"I will give you all that you need: money and security. But you will have to leave this island before morning tomorrow. I will arrange a ferry for you, and you will board it before dawn. Is that clear?" Chang held out some cash to Ibuki. Ibuki looked at the money and hesitated.
"Take it."
Ibuki slowly proceeded to take the cash and said, "Is it necessary?"
"Yes, yes, it is."
"Chang-shi, I want to stay a little longer. I want to spend time with my friends," Ibuki pleaded.
"Friends? You think they are your friends. You are unwanted to them. They can move along without you. You don't have to stay here for them."
"Misao is different."
"Misao!" Chang smirked. "She is no different. Move on from her."
"Why?" Ibuki asked.
"Poor you. I know you like her, but you will not have a chance with her."
"I just want to be friends with her. She knows me and understands me."
"Does she, Ibuki? Does she, really?"
Ibuki fell silent and was reminded of all the times he had accused Misao of not understanding him well. He said no more and left as per Chang's instructions.
He boarded the ferry an hour before dawn. He had left his things back at the hotel. Chang had insisted that he would get them back. For Ibuki, the journey was long. His thoughts had left him, and now he had no one to talk to.
Just about two days after his journey began, the police stumbled upon the body of a young boy offshore.
Misao walked near the body and anxiously turned over the body to see the face. She let loose her body and sighed, "It's not Ibuki. It is not him!"
Youra came running and hugged her friend, who was sobbing.
The forensic team came and collected the body of the unfortunate boy. Later, Joon-Woo told Youra that the boy was a drug addict who had ended his life after running out of drugs and money to buy them.
Misao sat on the shore hours into the sunset. She did not leave the beach and kept looking at the sunset.
"Ibuki, wherever you are, please come back. I miss you!" she murmured.
Finally, realising that sitting there would add up to nothing, Misao got up to head back to the hotel. As she was about to leave, she saw a figure running towards her and waving. The sun's light had dimmed, and it was hard to figure out who the person was. Misao stopped and walked towards the figure. The closer she got, the more she wanted to know who it was. She took speed and ran towards the person.
The person closed in on her and hugged her tightly. She sobbed, "Ibuki! Where were you?! Ibuki!!"
Ibuki tried to console her but knew he felt the same. He could not hold in his tears and cried. They both cried because they were happy to see each other. They were tired. They said nothing but knew precisely what the tears wanted to convey. A numbing pain they shared and healed together.
Sungmin had spotted the two and now headed back to his guest house. He called the police and told them to stop the search as he had contacted Ibuki. He told them that Ibuki's mother had fallen ill, and he had rushed urgently back to Incheon, unable to let anyone know where he had gone. Chang overheard him speaking in his study and entered once he was done.
"Mr Choi, is that the police?" Chang asked.
Sungmin nodded.
"Why did you tell them this? Did you find where Ibuki is?"
"I saw him with Misao. I will have to speak to her."
Chang pursed his lips.
"Why, that boy?! He returned!" Chang thought and then spoke to Sungmin, "Do you need me to do something?"
"Yes. Bring both of them here. I must speak to them."
Chang nodded and left to bring Misao and Ibuki. His fists clenched in annoyance. Misao and Ibuki were still sitting at the beach. Chang arrived, running to them.
"Chang-shi?" Misao asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Mr Choi wants to see you both?"
Ibuki and Chang exchanged quick glances, and Ibuki knew that he was furious. They followed Chang to the guest house. There, he led them to Sungmin's study.
Misao and Ibuki entered in and were asked to sit on the couch.
"So I assume this is Ibuki?" Sungmin asked.
"Ye-yes," Ibuki answered.
"Well, I told the police that you had to rush back home due to an urgency and could not inform your host family about it. So now it would not be good for you to stay here anyway. I will try and arrange a ride back to the mainland so you can get home. Misao will accompany you." Sungmin explained.
Ibuki bowed his head, "Th-thank you."
Misao asked, "Mr Choi, thank you for helping."
She turned to Ibuki and asked him to wait for her outside. So Ibuki got up and went to the lounge. There, he met Chang.
"Ch-Chang-shi, I am sorry," Ibuki bowed his head.
Chang went near him and whispered close to his ear, "Believe me, you have brought upon yourself some serious problems. Meet me once I arrive back in Incheon."
Ibuki nodded and sat down. Chang went back in. Inside, Misao was explaining to Sungmin Ibuki's conditions.
After she was done, Sungmin took a long pause for thought. He turned to look at Chang, who was standing next to the door with his head lowered. Chang lifted his head and looked back at Sungmin. Then he nodded and went out.
"Mr Choi wants to talk to you," Chang said to Ibuki.
Ibuki went in, and Sungmin smiled at him.
"Ibuki, I have an offer for you. Would you be interested in it?"
Ibuki rushed his eyes about and then replied, "What is the offer?"
Sungmin said, "How about I let you work as my assistant beside Chang? I will pay enough for your family to survive."
Ibuki looked at Sungmin and then turned to Misao. Misao gazed back and blinked slowly. Ibuki turned to look at Chang sneakingly, and he nodded in response. Ibuki now looked back at Sungmin and said, "I accept your offer."
Later that day, Sungmin arranged for a way back to Incheon, and by night, Ibuki and Misao had left. For the entire trip back to shore, Ibuki slept silently, and Misao remained awake in thoughts.
"I haven't heard from Oppa yet. I need to call him."
By morning, Ibuki and Misao arrived at their destination. Misao dropped Ibuki at home and returned back to hers. The only ones who knew about what had happened on the island were Youra and Joon-Woo. They did not let anyone know what had transpired and played along with the lie Sungmin said. Uno was told that Misa had returned due to a family emergency. What that emergency was, no one told him.
Misao reached home and found that neither of her parents were there. She looked for the spare key, found it and unlocked the door. Her house felt damp. It was silent and lightless. She turned on the light and went into the kitchen. On the breakfast table was a half-eaten omelette and some leftovers from breakfast. The chair was standing slanted to the table. The dishes of the night were still in the sink, untouched and unwashed. She went to her brother's room. It was locked. He hadn't been home since his fight with their father. Misao went upstairs to her room. Her room was the only place brightly lit up by the summer sun. Her curtains were open, and her room was perfectly organised. She put her luggage near her wardrobe and sat on the bed. She got up after a moment, and in a burst of emotion she could not control, she dragged the quilt off her bed onto the floor. She then dragged the things on her study table and violently dashed them onto the floor. She fell onto her knees and began crying.
After a while, Misao wiped her tears and took out her phone. She called Rui.
"Oppa, I want to meet you."
Rui agreed and sent her a location to meet up.
Misao immediately freshened herself up and left to meet her brother.
She arrived at the small restaurant and remembered that Ibuki had brought her there once before the break. She went in and found her brother sitting in the corner, exactly where Ibuki and she sat. He was reading a magazine on the cover of which Misao saw a picture of a K-Pop idol. Rui looked up and saw her. He asked her to come over, and she came and sat down.
"How are you?" he asked
"Not fine."
Rui put down the magazine, and Misao read the cover. The idol on the cover had passed away due to suicide. Apparently, he came from a group Misao hadn't heard of.
"I used to listen to his music," Rui said. "It's sad that he passed away like this."
Misao sighed, "May he rest in peace."
Rui held Misao's hand and asked, "How was your break? I heard you went of Heuksando."
"Yes, I did. It was.....fun." Misao replied. "When are you coming back, Oppa?"
"When do you need me to come back?" Rui responded.
"Today, now!" Misao replied.
"Is Father home?" Rui asked.
"When I arrived, he wasn't. Neither was Mom." Misao said, "Please talk to Dad. We can figure out something."
Rui fell silent. He picked the magazine up and read, "'I thought I would achieve my dreams by believing in myself. That is what everyone told me. But it was a lie. To get what you want, you need to have what it takes to get it: money and power.' This guy really struggled, didn't he, despite having all that it takes or maybe not."
"Oppa, you will talk to Dad, right?"
Rui turned to Misao, "Alright. You meditate."
Misao smiled and got up to hug her brother.
After walking with Rui to the hotel he was staying at, Misao went to see Ibuki. Ibuki had arrived at his home while his mother was cooking. She was surprised to see him and hugged him. She then gave him freshly brewed fish soup. He then went to his room and saw a letter from Myoung-Ok on the table. He opened it but left it unread. He was reading a fashion magazine when Misao came.
She rang the bell, and Mrs Cho opened the door. Misao greeted her and went to Ibuki's room. She knocked, and he answered.
"I need your help," Misao said, standing at the door. Ibuki looked confused and asked, "What help?"
Misao held his arm and dragged him outside, "I will tell you on the way."
Misao explained to Ibuki that she needed him to help her mediate between her father and brother as they discussed Rui's marriage with Lisa. Ibuki agreed although he was sceptical about how he was going to mediate and why Misao thought that he would be able to help.
The mediation took place on the dining table in Misao's house. Across the opposing ends of the table sat Rui and Heechul. The middle area was occupied by Seo-Yun and Lisa and, opposite them, Misao and Ibuki.
Misao took a deep sigh before speaking and was about to speak when Heechul interrupted, "I am firm on what I have said."
Misao looked at him with confusion, "You didn't even let me begin, Dad. This is not going to help."
"Are you willing to stand up with your brother or me?" Heechul asked.
Misao looked at her father in disbelief.
"Why are you asking her such questions?" Seo-Yun responded.
"Well, why is she meditating? She knows I will never accept a Chinese girl in this house."
"It does not matter if she is Chinese or Korean. Oppa loves her," Misao rebuked.
Heechul rose in anger and thumped the table. Ibuki was taken aback by this anger. Flashes of his father doing the same came to him. His memories of his mother being hit by his father overtook him. His hands started shaking.
In a raised voice, Heechul spoke, "This marriage may happen, but I will not accept this relationship ever till I die."
Ibuki backed against the wall, holding his chest. The situation escalated when Rui rose to speak back, "I don't care!! You are clearly exaggerating this when there is no need to do so. I never expected you, Dad, to be so conservative."
The verbal fight quickly escalated when Misao and Seo-Yun tried to intervene. It reached a point where it became all chaos and amidst that, Heechul, without realising it, slapped Rui.
Right then, seeing the chaos, Ibuki fell to his knees, held his head between his hands and screamed, "Stop!"
Lisa rushed to hold him quickly.
What happened after that, Ibuki could never recall clearly.