Hello everyone!

I'm very sorry for the big delay, the end of the year was pretty busy here and I was a bit uninspired, but I am determined to finish this! I think that after this we'll have one, maybe two chapters and an epilogue, so I'm really going to start wrapping up things for now!

Thank you so much for your patience, and to Sandy for being extra awesome (and extra patient) with me! I'm already writing the next chapter so I hope it does not take as long to be up!

Hope you have an awesome week!

Chapter SEVENTEEN

Almost Gone

Present Day.

Wang Seol was on a mission. A very important one, and the perfect opportunity had just presented itself. It all started when she had spent the night at her Appa's home a couple of days ago. Her uncle Yo had been there and he… he just wasn't the same as before. She thought that maybe her auntie Mun Seong was sick because Uncle Yo got very serious when she asked after her.

Seol had decided then and there that she needed to cheer him up. So she had spent the better part of her recess at school making the best drawing she had ever done – if she said so herself – of the day her aunt and uncle had taken her out to eat. She had made sure to draw Auntie's long hair, and her fancy dress; uncle Yo's suit and even the potato fry that Auntie had fed him.

And she conveniently happened to be at her Appa's office, under the care of his secretary – that odious man who kept telling her not to go this or that way, that her father was very busy and told her not to play with her Appa's office chair. Now, all she had to do was sneak out, find her uncle's office and then sneak back into her father's office. Easy peasy.

-00-

Kang Mun Seong looked around her empty apartment and sighed. Since she had managed to sublet the place for exactly twelve months – the amount of time she would be in Hong Kong – she had to clear out most of her possessions, just leaving behind the most basic furniture for her tenant.

Soon Deok and her new boyfriend (plus Jung) had come help her pack her things into boxes, and then move the boxes into storage at the Park Dojang, where they would stay for a year.

Part of her knew she should just sell everything, make a clean break and try to settle down elsewhere. Especially since, by the time she came back, Wang Yo would probably be married to Hwang Bo Yeon Hwa. But she would not let them run her out of her city. She would come back in a year, if only to sell her apartment and make more long-term decisions.

But for now, a year in Hong Kong licking her wounds sounded just like what she needed.

"So you really are leaving." Her sister's voice came from the door. Kang Mun Gong looked as beautiful as ever, but a little subdued.

"Hello, Unnie," Mun Seong answered, hoping this wouldn't deteriorate into a nasty fight like last time. She was tired, sober and did not want the last words she would speak to her sister face-to-face (for a year) to be in anger. "And, yes. I'm leaving next week."

"I didn't think you would go through with it. I thought you would have taken Yo back by now."

"I have a little more self-respect than that, Unnie. And not that it matters, but he has given no indication that he wants to be taken back." Saying those words stung, but they were true and the more she got used to them, the better off she would be in the long run.

"Oh, he wants you to take him back, believe me." Mun Gong said, digging through her purse for her phone and then tapping on it rapidly. "Check your phone, little sister."

With a sigh, Mun Seong pulled her phone out, noticing the various messages her sister had sent her since the previous day. She reluctantly clicked on a link Mun Gong had sent her to a well-known tabloid, which immediately began to play a video.

000

Staying at Hae Soo's apartment wasn't ideal or entirely comfortable, but Wang So didn't mind so much after a while, as being with Soo and Seol trumped everything else. They still went to his home sometimes, mostly when Seol asked about her uncle, who was still sleeping on So's couch – and to his credit, Yo tried not to mope too much when Seol was around.

But most of the time, they were at Soo's place now, which So was ready to milk for all it was worth in a few months – when it was time to discuss moving together – he wanted to buy a new, bigger house, closer to Seol's school… one that had room for their little family to grow. He just needed to play his cards right.

"All right, my princess, we're going to get you into some PJs and then we'll take our medicine," So said soothingly one day as he unlocked the door to Soo's apartment.

He had been called to Seol's school to pick her up, as the little girl had thrown up twice and the school's doctor determined she had a throat infection and thus couldn't remain at school.

"Umma?" Seol asked, still in So's arms, spying a lump on the couch. A lump that, at the sound of their voices, started to cough.

"Soo-yah?" Wang So set Seol down and went to see.

"Mmm?" She mumbled. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Seol-ie is sick. Just like you, it seems."

"There's a bug going around at work," Soo coughed. "I was sent to the doctor and then home."

So leaned down next to her and pushed the hair off Soo's face, which was sweaty and splotchy. "All right, sweetheart, we're putting you to bed as well."

Over the next few minutes, So ran between Seol's room and Soo's, making sure they got into their PJs and then brought Seol to Soo's bedroom to tuck them both in and give them their medicine; he was happy to be able to take care of them.

"You'll get sick too," Soo said a while later as So sat at the edge of the bed. He was rubbing Seol's back after a coughing fit, to soothe her back to sleep. "You should go home."

"I am home," So said happily. "Wherever you and Seol-ie are, that's home." He added, leaning across the bed to kiss her forehead.

"Don't, I'm sweaty." Soo giggled, and managed not to cough too much in the process.

"I think she settled down again." He said after a while. "I'm going to go make you girls some porridge."

"Do you even know how to make porridge?"

So shook his head, "Nope, but it can't be worse than yours."

"Yah! You said you liked it!" Soo said indignantly while So made his way to the kitchen, laughing the whole way.

-000-

All in all, Kang Mun Seong would have preferred an intimate dinner with her friends rather than this farewell party her agent had thrown together for her, but she knew it was a networking opportunity so she put up with it. The only one of her friends who showed up was Soon Deok – and that was as Wang Eun's date, since technically he was a business contact as she had done elaborate pictorials for his toy catalogue every year since he launched his company. But at least she had someone to talk to...which she needed badly when her agent came to tell her that one of the interns had accidentally added someone to the guest list.

"All right, please don't get angry or anything, but…"

Her agent didn't need to finish; she saw Wang Yo's name on the list right away. "I see."

"I don't think he'll come," her agent went on hurriedly. "Or I can tell the people at the door not to let him in if he comes…"

"No. That'll only make a big scene, if he even comes."

"Right...he probably won't though, right?"

"Even if he does, I'll be okay." Mun Seong said, lying through her teeth but what else could she do?

"Right. I'm glad." Then some minor crisis with the catering company called her away and Mun Seong was left with Soon Deok and Eun once again.

"Do you think he'll come?" Soon Deok asked her boyfriend.

"Hard to say," Eun said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen or heard much from him lately, so I'm not sure how he's doing really. Only what Jung tells me."

"What does Jung say?" Mun Seong asked softly.

Eun paused thoughtfully. "I know he's living at Wang So's, and that he's in the middle of a big fight with Aunt Shin Myeong. Well, another one… she wasn't pleased about the vid-" Eun was interrupted by a sharp jab to his abdomen delivered by his girlfriend.

"It's okay, Soon Deok-ah, I know about the video. Mun Gong showed it to me."

Soon Deok rolled her eyes. "Your sister is something."

"I actually think she meant well… this time."

Then Eun got his breath back and began bickering with Soon Deok, and Mun Seong was able to laugh for a second and get distracted.

And, in the end, all her worries were unfounded.

Yo never came.

-00-

Wang Yo felt like a stalker.

In all his life, he had never behaved this way. Knowing she was leaving soon… it was driving him crazy, but he also didn't know what to do about it or how to approach her. He had even gone to her farewell party but couldn't bring himself to actually talk to her. He had lurked for a while and then gone home before she realized he was there.

Yo wasn't even sure when she was leaving exactly, which somehow made it all worse.

So now he was in his office, getting absolutely nothing done when his phone rang, and he saw it was his cousin Wang Eun. Yo let it ring, not in the mood to talk to anyone, but only a few seconds after it stopped, the ringing started again.

"What is it?" He said into the phone with displeasure.

"Hyung, hello."

"Get to the point, Eun."

"Fine. I don't know why I'm even calling…" Eun mumbled before clearing his voice. "Look, I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you this, but Jung and So swear you have been moping so-" there was a pause. "First, understand that Soon Deok can't know that I told you, all right?"

"What is it?" Yo said, perking up a bit. If it was something Park Soon Deok didn't want Eun to tell him specifically, then it was most likely related to Mun Seong.

"Kang Mun Seong is leaving today. Her plane leaves at 2PM."

"Today? 2 PM?" he repeated dumbly, reality hitting him at once. Glancing at the clock on the wall. "Text me all the details you have." He said quickly, not even bothering to say thank you and hanging up as he reached for his keys.

-000-

Kang Mun Seong had never thought the airport would bring up so many memories. How many trips had she taken with Yo? Even if many of their holidays had been born out of guilt when his work or Hwangbo Yeon Hwa had kept him away from her, whenever they traveled, Yo was all hers.

The first time she had taken him away, he had been so angry – she had overheard him talking on the phone to his cousin Wang Won, complaining about how she was keeping him from his work when the company was just getting over a crisis – but he had come around, and over time those holidays had become their thing.

In all honesty, this was her first time ever traveling alone.

With a deep breath, Mun Seong took one last look at her phone – right after that stupid party, Yo had called her nonstop, but after she had ended things there had only been radio silence. Part of her wanted to believe he was respecting her wishes, but there was another part of her that felt… disappointed.

Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts, Mun Seong took hold of her carry-on and began to tow it toward the boarding area… only to collide into Wang Yo, who was panting and a little disheveled, and a sudden image of how he looked when they had sex flashed through her mind, coloring her cheeks against her will.

"I thought I wouldn't make it on time." He said as his arms reached out to steady her, or to keep her at arm's length, she wasn't sure.

"How did you- What are you doing here?"

"I had to give you something before you left." One hand went to the pocket of his suit-jacket, while the other slid down her arm, cupping her hand and turning her palm up. "This is yours." He added, dropping a glittering ring into her palm.

"You paid for it, it's yours." She attempted to give it back, but his bigger hand closed around hers, trapping her erstwhile engagement ring between her fingers.

"I bought it for you, and I can't bear the thought of someone else having it."

"You can't say things like that to me when I'm leaving." Mun Seong said, a note of desperation in her voice.

"You're right, I should have said things like that all the time before..."

"You wouldn't have meant them, and that's even worse."

"Maybe not at first. But I have felt it for a while. I was just too much of an idiot to acknowledge it. That's on me. I'm sorry."

Mun Seong stared at him, her eyes filling with tears she had sworn not to cry anymore. "I told you not to say things like that, you prick!" She sobbed, going as far as punching him on the chest, with the ring still clutched on her fingers. Turning to leave. She really, really was going to leave now…

But, of course, Yo had to pick that moment to pull her back and wrap his arms around her. "I am a prick, a selfish bastard and everything else you want to call me, and I ruined things between us… but I do love you and I'm incredibly sorry I never made you feel like you were the best thing that has ever happened to me, because you are."

Then he stepped back, pushed her new bangs aside and placed a heartbreakingly tender kiss on her forehead. "Now go, show everyone how amazing you are, while I try to win you back."

That last bit was said with some of Yo's usual arrogance and it was enough to make her snort a laugh. "You wish."

"I do."

-000-