. She giggled like a little girl, taking long, deep breaths as she pretended it was him in her arms.

She didn't know how long she was doing that until she felt the sensation that she was being watched.

Slowly, she pulled the pillow away and opened her eyes.

And saw Ji Hoo sitting on the chair beside the bed watching her, both brows raised in amusement. He had a book open on his lap and his glasses sat comfortably atop his nose.

Blood rushed up to her cheeks and she wanted to bury herself into the pillow once more, this time for a different reason.

"Umm... your... um, pillow smells nice. What kind of laundry detergent are you using again?" She hoped it was dark enough in his room so he wouldn't see how flushed she was.

He shrugged. "I haven't attempted laundry again since the last mishap." He closed the book, took off his glasses, and placed both of them on the table beside him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, as if he didn't just catch her sniffing the life out of his pillow.

"Better." The pain was gone. She sat up, slowly, as he handed her a glass of water which she slowly drank until the last drop.

She looked at the time. It was 6:45 pm.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, her face filled with horror. "Our dinner! Our date! We're late!"

She jumped out of bed, her mind racing. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked, panicking.

Her dress was still in her house. She could change quickly. She wouldn't have time to do her hair, though, so she'd have to leave it as it is.

Maybe if they hurried, they might just make it?

She looked at the time again.

If they left now... they'd still be late.

"You needed the rest." His voice was calm.

"But our dinner..." How could she have slept for over 3 hours? Was she that tired?

"I called them and cancelled."

Her face fell. "I'm so sorry." She knew how hard it was to get reservations there.

"Don't be. We could always go there some other time."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She sat down beside him and winced. "You even got me a dress..." She began, but her stomach interrupted her with a loud rumbling noise.

He arched an eyebrow. "Hungry?"

"A little."

His face lit up and he smiled at her. "Good."

Huh?

He took her hand and led her outside to his backyard, and she gasped when she saw it.

He had set up a small round table in the middle, draped with a red tablecloth, white cloth napkins, and dishes and cutleries meticulously arranged on top. (She guessed Mrs. Si might have helped him a little.) He pulled up a chair and she sat down, agape. There was a small vase in the middle with a single white rose in it, and two simple red tapered candles that he lit up when they got there. The candles gave out just the right amount of light to make it romantic.

"We couldn't go to the restaurant, so I brought the restaurant to you." He explained, as he sat down opposite her. He pulled out his violin, which he had tucked under the table, and started to play.

He only had to play the first three notes for her to know what song it was.

It was her song, the song he had written for her that Christmas when she was still a medical student. He had written it for the piano, but now he played the whole song on his violin. She knew each note by now, and though the violin sounded a little different, it was still the most beautiful song she had ever heard, and stirred so much emotion in her that she thought her heart would explode.

"Now you can pretend we're at the restaurant."

She beamed at him. She knew that she would trade a date on any fancy restaurant for the date she was having now.

In a heartbeat.

"This is nice." She observed, unable to stop smiling.

"Wait here." He stood up and disappeared inside the house for a few minutes.

Jan Di tilted her head, curiosity making her want to follow him. He came out ten minutes later, holding a plate that he set down on the table.

"Ta da!" He announced, looking quite proud.

She looked at the dish he had placed. Balls made up of rice, vegetables, and seaweed were carefully laid out on the plate.

"I tried making gimbap* because I know that's your favorite." He explained. "But I couldn't quite roll it properly so I just ended up turning it into these balls."

She saw that he had even made little faces on the balls of rice – using carrots, eggs, and cucumber for the eyes, nose and mouth.

"You made this? While I was sleeping?" She couldn't believe that while she slept for three hours Ji Hoo was busy in the kitchen making her favorite dish. Gimbap was tricky to roll, and she marvelled at him for trying.

"Well, I've been wanting to try it for a while. Oh!" He stood up and went back inside the house.

He came out a few minutes later carrying a tray with two bowls of soup.

She giggled. "You made me ramyeon too?"

"The soup should be good for your stomach." He paused for a moment before adding, "I hope I didn't overcook the noodles."

Jan Di was speechless.

She noticed that Ji Hoo was waiting for her to start, so she took out a piece of his 'gimbap' and ate it.

It was delicious.

"It's really good." She remarked, mouth full.

"Really? You really like it?"

She nodded, and grabbed another one. She didn't notice how ravenous she was until now. They ate together, laughing about nothing, until both Jan Di's stomach and heart were full to bursting.

A few minutes after he had cleared the table, he got out of his chair, bowed his head slightly, and held out his left hand to her. "Would you like to dance?"

She took his hand and stood in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he gently placed his hands on her hips.

He frowned.

"What's wrong?" She tilted her head to the side.

"We don't have any music." He looked at her apologetically. She supposed he couldn't play AND dance at the same time. She was about to tell him it was okay, when he started humming a soft, sweet melody.

After about twenty seconds, he began to sing the words out loud.

.

"I never thought we would get to this part

I never expected you to capture my heart

You are the dream I never knew I wanted

You are the love I never thought I'd need

Some days I still can't believe it

Sometimes I still think I'm dreaming

But here we are together

It's a dream come true

I guess some things are just meant to be

.

No matter what life threw at us

We made it this far

I guess some things are just meant to be

.

I'm so happy we were meant to be..."

.

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him in astonishment.

"Did you... Was that..." She stuttered, unable to finish her sentences.

He gave her a shy smile. "I'm not quite done with it yet, but yeah, it is."

The song for their wedding! She knew he was going to do something like this but it took her by surprise all the same.

Stunned, all she could do was stare at him as she shook her head repeatedly.

Overwhelmed with joy, her eyes began to leak.

Ji Hoo's brows knitted together when he saw her face. He wiped her tears with his thumbs, ever so tenderly, the way he had always done, even though Jan Di mostly cried tears of joy now.

"You are the sweetest guy I have ever known." She held his gaze, drowning in the warmth of those eyes.

He pulled her in close and she laid her head on his chest as they swayed together, almost as one, though now there was no music to be heard.

Sometimes, you don't even need music to dance.

She wished the night would never end. That she could just freeze time right then and there.

"I can't wait to marry you." She whispered, only realizing she'd said it out loud when she felt him stiffen.

"You know, you probably shouldn't say things like that when there's only the two of us here." He teased.

"Why's that?" She teased back, pulling away to look at his face.

She could swear she saw him blush right then.

"Aigoo... are you blushing right now?" She said, playfully nudging him. "Mr. Yoon Ji Hoo, what are you thinking of, huh?"

He cleared his throat and looked away, face redder than the tablecloth in front of them.

"You ARE blushing! Look at how red you are!" She teased. She loved making him blush.

He turned to face her and tried hard not to smile. "You just wait, Miss Geum Jan Di."

"Wait for what?"

"Payback's coming real soon here." He winked at her. "Real soon."

Now it was her turn to blush. He laughed when he saw her face.

"I've been meaning to ask you – how was your meeting with Jun Pyo?" He asked, changing the subject.

"It went well," she answered. Then she told him everything that happened and what they talked about.

"Were you worried?" She asked, smiling coyly at him. (Jan Di was certain if she smiled anymore her jaw would fall off.)

"Do you want me to tell you the truth, or can I lie a little?" Ji Hoo asked.

When she didn't answer he admitted, "Maybe a little."

She took his hands and held it with hers. They stood there, face to face, gazing at each other.

"Mister Yoon Ji Hoo..." She began, her voice soft and tender. He was staring straight into her eyes and making her heart do enough flips to qualify for the Olympics. "He is my past, but you are my future. Some people search their whole lives to find what I found in you. There's no way I'm giving that up."

He smiled from ear to ear – the smile that made Jan Di's heart skip a beat.

The smile that sometimes made her forget about her name.

The smile that she loved so much.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked, her voice flirtatious.

He raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Go ahead."

"Your smile is literally the cutest thing I have ever seen."

This made him smile even wider (if that was even possible) – and his entire face glowed. If someone ever asked her what happiness looked like, she would say it was how Ji Hoo looked at that exact moment.

He stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Can I also tell you a secret?" He whispered, and she nodded nervously. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, which sent all sorts of thoughts through her…thoughts that would make even Yi Jung blush.

"I only smile like this when I'm with you."

He turned her around so they were facing each other, and his smile disappeared. His face became serious as he gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes slowly scanned her face, as if memorizing every inch of it.

His dark brown eyes softened, and he leaned closer, tilting her chin upward slightly with his finger.

Her heart raced in silent anticipation.

Ever so gently, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

Then at the tip of her nose.

She closed her eyes just as their lips met.

And then the world slowly melted away into nothingness...

…

…

Author's Note:

*Gimbap is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients that are rolled in gim—dried sheets of nori seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices.

Hope you liked that huge dose of fluff! Here's a little fun fact: I just found out that I can't paste song lyrics here so the song in this chapter was actually written by me! I had around 5 minutes to come up with it so I hope you liked it (plus I had to rewrite that entire section).

So at the request of novembershowers I started a Pinterest board for this story: www. pinterest. ca / cutestuff024 / hishe-short-story-series / part-3-the-return (No spaces! Check it out and let me know what you think!)