Summer went by, and then fall, and then winter. Jun Pyo was becoming concerned. He had been doing a lot of damage control lately, but their stocks had still been dropping like crazy. Their corporate headquarters had started talking about layoffs, and this greatly concerned him. He needed to form a strategic alliance to strengthen their presence again and to put the public's faith back in Shinhwa.

He needed to break into the American market. But how?

He was getting ready for his next meeting – one that the board had set up as of critical importance – when he received a text message.

He glanced at it. It was from Jan Di.

Have a good day today, Jun Pyo! Fighting!

He tossed his phone aside.

She never texted him messages that said she missed or loved him so he had stopped sending those kinds of messages either. She was never open about her feelings for him even before, but now it was starting to annoy him.

Jun Pyo looked at the time and started walking to the board room. He stepped in and stopped, shock registering on his face when he saw the person sitting in the middle of the board room.

The woman stood up, smiled and bowed her head.

"Gu Jun Pyo", she greeted. Her hair had grown to her shoulders, and she was wearing an expensive business suit, with matching shoes.

"Monkey?" he said, in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Jae Kyung smiled. "Well, nice to see you again too!" She rolled her eyes. "I heard you needed help so, here I am!" she exclaimed.

At first, he was hesitant to work with her again. They had parted amicably, but he was afraid it was going to be awkward. But the JK Group was big in America, and they could use their help right now. His business partners had explained that they had been trying to reach other companies to form an alliance with, and only the JK Group had given them a definitive answer. He wondered if Jae Kyung was here because she wanted to, or because she was forced to.

They talked about strategy and business plans for the rest of the day. Jae Kyung seemed to be taking it seriously, giving out ideas now and then. He looked at her, curiously. She seemed to have matured since he last saw her.

He wondered if she still had feelings for him. He felt sorry for her at the time, because she was actually a great person. If he hadn't met Jan Di perhaps it may have worked out for them.

They wrapped up their meeting late in the afternoon. The other partners had left, and he was left alone with her. Jae Kyung yawned and stretched.

"Man, that was a long day," she complained. "This suit is itchy, and these shoes gave me blisters." She took off her shoes.

Ah. This was the Jae Kyung he remembered. He couldn't help but laugh. She stood up, brushed her skirt and started walking out the door.

"Nice seeing you again," she called out.

He stood up and hurried after her. "Hey, you hungry? I hate eating alone."

She shrugged nonchalantly and followed him out.

They went to a quaint little French restaurant about 5 minutes from his penthouse. It was quiet, and served only high-end clientele. They made idle talk as they waited for their food. Jae Kyung acted like they had no past history. She kept it professional.

Jun Pyo decided to bring up the past though.

"I don't know how to thank you for what you did," he began.

She waved her hand dismissively. "We will benefit from this alliance also."

"I wasn't talking about this," he replied.

Jae Kyung was silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether to go there. Finally, she smiled and asked, "So, how is my bff Geum Jan Di?"

They talked about her then. He explained how she was in medical school with Ji Hoo and how busy they've both been lately. How they've been trying to make time for each other but it's been proving difficult. He hadn't expected to tell her much, but to have a friend to talk to when he was thousands of miles away from home gave him relief.

Jae Kyung listened attentively, but then raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"So, you decided to leave her with Ji Hoo for four years while you 'find yourself'?" She smirked. "You really are as dumb as you look." She said it jokingly, but Jun Pyo felt a little stung.

Jun Pyo was used to questions like this, though. "I trust them both," he said, defensively. Truth was, ever since he arrived in New York he had been questioning his sanity on his decision.

Jae Kyung rolled her eyes at him. "It's not really a question of trust, is it? I know Ji Hoo doesn't have the guts to go after what he wants. But what if one day Jan Di wakes up and realizes she's okay without you? What if her feelings for you change?" What if she falls for Ji Hoo? She didn't say the last part out loud, but he heard it loud and clear anyway.

Jun Pyo dismissed her words. "Nonsense. You know that saying, Absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

"And you know the saying, Out of sight, out of mind?" Jae Kyung countered.

Jun Pyo took a sip of his drink. Nah, he thought. "We talk every day. And we're pretty much engaged anyway". He didn't bother mentioning that technically, she hadn't said yes yet.

Jae Kyung cocked her head to the side, contemplating on whether to say more. She looked out through the glass window on to the road, watching the cars pass by.

"You know," she began, reminiscing the past. "When I first saw those two I thought they were together." She waited for him to object but when he didn't she continued. "No offense, but those two looked more like a couple than you two were." Jae Kyung smiled at him sadly. "I guess that's why I was so oblivious about the two of you."

Jun Pyo nodded, then took a sip of his drink again. He remembered when he woke up from his coma, he thought the same thing. He thought she was Ji Hoo's girlfriend. They seemed compatible together, in tune to each other. They looked good together. He thought about all the times he had messaged Ji Hoo to come pick up Jan Di, or to go help her out. His friend had only done what he asked. He kept asking Ji Hoo to take care of Jan Di, even though he was aware his friend had feelings for her.

But Jan Di belonged to him. He was confident of this. She had already chosen him. He turned to look at Jae Kyung and forced a smile.

"How about you? What's new?"

...

Jan Di stirred the pot of spicy fish stew. It was almost ready. She called out to Grandfather and Ji Hoo, who were sitting on the dock with their fishing lines out. She tried to go fishing with them whenever she could because she enjoyed spending time with them. She felt a sense of belonging. She hummed a merry tune as she dished out the stew to them. They all ate hungrily, complimenting Jan Di's cooking. Jan Di beamed proudly.

Grandfather sighed contentedly, a huge grin spread across his face. "Jan Di, you need to teach Ji Hoo how to cook."

"Hey, I know how to cook!" Ji Hoo defended.

Grandfather rolled his eyes. "Something other than pancakes."

Ji Hoo thought for a second, inclined his head and then gave a slight nod in acceptance. Jan Di laughed at this exchange between the two of them – something that wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for her.

Grandfather's eyes went from Ji Hoo to Jan Di, who were sitting side by side, hands clasped in front of them. "Jan Di, do you want to hear a story that happened when Ji Hoo was a little boy?" He said it so mysteriously that Jan Di leaned forward even more and nodded enthusiastically. Ji Hoo gave his grandfather a cautious look, not knowing what to expect.

"It happened when Ji Hoo was about 3," he began, "I had a meeting with some delegates from North America that afternoon. I hadn't seen Ji Hoo and his parents in a week so I decided to drop by shortly after lunch." Grandfather scratched his chin, as his mind traveled back to that time. "I was so exhausted by then because we just came from another meeting that morning." He looked at Ji Hoo and smiled. "After playing with him for about an hour, I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up and realized the time I had to run right to my meeting. I walked into that room to find everyone staring at me, mouths open wide. And then someone laughed." Ji Hoo raised an eyebrow, still unsure where he fit into the story. "I saw my reflection in the boardroom mirror and realized young Ji Hoo had drawn all over my face while I was asleep. With black permanent marker." He looked at both of them, face dead serious. "There I was, the President of Korea, attending a very important meeting with scribbles all over my face. And I mean, not an inch of my face was spared." Ji Hoo's eyes widened in horror. Jan Di's mouth was agape.

And then Grandfather burst out laughing. Jan Di sighed in relief, then started laughing too. Ji Hoo joined them a few seconds later.

After a while, Ji Hoo took out his guitar and began to play some songs. They all sang in unison, clapping and swaying with the music. It was late by the time they left the dock.

Ji Hoo was driving home, Jan Di was in the front passenger seat, and Grandfather sat in the back. Jan Di had started nodding off when Grandfather handed her an envelope. Jan Di looked at it. It was a wedding invitation happening in a month's time. It was addressed to: Ji Hoo and Guest. She looked questioningly at grandfather, and he pointed at Ji Hoo.

"He doesn't want to go," Grandfather simply said.

Ji Hoo glanced at the invitation and rolled his eyes. "Weddings aren't my thing."

Jan Di pressed him for more info. "Who's getting married?"

"An old friend."

"How long since you've seen him last?"

"10 years or so."

Jan Di thought for a moment. "Shouldn't you go?" She looked at it again. It was going to be a fancy wedding, based on the venue.

"He doesn't have a date to go with," Grandfather piped in.

Ji Hoo opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He shrank back in his seat. Jan Di looked at Grandfather, getting the hint.

"We should go, sunbae," she urged.

"Huh?" he wasn't sure he heard her right.

"I'll go with you." She urged again, flashing a smile.

He shook his head. "You don't have to do this..."

"It will be fun," she said, "I've never actually been to a wedding before." She paused for a moment, then frowned. "Well, Jun Pyo's didn't really count."

She looked at the date. "And we don't have school that week!"

Ji Hoo nodded, then smiled. "Ok. We'll go."

Grandfather chuckled in the back seat, obviously pleased with himself.