Chapter 124: Ride On

We took off our headphones as ‘Waiting for You’ played.

“Sugohaseyo…” Seung Ho said to Sierra and Yun Ho.

“Ye… komapseumnida,” Sierra replied. “It was a good show.”

“Were our questions good?” Darren asked as he collected and stacked up the scripts on the table.

“Not bad,” Yun Ho replied. “Pretty original.”

“Tangyeonhajyo,” Seung Ho said. “Do you know how long we sat together just to come up with those. We’re like the last to interview you both this week, and almost every single question to be asked had already been asked.”

“Repeating a few of them wouldn’t have hurt. Some people might have missed the other interview sessions,” Sierra said.

“Then we wouldn’t be original. Andoe, andoe… we had to be original,” Seung Ho said.

“Well, you did it,” Yun Ho smiled.

“You two were perfect for that song,” Seung Ho said. “Your live singing is brilliant.”

“Kamsahamnida…” Sierra smiled.

Even now, she still glows with the pleasure, like a new kasu, when someone praises her singing. I guess being battered by the media and critics for the entire duration of her career up till now has made her more gracious and thankful when she received success and praise.

“Still so modest, Sierra?” I remarked.

“She’s always been like that,” Yun Ho replied in her place.

“Yes she has. Can’t imagine her being otherwise. Sierra’s famed for her modesty,” I laughed.

“Isn’t that a good reason to be famous for?” she smiled.

“Yep,” I replied. “So are you looking forward to our collaboration.”

“Oh… I almost forgot about the drama,” I said.

“Ye? You’re gonna be in a drama with Sierra?” Seung Ho exclaimed. “You lucky punk!”

“Yea… really lucky,” Yun Ho said.

“Hey… don’t get envious,” I smiled. “It’s just my fate.”

“Yun Ho, Sierra…” their PA called out as she popped her head into the room. “We need to go.”

“Well, gotta run,” Sierra said. “See you guys around.”

“Sure,” Seung Ho smiled his sappy smile at Sierra.

Hot girls just blow his mind. It’s a wonder how he can remain calm, collected and articulate during our shows in their presence.

“Bye,” Yun Ho said as he ushered Sierra out of the door.

“That girl…” Seung Ho said, as soon as the door closed. “She sure is something.”

“What? Not even Hae Rin can hold a candle to her?” I said.

“Hae Rin is a different league all together… Sierra makes me wanna sing that Lee Seung Gi song… how does it go again?”

“Nuna nae yeoja anikka?”

“Yesss…” he said dreamily, and started humming the tune to the song.

“You’re such a sap,” I said as I nudged his head with a file.

“Kaja… the next slot’s DJs are coming,” he said, and we walked out.

We went to a nearby stall to have our lunch since we each had other shows to do in the next hour.

“So why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be in a drama with her?” Seung Ho drilled me.

“How can I reveal company secrets to you?” I said as I slurped my ramen.

“Ya… you did it in the end anyway,” he said.

“That was cos I was allowed to only after she’d confirmed her acceptance.”

“So she’s agreed to work with you?”

“Yep…” I said.

“Why don’t I get such luck?” he whined as he sipped his drink.

“You’d have to have a face like mine to get such privilege,” I laughed.

“What’s wrong with my face?” he asked as he stared at me.

“It doesn’t look like mine?” I laughed and patted him on the back. “Your chance will come. Don’t worry.”

“Sure…” he said with a disheartened tone, and he started eating.

[Sierra’s POV]

Yun Ho and I are stuck at Mnet’s broadcasting studio tonight. We’d just finished recording the interview session which will be broadcasted right before out MV, and we have been requested to stay for the broadcast and attend a small launch party afterwards.

“Sierra-sshi,” one of the assistants called out to me as she handed me a drink.

“Kamsahamnida,” I smiled as I accepted it.

“Shall we meet up with the rest later, or shall we just head home?” Yun Ho asked me.

“Are they planning to go somewhere?” I asked him.

“No… not if you want to go home.”

“Well… I think I’d want to head home,” I said. “We have another long day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said. “We’re not gonna be able to meet them for dinner anyway. They should just have their own dinner and we’ll meet them at home.”

“Yep,” I said, and I took another sip of my drink.

“You got the script yet?” he asked me.

“Yea… the story starts of typically,” I said.

“How typical?”

“Darren is traveling abroad and he bumps into me, we spend sometime together, part, and then somehow, we meet again in Korea.”

“Aha…” he smiled.

“The only fun bit is I get to play his boss in the drama.”

“His boss?”

“Yea… his character goes back to Seoul to work in a multinational company, and it so happens that I’m hired by his company to be his new superior.”

“Sounds fun,” he smiled some more.

“And he’s supposed to hate me at first, because he thought he would’ve been promoted, but instead they brought me in.”

“I can imagine the drama now… the fights, the dialogue… the passionate scenes to come,” Yun Ho laughed.

“Let’s hope you’re wrong. I’m hoping for some twists in this. It just sounds so cliché so far.”

“Right,” he said.

The broadcast of our interview finally began. We watched intently, looking for mistakes that we have to correct in our next interviews; the wrong facial expressions, wrong answers, and other stuff like that. When the interview ended, our MV played.

[To Be Your Love MV]

String instruments played a classical melody as Yun Ho came into view. He was sitting on the grass with his back against a tombstone. The words ‘Sierra + Yun Ho’ followed by ‘To Be Your Love’ appeared slowly on the screen and fades away. The camera zooms in on the tombstone and Jin Yi’s photo comes into view and the name ‘Ryu Jin Yi’ written below it.

“I hope you’re happy,” he said as he ran a finger down the photo on her tombstone. “What a mess you’ve made of me now.”

He stood up slowly and dusted off his suit. He was wearing a casual grey suit, and he had his sunglasses pushed onto his head like a headband. He walked leisurely away from her tomb, onto the stairway up the hill where his car was parked. He looked up and the sun blinded his eye for a moment. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, there she was.

“Jin Yi?” the name escaped his lips.

She was walking down the same stair he was on; wearing a white sundress, and holding a bouquet of lilies.

“Jin Yi,” he said, and he grabbed her arm as she walked past.

She turned and looked at him, obviously startled.

“Ajeosshi… please let go of me,” she said.

He continued to stare at her, not releasing his grasp.

‘Ajeosshi? She called me ajeosshi? But she looks exactly like Jin Yi. She must be Jin Yi!’ Yun Ho thought.

She stared at the man who gripping her hand.

“Ajeosshi,” she said as she tried to pry her arm out of his vise-like grip. “Please let me go.”

“Jin Yi, it’s you, isn’t it?” he said.

‘Why won’t she acknowledge me? Why won’t she admit who she is?’ he thought.

“I’m not Jin Yi,” she said, “My name is not Jin Yi,” she yelled in frustration and finally, she managed to pull her arm out of his grasp. In doing so, she dropped the bouquet she was holding.

“You’re not Jin Yi?” he said.

“No, it isn’t. Are you drunk or something?” she said as she rubbed the part of her arm where he’d gripped her so tightly.

“Choesonghamnida,” Yun Ho said, finally awakening from the shock.

“Are you alright, ajeosshi?” she said as she peered at him.

He’d suddenly gone pale, as if he was in shock.

‘Shouldn’t I be the one in shock?’ she thought.

“Sierra,” a voice sounded from above and they both looked up.

Ee Teuk, dressed in a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans, jogged down the stairs.

“Oppa,” she greeted him.

“Kwaench’ana?” he asked as he came to stood beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Nan kwaench’ana,” she replied.

“Who is this?” he asked her as he looked at Yun Ho.

“Erm… this is,” she started.

“Jung Yun Ho. Detective Jung Yun Ho,” he said.

“Park Jung Su,” the guy replied and extended his hand to Yun Ho.

“Nice to meet you, Sierra-sshi, Jung Su-sshi. I’ll take my leave now. Annyeonghi kyeseyo,” he said as he pulled his sunglasses down to cover his eyes.

“Annyeonghi kaseyo,” Jung Su replied, as he and Sierra watched Yun Ho walk away.

‘She’s taken… to think I actually mistook her for Jin Yi. She doesn’t even come close to Jin Yi…’ Yun Ho thought.

“Who was that?” Jung Su asked Sierra.

“Just some guy,” Sierra said dismissively. “Let’s go see oma,” she said as she bent down to pick up the bouquet.

Sierra turned back as she and Jung Su walked down.

‘I wonder what happened to him. Who is this Jin Yi?’ she thought.

(guitar intro of ‘To Be Your Love’ starts)

The scene shows Sierra and Yun Ho in bed together. Sierra opened her eyes slowly and stretched languorously as I turned to look at Yun Ho. He was still sleeping. She got up a little and leaned over him, kissed him lightly on the nose and quickly lay back down to pretend that she was asleep. Yun Ho’s eyes fluttered open and he turned slowly to look at her, and smiled to himself. He pulled her close and started to nuzzle her neck deliberately, causing her to giggle and try to pull away. The little ‘scuffle’ continued and ended with Yun Ho pinning me down on the bed, my giggles dying off, and he leaned in for a long lingering kiss.

The scene changed to a flashback scene and showed Sierra pushing open the swinging glass doors and walking into a café. She stood in line at the café, waiting to place her order. She stepped forward as the guy in front moved away. The guy’s tray almost hit her, and she managed to step away just in time, but she lost her balance while doing so. She let out a cry, anticipating the impact of her butt and the ground, but someone reached out to steady her.

She turned around to have a look at her savior and is surprised to see Yun Ho.

The singing stops after the bridge, but the music continues playing softly in the background and the scene shows them having coffee together.

“I’m really sorry for acting the way I did at the cemetery. The truth is you look exactly like my ex-girlfriend,” Yun Ho explained.

“Did something happen to her?” Sierra asked.

“She died last year,” he said.

“Wow,” she said. “I look like your ex-girlfriend? That’s a little hard to believe.”

“We can always go back to the cemetery, and I’ll prove it to you,” he smiled.

“That’s okay. I’ll take your word for it,” she smiled back.

“Komawo,” he said.

“It must have been painful, then. Losing the one you love.”

“The pain dulls eventually,” he said wistfully as he stirred his coffee. “So where’s your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?”

“That guy you were with at the cemetery.”

“Oh… Jung Su oppa? He’s my cousin. We were visiting my mother’s grave,” she smiled.

Yun Ho smiled back, and the singing resumed at the first chorus.

The scenes change to show them dating; walking in the park, having dinner, watching a movie at the cinema and the music stopped after the music interlude, before the first verse of the 2nd part of the song. The scene changed to show Yun Ho holding Sierra’s hands as they sat alone on a bench, overlooking a lake.

“Let’s date, officially,” he said.

“You can’t be serious, Yun Ho,” was her reply. “You still have her in your mind. I know that I’m just a substitute.”

“Sierra, you’re not a substitute. I know who I’m looking at. I know who I’m talking to. You’re Sierra, not Jin Yi.”

“But will I ever live up to her?” she asked him.

“She’s dead, you’re here, and I love you,” he said, and he kissed her.

The music played again, starting at the first verse of the 2nd part of the song and showed scenes of Sierra cleaning Yun Ho’s house alone; him coming home and them having dinner at home. Then there are the scenes of them watching TV together, their expressions changing with the different genres of movie they were watching as the bridge played.

The 2nd chorus showed them chasing each other, throwing pop corn and pillows at each other, and laughing. The song ended with the repeated chorus playing as scenes of them being happy flashed past the screen, and finally a scene with Sierra leaning against a tree, and Yun Ho moving in slowly and finally kissing until the song ended, and the words ‘Sierra + Yun Ho’ and ‘To Be Your Love’ were written out on the screen in gold calligraphy as the cameras moved further and further to show more and more of the backdrop; a park with a lake.