Work Text:
It was a warm and sunny day. They had just said goodbye as she had to leave for work.
He went into his office at MYM. This happened to be the day his sister was also there. They were talking of personal and business items which usually include him teasing her.
When suddenly someone ran into the office in a panic. He showed them what had just been released. Silence reigned as shock went through them. She immediately turned to her younger brother who was reeling at what it said. His first thought was her…the person who had become the most important person in his life.
His sister had to touch his shoulder many times before she could get his attention. She only asked one thing, “Is it true?”
“No way in hell!” He said adamantly anger shining in his eyes.
“Okay. I need to know everything about this and fast so we can squash this quickly.”
“I only know her through a friend. I don’t hang out with her. She is always brought by one of the other guys. I did go to the movies and she was with us but it was July 1st. You know Goeunie was having a girls night to celebrate her birthday. I planned on having a boys night but one of them invited her.”
“You know how I am when I’m dating. Why would I get in the car before her or allow her to walk anywhere when it’s dark? And you know I would never be on my phone if I was actually with her.”
His sister could sense the anger and sadness beneath his words and it showed in his face.
“Okay. That’s enough that we can get a statement out as soon as possible.”
She looked over at her assistant and immediately he went and gave the assignment. Within 20 minutes the statement was ready and sent out to all the news outlets. There was no relationship and they were only acquaintances.
He got up and walked out of the room. He went into his office and locked the door. He got out some of his anger by picking up the empty trash bin and throwing it on the floor. He kicked the chairs and the desk.
He finally sat down at his desk and ran his hands through his soft, silky brown hair and at times pulling it in frustration. His main worry though was what would Goeunie think? Would she trust me and believe what I tell her? Would she decide that I am not worth being involved with because of all the drama that surrounds me?
He could feel the tears burning in his eyes and the enormous lump in his throat. He needs to talk to her. He needs to know what she is believing about him. He needs to know she will be by his side and that she is okay.
He pulls out his phone and calls her number. She didn’t answer. Maybe she’s working. So he sent her a text message: Goeunie, call me when you have a break. Saranghae.
He was anxious. He needs to talk to her. He needs to hear her voice. He tried again but no answer. He still felt the tears in his eyes and willed them not to fall. He decided he needed to do something while he waited to talk to Goeunie.
He was lost in thought when there was a knock at the door. It startled him. He got up and walked to the door. His noona was leaning on the door frame. He opened the door and let her in. They sat down in the chairs in the corner of his office.
His noona searched his eyes and tried to decide how he was feeling. She saw sadness and frustration. “Minho-ia…have you talked to her?”
He shook his head sadly. “She didn’t answer when I called. Maybe she’s busy filming.” He tried to believe that but hope was starting to fade. She should have a break at some point, right?
His noona saw right through it. “You don’t believe that, dongsaeng . You are worried she might not believe that it’s false. You are worried this will break what you've been building. Have a little faith, Minho-ia. She will call you when she can.” She gave him a small smile, to which he nodded and returned her smile with one of his own. She squeezed his hand and stood up.
“Go visit eomma . She’s worried about you.”
“I will. It will give me something else to think about.” He stood up as his sister started to walk to the door. “Thank you, noona . Saranghae.”
She turned around and gave him a hug. “Your welcome, Minho-ia. Nado saranghae.”
She walked out the door with a heavy heart. Please, Goeunie. Please don’t break his heart. Please talk to him.
******
When Goeunie had a break she went to a corner to check her phone. She had several messages and texts. One that caught her eye was from Kim Yong Ji: “Eunnie, don’t go online right now.”
She opened more messages and found the same thing. What in the world has happened that they would tell me that? Against all the warnings, she went online. What she saw knocked the breath out of her. Her stomach plummeted. She shook her head…murmuring, “No..No…it can’t be true. He’s not like that.” Tears started to prick her eyes. She needed to calm down. She had to go back soon. She didn’t have time to call because they called her back at that moment.
“I’ll talk to him later.” She told herself.
*****
Visiting eomma was the best thing for him. She listened and helped talk him through it. She was a balm to his wounded heart. He left the house with a lighter heart and hoped that she would stay with him.
She also suggested going to visit her parents. This is how he found himself heading to Ilsan. He pulled into her parents driveway and took a deep breath. He hoped this would go well. He knew they loved him but this situation would make any parent second guess him.
He took all of his courage and got out of the car and walked up to the door. The door opened and there stood Goeunie’s father. He swallowed hard as he looked at him. He bowed in greeting and said, “Annyeonghaseyo, Jangineurun. Could I talk to you and jangmoneem for a moment?” He swallowed hard, waiting for her father to give his consent.
Goeunie’s father looked closely at Minhossi’s ragged and anxious face. He could see that it had been a really hard day for him. “Please come in.” He opened the door wider for Minho to enter. “Have a seat while I go get my wife.” He left Minho with a smile on his face.
The smile her father gave him helped him gather courage and hoped that this would end well. The minutes of waiting felt like an eternity.
When they came back into the room he stood up and bowed to Goeunie’s eomma. They all sat down.
“I’m not sure if you have seen the article that came out today….”
“We have seen it, Minhossi,” he replied sadly.
He swallowed and took a moment to gather himself together. “Will you tell me what you….” He had to swallow before he could continue. Their opinions mean a lot to him because it concerns their daughter. “How do you feel about it?” He struggled to maintain eye contact but he was able to. He could feel the sting of tears gathering in his eyes.
Jangineurun spoke first. “I was completely shocked when I first saw it. I couldn’t really think but as I read the article and saw the pictures I suspected the dating news was false simply because I see how you look at my daughter. I see how you treat her. And I’ve seen how you have and are trying to protect her from all the hate from the internet. There is a stark difference between that and those pictures. And don’t worry too much about Goeunie. The love she has for you is amazing to watch. I have never seen that in her eyes before.
“Have you talked to her yet?
“I called her and texted but she didn’t answer. Maybe she is busy.” He tried to smile but was sure they saw through him.
Her parents shared a concerned look. That was unusual for their daughter to not answer, even if it’s just a text.
As Minho allowed himself to be vulnerable and show Goeunie’s parents how it affects him. He needed them to know that he values them and their opinions are very important to him.
Jangmoneem stood up and Minho followed. She walked over to him and reached out to give him a hug. It reminded him of how his eomma would hug him. He felt calmed and loved. She pulled back and looked at him and said, “You will always be another son for me. I want you to come by whenever you need to. And I’ve made some of Goeunie’s favorites….Come and eat before you go.”
“Thank you…. I will eat well.”
He realized he hadn’t checked his phone for a while and so he walked outside to check his messages. No texts or calls all day from her. Nothing. He started to get anxious. Is she going to believe him or is she going to say she doesn’t want this anymore? That there is too much drama surrounding him. That she doesn’t want to be a part of his life… is he going to lose her? He swallowed hard but the lump in his throat seemed to get bigger.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway startled him out of his thoughts. She was here. He took a deep breath to prepare himself to talk to her.
She opened the door and got out of the car. He stood up and their eyes met and locked. The tension radiating from both of them could be felt across the few meters that separated them. He could sense that she is unsure. He slowly walked toward her. She stayed near the car. The closer he got to her the more tense the air became. When he stood in front of her he searched her eyes, hoping for something to hold on to. Something that will give him hope. But all he saw was sadness and fear. He broke eye contact and looked down at the ground. He swallowed again to give him time to speak. Once again he raised his eyes to look into hers. “Goeunie….” His voice was a whisper but full of fear.
“I’m sure you have heard…”
“Yes…”
The look in her eyes scared him. Only one thought crossed his mind: she doesn’t believe me. He swallowed hard trying to stave off the tears as long as possible. He couldn’t break down here.
“And…” He braced himself for whatever she was going to say.
“I..I…I need some time.”
His stomach plummeted. She didn’t even ask him if it was true. His mind was screaming “NO!” He was never one to force himself on anyone. If she needed time he would give it to her.
He looked at her and desperately wanted to touch her but he couldn’t. He just knew he needed to leave. “Okay, Goeunie.” He had to swallow again. “I’ll give you time. Call me when you are ready…Goodbye…Goeunie.” His voice became a whisper by the time he finished talking.
He took one last look at the woman he loved more than anything, not knowing if he would be able to again. His breath came quicker, overwhelmed with emotion. And he walked away, desperate to get to his car. He got in, started the engine, and peeled away.
Goeunie watched him go. Her heart sank. What did she just do? Minho-ia… she didn’t know how long she had stood there. She didn’t feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. She has to fix this.
She pulled out her phone. He pushing *1 on her speed dial. It rang..and rang…no answer. She tried again and still no answer. Eventually it just went straight to voicemail. She hung up. She felt the coolness of the night start to hit her body. She went up the sidewalk and into her parents house.
Little did she know that her parents saw the confrontation and were worried. What did she say to him to have him leave like that? He was hopeful when he ate and talked to them. Now he just sped off. They shared a look as their daughter walked through the front door. She looked dejected and upset. They knew something happened when she walked straight past them and went up to her room. They knew they needed to give her space. She will talk when she is ready.
She walked up to her room and closed her door. She slid down her door and sat on the floor. She allowed the tears to flow which leads to sobs. She didn’t realize until after how much she just hurt them both. She knows Minho isn’t how the article portrayed him. And she just lost an opportunity to give him the comfort she knew he sorely needed. She tried to call him again. No answer.
What had she done?
She closed her eyes and roughly ran her fingers through her hair and down her face. She tried to close her eyes but all she saw when she did was the pain and fear in his eyes. “Mianhae, Minho-ia. Neomu mianhae.”
*****
Minho drove mindlessly. Goeunie had tried to call but after the fourth call he turned off his phone. Tears were flowing freely. It made it difficult to drive at times. He didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to go to his parents house right now. Everyone would know and he needed space. He couldn’t go to the Mark Hills condo because her presence permeated the space, from her clothes that randomly appeared in his closet to her rose scented shampoo.
He decided to go to his other condo. She has not visited there yet so there was no memories to contend with. He parked in the garage and went up to his condo on the top floor. He looked around and had never felt so alone. He opened the curtains and looked out at the sunset as the last rays were seen.
He didn’t know what to do. His mind has gone blank and the pain has overwhelmed his senses. Is this really the end? This is what will break us? Is she really going to leave me?
His biggest fear is now his only thought and with that thought he completely broke down . His legs gave out and he sat against the window. He didn’t have energy to do anything but let the sobs and tears come. Even with his previous relationships he never felt broken like this.
He got up off the floor and went to take a shower letting the hot water run down his body. The tears were relentless and it mixed with the water running down his face. He got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. Maybe if he could try and sleep, he would wake up and this would all be a bad dream.
He turned off all the lights and went to bed. Even though he was exhausted he couldn’t fall asleep. He couldn’t stop thinking of how she didn’t even ask if it was true and she wanted time.
Why? Was I not worth it to anyone to be with me despite all the drama that comes with me? Will I ever find someone who will truly love me? Will I find someone who understands me like Goeunie?
He knew that he would never find nor love someone like he loved her. Just thinking her name brought the pain back ten fold. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep so he might as well get up. He walked out onto his balcony and sat and just watched the night pass by.
Dawn came but it didn’t phase him as he was numb. He couldn’t think or feel. He had no appetite. So he continued to stay like he was.
*****
Ggone didn’t sleep that night. She still tried to contact him several more times but his phone was still off. She started to get worried. Did she push him over the edge? She decided she needed to get help. She called Yun jeong eunnie.
“Yeobseo?”
“Eunnie….I did something wrong. He left and he turned off his phone.” Her voice was desperate.
“Slow down, Goeunie. What happened?”
“He came by my parents’ home yesterday. I met him there. We didn’t say much but he asked if I believed him and I said I needed time.” She was crying at this point. “I need to make it right. Please help me.”
“Goeunie, did you really say that?”
“Yes. It was a knee jerk reaction. I didn’t realize what I had said until he sped away. By that time it was too late.”
She heard Yun Jeong sigh. “Goeunie, do you know what Minho-ia’s worst fear is?”
“No…he doesn’t talk about that.”
“He is scared to death to lose you. He loves you that much.”
Goeunie realized the full force of what she had done. He thinks his worst fear is coming true. Her heart broke even more. “Eunnie, I didn’t realize. Please help me find him. I need to make this right. I need to tell him how I feel.” Tears were freely flowing down her cheeks.
“Ok, Goeunie. I will find him and let you know.”
“Thank you, Eunnie. And I’m sorry.”
“Yes. We’ll talk soon.”
They hung up and she sat on her floor drowning in guilt. How could she have done that? Why didn’t she wait and allow him to explain?
A short time later her phone rang. “Yeobseo?”
“Goeunie, I found him. I will text you the address and give you his passcode. He’s not good, Goeunie. But you are the only one who can fix this.”
“Thank you, eunnie.”
She immediately got up and washed up a bit then ran out the door. Luckily her parents were not awake yet and so she was able to leave without anyone seeing her. She heard a ping and grabbed her phone. She imputed the address into her GPS and drove there as fast as she could.
When she used the passcode at the elevator it took her to the penthouse on top. She knocked on the door and hoped he would allow her to talk to him. Waiting for him to open the door felt like an eternity.
She heard the lock disengage and the door opened. What welcomed her was not what she expected. Here was a man broken and she did this. “Minho-ia…” her voice was as soft as a whisper.
*****
Minho heard the knock at the door. It startled him out of his thoughts. Who could be coming to his door? No one can get this far without his passcode. There are only three people who have access: eomma, noona, and him. So how did someone get it? He got up and walked to the door. Without even looking through the peephole, he unlocked the door and opened it. The sight before him was not something he thought he would see right now. She was still as beautiful as she was when he first saw her. She had circles under eyes and she didn’t bother with any makeup. It looked like she didn’t sleep a wink last night.
He was tongue tied. He couldn't breathe or speak. He didn’t know if he was awake or if this was a dream. If it was a dream the gods were unjust.
She was nervous as she stood in front of his door. He didn’t say anything. She started to second guess herself. Was she too late? Should she not have come? Is he that angry at her? “Minho-ia….”
The soft voice was the one that usually brought him calm and peace but today he didn’t know what she would bring: devastation or loving acceptance. He softly and with awe said “Goeunie…”
They stood there looking at each other. Finally she broke the ice, her voice shaking, and asked, “Can we talk?”
She waited for his answer. He was debating how this would go. But he couldn’t deny her anything. He opened the door wider and allowed her to come in. He shut the door and leaned against it. His stance was hesitant as he watched her, but his eyes held a little bit of hope.
“Should we sit?”
He nodded, not able to form words. He led her to his sitting area. He watched her as she took everything in. She has never been here and so he hopes this all ends in happiness. He waited for her to start the conversation. When she still didn’t say anything, he softly said, “Goeunie…”
She came out of her thoughts and looked at him. How can he still talk to her in that soft voice that’s only reserved for her? Ever since they started filming The King, his voice has always been soft and tender when she speaks to her. Today it’s her undoing. “Mianhae, Minho-ia. Neomu mianhae.” Her tears fell from her eyes blurring the vision of the man she loved more than she could have imagined.
He couldn’t stand it when she cried. He immediately walked over to where she was and took her in his arms. He had done this so many times that he knew just how to fit her body against his. Her face was buried in his chest and she cried, her sobs penetrated his heart. His own tears fell. He caressed the back of her head and let her cry until she cried it out.
Eventually her sobs quieted and she lifted her head so she could see him. His hand went to her cheek and his thumb caressed her cheek wiping away her tears at the same time. She looked in his eyes and still saw sadness mixed with love and fear. She now knew what that fear was. She hoped that she would be able to soothe the ache she had caused.
“Minho-ia…I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize what I said until you left. This isn’t an excuse but it will let you know where I’m coming from. You know how I’ve been hurt in the past. Sometimes my defense mechanisms come up to guard my heart from further pain. I was hurt when I saw the article but I still had to work. So I put it out of my head for a bit. But when I saw you the walls went up to prevent further pain. I should have let you explain. I should have believed you but I doubted and in turn crushed you.
“I wasn’t able to sleep all night. I kept trying to call you but your phone has been off.”
“Goeunie, I thought I was losing you. My biggest fear is that you would leave. That you would feel that I’m not worth all the drama that surrounds me. When you said you needed time, I thought for sure that you weren’t going to believe me. I thought that everything I had tried to build and protect and cherished was slipping through my fingers. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. All I could think of was this is what it will be like to be alone again. It was like a light went out and the darkness was creeping in at a fast pace. I became numb to everything.”
“Minahae, Minho-ia.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “And my biggest fear is that you will find someone more pretty than me. That I will never be good enough for you. Saranghae, Minho-ia. So much it scares me. I try not to allow my fears to take hold but that article triggered it.”
“Goeunie, you are everything I’ve been looking for and everything I didn’t know I needed or was looking for. You love me for me and not my status or my money or my physical appearance. You complete me. You are the most beautiful woman I know, not just physically but deep inside your heart.” Tears were stinging his eyes and he could also see the effect his words had on her.
Tears fell down her cheeks but he could see they were happy tears.
“Minho-ia, when I finally admitted to myself that I wanted to keep you in my life, not just as a friend but a potential life partner, I knew that I could never let you go. You are buried so deep in my heart that I am terrified to lose you. You have shown me how to love and to love with all I have. I know you would do everything you could to protect me and what we have.”
“This is what we need to do, yeobo . We need to talk about our fears so they don’t tear us apart. Let’s not let misunderstandings come between us. Arraseo?”
“Ne, Minho-ia. Let’s make sure we talk about everything even if we think it’s stupid or something we talk about a lot. Let’s not be afraid to say anything that happens, good or bad.”
“Arraseo, yeobo.” His smile was so bright that he could still call her that. He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.
“By the way, how did you get in here? I know I haven’t given you my passcode.”
“Yun jeong eunnie.”
He laughed and smiled. “Of course it was noona. Remind me to thank her. I got the best surprise this morning.”
“We still need to talk about the article,” she reminded him. “Please tell me what happened.”
He took a deep breath. “So the night you had celebrated your birthday with your girlfriends and I had a boys’ night. One of the guys invited a girl and she was the one in the pictures. I never really got to know her but the article tried to imply that I was dating her and that we had been dating for 5 months. Which is impossible because we all know I was in Canada. And I was always talking to you,” he said with a loving smile.
“That’s right. That timeline doesn’t add up. But we don’t need to worry about what they think. We know the truth and trust and love each other and that’s all that matters.”
He caressed her cheek lovingly and looked into her eyes. “Goeunie...will you stay? With me?” He held his breath waiting for her to answer.
Why does that sound like a marriage proposal, she thought to herself.
“Of course I will. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.” She cupped his face between her hands, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Saranghae, Minho-ia. Neomu saranghae.” She looked at him with all the love she felt and had tears shining in her eyes.
“Nado saranghae. Nado neomu saranghae.”
They stared intensely into each other’s eyes. Minho’s eyes drifted to her lips and stopped for a moment and then returned to her eyes. He cupped her face and placed a soft, tender kiss on her forehead, a habit he formed since filming The King and he knew it was one of her favorite ways he showed affection. She loved it when he would do that or even just touched his forehead to hers. It made her feel cherished and so loved.
His thumb caressed her cheek softly and looked into her eyes, showing her how much he loved her. When she saw that emotion in his eyes she was overwhelmed that someone would love her that much.
He never had a problem letting her know, regardless of who was around. That thought made her giggle because of how often that had happened on the set of The King.
He continued to kiss the tip of her adorable nose that she scrunched when he said something really cheesy or when she smiled.
And finally he gave her a soft, tender kiss as his lips lightly touched hers. He made several more passes until he took her lower lip between his and sucked it hard.
He could feel her breath quicken and he pulled her tightly to his body and deepened the kiss. Her arms went around his neck, her fingers buried in his hair.
They were both breathing hard when they came up for air but couldn’t stay apart for long. He picked her up, her legs going around his waist.
He walked to the nearest surface, which happened to be the island of his kitchen. He placed her on the countertop and he stood between her legs as he continued his assault on her mouth.
They were startled when her cellphone rang. They parted for a moment and looked at each other. The phone rang again.
“Minho-ia..I need to answer that.”
He helped her off the counter and gently placed her on her feet, making sure she was stready before letting go. She walked over to her bag and pulled out her phone.
He just stood and watched her freely as she was talking on her phone. After she hung up and turned towards him he smiled at the fact that her lips were swollen and he caused it.
“Minho-ia, I need to go to the set. I need to tell my manager where to pick me up.”
“I’ll take you. I don’t want to leave you yet.”
“But everyone would know.”
“Yeobo, they already know. I’ve dropped you off and provided food so many times that it’s not a secret.”
“Do you really have to be this obvious?” she said teasingly.
“YA!”
She laughed. She loved it when he reacted like that to her teasing. She walked over to him and put her hands on his chest, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.
“I would love for you to take me. I don’t want to leave yet either. And this would be the chance for all to know the article was a bunch of bs.” She smiled brightly at him.
His smile brightened his whole face and reached his eyes. She loved seeing his eyes like that because it meant he was truly happy and she put it there. They held each other’s gaze and and just soaked in the moment.
“We can get through this together,” he said. “We need to lean on each other and share so we can strengthen our relationship.”
She nodded in agreement. She grabbed her things and waited as he went to wash up. He had changed into clean clothes and looked so handsome, even though it was just jeans and a T-shirt. He had the Yankees cap she bought him in his hands as well as his mask.
“Ready?” She asked.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
He grabbed his keys and they made their way to the garage. “What about my car?”
“You can leave it here and I can have someone take it wherever you need it.”
She smiled at him and her eyes glowed. He made her happy and he patted her head. He opened the door to the car and helped her in. He ran to the other side and got in the car. He started the car and looked over at her with a smile. He put the car in gear and they left the garage.
He held her hand the entire way to the filming site. They talked about everything going on and he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it several times. Much to their dismay they arrived at the site and he parked where no one was around.
He turned and gave her a long look. He cupped her face and pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply. She pulled back as he whined. She giggled and said, “I will call you later, okay?”
“Okay. Saranghae.” he said as he caressed her cheek.
“Nado saranghae.”
“You better go before they come looking for you,” he smiled.
“ Okay. Annyeong, Minho-ia.”
“Annyeong, Goeunie,” his tone was so soft and tender. It was only reserved for her.
She looked at him for a few moments, seeing the affection rolling off of him, before turning away. She opened the door and got out. She looked back and met his eyes, closed the door and waved at him.
He watched her go and felt so much peace. Everything was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. It was a beautiful start to the day and the sunshine had never seemed brighter. He understood why Goeunie loved the sunrise. It was a new day.
He pulled away with a smile on his face and went towards the office. He had some things to finish that were interrupted yesterday and he needs to talk to noona.
When he walked in his noona noticed the change in him. His beautiful smile was back and it reached his beautiful eyes. She smiled and thought, They will be okay. Everything will be okay .