CHAPTER 1

SAIA'S POV (the day before):

"Noona, do you have to go? Can't we go to the park today?"

I smile at my 5 year old brother, Young Saeng, and ruffle his hair.

"I would love that but I have to go to work and you have to go to school."

"I wish you could dance instead of work, Eonni." His twin sister grumbles as she pulls on her coat. It makes me sad to see how thread-bare it is.

"So do I, Hye-Sun, but I want us to have a better life than this."

Our tiny apartment is barely big enough for the four of us. Our dead-beat father gambles and drinks away what little money he earns. If he works at all. His bad temper has left all of us with scars and an acute fear of what will set him off next. He blames my mother for leaving him and the twin's mother for taking her own life, so of course it's our fault his life sucks. At least that's what he believes, anyway. I love my siblings more than anything and even though I am old enough to move out on my own, I am not going to leave without them. Our father, however, won't be parted from his punching bags so easily.

I'm a good ballet dancer. I even got a scholarship to Tae San University but when the twin's mother had killed herself last year, I had to drop out to take care of them. I was so angry at her for giving up. It's so damn selfish. I understand that being with our father had taken its toll but I hate that she left us all alone with him. Since her death, things have gotten much worse. He usually just pushes me around or yells at me. I can take it as long as he stays away from Young Saeng and Hye-Sun. All I want to do is protect them so I never fight back but now that their mother is gone, I have to constantly shield them from his tirades.

I find some peace in the ballet class I take at a small private studio after work. I am able to pay for it by teaching a ballet class on the weekends for children. It is so fun watching their bright faces as they dance but I still miss my classes at the university. I had been in my last year when I dropped out. I've always dreamed of dancing at the Suam Art Center someday with the Seoul Ballet Company. Being a prima ballerina has never been that important to me. I just love to dance. I would be content just being there in the ensemble.

I feel the tiny hands in each of mine as we walk to their school. I have no regrets. I can't have regrets. Not when Young Saeng and Hye-Sun need me. Giving them a better life will be a good enough reward.

We stop in front of their school and I kneel down to hug them good-bye.

"Both of you study hard, arasso?" (a/n: Arasso=understood/okay)

"Arasso!" "Arasso!"

I wave good-bye and start my walk to work as I imprint their beaming faces in my mind to warm my heavy heart.

(^_^)

JI HOO POV:

It has been 2 years since Jan Di and Jun Pyo were married and I still miss her.

Our relationship changed after she was married, as expected. I don't see her as much as I did in medical school. I went to her graduation and I am so proud of her. She finally fulfilled her dream. We are both doctors now but she took over my grandfather's clinic, at my insistence. It fits her better than being in a big, impersonal hospital. Her patients adore her just like they did my grandfather, just like I do.

The pain isn't as bad as it used to be, a dull ache really. I treasure every precious memory, every laugh, and every smile that she gave me. I don't believe I will get a second chance at love and I don't want it. Jan Di was it for me. I had come to realize that Seo Hyun had been gratitude and adoration. She was my Noona. My love for Jan Di had been the real thing but by the time I realized it, she didn't feel that way about me anymore. I was too late.

So I immerse myself in the Suam Art Center (the Foundation) and my work at the hospital. I want to focus on continuing my family's dream of healing the heart and the body through the arts and medicine.

Finishing my work at the Art Center, I leave for my long night shift at the hospital. My mind wanders a lot during the drive to the hospital these days. I miss seeing my old F4 friends. Woo Bin is busy with work and has proposed to Jae Kyung of all people. Who knew? Yi-Jung and Ga Eul are married and busy with the Woo-Song museum. Jun Pyo has Shinhwa and Jan Di….

I guess we are all adults now.

"Good Afternoon, Dr. Yoon!"The head nurse cheerfully greets me.

I nod politely to her, ignoring her usual exuberance at my presence. The yelling from a patient's room, however, catches my attention.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT THIS ISN'T NECESSARY! You can't keep me here against my will! I want to leave right now!"

The woman sitting on the examining table has her back to me but for some reason, I freeze when I see her. My throat suddenly feels dry and my heart is pounding. What is wrong with me?

"Miss, please calm down. We have no intention of keeping you here against your will but you have a very bad sprain and we need to take x-rays to see the extent of the damage." The nurse seems frustrated with her but is keeping her cool for the moment. I watch the scene quietly from the doorway for several minutes, still frozen in place. It would have been a funny sight if I hadn't noticed the rising panic in the woman on the table.

Finally regaining my composure, I clear my throat to get their attention and walk towards them. The look of relief on the nurse's face is laughable but when the woman on the examining table finally turns towards me, the only thing I can focus on is her. Everything else melts away.