It really wasn't one thing that could be pointed to and blamed as the reason for the breakdown of their marriage. It was a lot of little things- words said in anger that could never be taken back, the knowing looks or sympathetic giggles of strangers, the unsaid assumptions that never saw the light of day as words but like insidious worms ate away at the relationship day after day, the fears, real or imagined, the insecurities that were never communicated and addressed and put to rest. For Elena, the more successful she was at work, the more irrational guilt she felt. No matter how much Rick told her he was happy to take on most of the housework, centuries of tradition and childhood brainwashing couldn't be reasoned away. As much as he loved Elena, Rick wondered if perhaps she was better off with someone who moved in the same circles as her - a Japanese person in other words. He had started work as a sales clerk at a neighborhood convenience store. He overheard a trio of school girls comment about how despite being obviously a foreigner, he didn't have blonde hair or even look fit. "A far cry from Brad Pitt," they exclaimed and giggled. Elena misinterpreted Rick's genuine curiosity about a photo shoot with a male model. She heard, "How do you bring about an emotion in a photo shoot if you don't feel it in real life?" as, "Do you have feelings for this guy? How faithful are you as a wife?"

It all came to a head one day. Elena had come home early one day filled with good intentions. She had called ahead at a french restaurant and made a reservation for a secluded table. Rick was game, "Sure would be a change from what I cook!" The trouble came in the form of a sneaky journalist who hung outside Elena's apartment complex almost daily hoping to catch something. Seeing her drive out with a man in the passenger seat made him follow in his car. Elena soon realized her tail and tried to avoid him. She took a last-minute right turn and narrowly avoided an oncoming car and came to a screeching stop. The journalist missed the turn and went straight and hearing the screech didn't return for fear of getting involved or even blamed. Rick banged his head against the dashboard and temporarily blacked out. When he came to, Elena was gone.

The original script called for an end to the episode at this point. However, the episode that actually aired continued with one last scene. The caption says "Five months later."

Elena is shown walking towards the entrance to her (old) apartment complex. She calls the landlady who lets her in. She walks up to her apartment and rings the bell. A man opens the door. She takes a deep breath and says, "Rick."

Five people are sitting at the table. One of them is Director Hyuga. He thinks, 'How did I ever get wrangled into this mess?'

Another one at the table speaks up. "We need to move fast. Tomorrow if possible." It is Shin.

'That's right!' thinks Hyuga. 'It is this boy that started the whole thing. With his brilliant story and obvious love for those two.'

"Those two" are also sitting at the table. Kyoko and Ren.

"I agree," says President Takarada who makes the fifth.

"People are already shocked by Tsuruga Ren appearing as Rick. Right now they are confused if Rick was Tsuruga Ren all along or the actor Heel. Even the people who had guessed from the silhouette that it was you Tsuruga-san did not realize that Rick was you all along. That gives us the perfect opening to schedule a press conference tomorrow."

'Am I supposed to be at this conference?' thinks Hyuga. 'I hate being in front of cameras. I only want to be behind them.'

"At the conference, first we will reveal Tsuruga-san and Rain Heel being the same person. It will lead to questions about what you have been doing for the past three years and why you have come back. Once the second question is asked, you can land the second punch- you came back to act opposite Kyoko-san. You have always admired her and working on this project made you realize you also loved her. And the two of you got married."

"I don't know," Kyoko speaks up for the first time. "That seems contrived."

"I agree. Either we go all the way and make this story a complete and believable lie or we stick to the absolute truth. Half measures will land us in trouble."

"Then how about this?" says Shin, "Director Hyuga wanted desperately to have you Tsuruga-san play this role. But you were nowhere to be found. So he reached out to Kyoko-san to convince you to come back. And you did."

'God! Now I even have lines to speak in this play? Please give me a break!" Director Hyuga wails inwardly.

"So we don't reveal the marriage?" asks Kyoko.

"Oh we do!" grins Shin, "But we don't venture the information until asked."

"Why would anyone ask us if we were married? Oh!" Kyoko realizes something. Hyuga looks at Ren's and Lory's faces and they seem to have realized it too. Afraid of appearing stupid he doesn't ask anything. But thankfully, Shin clarifies.

"The ring!"

And at once Hyuga realizes the brilliance, the simplicity of it. In a room full of reporters and journalists steeped in the ins and outs of the entertainment industry, wearing a ring on the wedding finger would be like screaming to everyone that Kyoko was married. Someone definitely would notice and would ask Kyoko why she is wearing a ring and who she was married to. And simplicity itself for Kyoko to say, or not even say but just a look at Ren would be enough. And some other inane reporter would definitely follow up and ask, "Kyoko-san are you married to Tsuruga Ren-san? The actor sitting right next to you?"

Hyuga could see exactly how it would look. The camera focuses on Kyoko's face as she blushes ever so slightly and breathes out. "Yes." He returns to reality as it looks like all the others are looking at him.

"What?" he asks, his first word at this meeting.

Shin says, " I can write the scene and dialog but..."

Lory continues for him, "Hyuga-kun, you need to direct the scene for tomorrow's press conference."

Hyuga's face goes 'Oh bother!' but his heart goes, 'Yay!'