Jun Pyo picked her up after school and wanted to hang out with her. She told him she had to study in the library, but he insisted she study in his library. After a lot of pouting (from him), she finally relented. She sat in his library, unable to study because Jun Pyo kept interrupting.

"Gu Jun Pyo! If you're not going to be quiet I won't be able to study here!" she scolded him.

Jun Pyo made a face but turned the tv on and sat on the couch. He was watching the news.

Jan Di began scribbling some notes for an upcoming exam. She was thinking about how nice it would be if Ji Hoo was there to help her when she heard Min Seo Hyun's name on the TV. She looked up just in time to see a smiling Min Seo Hyun arm in arm with a very handsome looking man. The headline below read:

Model Min Seo Hyun engaged to French Politician Jacques Bernier. Wedding scheduled in May.

Jan Di dropped the pen she was holding.

Oh no, no, no. Her mind was in a panic. Sunbae!

Jun Pyo looked at her and saw the expression on her face. "Hey, you ok?"

She gathered her things quickly and stood up. "I have to go."

...

Jan Di couldn't find Ji Hoo anywhere. She went to the library, the clinic, his house, the cultural center, but didn't see him there. She even went to visit Rui in the stables. Jun Pyo had insisted on coming along. They tried to call him but he didn't pick up. She was getting increasingly worried. Grandfather had said he had gone for a ride - where to, he didn't know. They called Yi Jung and Woo Bin to see if they had heard from him, but they couldn't contact him either.

Jan Di was on edge, as she sat there biting her nails. They were at Ji Hoo's house waiting for him to come home. Grandfather had gone to sleep, oblivious to what was happening.

"Hey," Jun Pyo called out. "He'll be ok. It's Ji Hoo we're talking about. He's just driving around wanting to be alone with his thoughts." He meant to sound comforting but it had the opposite effect on her.

Where are you sunbae? Are you ok? She thought, terrified. Images of Ji Hoo lying unconscious in a ditch somewhere appeared in her mind. She tried to shake them off.

Jun Pyo looked at the time. "It's late. You have school tomorrow. Let me drive you home and I'll keep trying to contact him." Jan Di thought of resisting but she knew Jun Pyo wouldn't take no for an answer.

She waited until his car was out of sight before she went out again. She tried to think of where he could be. She walked along the city, hoping for a clue as to his whereabouts. She reached the park they normally went to and her eyes widened as she saw his familiar form sitting hunched on the bench.

She walked slowly towards him, unsure if her eyes were deceiving her. He was staring at the river, and he looked exhausted, his eyes half lidded. She wanted to pull him into her arms and comfort him, but she hesitated, and instead she sat down beside him. He didn't look at her – she didn't know if he even registered her presence. He sat there, staring at nothing, lost in his own thoughts. He turned to look at her and when she saw the broken expression on his face her heart shattered into a million pieces.

He must really love her still, she thought, fighting the tears that were about to come out. I'm sorry, sunbae, she whispered. He was still looking at her but his expression remained unchanged so she figured he was still lost in his thoughts somewhere. She didn't know how long they sat there, but he finally stood up and turned to walk away. Jan Di stepped in front of him and hugged him tightly. "It's going to be ok, sunbae. I'm here for you," she cried softly. "I'm here for you."

He raised a hand and slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb. And then he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the night.

...

Ji Hoo knew about Min Seo Hyun's engagement before it even hit the news. She had called and told him herself. He congratulated her and wished her the best. He searched his feelings for any sign of jealousy or bitterness or pain, but found none. He really was over her.

He had planned to go to the library hoping to catch a glimpse of Jan Di that evening and was not disappointed. He saw her walking hand in hand with Jun Pyo and noticed the massive ring on her finger. His hand automatically darted to the ring that hung on his neck. His heart sank and he decided to head home.

He was watching the news when Min Seo Hyun and her fiancé were shown. He thought they looked good together and noted how happy she looked. His thoughts went to another impending wedding – Jun Pyo and Jan Di's. The reality of losing her forever slapped him square in the face. He couldn't breathe, his heart raced erratically inside his chest.

He needed to get some air. He needed to think. He got on his bike and rode to nowhere in particular. The sadness he felt enveloped him like a blanket.

He had hoped...but hope was a dangerous thing. He knew this was coming.

It didn't hurt any less though. He didn't know how long he rode for, but he found himself back at the park where he often went with Jan Di. He plopped himself on the bench, alone with his thoughts. What did you expect? He scolded himself. He thought about his best friend Gu Jun Pyo and Jan Di walking down the aisle. Gu Jun Pyo had even asked him to be his best man and he had agreed to it. He would stand there and smile, like he always had, even though inside it would feel as though a million daggers were piercing his heart. He was good at covering his feelings.

He looked over and saw Geum Jan Di sitting on the bench.

Great, he thought. Now I'm hallucinating her.

He wanted to laugh but he couldn't find the energy to do so. He was so exhausted and his head ached, as though a drill was going through it. She looked at him with such sad eyes he thought his heart would break again.

Even imaginary Jan Di feels bad for you.

He sat there staring at her, amazed at how his mind could conjure up such a perfect replica of her. Finally, he stood up and turned to leave. Imaginary Jan Di stepped in front of him and held him tight. She was crying, and kept telling him it would be ok, that she was there for him, over and over again. He brushed her cheek gently with his thumb, wiping away the tears that kept falling down on it.

I wish I knew how to quit you, he thought, as he slowly walked away.

...

Jun Pyo seemed to have a permanent scowl etched on his face lately. He sat on the couch, arms folded, brows furrowed, muttering unintelligible words to himself.

"You know, if you keep making that face it will freeze permanently into place."

Jun Pyo looked and saw his sister walking towards him, holding a glass of wine. She sat down beside him and flashed him a wide smile. "You look troubled, little brother. What seems to be bothering you?"

He scowled even deeper.

Jun Hee was used to her brother's temperament. She took a long, slow sip of her wine and set the glass down on the table. "Let me guess," she began, twirling a lock of her hair, "this is about Jan Di, isn't it?"

Jun Pyo's scowl disappeared for a split-second only, but this didn't escape her notice.

"Ok, spill." She turned to face him and cocked her head to the side. "You guys have a fight?"

"No."

"What was the fight about?"

Jun Pyo uncrossed his arms. "We did NOT fight. It's just that," he trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "I just thought..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "She seems very distant lately."

Jun Hee clasped her hands in front of her. "You mean she feels more distant now that you're together than when you guys were thousands of miles apart?"

Jun Pyo did not reply. Jun Hee nodded slowly. "I see." she said.

"I thought she'd be so thrilled to have me back she'd stick beside me every minute." His scowl was back. "But I've hardly seen her this week. It's like I'm intruding into her life."

Jun Hee sighed, sympathetically. "She probably just needs time to adjust. She had a very busy life here while you were gone. She's still going through medical school, which is no easy task." She arched an eyebrow. "Don't you already know all this?"

"What do you mean?" Jun Pyo decided to play dumb.

"I mean, you had eyes on her all this time, didn't you?"

Jun Pyo stared at her in astonishment. "How did you know..."

"My little brother," her voice was gentle, as if she was speaking to a child, "if you're going to hire a private investigator, make sure you don't charge it to Shinhwa."

She leaned close to his ear. "I approve all paperwork, remember?"

She stood up, took a few steps, and then turned back to face him. "Did you purposely leave Ji Hoo to look after her because he owed you a debt?" She put a finger under her chin. "You know how he feels about her. But he owes you his life, hence his loyalty. Knowing that poor boy, he must have been so conflicted." She smiled a sad smile. "But based on the reports and pictures I've seen, I guess loyalty won."

Jun Pyo sat on the couch thinking, long after his sister had left. It was true, aside from a couple of instances that got him a little worried (that he later slyly asked Jan Di about), most of what he'd seen had been pretty normal behavior for the two of them. Most of the pictures were just them studying, so after a while he called off the investigator (who by then had been bored to tears). He thought of Ji Hoo, his closest friend, and felt a twinge of guilt. Every time he spoke to Ji Hoo, he would specifically thank him for looking after her for him. It was a subtle reminder to his friend who owned Jan Di. At least if she was with Ji Hoo he always knew where she was and didn't have to worry about other guys hanging around with her. True, he was taking a risk with Ji Hoo – but he'd known him all his life, and he firmly believed he would never betray him.

At least not on purpose.

He looked at his phone and decided to call Jan Di.

"Hello Gu Jun Pyo," she sounded tired.

"Where are you?"

"In the library studying."

He made a face. "You seem to study twice as much as normal students."

"I'm not as smart as the other students so I have to work twice as hard."

"Can I come see you?"

She thought for a minute. "I'll come see you after."

He sat straight up. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll bring you some fish cakes."

He was smiling now. "Bring lots. I'm starving."

Jan Di sighed heavily. It wasn't like she was avoiding Gu Jun Pyo...it just felt a little awkward being around him since he got back. She couldn't figure out why, but maybe it was because talking on the phone was a lot different than being side by side every day. They've never had the luxury of that before. They'd always shared stolen, forbidden moments which was exciting back then, but now that they had no obstacles...well, why didn't she feel free? Instead something inside her seemed to be resisting. She was so muddled inside.

Sunbae.

He popped up in her head unexpectedly. Since the news of Min Seo Hyun's engagement, he had become more distant. She tried to catch glimpses of him from afar every day – afraid to venture closer. He needs time to grieve, she thought. I will give him the space he needs. She looked at her watch and thought for a moment. If she left now, she should still have enough time to catch a glimpse of her sunbae and visit Jun Pyo after. She had to see how he was doing or she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. She packed up her things and headed to the art center. The clinic had been closed for a few weeks now while Ji Hoo focused on his last few weeks before graduation. Grandfather was taking a much-needed sabbatical.

She arrived at the art centre to find it completely empty. There was no one around. She walked a few steps towards the main auditorium and heard soft music coming out of it. She cracked a smile, happy that she found him right away. She opened the door slowly and stepped in. All the lights were out except for the spotlights that shone directly onto the stage. He sat there, his back to her, fingers dancing methodically on the piano.

She sat on a chair near the door, where it was dark, content on just watching him from there. He was playing Canon in D by Pachelbel. She recognized it as one of the songs he had tried to teach her once. He didn't seem to hear her enter.

He finished playing and paused for a moment. She saw him flex his fingers on both hands as he prepared to play the next piece. He only had to play the first 4 notes for her mind to recognize what song it was. It was her song, the one he made for her. Her heart leapt up to her throat. He played it so beautifully, with so much emotion poured into it, that she could feel every note strike at her heart. Tears rolled down her cheeks before she could stop it.

And then, just when he was nearing the end of the song, he stopped abruptly.

Jan Di sat up straight in her seat. Did he notice her sitting there in the dark? But he didn't turn around. He lowered his head and his shoulders began shaking softly.

It was then that she realized he was crying. Her sunbae was crying. She had never seen him cry like this before. Her heart felt like there was an icy hand squeezing it firmly in its grip. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't look at him like that anymore. She knew his heart must be full of anguish, that he must be so broken right now. She just wished she knew how to help him mend it. She stepped outside quietly, sobbing silently.

She thought about calling Min Seo Hyun but then decided against it.

What good would that do? She scolded herself. She couldn't ask her to cancel her engagement, and the last time she had tried to "help" didn't turn out so well. She had to do something though. He had always been there for her.

Yes, he had. Now it was her turn. He needed her.

I can be your firefighter too, sunbae.