A/N: Without further adieu, here's installment # 10.

Love Conquers All Ways

Chapter 10

There are certain rights of passage in every life. Whether it's going to university or learning to drive, every person in this world goes through rituals that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Marriage certainly fits this profile as parents get married, have children, and then watch their children get married someday. So, for Joong Hee and Mi Young, they were simply fulfilling a longstanding rite of passage.

As with other couples, they understood that they had a lot to work ahead in preparing for their wedding. After all, the big day was merely weeks away, and they found their "do-to" list quite daunting. Although Joong Hee's celebrity status helped them with certain details like renting a hall, it had its limits. Despite their best efforts to keep grounded and calm throughout this process, an unwelcome intruder began to seep into their individual and collective psyches – stress. As time went on, they found themselves disagreeing over little things. Thankfully, they would remember to make up and move forward as one.

Then, one day, they had yet another petty disagreement in his apartment. But this time, he made an unwise crack about Mi Young's non-romance with his former colleague, Jin Sung Joon. Although he immediately regretted his remark, the damage was done. Mi Young, in her shock and disgust, reacted as she knew how – she gave him the silent treatment. As she sat on the couch sullen, he did his best to undo the damage he created.

"Mi Young-ah. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. You know I didn't mean it. Please don't be mad" he begged. She was completely unmoved.

"Yes, I said it because I was upset. But, that's no excuse. I know that now. So, please, can we just get past this?" She remained upset.

"Mi Young-ah. You know I love you so much. You know the last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you. So, what can I do? What can I do to make you feel better?"

Finally, she looked at him although her eyes darted into his soul like black coals.

"You know what you can do? You can take me home – right now!" she said coolly.

"But, Mi Young-ah"

"Right now!" she repeated. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly agreed to her request.

As they made the familiar trip to her house, the atmosphere now was decidedly different. It felt odd with the two of them neither speaking nor looking at each other the entire time. As they finally arrived at her home, he wanted to make one last attempt at reconciliation. Just before she exited the car, he grabbed her hand.

"Mi Young-ah. I'm really sorry. I won't do that again. I promise! So, can you forgive me? Please?" he pleaded. Unwavering, she released her hand from his and made her way outside. With another heavy sigh, he drove off resignedly. As he drove away, she could feel her sympathy finally rise up and she soon found herself wiping tears from her eyes. Was it any solace to her than Joong Hee did the same thing as soon as he got home?

One week. That's how long the silent treatment lasted between the two of them. Although they each pondered calling or sending a text to the other, neither of them ultimately made that first move. For Mi Young, she had actually gotten over his insensitive remark about a day or so after it happened. Yet, her willful pride prevented her from apologizing in turn. As expected, the weeklong separation became torture for both of them. Perhaps more worrisome was the fact that the wedding was about a week away.

Then, one morning, Mi Young was finding it difficult to wake up. At first, she thought that she was just more tired than usual. But, after a few moments, she realized that it was more than fatigue that she was feeling. So, she stayed in bed to try and get some more sleep. Soon, Ra Young came in to check on her sister.

"Unni! Get up! Breakfast is ready!" she said. When Mi Young remained motionless, Ra Young approached her sister.

"Unni! I said breakfast is ready!" As she pulled the covers off her sister, Ra Young immediately noticed that Mi Young had been sweating and turned slightly pale in the face. Instinctively, Ra Young put a hand on her forehead.

"Omo! You're burning up! Umma! Appa! Unni's sick!" Ra Young exclaimed. Within seconds, her parents, Jun Young, and Yoo Joo came into the bedroom.

"Yeah, she's sick, all right! She needs to get more rest. I'll get a towel!" Mrs. Lee suggested.

"I'll make some juk. She needs to eat something!" Mr. Lee offered.

"Poor Piggy. I wonder if the stress of the wedding has gotten to her" Jun Young said.

"Probably. Plus, she hasn't seen Joong Hee in a few days either. That can't help!" Yoo Joo replied.

"I'm going to call him!" Ra Young said.

"Agashi! Don't bother him. Why make him worry too?" Yoo Joo said.

"Because he's her fiancé and soon he's going to be family. He should know." With that, he called Joong Hee.

For Joong Hee, the last few days have crawled on by. It seemed that Al moved at a quicker pace than the preceding week for him. As he sat dazedly on his couch, he knew he needed to make things right. But, she still wasn't willing to speak with him either. As he pondered his current dilemma, he saw that his phone rang. Although he didn't recognize the number, he still decided to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ahn oppa? It's me, Ra Young"

"Oh hi, Ra Young. What's up?"

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this. But, I am anyway. Unni is really sick!"

"What?! Mi Young is sick?! How bad?!"

"She's got a fever but she's resting! Anyway, I felt that you should know"

"I'll be over there in a snap!" he exclaimed. It was all he could do to grab his car keys and out of his place. It seemed that he made the drive over in record time. He almost slid up the stairs in order to knock on the Lees' front door. Soon, Mr. Lee came to answer.

"Joong Hee-ah! You heard?"

"Yes, I heard. Mi Young-ah. Is she Ok? Is it really bad?"

"The fever's gone down a little. But, she's resting right now." Mrs. Lee answered.

"May I go see her? Please?" They nodded their heads affirmatively.

As he made his way into Mi Young's bedroom, he saw her sleeping soundly. Ra Young waved to him silently.

"How is she?" he whispered.

"A little better. But, she's still got a fever. At least she's getting some sleep."

"I feel really horrible. It's like I'm responsible for this! I made her sick!" he moaned.

"Don't say that Ahn oppa! It's probably because of wedding stress that she's like this. Don't beat yourself up over Unni. She'll be fine and so will you" she offered.

"Thanks!"

"Sure. By the way, I need to go grocery shopping with Dad. I'll leave you two alone!"

As Ra Young left, he finally had a chance to be alone with his bride. Although she wasn't able to interact with him at the moment, it was enough that he could be by her side. As he gazed at her, he instantly remembered the time that he caught her sleeping at her desk at work. Immediately, he moved to lie down next to her on the floor. He then gingerly touched her left cheek with a loving gaze and smile. Even in the throws of a fever, she was still the most amazing woman that he'd ever known.

He proved how devoted he was to her by staying at her bedside for hours on end. Though he started to feel tired himself, he was determined not to leave his fiancé again. It wasn't until Mrs. Lee came to tell him to go home and rest that he reluctantly parted from Mi Young. After a ginger kiss on her cheek, he finally went homebound.

As morning arrived, Mi Young finally awoke from her slumber. No longer under the control of her fever, she managed to get up, albeit groggily. Soon, Ra Young noticed that her sister seemed to be feeling better.

"Unni. Are you all right? How are you feeling?"

"I'm better. But, what happened exactly?"

"Oh, you had a bad fever. But, it looks like you've broken it. Yeah, it's gone. I'm so relieved, Unni!"

"I know that Ahn oppa will be relieved too!"

"Joong Hee-shi knew I was sick? How?" Then, she looked suspiciously at her sister. "You told him, didn't you? Why would you do that?!" she hollered.

"Because he's family. Shouldn't your fiancé know if you're sick? Besides, you should've seen him. He was with you here for hours!" Ra Young shot back.

"He was here?! Next to me?!"

"Yeah. And if Mom hadn't told him to go home, I bet he'd still be here looking after you! You know, Unni, you're so blessed to marry a great guy like Ahn oppa. I hope you remember that and soon!" Ra Young said as she left the room.

Given the sudden revelation, Mi Young proceeded to feel a sense of happiness but also guilt towards her love. More importantly, her heart ached at the prolonged absence from him. So, with a greater sense of thankfulness, she finally gave him a call.

"Hi!" Joong Hee answered reservedly.

"Joong Hee-shi. I heard that you came to see me while I was sleeping. Thank you! And I heard that you stayed with me for hours. Again, thank you!" she began.

Despite his silence, she continued. "I'm sorry. Now, I understand that you said what you did out of frustration. I probably overreacted and the stress of it all made me ill. Again, I'm sorry, Joong Hee-shi."

Finally, he spoke up "Well, I'm still a little mad!"

"Have I told you how cute you are when you're mad?" she asked teasingly.

"Don't do this, Mi Young-ah! I'm still upset" In truth, he was already feeling better about things.

"Or that you're the best actor Korea has ever had?" she further teased.

"Getting less mad" he retorted.

"Or that I'm the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying you?" she asked.

"Just for that, you need to come over!" she could hear him grinning over the phone.

"Promise me one thing. You need to give me the biggest hug you can!"

"Cool!" As they both laughed, they knew that all was right with the world again.

The day before a wedding brings a wide range of emotions. Mi Young knew that she wanted to spend a few minutes with her dad. As they talked, she made sure to thank him for letting her marry Joong Hee and promised that she'd be a faithful wife and make her husband happy. In turn, Mr. Lee remained grateful to her for growing up so well and marrying a terrific young man like Joong Hee. After this, she then made sure to spend time with the rest of her family. After all, it was her last night with them as a single woman. As the night finally made its appearance, she wondered what her fiancé was up to. She decided to find out with a quick text.

MY: "What are you doing?"

JH: "Are you really curious?"

MY: "Of course"

JH: "Look up"

MY: "What?"

JH: "Look up".

Unbeknownst to Mi Young, Joong Hee had been spending the day in his old rooftop room. As she finally deciphered the meaning of the last text, she hurriedly ran up the stairway and made her way onto the rooftop where she saw him seated on the bench.

"I thought I'd find you here" she said.

"It's like you read my mind" he quipped.

"When did you get here?"

"This morning. I thought it'd be more fun to surprise you this way."

"Well, it worked!"

"I knew it would" he said. Then, he felt a sudden rush of renewed love in his heart in looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just looking at my beautiful bride and thinking that, 24 hours from now, we'll be together forever"

"24 hours from now, I'm going to be with the best husband in this universe" she replied.

"I love you!" Joong Hee said.

"I love you more!" Mi Young responded.

After a long kiss, they resumed the usual back hug position and peered at the skyline in front of them. What once seemed unlikely was about to be inevitable. That familiar rite of passage called marriage was beckoning. Within a matter of hours, Ahn Joong Hee and Lee Mi Young would heed that call – together for better.

A/N: As usual, any and all reviews are welcome!