Jun-pyo sat silent as he listened to his mother tell the story of Jan-di and the difficulties she faced to be in his life. From the day she saved the student who jumped off the rooftop, to his feud with her which turned into sparks and then a flame. He listened to how defiant and sneaky he had become, trying to hide Jan-di from his mother for as long as possible. Dolling her up to pretend to be someone she's not, and overall avoiding confrontation as long as possible. Despite his best efforts he couldn't hide her forever. The tales of how his mother tormented her family, the loan sharks, the kidnapping, it all made him stomach churn as his ears entertained each word that came from his mothers mouth.

She ended with the day Jan-di stormed into her personal study, demanding an audience. His mother had pushed her too far, targeting Chu Ga-eul and Ji-hoo. Apparently her relationship with Ji-hoo was more than he had thought given the history lesson his mother gave. Though he would have to fact check it himself, the idea of them having shared feelings for each other set his blood into a frenzy of fire, his heart pounding as he envisioned the tale of them together. Even if it was at different times, it was unsettling and he felt the tension it caused him down in the valleys between his bones.

"After all that you just let her come back?" he managed to ask, his voice trembling.

"You were more of a machine than a person after that day. I finally got the business tycoon son I wanted. But there was nothing else to you. I thought you'd get past it, move on. Or be forced to once she moved on but neither if you did. After your father had fully recovered I realized that letting you choose who you love wouldn't be the end of things. So I came clean, told your father everything. That's when he went and saw her and I stepped down as chairman."

"Father? Why didn't you tell me, why didn't I go see her?" he asked perplexed.

"You hadn't spoken to me since the night she left you and she put barriers in place so that none of you could get to her. She wasn't going to risk breaking our bargain. Your father was the only one who could be the bridge between you two."

Mulling over this information Jun-pyo ran his hands through his hair, the flash from the tv screen caught his attention. "This is one of her interviews?" He asked, pointing at the screen. His mother nodded grabbing the remote to turn up the volume. "This is stars with Ji-woo, right?" he asked taking in the set as the interview began. "You remember?" his mother asked, giving him a curious look. He didn't seem to remember anything from he stories she shared with him, but Jan-di only did an interview with Ji-woo once, she hadn't known Jun-pyo to watch the talk show other than the one time. "This is the interview she did the night your father went to talk to her."

Brows furrowed together Jun-pyo leaned forward, "did she know yet?"

"No, your father spoke with her after the show."

Nodding he continued to watch. It seemed familiar to him, he was sure he had watched this before. But even then, it was the only thing regarding Jan-di that seemed familiar since he woke up in the hospital. He watched the whole interview in silence taking in every word, every little expression Jan-di made. "I don't remember this."He mumbled quietly mainly to himself, though his mother was listening intently. "But, I feel like I should." The whole situation was infuriating and his head was beginning to throb. Why couldn't he remember? Why would he so easily forget someone to important that has impacted his life so drastically without a fight? "Are you okay?" His mother asked worriedly as she noticed his sudden discomfort. "I'm okay. My head just hurts" he grumbled while massaging his temple. This was all starting to feel like too much and he wondered if he was overwhelmed by all the new information he's taken in.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you everything at once." shaking his head in protest to her statement Jun-pyo offered her a small smile. "No, I needed to know everything." With a content sigh his mother nodded, agreeing that it was best he heard it all at once. "Just remember, this may seem hard for you, but it's harder for her. You got out easy. You don't remember the struggles, the pain of everything that you two suffered. She's more alone now than she ever was before. She's carrying all that by herself, It's got to be an enormous amount of pressure." Squeezing his hand lightly Kang Hee-soo stood and left Jun-pyo on his own to wrestle with his thoughts. She had done all she could. Taking hold of the remote Jun-pyo re-winded the recording, watching everything from the beginning, his head throbbing more with each passing minute. He would remember her.

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With a heavy sigh Jan-di looked back at the apartment she had come to know as home over the months. This place felt foreign to her as she walked through the living room, suitcase in hand. Her manager decided that as a reward for her newfound dedication to her work she should produce a music video for her newest single, white dress. To say she was thrilled would be a lie in itself. She was never fond of music videos. She's not a fluid dancer and she doesn't like the whole production that comes with it. It's tiring and most times annoying. But, it was either do the music video or take some time off from work. She's written countless new songs and recorded four of them flawlessly, her managers concern is what brought her to this ultimatum. Normally the mention of a music video would be a deciding factor and she'd happily take a couple weeks off, not this time though.

Pulling her buzzing phone form her back pocket she froze at the door, Jun-pyo's name flashing across the screen and she held her breath as she hit answer. It was the second time she's taken one of his calls. The fist time, she pretended to be her manager. Since then her manager has been keeping up with him when he would call, making sure to inform him that she was working in the recording studio. She felt silly for making such efforts to avoid him, but she didn't know what else to do. Collecting all her courage she put her phone to her ear, waiting for him to say something.

"Hello?" he sounded so unsure at the moment, and her heart ached a little for her attitude towards him. It wasn't his fault, he didn't ask for this. It just happened.

"Hello" she said breathlessly, biting her lip.

"Are you at the apartment?" He asked the relief in his voice obvious.

"I was just leaving."

"Oh, back to the recording studio?" He was disappointed, and was beginning to question her decision.

"No, actually. I am leaving town for the weekend to shoot some scenes for my new music video." he paused for a moment, silent, and she wondered if he was upset with her. "Can I see you real quick before you go?"

The question itself was innocent enough. She's only seen him since he got out of the hospital that once time he surprised her at the apartment. "Actually, I have a car waiting for me right now. How about when I get back?" It was a good counteroffer. She didn't know if she was ready to see him right now, but she could spend the weekend preparing herself to meet up with him when she returned, at least that's what she told herself. "I know," came his instant reply and she silently wondered how he could know that. Was he keeping an eye on her like he did before?

"I'm actually outside" he clarified quickly, 'I wanted to check in before just coming up." Seeing no way around it now Jan-di agreed to let him see her off. Palms sweaty Jan-di opened the front door pulling her suitcase behind her. As expected, Jun-pyo was standing out on the sidewalk, waiting for her next to her cab. He smiled up at her and waved slightly, definitely thrilled to see her. She responded with a smile herself, at least she hoped she did. Dragging her suitcase behind her she made her way down the steps to where he was waiting.

Before she could say anything he grabbed he took hold of her things and loaded them into the trunk of the cab. His movements were careful yet hasty. Closing the trunk he turned to face her, all the words he wanted to say caught in his throat. Frustrated with his loss of words he stepped towards pulling her into his arms. He felt her tense at first, but eventually she melted into his embrace, face buried in his chest she welcomed his warmth. He still smelled the same and she let her resolve crumble as she clung to him for that moment. "Why do I feel like you're leaving?" He mumbled into her hair, taking in her scent.

"Because I left like this last time." She mumbled looking up at his face. Her comment made him uncomfortable and she instantly felt a need to reassure him. "I'm coming back though. My classes are optional until exams. I only intend to be away for the weekend but if I end up staying away longer I'll have my manager contact you, okay?" He hummed thoughtfully pretending to think for a moment. "Can you call me yourself?" He asked, hopeful. She smiled to herself and agreed happily, it was a condition she could live with and he seemed to relax upon her agreement. Kissing her forehead Jun-pyo released his hold on her reluctantly and opened the cab door for her.

Jan-di slid into the cab, smiling at him one last time as he closed the door for her. He watched as the cab drove away, Jan-di waving at him one last time before it turned and she was out of sight entirely. Pinching the bridge of his nose he took a deep breath, his headache returning tenfold. Pulling out his phone he called the only person he could trust to explain his suddenly frequent headaches. "Ji-hoo, I need to see you, now."

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So I decided to drag this out some more. Therefore the part I'm really looking forward to will be in the next 2-3 chapters. Then things will wrap up pretty smoothly.